Invincible – Hilltops and Thunder are not

Squads built PFC leading records on work ethic

David Collins (#10) races downfield for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder are vulnerable.

That seems like a strange thing to say about two squads that are cemented to finish in the top two of the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference in 2025. The Thunder lead the PFC with a 6-1 mark, while the Hilltops are second at 5-2.

All PFC teams are currently on a bye week and they all have one regular season contest remaining on their respective schedules.

The Hilltops and Thunder split their two head-to-head games in their regular season series playing to a tie 39-39 score in those two contests. At the moment, the Hilltops hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker holding a 121 differential in points for and against in the regular season. Regina has a 104 differential in points for and against.

The Thunder can lock up top spot in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field. If the Wildcats pull off an upset, the Hilltops would be able to move back into first place in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Calgary Colts on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The Hilltops and Thunder first went head-to-head on September 6 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Saskatoon pulled out an 18-15 victory in a defensive slugfest.

The two sides met again this past Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Thunder prevailed in this encounter 24-21.

It is common to see the Hilltops and Thunder in the top two of the PFC. In 2025, it doesn’t feel like those two clubs are head and shoulders above everyone else like in past years.

During their first encounter, it felt like both sides had their starting quarterbacks in Hilltops pivot Brexton Elias and Thunder signal caller Adam Mosher act as game managers and play into the hands of their respective defences. There was more offence in the second encounter resulting in a more exciting contest, but there still seemed to be a reliance on the running game on both sides.

Peter Boersch leads the PFC with 1,117 yards rushing.

The signal callers on both sides haven’t played to a superstar level, which would make one club or the other untouchable. 

Regina saw that type of quarterbacking in the past at the CJFL level not with the Thunder but when Darryl Leason quarterbacked the Regina Rams from 1992 to 1995. Leason would again be the Rams signal caller in 2000 and 2001 after they moved to the U Sports ranks in 1999.

Saskatoon saw that type of quarterbacking when the late Chase Bradshaw was calling signals for the Hilltops from 2007 to 2011. The Hilltops also got stellar quarterbacking from Jared Andreychuk and Jordan Walls through most of the 2010s making the Saskatoon side fairly close to invincible.

With that noted, it feels like the players including the quarterbacks on the Hilltops and Thunder are bringing the work ethic and giving everything they have in 2025. When those clubs have posted lopsided victories against other foes in the PFC, those results were created by hard work.

Offensively, the Hilltops and Thunder are mirror images of each other in 2025. The Thunder top the PFC with 1,844 yards rushing, while the Hilltops are second with 1,680 yards rushing.

The passing attacks for both squads are at the other end of the spectrum. The Thunder are last in the PFC with 1,183 yards passing, and the Hilltops are second last in the PFC with 1,310 yards passing.

Traditionally, the Thunder are usually a pass-happy team that mirrors their U Sports cousins and CJFL predecessors in the Rams.

On defence, the Hilltops have given up the fewest gross yards of offence at 2,234, while the Thunder have surrendered the second fewest gross yards at 2,375.

Brexton Elias directs traffic on the run for the Hilltops.

For both teams, it makes sense to rely on the running game as both have strong offensive lines. The running backs on both sides are next level.

Thunder running back Peter Boersch had turned into a legitimate star leading the PFC in carries (156) and rushing yards (1,117) to go with three majors on the ground. Regina has also benefited from the strong play of sophomore running back Carter Ashman.

American import running back David Collins has had a spectacular campaign in the lone season he will be able to play for the Hilltops. 

The 22-year-old has carried the ball 114 times for 909 yards and 11 touchdowns. Collins sits second in the PFC in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns.

Saskatoon has benefitted from the strong play of veteran running backs Corbin Ebben and Charles Sawi.

On defence, Saskatoon has lots of big play players like middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and defensive tackles Johnathon Stevens and Nahom Menghestab. Regina also has a lot of big time players on defence including middle linebackers Devin Baumann and Kenten Effa along with boundary cornerback Cooper Filazek.

At quarterback, Elias and Mosher feel like they have much greater potential than they’ve shown. During the CJFL post-season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both had breakout games.

