PREVIEW: BCFC Rivalry Week; Wildcats & Thunder rematch

BCFC WEEK 8:

The BCFC will play host to the Canadian Junior Football League’s (CJFL) Rivalry Week this weekend.

All three games will be featured as the Vancouver Island Raiders host the Okanagan Sun, the Valley Huskers visit the Langley Rams and the Kamloops Broncos make their second straight trip to the Westshore Rebels.

Up until this season the Vancouver Island Raiders (3-3) have owned the Okanagan Sun (5-1).   The Raiders were 15-4 and hadn’t lost at home since 2005, outscoring the Sun 520-375 in the process.

This year however in the first two meetings the Sun have won both and outscored their rival 102-20.  Back on August 16 the Sun compiled 693 yards of total offense in Nanaimo and recorded their largest margin victory ever in a 64-20 win.

Fast forward to Week 8 and again this storied rivalry will take place at Caledonia Park at 2:00pm on Saturday.   The Raiders are playing their best football of the season with wins over the Langley Rams and Valley Huskers and have scored 138 points in their last two games.  The Sun have won four straight including back to back weeks over the Raiders in Week 3 and 4.

Also on Saturday afternoon and also on the Island the Westshore Rebels (2-4) host the Kamloops Broncos (4-2) for the second straight week.

Like the previous match-up the Rebels have owned the Broncos up until this year.   Prior to 2014 the Rebels were 16-1 against the Broncos, shutting them out four times.  Their largest margin of victory was 56-0 in 2007.

However this season has been a different story.  Just last week the Broncos recorded their first ever win on the Island, crushing the Rebels 42-14 behind 553 yards of total offense.

Back in Week 1 in Kamloops the Broncos smashed the Rebels 38-9, their largest ever margin of victory.  They compiled 475 yards of total offense, bringing their two game total to 1,028 offensive yards.

Saturday’s kick-off is scheduled for 3:00pm.

Geographically the Langley Rams (4-2) host the Valley Huskers (0-6) making up the closest rivalry in the Conference.
This will be the first game this season between the two clubs, but their 26th all-time.  The Rams have dominated the Huskers compiling a 22-3 record since 2000 and have won 17 in a row.

The largest margin of victory for the Rams was a 71-0 blowout in 2005, while the Huskers largest margin of victory was 31-13 win 2002.

Kick-off on Saturday night is set for 7:00 at McLeod Stadium.

If you’re attending a game this weekend, share your experience with #cjflrivalry.  Enjoy the BCFC Rivalry Week,

PFC WEEK 5:

The Edmonton Wildcats will be hosting the Regina Thunder on Sunday afternoon at Clarke Stadium. The two teams met in Regina two weeks ago where the Wildcats walked away with a 19-14 victory.

Both teams are 2-1 and are tied for 2^nd place in the Prairie Football Conference standings, behind the Winnipeg Rifles who lead by 2 points.

The Wildcats will be unveiling their new home jerseys at this game, and are also welcoming two new players to the field –  Defensive Lineman Garrett Meek  and Running Back David Adebayo.

Meek played his high school career at Ross Sheppard, and played one year in the CIS for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.   In 2014, he played for Team Canada Under-19.  Meek is a very talented, hard working player who will bring even more depth and enthusiasm to a strong defensive line unit.

Adebayo played with the Harry Ainlay Titans during his high school career.   He also played for Team North and scored 2 touchdowns in Senior Bowl.

Kick-off is 1:00pm, Sunday September 20 at Clarke Stadium. For those unable to attend the game, it will be live-streamed – the link will be posted to edmontonwildcats.com prior to the game.

(Source:  Meghann Turner, Edmonton WIldcats)