Number 1 and Still Standing

Michael Rhode, Nanaimo Daily News

There's always room for improvement, even for the Vancouver Island Raiders. Not much room mind you, but room.

You wouldn't think the Raiders had anything to tweak after administering a 64-0 shellacking on the second-place South Surrey Rams on Saturday at Caledonia Park.

From the opening drive to the final whistle, the Raiders schooled the Rams on the field, leaving no doubt who the top team in the B.C. Football Conference is.

A South Surrey win would have put them in a tie for first overall. The Raiders have now clinched top spot in the BCFC and will carry home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for however long they play.

"I don't know what to say," said Raiders head coach Matt Blokker. "We're still out of position and some of our checks weren't right and we had some offsides and procedure calls, stuff like that, we have to work on. But overall, I'm happy with our spirit . . . we got challenged and we responded. As a head coach, the No. 1 thing you can be proud of is when your team gets challenged, they come out and respond with what was the best effort of the year."

Great defence, explosive offence and special teams, Blokker wanted it and got it from his squad.

As has been the case recently, the Raiders defence played outstanding. In tight wins over Okanagan and Victoria, the defence had to sparkle when the offence wasn't as prolific. They carried their fine play on against the Rams, holding them to a scant 101 yards the whole game, including just five yards in the first half.

Both Lavar Hayden and Graham Norrish had two interceptions as the Raiders secondary made like miserable for Rams staring pivot Cam Clark.

"I'm pretty proud with how the defence is playing and how they are competing right now," said Blokker. "We have a lot of confidence on that side of the ball. That's kind of who we are as a team. When the defence starts to play as they are, it gives everybody confidence. Our offence has been feeding off it and now our special teams are feeding off it."

And special teams, with kick returner Robin Medeiros, went on a binge. Medeiros returned eight punts for 247 yards (his longest was 84 yards) and one touchdown, He had one called back due to a penalty. Medeiros also caught six passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

After a couple of games where he's struggled on kick returns, everything fell nicely into place against the Rams.

"Coming out here, it was all new," said the former member of the Burlington Braves on the Ontario Football Conference. "The past couple of weeks I started to fit better into the offence and finding my role there. The special teams just took a little longer. Saturday, it just felt like I hit a switch, I caught one in the air and had a nice return off of it. I felt like my old self, what I came to do and basically what I did all last year. I hadn't found it until Saturday."

Offensively, the Raiders benefitted with the return of tailback Andrew Harris (16 carries, 211 yards, two TDs) and receiver Jared Ralko from injury.

Tyson Buchannon, who used great concentration to catch a tipped pass while flat on his back in the end zone and Matt Sawyer also made touchdown catches.

Three Raider quarterbacks saw action.

Starter Marc Migneault (6-for-13, 67 yards one TD) played into the third quarter before he suffered a foot injury. He was replaced by Jordan Yantz (5-for-8, 128 yards two TD) and later Derek Cooper (3-for-5, 47 yards, one TD)

The Raiders dedicated the game to former teammate Aaron Niedergesaess, a member of the 2006 Canadian Bowl national championship squad, who died in a car accident on Sept. 30, 2008.

Members of the coaching staff and some volunteers wore R.I.P. 33 shirts, Niedergesaess's number with the Raiders, in his honour.

"We dedicated the game to him. It's kind of our way, what we can do on the gridiron, to let him know that we are playing for him." said Blokker.

The Raiders hit the road for their final two league games. They visit the Okanagan Sun in Kelowna on Sunday (1 p.m.) at the Apple Bowl and travel to Chilliwack on Oct. 18.