Kodiaks embracing playoff underdog role against Westshore

Jamie Boreham wouldn’t have it any other than way than being the underdog.

The head coach of the Prince George Kodiaks is expecting his players to come out with a chip on their shoulder during this afternoon’s B.C. Football Conference semi-final against the Westshore Rebels today (Saturday), the first in franchise history.

Much like the Okanagan Sun, the Rebels come locked and loaded with no shortage of firepower.

Quarterback Gavin Session led the conference with 28 touchdown passes while wide receiver Zion Brown was out of this world amassing 1,039 yards and 18 touchdown catches – a Rebels franchise record.

Tyler Hofland was the second-leading pass catcher in the conference with 611 yards from scrimmage.

On the defensive side of the ball, Westshore is led by cornerback Cameron Coan who was tied for the league lead in interceptions with seven while interior offensive lineman Marino Dujela was also named a league all-star.

In year three under Boreham, the Kodiaks found their way to the playoff party with a mark of 5-4-1, good enough for third place.

However, the players might believe they are being overlooked by league pundits as the Kodiaks lone all-star selection was linebacker Caiden Crow.

Crow, who hails from Calgary, Alberta led the BCFC in tackles with 49 along with two fumble recoveries and one interception.

“I think some of our players are disappointed their names weren’t called (as all-stars) and that is good (motivation). If you don’t get recognized for something that you worked hard for it should sting a little bit and if that becomes some more motivation and drive to be better tomorrow (Saturday) then good for them.”

“This is about us, it has always been about us. We have never changed our message to these guys – this is about us playing Kodiak football and it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be right.” added Boreham.

The lone meeting between the two sides came three months ago in Week One where the Rebels spoiled the Kodiaks home and season opener running away to a 33-13 win on July 19th.

In that game, Sessions threw for three touchdown passes and 250 yards through the air while Rebels running back Carter Williams had 150 yards on the ground with just 15 carries.

Brown was also a star for the Greater Victoria-based club going off for 189 yards receiving and three major scores on 12 catches.

It was an off night for the Kodiak offense that game as quarterback Sawyer Thiessen failed to throw a touchdown pass while getting picked off once by the Westshore defence.

Thiessen and Gavin Halvorson each had 42 yards rushing in defeat.

Boreham admits while the Kodiaks went through some stumbling blocks at the beginning, the club has made the appropriate headway to put themselves in a position to win its first-ever playoff game on the road.

“We didn’t get off to the greatest of starts but we have evolved, grown and matured. I am super-proud of this group, but they believed in the message and the development.”

“This is a chance for us to step into the shoes we want to wear and not just hang out with the big boys but start playing with them,” added Boreham.

If the Kodiaks are to upset the Rebels, they will need a big game from their offense, which has shown flashes of balance and brilliance.

Thiessen threw for 1694 yards in the regular season to compliment his 15 touchdown passes.

PG needs a big effort from its ground game, specifically from Halvorson who rushed for 536 yards and four touchdowns.

The receiving, while not outstanding, has been balanced, with eight different players scoring at least one touchdown. The list includes Noah Lank, Quinn Neukomm, Nikolas Ramirez, Carson Briere, Kayle Cowley, Ben Fehr, Matthew Sturgess and Myron Brown.

No pass-catcher on the Kodiaks had more than 320 yards receiving.

The other semi-final has the Okanagan Sun hosting the Vancouver Island Raiders at 1pm in Kelowna.

Kick-off is at 3pm from Starlite Stadium in Langford and you can listen to it on Country 97FM.