Is the CFL a place you should or shouldn’t be?

Great Grey Cup game doesn’t erase uncertain feelings

Mosaic Stadium at pre-game of the 2019 Labour Day Classic.

Is the CFL good and feeling alright?

It feels like those who are overseeing the operations of Canada’s professional football circuit want you to believe the answer to that question is yes. The CFL has a solid backing of ultra-passionate fans who believe the answer to that question is yes, and the league doesn’t have any problems at all. Those fans believe the only problem the league has are negative people that want to talk bad about the CFL, and those negative people aren’t real fans.

One step removed from the ultra-passionate fans are passionate fans who have loved the league for a long time, but aren’t sure what their current relationship is with the circuit. Some of those fans that have been season ticket holders for decades are planning to not be ticket buyers in any form in 2023.

As the 2022 CFL season concluded with the playing of the Grey Cup game on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina with the Toronto Argonauts ousting the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23, it didn’t feel like the campaign finished off as the normal love in that it usually does.

 No matter what challenges the CFL deals with, it always seems the bad stuff is forgotten during Grey Cup week, and everyone bonds over the circuit’s great attributes. The Grey Cup is often a compelling contest, and when it is completed, fans come away thinking the CFL game is great no matter who won.

The CFL is this league that seems to survive through sheer stubbornness. While I myself have loved the league, the realist in me was surprised the circuit was able to survive financially after the 2020 campaign was completely cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

When the CFL returned in 2021, some of the festivities surrounding the Grey Cup played in Hamilton, Ont., were limited as there were still various restrictions in place across Canada to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bombers downed the host Tiger-Cats 33-25 in overtime before 26,324 spectators at Tim Hortons Field in that contest.

This year marked the first time the CFL could host a full out Grey Cup week since the shutdowns that occurred in 2020. The circuit also ran its first full regular season where each club played 18 games for the first time since 2019.

By all accounts, the Grey Cup Festival events that started last Tuesday and ran through to Sunday were a success. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s state of the league address on Friday mainly received a warm reception. It looked the 2022 CFL campaign was going to conclude with the classic love in the Grey Cup week brings.

The Grey Cup game delivered with lots of thrills. At the start of the fourth quarter, Bombers returner Janarion Grant returned a punt 102 yards for a touchdown. The run back was the longest punt return in Grey Cup history.

The previous record was held by Terry Williams of the Calgary Stampeders, who returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown in his team’s 27-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2018 Grey Cup played in Edmonton.

The Bombers missed the extra point after Grant’s return score to make their lead at the time stand at 23-14. The Argonauts rallied for 10 straight points to win the game 24-23.

When Toronto closed the gap to 23-17, they had to finish the rest of the comeback behind backup quarterback Chad Kelly as starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand.

Cody Fajardo (#7) slings a pass in the 2019 Labour Day Classic.

After the Argonauts got ahead 24-23, the Grey Cup ended with a wrinkle I had never seen happen in the countless number of football games I’ve watched live in person or on television. The contest ended with blocked field goals on back-to-back series in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

First Argos kicker Boris Bede attempted a 37-yard field goal attempting the increase his team’s 24-23 advantage, but his kick was blocked by Bombers defensive back Nick Hallett. The Bombers had the ball at their own 29 yard line with two minutes remaining in the frame after the block.

Bombers star quarterback Zach Collaros drove his team into position to attempt a 47-yard field goal to go back ahead on the scoreboard. Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio’s kick was blocked by Argonauts defensive lineman Robbie Smith.

The Argonauts got the ball on their own 19 yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. They were able to bring the contest to an end with three kneel downs before going off to celebrate their one-point championship victory.

Even with the exciting finish, there was a visible sign that all was not good. Looking at the game on TV, it was easy to see Mosaic Stadium was about 40 per cent empty. A sellout attendance of 33,350 was announced by the CFL.

Way back on September 28, the CFL and the Roughriders jointly announced the Grey Cup game was a sellout. On Grey Cup game day on Sunday, you could have easily gone on to Ticketmaster’s website and bought tickets for the contest.

During the week leading up to events like the Grey Cup, it is common that tickets that are reserved for dignitaries that won’t be used for that purpose are released for sale to the public. Still, there seemed to be about 1,000 tickets on the Ticketmaster site that were coloured in blue meaning they had yet to be bought by someone in the public.

