On paper, the is in precisely the same position as it was at the midway mark of the 2016 season乌鸦传媒攗nbeaten and standing alone atop the .

But the way the Sun has arrived at its 5-0 start this summer is even more encouraging for head man Ben Macauley and his coaching staff.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檇 say we乌鸦传媒檙e ahead of where we were last year,乌鸦传媒� said Macauley. 乌鸦传媒淟ast season we probably won some games that we maybe shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have. This season, I don乌鸦传媒檛 think you could say that, I think we乌鸦传媒檝e been deserving of all of them.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 nice to be 5-0 and the good thing is, we still don乌鸦传媒檛 feel like we乌鸦传媒檝e played our best yet. We乌鸦传媒檙e starting over the second half at 0-0.乌鸦传媒�

Spearheaded by the defense乌鸦传媒攚ith a miserly 50 points allowed in five games乌鸦传媒擬acauley said all three areas of the club have stepped their game up significantly from 12 months ago.

Combined with an extra year of football wisdom for the coaching staff, Macauley said the level of play, both mentally and physically, is up all across the board.

乌鸦传媒淥ur defense has been really good, week in, week out,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 been huge improvement in our special teams, and even though our offense has had its struggles at times, it乌鸦传媒檚 still miles ahead of where it was last year. We乌鸦传媒檙e also more experienced as coaches, and we乌鸦传媒檙e trying to get better every week.乌鸦传媒�

Macauley called the effort of the Sun defense 乌鸦传媒渟mothering乌鸦传媒� of the Vancouver Island Raiders in Nanaimo.

Macauley pointed to Conor Richard, Shaun Robinson, Eli Haynes (nine tackles) and Cole Klughart (2.5 sacks) for turning in particularly solid efforts on defense.

乌鸦传媒淭he Raiders couldn乌鸦传媒檛 get anything going, they barely got over midfield,乌鸦传媒� Macauley said. 乌鸦传媒淥ur defense gave the offense a short field to work with most of the game.乌鸦传媒�

Richard and Aldrich Berrios乌鸦传媒攚ith his fifth interception in the last two games乌鸦传媒攅ach returned picks for touchdowns.

Offensively, Liam Crane caught a pair of touchdown passes from Nick Wenman to lead the attack, as the Sun blew open a 21-11 game early in the fourth quarter with 24 unanswered points.

While he said there乌鸦传媒檚 still plenty of fine-tuning to do in the season乌鸦传媒檚 second half, Macauley likes the buy-in from his players and their willingness to play for each other.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 really a team mentality, with all 12 guys on the field working towards the same goal,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭here are always 8, 9, 10 guys around the football, multiple guys making big blocks on offense, and we乌鸦传媒檙e getting lots of big plays on special teams.

乌鸦传媒淭he guys are buying in and it乌鸦传媒檚 really been a group effort. Some guys have been standing out individually for sure, but everybody is getting in on the act. It seems like every game, there乌鸦传媒檚 someone different stepping up big for us.乌鸦传媒�

With the Sun now into a bye week, Macauley said it乌鸦传媒檚 the ideal time to recuperate and reload for the final five games of the regular season.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 really good for us to gave a break, a good chance for the guys to take some time and recharge their batteries for the second half. We乌鸦传媒檙e very cognizant about not burning the guys out, so this will be welcome. It also gives us a chance to plan for how we乌鸦传媒檙e going to improve every week as the season progresses.乌鸦传媒�

The Sun (5-0) sits a game up on Westshore (4-1) and two ahead of VI (3-2) at the midpoint of the season.

Okanagan will return to action Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Raiders. Kick off at the Apple Bowl is 1 p.m.