Thunder, Hilltops to collide again in PFC final

The Regina Thunder got the rematch it wanted.

The Thunder is to face the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Prairie Football Conference final for a second straight season. The 2022 championship game is to be played next Sunday, 1 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium.

Regina qualified Sunday with a 23-14 semifinal victory over the Winnipeg Rifles at Leibel Field, where Thunder tailback Ryland Leichert rushed for 390 yards.

In the other semifinal, Charles Sawi scored on a 33-yard run with 1:05 left in the fourth quarter to lift the host Hilltops to a 20-15 triumph over the Edmonton Huskies.

In 2021, Regina won the two regular-season games against Saskatoon en route to an 8-0-0 record, but the Hilltops won the PFC title with a 29-9 victory.

This season, the Thunder again swept the teams’ regular-season series to go 8-0-0, but always with an eye on a rematch in the final. That’s now set.

At Leibel Field, the contest between the Rifles and Thunder was delayed for more than an hour and a half as volunteers used shovels, snowblowers and tractors to clear the field after a snowstorm.

Once the game started, the teams had to contend with a slick field, wet footballs and a howling wind — which led in part to Leichert’s output. The Thunder’s high-flying passing attack had just four completions on nine attempts for 52 yards.

Quarterback Carter Shewchuk scored on a pair of one-yard runs for Regina, which got three field goals and two converts from Eric Maximuik.

Sam Hezekiah scored on a 13-yard run and Alex Minor added a field goal for the Rifles, who also recorded three safeties. Winnipeg threw the ball 37 times in the contest.

In Saskatoon, Boston Davidsen rushed 28 times for 114 yards with a one-yard touchdown run as the Hilltops held off the Huskies.

Saskatoon managed just 245 yards of net offence and 15 first downs, but it was enough. Connor Green added two field goals and two converts for the Hilltops.

Jemanie Watkis had a 32-yard TD reception from Jordan Lane for the Huskies, who got two field goals and a convert from Ethan Hartman. Saskatoon also conceded a safety.