Panthers hand Irish first loss within province since 2021

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Friday, September 26th, at Lord Tweedsmuir’s “Friday Night Lights” event, in front of an estimated 2000 fans, history was made. For the first time since 2021, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish were defeated by a team within the province of BC. On a night the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers and their fans won't soon forget, the Panthers pulled away for a decisive 23-10 victory.

This win marks only the second time ever that the Panthers have defeated the Irish. The last time LT bested VC was in the 2013 season. VC was coming off 21-0 & 31-8 victories over Lord Tweedsmuir in 2024. The Panthers have had this game in their mind for quite some time.

“This was a game our players had circled on the schedule as it was our Friday Night Lights game, but also because of the opponent. VC is the gold standard of high school football in BC, and our players were chomping at the bit to have an opportunity for a win after our recent history against each other,” said Panthers' head coach Michael Carter.

Sparked by their boisterous home crowd and perhaps the thought of sweet revenge, the Panthers came out firing on Friday night. LT marched the ball down the field with precision on their opening possession.

A 20-yard Peyton Mansfield rush was followed by a string of completions from QB Chase Thurston to WR Tristan Dominguez of 15, 19 and another 15 yards before capping the drive with a TD strike to Logan Wager to put the Panthers up 6-0.

Thurston was incredibly impressive all night for the Panthers. Playing against a stout VC defence, Thurtson threw the ball in rhythm with precise timing and accuracy, as well as extending plays with his legs when the time called for it.

Both teams' Defences took control for the rest of the first frame. In the second quarter, the Irish's defence took advantage of a rare Thurston Mistake. Atticus Duncan walked up to the line of scrimmage as if he were blitzing. As Thurston dropped back to pass, Duncan dropped out into coverage and got underneath the slant route that Thurston tried to fit in. 

Duncan snagged the ball out of the air and set up his team's offence in prime position. The Irish's offence responded with a 9-play drive capped with a 2-yard score from Jaxson Farac to put the Irish up 7-6.

Trailing for the first time, LT turned to their star back. Peyton Mansfield took control with rushes of 11, five and four yards before capping the drive with a 37-yard rushing touchdown. Mansfield showcased his power, contact balance and vision in the run game all night for the Panthers.

Fellow Panthers' running back Jerin Harinen would escape the grasp of several VC defenders to score on the following 2-point convert attempt to put LT up 14-7, a lead the Panthers would take into halftime. 

A 17-play drive by the Irish that ate up the majority of the 3rd quarter was capped off by a Benen Curran Field Goal to cut into LT's lead. On the ensuing drive, the Irish's defence also held in the red zone, stopping the Panthers five yards away from paydirt on a massive 4th down play.

With the ball back deep in their own territory, VC's offence couldn't find its footing. LT forced a 3-and-out. To make matters worse for the Irish, the drive ended in a safety when the ball was snapped over Atticus Duncan's head on fourth down as he was set to punt the ball away.

VC's defence responded with a massive stop to put the ball back in their offence's hands. This go around, the Irish started moving the ball with ease. The Benen Curran to Owen Brunel connection was in full force as Curran dropped back and threw a dime to Brunel on a post route for a huge gain.

With the ball deep in Panthers territory, Curran faked to his running back and booted to the left. As Curran looked up, he saw what appeared to be an open tight end in the left flat. As he released the ball, Jerin Harinen came screaming downhill from his safety position, jumping the route with perfect timing for a Panthers interception.  

A couple of plays later, Harinen called game. The playmaker took a handoff off tackle to the left, made one defender miss on a beautiful cut and then exploded into the open field for a 60-yard major. Those two massive plays solidified a complete team effort from the Panthers as they'd hold on for a monumental 23-10 victory.

This Panthers win may be historic, but Carter won't let his team's focus waver for too long.

“We’re very happy to walk away with a win, but have things to work on as we get into conference play against a very strong Central Conference,” Carter said post-game.

The Panthers will thoroughly enjoy this one all weekend before turning their attention on Monday to their next opponent, the New Westminster Hyacks.

The Irish will re-collect and get back to work as they look to bounce back against the South Delta Sun Devils next Saturday.