GAME DAY: VAN. ISLAND AT WESTSHORE, 7 P.M.
As an opponent, there may never be a good time to face the Vancouver Island Raiders.
But the Westshore Rebels would much prefer to face the six-time B.C Football Conference champions right out of the gate, tonight at 7 at Bear Mountain Stadium, in the season opener for both clubs.
It could be a good measuring stick or a hard lesson.
"It's a tough team to start against, but it's early in the season for them as well," said Rebels head coach John Cardilicchia. "They didn't have an exhibition game this season so they should have a little rust in the pipes as well. All is fair, let's just go out there and find out where we stand right away."
The Rebels didn't fare very well against their Island rival in 2010, but few did as the Raiders ran off a perfect 10-0 mark, including 72-6 and 52-8 regular-season drubbings of Westshore and added a 49-17 BCFC semifinal win over their Victoria counterparts.
"I like to think of it as a whole new year," said returning Rebels' runningback Greg Morris who is coming off an incredible 1,064-yard campaign in which he was named BCFC rookie of the year. "Everyone has a fresh record, we're all 0-0 and we have to go out there trying to get that win."
Easier said than done when it comes to facing coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker's Raiders, even if they haven't had a pre-season game.
"It hurts us in all areas because we don't know what we can be confident in and what we're maybe not so confident in. When you're not confident in something, [the exhibition game] gives you an opportunity to fix it," said Blokker.
"We're going to have to do a good job coaching and make adjustments on the fly and have a good plan at halftime and keep everyone together and competing."
Westshore's run game will play a vital role in their success this season, led by Morris and Niles Goguen.
But their success also relies on the big boys up front and team defence.
"We like our offensive line. Big Country (Kyle Daeschel), Rob Smith and Carlos (Cerrato-Hiebert), who I think might be the best centre in the country - we want them to be the men that they are and to go out and lead this team," said Cardilicchia, who hopes to improve on last year's 5-5 season. "We want them to make places for Greg and Niles to run through.
"We're not going to ask our young quarterbacks to go out and win us the game, but we are going to ask them to help us win the game and be smart with the ball."
Which is critical against the Raiders, who usually take advantage of every opportunity.
"We have to keep [quarterback Jordan] Yantz on the sideline, play ball control offence, stingy defence and good special teams," stressed Cardilicchia. "We can't give them the big plays, the cheap down-field 50-yarders. We have to make them earn it and keep their offence cold."
And the Raiders will be expecting a heavy dose of the ground game from Westshore.
"They're a good football team and they're going to give you a dose of No. 22 all day. Greg Morris is a hell of a player, I think he's one of the best offensive players in all of Canada, not just our league," said Blokker.
"He's the real deal and he takes his football real serious. He trains hard and he's a great teammate and a great leader. Guys gravitate to him and he inspires that team. We've got be really focused on what he's doing. I don't think you can ever take that guy out of a game, but we've got to limit his carries and receptions and make some plays on him."
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