BC – 2 alberta high schools visit Delta, BC

South Delta Sun Devils open their season tomorrow afternoon with a sampling of Alberta high school football.
The Sun Devils are teaming up with Abbotsford Christian to host a pair of schools from the Calgary area in a jamboree format that will take place at the SDSS Oval and Dennison Park. The Devils will play one half against Cochrane and the other against Bowness. The games will get underway at 3:30 p.m.

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The Alberta schools are making a quick stop in Tsawwassen before heading further south to take in the University of Washington Huskies game against Syracuse on Saturday and the Seattle Seahawks regular season opener against San Francisco a day later.

“It’s something we haven’t done before and it gives us the opportunity to see something different from two teams right out of the gate,” said Devils head coach Ray Moon. There were some logistical concerns running two games together but we managed to make it work.”
The Devils are coming off a somewhat disappointing 2009 campaign that saw them sitting near the top of the provincial rankings for much of the season, only to get dismantled by Sands in the quarter-finals on a rainy night in Langley. The team was also plagued by inactivity after two teams were dropped from their schedule and losing star running back Sam Livingston to mono.
There are enough key players returning for South Delta to sit third in the pre-season rankings, yet conference realignment should mean a tough test each week.

Nearby Seaquam, Hugh Boyd and Sands are back in the picture, while traditional Vancouver Island powerhouses Ballenas and John Barsby are also on the schedule. Rounding out the conference is Pinetree which has dropped down from the “AAA” level.

Leading the way for South Delta are seniors Riley Jones (linebacker/offensive lineman) and Taylor Harrison (tight end/defensive line) who both helped Team B.C. win bronze at the inaugural Canada Cup in July. Ray Calderwood (running back/defensive back) was a reserve for the team. Other key seniors include: Josh Cochrane (receiver/defensive back), Chris Adams (receiver/safety), Tanner Carlile (lineman), Wade Croft (lineman) and quarterback Mitch Rushton who started every game last season.

“We have 24 kids and we are not top heavy at any one position,” said Moon. “We have some excellent speed that we need to take advantage of and we’ve had some new players come in that have added to our size. Our concern, as always, is the drop off in play if our starters happen to get hurt.”

After Thursday’s jamboree, Abbotsford Christian will travel back to Tsawwassen Sept. 17 for a full exhibition game. Conference play begins Sept. 24 with a visit to Coquitlam to face Pinetree.