Sun humbled 58-2 by overpowering Saskatoon Hilltops

The Okanagan Sun gave up 14 points in the first three minutes of the game and never recovered in a humbling 58-2 defeat at the hands of the visiting Saskatoon Hilltops on Saturday at the Apple Bowl.

In the first-ever inter-conference Canadian Junior Football League regular-season encounter and a rematch of the 2015 Canadian Bowl, the Hilltops dominated every aspect of the game.

The two-time defending national junior champions bulldozed their way to 266 yards along the ground and added another 158 yards in the air against the B.C. Football Conference’s best defensive team. The Hilltops also held the Sun to just 111 rushing yards and only 60 passing yards.

Saskatoon quarterback Jared Andreychuck, who orchestrated the Hilltops’ 38-24 win in the Canadian Bowl last year, was at it again in the encore, completing nine of 13 passes for 158 yards and four TD passes.

Logan Fischer, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound running back, took advantage of his front line’s manhandling of the Sun defence to cover 105 yards along the ground on 13 carries and score two touchdowns.

The Sun, whose only points came late in the first quarter when the Hilltops conceded a safety, trailed 21-2 at the quarter, 40-2 at the half and 48-2 going into the final 15 minutes.

With the win, Saskatoon improved to 5-1 in the Prairie Football Conference, its only loss coming at the hands of the unbeaten Calgary Colts (5-0).

Meanwhile, the Sun are now 6-2 in the BCFC, having lost 29-23 to the Westshore Rebels a week earlier. The Okanagan representatives will attempt to recover from their humble-pie defeat when they take on the Vancouver Island Raiders on Saturday in Nanaimo.

They’ll close out the regular season with a home game against the Langley Rams on Oct. 2.

In the other inter-conference game on Saturday, the Winnipeg Rifles shut out the Valley Huskers 35-0 in Chilliwack.