Hilltops sleepwalk into playoffs

The Colts defence nails Hilltops backup running back Colin Stumborg.

    You have to love the honesty of “The Sarge.”

    Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant entered the press box for post-game radio interviews after his club fell 34-4 to the Calgary Colts and the first words out of his month were, “Sorry guys. We were that bad.”

    The Hilltops entered their final regular season game with first place already locked up in Prairie Football Conference as well as home-field advantage through the Canadian Junior Football League playoffs. With that already in mind, the Saskatoon coaches had to deal the challenging decision to play or rest their regulars with a chance to post a perfect 8-0 regular season mark.

    The coaches elected to rest the regulars after the first quarter. With that said, it appeared the Hilltops players both starters and backups were already looking forward to the playoffs.

    Calgary played Sunday’s clash at Saskatoon Minor Football Field like it mattered and the result turned out to be a rare setback that saw the Hilltops fall in blowout fashion. Saskatoon finished the regular season with a 7-1 record and saw its 15 game winning streak including regular season and post-season play come to an end.

    While the Hilltops wanted to prevent losing any players to injury, the final result on the scoreboard against the Colts, who finished at 5-3, was shocking. That last time most in Saskatoon can recall the Hilltops suffering that lopsided a setback came in the days when the Regina Rams were still in the CJFL.

    The Rams hammered the Hilltops 48-10 in the 1998 PFC final, which was the last encounter by those two clubs, on route to winning the Canadian Bowl before moving on to the Canadian university ranks.

    The most disappointing thing about Saskatoon’s loss to Calgary on Sunday was it felt like the whole Hilltops team was off.

    A promising early offensive series by the Hilltops was nixed, when receiver Davis Mitchell fumbled the ball away. That turnover didn’t cost the Toppers, but Calgary took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 42-yard field goal from Kyle Bryne.

Dylan Minshull ran for 195 yards on 33 carries for the Colts.

    Near the end of the first quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk appeared to hit receiver Evan Turkington with a four-yard scoring toss, but the touchdown was called back due to a penalty. The drive ended when Andreychuk was sacked, and he fumbled the ball away to the Colts defence. That was the starting signal caller’s last play of the contest, as the Toppers stuck with a plan to allow everyone on their roster to hit the field.

    Early in the second quarter, Brett Thorarinsson hit a 37-yard field goal for the Hilltops to pull them into a 3-3 tie with the Colts. From there, the contest was taken over by the visitors.

The Colts went ahead 10-3 with 29.7 seconds to play in the second quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run by Dylan Minshull.

    Saskatoon opened the third quarter getting a point on a kick-off single from Liam Murphy, who took over the team’s kicking duties in the second half, to cut the Colts lead to 10-4.

    Calgary then hit full gear. Minshull ran in another major from 11 yards out, and Bryne hit a 30-yard field goal to extend Calgary’s lead to 20-4 at the end of the third quarter. Minshull, who had 195 yards rushing on 33 carries, scored his third major of the day on a nine-yard romp in the fourth quarter, and Colts starting quarterback John Kiesman hit receiver Kyle Brick on a 15-yard aerial major to round out the game’s scoring.

    Saskatoon turned the ball over four times on an interception and three fumbles. Calgary committed two turnovers off an interception and a turnover on downs.

    In the second half, both teams elected to keep the ball on the ground for most of the time with a lot of bland running plays. That tactic is used to dull video future opponents can use for study purposes.

    Besides the soft effort, it also felt like the Hilltops let a good team like the Colts off the hook in a way. The Colts moved the ball well even then the Hilltops had their starters in, and the win has to help the Calgary players get over a mental block when it comes to beating the Hilltops.

    Guided by a strong head coach in Matthew (Snoop) Blokker, the Colts could see the Hilltops down the road in a possible PFC final match.

The Hilltops lost star DL Blake Adams to a left knee injury on Sunday.

    With that in mind, the injury worries were there Hilltops, and the injury bug did bite. In the short time the starters were on the field, Saskatoon star defensive end Blake Adams suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter, and he stood on the sidelines on crutches for the whole second half. If the fifth-year veteran can’t go in the post-season, his absence will provide a sizable hole in the Hilltops lineup.

    The Colts will travel to Regina this coming Sunday in one PFC semifinal match to face the Thunder (6-2). The Thunder also closed their regular season on Sunday dumping the visiting Edmonton Huskies 29-6.

