It was a perfect start to the Prairie Football Conference season for both the Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder on Sunday afternoon.
The defending national champion Hilltops came away with a 38-13 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles in Winnipeg while the Thunder had little difficulty in a 56-1 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats in Edmonton.
Saskatoon 38, Winnipeg 13
As one might expect out of the first game of the season, both offences took some time to get going. Saskatoon led 8-6 after the first quarter and 14-6 at halftime, but came out firing after the break, racking up 17 third-quarter points to take a 31-6 lead. The teams then traded majors in the final quarter, and the Hilltops’ win was in the books.
Corbin Ebben had a solid game on the ground for Saskatoon, racking up 12 carries for 122 yards and a pair of majors.
Charles Sawi was Saskatoon’s top receiver as he caught all seven passes thrown his way for 79 yards and also had an 85-yard kick-off return for a touchdown. Brody Komarnicki had seven carries for 44 yards and the Hilltops’ other major.
Kicker Ryder Gratton hit three field goals and a single while racking up 14 points on the day.
Saskatoon quarterback Griffin Sanders used nine receivers, finishing 29-for-41 passing for 253 yards and the one touchdown through the air.
Winnipeg quarterback Riley Element had Winnipeg’s lone major in the fourth quarter, Gabriel Yaipen kicked two field goals and a single.
Element finished 14-for-30 passing for 151 yards and one interception.
Saskatoon had 440 yards offence, Winnipeg 279.
Regina 56, Edmonton 1
It took the Thunder a quarter to get going, but once they did, it was all systems go.
After taking an 8-0 lead out of the opening quarter, Regina would proceed to pour on 25 points after the team switched ends, taking a 33-0 lead into halftime. The Thunder then tacked on 10 more points in the third quarter and another 13 in the fourth to finish off their commanding win.
Tanner Donovel led the offence with seven catches for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jayden Zelionka and Owen Istace each had majors on the ground. Ambrose Abiara had a six yard catch in the fourth quarter for Regina’s final touchdown of the game.
Thunder kicker Harry Case was on point all game, nailing six field goals and a single and finishing with 24 points.
Peter Boersch led Regina’s ground attack with 14 carries for 152 yards but didn’t have a touchdown. Kylan Brockman had three catches for 69 yards, Carwyn Williams four for 66 yards.
Zelionka completed 18-of-25 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, Eric Heroux went 6-for-7 for 91 yards and the other air major.
Edmonton’s only point came on a missed 27-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.
As one might expect from the score, Regina had some gaudy offensive numbers with 306 yards rushing and 344 yards through the air, finishing with 628 yards total offence. Edmonton had only 138 yards total and five first downs in the game.
Up Next
Next action for Saskatoon will see the Hilltops hosting their home opener against Edmonton on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
Regina is back on the road the same day and will take on the Calgary Colts, with kickoff also at 1 p.m.
