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Week 8 Preview

By Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters), 09/09/22, 12:00PM PDT

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A full slate of CJFL games this weekend

Photo courtesy of Joanna Kurowski Photography

It’s Week 8 of the CJFL season with all but one team in action as all three Conferences go back to work following Labour Day.

SATURDAY

Regina Thunder @ Saskatoon Hilltops – Saturday September 10, 7:00pm – SMF Field | WATCH HERE

This game is always circled on the Prairie Conference schedule as the Thunder and Hilltops duke it out under the lights in Saskatoon.  It’s the first of a home-and-home as these two will get very familiar with each other over the next two weeks.

Both teams are coming off the Labour Day bye weekend and has all the makings of another classic in this first-place showdown.  The Thunder offence has scored the most points in the Conference while the Hilltops defence has allowed the fewest.

Head-to-Head

Records: Thunder 3-0 – Hilltops 2-1
Points For: Thunder 124 – Hilltops 73
Points Allowed: Thunder 51 – Hilltops 39

Passing Leaders: Carter Shewchuk – 60 of 79 for 990 yards and 10 touchdowns (Thunder) – Damon Dutton – 45 of 68 for 483 yards and 2 touchdowns (Hilltops)

Rushing Leaders: Ryland Leichert – 53 carries for 379 yards and 1 touchdown (Thunder) – Boston Davidsen – 65 carries for 392 yards and 2 touchdowns (Hilltops)

Receiving Leaders: Isaac Foord – 16 receptions for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns (Thunder) - Boden Marley – 12 receptions for 143 yards and 1 touchdown (Hilltops)

Leading Tacklers: Matt Schill – 8 tackles (Thunder) – Joe Yausie – 16 tackles (Hilltops) 

London Beefeaters @ St. Clair Saints – Saturday September 10, 7:00pm – Acumen Stadium | WATCH HERE

For the second time in consecutive weeks the Saints and Beefeaters will battle in a first-place showdown.  Last weekend the Saints left London with a 26-18 victory behind 465 yards of total offence.

The run game did most of the damage led by rookie and the Offensive Player of the Week MJ Doyle-Marshall who gained 121 yards on 15 carries and had a touchdown. Dante Lewis and quarterback Andrew Brush also found the endzone on the ground. 
The Beefeaters will look to finish their drives with touchdowns rather than settling for the three field goals they scored last weekend.  Their lone major was scored on the ground by LJ Dyer.

Head-to-Head

Records: Saints 4-0 – Beefeaters 3-1
Points For: Saints 212 – Beefeaters 155
Points Allowed: Saints 38 – Beefeaters 53

Passing Leaders: Andrew Brush – 29 of 57 for 492 yards and 6 touchdowns (Saints) – Ethan Chambers – 23 of 54 for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns (Beefeaters)

Rushing Leaders: MJ Doyle-Marshall – 24 carries for 207 yards and 1 touchdown (Saints) – Taz Bell – 38 carries for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns (Beefeaters)

Receiving Leaders: Jared Hayes-Williams – 20 receptions for 357 yards and 4 touchdowns (Saints) – Nick MacKenzie – 8 receptions for 141 yards and 1 touchdown (Beefeaters)

Leading Tacklers: Josh Allen – 13 tackles (Saints) – Tyler Thompson – 23 tackles (Beefeaters)

Okanagan Sun @ Westshore Rebels - Saturday September 10, 4:00pm – Starlight Stadium | WATCH HERE | Sun Radio Broadcast HERE

It’s another first-place showdown in the BC Conference when the Sun visit the Rebels.  Last month in Kelowna the Sun blasted the Rebels 65-29 behind five touchdown passes from quarterback Dominic Britton.  Their defence also played a major factor holding the Rebels to just 60 yards on the ground.

A win by the Sun would give them a strangle hold a top the Conference, but a Rebels win could make things more interesting down the stretch with a month before the Canadian Bowl playoffs kickoff. 

This game will feature the top two scoring offences; the Rebels scoring 229 points so far this season while the Sun have tallied 228 in one less game played.   

