2011 PFC Championship preview: Hilltops host Colts in 35th PFC final

The Calgary Colts & Saskatoon Hilltops will square off in the 35th PFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. This will be the second time in 4 seasons that the Colts & Toppers duel in the title game. The last time Calgary & Saskatoon clashed for the conference crown was 2008 when the Hilltops claimed a 31-14 victory.

The Colts easily picked up their tickets to the conference final as their defense bulldozed Wyatt Catley & the Regina Thunder 55-6, forcing 6 interceptions and converting a pair into pick-sixes. Meanwhile the Hilltops, as has been their way this season, did things the hard way, as they rebounded from a 34-22 deficit with less than 3 minutes to go to edge Winnipeg 36-34.

And now, ladies & gentlemen, here are the principles in Sunday’s title tilt.

CALGARY COLTS

Head Coach: Keith Kendal
Regular Season Record: 5-2-1, 2nd 248 PF, 147 PA
How They Got Here: Defeated Regina Thunder 55-6 in semi-final

Who to Keep an Eye on:

QB Clayton Masikewich
The veteran pivot threw for 1413 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, but at times was inconsistent. He won’t produce huge passing numbers game in & game out. If one word describes him, workmanlike would be the word. If he has that kind of effort on Sunday afternoon, the Colts have a good chance.

DE Prince Baffoh
Baffoh terrorized passers as he led the conference with 7.5 sacks. He also picked up a pair of fumbles; one of those went for a 46-yard major in a home field victory over the Edmonton Huskies.

DL Steven Dereniwski
Dereniwski was 2nd only to Chance Hanson of the Edmonton Huskies in the defensive points category with 104.5. In addition to being in on a combined 47 tackles, he racked up a pair of interceptions, had a couple of fumble of recoveries and also knocked down 4 passes.

The Wildcard:
With the Calgary defense being impressive as they were this season, you can choose a number of Colt defenders , but let’s put the spotlight on Alex Saretsky. Saretsky led the conference in interceptions with 5. Saretsky set a new conference playoff record with his 92-yard pick-six against Regina.

The Skinny:
The championship game just might boil down to which defense has a better day. Turn Messrs. Baffoh & Dereniwski loose on Chase Bradshaw & company and the Hilltops may just be facing a long day at the office.

SASKATOON HILLTOPS:

Head Coach: Tom Sargeant
Regular Season Record: 7-1 1st, 212 PF, 139 PA,
How They Got Here: Defeated Winnipeg Rifles 36-34 in the semi-final.

Who to Keep an Eye On;

QB Chase Bradshaw:
Bradshaw rebounded from a brutal first quarter to throw for 388 yards and a touchdown in addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns in the come-from-behind win. The 5th year pivot had himself an up and down season, but did place third in passing yardage with 1711. Come playoff time though, Bradshaw seemingly shifts into a different gear completely.

RB Regan Schuler
The 5th-year veteran regained the PFC rushing title, rushing for 836 yards and finding the end zone 7 times. He rebounded quite nicely from a 2010 campaign that saw him battle the injury bug.

SB John Trumpy
If Bradshaw needs to dial long distance, it’s usually John Trumpy picking up at the other end. Trumpy had only 16 catches on the campaign, but averaged nearly 31 yards per grab. He scored 5 majors on the year.

DB Braxton Lawrence
Lawrence had a great semi-final Sunday as he was in on 9 combined tackles, recovered a fumble as well as getting the interception that proved to be the dagger in the hearts of the Rifles.

The Wildcard:
Receiver Kyle McGinnis not only impressed as a pass catcher, but ranked 2nd among punt returners in 2011 behind Winnipeg’s Kyle Willis with 324 return yards.

The Skinny:
The Hilltops offense racked up 510 yards of offense in the win over Winnipeg. The vast majority of that yardage came in the second half. They’ll have to put some big dents in the Calgary defense early & often if they want to repeat as conference titleholders.

CALGARY COLTS AT SASKATOON HILLTOPS
SUNDAY OCTOBER 23-12 NOON LOCAL- GRIFFITHS STADIUM
ONLINE BROADCAST: [url]www.cjwwradio.com 11:30AM LOCAL