In the National Football League, there’s two weeks between the conference championships and the Super Bowl.
Oh how Vernon Panthers senior varsity football head coach Sean Smith wishes he had another week to prepare his charges for the B.C. High School AA championship.
The Panthers, who have been ranked No. 1 in the provincial polls since the pre-season, play their third consecutive provincial final – sixth in nine years – Sunday, Nov. 30, against the second-seeded Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver.
Kick-off is 3 p.m. at BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.
“I always find like there’s so much we have to do. Because as you move on, the opponents get tougher, and the challenges that you have to wrinkle out, and get the wrinkles out in practice, get harder,” said Smith prior to an early week practice at Greater Vernon Athletic Park.
“So, you know, the time challenge, especially this year, we play the (final) game on a Sunday, so we didn’t have that extra day on Sunday to prepare, so we’re kind of a little bit under the gun. So I would prefer to have another week if I could like they do in the Super Bowl.”
That being said, Smith and the Panthers will know a bit about their opponents even though they haven’t played one another this year. Each team watches the other’s game films. The Pipers will present a lot of different looks for the Cats offensively and defensively.
“Argyle mixes up its coverages, blitzes, and stunts, so they’ll make it a little bit difficult for us,” said Smith. “We have our work cut out for us. Same thing offensively. They run a lot of different formations, they run some power stuff, spread you out. They can throw the ball, they can run it. We’ve got to be ready.”
The Panthers enter the provincial final undefeated, including a pair of pre-season wins over AAA schools Sardis and Rutland.
In the Interior AA Conference, Vernon went 6-0, outscoring their opponents by nearly 200 points, 246-47, and advanced to the B.C. final with victories over Nechako Valley of Vanderhoof (41-0) and Mt. Douglas of Victoria (45-7)
The Pipers, who will play in the program’s first-ever provincial final, dropped both of their exhibition games to AAA opponents in Carson Graham of Vancouver and Belmont of Victoria, but haven’t lost since.
In the regular season, Argyle ran the table, going 6-0 with four shutouts, including a 36-0 romp in their final game against the defending B.C. champion Windsor Dukes (Windsor beat VSS 17-14 in the 2024 final).
Argyle outscored its opposition 187-14, and advanced to the championship with a 41-14 victory over the Ballenas Whalers of Parksville, and prevented a first-ever all-Interior B.C. final with a 29-22 decision over the South Kamloops Titans. The win over South Kam avenged a triple overtime loss to the Titans in the 2024 post-season.
As one would expect, there’s nothing but respect for both teams in the championship.
“Our team has really come together throughout the year with a balance of offence, defence and special teams,” said Argyle head coach Mac Ward to Bernie Crumb in the B.C. Secondary Schools Football newsletter. “We know we will have to play our best against the always powerful Vernon Secondary.
“The Panthers are led by one of the most dynamic players in the conference (Player of the Year, quarterback Ayden McDonald) and we will need a strong run and pass game defence to keep their offence in check. They are always well-coached and are no strangers to playing in the big game.”
Said Smith: “We’re proud of our playoff performance and excited for another opportunity at a provincial title. Argyle’s program is impressive — their success at both junior and senior levels reflects strong player development and preparation. Having two teams in the AA finals is a remarkable achievement.
“For us, the focus remains on fundamentals: tackling, blocking, and executing the techniques we’ve emphasized all season. This matchup will come down to discipline and precision in every phase.”
Argyle’s Junior Varsity team is ranked No. 1 and will face the John Barsby Bulldogs of Nanaimo in the provincial final. The Bulldogs eliminated the Vernon Panthers’ JV squad, 16-6, in the provincial semifinals.