Image credit: CFJC Today/Anthony Corea

By Marty Hastings

ON THE GRIDIRON

South Kamloops Titans take issue with seeding, aim for upset in provincial high school football playoffs

Nov 5, 2025 | 5:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — Gavin Smith and his South Kamloops Titans are taking issue with their seeding in the AA B.C. School Sports Football Championship playoffs, pegged seventh among eight teams in the bracket.

“This whole season, we’ve been kind of doubted,” said Smith, a Grade 12 defensive end and fullback. “The playoff bracket is pretty much showing that. I feel like people underestimate us. We have a great passing game and a pretty solid defence.”

Added left tackle and defensive end Jayden De Boer: “Being an Okanagan team… it’s just always trying to prove the rest of B.C. wrong.”

The No. 2 John Barsby Bulldogs (6-0) are scheduled to host the Titans in a quarter-final tilt on Nov. 14 in Nanaimo.

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“I preach it to these kids all the time – just show up and be the best version of yourselves,” Titans’ head coach Jesse Rigler said. “If we can have these 30 kids do that on game day, we will win without a doubt.”

South Kam posted a 5-1 record in regular season play to place second in the Interior division, its only defeat a 49-15 loss to the hometown Vernon Panthers on Oct. 18.

Quarterback Cole Rigler – recently named the most outstanding offensive player in the Interior division – leads the offensive attack.

“I think we’re one of the best teams in AA football at spreading the ball down the field through the air,” Rigler said. “If we can just get our passing game going and then our defence stiffens up, it’ll be a good game.”

South Kam boasts seven players on the Interior division all-star team, including Rigler, De Boer, receiver Derian Dyck, linebacker Daxson Klimach, defensive back Alexzander Merrell, offensive flex Lloyd Heggen and offensive lineman Nate Martens.

“We’re almost like polar opposite teams,” head coach Rigler said of the Titans-Bulldogs matchup. “They are an old-school, grind-it-out, run-the-ball-down-the-field, big, strong team that’s going to give us some challenges. We don’t have the big linebackers and oversized D-line to stop the run, but we believe we’ve got a really good scheme to combat it.”

Vernon (6-0) finished atop Interior division standings and holds the No. 1 seed at provincials, determined to win the B.C. championship after losing in the final last year.

The Windsor Wolves erased a 14-0 halftime deficit and earned a 17-14 victory over the Panthers in the 2024 title tilt.

Vernon will toil against No. 8 Nechako Valley of Vanderhoof in the quarter-final round, which will also include No. 4 Holy Cross of Surrey versus No. 5 Mount Douglas of Saanich and No.3 Argyle of North Vancouver against No. 6 Ballenas of Parksville.

The Panthers jettisoned the Titans from the playoffs last year with a 56-0 victory in the quarter-final round.

A rematch can take place if both teams – on opposite sides of the bracket – reach the gold-medal game.

“Grade 12 season – always want to go out with a bang,” quarterback Rigler said. “If we could bring home a banner, that’d be everything to me.”