Okanagan Sun win BCFC title on the leg of Liam Attwood

Sun capture Cullen Cup

Photo: Eric Stansfield

For the second time in three years the Okanagan Sun have captured the BC Football Conference championship.

The Sun rode the legs of kicker Liam Attwood and Elelyon Noa to a thrilling 23-17 victory over the Westshore Rebels in the Cullen Cup championship on a cool, drizzly afternoon at the Apple Bowl.

Attwood snapped a 17-17 tie with a pair of field goals from 31 and 26 yards out in the fourth quarter to provide the margin of victory.

The defence shut down the door through the decisive fourth quarter.

The Sun dominated the first half, putting up 245 yards of total offence to grab a 17-3 lead.

But, the Rebels took advantage of a pair of Liam Kroeger interceptions in the third quarter to square things up at 17 heading to the fourth.

Noa, the game's offensive player of the game, scored the game's first touchdown, pounding his way in from one yard out as the Sun marched down the field with surgical-like precision on their first drive of the game.

Attwood booted a 12 yard field goal on the final play of the opening quarter to put the home side up 10-1.

They took a 16-point lead in the second when Kroeger, who started in place of Marek Filipek, hit Jordayne Falconer for a 26-yard touchdown.

A conceded safety left the Sun with a 14 point lead at the half.

As they did in last year's title game, the Rebels dominated the third quarter.

Ethan Pickard hit Zion Brown with a 12-yard major after Kroeger's second of three interceptions on the day to pull the Rebels to within seven.

On their next possession, Carter Williams scampered in from 11 yards out to tie the score at 17.

But the Sun defence came up strong and the offence did just enough to give Attwood a chance to kick the Sun to the victory.

David Lewis, the defensive player of the game, had three interceptions for the Sun while Easton Fenske picked off Pickard on the final play of the game to preserve the victory.

The Sun amassed 362 yards of total offence compared with 252 for the Rebels, much of that in the third quarter.

The Sun will now travel east next weekend to face the winner of Sunday's Prairie Football Conference final between the unbeaten Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder.