Final say on St. Bonny-Canyon

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St. Bonaventure Coach Todd Therrien isn’t too big on words or emotion. My post-game interview with the first-year coach only revealed he’s one of those guys who doesn’t like to get carried away by making grandiose statements just weeks into the season.

‘It was just another game. You don’t win championships after the fourth or fifth game of the season,’ Therrien said. ‘You win them in December.’

So even though his boys beat Canyon last night, Therrien wasn’t exactly thrilled with how the Seraphs played, especially in the first half when both teams opened with a scoring barrage. He thought his guys ‘made some stupid mistakes’ and vowed like any good coach to ‘fix them.’ But at least he perked up when Darrell Scott‘s name came up. ‘He just was awesome tonight,’ he said.

I felt Therrien was being a little tough on his team. After all, they overcame some slip-ups in the first half to soundly outplay the Cowboys in the final 24 minutes. Also, the Seraph defense did a good job taking advantage of Canyon’s greasy fingertips (they had three fumble recoveries).

And while both teams were evenly matched, Therrien had the better team on the field last night despite all the crooning by some of the Canyon coaches who felt the refs were being more than a tad one-sided with their calls. I know by the end of the game, though, Coach Chris Varner wasn’t blaming the refs for what happened -- he knew turnovers and the inability to stop Scott killed the Cowboys’ chances.

Still, there are plenty of bright days ahead for the Cowboys and the Seraphs. I see them and Hart as part of a three-horse race for the Northern Division title. No one in the Marmonte League can stand up to these guys and Rio Mesa and Atascadero have proved they’re nowhere within striking range, either.

By the way, the guy in the photo is Scott practicing at punting before the game. I apologize for the photo being more than a little ‘non-professional looking.’

- Austin Knoblauch