Canadian Bowl loss will sting for Thunder for a bit

Regina club had great season but missed out on some spoils

Carter Shewchuk has played his final game with the Thunder.

Had all gone to plan, the Regina Thunder could have been the local darlings of Grey Cup week.

Instead, the powerhouse CJFL club had to wonder what might have been. Last Saturday, the Thunder were on the cusp of arguably the biggest moment in program history looking to complete the club’s first perfect season at Mosaic Stadium hosting the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

The Okanagan Sun, who are based out of Kelowna, B.C., spoiled the party. The BCFC champions downed the PFC champions 21-19 erasing a 15-point deficit in front of about 1,400 spectators.

The Sun completed their first perfect season with a 14-0 record to account for their third CJFL title in team history. 

They had an undefeated season in their first CJFL championship campaign in 1988 that included one tie in posting an 11-0-1 mark. Okanagan also captured the CJFL crown in 2000.

The Thunder, who first took the field in 2000, finished the 2022 campaign with a 10-1 record. Had Regina won that encounter with the Sun, they could have enjoyed some spoils of Grey Cup week in Saskatchewan’s capital city.

Odds are high the team could have taken the Canadian Bowl trophy to various events during Grey Cup. They could have had alums Dan Clark and Logan Ferland, who are both members of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, in tow too. The two linemen could have pumped up the CJFL club they once played for.

Being able to show off a Thunder CJFL championship team could have been the big thing local football fans including the casual ones who could have beamed with pride and bragged about to visitors coming in from across Canada.

With the setback, the mainstream outlets that were giving the Thunder attention got the game story done as fast as possible and quickly turn attention to other things.

With all that noted, there are always two clubs trying to win a game when it comes to team sports. In championship games, you usually have a clash between two high caliber squads, or at least two teams that are battle tested via post-season play. The Sun were intent on writing their story, when it came to the CJFL title match up.

Rylan Sokul was held to one catch for 12 yards in the Canadian Bowl.

For the first 29 minutes of the Canadian Bowl, it looked like it was going to be the Thunder’s day. After a scoreless opening quarter, the Thunder surged out to a 15-0 lead in the second.

Star running back Ryland Leichert had a one-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Carter Shewchuk followed with a six-yard touchdown run. The surge was capped by a 44-yard punt single by star kicker and punter Eric Maximuik.

The Sun proceeded to get the ball down to the Regina six-yard line with enough time to run one last play before halftime. Instead of running out the field goal unit, the Sun elected to go for the end zone.

Sun quarterback Dominic Britton was able to stick in a six-yard touchdown pass into the upper pads of a tightly covered receiver in Colby Milleto to cut the Thunder lead to 15-7. That score proved to be a key turning point in the game.

Had the Thunder gone in at halftime holding a 15-0 lead, you had to think doubt would have started to creep in on the Sun’s side. The host Thunder would have had confident control of the contest.

Instead, the Sun went from being in position to being on the cusp of being out of the game to all of a sudden getting back into the contest going in at halftime. The belief in being able to win the contest had to have grown exponentially on the Sun’s side, which was going to make the second half a challenging one for the Thunder.

The visitors had to concede a safety at the 7:15 mark of the third quarter due to bad field position to allow the Thunder’s edge to grow to 17-7. That lead would evaporate before the third quarter ended.

With 5:07 remaining in the third quarter, Sun running back Jevan Garwood ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run to trim the Thunder’s advantage to 17-14.

A short time later, the Sun got the ball back thanks to an interception at midfield by linebacker Dawson Puk. On the ensuing offensive series with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter, Britton hit receiver Mike O’Shea with a 24-yard touchdown toss to put the Sun in front 21-17.

Ryland Leichert had a TD in the Canadian Bowl.

The Thunder weren’t able to recover. With 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Sun conceded a safe due to bad field position and also trying to run down the clock to round out the final score of 21-19 in their favour.

The win marked the first time a BCFC champion won a Canadian Bowl in a game hosted by the PFC champion. It also marked the second straight year a BCFC team won the Canadian Bowl as the 2021 CJFL title was claimed by the Langley Rams.

Garwood was named the offensive player of the game carrying the ball 21 times for 128 yards to go with his major score. He also caught two passes for 10 yards.

Puk took home honours as the defensive player of the game. He had two solo defensive tackles and three defensive tackle assists to go with this timely interception.

O’Shea was tabbed the special teams player of the game. He returned two kickoffs for 70 yards and five punts for 38 yards.

On offence, O’Shea led all pass catchers with 69 receiving yards coming off five catches that included his touchdown grab. He also had one carry for eight yards.

Britton completed 16-of-31 passes for 130 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Shewchuk completed 18-of-36 passes for 188 yards, while throwing one interception. He ran the ball twice for eight yards including his touchdown jaunt.

Leichert ran the ball 22 times for 77 yards to go with his major score. He also returned three kickoffs for 67 yards. Isaac Foord led the Thunder with 68 receiving yards coming on four catches. Rylan Sokul was held to one catch for 12 yards.

Linebacker Stephen Smith paced the Thunder defence with five solo defensive tackles and seven defensive tackle assists.

Kicker/punter Eric Maximuik exhausted his CJFL eligibility.

Shewchuk, Foord, Sokul and Maximuik all exhausted their CJFL eligibility following the completion of last Saturday’s contest. The Thunder will have to figure out next season how they will move on without those long time stars.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay claimed the CJFL’s Gordon Currie Coach of the Year award, and the Thunder were named the winners of the inaugural Rick Smoke Team Award for exemplary community service.

