Thunder stampede their way to PFC championship

Hilltops downplay no flag on head hit to Reider

The Thunder celebrate their PFC championship win.

The Regina Thunder continued to be their version of Bronko Nagurski and the Chicago Bears of the 1930s NFL.

On Sunday playing before 1,826 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Thunder stampeded their way to a 24-19 victory in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference final over their provincial rivals the Saskatoon Hilltops, who entered the contest as the defending CJFL champions.

The Thunder starting offensive line of left tackle Nolan Finn, left guard Caleb Barajas, centre Max McFadden, right guard Tristen Rapchalk and right tackle Eric Boyd hammered the Hilltops defence allowing the Regina side to pile up 321 yards rushing as a team on 49 carries for an average of 6.6 yards per rush attempt.

The Thunder O-line help their team rush for 321 yards.

Thunder star running back Sadik Sadik led Regina with 28 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Regina’s other star running back in Ryland Leichert also had a big day carrying the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Before facing the Hilltops, the Thunder piled up 751 yards rushing in their two previous outings that included a regular season 40-21 victory over the Calgary Colts and a 64-7 PFC semifinal win over the Colts.

Sadik is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility as he is 22-years-old. He was pumped his club could win the PFC title after falling in last year’s PFC final 21-13 to the Hilltops in Saskatoon.

Sadik Sadik ran the ball 28 times for 178 yards and two TDs.

“Coming out here, I told the boys I don’t’ want to end my season here in Saskatoon,” said Sadik. “This honestly couldn’t have been drawn up any better playing Saskatoon at their home.

“Coming out here dominating and making this place our territory, we own this place. It is really what it is.”

Despite the physicality of the Thunder, the Hilltops almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat taking the ball on one last offensive series from their own 15 yard line with 61 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and no timeouts at their disposal. After getting across midfield, the Hilltops went into their bag of tricks for a gadget play that resulted in the most controversial moment of the contest.

On what would ultimately be the second last play of the contest, the Hilltops ran their version of the “Philly Special.” Star fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider, who was named the MVP of the PFC for the 2024 campaign, passed the ball laterally in the right flat to star power running back Corbin Ebben.

Trey Reider charges downfield for the Hilltops.

Ebben took a couple of steps and fired a lateral pass back across the field to Reider. Reider took off down the left sideline before encountering Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith at the Thunder 22 yard line. Smith made a head first driving tackle striking the crown of his helmet into the head of Reider dropping the signal caller to the turf.

The Hilltops bench was immediately calling for a major foul penalty for the obvious and visible helmet-to-helmet hit that has been banned in tackle football for some time now, but the officials didn’t throw a flag on the head shot. As a result, the Hilltops had basically one play to throw the ball into the end zone from the Thunder 22 yard line with 6.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Since Reider went down in bounds, the clock starts when the officials blow the play in.

A Hilltops final pass to the end zone in knocked incomplete.

Had a major foul penalty been called, the Hilltops would have been scrimmaging first and goal from the Thunder seven yard line, and the clock would not start until the ball was snapped. Saskatoon could have conceivably run two more offensive plays in that scenario.

Instead, Reider made a Hail Mary jump ball pass to star fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas about five yards deep in the end zone along the right sideline. Thunder safety Adam King knocked down the final toss to preserve the victory for his side.

Reider put the Hilltops offence on his back finishing the day completing 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. He also topped the Hilltops with 102 yards rushing on nine carries.

The Hilltops react to losing in the PFC final.

At end of the contest, Reider didn’t have anything bad to say about the officials or what happened on the play when he was hit helmet to helmet.

“At the end of the day, you can try to blame the refs, but I just put this on myself,” said Reider, who finished his career with the Hilltops with a 25-2 record as their started quarterback. “You can’t really blame anyone.

“I could have made him miss maybe. That is just on me. I’m not going to put anything on the refs or anyone else.

The Thunder raise the PFC championship trophy.

“I am going to put it on myself.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was diplomatic when asked about the head shot Reider took.

“That is a variable we don’t control,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, referees are working hard doing their job.

“I have a lot of respect for what they do. Being in these big games and at the end of the day, their job is to make sure our players are protected. If they felt that was the case, then we got to agree with what was in front of us.”

Ryland Leichert (#32) ran the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Overall, Sargeant said his storied club didn’t perform at a level that was needed to pull out a victory.

