OUR STORY

1996 Dawg D Swarms!

John Barsby Football officially came into existence in January of 1996 with the formation of the senior squad.   Year one presented many challenges for the young and inexperienced coaching staff but as the year progressed big strides were made towards a foundation for long-term success.   By year’s end a weight room was under way, equipment bills were being liquidated, the core of a coaching staff being formed and most importantly, a football culture at the school was finding its roots.

Nineteen ninety-seven saw improvement on and off the field with progress being made in terms of field and weight equipment.   New coaches and trainers were added to the staff and student participation/involvement with the program was on the rise.   Game Day scores reflected more competitive play by the team and it was noted that a large interest towards the sport of football existed amongst the younger athletes at the school.

Nineteen ninety eight can be seen as the end of the beginning of the John Barsby Football program.   Junior Head Coach Jeremy Conn teamed up with Rob Stevenson to recruit, register, equip and fundraise a Junior Varsity squad at Barsby.   Together with his coaches, Coach Conn led the young squad to a 5-4 season ending with a tough first round playoff loss in early November.   The tone had been set for big things to come!   Biting the bullet and leaving the grade 10’s at the Junior Level, the senior Dawgs played a gritty, never quit 1-8 season.   Guts and character prevailed with a season ending victory and several members of the team went on to BC High School Senior Bowl appearances.   Those who remained rededicated themselves to victory in 99.

The “watershed-bench mark year” is how 99 is going to be remembered.   It seemed that the hard, hard, work of the preceding three years is now paying off in ways that were program “dream-goals” only two or three short years before.   January 99 saw the completion of the Bulldog Iron Den weight-room, the finest high school weight facility in British Columbia!   On any given winter morning at 0700 hours or after school this facility can be found jam packed with Barsby’s finest working their tails off to get better on game day.   The weight-room spearheaded by the football program, is also used by PE classes and the community at large.   This facility represents a   real centerpiece and contribution to the greater school community by these young men.   In April of 99 the football program moved into its own home, the Barsby Dawghouse team-room and locker facility, a vacated auto shop refurbished, dressed up and carpeted by the coaches and players.   Players meet, change, chalk-talk and take the field as a team from this building.   In British Columbia, there is no comparable high school football facility.   Hard work, dreams and initiative have translated to a four tier logistical foundation for football success: 1)Weight Room and training regime; 2) Dawghouse team room and meeting facility 3) Junior Varsity Football Team; and finally the Senior Bulldogs.   Upon entering the football program at Barsby in the spring of his eighth grade year, a young man can look forward to having four years of unparalleled opportunity for football development.  

It should be noted again and again that none of these developments, accomplishments, and opportunities would be possible without the tremendous administrative support we received during this period from Principal Jeet Purhar and her administrative team of VP’s Marty Cross and Ray Ward.  

THE PAYOFF

Spring 99 showed just what hard work and training could do as the Senior Bulldogs dominated their four team Jamboree in May, while the Juniors impressed with a 28-0 blanking of the 98 playoff competitors R. C. Palmer (Richmond).   A July 7 on 7 passing tournament against top-flight U.S. and Canadian competition also ended with notable success.  

The 1999 season was an all-round success.   Several firsts were accomplished as the Junior Squad defeated arch-rival Windsor with a last second score ending the game in celebratory pandamonium.   Later the same week the Senior Squad defeated long time powerhouse Sentinal at their own park.   The stage was set for playoff runs at both levels.   The Junior Dawgs ran in to trouble early in the playoffs losing to the undefeated and eventual BC Champion Holy Cross Crusaders.   The season was a big success as the program goal of a playoff appearance a solid conference standing were accomplished.   Most of all a lot of players developed over the season and had a lot of fun while doing so.   The ripple from this team will be felt around the province at the senior AA level of play for the next two years!  

The Senior Dawgs surprised even their coaches in 99 with a Championship appearance!   Great talent, team-unity, and lots of heart and desire were the story here.   Barsby hosted its first ever play-off game delivering a crushing defeat to the Vernon H.S. Panthers.   Second round action at Burnaby Lake was perhaps the teams greatest effort all season with a 8-6 come from behind win over the undefeated Clarence Fulton Maroons of Vernon.   A game that will never be forgotten for its tenacity and back and forth action!   The championship game against a powerful Delta squad was our Waterloo as we needed to play a near perfect game to win.   Unfortunately our second half performance fell far short of perfect.   Upon reflection, 99 can be seen as the year where a winning tradition firmly took root at Barsby.

CHAMPIONS! 

The 2000 off-season was a continuation of the positive direction of the preceding years.   It was in the weight room where the Dawgs went to work guided by the motto UNFINISHED BUSINESS!   Entering Spring football the Barsby Football program had high hopes all around and was not disappointed with the results of the Jamboree, dominating all competition on the field.   The 2000 season saw one on-field success after another with hi-lites being the dismantling of arch-rival Delta before a large home crowd

REALITY HITS AND THE DAWGS OVERCOME!

