Photo courtesy of Greystoke Photography

Week 9 of the BCFC saw the top three teams in the Conference move closer to nailing down a playoff spot as the Okanagan Sun, Langley Rams and Kamloops Broncos all tasted victory at home.

Prior to the game, the Rams hosting the Vancouver Island Raiders appeared to be the best of the weekend, however the Rams took out the defending champs 53-14 thanks to a 28 point second quarter.

Quarterback Jordan McCarty finished 12 of 19 for 245 yards and threw four touchdown passes.  Daniel English caught three of those passes for 76 yards and hauled in two touchdown passes.  Malcolm Williams made five receptions plus a major, while Nathan Lund also caught a touchdown pass.

Lund was also busy on the ground, with a game high 11 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns.  Jordan Traversy chipped in with seven carries for 37 yards.

The Rams defense was simply outstanding.  They created six turnovers including three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a turnover on downs.  The “D” was led by Marcus Brown who had a fumble recovery, an interception and three solo tackles.  Steven Martinez intercepted a pass and returned it 19 yards for a pick six.  English also made an interception on a Raiders fake punt.   Kicker Steve Thomas also recovered a fumble.

Defensively the Rams collected four sacks.  Adam Marchetti had one and shared one with Brock Gowanlock, while Luke Andrews and Dylan Roper each had one.

The Rams (6-2) will visit the Okanagan Sun (7-1) on Sunday afternoon at the Apple Bowl.

The Vancouver Island Raiders fall for the second straight week and fifth time this season despite 333 yards through the air.

Quarterback Liam O’Brien finished 21 of 35 for 333 yards and threw a touchdown pass Marshall Cook.  Taylor Flavel was his main target catching seven passes for 129 yards.   Alex Kutra hauled in three balls for 86 yards.

The Raiders didn’t have much success on the ground against the Rams defense collecting just 33 yards.  Nathan Berg rushed four times and scored a touchdown.

Defensively the Raiders were led by Dylan Chapdelaine and his four solo tackles.  Ash Gayat and Josh Paisley chipped in with three each.

The Raiders (3-5) will visit the Kamloops Broncos (6-2) on Saturday night in a game with playoff positioning on the line.

The Kamloops Broncos kept pace with the Rams after a 23-24 victory over the Westshore Rebels, guaranteeing them the first ever winning season.

The Broncos sweep the regular season series as quarterback Steve Schuweiler finished 21 of 34 for 260 yards threw a pair of touchdown passes with a well balanced attack finding eight different receivers.

Derek Yachinson hauled in six passes for 66 yards and Rudy Uhl caught five passes for 51 yards.  Both Jesse Neufeld and Devin Csincsa made touchdown receptions.

The Broncos ground attack collected 185 yards led by Jacob Palmarin and his 11 carries for 67 yards.  Aaron Morran rushed four times for 48 yards.
Defensively the Broncos created eight turnovers; three fumbles, two interceptions and three turnover on downs.  Kyle Richardson had a great game with six solo tackles and the lone sack.  Mish Bunn, Palmarin and Kurtis Mutchsmann each recovered fumble, while Colin Mather and Chris Rosa intercepted passes.

The Broncos (6-2) will host the Vancouver Island Raiders (3-5) on Saturday night at 7:00pm.

The Valley Huskers are still searching for their first win of the season despite outgaining the Broncos with 428 total offensive yards.

Quarterback Dylan LaPrairie finished 14 of 30 for 276 yards.  His favourite target was Tyron Ledingham who caught a game high seven passes for 112 yards.  Felix Kaanon collected 62 yards on two catches.

On the ground the Huskers gained 169 yards, led by Benedict Muhima with six carries for 75 yards and a touchdown.  RJ Begg also scored a rushing TD.

Sharif Ali led the Huskers defense with eight solo tackles and an interception.  Cody Parray collected six solo tackles.  Colin Currie recovered a fumble while Raphael Olivares recorded a pair of sacks.

The Huskers (0-8) will host the Westshore Rebels (2-6) on Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm.

The Okanagan Sun set a new franchise high for points scored in a single game, dominating the Westshore Rebels 92-7, just two days after the death of teammate JT Fernandez that was felt across the BCFC.

In honour of Fernandez, on the first play from scrimmage the defense started with 11 players.  The “D” was solid again allowing just 198 yards of total offense and creating seven turnovers.   They recovered four fumbles, had an interception and twice turned the ball over on downs.  Chris Pereira recovered two of those fumbles, while Dexter Janke and Jeff Mock recovered the others.  Beck Fullerton had the lone pick while Robbie Yochim had a team high six solo tackles.

Offensive the Sun benefitted from turnovers and a short field thanks to the defense and the return game.  Quarterback Josiah Joseph finished a perfect seven of seven for 139 yards and three touchdowns.  Backup Matt Calderwood was three of five for 69 yards and threw his first junior touchdown pass to Lerone Robinson, as well ran in his first career major.

Nine different receivers caught passes led by Robinson who caught two TD passes for 106 yards.  Thomas Huber and Pierre Luc Lord also hauled in majors.

The ground game again led the offense with 267 yards.  Alex Bradley rushed 10 times for 171 yards and a score including a 102 yard gain on the first Sun play from scrimmage.  Dillon Fortune, Kory Nagata and Armand Bokitch also scored a touchdown with short runs.

Yochim was simply special on special teams.  The fifth year veteran returned three punts for touchdowns including two from 47 yards and one from 87 yards.

Sunday afternoon is the biggest match-up of the season as the Sun (7-1) host the Rams (6-2) at 1:00pm with first place on the line.  The Sun and Rams have split the season series, while the Sun are on a six game winning streak.

The Westshore Rebels struggled moving the ball on Saturday night other than their first drive. They got down to the Sun two yard line but fumbled and lost the ball.

Quarterback Hunter Lake finished 17 of 30 for 183 yards and threw an interception.  He used his legs to score the only Rebels points with a terrific 11 yard touchdown run, leaping over a Sun defender to get into the end zone.  He finished with 11 carries for 62 yards.

Josh Beauchamp caught a game high seven balls for 89 yards while Johnny Quan hauled in two balls for 33 yards.

Defensively the BCFC leading tacklers Chris Pastro finished with three stops and left with a leg injury in the fourth quarter. Tanner Rodinsky also had three tackles.

The Rebels (2-6) will play in Chilliwack on Saturday afternoon against the Valley Huskers (0-8) at 1:00pm.