The Handcraft Woodworks Sooke atom Seahawks faced a tough group of defending champions in Gold Cup final action Sunday at the big time venue of Royal Athletic Park. This was only the third time in Sooke community football history a team has competed at this level.
The rugged, sizable and experienced Saanich Wolverines earned a hard fought 20-8 victory.
The Seahawks turned in a full effort in every facet of the game... something that has become their trademark over the course of a most impressive 7-3 regular season as well as a gripping 6-0 triumph over Westshore in playoff action on the previous weekend.
According to the coaching staff, and given the fact the squad was coming off a winless campaign last season, the team surpassed all expectations.
“Sooke pride stood tall,” stated coach Darryl Pollock
Seahawk Dreydon Lindquist earned defensive player of the game honours, while an outstanding effort by Jordan Schutt put Sooke’s major on the board.
The atom Seahawks - 2011, are:
Nick Pollock
Dalton Franche
Joshua Petite
Tyler Scheubel
Zac Bedford
Spencer Leslie
Jason Ouellet
Tie Boake
Robbie Lowerison
Connor Elliot
Richard Innes
Jacob Laliberty
Andrew Abell
Jordan Schutt
Connor Ward
Kyle Berger
Ryan Hanlon
Kieran Nielson
Rori Wood
Nick Mason
Cole Johns
Dreyden Lindquist
Randy Ross
Alec McKenzie
Bailey McMillan
Elijah Leversedge
Tyson Bastone
-Coach Darryl Pollock
The Sooke Home Hardware peewee Seahawks finished their season like champions.
The full roster of 16 players gave it their all versus the Gordon Head Raiders in the Silver Cup final at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park. The offensive backfield of Jacob Arnaud, Ben Holmes, Garrett Tunkow, Josh Tipton, and Torin Keoughan clawed for every inch.
The offensive line of Malachi Ince, William McBride, Alex Campbell, Braedon Gouk, Jared Purdy, Jacob Dyer, Dexter Kennedy, Jacob Foster, and Julian Peterson were headstrong and courageous in standing up to a quick Raiders attack. Their discipline led to five offside penalties against the Gordon Head defence.
The Seahawks presence on defence was no different. They earned three sacks in the second half of the game and forced a few turnovers. Leading tackler Quinn Plant was out of the game with an injury, but Todd Mallory and Holden Bedford stepped up as leaders and supported the tenacious defence.
A Seahawks 62-yard scoring drive was capped off by a one-yard plunge by Tunkow, and Sooke won the second half of the game.
The trophy went to Gordon Head for the 22-6 win; however, the Seahawks earned a bigger reward by proving dedication and staying together as a team can earn you a victory in the final battles, despite the challenges faced all season long.
Isn’t football amazing?
A big thank you to our leadership from the staff: coaches Jason Allen and Robert McBride, team manager Caroline Tunkow and our sponsors.
– Coach Tom Billings