The Thunder had an outstanding season, and their 10 overall wins are a team record for most victories in a single CJFL campaign.

As time passes, the sting from the loss in last Saturday’s Canadian Bowl will die down. Still in the immediate aftermath, the Thunder have to wonder what the spoils of victory would have felt like with Grey Cup week happening in their own backyard.

Congratulations to the @okanagan_sun for winning the Canadian Bowl.#canadianbowl #cjfl pic.twitter.com/QBF1xjNKbw

— Regina Thunder (@reginathunder) November 12, 2022

Hilltops’ Johnson and Sawi pick up major CJFL awards

Konner Johnson is the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player.

The Saskatoon Hilltops saw two of their stars capture major honours at the CJFL awards.

Last Friday at the CJFL awards banquet in Regina, Hilltops weak side linebacker Konner Johnson won the CJFL’s Larry Wruck Most Outstanding Defensive Player award, and running back Charles Sawi took home the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Johnson, who is a 22-year-old from Melfort, Sask., played out his final campaign of CJFL eligibility with the Hilltops this season. During the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Johnson piled up 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions.

Individually, Johnson picked up a lot of accolades this season. He was named a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker, the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player and a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star.

Johnson started his career with the Hilltops in 2018 and was a member of their 11-0 CJFL championship team that season and their 12-0 CJFL title winner in 2019. This past May and June, Johnson attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Before Johnson, the last Hilltops player to be named the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player was linebacker Jadyn Pingue in 2019.

Charles Sawi was named the CJFL’s rookie of the year.

Sawi played through his rookie campaign in the CJFL at just 17 years of age and made some of the season’s most electrifying plays on offence and special teams. During the regular season, Sawi carried the ball 30 times for 342 yards and scored two touchdowns.

On special teams, Sawi returned seven kickoffs for 168 yards and one touchdown, and five missed field goals for 271 yards that included a 125-yard return for a touchdown.

Johnson and Sawi helped the Hilltops finish second in the PFC’s regular season standings with a 5-3 record. The Hilltops advanced to the PFC final, where their season came to an end with a 39-21 loss to the Regina Thunder.

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.

Thunder get Sask. sports media spotlight to themselves

Canadian Bowl hosts deserving of extra attention

The Thunder storm on to the field at Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 30.

The Regina Thunder have Saskatchewan’s sports media spotlight to themselves and deservingly so.

Regina’s powerhouse junior football club is hosting the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. The Thunder are facing the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun in a battle of teams looking to complete a perfect season.

Regina enters the contest with a 10-0 overall record, while the Sun are 13-0 overall.

This is only the second time the Thunder are in the Canadian Bowl. The last time the Regina side was in the CJFL title game was back on November 9, 2013, when they hosted that contest at historic Taylor Field downing the Vancouver Island Raiders 55-26.

While that victory was a high point in the Thunder’s history, it was moment overshadowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders run to winning the Grey Cup at that historic park with a huge contingent of popular stars like Darian Durant, Weston Dressler, Kory Sheets, Chris Getzlaf, Neal Hughes, Ricky Foley, Tyron Brackenridge and Craig Butler. Thunder grad and offensive lineman Dan Clark was a youngster on that team who made a name for himself catching a touchdown pass on a lineman eligible play.

The players on that Roughriders team were strongly connected to the Saskatchewan community and are held closely in the hearts of football fans in “the Wheat Province.”

On November 24, 2013 just 15 days after the Thunder’s Canadian Bowl win, the Roughriders stormed on to the frozen concrete of Taylor Field and flattened the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 to complete what is often viewed as the greatest sports moment to occur inside Saskatchewan’s provincial borders.

This year the Roughriders are again hosting the Grey Cup, but they won’t be in the CFL’s championship game, which will be held at Mosaic Stadium on November 20 at 5 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The Roughriders failed to make the CFL playoffs with a 6-12 record.

That means the media machine that usually covers the Roughriders will turn their attention to the Thunder as they go for their second national title. The Thunder are viewed as the feel good story, and their championship clash helps bring an unofficial start to the Grey Cup week, where the Canadian version of football is celebrated.

Carter Shewchuk calls signals for a dynamic Thunder offence.

With all that said, it should be stated it is always a better in Saskatchewan when the Roughriders are having success and making a long playoff run. The Roughriders have a big philanthropic impact on football and amateur sports in Saskatchewan including the Thunder, so a successful Roughriders organization benefits all in the province.

While the Roughriders are having a down year, it is a good thing that spotlight that would normally be on them will be on the Thunder even for a short time.

In Canada, the sports media industry is a severely cut one. Top rate coverage is reserved for the Canada’s seven NHL franchises, the country’s three MLS teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

High level amateur teams like the Thunder used to get top rate coverage when there were more staffers in Canada’s sports media industry. That top rate coverage happened back when the Thunder won their lone CJFL title to date in 2013.

Since that 2013 season, skeleton crews staff the sports departments of mainstream media outlets. It is common for cities with populations of 300,000 in Canada to only have three dedicated sports reporters among all mainstream outlets in those centres.

In Saskatoon on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (8-1) will face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (5-4) in the Canada West Conference title game – the Hardy Cup. If it wasn’t for the fact this contest was being broadcast on television on the SaskTel’s MaxTV Local On Demand channel and Huskie Athletics made a deal with Pattison Media for coverage, it is possible you might not hear much about the Hardy Cup.

