RACINE - Having arrived at Eastern Illinois University in 2003, Charles Owens missed out on catching Tony Romo's passes by one season.

The Racine Raiders' first-year receiver is playing so well these days that maybe he'll even eventually get to team up with Romo with the Dallas Cowboys - something that has certainly crossed Owens' mind.

"Hopefully, I'll get the chance to play with him," Owens said.

Owens fortified his credentials Thursday night, returning two punts for touchdowns and catching a scoring pass to lead the Raiders to a 51-19 non-league victory over the Gateway Soul of St. Louis at Horlick Field. The Most Valuable Player of the 2007 NAFL championship game as a member of the Kane County Eagles scored on punt returns of 70 and 45 yards and also caught and also caught a 26-yard scoring pass from Brett Hall.

But if Owens was the headliner on this night, several of his teammates weren't far behind him on a team that is shaping up as a powerhouse one year after finishing with its first losing season since 1978. In fact, by improving to 5-0 Saturday night, the Raiders have already matched their victory total from last season.

Start with receiver Sam D'Alie, who caught four passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker James Cichon intercepted two passes, one of which he returned for 62 yards, spearheading a defense that allowed just 106 total yards against the talented Soul (5-3).

Ron Ricciardi made a statement at quarterback, passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Brett Hall spelled him in his first game with the Raiders and threw two late touchdown passes. And old reliable Bryan Jennings Jr. pounded for 67 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Is this the most talented Raiders team in years? Almost certainly.

"This team is a bunch of guys from everywhere," said Cichon, a former standout at Carthage College. "It's a team of All-Stars and everything's working real good with us. We've got good team chemistry, so it works out well."

Gateway coach Dave Rocha, who led the Soul to four straight victories entering Saturday's game, certainly was impressed.

"They're by far the best team we faced so far and will probably face the rest of the season," Rocha said. "I think they're a step up from our league, not that I'm knocking our league. They just have size and speed in their offensive and defensive lines. It's pretty impressive for this level."

In what was a sometimes sloppy game that went on for almost three-and-a-half hours, the Raiders compiled 371 total yards - 200 through the air and 171 on the ground.

Defensively, the Raiders limited strong-armed Johnnie Cooper to eight completions in 29 attempts for 67 yards and allowed an average of just 2.2 yards per rush.