For the second straight year, the Regina Thunder claimed first place of the Prairie Football Conference (PFC) after they defeated the Edmonton Huskies 42-14 on Sunday afternoon at Leibel Field.
The Thunder also finished the regular season with a 8-0 record.
Carter Shewchuk tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Isaac Foord and Rylan Sokul in the first half.
On the ground, Ryland Leichart, Sadik Sadik, Ife Adebogun found the endzone for the Thunder.
Linebacker Stephen Smith had a standout game on defence collecting a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery along with several bone jarring hits.
He said the matchup against the Huskies served as a good test for Regina before the PFC playoffs begin.
“It got our vibes up, feeling really good, offence was flowing, defence was flowing, it was a really good day, it’s a really good feeling heading into playoffs.”
With the Thunder already experiencing the anguish defeat in the championship final following an undefeated regular season in 2021, they’re well aware that a perfect regular season record doesn’t guarantee them a championship.
Head Coach Scott MacAulay says the back to back undefeated records means a lot to the culture of the program, but the main priority of the team hasn’t been completed.
“We’ve been in this situation last year, we got to make sure we maintain our focus and get better with each week.”
Next Sunday, the Thunder will begin their playoff quest with home matchup against the Winnipeg Rifles.
Regina picked up a pair of victories against Winnipeg this season, but both wins came within a single score.
Smith believes the Thunder have improved since their last matchup against Winnipeg.
“They’re a good team, they got a pretty good pass game, I think we’re better than we played them, we are a better team than we played them so we just got to come out and show that.
MacAulay knows the Rifles will offer some tough competition.
“We know Winnipeg is a great team, they got a explosive offence, they’re getting better all across the board.”
Smith added that the Thunder’s work isn’t completed.
“Job’s not finished.”
