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October 4, 2009
PFC WEEK 9 IN REVIEW
EDMONTON WILDCATS 46
EDMONTON HUSKIES 7
The season’s ninth and final week opened with the Clarke Park co-tenants locking horns. The Wildcats had an outside shot at 2nd place heading into the week, while the Huskies under interim Head Coach Dave Sharuga wanted to end an extremely disappointing 2009 on a winning note.
The visitors took the opening possession and drove all the way down to the Huskie 2 and Ben Hnidan put the finishing touch on an 8-play, 99-yard drive with a 9 yard chipshot at the 3:56 mark.
The Huskies would take the lead a mere 89 seconds later as LB Korey Johnson took a turn at tailback and rumbled 70 yards to jump into a 7-3 lead after 15 minutes.
Hnidan would hit on a 22-yard placement to make it 7-6 67 seconds into the middle frame. The Cats would take the lead for good four and-a-half minutes in on a conceded safety. Hnidan would have a rare miss from 28 yards out to give his club a 2 point edge. The Wildcats took a 16-7 lead as Kevin Wuthrich got his 8th TD of the season on a 6-yard strike from Andy Pilon that was set up by a Neil King interception. Justin McEvoy scored on a 1-yard scamper & Hnidan would miss again from 32, but would get a single to make it 24-7 at the break.
Matt Lalande would pick up the lone TD of the 3rd as he picked off a Colby Briard pass and ran 31 yards & the Huskies would concede 2 more safeties to make it 34-7 after 3.
The home side gave up a 4th safety, Ben Hnidan would right himself with a 24-yard field-goal & Corbin Sharun would a Mattias Hencke punt 60 yards for a TD with exactly 2 minutes left.
Pilon would go 15 of 31 for 177 yards with a TD & an INT. Wuthrich would have 7 catches for 88 yards & Justin McEvoy ran 10 times for 58 yards & a major score. Matt Lalande had a stellar game with 7 tackles and a pair of picks for 20 DPTS.
Briard went 4 of 13 for 37 yards with 2 interceptions, Korey Johnson had 2 carries for 70 yards while Colton Nickurak had a single catch for 15 yards. Kevin Francis had 4 tackles & 2 interceptions for 22 DPTS.
The Wildcats outclassed the Huskies in the 1st down department 25-5 and in net offense, recording 370 yards, compared to a paltry 102 for the Huskies.
With the win under their belts, the Cats could sit back & see what the final day of the season as the finished 6-2, while the Huskies finish 0-8.
WINNIPEG RIFLES 20
REGINA THUNDER 48
The middle matchup of the week paired 2 clubs whose places in the standings were already set.
Regina opened the scoring 3:36 in as Brennan Kasbrick scored his 1st of 2 rushing majors on the afternoon from a yard out. Camille Lagimodiere doubled the Thunder lead as he took an 89-yard pass from Wyatt Catley, who started for an injured Reid Quest who tore his MCL in last week’s loss to the Wildcats.
In the 3rd minute of the 2nd quarter, Riley Hobbins came in at pivot and hooked up with Kolten Solomon on a 93-yard strike for a 21-0 lead 3:04 into the frame. Ryan Marsch came in for Tyler Johnston who went 4 of 11 for 72 yards. As has been the usual this season, Marsch engineered a TD drive as Darrell Kahlian found the end zone on a 3 yard run to make it a 21-7 game 79 seconds later. But the Thunder would go on a 10-0 run near the end of the stanza as Ben Koot was good on a 22-yard field goal and then Matt Gosselin would scoop up a fumble & go 42 yards to make it 31-7 at halftime.
Marsch would hook up with wideout Drew Oleksewicz from 7 yards out to cut the deficit to 31-14, but that momentum would be quickly snuffed out as Catley found Jay Smith for a 103-yard bullet that restored the 24-point Thunder lead. Koot would cash in on his 2nd 22-yard field goal to make it 41-14 after the 3rd.
