It seems somewhat unlikely Langley junior football fans will be seeing the Rams play at McLeod Stadium again this season.
In a battle for second place in the B.C. Football Conference and home field advantage in their Oct. 16 semifinal playoff match-up, the Rams lost 44-24 to the Okanagan Sun Sunday in Kelowna.
The win gave the Sun second place in the BCFC, and the right to host the Rams next Sunday at the Apple Bowl.
Both teams came in with 6-3 records.
A Rams win would have meant they’d be hosting the semifinal versus the Sun at McLeod Stadium.
Now, the Rams will have to go into enemy territory and beat a Sun team that has gotten the best of them twice this season, including a 15-10 decision at McLeod on Aug. 27.
A slow start, especially on offence, stung a depleted Rams squad last Sunday.
The Sun led 9-0 after the first quarter and 16-3 at halftime, then tacked on a touchdown to their totals during the third stanza to carry an insurmountable 23-3 lead into the final quarter.
The teams exchanged 21 points apiece after that, in what was essentially garbage time.
After being held to one touchdown through their previous nine quarters, the Sun exploded for six majors versus the Rams.
The Sun had also lost three straight games heading into the pivotal game.
Two of those losses could be described as deflating: a blowout loss to the Saskatoon Hilltops and an upset in Nanaimo to the V.I. Raiders.
A bright spot for the Rams was the play of receiver Eldridge Sellers, who made seven catches for 157 yards and one touchdown.
Fellow receivers Jay Jay Jackson (five receptions including a touchdown grab, 93 yards) and Seye Akinsamni (six catches, 66 yards) also had productive days for the Rams.
The Rams alternated two quarterbacks, with Colby Peters going 10 of 11 passing for 203 yards, to go along with a pair of touchdown tosses.
FINAL WHISTLE: The other BCFC semifinal will feature the Westshore Rebels at home to the Vancouver Island Raiders.
There is one scenario where the Rams would return to Langley to play in front of their fans.
If the Rams beat the Sun and the fourth-place Raiders upset the first-place Rebels, junior football will return to McLeod with the Rams hosting the Raiders in the Cullen Cup (BCFC) final, likely on Oct. 29.
– Files from the Kelowna Capital News