By Sumayya
For the first time in over a decade, the Regina Thunder football squad has captured the national trophy.
The group won the 118th edition of the Canadian Bowl with a 42-21 victory over the Westshore Rebels this past Sunday in Langford, British Columbia.
This victory stands as the second time in history that the Regina organization has earned the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) championship title.
Together, both squads gained a massive total of more than 1,030 yards throughout Sunday’s matchup.
Regina’s stellar ball-carrier, Peter Boersch, ran the ball for 281 yards, landing the second-highest ground yardage ever recorded in a Canadian Bowl matchup. Because of his incredible work, Boersch was selected as the top attacker of the game.
Match Review
The Rebels made the first move on the scoreboard during a quick three-play drive that concluded with a 38-yard scoring throw from Anthony Cancellare to Zion Brown.
The Thunder fought back with a pair of successful kicks from Harry Case during the opening quarter.
Each squad crossed the goal line for touchdowns in the second quarter, leading to a 14-14 deadlock as the teams walked off for the halftime break.
Thunder signal-caller Jayden Zelionka crossed the goal line on a quick two-yard run. The Rebels quickly matched this with another 38-yard scoring strike from Cancellare to Brown.
Regina’s quarterback ran into the end zone once more on a short two-yard scoring play in the third quarter, putting Regina ahead 21-14 before the final quarter started.
The Rebels locked the score up again using a short two-yard throw from Cancellare to Kwame Franklin on a critical third-down scoring attempt.
That moment, however, would stand as the final time the Westshore offense managed to score any points.
The Thunder snatched the lead back when Boersch broke loose for a 33-yard scoring play, and they extended their advantage ten minutes later with a short one-yard push by Zelionka.
Right after that, Regina’s Matthew Morris ran for a 10-yard score to firmly lock down the championship win.
The Thunder concluded the afternoon with five ground touchdowns and 329 total rushing yards. Zelionka wrapped up his day with 283 yards through the air.
On the Westshore side, Cancellare completed the day with 387 passing yards, which ranks as the sixth-highest air total in Canadian Bowl history. He also recorded three scores and gave up two turnovers through the air, throwing one pick to star defender Marcus Butz and the other to linebacker Owen Effa.
Returning to the field following a physical injury, Rebels defensive line-player Manny Fotiou was chosen as the top defender of the matchup after making six tackles and assisting with two more.
Case earned the honor of the top special teams player of the game.
