The Wood File: Who's hot...and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
The Regina Thunder used a dominant run game and a suffocating defence to power themselves to a 40-10 win over the Calgary Colts in the Prairie Football Conference semifinal on Sunday.
“The O-line takes me to where I need to be and I just get to take credit for 11 guys. That’s not just the O-line; that’s the receivers blocking downfield, the quarterback gets me the ball. Everyone does the work before I can reap the rewards,” said Thunder running back Peter Boersch, who had 340 yards and a touchdown in the game.
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Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay said the team came out of halftime feeling like they would be able to have success on the ground in the second half.
“We felt like we could run the ball up the middle there and that’s what we wanted to do,” MacAulay said.
“That’s where we attacked them and we had some big runs. It’s just we have to capitalize on drives. You can drive the ball 90 yards downfield but if you don’t pop it in the last 20, you’re in trouble.”
Regina only held a 12-1 lead at halftime but pulled away in the second half as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs will host the final next week at Leibel Field. With the Saskatoon Hilltops cruising to their own 44-16 win, it sets up another showdown in the PFC final between the two Saskatchewan rivals.
“We love playing against them. It will be a good crowd and it will be loud and boisterous. The game always comes down to the last couple of minutes,” MacAulay said.
The Thunder won both contests between the two this season, earning a 37-13 win in Regina and then 19-6 in Saskatoon.
While the Hilltops had a 4-4 record this season — far below their normal expectations — MacAulay knows you can’t underestimate them.
“It’s never easy. Both teams know each other extremely well so it’s kind of like how do you reinvent something? Both teams know each other extremely well and it will be a good, tight game,” MacAulay said.
With points hard to come by in the first half, Regina’s came from three conceded safeties by Calgary and then a pair of field goals.
Regina would muster only one touchdown in the third quarter as well, as quarterback Jayden Zelionka rushed it in from a yard out.
In the fourth quarter, the Thunder would begin to pour it on as Boersch and Zelionka found the end zone. Zelionka’s second touchdown of the day came directly after Owen Effa picked off the Calgary quarterback and returned it 59 yards to the one-yard line.
Backup quarterback Eric Heroux threw a pass to Ambrose Abiara for a touchdown in the fourth as well.
Calgary found the end zone late as Colts backup Declan Lyth completed an eight-yard touchdown strike to Chewy Thomas.
The Thunder and Hilltops will meet at Leibel Field on Oct. 18 with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
“That’s a great match-up. It’s going to be a great game and a similar style of playoff football,” Effa said. “Going to have to practice good all week and come out hard.”
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