Regina Rams win Canada West football championship

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The University of Regina Rams are Canada West football champions for the second time in program history.

The Rams beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 19-14 on Saturday at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon to claim the 87th Hardy Cup, which was Regina’s first title since 2000.

Regina will now host the University of Laval in the Mitchell Bowl on Nov. 16 (2 p.m., Mosaic Stadium). The winner of that game will advance to the Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ont., where the U Sports national football champion will be crowned.

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“I don’t think they’ll ever say it, but the Huskies saw us as a little brother for the longest time,” said Rams head coach Mark McConkey. “They won eight in a row prior to this year. Even when I played, they dominated us. We beat them a few times in ’12, but they’ve had the upper hand. Like I said after that win … the tide’s turning.

“The Rams are for real. I’m so proud of the team, and it means a lot.”

After securing a playoff spot with a win over Alberta in the final game of the regular season, the Rams upset the top-seed Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West semifinal last weekend before putting together another strong performance against the Huskies in the Canada West final as they became the first team to win the championship with a 3-5 record.

“Once we beat Alberta we knew we could pull it off,” said Rams defensive back Carson Sombach. “We haven’t won a playoff game since 2012. Nobody here has done it. It’s exciting to even get the chance, to get this far. We knew we could do it all along, and we’ll go as far as we can — watch the film, prepare for next week.”

Quarterback Noah Pelletier completed 23 of 33 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown pass to Emmett Steadman while running back Christian Katende racked up 98 yards along the ground on 19 carries.

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“Honestly, looking back, when we lose five games in a row it’s tough to think we’d have this opportunity,” said Pelletier, whose team started 2-0 before losing five straight prior to the win over Alberta. “But we knew it was still in our grasp, and we kept fighting. Obviously it paid off in the end.

“It’s been a super-long time since the Rams have been able to put this (championship hat) on. To be the quarterback of the team that gets to put it on is amazing, and I hope we can continue and put a couple more hats on in the coming weeks.”

While Pelletier and the offence played well, the biggest factor on Saturday for Regina was the play of their conference-leading defence, who intercepted Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud four times.

“We lost a bunch of those games earlier in the year on that five-game losing streak. But our defence … unbelievable,” said McConkey. “I think they’re one of the best defences in the conference. They didn’t start out super-hot, giving up 14, but they regrouped and the offence did enough. I’m so proud of the players, the coaches. We wanted this one bad. We got not a lot of respect at 3-5, and now the first 3-5 team to win the west.

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“It’s pretty cool.”

The Rams opened the scoring with a rouge on the opening kickoff before the Huskies took a 14-1 lead after a pair of touchdown receptions by Daniel Wiebe.

Isaac Wegner connected on a 29-yard field goal for Regina before Jackson Sombach intercepted Amundrud and returned it 34 yards. The Rams then turned that into a touchdown as Pelletier hit Steadman for a five-yard score, which cut the lead to 14-11 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Rams took the lead as Carson Sombach intercepted Amundrud and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown. With the convert and an ensuing rouge on the kickoff, Regina led 19-14 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Regina’s Jacob Tkachuk intercepted Amundrud but the Rams couldn’t turn it into points before punting it away.

With 3:18 left in the game, the Huskies fumbled the ball on a punt return and it was recovered by the Rams. However, Regina fumbled the field goal attempt and again came away with no points. Pelletier, who also serves as the holder, injured his shoulder on the play.

With 1:48 to go, the Huskies looked to put together a drive but Regina’s defence forced a turnover on downs after a crucial stop on third-and-two.

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The Rams couldn’t generate a first down and were forced to punt it away, leaving the Huskies with the ball on their five-yard line with 35 seconds left.

From there, Regina’s Colin McKellar intercepted Amundrud to seal the victory for the Rams.

“Even when we went on that five-game losing streak, we still felt we had a chance,” said Carson Sombach. “We were close in every game. Here, we went down 14-1 and didn’t give up. We kept fighting.”

“It hurts a little, but the pain’s only temporary,” Pelletier said of his shoulder. “And when you win a Hardy Cup, the pain definitely goes away a lot more than usual.

“I’ll have to get checked out, but it doesn’t seem too bad. Hopefully I can bounce back pretty quick and be able to play next week.”

Regina’s next game will mark the first time the Rams have hosted a national semifinal. In the other semifinal, Wilfrid Laurier and Bishop’s are meeting in the Uteck Bowl.

tshire@postmedia.com

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