Regina has the Roughriders media machine, which means the all the mainstream media outlets in the Saskatchewan capital will always keep at least one dedicated sports reporter to cover the CFL club. The presence of the Roughriders has allowed three daily sports talk shows to have their broadcasts originate out of Regina, and one of those programs in The Rod Pedersen Show gets filmed in various locations across North America.

Saskatoon has 50,000 more residents than Regina and doesn’t have a single sports talk show originating out of it.

Ryland Leichert is a game breaker on the ground for the Thunder.

Due to the fact the Roughriders media machine can’t go on vacation with the Grey Cup just around the corner, they will be in the Saskatchewan capital to cover the Canadian Bowl. The CJFL title contest will be broadcast on 620 CKRM with Roughriders play-by-play voice Michael Ball calling the game and Pete Paczko doing the analysis.

Daniella Ponticelli, who is the Roughriders game day radio host, will be reporting on the sidelines for the radio broadcast of the Canadian Bowl.

It should be noted that the Thunder are also receiving extra attention due to the fact the University of Regina Rams campaign in the U Sports ranks has come to an end. The Rams had a solid season finishing second in the Canada West Conference regular season standings with a 5-3 record but fell last Saturday in a Canada West semifinal 28-14 to the visiting Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium.

The Thunder are deserving of the extra attention. Under Scott MacAulay, who has been the team’s head coach since the start of the 2013 campaign, the Thunder have cemented themselves as one of the CJFL’s first class teams and constantly hit new heights in professionalism.

Regina has also been an exciting CJFL club to watch too. The Thunder are powered on offence by their triplets in quarterback Carter Shewchuk, running back Ryland Leichert and receiver Rylan Sokul.

You almost forget the fact Isaac Ford and Isaiah Woodley have also built reputations as dynamic playmakers for the Thunder.

Regina’s starting offensive line of left tackle Riley Schick, left guard Noah Steinley, centre Max McFadden, right guard Nicholas Makowsky and right tackle Connor Klassen have been playing lights out.

The defence is full of star playmakers too in defensive ends Reece McCormick and Reed Rabbetz, linebackers Stephen Smith and Matthew Schill, cornerback Justin McKerracher and safety Adam King.

Place kicker and punter Eric Maximuik may go down as the best the Thunder ever had at those positions.

Rylan Sokul is a clutch receiver for the Thunder.

All of those players are outstanding representatives of the team in the community. It was fitting that on Sunday the CJFL named the Thunder football team the first winners of the newly minted Rick Smoke team award for exemplary community service.

For the Canadian Bowl on Saturday, Environment Canada is predicting a high of -15 C with a mixture of sun and cloud. Here is hoping those conditions don’t keep the fans away.

In Canada’s sports media cut era, the Thunder are in position to receive a big push in the spotlight. If they can shine brightly with the added attention, they will create a memory that could last a lifetime in local Saskatchewan football circles.

Hilltops nab three CJFL all-Canadian awards, other notes

Konner Johnson is a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

A trio of battle hardened veterans picked up first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star nods for the storied Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Thursday, weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, defensive end Riece Kack and left tackle Jayson Kehler were all named first team all-Canadian all-stars by the CJFL.

Johnson had a stellar season with the Hilltops playing out his final campaign of CJFL eligibility. The 22-year-old Melfort, Sask., product piled up 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions appearing in all eight of the Hilltops regular season games.

Kack topped the PFC with 7.5 quarterback sacks in regular season play. The 20-year-old Saskatoon product also posted 20 solo defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Kehler’s final CJFL campaign was his best one with the Hilltops. The 22-year-old Saskatoon product has been with his hometown CJFL club since 2017, but the 2022 campaign was his first season as a starter with the venerable CJFL club.

With Kehler anchoring the offensive line at left tackle, the Hilltops topped the PFC with 1,818 rushing yards and placed second with 3,364 total offensive yards in regular season play. Hilltops power running back Boston Davidsen led the PFC with 1,037 individual rushing yards due to the play of Kehler and the Hilltops offensive line.

Jayson Kehler, left, is a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

The Hilltops finished second in the PFC’s regular season standings with a 5-3 record. In the post-season, the Hilltops won a PFC semifinal contest against the Edmonton Huskies before falling in the PFC final to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder.

The Thunder had six player named first team CJFL all-Canadian all-stars on Thursday. The Thunder first team all-Canadian all-stars included receivers Rylan Sokul and Isaac Foord, right tackle Connor Klassen, defensive end Reece McCormick, cornerback Justin McKerracher and Eric Maximuik at punter.

On Wednesday, the Thunder had five players named second team CJFL all-Canadian all-stars. The Thunder’s second team all-Canadian all-stars included quarterback Carter Shewchuk, receiver Isaiah Woodley, left tackle Riley Schick, linebacker Stephen Smith and safety Adam King.

The Thunder host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium against the Okanagan Sun.