Still, it feels like the Hilltops and Thunder could potentially be upset in their respective PFC semifinal games, if they are not at their best. One squad that could cause upset wins is the 3-4 Winnipeg Rifles.

The Rifles thumped the Hilltops 31-11 on August 10 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg. 

Adam Mosher calls out signals for the Thunder.

On top of beating the Hilltops, the Rifles were one unsuccessful two-point conversion away from upsetting the Thunder falling 41-40 on September 21 at Maple Grove Rugby Park.

With that noted, the Hilltops and Thunder could continue to keep bringing top efforts, which ultimately leads to one squad winning another CJFL championship. In that situation, the winning coaching staff will have a special sense of pride for their players in how far they have come over the campaign.

Going forward, another PFC final between the Hilltops and Thunder is expected, but in the back of the mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both teams didn’t make it that far. They have to continue to bring a top level work ethic to have a third meeting in the 2025 campaign.

PFC players of the week nods Thunder heavy

Jake Mayo is the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

An exciting win over their provincial rivals have resulted in Regina Thunder players claiming two of the three PFC player of the week awards.

On Tuesday, Thunder cornerback Jake Mayo was tabbed as the PFC’s defensive player of the week, while Thunder place kicker/punter Shawn Green was the special teams player of the week. Both had big outings in their team’s 24-21 victory over the Saskatoon Hilltops this past Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

In the Thunder victory, Mayo intercepted two passes returning one pick 34 yards for a touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mayo also had four solo defensive tackles and one pass knockdown.

Green made his lone field goal attempt from 35 yards out and connected on all three of his one-point converts. He punted 11 times for 373 yards for an average of 33.9 yards per kick. Green kicked off four times for 174 yards for an average of 43.5 yards per kick.

Edmonton Wildcats receiver Mekhi Tyrell took honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts in his team’s 28-26 setback this past Sunday to the Winnipeg Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg. Mekhi caught 11 passes for 160 yards and carried the ball once for 23 yards. On special teams, Mekhi returned three punts for 30 yards and one kickoff for 15 yards.

Shawn Green is the PFC’s special teams player of the week.

All teams in the PFC have one game remaining on their respective regular season schedules. The Rifles hold third place at 3-4, while the Edmonton Huskies sit fourth at 3-4. The Wildcats are fifth at 2-5, while the Calgary Colts are sixth at 2-5.

The top four teams in the conference make the CJFL playoffs.

All six PFC teams will play their final regular season contests on Sunday, October 12.

The Huskies will host the Rifles at Jasper Place Bowl at 1 p.m. local time. The winner will lock up third place in the conference. A tie would clinch post-season berths for both squads.

The Saskatoon Hilltops (5-2) host Colts at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, and the Regina Thunder (6-1) host the Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.

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

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“Sarge” shoulders blame in Hilltops loss to Thunder

Regina prevails 24-21 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field

The Thunder celebrate a pick-six by Jake Mayo (#9).

Legendary Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is falling on the sword.

On Saturday night before 1,766 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Sargeant saw his Hilltops drop a heartbreaking 24-21 decision to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder in a CJFL regular season clash. The Hilltops trailed 17-7 at halftime and after three quarters until furiously trying to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter.

The win saw the Thunder improve to 6-1 and move alone into first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference. The Hilltops saw their five game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 5-2.

“You know at the end of the day we got out coached,” said Sargeant. “It is as simple as that.

Hilltops QB Brexton Elias threw four interceptions on Saturday.

“My player sure played hard today. I thought they competed. They grinded right to the very end.

“At the end of the day, I didn’t put my players in the best spots to be successful, so I own that. Obviously, I’ve got to do a better job of coaching this football team. That is pretty obvious today.”

While the victory moved the Thunder to the top of the PFC standings, they were not able to clinch top spot in the conference. That is because the Thunder and Hilltops split their two head-to-head games in their regular season series playing to a tie 39-39 score in those two contests.

At the moment, the Hilltops hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker holding a 121 differential in points for and against in the regular season. Regina has a 104 differential in points for and against.

Jake Mayo had two interceptions for the Thunder.

