Photo courtesy of Crazy Bees Photography

It’s Week 9 of the regular season with the playoff picture starting to come into focus.  The Prairie and Ontario Conferences are over the halfway hump and the BC teams only have three games remaining.

Here are the head-to-heads in Week 9.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14

BC Conference 

Okanagan Sun @ Prince George Kodiaks – Saturday September 14, 6:00pm PST – Masich Stadium | WATCH HERE

This will be the final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Sun pounded the Kodiaks last month, shutting them out and scoring 70 points.  As a matter of fact, the Sun have scored at least 70 points on the Kodiaks in their last three meetings, dating back to last year.  The Sun are coming off an important win last weekend while the Kodiaks passed the ball well but fell at Valley.

Head-to-Head
Records: Sun 7-0 – Kodiaks 1-6
Avg Points For: Sun 38.5 – Kodiaks 19.5
Avg Points Allowed: Sun 15.2 – Kodiaks 44.7

Ontario Conference

GTA Grizzlies @ London Beefeaters – Saturday September 14, 3:00pm PST – City Wide Field | WATCH HERE

They are two teams going in opposite directions as they turn the corner into the second half of the season.  The Beefeaters have won three straight including a massive road win in Ottawa last weekend and the Grizzlies haven’t scored a point in four straight games. It’s the only match up the season between these two.

Head-to-Head
Records: Grizzlies 0-4 – Beefeaters 3-1
Avg Points For: Grizzlies 0 – Beefeaters 37.5
Avg Points Allowed: Grizzlies 46.5 – Beefeaters 17.5

Ottawa Sooners @ St. Clair Saints – Saturday September 14, 7:00pm EST – Acumen Stadium | WATCH HERE

The teams will see each other twice over the next three weeks as the second half of the season begins.  The Saints have dominated every team they have faced so far this year, and the Sooners are coming off their first loss of the campaign.  They will try to do something the last three teams haven’t and that’s put up a point against the Saints defence, who have recorded three straight shutouts.  They will need to play a near perfect game in Windsor to take down the Saints.

Head-to-Head
Records: Sooners 3-1 – Saints 4-0
Avg Points For: Sooners 44.7 – Saints 65.2
Avg Points Allowed: Sooners 12.5 – Saints 1.7

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15

Prairie Conference

Winnipeg Rifles @ Saskatoon Hilltops – Sunday September 15, 1:00pm CDT – SMF Field | WATCH HERE

The Hilltops are finally back at home after three straight on the road along with a bye week.  They face the Rifles for the second time this season after beating them 47-1 last month.  The Hilltops are coming off an impressive road win in Regina last weekend and the Rifles are looking for their first win of the campaign.  

Head-to-Head
Records: Rifles 0-4 – Hilltops 4-0
Avg Points For: Rifles 5.2 – Hilltops 41.5
Avg Points Allowed: Rifles 42.7 – Hilltops 12

Edmonton Wildcats @ Regina Thunder – Sunday September 15, 1:00pm CDT – Leibel Field | WATCH HERE

It’s the second meeting of the season between these two teams after the Thunder shutout the Wildcats in Edmonton 36-0 last month.  The Thunder had their three-game winning streak snapped last weekend and the Wildcats lost in a heartbreaker to the Calgary Colts with time ticking down.  

Head-to-Head
Records: Wildcats 0-4 – Thunder 3-1
Avg Points For: Wildcats 12 – Thunder 35.5
Avg Points Allowed: Wildcats 33.7 – Thunder 10.7

Edmonton Huskies @ Calgary Colts – Sunday September 15, 1:00pm MST – Shouldice Park | WATCH HERE

This is a big game with just two points separating them in the standings.  It’s also the second meeting of the season after Huskies clung to a two-point win on August 17th.  If the Huskies win, they will take command of the tiebreaker, but if the Colts can win by more than two points, they would have the advantage down the road. 

Head-to-Head
Records: Huskies 3-1 – Colts 2-2
Avg Points For: Huskies 24.5 – Colts 28.5
Avg Points Allowed: Huskies 18.7 – Colts 29.2

BC Conference 

Valley Huskers @ Kamloops Broncos – Sunday September 15, 2:00pm – Hillside Stadium | WATCH HERE

This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season after the Huskers kicked the Broncos in Week 2 by the score of 51-7.  The Huskers are a .500 ballclub after coming off a big win last weekend at home to snap a two-game skid. They need a victory to keep pace in the standings.  The Broncos on the other hard are still looking for some consistency this season after getting shutout last week at Okanagan.  A win on Sunday could put them back in the playoff conversation.

