Experience powers Ebben in Hilltops backfield

Corbin Ebben runs for a TD on August 17.

Personal success will never outshine team success for Corbin Ebben.

In 2024, Ebben entered his third CJFL season with the storied and historic Saskatoon Hilltops and took on the role as the full-time starter at running back. During the regular season, Ebben topped the Prairie Football Conference with 964 yards rushing coming on 157 carries and scoring six touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 184 yards and four major scores.

Thanks to those efforts, Ebben took home honours as a PFC all-star and a second team CJFL all-Canadian all-star. He played a huge role in helping the Hilltops post an 8-0 record.

Ebben’s statistics and honours didn’t take away the sting of not going all the way in the post-season. The Hilltops fell in the CJFL’s Prairie Conference Final 24-19 to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“That is the worst loss I’ve ever had playing football,” said Ebben. “We’re just going to build off that.

“We’re never going to forget that feeling. We’re going to use that for sure this year to help us build up to not letting that happen again.”

In 2025, Ebben headed into his fourth year with the Hilltops and the second season as the team’s starting running back. He said the experience from last season helps going into this season as he has a better understanding of the all-around aspects when it comes to playing the position.

“What is different this year is definitely going to be just confidence overall,” said Ebben, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds. “Last year being my first year as a starter and just having that under my belt and being able to just build off of last year, it was big.

Corbin Ebben runs tough on the inside for the Hilltops.

“The goal is always the same to get to the Canadian Bowl, which we fell short last year, but I believe that we could build up to that this year.”

Going into the 2025 campaign, the Hilltops are looking to Ebben to play an even greater role in their success. They graduated a significant number of key players from last season including nine who aged out of CJFL eligibility including star quarterback Trey Reider, star receiver Drake Douglas and star right tackle Cody Shumanski.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said his team expects a lot out of Ebben on the field and to bring intangibles to the team away from the field that were brought by the players who graduated.

“Number one, he has got a leadership role, and number two, the expectations of ours have been set real high with the great year he had last year,” said Sargeant “We need to double down, and he needs to come out and play even better, faster, and he is going to get more opportunities through our offence.

“He is going to be vital to us having success offensively.”

One of the ways the Hilltops will be looking to get more out of Ebben is expanding his role in the passing game. 

In the PFC final loss to the Thunder in 2024, Ebben showcased how adept he was in the receiving game catching 10 passes for 114 yards and scoring one touchdown.

Corbin Ebben (#34) runs against the Thunder on Sept. 28, 2024.

“That is one of my traits I believe is just being versatile and not being just a running back,” said Ebben. “I like just taking routes out of the backfield and doing whatever they need me to do really just to get open and get that ball, which I mean is just something I love doing.

“I like running. I like catching.”

Sargeant said the Hilltops plan to take better advantage of the athletic aspects Ebben brings to the game, which will include getting him the ball more in the passing game.

“He is multidimensional,” said Sargeant. “We feel he is our top receiver.

“We feel he is a special running back. A lot of our designs are all around him getting the football. It is what it is, and it is our job to make sure that happens.

“Everything is predicated by how well the offensive line plays. As long as the line plays well, then all of a sudden other things open up in throwing and running and all of that. Corbin (Ebben) will be a massive piece in both the pass and run game.”

In their past, the Hilltops have had running backs that didn’t just exclusively carry the ball but could make catches out of the backfield. Logan Fischer, who played running back from 2013 to 2017, was one of the Hilltops best versatile running backs in recent history.

He played with the Hilltops on four straight CJFL championship wins from 2014 to 2017 with the 38-24 victory over the Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Bowl played on November 7, 2015 being his signature game. In that contest, Fischer carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns and caught seven passes for 107 yards.

Fischer was pretty much the last player the Hilltops had who was known for collecting over 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in one game. It is an accomplishment Ebben hasn’t been able to do.

Corbin Ebben (#34) charges downfield in last year’s PFC semi.

“That would be pretty cool,” said Ebben. “I really hope I can do something like that.

“As long as we win, then that is all I really care about.”

Ebben is also at the point he is realizing how quick his CJFL career is going by. Being a fourth year player this season, the 21-year-old said he actually does feel like he is one of the older guys on the team.

“It is pretty crazy,” said Ebben, who is a graduate of the Delisle Composite High School Rebels nine-a-side football program. “It felt like just yesterday I walked in these doors for the first time, and now, it is year four for me.

“It flies by pretty quick.”

He added it has been an adjustment to not have Reider as the team’s signal caller, but he has faith in the current quarterbacks on the Hilltops roster.

“It is different,” said Ebben. “Trey (Reider) was an unbelievable quarterback.

“I absolutely loved lining up beside him. At the same time, I believe we got some really good quarterbacks here. I mean we got some super versatile guys that are ready to go.”

As the Hilltops season goes along, Ebben said the goal of the team is the same as it has always been. The team wants to help the players who are playing out their final respective seasons of CJFL eligibility to depart as CJFL champions.

“It is always about the fifth years here,” said Ebben, who was injured in the team’s second game in 2025 and is working to make a return. “That is made very clear, and that is what we try to do for those guys.

