SaskatchewanThis weekend is a Saskatchewan football fan’s dream. The Saskatoon Hilltops are vying for a national championship. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies host the University of Regina Rams in the Hardy Cup. Riders host CFL West final; Rams and Huskies in Hardy Cup; Hilltops play for a national titleScott Larson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 07, 2025 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Hardy Cup between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams promises to be a physical affair. (Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards)This weekend is a Saskatchewan football fan’s dream.The Saskatoon Hilltops are vying for a national championship.The University of Saskatchewan Huskies host the University of Regina Rams in the Hardy Cup.And the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the B.C. Lions in the CFL Western Division final with a Grey Cup berth on the line.Huskies vs. RamsThe Huskies (7-1) and Rams (6-2) kick off the weekend Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Saskatoon at Griffiths Stadium.This is a rematch of last year’s Hardy Cup, in which the Rams prevailed.Husky coach Scott Flory said both teams deserve to be here.“We were the two best teams through the regular season,” Flory said.“And, you know, the Saskatchewan DNA runs through both teams. It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be disciplined, it’s two well coached teams and I think it’s going to be a great matchup.”Rams head coach Mark McConkey said the two teams are so evenly matched he wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to the final possession to decide the game.To come out on top, the Rams will need to be fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game, he said.The matchup between Huskie running back Ryker Frank (34) and Regina Rams linebacker Brandon Wong (29) is strength against strength. (Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella)Rams linebacker Brandon Wong, who was named a Canada West all-star, expects a battle right to the final whistle.“It’s going to be a real tight, close game and we have to play for 60 minutes,” Wong said. “It’s not going to be anything where you take your foot off the gas. It’s going to go all the way down to the last couple seconds on the clock.”Both clubs could be without star players.Huskie quarterback Anton Amunrud has missed the last three games and may not play. Rams star running back Marshall Erichsen injured his achilles in last week’s win over Manitoba and is out for the season.Regina offensive lineman Will Templeton said losing Erichsen hurts, but the team has confidence in fourth-year back Christian Katende.“It’s going to come down to which team executes at a higher level,” said Templeton, who also was named a Canada West all-star.“We are so evenly matched. They’ve got a couple all-stars on their D-line. We obviously have three all-stars on our offensive line.”The winner of this game hosts the Ontario champion next weekend in the Mitchell Bowl.And the winner of that game goes to the Vanier Cup, which Regina is hosting.Riders vs. LionsThe Saskatchewan Roughriders locked up first place a few weeks ago and haven’t played a meaningful game in some time, so they will need to shake off the rust in a hurry against the B.C. Lions (game time 5 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium).On the other hand, the team has used the last couple of weeks to rest veterans and get healthy.Last year’s defensive player of the year, Roland Milligan Jr., returns to the lineup.The Saskatchewan Roughriders expect a full house Saturday in the Canada West final against the B.C. Lions. (Associated Press)And the Riders will have all of their top receivers in the lineup, including Sam Emilus, KeeSean Johnson, Dhonte Meyers, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Ajou Ajou.“We’ve got some weapons back,” Meyers said. “You guys have seen Shaffer, you’ve seen Sam or you guys got to know me and KeeSean this year.“So it’s going to be a nice show for Mosaic. It’s going to be a nice show for Riderville.”Last year’s defensive player of the year, Roland Milligan Jr. [shown here (0) celebrating with defensive back CJ Reavis (1) and defensive lineman Benoit Marion (93) on Aug. 16, 2025], returns to the lineup this weekend. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)Riders head coach Corey Mace said the players know what to expect after playing (and losing) in the West final last year.“The moment of the big games, those guys understand that now,” Mace said. “We did it somewhere else and now they have it at home and I think the guys are ready for that.”Hilltops vs. SunThe Saskatoon Hilltops host the Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Junior Football League national championship on Sunday.The Hilltops have been the most dominant team in junior football history, having won the national title a record 23 times. They last won the title in 2023. Their opponents been in the final in two of the last three years.Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said this has been a year full of gritty performances.Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant says the team has persevered through ups and downs this season. (Don Somers/ CBC)Saskatoon lost its first game of the season in lopsided fashion. The starting quarterback was hurt for half the year, and the team had to make a dramatic comeback to win in overtime against the Regina Thunder in the league final.“It took a lot of mental toughness and guts to get through what we got through,” Sergeant said. “To be down 15 points with like 8 minutes left against Regina in their home place.”Sergeant said a lot of things had to fall into place to make it to the national final.“But we didn’t come this far just to show up,” he said. “We’re coming out here to play our best game and represent Saskatoon in the fashion that we’ve always done.”Game time is 1 p.m. on Sunday at SMF Field.ABOUT THE AUTHORScott Larson works for CBC News in Saskatoon. scott.larson@cbc.ca
Saskatchewan teams look for gridiron glory this weekend
