The Okanagan Sun’s season came to a heartbreaking end last weekend.
Once again, the Sun found themselves up against the top team in the league, the undefeated Langley Rams.
On Oct. 26, the Sun took on the Rams in Langley and despite a lopsided 45-15 loss, the Okanagan football team fought until the bitter end.
“Our guys played pretty hard,” said Sun head coach Jamie Boreham.
“We had it at a two-score game and trying to make it close, but they were the team that made the next big play and were able to put the nail in the coffin.
“It was probably one of our more consistent games this year, but we came up short.”
The Rams were the BC Football Conference’s top team with 10 straight wins this season.
Langley’s upper hand over the Sun carried over from last year, when the Langley squad handed the Sun a 39-7 playoff defeat.
“It’s never OK to lose,” said Boreham.
“We knew we were playing a really good team but we played hard though, and this is where we are now.
“It wasn’t the way we wanted it to end, but we were closer at the end than we were at the beginning.”
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The Sun were a young team this season, with new players and new coaches, Boreham acknowledged.
He hopes that the lumps the team took this year will turn into the building blocks for the future.
There were growing pains over the season with three one-score losses which, if they had gone the Sun’s way, could have painted a different picture in the post-season.
Despite the “ifs” and the “buts,” they didn’t win the crucial games and that sealed their fate.
“Maybe we could have ended up on a different side of some of the close games, but it doesn’t matter who you play or when you play them. You have to beat the best teams,” said Boreham.
Now in the off-season, the Okanagan Sun coaches and management will waste no time prepping for next season.
Reflection, recruiting and injury recovery will be the main focus for the Sun.
Reflection on the year won’t change the pain of defeat, but Boreham hopes a good off-season will lead to a good season next spring.
“We grew a lot,” said Boreham.
“We’re a whole lot closer to the team I want us to be. The challenges this year have already helped us grow and we’ve turned the page on some of those challenges.”
“Our core guys will be a good foundation for success next year.
“We want to be the best team and best culture here and give our guys the best place to play football here and beyond here.”
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The season wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the fans and the community, Boreham noted.
From coaches to billet families, sponsors and fans, the coach said that the year’s support was great to see.
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