Vernon football players brought home medals and an MVP award at regional events hosted across the country.
At the 2023 Western Challenge in Regina, Ayden Mcdonald and Ayden Stringer, both from the Vernon Secondary School (VSS) Panthers, and Caden O’Dwyer from the Fulton Maroons’ high school squad, competed for Team B.C. and won the silver medal.
Their first game was a tight 20-17 victory over Alberta. Then, in the gold medal match, BC fell 34-0 to Saskatchewan.
At the U18 Canada Cup, Jace Collard, Austin Dunnill and Cisko Hove played through the adversity of wildfire smoke, poor air quality and schedule changes in Edmonton for Team B.C.
They ended up finishing seventh out of eight teams, after losing 22-0 to Ontario and 9-8 to New Brunswick. All final medal games were cancelled due to poor air quality.
In the U18 Western Showcase, hosted in Sherwood Park, Alta, Anderson Bicknell showcased his prowess on the defensive end to win the MVP award on that side of the ball.
His B.C. team lost to Alberta Blue in game one, 45-13. The second game, against Alberta White, was an exciting nail biter, where B.C. emerged victorious to win bronze.
Armstrong’s Pleasant Valley Secondary Hawks head coach Rob Ellis was the offensive coordinator for Team B.C. while Vernon and District Minor Football Association coach Aaron Chan was B.C.’s defensive coordinator.
Full results from the games can be found at footballcanada.com.
This story was updated Tuesday, July 25, to correct the omissions of O’Dwyer, Ellis and Chan
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