Article courtesy of Varsity Letters and Howard Tsumura. 

Drew Lirag took two interceptions to the end zone Friday, but it still wasn’t enough for the Centennial Centaurs to offset a show of power football by North Delta’s Seaquam Seahawks in the Eastern Conference opener for both teams Friday.

“We established our running game today with a solid performance by our offensive line,” confirmed Seaquam head coach Navin Chand, who dialled up 16 running plays that Christian Carlon-Diaz churned into 176 yards rushing and two majors.

“They also gave QB (Jay) Mather lots of time to throw the ball,” added Chand of line’s ability to help its pivot. Mather went 10-of-14 for 169 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for a score of his own.

The only blemish were Lirag’s two pick-six interceptions, but from a Seaquam standpoint, its defence didn’t allow a score.

Justin Eng led the unit with 10 tackles while Manny Sahota had seven more. Kason Randawa had a pick and Taaj Jhooty a fumble recovery.

“It was a tough loss,” admitted Centennial head coach Dino Geremia. “Our offence had a tough time getting anything against a very stingy Seaquam defence.”
​

Centennial Centaurs Junior Varsity Football team beat the St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights 35-9. The field conditions were a little wet as it drizzled through the entire game. The weather however didn't stop the JV Centaurs from jumping to an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter led by 3 touchdowns from Brandon Wong who ended the game with 4 touchdowns and strong plays on defence and special teams.

The Centaurs controlled the game from start to finish, but as always there is opportunity to learn from each game and start working on their next game. 

The Junior Varsity Centaurs next take on the Mount Douglas Rams in their final exhibition game of the season. Come out and support the team this Thursday, September 26th at the Centennial Oval. Kick-off is at 3:00 PM

The Senior Varsity Centaurs open their regular season tomorrow again the the Seaquam Seahawks at the Centennial Oval. Kick-off is a t 4:30 PM.

GO CENTAURS!!

Article courtesy of Howard Tsumura of Varsity Letters

SURREY — Passing efficiency was off the charts Friday as the Centaurs hit the road and secured their first win of the season over Surrey’s second-year Stars.

Quarterback Kayle Cowley went 3-of-5 for 56 yards and a touchdown, while also calling his own number five times for 43 yards and score.

In addition, fellow pivot Jovyn Sangha went 3-of-3 for 52 yards and two touchdown passes.
Brandon Wong caught a pair of one-yard touchdown passes.

Cole Kashino carried eight times for 71 yards while Ziad Sabry rushed six times for 61 yards.

“We got a very solid defensive effort,” said Centaurs’ head coach Dino Geremia, noting the efforts of both linebacker Howard Jiao (four tackles) and defensive end Stathi Tsangaris (five tackles).

www.varsityletters.ca

Article courtesy of TriCityNews.com and Mario Bartel

The Centennial Centaurs will go into Friday’s opening game of their BC Secondary School Football Association’s regular season with something the team hasn’t had in three years — a win in its back pocket.

For the first time since 2016, the Centaurs senior football team scored more points than its opponent  when they defeated Sullivan Heights 38-0 last Friday in Surrey.

After dropping a sloppy loss to Ballenas, a AA team from Vancouver Island, in the season’s first exhibition game, the Centaurs hit the field against the Stars with heightened confidence and assurance they’d learned some valuable lessons. It paid dividends immediately, as Centennial scored on its first possession, then the defence made a courageous goal line stand to repel Sullivan Heights from scoring. From there on, the game was all Centennial.

Brandon Wong caught two touchdown passes, while quarterbacks Jovyn Sangha passed for two majors and Kayle Cowley tossed another.

Out of the backfield, Cole Kashino carried the ball eight times for 71 yards and Ziab Sabry gained 61.

On defence, Stathi Tsangaris had five tackles while Howard Jiao pulled down four Sullivan Heights’ ball carriers.

“It was a big win for our team,” said Centennial coach Dino Geremia. “We were able to clean up mistakes and sloppy play from our first game the week previous and show improvement.”

The Senior Varsity Centaurs look to continue to improve with an exhibition game this Friday, September 13th at the Cloverdale Athletic Park (64 Ave & 168 St, Surrey). Kick-off at 5:00 PM.

The Sullivan Heights Stars are in their second season of existence after the program started up from scratch last year. The Sullivan Heights Stars have had a steep learning curve but are born out a strong community football base with talented athletes.

The Senior Varsity Centaurs played hard last week but fell short against the Ballenas Whalers 32 - 21. This week the Centaurs will look to build on their improved play and continue to develop as a team. This exhibition game is the second of three this season before the regular season starts September 28th against the Abbotsford panthers in Abbotsford.

The Junior Varsity Centaurs have a bye this week and don't play until September 19th against the St. Thomas More Knights at the Centennial Oval. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM.

