For the first time in 13 years, the Regina Thunder are national champions. The team won the 118th Canadian Bowl 42-21 against the Westshore Rebels on Sunday in Langford, B.C. This marked Regina’s second Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) championship in team history. Both teams combined for over 1,030 yards in Sunday’s contest. Regina’s standout running back Peter Boersch rushed for 281 yards, the second most ever in a Canadian Bowl. Boersch was named Offensive Player of the Game for his efforts. Game recap The Rebels scored first on a three-play drive that ended with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Cancellare to Zion Brown. The Thunder responded with two field goals from Harry Case in the first quarter. Both teams scored touchdowns in the second quarter, making the game 14-14 heading into halftime. Thunder quarterback Jayden Zelionka found paydirt on a two-yard run. The Rebels responded with another 38-yard touchdown pass from Cancellare to Brown. Regina’s signal caller found the end zone again on another two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, giving Regina 21-14 lead heading into the fourth. The Rebels tied the game up with a two-yard pass from Cancellare to Kwame Franklin on third and goal. However, that would end up being the last time Westshore scored in the game. The Thunder recaptured the lead with a 33-yard score from Boersch, and topped that up with a one-yard plunge from Zelionka ten minutes later. Following that, Regina’s Matthew Morris scored a 10-yard touchdown to seal the game. The Thunder finished with five rushing touchdowns and 329 rushing yards. Zelionka finished the game with 283 yards. For Westshore, Cancellare finished the game with 387 yards, the sixth most ever in a Canadian Bowl. He also had three touchdowns and two picks, one to standout defensive back Marcus Butz and another to linebacker Owen Effa. Returning from an injury, Rebels defensive lineman Manny Fotiou was named the Defensive Player of the Game with six tackles and two assists. Case was named the Special Teams Player of the Game.
