Before the Westshore Rebels took on the Langley Rams over the weekend, Rebels head coach Charly Cardilicchia asked for something from Trey Campbell that he hasn’t done in weeks.
The five-foot-eight-inch-tall, 180-pound running back has been out with a broken finger and came off the bench this weekend for his first game since week one of the Canadian Junior Football League.
Just before the players hit the field, Cardilicchia told Campbell he would have 250 yards – 150 rushing and 100 receiving, as well as three touchdowns during the game.
And Campbell did more than that in the Rebels’ 29-5 win over the Rams during the home opener at Westhills Stadium Saturday.
Rebels for the win! 29-5 against the Langley Rams. Trey Campbell was back with 3 touchdowns #RebelsWin @BCFC_Media@CJFLnews pic.twitter.com/EJztNs7QIP
— Westshore Rebels (@WestshoreRebels) August 20, 2017
“I felt like it was going to be a big day for him [Campbell]. He needed his confidence up heading into the second half of the season,” said Cardilicchia.
Cardilicchia noted defence has been a major contributing factor in the Rebels’ ability to shut down opponents.
“Trey’s got that X factor about him. You can stop him maybe for three yards first, maybe six yards next, but all of the sudden he’s going to hit for those big runs … he’s really hard to handle on the open field.”
The Rebels dominated the Rams on the ground, racking up 207 yards compared to 52. Fumbles also cost the Rams, as the team turned the ball over on two separate occasions.
With the win pushing the Rebels to a 3-1 record so far this season, Cardilicchia said the team has started to click, but there is always room for improvement.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons. We just have to clean up our passing game and things will be a lot better on offence and we’ll start scoring a lot more points,” he said. “There’s still a much better football team that we have yet to put on the field.”
Up next, the Rebels will host the Chilliwack Valley Huskers on Saturday, Aug. 26.
Kickoff is at 3 p.m.
For tickets visit westshorerebels.ca or purchase them at the gate.
kendra.wong@goldstream
