BCFC: Week 10 recap – Raiders finish season perfect (video)

Thanksgiving weekend saw the final games of the 2011 regular season and a showdown for first and third places in the British Columbia Football Conference.

The first place showdown between the 9-0 Vancouver Island Raiders and the 8-1 Okanagan Sun had all the makings of a classic…it didn’t turn out that way.

Instead the five time BCFC champion Raiders flexed their muscle, completely dismantling the hometown Sun in a 35-3 victory to conclude an undefeated season.

Quarterback Jordan Yantz finished 15 of 28 for 237 yards and threw three touchdown passes finishing the year with 35, tying a conference record. Yantz would find Michael Schaper twice and Whitman Tomusiak for majors.

On the ground the Raiders were led by BCFC leading rusher Jordan Botel who carried 16 times for 134 yards, most of which in the second half. The Raiders would gain a total of 177 yards on the ground. Kicker Mark Mueller was perfect hitting on all three attempts from 21, 33 and 35 yards respectively.

Defensively the Raiders held the Sun to just a 25 yard field goal and would force two turnovers including a fumble recovery by Dylon Chapdelaine on the first play from scrimmage. James Riley picked off a pass and had three tackles while Ranji Atwall had six tackles.

The Raiders finish undefeated at 10-0 and have home field throughout the playoffs beginning with a semi-final matchup with the 5-5 Westshore Rebels on Saturday afternoon.

The Sun offence was virtually non-existent against the stingiest defence in the Canadian Junior Football League. Quarterback Jeremy Mraovic would compete 11 of 28 for 149 yards and an interception. Mike Friend was his favourite receiver catching six passes for 88 yards.

The ground assault would see the Sun rush for 172 yards; Alex Bradley totally 111 of those on 13 carries.

Sun kicker Steven Shott returned to the line-up for first time this season connecting from 25 yards out for the lone Sun points.

The Sun defence was on the field for the majority of the game as Robbie Yochim made five tackles and had an interception for the only turnover of the game for the home side. Brennan Van Nistelrooy would make five tackles and Steven Doege had four tackles and a sack; his conference leading 11th.

The Sun finish 8-2 and will host the 5-5 Langley Rams in a semi-final on Sunday afternoon at the Apple Bowl.

Saturday afternoon it was a showdown for third place in Westshore as the Rebels would host the Langley Rams….and it was all visitors in a 42-14 Ram win.

The Rams would compile 355 yards on offense as backup quarterback Jon Roney would lead the way finishing 12 of 25 for 231 yards and a touchdown to Kyle Albertini. Nick Downey caught five balls for 99 yards and Jerod Zaleski had three catches for 57 yards.

On the ground the Rams would be very effective rushing for 137 yards, led by Albertini who had 13 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns to compliment his three catches and 56 yards. Joe Patko also had two touchdowns on the ground, on just two carries.

Kicker Nick Naylor would add to the scoring hitting from 32 and 40 yards out and was 4-4 in coverts.

The Rams defence slowed the Rebels ground attack holding them to just 170 yards. Carlo Graziano had five tackles and two knockdowns while Patko recovered a fumble. Seven Rams would record a multi-tackle game.

The Rams finish third in the conference and will travel to the Okanagan for a semi-final matchup on Sunday afternoon The Rebels fall for the third time this season on home turf. Their 1-2 punch on the ground, running back Greg Morris was held to just 66 yards on 11 carries while Niles Goguen also had 11 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Cat Todorovich finished with just eight completions in 25 attempts for 143 yards. Goguen caught five passes for 59 yards to lead the way.

The only other scoring for the Rebels were two field goals from kicker Quinn Van Gylswyck who hit from 36 and 50 yard out.

The Rebels injury riddled defence was led by Chris Pastro who had five tackles and two assists. Jacob Junker had four tackles and a knockdown while Samuel Narkaj had a tackle, a sack and a fumble recovery. Justin Perrie also had a sack.

The Kamloops Broncos would win their final game of the season beating the Chilliwack Huskers 29-13 at home.

The Broncos would be led by their ground game compiling 259 yards. Joel Mukendi carried the rock 16 times for 79 yards and had two touchdowns. Mike McMaster had 13 carries for 106 yards and a major. Cory Constantin chipped in with five rushes for 42 yards.

Quarterback Jesse Neufeld finished six of 12 for 120 yards finding Don Calvert twice for 59 yards and Devin Csincsa twice for 35 yards.

The Broncos “D” forced three interceptions as Shayne Arthurs had two along with four tackles. Scott Nelson had five tackles to lead the club while Clayton Ludba had three tackles and a pick.
The Broncos finish the season a disappointing 2-8, both wins coming at the hands of the Huskers.

The Broncos would name defensive end Tyler Lee their MVP, Mike McMaster their offensive MVP and Drew Makortoff their defensive MVP at their annual team awards banquet.

The Chilliwack Huskers are held winless for the second consecutive season.

Quarterback Adann Hendrickson finished 16 of 35 for 270 yards and a touchdown to lead the offence. He would find nine different receivers including Ben Skerret five times for 68 yards. Matt Dickensheid caught a 28 yard pass for a touchdown.

Hendrickson would also lead the ground game running 13 times for 96 yards and a score.
Curtis Schindel had a terrific game making nine tackles and assisting on two others. Both James Williams and Jayson Bates in his final BCFC game had eight tackles.

The Huskers finish 0-10 and have begun rebuilding for 2012.