After an 18-14 loss to the host Saskatoon Hilltops on Saturday evening, Regina Thunder head coach Erwin Klempner wasn't about to take a moral victory out of losing by only four points in one of the toughest places to play in the Prairie Football Conference.
"We've shown that we're one of the top four teams in the league, but it takes a complete solid effort to win on the road," said Klempner. "When you're playing 40 (on a travelling roster) against 60 (on a home roster), it's a real tough thing. That's not an excuse; it's just a fact.
"I'm really proud of how hard we worked and we battled right to the end. We had chances to win and those are the kinds of things you're asking for. We didn't think it would be a cakewalk. They're a good team with talent, but we took it to them in the first half, but they battled back in the second."
The Thunder (3-2) actually staked out a 14-6 halftime lead after Reid Quest connected on touchdown passes of 30 and eight yards to Kolten Solomon and Camille Lagimodiere, respectively.
But Regina's offence could not find the same magic in the second half as Saskatoon (4-1) came back with a third-quarter touchdown pass of 30 yards from Jordan Penner to Sam Meschishnick. The fourth quarter saw Saskatoon add more points on a conceded safety, Chris Bodnar's third field goal of the game and a 32-yard punt single by Bodnar.
After Regina conceded the safety -- which tied the game at 14 -- the Hilltops were forced into a punting situation only to have Bodnar pull away from pressure and run for 19 yards and a first down. Three plays later came the kicker's 43-yard field goal to give Saskatoon the lead for good.
"He made a great move on our one guy and our other guys weren't there to make a play," Klempner said of Bodnar's run. "But we had a blocked kick (lined up) and didn't make it. We had lots of time to make things work."
Regina could have tied the game on the next series, but Ben Koot's 29-yard field goal went wide. Mike Prebble put an end to two late Regina drives, intercepting a pair of Quest passes.
Quest, the PFC's leading passer, finished the game 18-for-33 for 237 yards while Regina got its best rushing performance of the year from Brennan Kasbrick, who carried 25 times for 105 yards.
Regan Schuler paced the Hilltops attack with 24 carries for 174 yards.
Thunder linebacker Landon Perra racked up a game-high 25 defensive points with seven tackles, two assists, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception.
"This is only one part of the process," said Klempner. "The whole thing is to get in the playoffs. We're still in a position to get in the playoffs and we'll see what happens after that. Anything can happen in the playoffs and we're in a league right now where that's obviously true."
The Thunder is to travel to Winnipeg to meet the Rifles on Sunday.
NOTE: In the victory, coupled with Regina's 26-24 win on Aug. 15, the Hilltops won the Shrine Bowl -- a two-game total-point series between the provincial rivals -- for the 10th straight year.
