Huskies lock up home playoff game, Machart breaks team season rushing record

Adam Machart broke the Huskies record for rushing yards in a season.

    Even in the face of a major individual team record being broken, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team’s focus was on the task at hand.

    On Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies overcame an 8-0 first quarter deficit against the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears, led 9-8 at halftime and cruised to a 22-9 victory in a U Sports regular season game played before 1,105 spectators in frigid conditions.

    The win allowed the Huskies to improve to 5-3 and finish second in the Canada West Conference, while the Golden Bears fell to 4-4 to place third.

    That means the Huskies, who are rated seventh in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, will host a Canada West semifinal playoff game against the Golden Bears expected to be held this coming Saturday at Griffiths at a time to be announced.

    The Huskies pulled out victory in the most recent encounter between to the two sides due to the fact star running back Adam Machart ran the ball 29 times for 226 yards.

Adam Machart ran for 226 yards in the Huskies win on Saturday.

    He had three catches for 46 yards in the receiving game too.

    Machart’s performance was the third best rushing game in the history of the program eclipsing the 219 yards he ran for in a 49-21 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons on Oct. 4.

    He set a new Huskies record for most yards rushing in one regular season by an individual carrying the ball 156 times for 1,334 yards scoring eight touchdowns in the process.

    The old record was held by Doug Rozon, who ran for 1,267 yards on 151 carries and scored five touchdowns in the 1999 campaign.

    The former number two spot was occupied by David Stevens, who ran for 1,229 yards on 174 carried and scored 12 touchdowns in 2005.

Adam Machart carried the ball 156 times for 1,330 yards this season.

    “It is incredible,” said Machart. “You look at Doug Rozon’s numbers, and they were incredible.

    “A guy like David Stevens is just a powerhouse guy. Dave is a mentor of mine, and he has been really great to me coming up. I’ve known him for a long time, so to pass him is a huge honour.”

    When Machart was 15-years-old, he began working out at Ignite Conditioning, which is now know as Ignite Athletics. Stevens was one of the company’s founders and was still more heavily involved with training athletes there until family obligations and work as a firefighter pulled him in a different direction.

The Huskies starting offensive line helped Adam Machart set his record.

    Machart said working with Stevens was an eye-opening experience with him.

    “He (Stevens) is a guy you look up to,” said Machart, who is now 22-years-old. “He’s got that energy you know that work ethic that a young kid can learn a lot from.

    “I’ve been with him for a long time, and yeah, it is pretty cool.”

    Machart officially broke Rozon’s record on a 43-yard run late in the third quarter, but he didn’t know about what he had done until way later in the game.

    “I think it was the fourth quarter I kind heard some guys whispering,” said Machart. “No one was trying to tell me anything.

    “I didn’t know until actually later in the game. Obviously, I talked to a couple of people after the fourth quarter, and they let me know. It was pretty cool.

Adam Machart ran for eight majors on the ground this season.

    “I think they were trying to like save it for like after the game to celebrate a little bit.”

    Due to focusing on trying to capture a home playoff game, Huskies head coach Scott Flory said where Machart was in relation to the Huskies regular season rushing record slipped his mind until the final outcome in the contest was less in doubt.

    “I actually asked in the fourth quarter,” said Flory. “I asked upstairs right at the end of the game.

    “(Running backs) coach Dan Houle told me it was 229 or something like that. I was like, ‘Woo, OK.’ You know what, that is what he (Machart) has done with us all year.

    “He has made us right. He is just kind of, ‘Oh wow.’ He is phenomenal young man, and he is a phenomenal football player.”

    Flory played on the Huskies offensive line from 1994 to 1998 and blocked for Rozon and another Huskies great at the running back position in Morrie Norsten. The now Huskies sideline boss was pleased to see Machart hit such lofty statistical heights.

    “I’m just so happy and so proud of Adam (Machart),” said Flory. “He is just such an awesome young man.

The Huskies defence limited the Golden Bears to 38 yards rushing.

    “You just want success for guys like that. He works so hard, (and) he does all the right things. I’m just happy for him, and he absolutely deserves it.

    “There are some great running backs that have been through this program. For him (Machart) to do what he did this year is remarkable.”

    Machart’s run at the Huskies rushing record obviously caught the attention of the Huskies who play on the defensive side of the ball. Fifth-year defensive tackle Evan Machibroda was pleased to see Machart get the record.

    “We couldn’t be more happy for the guy,” said Machibroda, who had five total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery on Saturday. “He’s deserved everything he has got.

Mason Nyhus threw for 226 yards for the Huskies.

    “You have to give that credit to the O-line too. They are busting their butt out there too.”