• On Monday, the CJFL announced London Beefeaters right guard Kevin Ricard will receive the Past Commissioners Community Service Award, when the CJFL hands out its major awards on Friday in Regina.
• On Thursday, the players from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team walked away with three major Canada West Conference awards. Quarterback Mason Nyhus was named the player of the year, right tackle Jack Warrack captured rookie of the year honours and running back Ryker Frank was given the nod as the Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner.
• On Thursday, the University of Regina Rams claimed two major Canada West Conference awards. Linebacker Ryder Varga was named the conference’s most outstanding defensive player and head coach Mark McConkey captured coach of the year honours.
• On Wednesday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Taz Smith-Windsor, who is a graduating star with Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team and has played a number of games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Smith-Windsor will be joining the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in 2023. The piece on Smith-Windsor can found by clicking right here. I also created a photo round up that is heavy on showing football in crunch time, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.

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.

Thunder triplets too much for Hilltops in PFC final

Saskatoon’s run of consecutive conference crown ends

Konner Johnson, right, gives a five to his mom, Dawn.

REGINA, Sask. - Moments after his CJFL playing career with the Saskatoon Hilltops came to an end, Konner Johnson was thinking about his coaches.

On Sunday before 1,207 spectators at Mosaic Stadium, the Hilltops 2022 campaign concluded with a 39-21 loss to the host Regina Thunder in the PFC final. With the win, the Thunder, who are 10-0 overall, advance to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on November 12 at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium against the Okanagan Sun. The Hilltops exit the 2022 campaign with a 6-4 overall mark.

On Saturday at Acumen Stadium in London, Ont., the BCFC champion Sun downed the host and OFC champion St. Clair Saints 42-24 in a CJFL semifinal contest to advance to the Canadian Bowl. The Sun are 13-0 overall, while the Saints conclude the 2022 campaign with a 10-1 overall mark.

The Thunder celebrate with the PFC championship trophy.

Johnson joined the Hilltops in 2018 and was a member of their 11-0 CJFL championship team in 2018 and 12-0 CJFL tile winner in 2019. After the 2020 CJFL campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Johnson rose to star status as a weak side linebacker with the Hilltops in 2021 helping them win a seventh straight PFC title taking the conference championship game 29-9 at Mosaic Stadium.

The Hilltops followed that victory by falling in the CJFL semifinal 17-14 to that year’s BCFC champion Langley Rams at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C. The Rams advanced on to win the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions.

Carter Shewchuk threw for 312 yards for the Thunder.

Johnson had his heart set on helping the Hilltops return to the Canadian Bowl to once again become CJFL champions along with the club’s 19 other graduating players. The Melfort, Sask., product said there were a lot of things he would take away and remember from his time with the Hilltops.

One of the biggest will be the impact the coaching staff led by legendary head coach Tom Sargeant and his right hand man in defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Yausie had on the team.

“They turn boys into men these coaches,” said Johnson, who had 10.5 total tackles in his final CJFL contest. “They’re amazing coaches and good role models in life.

Ryland Leichert carried the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two TDs.

“I’m definitely going to miss it. I am pretty sad.”

In Sunday’s PFC final, the Hilltops had all sorts of problems with the Thunder’s triplets in quarterback Carter Shewchuk, running back Ryland Leichert and receiver Rylan Sokul. All three Regina stars had big days.

Shewchuk completed 25-of-31 passes for 312 yards, one touchdown and didn’t throw any interceptions. To compliment his passing, Shewchuk ran the ball six times for 40 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Leichert carried the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also hauled in one pass for 15 yards. Sokul hauled in seven passes for 101 yards.

Rylan Sokul had seven catches for 101 yards for the Thunder.

On top of the big games Shewchuk, Leichert and Sokul had, Johnson was disappointed with how things went in the turnover department for his team. The Hilltops defensive unit that is usually so proficient in forcing turnovers wasn’t able to force a single turnover out of the Thunder offence.

The Thunder defence forced four turnovers from the Hilltops offence including an interception and three turnovers on downs.

“We always want to get five turnovers in a game,” said Johnson, who is a graduate of the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate Comets nine-man football team. “That really helps the offence.

“Today, I don’t know if we got any, so that really affected the game a lot.”

Konner Johnson had 10 total tackles for the Hilltops.

For a time in the first quarter, it appeared the Hilltops were destined to win an eighth straight PFC crown. The Thunder set up to try a 37-yard field goal on the game’s first possession, but kicker Eric Maximuik’s boot sailed wide.

Hilltops 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi returned the missed kick to the Saskatoon 53 yard line. The visitors proceeded to engineer a touchdown drive from that point that concluded with starting quarterback Trey Reider hitting veteran receiver Presley Peterson with an 11-yard touchdown toss to put the Hilltops up 7-0.

The Thunder answered back on their ensuing offensive series that concluded with Shewchuk connecting with depth receiver Garion Miller for a two-yard touchdown toss that evened the score at 7-7 with 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Presley Peterson, left, hauls in an 11-yards TD catch for the Hilltops.

At the 8:33 mark of the second quarter, Maxmuik connected on a 29-yard field goal with the wind to put the Thunder in front 10-7. After that kick, a key turning point occurred.

On Hilltops first play on their ensuing offensive possession, Reider was intercepted by Thunder second-year defensive back Adam King giving the host side’s offensive a short field. The Thunder offense quickly drove the short field with the series ending in a one-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak by Shewchuk to increase Regina’s lead to 17-7.

That score gave the Thunder command of the game, and Johnson said his defensive unit needed to come up with a turnover after King’s interception halt Regina’s scoring run.

Garion Miller secures a TD catch for the Thunder.

“The defence just had to go out there and make a play back and get the ball back for our offence,” said Johnson. “We didn’t do that at that time, so then momentum kind of swung a bit.

