It was an education.
The Salmon Arm Golds hosted Fife High School from Tacoma, Wash. for Friday Night Lights, their first game of the season.
“We knew we were going to be in tough, but they’re actually better than they have been the last few years,” said head coach Rob Neid, adding that two of the Tacoma players have already signed on for scholarships with major universities.
Still, the Salmon Arm players did well. Jordan Goertzen tallied 10 tackles on defence, Grant Shishido notched an interception and Will Walton had a sack. The lone touchdown was scored by Ivor Kuzmick on a nice pass from Eric Borthistle.
“So it was a really good experience for our guys. They’re a young team, mostly Grade 11s. It was a real eye-opener for sure.”
Neid said he’s happy as the game provided a good learning experience to build on.
“It’s quite impressive that a team from Seattle would come up. They had an opportunity to go to Vancouver or Kelowna. They chose us – I was really impressed that they would come. In order to get to Salmon Arm, they have to drive right through Kelowna. It was an honour to host these guys.”
He said one of the reasons they were keen to come to Salmon Arm is the good price the Elk’s camp in Canoe offers.
This Saturday, Sept. 8 the Golds host Valleyview from Kamloops, with the Junior Varsity team playing at 4 p.m. and the Varsity squad at 6 p.m., both at the SASCU Sports Fields at Little Mountain.