The Mission Roadrunners senior varsity football team had no answer for Abbotsford’s star running back Jalem Catlin on Saturday, and the 40-22 loss combined with a Terry Fox Ravens win has left Mission out of the playoff picture.
Catlin, named the Eastern Conference’s most valuable player, ran for four touchdowns and over 200 yards in Mission’s final game of 2019.
Mission made a push in the third quarter, closing the Panthers’ lead to just six, but Abbotsford pulled away.
The loss drops Mission’s final record to 1-6, and dropped them to sixth place in the East and behind the Ravens.
Terry Fox defeated Centennial 29-7 on Nov. 1 to leapfrog Mission in the standings.
The Roadrunners 6-0 loss to the very same Ravens back on Oct. 11 at home loomed large, as if Mission could have pulled out the win in that game they may have qualified for the postseason.
The club’s lone regular season win came on Oct. 4 when they beat Centennial 30-14.
Mission’s Cody McMahon was named a AAA Eastern Conference defensive all-star for his efforts at defensive line for the team this year.
Meanwhile, the Roadrunners junior varsity team ended the regular season with a big 36-0 win over Abbotsford on Oct. 31.
That win qualified Mission for the playoffs, and the club finished with a 1-3 record and good for fourth in the AAA East.
The juniors traveled to Burnaby Lakes on Thursday to take on Notre Dame in round one of the playoffs.
Results were not available at press time.