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More than once this season, the glass-is-half-full Chris Cartwright has insisted his Kelowna Owls “can compete with anyone” in the B.C. Secondary Schools Football Association.

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Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowKelowna Owls' quarterback, Isaac Athans, about to deliver a touchdown pass to Nolan Ulm on KSS's first offensive sequence.And the response, at times, has been wink, wink and a smile.

After all, the AAA Owls struggled out of the gate by losing AA Vernon Panthers 21-7;  failed to score a point against then No. 1 (AAA) Terry Fox Ravens in a 41-0 defeat; and fell to the 2-2 and unranked Abbotsford Panthers 29-10.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowRhys James (82) celebrates as teammate Nolan Ulm runs to the endzone for the Owls' first touchdown.But the winks turned to eyes wide open on Friday as the Owls got to within a missed convert of playing the visiting Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers to a deadlock — finally falling 21-20 to the No.1- ranked AAA team from Surrey at the Apple Bowl.

“This game was a major boost of confidence for our program,” said the always-optimistic Cartwright, head coach of the Owls. “We are continuing to show ( — wait for it —)  that we can compete with anyone in the province. The process is working and it speaks to our T.O.U.G.H. philosophy.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowOwls' head coach, Chris Cartwright, believes in T.O.U.G.H. football at KSS.The Owls, 1-3 in the regular season, did indeed show their resiliency from the get-go on Friday as they responded to a relentless first-drive touchdown by the Panthers with 59-yard pass-and run-touchdown involving quarterback Isaac Athans (165 yards passing) and receiver Nolan Ulm on their first play from scrimmage.

And Owls chipped away at a 21-7 first-quarter deficit with a TD run by Athans in the second quarter and got to within a point with 10 minutes remaining when Athans and Ulm hooked up again for a 52-yard major. 

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowNathan Gilbert, left, and Jon Haughton of the Owls team up to take down a Panther.Coach Cartwright said the flamboyant play was successful because of the football intelligence of the main participants.

“What makes a play like that work is that it gives our quarterback (Athans) options. We have smart football players and this play gives them ownership of their game — which is cool because they get to own the process.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Owls' Nolan Ulm reaches to grab Lord Tweedsmuir's Yosef Drysdale.With the extra-point attempt by Rhys James after the second Ulm TD deflecting off the upright, the Owls failed to earn a point despite confirming their coach’s assessment of the team.

“Holy smokes!  That was a great high school football game.  I am so proud of our boys for fighting to the finish.  It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but this game speaks to what we are building here at KSS.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowStorm Buck of the Owls is stonewalled by the Panthers' Yosef Drysdale.While the KSS offence came close to pulling off the biggest upset of the season, the defence held its own against the highly-touted Panthers.

Tyler Klotzbach, back in the lineup after injuring his shoulder in the team’s second exhibition game of the season, showed why he was selected as an Eastern Conference all-star as a Grade 11 last year by making 19 tackles. 

Tyler is a difference-maker and a leader on our defence,” said Cartwright.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowLucas Spencer (55) and Kenny Clarke sandwich Drysdale.And Grade 11 Storm Buck had another solid effort at his linebacker position, getting in for five tackles.

“We’re really excited to be able to work with Storm,” noted Cartwright. “It’s his first year of playing football and already he’s making a big difference for us both on defence and offence (running back).

Looking head to this weekend for a matchup on Saturday against the Mission Roadrunners in Mission, Cartwright and his staff will focus on “the little things and how we approach each session this week.”

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow“Our job as coaches is to mentor the boys and put them in places that we feel will bring success to the team,” he said. “It is really cool to see the players take it and own the process and buying into the T.O.U.G.H philosophy we preach every day.”

Team – Everything you do is for the team.

Ownership – You take ownership in everything you do — on and off the field. 

Universal – You strive to be a universal person who tries different things.

Growth – You commit to show growth in your development

Heart – You give heart to what you commit to and have pride in it.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowChase Schumacher of the Rutland Voodoos leaves a Mouat defender in his wake on a run for a long gain.

W.J. Mouat 25 Rutland 12

Despite another outstanding performance by running back Chase Schumacher, the Rutland Voodoos dropped their second straight game in the Pacific Division on Friday at the Apple Bowl.

Schumacher carried the ball 18 times for 164 yards and a touchdown while adding a TD off a pass from kicker Liam Atwood on a fake field goal. But according to RSS head coach, Pete McCall, the Voodoos (4-2) couldn’t find any rhythm overall on offence and fell 25-12 to the first place W.J. Mouat Hawks (5-1).

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowJhavoun Blake of the Voodoos was slowed down by an ankle injury in the loss to the Hawks.That quarterback Jhavoun Blake wasn’t 100% — playing through an ankle injury — had a lot to do with the Voodoos’ lack of tempo. The Grade 11 phenom, who led the team to four straight wins to start the season, was held to 51 yards on 10 carries while he managed just four completions on 18 passes on the day. Two of the throws were to Austin Yuros for 25 yards.

Defensively, the Voodoos had a tough time stopping the Hawks’ Ebiye Okoko-Chomseng and Nathan Hausermann who rushed for 172 and 106 yards respectively.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowKyron Konkin, left, and Dalton Lucas of the Voodoos bring down Mouat's Nathan Hausermann.But Yuros did his part, making six tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble.

Prince Manongdo was again a major force with eight tackles while Kryon Konin had six takedowns and Dalton Lucas contributed five.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Voodoos' Austin Yuros lines up Mouat's Ethan Erickson.The Voodoos, “getting back to fundamentals” at practice this week,  are on the road on the weekend, busing to Cloverdale on Friday to take on the winless Sullivan Heights Stars.

In a third BCSSFA weekend game involving a Central Okanagan team, the struggling, shorthanded and 0-4 Mt. Boucherie Bears lost to No. 2-ranked Terry Fox 54-0. 

The Bears are back at the Lower Mainland on Friday when they meet Lord Tweedsmuir in Surrey.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowBear Akachuk, left, and Prince Manongdo team up to stop the Hawks' Nathan Hausermann.

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