JV Grizzlies go unbeaten in regular season with 45-0 shutout of Langley, earn 1st round playoff bye

LANGLEY — The G.W. Graham JV Grizzlies put the finishing touches on an unbeaten regular season with a 45-0 shutout win over the Langley Thunderbirds last Wednesday in Langley, posting their fourth shutout in five contests.

With the win, the JV Grizzlies secured first place in the Eastern Valley Conference and earned a first-round playoff bye. G.W. Graham finished 5-0, averaging 51.8 points on offence and allowing just 5.8 points per game, for a remarkable 230-point positive differential.

The Grizzlies set the tone early at McLeod Stadium when kicker Tyler Ekland pinned Langley deep at its own five-yard line on the opening kickoff. The defense forced a quick punt, leading to an early 28-yard field goal. Ekland was perfect on the day, going 6-for-6 on PATs.

Image: Katie Kiener, used with permission / JV Grizzlies kicker Tyler Ekland was 6-of-6 on PATs. He’s pictured next to holder Gage Magowan.

Defensively, GW Graham dominated the trenches. Defensive end Brady Henderson led the way with five tackles, while nose tackle Cole Wallace added two tackles and a sack. Middle linebacker Bear Deacon was a force on defence with six tackles. Linebackers Tyce Underwood, Liam Scott, Cohan Magnusson, and Owen Franklin each contributed big stops as the Grizzlies bottled up the Thunderbirds’ rushing attack.

Image: Katie Kiener, used with permission / Brady Henderson (#59), Macen Allen (#72) , Cole Wallace (#54), and Landon Keddy (#6) pursue a ball carrier.

In the secondary, corners Kingston Moran (four tackles) and Jackson Sutton (five tackles) delivered tight coverage and key tackles, while safety Jackson Gamboa added a tackle and a clutch interception to stop Langley’s best drive of the day.

Offensively, the Grizzlies rolled out a balanced attack the Thunderbirds could not stop. Running back Landon Keddy rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, adding two receptions for 45 yards and another score. Quarterback Ben Fleenor was poised and composed in the pocket, completing 8-of-15 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown while adding 32 rushing yards and two goal-line touchdowns. The offensive line — Cole Dempsey, Austin Pierce, Brady Henderson, Cooper Cools, and Max Kiener — didn’t allow a single sack while opening up huge running lanes for its backfield.

Jackson Sutton led all receivers with three catches for 62 yards, Jaiden Sakounchareun added two for 46 yards and a four-yard rushing touchdown, Ty Peppin contributed a nine-yard reception, and Gamboa capped off the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown grab from quarterback Gage Magowan.

The Grizzlies will use their bye week to fine-tune their nearly flawless fundamentals before hosting the quarterfinal matchup on Friday, November 13 at Exhibition Stadium against the winner of Robert Bateman-St. Thomas More from the wild card round.