History was made Sunday in the Lower Mainland as the Salmon Arm Bantam Chargers became the first team from the Shuswap to win a provincial football banner.
The Chargers were crowned the nine-man B.C. provincial champions after defeating the Westside Warriors with a convincing 47-13 win.
After splitting the regular season series, the two teams finished the season with identical 9-1 records.
Because Salmon Arm had a better point difference, the Chargers clinched the top spot in the league, with Westside hot on their tails.
The championship game was played in front of a large crowd at McLeod Stadium in Langley under warm temperatures.
The game was closely contested in the first half with the Chargers taking a slight 14-7 edge into the break as both teams headed for the dressing room.
In the second half the Chargers’ defence and offence shifted into a higher gear and took control of the game.
Early in the third quarter, receiver Trystan Kenoras hauled in a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jayden Mourato, kickstarting the offence and opening the flood gates for the Chargers.
Soon after Kenoras’ major, Tyler Chartier quite literally ran away with the game as he finished with 285 rushing yards, six touchdowns and the game MVP.
The defence, as it has been all year, was stellar, as they limited the Warriors offence to just four first downs in the second half.
Defensive standouts were Ryker Stevenson, Gabe Wallace, Jacob Zyri, Bladen Stephens and Austin Crocker.