Corbin Ebben (#5) wants to push the Hilltops to another CJFL title.

“For what they have given, we owe it to them every play to give everything that we’ve got.”

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Hilltops get redemption in romp over Rifles at SMF Field

Saskatoon storms over Winnipeg 42-15

Charles Sawi (#18) celebrates his second of three TDs for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops turned their regular season opener into a distant memory.

In that contest played on August 10 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, the host Rifles thumped the visiting Hilltops 31-11. That encounter was the first CJFL regular season contest of the 2025 campaign for both clubs.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, those same squads met once again, and the result on the field was vastly different. The Hilltops stormed out to a 25-0 lead at halftime and rolled to a 42-15 victory.

With that result in the books, both teams sit with identical 2-1 records on the campaign. The Hilltops also hold the standings tiebreaker between the two sides claiming a 53-46 advantage in total points scored in the head-to-head matchups between the two sides.

David Collins ran the ball 33 times for 262 yards and two TDs.

“That was obviously in the plan,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “That is what we talked about, and they came out and executed.

“We didn’t play great, but boy, we played hard. That is a good football team on the other side, but son of a gun, the kids were on point. The coaches did a great job all week, and hey, we showed great strides from last week to this week.

“This was a great team win, and we needed it.”

How both teams played over their respective first two games was reflected in the CJFL Power Rankings that were released on Thursday. In those rankings, the Rifles were rated fifth, while the Hilltops were placed seventh.

Jace Mowles makes his second of two interceptions on Sunday.

In the Hilltops convincing win on Sunday, they relied on their veteran players. David Collins, who is a 22-year-old running back playing his first season with the Hilltops, had a monster game carrying the ball 33 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Collins came to the Hilltops having last played for the Central Lakes College Raiders in Brainerd, Minn., in the 2023 campaign.

Long-time explosive playmaking running back Charles Sawi, who is in his fourth season with the team, collected a staggering 368 all-purpose yards. Sawi ran the ball seven times for 93 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 88 yards.

On special teams, he returned eight punts for 99 yards and two kickoffs for 67 yards. Sawi also ran back a missed field goal for 21 yards.

Charles Sawi had 340 all-purpose yards for the Hilltops.

On defence, Hilltops fifth-year star defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens recorded two sacks and two defensive tackles. Fifth-year cornerback Jace Mowles hauled in a pair of interceptions, knocked down three passes and made one solo defensive tackle. Fifth-year defensive tackle Nahom Menghestab, who frequently takes on double team blocks, had two-and-a-half total tackles and one quarterback sack.

With the Hilltops set to go in a bye week following Sunday’s game, Sawi said his team had to head into the break on a high note.

“We had to take the moment,” said Sawi. “We had to go into the bye week with a win.

“We really wanted to find out where we are as a team, and as of right now, we’re winners.”

Sawi added it was also important for the Hilltops to win by a big enough spread to earn the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Rifles.

The fans at SMF Field cheer on the Hilltops.

“It was very big for us,” said Sawi. “It was very big.

“As everybody saw, we really wanted it, so we executed it.”

The Hilltops opened the contest needing two plays on the game’s first offensive drive to score a touchdown. Hilltops quarterback Hayden McMahon hit Sawi with a pass and run play that went 52 yards to the Winnipeg 24 yard line. Collins ran in a major score on the next play to give the Hilltops a 7-0 lead.

With 1:17 remaining in the first quarter, Hilltops punter Gino Frassetto kicked a 46-yard punt single to give the Hilltops an 8-0 advantage.

Riley Element put up 342 yards passing for the Rifles.

Early in the second quarter, Mowles made his second of two interceptions in the contest. On the ensuing Hilltops possession, Collins ran home a touchdown from 40-yards out to push the host side’s lead out to 15-0.

Sawi proceeded to run in a major score from 15 yards out, and Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton hit a field goal from 31 yards out to give Saskatoon a 25-0 advantage.

Mowles was pleased he could help the Hilltops efforts with a pair of interceptions.

“I just wanted to get that ball, and ‘Sarge’ (Sargeant) has been on me for the last two weeks,” said Mowles. “I had to execute.

Kaiden Banfield had one rushing TD and one receiving TD.

“It felt relieving. ‘Turk’ (defensive backs coach Brent Turkington) has been on the sidelines, and he has been really helping out a lot. He has been putting us in great positions.”

In the second half, the Rifles put up a battle in an effort to not give up the advantage of having the head-to-head standings tiebreaker. Just three minutes into the third quarter, Rifles quarterback Riley Element hit star running back Kaiden Banfield with a 43-yard pass and run touchdown to cut the Hilltops lead to 25-7. The Hilltops needed to win the contest by 21 or more points to pick up the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Rifles.

The Hilltops proceeded to run off an offensive scoring run in the fourth quarter. At the 7:13 mark of the fourth quarter, Gratton hit an 18-yard field goal to push the Hilltops lead out to 28-7.

Isaiah Vallderruten (#3) makes an interception for the Hilltops.

Hilltops safety Isaiah Vallderruten proceeded to get an interception on the Rifles next series. The ensuing Hilltops offensive series was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Sawi to make Saskatoon’s advantage sit at 35-7. Sawi proceeded to add a 48-yard rushing touchdown to give the Hilltops a 42-7 lead.

Winnipeg would give Saskatoon a bit of a scare in holding on to the standings tiebreaker. Banfield ran in a major from 10 yards out with 48.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Element proceeded to hit slotback Miles Blatherwick for the two-point convert to cut the Saskatoon lead to 42-15. The Rifles weren’t able to get any closer.

“We needed this to happen, because there are bigger games in front of us,” said Sargeant. “Now, this keeps us right on the path that we want to be in and controlling destiny and all of those things.

The Hilltops Cheerleaders perform at halftime of Sunday’s game.

“At the end of the day, I am very happy and pleased with everything that I saw, and I know we can just be so much better.”

McMahon completed 10-of-18 passes for 173 yards, while throwing one interception for the Hilltops. Receiver David Boyd Jr. caught four passes for 64 yards for Saskatoon.

Element completed 25-of-38 passes for 342 yards and one touchdown, while throwing three interceptions for the Rifles. Banfield led the Rifles with 15 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. He also had six catches for a game high 92 receiving yards and one major score.

Johnathon Stevens had a pair of sacks for the Hilltops.

Outside linebacker Rudolph Osborne led the Hilltops with six total tackles. Hilltops sophomore defensive back Ryan Valentino made a game-high five solo tackles on special teams.

Outside linebacker Cohen Mccluskey led the Rifles with 12 total tackles to go with one quarterback sack. Defensive back Gage Richey had an interception for Winnipeg.

The Hilltops are now off until Saturday, September 6 when they travel to Regina to face their provincial rival and defending Prairie Football Conference champions in the 3-0 Thunder (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

“The last two games are something we can hang our hat on,” said Sargeant. “Getting into the bye week, there is nothing better than feeling good about a bye week knowing that we went out there and each game we’ve played better.

The Hilltops players mingle with family and friends after Sunday’s game.

“As long as (two) weeks ago was ground zero which I think it was, man, this team is only going to get better and better. Hey, we’ll find out truly who we are in two weeks down in Regina. I can’t wait.”

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Hilltops first true rival was a team from Winnipeg

There was a time when the Saskatoon Hilltops biggest rival wasn’t from Saskatchewan.

The current modern version of the Hilltops are best known for their rivalries with squads from Saskatchewan’s capital city in Regina. They had a big rivalry with the Rams before they joined the U Sports ranks in 1999, and Hilltops rivalry with the Rams’s CJFL successors in the Thunder followed, starting with the birth of the Thunder in 2000.

When the Hilltops began play in 1947 and following through to 1961, their biggest rival was the Winnipeg Rods. That rivalry occurred in an era where there were a lot more teams in the CJFL across Canada than the 20 that exist in the current day. The Rods junior team disbanded before the start of the 1990 CJFL campaign.

Way back in 1947, the Hilltops were playing their inaugural campaign in what was then known as the Saskatchewan Junior Rugby Football Union. They topped the league regular season standings with a 5-1 record and slipped past the Regina Bombers 12-11 in the Saskatchewan championship final.

Following that win, the Hilltop advanced on to a Western Canada Semifinal series to take on the already established Rods, who won the Winnipeg Junior Rugby Football League. The Rods swept a two-game total points series by scores of 22-18 and 34-10. That set the grounds for numerous big games that would follow between the two sides.

A year later, the two sides again met in a Western Canada Semifinal two-game total points series. This time the Hilltops swept the series by scores of 21-7 and 12-6. The Hilltops would advance to their first appearance in the CJFL championship game falling to the Hamilton Wildcats.

In 1949, Saskatoon would eliminate the Rods from the CJFL post-season in another Western Canada Semifinal.

The rivalry between the Hilltops and Rods would take a new form in 1953 when they played out of the same conference in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League. Over a nine-year period starting in 1953, the Hilltops and Rods would combine to win six CJFL titles and one of those two clubs was at least in the CJFL championship game over the stretch.

Saskatoon claimed the CJFL crown in 1953, 1958 and 1959, while the Rods reached the CJFL mountaintop in 1955, 1956 and 1961. Also during that nine-year period, the Hilltops fell in the 1960 CJFL title game, while the Rods came up short in the CJFL championships games in 1954 and 1957.

In 1956, the Rods downed the Hilltops 21-7 in Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League semifinal on their way to claiming a second straight CJFL title. In 1957, the two sides went at it in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League final that was contested in a two-game total points series. The Rods swept the series by scores of 40-34 and 32-6.

Rods moved to what was then known as the City of St. James in 1959. St. James would be eventually officially amalgamated into the City of Winnipeg on January 1, 1972.

The St. James Rods and the Hilltops went at it in the 1961 Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League final that was contested in a two-game total points series. The Rods swept the series by scores of 22-20 and 29-7 to end Saskatoon’s three-year reign as conference champions.

In 1962, the two sides wrote an epilogue to their rivalry meeting again in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League final again contested in a two-game total points series. The Rods swept the set by scores of 34-11 and 29-0. Those would be the final post-season meetings between the Hilltops and Rods.

