Coaches always talk about how their team has to finish every play if they want to be successful.
And that was on full display Saturday afternoon for the Langley Rams at McLeod Athletic Park.
“We finished everything, every rep,” said Rams coach Jeff Alamolhoda.
“Every time we stepped on the field, we played 100 per cent and I think that showed on the scoreboard.”
The Rams defeated the visiting Vancouver Island (VI) Raiders 53-14 to improve to 6-2 in the B.C. Football Conference.
It was also the team’s home regular season finale with a 5-0 record.
The junior football team finishes the regular season with a pair or road games — this Sunday at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl for a first-place showdown with the Okanagan Sun (7-1) and then in Chilliwack agains the Valley Huskers (0-8) the following weekend.
But before the team could set their sights on the Sun in the rubber match of their season series — both teams have won once — Langley had to take over the Raiders.
The Rams had opened the season with a convincing 53-14 win over their long-time rival, but most recently, it was VI prevailing, scoring the game’s final 24 points to beat Langley 52-44.
In Saturday’s game, neither team scored in the first quarter before the Rams scored a pair of quick touchdowns to go ahead 14-0.
The Raiders got one of those scores back near the end of the half but Langley took a stranglehold thanks to a pair of touchdowns within a minute: Daniel English on a touchdown reception and then on the ensuing drive, defensive back Steven Martinez scoring on a 19-yard pick-six.
“It was huge the way we responded when they came back and put those points on the board,” Alamolhoda said.
“That was a key point: every time we got hit, we hit back.”
“All week we preached about responding to adversity, fighting through adversity and they took it to heart and really fought hard this week,” he added.
Running back Nathan Lund earned player of the game honours after finding the end zone three times — twice along the ground and once through the air — and finishing with 130 total yards.
Quarterback Jordan McCarty was 12-for-19 for 245 yards and four touchdowns.
English caught a pair of those passes while Malcolm Williams was the leading receiver with five catches for 95 yards and one score.
In addition to Martinez’s pick-six, Marcus Brown had both a fumble recover and interception, while English picked off another pass and kicker Steve Thomas recovered a fumble.
Adam Marchetti had 1.5 quarterback sacks, Luke Andrews and Dylan Roper had one QB sack apiece, and Brock Gowanlock had half a sack.
The defence also had a goal-line stand, forcing a turnover on downs after the Raiders went for it on third-and-goal.
The only points surrendered were a short touchdown run by Nathan Berg and a touchdown reception from Liam O’Brien to Marshall Cook.
•••
Following the game, both teams met at midfield and said a prayer for Okanagan Sun linebacker JT Fernandez, who passed away suddenly this week.
The 21-year-old was from Cloverdale and several of the Rams players had T-shirts honouring Fernandez or had his initials on their bodies.
“Our hearts go out to JT, he was a great man,” Alamolhoda said.
Gary Ahuja/Langley Times
Langley Rams’ Nathan Lund eludes a would-be V.I. Raiders tackler to score one of his three touchdowns in a 53-14 Rams victory at McLeod Athletic Park on Sept. 20.
