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Raiders hit the road against Rams

Nanaimo’s V.I. Raiders resume B.C. Football Conference action this Saturday (Sept. 10) on the road against the Langley Rams.
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V.I. Raiders safety Cole Virtanen

The V.I. Raiders are back from the break and will try to get better and better.

Nanaimo’s junior football team resumes B.C. Football Conference action this Saturday (Sept. 10) with a road game against the Langley Rams.

Jerome Erdman, V.I. coach, said his team needed the bye week both to recover from injuries and as a mental break, and said the Raiders have had two good practices since they’ve returned to the field.

“Usually it takes a little while to get wound up again after having some time off … but the guys came back on Tuesday and yesterday and there was good intensity,” he said.

The key to Saturday’s game against the Rams, said the coach, will be playing four quarters. In the previous meeting between the two teams, Nanaimo took a 14-0 lead, but couldn’t make the margin stand up.

“We’re going to have to keep playing well defensively, and on offence, we’re going to have to be more consistent,” said Erdman. “And not act like we’re so young and be a little bit more mentally tough.”

He said “a lot of people” are expecting the Raiders to lose their next three games – against Langley, Westshore and Okanagan, respectively – but the best way to prove them wrong is to “not worry about all that stuff, just play our game and get on with it.”

GAME ON … The Raiders and Rams kick off Saturday at 4 p.m. at McLeod Athletic Park. Next home action for the Raiders is Sept. 17, when they host the Westshore Rebels at 2 p.m. at Caledonia Park.

sports@nanaimobulletin.com