Will the up and coming Colts knock off the
storied Hilltops?
 |
| Head coach Tom Sargeant, centre, gets fired up on the Hilltops bench. |
The Prairies Football Conference championship game is
anything but a lock for the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops.
The up and coming Calgary Colts are out to prove it is their
time.
For the second straight year, the Hilltops and Colts will
meet for the conference title. Saskatoon topped the PFC’s regular season
standings with a 7-1 mark, and their only loss was a 34-4 setback to the Colts
in a match that closed the regular campaign for both sides. The Toppers
starters rested for most of that game, but the Colts moved the ball in that
contest no matter who was on the field.
Saskatoon enters the contest as favourites and as the
established powerhouse. They are in search of their 18th Canadian
Junior Football League championship, and in the previous 17 national title
wins, Tom Sargeant has been part of 11 of those victories as a player (once),
assistant coach (two times) and head coach (eight times).
Calgary are the upstarts, who are two seasons removed from a
0-8 campaign. Last season, the Colts hired legendary British Columbia Football
Conference head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker, and he guide the Colts to a 4-4
record and berth in the PFC final. In year two under Blokker, the Colts
finished the regular season with a 5-3 mark.
Last season, the Colts appearance in the PFC final was a
surprise one and a bonus for a rebuilding program. This year, the Colts had
expectations to make it this far, and they also have hopes of advancing to the
Canadian Bowl and possibly winning their first CJFL title since 1990.
The Colts are out to make a statement that they have
arrived, and it is their time.
 |
| Hilltops quarterback Jared Andreychuk fires off a pass against the Colts. |
The Hilltops are loaded up with 16 players in their fifth
and final year of eligibility. They want to send a not so fast message to the
upstarts that their time hasn’t arrived just yet.
Saskatoon has a big edge in the experience department in big
games. The Toppers players know how to rebound, if plays and moment doesn’t slid
their way for a time.
While they usually win going away, they have the ability to
regroup and rally back, and that was shown on Sept 12, when they trailed the
Thunder in Regina 25-10 in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 26-25 victory.
In that contest, Hilltops quarterback Jared Andreychuk engineered a 75-yard
two-minute drill touchdown drive near the end of the fourth quarter to win the
game.
The Colts have also received strong play from the
quarterback position from John Kiesman, who spent time with the University of
Regina Rams.
Sunday’ clash might be decided by the special teams. In the
first meeting on Aug. 16 between those two clubs, the Hilltops held a 13-10
third quarter lead, but blew the contest open, when linebacker Bobby Ehman
blocked a Colts punt. Topper defensive lineman Dillon Buckle recovered the
blocked kick in the Calgary end zone for a Saskatoon touchdown, and the
Hilltops went on to claim a 31-10 victory in Calgary.
When the Colts thumped the Hilltops on Oct. 11 in Saskatoon,
Calgary had troubles on at least three long snaps in punt formation. You can
expect Hilltops special teams coach Matt Yausie will unleash a full out punt
block to force a big play until the Colts show they have corrected their
execution troubles in that situation. That might make the difference in this
year’s PFC title game.
Saskatoon Minor Football Field should be the site of some
great drama on Sunday. It almost makes you wish these team could kick things
off right now.
If you have any
comments you want to make about this blog post, feel free to email them to
stankssports@gmail.com.