    The Hilltops host the Winnipeg Rifles (4-4) in the other PFC semifinal this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF. The Rifles concluded their regular season traveling to Edmonton on Sunday to slip past the host Wildcats 36-33.

    The Edmonton Huskies and Wildcats finished at the bottom of the PFC standings with respective 1-7 marks.

    If you have any comments you want to pass along about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out Twitter for more game photos @StanksSports.

Hilltops rally with fourth quarter magic

Evan Turkington cradles in the winning TD for the Hilltops.

    REGINA – Jared Andreychuk had the moment all quarterbacks dream about.

    With under three minutes to play and his Saskatoon Hilltops trailing the host Regina Thunder 25-19 on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, the fourth-year signal caller took the field to lead a two-minute drill type drive to win the Canadian Junior Football League contest. Andreychuk engineered a 75-yard march that ended with him hooking up with receiver Evan Turkington on a 13-yard scoring toss. Turkington made a twisting circus catch in the Regina end zone to give the Toppers a 26-25 lead with 75 seconds to play before 825 spectators.

    That score held up as the final result. On the ensuing Regina series, Hilltops linebacker Cole Benkic intercepted Thunder quarterback Jaeden Marwick to seal the outcome that allowed the Hilltops to improve to 5-0 to remain first in the Prairie Football Conference. The Thunder, who held an 18-7 lead at halftime, fell to 3-2 with the loss to remain second in the PFC.

    “It is just a lot of fun,” said Andreychuk. “Even at halftime, we were down. We are not having the best game, but we are having fun.

    “It is a great competition with the Regina Thunder. You are always nervous coming in here, but that is why you play football is for games like this. It was just great to come away with a win today.”

    Saturday’s clash looked like it would be a back-and-forth game until a key turning point occurred late in the first half. With Regina holding an 11-7 edge, the Hilltops ran a play-action pass on a short yardage situation near midfield, but Andreychuk was intercepted thanks to a stellar defensive play by Thunder linebacker Paul Toth.

    Regina drove down to the Saskatoon two, and Marwick muscled in for a score on a running play from two yards out to put the Thunder up 18-7 going into halftime.

    The Hilltops opened the second half cutting the gap to 18-10, when kicker Brett Thorarinsson booted a 23-yard field goal on a series that was set up by an interception from defensive back Luke Melnyk.

    The Thunder responded with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter, when Marwick hit Thomas Bresciani on a scoring toss from nine yards out to put the hosts up 25-10.

    Going into the fourth quarter, the Hilltops cued the comeback. Just 1:38 into the final frame, Andreychuk connected with receiver Davis Mitchell on a seven-yard scoring toss to cut the Thunder edge 25-17.

Cole Benkic returns an interception for the Hilltops.

    With 5:26 to play in the fourth, the Thunder conceded a safety after being pinned deep in their own end, which cut their lead to 25-19. That set the scene for the Toppers late game-winning drive.

    “I think just the way we came out of the locker room in the second half was huge,” said Andreychuk. “It is easy to have your head down, when you’re down a couple of touchdowns at half, and we came out hot.

    “We scored a field goal right off the bat. We got shut down a little bit on that drive, but just kept it rolling throughout that second half. We are second half team. That is what we do.”

    Saskatoon swept the season series with Regina 2-0 having downed the Thunder 35-17 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Sept. 5. Thanks to the sweep, the Hilltops won Shrine Bowl, which is given to the team that wins the regular season series between the two clubs. The Thunder won both encounters with the Hilltops last season to take the Shrine Bowl.

    Andreychuk completed 21 of 40 passes for 336 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Hilltops on Saturday, while Marwick completed 24 of 41 passes for 420 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Thunder.

    While the two teams piled up the offensive yards with Regina outgaining Saskatoon 517 to 447, the defences on both sides made big plays as well. There were also some obvious blown calls by the officials, but the mistakes evened out both ways.

Jared Andreychuk fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops.

    Mitchell had a TD catch in the second quarter to account for Saskatoon’s first score. Tailback Victor St. Pierre Laviolette had a 27 yard scoring catch, while Kristopher Calcutt kicked a field goal and a rouge from a missed field goal to account for the Thunder’s first 11 points.

    Entering the 2015 regular season, the Thunder had won their four previous encounters against the Hilltops including action in the regular season and playoffs. Andreychuk was pleased his club could turn the tables on their provincial rivals winning both regular season head-to-head matches in the current campaign.

