Murray Wood: The fascinating phenomenon of people's laps
Who knew one's lap was so interesting? Murray Wood wonders: Do those folks really think we don't know they're texting be...
One year ago, Owen Effa remembers the empty feeling of standing on the sidelines watching the Saskatoon Hilltops lift the Prairie Football Conference championship trophy.
It was a championship the Regina Thunder saw slip out of their grasp in the final minutes of regulation and a game-winning touchdown reception in overtime by Saskatoon’s Isaiah Vallerruten.
Read more:
- Peter Boersch rushes for 340 yards as Thunder win PFC semifinal
- Hilltops dominate Wildcats 44-16 in playoff opener to advance to PFC championship
- Saskatoon’s McQueen makes emotional NHL debut with Ducks
Now, the Thunder linebacker is determined to write a new story with a conference championship rematch set between Regina and Saskatoon on Sunday.
“That’s the thing that drives you all off-season, right?” Effa told The Green Zone on Thursday.
“You lose such a heart-wrenching game and now we’re back to that same time of year. That’s what has been pushing us towards this goal to try to get back to this game.”
For the third time this season, the Thunder and Hilltops will meet to decide a PFC champion and advance to Canadian Junior Football League semifinals.
It’s a matchup both provincial rivals expected to see at the beginning of the season, with Hilltops running back Corbin Ebben eager to add another chapter on Sunday afternoon.
“When you get the top-two teams in the conference so far this year going at it, it’s just an awesome time,” Ebben said.
The Thunder will play for redemption after last year’s 30-27 overtime loss on their home field, with a roster which has been trending towards lifting a trophy all season.
Regina ended the regular season with a conference-best 7-1 record and used an explosive second half last Sunday to win their PFC semifinal contest with a convincing 40-10 victory over the Calgary Colts.
PFC most valuable player Peter Boersch led the way with 340 yards rushing and a touchdown in the win for the Thunder.
“We’re just a hungry team that really wants it,” Effa said.
“We show up every single day and also just enjoy it, enjoying the process of the season. Not always looking at the outcome, but looking at how we can get to the outcome has been big for us.”
Regina only held a 12-1 lead at halftime against the Colts, but avoided the first round upset with an offensive explosion over the final 30 minutes of play to advance to the conference final.
According to Effa, it was important to halt any Calgary momentum, especially considering how the Colts rallied late to win their regular season finale against the Thunder the week prior.
“We were super focused,” Effa said.
“They beat us the week earlier and we were definitely really fired up for that game, but also just had the mentality that we had to take it one day at a time now that it’s playoffs.”
Last year, the Saskatoon Hilltops rallied to beat the Regina Thunder 30-27 in overtime at Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025 to capture the Prairie Football Conference title. (Louis Christ/Saskatoon Hilltops)
On the other side of the field today will be a Hilltops team which earned their biggest win of the season last week 44-16 against the Edmonton Wildcats in their own semifinal matchup.
Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said that win has given his team a needed dose of confidence after a lacklustre 4-4 regular season.
“When you start the year, you always put on the calendar you’d like to be in the PFC Final,” Sargeant said.
“For a lot of questions that came our way, deservedly so, I think we certainly ended up in the game that we want to be in.”
Saskatoon’s offence was finally able to hit the 40-point threshold against the Wildcats last Sunday, a mark which they previously struggled to reach all season.
Set to take on a Thunder defence which has allowed just 134 points against all season, they’ll need to replicate that execution with the football this weekend.
“We’re going to have to really capitalize in the red zone,” Ebben said.
“We really haven’t shown that we can do that much this season, but we got a lot of faith that things are really turning around, especially after last week.”
Boersch is likely to be the biggest X-factor on the field for the Thunder, with the Hilltops admitting stopping the run game will need to be their number one priority.
While the Hilltops lost 19-6 to the Thunder in their most recent meeting on Sept. 26, defensive lineman Noah Chelsom said it was encouraging being able to keep Boersch out of the end zone.
“I think we have the puzzle pieces to stop that run and slow him up,” Chelsom said.
“Obviously, he’s going to make some big plays, he’s a great player. But that last time we played in Saskatoon, I think we were able to put up a bit of a wall and slow him down.”
The Hilltops will have a bit of a different look at quarterback against the Thunder, as both Griffin Sander and Sam Bazarkiewicz have split time under centre in Saskatoon’s previous two games.
While Sander has still taken the majority of snaps, the opportunity to use Bazarkiewicz’s scrambling ability has unlocked a new facet of the offence.
“It’s nice to show a little bit of different things for the defence,” Sander said.
“When I’m in there, it’s a little bit of different dynamics. Sam uses his legs, it’s great to see him stretch the field with his legs.”
Effa expects Sunday’s game to bring out the best in each other, as he expects the Thunder to play their most complete game of the season.
“Both teams always bring an extra level each time we play each other,” Effa said. “It’s going to be the little things that matter out there, the margins are so small.”
Kickoff between Regina and Saskatoon is set for 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.
Read more:
