The Saskatoon Hilltops remain in the mix for six.
The five-time defending Canadian Bowl champions continue their quest for number six in a row Saturday night in London Ontario and also put a 29 game winning streak on the line.
The Toppers landed in the southwestern Ontario city early Friday afternoon and promptly hit the TD Stadium field for practice to get accustomed to the turf where the CJFL semi-final will be played.
The lineup mostly remains the same as last Sunday when they captured the PFC championship in a 30-14 victory over the Edmonton Huskies.
The exception being veteran receiver Tanner Rhode who suffered a lower boy injury during the PFC final so pass-catcher Carter Norrish has been added in his place. Rhode had recently returned after a shoulder injury suffered during training camp.
Running back Ben Abrook heads into the game as PFC offensive player of the week after setting a CJFL record with 44 carries against the Huskies for 246 yards and two touchdowns. The CJFL’s leading rusher will be running behind the same offensive line that has been opening the holes all season. Taylon Elderkin who got hurt during the PFC final has recovered completing the starting five who have been the league’s best since opening day.
Abrook is expected to be a work horse again against the Ontario Conference champion Beefeaters as the Hilltops adopted a new tight-end formation with reserve offensive lineman Jayson Kehler coming off the bench on several occasions in the PFC final to give the Toppers and extra blocker at the end position.
Head coach Tom Sergeant has tried to mix the offensive game plan with a 50-50 pass/run attack and quarterback Tyler Herman has a proficient pass completion rate of 62.5% with the ability to go deep to speedsters Connor Graham and Keegan Dicks who as a Toronto area native will have family and friends in the stands for this game.
While the Hilltops have completed a playoff run at home, the Beefeaters captured the Ontario title with two road wins. They followed a 17-8 win over Hamilton with last week’s 28-20 upset of the first place AKO Fratmen in Windsor.
The defense forced six turnovers including a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by OFC special teams’ player of the week Cody McRoberts. Lineman Soren Hallschmidt was defensive player of the week with four tackles.
The offense grinded out 182 yards on the ground with the OFC’s top offensive lineman and former Western Mustang Matt Bettencourt leading the way.
The is London’s first Ontario championship since 2012 when their quest for a Canadian Bowl title ended in Saskatoon with a 51-7 loss to the Hilltops in the CJFL semi-final.
Opening kick-off will be at 6 p.m. in Saskatchewan with the pregame show on 92.9 THE BULL setting the scene beginning at 5:30.
