Roy Anderson is expecting another shootout at the CNC corral tonight - with an different outcome. He was on the sidelines for a frustrating 44-40 Kelowna Owls junior varsity B.C. quarter-final loss to the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey on Thursday. And Anderson, who doubles as the KSS varsity team coach, will be back at it tonight at CNC‘s Mission Stadium when the Black and Gold play host to the favoured W.J. Mouat Hawks of Abbotsford. "We physically pounded them (Lord Tweedsmuir), but we were just not mentally tough enough when we needed it," said Anderson, after watching the JVs let a 40-17 lead early in the third quarter get away. The Panthers scored their winning touchdown with just 40 seconds left in the game. The Owls trailed 17-13 in the first quarter, but appeared to take control in the second with three consecutive touchdowns and another early in the third. "To be honest, our guys thought the game was over at that point - and it should have been. But the momentum shifted and we couldn‘t get it back. "It was heartbreaking. We were in control and then all of a sudden the nightmare unfolded." Nathan Brown scored a pair of touchdowns for the Owls from 12 and six yards out, while teammate Brook Blackmore added a pair of majors on pass-and-run plays of 35 and 43 yards that involved quarterback Sam Davies. Scott McBurnie also caught a Davies‘ pass for a TD. The Owls went into the game with an 8-0 record that included six regular-season games and a pair of exhibition encounters. Tonight (7:30 p.m. at CNC) the senior 3A Owls and Mouat Hawks will put their highly potent offences on display in what Anderson expects will be another high-scoring matchup. "Both teams have a lot of weapons and are capable of putting up a lot of points," said Anderson, whose team won the Okanagan Conference with a 4-0 record and are 8-2 overall this season. "Mouat has a couple of really good running backs who like to go inside, while their passing game is very dangerous as well. They have a lot of skill where they need it, both offensively and defensively." Mouat (4-1) finished second to the No. 1-ranked Centennial Centaurs of Coquitlam in the tough Eastern Conference. Anderson says his team will have to be at its best to pull off an upset. "We feel we have a lot of skill as well with guys like Taylor Loffler (quarterback), Brandon Rempel (running back), Clint Stibbard (linebacker) and others, so it will be a very interesting matchup. "I believe we still have our best game ahead of us. I don‘t think we‘ve put it all together yet. I‘m hoping (tonight) is the time." Anderson adds that his team isn‘t intimidated by Mouat‘s reputation. "This group has been pretty good that way and it‘s not a team that gives up. We know Mouat isn‘t unbeatable. We just need to go out and execute and keep our mistakes to the very minimum. If we do, I‘m confident we can play with anyone." Top of Page
