Earl Marriott 7 - 6 Eric Hamber
In the span of four minutes and two dozen plays, the Hamber Griffins flew high with jubilation, teetered on the edge of despair, and soared again only to come crashing down as they lost the Tier II B.C. Championship 7-6 to Earl Marriott in at Burnaby Lake Park Nov. 21.
鈥淭he only way to describe it is that it sucks,鈥� said head coach Bobby Gibson. 鈥淏ut what more could you want from these guys? They did everything they could.鈥�
The Griffins started by scoring on the first drive. It would be the only touchdown until 1:01 in the fourth quarter.
Shahryar Khan drove ahead on a 37-yard carry to start the Griffins off. After quarterback Alex Parrotta was sacked, on the next play he ran the ball in to take a 6-0 lead. Hamber was penalized on the convert and instead of kicking the extra point, they went for two and missed.
The miss would hang over them all night.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to win a championship game 6-0,鈥� said Gibson. 鈥淵ou win a hockey game 6-0, not a football game.鈥�
Not putting up any additional points was the larger shortfall, he said. 鈥淔or me the difference is the fact we didn鈥檛 get the ball in the end zone twice.鈥�
In the second and third quarters, both teams settled down in their trenches. The ball barely passed the 30-yard line at either end. In one exchange, Earl Marriott fumbled on back-to-back plays. They recovered the ball the first time, but fumbled again and gave it up on their own 40-yard line. The rain, which had soaked the previous game between 麻豆传媒映画College and St. Thomas More, returned for the second half of the Tier II championship.
As the fourth quarter began, Hamber barred down for its toughest challenge since the football program was launched in 2010. The Griffins went seasons without scoring an offensive touchdown and fought for points and pride every game. This year, they recorded their first winning record, played in their first varsity playoff game and won it to reach the championship.
Leading by only a touchdown as the game wound down, Gibson said the pressure was intense. 鈥淭hey had jitters,鈥� he said.
Starting on their own 30, Hamber was called for a false start. Then Parrotta was sacked. Then the punt was blocked and Earl Marriott picked up the ball six yards from the end zone.
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But Hamber shut them down. Erol Reyes made an exceptional tackle behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of five. Then Hamber鈥檚 defensive line sacked the quarterback. On fourth-and-goal, the quarterback rushed and got nowhere.
Back on offence, Gibson kept the clock rolling by running the ball. But somehow the ball-carrier was stripped, and Earl Marriot pushed back to Hamber鈥檚 eight-yard line. They gained three, then lost a yard. On the third play, with 1:19 remaining in the game, Earl Marriott tied the score with a lofted pass to the back of the end zone.
The Griffins crumbled, but there was a flag on the play. An Earl Marriott linesman was called for holding, and the third down was repeated from the 19-yard line.
On the next attempt, Arthur Mudry-Lee intercepted the pass. The Griffins erupted.
Then, Hamber fumbled and Earl Marriott was back on the nine-yard line with the ball. This time, they made no mistake on the pass and also kicked the convert for a 7-6 lead.
Starting on their own 42 with 48 seconds to reach the end zone, the Griffins couldn鈥檛 rally. The game ended with the ball back in the hands of Earl Marriott. It was almost midnight.
鈥淢aybe we lost on the field but we won in our hearts,鈥� said Reyes, a graduating linesman who had six tackles, two sacks and forced one fumble and recovered a second.
鈥淎ll I want is to see this program grow,鈥� said Khan, who also graduates. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge opportunity for the program. Even coming in here today, we felt like we were sending a huge statement.鈥�
As Earl Marriott hoisted its prize across the field, the Griffins huddled around their coaches.
鈥淵ou will be feeling a lot of things right now,鈥� said Gibson. 鈥淥ne of them must be pride. You could hand me 100 million championships and they wouldn't mean as much as seeing you become men. That's way happened today.鈥�
Coaches鈥� voices cracked as the eyes of many players turned shiny. Four cheerleaders huddled nearby and cried in each other鈥檚 arms. The parents and fans were applauded by the team and coaching staff.
鈥淚t takes a big heart to have it broken,鈥� said offensive line coach Edward Beckett. 鈥淕uys, it was beautiful. Hold your heads up high. There is nothing better I could have spent my time doing.鈥�
