Recent British Columbia Conference News
The Okanagan Sun are Cullen Cup champions
Photo courtesy of in_motion_sports_photography
The Okanagan Sun are the 2024 BC Conference Cullen Cup champions.
Okanagan Sun 23
Westshore Rebels 17
For the second time in three seasons the Sun captured the Cullen Cup over the Rebels at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna.
The game was a defensive slugfest as the teams combined to turn the ball over nine times.
The Sun did the bulk of their scoring in the first half leading 17-3 at the half. Elelyon Noa scored a touchdown to open the scoring with a one-yard run after quarterback Liam Kroeger orchestrated a sustained drive down the field. Kicker Liam Attwood also connected on his first of three field goals giving the Sun 10 points in the first quarter.
In the second Kroeger found Jordayne Falconer on a short pass, then he did the rest breaking tackles and getting into the endzone for another first half touchdown.
After halftime, the Rebels came roaring back to tie it at 17 with a pair of touchdowns in the quarter. The first was a touchdown strike from quarterback Ethan Pickard who found Zion Brown after a terrific drive down the field. On their next possession running back Carter Williams scored on an 11-yard run which tied the game.
In the fourth the only scoring came from the right foot of Attwood connecting on two-field goals to give the Sun the lead for good and ultimately the championship title.
Both defences were outstanding. The Sun were led by David Lewis who was named Defensive Player of the Game after three interceptions, two knockdowns and a pair of solo tackles. Easton Fenske picked off a pass with no time left on the clock in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Linebacker Jacob Bond recorded a team high 6.5 tackles.
The Rebels “D” intercepted three passes on the afternoon by three different players. Bryce Reuther was a beast on the field with a game high 9.5 tackles and intercepted a pass.
With the victory the Sun advance to the CJFL National Semi-Final game this coming weekend. They will face the Regina Thunder in Saskatchewan in a rematch of the 2022 Canadian Bowl. The winner will move onto the national championship game.
The Sun and Rebels meet for the Cullen Cup
Photo courtesy of in_motion_sports_photography
Westshore Rebels @ Okanagan Sun – Saturday October 19, 3:00pm – Apple Bowl | WATCH HERE
For the third straight season the Sun and Rebels will meet in the Cullen Cup title game, but this year the teams will play at the Apple Bowl and the winner will head to the Prairies for the CJFL National Semi-Final game. The Rebels won this game last year while the Sun claimed the title in 2022.
They met twice during the regular season with the Sun winning 33-30 back in August in dramatic fashion on the island before claiming a 24-10 victory in Kelowna on September 21st.
Last week both teams won their semi-final in a hard-fought battle. The Sun beat the Valley Huskers 50-19 but the score was not indicative of how close this game was. With the score 22-19 heading into the fourth quarter the Sun rattled off 28-points after the Huskers offence suffered two major injuries to star players.
Meanwhile the Rebels went on the road to Langley and upset the Rams by four points in a gritty playoff road victory. Their defence was outstanding intercepting five passes and held the Rams run game to under 100 yards.
Fans at the Apple Bowl will see two very tough and talented defences try and slowdown the opposition’s high-powered offence. The Rebels front seven will no doubt face a heavy dose of BC Conference Outstanding Offensive Player Elelyon Noa while the Sun secondary will need to be sharp with the aerial assault from Rebels quarterback Ethan Pickard.
In the seasonal series Noa rushed 65 times against the Rebels, recorded four rushing touchdowns and 380 yards. Pickard on the other hand completed 32 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown. He struggled in their second meeting throwing for under 100 yards.
These offences know how to score averaging over 30 points a game, but that said these defences don’t give up much. The Sun held the opposition to 13 points a game while the Rebels allowed 23 points a game in the regular season.
It will be fun to watch on Saturday afternoon with the winner not only hoisting the 2024 Cullen Cup as BC champion but will earn the right to perform on the national stage in the CJFL National Semi-Final game in Saskatchewan on October 27th.
The top players from BC this past season
Photo courtesy of in_motion_sports_photography
The Canadian Junior Football League in conjunction with the BC Conference are proud to announce their Most Outstanding Players for 2024.
Ranji Mattu Memorial Coach of the Year – Travis Miller – Okanagan Sun – After leading his club to a 10-0 regular season the Sun have homefield advantage throughout the BC Conference playoffs and will host the Cullen Cup this weekend.
Outstanding Offensive Lineman – Kaiden Kerntopf – Okanagan Sun
Outstanding Offensive Back – Elelyon Noa – Okanagan Sun – he won the CJFL rushing title and set a new BC Conference single season record with 1612 yards and 23 touchdowns on 216 carries. He averaged 7.5 yards a carry
Outstanding Receiver – Terrel Jones – Langley Rams – he caught 33 passes for 813 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 24.6 yards a catch
Outstanding Defensive Lineman – Isaiah Cooper – Langley Rams – he tallied 38 tackles, had 11 assisted tackles, had 3.5 sacks and recovered a fumble
Outstanding Linebacker – Jacob Bond – Okanagan Sun – he made 49 tackles, had an interception, recovered two fumbles and had six assisted tackles
Outstanding Defensive Back – Ahmed Borhot – Okanagan Sun – he led the CJFL with eight interceptions, had 18 tackles, seven assisted tackles, two knockdowns and recovered a fumble
Outstanding Special Teams Player – KR Kaleb Senz – Kamloops Broncos – he was a dangerous return man for the Broncos this season returning a BC Conference high 59 kicks, gathering 1081 yards, averaging 18.9 yards a return and did run one back for a touchdown
Outstanding Return Specialist – KR Kaleb Senz – Kamloops Broncos – he was a busy Bronco returning kicks this past season combining 33 punt returns and 26 kickoff returns for a total of 1081 yards averaging 18.9 yards a return and did run one back for a touchdown
Outstanding Offensive Rookie of the Year – QB Marek Filipek – Okanagan Sun – a 17-year-old rookie who won the job out of camp in the spring finished with 1316 passing yards, completing 61% of his passes and threw nine touchdowns
Outstanding Defensive Rookie of the Year – DB CJ Augustine – Langley Rams – an absolute ballhawk in his rookie campaign making seven interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns and added 17 solo tackles, knocked down two passes, forced a fumble and assisted on two other tackles.
Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year – LB Jacob Bond – Okanagan Sun – he made 49 tackles, had an interception, recovered two fumbles and had six assisted tackles
Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year – RB Elelyon Noa – Okanagan Sun – he won the CJFL rushing title and set a new BC Conference single season record with 1612 yards and 23 touchdowns on 216 carries. He averaged 7.5 yards a carry
The BC Conference Cullen Cup championship game goes this Saturday afternoon in Kelowna when the #1 Okanagan Sun welcome the #3 Westshore Rebels to the Apple Bowl. It’s the third straight season they meet in this title game with the winner advancing to the CJFL National Semi-Final in Saskatchewan.
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