Even though the Roughriders are out of contention for the Grey Cup, some exciting playoff football is still hitting Saskatchewan's biggest gridiron stage this November.
The biggest game being played this month in Saskatchewan outside of the 109th Grey Cup has to be the Regina Thunder vying for a Canadian Bowl victory today after their big win against the Saskatoon Hilltops on October 30th vaulted the team (and their West Central members) into an opportunity to confirm themselves as the top junior football team in Canada.
The Thunder have been dominant all season long as an undefeated team, and will need to keep it going against the also un-beaten Okanagan Sun.
They are finally in a position to win after a similar season last year went by the wayside, and their two local members (albeit in different positions completely) are excited to try and successfully run the table in 2022 after last season's disappointment.
PFC Champions. 🔥
— Regina Thunder (@reginathunder) October 31, 2022
Thunder 39 - Hilltops 21#reginathunder #togetherweroll #pfc pic.twitter.com/96JEpMk48O
Rookie receiver in former Kerrobert Rebel Benjamin Walz never got a taste of the Thunder's success in 2021, and then the teams backup quarterback from last year in Unity's Zenon Orobko came into this campaign with a completely new mindset after he traded in his helmet for a headset to become the team's quarterback's coach.
"It's been a bit interesting coaching players that I played with."
All of their hard work on the season was put to the test in the PFC Championship against Saskatoon, and it was a thrilling matchup as per usual between Saskatchewan's CJFL programs. Saskatchewan football fans at Mosaic Stadium were treated to a great game, and it was just as enjoyable for some of the former Thunder and current Roughriders in attendance.
It’s a battle in the prairies today 🏈🌾
— Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation (@SaskRidersFDN) October 30, 2022
The @reginathunder take on the @SaskHilltops for the PCF final… who do you have taking the 🏆?
Mosaic Stadium | 1 p.m pic.twitter.com/8nBMMKfyu6
Longtime Roughrider and fan favorite offensive lineman Dan Clark has been a staple in Regina football for the last 10+ years, and our contact in Logan Ferland is on the same path as he just finished his sophomore season in the CFL after coming out of the Thunder program as well.
Ferland is always willing to talk with us at West Central Online, and he gave some firsthand accounts from the big 39-21 win over the Hilltops.
"It was a really good one. It was up and down, and I thought the Hilltops could have pulled ahead in the third, but we kind of sealed the deal at the end of the third and in the fourth."
Ferland's CJFL aura that he entered the league with has been supplanted somewhat by his great rookie season in the CFL, and follow-up campaign as his team's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman nominee; but his career narrative certainly still has a large part to do with the Thunder. Ferland recalled how they were always a successful team in Regina that couldn't ever get past the yearly challenge that was the Hilltops, and shared what it means to him now that his alma mater is finally competing for a Canadian Bowl title after so many years of sustained success.
"I never went to the Canadian Bowl in my career. It always came down to us and the Hilltops. It was always the PFC Championship, and we couldn't pass that hurdle. The fact that we did pass that hurdle this time, you can tell the boys are going to be making a run for it," said Ferland, though the team shouldn't get complacent, "It's not a sigh of relief right now, they still have a huge game and have to put the final nail in the coffin. I'm excited for them. It's been a long time and they deserve it."
Announcing our 2017 Team Captains. Logan Ferland, OL. #togetherweroll #rollthunder pic.twitter.com/v04NejWjPI
— Regina Thunder (@reginathunder) August 7, 2017
Ferland said the coaching staff deserves the Canadian Bowl appearance just as much as the players. It likely means a bit more to longtime coach Scott MacAulay than the rookie of the staff in Zenon Orobko.
Witnessing MacAulay see all of his hard work over the years pay off could result in a major spark for Orobko's coaching future. It is something he seems to love, and he talked about the transition into coaching, comparing it to his future profession of teaching.
"In general, the transition has been great. Been what I expected. I just know it's kind of for me, like we talked about with basketball because you could probably notice how excited I was about that," said Orobko, referencing his 'Summer Ball Basketball Camp' put on during the summer.
The two experiences mesh well together for what Orobko wants out of life, but the interesting wrinkle of him being a former player on the team just a year ago definitely adds something to his appointment as QB coach in Regina.
"It's been a bit interesting coaching players that I played with. Players that are 2-3 years older than me. The guys are good about it, like there was never an issue about respect or anything like that. It's just something you don't usually see. That's kind of been the "weird part", but again everyone has been good about it, and I feel very accepted (by everyone)."
Orobko said the transition has been fairly easy, but getting the young athlete gene out of his system has taken some getting used to. It has to be difficult to go from making a difference on the field, to providing those same former teammates between the hashes the recipe for success.
He can see the game from each perspective now, and their goal of just trying to continue and do what they are good at as a team.
Sometimes though, he still lapses back into being a player which just proves that Orobko is a football guy all the way through.
"The message that we get.... or that we give at halftime, I guess, is that we are good," he said, "Everything we are doing is working from a system standpoint, and eventually we are just so talented, and guys are so dialed in that eventually things are going to work."
Even though the Thunder have been quite dominant, each game has been a great learning experience for Orobko. The team has won every game albeit not in a perfect manner, but the way their season has transpired has given Orobko a good look at how things work from the inside.
Calling plays and evaluating the game is only one part of being a coach. Identifying talent and using it correctly is another major aspect.
As mentioned already receiver Benjamin Walz is a first-year player with the Thunder, and his frame and overall potential is what had the Thunder coaching staff so intrigued as coach Orobko let us know how the former Kerrobert Rebel Walz has developed as a rookie during the teams' run to the championship.
"He's looked really good in practice. Our coaching staff had our eye on him early. Obviously, his frame is enormous at like 6'3, 220 pounds. I don't have those numbers off the top of my head, but he was someone that was instantly like 'we need that guy,'" said the local coach on the local player who is a perfect build for what the Thunder would like to replace in their top receiver, "He fits a very similar mold to Rylan Sokul, who was our team MVP and league MVP last year. Similar body, similar skillset, so that's been awesome to see Sokul taking Walz under his wing. Grooming him a little bit."
Walz dressed four games during the regular season, contributing two receptions on offense and also filling in with his big frame as a special team's player for the eventual PFC champion Thunder. Walz might feature raw talent, but talent is what gets you on the field and the West Central product actually got into the Thunders first playoff game this year against Winnipeg and caught a pass for 7 yards during a play in the fourth quarter.
"I think he's someone that can really be a force for however long he plays with us. I think he's going to be a fantastic receiver that the Thunder are pretty lucky to have."
Walz can only do so much with his role as a young player on a championship level team but being part of the roster week in and week out and soaking in the experience is a good place to start ahead of a possibly bigger role in the receiving corps next season.
The Thunder return to Mosaic Stadium November 12 at 1pm to host the @okanagan_sun in the @CJFLnews Canadian Bowl pic.twitter.com/KnD0OotEP8
— Regina Thunder (@reginathunder) October 30, 2022
Two specific West Central towns have a rooting interest this weekend in the Canadian bowl thanks to their personal connections, and the hope in sharing these sports stories is that the rest of our readers can get excited too as local members on the team look to make history by taking home the trophy this afternoon.
It's supposed to be a chilly day at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Advantage to the Saskatchewan team against the boys from BC.
Luckily Orobko will be up in the warm booth with the championship on the line, but anyone who has ever played football knows that what Walz is about to experience as a player isn't easily topped, as Saturday's championship atmosphere on the field might just come close to matching the CFL's party in the heartland set for just over a week later on November 20th during the Grey Cup.