“Sarge” picks up milestone 209th career victory
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| Tyler Hermann threw for 297 yards and three TDs for the Hilltops. |
Saying the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops had a banner Saturday at TD Stadium in London, Ont., might even be a minimal way to describe how the night went.
The
Hilltops, who are the five-time defending CJFL champions, hammered the host
London Beefeaters 51-1 in a CJFL semifinal contest. With the win, the ’Toppers
advance to the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – for a sixth straight year.
Saskatoon
will travel to Langley, B.C., for the CJFL championship tilt on Nov. 16 against
the host Rams.
The Rams,
who are 12-0 overall, downed the Westshore Rebels 35-12 in the British Columbia
Football Conference championship game on Saturday in Langley to advance to host
the Canadian Bowl. The Rebels, who are based in Langford, B.C., closed the 2019 campaign with a 9-3 overall
record.
In last
year’s CJFL title tilt held in Saskatoon, the Hilltops hammered the visiting
Rams 58-21.
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| Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant picked up his 209th career win. |
On top of
moving into position to possibly hit new benchmarks in CJFL championship wins,
the Hilltops rolled off their 30th overall win in a row with their
victory over the Beefeaters on Saturday including action in the CJFL’s regular season
and playoffs.
The
Hilltops last loss came back in a regular season contest on Sept. 9, 2017, when
they fell 29-26 to the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
Along with
hitting 30 straight victories in their overall winning streak, the Hilltops
have won their last 28 straight games on the road including action in the CJFL
regular season and post-season. Due to their current run of consecutive
championships, the Hilltops extended their CJFL record for consecutive
post-season wins to 19.
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| Ben Abrook had 110 yards rushing for the Hilltops. |
Sargeant
has a 209-30-2 career record in CJFL regular season and post-season action
since becoming the Hilltops head coach before the start of the 1998 campaign.
McCrystal was the head coach of the Rams from 1984 to 2014,
and they played 15 seasons in the CJFL and 16 campaigns in U Sports over that
time as the University of Regina Rams. Over those 31 seasons, McCrystal
compiled a 208-104-2 record as
head coach in the regular season and post-season in both the CJFL and U Sports.
As for
Saturday’s CJFL semifinal game itself, the contest was a big display of
Hilltops might. Hilltops rookie defensive back Bailey Taylor intercepted
Beefeaters quarterback Jake Pow on London’s first offensive series.
Saskatoon
turned that turnover into a 22-yard field goal from receiver/kicker Rylan
Kleiter and a 3-0 lead.
The Hilltops edge increased to 10-0 on their next offensive series thanks to a four-yard touchdown run by star power back Ben Abrook.
The
Beefeaters proceeded to tally their lone score on a 29-yard missed field goal
single by kicker Leo Centeno from 29-yards out to cut the Hilltops edge to
10-1.
The Hilltops edge increased to 10-0 on their next offensive series thanks to a four-yard touchdown run by star power back Ben Abrook.
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| Doug Fleming threw a TD pass on Saturday. |
Before the
first quarter came to a close, Hilltops fifth-year quarterback Tyler Hermann
hit fifth-year receiver Connor Graham with a 75-yard pass-and-run touchdown to
increase Saskatoon’s advantage to 17-1.
In the
second quarter, Hermann hit Graham for a 52-yard touchdown pass and then
connected with third-year receiver Keegan Dicks for 20-yard touchdown strike to
give the Hilltops a 31-1 lead.
Kleiter
proceeded to boot a 22-yard field goal to give the Hilltops a 34-1 lead at
halftime.
Early in
the third quarter, Kleiter hit a 20-yard field goal and backup quarterback Doug
Fleming hit Graham for a touchdown strike to push the Hilltops lead out to
44-1.
Second-year
running back Jordan Tabin rounded out the game’s scoring in the fourth quarter
with a nine-yard touchdown run for the Hilltops.
Hermann completed 11-of-18 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Graham hauled in four passes for 154 yards to go with his three majors.
Hermann completed 11-of-18 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Graham hauled in four passes for 154 yards to go with his three majors.
Abrook
carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards to go with his major score.
Pow
connected on 14-of-28 passes for 155 yards and was intercepted twice guiding
the Beefeaters offence.
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| Connor Graham had four catches for 154 yards and three TDs. |
Defensive
end Tristan Hering had three tackles and three sacks for the Hilltop. Caleb
Haight had two sacks for Saskatoon, while Jesse McNabb and Brady Fossen each
had a single sack.
Hering,
Haight and McNabb are all playing out their final campaigns of CJFL
eligibility.
Defensive
back Jared Giddings had an interception for Saskatoon.
Defensive
back Codey McRoberts led the Beefeaters with seven defensive tackles.
The
Beefeaters, who finished with an 8-3 overall record, turned the ball over eight times including twice on interceptions,
once on a fumble and five times on downs.
Saskatoon didn’t
have any giveaways in the contest.
Now, the
Hilltops will try to win their 21st CJFL title in team history.
While the Langley Rams will be playing at home in the Canadian Bowl, they will
be hard pressed to stop the momentum this Saskatoon train has built.
WE’RE GOING TO THE ‘SHIP!— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) November 3, 2019
The Saskatoon Hilltops are heading back to the Canadian Bowl after a 51-1 win over the London Beefeaters.
Thank you to all the fans who joined us in London and everyone who watched back home. 💙💛#playoffszn pic.twitter.com/yvGG2PBQ5d
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