New head coach Joe Gignac couldnt have scripted a better way to start off his tenure at the helm of the Howe Sound Sounders football club.
The Sounders dominated the Argyle Secondary School Pipers on Friday (Sept. 9) by a score of 40-0 in the first game of the B.C. High School Football Tier 2 division.
Gignac was impressed with how his team responded.
Im really, really happy with the way we played today, he said. Our defence played well and our offence did an exceptional job.
He praised several of his offensive stars, many of whom put up impressive numbers in the win.
Weve got a quarterback right out of the GSL Roland Mendoza, who played so well for us, he said, noting that Mendoza will have chance to get even better as hes only in Grade 9. Anthony Wuster, Griffin Dare and James Kyle all had great games offensively for us too.
But Gignac admitted that it might have been the defence that turned the tide, making a crucial stop in the red zone to close out the first half. With the Sounders up 12-0 in the second quarter, Argyle put together a strong drive all the way to the 5-yard line but were stymied by the Sounders defence. The Pipers couldnt seem to recover from that close call and didnt manage much offence in the second half.
The Sounders exploded offensively, with 240 total yards, including 187 on the ground. Leading the charge for Howe Sound was Swo-wo Gabriel, with 84 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. Dare collected 40 yards on seven carries along with one touchdown, while Kyle scored one major and snagged 35 yards on three possessions. For his efforts, Gabriel was named offensive player of the game.
Howe Sound only connected once in the air but it was a successful one, as Wuster scrambled for 53 yards and for a touchdown. He also reached the end zone on a kick return in the second half.
According to Gignac, the speed of some of his key offensive players should help the team succeed.
The quarterback and two of my wing players can both run 4.6 (second) 40s, he said. Weve got some of the fastest players in the league on this team.
The defence also shut down Argyle, only allowing 66 total yards on the afternoon. Defensive end Cam Prouten, who was named the defensive star of the game, picked up five tackles and recovered a fumble to lead the way for the defence.
Next up for the Sounders will be the Valleyview Secondary Vikings, which could prove to be a big test for the Sounders. The Vikings play in the AA division and knocked off AAA-ranked Rutland last week. Kick-off is set for today (Sept. 16) at 3 p.m. at Howe Sound field.