The Thunder can lock up top spot in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field. If the Wildcats pull off an upset, the Hilltops would be able to move back into first place in the PFC by winning their final regular season contest against the visiting Calgary Colts on Sunday, October 12 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The team that finishes first in the PFC will have home field advantage through the entire CJFL playoffs, because the PFC champion will host the CJFL championship game – The Canadian Bowl.

Both the Thunder and the Hilltops are guaranteed to finish in the top two of the PFC standings and will host PFC semifinal games.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant said he got out coached.

In Saturday’s clash, the turnover battle proved to be the undoing of the Hilltops. Saskatoon turned the ball over five times, while Regina committed two turnovers.

Hilltops quarterback Brexton Elias would take his first loss as the team’s starter. He completed 16-of-29 passes for 240 yard and one touchdown, while throwing four interceptions. Elias also ran the ball four times for 26 yards.

Sargeant said coaching errors resulting in Elias having a tough day in the turnover department.

“I love how Brexton (Elias) rallied up, and he put is in the position (to win),” said Sargeant. “He is a playmaker.

Jackson Harnett had a 72-yard TD run for the Thunder.

“He is trying to grind at the end and make plays. That is what we coach him to do. He did everything we needed him to do.

“He gave is a chance, and we just didn’t finish it at the end.”

Elias was appreciative that Sargeant wanted to shoulder the blame, but the signal caller said he had to cut down on his mistakes and same goes for all the players on the team.

“The coaches coached their ass off, and they gave us a good game plan,” said Elias, who is in his fifth and final season of CJFL eligibility. “We had to come out and execute, and we made a few mistakes and a few too many.

“A good team like that is going to take advantage when a team like us makes mistakes. They (the Hilltops coaches) will keep coaching us up, and we’ll keep executing plays. We’ll try to beat them (The Thunder) next time.”

David Collins ran the ball 19 times for 106 yards and two TDs.

Near the start of Saturday’s contest, it appeared the Hilltops would be the big beneficiaries in the turnover department. Early in the first quarter, Hilltops fourth-year defensive end Noah Chelsom recovered a fumble on the Thunder 19 yard line.

On the very next play, Elias connected with fifth-year receiver Isaiah Vallderruten on a 19-yard touchdown pass coming off a corner pattern to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

A short time later, Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton tried to hit a 40-yard field coach to increase Saskatoon’s lead. He was wide, and Carter Ashman ran the ball out of the end zone for the Thunder.

On the ensuing offensive series, receiver Jackson Harnett ran home a touchdown from 72 yards out taking the ball at the quarterback position on a sweep play to the left. Harnett’s major evened the score at 7-7 at the 8:50 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Hilltop Cheerleading Team performs at halftime.

The contest would remain tied until Thunder kicker Shawn Green nailed a 35-yard field goal with 50.7 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the visitors a 10-7 edge.

On the Hilltops ensuing possession, Elias was intercepted by Thunder cornerback Jake Mayo to set the Regina side up at the Saskatoon 36. Thunder starting quarterback Adam Mosher capped a short scoring drive hitting receiver Andrew Sweeney with a 17-yard touchdown pass to push the visitor’s lead out to 17-7 with 25.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

“It was just a mistake on my part,” said Elias. “I’ve got to make better decisions in the pocket.”

After a scoreless third quarter, the Hilltops attempted to rally. Just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, Hilltops star running back David Collins ran in a major from four yards out to cut the Thunder lead to 17-14.

Peter Boersch ran the ball 24 times for 129 yards on Saturday.

Saskatoon would proceed to stop Regina defensively and get the ball back. With 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mayo would intercept Elias for the second time on the night, but Mayo ran this pick back 34 yards for a touchdown to push the Thunder lead out to 24-14.

The Hilltops answered with a quick scoring drive that was capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Collins with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut Regina’s lead to 24-21.

With two timeouts at their disposal, the Hilltops proceeded to kick off deep and forced the Thunder to punt the ball away one last time. Saskatoon’s attempt at a rally finally came to an end when Thunder defensive halfback Jackson Ashman came up with a game-sealing interception.

Isaiah Vallderruten caught five passes for 97 yards and one TD.

“Obviously, you want to get the comeback,” said Elias. “The boys were rallying together and just couldn’t make it happen in the last fourth quarter.

