PFC – WEEK 8 IN REVIEW

EDMONTON WILDCATS 10 @ SASKATOON HILLTOPS 19 – OCTOBER 10th @ GRIFFITHS STADIUM

The Wildcats came into Sunday’s game needing a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while a Hilltops win would clinch top spot in the conference.

Hilltops rookie kicker and PFC Special Teams Player of the Week Zach Schmidt would open the scoring 9:37 into the opening quarter with a 47-yard field goal. He would double the Hilltops lead with a 29-yarder with 12 seconds left in the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Wildcats vaunted run game roared to life as Taylor Souster would motor for 50 yards on his first two carries of the game. But the Wildcats would score their lone touchdown via the pass as Anthony Johnson fired a 10-yard TD pass to Tyler Nelson to give the champions a 7-6 lead. A muffed Wildcat punt return gave Saskatoon great field position, but had to settle for a 3rd Schmidt placement gave Saskatoon the lead for good as he was good from 10 yards out to make it 9-7 after 30 minutes.
Schmidt hit his 4th field goal of the day to up the lead to 5. Clayton Garnett would put the game on ice as he took a 47-yard pass from Chase Bradshaw to make it 19-7 after 3.
A Donovan Kavich field goal with 6 minutes left proved to be too little, too late as the champions are knocked out of post-season contention with a 19-10 loss.
The Hilltops clinch the regular season title with a 6-1 mark, while the Wildcats loss allows Winnipeg to take the last playoff berth. The Toppers play the Huskies and the Wildcats wrap up 2010 with a home date against Calgary.

WINNIPEG RIFLES 35 @ CALGARY COLTS 42 – OCTOBER 10th @ MCMAHON STADIUM

The Winnipeg Rifles closed out their road schedule at McMahon Stadium on Sunday afternoon in search of a win to nail down the 4th and final playoff berth. It would prove to be a wild ride as the Colts would eke out a 42-35 win.
The Colts had an early 9-0 first quarter lead as Rifle punter Nick Bowen conceded a safety, followed by a Ryan McDermit 5-yard catch from pivot Clayton Masikewich.
The Green Gunners would strike for a pair of majors 46 seconds apart to take the lead in the second stanza. Linebacker Chris Friesen would pick off a Masikewich pass and ramble 63 yards for the score. The Bowen convert made it 9-7. Friesen would then record his 2nd interception of the day and return it 15 yards. On the very next play, Ryan Marsch would connect with Alex Vitt for a 17-yard TD toss and put Winnipeg in front 14-9.
The Colts would get the next 8 points as punter Andrew Fabian nailed a 47-yard punt single, followed by a Masikewich 1-yard plunge to vault the Colts into the lead 17-14. The Rifles soon regained the upper hand as fullback Bryan Giesbrecht scored from 2 yards out to make it a 21-17 game. Fabian would draw the Colts to within 1 as he was good on a 47-yard field goal. The Rifles led 21-20 at halftime.
Calgary would rack up all 19 third quarter points. Jake Harty would put the Colts back in front as he took in a 32-yard touchdown strike from Masikewich to make it a 27-21 game. Bowen would concede a second safety; then Masikewich aired it out and found Ben Hnatiuk for a 45-yard TD connection to make it 36-21. Fabian added a 22-yard chipshot to give Calgary an 18-point lead after 3.
The visitors found the end zone again early in the fourth as Marsch connected with Matt Lariviere for a 25-yard TD pass to draw the Rifles to within 11. Fabian would get his third field goal of the day with 3 minutes left. The Gunners mounted one last charge as Derek Dean scored on a 29-yard pass from Marsch who would complete 21 of 37 passes for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns. They would also recover a pair of onside kicks in that time frame. After the second recovery, they would drive down to the Colts 28-yard-line, but the defense held to preserve the win.
Matt Lariviere had yet another sensational game as he made 8 catches for 147 yards. Not to be outdone, tailback Kienan LaFrance ran the rock 18 times for 134 yards as the Rifles amassed 433 yards of net offense and 22 first downs.
Calgary recorded 563 yards of net offense and 25 first downs.
Colts tailback Cuong Thai Lieu would have himself a terrific afternoon as he carried 24 times for 210 yards. Ryan McDermit led the Calgary receivers as he reeled in 6 catches for 125 yards.

EDMONTON HUSKIES 21 @ REGINA THUNDER 62 – OCTOBER 10th @ MOSAIC STADIUM

The last game of the Sunday triple-header pitted the playoff-bound Thunder against a slumping Huskies club. Ben Koot would open the scoring with a 30-yard field goal only 5 minutes into proceedings. The Huskies would jump in front 7-3 as Mike Goldring scored his 1st of 2 20-yard touchdowns courtesy of a Kevin Allen toss. Thunder back Mark Coons would scamper 38 yards for his 1st of 3 majors a mere 63 seconds after the Huskies took the lead.
Regina would break the game wide open in the second quarter as Camille Lagimodiere found the end zone from 9 yards out in the first minute. Nearly 6 minutes afterwards, Lagimodiere counted his 2nd score on an 18-yard pass from Quest to make it 24-7. Coons potted his 2nd touchdown on a 19-yard run, on his way to a 149-yard day, 8-and-a-half minutes in. Jay Smith & Jon Probe would also reel in 11 & 16 yard scoring strikes from Quest to round out a 35-point frame to give the Thunder a 45-7 halftime lead.
Huskie receiver Sam Schwab picked up his 2nd major of the season almost 6 minutes into the 3rd frame. Coons would cap off his touchdown hat-trick with a 5-yard run. Mike Goldring would add his 2nd 20-yard TD of the day courtesy of a Trevor Erdmann pass. The score made it 52-21 after 3.
Wyatt Catley came on to guide the Regina offense in the 2nd half. He would find Jon Probe for his 2nd score early in the 4th. Then Koot wrapped up the scoring with a 17-yard field goal in the last 6 minutes. The Huskies close out the season at home against Saskatoon next Sunday, while the Thunder meet the Winnipeg Rifles at Canad Inns Stadium.

By Tom Hallick PFC Media Coordinator