The Meadow Ridge Knights community football organization has a team that will be playing for a provincial championship this weekend.
The bantam team will be in the nine-man B.C. championship, taking on the Cowichan Valley Bulldogs. They won their way in by beating the Nanaimo Seahawks 22-6 on Nov. 6.
The great defensive effort was led by linebacker Tyler Sanderson and defensive end Brennan Olund, who both made a lot of plays.
On the other side of the ball, running back Nick Masaro scored a pair of touchdowns, and Sanderson scored one while quarterbacking the offence.
“This team definitely doesn’t give up,” said head coach D.J. Nicol. “They’ve brought it – every practice, and every game.”
He said the squad is a good mix of kids who have been playing since before they could tie their own shoes, along with enthusiastic newcomers.
Nicol and his offensive coordinator and brother Robert head this group. They are both in their 20s, and don’t yet have children in the organization, but have been coaching for the love of the game.
“I played for the Knights, and all the coaches I ever had made a big impact on me,” D.J. said.
He recalled Dave Hicks in particular, who brought energy and passion to the field.
“You could tell he enjoyed what he was doing,” said Nicol, who tries to bring the same qualities as Hicks to the organization.
Coaching is definitely a family pastime, and they were also mentored by their father James Nicol, who coached football, and their mother Linda Stephens, who coached her boys in softball.
This is their first year coaching nine-man football, and said the extra room on the field allows for a lot more explosive offence. That’s what they hope to bring to the championship, which after several cancellations due to extreme weather is scheduled for this Saturday in Langley, at noon at McLeod Park.
The head coach noted the provincial opponents have met twice before, with each team winning a game, so his squad has a good chance of bringing home a championship.
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