    Machart gave props to his offensive line for allowing him to get the Huskies rushing record for the season. The starters on the offensive line including left tackle Noah Zerr, left guard Mattland Riley, centre Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord, right tackle Nick Summach and frequent substitute Andrew Serke blocked for most of the yardage Machart piled up.

    “Obviously our O-line, you have to thank those guys,” said Machart, who has caught 20 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns this season. “They are warriors, and they make it happen.

    “They are humble guys, and they like to give me credit. You look at the holes I am running through, I’m breaking tackles on linebackers and DBs not on 250-pound D-lineman, so that is huge.”

    As for Saturday’s game itself, it got off to an uncertain start for the Huskies. Kicker David Solie had a 30-yard field goal taken off the scoreboard in the first quarter due to a procedure penalty against his side.

Huskies DT Evan Machibroda pressures Golden Bears QB Brad Launhardt.

    Solie missed a subsequent 35-yard attempt, and Golden Bears defensive back Wesley Bookland returned the missed kick 120 yards the other way for a touchdown to give the visitors a 7-0 edge.

    Golden Bears kicker Jonathan Giustini booted the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a single point to give his side an 8-0 edge. U of A had the wind advantage in the first and third quarters, while U of S had the wind in its favour in the second and fourth quarters.

    The Huskies, with the wind at their backs, took the lead in the second quarter, took a 9-8 lead, when Solie hit field goals from 17, 38 and 12 yards out. The last made kick came on the final play of the first half.

    The Bears conceded a safety early in the third quarter to give the Huskies an 11-8 advantage.

Sam Baker, with ball, celebrates a TD catch for the Huskies.

    With 4:28 remaining in the third quarter, Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus hit sure handed receiver Sam Baker with a one-yard touchdown toss on a third and goal gamble from the one yard-line to put the Huskies up 18-8.

    Guistini scored single on a 29-yard missed field goal at the 5:34 mark of the fourth quarter to cut the Huskies lead to 18-9.

    Solie rounded out the Huskies scoring with a 31-yard field goal with 36.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and followed that up with a rouge on a second attempt on the following kickoff. The first kickoff was called back due to an off-side penalty on the Huskies.

    “We wanted a home playoff game, and we got it,” said Machibroda. “I couldn’t be more happy for all the guys out there.

    “The offence played great. Machart had an unreal game. O-line had a great game.

Tanner Secord (#77) locks up on a block for the Huskies.

    “The DBs were flying around. It was just everyone was playing on fire today.”

    Nyhus completed 19-of-32 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Baker topped all Huskies receiver with six catches for 68 yards to go with his one score.

    Fourth-year quarterback Brad Launhardt completed 15-of-27 passes for 115 yards and one interception and ran the ball once for 16 yards. The Golden Bears were held to 38 yards rushing as team.

    Nelson Lokombo and Nathan Cherry each had single sacks for the Huskies, while Riley Pickett and Nicholas Dheilly shared a sack. Charlie Ringland hauled in an interception for the U of S.

Bookland, Anthony Hume and Donovan Burgmaier each had single sacks for the Golden Bears. Jayden Dalke had an interception for U of A.

Colton Klassen (#7) waits to great the Huskies fifth-years in pre-game.

    The Huskies suffered some huge bad news near the end of the first quarter, when star utility player Colton Klassen broke his right leg. The fracture was a gruesome one for those in the stadium to see, and KIassen was carted off and is out for the entire U Sports playoffs.

    Klassen led the Huskies with 456 receiving yards coming on 37 catches and he scored two touchdowns. He topped the Huskies in receiving for two straight seasons.

    “My heart breaks for that young man,” said Flory. “We don’t know the extent of it right now, but it doesn’t look good.

    “Again, it is not fair, and I know he wants it more for this team than anybody else. He is a huge part of it. When he went down, it eliminated a huge chunk of the game plan.”

The frigid Huskies faithful sing “Sweet Caroline.”

    The other Canada West semifinal will set the first place University of Calgary Dinos (6-2) host the fourth place University of Manitoba Bisons (4-4).

    The Golden Bears finished ahead of the Bisons in the standings due to winning the lone head-to-head regular season encounter between the two sides 29-26 on Sept. 13 in Edmonton, Alta.

    The University of Regina Rams (3-5) and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (2-6) finished fifth and sixth respectively in Canada West in missing the post-season.

    Flory was pleased his side will open the playoffs hosting a post-season game.

The Huskies are pumped about hosting a home playoff game.

    “It is important for us,” said Flory. “It is important for the university.

