New Westminster Hyacks Vs Notre Dame Jugglers

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The New Westminster Hyacks continued their success Friday night, defeating a scrappy, prepared Notre Dame Jugglers Squad 27-10. Despite the victory, Hyacks head coach Andrew McKechnie says his team didn't play to their high standards. 

"Notre Dame is an extremely well-coached team, and like we said last week, they put their kids in favorable positions to make plays. That said, we are not thrilled with our performance tonight. Lots of errors can put a sour taste in your mouth despite the win."

With Notre Dame possessing the ball for the majority of the game, possessions were at a premium for the Hyacks. Early on, the Hyack's usually crisp, explosive offense had trouble finishing drives and holding on to the ball. 

"We struggled to make the most of our possessions. Two fumbles on their end of the field were absolute killers for us," said Hyacks Offensive coordinator Darnell Sikorski on his unit's difficulties.

Luckily for the Hyacks, their defense continues to get huge stops at the most important times. Interceptions by Daniel Penalver, Eli Smith, and a huge 4th down stop on the 1-yard line gave the Hyacks offense time to get going. 

Hyacks defensive coordinator Chad Oatway knows how important getting those big stops was for his defense.

"Defensively, we still have quite a few things to clean up, but the kids are gaining more and more belief. Those stops and turnovers inside the red zone will create even more confidence. We need to be more consistent, but when it mattered most, we buckled down and made plays."

With their backs against the wall, the Hyacks turned to the Hageleit brothers. Antonio found his brother Benny six times for 119 yards and finally got the Hyack's offense going in the process. Despite the unit's tough day, Sikorski raved about his star wideout.

 "If there was a bright spot for the offense, it was Benny Hageleit. He's a confident player who runs great routes and has excellent hands. He can make great contested catches and played an excellent game again tonight."

Behind the star, the Hyacks were able to pull away for good in the final quarter 27-10. The Jugglers had the Hyacks on the ropes and have to wonder if a couple of critical plays ended differently and what the final score could have been. 


The Juggler's top performers were running back/ linebacker Chris Torresan, who had 86 yards on 22 carries and had 11 tackles on defense. Quarterback Caled Parrotta with 13 carries for 75 yards as well as 87 yards passing and had seven tackles on defense. Wide receiver Michael MacLeod stood out with five catches for 65 yards.

Notre Dame starts league play with a game next Saturday against Kelowna.

McKechnie says things need to be different for the Hyacks moving forward. 

"We are going to need a much better week of practice from an execution and focus standpoint. Everyone needs to do a much better job this week, starting with our coaching staff. This being a crossover week, it now all counts for real in terms of standings."

The Hyacks will look to be crisper at home next Friday when they host the Handsworth Royals.