“We didn’t play well enough to win,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, full credit goes to the Regina Thunder.

“They battled, and they competed for sixty minutes. I’m proud of my kids, you know what? At the end of the first half, they took it to us.

“We responded, regrouped, and you know, just didn’t make the right plays at the right time. As I said, it just wasn’t enough. We kept on fighting, scratching and clawing to the end, but it wasn’t good enough today.”

The Thunder opened the contest with an impressive first series that ended with starting quarterback Ethan Hugg hitting receiver Zak Woidyla for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up 7-0.

Drake Douglas caught seven passes for 121 yards.

Before the first quarter ended, the Hilltops got on the scoreboard with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to trim the Thunder lead to 7-3.

At the 3:29 mark of the second quarter, Thunder kicker Shawn Green hit a 26 yard field goal to give his squad a 10-3 lead at halftime.

The Thunder pushed their lead out to 17-3 with a four-yard rushing major by Sadik at the 5:51 mark of the frame. With 2:18 remaining in the third, Green had to concede a safety due to bad field position to make the Thunder lead stand at 17-5.

On the ensuing offensive series, the Hilltops quickly drove downfield. With 59.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Ebben ran home a major from 14 yards out to cut the Thunder advantage to 17-12.

Corbin Ebben (#34) scored a pair of touchdowns for the Hilltops.

Early in the fourth quarter, disaster struck the Hilltops on special teams. Douglas muffed a punt return deep in his own end, and defensive back Owen Effa recovered the ball for the Thunder. Zadik proceeded to score on a two-yard run at the 3:20 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Thunder a 24-12 advantage.

With 4:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reider hit Ebben with a 14-yard touchdown pass to trim the Thunder lead to 24-19. That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the game.

Coming into Sunday’s contest, the Thunder had lost five straight overall to the Hilltops, who finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-1 overall mark. The Hilltops had also won 21 straight games overall. Sadik was overjoyed his squad beat the Hilltops to capture the PFC title in his final CJFL season.

Trey Reider (#3) completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards.

“It means a lot,” said Sadik. “There is a lot of work that went into this you know what I mean?

“(There were) a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we came out here, and we did what we had to do and we came out with the win.”

The Thunder, who improved to 8-2 overall, have now won their last three straight overall. Their last loss came on September 28, when they were thumped 36-11 by the Hilltops at SMF Field.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was pumped his team rebounded from that drubbing to ultimately claim the PFC title.

“It feels fantastic,” said MacAulay. “It wasn’t an easy season.

Zak Woidyla makes a 10-yard touchdown catch for the Thunder.

“We had to do a lot of changes. I think the turning point was the last time we played against the Hilltops. We had to go back and take a look at what our assets were on our team and make sure we tried to use them a little bit more and put the ball in the boys’ hands and let them do the job.”

MacAulay said the players and coaches on his club concluded their strengths on offence were their offensive line and their talented veteran running backs. Since pushing all the chips in on the running game, the Thunder have been riding high.

“Our guys worked out hard during the off-season,” said MacAulay. “They’re physically fit, and this is what they wanted.

Stephen Smith had seven total tackles for the Thunder.

“The players were the one stepping up and saying that they wanted to run the rock and were holding the coaches accountable. It was a great couple of weeks.”

Douglas led the Hilltops with 121 yards receiving on seven catches. Ebben finished with 52 yards rushing on 13 carries to go with his major score on the ground. He caught 10 passes for 114 yards.

“We worked pretty hard, and this is not the outcome we wanted at the end of the day,” said Reider. “There is not really a lot to say right now.”

Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one touchdown. Former Thunder starter Carter Moberg saw spot action completing 1-of-2 passes for 11 yards.

Kai Kukurudza (#73) shows he made a fumble recovery.

Defensive back Nathan Young led the Hilltops with nine total tackles and one pass knockdown. Hilltops defensive end Kai Kukurudza and defensive tackle Ryan Adamko each had one fumble recovery.

Thunder cornerback Tristan Bergquist led his squad with seven solo defensive tackles and three pass knockdowns. Smith record five solo defensive tackles and four defensive tackle assists for the Thunder.

Middle linebacker Mitchell Tanchak had an interception for Regina.

Sargeant said he was going to be realistic with his final address with the club.

