The 91原创 Rams begin their season at home this weekend, with the hopes that a seasoned team will take on some of the toughest competition in their conference.

鈥淎s a team we鈥檝e matured,鈥� said Dana Matheson, the Rams president. 鈥淲e were a really young team last year.鈥�

The Rams take to the field to test how well they鈥檝e matured at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29 against the Vancouver Island Raiders.

The Raiders will face some familiar faces and some new ones.

鈥淥ur coaching staff has recruited really hard,鈥� Matheson said.

In particular, they鈥檝e beefed up the offensive and defensive lines. The Rams never lacked for talent, but their lack of size on the lines led to them getting pushed around a bit, Matheson said.

Some bigger players will help stop that from happening this year.

Offensively, this should be a big year for the team, Matheson said.

Shawn Olson joined the team last year as the new offensive coordinator, and the team has been working and training towards his strategies in the off season.

A few players are expected to make a bigger contribution than last year.

Matheson mentioned sure-handed receiver Nick Agnoletto, and also singled out Nathan Lund, who was out with an injury most of last year. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very explosive,鈥� Matheson said.

Running back Joseph Carter is 鈥渁 tought, physical runner,鈥� Matheson said, and his fellow running back Tyrel Ogloff is back as well.

Matheson doesn鈥檛 downplay the competition.

The Westshore Rebels, the Okanagan Sun, and the Vancouver Island Raiders in particular are all tough teams.

In 2016, the Rams had a respectable 6-4 win-loss record, placing them third in the seven-team British Columbia Football Conference.

The Westshore Rebels stormed out of the Okanagan last year to dominate every other team, with an 8-1-1 record. At 7-3, the Okanagan Sun were also tough competitors.

It was the Sun that would beat the Rams in last year鈥檚 post-season.

This year, Matheson believes there won鈥檛 be one team trouncing everyone else. The top four teams should each be competitive, he believes.

As for their contest this weekend, the players are ready, Matheson said.

鈥淭he players are all fired up and ready to go,鈥� he said.

The game begins at 4 p.m. at McLeod Athletic Park, with the gates open an hour prior to the event. Children under 12 can enter free.

The game will also be Alumni Night for the Rams, with plenty of past players in attendance.