You could purchase upper deck tickets for $296.85 each or tickets five rows behind a team bench for $546.60 each.

There were a sizable number of tickets available in the resale red, which means people who originally purchased the tickets were trying to unload them.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the NFL had a practice of announcing an actual attendance figure of people who actually entered the stadium and a no show figure. The no show figure was for people who purchased tickets but didn’t go to the game.

It is unlikely a no show figure will ever be released for Sunday’s Grey Cup game.

In the 2000s, it was common for tickets anywhere in CFL stadiums to cost between $40 and $60. The focus was to get the average working person into the stadium.

At least for Saskatchewan Roughriders games this past season, about 70 per cent of the seats at Mosaic Stadium cost at least $100 per seat. In 2019 which was the CFL’s last year operating before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the ticket prices in the lower sections between the 20 yard lines was anywhere between $55 to $155 before fees and taxes in eight of the nine CFL stadiums.

Patrick Neufeld (#53) sets to make a block for the Bombers.

Price point is a big problem in the CFL. It is an even bigger problem in 2022, when inflation in Canada has seen seemingly every product in Canada increase in price. Travel costs are higher, and it seems taking a flight to travel anywhere in Canada via airlines becomes a bigger gamble by the day.

The CFL’s solid backing of ultra-passionate fans don’t seem to mind the increased costs. They see rising ticket costs as a tax increase you pay to show your loyalty to your team. If it means you go into debt to support your team, you do it.

Judging by how many people didn’t show up for the Grey Cup, it appears all the inflationary costs do actually matters to a sizable amount of people these days.

During the regular season, 3DownNation reported the Bombers led the CFL in attendance for the first time in league history averaging 28,652 fans per game. The Roughriders were second averaging 27,431 spectators per game according to 3DownNation, which the first time attendance dropped below 28,000 per contest since 2006.

The Bombers record for average regular season attendance was 30,637 spectators per contest in 2013. The Roughriders record for average regular season attendance was 37,503 spectators per contest in 2013.

The Argonauts had the worst average attendance during the 2022 regular season averaging 11,874 spectators per game. Believe it or not, the Argonauts record for average attendance per contest is 47,355 spectators per game set back in 1976.

It is a fact that attendance in the CFL isn’t what it used to be.

For myself, I often struggle with the notion that the CFL is a place for me when it comes to any form of a role. The last game I attended in person was the Labour Day Classic contest on September 1, 2019, when the host Roughriders downed the Bombers 19-17 at Mosaic Stadium.

I didn’t go to any CFL games in 2021 due to the fact I was covering the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades on a regular basis. The teams in the CJFL and WHL were doing frequent COVID-19 testing and it was still common for teams and leagues to be shut down due to positive tests. No matter what, those three teams elected to interact with the media in person.

I personally didn’t want to be the one that accidentally brought in a COVID-19 case to get the Hilltops, Raiders or Blades shutdown, which meant no CFL games for me. Since March of 2020, I’ve only been out to four big fun social gatherings that included a family wedding in September 2021 and a WWE house show this past October.

I was planning to go to a CFL game this season, but work related projects prevented that from happening.

In Saskatchewan, I felt the negativity when things go bad for the Roughriders has been way worse since they returned to play in 2021 than it had before the shutdowns in 2020. That had been a factor in killing the motivation to go to games even with having a couple of friends on the Roughriders roster. Cost also became a factor too this season as I’ve elected to spend money elsewhere to adjust to various price inflations that are currently seen in Canada.

I also feel the CFL isn’t as connected to the fans as it once was. It seems like the decision makers on that circuit are comfortable with getting by on the support of the ultra-passionate fans who will spend huge amounts of money on the league no questions asked.

Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019.

The rules and the CFL game itself are as awesome as always. This past week I caught the re-airing ESPN broadcast of the 1981 Grey Cup.

Famed NFL analyst Paul Maguire did the analyst work on the 1981 Grey Cup, and he went into great lengths about how great the various unique rules are for the Canadian game. It felt like the ESPN broadcast was an advertisement for the Canadian game.

No matter what happens in Canada or the world, it feels like the CFL will somehow always be around. The Grey Cup game has been awarded in Canada since 1909. Again by sheer stubbornness, the Canadian version of pro-football never goes away.