Head-to-Head

Records: Sun 5-0 – Rebels 5-1
Points For: Sun 228 – Rebels 229
Points Allowed: Sun 56 – Rebels 146

Passing Leaders: Dominic Britton – 61 of 104 for 1099 yards and 10 touchdowns (Sun) – Te Jessie – 92 of 168 for 1598 yards and 16 touchdowns (Rebels)

Rushing Leaders: Jevan Garwood – 37 carries for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns (Sun) – Gerren Hardsity – 72 carries for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns (Rebels)

Receiving Leaders: Noah Bymak – 11 receptions for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns (Sun) – Kieran Poissant – 20 receptions for 393 yards and 5 touchdowns (Rebels)

Leading Tacklers: Peyton Ryder – 23 tackles (Sun) – Dolani Robinson – 23 tackles (Rebels)

Valley Huskers @ VI Raiders – Saturday September 10, 5:30pm – NDSS Field | WATCH HERE

It’s been a difficult week for the Raiders after $50,000 of equipment was stolen from their storage room in Nanaimo at Caledonia Park on Wednesday night.   Everyone in the CJFL is hoping fans support the team this weekend and attend the game as every dollar from the sale of the game tickets will go to replace the stolen gear. 

On the field the Raiders are coming off a bye weekend but have lost four straight while the Huskers are coming off a massive win over the Langley Rams.  

This is the only regular season match-up between these two teams.  A Huskers win could push them into a second-place tie and a Raiders victory would inch them closer to a playoff spot.

Head-to-Head

Records: Huskers 4-2 – Raiders 1-5}
Points For: Huskers 139 – Raiders 73
Points Allowed: Huskers 117 – Raiders 219

Passing Leaders: Josh Janssen – 85 of 159 for 1095 yards and 9 touchdowns (Huskers) – Ben Chomolok – 97 of 182 for 1151 yards and 6 touchdowns (Raiders)

Rushing Leaders: Reece Wyke – 119 carries for 619 yards and 4 touchdowns (Huskers) - Ben Chomolok – 41 carries for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns (Raiders)

Receiving Leaders: Dylan Manocha – 20 receptions for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns (Huskers) – Andre Gordon – 25 receptions for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns (Raiders)

Leading Tacklers: Jaiden Claassen – 28 tackles (Huskers) – Sean Adams 17 tackles (Raiders)

Langley Rams @ Prince George Kodiaks – Saturday September 10, 7:00pm – Masich Stadium | WATCH HERE

This is the first of two meetings between these two teams with Saturday night will be the first ever showdown. 

Last weekend the Rams had their two-game winning streak snapped while the Kodiaks are coming off a bye during the Labour Day weekend. 

Both teams are desperate for a victory with just two points separating them in the standings.  The Rams currently hold down the final playoff spot with four games to go and find themselves on the road for three of them including their trip to Prince George.   The Kodiaks meanwhile have five games left with three of them at home. 

Head-to-Head

Records: Rams 2-4 – Kodiaks 1-4
Points For: Rams 104 – Kodiaks 70
Points Allowed: Rams 112 – Kodiaks 155

Passing Leaders: Trey Jones – 41 of 76 for 658 yards and 3 touchdowns (Rams) – Liam Oczkowski – 51 of 102 for 782 yards and 2 touchdowns (Kodiaks)

Rushing Leaders: Caleb Wheeler – 58 carries for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns (Rams) – Keanu Brown – 27 carries for 186 yards and 10 touchdowns (Kodiaks)

Receiving Leaders: Beckham Dickie – 13 receptions for 244 yards (Rams) – Jerome Erickson – 19 receptions for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns (Kodiaks)

Leading Tacklers: Joel Klaassen – 20 tackles (Rams) – Marcellus Pope – 23 tackles (Kodiaks)

 SUNDAY

Calgary Colts @ Winnipeg Rifles – Sunday September 11, 1:00pm – Maple Grove | WATCH HERE

It’s the only meeting of the season between these two teams so a win is much more important in a tiebreaker scenario at the end of the season.  

Both teams are coming off a bye week.  The Rifles had a massive win at home before the bye beating the Hilltops 19-16 while the Colts have won two straight lopsided games over the Edmonton Wildcats and are in the CJFL’s Top 10 Power Rankings.

