September 16, 2023 Langford, BC (ISN) – The Westshore Rebels of the BC Football Conference continue to dominate the league and improved to 7-0 late into the BCFC season, posting a 12-touchdown performance on their way to a crushing 95-14 victory over the Vancouver Island Raiders of the BCFC Saturday night under the lights at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC.
In beating all comers so far with three games remaining in the regular season – two against cellar dwelling teams – the Rebels are poised to finish atop the season standings and secure home field advantage into the four-team playoff round for the Cullen Cup championship.
With Saturday’s lopsided win, only the current second place Okanagan Sun of Kelowna can feasibly challenge the Rebels, barring a Westshore implosion, which seems unlikely considering their record and dominating style of play so far this season. The Rebels currently sit 129 points ahead in the “For” and tied at 99 points in the “Against” category versus the Sun in favour of the Rebels if it was to come down to a season-ending tie-breaker. The Sun have a game in hand to play against the playoff-contending Langley Rams that is still to be announced. That meeting was postponed earlier in the season due to the wildfire situation in the Okanagan.
The Rebels didn’t waste too much time asserting themselves over the 0-7 Raiders in front of throngs of cheering Rebels fans. After a first possession ball bobble would turn the ball over to the Raiders without consequence, starting Westshore quarterback Te Jessie would get his turn leading his team with another of his commanding performances. Jessie would throw for 358 yards passing on an efficient 15-20 completions and six touchdown tosses.
Another Rebel player sure to get a CJFL Allstar-nod in the opinion of many, receiver Kieran Poissant would be the benefactor of Jessie’s arm through the air, hauling in a 3-touchdown performance on only 7 receptions for a total 140 yards gained. Poissant’s yards total would only be bested by teammate CJ Vincent, whose slashing routes would see him pulldown 6 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown. Tristan Remus-Arevalo would round out the air attack with a touchdown also. Poissant leads the BCFC in receiving yards so far this season.
The Rebel’s passing attack was made easier by the distraction of running back Gerren Hardisty (123 yards) and freshman Malik Gagne-Smith (87 yards). The pair combined for a total 210 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Hardisty would ignite the crowd early in the game with a 75-yard scamper to help his team set the tone. Westshore would also benefit with touchdowns by Manny Mansray and Ryan Vincent, both of them scoring their first touchdowns of the season, and a pair of punt returns for touchdowns by Cairo Berry and Chris McLarty. Berry, equally dangerous as a receiver, leading the league with 10 touchdowns, is also the 2023 BCFC leader in punt return yards (112) and a punt return for a touchdown.
The Rebels defence, often called out by Head Coach Dexter Janke, for their undisciplined penalties that have helped give their team the undesirable rise to the top of the league in total penalty yards, played an outstanding game to keep the Raiders to only 67 net yards of offense, while helping the home team keep to single digits in penalties with a mere six penalties the entire game. Janke’s defense, many times overwhelming the Nanaimo offensive line, would keep Raider’s quarterback Ben Chomolock on his back foot most of the game, sacking him four times in his 3-quarter tenure. Linebackers Ashton Lepard and Nehemiah Forde-Bowen would lead the defensive charge, each recording five tackles.
The Rebels would jump out to a first quarter 23-0 lead, before Raiders QB Ben Chomolock would find a second quarter game rhythm to orchestrate his team’s only two scoring drives of the game to erase the doughnut, a feat the Raiders were unable to do in their first meeting of the season versus the Rebels, when the Westshore Rebels prevailed 69-0 to open the season. Chomolock would play three quarters before retiring to the side lines, giving way to back up QB Jaden Playfair. Playfair, a solid utilitarian player, picked up from the Westshore Rebels in the offseason but seeing limited field time this season, had the unenviable task to weather the charged defensive storm of the Rebels in the last fifteen minutes of play. Chomolock would retire from the game connecting on only 42 percent of his attempts for 120 yards and one major.
Unphased by the Raiders offense, Westshore would continue to pour on the offensive charge, adding another 34 points in the second quarter to take a 57-14 lead into halftime. Jessie would throw one final touchdown to Poissant ( 3 ), before sitting the last 23 minutes of the game. Jessie would put his lunch box away after putting together 476 yards of net offense and six touchdowns in the game. Backup QB Ethan Pickard would take over at the helm, engineering three rushing touchdowns to three different players in Malik Gagne-Smith, Manny Mansaray, and Ryan Vincent. With minutes remaining in the game, the Rebels second string Chris McLarty would light up the score board with one final visit to the house with a 49-yard punt return for the major. With less than a minute remaining Rebels kicker Marcus Jones would kick a 23-yard field goal to close the game giving the Rebels the overwhelming 95-14 win.
The Rebels travel to Kamloops to play the 0-7 Broncos next weekend in another game against a cellar-dwelling team. Make no mistake, the Broncos will be trying to show some pride, looking to be the team to climb into the win column to finish the season. For the Rebels, a game victory will tie the team’s 2019 regular season win record of eight wins, with two games still in hand in the current season, and further flirt with a perfect regular season record.
Score By Score :
1st Quarter
CJ Vincent TD 7-0 – 76 yard TD
Tristan Remus-Arevalo TD 14-0
Safety 16-0
Cairo Berry TD 23-0
2nd Quarter
Raiders – Kaya Saunders TD 23-7
Safety 25-7
Kieran Poissant TD 32-7
Safety 34-7
Gerren Hardisty TD 41-7 – 76 yard run
Safety 43-7
Raiders – Rueben Bonsu TD 43-14
Kieran Poissant TD 50-14
Cairo Berry TD 57-14. Punt Return
3rd Quarter
Kieran Poissant TD 64-14
Malik Gagne-Smith TD 71-14
Manny Mansary TD 78-14
4th Quarter
Ryan Vincent TD 85-14
Chris McLarty TD 92-14. Punt Return
Marcus Jones Field Goal. 95- 14