“(I will tell them) just how much I love them and how far we grew as a team,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day when you’re a Hilltop, the expectations are always high.

Ethan Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one TD.

“No one is going to feel sorry for the blue and gold. It is the reality. We played well, but we didn’t play well enough to win. We’ve got to live with that, and we’ve got to deal with that.

“At the end of the day, we’ll move on. That is life. You move on.”

The Thunder will move on to host a CJFL semifinal this coming Sunday against the BCFC champions Okanagan Sun (12-0) at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina. When the Thunder last won the PFC title in 2022, they fell to the Sun 21-19 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

MacAulay is giving his squad the chance to soak in the PFC final victory first before the Thunder turn their attention to the Sun.

Thunder members enjoy the PFC championship trophy.

“We’re going to celebrate tonight,” said MacAulay. “Winning in the PFC, there are six great teams.

“I think you’ve got to relish in the moment and worry about the Sun come tomorrow. We’re definitely excited to be moving on and have that opportunity.”

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Hilltops rainy night win over Thunder had throwback feel

The Hilltops charge on to SMF Field on Saturday.

It felt like the only things missing between the latest clash between the Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder were leather helmets and mud.

On Saturday, the provincial rivals battled each other in a CJFL regular season contest that was played in a constant rain at Saskatoon Minor Football Field where the Hilltops would prevail 19-10. It is actually quite rare to see a football game played in a steady rain from start to finish these days.

Most of those who were at Saturday’s game had to think back in their memories as to when they last witnessed or were part of such a contest. In Canada, it is more common for teams to play games in the snow and cold late in the season as opposed to a constant rain at any point in a campaign.

Saturday’s rain didn’t come down in heavy buckets. With that noted, the constant steady rain did affect the game. It appeared it was going to let up late in the third quarter only to regain the steady intensity it had for most of the contest.

Due to the elements, neither side had a banner day on offence. The Hilltops collected 288 yards of total offence coming off 152 yards rushing and 136 yards passing. The Thunder had 317 total yards of offence coming off 115 yards rushing and 202 yards passing.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen had a strong outing carrying the ball 33 times for 131 yards. Thunder star receiver Isaiah Woodley had a good night too hauling in 10 passes for 107 yards.

The west side stands at SMF Field on Saturday.

Overall, Saturday’s game had a throwback feel to it. There was a time the elements were a welcomed factor to be adjusted to in football games.

On top of testing a team’s skill on offence and defence, a team’s toughness and resolve was tested by how everyone on the squad dealt with different weather conditions. Those conditions often forced teams to alter strategy.

A couple of times on Saturday, the Hilltops elected to not gamble on a third-and-one situation offensively after crossing into Regina’s side of the field. Hilltops linebacker Matt Wist was having a good night punting, and the Hilltops brain trust led by legendary head coach Tom Sargeant elected to punt.

The Hilltops managed to pin the Thunder inside their own 10 yard line on those two occasions. As the rain came down, it seemed like a daunting task for teams to drive the length of the field, when they were pinned inside their own 10 yard line.

Both teams tried to do some different things in the running game with jet sweep type plays only to be dropped for losses.

Making long passes seemed to be an impossible task in the rain. Still, Hilltops quarterback Trey Reider was able to hit receiver Noah Flaman with a 36 yard pass and connect with pass catcher Drake Douglas on a 40-yard completion.

Matthew Noble (#54) fires snap back to Trey Reider (#3).

Thunder quarterback Ethan Hugg was able to hook up with Woodley on a 37 yard passing play.

One of the saving graces when it came to scoring came from the fact that an artificial field turf field was installed at SMF Field before the start of the 2014 campaign. Thanks to playing on field turf, Hilltops kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas was able to find secure footing to make 5-of-6 field goal attempts to allow the host side to pull out the win.

Many in Saskatoon remember what the old grass field was like at SMF Field when it was known as Gordie Howe Bowl before the field turf was installed. Had Saturday’s rain occurred on the old grass field that existed at that facility, both teams would have been playing in a mud pit.

There were times the mud pit got so bad that CJFL and high school games had to be moved from that facility to Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.

In the old mud pit that used to occur, it is likely Abel-Douglas wouldn’t have had the day he had making field goals due to bad footing.

The Thunder scored the only touchdown on Saturday thanks to a one-yard plunge by star running back Ryland Leichert with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter. Leichert’s score at the time trimmed an 8-0 Hilltops lead to 8-7.