The Rods had one last great season in 1963 topping the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League regular season standings with an 8-0 record and would fall in the Western Canada Championship game 14-10 to the defending and eventual CJFL champion Edmonton Huskies.

Starting in 1964, the Rods often finished in the basement of whatever conference they were in be it the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League or starting in 1976 the Manitoba Junior Football League until the folding of their junior team.

The Rams, who were formed in 1954, began their rise and won their first Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League title in 1964 getting past the Hilltops in the conference final. The legendary Gord Currie became the Rams head coach in 1965, and rivalry between the Rams and Hilltops took full flight from that point onward to really usher in the traditional Regina versus Saskatoon rivalry at the junior level.

In 2025, the storied Hilltops opened the current CJFL campaign dropping a surprising 31-11 regular season decision to the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg on August 10. The Hilltops (1-1) and Rifles (2-0) are set to battle on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Depending what happens in that contest, it could potentially start the rise of a new true rivalry between Saskatoon and Winnipeg in junior football.

Of course, any potential true rivalry between the Hilltops and Rifles has a long way to go before it hits the heights of the one the Hilltops had with the Rods. Unfortunately, the rivalry the Hilltops and Rods had from 1947 to 1961 is fading into just being part of Canada’s recorded history as about only nine per cent of the country’s current population was alive to have a recollection of that period of time.

In the history of the CJFL, it can’t be understated how special the rivalry between the Hilltops and Rods between 1947 and 1961 truly was.

Thunder rumble on the ground

The Regina Thunder have picked up where they left off last season forming an identity of a team that likes to pound the ball on the ground.

On August 10, the Thunder opened their CJFL regular season schedule downing the host Huskies 31-16 at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton. In that contest, the Thunder piled up 501 yards of total offence including 371 yards along the ground.

Last Sunday, the Thunder hammered the Colts 46-21 at Shouldice Athletic Park in Calgary. Regina had 475 yards of total offence in that game including 308 yards rushing.

Thunder 20-year-old running back Peter Boersch leads the Prairie Football Conference in rushing yards piling up 530 yards on 55 carries and scoring two touchdowns in Regina’s two contests. He has a huge lead over Saskatoon Hilltops running back David Collins, who sits second in the PFC with 218 yards rushing.

At the end of last season, the Thunder started to form the identity of their road grader style offence. In winning their final regular season game against the Calgary Colts, a PFC semifinal against the Colts and the PFC final against the Saskatoon Hilltops, the Thunder rushed for a staggering 1,072 yards as a team. They didn’t finish below 300 yards rushing in any of those contests.

In a CJFL semifinal played at Leibel Field in Regina, the Thunder saw their 2024 campaign come to an end falling 28-14 to the Okanagan Sun, who are based out of Kelowna, B.C. The Regina side still collected 204 yards rushing as a team in that contest.

For a lot of their history beginning with their birth in 2000, the Thunder’s offence tried to mimic the style of their U Sports counterparts in the University of Regina Rams, who were the Thunder’s CJFL predecessors in the Saskatchewan capital. While the Thunder still ran the ball, they often preferred to attack through the air.

At the moment, it appears the Thunder’s “ground and pound era” isn’t just a passing fad. It looks like it is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Fans will be fans

There are CJFL fans out there who love to hate the Hilltops.

When it comes to the CJFL, fans are allowed to dislike teams.

On August 10, the storied Saskatoon Hilltops, who have won 23 CJFL championships, opened their regular season dropping a 31-11 decision to the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park. Comments appeared on a couple of independent Instagram accounts that posted the score of that contest sharing glee that the Hilltops had lost and congratulated the Rifles winning.

On the main CJFL Instagram account, there were still 18 comments listed in the post that showed the score of that clash between the Rifles and Hilltops as of Friday night. Most of the comments congratulated the Rifles on the win, and there were a number of video memes that showed shock. One comment stated, “Dang about time!!!”

It should be noted that when the CJFL posts scores on its Instagram account there usually might be just one comment made here in the early part of the campaign.

As for what was written regarding the Rifles win over the Hilltops, any comments that showed happiness in the fact the Hilltops lost didn’t go over the line and were tasteful. The comments also show the fans are engaged with the circuit, and that is a huge good thing.

During my travels in Saskatchewan and Alberta over the past year, I have encountered a growing number of folks that say the CFL, CJFL and football in U Sports suck and the NCAA is where it is at as far as football goes. A lot of those folks admitted they took trips last season to see NCAA Division I games featuring various powerhouse teams like the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, the Ohio State University Buckeyes, the University of Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

On top of seeing games, people making journeys to those contests want to take part in various fan traditions that happen around those contests like the Yellow Jackets “Enter Sandman” entrance or Crimson Tide fans reveling in “Dixieland Delight.” Those various traditions are things you don’t see at football contests in Canada.

The folks that prefer the NCAA game are still by far in the minority of the people that I know, but it is a trend that I think should be concerning that I am finding a growing number of people like NCAA football over the CFL, CJFL and U Sports football.

