WEST U-16 CHALLENGE: Saskatchewan and B.C. Advance to championship

Host B.C. looking for their first championship

LANGLEY, B.C. – Saskatchewan will be seeking their second straight Western U-16 Challenge title on Thursday, but they will have go to through the hosts from B.C. to get there. Saskatchewan defeated Manitoba 49-23, while B.C. outlasted Alberta 22-17 in the semifinals of the Western U-16 Challenge at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C., Sunday.

Thursday’s final will be a rematch of the 2019 final, which Saskatchewan won 21-7.

Game 1: Saskatchewan 49, Manitoba 23

Ty Fedak-Andrews scored three touchdowns to send Saskatchewan back to the championship game. He scored twice through the air and once on the ground as Saskatchewan broke open a 14-14 tie with a 20-point third quarter. Rogan Pipko, Adrian Reaume and Sullivan Smith-Windsor had the other Saskatchewan touchdowns, while Ty Gorniak’s two field goals, single point and six converts to rounded out their scoring.

For Manitoba, Mikun Odunuga scored twice on catches from Ryan Wirtzfeld, while Onan Furst had the other touchdown. David Sindikuwabo made a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, with a single by Ryan Wirthfield and two converts by Brady Templeton rounding the scoring.

Saskatchewan picked up 420 yards of total offence, to Manitoba’s 262. Both Saskatchewan quarterbacks went 9-for-11, with Nolan Uhren throwing for 172 yards and two touchdowns, while Kyren Houmphanh had 133 yards and three scores. Aulain Penner led Saskatchewan’s rushers with 68 yards on 10 carries, while their leading receivers was Smith-Windsor, who caught five passes for 133 yards.

For Manitoba, Wirtzfeld completed 11 of 19 passes for 151 yards. Furst led them on the ground with 16 carries for 111 yards, while Odunuga had five catches for 87 yards.

Defensively, Nitro-Ice Hanna led Saskatchewan with eight tackles, including two sacks. For Manitoba, Jesse Deneka had seven tackles, while Jake Godfrey had six and forced a fumble.

Game 2: B.C. 22, Alberta 17

Brandon Bailey called his own number and scored on a 32-yard run with 31 seconds to go to give B.C. the 22-17 victory in wild contest that featured . Alberta had come all the way back from a 16-7 halftime deficit to take a one-point lead with 2:32 left before Bailey dashed the visitors’ hopes of an upset.

After Evan Schulha had given Alberta a lead on an interception return early in the second, B.C. took their lead thanks to a pair of touchdowns within 20 seconds late in the first half. Matt Chapman scored from one yard out with 1:18 left to put the hosts on top, and then – after an Alberta fumble gave B.C. the ball back – Ryder Quintana scored with 58 seconds left.

Alberta mounted their comeback in the fourth, with a 5-yard run by Seth Poelzer narrowing the gap before Alexander Giella’s 37-yard field goal put Alberta in front.

For B.C., Chase Witzel completed 16 of 27 passes for 258 yards, with Chapman was his favourite receiver with eight catches for 105 yards. The visitors were led by Jemar Linck, who had 12 carries for 89 yards.

Jack Roberts led the B.C. defence with 3.5 tackles, two pass knockdowns and a pair of interceptions, while Alberta’s Bryan Diujuste had four tackles, including the only sack of the day for the visitors.

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Alberta will face off against Manitoba in Wednesday’s bronze medal game, set for 4 p.m. (all times Pacific), while B.C. and Saskatchewan will meet for the championship at 7 p.m. This will be a rematch of the 2019 title game, which Saskatchewan won 21-7.

Football Canada

2022 Under-16 Western Challenge

at Langley, B.C.

(all times Pacific)

Sunday, July 3

Saskatchewan def. Manitoba 49-23

B.C. def. Alberta 22-17

Wednesday, July 6

Bronze Medal: Alberta vs. Manitoba, 4 p.m.

Championship: Saskatchewan vs. B.C., 7 p.m