Raiders Force Record Keepers to Work Overtime

With the "real" season set to kick off this Saturday, you can be sure that regular season accomplishments are far from the thoughts of the VI Raiders. But as they prepare for the Okanagan Sun, the numbers the undefeated Island squad compiled deserve a second, or even third look.

Let's start with the records that were set as a team. The Raiders compiled 505 points, becoming the first team in CJFL history to pass the 500 point mark. The record had been held by the 1981 Regina Rams(492). The Rams record for most touchdowns in a season (62) was also leap frogged as the Raiders crossed the goaline 65 times this season. Offensively, VI accumulated 5055 total yards to mark the first time a team has cracked the 5000 yard mark, surpassing the 1996 Saskatoon Hilltops(4501). The Hilltops 1996 record of 60 converts also fell, as Mark Mueller recorded 62 point after touchdowns. Earlier in the season the black and red also set a new BCFC mark for the longest consecutive home winning streak, which currently sits at 23, 30 including playoffs.

And now for the astonishing tales of Andrew Harris. The one man wrecking crew out of the backfield holds the most records of any player in the history of the CJFL. In his regular season career Harris recorded 504 points, which puts him 119 points ahead of the closest competitor. He was already the all time CJFL leader in touchdowns, but he stretched that lead for good measure. The Winnipeg native finished his career with 84 regular season touchdowns, a staggering 31 ahead of Raider alumni Jaiden Smith's old mark of 53. With 1476 yards rushing in '09 (the only rusher in Canada to breach the 1000 yard mark) Harris catapulted himself to second all time in yards on the ground. He finished his regular season career with 4133 yards, over 1300 yards behind Jaiden Smith who carried the ball nearly 300 more times in his career. Harris set new CJFL marks for yards per carry in a game, season, and a career. The old marks were 9.8 in a career, 10.4 in a season, and 22.1 in a game. On August 22 the Raider running back recorded 29.4 yards per carry, finishing with 14.5 per attempt on the season and, in a squeaker, 9.9 in his career. Jaiden Smith was passed again, as Harris set a new mark for rushing touchdowns in a career with 54, bettering Smith's total of 51. Number 33 fell just 2 touchdowns and 400 rushing yards short of the single season marks set by Tristan Jones, because Harris missed three games this season with a knee injury. Jones's record of 200 yard games in a career(7) fell however, as Harris recorded his 9th in the final game of the season.

Despite the records and personal achievements, the Raiders record setting season will be all for not unless they can set one more first. The first BCFC team ever to win back to back Canadian Bowls.