The Vernon Panthers advanced to their second consecutive provincial junior varsity football semifinal with a 58-6 win over the Kelly Road Roadrunners of Prince George Wednesday at Greater Vernon Athletics Park.
Six different players scored touchdowns as the Cats amassed 461 yards offence (184 on the ground and 277 in the air).
Quarterback Zack Smith went 7-of-9 for 169 yards and three touchdowns in two quarters of work. Back-up Leo Tamez threw for 108 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty.
“We haven’t played in three weeks so I was a bit worried about being rusty,” said VSS head coach Sean Smith.
“Fortunately, we didn’t show any signs of slowing down and were able to get on them right away. I was really happy to see some of our younger guys get in and make some plays. Will Satterthwaite had his first touchdown reception, Grade 8 Ethan Haber had his first interception and Ethan Greenan was our leading rusher and got his first touchdown as well.”
Matthew Reich was rock-solid on defence again registering nine tackles and one interception, while Tamez pocketed five tackles.
Tight end Kevin Morgan continued to make strides as a receiver, topping all pass catchers with six receptions for 90 yards, including a 24-yard TD.
The Roadrunners came in at 3-1.
The Panthers now travel to Chilliwack for a Wednesday, Nov. 22 game with the Abbotsford Panthers, who slammed the South Kamloops Titans 29-0 in their quarterfinal.
Vernon finished the regular season at 6-0, while Abbotsford went 5-0.
“We played them in Week 1 and came away with a hard-fought 10-0 win,” said Smith.
“However, I’m sure they are a much different and better team than they were in early September. I’m hoping we are too and can advance to the title game. When we beat them in Week 1, we all kind of knew we’d probably see them deep in the playoffs again.”
Ethan Mitchell rang up a 69-yard TD for VSS, while Will Sattherthwaite posted a 23-yard score. Greenan rushed eight times for 53 yards and one TD, while Tamez racked up 44 yards on three touches and Caden Danbrook counted 35 yards on two runs.
On defence, Matthew Reich delivered nine tackles and one pick, while Tamez had five tackles, Isaiah Ondrik recorded four and Ethan Mitchell produced a 32-yard interception for a touchdown.
Trent Charlton and Jon Bielski also had picks.