Will it have another golden age when it comes to fan interest? Being a realist, the jury is out on the answer to that question, but it doesn’t seem possible in the short term or midterm.

Johnson gets final salute at Hilltops team awards banquet

Konner Johnson was named the Hilltops most outstanding grad.

Konner Johnson received one last hurrah with the Saskatoon Hilltops during the team’s annual award banquet, which was held Saturday night at the Delta Marriott Hotel.

The weak side linebacker, who established himself as one of the storied CJFL club’s all-time greats, took home the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the club’s most outstanding graduating player. 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. The 22-year-old was named a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker, the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player, a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star and the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player. This past May and June, Johnson attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went right tackle Davin Johnson. Davin was a true first year player having graduated from Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate this past June.

He became the Hilltops starting right tackle about halfway through this past season and started the Hilltops two post-season games. It is rare for any rookie straight out of high school to earn a starting spot as a rookie with the Hilltops, so Davin accomplished big things with the Hilltops in 2022.

Jaxon Funk was named the Hilltops top lineman.

Graduating centre Luciano Jolly took home the Blue and Gold Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to the team. Graduating receiver Dillan Heintz captured the Courtice Inspiration Award.

Defensive back Evan Mantyka, who also exhausted his CJFL eligibility, was given the Ron Atchison “True Grit” award. Middle linebacker Matt Wist, who has one year of CJFL eligibility remaining, claimed the Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award as the team’s top linebacker.

Graduating defensive tackle Jaxon Funk captured the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman.

The Hilltops posted a 5-3 record in regular season play to finish second in the Prairie Football Conference. They advanced to the PFC final, where they dropped a 39-21 decision to the host Thunder in Regina at Mosaic Stadium back on October 30.

The Hilltops graduate 20 players from their 2022 roster including Connor Green, Matt Turple, Mantyka, Damon Dutton, Carter McLean, Steve Gilewicz, Tanner Szakacs, Konner Johnson, Jayson Kehler, Dylan McNutt, Mitchell Clarke, Jordan Bisson, Jolly, Aidan Connoly, Ethan Paslowski, Daylen Hartz, Funk, Presley Peterson, Heintz and Lachlan Horsley.

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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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.

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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.

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Hilltops good, not good enough in 2022 CJFL campaign

Boston Davidsen ran for 1,037 yards in the CJFL regular season.

There were no championship celebrations for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2022, but the venerable CJFL club was far from awful.

The Hilltops were good, but they weren’t good enough. Their season came to an end Sunday, when they fell 39-21 to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder in the PFC final.

The Thunder, who are 10-0 overall, advanced on to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. against the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun, who are 13-0 overall.

Regina’s win in the PFC final ended a run that saw the Hilltops win seven consecutive conference crowns. Before Sunday, the last time the Hilltops didn’t win the PFC title came back in 2013, when they dropped a 21-16 decision to the Thunder in the conference championship game at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan grounds in Saskatoon on October 27 of that year.

Konner Johnson reacts to making an interception this season.

When the Hilltops conclude a campaign without winning a championship, it feels strange to anyone associated with the club. The Hilltops have had an unprecedented run of success in the CJFL, which has created incredibly high standards.

From 2010 to 2012, the Hilltops won three straight CJFL championships. After the Thunder captured the CJFL crown in 2013, the Hilltops proceeded to win six straight CJFL titles from 2014 to 2019.

That run of six straight titles was capped with an 11-0 perfect season in 2018 and a 12-0 perfect season in 2019. During the 2018 campaign, the Hilltops trailed on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds.

Charles Sawi was the PFC’s offensive rookie of the year.

As the 2022 season isn’t too far away time wise from the Hilltops winning nine CJFL championships in a 10-year span, it feels like a season where a championship wasn’t won was a disappointment.

Overall, the Hilltops posted a 6-4 record in 2022. The 6-4 overall mark was the worst record the Hilltops had posted since going 6-4 overall in 1993.

Back in 1993, the Hilltops also made the PFC final and fell 30-15 to the Regina Rams at historic Taylor Field in Regina. The Rams advanced on to win the Canadian Bowl posting a perfect 12-0 record. They would later leave the CJFL and begin playing in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams in 1999.

