It was a painful end to what was an already long night for the Valley Huskers.
The visiting Langley Rams were leading the Huskers 56-7 at Chilliwack’s Exhibition Stadium on Saturday when the game was cut short, nine minutes into the third quarter, after Huskers linebacker Erik Stevenson suffered a serious arm injury.
Stevenson, from Winnipeg, was injured while attempting to take down Rams ball carrier Joe Carter.
“You never want to see an injury like that to a young player,” Rams head coach Jeff Alamolhoda said. “He dislocated his elbow.”
Alamolhoda added, “Ending a game like that puts in perspective that life is bigger than the game itself.”
Prior to the injury, the Rams offence put together 601 yards of net offence against the still winless, 0-8 Huskers, and most of the damage was done on the ground.
Running back Jacob Patko carried the ball nine times for 110 yards, the bulk of which came from a 60-yard run, and scored a touchdown.
Running back Ryan MacDonald and quarterback Dylan Tucker also scored majors on the ground.
Tucker had a productive day passing, completing 11 of 20 throws for 276 yards while connecting on a trio of touchdown passes. He found Khalik Johnson four times for 77 yards and a score along with Seye Akinsanmi and Devoum Hallums for touchdowns.
The Rams’ defence held the Huskers to 58 total yards.
Both Nathan Carrol and Denis Olivera intercepted a pass and Kyle Sagmoen collected the lone sack.
After their most lopsided loss of the season, 52-10 at the hands of the still undefeated Okanagan Sun back on Aug. 30, the Rams have put together two impressive wins in a row, and sit tied for second in the B.C. Football Conference standings with Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Raiders, both with 5-3 records.
Alamolhoda said the Rams recent good fortunes comes down to trust.
“I think the guys are relying on each other and trusting each other,” he said. “It takes a little while to be cohesive and trust each other. Earlier in the year, I feel a lot of our veterans felt they needed to go above and beyond their own jobs to compensate for some of the other guys, but now they are understanding that if they do their job and trust one another, and hold each other accountable, they will win football games.”
Langley’s junior football team will host their final home game of the regular season this Saturday, Sept. 26, when the Raiders come to town. Opening kickoff at McLeod Stadium is 4 p.m.
“There is a lot on the line,” Alamolhoda said. “Home field playoff position is what is going to be determined. The winner of this game will host the [BCFC playoff] semifinal.”
In week one, the Raiders downed the Rams 22-14 at Nanaimo’s Caledonia Park.
FINAL WHISTLE: The Sun rule the BCFC standings with an 8-0 record.