The Prairie Football Conference returns to action this weekend after a league-wide bye over the Labour Day long weekend. The league-leading 3-0 Regina Thunder will host their provincial rivals, the 2-1 Saskatoon Hilltops, on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium.
The Thunder are coming off a 57-7 victory over the Edmonton Huskies in Week three. Head coach Scott MacAulay agrees it was their most connected effort of the season.
“We saw our players come together and take ownership of the team, led by our captains. We felt like we had our most complete game as well. The offence was out there, and I think one of the areas that we struggled with was having a fast start.”
MacAulay says that his team met the challenge of starting fast.
“I remember our quarterback, Adam Mosher, came off the field and said, ‘Hey, how do you like that for a fast start?’ I think we had three touchdowns in the first three drives. So, you could tell all the guys were excited to be there. They were focused. They were present during the entire game, and it was outstanding. The defence did a great job turning the ball over and returning it to our offence in good field position. So things went well.”
After a 3-0 start to the season and building the momentum, MacAulay wasn’t sure how his team would respond to the time off.
“That's a great question. We'll find out after this weekend, I guess. But I think for us, like the Hilltops, they've had a week off, and we know they've had a few personnel changes. For us, having the ability to get away and heal up and stuff. There was good momentum going into the bye week, but our guys are pretty focused right now.”
The Hilltops and Thunder have had a long rivalry, with the Thunder winning their last meeting in the PFC final last year. MacAulay admits that the extra emotion from the teams’ familiarity with one another will need to be managed.
“What we want to try to do is keep it consistent each week. Doesn't matter who we're playing or where we are in the standings. We want to do things on a consistent basis.”
MacAulay says that he is confident in the preparation that his team is putting in.
“They've done a great job watching copious amounts of film and asking great questions. Our veterans have done a good job teaching the young guys about our systems and how to play with them and hold each other accountable. We're just going to do what we do.”
MacAulay believes that the key to the game will be ball control.
“Everything's about the ball. If we're ever able to turn the ball over the least number of times, or the team that's able to cause turnovers the most, is probably going to be the team that goes ahead. Both teams have strong running attacks, and we'll see whoever gets the edge with the physical battle amongst the linemen.”
North in Saskatoon Head Coach Tom Sargeant is looking forward to renewing the provincial rivalry on Saturday night.
“Absolutely. It's been a long time coming. We're getting this team right at the right time. Game four, we're rounding into shape and creating a bit of a team identity.”
Sargeant added, “Obviously, on tape, there's no question the Regina Thunder have been the best football team on tape we've seen this year. I’m excited to head to Mosaic Stadium and line up Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Hilltops are coming off a 42-15 win over Winnipeg in week three, and Sargeant doesn’t feel that a bye week has disrupted that momentum.
“We certainly had some good energy for the first time all year, but we had some injuries here and there. In the long run, getting certain players back might be a blessing. If we can do that and keep building on what we're doing, as I said, I like the way we're trending. I like the direction we're in and I like the team I'm coaching right now.”
That said, Sargeant knows that Saturday’s match-up will test his team.
“We know right now in our league, they're the team to beat. We've had that mantle for a long, long time. Last year was an example where we went through the league 8-0 And then all of a sudden it’s over. That's a great thing about football. It's just a one-game showdown. So that's all it's going to be this weekend.”
Sargeant admits that motivation won’t be a problem for his Hilltops team.
“We want those two points. We control our destiny. And so we want to keep climbing that mountain. Right now, the Regina Thunder are in that way.”
The Regina Thunder and Saskatoon Hilltops will meet Saturday night at 7 p.m.at Mosaic Stadium. And that's the junior football report. I'm Dave Thomas.
