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 gear up to face Thunder stampede in PFC final

Two sides meet for conference title on Sunday at SMF Field

The Hilltops defence corrals Thunder RB Sadik Sadik.

The defending CJFL Saskatoon Hilltops are gearing up for the Regina Thunder stampede.

On Sunday, the provincial rivals will go at it in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The winner advances to host a CJFL semifinal game against the winner of Saturday’s British Columbia Football Conference championship clash in Kelowna between the host Okanagan Sun (11-0) and the defending BCFC champion Westshore Rebels (6-5).

The Hilltops (9-0) and Thunder (7-2) are meeting for the fourth straight year in the PFC final. Saskatoon claimed two of the three previous meetings including last year’s October 22 clash 21-13.

The current stretch of consecutive meetings between the Hilltops and Thunders in the PFC final is the most between CJFL representatives from Saskatoon and Regina since the Hilltops and Regina Rams collided eight straight years for the conference title from 1991 to 1998. The Rams took six of those eight contests before moving to the U Sports ranks to become the University of Regina Rams.

In 2024, the Hilltops took both regular season clashes with the Thunder. Saskatoon prevailed 29-15 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on September 7 and 36-11 at SMF Field on September 28.

Following September 28 meeting, the Thunder hosted the Calgary Colts twice at Leibel Field to close the regular season on October 6 and in a PFC semifinal last Sunday. In those contests, the Thunder elected to become their versions of Bronko Nagurski and the 1930s Chicago Bears or Bronko Nagurski Jr. and the 1960 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The elder Nagurski was an all-time NFL legend at fullback and the son was an all-star offensive tackle in the CFL.

In the Thunder’s 40-21 victory over the Colts on October 6, the Thunder piled up 452 yards of offence including slugging out 326 yards on the ground. During the 64-7 win in the PFC semifinal over the Colts, the Thunder amassed 584 yards of total offence including an unthinkable 425 yards along the ground.

Hilltops DBDalton Urban (#17) returns an interception on Sept. 28.

Over their last two outings, the Thunder have posted an incredible total of 751 yards rushing handing the ball off to running backs Ryland Leichert, Sadik Sadik and Peter Boersch behind what has become a road grader style offensive line anchored by PFC all-star left tackle Caleb Barajas. Sadik was named the PFC’s most outstanding running back on Monday to go with a PFC all-star selection that had been awarded on October 11.

“That is their game plan right now,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “They’re going to try and bully you at the line of scrimmage.

“They feel two of their real productive players are (Ryland) Leichert and (Sadik) Sadik. They’re both running backs, so at the end of the day, you see a lot of split formation, two backs in the backfield. They’re letting that O-line get after you, and they’re running in behind.

“They feel they have a pretty good flow, and they’ve had two good weeks of running the football. That is obviously something we need to focus on and get ready for.”

Traditionally, the Thunder have had good ground games, but they are better known for taking it to the air and leaning towards the passing game. They are normally one of the PFC’s best passing teams and piled up the second most passing yards during the PFC regular season at 1,940.

In their PFC semifinal win over the Colts, the Thunder played regular starting quarterback Carter Moberg and backup Ethan Hugg fairly equally. Hugg started last year’s PFC final for the Thunder.

Hilltops OLB Noah Gedir hits Thunder RB Ryland Leichert.

Hilltops PFC all-star safety Dalton Urban believes the Thunder’s trend to being a more physical team will continue in Sunday’s PFC final.

“It shows that in playoff football they want to establish that run game early,” said Urban. “We’ve got to do a good job this week making that our priority.”

On the Hilltops side things, they have hammered their opponents running attack all season. During the regular season, the Hilltops gave up the fewest rushing yards in the PFC at 665.

Saskatoon’s starting defensive line of defensive tackles Nahom Menghestab and Johnathon Stevens and defensive ends Kai Kukurudza and Noah Chelsom have clogged things up at the line of scrimmage. Hilltops PFC all-star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and outside linebackers Noah Gedir and the emerging Zaden Taylor had swarmed in to nullify ball carriers coming out of the backfield.

Urban had made a reputation of throwing his share of hard hits since he started playing for the Hilltops in 2021 after graduating from the St. Joseph High School Guardians Football Team. He said the game is going get very man versus man physical, if the Thunder elect to push with the running game like they have against the Colts.

“Playoff football is always going to be physical,” said Urban. “We know that going into the game that we have to bring that mindset.

“We have to come out on first down expecting the run and get them into those second and long situations where we can get off the field and get turnovers.”

