The Vancouver Island Raiders are one win away from making junior football history.
If they beat the Saskatoon Hilltops this Saturday night in the Canadian Bowl in Saskatoon, the Raiders will join the Hilltops, Edmonton Huskies and Regina Rams as the only teams to win three straight Canadian Junior Football League championships.
The Raiders earned a berth in the national final with a 38-13 win over the Hamilton Hurricanes Saturday in Nanaimo.
Jordan Botel rushed for 143 yards on 21 carries for one touchdown against the Hurricanes. Botel, who won the B.C. Football Conference season rushing title with 1,261 yards, is one of four Prince George players on the Raiders' roster. Botel, running back /defensive back Mike McMaster, and defensive back Erling Skuggedal are already two-time Canadian champions, while Raiders running back Wes Black is going for his first CJFL title.
In only their sixth year of existence, the Raiders won their fifth consecutive BCFC championship two weeks ago in Kelowna. They went 9-1 in the regular season and defeated the Okanagan Sun 16-14 in the Cullen Cup league final.
In the other CJFL semifinal Sunday in Saskatoon, the Hilltops beat the Regina Thunder 32-24. On Saturday the Hilltops will be going after their 14th CJFL championship.
"The challenge is huge and it's no different than playing the Okanagan Sun," said Raiders head coach Matt Blokker, a native of Prince George who was in Saskatoon to scout Sunday's game. "We understand what's in front of us and it's going to be a lot of fun."
See Tuesday's Citizen for more on the Raiders.
