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| FB Colin Stumborg has played a key part in the Hilltops success. |
Out of all the high points Colin Stumborg has been part of
with the Saskatoon Hilltops, nothing might beat getting some love from the
offensive line.
When Stumborg joined the Hilltops in 2013 after graduating
from Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School, he was tasked with switching
from tailback to fullback. That move meant Stumborg would have to block more
than any previous point in time during his football career.
The 22-year-old believes the nod he received over the past
couple of seasons from the Hilltops offensive line means he got the blocking
part of the team’s game right.
“The past couple of
years they’ve called me their piglet,” said Stumborg, who stands 5-foot-11 and
weighs 235 pounds. “The O-line are always the hogs, and I got sort of adopted
into the family as the piglet.
“It feels good to
have the respect and support of those guys.”
While he has become
a top-rate blocker, Stumborg has the skills to make key plays offensively. A
lot of times, the plays Stumborg makes will catch opponents off guard, because
he might only get two or three touches a game.
Last Sunday in the
Hilltops 36-24 PFC final victory over the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor
Football Field, Stumborg scored a rushing touchdown on a one-yard plunge with
23.3 seconds to play before halftime to give the toppers a 23-10 lead.
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| Colin Stumborg hammers his way into the end zone. |
Late in the fourth
quarter with the Hilltops holding a 29-24 advantage, Stumborg hauled in a
26-yard pass on a play action play to get his team deep in Thunder territory.
His catch set up a game-sealing touchdown from defensive tackle Garth Knittig
on a short-yardage play.
“Those were some of
the biggest plays I have ever had to be a part of,” said Stumborg, who has
helped the Hilltops win the last three straight Canadian Junior Football League
titles. “That is the biggest moment my number has ever been called.
“When I got called,
it was a good confidence boost. I knew that Sarge (Hilltops head coach Tom
Sargeant) and the other coaches that they trusted me to make that play. I just
knew that I have to go out there and do it.”
Sargeant said
Stumborg has given the Hilltops another dimension with what they can do
offensively.
“I’d say about the
last month we just fell in love with the type of game he adds to us,” said
Sargeant. “We bring him in for a blocking area, and we keep him out in a quad
of four receiver set.
“Because he has good
hands and he is a good blocker, he just make everyone better around him. He has
been a great leader, a great kid. We’ve just been real happy with his production,
his performance and his leadership.
“He’s done exactly what
we’ve asked.”
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| Colin Stumborg scores on a TD reception. |
Now in his fifth and
final year of CJFL eligibility, Stumborg said it hasn’t sunk in that he will
play his final home game ever for the blue and gold this coming Sunday. The
Hilltops (9-1) host the Vancouver Island Raiders (8-3-1), who are based out of
Nanaimo, B.C., in a CJFL national semifinal match at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.
The winner advances
to the CJFL national championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl
will be held on Nov. 11 by the team that wins the Ontario Football Conference
title game. The OFC final is set for this coming Sunday in Windsor, when the
host AKO Fratmen (8-1) take on the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-3).
For Stumborg, it
doesn’t seem that long ago, when he was trying to earn his place on the
Hilltops roster in 2013.
“It is a battle,”
said Stumborg. “It is a grind.
“I didn’t play a
whole lot in my first year, but that is most guys on the team. You just have to
come out, and you have to keep battling and you have to grind and you have to
get better every single day.
“Hopefully by the
end of your fifth year, you’re in the spot that we are in right now.”
He has enjoyed being
part of three straight CJFL championship victories.
“It has been a wild
ride,” said Stumborg, whose Hilltops have won their last 11 straight
post-season games. “I’ve been to every one of those three victories playing
more and more every year.
“It would feel
really good as a fifth-year to go out with that fourth one.”
Sargeant said
Stumborg has had a big impact with the Hilltops during his five seasons with
the team.
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| Colin Stumborg (#28) got to enjoy a PFC title win last Sunday. |
“He (Stumborg) has
been fantastic,” said Sargeant. “He has been our special teams’ leader with the
punt team for the last couple of years, and he has great hands.
“It is not a big
deal for him to make plays, and he was one of the best players on the field
(last) Sunday.”
Against the Raiders
this coming Sunday, Stumborg said he will do whatever it takes to get the win.
If the coaches want him on the field for just two plays or every play, he will
do whatever task he is given.
“As long as we come
out with the “W” that is really all that matters,” he said.
