Theyre still the Mount Douglas Rams.

Thats the message St. Thomas coach Steve De Lazzari is hammering into his unbeaten Knights (7-0) as the Eastern Conference regular-season champions from Burnaby get set to face the Western Conference fourth-place Rams (4-3) of Victoria in the Subway Bowl triple-A high school football provincial quarterfinals.

The game goes Saturday at B.C. Place Stadium.

They always seem to elevate their level of play at this time of year, De Lazzari said of the Rams, who have won five B.C. titles in the past eight seasons, including last year, when they crushed the Knights 43-21 in this same quarterfinal round.

Weve seen it from them before. Theyll be third or fourth in their conference and then theyll just start taking care of opponent after opponent in the playoffs.

You cant just look at this season when you talk about them. Were looking at their history. Theyre obviously doing something right over there.

The Rams were second in the Western Conference regular season last year. After dispatching STM, they would beat the Vancouver College Fighting Irish 31-28 in the semifinals and then bounce the New Westminster Hyacks 48-24 in the championship game with a team that featured 12 seniors and star quarterback Gideone Kremler.

Hunter Swift, whos in Grade 10, has taken over the passing chores this season. Mt. Douglas dropped a 33-21 decision to New Westminster and a 35-14 game to Vancouver College to begin the regular season, but theyve won five of six games since, including a 42-12 decision over North Deltas Seaquam Seahawks in last weeks opening round of playoffs.

STM had a bye last week thanks to their first-place finish.

Peter Primeau rushed for 117 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns for Mt. Douglas against Seaquam.

In the regular season, Swift passed for 826 yards and completed 50 per cent (53 of 106) of his attempts. He threw eight touchdown passes and five interceptions.

Hunter has steadily improved each week, and is an awesome young man, Mt. Douglas coach Mark Townsend explained via text.

We really did not know what to expect this season but the kids are competing hard and improving, he added. Although facing this very talented STM team is an extremely difficult task, and beating them would be a big upset, our kids are excited to have the opportunity.

Townsend was quick to praise an STM defence led by defensive end Kaishaun Carter and a rushing game featuring running back Nick Osho, who has run for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

St. Thomass ground game was supposed to also feature Marc Abboud this year, but he suffered a broken leg in an Aug. 30 preseason game in Hawaii. De Lazzari hinted earlier that Abboud might be back for the playoffs but says chances are hes not going to play on Saturday.

TRIPLE A QUARTERFINALS

Saturday, B.C. Place Stadium

Noon: New Westminster vs. Lord Tweedsmuir

2:30 p.m.: Kelowna vs. Vancouver College

5 p.m.: Mt. Douglas vs. St. Thomas More

7:30 p.m.: Notre Dame vs. South Delta

DOUBLE A

Friday

3 p.m.: Robert Bateman at Ballenas (Merle Logan)

6 p.m.: Windsor at Vernon (Greater Vernon Athletic)

Saturday

9:30 a.m.: Clarence Fulton at Langley (B.C. Place Stadium)

7:30 p.m.: Holy Cross at G.W. Graham (Exhibition Stadium

sewen@postmedia.com

twitter.com/SteveEwen

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Steve Ewen: Unbeaten Knights warned to fear the Rams in high school football playoffs - The Province