“It just kind of affected the game there.”

With 1:59 remaining in the second quarter, Leichert ran in a major from 20 yards out for his first score of the contest to give the Thunder a 24-7 edge going into halftime. Regina’s 17-point lead really limited the Hilltops ability to use star power running back Boston Davidsen in attempting to overcome the three-score deficit.

The Hilltops inserted 22-year-old veteran quarterback Damon Dutton into the game for the first offensive series of the third quarter. Dutton completed 2-of-4 passes for 33 yards before the drive stalled.

Boston Davidsen ran the ball 13 times for 80 yards for the Hilltops.

The visitors reinserted Reider for their second series of the third quarter, and the 20-year-old engineered a scoring drive that concluded with him hitting Peterson with a 25-yard touchdown pass that cut the Thunder lead to 24-14.

Just 25 seconds into the fourth quarter, Maximuik came out to attempt a 26-yard field goal with the wind, but a gust of wind blew the kick attempt wide of the uprights and through the back of the end zone into the stands for a single point that gave the Thunder a 25-14 edge.

The Hilltops quickly drove downfield on their ensuing offensive series, and Reider scored on a quarterback sneak to trim the Thunder advantage to 25-21 with 11:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Ryland Leichert, left, gets help from his teammates on a run.

The Thunder didn’t lose their cool and responded on their ensuing offensive possession. The hosts engineered a scoring drive that concluded with Shewchuk scoring a major on a one-yard bootleg run to increase the Thunder lead to 32-21.

Shewchuk said his offensive unit was confident they would get a score to reassert control of the contest after the Hilltops cut the host’s lead to four points.

“Obviously, it was huge, and we knew we could score at will really,” said Shewchuk, who is playing out his final campaign of CJFL eligibility. “We just made a couple of mental errors that kind of slowed us down at the beginning of that second half there.

The Thunder celebrate Ryland Leichert’s first TD on Sunday.

“Obviously, just knowing and going back to what we were doing in the first half and knowing that we were the better team and just imposing the will on the line of scrimmage really helps.”

The Thunder proceeded to tack on a two-yard touchdown run from Leichert with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter to round out the 39-21 final score in favour of the host side.

Sargeant said the Hilltops were trying to focus on shutting down Leichert and the Thunder running attack as a main point of emphasis, but Leichert and the Thunder offensive line including left tackle Riley Schick, left guard Noah Steinly, centre Max Mcfadden, right guard Nicholas Makowsky and right tackle Conner Klassen didn’t allow it.

Charles Sawi returns a kickoff for the Hilltops.

“We tried everything, but at the end of the day, their O-line were getting on us and pushing us,” said Sargeant. “They just wanted it more.

“I didn’t think it was more simple than that, so it was disappointing. We have to live with our performance, and we have to grow and learn and get better. We have to get in the weight room and get bigger and stronger - bottom line.”

Sargeant gave Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay, his coaching staff and his team full credit for the victory on Sunday and wished them well as they embark towards the CJFL title game.

“It wasn’t much of a game today,” said Sargeant. “That Regina Thunder is a good football team.

The Mosaic Stadium faithful cheer on the Thunder.

“They came out, they were on point, and they certainly were the more physical team. I thought we had to do a better job on the line of scrimmage. We just couldn’t get any energy there.”

Shewchuk was elated that his side came out with the victory on Sunday. The 23-year-old signal caller has been with the Thunder since 2017, and he was pumped his squad is finally going back to the CJFL title game for the first time since 2013, when the Thunder downed the Vancouver Island Raiders 55-26 at historic Taylor Field.

“You work so hard and put so much time and effort in,” said Shewchuk. “You sacrifice so many different things in order to reach one goal.

Carter Shewchuk ran the ball for 40 yards and two TDs

“I’ve been doing that for six years. I think 11 or 12 of us have been doing it for six years throughout a pandemic, throughout a loss in the championship game and everything like that. It is really indescribable what it means to me, because it is just nice to know all that time and effort paid off.”

Reider finished the contest completing 16-of-25 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. Rookie Drake Douglas led the Hilltops in receiving with six catches for 76 yards.

Davidsen topped the Hilltops with 80 yards rushing on 13 carries.

On defence, middle linebacker Matt Wist led the Hilltops with 14 total tackles.

Linebacker Stephen Smith led all Thunder players with seven total tackles.

The Hilltops players meet their fans after Sunday’s PFC final loss.

While Johnson was disappointed his playing career with the Hilltops has come to an end, he said the Thunder earned full marks in picking up the victory on Sunday to advance to the Canadian Bowl.

“It is a tough loss, and we didn’t play our best today,” said Johnson. “Credit to the Regina Thunder, they had a good game today.”

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.

Hilltops, Thunder PFC final – A must watch game

Teams to showcase some of CJFL’s best players

The Thunder and Hilltops will square off in the PFC final.

For the casual football or sports fan in Saskatchewan, a PFC final between the Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder is easy to get into.

On the simple to understand but always compelling front, the two teams are natural provincial rivals who are facing off for a conference title in the CJFL playoffs for the second year in a row. The Hilltops took last year’s encounter 29-9 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

After that victory, the Hilltops fell 17-14 in a CJFL semifinal to the BCFC champion Rams at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C. The Rams advanced on to win the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions.

