The North Langley Bears continue to show their bite early in the bantam football season.
The Bears improved to 3-0 with an impressive 41-1 victory over the Cloverdale Leopards Sunday afternoon.
The Bears displayed a wide array of offensive weapons and were rewarded with running touchdowns from four different players in four different quarters.
Zander Bailey ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter while Treven Baarts added a pair of majors in the second stanza.
The third quarter saw Nick Lacroix contribute a spectacular 42 yard touchdown run, after which Connor Hurley rounded out the Bears’ scoring on a nifty 24 yard quarterback keeper.
Kicker Charlie May was productive, successfully converting five of six North Langley touchdowns while consistently pinning the Leopards deep on the ensuing kickoffs.
The Bears’ defence once again kept the opposition out of the end zone, yielding nothing but a point on a missed field goal.
Any Cloverdale running back who somehow managed to escape Jake Evans and the rest of a the Bears’ line was immediately set upon by a particularly intense group of North Langley defenders, led by Pablo Wigwigan.
This weekend, the Bears travel to Vancouver to take on the Westside Warriors.
– by Chris Hurley
North Langley peewee Bears
The Bears are putting up a wall against opposing teams so far this season.
The North Langley peewees faced the Meadow Ridge Gold Knights for the second consecutive week and again shut them out, this time by an 18-0 count in Maple Ridge.
With the win, the Bears improved their record to 2-0-1 in the peewee division of the Valley Community Football League.
The Bears’ defence was the big story against the Knights, limiting the Meadow Ridge offence to a net gain of 27 yards and two earned first downs.
Connor Bernardin set the tone in the first quarter when he tackled the ball carrier 14 yards behind the line, pinning the Knights deep in their own territory and setting up the Bears’ first scoring drive.
Callum Middleton and Nicholas Reimer each ended a Meadow Ridge drive with solo tackles for a loss on third down.
In total, the Knights turned the ball over six times on downs, and once on a fumble recovery by Middleton in the waning minutes of the game.
North Langley’s offensive attack was led by Marcus Stang, who rushed nine times for 56 yards and two touchdowns, both in the second quarter.
Stang’s second major came on a 10-yard run in the final minute of the first half, capping a 55-yard drive, the Bears’ longest of the game.
Jordan Williams scored the other North Langley touchdown on a one-yard quarterback keeper, part of his 43 yards rushing on the day.
Jedakai Hurley powered to three first downs as part of a 50-yard contribution on the ground.
– by Andy Faust
North Langley junior bantam Bears
Under the Friday night lights in Chilliwack, the Bears fell 34-0 to the host Giants, despite a solid effort all game.
There were a few highlights for the Bears.
Brandon Brynjolfson and Ethan Bernardin both carried the ball for first downs early in the first quarter.
Tackles by Jacob Ronald and Brodie Tarling helped to slow down the Giants offensive push early on, keeping the game scoreless until the waning seconds of the first quarter.
Jesse Nielsen stepped in at quarterback late in the first quarter, leading the Bears offence against a tough Giants defence.
The Bears showed grit in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a group effort sack by Joey Yeomans, Jacob Thorpe, Evan Rees, and Jacob Ronald, and a big run by Trevor Paulenz.
The Bears’ game MVP, as chosen by the opposing team’s coaches was Evan Rees.
It was a solid day for Rees, who had several carries for positive yardage, and, on defence, completed tackles and recovered a Giants’ fumble.
– by Natalie Valentine