Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
The Saskatoon Hilltops rallied from a halftime deficit to beat the Regina Thunder 30–27 in overtime Sunday at Mosaic Stadium, capturing the Prairie Football Conference championship.
Regina led 19–8 at halftime after two rushing touchdowns from Jackson Harnett and a 37-yard field goal from Shawn Green, but Saskatoon stormed back in the second half. The Hilltops tied the game late before winning it in overtime on a five-yard touchdown pass from Brexton Elias to David Boyd Jr.
Read more:
- Jamie Nye: Roughriders thankful Ottawa skipped on Corey Mace
- Huskies and Rams wrap up season in first and second place
- Yamamoto pitches complete game as Blue Jays lose Game 2 of World Series
Running back David Collins powered Saskatoon’s offence with 24 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. At the same time, kicker Ryden Gratton hit field goals from 25, 27 and 18 yards. Receiver Isaiah Vallderruten added a 24-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that sparked the comeback.
Elias and Griffin Sander combined to complete 10 of 13 passes for 131 yards, spreading the ball between Vallderruten, Corbin Ebben and Collins.
For the Thunder, quarterbacks Adam Mosher and Harnett split duties. Mosher went 20-for-26 for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while Harnett added 71 rushing yards and two majors on the ground.
Tanner Donovel led all receivers with six catches for 90 yards, followed by Ben Walz with 39 yards and Lucas Di Iorio with 27 yards. Andrew Sweeney caught a short touchdown in the second half.
Regina outgained Saskatoon 410 yards to 393 and held possession for 35 minutes, but penalties proved costly. Both teams were flagged 17 times: the Thunder for 139 yards, the Hilltops for 145.
Defensively, Isaac Michayluk led Saskatoon with eight tackles and two sacks. In comparison, Jake Mayo paced Regina with four tackles and an interception.
The first half was filled with momentum swings and heavy flags. Hilltops linebacker Charles Sawi opened the scoring with a safety. Still, the Thunder answered quickly behind Harnett’s rushing attack and Green’s reliable leg to take control.
Saskatoon regrouped in the second half behind Collins’ power running and Valderruten’s touchdown grab. After scoring late and converting the two-point try to tie it 27-27, the Hilltops finished the job in overtime to punch their ticket to the Canadian Bowl, where they’ll face the Okanagan Sun in two weeks.
More to come …
Read more:
