The stage is set once again for one of the intense rivalries in Canadian junior football as the Regina Thunder host the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Prairie Football Conference (PFC) Championship Game this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.
The winner will host the CJFL Canadian Bowl Championship Game, gain provincial bragging rights as PFC champions, and have a shot at national junior football glory.
This matchup brings together two provincial powerhouses with a long, hard-hitting, high-energy football history.
The Thunder came into this year’s final, looking to repeat last season’s success when they defeated the Hilltops to claim the PFC crown.
“This is the game our players have worked all year for,” said Thunder Head Coach Scott MacAulay. “We’ve built a strong, determined group that believes in one another. The focus and drive in our locker room is incredible, and our guys are ready to leave it all on the field and earn another trip to the Canadian Bowl.”
“This is considered the hottest rivalry in junior football, and Sunday is going to be another incredible chapter,” said Regina Thunder President Murad Al-Katib.
“We deeply appreciate our fans, sponsors, and community supporters as their passion and support inspire our team.”
Football fans across Saskatchewan won’t want to miss this Prairie showdown, a battle for pride, provincial bragging rights and a place in the national championship.
Last week, whether it was offence, defence, or special teams, the Thunder controlled the pace of play en route to their victory. On the offensive side, they had a balanced attack, including 375 yards on the ground, led by former Huskie Jackson Harnett, who averaged 29 yards a carry and finished with 204 total yards and two touchdowns.
Peter Boersch added another major on eight carries and 54 yards. Through the air, quarterback Adam Mosher completed 10 passes for 180 yards and a pair of majors to Andrew Sweeney.
The defence held the Huskies' run game to 97 yards and forced four turnovers on downs. Linebacker Kenten Effa was outstanding, with four tackles, five assists, a blocked punt, and a sack.
On Specials, kicker Shawn Green accounted for 17 points, including nailing all three field goal attempts, the longest from 28 yards out.
Meantime in Saskatoon, after a 21-point first quarter, the Hilltops blew open the game in the third frame with 28 more points and cruised to the lopsided semifinal victory over the visiting Rifles on Sunday.
David Collins rushed 16 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns, while teammate Charles Sawi only carried three times but made them count, averaging 34 yards and scoring two touchdowns, including an 80-yard sprint.
Corbin Ebben also scored two majors on the ground on six carries. Their lone throwing touchdown came from backup quarterback Griffin Sander in the fourth quarter, finding David Boyd Jr from 29 yards out.
On defence, Nathan Gallant intercepted two passes and had a team-high four tackles, and Noah Chelsom forced and recovered a fumble.
The 2025 Prairie Conference All-Stars:
Offensive Line:
Caleb Barajas* – Regina Thunder (second consecutive season)
Tristan Rapchalk – Regina Thunder (All-Rookie team last season)
James Luico* – Regina Thunder
Jack Erlandson – Saskatoon Hilltops
Matt Elash – Saskatoon Hilltops
Running Backs:
Peter Boersch* – Regina Thunder – he won the Conference rushing title with 1327 yards on 174 carries and four touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards a carry.
David Collins—Saskatoon Hilltops—carried the rock 126 times for 1028 yards and a conference-high 13 touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry.
Receivers:
Jarome Penner* – Winnipeg Rifles – led the Conference with 794 receiving yards on 40 receptions and tallied three touchdowns. He averaged 19.9 yards per catch.
Jacob St. Hilaire – Edmonton Wildcats – he collected 37 receptions for 533 yards, averaging 14.4 yards a catch and had four touchdowns.
Isaiah Vallderruten – Saskatoon Hilltops – he led the Conference, averaging 24.5 yards per reception, making 16 catches for 392 yards and had four touchdowns.
Ben Walz – Regina Thunder - he had 21 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown
Quarterback:
Riley Element – Winnipeg Rifles – he led the Conference in completions (159), yards (2394), attempts (260) and was tied with 11 touchdowns. He completed 61.2% of his passes and had a passer efficiency rating of 79.9
Place Kicker:
Shawn Green*—Regina Thunder—led the Conference with 83 points. He booted a conference-high 17 field goals, knocking through 81% of his kicks.