    “It is important for us not to travel and be home to the pre-game meal, the routine. I like wearing green instead of wearing white. It is important for us to be here.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------                                     

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Huskies control destiny for elusive home playoff game

The Huskies storm on to the turf at Griffiths Stadium.

    For a moment, first place in the Canada West Conference flashed before the eyes of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team and the squads’ supporters.

    In an instant, that flash was gone.

    Last Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., results earlier in the day in the U Sports regular season play broke to give the Huskies a path that they could control for first place in Canada West. First, the Huskies needed to down the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    The Huskies entered the fourth quarter holding a 37-25 lead in that contest. The Thunderbirds rallied to pull ahead 38-37. Thunderbirds kicker Garrin McDonnell hit a field goal from 11 yards out with 31 seconds to play to push the host side into the lead.
    U of S had a chance to pull out the win, but kicker David Solie wasn’t able to connect on a difficult field goal from 49 yards out. 

Nixen Voll, left, makes one of his three interceptions on the season.

    Thunderbirds running back Daniel Appiah ran the ball out of the end zone to preserve the one-point win for his side helping the Thunderbirds improve to 2-5.

    With that setback, the Huskies lost control in the race for first place. The Huskies last finished first in the Canada West standings back in 2010 with a 6-2 record.

    Still, the Huskies, who won the Canada West title last year for the first time since 2006, haven’t made it a habit in recent years to top the Canada West standings or make long playoff runs.

    That seems to still belong to the University of Calgary Dinos, who current top Canada West with a 5-2 record.

    The Huskies in the current generation are still trying to build a new tradition of success that can be linked to the team’s past. As a result, there will still be bumps in the road, especially due to the fact the Canada West Conference in football is highly competitive.

QB Mason Nyhus can guide the Huskies to a home playoff date.

    All the Huskies and their supporters could do is feel sorry for themselves for that Saturday night and move forward the next day. The sun still rose on Sunday morning.

    Currently, the Huskies, University of Alberta Golden Bears and University of Manitoba Bisons all have 4-3 records to sit tied for second to fourth in Canada West and all three squads will be part of the post-season.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears conclude their respective regular season campaigns playing each other on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. The winner will lock up at least a second place finish in Canada West and host one of the conference’s two semifinal playoff games.

    Right now, that is what the Huskies can control. The Huskies last hosted a home playoff game in 2014, when they fell to the eventual Canada West champion Bisons 47-39.

    Since finishing first in Canada West in 2010, the Huskies have only hosted one home playoff game with that contest in 2014.

    If the Huskies were given the scenario that they could host a home playoff game if they could win their final regular season contest at the start of the campaign, they would likely take that scenario.

U of S still has an outside shot at first place. If the Huskies beat the Golden Bears this coming Saturday and the Dinos fall to the Thunderbirds in Calgary this coming Saturday, the Huskies will finish first.

Adam Machart could break the Huskies record for rushing yards in a season.

    The one thing Huskies have going for them in that Dinos clash with the Thunderbirds is Blake Nill is the UBC head coach, and teams coached by Nill do not roll over and play dead even if a playoff position can’t be obtained.

    On an individual front, Huskies supporters will be watching to see if star running back Adam Machart can break the Huskies record for rushing yards in one season in the team’s final regular season game. Machart has carried the ball 127 times for 1,104 yards and eight touchdowns, and he has caught 17 passes for 158 yards and three major scores.

    The team record is currently held by Doug Rozon from the 1999 campaign. That season, Rozon carried the ball 151 times for 1,267 yards and five touchdowns.

    Machart, who is just the third member of the Huskies to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season, will establish a new team record if he runs for 164 yards against the Golden Bears.

    David Stevens ran for the second most yards in one regular season in team history carrying the ball 174 times for 1,229 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2005.
    Machart would be the first to exchange any personal milestones for wins. 

The Huskies can still potentially enjoy another special season.

    With that noted, his performance has brought an extra spotlight on the Huskies in the current campaign, and it would be cool to see him break a long standing record, if he is able to do that.

    If the Huskies were 5-2 or 6-1, Machart would have a really strong chance at possibly claiming the Hec Crighton Trophy as the football MVP for U Sports. The Huskies 4-3 record does dampen the chances for possibly winning that national award.

    While the Huskies experienced a heartbreaker last Saturday and dropped a tough to take on 19-17 to the Golden Bears in Edmonton on Sept. 21, the U of S side is still sitting in a good spot.

    The Huskies still have a great opportunity in front of them to do some special things this season.

Rams have to lament the ones that got away

QB Josh Donnelly (#17) and the Rams lost too many close ones.

    The University of Regina Rams are likely doing some second guessing with how their season has gone.

