In a seesaw game that finally seemed to sway in their favour, the Fighting Irish relinquished a late, one-point lead to No. 3 Lord Tweedsmuir in the closing minutes of the AAA quarterfinal Nov. 16 in Langley.
Vancouver College ultimately lost 34-29 to the Panthers at McLeod Athletic Park, but the defeat delivered a promise for the future.
One of the bright spots for the No. 5 Irish was the performance of their rookie quarterback, Grade 10 Giordy Belfiore who connected on 20 of 34 attempts and threw for 266 yards and one touchdown, setting a modern day school record for most passing yards and completions in a game.
"We feel very optimistic about our future," said head coach Todd Bernett. "Giordy is certainly a part of that optimism, as well as returning six other starters on offense, including four of five on the offensive line. We also have many defensive role players returning ready to step up and start in 2014. They will be joined by an exciting class of youngsters from this year's [junior varsity] team who are ready to begin working towards their varsity careers today in our off-season program."
The Panthers were knocked out of last year’s playoffs by the Irish, who advanced to the championship final. In this meeting, Tweedsmuir built a 21-7 lead before half time, thanks to the churning power of running back Jamel Lyles.
Robbie Welch opened scoring on a two-yard run but Tweedsmuir scored three times in the first two quarters. Before the half ended, Vancouver College recovered the ball on its own 22 and drove down the field. Belfiore put the ball in the hands of Matt Legge for what appeared to be a 19-yard TD, but the refs called it down on the one-yard line with 0.3 seconds on the clock. The Irish running back was stopped short.
After the kick-off, Vancouver’s impenetrable defence held the Panthers to three plays but rather than punt, the Irish conceded a safety and two points. They took over and Caisip scored to make it 21-16. Tweedsmuir scored again to widen the margin 28-16.
Early in the final frame, Belfiore found Manny Khun-Khun for a three- yard pass and then Welch followed late in the quarter with his second touchdown. With 3:32 remaining in the game, Vancouver College led 29-28.
The Panthers began a long drive built around Lyles and with 1:08 remaining, they punched it in to score and end the Fighting Irish season.
With the season-ending loss, Bernett's overall 15-year win-loss record with Vancouver College moves to 114-38.
