The Vernon Panthers look to erase the provincial hopes of the South Kamloops Titans.
The Cats host their Okanagan AA rivals in the B.C. High School Senior Varsity AA Football quarterfinal tonight, Friday, Nov. 15, at Greater Vernon Athletic Park. Game time is 7 p.m. Pre-game festivities start at 6 p.m.
It's Seniors Night with the Panthers' Grade 12s playing their final home game of their career this evening. Winner of tonight's game advances to the provincial semifinal next weekend at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver to face either the College Heights Cougars of Prince George, or the Holy Cross Crusaders of Surrey.
Fans attending tonight's game are asked to wear white for a white-out salute to the home team.
Vernon beat South Kamloops 43-3 in the league match-up Oct. 25 in Kamloops. The Titans, however, are coming off a 35-34 overtime wild card playoff round thrilling victory over North Vancouver's Argyle Pipers. The game was played in North Van.
The other quarterfinals this weekend have the Windsor Dukes of North Vancouver taking on the Mount Douglas Rams of Victoria, and the Robert Bateman Timberwolves of Abbotsford taking on the John Barsby Bulldogs of Nanaimo.
The B.C. AA championship will be contested Saturday, Nov. 30, at B.C. Place.
Panthers' Interior AA offensive MVP, quarterback Cole Budgen, will play his final home game with a scholarship under his belt.
Budgen was named winner of the Glenn McWhinney Scholarship, presented by the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame Committee.
It's a $5,000 bursary awarded to a student-athlete "who embodies the attributes demonstrated by Glenn during his lifetime: dedication and commitment to a field of interest, honesty, humour, humility, and courage; has a record of service to the community through volunteerism, and has persevered to overcome hardships or challenges to reach his goals."
“The selection committee, who fielded nominations from across Canada, felt that Cole was a perfect candidate for the award and embodied everything that Glenn was about," said Panthers head coach Sean Smith. "Cole continues to amaze me with his focus, drive and commitment to Panther football and his personal goals. He has a champion mindset and is so deserving of all of the accolades he’s receiving this year."
McWhinney played in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1952-56. He won the Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers in 1954, and died at age 81 in 2012. McWhinney's son, Jeff, currently serves as the keeper of the Grey Cup trophy.
• Panthers alumni Grayson Statham and Kolby Thorpe settled for second-best in the Canadian Junior Football League ranks.
The pair helped the Okanagan Sun reach the Canadian Bowl championship game Nov. 9 in Windsor, Ont. The Sun lost the national final, 37-22, to the hometown St. Clair Saints, who won the Canadian Bowl for the first time since 1999 when they were the Windsor AKO Fratmen.
Both teams were seeking a fourth Canadian Bowl championship. The Sun have been to the national final 10 times, posting a 3-7 record.
The Canadian Bowl is the oldest football trophy competed for in North America. It is one year older than the Grey Cup.
JUNIOR VARSITY
It's back to the Fraser Valley for the Vernon Panthers JV squad.
The Panthers defeated the Ballenas Whalers of Parksville 28-8 in their B.C. AA Junior Varsity quarterfinal in a game played at Townsend Park in Chilliwack Wednesday, Nov. 13. JV teams can only travel through one zone, so the teams had to play in a neutral city.
Same rule applies this week as Vernon returns to Townsend Park to take on Nanaimo's John Barsby Bulldogs in a provincial semifinal Wednesday, Nov. 20. The Bulldogs took care of Island rivals Mount Douglas Rams of Victoria, 41-21.
The other AA semifinal will feature the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver taking on the Robert Bateman Timberwolves of Abbotsford.
