After week eight of action in the Prairie Football Conference, the Regina Thunder took sole possession of the top spot in the league.
The Thunder rallied in Saskatoon for a 24-21 win over the Hilltops last Saturday night.
In other action, the Winnipeg Rifles trimmed the Edmonton Wildcats 28-26, and the Edmonton Huskies scored a 25-14 win over the Calgary Colts.
The league is on a bye week before the regular season wraps up over Thanksgiving weekend.
Let's go back to last week. Regina running back Jackson Harnett paced the Thunder with 81 yards rushing and five punt returns in their win in Saskatoon. He says that it was a great night all around.
“Any time you get to play under the lights is a special moment, especially when you're out in Saskatoon with their alumni and the crowd packed, fireworks going off, their whole cheerleading squad on the sideline. We love to go out there, we love to compete, and we're never scared of infiltrating an away game. The boys knew their assignments, so we executed perfectly and walked out of there with a big win.”
The Thunder wanted to start fast on the road against their provincial rivals, and Harnett provided that spark with a 72-yard touchdown run early in the game.
“The play's pretty much a blur; I can't lie. Taking it up that sideline and hitting that gap, I wasn't sure of the outcome. I knew it was second down, and we needed a first down. By the time I had passed that first down, my legs were moving, and my brain was kind of frozen, but I looked back and saw a wave of blue jerseys and knew I just had to keep pushing. By the time I knew it, I was in that end zone with the boys celebrating.”
The first-year Thunder running back admitted that fatigue started to set in while being chased.
“The field definitely kept getting longer and longer, that's for sure.”
The Thunder are on a bye week this week before closing out the regular season on October 12. Harnett says they will look to finish the season strong to hang onto the top spot in the conference.
“It's an interesting time to throw a bye week at a football team, but it doesn't matter in our minds when you have boys that are so close together, like the Regina Thunder. I mean, we're still going to get our reps in, we're still going to get our mental reps in, and it's just another day to perfect our craft for us.”
The Thunder’s final game of the regular season is against the Edmonton Wildcats, who need a win to keep their postseason hopes alive, but Harnett says the contest is equally as important for them.
“It's definitely a must-secure. We've now stolen first place and are happy with where we are, but we need to continue to stay happy. We can't get comfortable because as soon as we get comfortable, we get lazy, and that's just not our squad.”
The game against the Wildcats will be important for Harnett, who hails from Edmonton. His journey to the Queen City has been fulfilling.
“It was a big mix-up and an interesting year. But at the end of the day, I'm a fifth year, so it's my final year in the CJFL, and I want to play football. Scott MacAullay gave me that opportunity. I'm proud to say that I found a home here in Regina with the boys, and they've accepted me extremely well, and I can't thank them enough. And I can't wait to win with this squad.”
Harnett admitted that the Thunder program is what he thought it would be from the outside looking in.
“These boys have always known how to win. Regina Thunder has always been one of the top performers in our league, and it definitely shows, not just on the field but outside the field, too. When it comes from staff working their butts off to help us out, or coaches, they're on call 24-7.”
“We got Scott McCully, such a great mind, leading our squad, knowing how everyone needs to act and perform throughout the week to ensure we execute to the best of our abilities. And they just know how to do it all. When it comes to recovering, bonding with the team, practicing every night, and getting our film hours in, we execute to the highest ability, so we're held to standards.”
The perfect ending to the season for Harnett in Regina would be getting a ring on his finger.
“It would mean the world to me. I came from Harry Ainlay High School, which is a very competitive and great high school. Shout out to those boys out there in Edmonton.
Those boys really know how to play football. We ended up getting a provincial championship ring in grade 11, and that moment was everything to me. I still remember it like it was yesterday, and I'd love to reenact that, just with these boys here in Regina.
As mentioned, the league is on a bye this week before the regular season wraps up with Regina home to the Edmonton Wildcats, Calgary at Saskatoon and the Winnipeg Rifles traveling to Edmonton to take on the Huskies.
And that’s the Junior Football Report, I’m Dave Thomas
