The Vancouver Island Raiders' home opener turned out to be a thrilling contest that ended in a narrow defeat.
The Okanagan Sun defeated the Raiders 31-24 on Saturday, July 27, at Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium. V.I. had a lead for a majority of the game and even had a chance to force overtime late in the game, but fell short due to some untimely mistakes.
“We’re showing our age in terms of being a young team, and being a young team, we made some mistakes at the end of the game [showing] that we’re just not ready to win that football game yet," said Raiders coach Shawn Arabsky.
The Raiders started strong, as wide receiver Ruben Bonsu made a highlight-reel catch on the opening drive leading to a field goal, then quarterback Sadler Smith connected with Bonsu deep down the right sideline for a spectacular 58-yard touchdown.
A one-yard plunge into the end zone by Smith rounded out V.I.'s first-half scoring.
The Sun took their first lead at 21-17 late in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, wide receiver Paul Romanoff brought V.I. back on top with a touchdown over the middle of the defence, making it 24-21. However, the Sun drove the field to tie the game on a field goal, and took advantage of a strip sack in Raiders' territory to score the game-winning TD with just over two minutes remaining.
Smith had himself quite the evening, going 26-for-38 for 339 yards.
“I think this was Sadler’s coming-out game. He plays with a lot of swagger. [We're] excited for him to keep getting better," Arabsky said.
Offensively eight different players caught passes led by Bonsu who had eight catches for 147 yards and Romanoff who added seven catches for 112 yards.
Defensively, rookie linebacker Colton Finstad was noticeable once again finishing with four tackles and a force fumble, and Kaleb Charlton had seven tackles.
The Raiders feel they've deserved a much better fate the first two weeks of the season, but have shown to be a competitive bunch.
“I’m really proud of them I think this game really exudes a lot of confidence for us for the remainder of the season showing that we can play with anybody in this league," Arabsky said.
GAME ON … The Raiders visit the Kamloops Broncos on Saturday, Aug. 3, then host the Langley Rams on Aug. 11 at Q'unq'inuqwstuxw.
