It could have been a whole lot worse.
Coming off an 81-6 loss in Nanaimo Sept. 6 and heading into a Saturday clash against a far stronger opponent, Valley Husker fans feared the worst.
While Chilliwack (0-7) did lose 46-7 to the mighty Langley Rams (5-2), it wasn’t the bloodbath many were expecting.
Having said that, the first half was awful.
The Rams scored all of their points before the break, rolling up 378 yards of total offence to lead 46-0.
Langley did their damage with a punishing ground game that accounted for 223 yards on 23 carries, or 10 yards every time a Ram touched the ball. Nathan Lund carried four times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75 yard ramble, while Jordan Traversey carried six times for 52 yards and a major.
Langley started second string quarterback Jordan McCarty, who completed nine of 17 passes for 204 yards. He threw a touchdown toss to Daniel English, but also threw an interception to Chilliwack’s Dylan Boykowich.
John Beckerleg accounted for Langley’s fifth touchdown, returning a punt 69 yards to paydirt.
Rams kicker Steve Thomas nailed field goals of 17, 32 and 37 yards.
The Husker offence generated just 26 yards and zero first downs in the first half. Chilliwack found some traction in the second half when Langley started playing backups. Dylan LaPrairie went the distance at quarterback, completing 16 of 34 passes for 164 yards and an interception. Cody Vinnish was the top Husker receiver with four catches for 60 yards.
Tyron Ledingham had four catches for 28 yards and Chilliwack’s only touchdown.
The Husker ground game was non-existent. Gary Lumeka had 29 yards on seven carries. Collectively, Chilliwack had 33 yards on 11 carries.
The Huskers play their fifth straight road game this weekend, traveling to Kamloops for a Saturday night clash with the Broncos.
Chilliwack finishes the season with back-to-back home games against the Westshore Rebels (Sept. 27) and Rams (Oct. 4).
See valleyhuskers.org