Saskatchewan sends strong squad to under-18
nationals
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| Hannah Koroll is part of a strong Saskatchewan provincial team. |
Saskatchewan will send a strong team to Hockey Canada’s
National Women’s Under-18 Championship, which runs Nov. 1 to 5 in Quebec City.
The 20-player roster for the Saskatchewan squad is comprised
of 10 members from the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA program. The Stars
players heading to the event include forwards Joelle Fiala, Jordyn Holmes,
Kaitlin Jockims, Anna Leschyshyn, Mackenna Parker, Jayda Sachs and Grace
Shirley. They will be joined by Saskatoon defenders Grace Tam and Dana Wood
along with netminder Jordan Ivanco.
The defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League
champion Prince Albert Northern Bears have three representatives on the
provincial team including forward Kate Ball, defender Hannah Koroll and
netminder Ryan Fontaine.
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| Grace Shirley will join Saskatchewan’s stellar provincial team roster. |
The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats placed two players
on the provincial team in forward Taylor Lind and defender Taylor Kirwan.
Defenders Allison Hayhurst and Hannah Pennell from the
Melville Prairie Fire round of the blue-liners on the Saskatchewan squad.
Miranda Hatt of the Regina Rebels, Jenna MacLean from the
Notre Dame Hounds and Regina product Kennedy Bobyck, who is playing for the
Edge School female prep team based out of Calgary, round out the forwards on
the Saskatchewan team.
Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely will be the head coach for
the Saskatchewan under-18 squad. The assistant coaches will be Greg Slobodzian,
who is the head coach of the Stars, and Kelsie Graham from the Saskatchewan
Hockey Association.
Saskatchewan opens the under-18 tournament on Nov. 1 against
British Columbia’s provincial team.
Apathy should worry Blades
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| Captain Evan Fiala and the Blades are off to a slow start. |
When the Saskatoon Blades dropped a 7-2 decision to the
Victoria Royals on Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, it felt like you didn’t
hear too much rageahol from fans.
As weird as that sounds, that actually might be a worry as
apathy for local sports teams seems to be a reoccurring characteristic from
sports fans in Saskatoon.
Having missed the playoffs in each of the past four seasons,
there was optimism at the start of this season after the Blades went 28-35-7-2
and finished five points back of the Calgary Hitmen for the final playoff berth
in the WHL’s Eastern Conference in 2016-17.
Going into the current campaign, the Blades put together a
wonderful marketing blitz bringing back their classic Pac-Man logo and look as
the club’s regular full-time look for the first time since the 1993-94 season
ended.
A 3-7-1 start seems to be dampening enthusiasm. After
drawing 7,460 spectators to their home opener where they honoured the now late
Bruce Gordon on Sept. 22, the Blades have drawn over 3,000 fans just once in
their following five home dates.
While there is still lots of time to get things turned
around, the ability to draw in the casual fans helps create the larger attendance
figures and wins are needed to create that ability. A lot of times, those causal
fans won’t look at the ins and outs of the everyday activities regarding the
team if they want to go to games.
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| Blades rookie Kirby Dach and company have played before small crowds. |
They will notice the scores like the last two home clashes
in the loss to the Royals and the 6-3 setback to the Vancouver Giants on Oct.
18. Combine those results, the team’s current record and four straight years
out of the post-season, the apathy switch gets turned on.
Against the Royals, the Blades drew 2,732 spectators and
2,578 came out for the loss to the Giants.
Following the setback to the Royals, I have heard from a
couple of regulars that attend games, but the Blades don’t come up in talks with
people unless I bring them up. If I focus a blog post around the Blades after
they had a bad loss, page views come in with very low numbers.
On the other hand if the Blades win on the road against the
Pats in Regina, the page views pour in.
The Blades have been outstanding on the marketing and
community side over the past four and a bit seasons, and they need to continue
that. I get a big feeling people in Saskatoon want to see them win.
With that said, it seems like any continued losing will be
met with shoulder shrugs and empty seats.
Starting Nov. 1, the Blades play a stretch where they will
be on the road 12 times and at home four times over 16 contests. It would be
nice locally, if some positive momentum could be started before the team’s
schedule gets home heavy to help attract fans.
Until then, the Blades travel to Swift Current to face a
tough Broncos (9-1-1) side on Friday and host the Brandon Wheat Kings (9-3-0-1)
at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday.
