As the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers ran onto the field Oct. 12 to face the St. Thomas More Knights in Week 3 of their senior high school football campaign, rookie head coach Michael Carter was optimistic.
“STM is a team that we traditionally have had a hard time finding success against,” Carter said. And that had been since Tweedsmuir began playing AAA football in 2009.
The Panthers battled their way to a 13-0 hard-fought win, putting two touchdowns on the Knights. Kicker Jerin Harinen was successful on one of two converts.
Carter said he was happy with the win.
“Our offence was efficient seeing Chase Thurston finish an impressive 11/13 for 164 yards and two TDs,” Carter added. “Mathew Reid and Logan Wager each had a 35-yard receiving TD.”
He said offensive coordinator Jay Roberts deserves some credit for giving the kids a “great” gameplan to work from in their effort to counter the "aggressive defensive scheme” the Knights play.
“Defensively, we hung around and proved ourselves both physically and mentally tough as STM looked to grind out yards on the ground,” Carter explained.
He noted the third quarter was pivotal as the the Panthers’ defence spent almost the entire frame on the field. Despite the relentless running game from STM, LT was able to put up a wall on defence, ensuring the shut-out win.
“Safety Jack Roberts finished with nine tackles while LB/DL Finn Meberg followed with seven," Carter added.
St. Thomas More played stingy in D too, only giving up a combined 72 yards on the ground to LT’s top two rushers. Peyton Mansfield rushed for 55 yards on 11 carries and Jerin Harinen ground out 17 yards on five carries.
The game was also Lord Tweedsmuir’s homecoming game. There was a dance performance to mark the occasion. Amanda Okrainetz, Performing Arts department head, had her squad dance at halftime. The halftime show was choreographed by Grade-11 students Miah and Selah Sjoberg.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 2-1 and move into a three-way tie for top spot in the AAA Central Division along with New Westminster and Centennial.
Next up, Tweedsmuir hosts the New West Hyacks Friday, Oct. 18. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at the school.
