Both teams went to town and took advantage of a nestful of miscues and openings.
And the end result was akin to a Halloween fireworks show – a lot of pyrotechnics in the New Westminster Hyacks’ 55-41 victory over the Notre Dame Jugglers on Friday at Mercer Stadium.
The senior AAA football game was marked by brief outbursts where teams piled up the points, as when New West punched over 17 points in a four-minute span late in the second quarter.
Ahead 34-10 at the half, the Hyacks quarterback Nick Hauka, subbing for injured Jamie Shiho, hit receiver Trew Dancey on a 60-yard pass to up the margin to 31 points.
Then the Jugglers took their shots, and kept up the fireworks to pull within a dozen points.
New West always had the answer, however.
“Definitely we did a lot of good things right up until the last minute of the third quarter, then we fell apart a little bit,” noted Hyacks coach Farhan Lalji. “They countered with two touchdowns, one off an onside kick, and that kind of gave them life going into the fourth. But I don’t think the game was ever in doubt then.”
Hauka’s performance saw him connect on six of 10 pass attempts for 117 yards and one major, to Dancey. Hauka would also scramble for 68 yards on six carries and two TDs, from 22 yards and 34 yards.
Running back Gurvir Ghuman pounded out 133 yards on five carries, scoring two majors of 40-plus yards, while defensively racking up six tackles. Dancey would also finish with a pair of touchdowns, seven tackles and two QB sacks.
The win improves New West to 2-2 in the Western Conference, tied with defending AAA champion South Delta for third place.
As fate would have it, the two teams clash this Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Mercer Stadium. The contest is of significance, with third place clinching a better seed in the playoffs. As well as being Seniors Night, where the graduating players will be honoured, the game marks the seventh Bill Cushner Boot – chasing the prized win named for the man who founded both programs.