Noting what the Thunder have done on the ground, there also comes the question that showcasing the running game against the Colts might be all smoke and mirrors as they could come into the PFC final with a totally different game plan. At this point in the season, teams like to bring out plays they have been working on all year but haven’t used so they don’t show up on video.

That also applies to the Hilltops. Sargeant deadpanned the notion that his venerable squad will have some surprises for the Thunder.

The Hilltops mark their win over the Thunder on Sept. 28.

“We’re not that fancy a team,” said Sargeant, whose 245 career head coaching wins are the most in post-secondary amateur football in Canada. “We have a pretty strong blueprint of what we believe in, so we’re going to show up and do what we’ve sort of done consistently all year.

“We’re going to let our players be physical and make plays. I’m sure they got different plays for different situations as we do. At the end of the day, it is not about trick plays or this or that.

“It is about who controls the line of scrimmage, who is more disciplined and who wins a plus-minus turnover battle. That is what we focus on.”

Reider cleans up in major PFC awards

Trey Reider was named MVP of the PFC.

Monday turned out to be a golden day for Saskatoon Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider.

Reider picked up a trio of honours as the PFC major award winners were announced. The fifth-year signal caller was named the conference’s most outstanding quarterback, most valuable player and offensive player of the year.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC. That marked the second straight year Reider led the PFC in quarterback rating.

On top of his throwing, Reider carried the ball 26 times for 135 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season as well.

On Sunday, Reider’s Hilltops face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. As he is playing through his final post-season run with the Hilltops before exhausting his CJFL eligibility, Reider is focused on beating the Thunder for one last time.

“This is my last year, so it means everything to me to get this last win,” said Reider. “There are no tomorrows for me anymore.

“This is it for me, so I just need to come out with the win.”

Reider’s top target in fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas picked up a couple of PFC awards on Monday. Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver and most outstanding special teams player.

Drake Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver.

He led the PFC in receptions (58), receiving yards (955) and receiving touchdowns (eight) during the regular season. Over the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Douglas returned 38 punts for a PFC leading 342 yards.

Hilltops right tackle Cody Shumanski captured honours as the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman and legendary head coach Tom Sargeant was named the PFC’s coach of the year.

Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith was named the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker and defensive player of the year. During the regular season, Smith piled up 34 solo defensive tackles, 20 defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two pass knockdowns and one interception.

Thunder tailback Sadik Sadik claimed honours as the PFC’s most outstanding running back, defensive end Liam Sellwood took the nod as most outstanding defensive lineman and the offensive rookie of the year award went to Thunder starting left guard Tristen Rapchalk. Sadik carried the ball 106 times for 781 yards and a PFC leading 10 touchdowns during the regular season.

The Hilltops and Thunder will be going at it in the PFC final for the fourth straight year. The Hilltops have won two of the previous three encounters. Reider said the luster in conference title games between the Saskatoon and Regina never fades.

“I always like playing Regina in the final,” said Reider. “They’re always the best team.

“They bring a really good crowd. The excitement is always up, and at the end of the day, it is just really fun to play Regina.”

Sawi, Michayluk get weekly PFC honours

Charles Sawi took PFC special teams player of the week honours.

Charles Sawi and Isaac Michayluk came up big in helping the Saskatoon Hilltops win their PFC semifinal, and they claimed weekly awards for their effort.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops downed the visiting Edmonton Huskies 33-18 in a PFC semifinal at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. 

With the two sides locked in an 18-18 tie, Sawi returned a missed field coal 112 yards for a touchdown that gave the Hilltops a 25-18 advantage with 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. That play sparked the Hilltops to victory.

With that effort, Sawi was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week on Thursday. Sawi also returned two punts for 12 yards.

Michayluk, who is a PFC all-star at middle linebacker, recorded seven solo tackles, four defensive tackle assists, one pass knockdown, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception in the Hilltops win. His interception came shortly after Sawi returned his missed field goal for a major to give the Hilltops a lead they would never relinquish.

Isaac Michayluk was the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert claimed honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts helping the Thunder flatten the visiting Calgary Colts 64-7 last Sunday in a PFC semifinal at Leibel Field in Regina.

Leichert carried the ball 22 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He was a big part in helping the Thunder amass 425 yards rushing as a team in that victory.

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Hilltops “D” versus Colts “O” focus of PFC semifinal clash

The Hilltops defence is set to rock ’n’ roll in the playoffs.

The CJFL match of the week might be the Saskatoon Hilltops offence going against the Calgary Colts defence.

