DT won 6-man football high school title in
Eatonia
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| Johnathon Stevens springs into action at DT for the Hilltops. |
The Saskatoon Hilltops star defensive tackle said he has been blessed to play with some great guys, great coaches and great communities in his football career. Currently, Stevens is doing his best to help the Hilltops in their drive towards a CJFL championship in his third year with the club.
After having won the PFC final 21-13 over the visiting Regina Thunder last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops (10-0) now host the OFC champion St. Clair Saints (10-0) for Windsor this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Stevens was part of the Hilltops team that won the PFC title in 2021 only to fall 17-14 on the road to host Langley Rams in a CJFL semifinal. The Rams moved on to win the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions that year.
Before joining the Hilltops, Stevens was a member of the storied Eaton School Spartans 6-man football team in Eatonia, Sask. During his Grade 11 year in the 2019 fall football season, Stevens helped the Spartans capture the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s then 1A 6-Man Football championship with a 63-48 victory over Kerrobert.
Stevens said the join of winning that provincial title was one of his most memorable moments in the game.
“It was awesome,” said Stevens, who played D-line, O-line and was a kicker for the Spartans. “It was great, because the whole community, all of Eatonia and people who were from Eatonia who don’t live there anymore and still have roots there, they came down to support us.
“It felt like the whole town was a family at that moment, and everyone was just so proud of everybody for doing that. It is pretty special, because small towns, that is kind of all we have.”
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| Johnathon Stevens was named a PFC all-star this season. |
He was part of a Hilltops defensive until that saw the team give up just 51 points in eight regular season games, which was the team’s lowest total for points allowed in the regular season dating back to 1949. Stevens enjoys the chemistry the current Hilltops have had and is pumped to be part of the team’s current post-season run.
“It is awesome,” said Stevens, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 275 pounds. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys and a better group of coaches there to do this with.
“It just kind of happens. We just come together, and it just feels great. That is all I can really way about it.”
Stevens isn’t the first player the Hilltops have found at the Eaton School Spartans program in Eatonia that has come to the venerable CJFL squad and found success.
Defensive back Cam Cooke and running back Chad Nunweiler are a couple of notable standouts that came from the Spartans to the Hilltops and helped the stories Saskatoon club win three straight CJFL titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
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| Johnathon Stevens, left, takes down a Winnipeg Rifles RB. |
“They were close to home,” said Stevens. “That was really it.
“They were the closest place I could quickly come back to Eatonia if I ever needed to feel at home again. That was the main reason why I came to Saskatoon.”
On top of that, Stevens has a sizeable contingent of family and friend drive out from Eatonia to Saskatoon to see his home games. Eatonia is about a two-and-a-half hour drive southwest of Saskatoon.
Stevens has found a home with the Hilltops. He has enjoyed learning the 12-man game and making the adjustments from playing the six-man game.
“It is a very different game there,” said Stevens. “Six-man it is very athletic game.
“When you face O-linemen there, they’re not usually as big as the 12-man guys. I’d say the biggest change is just getting used to stopping the run, because in six-man it was throw, throw, throw and then the occasional run. Just getting physical was probably the biggest change coming here.”
Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has enjoyed coaching Stevens since he came to the storied CJFL team. The sideline boss said the young defensive tackle, who will turn 20-years-old in late December, has grown into an all-star level player.
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| Johnathon Stevens won a high school 6-man title in Eatonia. |
“He has really added a pass rush game. He is just with it. He can sniff out plays.
“He’s that D-lineman that can read the screens, and that is how he has ended up with a couple of interceptions. He is just always around the ball and is always playing with such a positive attitude and great energy. He is just a great guy to coach.”
Sargeant was the Hilltops head coach when Cooke and Nunweiler played for the team. The long time coach has always been impressed with how athletic the players are that come in from the 6-man teams in the small Saskatchewan towns.
“Six and nine man players are good football players,” said Sargeant. “John had to play O-line and D-line.
“You have to play in a lot of space, and you see it here. He is just natural there, very athletic for his frame. He just has a lot of love to play the game.
“We’re so happy to have John on our team. A third year guy, he has a bright future ahead too. We believe he can be more impactful than he is right now.”
At the moment, Stevens is locked into the present. As the Hilltops are just two wins away from a CJFL title, Stevens wants his team to finish off the campaign by winning it all.
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| Johnathon Stevens (#57 blue) is pictured with the Hilltops D-linemen. |
“We’d obviously love to finish the year with a win and go undefeated,” said Stevens. “That would be awesome.
“It is always the end goal. When you want to play football, you always want to win, because if you don’t, you’re not in the right sport.”
Davidsen, Wist take player of the week nods
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| Boston Davidsen was named a PFC’s offensive player of the week. |
On Wednesday, Davidsen was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week, while Wist was tabbed as the PFC’s defensive player of the week. The nods came from the work both players put in during the Hilltops 21-13 PFC final win over the visiting Regina Thunder this past Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
In that contest, Davidsen, who is the Hilltops star power running back, carried the ball 21 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also hauled in one pass for two yards.
Wist, who is the Hilltops star middle linebacker, recorded nine solo defensive tackles and eight defensive tackle assists in that victory.
Thunder defensive back Tristan Bergquist claimed honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week for his work in kick coverage in his team’s loss in the PFC final. He collected three special teams solo tackles in that contest.
Rebels and Sun go at it for BCFC title
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| Te Jessie in a CJFL promo graphic. |
The Westshore Rebels topped the BCFC regular season standings with a 10-0 record and are 11-0 overall. The Okanagan Sun, who are the defending CJFL champions, finished second in the BCFC regular season standings with an 8-1 mark and are 9-1 overall.
Those two clubs will battle for the Cullen Cup to become BCFC champions when the Rebels host the Sun on Saturday at Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C., at 3 p.m. local time. The winner will host the CJFL championship game on Saturday, November 11 against the winner of the CJFL semifinal between the PFC champion Saskatoon Hilltops and OFC champion St. Clair Saints.
The CJFL semifinal between the Hilltops and the visiting Saints is set for Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field at 1 p.m. local time. Both squads enter that contest with 10-0 overall records.
The Rebels and Sun met back on August 26 at Starlight Stadium, where the Rebels romped to a 52-23 victory. The Sun entered that contest having battled disruptions to their schedule the previous two weeks due to forest fires near their home centre of Kelowna, B.C.
Rebels quarterback Te Jessie had an outstanding regular season completing 150-of-212 passes for 2,453 yards and 41 touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions. Jessie had a quarterback rating of 135.1, and his 41 touchdown passes are a new record for CJFL regular season play.
A graduate of the St. Paul’s High School Crusaders Football Team in Winnipeg, Man., Jessie topped the CJFL’s annual Top 50 players to watch list heading into the 2023 campaign.
Running back Aidan Wiberg was the Sun’s top offensive player. During the regular season, Wiberg carried the ball 114 times for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 78 yards.
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