Photo courtesy of Gord Mellor

The New Year is here and for most of us it’s a time to reset, refocus and try once again to hang onto our resolutions for the next 12 months.  For the 19 CJFL teams, preparation for the 2026 season is well underway as they hope their own New Years resolutions will help them to success by holding the Canadian Bowl trophy over their head in November.

With resolutions fresh on your mind, here is just one for each of the six teams in the Prairie Conference.

SASKATOON HILLTOPS

Rinse and repeat

The Saskatoon Hilltops won the 2025 CJFL Canadian Bowl on their home turf in a classic three-point victory to capture their 24th national crown.  This happened despite losing two games in the regular season and needing to claim a road win in the Conference final which they did in dramatic fashion.  This year they will look to repeat as champs as they have done before winning six straight from 2014-2019 and had a three-peat from 2010-2012. Regardless of who graduates from their program, the Hilltops seemingly have another player just waiting patiently for their turn to be the “next person up” as they look for a repeat. 

REGINA THUNDER

Ground and pound

All-Canadian running back Peter Boersch returns to the Thunder and will no doubt be the featured offensive weapon like he was in 2025 rushing for 1327 yards.  With the departure of Carter Ashman, the Thunder will need to find another rusher to step up when Boersch comes out of the game to keep the opposition guessing.  It remains to be seen if the offensive line will be as dominant as they were in 2025 allowing the running backs to chew up yards and score 19 rushing touchdowns.  The returning players will be very hungry after letting an opportunity to host the Canadian Bowl slip through their fingers last year.

WINNIPEG RIFLES

Add more building blocks

The Rifles opened last year with two straight wins, then won their final two games to clinch the third seed in the Conference.  They continue to lay down the building blocks and develop players to attend the Blue Bombers camp, but it hasn’t translated into winning or even hosting a playoff game.  They graduate 12 very talented players following 2025 and will need to once again find some foundational building blocks to take another run in the highly competitive Prairie Conference.  The players that do return this season will be key pieces to building strong facets of the game. 

EDMONTON HUSKIES

Step up young guns

They were one of the youngest teams in the CJFL last season led by a pair of Conference Rookies of the Year.  Quarterback Wesley Neitz threw for over 1400 yards while linebacker Chris Mattiello was named CJFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after 33 solo tackles.  These two will need to lead the rest of the youth movement and show what they learned for their sophomore season to help get the Huskies back into contention.   Head coach Marshal Klein also enters his second campaign and will no doubt be better prepared for the grueling PFC schedule. 

EDMONTON WILDCATS

Beef up the defensive line

If the Wildcats want to get back to the Canadian Bowl playoffs, they will need to find some big bodies to beef up in the trenches on the defensive line.  Of their five graduates following the 2025 season, four of them are from the defensive line including All-Star D’Wayne Williams who had 27 solo tackles and 12 assists in his final year.  They also lose Dreyden Schlecht, an emotional leader on and off the field that meant so much to their club on the D-Line.  This will need to be a main focus in 2026.

CALGARY COLTS

Take care of the football

Last season the Colts themselves were a large part of their undoing by not being able to protect the football coughing up a Conference high 49 turnovers including 17 interceptions, 16 fumbles and 16 turnovers on downs.  They finished with a -23 in takeaway-giveaways.  They certainly have the pieces to be competitive in the Prairies, but they need to cut down on turnovers, something new interim head coach Reyd Kessler will no doubt focus on during the offseason.
 

Photo courtesy of Sideline Pix

Former Westshore Rebels running back Jamel Lyles was named the championship tournament Most Valuable Player as he led the Team Canada Senior Men’s team to a gold medal on the world stage.

The Canadians recently beat Team Germany in the inaugural Gridiron Nations Championship in Wattenscheid Germany 25-10 behind a terrific ground attack from Lyles.  He rushed 12 times for 78 yards and had a pair of touchdowns including Canada’s first score in the championship game.  Down by a major early in the contest Lyles scored on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter to cut the Germans lead to one heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Canadians dominated with Lyles putting the exclamation point on the game with a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter which iced the game.

When the Team Canada roster was named back in February it featured 11 former CJFL players and former CJFL coach Jesse Maddox at the helm.    Six of those 11 players ended up in the box score for the gold medal championship including Lyles who finished the contest with 124 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches and the two majors.  Receiver Hayden Amis, formally of the London Beefeaters also made a reception for 22 yards while the defensive side featured Kent Hicks (Rebels) and Hakeem Johnson (Beefeaters) each making a tackle, former Calgary Colt Jayden Lawson collected 2.5 tackles and Makana Henry, who played for the Burlington Braves had four others.

It was an impressive finish for Team Canada who outgained the Germans in yards; 346-102 on a chilly, wet night in Germany.

Canada earned their right into the championship game after a thrilling 20-17 semifinal victory over Italy a few days before.  Lyles again led the way with 105 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

This was a history making tournament as the first global competition for tackle football since the 2015 IFAF World Championships…and the gold in 2025 belongs to the red and white!

When the roster was initially announced the following CJFL alumni were named:

• Jamel Lyles – Westshore Rebels
• Hayden Aims – London Beefeaters
• Shawn Charles - Ottawa Sooners and Langley Rams
• Makana Henry – Burlington Braves
• Kent Hicks – Westshore Rebels
• Hakeem Johnson – London Beefeaters
• Ben von Jagow – Ottawa Sooners and London Beefeaters
• Chris Larson – Westshore Rebels
• Jayden Lawson – Calgary Colts
• Jordan Sye – Langley Rams
• Daniel Woloshin – Regina Thunder