Mitchell Tanchak scores on a fake punt and a short-yardage play during his first stint at running back since high school.
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Usually a starting linebacker for his Prairie Football Conference team, Mitchell Tanchak contributed two rushing touchdowns to the Regina Thunder’s 51-16 victory over the Edmonton Huskies on Sunday at Leibel Field.
“I haven’t played running back in the PFC or scored two touchdowns since high school,” said Tanchak, who is from Hafford. “It feels great!”
Tanchak the runner looked like he would have been difficult to tackle by Tanchak the linebacker. His first major came during the opening quarter.
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Lined up in Regina’s backfield as a blocker for punter Shawn Green, Tanchak took the direct snap and rumbled through numerous would-be tacklers for a 48-yard touchdown that put the Thunder ahead by 17 points while taking a 24-0 lead out of the first quarter.
“We installed that play last week and our coaches said we were gonna do it in the first quarter,” said Tanchak. “We had the field position, so we called it and it worked out perfect.
“I had a great lead block from Ethan Lucke; as soon as I saw him make that block I thought I had to take it to the house for him. Perfect for him and the rest of the boys.”
Tanchak also scored a two-yarder late in the fourth quarter.
“We’re using him in short-yardage plays a little,” said Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay. “Spread the love, bro!
“I’ve been known to install some fakes and never, ever run ’em in games. We made a commitment before the game that we were gonna run that punt play.”
Quarterback Carter Moberg threw scoring passes to Peter Boersch and Ben Walz, with the other majors coming from running back Sadik Sadik and on a punt return from Devin Baumann, whose primary position is also linebacker. Green kicked two field goals, six converts and a single. Each team conceded a safety.
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Combining Moberg’s totals with backups Adam Mosher and Ethan Hugg, Regina’s quarterbacks completed 19 of 33 passes for 280 yards with no interceptions. Led by Sadik Sadik’s 87 yards on 13 carries, the Thunder gained 218 yards along the ground.
Each of Edmonton’s quarterbacks, Marcus Soltero and Julien Beaulieu, threw a touchdown pass and was intercepted twice while combining to gain 372 yards through the air. Max Taylor and Jacob St. Hilaire caught the scoring strikes. Lorrin Leblanc, with two, Cooper Filazek and Noah Zimroz had Regina’s interceptions.
Regina improved its record to 4-1 and sits alone in second place in the six-team PFC. Edmonton is winless in five games.
The Thunder has road games Sept. 22 against the Edmonton Huskies (3-2) and Sept 28 against the Saskatoon Hilltops (5-0) before returning home to meet the Calgary Colts (3-2) on Oct. 6.
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