Thunder RB Sadik Sadik, left, is caught by a Hilltops defender.

The different in the contest came down to the turnover battle, which the Hilltops claimed 5-1. The Hilltops got a pair of interceptions from defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, fumble recoveries from defensive back Jace Mowles and defensive end Ben Marce and a turnover on downs. 

The Thunder got an interception from defensive back Elijah Norris.

Those turnovers were big in allowing the Hilltops to improve to 7-0 to lock up first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference, while the Thunder fell to 5-2.

Another throwback “prairie tough” site was seeing a healthy crowd of 1,584 spectators turn out Saturday’s contest. 

Before the game, the Hilltops held their End Zone Dinner to raise funds for the team’s scholarship program, and that brought a few extra fans. The Thunder came with a healthy contingent of followers.

While those at the End Zone Dinner could look down from the main hall of the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building upon the field from the south end zone, most of the spectators took in the contest from the stands. They showed the football crowds in Canada can still be hearty bunch outside of those who support the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

In the social media age, it has become common for fans to bail out on bad weather football games, and adverse weather can be as mild as 5 C and sunny with no wind.

The Hilltops mark their victory on Saturday.

Saturday’s clash been the Hilltops and Thunder was a throwback clash that had an all-around cool feel to it. It was a regular season encounter that all those at SMF Field that night will never forget.

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Hilltops romp in the rain to lock up first in PFC

Saskatoon downs rival Thunder 19-10 to improve to 7-0

The Hilltops celebrate a big defensive play on Saturday.

The weather forced the Saskatoon Hilltops to win gritty and ugly.

Playing in a steady rain on Saturday night before 1,584 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the host Hilltops slugged out a 19-10 CJFL regular season victory over their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder.

The win allowed the Hilltops to improve to 7-0 and clinch first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference, while the Thunder fell to 5-2 to sit second in the PFC. Saskatoon also locked up home field advantage through the CJFL playoffs up until the Canadian Bowl, which is the circuit’s championship game.

The Hilltops received five field goals from third-year kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to pull out the win over the Thunder. Regina got the game’s only touchdown thanks to a one-yard plunge by star 20-year-old running back Ryland Leichert with 2:23 remaining in the second quarter to trim an 8-0 Hilltops lead to 8-7.

Boston Davidsen carried the ball 33 times for 131 yards.

“It was a great win for this young football team,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “The coaches had to grit and grind.

“The players had to grit and grind. At the end of the day, throw out all the stats it’s Regina. You know it is going to be a great game, and it certainly was today.

“I love how my boys fought especially in the second half. Boy, they played mentally and physically tough.”

Abel-Douglas was good on five-of-six field goal attempts on Saturday. His lone miss game on his final attempt of the game that came from 37 yards out and counted for a single point to put the Hilltops up by the eventual final score of 19-10 with 2:41 to play in the fourth quarter.

Charles Sawi tries to run to the outside for the Hilltops.

Had Abel-Douglas been able to make that last kick, he would have equaled the Hilltops team record for most field goals in one regular season game at six. That accomplishment was achieved on two occasions.

On August 26, 1984, Rick Barrack was the first Hilltops player to make six field goals in one regular season game. That mark was matched on October 3, 1999 when Jody Kerr made six field goals in one regular season contest.

Abel-Douglas was pleased he was able to come through with his five made field goals on Saturday to capitalize on the work his teammates did to get in field goal range.

Teijon Abel-Douglas (#80) made five field goals on Saturday.

“It was good, because the offence drove down the field,” said Abel-Douglas. “The defence had a few turnovers, and that put us into good spots.

“It is all about execution. I missed one today, so obviously, there is still room for improvement. We were put in good positions, and they were kicks I see every day in practice.

“That is comfortable. You go out and you put your head down and kick the ball.”

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen was doing his best to get Abel-Douglas into field goal range. Davidsen carried the ball 33 times for 131 yards to top all ground gainers.

That performance allowed Davidsen to hit the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for a second straight season. In the Hilltops seven regular season outings to date, Davidsen has carried the ball 150 times for 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had one catch for six yards.

Ryland Leichert dives in for a rushing touchdown for the Thunder.

On Saturday, Davidsen said Abel-Douglas played a huge role in helping the Hilltops pull out the win.

