By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Winnipeg and Saskatoon are set to do battle for the first time in 2018 this weekend in the 204. They had a barn-burning affair in the playoffs last year. Photo by Matthew Hamilton.
Regina recap
Last Saturday, the Winnipeg Rifles suffered their first blemish of the 2018 campaign, falling 29-21 to Regina in an aggressive, hard-hitting affair in the Queen City. The biggest storyline of the game occurred midway through the fourth quarter, when starting pivot Riley Naujoks took a late hit while trying to slide to the ground on a play that had broken down. His status for this Sunday’s home game against the Hilltops is currently up in the air, but thankfully the signal-caller looks to be okay going forward in what is still a relatively young season.
With Naujoks sidelined for the remainder of the fourth quarter, fifth-year Drenin Busch got the call, engineering two scoring drives that ended in passing touchdowns. He finished the contest going 9-of-18 for 114 yards, but, along with the two scores, also tossed two interceptions. Interestingly, the veteran — who recently bought his first house — is also the team’s punter/kicker and displayed a great hustle play in the game’s final 10 minutes, recovering his own punt. If he gets his number called to start this weekend, the team can rest assured knowing they’re in good hands.
The other major storyline from last weekend’s game was turnovers. The Rifles committed six offensively, with a few occurring while the team was driving into the red zone, including a fumble at the two-yard line.
Despite the result, there were some bright points. Fifth-year receiver Brendan Naujoks had a stellar game, hauling in a couple catches in traffic as well as a fourth-quarter touchdown snag. Defensively, fellow fifth-years Andrew Ricard and Donovan Hillary continued to prove why they were ranked in the CJFL Top 50 this year, flying around and making plays all day. Ricard’s performance was particularly notable, as he laid the boom down on several different Regina players — most notably on a passing play across the middle. The two defenders are currently tied for second in the conference with nine tackles each.
Another defender that had a strong performance was rookie Tyler Bueckert out of Steinbach. He was primarily brought in during the 3-4 package that defensive coordinator Justin Kasak ran at certain times, and recorded his first career sack on a broken play offensively for the Thunder. He also generated a strong pass rush on a separate play late in the game that led to a sack from defensive end Machuor Akau. The future is bright for the six-foot-three linebacker who has the size and athleticism to be a future All-Canadian.
Saskatoon primer
On Sunday, the Rifles will host the 2-0 Saskatoon Hilltops, who have won seven of the last eight national titles. The team has given up just eight points defensively this season and are looking to keep their red hot start going.
The pair’s most recent contest occurred in the 2017 PFC semi-final, where the Hilltops held on for a 28-21 win, despite 14 fourth quarter points from Winnipeg. Fifth-year receiver Griffin Shillingford led the team with 85 yards and a touchdown in the contest, while current Manitoba Bison pivot Jonathan Remple threw for 239 yards and three scores. Defensively, Hillary led the way with 12 tackles, while fellow veteran Mike Hart had seven.
Current fifth-year pivot Jordan Walls was held to just 130 yards passing in the contest but got a helping hand from running backs Logan Fischer and Joel Litt-Jukes, who each ran for over 100 yards. This year, it’s Ben Abrook who’s carrying the load for the Hilltops and is the current rushing leader with 193 yards. Interestingly, Rifles running back Mathe Mitayango trails Abrook by just nine yards for the rushing lead, and it will be interesting to see how both teams game plan defensively to stop the opposing ball-carrier.
Speaking of defence, these two teams are currently tied for the conference lead with six sacks each. Both teams have had five different players get to the quarterback, with Winnipeg’s Machuor Akau currently leading the conference with three sacks. The Hilltop’s Connor Delahey is right behind, with two.
Realistically, this game will likely come down to quarterback play, and as mentioned above there is still a question mark as to who will start for Winnipeg. In Saskatoon’s case, there is no doubt, as they house the conference’s leading passer, in Walls, who has thrown for 547 yards while completing 70 percent of his passes. It will be up to Ricard and company in the secondary to negate the Hilltop’s passing game while also giving a stout Rifles front seven the time to put pressure on last year’s Canadian Bowl MVP.