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 seven teams in the BC Conference.

OKANAGAN SUN

Stay the course

This Sun franchise has appeared in the last two Canadian Bowls, both on the road resulting in heartbreaking losses.  They did get a measure of revenge in the CJFL national semi-final game beating the visiting St. Clair Saints, but untimely penalties hurt them tremendously in the national championship in Saskatoon.  Head coach Travis Miller and the rest of the coaching staff don’t need to change their schemes and systems much with all their success they have had in recent years.  Recruiting will be an important part of the offseason filling holes left by some of the talented graduates, but this Sun team continues to be the team to beat in BC. 

WESTSHORE REBELS

Run the ball

Over the past few seasons, the Rebels have been more or less a one-dimensional offensive team throwing the football thanks to some highly skilled and talented quarterbacks, but to have success in the CJFL a team must have a run game.  With all the focus on the pass, the top Rebels rusher had only 355 yards in the regular season while the second leading rusher gathered 231.  In total, the Rebels as a team rushed for 1073 yards. Balancing their potent passing attack with a solid ground game can get the Rebels back to the national stage.

PRINCE GEORGE KODIAKS

Start strong

The BC Conference schedule hasn’t dropped yet, but regardless the upstart Kodiaks need to start the 2026 season on the right foot to build upon their first ever playoff appearance last season.  Things on the offensive side will no doubt be different after the graduation of quarterback Sawyer Thiessen, so whoever is named their starting pivot will need to help set the tone early.  Defensively they should be solid with their returning leadership group who can help steal a game or two.  They need that strong start to stay in the hunt out of the gate in a Conference that expects to be very competitive this season.

VI RAIDERS

Dominate defence

The Raiders surprised several BC teams last season as they got back to the Canadian Bowl playoffs as the fourth seed.  Their defence was fast and fierce last year forcing 32 turnovers and featured players in the secondary that had a knack for the football as they combined for 13 interceptions.  The speed off the line caught the opposition on their heels as All-Canadian Tani Wisdom collected 11 sacks and will be hungry for more in 2026 as he’s set to return.  Both Stirling Henry and BC All-Star Max Shippam were major factors on the defence and will return giving the Raiders a veteran laced group that have learned what it takes to win.  They will be a tough group to move the football against this season.

VALLEY HUSKERS

Improve defence

The Huskers took a slight step backwards in 2025, something head coach Bob Reist will no doubt rectify here in the new year.  Their defence allowed the third most points on average in the Conference, something that fans haven’t seen from the Huskers in several seasons.  They lose the heart and sole of their defence after the graduation of Andy Ofosuhene who will be hard to replace but look for the Huskers to fill his cleats by committee rather than replacing his 47 solo tackles with one player.  They will have some holes to fill, but many around the CJFL expect the Huskers to be a lot better defensively in 2026.

LANGLEY RAMS

Resurgence

For the first time since 1988 the Langley Rams didn’t appear in the Canadian Bowl playoffs in 2025, and they immediately took action hiring Jesse Maddox as their new head coach.  He is currently the head coach of Team Canada’s Senior Men’s team that is making waves on the international stage and will bring a wealth of CJFL knowledge to the Rams along with the talented players that want to play for him.  Look for the Rams to be vastly different in 2026 and will no doubt be in the conversation when talking about favourites to win the BC Conference. 

KAMLOOPS BRONCOS

Find offence

The 2025 season was not a very impressive one for the Broncos particularly on the offensive side averaging just six points per game as they finished without a win.   Many thought the addition of former Regina Thunder quarterback Carter Moberg could ignite their club, but he found it difficult to get the ball down the field and in the hands of their playmakers like receiver Colton Meikle.  He made 26 receptions for 240 yards, often facing the opponent’s top defensive back or double coverage.  The Broncos will need to find the personnel that can make an immediate impact at Hillside Stadium in 2026 as this team is desperate to play at a competitive level along with getting back to the Canadian Bowl playoffs.
 

