The Regina Thunder have returned to the top of the Prairie Football Conference.
The Thunder broke open a hard-fought defensive battle with 28 points over a span of five minutes late in the third and early in the fourth quarter, going on to an 44-19 victory over the Saskatoon Hilltops in the PFC championship game on Sunday at Leibel Field.
The title is the fourth in team history for Regina, with their most recent prior championship coming in 2024.
“I’m just happy,” Thunder coach Scott MacAulay said when asked how he felt about the win on the CJFLTV broadcast. “At the end of the day, we had a really good regular season and just to be able to win the PFC, it's not easy, there's a lot of great teams and to be able to come out on top today is a huge thing for our organization.”
The contest was a defensive battle through the first three quarters, but the Thunder never panicked, and MacAulay said that’s simply how the team is.
“It’s just the boys playing for the boys, this is kind of our mindset,” he said. “Working, concentrating on that play, being present where we're supposed to be and trying to stay even keel. We've lost a few games to these guys and we've learned some things that we need to do better to be successful.”
The Hilltops got on the board first on Sunday afternoon, and it was due to a bit of luck on the opening kick-off. Sure-handed Thunder receiver Carwyn Williams had the ball go off his hands deep in Regina territory, and the ball would roll out at the one-yard line. A short run by Peter Boersch and deep pass incompletion later, and the Thunder opted to concede a safety rather than punt.
Sam Bazarkiewicz got the start at quarterback for the Hilltops after a solid showing in the semifinal win over Edmonton last weekend, but on Saskatoon’s second series of the game he had his ankle twisted up on a run to the sideline. That led to Griffin Sander taking over at pivot only five minutes into the game.
Both defences came to play in the first quarter, and it wasn’t until the final couple minutes that one of the teams found themselves with good field position to start a drive.
That would be the Hilltops, as a solid return by Charles Sawi set Saskatoon up on the other side of midfield with just under two minutes left in the first.
A couple of plays later, and the Hilltops had the first major of the game. Sander aired out a pass from the 30-yard line and found Sawi wide open in the end zone for the touchdown and a 9-7 lead with 1:09 remaining.
It took absolutely no time for the Thunder to respond.
On the ensuing kickoff, Williams fielded the ball around his own 20, found plenty of running room and would go all the way to the house for the kick-return touchdown. Just like that, it was 9-7 with 48 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Saskatoon nearly replied immediately on the kickoff following that major, as Sawi broke a couple of tackles and had what appeared a sure touchdown in the works, but a collision with an official brought him down inside Thunder territory.
The Hilltops still managed to get points, as Ryden Gratton hit a field goal from 42 yards out to make it 12-7 Saskatoon on the final play of the first quarter.
Regina’s defence came up huge on the Thunder’s next major, and it was pretty much who you’d expect.
Marcus Butz picked off a Sander pass around the Thunder 41 yard line and went the rest of the way to the end zone for the pick-six. The touchdown was the elite defensive back’s fifth of the season, all off interceptions, and came with 9:51 remaining in the first half.
Saskatoon then gave up a safety with just over a minute and a half later, making it a 16-12 Regina lead with 8:03 until the break.
Neither team was able to put up points through the remainder of the half, and the Thunder took their four-point lead into halftime.
The defensive battle continued until late in the third quarter, when a gutsy third down play completely changed the game.
Nursing their four-point lead and sitting near the 10-yard line in their own half, the Thunder opted to go for it on third-and-one, with quarterback Jayden Zelionka easily getting the edge and the first down.
A couple plays later, Zelionka aired out a ball from his own 21 and found Ben Walz in single coverage downfield, and he’d haul in the pass before rumbling all the way down to the Saskatoon 35 with 3:36 to play in the quarter.
Zelionka then found Lucas Di Iorio in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown strike, and after the convert the Thunder had a 23-12 lead.
All because Regina decided to put it all on the line at the beginning of the drive.
MacAulay was completely candid in describing his decision to go for it.
“It was stupid, but I said screw it, either we're gonna win this thing or we're not,” he said. “We're gonna go for it and that sort of set the tone for the rest of the game.”
That’s where things stood at the end of the third quarter, and no sooner did the teams change ends than did the Regina offence strike with another big play.
This time, it was Boersch who got things down on the ground. He’d take the handoff at the Thunder 30, get through the line and down the sideline all the way to the Saskatoon two. One play later Boersch would punch it in, and it was a 30-12 Regina lead just over a minute into the fourth.
The Hilltops weren’t done yet, though.
On a second-and-one from their own 45, Saskatoon stacked the line, but Sander would dump the ball over to Donovan Harkness, and he’d go all the way to the house for the major.
The second half shootout continued on Regina’s very next drive, this time when Zelionka found Williams in double coverage on the sideline at the Thunder 30, and he’d go all the way for the touchdown and a 37-19 lead with 12 minutes left in the game.
The Thunder defence struck again on Saskatoon’s next possession. Dylan Paskiw snared a Sander pass at the Regina 50 and went all the way for the pick six.
Just like that, 44-19 Thunder with 9:38 remaining in the game, thanks to 28 Regina points in just under five minutes of gameplay.
That’s where things would finish up, and the Thunder had their PFC title in the bag.
Regina will now hit the road for the Canadian Junior Football League national semifinal, as they take on the Sault Ste. Marie Cougars on Saturday, Oct. 24. Be sure to check back for the game time and further details in the near future.
