Hilltops hit road to B.C., hammer Sun 58-2

Logan Fischer and the Hilltops stomped out the Sun.

    So much for the Canadian Bowl rematch.

    The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops hit high gear on Saturday night in Kelowna, B.C., and the rest of the teams Canadian Junior Football League likely took notice of butt kicking that happened. Participating in their first regular season cross-conference match, the Hilltops took a 4-1 record into the Apple Bowl to face the host Okanagan Sun, who entered the contest with a 6-1 mark.

    The Hilltops downed the Sun 38-24 in last year’s CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – in Saskatoon.

    On Saturday, the Hilltops, who play out of the Prairie Football Conference, scored early and often to tune of a 58-2 beat down of the Sun, who are annually a powerhouse club in the British Columbia Football League.

    What made the victory even more impressive was the fact the Hilltops flew out Saturday, had to wait through a three hour flight delay and rushed through various preparations to be ready for the game’s 7 p.m. local start time at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna.

    Even with all those factors going against them, the Hilltops showed the pedigree of a team that has won the last two CJFL championships and a total of five CJFL championships in the last six years.

    Veteran power back Logan Fischer gave the Hilltops a big jump start scoring the team’s first touchdown on a nine yard run and the club’s third major on what was listed as a 27 yard run. Fischer finished with 105 yards rushing on 13 carries and had a catch for seven yards.
    Hilltops starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 9-of-15 passes for 173 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran in a major from four yards out.
    Sam Mike was the Hilltops leading receiver catching six passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
    Defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler had five tackles and a fumble recovery for the Toppers.

    Okanagan’s only score came on a conceded safety touch. The Sun fell to 6-2 with the loss.

    The Hilltops improve to 5-1 to still sit alone in second place in the PFC. The Calgary Colts downed the Regina Thunder 15-12 in a neutral site game at Medicine Hat on Saturday to remain first in the PFC with a 5-0 mark. The Thunder are third in the PFC with a 3-3 record.

    Saskatoon heads into a bye week along with Regina. The Toppers return to action on Oct. 1, when they travel to Regina to face the Thunder at old Mosaic Stadium at 7 p.m. If the Hilltops win that contest, they would take a huge step towards locking up at least a second place finish in the PFC and a home playoff date for the first round of the post-season.

Rams upset Thunderbirds 20-10

Noah Picton and the Rams topple UBC.

    The University of Regina Rams ensured the first game at new Mosaic Stadium will be significant, when it comes to the playoff picture in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

    On Saturday in Vancouver, the Rams upset the defending Vanier Cup champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 20-10. The Thunderbirds led 10-3 at halftime before the Rams rallied with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to claim victory.

    In the third quarter, Rams quarterback Noah Picton threw two touchdown strikes to Mitchell Picton from 10 and five yards out. Daniel Scraper hit a pair of field goals in the contest for the U of R.

Colton Zayshley returned a fumble for a touchdown for the Thunderbirds, who also received a field goal from Greg Hutchins.

    Noah Picton completed 24-of-33 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Rams. Khalid Kornegay topped the Rams with 109 yards receiving on three catches.

Michael O’Connor completed 32-of-48 passes for 337 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions starting at quarterback for the Thunderbirds.

    The Rams improved to 2-1 to sit third in the Canada West Conference. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies hold on to second in Canada West with a 2-1 record thanks to their 41-39 head-to-head overtime victory against the Rams in Week 1.

    The Thunderbirds fall to 1-2.

    The Rams and Huskies will play the first ever game at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. The single game tickets for this contest are already soldout. Tickets for that contest can still be purchased by buying “flex” ticket packages from the Rams, which include tickets to other games.

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