The Saskatoon Hilltops and Okanagan Sun have booked their tickets to the Canadian Bowl national championship game with thrilling victories in the Canadian Junior Football League semi-finals this weekend.
The Hilltops set the matchup with a 30-27 overtime victory over the rival Regina Thunder on Sunday afternoon, capturing the Prairie Football Conference crown in the process. After Saskatoon tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 31 seconds remaining, Regina recovered and had two cracks at a winning field goal due to penalty. The first hit the crossbar from 53 yards out, while the second went wide right from 37 yards.
Backup quarterback Griffin Sander and receiver Isaiah Vallerruten were twice heroes, combining for the tying touchdown and the overtime winner after Regina kicked a field goal in the extra frame.
The British Columbia Football Conference champion Sun advanced to the title game for the third time in four years with a 34-19 victory over the Ontario Football Conference-winning St. Clair Saints on Saturday, avenging their loss in last year’s Canadian Bowl.
The home side trailed 19-0 at halftime, but stormed back with 34 unanswered after the break. Defensive lineman Jarveon Williams got the ball rolling with a 35-yard scoop-and-score, Michell Hickingbottom added a 21-yard pick-six, and Jordayne Falconer capped it with a 73-yard punt return touchdown, as the Okanagan offence never found the end zone in the comeback.
The Saskatoon Hilltops are the most successful team in CJFL history, boasting 23 national titles and last winning in 2023. The Okanagan Sun are three-time champions, last winning in 2022. The two organizations have met four times in the big game, most recently in 2015, with Saskatoon winning three of those.
The 2025 Canadian Bowl will take place in Saskatoon on Sunday, November 9.
