LB says Saskatoon ready to go against
Thunder in PFC final
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| Wade Keating returns an interception for a TD in a PFC semifinal. |
The Hilltops outside linebacker, who is playing out the final weeks of his CJFL career as the post-season moves on, is one of six players currently with the venerable squad who owns a CJFL championship ring. The other five include middle linebacker Matt Wist, defensive back Carter Wingert, running back Boston Davidsen, defensive lineman Craig Torgerson and receiver Evan Ward. All six were rookies with the Hilltops in 2019, when the storied squad posted a 12-0 record on the way to winning the CJFL title.
One of the Hilltops goals year in and year out is to try and help their graduating players depart the program as champions. While Keating is part of the 2023 class of graduates, he would like to help all the players that haven’t experienced a CJFL championship win before get to that point in the team’s current post-season run.
“That has been on our minds since last year when we lost to Regina,” said Keating. “I think we’re a really determined group.
“That’s definitely the way we want to go out as champions.”
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| Wade Keating is one of the Hilltops defensive captains. |
This season’s
PFC final will be held at the Hilltops home park in Saskatoon Minor Football
Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Hilltops head into that clash with a 9-0 overall record,
and the Thunder go into that heavyweight tilt with a 7-2 overall mark.
“We see them three times a year most years,” said Keating, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds. “This group is ready to go.
“We’ll see them on Sunday.”
In 2023,
Keating is part of a Hilltops defensive unit that appears intent on carving out
a memorable place in team history. During the team’s eight-game regular season,
the Hilltops allowed 51 points against, which is the team’s lowest total in
that department since 1949.
During the regular season, Keating recorded 17 solo defensive tackles, 10 defensive tackle assists, two special teams solo tackles, one special teams tackle assist, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Last Sunday in the
Hilltops 53-2 romp over the Calgary Colts in a PFC semifinal, Keating had two
solo defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists and one interception
that he returned 26 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick six of his
CJFL career.
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| Wade Keating can play at the line of scrimmage and in coverage. |
“For guys that weren’t starters last year, we had guys stepping up this year and just making crazy plays,” said Keating, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s Centennial Collegiate Chargers Football Team. “(Defensive tackle) John Stevens, how many turnovers has he had this year?
“Matthew Wist, Dalton Urban and the list goes on. I think that is just the veteran leadership and carrying over to everyone else as well.”
Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Keating’s toughness and ability to lead by example have been highly valuable for the club.
“Wade has been absolutely outstanding,” said Sargeant. “Here is a guy a couple of years ago we moved to linebacker.
“He was a starting halfback, but he just has that innate toughness that we need. We wanted to move him close to the line of scrimmage, but we still put him in cover situations. He has just been on point.
“He has been one of our smartest players. He has been one of our toughest players, and he’s been a great leader and a great captain for this defence.”
Going into the 2023 campaign, Keating said he focused on doing well in his off-season workouts to help increase his self-belief on the field.
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| Wade Keating (#20) walks to the SMF Field surface with his parents. |
Keating said the current campaign has been his most fun season with the Hilltops. As the post-season moves on, he wants to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented and soak in and enjoy each day as they come.
“I think that is part of the whole fifth-year mantra as well,” said Keating. “Definitely, it has been a tonne of fun.
“These are my brothers, so it’s been awesome.”
Davidsen racks up three major PFC awards
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| Boston Davidsen is the PFC’s Most Valuable Player. |
The
Saskatoon Hilltops star power running back picked up three individual honours
when the conference’s awards were announces on Friday. Davidsen was named the PFC’s
Most Outstanding Running Back, Most Valuable Player and the Most Outstanding
Offensive Player of the year.
During the
CJFL’s regular season, Davidson topped the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards
(1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine). He also caught four passes for 33 yards.
Hilltops
signal caller Trey Reider took honours as the PFC’s Most Outstanding Quarterback.
During the regular season, Reider completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards
and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. His 114.6 quarterback
rating topped the PFC.
Hilltops
defensive end Riece Kack captured the PFC’s Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman
award. Kack led the PFC with 7.5 quarterback sacks. He recorded 11 solo
defensive tackles, seven defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo
tackles, two special teams tackle assists, one pass knockdown and two fumble
recoveries.
Legendary
Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant claimed honours as the PFC’s Coach of the
Year.
The
Hilltops (9-0) host their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder (7-2) in the PFC
final on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
Thunder linebacker Stephen Smith was named the PFC’s Most Outstanding Linebacker and Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. Smith led the PFC with 127 defensive points during the regular season coming off 43 solo defensive tackles, 30 defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle, one quarterback sack, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.
Thunder centre Riley Schick captured honours as the PFC’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
Thunder defensive tackle Liam Sellwood was named the PFC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Sellwood had two solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist and an interception during the regular season.
Saints march to OFC title, Rebels and Sun
advance
On Saturday, the host Saints slipped past the London Beefeaters 32-31 at Acumen Stadium in Windsor, Ont., in the OFC final. The win marked the second straight year the Saints have captured the OFC championship.
With the win, the Saints improve to 10-0 overall, while Beefeaters finish out with a 7-3 overall record.
The Saints will travel to Saskatchewan to take part in a CJFL semifinal contest with the time of that clash still to be announced. They will face the winner of the PFC final between the host Saskatoon Hilltops (9-0) and Regina Thunder (7-2) that is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
Also on Saturday in Kelowna, B.C., the defending CJFL champion Okanagan Sun downed the visiting Valley Huskers 33-16 in a British Columbia Football Conference semifinal. The Sun improve to 9-1 overall with the win, while the Huskers finish up at 7-4 overall.
In Saturday’s other BCFC semifinal, the Westshore Rebels romped over the Langley Rams 40-14 at Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C. The Rebels improve to 11-0 overall, while the Rams finish out at 5-5 overall.
The Rebels will host the Sun in the BCFC final with the time of that clash still to be announced. In the lone regular season encounter played between the two squads back on August 26 at Starlight Stadium, the Rebels downed the Sun 52-23.
The BCFC champion will host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday, November 11.
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