GO CENTAURS!!

The Centaurs played a good game but couldn't seem to get a break from the referees at times is seemed. The score wasn't indicative of the effort and the fight in the Centaurs.

Article below courtesy of Howard Tsumura of Varsity Letters (www.varsityletters.ca)

​COQUITLAM — Big first-half plays set the table and proved to be game-breakers Friday as Parksville’s Ballenas Whalers started as hot as the heat and topped the host Centaurs in front of about 1,000 of the hometown faithful.

​“It was a great win in really hot conditions (27 degrees) which makes it tough when you have a smaller roster like we do,” said Ballenas coach Jeremy Conn, “but we are proud of our boys who fought through adversity and made a lot of good plays. That said, we have lots to work on to keep getting better.”

First, Whalers’ pivot Ben Chomolok hit receiver Jacob Stockton on a slant that went 75 yards for touchdown.

On its next drive, Chomolok found Demar Hohnstein on a screen and he took it 49 yards for the score to make it 14-0 for Whalers at end of first quarter.

Centennial would respond but so too did Ballenas, as Hohnstein broke a draw on third-and-long for 50 yards to make it 21-7 at the half.

Chomolok threw a one-yard TD strike while Hohnstein scored off a 15-yard run to account for the Whalers’ second-half scoring.

Linebackers Adrian Friesen led the team with 10 tackles while Jack Giroux added nine.

Howard Tsumura

Article below courtesy of Mario Bartel and the TriCity News

The Centennial Centaurs football team lost its 15th regular season game in a row Friday, but head coach Dino Geremia says it will be how his side responds next week that will determine if this is to be a third straight lost season.

Geremia said there was much to be encouraged about in the Centaurs 33-21 home field loss to the Ballenas Whalers that his charges can build build upon for their game against Sullivan Heights next Friday at Cloverdale Athletic Park.

“The team showed fight and a willingness to dig in and get back out there to make plays,”Geremia said. “It is encouraging to see some of the young players step in and do well.”

Those players included quarterback Kayle Cowley, who threw for 146 yards and made a couple of gutsy runs to gain first downs. Juniors Kayshawn Beswick and Ziad Sabry also stood out on a hot, sunny afternoon.

The heat may have been a factor in a sloppy first half that was bogged down by several penalties by both teams.

The Centaurs also made some mental errors defensively that allowed the visitors to convert a couple some big plays. But Centennial didn’t go quietly as midway through the second quarter, Beswick made a big reception then scampered into the end zone to get his side on the scoreboard.

Geremia said aside from occasional letdowns, he was pleased with his team’s defence, particularly Hussein Sabry, who managed to penetrate the Whalers’ backfield and forced two fumbles.

In the other senior game, Terry Fox Ravens lost to South Delta, 37-0, on Saturday in South Delta.

In junior varsity action last Wednesday, Centennial defeated Ballenas 29-24. Fox opens its JV schedule this Thursday against Kelowna, 2 p.m. at Coquitlam’s Percy Perry Stadium.

​Mario Bartel

The Senior Varsity Centennial Centaurs take on the Ballenas Whalers from Parksville, BC in an exhibition match at the Centennial Oval. Kick off is scheduled for 3:00 PM

This will be the first test for the senior varsity team after finishing a very successful fall camp. The senior team has a core group of veterans and some new faces. This year the team only lost 3 players to graduation so the core group is familiar with each other and has allowed the new players to integrate smoothly.

The junior varsity team was successful earlier this week in their game against the junior varsity Ballenas Whalers when they went to Parksville, BC to play their exhibition game. The junior varsity team led the entire game and ended up winning 29-24. 

Please make sure you come out and cheer the senior Varsity team on!

​GO CENTAURS!!!

In a September 4th article by Mario Bartel of the TriCity News Terry Fox head coach Martin McDonnell isn't sure how his Terry Fox Ravens will fair this season, but one thing is for sure, he is using the rejuvenated Centennial Centaurs football program as motivation for his team.

Coach McDonnell's comments on the renewed rivalry:
"Another motivator will be the apparent renaissance of crosstown rival Centennial Centaurs, who’ve been infused with renewed vigour by new head coach Dino Geremia.


McDonnell said having a nearby opponent that’s no longer a soft touch, as the Centaurs have been in recent seasons, means a lot to his kids and the battle for football bragging rights in the Tri-Cities, if the provincials are out of reach.


“It’s better when you have a nail-biter rivalry,” McDonnell said. “In order for our kids to do well, they need to look forward to the competition.” 

Our cross town rivals are aware of the culture change at Centennial. The next step for the Centaurs is to step-up on gameday and show our competition that the program is growing and building everyday

​GO CENTAURS!!