When the Hilltops and Thunder go at it in this year’s PFC final set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium, there will be a little more on the line. The PFC champion hosts the Canadian Bowl this year, so the winner of the PFC final advances to host the CJFL championship game on November 12.

The followers of both the Hilltops and Thunder are aware of the team’s successful histories in recent years. The Hilltops won three straight CJFL titles from 2010 to 2012 and six straight CJFL championships from 2014 to 2019.

Konner Johnson is the Hilltops big play weak side linebacker.

The run of consecutive CJFL crowns for Saskatoon was interrupted by the Thunder in 2013.

This season, the Thunder once again enter the PFC final with a perfect 9-0 record. The Hilltops placed second in the conference with a 5-3 regular season record and enter the PFC final with a 6-3 overall mark.

Statistics on paper would say the Thunder are the favourites. The observation is backed by the fact the Thunder won both regular season meetings between the two sides. The last encounter saw the Thunder post a 23-7 victory at Mosaic Stadium on September 17, where they were the better team that day on offence, defence and special teams posting a complete solid win.

Of course in rivalry games, anything can happen, and records and statistics often get thrown out of the window. Of course, both sides have prime time players to watch.

One of the best to watch on the Hilltops side is star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player of the year, most outstanding linebacker and conference all-star. The Melfort, Sask., product just makes plays.

During his team’s eight regular season games, Johnson posted 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions. Johnson plays in the image of the cerebral Jack Ham, who was the greatest outside linebacker in the history of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Carter Shewchuk is having a stellar season for the Thunder.

On the Thunder side, their most exciting player is arguably defensive back Justin Mckerracher. Mckerracher topped the PFC with five interceptions to go along with 16 defensive solo tackles, seven defensive tackle assists, one special teams solo tackle, six pass knockdowns and one fumble recovery.

Mckerracher is such a threat when it comes to making interceptions that opposing teams game plan to stay away from his area of the field. He returned one of his interceptions this season for a touchdown, and he has the ability to emulate NFL defensive back all-time great Deion Sanders every time the ball is thrown his way.

On offence, the Hilltops have always been known for their ground game. Star power running back Boston Davidsen had an outstanding 2022 regular season carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

Charles Sawi, who is a 17-year-old rookie running back, has made some of the Hilltops most exciting plays this season being named the PFC’s rookie of the year and the conference’s all-rookie team. During the regular season, he carried the ball 30 times for 342 yards and scored two touchdowns.

On special teams, Sawi returned seven kickoffs for 168 yards and one touchdown, and five missed field goals for 271 yards that included a 125 yard return for a touchdown.

Offensively for the Thunder, veteran quarterback Carter Shewchuk is the biggest star. For the second straight season, Shewchuk was named the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback and conference all-star at quarterback.

Charles Sawi is making splash plays for the Hilltops as a rookie.

During the Thunder’s eight regular season games, Shewchuk completed 157-of-250 passes for 2,351 yards and 18 touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions.

The Thunder are loaded with talent at receiver and running back, but Shewchuk’s most explosive playmaker is arguably receiver Isaiah Woodley, who was named a PFC all-star. Woodley has loads of speed to burn having caught 34 passes for 593 yards and five touchdowns.

Both sides are also blessed with elite level coaching. Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant holds the record for most wins in Canadian amateur post-secondary football at 224, and he has been the Hilltops head coach since December of 1997.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was named the PFC’s coach of the year each of the past two seasons, and he captured that honour at the CJFL level last year too. MacAulay took over the Thunder head coaching role in the off-season before the 2013 campaign.

Both coaching staffs will likely have some plays in the bag they haven’t used but will be waiting to be used in this game.

On the weather front, Environment Canada is predicting a mix of sun and cloud with a temperature of 9 C for game time on Sunday. Those are balmy conditions for this time of year in Saskatchewan, which means both clubs will be able to use their entire playbooks.

Isaiah Woodley is the Thunder’s speedy, big play receiver.

There is hope the pleasant conditions on Sunday will be the perfect ingredient to attract casual ticket buyers. For the past eight years, fans in Canada seem to stay away from going to outdoor football games when it gets a touch cold even at the temperature of 1 C, which isn’t even that cold.

The only exceptions seem to be fans of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and supporters of Quebec’s U Sports football teams, who still attend contests in frigid conditions.

With that noted, you can expect the Hilltops and Thunder to put on a football showcase at Mosaic Stadium. In Canada’s current media cut era, please do spread word about this game.

If you are not in the stadium for this year’s PFC final, you will be missing out.

Thunder sweep PFC player of the week awards

Eric Maximuik, right, was the PFC’s special teams player of the week.

The Regina Thunder swept the PFC’s player of the week awards this week.

On Wednesday, Thunder players took the PFC’s offensive, defensive and special teams player of the week awards after the team’s 23-14 PFC semifinal victory over the Winnipeg Rifles this past Sunday in frigid conditions at Leibel Field in Regina.

Thunder running back Ryland Leichert was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week. Leichert carried the ball 52 times for 390 yards. Leichert’s 52 carries are a record for a CJFL post-season game surpassing the old mark of 44 carries set by Hilltops running back Ben Abrook on October 27, 2019, when Saskatoon downed the Edmonton Huskies 30-14 in that year’s PFC final.

Defensive end Reece McCormick took honours as the PFC’s defensive player of the week. McCormick had four quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery in the win over the Rifles.

