Regina Thunder one win away from Canadian Bowl, ready to face team that beat them 2 years ago

The Regina Thunder beat the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Prairie Conference Final last weekend. (Photo courtesy: Wanda Harron Photography)

The Regina Thunder are riding the high of their big win over the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Prairie Conference Final last weekend to send them to the Canadian Junior Football League [CJFL] semi-final versus the Okanagan Sun.

The Thunder took an early lead in the game and never looked back en route to a 24-19 victory. Saskatoon was undefeated on the season heading into the matchup. The Thunder had only lost two games all year, both to the Hilltops.

“Going up there to Saskatoon and the type of game it was, them beating us twice in the regular season and for us to go out there and bring the win home, now we have a chance this week to get to the main goal of the National Championship is extremely special,” exclaimed Thunder safety, Adam King.

Now, the Thunder will face the also undefeated Okanagan Sun this weekend for a berth in the 115th Canadian Bowl.

“Nothing’s better than being an underdog going into the game. It gives you a little bit of an edge, a little bit of a boost to bring the other team down and prove everybody else wrong,” shared running back, Sadik Sadik.

The Thunder continue to use their strong run game to their advantage. In last week’s win, Sadik had 178 of the teams’ 321 rushing yards, including two touchdowns.

“I think our run game is the best in the league, and the best we’ve ever had. And big credit goes to the blockers and ourselves working all practice, working on play, making sure we see the holes. A lot of work has gone into being what it is right now,” Sadik said.

The team is looking forward to another crack at the Sun as they were the very team that beat them in their heartbreaking Canadian Bowl defeat in 2022 on home soil.

“Two years ago, we went into it thinking we had it, we deserved it. We’re going into this game playing the exact same way but we’re not underestimating them. We know this is by far our biggest game of the year,” Sadik said.

“It’s motivation, right? It’s something look back on and don’t want to go back to that feeling. It gives you that extra juice going into practice. I think it’s cool we get a rematch at home again,” added King.

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“There’s guys on that team that were part of the team that beat us so there’s going to be some familiar faces, and it’ll make it that much sweeter if we can beat the team that stole it away from us two years ago.”

“It really does [feel like a second chance]. A lot of older guys on the team still have that sour taste in their mouth from losing that game so it’s going to be a big one,” said quarterback, Carter Moberg.

The last time the Regina Thunder won a national championship was 2013 but the team is focused in on Sunday’s matchup and not thinking about being one win away from playing in the title game.

“At the end of the day, we have to make sure that we keep our level head, keeping doing what we’ve been doing that has allowed us to perform at the level we have. We can’t try to change too much,” Sadik said.

“We understand that they’re a good team and they can certainly take it away from us. We’re trying to get the mindset that we’re going in there and we’re going to take the game. We’re not going to wait around and see if they’ll hand it over to us. We have to be aggressive and go after it,” said defensive coordinator, Paul Dawson.

The team also shared they will be trying to get the win over the Sun for their teammates who did not just two years ago.

“In that moment [two years ago], it was a letdown. I felt for the fifth years at the time. I just wanted to make sure I had an opportunity in the future to bring one home for them. We have a chance again this year, so this one’s for those guys,” King shared.

The CJFL semi-final is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Leibel Field.