    The Rams and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will both miss the U Sports playoffs as they each currently sport 2-5 records to sit tied for fifth and sixth in the Canada West Conference. Both teams will play one last regular season game before their campaigns come to an end.

    The Rams could have been going into the final week of regular season play sitting in the thick of the chase for a playoff spot or the playoff picture. They lost three of their games by a combined total of seven points.

    On Sept. 6, the Rams dropped an 18-17 heartbreaker to the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On Sept. 28, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and fell 27-26 to the University of Manitoba Bisons.

    On Oct. 4, the Rams dropped a 33-28 decision to the Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium.

    Had the Rams won one of those games, they would have been playing for a playoff berth this coming Friday, when they host the Bisons at 7 p.m. at Leibel Field.

    Had the Rams won two or all three of those close games, they would have been sitting in a real comfortable spot.

    The Rams season shows just how slim the margin is between having a successful season to missing the post-season entirely in Canada West.

    It is possible the Rams and Thunderbirds could both win their final regular season outings and finish with 3-5 records, which can get teams into the post-season in the majority of Canada West campaigns.

Did unexpected bye do in Thunder?

QB Blake Scherle (#14) and the Thunder lost out in a tight playoff game.

    Could the rust factor have cost the Regina Thunder?

    The Thunder fell to the Edmonton Huskies 20-17 in a PFC semifinal contest on Sunday at Leibel Field in Regina. With the setback, the Thunder were eliminated from the CJFL playoffs, while the Huskies advance to face the five-time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops in the PFC final this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The clash between the Thunder and Huskies saw two clubs with 6-2 regular season records going at it. The Thunder beat the Huskies in the only regular season encounter between the two sides 24-21 on Sept. 22 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    The Thunder were supposed to host the Winnipeg Rifles in the final regular season contest for both sides on Oct. 13 at Leibel Field. The Rifles weren’t able to make it due to snowstorm conditions in Manitoba that close portions of the Trans-Canada Highway.

    As a result, a game cancellation couldn’t be avoided. The Thunder won that contest 1-0 via forfeit. The Rifles were on a season ending tailspin and finished off at 1-7.

    With that regular season clash cancelled, that meant the Thunder hadn’t been in game action since dumping the Calgary Colts 37-9 on Oct. 6 at Leibel Field. At the time, that was Regina’s third straight win.

    One wonders if the unexpected wait between games was enough to throw the Thunder off in the PFC semifinal against the Huskies. The Huskies jumped out to a 15-1 lead in the first quarter and were able to hold off the Thunder the rest of the way.

    The Huskies won the turnover battle 3-0, which also did not aid the Thunder’s cause.

    If the Thunder were able to play that last regular season game with the Rifles, the Regina side might have had that extra polish that could have helped them overcome the Huskies.

    When the dust settled, the Thunder were forced to look towards next year.

Fajardo signs extension with Roughriders

Cody Fajardo (#7) signed a contract extension with the Roughriders.

    The football community in Saskatchewan rejoiced on Monday afternoon, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders held a press conference in Regina, Sask., to announce they signed star quarterback Cody Fajardo to a contract extension.

    The 27-year-old signed a two-year extension with the club keeping him with the team through 2021. He signed a one-year contract with the Roughriders as a free agent in February.

    The Roughriders did not disclose financial terms of the deal, but Farhan Lalji of TSN is reporting the deal is worth approximately $450,000 per season.

    A backup for three CFL seasons from 2016 to 2018 with the Toronto Argonauts and British Columbia Lions, Fajardo has taken Rider Nation by storm this season.

    Fajardo became the Roughriders number one quarterback when Zach Collaros, who began the campaign as the team’s starter, suffered a concussion three plays into a 23-17 regular season opening loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Ont., on June 13.

    With Fajardo at the controls, the Roughriders have posted an 11-5 record to sit second in the CFL’s West Division. The Calgary Stampeders hold first place with an identical 11-5 mark due to sweeping the Roughriders in the two head-to-head regular season games between the two sides.

    The graduate of the NCAA’s University of Nevada Wolfpack football team has put up strong numbers for the Roughriders completing 313-of-438 passes for 3,873 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

    Fajardo is the popular and likable star quarterback the Roughriders has been waiting for since Darian Durant was traded from the club following the 2016 season.

    It is safe to say most Roughriders fans believe the best part of the Fajardo era is just beginning.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------                                     

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Huskies’ Chow going out in a blaze of glory

U of Saskatchewan faces Western in U Sports semifinal

Tyler Chow had a monster game for the Huskies in the Hardy Cup.

    Tyler Chow saved his greatest homecoming game in his final U Sports football appearance in Calgary.

    Last Saturday, Chow had his most memorable game to date with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The star running back, who is in his fifth and final season with the Huskies, carried the ball 24 times for 222 yards and scored two touchdowns. The alumnus of Calgary’s Notre Dame High School Pride football team hauled in two passes for 19 yards for the Huskies as well.

    Thanks to Chow’s efforts, the Huskies pulled off a huge 43-18 upset over the previously undefeated University of Calgary Dinos in the Canada West Conference championship game – the Hardy Cup at McMahon Stadium. The Huskies, who improved to 7-3 overall, claimed the Canada West title for the first time since 2006.

    The Dinos, who finished the campaign at 9-1 overall, were trying to win a third straight Canada West title and their ninth conference crown in the past 11 seasons before falling to the Huskies.

    Chow, who stand 5-foot-11 and weighs 195 pounds, thrilled a large contingent of family and friends he had in the crowd of 1,877.

    He had a touchdown on a one-yard run late in the second quarter to give the Huskies an 18-8 edge on the Dinos.

    With the Huskies holding a 25-18 edge, Chow had the game’s defining play running in a touchdown from 23 yards out just 91 seconds into the fourth quarter to give the Huskies a 32-18 lead.

Tyler Chow was named a Canada West all-star this season.

    That started an 18-point surge for the Huskies to close the game. The surge was completed by a kickoff single from kicker Sean Stenger, a 42-yard field goal from Stenger and a one-yard touchdown run by Adam Machart.

    On Wednesday, Chow was named the U Sports offensive player of the week for his efforts against Calgary. Stenger took the U Sports special teams player of the week award making 2-of-3 field goals for the Huskies and averaging 41.5 yards on four punts landing one of those kicks inside the Dinos 20 yard line.

    Coming into this season, there were questions marks surrounding how effective Chow might be. He missed four games last season and was limited in four other contests due to a lower body injury.

    He carried the ball 100 times for 640 yards and scored two touchdowns to earn Canada West all-star honours and help the Huskies post a 5-3 regular season record in 2018.

    During his regular season career with the Huskies, Chow carried the ball 385 times for 2,372 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

    The Calgary, Alta., product just edged Tyler Siwak for third on the Huskies career rushing yards list.

Tyler Chow is the Huskies third all-time leading rusher.

    Siwak was a red shirt during the Huskies last Vanier Cup winning season in 1998 and he carried the ball 361 times for 2,365 yards and scored 11 touchdowns during a five year career as an active player from 1999 to 2003. During his time with the Huskies, Siwak was a fan favourite due to being a power tailback that could crush up to six would be tacklers on any running attempt.

    Doug Rozon is the Huskies all-time leading rusher piling up 4,086 yards playing from 1995 to 1999. Terry Eisler sits second on the Huskies’ all-time rushing list with 2428 yards playing in 1985 and 1987 to 1989. David Stevens rounds out the Huskies career top five rushing leaders with 2,276 yards playing from 2001 to 2005.

    Entering the 2018 post-season, Chow had never been part of a playoff win with the Huskies unlike the other four top five rushers in team history, who all had a hand in various playoffs runs that saw the Huskies reach the Vanier Cup. In Rozon’s case, he helped the Huskies win two Vanier Cups in 1996 and 1998 running behind an offensive line that contained a star named Scott Flory, who is now the Huskies head coach.

    Chow was able to dump the unwanted distinction of never being part of a playoff win on Nov. 3 in Vancouver, B.C., when he helped the Huskies post a 31-28 overtime upset victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Tyler Chow scored two touchdowns in the Hardy Cup.

    In that contest, Chow had a solid outing grinding out 89 yards rushing on 21 carries and running home touchdowns from one and 16 yards out. He hauled in six passes for 54 yards to go along with his efforts on the ground.

    Combine that game with his efforts against the Dinos in a Canada West title winning game for the Huskies, Chow has created his own storied playoff run and has vaulted his name firmly into the conversation of who are the top all-time running backs in the history of the U of S football program.

    While the Huskies have pulled out two giant upsets at this point in the U Sports playoffs, they now face their greatest David versus Goliath match.

    The coming Saturday, the Huskies travel to London, Ont., to face the defending Vanier Cup champion University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the Mitchell Bowl, which is one of two U Sports semifinal playoff games. The Mitchell Bowl will be shown live at 3 p.m. Saskatchewan time on Sportsnet.

    The Universite Laval Rouge et Or (10-0) host the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men (8-2) in the other U Sports semifinal - the Uteck Bowl – also on Saturday in Quebec City, Quebec.

