Recent Prairie Conference News
The Hilltops, Thunder and Colts are winners
Photo courtesy of Jake Bradley Photography
Saskatoon Hilltops 52
Edmonton Wildcats 7
Second time around and almost a repeat performance as the Hilltops blast the Wildcats once again scoring over 50 points.
Defensively the Hilltops shut out the Wildcats for the first three quarters and only allowed 148 total offensive yards. They forced four turnovers and collected a pair of sacks. Matt Wist led the way with six tackles and a sack while Isaac Rivilan and Dalton Urban recorded interceptions.
On the offensive side the Hilltops scored 17 points in the first quarter and didn’t look back. Running back Boston Davidsen paced the ground game with 131 more yards on 20 carries and scored twice. Charles Sawi also got into the endzone on the ground.
Through the air Trey Reider completed 13 passes for 187 yards and threw touchdowns to Evan Ward and Trystan Ginther.
The lone Wildcats touchdown came late in the fourth when quarterback Julien Beaulieu found Breyan Elias for the score.
This coming weekend the Hilltops (5-0) will visit the Edmonton Huskies (3-2) in a big game for both teams. The Wildcats (0-5) will visit the Winnipeg Rifles (1-4).
Regina Thunder 23
Winnipeg Rifles 11
This was a hard-fought battle with the Thunder doing just enough to escape with a win in Winnipeg.
Running back Ryland Leichert carried the rock 19 times for 110 yards and got into the endzone. The aerial attack struggled against the Rifles secondary, but quarterback Carter Moberg did manage 18 completions for 218 yards and found Leichert for a touchdown leaking out of the backfield.
Kicker Sean Green was solid with three field goals including a 40 yarder.
The Rifles found it difficult to move the football against the Thunder defence. As a matter of fact, their only touchdown came from their own defence. Josh Yanchishyn intercepted a pass and returned it 69- yards for a major late in the fourth quarter. He ended the game with two picks.
With the win the Thunder move to 4-1 and will host the Calgary Colts (2-3) next weekend while the Rifles (1-4) fight for their playoff lives and entertain the Edmonton Wildcats (0-5).
Calgary Colts 48
Edmonton Huskies 40
It was a shootout in Calgary with the hometown Colts coming back to score 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull out their second win of the season.
Their offence gained 596 total yards and was very balanced.
Through the air quarterback Liam Ozkowski was outstanding completing 32 passes for 369 yards and found Nicholas Sirleaf nine times for 151 yards and two touchdowns including the game winning score with 43 seconds left. To add to his incredible performance, Ozkowski rushed five times for 61 yards and scored two majors. Zion Dogbe-Brown was outstanding with 114 yards on nine carries and two more touchdowns.
The Huskies offence was just as impressive, but their defence couldn’t get the stop they needed in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Offensively they tallied 399 yards, most of that through the air. Quarterback Carson Neitz completed 12 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns. He found Jordan Howe twice, along with Carver Trapp and Nolan Baragar once. Neitz also ran for a touchdown.
Next week the Colts (2-3) will look to extend their win streak to three when they visit the Regina Thunder (4-1). The Huskies (3-2) need a win to keep pace in the Conference and will welcome the Saskatoon Hilltops (5-0).
The Hilltops, Colts and Huskies win
Photo courtesy of Eclectic Shots
An exciting three games across the Prairie Conference this past weekend with the Hilltops, Colts and Huskies each claiming a win.
Saskatoon Hilltops 36
Regina Thunder 6
The battle of the top two teams in the Prairie Conference on Saturday night turned into a one-sided affair as the Hilltops blasted the Thunder.
Defensively they were simply outstanding, not allowing a Thunder touchdown and forced four turnovers including three interceptions, two by Carter Wingert, the other by Matt Wist. Furthermore, they held the passing attack of the Thunder to under 100 yards.
Offensively they scored 22 of their 36 points in the first half and used a balanced attack. Quarterback Trey Reider is gaining confidence with each game and completed 19 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns hitting Noah Flaman for all three. Running back Boston Davidsen added to the production with 120 yards on 24 carries and had a major.
The Thunder didn’t have much offensive push against the Hilltops defence but did see some success on the ground with Ryland Leichert who rushed 22 times for 149 yards.
This coming weekend the Hilltops (4-0) will visit the Edmonton Wildcats (0-4), and the Thunder (3-1) will travel to Winnipeg for a date with the Rifles (1-3).
Calgary Cols 33
Winnipeg Rifles 21
The Colts offence woke up in a big way this past weekend recording their first win and gained 440 total offensive yards.
Quarterback Liam Ozkowski shredded the Rifles secondary for 346 yards on 31 completions and two touchdowns. He found his favourite target Nicholas Sirleaf 11 times for 159 yards and a score, and hit Alan Xiang leaking out of the backfield for an 18-yard touchdown strike. Xiang also rushed for two more touchdowns on 15 carries.
The Colts defence held the Rifles to 14 yards on the ground, collected four sacks with Brady Johnson leading the way with 1.5 sacks, two tackles and a fumble recovery.
All 21 points from the Rifles came through the air. Quarterback Thomas Hubbard threw for a pair of majors, while Brady Meeks threw one on a trick play. Receiver Kaiden Banfield made two touchdown receptions and Adam Fast hauled in the other. Hubbard did throw for 236 yards on 14 completions.
This weekend the Colts (1-3) will host the Edmonton Huskies (3-1) and the Rifles (1-3) head back home to welcome the Regina Thunder (3-1).
Edmonton Huskies 39
Edmonton Wildcats 11
For the second straight game the Huskies took down the Wildcats in the battle of Edmonton and move to 3-1 on the campaign.
Through the air Carson Neitz completed 10 passes for 122 yards and had a touchdown, while Jackson Harnett was a perfect 5-5 for 77 yards and threw two touchdowns. Williams Campbell caught two of those majors and Jordan Howe hauled in the other. Neitz also had a rushing touchdown on his three carries. Running back Carson Eddy had a two-yard touchdown plunge.
The Huskies defence played a solid game, not allowing the Wildcats to gain much traction. Sam Kolkman and Cedric McCallum each had an interception as they held the ‘Cats to 228 yards of total offence.
The only Wildcats touchdown came from their defence in the second quarter. Devan Boos picked up a fumble and returned it 63-yards for a score.
This coming weekend the Huskies (3-1) will visit the Calgary Cols (1-3) and the Wildcats (0-4) host the Saskatoon Hilltops (4-0).