The 2001 campaign was a year of transition in the football program. Expectations were high as on paper, Barsby was senior and experience laden.  Off field events took their toll as non football sporting injuries and a tragic car accident decimated our senior ranks.  Those who remained struggled valiently and after a brutal 0-4 start to the year they clawed their way to four straight victories and a share of first place.  The season highlites had to be the opener against Orcas Island Highschool of Washington State (who went undefeated and on to the State semi-final game) and the upsetting of a red hot Ballenas team on Barsby Turf when no one expected it to happen!  Dawg grit and character carried the day that fine Autumn morning! The Senior Dawgs went on to play in the BC quarter-final against then #1 ranked John Oliver.  Wow! What a game.  In a flip-flop of the 2000 championship tilt, the Dawgs got out to an early lead against JO and dominated the clock for three quarters.  A great 4th down stop by the jokers kept the game close enough going into the half for them to stage a comeback and secure victory that afternoon.  The contest was a brutal physical affair and a pyrhic victory for the Jokers who just didn't have enough gas a week later to defeat a Ballenas Whaler squad on its way to its first BC Championship appearance.
the 2001 Junior Dawgs set a new standard of excellence under the tutelege of Coach Demetreos Bourodemos and fought their way to a share of first place in the conference and a wild-card playoff victory.   The Junior Dawgs almost pulled off the upset of the year against the legendary St. Thomas More Knights as they were only a few mental mistakes from a possible victory.  Wisdom is on the far side of agony they say and this group of players has a bright future ahead with many more big games yet to play!!

NEW HORIZONS

The 2002 off-season saw a rededication to the weight room within the program and a time when great changes had taken place amongst staff and in terms of recruitment within the school as Barsby lost Cedar as a feeder program.  The Dawgs of 02 represented one of the smallest student bodies in BC and that brought with it new challenges. Offensively and defensively schemes changed to fit our "streamlined" talent pool and the training process now demanded more efficiency than ever.  

The Double Wing offense was inserted in 02 to great effect. Even more impressive was that two complete platoons of offense were assembled to run it! With such mental depth and fresh legs Barsby scored more points and ran for more yards than at any time in school history. Defensively Coach Gavin Lake did a superb job with the defensive crew and the varsity Dawgs grounded and pounded their way to shutouts, record turnovers and opportunistic play. The season however ended in disapointment with two very narrow losses to Handworth and Windsor Highschools respectively. A solid group of players were set to return in 03. At the JV level the Junior Dawgs won their conference and stormed into the playoffs losing a one touchdown game to the WJ Mouat Hawks in a muddy and hard fought home-field contest.

Double-Wing Rolls!

2003

Both the Varsity and Junior Varsity Dawgs had terrific seasons! The Varsity beat arch-rival and defending BC Champion Ballenas in a magnificently close and physical Border Battle game at Caledonia Park. Coach Cooper coordinating the Dawg D did a terrific job throughout and the Dawgs hybrid double-wing/multiple offense was a consistent producer throughout the season. A first round playoff game versus Ballenas produced a very exciting re-match which tilted to the Whalers this time around in a close and physical contest. As good as the season was for the varsity however, the JV season was a storybook affair! The Junior Dawgs improved every week, won their divisional title and employing the double-wing out of the blue upset the very powerful and heavily favored Mt. Douglas Rams in the second greatest game in Program history ( The BC Semi-Final vs Clarence Fulton in 1999 being the greatest) !! Using the Mt. Doug Game as a momentum builder the JV Dawgs smashed the Windsor Dukes and Centennial Centaurs in successive playoff tilts by lopsided physical scores. The Junior Dawgs representing the smallest public school student body in BC entered the BC semi-finals as the ONLY PUBLIC School of the final four. At one point in the second quarter against the eventual champion Vancouver College Fighting Irish the Dawgs were up by a point. Sadly, we just ran out of gas and succumbed to several key injuries at the QB and FB positions. We lost the game but the season goes down as the best JV season ever!!

2004

The 2004 Varsity had a year to remember. The exhibition and regular season yielded mixed results week to week but fundamental play continued to improve winning dramatically close games versus Alberni District, Nanaimo District and heavily favored G.P. Vanier. Sneaking into a wild-card playoff spot the Dawgs upset the heavily favored Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in a shocker and then won a dramatic come from behind victory against the Vernon Panthers in BC Place. The BC Semi-Final game was hard fought but we just didnèt have the gas to finish that one. A good season for the Varsity overall. The JV's fought their way to a fourth place finish in the Island AAA division and a playoff game vs the Rick Hanson Hurricanes. A bitter lesson with that one...never stuff yourself with McDonald's for a pre-game meal!! A fun year overall.

2005

The Strike, The Strike, The Strike! The Varsity took played an excellent fragment of a season and then went into the Dome to decisively defeat Valley View HS of Kamloops. The Dawgs then jumped all over Sands HS to gain a 32-12 lead only to see it evaporate in a controversial 34-32 loss. Heartbreaking and bitter were understatements. The JV's played and excellent season that came to an end against the eventual BC Champions St. Thomas Moore HS. Well done all!

2006

The Varsity Dawgs had a record breaking first place finish in 06 scoring so often and dominating so massively on defense that every Island opponent on the regular season schedule was mercy ruled before half-time!! A trip to the US to play the Royal City Knights...a true dynasty team that had lost one game in 3 years was a hi-lite even if we got blown out. It was good to see that we could run and hit with the best if not quite execute with them. The playoff quarter-final was a dissapointing loss to Lord Tweedsmuir. We could have and should have done better. An unfortunate off-field accident to a key player and some bad decisionmaking on the eve of the game led to underperformance. The JV's played superb AAA schedule tying Notre Dame 0-0 and finishing second to Mt. Doug in the division. The Border Battle was a blowout at both levels as well and the JV Kocher Classic vs NDSS really lived up to its name. In 2006 we had spring football for girls the last two weeks of June. It was a great time for all and a huge success.

2007

Lets Get It On!!