The Saanich Wolverines' impressive 50-game win streak met its end on Sunday, after the junior bantam football team lost 48-16 to the Coquitlam Chargers at the British Columbia Provincial Football Association finals.
"They fought hard," said Brian Coey, the president of the Greater Victoria Minor Football Association. "They came out with determination and grit, and it just wasn't their night."
Prior to Sunday's defeat, the Wolverines, a Vancouver Island Canadian Football Association team composed of 12- and 13-year-old boys and girls that play two seasons per year, suffered their last loss in 2022. Since then, they have won five Island championships and two provincial titles.
Despite the skill needed to snag 50 consecutive wins, the Chargers were too much for the Saanich team to handle.
“They had a talented quarterback who was quite mobile and gained quite a few yards just with his feet and then made some good passes to good receivers,” said Coey, whose son plays for the Wolverines. “Both their offensive line and defensive line were just too much for our team.”
Setbacks early on in the championship game, played at Langford's Starlight Stadium, also hit the Wolverines hard.
“We had some key injuries right at the start of the game, like within the first couple of plays,” said Coey. “When you get smacked in the mouth real quick, it can change the mindset of the players. They had a tough time battling back.”
Coey added that the team's win streak may have negatively impacted their performance.
“Every season, every game added more pressure,” he said. “Maybe being on such an unprecedented streak, we started to think that we weren't beatable anymore.”
The Wolverines have still enjoyed a successful ride over the past two years, which Coey attributed to the community that supports them.
“From parents to players, to our board, our executive board, to our coaches, to every part of it, everybody bought into it and everybody sees what it needs to be a successful club," he said, adding that the outfit's head coach Arun Dodd hugely contributed to the team's success. “He's relatable. All the kids love him. There are so many different personalities on the team, but he can relate to all of them, regardless of who they are.”
The team's current roster will play together again in the spring, before aging out of the junior bantam league next fall. Though the team has to start fresh again in the fall season, Coey is confident that the Wolverines have bigger, better things in their future.
"The longevity of Saanich is what stands out, not just the one game," he said. "I think they're the type of team that can just come back stronger after this.”
