The Vernon Blue Bombers are the Southern Interior Football Conference Atom division champions.
The captured the title with a 16-6 win over the Okanagan Mission Lions Sunday in Kelowna.
Vernon’s Zach Smith opened the scoring on a 40-yard rush. He finished with 170 yards on 20 carries.
Liam Glennon supplied a two-point conversion to give the Bombers an 8-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, Mission responded with a 50-yard rushing TD, only to see Smith complete the offence with a 60-yarder.
The Bombers’ Matthew Reich chipped in with eight rushes for 40 yards, while Ethan Anderson (25 yards) and Isaiah Ondrik (20 yards) also moved the ball.
Ondrik was a beast on defence with 10 tackles, Brady Szeman had seven and Reich six.
“I was very proud of the effort the boys gave today,” said Blue Bombers head coach Chris Sochan.
“We played the same team two weeks ago and were outplayed on both sides of the ball. Sunday was a different story as we managed to get two long runs and control the ball a bit more.
“It was an exciting, hard-fought game that was fun to be a part of. All team members deserve credit for the victory.”
Added defensive coordinator Jeff Anderson: “We made some defensive adjustments to contain their quarterback, who ran all over us two weeks ago and the boys executed the game plan perfectly.
“Aside from one long run, our defence contained and frustrated their offence.”
The Bombers battle northern champion Prince George for the Interior title, Nov. 12, in Kamloops.
