The learning curve has been steep for the Prince George Kodiaks, the new kids on the Canadian Junior Football League block.
But it became obvious in their 28-20 win Saturday over the visiting Valley Huskers the Kodiaks have been paying attention to their lessons on the field and are starting to figure out what it takes to be successful.
Four games deep into their inaugural season as a B.C. Football Conference expansion team, the Kodiaks gave their fans at Masich Place Stadium a reason to celebrate with the team’s historic first win.
And what a celebration it was. Defensive lineman Corbin Brown of Vanderhoof, playing his fifth and final junior season after four years in the CJFL with the Edmonton Huskies, said the Kodiaks were feeling the love from the Masich stands and that fan support pushed his team to victory.
“It’s a shock to the system to see how far the Prince George Kodiaks have come,” said Brown. “It’s been a long time since a junior team has been talked about and to see us get our first win was just incredible. We made some timely turnovers and it was a big team win.”
On a team of mostly 18- and 19-year-olds, the Kodiaks have had to thrust junior rookies into starting roles. That didn’t happen to Brown in Edmonton, where he had the luxury of breaking into the league gradually. He says that makes the Kodiaks’ rapid progression even more remarkable.
“In Edmonton, they had all these veterans there and learning underneath them was a big thing,” said Brown. “My first couple games, I didn’t dress for away games, I just played home games in the late fourth (quarter). But the young guys here having to take the starting roles right out of high school is a big change for them.
“Jason Kragt, a defensive lineman from PGSS, has improved so much from Game 1 to now, his technique is so much better.”
Playing front of friends and family from Vanderhoof, Brown played one of the best games of his junior career, and he had his older brothers at field level cheering him on. Sheldon Brown, 30, is the Kodiaks’ running backs coach, while Cam Brown, 29, is the team’s offensive line coach.
“The crowd all game was a huge factor, they were so loud,” said the 22-year-old Brown. “The refs made our DJ turn off the music and they had to stop the drums in the first quarter and the crowd took into their hands to make it very uncomfortable for Chilliwack’s offence.”
The younger Brown was part of a goal-line stand in the second quarter when he recovered a fumble after Marcellus Pope laid a hit on the Husker ball carrier. Brown also forced a fumble at midfield early in the game that was recovered by Will St. Hubert.
The Kodiaks led 14-7 at the half and added to their lead in the third quarter when defensive back Keon Raymond picked off a Josh Janssen pass and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown. Special teams also came up big for Prince George in the third quarter when Jaden Craig blocked a Husker field goal attempt.
Kodiaks wide receiver Andrew Johnson, a Duchess Park graduate, scored two rushing touchdowns, completing drives with a pair of one-yard plunges into the end zone. Running back Keanu Brown was a constant threat, averaging 10.6 yards per carry on his way to a 106-yard rushing game. Prince George rookie quarterback Liam Oczkowski, in his third start, completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 139 yards.
The Kodiaks’ first-ever game was 31-5 loss to the Huskers July 23 in Chilliwack and they lost to them again by a 34-17 count two weekends ago.
“I guess third time’s the charm,” said Cam Brown. “We had a really good week of practice and the last two games we felt we were just beating ourselves, so we kind of slowed it don for the boys last week and cleaned up some stuff and finally got the results we wanted.
“It seemed like we just finally gelled as a team. We’re a brand-new team that brought in 80 individuals and it takes some time. Teams all around Canada have been playing together for three to five years. It seemed like things were finally stating to click for us.”
On Saturday the Kodiaks will face their stiffest test yet when they head to Kelowna to take on the 4-0 Okanagan Sun. The Sun, conference finalists last season, have outscored their opponents a combined 193-56 and are coming off a 58-1 win Saturday over the Vancouver Island Raiders.
“The turnover battle is one we need to win every week if we want to win games,” said Corbin Brown. “We just need to work on minimalizing our mistakes in the game and be clean and make sure the penalties go down.”
