The Thunder rolls: Regina wins Prairie Football Conference title

By Matias Bueno

The Regina Thunder is one step closer to Canadian junior football supremacy.

Fifth-year pivot Carter Shewchuk and running back Ryland Leichert formed a dynamic duo offensively that sunk the Saskatoon Hilltops 39-21 in the Prairie Football Conference final Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

But the job isn’t finished yet, and Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay has a message for his players ahead of their final game in two weeks — the Canadian Bowl.

“Leave a legacy,” MacAulay said after Sunday’s final. “They have a couple of weeks now to heal up and get their mindset straight. Leave a legacy for the city of Regina and for everyone who’s involved in amateur football in this area.”

The national final against the Okanagan Sun is to be played Nov. 12, 1 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium. It’ll be the first time the teams have met in the Canadian Bowl.

MacAulay has led the Thunder to one PFC title so far. That was in 2013 against the Hilltops in Saskatoon, making this Regina’s first at home.

That Thunder team went on to win the Canadian title, beating the Vancouver Island Raiders 55-26 in Regina.

The 2021 Thunder went 8-0-0 in the regular season, with two wins over Saskatoon. But the Hilltops avenged those losses with a 29-9 victory in the league final.

In 2022, Regina again posted an 8-0-0 record with a pair of victories over the Hilltops. Unlike last season, the Thunder closed the deal in the PFC final.

Shewchuk was ecstatic to have exorcised the ghosts of 2021.

“Those feelings that we had last year were a driving force,” Shewchuk said. “We never want to feel that ever again. I’m very proud of the boys that we all got it done last year.”

He lived up to his title as the conference’s top quarterback, completing 25 of 31 pass attempts for 312 yards with a touchdown pass to Garion Miller. He also added two TDs of his own on the ground.

But Shewchuk isn’t satisfied — and he isn’t shy about what his team has to do in order to complete its mission.

“Burn the boats,” he said. “We have two more weeks. We die on the field for each other and great things will happen.”

Next to the Thunder’s aerial assault, the ground game was just as strong on the day.

Leichert ran rampant, putting up 190 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 33 carries. That output came one week after he rushed 52 times for 390 yards in a semifinal victory over the Winnipeg Rifles.

“I know the Hilltops defence plays physical,” Leichert said. “The only way to play against them is to be just as physical, so I ran hard, ran low and picked up everything I could.”

Leichert has 580 yards and five touchdowns through the Thunder’s playoff run so far. With the Canadian Bowl being hosted by the PFC champions, Regina’s gales of November could provide another opportunity for the all-star back to add to his already-historic total.

The Hilltops headed home frustrated that they couldn’t repeat history.

They hung around through three quarters Sunday, trailing 24-14, before the Thunder’s offensive surge was too much for Saskatoon.

“I need to do a better job of putting my players in position to be more successful and I didn’t do that today,” Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said.

“I’m proud of my players. They performed as good as they could but weren’t going to win today as the Thunder wanted it more, bottom line.”

Sargeant has helped the Hilltops capture 13 Canadian Bowl titles in his 25 seasons as head coach. This is only the second time Saskatoon hasn’t won the PFC championship since 2010.

“We have helped set the tone and know that we’re the best market in the CJFL,” he said. “We didn’t honour our tradition and legacy today. But that’s fine, we’ll be better in the future.”

Now with the off-season up next, Sargeant wants to challenge his team heading into 2023.

“If you don’t like this feeling, what’re you going to do to change it in the future?” he asked. “From what I saw today, we’ve got to get bigger and stronger. They bullied us today.”

Regina put up 32 first downs, 238 yards rushing and 550 yards of total offence. Ryan Sokul led the Thunder’s receivers with 101 yards on seven catches.

The Hilltops had 333 yards of net offence. Tailback Boston Davidsen rushed 13 times for 80 yards and Presley Peterson caught two touchdown passes from Trey Reider, who also rushed for a major.