College wins eighth straight trophy over Notre Dame
By Brent Mattson
The B.C. Catholic

VANCOUVER--The Vancouver College Fighting Irish defeated the Notre Dame Jugglers 27-13 at O’Hagan Field Nov. 4 for their eighth straight Archbishops’ Trophy victory.

The Archbishops’ Trophy is the annual AAA football matchup between the two rival schools; it dates back to 1957 and marks the end of their regular seasons. This year, Vancouver College continued their streak, which began in 2004.

The Irish finished on a high note with a five-game winning streak, earning first place in the Western Conference. They closed the season with a 7-3 record and a bye in the first round of the provincials. This is their fourth straight Western title.

Notre Dame finished with a 4-4 record, landing them third in the conference. On Nov. 11 they were to meet the Mt. Boucherie Bears, ranked third in the Okanagan Conference. The winner will play Vancouver College in the quarterfinals.

The Irish got the ball rolling against the Jugglers when quarterback Hunter Robinson capped a hard push with a one-yard run into the end zone in the first quarter. However, Notre Dame rallied soon after when Lerone Robinson scored his first touchdown of the day to even things up 7-7 before half time.

In the second half, College took a 13-7 lead thanks to running back Matt Alviz, who scored an easy touchdown from three yards out. But the Irish weren’t finished yet.

The Irish held the Jugglers back after the kickoff, setting the scene for Justin Sanvido’s MVP-earning play. Sanvido raced 82 yards for the touchdown and the game’s winning points.

After Lerone Robinson caught a nearly out of bounds pass for the Jugglers, he took the scoring opportunity on the next play, earning the team’s second touchdown of the night. Unfortunately, a fumbled ball on the snap and an incomplete pass meant the Jugglers couldn’t pick up the conversion.

Despite Notre Dame’s last-ditch efforts, College’s Hunter Robinson sealed the game with a 27-yard strike to Andrew Pauls in the fourth quarter.

After the game, head coach Todd Bernett congratulated his team, but warned them of becoming complacent before the playoffs.

“When it was 7-7, nobody panicked, and pretty soon it was 20-7,” he said. “You’ve done everything right to get to this point. You’re in the conference championship (and) you’ve got a lot of momentum, so don’t be complacent, don’t be content, don’t be selfish.”

In other AAA Catholic football news, like the Irish, the St. Thomas More Knights earned a bye in the first round of the provincials.