It shaped up like the game of the week, but didn’t quite live up to that billing.
The Okanagan Sun hammered the V.I. Raiders 45-11 on Saturday in B.C. Football Conference action at Caledonia Park.
The game didn’t really become a blowout until the fourth quarter, as the score was 21-11 early in that quarter before things unravelled for the Raiders.
Starting with opening kickoff, the Sun came out hot and had the Raiders on their heels.
“We come in ready for every game,” said Dexter Shea, V.I. linebacker. “We trust our preparation, we trust our coaches and each other. We know what we’ve got to do; we just didn’t come out clicking today.”
There were no offensive touchdowns until the fourth quarter. Okanagan built its lead with two field goals, an interception return TD and a kick return TD to lead 21-4 at halftime. The Raiders’ only points of the first half came on a 36-yard-field goal from James Parker and a punt single.
Raiders receiver Brycen Mayoh caught a 25-yard TD reception from quarterback Jake Laberge on the first play of the fourth quarter to close the gap, but the Sun responded with a drive that proved to be the game’s turning point.
“We needed a stop by our defence – we were playing outstanding [on defence] all day – and we got the ball kicked off deep and we gave up a first down and we gave them a first down on a couple penalties and the next thing you know they’re in the redzone and they’re scoring,” said Doug Hocking, Raiders coach.
He said his team needed to do better limiting the turnovers and big plays, and should have been able to make adjustments on offence earlier in the game.
“Okanagan Sun’s a good football team, I give them a lot of credit, but a lot of stuff that they did yesterday, we gave them,” Hocking said.
The Sun had two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and successfully fielded an onside kick. The Raiders blocked a punt and also forced one turnover on downs.
“It’s on to next week,” Shea said. “We take this, we’ll watch film, we’ll talk about it, we’ll fix any mistakes and errors but then we wipe it and we’re on to the next week.”
Laberge finished 17-for-27 passing for 243 yards, two interceptions and one TD. Mayoh and North Rainey each had 49 receiving yards.
Defensively, Brody Taylor led the way with eight solo tackles and a blocked punt. Shea had five tackles and Doug Thornton recovered a fumble.
GAME ON … The Raiders have a bye week and then play a rematch against the Sun in Kelowna on Sept. 10.