“Obviously, we want to get a comeback and win that game.”

Collins ran the ball 19 times for 106 yards to go with his two rushing majors for the Hilltops. Vallderruten had five catches for 97 yards to go with his receiving touchdown.

Mosher completed 9-of-17 passes for 117 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for the Thunder.

Thunder star running back Peter Boersch ran the ball 24 times for 129 yards break the 1000-yard rushing barrier for the season. On the campaign, Boersch has carried the ball 156 times for 1,117 yards and three touchdowns leading the PFC in carries and rushing yards.

A Thunder receiver and a Hilltops defensive back collide.

Middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk topped the Hilltops with 7.5 total tackles. Outside linebacker Zaden Taylor has six total tackles, one quarterback sack and one pass knockdown for Saskatoon.

Defensive end Kohl Thomson had six total tackles and one quarterback sack for the Thunder. Joey Palagian, who is also a defensive end, also had one quarterback sack for Regina. Middle linebacker Kenten Effa had six-and-a-half total tackles for the Thunder.

Mayo had four solo defensive tackles and a pass knockdown to go with his two interceptions for the Thunder. Defensive halfback Marcus Butz also had an interception for the Thunder.

While Saturday’s loss was a tough one, Sargeant said his squad will be focused on making corrections as the 2025 campaign hits its final stretch.

Hilltops R Khyler Kok, right, eludes a Thunder defensive back.

“We get back in the lab,” said Sargeant. “We look at the game tape.

“We look at how we can coach better, and maybe there are a few things that they can do to play better. Then in the long run, we just keep growing this football team. This is game seven.

“We’ve got one more regular season game, and then here comes the playoffs. Hopefully, we all learn from the process, and we get excited and engaged in the process, and we figure out how we can make this team a better football team.”

The Thunder and Hilltops were co-winners of the Shrine Bowl.

NOTE – The Shrine Bowl is awarded annually to the team that wins the head-to-head season series between the Hilltops and Thunder. With the total score of the two head-to-head games between the two sides coming out as a 39-39 tie, both clubs will be listed as co-winner of the trophy in 2025.

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Not pretty – Hilltops grind out 18-15 win over Thunder

Brexton Elias made his first CJFL start at QB on Saturday.

As far as clashes between the Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder go, Saturday’s regular season contest at Mosaic Stadium in Regina was not a football Mona Lisa.

Both CJFL powerhouses tried to do their best to emulate the NFL’s 2000 Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens won the Super Bowl in that campaign leaning on a ferocious defence led by middle linebacker Ray Lewis and game managing quarterback Trent Dilfer, who focused on not turning the ball over.

Going at it in a defensive slugfest, the Hilltops found a way to get past the Thunder 18-15. The result saw the records of both clubs move to identical 3-1 marks, where the Hilltops hold the standings tiebreaker for first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference due to their head-to-head win over the Thunder.

Hilltops fifth-year quarterback Brexton Elias returned from injury and made his first career CJFL start on Saturday. Elias was penciled in as the club’s starter going into the campaign but got injured during the pre-season and missed the team’s first three regular season games.

The Thunder countered with 20-year-old signal caller Adam Mosher, who is playing out his first campaign as Regina’s starter.

Both Elias and Mosher successfully filled their respective roles as game managers and didn’t make any mistakes to cost their respective club’s the contest. They did not in any way emulate classic head-to-head encounters between NFL icons Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

With 3:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, Thunder kicker Shawn Green booted a 40-yard field goal to push his club’s 12-11 lead out to 15-11. At that point in time with how the contest was going, it appeared that Thunder advantage would hold up to be the winning score.

The Hilltops took the ball on the ensuing series on their own 35 yard line. On the first play of that drive, they got a beneficial defensive pass interference call on a 50-50 jump pass toss to receiver Luke Bednarek as he was covered by Thunder defensive back Lorrin LeBlanc.

Just two plays after that call, Elias hit Bednarek for a 34-yard completion that got the Hilltops down to the Thunder 22 yard line. As the march continued, the Hilltops found themselves facing a third and goal at the Thunder 10 yard line.

Isaac Michayluk returned from injury for the Hilltops.

