They were the bantam provincial champions in 2000, but little did the Westshore Warriors know a 2001 playoff win would be their last for 10 years.

The club now known as the Victoria Spartans is back on the rise.

On Sunday the sixth-place Spartans (5-5) defeated the third-place South Delta Rams (7-3) 17-15 in the Vancouver Mainland Football playoff quarterfinals. The win puts the Spartans, whose players are 14 or 15 years old, into the semifinals. Victoria will travel to take on the fourth-place Chilliwack Giants (6-4) this Saturday.

B次元官网网址淪outh Delta beat us 34-0 early in the season and took us a little too lightly (this time) I think,B次元官网网址� said Spartans coach Paul Precious.

Defensive end and running back Jordan Worth as well as linebacker Bryan Galbraith-McTavish, led the Spartans in a B次元官网网址渢otal team effort,B次元官网网址� Precious said.

B次元官网网址淲e only took one penalty. They werenB次元官网网址檛 ready for us.B次元官网网址�

The upset is one of two that happened in the quarterfinals, with the second-place Cowichan Bulldogs knocked out by the seventh-place Langley Mustangs.

Precious has been coaching with the organization for 15 years. He saw the rise of high school football programs at Mount Douglas and Belmont draw players away.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not just in Victoria. Across the province, three-down club football has become secondary behind the four-down variety played in B.C. high schools.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of the kids from our 1998 and 2000 bantam championships played midget, and went on to the Victoria Rebels and Vancouver Island Raiders, some winning Canadian titles,B次元官网网址� he said.

Since then itB次元官网网址檚 been a battle to get players out. The odd guy will play club and high school, including one Spartan who plays for Belmont right now. But practising twice a day and playing two games per weekend is often too much.

Midget Spartans fall to Titans

Last yearB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淐inderella StoryB次元官网网址� will forever stand on its own for the Victoria Spartans as the reigning provincial champs fell in the midget football (16-18) playoff quarterfinals to the South Surrey/White Rock Titans on Sunday, 24-14.

The Spartans had finished eighth last year as well as this year. But this year's squad was unable to recreate the magic of 2010.

Played in Cloverdale, the Titans took a 14-0 lead before the Spartans came alive to tie it.

B次元官网网址淚ts was a hard-fought battle,B次元官网网址� said coach Paul Mulholland. B次元官网网址淲e finally were able to get our offence moving and, with some solid running and precision passing, managed to fight back and score two touchdowns of our own.B次元官网网址�

But a long series of back and forth play ended with the Titans scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

B次元官网网址淭hey added a field goal (24-14) to that. We had a couple of chances late but were unable to put any more points on the board.B次元官网网址�

Five of last year's championship team played for the Westshore Rebels junior team this year, and one with the Chilliwack Huskers.