CANADIAN CHAMPIONS!

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Andrew Harris and rest of the Vancouver Island Raiders team force-fed Craig Davoren his own words Saturday.

The Burlington Braves head coach noted earlier in the week that there wasn't a team that could match up player-for-player with his club.

Dumbfounded by the obvious bulletin board material, Harris let his legs do the talking for him, a rebuttal that spoke volumes.

Already holding two Canadian Junior Football League records, Harris pieced together another record-setting performance in carrying the Raiders to a convincing 35-8 triumph in the Canadian Bowl on a rain-soaked field in southern Ontario.

"I think our offensive lineman, those five guys up front, played possessed today," coach Matt Blokker said. "They're a group of guys who really believe in each other. They dominated the line of scrimmage and made things happen. . . and obviously Andrew did what he did."

Saturday marked the second consecutive day in which Harris was ignored. First, the star tailback was overlooked Friday at the CJFL awards banquet when it came time to hand out the most outstanding offensive player honour. (Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Khaleal Williams earned that nod).

The next day the Braves defence wanted nothing to do with the nation's all-time leading touchdown and scoring record holder. Harris rushed for a Canadian Bowl record 410 yards and four touchdowns in earning the game's MVP award.

"Our linemen were absolutely disgusted after (the awards banquet)," Blokker explained. "I had to address the team and kind of calm them down a little bit. They take so much pride in what they do and the way they play and to have a guy not win an award he deserved really got to them. It got to everyone."

Harris -- who rushed for 370 yards and three TDs in the semifinal victory over Saskatoon two weeks ago -- wasted no time kick-starting his team Saturday. On the Raiders' initial offensive play, Harris took a hand-off and rushed over the right side for a 55-yard major score to the Raiders up 7-0.

Harris' second major -- which put the team up 14-1 -- came on a one-yard plunge that capped an eight-minute drive that covered 95 yards.

The Raiders led 14-8 at halftime.

Much like the rain, the Raiders poured it on in the second half with fullback Jordan Botel (one-yard run) and Harris (45-yard run) scoring touchdowns to put give them a commanding 28-8 advantage midway through the third quarter.

Harris finished his impressive performance with a 27-yard scamper to paydirt in the fourth quarter.

The Bowl victory is the second national championship for the Raiders in the last three years, and it could be the last one Harris experiences. The Winnipeg product is sure to receive interest from several post-secondary programs, if not some from the pro ranks as well. He attended B.C. Lions training camp in the spring before being returned to the junior team. His stock certainly rose this season.

The lone blemish on an otherwise stingy effort from the Raiders defence was a Braves touchdown through the air in the final three minutes of the first half.

The one black eye from the game occured in the third quarter when three Burlington players rushed into the bleachers and starting throwing punches at Raiders fans. The players were not ejected.

"If that was the Raiders program doing that sort of thing I would have resigned as coach," Blokker said. "It was absolutely disgusting to see that happen in a Canadian Bowl championship. But, hey, if your players are more interested in fighting in the stands than playing the game on the field. . ."

The Raiders, winners of the B.C. Football Conference with an 8-1 record, wrapped up the season with eight straight wins and averaged close to 40 points a game in their three playoff contests.

"I just think our team worked harder than anyone else did this season," Blokker summed up. "It goes to the coaches and the recruiting and the way we practised. There's not a lot of yelling and screaming, just go to work and get a job done.

"We fought our way through everyone. We won in Saskatoon, a place we weren't supposed to win, and then we came out here and won under these kind of conditions.

"We deserved this."

Craig Slater