From tragedy to triumph, V.I. Raiders did it all in 2008

Saturday, November 20, 2008

Vancouver Island Raiders head coach Matt Blokker reflects after a dream season, one that saw his team crowned B.C. Football Conference and Canadian Junior Football League champions.

The Raiders cruised to a 9-1 regular season record and capped the season with a 35-8 triumph over the Burlington Braves in the Canadian Bowl championship on Nov. 15 in southern Ontario.

During a one-on-one interview inside his Raiders room in the basement of his Nanaimo home, Blokker shared his thoughts on winning the national championship, the future of his all-star tailback Andrew Harris and some of the key moments of the 2008 season.

Nanaimo Daily News: Coach Blokker, head coach of the national champion Vancouver Island Raiders. How does that sound?

Blokker: "It sounds great. It makes you feel pretty proud. You know, you accomplish it once and you don't know whether the recipe is right and whether you'll ever get back there again. If you're a real champ, you'll do it again."

Blokker on the regular season loss, the only defeat the Raiders experience in 2008.

"What Kelowna did for us really woke us up and made us respond, both the coaching staff and the players. We really started to improve since that game."

On losing two running backs -- Tyler Budinski and Taylor Kidby -- in a game in Vancouver in late August.

"We were on the brink of completely freaking out. We didn't know how to handle that. You have two guys breaking their legs in the same game, within 10 minutes of each other. It was crazy . . . the emotion of it all. We had guys hyperventilating on the sidelines and guys smashing their helmets on the ground. We wondered the the hell was going on."

Blokker believed the turning point of the season was in Victoria, a day where tailback Andrew Harris returned from injury in a win over the Rebels.

"We dominated that game in every aspect. That game was the turning point of the season. After that, it just didn't matter. We were rolling."

NDN: Tailback Andrew Harris obviously, was the centrepiece of this team. But in order to advance as far as you did, you needed everyone playing on the same page.

Blokker: "Absolutely. And I think what was maybe overlooked this season was the play of our defence. And for the longest time, the Raiders have been known for the play of its defence. According to some people, our front seven was a bunch of nobodies. (He talked about graduating four defensive backs from the 2007 season and deploying a relatively young defensive group as a whole for 2008).

"We didn't have to change our philosophy at all -- we have a history of having a defence that will punch you in the mouth and play physical -- and this year, from mid-season on, we became that defence."

NDN: Harris and the season he had -- rushing for 410 yards and four touchdowns in the Canadian Bowl, setting the all-time Canadian Junior Football League scoring record and all-time CJFL touchdown record. Is he the best player you ever coached?

Blokker: "He's the best junior football player I have ever coached and he's the best junior football player I have ever seen. You can say that because he holds the records that says he's the best ever. The thing about Andrew is that he's always played his best when faced with the biggest challenge. He always rises his level. Not only is a talented tailback, but he's just an all-around good athlete as well."

(Blokker made reference to a punt Harris blocked in the BCFC championship game versus Okanagan, a play that shifted momentum in the Raiders' favour.

Coach Blokker also eluded to Harris' intial touch in the Canadian Bowl, also a play that gave the Raiders the edge.)

"When he touched the ball for the first time against Burlington and goes for 58 yards for a touchdown, you could just see it in everyone's eyes after that moment that the game was done.

"We had it. It's not a cockiness thing at all. It's a confidence or a swagger. We knew that they were going to have to be really, really good in order to beat us."

NDN: Khaleal Williams, quarterback for the Winnipeg Rifles was named the most outstanding offensive player at the CJFL year-end awards banquet. Was Harris upset about not winning that award?

Blokker: "He was probably the least worried about it. I think he was more prepared for it. Maybe some people felt the Raiders had achieved too much too quick. Maybe it wasn't so much about Andrew, but more about the Raiders. You never know what goes on in those rooms.

"As a team we felt a little disrespected, and we had a team meeting about it that night because our focus shifted to that one player rather the game we were about to play."

NDN: Does Harris play in the CFL next year?

Blokker: "I'd be surprised if he doesn't stick. The Lions hold his rights and that has everything to do with Wally (Buono, Lions head coach and general manager). They know who he is and they watched what he has done. A lot of what is going to make a difference is his off-season. His attitude right now is just crazy. He wants to train like hell and he's really excited to do it. The way this year ended has really given him confidence that if he trains his butt off really hard that he'll get a good shot at it."

NDN: When does the preparation start for the 2009 season?

Blokker: "We've already started. We have to get out there and be seen. We know there's a lot of high school provincials going on right now . . . the Alberta provincials are in Edmonton and we know we have to represent up there, too. We have an idea of what we have coming back and we have guys who don't know yet, either. Our goal is to act or pretend that we have zero players coming back. We have to be desperate in recruiting and out-recruit everybody again."

NDN: Last question. Will you wear your championship ring on your finger or do you have a spot reserved to have it on display in the house?

Blokker: "The best place to display it is on your finger. We can't be scared of it. I want to wear it and wear it with pride. When I got the ring in 2006 I looked around the room and everyon else was wearing one, it makes you feel connected and it makes you realize that you were the only ones in the country that was able to do it that year. When you get to compete for something Canada-wide, you don't have to say much when you have the bling to show for it."

cslater@nanaimodailynews.com
copyright The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2008

Craig Slater