Regina Thunder topple Hilltops, win PFC Final

The Regina Thunder have beaten their provincial rivals, the Saskatoon Hilltops, to take the Prairie Football Conference Final (PFC) for the second time in three years.

The match at SMF Field in Saskatoon saw the Thunder take control quickly – an under-pressure pass from quarterback Ethan Hugg to receiver Zak Woidyla in the endzone opened up scoring six minutes into play.

The Hilltops would answer with a field goal minutes later to illuminate the scoreboard 7-3.

The Thunder would maintain their lead with a field goal before halftime.

The third quarter would see the Thunder march the ball from their 39 all the way to another touchdown – this time ran in by Sadik Sadik to extend Regina’s lead to 17-3.

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Conceding a safety late in the third quarter forced the Thunder to hand the Hilltops two points.

Shortly after, Saskatoon quarterback Trey Reider completed a deep pass to receiver Drake Douglas to get on the Thunder’s 14 yard line.

A pitch into the endzone a play later tightened up the contest 17-12 with less than a minute left in the third.

The fourth quarter saw the Thunder muff a Hilltops’ punt to get the ball deep into Saskatoon’s redzone on the 12 yard line.

A determined few plays later saw Sadik run the ball into the pile and over the line. 24-12 Thunder with 11 minutes left.

The next scoring opportunity would see the Hilltops run in a major with four minutes left to tighten up the contest to 24-19.

Despite their best attempts to take control late in the game – the Hilltops’ final march to the endzone did not materialize. In the final play of the game, Reider launched a pass into the Thunder endzone where it was batted down.

The Thunder went into the PFC Final recording only two losses during the regular season, both against Saskatoon.

The Hilltops’ perfect season record and their hopes at a return to the Canadian Bowl were dashed on the turf of SMH Field Sunday.

The Thunder, who have faced the Hilltops in the past four PFC Finals, did make it to the championship in 2022 but fell short.

With that certainly in mind, the team will face the Okanagan Sun for a berth in the 115th Canadian Bowl in Ontario on Nov. 9.