Those two prime units will go head to head in a PFC semifinal clash on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops go into that CJFL playoff contest having finished first in the PFC with an 8-0 record, while the Colts finished fourth with a 3-5 mark.

The Hilltops gave up just 51 points against in regular season play, which is the team’s lowest total in that department dating back to 1949. Saskatoon gave up the fewest rushing yards (741), passing yards (1,191) and total yards (1,932) in the PFC during the regular season.

The Colts scored the second most points in the PFC in the regular season at 273. They had the third most rushing yards (1,295), the most passing yards (2,381) and most total offensive yards (3,676) in the conference during regular season play.

The two sides met way back on August 27 at SMF Field, which was the third regular season contest for both sides. The Hilltops posted a convincing 50-18 victory, but the Colts scored more points against the Hilltops in one game than any other opponent has this season.

The Hilltops closed the regular season this past Sunday with a 39-1 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles at SMF Field, while the Colts thumped the Edmonton Wildcats 66-10 at Shouldice Athletic Park in Calgary.

Nicholas Sirleaf lead the PFC with 739 receiving yards.

“When you see how many points they score, they’re one of the high octane offences,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “They like to move the ball around.

“They’ve got very athletic and highly skilled players. We have to be sharp. Their first play of the game last week against Edmonton (Wildcats) was for an 83-yard touchdown.

“They’re big play opportunistic, and we have to be sharp. We have to read our cues, and we have to adjust on the fly and be in the right spots.”

On defence, one of the biggest head turners for the Hilltops is star defensive end Riece Kack, who has topped the PFC in sacks in each of the past two season recording 7.5 sacks in each of those campaigns respectively. Safety Dalton Urban finished second in the PFC in interceptions with five.

Defensive back Carter Wingert had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries playing out his final CJFL campaign for the Hilltops. Matt Wist, who is the Hilltops star 22-year-old middle linebacker, recorded 22 solo defensive tackles, 17 defensive tackle assists, two pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles and three interceptions this season.

Outside linebacker Noah Gedir had a breakout season for Saskatoon with 17 solo defensive tackles, 14 defensive tackle assists, nine special teams solo tackles, one quarterback sack, two pass knockdowns, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Colts 19-year-old sophomore receiver Nicholas Sirleaf led the PFC in receptions (45), receiving yards (739) and receiving touchdowns (eight). Pass catcher Seth Famekinde has developed into a big play target hauling in 38 passes for 423 yards and two touchdowns.

Riece Kack topped the PFC with 7.5 quarterback sacks.

Running back Alan Xiang lead the Colts with 381 yards rushing coming on 84 carries, and he scored six touchdowns. Zion Dogbe-Brown made some noise from the running back spot carrying the ball 43 times for 334 yards and three touchdowns.

“It is going to be a test for sure,” said Hilltops 22-year-old outside linebacker Wade Keating. “They have five good receivers who can all catch the ball and make big plays.

“It is just going to be doing what we’ve been doing all year but just a little bit extra.”

The crazy part about the Colts is you don’t know who they are going to start at quarterback, but they have two capable signal callers. 

Liam Oczkowski, who is a 19-year-old sophomore, completed 133-of-201 passes for 1,648 yards and 10 touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. Oczkowski, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 210 points, saw his completion and passing yardage totals lead the PFC, and he started the Colts first five games.

Caine Harrison, who is a 20-year-old grad of Crescent Heights High School Cowboys football team in Calgary, has completed 50-of-89 passes for 733 yards and five touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. 

Harrison, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 170 pounds, was with the University of Calgary Dinos Football team in 2021 and the Acadia University Axemen in 2022 in the U Sports ranks.

Alan Xiang led the Colts with 381 yards rushing.

“We played Liam (Oczkowski) in game one, and this Caine Harrison is coming out of nowhere,” said Sargeant. “To be honest, Liam (Oczkowski) has been dressed in the last two weeks, but (Caine) Harrison seems to have from our vantage point won the starting job.

“He threw for close to 390 yards last week you probably want to keep that guy in the game. We’ll plan and prepare for both, but at the end of the day, we know what their offensive system is set up to do. They have a lot of talented athletes.

“They have a very gifted offensive package, so our top dogs on defence are going to have to be on point come Sunday.”

On paper, the Hilltops do have the advantage when their offence goes against the Colts defence. 

Saskatoon topped the PFC in scoring with 335 points and was second in total offensive yards with 3,556. Calgary gave up the second most points in the PFC at 301 and gave up the third most offensive yards in the conference at 3,218.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen led the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards (1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine). Quarterback Trey Reider completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. He topped the PFC with a 114.6 quarterback efficiency rating.