With the four sacks McCormick was one sack away from equaling the record for most sacks in a CJFL post-season contest. Roger Rourke of the Richmond Raiders of the then BCJFL had five sacks in a post-season game on October 12, 1985 for the CJFL record.

Finally, Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik took honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week. In the win over the Rifles, Maximuik made all three of his field goal attempts coming from 35, 18 and 19 yards out.

Maximuik made both his converts. In the punting department, Maximuik kicked the ball seven times for 225 yards for an average of 32.1 yards per kick. He also kicked off three times for 122 yards for an average of 40.7 yards per kick.

McCormick and Maximuik accounted for three of the 13 PFC all-star selections the Thunder picked up this season. McCormick was an all-star on the defensive line, while Maximuik earned all-star selections as both a place kicker and punter.

The Thunder’s other PFC all-stars on defence included Reed Rabbetz on the defensive line, Stephen Smith at linebacker and defensive backs Justin Mckerracher and Adam King.

The Thunder’s PFC all-stars on offence included quarterback Carter Shewchuk, offensive linemen Riley Schick and Connor Klassen and receivers Isaac Foord, Rylan Sokul and Isaiah Woodley.

Thunder offensive lineman Ben Schmidt and defensive back Cooper Filazek were named to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

The Thunder also took home five of the PFC’s major awards with Shewchuk being named the most outstanding quarterback, Klassen the most outstanding offensive lineman, Foord the most outstanding receiver, McCormick the most outstanding defensive lineman and Maximuik as the most outstanding special teams player.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was named the PFC’s coach of the year.

No conference awards for 1,000-yard rusher Davidsen

Hilltops RB Boston Davidsen was shutout of awards from the PFC.

Saskatoon Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen was the recipient of the top snub, when the PFC handed out its major awards and all-stars.

The 21-year-old led the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns in eight regular season games. Davidsen was the only player in the PFC to reach the 1,000-yard plateau in rushing yards.

Despite the lofty numbers Davidsen put up, he didn’t receive any awards. He should have been at least one of the PFC’s two all-star running backs.

To be fair, Edmonton Huskies star running back Alex Gayle earned full marks for the PFC awards haul he had. He finished second in the PFC in rushing with 150 carries for 923 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season.

Davidsen wasn’t the same threat making catches out of the backfield hauling in three passes for 20 yards during the regular season.

Gayle was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back as well as a PFC all-star.

While Gayle was deserving of all his big honours, Davidsen should have still been a conference all-star.

WWCFL champion Valkyries hand out awards

Jaime Lammerding won the Valkyries Green and White award.

The WWCFL champion Saskatoon Valkyries handed out their team awards on October 15 in the main banquet hall at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building with established stars taking the three big honours.

Quarterback Alex Eyolfson was named the Valkyries offensive MVP. The 25-year-old had a career campaign putting up numerous big games. If she hadn’t before, Eyolfson cemented herself was one of Canada’s best quarterback in the female game.

Defensive end Danaye Holynski was named the Valkyries defensive MVP. Holynski has the gifts of both power and speed. She is able to sack the quarterback, make devastating hits and even run down receivers in the passing game.

Holynski made plays all over the field this past season for the Valkyries.

The Valkyries Green and White award for dedication to the team and the overall women’s game went to defensive tackle Jaime Lammerding. Lammerding is an original member of the Valkyries joining the team in their inaugural season in 2011, and she served as president of the WWCFL.

She retired as a player following the completion of the 2022 WWCFL campaign, which was a winning one. The Valkyries posted a perfect 7-0 record in 2022 taking the WWCFL title game 36-6 against the Manitoba Fearless on June 25 at Saskatoon Minor Football 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.

Hilltops aim for redemption in PFC final against Thunder

Low point loss in Regina fresh memory for Saskatoon side

The Hilltops charge on to the field this past Sunday.

The Saskatoon Hilltops haven’t forgotten the loss that truly humbled them.

On September 17 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Hilltops fell to the host Thunder 23-7. The setback to their provincial rivals saw the Hilltops losing streak grow to three games. At 2-3, the Hilltops had lost three games during an entire regular season for the first time since 1993, when the Saskatoon side posted a 5-3 mark.

During the three game losing skid, the Hilltops dropped a 19-16 decision to the Rifles at East Side Eagles Field in Winnipeg, Man., on August 28, and they feel in an overtime heartbreaker 29-21 to the Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on September 10. In both of those games, the Hilltops could have pulled out victory by making one or two more plays.

The setback to the Thunder on September 17 at Mosaic Stadium was a definite one for the Hilltops where they got outplayed on offence, defence and special teams.

The two sides are slated to go at it again this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in the PFC final. The winner advances to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on November 12.

Hilltops star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson said his team was disappointed by the September 17 showing and wants to make up for that effort this time around.

“It is definitely a motivator,” said Johnson. “We want to give them that back and just play our best game of the year on Sunday.”

Since that September 17 loss to the Thunder, the Hilltops have won four straight games. They took their last three regular season outings to finish second in the PFC at 5-3.

Ryland Leichert had a monster playoff outting for the Thunder.

The Hilltops hosted the Edmonton Huskies in a PFC semifinal this past Sunday at SMF Field and pulled out a gutty 20-15 victory.

The Thunder are a perfect 9-0 overall in the 2022 campaign. This past Sunday, they won their PFC semifinal match 23-14 over the Rifles at Leibel Field in Regina.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the September 17 loss to the Thunder was a shock to the system reality check for his club.