Okanagan Sun @ Saskatoon Hilltops – Sunday November 9, 1:00pm CST / 11:00am PST | WATCH HERE

For the fourth time in CJFL history the Saskatoon Hilltops and Okanagan Sun will meet in the Canadian Bowl, and first time in 10 years.

The two teams come into this game featuring a pair of lethal running attacks on the offensive side and a very talented and strong defensive core that could slow the run game.  Both sides of the ball are littered with All-Canadians, 17 as a matter of fact, all hungry to hoist the 117th Canadian Bowl.

Both teams have a 1000-yard rusher in Gerren Hardisty and David Collins who benefited from a big, strong offensive line.  In eight games Collins finished with 1028 yards on 126 carries, averaging over eight yards per and scored a Prairie Conference high 13 touchdowns.  He was named the Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.  The Sun counter with Hardisty and his 1022 yards on 163 carries and nine touchdowns.  He’s used in various ways on the Sun offence leaking out of the backfield to catch a screen pass or utilizing his blocking ability in the passing game. 

Speaking of passing, many believe the Sun has the advantage when it comes to the quarterbacks.  Liam Kroeger has been the consistent pivot in the BC Conference throwing for 2883 yards and 26 touchdowns, completing 67.5% of his passes.  He has a very good receiver core to throw to, all with the ability to gobble up yards in a hurry.  Seth Famakinde averaged 21.9 yards a catch this season and caught seven touchdowns, Vincent Chuoi caught a team high 36 passes for 557 yards and six majors and Jordayne Falconer hauled in 27 passes for 489 yards and two touchdowns.  He’s also used in the return game and was named the Return Specialist of the Year in BC.

The Hilltops used three quarterbacks over the course of the season and didn’t really need to rely on their pivot with their run game.  Brexton Elias took the majority of the snaps completing 56.6% of his passes for 809 yards and five touchdowns.  Recently however, Griffin Sander led his club back to win the Prairie Conference title in overtime on the road in Regina two weeks ago, which could have won him the starting role in the national championship game.  Regardless of who is under centre, their top target all year is All-Canadian Isaiah Vallderruten who averaged 24.5 yards a catch and four touchdowns.  He also caught the game winning touchdown in OT two weeks ago.

The big question in this game is, will the offences be able to move the ball against the two defences?  They are fast, talented and have a nose for the football.  The Hilltops faced an outstanding running attack in the Conference final and were able to slow the Thunder, preparing them for Hardisty and company.  All the Sun defence did two weeks ago was a pitch a second half shutout in the National Semi-Final game and scored two touchdowns to re-energize the club and lead them to the victory. 

The front seven on both teams is scary and can get to the quarterback disrupting timing on each play.  The Sun ends in JaQuintis Summers and Jarveon Williams combined for 24 sacks while Johnathon Stevens led the Toppers in pressure and was an absolute menace for the opposition.  The Hilltops secondary will no doubt be busy this afternoon as the Sun offence likes to throw so look for Jace Mowles to play an important role trying to remove Famakinde or Chuoi with his coverage.

If this Canadian Bowl comes down to the kicking game, the Sun have the advantage with the Special Teams Player of the Year in kicker Liam Attwood.  He knocked through 13 field goals this year and showed he can hit from 51 yards.  The cold temperatures could play a factor in distance on Sunday, but Attwood has shown consistency all year.  Kicker Ryden Gratton has also been solid for the Hilltops connecting on 12 field goals, his longest from 39-yards.  
It will be interesting to see if both kickers shy away from Falconer and/or Charles Sawi.  These returners have the talent to take a kick back the other direction for a touchdown at any moment.  

Bottom line, these two teams are very even, and it will be a highly competitive game and will simply come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes on Sunday afternoon in a chilly Saskatoon.  Environment Canada is calling for a mix of sun and cloud with a high of -3 with a southeast wind that could be gusty during the game making it feel more like -9.