Since the end of the 2024 NCAA football season, the politics between Canada and the United States has changed with Donald Trump officially taking on the role of President of the United States sparking a trade war between the United States and Canada. A large number of Canadians are nixing trips to the United States, and it will be interesting to see if those cancelled trips include voyages to NCAA football games.

Back to the social media comments regarding the Hilltops, any social media dislike that has come the Hilltops way has been in good taste, and you have to love it when fans get passionate about the CJFL. No matter what sports league it is, fans are always going to be fans.

PFC player of the week nods spread out, other notes

Shawn Green (#7) is the PFC’s special teams player of the week.

This week’s PFC player of the week awards went to three players on three different teams.

In the honours that were announced on Wednesday, Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Riley Element was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week. Last Sunday, Element completed 15-of-26 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions powering the Rifles to a 43-24 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta.

Edmonton Huskies middle linebacker Kaige Houle was dubbed the PFC’s defensive player of the week for his efforts in his squads 46-6 loss to the host Saskatoon Hilltops last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Houle had 8.5 total tackles and one interception.

Regina Thunder kicker Shawn Green claimed honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week helping his squad down the host Colts 46-21 at Shouldice Athletic Park in Calgary. Green connected on 5-of-6 field goal attempts and all three of his one-point converts.

He also punted the ball five times for 184 yards for an average of 36.8 yards per kick. He also scored one point off a rouge.

Green also kicked off five times for 277 yards for an average of 55.4 yards per kick.

• Zion Brown of the Calgary Colts leads the PFC in receiving yards. He has caught nine passes for 167 yards and one touchdown.
• Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Riley Element tops the PFC in passing yards. He has completed 31-of-55 passes for 519 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions.
• Last Saturday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a story on the Carnduff Southeast Steelers winning a third straight Canadian women’s softball championship. The latest win came at Bob Van Impe Stadium. The piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by images from the Saskatoon Cubs winning their seventh 18U AAA Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League title in team history with the latest championship coming at Cairns Field. The photo roundup also contains photos from baseball, football, softball and track and field. That post 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.

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Hilltops seek redemption as Rifles come to town

Winnipeg romped to 31-11 win over Saskatoon in PFC Week 1

The Hilltops huddle up during game action last Sunday.

The score 31-11 is burned into the minds of the Saskatoon Hilltops.

That was tally the Hilltops were on the losing end of when they faced the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg on August 10. The contest was the regular season opener for both teams.

It is believed that since the start of the 2006 season the only other time the storied Hilltops lost to the Rifles came back on August 28, 2022, when the Rifles claimed a 19-16 victory in Winnipeg. The fact the Hilltops lost on August 10 to the Rifles in convincing fashion turned heads across the CJFL.

With the Hilltops having won 23 CJFL championships in their history, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the convincing setback to open the season in Winnipeg was a reminder his squad is gunned for by the rest of the teams in the entire CJFL.

“People want to come out and play their best and do their best against us, because we’re the measuring stick,” said Sargeant. “That is the reality.

“At the end of the day, we know that. We got to prepare better, coach better, they got to play better and the rest of the stuff just don’t matter.”

Injuries have made Hayden McMahon (#15) the Hilltops starting QB

Last Sunday, the Hilltops rebounded and romped over the visiting Edmonton Huskies 46-6 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Also on that day, the Rifles traveled to Sherwood Park, Alta., and downed the host Edmonton Wildcats 43-24.

Rifles quarterback Riley Element completed 15-of-26 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in that contest. He was named the offensive player of the week for the Prairie Football Conference on Wednesday for his performance against the Wildcats.

The Hilltops (1-1) host the Rifles (2-0) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. 

In the CJFL Power Rankings that were released on Thursday, the Rifles are rated fifth, while the Hilltops are rated seventh.

After what happened between these two sides on August 10, there will be a lot of intrigue around the CJFL to see how the second clash between these two teams in three weeks will play out.

The Hilltops head into Sunday’s game battling the injury bug especially at quarterback. Brexton Elias, a fifth-year veteran who was pegged as the starter in pre-season, and Charlie Molder, a second-year player who was pegged as the backup, are both out with longer term injuries. 

Isaac Michayluk steadies the Hilltops defence at MLB.

Hayden McMahon, who is in his third year with the team, was penciled in at third on the Hilltops depth chart in pre-season and is now the starter for the foreseeable future.

McMahon actually played the majority of the first encounter with the Rifles as Molder went down due to injury very early in that contest. 

Going into the upcoming battle with the Rifles, McMahon said the intensity would be dialed up to a higher level at Hilltops practice in anticipation for this next meeting.

“I know the coaches will make the adjustments, and we’ll have a really good game plan,” said McMahon. “If we’ve got to adjust that game plan throughout the game, we will.

“I’ve got full faith in our team and our coaching staff that we’ll put a great game plan together and play those Rifles hard, because they’re a really good team.”

On May 17 at St. Vital Mustangs Field in Winnipeg, the Rifles played an exhibition game against the Saint John’s University Johnnies, who are an NCAA Division III team based out of Collegeville, Minnesota. The Johnnies hammered the Rifles 51-3.

Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson was quoted on the Rifles Instagram account that his club’s clash with the Johnnies was a necessary process that will aid his team’s readiness to play the Hilltops in the season opener.

Kaiden Banfield (#34) charges downfield on Sept. 15, 2024.

Hilltops star fourth-year middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk said the Rifles are legit.

“They’re a good team,” said Michayluk. “They are physical.

“They want it. They have a really good running back in Kaiden Banfield. He is a stud.”

Michayluk said you could tell the Rifles worked hard in the off-season to get ready for the 2025 campaign during that season opening tilt.

“They had a really good off-season it seemed like,” said Michayluk. “They were prepared.

“A lot of respect goes to them. We’ve just got to prepare. We’ve just got to work hard and prepare for them.”

Sargeant said his Hilltops know the challenge that waits for them this coming Sunday.

He said it is up to his venerable squad to bring the battle in this encounter, and he doesn’t expect his team to receive much sympathy if they don’t beat the Rifles in this contest and fall to 1-2.

“No one is going to feel sorry for the Saskatoon Hilltops for all we’ve accomplished, all we’ve done and so we know that,” said Sargeant. “Hey, we’re in the chase, we’re in the hunt, and we’re just going to keep battling.

David Collins charges downfield for the Hilltops.

“I think this team is going through a lot of adversity right now, and hey, I’m creating a lot of that adversity for them too. As I said, we’re not going to take a backseat to no one, and we’re just going to keep grinding. That is the team I got.”

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Hilltops DT Stevens energized by Roughriders experience

Johnathon Stevens at Green and White Day on May 17 at SMF Field.

If Johnathon Stevens had any doubts that he had his foot in the door with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, they were erased during his final day with the team.

The star defensive tackle with the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops, who doesn’t turn 22-years-old until late December, earned an invite to the Roughrider training camp this past May as a territorial junior. He performed so well that the Roughriders added the Eatonia, Sask., product to their practice roster.

His final day with the community-owned CFL squad came on July 25, when the Roughriders downed the Edmonton Elks 21-18 at Mosaic Stadium in a regular season clash. Following the win, Roughriders head coach Corey Mace had Stevens lead the post-game huddle, or in football terms “break down the team.” Stevens found the highlight moment before he was returned back to the Hilltops to be surreal.

“Those guys are the nicest people I have ever met,” said Stevens, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 285 pounds. “After the game against Edmonton was done, I was blessed.

“Corey Mace announced to everyone that I was leaving. He said that he wanted to say our goodbyes, and from there, everybody on the team I got to say goodbye to. All of them were just amazing.

“I got a very welcoming and friendly goodbye from everybody.”

For the past two seasons with the Hilltops, Stevens has been one of the best players in the CJFL. Playing defensive tackle, he was named a PFC all-star and first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star in 2023. He followed that up by being named a PFC all-star and a second team CJFL all-Canadian all-star in 2024.

During his time with the Roughriders, Stevens earn glowing reviews and fit right in with the other players in the team’s dressing room. While praise came in for his efforts, Stevens thought any compliments were kind and added he still had a long way to go to be in the CFL.

Johnathon Stevens (#57) is adept at running down quarterbacks.

“I was a little surprised to be honest,” said Stevens about the good reviews of his time with the Roughriders. “Obviously when you’re going against guys that are so good, and when I’m not exactly to their level, I don’t think I’m that good.

“Our coaches (with the Hilltops) just told us while you’re there soak in everything and try to learn everything you can to get better. That is what I tried to do, and it must have helped a little bit. It would have helped a lot with getting better there.”

Stevens attended Roughriders training camp along with Hilltops star safety Dalton Urban, who was a PFC all-star and a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star in 2024. 

Urban had a great camp too with the Roughriders and dressed along with Stevens in the squad’s pre-season contest on May 30 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

Urban was injured playing on the kickoff coverage team tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees in the 27-20 Bombers victory. He has since had surgery on his knee, but he will be unable to play his final season of CJFL eligibility in 2025 with the Hilltops bringing an end to his junior playing career as he continues his rehab.

Legendary Hillstops head coach Tom Sargeant was pumped the two defensive standouts got to take part in Roughriders training camp and Stevens continued on with the team on the practice roster.

“I am so excited for both of them,” said Sargeant. “Johnny Stevens absolutely served himself well.

“Unfortunately with Dalton Urban, he is out for the year with his knee. That is an impact player that is out the building, so we have some work to do as coaches to get this right and figure it out. But John, certainly the word on him is he had a phenomenal camp and felt good about everything.

Johnathon Stevens was a second team CJFL all-Canadian all-star in 2024.

“He has brought all that confidence and energy back to our team. Expectations are he is an all-Canadian, we need him to double down and be even more of an impact player this year. He has got to be an impact player in every play this season.”

With Stevens playing in his fifth and final season of CJFL eligibility for the Hilltops, Sargeant said they are looking for the graduate of the Eaton School Spartans six-a-side football team to shoulder more responsibility in the leadership department.

“We’re pushing him in our leadership cadre,” said Sargeant. “He is a big impact for that.

