The Squamish Titans Bantam football team is giving a short roster a long stiff arm.With only 20 kids ages 14-15 donning armour for the Vancouver Mainland Football League (VMFL) season, the Titans have been outnumbered in their first three games, including the second home game versus the Victoria Warriors at Don Ross Secondary School on Sunday (Sept. 14).Despite losing to the Warriors 34-16, the Titans never let down their guard even when a victory was out of reach. The kids' perseverance impressed defensive coach Christopher Ebert, who took over the reigns from Rob Ryan who was forced to fill in as an assistant referee."The one great thing about today is the guys did play through to the end of the game," he said. "They played strong all the way through and they never gave up. A lot of them are just stoked to be playing football."Not only have a number of the Titans never played the game before this season, many are also forced to play both offensive and defensive sides of the ball, which makes for a tremendous amount of learning and conditioning. The Titans offense got off to a good start scoring a touchdown early in the first quarter to earn their first lead of the season. They increased their lead by converting on the extra two points.In fact, the Titans followed both their touchdowns with perfectly executed two-point plays, the second of which included a fake kick and a sweet pass.Quarterback Blair Chartrand connected with wide receiver Daniel Laventure on numerous plays and often for about 30-yard gains. Meanwhile, running back Nolan Prevost charged for solid gains on the ground while taking down his opponents as a linebacker.The Titans are vying for their first win on the road against the Vancouver Trojans on Sunday (Sept. 21). The Trojans are also looking for their first victory. The Titans lost their first game against the Cloverdale Leopards 27-0 and their second game 43-6 to the powerhouse South Delta Rams squad the next week.
