Saskatchewan·NewEverybody is talking about the Toronto Blue Jays returning to the World Series, but don’t forget about the Saskatchewan football teams preparing for their own playoff runs.Fall football continues with Hilltops, Huskies, Rams, Riders vying for championshipsJeremy Warren · CBC News · Posted: Oct 27, 2025 2:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesUniversity of Saskatchewan Huskies players enter the field before last year’s U Sports Canada West Hardy Cup championship against the University of Regina Rams. Both teams are in the playoffs again this year. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)Everybody is talking about the Toronto Blue Jays returning to the World Series, but don’t forget about the Saskatchewan football teams preparing for their own playoff runs.The Saskatoon Hilltops, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams are heading to the playoffs in the coming weeks. The Saskatchewan Roughriders clinched first place in the CFL West Division earlier this month.On Sunday, the Saskatoon Hilltops won the Prairie Football Conference championship and earned a spot in the 2025 Canadian Bowl with a thrilling overtime victory over the Regina Thunder at Mosaic Stadium. The Hilltops last won a national title in 2023 and will take on the Okanagan Sun when the Canadian Bowl happens in Saskatoon on Nov. 9. The Hilltops have won 23 national titles — the most in Canadian Junior Football League history.“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” Hilltops running back Charles Sawi said in a post-game interview. “We’ve been in the gym … working hard for this and the day came. Very grateful to be here.”Regina Thunder players told reporters they put it all on the field and have no regrets.“Taking a loss like that in the PFC finals, it’s gonna be pretty rough,” Thunder left-tackle Caleb Barahas said after the game. “But you gotta move on, right? Now we just start thinking about the off-season, how to get healthy and get ready for the next year.”WATCH | Big weekend of football for Sask. university, junior teams:Big weekend of football for Sask. university, junior teamsThe University of Saskatchewan Huskies are entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, as the Canada West football conference wraps up its regular season. And in the Prairie Football Conference, the Saskatoon Hilltops defeated the Regina Thunder in the championship final.The province’s two university football teams also played their final regular season games on the weekend. On Friday in Regina, the University of Regina Rams lost to the UBC Thunderbirds 31-29, while the University of Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the University of Manitoba Bisons on Saturday in Saskatoon.The Rams’ loss means they finished the regular season in second place and will host the Bisons on Saturday.The Huskies finished first and will play the Thunderbirds in Saskatoon on Saturday.“Canada West [division] is just a dogfight,” Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby told reporters. “If you look at last year’s playoffs, it does not matter where you’re seeded.… We’re on to the next weekend and we’re looking for a good dog fight.”Huskies coach Scott Flory said it’s fun to see a bunch of Saskatchewan football teams competing in the playoffs.“The culture of the game in this province is core to the people and it’s core to this province and that’s phenomenal,” Flory said. “We’ve got guys from every corner of this province, six-man, nine-man, 12-man football — you name it. It’s different and it’s special.”Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are preparing to host the Western Division final on Nov. 8. The team lost their final regular season game to the B.C. Lions 27-21 on Saturday in Regina.“This team will scrap and that’s the DNA that you’re gonna have to have going into these playoffs,” Riders coach Corey Mace said. “Those guys have earned the right to sit where we sit and host the West final.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJeremy Warren is a reporter in Saskatoon. You can reach him at jeremy.warren@cbc.ca.
Football frenzy: Sask. teams wrap regular season as playoff push begins