Could a Leason re-flame a Saskatoon rivalry?
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| Quarterback Darryl Leason in action for the Rams in 2000. |
For those that have a long memory of Saskatchewan sports
rivalries, the head was raised with a trade on the WHL front.
After the Prince Albert Raiders had defeated the visiting
Victoria Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders
announced they sent a third round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft to the
Tri-City Americans in exchange for 18-year-old centre Brett Leason. Leason is
the son of legendary Regina Rams quarterback Darryl Leason.
Darryl, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, helped
stoke the rivalry pretty good between Regina and Saskatoon over two stretches.
The first came in battles with the Hilltops from 1992 to 1995, when the Rams
were still part of the Canadian Junior Football League.
The Rams won three straight CJFL titles from 1993 to 1995.
After the Rams moved to the U Sports ranks in 1999, Leason
rejoined the Rams to cause aggravation in “the Bridge City” for those who
supported the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team from 2000 to
2001. Leason guided the Rams to a 42-39 loss in the 2000 Vanier Cup to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Brett plays for the Raiders and their biggest rival happens
to be the Saskatoon Blades. It is a different time in sports in the present
day, but it would be interesting if there are rivalry sparks that ignite with
Brett playing for the Raiders.
Darryl’s time with the Rams included two high points in the
rivalry between Regina and Saskatoon. The first came in the 1995 Prairie
Football Conference final against the Hilltops.
On the frozen concrete of Regina’s Taylor Field, the Rams
had a 19-8 win sealed, and all their offence had to do was kneel on the ball
one last play to officially end the game. Darryl started to go down on one knee
only to stand up quickly and throw a touchdown pass to a wide open Josh Shaw. The play was nullified by a penalty, but tensions ran high between the two
centres for a long time over that moment.
The second high came during a Canada West semifinal playoff
game in November of 2001 between the Rams and Huskies at Taylor Field. Entering
that contest, Darryl missed three straight games and was going to attempt to
play the Huskies with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament and a
partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
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| Rams QB Darryl Leason steps up in the pocket to throw in 2001. |
Darryl hit the field and led the Rams to a 58-31 victory. He
completed 20-of-33 passes for 418 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions
before giving way to backup Mike Wong for mop up duty.
Twice in the contest there were questionable hits on Darryl
including Huskies linebacker Colin Dutton launching himself at the signal
caller’s knees. The hits drew boos from a large contingent of the 7,122
spectators that came to support the Rams.
Emotions were so high that Huskies supporters believed the
Rams were a desperate team having Darryl play in such a beat up physical state.
Rams supports thought the cheap shotting Huskies would sink
to all types of new lows to keep their season alive.
The Rams were penalized 11 times for 106 yards in the
contest, and the Huskies took 13 penalties for 153 yards.
Ian Hamilton, who was the Rams beat writer at the time for
the Regina Leader-Post, wrote that Darryl had a game for the ages. Kevin
Mitchell, who was the Huskies beat writer for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, wrote
Darryl dropped bombs on the field and during the post-game media scrum.
Darryl gave a doozy quote for all media in attendance
stating, “I was hoping for 450 (yards passing). I made a few bad decisions.
“I could have been (taken) out of the ball game earlier than
I was (by the Rams’ coaches in the fourth quarter) if I didn’t throw a couple
of interceptions and some other bad passes.”
Huskies supporters took that as Darryl rubbing in the final
outcome of that contest.
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| QB Darryl Leason and the Rams win the Hall of Fame game in 2001. |
As for Brett, he has played in 81 career WHL regular season games
collecting a modest nine goals and 19 assists. His rookie campaign in 2016-17
has been his only full season so far.
Growing up in Calgary, Brett, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs
206 pounds, has been a phenom at all levels of minor hockey piling up points.
During his last minor hockey campaign in the midget AAA ranks in 2015-16 with
the Calgary Flames, he had 21 goals and 29 assists in 32 regular season games.
Due to having depth at forward, the Americans traded Brett,
who was selected by Tri-City in the third round and 50th overall in
the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, to the Raiders in hopes that he would get more ice
time and opportunity in Prince Albert. If Brett can start scoring like he did
in minor hockey, he will be a very key pick up for the Raiders and a thorn in
the side of every opponent including the Blades.
It is a different era, so time will tell if Brett has his
father’s skill when it comes to stirring up any rivalries in media interviews.
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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