The top two teams in the BCFC will square off in Nanaimo for the Game of the Week.   

The Vancouver Island Raiders (2-0) will host the Okanagan Sun (2-0) at 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon at Caledonia Park.

The Sun have been a scoring machine in the first two games, setting a new BCFC mark for points scored in the first two games of the regular season.  They have tallied 142 points, easily surpassing the old mark of 123 held, oddly enough by the 1992 Sun and 2009 Raiders.

Scoring has come from all three facets of the game as 12 different players have scored majors.   Of their 17 touchdowns, seven of them have been on the ground, seven through the air, two have been special teams and one on the defensive side.  

The Sun have used three quarterbacks in rotation through the first two games.  Cam Bedore has started both games connecting on 12 of 18 passes for 336 yards and has thrown four TDs, while Josiah Joseph is 10 of 14 for 237 yards and three majors.  Third stringer Keith Zyla has only a handful of attempts.

Defensively the Sun have been simply dominating, allowing just seven points in the first two games of the season and have created 10 turnovers.  The defence is fast and swarm to the ball, not allowing players an opportunity to break a tackle for a big gain.  Keagan Hughes leads the team with five tackles.

That side of the ball must be sharp to stop a Raiders team that is rolling, and arguably is better tested mentally than the Sun.   The Raiders have played in two tight games getting by Westshore last weekend by just two points and beating Langley by eight in Week 1.  The Sun on the other hand have blown out their first two opponents outscoring them 142-7.

The Raiders squeaked by the Rebels last weekend 23-21 after Nigel Henry blocked a short Rebels field goal attempt which certainly would have given the Rebels the win.

That said, All-Canadian quarterback Liam O’Brien didn’t play in their Week 2 game, but should be healthy for this weekend.  O’Brien is a double threat of throwing and running the ball.  In Week 1 against the defending champs he finished 18 of 32 for 208 yards, averaging 6.5 yards a throw.  He also ran nine times for 36 yards and a score.

Speaking of running, Nathan Berg set a new Raiders team record with 34 carries last week against the Rebels.   Berg surpasses Andrew Harris’ mark of 32.  In the first two games of the season Berg has 45 carries for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Raiders “D” is relatively young but have created nine turnovers, leading the Conference in third down stops.  Through the first two games Josh Paisley has led the charge with 10 tackles.

This match-up has been one of the best over the last few years.  Caledonia Park has not been an easy place to play for any team, particularly the Sun.  Last year’s 19-7 win was the first win in Nanaimo since 2005.
This has all the makings of a classic, as only one team will remain undefeated following this weekend.  Kick-off is set for 4:00pm.