Sure-handed receiver Drake Douglas hauled in 56 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns.

The Hilltops aim to celebrates lots of big plays on defence.

Zach Angstadt, who is an 18-year-old rookie defensive end, led the Colts with three quarterback sacks. Colts 21-year-old safety Cody Anglo recorded 22 solo defensive tackles, six defensive tackle assist, one pass knockdown, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Keating, who will graduate from the CJFL when the Hilltops post-season run ends, said he could sense the finality a little bit of his playing days coming to an end. With that said, Keating added he is feeling the moment of the present so much that thoughts of his playing career wrapping up are way back in his mind.

“It is just like the old saying time flies when you’re having fun, and that is what this group is having,” said Keating. “We’re having a tonne of fun, and it is flying by.”

Thunder’s Leichert hits 1,000 yards

Ryland Leichert dives in for a Thunder touchdown.

Ryland Leichert has joined club one thousand.

For the first time in his CJFL career, the 20-year-old running back with the Regina Thunder has hit the 1,000-yard barrier for rushing in regular season play. Leichert finished the 2023 regular season carrying the ball 152 times for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns. All of those totals rank second in the PFC.

Leichert needed one last big game to hit the 1,000-yard plateau, and got in the Thunder’s 33-10 victory over the visiting Edmonton Huskies this past Sunday at Leibel Field to close the regular season schedule for both sides. In that contest, Leichert carried the ball 18 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Thanks to Leichert’s efforts, the Thunder finished second in the PFC at 6-2. They host the third place Huskies (4-4) in a PFC semifinal this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.

Rebels’ Jessie has record day, other notes

Te Jessie in a CJFL promo graphic.

Westshore Rebels star quarterback Te Jessie captured a CJFL record this past Saturday to add the spectacular season he is having.

In the Rebels 61-7 CJFL regular season win over the visiting Langley Rams at Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C., Jessie completed 13-of-17 passes for 249 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions. He now has 38 touchdown passes on the campaign, which is a new CJFL record in regular season action.

Jessie surpassed the old record of 35 touchdown passes that was shared by Jordan Yantz of the Vancouver Island Raiders from 2011 and first achieved in 2007 by Nate Cote of the Rebels, when they were known as the Victoria Rebels.

Jessie and the Rebels sit first in the CJFL’s British Columbia Football Conference with a 9-0 record. They close their regular season schedule this coming Saturday traveling to Nanaimo to take on the Vancouver Island Raiders (0-9) at 7 p.m. local time at Nanaimo District Secondary School.

In the 2023 campaign, Jessie has completed 144-of-202 passes for 2,343 yards and 38 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions. He has carried the ball 30 times for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

Jessie, who is a graduate of the St. Paul’s High School Crusaders Football Team in Winnipeg, Man., topped the CJFL’s annual Top 50 players to watch list heading into the 2023 campaign.

In May, Jessie participated in the training camp for the CFL’s British Columbia Lions as part of the CFL’s QB Internship Program.

Last season, Jessie was named a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star and claimed the CJFL’s Peter Dalla Riva Offensive Player of the Year Award. In 10 regular season games with the Rebels, Jessie completed 169-of-305 passes for 2,864 yards and 28 touchdowns, while throwing 11 interceptions. He carried the ball 54 times for 290 yards and six touchdowns in regular season play in 2022.

Jessie is the son of Tim Jessie, who was a running back on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup championship teams in 1988 and 1990 and was part of the NFL’s Washington franchise - then known as the Redskins - that won Super Bowl XXII following the 1987 regular season.

• Saskatoon Hilltops middle linebacker and punter Matt Wist punted the ball 47 times for 1,771 yards for an average of 37.7 yards per kick and three singles. Thanks to the work the Hilltops coverage team, Wist had a net punting average of 32.2 yards per kick. Wist topped the PFC in punting average, net punting average and punt singles.
• Regina Hall of Fame sportswriter Rob Vanstone, who is the senior journalist and historian for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, typed out an outstanding feature on Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• Vanstone has typed out all sorts spectacular pieces on the Roughriders website this season on the team and various football related features that are Saskatchewan focused. Feel free to check all those out on riderville.com.
• On October 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on star high school running back, receiver and punter Mason Grabowski of the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears. He is one of top high school players in Saskatchewan. The piece on Grabowski can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that mostly shows football rocking the fall season like it traditionally does on an annual basis. That post 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 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.

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 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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