New Westminster Hyacks Vs Handsworth Royals

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The New Westminster Hyacks do Homecoming right. Students, Alumni, and community members flood the stands at Mercer Stadium for one of the best atmospheres in all of BC High School football. In return for all the support, the Hyacks showed their appreciation with a 49-12 victory over the Handsworth Royals.

Hyacks head coach Andrew McKechnie thanked the lively crowd post-game.

"Another excellent crowd for Homecoming with over 2000 people in attendance. We appreciate the support from the students, school staff, community, and especially our alumni. Our kids are extremely hard-working, and we are glad they performed well in front of a special crowd.

Benny Hageleit had the crowd up on their feet only 26 seconds into the game. As a Royals pass flew through the middle of the field, Hageleit broke on the ball from his free safety position, darting in front of the intended receiver for an interception.

Hageleit proceeded to weave through Royals on his way to the endzone for six. This started yet another strong showing for the Hyack's Defense. 

"Solid performance by our defense for the fourth straight game. We still need to clean up the finer details to prepare for this season's upcoming games. Overall, we are learning to play team defense, and I am excited to see what we can do in a tight game."

Hyacks' defensive coordinator, Chad Oatway, said about his unit. 

The Hyacks used a balanced attack again to put up points in bunches while leaning on the big boys up front. Offensive coordinator Darnell Sikorski says the team was seeing how much their line could handle in pre-game preparation this week. 

"I'm overall happy with how our offensive line played. We challenged our offensive line this week to have a great week of practice. Tonight, we had guys play at different positions to develop depth, which we hope will pay dividends down the road."

Despite the scoreline, McKechnie and the Hyacks have a lot of respect for the Royals. 

"Full credit to Handsworth. They have some outstanding players and have played an extremely hard schedule this year. To play the top AA program in Washington State plus three top 10 ranked schools in BC. They're not afraid to take on anyone. They should be commended for that."

Next week, things get real for the Hyacks. McKechnie and his staff know the challenge they are in for. 

"Things get tougher for us from here on out. Centennial presents many challenges and have great players all over the field. We'll have our hands full and will need an excellent practice week."

Kickoff will be at 7:30 at Mercer Stadium.