Thunder try to crack championship drought

It's a 13-year drought the Regina Thunder want to end. The Thunder last won the CJFL National Championship in 2013. Now, they're returning to the big game for just the third time. Head coach Scott McCauley has been the head coach for all three teams. He says this year, the team is built just a little different. We got a lot of veteran presence, but at the same time, we're young. And, you know, We made a lot of changes during the offseason in regards to some coaching changes and also some player personnel changes and stuff. I think we put guys in the right spots, and I think that's allowed us to really get over the hump with that. Two of those veteran players are running back Peter Borsch and defensive back Marcus Butts. Borsch is in his fourth year with the Thunder and led the country in rushing this season. He says there have been some hard lessons on the way to finally getting to the national championship. I think that learning to win is a real thing, and so we've come far every year that I've been on this team. but this year I feel like we We've just got a vast wealth of experience and knowledge. You know, we're tired. We're tired of coming up short, and this is the year we want to finish it. The Thunder will have to head on the road to Victoria to face the BC champion West Shore Rebels. It's a team the Thunder have only seen on film, and Butts knows they will have their hands full. They're explosive playmakers, and they got some good cats over there that can catch the ball, throw the ball, run the ball. They can make plays. They're the best in their conference, we're the best in our conference, and they deserve to be in this game too. But we think that we're just going to be able to execute, and the score is what it is. We're just focusing on six seconds every play, and we'd let the rest of it handle itself. Playing a Canadian Bowl game in November is something most players will never experience, so the Thunder are just relishing every last second they have together on and off the field. During the week, we're saying, last day one, last day two now, You don't want to look back at it until the season's over, but you kind of know in the back of your mind, your time's running out here, but it's been a blessing. Dan Plaster, CBC News, Regina.