    “It is just a great feeling beating Regina,” said Andreychuk. “Every year you circle this on your calendar. It is just an unreal day.”

    The Hilltops return to action on Sept. 20, when they host the Edmonton Huskies (1-3) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    If you have any comments to pass along about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out more game photos on Twitter @StanksSports.

Hilltops face first big test in Colts

Davis Mitchell hauls in a pass for the Hilltops.

    Success won’t be a given for the Saskatoon Hilltops entering the 2015 campaign.

    Since the modern version of the franchise was born in 1947, the Hilltops have traditionally been one of the dominant programs in the Canadian Junior Football League winning 17 national championships. They are the defending Canadian Bowl champions and have captured the CJFL’s crown in four of the last five years.

    On the road to repeating as CJFL champs, the Hilltops hardest challenge might be getting out of the Prairie Football Conference. Saskatoon has been one of the dominant teams in the PFC since the loop was formed in 1976.

    While that dominance hasn’t changed over the last 15 years, the quality of the circuit’s other teams has improved, and during that span of time, the conference’s other squads have taken turns being a real threat towards the Hilltops’ run of success. The Edmonton Huskies displaced the Hilltops at the top of the CJFL mountain winning back-to-back Canadian Bowls in 2004 and 2005.

    The Edmonton Wildcats took the PFC title in 2006 and 2009 advancing to the Canadian Bowl in both of those campaigns only to fall to the Vancouver Island Raiders.

    This year, the Hilltops two biggest conference threats are likely the Regina Thunder and the Calgary Colts. The Thunder captured the CJFL championship in 2013 and won both their head-to-head matches with the Hilltops last season.

    The Colts are entering their second season under the guidance of head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker. Blokker joined the Colts after obtaining legendary status as the head coach of the Vancouver Island Raiders of the British Columbia Football League. He guided the Raiders to three Canadian Bowl championships, and he was the BCFC’s winningest coach posting an 89-13-2 mark at the helm of both the Raiders and Victoria Rebels during his career.

    Under Blokker, the Colts went from being an 0-8 club in 2013 to a team with a 4-4 regular season record in 2014. Calgary advanced to the PFC final before being thumped 27-7 by the Hilltops in Saskatoon at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The Hilltops travel to Calgary to take on the Colts at McMahon Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time in a match that opens the 2015 regular season for both clubs. With Saskatoon returning most of its roster from last year’s CJFL title winning team, you can bet the Colts are viewing the 2015 regular season opener as a Super Bowl type game. If the Colts can pull out an upset victory, it would be a statement win showing the rest of the CJFL they are a contender.

    Calgary enters Sunday’s contest  fresh off a 33-14 exhibition win over the Regina Thunder in a neutral site game at Medicine Hat on Aug. 8.

Jared Andreychuk fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops.

    The Colts added John Kiesman at quarterback looking to make an upgrade at that position. Kiesman suited up previously for the CIS's University of Regina Rams and the CJFL's Winnipeg Rifles. Brett Hunchak and Cole Meyer quarterbacked the Colts in 2014.

    Receiver Jevon Cottoy made the PFC’s all-rookie team last season topping the Colts with 26 catches for 524 yards and four touchdown receptions. Calgary also returns the CJFL’s defensive player of the year in Jakub Jakoubek. In 2014, the big play linebacker had 48 tackles, 16 assisted tackles, four knockdowns, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

    The Colts were also strong at forcing turnovers posting a plus-14 in the takeaway/giveaway category.

    The Hilltops head into 2015 with a roster that contains 15 players in their 22-year-old years, and the Toppers have the potential to be better than they were a year ago.

    Saskatoon posted a 9-2 overall record last season including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    Quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 99-of-201 passes for 1,624 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. During the 2014 post-season, Andreychuk and the offence performed at an extremely high level, where the signal caller posted back-to-back 300-plus yard passing games in the PFC final and the Canadian Bowl.

    Now in his fourth season, Andreychuk could put up numbers that make his 2014 totals look pedestrian. He also big time benefits from the fact he gets to air the ball out to a group of talented receivers that includes Evan Turkington, Evan Kopchynski and Davis Mitchell. Turkington attended training camp with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    Star tailback Wayndel Lewis, who was the CJFL’s offensive player of the year in 2014, graduated from the Hilltops program and will suit up for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the upcoming CIS season. Third year veteran Logan Fischer will give the Hilltops a strong presence at tailback. When Lewis missed last year’s PFC final and Canadian Bowl due to injury, Fischer ran for a combined 274 yards in those two contests on 47 carries.

