The Nechako Valley Vikings football team will be playing under the bright lights of BC Place Stadium on Saturday.
After running the table in the regular season and playoffs, the Vanderhoof-based Vikings are set to square off against the Vernon Panthers in the AA Varsity provincial semi-finals.
Head Coach, Sheldon Brown told MyNechakoValleyNow.com the core of their team, mostly made up of Grade 12’s, put in the work to get to this point.
“It’s been a long time coming for this group of kids. They have been playing together for quite some time now with most of them playing minor football and having grown up together. To see, this final Cinderalla season come together for them, I am very happy for them.”
“This is really huge for our program. This is the first time we have gotten this far and have put in a lot of work this year to make sure we got to BC Place and it’s coming true. We are very excited for the weekend coming up.”
The Vikes are led by senior quarterback and linebacker Cooper Ziler who was named an offensive all-star at the flex position. Cole Malo, a former Cariboo Cougar, is also an all-star on the defensive line.
Fellow captains Ben Wall and Grayson Turgeon have also led the pack on both sides of the ball.
The Vikings trounced College Heights in the PG Bowl earlier this month 26-0 – the school’s first since 2011.
Brown said it was nice to check that off the accomplishment box even as a coach.
“The PG Bowl has been a goal for a very long time. I took over in 2016 and I have been to the game and have coached in it and have lost both times. The third time was the charm – we were really excited to bring that trophy back to Vanderhoof for the first time since 2011 so it was quite the big goal for us.”
“We actually had a fan base come out for the PG Bowl from our school and a whole bunch of students got to see us win the game and just celebrate with their friends and family. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better fan base and support from the community. They have been awesome all year.”
The Vikings then made short work out of Kamloops-based Westsyde 34-7 in the AA quarter-final last weekend from Masich Place Stadium in PG to punch their ticket to the semis.
Kickoff against Vernon is at 11 am.