    The Mustangs enter their match with the Huskies ranked as the top rated team in the final U Sports Top 10 rankings and have won their last 22 games overall in a row.

Tyler Chow and the Huskies fifth-year are having a memorable final run.

    Western’s last loss came back on Nov. 12, 2016 in the Yates Cup, which is the Ontario University Athletics conference championship game, to the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks 43-40. The Mustangs led that contest 40-19 in the fourth quarter, before the Golden Hawks pulled out an incredible comeback.

    Western thumped the mighty Rouge et Or 39-17 in last year’s Vanier Cup.

    So far, Chow and the Huskies have shown the role of giant killer fits them just fine.

    It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chow and the Huskies come up with another giant performance, and if they do, they might be heading to the Vanier Cup to be held on Nov. 24 in Quebec City, Quebec.

On to the Mitchell Bowl.#HuskiePride #HardyCup82 pic.twitter.com/lGXPX5gkF0

— Huskie Football (@skhuskies) November 11, 2018

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Anything is possible at Ignite Athletic Conditioning

Local company makes big impact on Saskatoon sports scene

Nolan Brudehl does resistance training at Ignite Conditioning.

    At Ignite Athletic Conditioning, the goal of the staff is to make the impossible possible for the athletes who train there.

    The Saskatoon-based company is co-owned by former athletes Jordan Harbidge and Joel Lipinski, who both made an impact on the provincial sports scene. Harbidge played football and basketball at Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School before enjoying a strong five-year career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team from 2003 to 2008.

    Lipinski, who is from Regina, played post-secondary football with the University of Regina Rams (2004-2006), the Vancouver Island Raiders of the Canadian Junior Football League (2007) and the St. Mary’s University Huskies (2008). The star defensive back moved on to enjoy short CFL stints with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2009) and the Edmonton Eskimos (2011).

Michael Linklater works out on the squat rack at Ignite Conditioning.

    Having lived lives as elite-level athletes, both wanted to train athletes and help them achieve their dreams.

    “It is pretty cool to have a job where you get to work with like local athletes, and you just kind of like wish something like this was around when you were that age,” said Harbidge. “It is pretty cool to offer something like that to local kids around here and give them the opportunity to try to reach their athletic potential or dreams.”

    “If it is just making like their high school football team or making their U-18 team or if it is like playing post-secondary or even later like play pro, all those like small goals along the way are just like huge milestones that are just cool to see,” said Lipinski. “This job is honestly one of the best jobs you could ever possibly have.”

    Ignite was formed as company in 2010 and trained a small group of about eight athletes at the start. 

Nolan Brudehl pushed a sled training at Ignite Conditioning.

    Fast forward to today, the company is run out of its own facility on the 400-block of Lauriston Street just south of 33^rd Street, and between 600 to 700 athletes train with Ignite.

    To help with training, Ignite recently hired Donovan Dale, who wrapped up his football career graduating from the U of Saskatchewan Huskies after this past season.

    Originally, the company was founded by former U of S Huskies football stars Ryan Gottselig and David Stevens. Both had decorated careers with the Huskies in the early to the middle of the 2000s and were well known in Saskatoon.

    In 2011, Gottselig moved to Moose Jaw after accepting a teaching job there, and he established an Ignite branch in that centre. Stevens joined the City of Saskatoon’s fire department, but he still owns a small part of the Saskatoon branch.

    Lipinski and Stevens became friends while playing for Canada’s team at the International Federation of American Football senior tackle world championship in Austria in 2011. 

Michael Linklater lifts a dumbbell at Ignite Conditioning.

    Lipinski ended up settling in Saskatoon after that tournament and bought into the company.

    Harbidge joined Ignite in 2012 after returning to Saskatoon having been an educator and an assistant strength coach at a private boys’ school in Vancouver.

    As Stevens’ firefighting career took off, Harbidge and Lipinski bought majority ownership of the Saskatoon branch. In order to allow Harbidge and Lipinski to take off with the company, Stevens worked hundreds of hours for free at the beginning.

    As a result of Stevens’s efforts, Harbidge and Lipinski ensured the elusive and speedy former running back still had a part ownership stake in the branch.

    In running Ignite, Harbidge said there have been times the sense of accomplishment has come in unassuming ways.

    “Originally, we were all kind of like we want to train pros,” said Harbidge. “We want to train a lot of the high level athletes.

    “A lot of the most rewarding things for us have been like last year we had a kid in eight weeks lose 35 pounds and get stronger. It is little things like that where you can actually change someone’s life that was pretty rewarding.”