“That game changed our season,” said Sargeant. “Since then, we haven’t lost another football game.

“You break it down sometimes you get smacked in the mouth and then you have to decide what you are going to do about it. I think we addressed a lot of things that transpired during that game. As I said, we haven’t lost since then.

“We feel really good about that path we are in, the direction we are in and the team that we’re coaching. We’ve seen a lot of growth, so now, hey, great character win, gut check win on Sunday (against the Huskies) and we’re going to build on that and we’re going to play our best game of the year.”

The Hilltops and Thunder met in last year’s PFC final, which was also held at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatoon posted a 29-9 victory to take the conference title for a seventh straight year.

The last time the Hilltops fell in the PFC final came way back in 2013, when the Thunder pulled out a 21-16 victory at Griffiths Stadium on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan. The Thunder advanced to win the CJFL title interrupting the run where the Hilltops won three straight CJFL crowns from 2010 to 2012 and six straight CJFL championships from 2014 to 2019.

As the weather gets cooler in the post-season, both teams will be looking to their ground games to make an impact. Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen topped the PFC in rushing during the regular season carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert finished second in the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 124 times for 724 yards and four touchdowns. 

Boston Davidsen led the PFC with 1,037 yards in the regular season.

Leichert turned heads with an insane outing in the Thunder’s PFC semifinal win this past Sunday against the Rifles, where he carried the 52 times for 390 yards.

Leichert’s 52 carries are a record for a CJFL post-season game surpassing the old mark of 44 carries set by Hilltops running back Ben Abrook on October 27, 2019, when Saskatoon downed the Huskies 30-14 in that year’s PFC final. The Thunder had Leichert run the ball a bunch due to the frigid field conditions in Regina last Sunday, which saw the PFC semifinal encounter with the Rifles delayed by an hour and 45 minutes as parents, players, fans and volunteers cleared a large snowfall to allow the game to be played.

“They (The Thunder) are obviously a great team,” said Johnson. “I think we are too.

“This is PFC football weather. It is getting cold out. We’re excited, but we have a lot of work to do at practice this week and learn to stop the run a bit better than we did this past weekend.”

Johnson was referring to the fact the Hilltops gave up 207 yards rushing as a team in their PFC semifinal win over the Huskies.

With tale of the tape in the running game noted, Environment Canada is predicting the upcoming PFC final in Regina will be played in sunny conditions with an 8 C temperature. Those conditions would allow the passing game to be a factor, and the Thunder have the edge in that department.

During the regular season, Thunder star quarterback Carter Shewchuk completed 157-of-250 passes for 2,351 yards and 18 touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions.

The Hilltops quarterbacks have had their ups and downs this season resulting in Damon Dutton starting five regular season games, while Trey Reider has started three regular season contests. During the regular season, Dutton completed 74-of-119 passes for 790 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. Reider in regular season action has completed 63-of-95 passes for 756 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions.

Sargeant said he is watching how the Hilltops week goes at practice before making a decision on who will start at quarterback in the PFC final. The sideline boss said he can see why his team would be overlooked in the PFC final but his Hilltops shouldn’t be written off.

Tom Sargeant looks to guide his team to a win in the PFC final.

“Obviously if you are a betting person, you’re going to put your money on the team that has the better numbers,” said Sargeant. “As I said, it is who is playing their best at this time of the year is the team that is going to win a championship, and that is what the Saskatoon Hilltops are really good at doing.”

When the Hilltops playoff run does end, they will graduate 20 players who will exhaust their CJFL eligibility including Johnson. Johnson said it has gone through his mind that the end of his Hilltops career is near, but the team’s graduating players are focused on living in the moment.

“There are a lot of fifth year guys out here,” said Johnson. “There are like 20 of us that are definitely going to be leaving it all on the field every time we get out there now.

“We believe we have two games left, but we’re definitely only worried about this weekend so far.”

Former ’Toppers star QB Bradshaw passes away at age 33

We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chase Bradshaw.

Chase was an incredible football player, an amazing friend and teammate and a part of our family.

Our condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew him. We will miss him dearly.

RIP QB1 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/840WPZthGV

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) October 27, 2022

The Saskatoon Hilltops and the football community of Saskatoon are mourning the passing of former Hilltops championship winning quarterback Chase Bradshaw.

Bradshaw passed away on Monday at age 33 after a two-and-a-half year battle with glioblastoma/brain cancer. He played five seasons with the Hilltops from 2007 to 2011.

In 2007, Bradshaw was a rookie backup quarterback as the Hilltops won the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – over the St. Leonard Cougars 26-3 at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Man.

He was the Hilltops star starting quarterback when they won CJFL titles in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Bradshaw was at the controls of the offence helping the Hilltops down the Vancouver Island Raiders 34-23 at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus to win the Canadian Bowl.

Bradshaw called signals in his final CJFL game on November 14, 2011 helping the Hilltops down the host Hamilton Hurricanes 29-1 at Ivor Wynne Stadium to win the Canadian Bowl for a second straight year.

Before joining the Hilltops, Bradshaw helped the Evan Hardy Collegiate Souls win a Saskatoon city high school championship in 2006. After graduating from the Hilltops, Bradshaw played one season in the U Sports ranks for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in 2012.

Bradshaw will forever be part of the long list of great quarterbacks the Hilltops have had come through their storied program.

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.