Regina Thunder rolls past Edmonton Wildcats to open PFC season

A pair of former Luther Lions helped the Regina Thunder roll to its first win of 2022.

Quarterback Carter Shewchuk and wide receiver Isaac Foord connected nine times for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the Thunder’s 57-15 win over the Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday at Leibel Field. It was the opening game for the two Canadian Junior Football League clubs.

“We were playing together from Grade 11 until now so it’s seven or eight years of football,” Foord said. “It’s been pretty fun.

“(There are) a lot of emotions. It’s pretty special. It feels like we’re playing high school football again.”

The Thunder didn’t have much trouble en route to its first win of the 2022 PFC campaign.

Shewchuk completed 18 of 23 pass attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns. The Thunder ground game rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns – two from Sadik Sadik and one from Ryland Leichert.

“(We’re) happy with the score but not really happy with the first half,” Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay said following the win. “We took too many penalties and that’s just guys trying to be lazy. We will address that and keep on taking the next step forward.”

In the game, the Thunder took 13 penalties for 140 yards.

The Wildcats got rushing touchdowns from running back Declan Mullin and quarterback Devin Desormeau.

The Thunder will look to continue its regular-season success from 2021 but take the next step in the playoffs.

Regina went 8-0 in the regular season but was beaten 29-9 by the Saskatoon Hilltops in the PFC final.

“Regular season-wise, it tells us that we can play with these guys. That loss in the championship game maybe caused a lot of guys to come back – they’ve got a sour taste in their mouth,” MacAulay said.

Winning the title would mean a lot to Foord, who is in his final season of junior eligibility.

“We left off last year with some unfinished business,” Foord said. “We just want to keep that rolling, restart up from last year and finish it off this year.”