The Saskatchewan Huskies aren’t just looking to capture a national championship on Saturday in Regina; they have a chance to make Canadian football history.
Never before have the Canadian Bowl, Vanier Cup, and Grey Cup champions all hailed from the same province, creating a clean sweep across the three highest levels of football in the country. With two titles down, the Huskies simply need to take care of business to complete the trifecta.
“We know the circumstances. We know it’s a big game for us. But at the same time, all the craziness of this week and all the chaos this week’s gonna bring, it’s just another aspect of all that chaos,” fifth-year running back Ryker Frank told the media this week. “You don’t want to focus on it too much; it’s just another opportunity to play the game we love. We’re just gonna go out there and play our game.”
The Saskatoon Hilltops were the first team from the land of living skies to capture hardware this season, defeating the Okanagan Sun by a score of 21-18 on November 9 to win their 24th Canadian Junior Football League title.
A week later, the Saskatchewan Roughriders kept the magic going, knocking off the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 in the 112th Grey Cup. That marked just the fifth CFL championship in 115 years of existence for the franchise, sending the entire province into celebration.
Saturday’s U Sports championship tilt has been billed as a spiritual sequel to that game, as the Montreal Carabins have made the trip out West to heal the wounds inflicted on Quebecois fans. As much as they are locked in on their own objective, head coach Marco Iadeluca admits that a desire for revenge has been raised within the Carabins’ locker room.
“Obviously, the moment is big enough for us. We definitely would like to win this game for our football team and all the work we’ve put in. But on Monday, after the Grey Cup game, some of the players came in saying it’s going to be a rematch of the Grey Cup and what happened,” he said. “It kind of adds a little bit of a storyline to it, if you may.”
Only twice before have the Vanier Cup and Grey Cup champions hailed from the same city: the Alberta Golden Bears and Edmonton Football Team in 1986, and the Montreal Alouettes and Carabins in 2023. That isn’t on the table this year, as the Huskies reside up the road in Saskatoon, while the Riders share a building with the rival Regina Rams in the capital.
However, it is on that field at Mosaic Stadium that the 60th Vanier Cup will be played, and the close proximity ensures that it will feel like a home game for the Huskies. That could be a substantial advantage for a program that has battled through adversity to reach its 12th national title game.
Starting quarterback Anton Amundrud was unable to finish the regular season after falling ill and was recently diagnosed with cancer. Backup Jake Farrell has been at the helm since the end of the regular season, leading the team to a Hardy Cup victory and Mitchell Bowl win. While the team has rallied around Amundrud, it remains unclear whether he’ll be able to leave the hospital to witness this game in person.
Frank acknowledged that the personal aspects of this game loom larger than the provincial ones.
“This is a special game for us. We’ve gone through a lot this season, on and off the field; it’s no secret,” the native of Regina said. “We know there’s a lot riding on this one. It would be super special to just have this opportunity and play our hearts out.”
If the Huskies can win another one for their fifth-year QB, they’ll accomplish something that no one else ever has. In fact, for those wanting to get technical, it will provide Saskatchewan with not just a third major football trophy in 2025, but a fourth. The Saskatoon Valkyries also finished atop the Western Women’s Canadian Football League back in June.
No matter the result, Saskatchewan’s sarcastic labelling as a drive-through province has taken on a different connotation on the gridiron — where it’s your defence they are driving through.