Head-to-Head

Records: Colts 2-1 – Rifles 1-2
Points For: Colts 112 – Rifles 51
Points Allowed: Colts 64 – Rifles 59

Passing Leaders: Nick Kennedy – 49 of 83 for 722 yards and 8 touchdowns (Colts) – Bryson McNeil – 73 of 116 for 940 yards and 3 touchdowns (Rifles)

Rushing Leaders: Alan Xiang – 38 carries for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns (Colts) – Bryson McNeil – 22 carries for 92 yards (Rifles)

Receiving Leaders: Ty Metcalfe – 11 receptions for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns (Colts) – Jake Roger – 18 receptions for 367 yards and 2 touchdowns (Rifles)

Leading Tackers: Damien Bucknor – 12 tackles (Colts) – Kyle Chorney – 14 tackles (Rifles)

Edmonton Wildcats @ Edmonton Huskies – Sunday September 11, 1:00pm – JP Bowl | WATCH HERE

For the first time this season the city rivalry game kicks off when the Huskies host the Wildcats with bragging rights on the line.

Both teams are coming off the Labour Day bye weekend and should be well rested.  The Huskies have lost two straight games by an average of 28.5 points and the Wildcats have lost all three games by a lopsided score.

Head-to-Head

Records: Wildcats 0-3 – Huskies 1-2
Points For: Wildcats 42 – Huskies 61
Points Allowed: Wildcats 152 – Huskies 98

Passing Leaders: Caleb Taylor – 28 of 53 for 441 yards and 1 touchdown (Wildcats) – Jordan Lane – 24 of 49 for 418 yards (Huskies)

Rushing Leaders: Manny McGill – 14 carries for 100 yards and 1 touchdown (Wildcats) – Alex Gayle – 64 carries for 320 yards and 5 touchdowns (Huskies)

Receiving Leaders: Max Taylor – 7 receptions for 155 yards and 1 touchdown (Wildcats) – Jermanie Watkins – 5 receptions for 122 yards (Huskies)

Leading Tacklers: Tanner Shaw – 19 tackles (Wildcats) – Mikhail Biggs – 13 tackles (Huskies)

Ottawa Sooners @ GTA Grizzlies – Sunday September 11, 7:00pm – Chinguacousy Park | WATCH HERE

For the second time this season the Sooners and Grizzlies will butt heads after Ottawa won the first meeting 37-7 holding GTA to just 50 yards of total offence, with only three through the air.

The Sooners’ defence was brilliant not only holding the Grizzlies offence down, but they scored four touchdowns.  Three of the majors were fumble recoveries scooped up for scores while the other was a 37-yard pick-six by Richard Graham.

The victory over the Grizzlies in August began the Sooners three game winning streak and has them currently in a second-place tie with the Beefeaters.  The Grizzlies meanwhile have lost all four games this season.

Head-to-Head

Records: Sooners 3-1 – Grizzlies 0-4
Points For: Sooners 132 – Grizzlies 21
Points Allowed: Sooners 73 – Grizzlies 137

Passing Leaders: Owen Cowan – 50 of 87 for 781 yards and 5 touchdowns (Sooners) – Ryan Boyd – 11 of 23 for 21 yards (Grizzlies)

Rushing Leaders: Rogean Wilson – 35 carries for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns (Sooners) – Elio Almeida – 24 carries for 91 yards (Grizzlies)

Receiving Leaders: Nathan Coleman – 11 receptions for 204 yards and 1 touchdown (Sooners)

Leading Tacklers: Richard Graham – 13 tackles (Sooners) – Cherone Grey – 12 tackles (Grizzlies)

Hamilton Hurricanes @ Quinte Skyhawks - Sunday September 11, 2:00pm – Loyalist College | WATCH HERE

It’s the only meeting of the season between these two teams so winning it a bit more critical in case of a tiebreaker situation at the end of the season.

Last weekend the Hurricanes blew past the Grizzlies for their second win of the season while the Skyhawks were crushed in Ottawa.

Head-to-Head

Records: Hurricanes 2-2 – Skyhawks 0-4
Points For: Hurricanes 84 – Skyhawks 23
Points Allowed: Hurricanes 55 – Skyhawks 271

Passing Leaders: Kieran Dej – 18 of 33 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns (Hurricanes)

Rushing Leaders: Isaac McAlonan – 13 carries for 125 yards and 1 touchdown (Hurricanes)

Receiving Leaders: Quinn Robertson – 16 receptions for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns (Hurricanes)

Leading Tacklers: Zach Chaddock – 22 tackles (Hurricanes) – Thomas Robinson – 17 tackles (Skyhawks)