Sun seek elusive title

It's been 11 years since the Okanagan Sun were able to hoist the Cullen Cup.

They look to end that drought this afternoon (Apple Bowl, 1 p.m.) when they host the VI Raiders in the BC Football Conference championship game.

It would be somewhat ironic if the Sun were able to win a league championship against a team that owned the title, and the Sun, for the better part of the last decade.

Their last title came in 2004, a 25-14 win over the Victoria Rebels at the Apple Bowl.

Since then, the Sun are 0-6 in league championships, losing four times to the Raiders and twice to the Langley (South Fraser) Rams.

In fact, since 2004, the Sun season has ended six times at the hands of the Raiders.

The tables have turned over the past three seasons. Under head coach Shane Beatty, the Sun have won seven of eight meetings between the two clubs, including six in a row.

This past regular season, the Sun posted wins of 27-3 and 28-7.

In those two games, the Sun defence held the Raiders to just 162 yards of total offence, including a season-best 40 yards in a 28-7 win at the Apple Bowl back on Sept. 13.

In that game, the defence sacked quarterback Liam O'Brien 13 times. In fact, Raider quarterbacks found themselves at the bottom end of a Sun defensive team meeting 23 times. Defensive end Jonas Gering had 5.5 of those sacks.

"Our D-line is very good and we get everybody back healthy on defence, and it showed last week when we executed and stopped Kamloops for 128 yards," said Beatty in reference to his defence.

"We'll be ready."

On the offensive side of the ball, the Sun were able to do just enough to beat a Raiders defence that played them tough in both games.

The Sun amassed more than 700 yards in those two games, but the Raiders allowed the Sun to reach the end zone just four times.

In the first game in Nanaimo, Thomas Huber's five field goals and a pair of conceded safeties were the difference.

The Sun didn't have a lot of success running the ball against the Raiders, but Beatty knows they have to be able to establish the run Sunday.

"It's tough to run against them. They put seven and eight men in the box," said Beatty.

"But, Kory Nagato looked good at the end of the game (against Kamloops) and (Abdi-Nasir) Abdi is still a force at 205 pounds. We have to run the ball, we can't just sit back and throw the ball all game long."

Conversely, Beatty said the Sun are able to throw a lot of talented receivers on the field on every down.

"We'll take advantage of what we've got."

Sunday's winner will face the winner of the Prairie Conference final in the national championship in two weeks time in the park of the prairie champ.