Regina Thunder Canadian Bowl junior football championship, Digi Mart USA News (Regina, Saskatchewan): The Regina Thunder are one win away from their first Canadian Bowl championship since 2013. The junior team cruised through the Prairie Football Conference regular season, finishing 7-1 and winning the conference title by defeating the 24-time national champion Saskatoon Hilltops.
Next, the Thunder won a national semifinal on the road for the first time, defeating the Sault Ste. Marie Cougars 44-15.
They will play the Westshore Rebels in the Canadian Bowl, the Canadian Junior Football League championship, in Victoria on Sunday.
It took the perfect combination of players and coaches, and a little luck, to get this far. “I think what got us over the hump is young guys returning,” Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay said.
“We’ve got a lot of veteran presence, but at the same time, we’re young. And we made a lot of changes during the off-season in regards to some coaching changes and some player personnel changes.”
MacAulay has been the head coach of the Thunder since 2013, the same season he guided them to their only Canadian Bowl title, in their first appearance. The team reached the Canadian Bowl again in 2022 and lost.
He has been at the forefront of the Thunder growing from one of the smaller organizations in the Prairie Football Conference to one that has become more involved in the community, and the city has responded with support. “Since (team president) Murad Al-Katib came on board, both of us really want to see the Thunder take it to the next level,” he said.
“There’s been a whole focus on raising the money off the field to take care of the boys as good as we possibly can, and at the same time, it’s allowed me to really focus on recruiting.”
The performances on the field have not gone unnoticed. Leading the way is all-Canadian running back Peter Boersch.
The fourth-year player led the country in rushing with 1,221 yards in only eight games. He continued his tear in the playoffs, with another 703 yards rushing in three games.
Boersch has seen the ups and downs of the organization during his time with the Thunder. Those kinds of hard lessons have helped them reach the title game this year.
“I think that learning to win is a real thing. And so, we’ve come far every year that I’ve been on this team,” Boersch said.
“But this year, I feel like we’ve just got a vast wealth of experience and knowledge in terms of playbook experience, and big games and stuff like that. We’re tired of coming up short, and this is the year we want to finish it.”
Another one of the veterans who have pushed the Thunder over the hump is all-Canadian defensive back Marcus Butz. He led the conference in interceptions with six, scoring a touchdown on four of them.
Now in his fifth and final year, Butz is a little more reflective heading into the final game of his junior career. “It’s like you don’t want to look back at it until the season’s over,” he said.
“But you kind of know in the back of your mind [that] like, your time’s running out here. But, it’s been a blessing.”
The Thunder are trying to treat the Canadian Bowl as just another game. “We’re trying to make guys realize that this is no different than any other week in regards to preparation,” MacAulay said.
“You’re going to be practicing three times a week and, you know, I’m trying not to create any more anxiety than there already is.”
