“There is more pressure on them,” said Mt Boucherie coach Mike Godwin. “And we’ve all been there as coaches, as many times as you say, ‘We can’t take this team lightly,’ half of your players won’t believe you.”
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Mount Boucherie Bears coach Mike Godwin was leaning toward his team’s underdog status before the West Kelowna team opened the Triple A high school football playoffs against the Notre Dame Jugglers.
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The Jugglers (8-1 overall, 6-1 in league) were the No. 2 team in the latest Triple A provincial rankings. They lost a 9-6 matchup to No. 1 Vancouver College Fighting Irish last week, which which gave the Fighting Irish the goodbye of the first round as champions of the Western Division.
The Bears (6-1 overall, 4-1 in the league) were the best Triple-A team in the Indoor-based Triple-A / Double-A Hybrid Division. Their only loss was a 22-6 setback to the Double-A Vernon Panthers on October 8.
Saturday’s game at 1:30 pm between Notre Dame and Mt. Boucherie is one of six Triple-A wild card games this weekend.
“For us, the key is going to be in managing our mental state. We can’t get too nervous, we can’t get too high or low, ”Godwin said. “They are the favorites. There is more pressure on them. And we’ve all been there as coaches, as many times as you say, ‘We can’t take this team lightly,’ half of your players won’t believe you. “
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Boucherie features running back Aiden Wiberg, who led Triple-A in rushing this season with 1,300 yards on 148 carries. He also scored 18 touchdowns on the ground, the most in the league.
“He’s a big tough boy. He is strong. Break tackles. But what you don’t see in the movie is how fast he is, ”Godwin said of Wiberg, who weighs 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 195 pounds. “It is faster than people think.
“He started out for us as a 10th grader and he has always been a strong, strong kid, but he has gotten faster. Even throughout this season, he has. ”
Notre Dame names to know include quarterback Aiden Domino, who finished seventh at Triple-A in passing yards (1,030), fifth in touchdown passes (11), tenth in rushing (598 yards) and tied for the second place in rushing touchdowns (10).
Twitter: @Steveewen
Reference-theprovince.com