    Ignite has programs for athletes aged 11 and younger where the focus is on building agility, balance and coordination through game-type activities.

Nolan Brudehl works on his movement at Ignite Conditioning.

    Training programs are catered to athlete development at various progression levels all the way up to more sports specific training for professional athletes.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League were one of the first massive groups that trained with Ignite. The staff at Ignite has worked with 40 Hilltops player per year in each of the last three years.

    The Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League were one of the first large female groups to train out of Ignite. At the moment, female athletes make up 40 per cent of Ignite’s clientele.

    When Ignite started, most of the other elite training companies in Saskatoon focused on hockey, so Ignite built a reputation training athletes in all other sports outside of hockey.

    Ignite has training contracts with U of S Huskies women’s soccer, Huskies men’s basketball and Huskies football. Harbidge is the strength and conditioning coach for the Huskies men’s basketball team, and Lipinski is the strength and conditioning coordinator and defensive assistant coach with the Huskies football team.

Michael Linklater works on a resistance machine at Ignite Conditioning.

    Besides the university teams, Ignite trains athletes from numerous sports groups like Basketball Saskatchewan, Ringette Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Minor Football, Canoe and Kayak Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Badminton Association and the local elite volleyball academy in Saskatoon.

    Along the way, Ignite is starting to pick up a handful of Western Hockey League players as well.

    “Everyone kind of tried to get hockey and train hockey, and we just went for everything else,” said Harbidge. “We started with a niche which was football. Now we’ve kind of expanded to everything even hockey.

    “We try to really rebrand ourselves as athletic trainers not just football specialists, which was kind of our brand early on. It has been such a crazy dynamic, but it has been pretty cool.”

    Lipinski said the staff at Ignite tries to take an interest in an athlete’s life outside of sports as well. It was a trait he, Harbidge and Dale all learned from the respective coaches they had along the way in their careers as athletes.

Joel Lipinski is one of the co-owners and coaches at Ignite Conditioning.

    “You end up talking about things that are actually more than like obviously just sport,” said Lipinski. “You figure out what is going on in the athlete’s life.

    “You end up kind of almost being like a councillor at this position here too. To be honest, we end up like enjoying that aspect of it like just as much as the actual training side.”

    Harbidge said it has been great to find a niche to give back to the local sports scene, and in his case, his hometown.

    “I was originally planning to be a teacher, but now I am just like a specialist teacher,” said Harbidge. “I teach every day, but I get to teach what I am passionate about.

    “I feel very fortunate. Coming home from Vancouver, I get to work with the community I grew up in, which is pretty cool too.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

A coaching change won't help Riders

Corey Chamblin has had a rocky season as Roughriders head coach.

    For now, the Corey Chamblin deathwatch is on hold in Rider Nation.

    The voices calling for the head of the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders will only stay somewhat muted until the next sign of trouble. If the Roughriders totally lay an egg in their clash against the Argonauts in Toronto on Saturday, the deathwatch will be on again.

    People will be asking, “Will Chamblin be fired today? How about tomorrow? The day after?”

You will also likely see the odd story appear in a mainstream media outlet saying Chamblin will be axed and another person is about to be brought in as head coach. That could possibly result in Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman holding another media conference to say Chamblin is safe like the one that was held earlier this week.

    Welcome to the daily life of players, coaches and management of the Roughriders, who constantly live in a fishbowl and forces outside the organization can turn things into a soap opera. When the team starts 0-6 for the time since 1979, the fishbowl becomes that much smaller. The 1979 club lots its first 12 in a row and finished with a 2-14 mark.

    Whenever the voices rally again calling for Chamblin to be dumped, it has to be noted that type of change likely won’t help the Roughriders, but it has a high probability of making things worse.

    In the modern era of professional football or even football at the university level be it Canada or the United States, a mid-season coaching change has less of a chance to provide a temporary spark or shake up compared to any other sport. When you dump a head coach, you basically dump the system that head coach brought in.

    The team will likely have a week, or even two weeks to try and learn a new system for the next game. In all reality, the mid-season replacement head coach would be smart to keep using the system his predecessor had in.

    The preparation a team puts in during a week has a huge classroom component, which most in the general public likely don’t have an appreciation for. For every hour a player spends on the practice field, it is likely he spends at least three hours studying video.

    The coaches go through more video than the players. At the professional and university levels, it is also common for the head coach to sleep four hours a night in his office at various times in the preparation week.

    During a meeting, it is possible to go through just one play for 15 minutes. The days when quarterbacks called their own game and squads only ran like 30 different offensive plays are long gone. Playbooks these days are thick.