“He has got to be vocal. He has got the experience. He has been a four-year starter.

“The guy has played a lot of football around here. For us to have a championship year, he has got to be a big-time player and a presence each and every day in the locker room, on the practice field and on game day.”

During his time with the Roughriders, Stevens was living the dream.

“That was a dream come true,” said Stevens. “It has always been my dream to become a ’Rider.

Johnathon Stevens has become a Hilltops all-time great.

“To get a chance to try and show my stuff and learn so much at their training camp, it was quite the experience. It was night and day. These are professionals, and these are the best from all over the world there.

“They take it very seriously there. They’ve had, obviously, more experience than I have, so that level was a lot higher than what I was used to.”

Another big memory for Stevens was taking part in spotlight one-on-one sessions going against Roughrider star defensive tackle Micah Johnson. Johnson is skilled at playing along the offensive line too, and took up position as an offensive lineman when he went against Stevens.

Stevens said he got beaten and humbled every time he went up against Johnson but added it was extremely valuable to see Johnson be the ultimate professional in everything he did with the team.

“It was quite the experience there,” said Stevens. “I watched him ever since I was young, and he was always one of my favourite players, when he was with the ’Riders of course.

“I’m going against a CFL all-star there. He is an absolute beauty, works hard and is the biggest role model you can go against there. It was amazing to go against him.”

Now that he is back with the Hilltops, Stevens said he wants to bring everything he learned back to the venerable and storied CJFL side. Stevens added it felt like a homecoming when he rejoined the Hilltops, and he will soak every part of his final campaign with the team.

“It brings back a lot of memories for sure and more to come, obviously,” said Stevens. “The system hasn’t changed.

“The mentality hasn’t changed. Obviously, I’ve come with a little bit more experience. I’m trying to show everybody of that experience that I learned.

Johnathon Stevens looks to have a memorable final CJFL campaign.

“Ultimately, the goal is to win a championship our last year, and for all the fifth years and everybody on the team. That is our main goal, and the mission hasn’t changed.”

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Hilltops focus on football, not online haters

Saskatoon romps to 46-6 win in home opener

Isaac Michayluk runs back an interception for the Hilltops on Sunday.

Let the haters be who they are going to be.

The Saskatoon Hilltops are just focusing on football.

On Sunday, August 10, the Hilltops opened the CJFL regular season getting hammered 31-11 by the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man. The lopsided road loss in Winnipeg was a shocker for the storied Hilltops.

Outside of games against their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder, the Hilltops rarely drop contests to other Prairie Football Conference foes outside of falling 19-16 to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28, 2022.

Hayden McMahon picked up his first win as CJFL starting QB.

After the loss to the Rifles on August 10, there were social media accounts on Instagram that run updates and opinions on the CJFL posted the score of that contest. Those accounts are run independently from the CJFL. 

The comments section of those posts saw people share their glee that the Hilltops had lost in convincing fashion and stated their dislike for the Saskatoon club. A similar development happened when the score first appeared on the CJFL main Instagram account.

From the comments, the dislike came from the fact the Hilltops have had a successful history that has included winning 23 CJFL championships.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops righted the ship for one afternoon in their home opener romping over the Edmonton Huskies 46-6 dropping the Alberta side to 0-2. The Hilltops improved to 1-1 and will host the Rifles (2-0) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

David Collins led the Hilltops with 157 yards rushing on Sunday.

As for the social media comments that proclaimed happiness over the fact the Hilltops lost bad to the Rifles, the Hilltops themselves elected to block out the noise. Hilltops third-year quarterback Hayden McMahon started his first career CJFL game in Sunday’s win over the Huskies.

Slotted in as the third stringer at the start of the campaign on the team’s depth chart, McMahon found himself taking on the starting spot after fifth-year starter Brexton Elias and second-year backup Charlie Molder went down with injuries that are expected to keep them off the field for a longer term.

McMahon said he followed social media accounts that produce content on the CJFL. After the loss to the Rifles, he said the comments he saw were usually negative things that were said about professional athletes after they lose. It resulted in McMahon taking a new approach to his relationship with social media.

HC Tom Sargeant works the sidelines for the Hilltops.

“You know what, I give it to the professional athletes in the world,” said McMahon expressing empathy for those in pro-sports. “After that game in Winnipeg, I made the decision to delete everything off my phone that had anything to do with the team and the CJFL just so I didn’t have that negative feedback.

“I didn’t want to read anything. I just wanted to have a clean slate going into the week. It was very beneficial for me to get that off my phone and not read those bad comments.”

For Hilltops star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk, he said it was easy for him to avoid seeing posts or reading comments on social media.

Part of the crowd of 856 spectators that came to see Hilltops.

“Personally, I have a flip phone,” said Michayluk. “I don’t have social media.

“I live under a rock a bit. That is good. I just keep my focus on the task at hand and what it needs to be.”

When it comes to anything that is posted on social media, Michayluk said he hears about it second hand, and that information goes in one ear and out the other.

“I try not to focus on that,” said Michayluk. “If you focus on that, then you get distracted from the task at hand which is working for now.

Two Hilltops offensive linemen engage on a double team block. 

