Football is a team game and you win as a team and lose as a team.
But sometimes one facet of a game just can’t deliver. That was the case on Saturday as the Langley Rams dropped a 22-12 decision to the V.I. Raiders at McLeod Athletic Park in B.C. Junior Football Conference action.
“I hate to single them out, but our offence didn’t perform,” said Langley head coach Ted Kirby.
“Plain and simple, our offence didn’t execute. I can’t sugarcoat it.”
Heading into the game, Langley averaged 46.5 points per game.
The Rams were able to move the ball along the ground — rushing for 188 yards — but only managed 150 yards through the air. It also didn’t help that they scored just one touchdown and turned the ball over six times in monsoon-like conditions.
It also ruined a great defensive performance.
“Our defence played played one of the best games I have seen them play all season,” Kirby said.
The loss was costly as it drops the Rams to third-place in the conference with one regular season game remaining. Their record is 6-3 with two of the losses coming to the Raiders in the past three weeks.
And regardless of what happens in their final game, Langley is locked into third place and faces the prospect of two road games in the playoffs if they hope to capture a second straight Cullen Cup championship.
The Raiders and Okanagan Sun are tied atop the standings at 7-2 with the Raiders holding the tiebreaker.
In Saturday’s game, Langley knocked the Raiders’ starting quarterback Jamie Ybarra out of the game early as he suffered a broken collarbone.
And after the Rams went up 3-1, the Raiders reeled off the next 21 points and led 22-0 leading into the fourth quarter.
Langley tried to rally, scoring their lone touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, but came up short, 22-12.
The Rams defence did force four turnovers on down as well as having Joe Patko force a fumble and recover it himself. Patko also had one of the team’s five quarterback sacks and finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
Evan Foster had a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble, while Jacob Patko — the reigning league’s defensive player of the week — and Nate De Rappard-Scott had the other sacks.
The offence matched the Raiders in terms of yardage and first downs, but could not translate that into points.
The lone touchdown was a pass from Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren to Malcolm Williams, but that was the only time they found the end zone. The other points came from a field goal, convert and two singles from kicker Steve Thomas.
Kyle Albertini rushed for 118 yards on 15 carries.
The Rams wrap up the regular season with a visit to Chilliwack on Saturday (Oct. 5) where they will face the Valley Huskers.
“I am not mad, just disappointed,” Kirby said. “This game slipped away from us.”
The coach is looking forward to seeing how the team responds the adversity it faces with the challenge of having to win a pair of road contests.