The Hilltops had an up and down campaign in 2022 that included experiences the club hadn’t gone through in over three decades. The biggest challenge the team faced was dealing with losing games.

HC Tom Sargeant, centre, and his team were challenged in 2022.

The 2022 season marked the first time the Hilltops lost three games in a regular season and four games overall under legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who became the team’s top sideline boss in December of 1997.

When the Hilltops started the season 2-0, it looked like the 2022 campaign would play out as successfully as most of the team’s other seasons do. The modern version of the club began play in 1947 and has won 22 CJFL championships.

Following the 2-0 start, the Hilltops proceeded to those three straight, which was a first under Sargeant’s time as head coach. The last two of those setbacks came to the Thunder.

The skid started with a 19-16 loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28 and was followed by a 29-21 setback in overtime to the Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on September 10. The final game of the slide saw the Hilltops drop a 23-7 decision to the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium on September 17, and the Thunder outperformed the Hilltops on offence, defence and special teams in that encounter.

Damon Dutton started the Hilltops first five regular season games.

No one could recall exactly when the Hilltops last lost three consecutive games. Even with the club’s stellar veteran coaching staff, doubt surfaced about the storied team’s ability to pull out of the tailspin.

The Hilltops did rally winning their last three straight games of the regular season to finish second in the PFC standings with a 5-3 mark. That allowed the Hilltops to host a PFC semifinal against the Edmonton Huskies.

Against the Huskies, 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi ran home a touchdown from 33 yards with 65 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to allow the Hilltops to pull out a 20-15 victory. At that point, one had to wonder if the Hilltops playoff mystique was rising up and could carry the team all the way.

Trey Reider became the Hilltops starting QB in their sixth game.

In the PFC final last Sunday, the Hilltops started well taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, when 20-year-old quarterback Trey Reider hit veteran receiver Presley Peterson with an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Thunder answered back scoring 24 straight points to go into the halftime break with a 24-7 advantage.

Saskatoon battled back in the second half. With 11:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reider scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak and the Thunder lead was trimmed down to 25-21.

In past years in this same situation, the Thunder might have started to fold when the Hilltops comeback attempt was on. This time the Regina side wasn’t fazed.

DE Riece Kack (#47) closes in on a sack for the Hilltops.

On their ensuing possession, the Thunder drove down to score a touchdown to reassert control of the contest. Regina added another major score before the end of the fourth quarter to round out the 39-21 final in favour of the host side.

The Thunder’s triplets in quarterback Carter Shewchuk, running back Ryland Leichert and receiver Rylan Sokul were too much for the Hilltops to handle.

In 2022, the Hilltops play from the quarterback position was inconsistent. Damon Dutton, who was the team’s 22-year-old veteran, was pulled in the September 17 loss to the Thunder in favour of Reider.

Reider remained the starter for the rest of the season, but Dutton was inserted part way through the third quarter of the team’s PFC semifinal win. Dutton helped give the Hilltops a spark to allow them to pull out victory in that contest.

The Hilltops O-line helped the team lead the PFC in rushing.

Reider started the PFC final, but after the Hilltops fell behind 24-7 at halftime, Dutton started the first series of the second half. In that instance, the Hilltops coaches allowed Reider to get a live look from the sidelines before re-entering the game.

The younger signal caller went back in for the Hilltops second series and threw a touchdown pass to go with his rushing score to allow the Hilltops to pull within 25-21. Looking back over that PFC final, Reider likely graded out very well.

Statistically, he completed 15-of-26 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. Statistics only told part of the story as Reider didn’t look overwhelmed by the big stage, and his belief seemed to grow as the game went on.

Drake Douglas secures a TD catch for the Hilltops.

The two biggest concerns the Hilltops likely had in their two post-season games was their rushing defence as they couldn’t prevent two star running backs from having big days.

In the PFC semifinal win over the Huskies, Huskies star running back Alex Gayle, who was rightfully named the PFC’s most valuable player in 2022, carried the ball 34 times for 175 yards. The Huskies had 207 yards rushing as a team, but the Hilltops found a way to come out ahead on the scoreboard.

In the PFC final loss to the Thunder, Leichert ran the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The Thunder had 238 yards rushing as a team. Those post-season rushing totals show that the Hilltops defensive line got beat physically by the opposing team’s offensive line.