“We’ve got Winnipeg coming in here next week, so that is the task at hand. If we focus on all that social media stuff, we get distracted. We’ve got to focus up and get that mindset right.”

McMahon and Michayluk follow the lead of their legendary head coach Tom Sargeant when it comes to dealing with social media. Sargeant doesn’t follow anything on social media unless there is something his wife, Kris, shows him. As far as negative Instagram comments went following the loss to the Rifles, Sargeant was oblivious to what was said.

“I could care less no offence,” said Sargeant. “I don’t do a lot of reading.

Members of the Hilltop Cheerleaders perform on Sunday.

“I do a lot of coaching. We worry about us, and we don’t worry about anybody else. That is the Hilltop way.”

Sargeant said he doesn’t spend time reflecting on why people would write the comments that they do on social media. He concerns himself with what the Hilltops have to do that day to become a better football team.

“We’re very insular,” said Sargeant. “We just focus on us.

“I have a lot of work to do. This football team had a better performance today. You weren’t there last week, and it was just awful.

Charles Sawi ran the ball 12 times for 77 yards for the Hilltops.

“We have taken a few steps forward, but we got a long ways to go, if we’re going to be the team (to beat). Hey, we have Winnipeg coming in who absolutely laid it to us last week. We’re not resting.”

Looking in from the outside, McMahon said it was unfortunate negative comments come the Hilltops way, but he believes the players, who range in age from 18 to 22, grow up quickly by making responsible decisions on how to deal with comments. During his high school days, McMahon played six-a-side football with the Biggar Central School Blazers in Biggar, Sask., and he said one of his coaches advised to ignore the noise and listen to the message the coaches were delivering.

McMahon said he always has that advice in his head, and that is how he goes ahead with approaching social media. He believes the Hilltops have been really good at not worrying about what is said on social media.

Isaiah Vallderruten secures a 29-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

“We’ve got really good leaders on this team,” said McMahon. “Our fifth years do a really good job and often a lot of times the phones don’t come out.

“We’re boys, and we have fun in the locker room. Whatever happens outside of the football field, we have no control on. All we can do is bring our best on the football field and play between the lines and the whistles and have a lot of fun.”

The Hilltops had a fair amount of fun on Sunday sending a crowd of 856 spectators that came out to SMF Field home happy. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a safety conceded by the Huskies, a 34-yard field goal from kicker Ryden Gratton and a 12-yard touchdown run by star running back Corbin Ebben. Ebben left the game early in the second quarter due to injury to which he will undergo further evaluations.

Huskies receiver Dustin Campbell is hit by a Hilltops DB.

Edmonton got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a 23-yard missed field goal single from kicker Boaz Comeau.

Saskatoon responded with a pair of touchdowns from 22-year-old running back David Collins, who scored on runs from 75 yards and one yard out to hold a 26-1 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Hilltops pushed their lead out to 36-1. McMahon hit receiver Isaiah Vallderruten with a 29-yard touchdown pass, and Gratton booted a field goal from 33 yards out.

Second-year running back Brody Komarnicki ran in a major from four yards out and Gratton hit a 30-yard field goal to make the Hilltops lead stand at 46-1.

Aiden Rosa (#26) steals an interception for the Hilltops.

The Huskies closed out the game’s scoring with a 38-yard field goal from Comeau and a conceded safety by the Hilltops as time expired.

McMahon completed 7-of-15 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception for the Hilltops. Collins topped the Hilltops with 157 yards rushing on 11 carries to go with his two major scores. 

Charles Sawi ran the ball 12 times for 77 yards for Saskatoon. Vallderruten caught three passes for 57 yards to go with his touchdown reception.

Jackson Harnett started at quarterback for the Huskies completing 10-of-15 passes for 95 yards. Wesley Neitz played a sizable chunk of the contest in relief connecting on 9-of-15 passes for 77 yards, while throwing two interceptions. Receiver William Campbell led the Huskies with seven receptions for 64 yards.

Ryden Gratton boots a 33-yard field goal for the Hilltops.

Michayluk led the Hilltops with seven total tackles, and he intercepted one pass. Second-year defensive back Aiden Rosa also came up with an interception for the Hilltops, while star defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens had a fumble recovery.

Middle linebacker Kaige Houle led the Huskies with 8.5 total tackles and had one interception. Defensive back Juven St. Hilaire had an interception for the Huskies. Linebacker Mateo Muir had a fumble recovery for Edmonton.

“At the end of the day, we’re certainly happy with the result,” said Sargeant. “It has been a tough week, and it is nice to see the players respond.

The Hilltops celebrate a TD from Brody Komarnicki (#20).

“We’ve been hard, we’re coaching hard, and we expect them to play hard. It wasn’t an easy day to play, and we have a lot of respect for the Edmonton Huskies. They have a lot of tradition, and we knew it was going to be a physical game.

“For me, the best thing I saw is how our offensive line stepped up today, and they just absolutely controlled the line of scrimmage and made life easier. It was nice to see Hayden McMahon execute the game plan and find the right guys and the defence was on point. We did well enough to win the game, and I am very thankful for that.”

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