Defensive Line:
Johnathon Stevens* – Saskatoon Hilltops (third consecutive season) – he led the Conference with three sacks, had 11 tackles, 18 assisted stops, had a knockdown, forced and recovered a fumble.
Jonathan Kampen – Regina Thunder - he collected seven tackles, assisted on six others, and had half a sack.
Jordan Southern – Calgary Colts – he had 10.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble.
Dwayne Williams – Edmonton Wildcats – he recorded 27 tackles, 12 assisted stops, forced two fumbles and even had an interception.
Linebackers:
Isaac Michayluk* – Saskatoon Hilltops (second consecutive season) – making 32 tackles, 22 assists, knocked down three passes, forced two fumbles, recovered one and intercepted three passes.
Kyler Banfield* – Winnipeg Rifles (second consecutive season) – led the Conference with 37 tackles and 26 assisted stops. He added two sacks, four knockdowns, forced two fumbles, and recovered a pair.
Kenten Effa – Regina Thunder – he recorded 30 tackles and 18 assists, had half a sack and a knockdown, and forced and recovered a fumble.
Defensive Backs:
Cooper Filazek* – Regina Thunder – he had three interceptions, six tackles, and two knockdowns.
Jake Mayo – Regina Thunder - he had three interceptions, returned 1 for a touchdown, added 15 tackles, two assists, half a sack, a Conference high six knockdowns and forced a fumble
Jace Mowles – Saskatoon Hilltops – he made three interceptions, four knockdowns, and 13.5 tackles.
Juven St. Hilaire – Edmonton Huskies (All-Rookie team last season) – he made 21 tackles, six assisted tackles, two interceptions, and two knockdowns.
Quinn Feodoroff – Calgary Colts – 23 tackles, seven assisted stops, intercepted four passes, recovered two fumbles, forced one and had two knockdowns.
Punter:
Gabriel Yaipen – Winnipeg Rifles – he led the Conference with 67 punts, averaging 38.4 yards and scored four singles.
Return Specialist:
Mekhi Tyrell – Edmonton Wildcats – he returned six punts for 122 yards, averaging 20.3 yards a return and broke one 80 yards for a touchdown.
All-Rookie Team
Offensive Lineman
Matt Elash – Saskatoon Hilltops
Running Back
Thomas Barrett – Calgary Colts
Receivers:
Simon Leckie – Winnipeg Rifles
Quarterback:
Wesley Neitz – Edmonton Huskies
Defensive Linemen:
Enoch Oludamiro – Regina Thunder
Linebacker:
Chris Mattiello – Edmonton Huskies
Defensive Back:
Nigel Reader – Winnipeg Rifles
Kicker:
Lucas Hryniuk – Calgary Colts
Players of the Week for the Semi-Final
Prairie Conference – Special Team Player of the Week
Shawn Green – Kicker
Accounted for 17 points on three field goals, five converts and three kickoff singles. He also added five punts, averaging 34.2 yards.
