A season filled with success will see the Regina Thunder playing for the Prairie Football Conference championship after a convincing win over the Calgary Colts on Sunday afternoon.
The Thunder rolled to a 40-10 victory at Leibel Field in Regina in the PFC semifinal, and as a result will host the Saskatoon Hilltops in the conference championship after their 44-16 win over the Edmonton Wildcats.
Regina’s defence came out with a purpose to start the game, pinning Calgary deep in their own zone three times in the first quarter to set up a trio of conceded safeties on punts.
The first came with 10:09 to play in the opening quarter, and Regina’s Zach Cloutier would get an interception on Calgary’s next drive to set the Thunder up on their own 39. Regina didn’t get much going there, but a Harry Case punt jammed Calgary back at their own 16, and a few plays later a Calgary punt attempt from the two would also result in a safety, making it 4-0 with 4:44 to play in the first quarter.
The Colts started their next drive from the 21, got nothing going, and their punter once again conceded for a 6-0 Thunder edge after the first quarter.
Regina’s offence finally got in on the action thanks to a Case 15-yard field goal and the Thunder led 9-0 with 6:29 left in the half.
Calgary’s first points came on a rouge with 1:20 to play until the break, but the Thunder weren’t content to leave the half without an answer, and their hurry-up offence got up to the Calgary 22 before stalling. That led to a Case 30-yard field goal and a 12-1 Regina lead at the half.
A Colts turnover on a Regina punt gave the Thunder excellent field position at the Calgary 31 early in the third quarter, and this time they’d get the job done. A catch by Nolan Holmes and a pair of runs by Peter Boersch got Regina up to the one, and Jayden Zelionka finished things off with a QB dive for the 19-1 lead with 4:20 gone in the frame.
A 30-yard field goal with 7:59 elapsed in the third got Calgary a bit closer, but those would be the final points of the quarter, and Regina had a 16-point lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
That’s when the floodgates opened.
The Thunder ground game quickly went to work to start the fourth quarter, and a grinding drive would end with Boersch getting to the outside before scoring from four yards out for a 26-4 lead 2:51 into the final frame.
With the way Regina’s defence was playing, it was all but academic from there.
An interception by Owen Zeffa at midfield went all the way back to the Colts one, and Zelionka found the end zone on another goalline plunge with 2:36 remaining.
Calgary opted to go for it on third down deep in their own end, and the ensuing turnover on downs set Regina up at the Colts 10. Back-up quarterback Eric Heroux found Ambrose Abiara in the endzone for an eight-yard score, and the Thunder had a 40-4 lead.
Chewy Thomas caught a 24-yard pass for Calgary’s lone major with 11 seconds remaining in the game, and Regina’s 40-11 win was in the books.
Boersch had yet another incredible game with 37 carries for 340 yards and one major. That meant Zelionka didn’t have to pass all that much, and he finished 6-for-16 through the air for 85 yards. Ben Walz was his favourite target with three catches for 29 yards.
Regina finished with 488 yards total offence Calgary with 300.
The Thunder will now host the Saskatoon Hilltops in the PFC championship game on Sunday, Oct. 18, with kickoff at 1 p.m. from Leibel Field.
