The Earl Marriott Mariners had a record-setting day in Kelowna last Friday, after the senior varsity football squad came from behind to beat Rutland 62-35.
“There wasn’t a lot of defence from either team,” Michael Mackay-Dunn said.
“But we scored a lot of points in the second half, and I don’t even know how many we got in the third quarter… I lost track.”
The Mariners, who play at the double-A level, didn’t get off to the hottest of starts against their triple-A opponents; they trailed by as many as two touchdowns and were down 28-21 at halftime.
“We kept coming back, and coming back and just wore them down,” said Mackay-Dunn.
EMS quarterback Cole Meyer led the charge on offence, shredding the Rutland defence with more than 300 yards passing and four touchdown passes – three of which were caught by wide receiver Ian McMaster. Running back Nathan Muir had three rushing touchdowns, while fellow runner Garrett Franklin had one touchdown and more than 100 yards on the ground.
Bobby Devaney had one TD reception and, on defence, had three interceptions, and Kevin Reimer – whom Mackay-Dunn said was also great on special teams – had two tackles and one interception.
Meyer also kicked seven converts and in the fourth quarter, teamed up with Dima Povalyaev on a 90-yard interception return, with Meyer covering the first 50 yards before lateralling the ball to Povalyaev, who took it the rest of the way for his first-ever touchdown.
“We definitely set a lot of records,” Mackay-Dunn said.
The Mariners (2-0) face the Mission Roadrunners, one of the top teams in double-A, Friday on the road.
