Last season in the Valley Community Football League, both the North Langley atom and junior bantam Bears squads failed to win a single game.

Both teams accomplished a remarkable turnaround in 2012, with each contending for the Valley final in their respective divisions.

Atom Bears

In the atom championship game Saturday, the Bears faced the only opponent to defeat them all season.

The Abbotsford Falcons had a strong second quarter, going up 18-0 in the first half en route to a 24-0 victory.

The Bears never stopped battling in the latter stages, only allowing one more major during the second half.

Marcus Stang made some long runs for the Bears, including one for 35 yards, but the Bears were not able to reach the end zone.

Jaxon Stebbings turned in another solid performance on defence, making numerous tackles including a stop on a Falcons’ two-point conversion attempt.

The Atom Bears finished 2012 with silver medal and a solid 7-3 record.

Junior Bantam Bears

The JB Bears faced the undefeated Abbotsford Black team in the Valley final.

Just prior to halftime, the Bears took a 14-12 lead on an electrifying 65-yard charge by running back Zander Bailey.

Bailey extended the lead to 20-12 early in the third quarter with a 50-yard dash to the end zone.

The Falcons tied it up in the third quarter, and moved ahead with another score in the fourth quarter.

The Bears valiantly attempted to respond, moving the ball into Falcon territory in the dying seconds of the game but the pass completed from Brett Christensen to Keaghan Hurley was short of a first down, so the contest ended in a 28-20 victory for the Falcons.

Bailey had an outstanding game for the Bears, scoring all three Bears touchdowns, making some great tackles on defence, and recovering a fumble.

Yun-Jae Boo also came up big on defence, breaking up several Falcons’ passing plays.

Like their atom counterparts, the JB Bears turned in a silver medal performance with a 7-3-1 record in 2012.