CANORA, SASK.- “It feels pretty good, I’m excited!”
Joey Palagian, originally from Canora, will be on the field playing for the Canadian Junior Football Championship with his Regina Thunder teammates in the Canadian Bowl in Kelowna, B.C. on Nov. 8, scheduled to be televised on TSN.
This comes after the Thunder defeated the arch rival Saskatoon Hilltops 44-19 in the Prairie Football Conference championship game in Regina on Oct. 18, and then travelling to Ontario where they dominated the Sault College Cougars 44-15 in the national semifinal.
In his fourth year with the Thunder, Palagian has overcome multiple injury obstacles to make it to the ultimate game in Canadian Junior Football.
After playing sporadically and learning about what it takes to play and be successful at junior football, Palagian moved from his linebacker position in high school to the defensive line in his second hear with the Thunder, where he can take advantage of his elite speed to pressure quarterbacks.
By year three in 2025, the University of Regina kinesiology student was seeing increased playing time in the Thunder defensive line rotation, especially on passing downs. But then came the injury bug, a dislocated ulna (a long bone in the forearm) in a game against the Hilltops in Week 7. Palagian missed the rest of the season.
“I was in a cast when I watched the Hilltops beat us in overtime in the league championship game.”
Then, during a spring workout in preparation for the 2026 season, Palagian tore a chest muscle. Medical professionals told him that rehab would take six months but Palagian worked hard and was back on the field with his teammates in four months, playing in the final four games of the regular season plus the playoffs.
The Thunder appear to be hitting their peak at the right time, winning by 25 and 29 points in their most recent playoff games.
“We have better depth and better players this year than we did last year,” said Palagian. “It feels like we’re unstoppable both on offense and defense. I really liked what head coach Scott MacAulay before the Hilltops game. ‘I don’t care about the past. We know we’re better than them, just keep looking ahead.’”
Then in the Sault College game, the Thunder were up against Sam Mustapha, averaging well over 100 rushing yards per game and recognized as one of the top young running backs in the country. But Palagian and the rest of the Thunder defence held Mustapha to only 49 yards rushing in the decisive win.
The Canora native said he really enjoys the positive culture that has been created around the Thunder team.
“Everyone helps each other. The coaches preach strong character, they only sign players to join the team if they’re good people. The team regularly gets together for special nights just for the players.”
Palagian is living proof that, even though he’s from Canora, a small town of only around 2,000 people, hard work can get you a chance to pursue your dreams on a national stage.
“I wasn’t from Regina, I didn’t play in big city games, but by playing my high school football in Yorkton and getting to know people, it opened some doors for me.”
Owen Effa of Yorkton, a high school teammate of Palagian’s, is now a teammate with the Thunder.
Palagian credits a good deal of his success to the support of his high school coaches in Yorkton, especially Ryan Effa and Jason Boyda.
One of the highlights of Palagian’s football career prior to joining the Thunder was earning a starting linebacker spot on the Canada Cup-winning Team Saskatchewan for the U18 national championship in 2022, before entering Grade 12 at Canora Composite School.
He has some valuable advice for aspiring young football players, and athletes in general, in the Canora area.
“You can get far if you’re coachable.”
With two weeks between the semifinal and the national championship game, Palagian and his teammates, along with the Thunder coaching staff, are busy preparing for the opposition, the Westshore Rebels of the British Columbian Football Conference.
Looking ahead, it appears that Joey doesn’t have a monopoly on football talent in the Palagian family. Like his older brother, Jackson Palagian is playing high school football in Yorkton.
“He’s had to battle injuries, but Jackson has had a really good year,” said Joey.
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