Elias threw the ball into the end zone to receiver Isaiah Vallderruten drawing a legitimist defensive pass interference call on Thunder defensive back Jake Mayo, who both arrived early and wrapped his arms around Vallderruten’s head.

Hilltops breakout star running back David Collins ran home a touchdown from one yard out on the ensuing play to put the Hilltops up 18-15 with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. The major score was his second of the contest.

The visitors preserved victory forcing the Thunder to go scoreless on their final two offensive series. With the Hilltops facing a third down with three seconds to play, Elias pulled out a Henry Burris game style closing play by bombing the ball downfield to successfully run out the final three seconds on the clock.

The scoring buildup to the final 3:33 of the fourth quarter was a slow one. The two sides exited the first quarter locked in a 2-2 tie after the Hilltops conceded a safety and then the Thunder conceded a safety.

Regina proceeded to conceded another safety early in the second quarter to allow the Hilltops to take a 4-2 lead. With 4:24 remaining in the second quarter, Collins ran home a touchdown from three yards out for his first major score of the night to push Saskatoon’s lead out to 11-2.

Before the second quarter ended, Green hit a 29-yard field goal for the Thunder to trim Saskatoon’s lead to 11-5.

With about 5:24 to play in the third quarter, Thunder breakout star running back Peter Boersch broke off a 51-yard run on a fake punt to get the ball down to the Hilltops eight yard line.

After gaining two yards on the next two plays, the Thunder faced a third and goal from the Hilltops six yard line. Mosher proceeded to hit receiver Lucas DI Iorio with a six-yard touchdown pass to push the Thunder ahead on the scoreboard 12-11.

That set the scene for the dramatics in the final 3:33 of the fourth quarter.

After returning from injury, Elias wasn’t spectacular, but he gave the Hilltops their most sound performance from the quarterback position of the 2025 campaign. The Hilltops also benefitted from returning star running back Corbin Ebben and star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk from injury.

David Collins ran in two touchdowns for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops, who were rated fifth in the CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings that were released this past Thursday, have now won three straight games. They return to action on Sunday, September 14, when they travel to Calgary to face the Colts (1 p.m. local time, Shouldice Athletic Park).

The Thunder, who were rated third in the CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings and are the defending PFC champions, saw a three game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Hilltops. The Regina side will also get back to it on Sunday, September 14, by hosting the Winnipeg Rifles (1 p.m., Leibel Field).

As the 2025 CJFL campaign moves on, you can expect both the Hilltops and Thunder will improve a lot. When it came to Saturday’s head-to-head encounter, the Hilltops found a way to grind out a win, and sometimes grinding out a win is good enough on that particular day.

Johnson to speak at End Zone Dinner

Evan Johnson in action for the Roughriders on July 15, 2023.

One of the CFL’s all-time steady veterans on the offensive line is coming to the Saskatoon Hilltops End Zone Dinner.

Evan Johnson, who played seven CFL seasons from 2017 to 2024, will be the guest speaker for the annual event that raises money for the Hilltops scholarships and bursaries. The End Zone Dinner is slated for Saturday, September 27, at the main hall in the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building located on the south end zone of Saskatoon Minor Football Field on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

The doors open at 4:15 p.m. and the dinner follows at 5 p.m. A ticket to the End Zone Dinner includes a ticket to that night’s regular season contest against the Hilltops provincial rivals the Regina Thunder. That game is slated for 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Johnson graduated high school from Regina’s Campbell Collegiate and moved on to play football in the U Sports ranks from 2012 to 2016 with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. He would be selected in the first round and ninth overall by the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2017 CFL Draft.

From 2017 to 2019, Johnson played 52 regular season games with the Redblacks making starts at left guard, right tackle and left tackle. He suited up for the Redblacks in their 27-16 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in the 2018 Grey Cup played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta.

From 2021 to 2023, Johnson played 48 regular season contests with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He moved on from the Roughriders to appear in 10 games with the Hamilton Tigers-Cats in 2024.

Johnson, who is 31-years-old, is married to Dallis (Aiken) Johnson, who is a former defensive back with the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the WWCFL. They reside in Saskatoon where Evan Johnson works for an engineering firm.

Tickets for the Hilltops End Zone Dinner can be purchased 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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