Head-to-Head
Records: Huskers 3-3 – Broncos 1-5
Avg Points For: Huskers 27 – Broncos 15.8
Avg Points Allowed: Huskers 23.5 – Broncos 42.3

Langley Rams @ Westshore Rebels – Sunday September 15, 4:00pm – Starlight Stadium | WATCH HERE

They don’t get much bigger than this in Week 9 of the season as the Rams and Rebels meet for the first time this year. They will face each other twice in the final three games of the regular season with second place on the line.  The Rebels are coming off a win and currently have sole possession of second place in the standings and have a game in hand, with the Rams nipping at their heels, but have two losses.  The Rams are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the visiting Okanagan Sun last week and are looking to rebound.

Head-to-Head
Records: Rams 5-2 – Rebels 5-1
Avg Points Fort: Rams 32.5 – Rebels 42.8
Avg Points Allowed: Rams 14.4 – Rebels 20.5

Ontario Conference 

Quinte Skyhawks @ Hamilton Hurricanes – Sunday September 15, 4:00pm – Tim Hortons Field | WATCH HERE

These two meet for the only time this season in a clash in Hamilton on Sunday afternoon.  The Skyhawks are coming off their second win of the campaign last week and now will hit the road for the next two games.  With a win the Skyhawks can strengthen their hold on a playoff spot.  The Hurricanes have struggled this season and are back at home after two straight lopsided losses. It’s only their second home game of the year, following setting a new attendance record in their last one.  They desperately need a win for their team confidence and are hoping some home cooking can do the trick. 

Head-to-Head
Records: Skyhawks 2-2 – Hurricanes 0-4
Avg Points For: Skyhawks 16.7 – Hurricanes 8.7
Avg Points Allowed: Skyhawks 33.5 – Hurricanes 61.2 
 

Photo courtesy of Wanda Harron Photography

The road teams flexed their muscle in the Praiire Conference this past weekend and all three recorded a victory heading home.

Saskatoon Hilltops 29
Regina Thunder 15

Both defences snuffed out the run game on Saturday night which left offences trying to gain yards through the air. 

Hilltops quarterback Trey Reider completed 17 passes for 291 yards and threw touchdown passes to Drake Douglas and Daniel Fountaine.  He also rushed for a five-yard major after a nifty spin-a-rama to great free and get to the corner. 

Defensively they held the Thunder to 46 yards on the ground and forced four turnovers including two interceptions by Jace Mowles. 

Without much production from the run game, Thunder pivot Carter Moberg took to the air.  He attempted 53 passes, completing 35 of them for 348 yards and hit Zak Woidyla for a touchdown. The only other scoring was from kicker Shawn Green who hit two field goals.

Over on the defence they held the Hilltops to 78 yards on the ground and saw an interception from Cooper Filazek.

Next weekend the Hilltops (4-0) welcome the Winnipeg Rifles (0-4) and the Thunder (3-1) look to rebound when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (0-4).

Edmonton Huskies 33
Winnipeg Rifles 6

Suddenly the Huskies find themselves in a second-place tie after winning their third straight game over the weekend, downing the Rifles.

Their offence was balanced and very good, but their defence was better, holding the Rifles to 103 net yards. They forced five turnovers and even got on the board thanks to a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown courtesy of Juven St. Hilaire. 

On the offensive side the running attack galloped 264 yards and scored three touchdowns.  Quarterback Jackson Harnett punched in two majors and Nolan Baragar had the other.   Harnett also threw for 236 yards on 19 completions. 

Next weekend the Huskies (3-1) visit the Calgary Colts (2-2) in a big game while the Rifles (0-4) head to Saskatoon to meet the Hilltops (4-0).

Calgary Colts 36
Edmonton Wildcats 30

The Colts scored the winning touchdown with under two minutes to play when Blaise Newberry scored from 10 yards out capping a wild game. 

It was the Colts that had a 29-14 lead heading into the final quarter when the Wildcats rattled off 16 points to take a one-point lead with just over five minutes to play, but they couldn’t hold the advantage. 

In the end the Colts were able to use a balanced offence, running for 224 yards and passing for 257.  A pair of Colt quarterbacks completed 16 passes and three touchdowns in the win, highlighted by a 97-yard catch and run by Zion Dodge-Brown just before halftime.  Quinn Fedoroff also had a touchdown reception before Newberry tallied the game winner. 

On the ground Bradley Nkoumbo rushed for a touchdown as did quarterback Isaiah Klein.

The Wildcats offence came predominately from quarterback Marcos Soltero who completed 16 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns.  Max Taylor hauled in two of those scores and Jacob St. Hilaire caught the other.

Next weekend the Colts (2-2) host the Edmonton Huskies (3-1) and the Wildcats (0-4) visit the Regina Thunder (3-1).