 |
| Hilltops players show off their rings following the 2018 ring ceremony. |
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating big challenges economically in the sports world at all levels. Even the venerable and storied Hilltops, who are the six-time defending CJFL champions, are not the immune to those challenges.
As a result, the Hilltops are open to all options when it
comes to fundraising for the club. On Saturday, the Hilltops will be running a
bottle drive to raise funds for the team.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Hilltops players will
be canvassing the neighbourhoods across Saskatoon to pick up bottles. Everyone
who will be out collecting bottles will be wearing gloves and masks to make
sure they are being safe throughout the process.
Fans and supporters can also drop off bottles from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at ABC Canada at 1802 Quebec Avenue.
Fans and supporters can also drop off bottles from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at ABC Canada at 1802 Quebec Avenue.
 |
| Jadyn Pingue was named the CJFL’s top defensive player in 2019. |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hilltops ring ceremony
will look a lot different than it has in past years. It is being held on the
practice field to make it easier to keep social distancing.
Players and coaches will cycle through the practice field
area over a two-hour period starting at 2 p.m. in order to keep the numbers of
the group below Saskatchewan Health Authority guidelines.
In past years, team members would receive their CJFL championship
rings at a social function.
From March 19 to May 1, the Hilltops suspended operations
due to the COVID-19 pandemic and even closed their clubhouse to all personnel.
They had a Football Night Banquet fundraiser slated for
April 3, but that even was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hilltops also had to nix their annual spring camp that was slated to be held around the first weekend of this month because of the pandemic as well.
The Hilltops are still working on what action will look like in their six-team Prairie Football Conference and in the CJFL as a whole in 2020.
It is expected the regular season will be an abbreviated one.
In 2019, the Hilltops posted a 12-0 overall record and went undefeated for a second straight season. The undefeated campaign was particularly impressive as the Hilltops dealt with a high turnover in starters from their 2018 CJFL championship team.
The Hilltops also had to nix their annual spring camp that was slated to be held around the first weekend of this month because of the pandemic as well.
The Hilltops are still working on what action will look like in their six-team Prairie Football Conference and in the CJFL as a whole in 2020.
 |
| Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant upped his career wins total to 210. |
In 2019, the Hilltops posted a 12-0 overall record and went undefeated for a second straight season. The undefeated campaign was particularly impressive as the Hilltops dealt with a high turnover in starters from their 2018 CJFL championship team.
The Hilltops claimed their sixth straight CJFL title downing
the host Langley Rams in an 11-6 defensive slugfest to retain possession of the
Canadian Bowl trophy.
The Hilltops have captured the Canadian Bowl in nine out of
the last 10 seasons to become CJFL champions.
During the 2019 season, Hilltops linebacker Jadyn Pingue was
named the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player.
Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant picked up his 200th
career victory in a 34-16 win over the host Regina Thunder on Aug. 25, 2019
at Mosaic Stadium.
Sargeant later moved past retired Regina Rams head coach Frank
McCrystal to become the all-time leader in head coaching victories in Canada’s
amateur post-secondary football ranks.
After the Hilltops won their sixth straight CJFL
championship, Sargeant’s career record sat a 210-30-2 including action in the CJFL
regular season and post-season.
 |
| The Hilltops celebrate a touchdown during the 2019 campaign. |
At the conclusion of the 2019 campaign, the Hilltops had won
their last 31 overall games in a row including action in the regular season and
post-season.
They had won their 29 straight games in a row on the road
and claimed victory in a CJFL record 20 straight post-season games.
The Hilltops played the 2019 campaign in honour of the
memory of Justin Filteau, who starred at linebacker for the team from 2010 to
2014. Filteau passed away in a plane crash on June 1, 2019.
The Hilltops players wore decals on their helmets last
season to remember Filteau.
Blades, Rattlers, SaskTel Centre join in
COVID-19 fundraiser
On Saturday, the three organizations will host a “Super
Sports Saturday,” which is a one-day virtual event that feature a storied game
from each team.
On that day, people will be able by a link to see an online
stream of either the Rattlers CEBL championship win over the Hamilton Honey
Badgers on Aug. 25, 2019 or the Blades round robin victory in the 2013 Memorial
Cup tournament over the Halifax Mooseheads, which was held on May 19 of that
year.
The game streams will include behind the scenes team content
and interviews.
Fans will have the chance to win prizes from the Blades,
Rattlers and the SaskTel Centre.
Supporters will be part of “virtual crowd” and the teams are hoping to attract enough views that would surpass the SaskTel Centre’s all-time attendance record of 16,874 set at Metallica’s concert in 2018.
Supporters will be part of “virtual crowd” and the teams are hoping to attract enough views that would surpass the SaskTel Centre’s all-time attendance record of 16,874 set at Metallica’s concert in 2018.
The purchase price to buy into each game is $2, which means
you can see both games for $4. All funds raised through this initiative will go
to COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts.
Those looking to by these game streams can do so through the
Blades website, which can be accessed by clicking right here.
Wedding bells ring for Huskies alum Thiessen,
other notes
 |
| Garrett Thiessen, right, and Danielle Empey, centre, got married on Saturday. |
Inside the church, Garrett Thiessen, who played defence for
the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team for four seasons from
2010 to 2014, and Danielle Empey said their wedding vows. They got married in
wedding ceremony witnessed by a small group including parents, a best man and a
maid of honour.
When the newlyweds walked out of the front doors of the church,
they were saluted by family and friends with a lengthy car parade that drove
past them.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple couldn’t have the wedding
they originally planned due to restrictions on large gatherings. Despite the
pandemic circumstances, they still wanted to go ahead with their wedding
ceremony.
They were pretty ecstatic to see the creative way their family
and friends came together to celebrate their big day.
- On Thursday, the UFC announced the Fight Night card schedule for June 20 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon was cancelled due to restrictions on public gatherings and travel imposed by the Canadian federal government and Saskatchewan provincial government. The government restrictions are in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UFC has managed to host fight cards recently without fans in the United States in the state of Florida.
- On Friday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team announced former players Matthew Baraniuk and Samwel Uko passed away in separate incidents. Baraniuk played one season for the Huskies as a running back in 2017. Uko played one season for the Huskies at running back during their Canada West Championship winning campaign in 2018.
- On Friday, Chad Wolf, who is the acting secretary for homeland security in the United States, signed a measure to allow foreign born professional athletes to enter that country exempt from travel restrictions. At the moment in Canada, anyone entering the country including professional athletes must self-isolate for two weeks.
- On Saturday, A story was posted on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex website where I caught up with Saskatoon product Devon McCullough, who is a pitcher for Canada’s national men’s softball team. McCullough recalled the thrill of being the winning pitcher in a 10-5 comeback victory for Canada over New Zealand in the title game of the 2015 International Softball Federation Men’s world championship tournament. That title game was played at Bob Van Impe Stadium, which was McCullough’s home park for a number of different levels of the game. The story can be found by clicking right here.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
-------