“We leaned on him (Abel-Douglas) today, and he really answered the call,” said Davidsen. “It is a blessing to have a guy like Teijon (Abel-Douglas) on your team, you know a really upbeat and positive guy.

“He does his job on the field as well.”

Abel-Douglas hit a 24-yard field goal to account for the only points in the first quarter giving the Hilltops a 3-0 lead. The Thunder conceded a safety just 14 seconds into the second quarter and Abel-Douglas followed with a 19-yard field goal to give the Hilltops an 8-0 advantage.

Thunder RB Justin Reiger (#31) is stopped by a Hilltops defender.

That set the stage for Leichert’s one-yard touchdown plunge that cut the Hilltops advantage to 8-7 going into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Hilltops got a 49-yard punt single from middle linebacker/punter Matt Wist, and Abel-Douglas nailed 20-yard field goal with one second remaining in the frame to push the Hilltops edge out to 12-7.

At the 4:14 mark of the fourth quarter, Shawn Green hit a 21-yard field goal for the Thunder to trim the Hilltops lead to 12-10.

Abel-Douglas proceeded to add field goals from 19 and 34 yards out to give the Hilltops an 18-10 advantage. That set the stage for Abel-Douglas’s missed field goal single that rounded out the 19-10 final score in favour of the Hilltops with 2:41 left to play in the quarter.

Isaiah Woodley, right, makes a catch for the Thunder.

The Thunder had two final drives that ended in an interception and a turnover on downs.

“I think we did our job, but now, the season is really just going to get to start,” said Davidsen, who team has won both head-to-head encounters with the Thunder this season. “We have first place, and now, we put ourselves in the best position for this next part of the season, which is the biggest part.

“Playoff football, we’re excited for it. There is a lot of work ahead of us. We played a good team today.

“There is a chance we will see them again, so we’ll have to regroup and focus up and get ready for the next opponent.”

QB Trey Reider, right, runs upfield for the Hilltops.

Due to the weather, Hilltops quarterback Trey Reider had quiet day throwing completing 8-of-12 passes for 136 yards with one interception. He ran the ball five times for 26 yards. Receiver Noah Flaman topped the Hilltops with 81 receiving yards coming off three catches.

Thunder backup quarterback Ethan Hugg started in place of Carter Moberg, who was out for undisclosed reasons. Hugg completed 20-of-32 passes for 202 yards, while throwing two interceptions.

Star receiver Isaiah Woodley led the Thunder with 10 catches and 107 yards receiving. Leichert led all Thunder ground gainers with 61 yards rushing coming on 20 carries to with his major score.

Hilltops defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens recorded 4.5 total tackles and a pair of interceptions, which included a pick that came on the Thunder’s second last offensive series. Outside linebacker Noah Gedir topped the Hilltops with 10.5 total tackles. Ben Marce and Jace Mowles had fumble recoveries for Saskatoon.

Matt Wist (#44) plugs a hole for the Hilltops.

Linebacker Stephen Smith led the Thunder with 12 total tackles. Linebacker Kenten Effa had a sack, and defensive back Elijah Norris had an interception for Regina.

The Hilltops lost second-year starting right guard Victoire Bikulo to a lower leg injury on the game’s first offensive play. Bikulo had to be taken off the field on a cart on a stretcher.

Quinton Pike, who is also in his second year, played a strong game in Bikulo’s place.

“Boy, losing Victoire (Bikulo) on play one certainly doesn’t help anything, but you know what, I love how everyone responded and took ownership of what was in front,” said Sargeant, who expects Bikulo will likely be out for the rest of the season. “You know what, Quinton Pike came in and played hard and played well, and the O-line played hard and played well, because that is an outstanding front seven.”

The Hilltops huddle up on offence.

The Hilltops will now close their regular season schedule on Sunday, October 8, when they host the Winnipeg Rifles at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

The Thunder will also conclude their regular season schedule on Sunday, October 8, when they host the Edmonton Huskies at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.

When the final gun sounded in Saturday’s clash between the Hilltops and the Thunder, Davidsen was pumped his side took the rain-soaked affair.

“Winning is more fun in the rain than losing is in the rain,” said Davidsen. “I’m happy we got the win, but I think we still have a lot of work to do.

The Hilltops react to their hard-fought victory on Saturday.

“That is a really good team we played, and it is likely we will see them again.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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