The two best teams in the SHSAA 3A 12-man Rural Football League put on a show Saturday afternoon in the league championship game, but it was a rollercoaster of a contest that ended the Swift Current Comp Colts' season.

In Yorkton, taking on the undefeated Raiders with a spot on the provincial final on the line, both teams struggled to solve the opposition's defence through the first quarter. It was a scoreless affair through 12 minutes, as both offences searched high and low for a rhythm.

The Raiders struck twice before the half - once in the first few minutes of the second quarter, and another in the latter stages of the half - for a a 14-0 lead through two quarters of play.

"I said at halftime, if I knew that we'd only give up two touchdowns at halftime, we're probably feeling okay about that, because they're very good offensively. But we said we've got to get going offensively," said Colts head coach Derek Murdoch.

The Colts did just that in the second half, finally getting on the board with a five-yard passing touchdown from Carter Moberg to Rhett Vavra - a play set up by a monster interception return inside the 10 yard line by defensive lineman Rylan Schommer.

Some trickery on the point-after attempt led a passing play from Rhett Vavra to Owen Ljunngren for a two-point conversion and a 14-8 deficit.

It was trimmed to a 14-9 score on the kickoff, as Ethan Kurtz booted the ball into the Raiders' endzone, where they couldn't escape, surrendering a rouge.

The Colts kept their foot on the gas to start the fourth quarter as well, as Moberg connected with Karter Duclos in the endzone for a receiving touchdown and a 15-14 lead.

Swift Current again went for two points, and successfully completed that, as Vavra took a snap out of the Wildcat formation, and easily sprinted to the left side of the field for the successful conversion, making it 17-14 Colts.

Both teams continued to grind back and forth down the field in the fourth, as the Raiders were able to get their feet back under them, and prevent any more points scored against them.

Yorkton managed a chip shot field goal to tied the game up at 17-17, then took a seven-point lead on a one-yard rushing touchdown on a QB-keeper.

There was still life for the Colts in a 24-17 game, as they got the ball back with 1:20 on the clock at the 40-yard line. The beginning signs of a successful drive were there for the Colts, who hovered around midfield with under 30 seconds to play.

However, the Raiders intercepted a pass, taking it 75 yards to the house for the pick-six, sealing the game. With a convert, Yorkton secured a 31-17 win over the Colts, ending Swift Current's spectacular run.

"I guess the big thing for me, the takeaway, is that you can't be more proud of a football team," said Murdoch after the heartbreaking finish. "I just said to the guys after, I've never been more proud of a team that I've coached. For us to battle, come back, and make it what it was... it's too bad that they score kind of on a garbage play at the end to make it sound worse. That was a heck of a football game."

"We're down 14-0 in a tough place to play, and then all of a sudden in the fourth quarter we're winning the football game," he added. "We had them on the ropes. They were discombobulated on the sideline, they didn't know what was happening, and our guys stepped up."

After a low-scoring 10-2 win over Moose Jaw Central in the league semis, the Colts looked very well-prepared in the final, having squeezed every last ounce out of the week of practice.

"Our coaches did an amazing job of prepping our guys. Our defence was so ready. We were calling plays, they knew that we knew what was coming. At the end of the day, they made a couple plays at the end that gave them a win," said Murdoch.

The Colts forced three interceptions and three fumbles in the game, while tossing three picks themselves, and fumbling once. Penalty yards heavily favoured Swift Current, who had nine infractions for 95 yards. Yorkton piled up 155 yards on 15 penalties.

The Raiders now advance to host Saskatoon BJM in the SHSAA Provincial Final - the Colts, meanwhile, but a bow on their 2019 season November 13, when they host their annual awards banquet.

Box Score Recap

Passing:

Carter Moberg - 12-of-20, 174 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Rushing:

Jordan Lamontagne - 17 carries, 75 yards
Shane Friesen - 2 carries, 7 yards
Rhett Vavra - 4 carries, 4 yards

Receiving:

Rhett Vavra - 5 rec, 61 yards, TD
Karter Duclos - 4 rec, 55 yards, TD
Carson Letkeman - 2 rec, 45 yards
Owen Ljunggren - 2 rec, 10 yards
Shane Friesen - 1 rec, 3 yards

Interceptions:

Ryland Schommer - 1, 45-yard return
Rhett Vavra - 1, 20-yard return
Layne Cadrain - 1, 15-yard return