    The offensive line is solid with Terry Thesen at right tackle, Nathan Heide at right guard, Jordan Hydomako at centre, Drayke Unger at left guard and Tyler Hoath at left tackle all expect to start. Thesen, Heide and Hydomako are all in their fifth years, while Unger and Hoath are on their fourth years.

The Hilltops defence forces a turnover during the squad's alumni game.

    Defensively, the Hilltops were strong at forcing takeaways posting a plus-17 in the takeaway versus giveaway category. Defensive back Dylan Larson was the defensive player of the game in last year’s Canadian Bowl, and he will be part of a strong secondary including fifth-year safety and captain Austin Thorarinson. Fifth-year veteran Quinn Pierce should help anchor a strong group of linebackers.

    Fifth year veterans Blake Adams and Matt Kozun are keystones on the defensive line, while third-year vet Blake Hermann will be a force off the edge. Kozun was also in camp with the Roughriders.

    For Week 1 of the PFC season, the clash between the Hilltops and Colts will make for an interesting early measuring stick.

    NOTE – Second year defensive halfback James Vause, who will be in his first year as a starter, traded in his old #4 jersey for #24 this season. Vause wanted to wear #24, because that was the number worn by Cody Smuk, who was the gritty and hard-working former forward with the U of Saskatchewan Men’s Hockey team. Smuk passed away of cancer in June, and he was engaged to Vause’s older sister, Stephanie.

Eight is great for Canada

    It seems all Canada does at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is win gold.

    On Saturday, Canada captured gold for the eighth straight year at the annual summer under-18 tournament held in the Czech Republic. In the championship final, Canada dumped Sweden 7-3 at the Alcaplast Arena in Breclav in the Czech Republic.

    Pierre-Luc Dubois, who play for Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, led the way for Canada with a pair of goals and an assist. The red and white received singles from Michael McLeod, Tyler Benson, Tanner Kaspick, Jordan Kyrou and Beck Malenstyn. Netminder Dylan Wells made 15 stops to pick up the win in goal for Canada.

    Jesper Bratt, William Fallstrom and Alexander Nylander replied with singles for Sweden. Filip Gustavsson stopped 10-of-14 shots starting in goal for Sweden before being pulled after Canada went ahead 4-0 at the 16:54 of the first. Isak Wallin turned away 18-of-21 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    Canada was a perfect 7-0 at the Ivan Hlinka tourney guided by head coach Stan Butler and assistant coaches Shaun Clouston and Darren Rumble. The bench bosses guided an impressive collection of young talent, who should be fun to watch for years to come.

Shirley makes waves at under-18 camp

Sophie Shirley in action for the Saskatoon Stars.

    Saskatoon product Sophie Shirley was hoping to leave a positive impression with the Hockey Canada brass.

    The 16-year-old forward was in Calgary taking part in the selection camp for Canada’s under-18 women’s team, which wrapped up on Saturday. Shirley is the fifth youngest player among the 42 invites looking to crack a spot on the 23-player squad that will travel to Lake Placid, N.Y., for a three-game series against the United States’s under-18 squad from Aug. 20-23.

    Shirley had a goal and two assists in four camp exhibition games playing for Team White. She is listed as now standing 5-foot-8 in height, which means she has grown four inches over the summer since last playing for the Saskatoon Stars girls’ midget AAA team.

    As a 15-year-old sophomore last season with the Stars, Shirley had a spectacular campaign. She netted 22 goals and 17 assists helping the Stars post a 25-3 regular season record to allow Saskatoon to finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    Shirley was named the most valuable player of the SFMAAAHL and proceeded to pick up 12 goals and 12 assists in nine games, as the Stars won their first league title. At the Esso Cup national championship tournament held in April in Red Deer, Shirley was named the event’s MVP, and she led the tourney in scoring potting nine goals and seven assists.

    As Shirley is one of a handful of 16-year-olds at Canada’s under-18 camp, she is gaining valuable experience being on Hockey Canada’s radar. If she doesn’t make the under-18 team this year, she will more than likely be a big prospect for the team next year.

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

Saskatoon will always have a heart for the Hilltops

Logan Fischer runs the ball at the Hilltops spring camp scrimmage.

