When the lights came back on, the Okanagan Sun decided it was time to get down to business.
Keith Zyla’s 23-yard touchdown run five minutes into the fourth quarter put the Sun ahead to stay en route to a 15-10 victory over the hometown Langley Rams Saturday night in BCFC action.
The first-place Sun, who received another stellar effort from their defense, are now 6-0 in 2016, while the Rams slip to 4-2.
The Sun, who generated little on offense for much of the night, trailed 10-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when the lights went out at McLeod Athletic Park.
After a 20-minute delay and with power restored, Zyla capped the decisive drive with his second rushing touchdown of the season.
While the Sun didn’t earn a lot of style points for the win, head coach Ben Macauley was pleased with both the effort and the final result.
“Full credit to Langley, they’re a tough group and came ready to play,” said Macauley. “We were happy to get out of there with a win. Things didn’t go exactly they way we had hoped, but it’s a testament to the guys who really decided they were going to fight for the win.
“When the power went out, after the break, the guys came out renewed and refocused,” he added. “Our veterans really set the tone for us.”
Jamie Turek scored the only other major for the Sun, returning a fumbled punt return to the end zone in the first quarter for an early 7-0 lead.
For the second straight game, the Sun defense held the opposition without a touchdown, with the Rams managing just three field goals and a single point.
“I think we’re definitely starting to hit our stride,” defensive lineman Jonas Gering said of the Sun defense. “I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential yet, but we’re getting there. It’s nice to see guys making plays at the right times. It’s bend but not break for us, and that’s great to see.”
Tye Kitzman picked off two passes, including one late in the fourth quarter to help secure the win for the Sun who had shutout the Kamloops Broncos a week earlier.
Linebacker Layne Hull also helped shift momentum in the Sun’s favour in the fourth quarter with a big hit on Rams’ running back Joe Carter.
The Sun and the rest of the BCFC are heading into a bye week.
Okanagan will return to action Saturday, Sept. 10 in Victoria against the Westshore Rebels (5-1).
