The VI Raiders had a rough weekend, losing to the Langley Rams 53-14 on Saturday, September 20 in Langley. The loss drops the Raiders’ record to 3-5 in the season with just two games remaining.
The game was scoreless through the first half, before a rushing touchdown put the Rams up 7-0 early in the second quarter. Then after a 55 yard Langley punt return, the Rams connected for another touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. The Raiders got on the board with a touchdown of their own with just 3 minutes left in the half to cut the lead to 14-7. But the Raiders just couldn’t stop the Rams’ offense, which put up two more touchdowns before the end of the second quarter. That gave Langley a comfortable 28-7 lead heading into half-time. The Raiders got their second touchdown of the game early in the third to cut the Rams’ lead to 28-14, but that was all the points the Raiders could muster. The Rams took a 35-14 lead by the end of the third quarter and cruised to the 53-14 victory. The win moved the Rams to 6-2 on the season and gave them the victory in the three-game series between the two teams.
The previous Saturday, the Raiders were out for revenge against the BCFC’s top team, the Okanagan Sun. This game was a defensive battle for the opening kickoff with both teams struggling to get first downs. Eventually, the Sun trapped the Raiders behind their own goal line. The Raiders were forced to concede a safety and give the Sun a 2-0 lead. Then, on the Sun’s following possession, they managed the game’s first touchdown as they converted a one yard run to take a 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The score stayed that way until the closing minutes of the half, when the Raiders finally managed to get on the board with a touchdown, making the score 9-7 at half-time. The Raiders came close to taking the lead multiple times in the second half, but couldn’t break through the rock solid Okanagan defense. The Sun tacked on a field goal and touchdown in the game’s second half to win by a final score of 19-7.
With a record of 3-5 on the season, the Raiders haven’t had much luck from the league’s schedule makers. The Raiders have now played six of the team’s eight games against either Langley or the Okanagan, who are the two top teams in the conference. The Raiders have a record of 1-5 against those two teams. The Raiders have won their only two games, which were not against those teams, by a combined score of 120-15.
The Raiders only have two games left before the end of the BCFC regular season. The team plays Saturday, September 27 against the Kamloops Broncos. The Raiders then return home for their final game of the season against their Island rivals, the Westshore Rebels, the following Saturday, October 4, at 1 pm
Standings as of publication:
| Team | Record | Pts | Win % | Home | Away | PF | PA | Streak |
| Okanagan Sun | 8-1 | 16 | .889 | 4-0 | 4-1 | 396 | 120 | Won 7 |
| Langley Rams | 6-3 | 12 | .667 | 5-0 | 1-3 | 395 | 237 | Lost 1 |
| Kamloops Broncos | 6-3 | 12 | .667 | 3-2 | 3-1 | 277 | 267 | Lost 1 |
| Vancouver Island Raiders | 4-5 | 8 | .444 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 293 | 292 | Won 1 |
| Westshore Rebels | 2-7 | 4 | .222 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 166 | 371 | Lost 4 |
| Valley Huskers | 1-8 | 2 | .111 | 1-3 | 0-5 | 142 | 382 | Won 1 |
