A superstar doesn’t necessarily guarantee a championship; but it sure helps.

 

While watching PG Bowl V, it was crystal clear to me that the difference in the Northern High School Football League championship game was that the Nechako Valley Vikings possessed a player the calibre of Mike Cogan, a luxury the College Heights Cougars did not own.

Cogan was a one man wrecking crew in front of roughly 400 fans at Masich Place Stadium. He finished the game with three touchdowns, one on a 12 yard run in the first half, another on
a 55 yard punt return in the 3^rd quarter, and he completed the hat trick with a 31 yard scamper for
a major in the 4^th quarter. If this wasn’t enough, Cogan kicked two field goals, including an eye opening 46 yarder. He also saw some duty in the defensive secondary in leading the Vikings to a 32-13 pasting of the Cougars.

 

“It means the world to me, I mean, we fought for three hard years, and last year, this team (CHSS) stopped us in the semi-finals, and we just had passion and we had heart”, stated a jubilant Hogan moments after his team gave Nechako Valley its first high school football title. He was also quick to praise his teammates for helping him to success. “It was all thanks to my blockers”, said the grade 12 student, who played soccer and rugby in England, before moving to Vanderhoof five years ago.

 

NVSS Head Coach Bo Jacobsen certainly didn’t want to single Cogan out, but when asked about his powerful running back he couldn’t hold back the praise by stating, “He is outstanding. All of our backfield is outstanding. Mike Cogan is a great kicker. He can go to any level he wants to as a kicker. A 46 yard field goal in a high school game, that’s pretty darn good. He can play anywhere.”

 

Indeed, his football future looks promising. “I am hoping to make a Junior Team (next season) as a kicker. Hopefully go to a college”, said Cogan.

 

In addition, there was one other crucial factor that was very noticeable in the game. NVSS had a larger and much more vocal support than College Heights. With cheerleaders leading the way, they constantly screamed “our house” and it certainly seemed to fire up the Vanderhoof kids. “They’ve been great. They come to every game and support us. We love them”, said Cogan. “The way the fans have taken to this game and supported us, it was outstanding”, added Jacobsen.

 

It still may take football a few years to catch up to the popularity of basketball or hockey in Vanderhoof, but even the coach recognizes the stride the sport is making. “To see it embraced in a town like Vanderhoof that loves its sports is awesome. I wish we could spread it to other communities and have them have a taste of this and what this feels like. Its great coming here to PG and playing under the lights. It’s an awesome feeling”, said Jacobsen.

 

Nechako Valley still has one game remaining, and will represent the North at the Tier 2 Provincials November 15th in Vancouver. The Vikings will be huge underdogs, especially since they will have to adapt to rules changes, the biggest of which will be going from three downs to four. However, nothing can take away from the excitement that this local championship created.

 

High school football, soccer and volleyball end this month and then it’s on to basketball. Whether it’s the raw emotion, the battle of the game, the intrigue of the participants, the growling of the coaches, the enthusiasm of the crowd, the “high fives” on the sidelines or the food being “gobbled up”, there remains something special about teenagers enjoying the highs and lows in the wonderful world of sports. With memories and friendships that can last a lifetime, there really isn't any substitution.

 

 

 

“John Daly was jailed for public intoxication outside of a 'Hooters' restaurant. The good news for John is that he had the biggest boobs in the place that night.” Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

 

“40-year old Brad Johnson had a rough day at QB for the Cowboys last week. I hear Farah Fawcett was rooting for him in one of the luxury suites.” Bill Littlejohn 


“A number of athletes have endorsed candidates in this presidential election. Barack Obama has been endorsed by Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley and John McCain has been endorsed by Ty Cobb and Jim Thorpe.”NBC's Conon O'Brien


“Barack Obama and John McCain were both interviewed during halftime on Monday Night Football. Ralph Nader was also looking for an appropriate game for an interview, but the Bengals and Lions didn't play each other this season.”Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

Janice Hough

“An Ontario woman was charged with impaired driving after hockey fans in the stands (including an off-duty police officer) observed her operating a Zamboni in an erratic manner, crashing into the boards, and falling asleep slumped over the wheel.   Authorities are investigating how she got through safety-check road blocks which were manned by Maple Leafs defensemen.”Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen (www.theprovince.com/liveat5)

“Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Mike Commodore is getting flack over a picture of him in his underwear surrounded by $100 bills. Mike says it was all innocent fun as he was doing a celebration dance next to a bunch of nearsighted NBA players.”Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

“The World Series between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay had a record low TV rating. It was so bad, they actually finished two points lower than the 1994 strike canceled series.”Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/)

“Our weakness last year was experience. I think I've taken care of that." Roane State (Tenn.) basketball coach Randy Nesbit, to the Knoxville News Sentinel, after the team added 73-year-old guard Ken Mink to its roster.

 

 

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com