“Honestly, we didn’t play well and they did,” said Raiders head coach Matthew “Snoop” Blokker. “Give those guys [Rams] credit, they’re a good team and came in here ready to battle. For them, it probably feels like a win; for us, it feels like a loss”.
It didn’t start out well for the black and red, whose offense was stymied for the better part of the first half, while the defense did their best to keep the Ram’s charge at bay. Star quarterback Jordan Yantz struggled to find his groove early on and the Ram’s capitalized by staking out an 8-0 lead late in the second quarter. With time ticking before the break, and the offense sputtering, Blokker called a timeout.
“Things weren’t working and we had to make some adjustments,” Coach Snoop said. “We regrouped, and I thought we played well from there on.”
Jordan Yantz took it from there as, on the very next play, he aired it out to Whitman Tomusiak for a 55 yard catch – and that’s when the momentum changed. Matt Sawyer finished the drive with a 20 yard touchdown catch, and suddenly the Raiders were on the board.
The next Langley possession didn’t last long, as Ash Gayat forced a fumble to give the Raider’s the ball one more time before the half. It took just two passes – one long ball to Dustin Rodriguez, and one short to Tomusiak – and the Raider’s had the lead at halftime.
It looked as if the Raider offense was on a roll as they scored another touchdown on their first possession of the second half, giving them 21 unanswered points. But the Langley Rams came storming back.
Using a no-huddle offense, Ram’s quarterback Greg Bowcott kept the Raider defense on their heels. He would hook up with Malcolm Williams, who made a tremendous catch in the endzone under double coverage, to bring the Ram’s within six. On their next possession, 3-time ‘special teams player of the year’ award winner Nick Downie had a huge punt return, before the Bowcott-Williams connection went back to work.
Bowcott would find Williams in the endzone three more times in the second half, including a 2-point conversion with 1:35 left in the game.
With the game tied at 31 and the Raider offense failing to retake the lead, Downie had another impressive punt return, carrying the ball to the Raider 40-yard line. But it was a missed field-goal, with just ten seconds left, that would end the game in a tie.
Jordan Yantz finished the game 22-for-31 passing, with 416 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Dustin Rodriguez had 133 yards, including one touchdown catch, while Tomusiak contributed five catches (one TD) and 91 yards. Matt Sawyer had two TD catches.
For the Rams, Bowcott was 23-of-31 passing with 286 yards, four TD’s and no interceptions. Both Malcolm Williams (eight catches) and Daniel Xavier (22 carries) had over 100 yards, respectively.
So how will the Raiders respond after a disappointing finish in their home opener?
“I love the way we’ve already responded,” Blokker said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re going to make some adjustments and not dwell on the bad. We’re moving forward and getting ready for the next matchup and beyond. We’re going to get right back to work.”
For the Raiders (1-0-1), that work will resume in a matchup against rival Okanagan Sun (1-1). The game will be played on Saturday, August 18 at Caledonia Park, kickoff at 5p.m. They’ll be out to prove once more that Caledonia Park is havoc for their opposition.
Gridiron Report
– Raider kicker Mark Mueller had a field goal and four converts, giving him 366 career points and moving him in to second place all-time in B.C. Football Conference scoring.
– Raider linebacker’s Jon Jones, James Riley and Dylan Chapdelaine had eight tackles apiece.
– The Raiders only rushed for 63 yards, 44 of which came from Jordan Yantz.
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
FPC West Showcase Spotlight: Alberta DT embracing the process of football with a major piece of advice
