W.J. Mouat Hawks vs Mt. Douglas Rams

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The W.J. Mouat Hawks are quietly establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the province. Their balanced spread offense and physical 3-4 defense were on full display as they defeated the Mt. Douglas Rams on the road 42-6. 

Watching the Hawks' offense, the first you'll notice is Hawks stud running back Joel Mueller, who finished the day with 15 Carries for 115 yards and three total touchdowns. As Mueller weaves his way through defenders, picking up chunk plays, he follows his very physical, versatile offensive line.

The versatility of that o-line was shown early and often on Friday. Mauling the Ram's defensive line on zone schemes or pulling into space and leading the way for Mueller on counter runs. In pass protection, a brick wall was formed around quarterback Elijah Black, allowing him plenty of time to deliver the ball to his receivers.

Black showed his gratitude to the big guys up front, going 11-16 for 127 yards and two touchdowns despite the pouring rain all afternoon. Black is a joy to watch himself. He's capable of throwing the ball on time and in rhythm to his targets, but when things break down, he'll calmy escape pressure, keep his eyes downfield, and deliver the ball on the money to his open playmakers. 

Defensively for the Hawks, their three defensive linemen eat up blocks and let their linebackers flow freely to the ball. The Rams couldn't get their run game as they continually struggled to get any movement on the Hawk's front. 

When the Rams finally started to find some momentum at the end of the half, down 21-0, it was time for the Hawk's secondary to show their playmaking abilities. 

As the Rams dropped back to pass and let the ball go into the endzone, Max Pratt had the ball fall right into his hands for an interception. Not satisfied with just a pick, Pratt made a house call, taking the ball back  100 yards, and it was 28-0 at the half.

The Hawks put up a couple more scores before Mount Douglas got on the board late. As the final whistle was blown, the scoreboard read Hawks 42, Rams 6.

Defensive Coordinator Daniel Mills liked his unit's effort. " I was happy with how our defense played today. That was a big, tough physical team that we went up against, and we proved that we were up for the challenge." 

The Hawks will head home to prepare for next Friday night's matchup against the Terry Fox Ravens, while the Rams will look to regroup for their upcoming matchup with Ballenas.