Daylen Hartz sets to rush the QB for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops defence is consistently proficient at creating turnovers, but was unable to force a turnover in the PFC final. The Thunder defence got an interception and three turnovers on downs.

In 2021 when the Hilltops fell 17-14 in a CJFL semifinal to the eventual CJFL champion Langley Rams in Langley, B.C., that contest could be chalked up as a weird once in a blue moon type contest. The Hilltops turned the ball over an unimaginable 12 times, while the Rams turned the ball over seven times.

In the 2022 PFC final loss to the Thunder, the Thunder were the better team. While the Hilltops for a 10-year stretch were used to being chased by clubs trying to gain ground on them, they now have to chase down and gain ground on the Thunder.

Presley Peterson, left, hauls in a TD catch for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops will have to do that after graduating 20 players who exhausted their CJFL eligibility. The biggest loss is star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player in 2022.

The offensive line loses four starters to graduation in left tackle Jayson Kehler, left guard Jordan Bisson, centre Luciano Jolly and right guard Ethan Paslowski. The Hilltops offensive line was a big reason why Saskatoon had the PFC’s top rushing offence in 2022 and star power running back Boston Davidsen surpasses 1,000 yard rushing in the regular season carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

Youngsters took turns playing right tackle for the Hilltops with time being split between Victoire Bikulo, who is in his second season, and rookie Davin Johnson. The Hilltops will be looking to both to anchor the offensive line next season.

The Hilltops meet their fans after falling in the PFC final.

Sawi was named the PFC’s offensive rookie of the year in 2022, and receiver Drake Douglas had some strong games playing as 20-year-old rookie in the CJFL.

It should be noted other teams will be dealing with key graduations too. When the Canadian Bowl concludes on November 12, the Thunder grads will include Shewchuk and Sokul along with another key star receiver in Isaac Foord.

The Hilltops will truly be relying on their youth in 2023. They will be writing their own story in their journey to return the Hilltops to title winning form to allow the club to start filling their trophy case at their clubhouse once again.

Wist, Sawi capture PFC weekly awards

Hilltops MLB Matt Wist, left, disrupts a Thunder pass attempt.

The Saskatoon Hilltops might have fallen in the PFC final, but two players were able to pick up play of the week honours.

On Tuesday, middle linebacker Matt Wist named co-winner of the PFC’s defensive player of the week award. In the Hilltops 39-21 PFC final loss on Sunday to the host Regina Thunder at Mosaic Stadium, Wist piled up nine solo defensive tackles, nine defensive tackle assists and one special teams assisted tackle. Wist’s nine assisted tackles were tied for second most in a PFC post-season contest.

The Hilltops middle linebacker shared the PFC defensive player of the week award with Thunder defensive back Adam King. King had a key interception for his side in the second quarter of his team’s PFC final victory. He also recorded two solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist, one special teams tackle assist and one pass knockdown.

Sawi was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week for the third time in the 2022 campaign. In the Hilltops PFC semifinal loss, Sawi returned two missed field goals for 100 yards. Sawi’s yardage total on missed field goal returns were the second most ever recorded in a PFC post-season game.

The 17-year-old rookie running back returned one kickoff for 30 yards, one punt for seven yards and ran the ball once on offence for three yards.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert took home honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week. In the Thunder’s PFC final win, Leichert carried the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one catch for 15 yards.

Saints’ Hayes-Williams cracks into CJFL record book

St. Clair Saints receiver Jared Hayes-Williams broke a 28-year-old CJFL record on Saturday.

In a CJFL semifinal played at Acumen Stadium in London, Ont., Hayes-Williams broke the record for most receptions in a CJFL post-season contest setting a new standard with 14 catches. Hayes-Williams had 14 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown as his OFC champion Saints fell 42-24 to the BCFC champion Okanagan Sun, who call Kelowna, B.C., home.

The old record for catches in a CJFL post-season contest of 13 was held by Stephen Canestrani of the now defunct Laval Scorpions. Canestrani made his 13 catches on October 23, 1994.

The Sun with the win on Saturday advance to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl will be played on Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina between the host and PFC champion Thunder and the Sun.

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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.

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