The Prince George Kodiaks took on the defending BC Football Conference champions Saturday, Aug. 2 in Kelowna and didn’t win the game but accomplished something no other BCFC team has done so far this season.
They actually scored some points against the top-ranked Okanagan Sun.
In fact, the Kodiaks put the first 11 points of the game on the Apple Bowl scoreboard, but ultimately lost 35-11.
It started well for the Kodiaks. On the game’s opening series they held their ground on Okanagan’s third-down gamble and forced the Sun to turn over the ball. Prince George quarterback Sawyer Thiessen took over from his own 26-yard line and marched the team all the way to paydirt, connecting with Myron Brown on a seven-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.
Brady Harper provided the convert and booted the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for an 8-0 lead, then provided a 36-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter to put Prince George ahead 11-0.
The Sun got its offence going in the second quarter with a Liam Attwood field goal and Glen Kodua ran back a punt 64 yards for a touchdown. A missed field goal and a punt that forced the Kodiaks to give up a safety gave the Sun a 13-11 lead at halftime.
The Kodiaks faced a stiff breeze in the third quarter and struggled to move the ball.
Marcus Cristos scored on a six-yard run and the Sun added another single point on the kickoff to increase their lead to 21-11.
In the fourth quarter, Cristos relieved quarterback Liam Kroger and put together a pair of touchdown drives, first hooking up with Tyler Craver for a 27-yard major. Gerren Hardisty also scored on a one-yard plunge and finished the game with 208 yards on 38 carries.
Thiessen went 12-for-16 with 128 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception. He also contributed 38 yards rushing on three carries,
Kodiaks running back Gavin Halvorson was held to 46 yards rushing on 14 attempts against his former team.
Caden Crow led the Prince George defence with eight tackles, while Carter Hall, Dillon Piddocke and Nick Tremblay each had four tackles.
The Kodiaks enter the bye week with a 1-2 record, having played to two top-rated teams in the BCFC. They started at home, losing 33-13 to the Westshore Rebels, ranked fifth in Canada, then went to Kamloops and beat the Broncos 33-13.
The Kodiaks will be back in action at Masich Place Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16 to face the Langley Rams.
