CANADIAN BOWL PREVIEW: V. I. Raiders vs. Saskatoon Hilltops

For the second consecutive year, it will be an all-western national championship game as the defending BCFC and national champion Vancouver Island Raiders goes for their third straight Canadian Bowl victory as they head to Saskatoon to face the PFC champion Hilltops Saturday November 13th at 1pm.

This will be the second time the clubs have clashed at playoff time. In 2008, the Raiders came into Saskatoon and edged the Hilltops 27-25 in that year’s edition of the Intergold Cup Game.

Let’s look at the principals in the 2010 Canadian Bowl.

SASKATOON HILLTOPS

Regular Season Record: 7-1, 1st 316 PF, 123 PA Head Coach: Tom Sargeant

The Road to Canadian Bowl ‘10: Defeated Winnipeg Rifles 59-25 in semi-final; won PFC Championship 32-24 over Regina Thunder.

Who to Keep an Eye on:

QB Chase Bradshaw:
The 4th-year pivot was 2nd only to Regina’s Reid Quest in passing yards with 1591, touchdown tosses with 14 and efficiency rating at 104. Under his control, the offense went in fits & starts at times throughout the season. But now, the offense appears to be running very smoothly.

WR Ian Miller:
There’s no truth to the rumour that Miller’s nickname is “Quick-Six”, but a case could be made for the moniker. Seems like every catch this guy makes goes for a major. Miller had 9 on the year as he had 25 catches for 547 yards.

LB Graig Newman:
The 4th-year safety has had back-to-back stellar games in the Hilltops run to the 2010 PFC championship with a 27-point effort in the semi-final win over Winnipeg, and then following up with a 25-point game in the title win over Regina. He contributed 2 huge plays, a first quarter interception that put the brakes on a Thunder drive as well as recovering a 66-yard Zack Schmidt punt that was put on the ground late in the 4th quarter. That would set up Schmidt to kick the clinching field goal.

LB Corbin Eskelson:
Eskelson compiled 102 defensive points, which was good for 3rd in the PFC defensive points standings. Win or lose, he finishes a brilliant junior career on Saturday.

RB Regan Schuler:
The 4th-year tailback has fought through the injury bug to pick up 718 yards along the ground and 5 touchdowns. That placed him 3rd in the conference.

The Wildcard:

The Hilltops return game has a pair of major threats.

Kit Hillis has been one to watch over the last 2 campaigns. In the ’09 final loss, he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score. In 2010, Hillis was 2nd only to Calgary’s Doug Long in punt return yards with 301 and took 2 of those all the way back for major scores.

Brendon Gryba has made a size large contribution to the Hilltops in 2010. Whether the rookie has taken turns at tailback for an ailing Regan Schuler or performed as a kick returner, he has proven to be a threat. Gryba equalled a conference playoff record when he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a six-pointer in the semi-final victory over Winnipeg.

The Skinny:

The Hilltops defense has been stellar since their lone defeat in Regina by a 48-23 count back in August. They will need one more titanic effort to dethrone the current kings of Canadian Junior Football. Also, if it’s a close game late in the final frame, that may tip the scales in favor of the home side.

VANCOUVER ISLAND RAIDERS:

Regular Season Record: 9-1, 2nd in BCFC, PF 424, PA 128, Head Coach: Matt Blokker

The Road to Canadian Bowl ‘10: Downed South Surrey Rams 46-10 in Semi-Final, defeated Okanagan Sun 16-14 in Cullen Cup Final, and defeated Hamilton Hurricanes 38-13 in the Intergold Cup Game.

Who to Keep an Eye On:

QB Jordan Yantz:
One of the finalists for the Peter Dalla Riva Award as offensive player of the year, Yantz threw for 2913 yards and 33, count ‘em, 33 touchdowns and completing 182 of 284 throws. The 182 completions is 2nd most in a single season in CJFL history. Only Julian Marchand of the Calgary Colts completed more, recording 197 in 2007.

WR Michael Schaper:
Set a new CJFL receiving yards record this season with 1179 yards on 60 catches. Schaper found the end zone on a dozen occasions.

LB Ranji Atwall:
The rock of the Raider defense, Atwall tied for 4th spot in the conference defensive points standings with 99, thanks in large part to 48 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and adding 3 interceptions.

REC Whitman Tomusiak:
The BCFC’s candidate for CJFL Rookie of the Year placed 3rd in receiving in the conference with 32 grabs for 704 yards and 9 majors.

The Wildcard:

RB Jordan Botel:
It’s mighty hard to put him here as a wildcard considering the vast array of talent that the Raiders possess. Botel led the BCFC in rushing with 1261 yards on 124 carries. Botel racked up 13 touchdowns.

The Skinny:

The Raiders offense once again lit up scoreboards throughout the conference, racking up 481 points. But on Saturday, their task will be made difficult by one of the premier defensive units in the land. As mentioned before, the Raiders came into the cool climes of Saskatoon and knocked off the Hilltops. The key to a 3rd straight Canadian Bowl crown just maybe rests in the throwing arm of Yantz as well as the hands of Botel.

By Tom Hallick – PFC Media Coordinator