The 2 best junior Football clubs in the country battled it out in the national championship game Saturday afternoon in front of an estimated 2, 700 fans at Griffiths Stadium.
The Raiders were seeking to become the 4th team to join the “Three-peat Club”, while the Hilltops were looking to lay claim to their 14th Canadian title.
The Raiders were held to a two-and-out to on their first drive. The Mark Mueller punt would be returned 39 yards by Kit Hillis. Saskatoon would set up shop on the Vancouver Island 27. 5 plays later, Saskatoon’s Tom Shockey would open the scoring with a 2-yard run. The Zack Schmidt convert made it a 7-0 game 4:09 into proceedings.
A second two-and-out for the Raiders would spell big trouble as Hilltops punt returner Ian Miller would take a Mueller punt back 51-yards for the major that would double the Saskatoon lead to 14-0.
The champions would get themselves righted on the next drive, as they would go 70 yards in 12 plays. The drive would be capped off with a 1-yard Jordan Yantz sneak that cut the deficit to 14-7.
Schmidt would add a 37-yard field goal to make it a 17-7 Saskatoon lead after 15 minutes.
The second quarter would provide only one score, that being a Mueller 44-yard punt single with under 2 minutes remaining in the frame.
The Hilltops would grabbed the game by the horns on the opening drive of the second half as they would take 4 minutes off the clock with an 8-play drive that would finish in the Raider end-zone as Miller recorded his second score courtesy of a Bradshaw 11-yard pass.
Saskatoon forced another two-and out and would score again as Schmidt was good from 14 yards away to make it a 27-8 game. Mueller would blast a 55-yard punt single to make it 27-9 after 45.
The national titleholders to their credit, didn’t quit as they drove 90 yards on 11 plays as Dustin Pedersen would reel in a 5-yard pass from Yantz 3:39 into the fourth frame. Following the kickoff, It would take all of one play for the Hilltops to seal the victory as Bradshaw went long and found Ian Miller on the fly and he went 77 yards to make it 34-16. Miller had 3 catches for 100 yards and would claim the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game Award.
The Raiders would score a major in the final three minutes as Michael Schaper who had 8 grabs for 86 yards took an 11-yard pass from Yantz to close out the scoring. But for Vancouver Island, they could not get the quick score they needed to stay in it, and the Saskatoon Hilltops would win their 14th Canadian championship.
Bradshaw would complete 13 of 20 passes on the afternoon for 246 yards, while Yantz went 31 of 45 for 359 yards.
Regan Schuler would carry 20 times for 127 yards for Saskatoon, while Raider back Jordan Botel was held to only 51 yards on 11 carries.
2010 Canadian Bowl review
By Tom Hallick – PFC Media Coordinator
VANCOUVER ISLAND RAIDERS – 23 @ SASKATOON HILLTOPS – 34
Saturday November 13, 2010
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