GAME DAY: WESTSHORE AT LANGLEY, 4 P.M.
A mere point separated them in the standings, but there is obviously a more larger discrepancy when it comes to the Westshore Rebels and Langley Rams.
At 7-2-1, the Rams earned the right to play host to the 7-3 Rebels in one of this afternoon's B.C. Football Conference semifinals. But other statistics tell you the Rams are the heavy favourite as they entertain Westshore at 4 p.m. at McLeod Stadium.
Having scored 112 more points offensively and allowed 100 less - all while playing a tougher unbalanced schedule - the Rams are also coming off a 41-7 win over the Rebels in Victoria just three weeks ago.
"I don't think being an underdog is a bad thing. We know we can play with this team," said Rebels head coach John Cardilicchia, who this week was named the BCFC coach of the year. "Obviously, I'm not happy with how some of the things that went on going down the stretch, but we've made some changes."
The Rebels - like all playoff teams - will use an element of surprise as they attempt to rebound not only from the loss to the Rams, but last week's 57-7 humbling in Nanaimo. In between was a 37-22 win in Kamloops, in which Rebels runningback Greg Morris went off for a Canadian record 405 yards rushing.
Langley, which grabbed a league-high 11 all-star nods, has its own offensive threats, which will challenge the Rebels' defence.
"We need to know exactly where No. 6 is at all times," Cardilicchia said of all-star receiver and return man Nick Downey, who was also named the most outstanding special teams player. "No. 81 [BCFC rookie of the year Malcolm Williams] is a big target as well.
"Mainly, we need to stop their running game. They've got a big offensive line and a big back and they like to pound the ball. They are well balanced, though. We'll have to play great on our line defensively and score offensively."
That big back is Daniel Xavier, who ran 113 times for 619 yards. He'll also be used to set up quarterback Greg Bowcott's passing game. Bowcott had 123 completions this season for 2,012 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Rams feature the top lineman in the league in Evan Foster, who had 21 tackles, six assists, 9.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. Adam Konar, who terrorized Rebels quarterback Mark Black in the 41-7 defeat, was also named the BCFC's outstanding linebacker.
The Rebels' offensive line had a hard time handling the Rams that day and that matchup obviously needs to change if the locals want to have a hope of moving on to the championship final next weekend.
Morris will have to turn in another big day for Westshore to have a chance to win and whoever Cardil-icchia goes with as starting quarterback (he played four different ones last week) will be under pressure, on enemy territory.
"We're really excited about playing this playoff game, even with it being on the road," said Cardilicchia. "It's been a great week of practice and we'll be ready."
