Ewanchyna has delivered big plays since
rookie year
 |
| Josh Ewanchyna has been a play maker for the Hilltops since day one. |
Rebels quarterback
Ashton Mackinnon has just scored a major on a one-yard sneak to give his side a
three-point lead.
At that moment, Ewanchyna
stepped up to the forefront as the Hilltops X-factor. He took the kickoff
following Mackinnon’s major score back 105 yards for a Hilltops touchdown to
put Saskatoon up 23-19. The Hilltops proceeded to expand their edge to 37-19
and ultimately claimed the contest 37-25.
Ewanchyna had a rushing
touchdown in the first half of that contest, but the second half kickoff return
touchdown was the highlight of his rookie year.
“Having been my
first year and to have such a big impact on a game like that, I wasn’t happy (just)
for myself,” said Ewanchyna, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 195 pounds. “I was
happy for everyone that was happy for me and just having all that joy and
people just like appreciating that.
 |
| Josh Ewanchyna, right, breaks away from a Regina Thunder tackler. |
Now in his third
CJFL season, Ewanchyna has risen to a star role at the running back position. The
20-year-old has won a pair of offensive player-of-the-week awards for the
Prairie Football Conference this season.
On Sunday at Clarke
Stadium in Edmonton, the graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School carried
the ball 22 times for 187 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Hilltops
blanked the host Wildcats 53-0 in a CJFL regular season clash.
On the campaign,
Ewanchyna has carried the ball 107 times for 830 yards and scored 10 touchdown
playing six out of the Hilltops seven regular season games to date having missed
the first contest with a minor injury. He strives to emulate what Fischer and
Machart did with club and said it was eye-opening learning from those two
players.
“I wanted to kind of
sit back and you know just like watch those guys, see what they did at practice,
see what they did for film (and) how their body language was,” said Ewanchyna.
“You want to be like those guys.
“I just want to do the
same and kind of follow in the footsteps as those guys did. I don’t know if I
will ever get to those high standards, but it is definitely worth a try.”
Hilltops head coach
Tom Sargeant said Ewanchyna has been an impact player with the Hilltops since
arriving with the team. The sideline boss was proud of how his talented
tailback handled playing behind Fischer and Machart in 2016 and 2017.
Sargeant said Ewanchyna is able to be a dynamic player on the field due to a number of characteristics.
 |
| Josh Ewanchyna has piled up the rushing yards for the Hilltops this season. |
Sargeant said Ewanchyna is able to be a dynamic player on the field due to a number of characteristics.
“Number one, he is
the second fastest player on our team, and he is just so physical,” said
Sargeant. “He is tough.
“He bounces off
blocks. He knows how to put his body in good positions. He has great balance
and really good vision.
“He is just getting
better and better at understanding what he needs to do and jelling with that
offensive line. It is always a mechanism that needs to work with each other. He
is doing a real good job of blending into that.”
With the Hilltops
having one regular season game remaining before they embark on the post-season,
Sargeant expects Ewanchyna to play a sizable role in the team’s quest to win a
fifth straight CJFL championship.
“He is a natural
playmaker. We’re going to need him to stay healthy and make those type of
plays.
“If he does that,
that puts us in great spots to be the team that we want and expect ourselves to
be in this championship run for 2018.”
While Ewanchyna has
a big family with the players and staff on the Hilltops, he has relished the
chance to play alongside a blood family member in older brother and 22-year-old
fifth-year receiver Adam. Adam opened the scoring of Sunday’s game hauling in
an eight-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter.
Josh said he always looked up to Adam as they grew up together and followed Adam up through football.
Josh said he always looked up to Adam as they grew up together and followed Adam up through football.
 |
| Josh Ewanchyna can get downfield with great speed. |
With the Hilltops, Josh became the bigger name player, but he found it huge to have Adam in the dressing room to help with the various ups and downs of a season.
“I’ve been real
close to my brother kind of coming up playing Hilltops,” said Josh Ewanchyna. “He
is going out on his final one, so it is a little bit bittersweet this year
playing my last year with him seeing him there in the locker room.
“I’m going to have
to get used to that next year not seeing him. He was always the one kind of
pushing me to do better things with where I am today. It is awesome.”
Going forward, Josh
Ewanchyna said the Hilltops can’t overlook any opponent, especially with
single-elimination playoff games sitting around the corner. While there are
parts of the season that can be a grind, Ewanchyna admits the campaign does
seem to go by too quickly, so it is important to enjoy the moment.
“Four months out of
the year, you have to kind of commit your life to it,” said Ewanchyna. “Next
thing you know, you’re almost done it.
“Every week, every
game, every time you have practice, instead of sitting there kind of pouting
about being there, you just have to enjoy the little things and be outside with
your friends. You know happy you’re there. When you are on the field, you just
have to work.
“It is crazy how
fast time flies. You don’t really realize it until it is gone. Definitely
enjoying those wins and those times after with the guys celebrating is
definitely what you have to take into account and enjoy the most.”
With Sunday’s win in
the books, the Hilltops improve to 7-0 on the season, extend their overall
winning streak to 15 games including the regular season and playoffs and extend
their road winning streak to 23 contests including the regular season and
post-season.
The Wildcats fell to
2-5 and were eliminated from CJFL playoff contention.
 |
| Josh Ewanchyna will see more touches as Hilltops head to the playoffs. |
David Solie booted field goals from 31, 23 and 10 yards out for the Toppers.
Backup quarterback
Tyler Hermann hit receiver John Brown for a touchdown pass, and the Hilltops
forced the Wildcats to concede a safety in the contest.
Saskatoon led 10-0
after the first quarter and 29-0 at halftime.
Defensive end Connor
Delahey had seven total tackles for the Hilltops, while
rookie safety Evan Mantyka had a pair of interceptions.
The Hilltops, who
have first place in the PFC locked up, close the regular season this coming
Sunday hosting the Winnipeg Rifles (3-4) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football
Field. The Rifles are locked into finishing fourth in the PFC, which means the
two sides will meet in a PFC semifinal contest in the CJFL playoffs.
Back in the Express with Hilltops assistant
coaches
 |
| Donnie Davidsen, left, is one of many key assistant coaches for the Hilltops. |
The piece focuses on how offensive line coach Donnie
Davidsen became involved with the team and his journey with the club that is
now into its 13th season. Davidsen spent a number of years in
Saskatoon’s high school ranks before joining the Hilltops.
Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant goes into detail about how
important the assistant coaches are to the team.
The club’s assistant coaches this season include defensive
coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Yausie, quarterbacks coach Shane Reider,
defensive backs coach Brent Turkington, defensive line coach Dave Fisher,
running backs coach Andre Lalonde and receivers coach Barclay Schlosser.
Ben Hodson was added as another offensive line coach and
Evan Turkington was added as another receivers coach as the season went on.
They ultimately returned for a second campaign in those roles.
The piece on the Hilltops assistant coaches can be found by
clicking here.
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to stankssports@gmail.com.
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