The Westshore Rebels have a steep hill to climb this week as they look to bounce back after a tough loss to their Island rivals over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Rebels lost to the Vancouver Island Raiders 33-7 at Westhills Stadium in week four of British Columbia Football Conference action.
“Disappointment, embarrassment, we were upset,” said acting Rebels head coach Shane Beatty of the loss.
“We didn’t perform up to our abilities. They just played a much better game than we did … We need to do a better job moving forward.”
Tough loss tonight Raiders win 33-7. Until we meet again....
— Westshore Rebels (@WestshoreRebels) August 26, 2018
The Raiders held the lead for the entire game, scoring a field goal and a touchdown in the first quarter, followed by another touchdown in the second.
In the second half, running back Khaliel James got the Rebels on the board with the team’s only touchdown of the evening, cutting the Raiders’ lead to 19-7. But the Raiders answered right back with two more touchdowns.
RELATED: Westshore Rebels game postponed due to poor air quality conditions
A lack of discipline contributed to the losing cause, with the Rebels racking up 20 penalties for 165 yards – a sentiment echoed by Beatty.
“We did not play disciplined football, we didn’t execute, so we’ll have fix that. We’re an athletic team, but we need to come together and play as one,” he said. “We’ll get there, we just need to get together and get on the same page.”
Beatty said the loss is a good wake-up call for the team. This week, they’ll focus on executing plays, as well as being more physical and disciplined on the field.
The Rebels will look for redemption when they take on the Vancouver Island Raiders for the second and final time this season in Nanaimo on Saturday, Sept. 8.
RELATED: Westshore Rebels head coach makes comments out of frustration, gets three-game suspension
Beatty will continue to coach the team for the next two games.
Head coach Charly Cardilicchia was suspended for three games last week for violating the coaches code of ethics after a verbal tirade against the conference, believed to have been brought on by the cancellation of the Rebels’ game versus the Kamloops Broncos on Aug. 18 due to poor air quality.
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