    Due to all the preparation that needs to be done during a football work week, teams are basically saddled up with the current coaching staff for the duration of the season. If a coaching change is made, it is easier to do it in the off-season. Hench in the NFL, that is why every Monday after the regular season ends you usually see a large amount of coach firings.

    No other sport undergoes this type of preparation work. It is common to come across hockey coaches that say they don’t put in the hours their counterparts do in football.

    In the current CFL season, the biggest turning point for the Roughriders came in Week 3, when they led the B.C. Lions in Vancouver 29-18 with 2:21 to play and fell 35-32 in overtime. Holding a 29-26 edge, the Roughriders faced a third and one at their own 48. If the Roughriders gambled to get a first down, they would be able to end the game with kneel downs.

The Argonauts and Roughriders face each other on Saturday in Toronto.

    The visitors elected for the gamble and quarterback Brett Smith was stuffed on a sneak play. The Lions kicked a field goal to force overtime, and the rest is history.

    Immediately after that game on social media, Roughriders fans expressed their displeasure and took shots first at new defensive coordinator Greg Quick. The anger quickly moved to Chamblin, who in the off-season replaced Roughriders great Ritchie Hall as defensive coordinator with Quick.

    From that time, Chamblin’s work has been dissected in almost every way imaginable good and bad, especially when it comes to his influence on the defence. It seems no one remembers that Chamblin was the Roughriders head coach when they posted an 11-7 regular season record in 2013 and moved on to win the Grey Cup on home turf in a 45-23 romp over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    Chamblin has earned the right to have a bad season and should be given the chance to turn things around. It also must be noted that might not be possible in Saskatchewan.

    When the Roughriders won the Grey Cup in 1989, then head coach John Gregory could have run for premier of the province after his team’s 43-40 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Toronto. Gregory was still very much loved two years later, when he was dumped as Roughriders head coach after the green and white started the 1991 season at 1-6. Saskatchewan finished with a 6-12 regular season mark to miss the playoffs.

    Chamblin was never as popular as Gregory was even during good times.

    On top of that, the Riders are starting Smith, who is in his full rookie season, at quarterback due to injuries to standouts Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn. Saskatchewan is also mired in a host of other injuries as well.

    At the moment, a new head coach would likely have a harder time cracking the win column than Chamblin does now.

Old guys whoop it up at Hilltops Alumni Game

David Stevens scores the winning touchdown for the "Has Beens."

    Looking upon the post-game scene at Saskatchewan Minor Football Field on Thursday night, you would have thought the “Has Beens” won the Super Bowl.

    The Canadian Junior Football League’s Saskatoon Hilltops’ annual alumni game came down to the wire, where the team’s current roster clashed with a squad made up of former Hilltops players. The alumni team was also stocked with a few players who graduated from various post-secondary clubs, where the majority of that representation came from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks.

    On the final play of the game, tailback David Stevens ran a major in from a yard out to give the alumni squad a 16-14 victory over the current Hilltops. Following the score, the alumni team, which went by the moniker the “Has Beens,” stormed off their bench to mob Stevens in celebration and whoop up the victory in the end zone.

    The old players showed they still have game and gave the Hilltops, who returned most of their CJFL title winning team from a season ago, a stiff test.

    Stevens, who was a star carrying the rock out of the backfield for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, was still as fast and elusive as ever. Watching Stevens play, you wouldn’t believe his final season with the Huskies came back in 2006. If he still had eligibility to play, he might still be one of the top three running backs in the CIS.

    Receiver Kit Hillis, who just wrapped up his CIS career with the Huskies as their all-time leader in receptions last season, also made a number of huge plays. On the series before the alumni team secured the win, Hillis, who is also a former Hilltops pass catcher, dropped a potential winning TD reception on a third down gamble.

    On the game-winning drive, he hauled in an intermediate route and turned it into a gain of about 50 yards to set up the alumni team in the red zone.

    The current Hilltops, who went by the moniker the “Will Be’s,” played inspired, as they ensured their whole roster saw action. Unfortunately, they racked up too many penalties.

The "Has Beens" celebrate victory at the Hilltops Alumni Game.

    Most of the flags came from illegal procedure, off-side, illegal substitution, too many men and illegal formation calls, which was surprising to see from a veteran club. They had a number of instances where players weren’t aware if they should be on the field or not.

    On one play, an official chuckled he didn’t have to throw a too many men flag, because the Hilltops offence ran a play with 11 players.

    Head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff accumulated a lot of video that can be used to illustrate what mistakes need to be fixed.

    The Hilltops do have time to iron out the errors. They open the regular season on Aug. 16, when they travel to Calgary to take on the Colts.

    If you have comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.