We enter Week 2 of the CJFL season and here are some of the headlines:

emotional home opener

The defending Cullen Cup champion Westshore Rebels will play in front of their hometown crowd for the first time this season.  It will no doubt have a bit of a different feeling after the passing of General Manager Roger Wade earlier this week. 

The Rebels will honour the life of Roger and have a moment of silence. They will also play the game, because that’s what Roger would have wanted. He would also want the Rebels to be celebrated for an incredible season they had last year.  Starlight Stadium will be a buzz on Saturday. 

A sub-headline to this story is the Prince George Kodiaks are the Rebels opponent and are making their first appearance in Westshore in franchise history.  Now in their third season the Kodiaks will try and knock-off the defending BC Conference champions.  They find themselves with their first ever winning record after a solid win last week at home. 

Their offence will need to play mistake-free football against a very strong and talented Rebele defence.  They did score 39 points last week in their win, something they are hoping to see again on Saturday.

CHILDREN OF THE CORN

The Valley Huskers will see their first action of the new CJFL season after having a Week 1 bye.  They have some of their returning key pieces on the offensive and defensive sides that many people are excited to see.  

Quarterback Tyran Duval leads a talented group, and will no doubt look to Payton Lake when they need some yardage.  On the defensive side linebacker Andy Ofosuhene will be the leader and needs to have a big season for the green clad Huskers. 

They have never had a home playoff game but many think this is the year they could get over the hump.  They will host the Kamloops Broncos on Saturday night under the lights. 

BATTLE AT THE HAT

A pair of teams in the Prairie Conference will get a chance to show off their skills in an exhibition game in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  The Regina Thunder and Calgary Colt rivalry has started to grow over the last several years and Saturday they will get to know each other when they lock horns.  

Medicine Hat is an amazing football community and has welcomed these two CJFL teams with open arms.  The CJFL brand will be on full display giving the fans a chance to see high caliber football in their own backyard.   

This could be the first of many showcase exhibition games between these two teams and they have already looked at Swift Current, Saskatchewan as a possible guest venue in 2025.
 

Photo courtesy of AllSportMedia.ca

Westshore Rebels 43
Kamloops Broncos 27

It’s only Week 1 but the defending Cullen Cup champion Westshore Rebels came out with a statement win on Saturday night in Kamloops beating the Broncos by 16 points.

After last year’s Canadian Bowl, the Rebels lost several key pieces to their team along with their head coach, but that didn’t seem to matter. They scored 20 points in the first quarter, then added 23 in the third to thump the Broncos.  

A lot of eyes were on the new starting quarterback for the Rebels and Ethan Pickard didn’t disappoint.  He threw for five touchdowns, to five different receivers on 16 completions, good for 358 yards.  The balance aerial assault saw eight receivers catch passes, including Zion Brown, Chris McLarty, Carter Williams, Ryan Vincent and Tristan Remus-Arevalo each hauling in a touchdown.  Vincent also rushed eight times for 65 yards and had a major. 

Defensively they held the Broncos to 28 yards and forced four inceptions by four different players. 

The Broncos offence struggled to run but did find some success through the air collecting 272 yards.  Colton Meikle was a major factor with seven receptions for 103 yards and had a touchdown.  Ty Holmes also caught a touchdown from quarterback Clark Snider.

Next week the Rebels (1-0) will host the Prince George Kodiaks (1-0) while the Broncos (0-1) visit the Valley Huskers (0-0).

Okanagan Sun 22
Langley Rams 15

The Sun scored all 22 points in the second half and held on to beat the visiting Rams by seven points. 

They had a balanced attack both running and passing the ball, moving the chains.  Elelyon Noa had a wonderful game with 138 yards on the ground on 19 carries and scored all three Sun touchdowns.  He also caught four balls for 52 yards. 

Rookie quarterback Marek Filipek looked poised under center leading the Sun and threw for 184 yards on 19 completions.  He found six different receivers. 

The Rams played a solid road game and found success through the air gaining 235 yards.   Quarterback Jovyn Sangha completed 12 passes, two of them for touchdowns.  His favourite target was Terrel Jones making four receptions for 121 yards and a 70-yard touchdown catch and run.  Isaiah Edwards also hauled in a major. 

On the defensive side Isaiah Cooper was a beast, making seven solo tackles, had a blocked kick and recovered a fumble. 

Next week the Sun (1-0) will visit the VI Raiders (0-1) on the island and the Rams (0-1) have a bye week.

Prince George 39
VI Raiders 34

For the first time in their three seasons, the Kodiaks have a winning record after an exciting win that came right down to the wire. 

Quarterback Sawyer Theissen threw three touchdown passes and 206 yards on 16 completions.  He also punched in two touchdowns with his legs on the goal line.  All three majors through air were caught by Carson Briere, who finished the game with six receptions for 112 yards.  Running back Gavin Halvorson had a solid performance of 95 yards on 19 carries. 

On the defensive side they combined for six sacks and forced five turnovers. 

The Raiders played a very good road game but found it difficult to hang onto the ball.  Quarterback Sadler Smith turned in a great game completing 20 passes for 210 yards, three touchdowns and ran for another but was tagged with two interceptions.  Ruben Bonsu caught six passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns while Paul Romanoff also caught a major.  

Defensively the Raiders got on the board as well when Denzel Igiehon intercepted a pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.  Colton Finstad was terrific with a game high nine solo tackles. 

Next weekend the Kodiaks (1-0) will visit the Westshore Rebels (1-0) and the Raiders (0-1) welcome the Okanagan Sun (1-0)