Kasbrick would score on a 2-yard trot to make it a 48-14 game, then Rifle receiver Matt Lariviere would make it 48-20 on a 12-yard pass from Marsch, who would have 2 TD & 4 INT on the day.
Marsch went 14 of 37 for 261 yards. Kienan Lafrance would lug the ball 12 times for 44 yards, while Lariviere led the Rifle receiving corp with 6 catches for 92 yards.
Eric Vincent picked up 13 DPTS with a tackle, 3 assists & 2 special teams stops.
Catley completed 15 of 26 for 396 yards with 2 TD & 2 INT, Solomon had 156 yards on 5 catches, Smith had 155 yards & 5 catches as well. Lagimodiere reeled in 4 for 146.
Landon Perra & Cody Johnstone each garnered 14 DPTS. Perra with 2 tackles, 2 assists & 4 special teams tackles, while Johnstone recorded 3 tackles & a pair of interceptions.
The 5-3 Thunder will square off against Saskatoon in a semi-final duel next Sunday. The Rifles finish in 5th at 1-7.
SASKATOON HILLTOPS 48
CALGARY COLTS 27
This was the showcase game of the week and the season as first place was up for grabs at a snowy McMahon Stadium. Thanks to Saturday night’s Wildcat win, this game had a possible trap door to it, as the losing club could possibly drop down to 3rd place.
Saskatoon’s first drive got off to an impressive beginning as starting pivot Chase Bradshaw found Carter Van Parys for a 33-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, but the drive would soon stall.
The Colts would score on their first possession as Karim Ould-Hamouda made good on a 37-yard field goal at the 5:40 mark. Masikewich & his mates would capitalize on a Hilltops turnover and go up by 10 as Tyson Hinds scored on a 10-yard TD toss. Cuong Thai Lieu appeared to have put the Hilltops first-place hopes in huge trouble as he ran 11 yards for a major score 70 seconds into the 2nd stanza to put Calgary up by 17. Hamouda would make it 20-0 on an 18-yard placement six minutes into the frame.
The game would end up taking an incredible 180 degree turn in a 3 minute span. Bradshaw put the Hilltops on the board, firing an 11-yard strike to Kit Hillis to make it 20-7. The Hilltops would put another dent in the deficit as Mitch Stevens made a great 33-yard catch to pull Saskatoon to within 6 with 41 seconds left. Calgary was looking to escape with the halftime lead, but Craig Albert, playing with a hyper-extended knee, would rip the football right out of Lieu’s hands and go 54 yards to the Colts 1-yard-line. On the 2nd play of the ensuing drive, Bradshaw found Steve Grenier for a 2-yard TD to vault the Hilltops into a 21-20 halftime edge.
Following a Michael Waldron 12-yard field-goal, the up-and-down contest kept following the form chart as Tom Shaw hauled in a 25-yard pass from Masikewich to put the Colts back in front by 3.Shaw had 9 grabs in the game for 106 yards. Then Hamouda booted a kickoff single to make it 28-24. The Hilltops offense kept moving and Bradshaw found Stevens for a 31-yard TD to make it 31-28 Saskatoon after 3.
The momentum kept building up as Aaron Haight took in a 3-yard toss from Bradshaw to make it 38-28. For Bradshaw, his 5th TD pass of the game. A safety gave the Hilltops a 12 point edge, then Carter Van Parys scored on a 15-yard pass from Jordan Penner to make the final 47-28, giving the Hilltops the regular season title.
Bradshaw went 16 of 26 for 267 yards, Stevens had 5 catches for 109 yards & Hillis also had 5 for 75 yards. Regan Schuler clinched the rushing title with 191 yards on 25 carries.
The Hilltops racked up 546 yards of net offense & amassed 31 first downs to 21 first downs and 331 yards of net offense for Calgary.
As a result of the stunning loss, the Colts head up the highway to Edmonton for the 2nd semi-final next Sunday, while the Hilltops host Regina at the Gordie Howe Bowl.
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