Thunder Players to Watch This Week
Offence
#26 Peter Boersch – Running Back
Playoffs
· 8 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown
· 2 catches for 11 yards
Regular Season
· PFC rushing leader with 1,327 yards on 174 carries. He also has 4 TDs
· 18 rushes for 210 yards and a touchdown in game 8
· 26 carries for 310 yards and a touchdown in week 1
· Week 1 and Week 9 PFC Offensive Player of the Week
#8 Adam Mosher – Quarterback
Playoffs
· 10 of 17 for 180 yards and two touchdowns
Regular Season
· PFCs top QB in 2025 with 93.7 efficiency rating
· 86 of 157 for 1,153 yards
· Tied for PFC best 11 touchdown passes
#6 Jackson Harnett – Quarterback
Playoffs
· 7 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns
· 1 for 3 for 33 yards
#81 Andrew Sweeney – Receiver
Playoffs
· Had four receptions for 82 yards and 2 TDs
Regular season
· Thunder leading receiver with 18 receptions for 308 yards and 3 TDs
#85 Ben Walz – Receiver
Playoffs
· Had two receptions for 32 yards
Regular Season
· 21 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown
#2 Lucas DI Iorio – Receiver
Playoffs
· Had one reception for 8 yards
Regular Season
· 21 receptions for 239 yards and 4 TD catches
#56 Caleb Barajas – Offensive Lineman
Playoffs
· Offence gained 570 net yards
Regular Season
· Anchor on O-Line that has amassed league-best 3,539 net yards and allowed just four sacks
· Added an 11-yard rushing touchdown in Week 8
Defence
#51 Devin Baumann – Linebacker
Playoffs
· 2 tackles, three assists and .5 of a sack
Regular Season
· Had 97.5 defensive points – tops on the Thunder
· 27 defensive tackles, 6 ST tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 TFLs, a blocked kick, a fumble return TD
#25 Owen Effa – Linebacker
Playoffs
· 2 tackles, six assists and 1.5 sacks
Regular Season
· Led Thunder with seven special team tackles
· 16 defensive tackles, eight assists and 2.5 TFLs
#52 Kenten Effa – Linebacker
Playoffs
· 4 tackles, five assists, a special team tackle, a QB sack and a blocked punt
Regular Season
· Led Thunder defence with 30 solo defensive tackles
· Added 18 defensive tackle assists and a pass knockdown for 92.5 defensive points
#3 Cooper Filazek – Defensive Back
Playoffs
· 2 tackles, one assist and a pass knockdown
Regular Season
· Led all Thunder DBs with 27 defensive tackles
· Added six defensive assists, two tackles for losses, two pass knockdowns and three interceptions
· Week 9 Defensive Player of the Week
#23 Marcus Butz – Defensive Back
Regular Season
· Tied for PFC lead with four interceptions
· Contributed 17 defensive tackles, five special team tackles and 2.5 TFLs
#39 Zach Cloutier – Linebacker
Playoffs
· 1 tackle, two assists and .5 of a sack
Regular Season
· Led the PFC with four fumble recoveries
· 18 defensive tackles and four special team tackles
#9 Jake Mayo – Defensive Back
Playoffs
· 3 tackles, three assists and a QB sack
Regular Season
· Week #11 PFC Defensive Player of the Week
· Has three interceptions, including one for a touchdown
· 17 defensive tackles and four pass knockdowns
Special Teams
#7 Shawn Green – Kicker
Playoffs
· 17 points on three field goals, five converts and three kickoff singles
· added five punts averaging 34.2 yards
· Week 1 Playoff Special Tea, Player of the Week
Regular Season
· PFC scoring leader with 83 points
· Kicked 17 field goals, 28 converts, and four singles on the season
· Week 2 and Week 11 PFC Special Team Player of the Week
#34 Jakeb Cortus
Playoffs
· 2 kickoff returns for 87 yards
· 2 punt returns for 10 yards
Regular Season
· Led team with 13 punt returns for 140 yards
#1 Carter Ashman
Playoffs
· 12 carries for 79 yards
Regular Season
· Had the team's best 172 kickoff return yards
· Chipped in 89 punt return yards
· Picked up 660 rushing yards and 6 TDs on 78 carries
· Gained 205 yards on 10 carries and 1 rushing touchdown in Game 8 vs the Wildcats
#20 Jackson Ashman
Playoffs
· 4 defensive tackles, three assists, a special teams tackle and two knockdowns
Regular Season
· Leads Thunder with six kickoff returns for 285 yards, including a 102-yard TD vs Winnipeg
· Week 10 Special Team Player of the Week
Team Stats
· Final regular season Thunder Team Stats can be accessed here.
· The Thunder defence allowed Edmonton 16 first downs and just 97 rushing yards
· Regina caused four turnovers on downs
· The offence only gave up one quarterback sack this postseason, while the defence chipped in with four sacks.
