Squads built PFC leading records on work
ethic
 |
| David Collins (#10) races downfield for the Hilltops. |
That seems like a strange thing to say about two squads that are cemented to finish in the top two of the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference in 2025. The Thunder lead the PFC with a 6-1 mark, while the Hilltops are second at 5-2.
All PFC teams are currently on a bye week and they all have one regular season contest remaining on their respective schedules.
The Hilltops and Thunder split their two head-to-head games in their regular season series playing to a tie 39-39 score in those two contests. At the moment, the Hilltops hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker holding a 121 differential in points for and against in the regular season. Regina has a 104 differential in points for and against.
The Thunder can lock up top spot in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field. If the Wildcats pull off an upset, the Hilltops would be able to move back into first place in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Calgary Colts on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
The Hilltops and Thunder first went head-to-head on September 6 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Saskatoon pulled out an 18-15 victory in a defensive slugfest.
The two sides met again this past Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Thunder prevailed in this encounter 24-21.
It is common to see the Hilltops and Thunder in the top two of the PFC. In 2025, it doesn’t feel like those two clubs are head and shoulders above everyone else like in past years.
During their first encounter, it felt like both sides had their starting quarterbacks in Hilltops pivot Brexton Elias and Thunder signal caller Adam Mosher act as game managers and play into the hands of their respective defences. There was more offence in the second encounter resulting in a more exciting contest, but there still seemed to be a reliance on the running game on both sides.
 |
| Peter Boersch leads the PFC with 1,117 yards rushing. |
Regina saw that type of quarterbacking in the past at the CJFL level not with the Thunder but when Darryl Leason quarterbacked the Regina Rams from 1992 to 1995. Leason would again be the Rams signal caller in 2000 and 2001 after they moved to the U Sports ranks in 1999.
Saskatoon saw that type of quarterbacking when the late Chase Bradshaw was calling signals for the Hilltops from 2007 to 2011. The Hilltops also got stellar quarterbacking from Jared Andreychuk and Jordan Walls through most of the 2010s making the Saskatoon side fairly close to invincible.
With that noted, it feels like the players including the quarterbacks on the Hilltops and Thunder are bringing the work ethic and giving everything they have in 2025. When those clubs have posted lopsided victories against other foes in the PFC, those results were created by hard work.
Offensively, the Hilltops and Thunder are mirror images of each other in 2025. The Thunder top the PFC with 1,844 yards rushing, while the Hilltops are second with 1,680 yards rushing.
The passing attacks for both squads are at the other end of the spectrum. The Thunder are last in the PFC with 1,183 yards passing, and the Hilltops are second last in the PFC with 1,310 yards passing.
Traditionally, the Thunder are usually a pass-happy team that mirrors their U Sports cousins and CJFL predecessors in the Rams.
On defence, the Hilltops have given up the fewest gross yards of offence at 2,234, while the Thunder have surrendered the second fewest gross yards at 2,375.
 |
| Brexton Elias directs traffic on the run for the Hilltops. |
Thunder running back Peter Boersch had turned into a legitimate star leading the PFC in carries (156) and rushing yards (1,117) to go with three majors on the ground. Regina has also benefited from the strong play of sophomore running back Carter Ashman.
American import running back David Collins has had a spectacular campaign in the lone season he will be able to play for the Hilltops.
The 22-year-old has carried the ball 114 times for 909 yards and 11 touchdowns. Collins sits second in the PFC in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns.
Saskatoon has benefitted from the strong play of veteran running backs Corbin Ebben and Charles Sawi.
On defence, Saskatoon has lots of big play players like middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and defensive tackles Johnathon Stevens and Nahom Menghestab. Regina also has a lot of big time players on defence including middle linebackers Devin Baumann and Kenten Effa along with boundary cornerback Cooper Filazek.
At quarterback, Elias and Mosher feel like they have much greater potential than they’ve shown. During the CJFL post-season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both had breakout games.
Still, it feels like the Hilltops and Thunder could potentially be upset in their respective PFC semifinal games, if they are not at their best. One squad that could cause upset wins is the 3-4 Winnipeg Rifles.
The Rifles thumped the Hilltops 31-11 on August 10 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg.
 |
| Adam Mosher calls out signals for the Thunder. |
With that noted, the Hilltops and Thunder could continue to keep bringing top efforts, which ultimately leads to one squad winning another CJFL championship. In that situation, the winning coaching staff will have a special sense of pride for their players in how far they have come over the campaign.
Going forward, another PFC final between the Hilltops and Thunder is expected, but in the back of the mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both teams didn’t make it that far. They have to continue to bring a top level work ethic to have a third meeting in the 2025 campaign.
PFC players of the week nods Thunder heavy
 |
| Jake Mayo is the PFC’s defensive player of the week. |
On Tuesday, Thunder cornerback Jake Mayo was tabbed as the PFC’s defensive player of the week, while Thunder place kicker/punter Shawn Green was the special teams player of the week. Both had big outings in their team’s 24-21 victory over the Saskatoon Hilltops this past Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
In the Thunder victory, Mayo intercepted two passes returning one pick 34 yards for a touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mayo also had four solo defensive tackles and one pass knockdown.
Green made his lone field goal attempt from 35 yards out and connected on all three of his one-point converts. He punted 11 times for 373 yards for an average of 33.9 yards per kick. Green kicked off four times for 174 yards for an average of 43.5 yards per kick.
Edmonton Wildcats receiver Mekhi Tyrell took honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts in his team’s 28-26 setback this past Sunday to the Winnipeg Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg. Mekhi caught 11 passes for 160 yards and carried the ball once for 23 yards. On special teams, Mekhi returned three punts for 30 yards and one kickoff for 15 yards.
 |
| Shawn Green is the PFC’s special teams player of the week. |
The top four teams in the conference make the CJFL playoffs.
All six PFC teams will play their final regular season contests on Sunday, October 12.
The Huskies will host the Rifles at Jasper Place Bowl at 1 p.m. local time. The winner will lock up third place in the conference. A tie would clinch post-season berths for both squads.
The Saskatoon Hilltops (5-2) host Colts at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, and the Regina Thunder (6-1) host the Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
-------
If you like what you
see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like
this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the
DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.