    Love for the Hilltops junior football club is alive and well in Saskatoon, and it feels like that might be something that never changes.
    As the population of the Bridge City and surrounding suburbs has ballooned to 300,000 due to an influx of at least 50,000 people over the last nine years, the Hilltops still have a loyal fan base. The supporters might not always be present for games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which was known as Gordie Howe Bowl for most of its life, but they are alert to what the team is up to.
    On Oct. 26 of last year, the Hilltops hosted another Prairie Football Conference title game and looked dynamic in disposing of the surging Calgary Colts 27-7. An appreciative crowd of 1,014 cheered the blue and gold to victory that day. While the Hilltops have played before much bigger crowds in their history, news of their win and the fact they advanced to another national final spread quickly over social media lines.
    Soon, the Hilltops were the talk of the town. A day after that victory, they hosted the Riderville North Quarterback Luncheon in conjunction with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders at TCU Place. The event was packed, and it gave the Hilltops a warm kick off towards two weeks of preparation for the CJFL title game, the Canadian Bowl.
    The Toppers proceeded to travel to Langley, B.C., where they disposed of the host Rams 39-14 on Nov. 8. A healthy following of supporters made the trip to B.C. to witness the championship victory.

The Hilltops offensive and defensive lines battle in the trenches.

    On Sunday, the Hilltops hosted a Blue and Gold scrimmage game at Saskatoon Minor Football Field to conclude a three day spring camp. The scrimmage attracted a large gathering of supporters. The followers won't go away.
    The storied franchise has won 17 Canadian Junior Football League championships since the modern version of the club was formed back in 1947. The Hilltops actually appeared in their first national final in only their second season falling 14-10 to the host Hamilton Wildcats in the 1948 title game.
    Saskatoon would capture its first national title in 1953, when the Hilltops thumped the Windsor AKO Fratmen 34-6. Since that first win, the Hilltops have captured at least one national championship in every decade that followed. When Tom Sargeant became head coach in 1998, the Hilltops would go on to win eight of their national titles, including four in the last five years.
    Pretty much every generation that has grown up or moved to become part of the Saskatoon community has a memory of a Hilltops championship run. In a lot of ways, the Hilltops symbolize how the citizens of Saskatoon like to see themselves. The Hilltops work hard, carry themselves with respect, are disciplined and are tough.

Davis Mitchell hauls in a pass.

    The tough aspect is something Saskatoon citizens really love about the Toppers, who play their contests out of what is considered the tougher part of town in the city's west side. The reverence for that characteristic of the club is similar to the reverence citizens of Pittsburgh have for the blue-collar Steelers of the NFL.
    Saskatoon residents have enjoyed the fact the Hilltops have fielded tough as nails players like Ron Atchison and Larry Wruck in their distance past and Jorgen Hus and Graig Newman in recent years.
    They can also win with flare and style. Sheldon Ball called signals for an explosive and dynamic offence for the team as a quarterback in the 1990s. He has now been the team's offensive coordinator for about a decade, and the players he guides can put up points in a hurry.
    That was seen last year when starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk put up 300-yard passing games in the PFC final and the Canadian Bowl, when the Hilltops looked fairly smooth.
    During the 1980s and early 1990s, the once very healthy CJFL saw a number of franchises fold. It was once the premier league for amateur football in Canada, but it hasn't held that distinction for at least four decades.
    Over that time, the Hilltops have remained healthy. A hard working board of directors has ensured the team continued to be a first-class franchise.
    Going into the 2015, the Hilltops will return most of their players from the year before. Only four players exhausted their eligibility following the 2014 campaign, and a handful veterans will be displaced by incoming rookies.
    Optimism is high the Hilltops will have another exciting campaign. Their loyal following will be there, and hopefully, they can share news of the team's exploits to attract new followers. That will ensure the team will be engrained in the community's fabric for decades to come.

Huskies aim to erase recent disappointments

Mitch Hillis sprints downfield at the Huskies spring camp scrimmage.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team knows all they can do is worry about the present and not worry about the recent past.
    The Dogs concluded their spring camp with a Green and White scrimmage on Sunday, and they went through the weekend just focusing on the business at hand. The annual Dogs' Breakfast on Thursday morning opened the weekend's festivities as 25 new recruits were revealed to a crowd of about 2,000 at Prairieland Park.
    Most of the roster from the squad that went 6-2 during the 2014 regular season will return in 2015, and the returnees looked good. In the early going, the Huskies have to be considered a favourite to win the Canada West title.
    When thoughts turn to the post-season, expectations get tempered. U of S has lost its last six straight playoff contests and is 1-9 in its last 10 post-season games. They last won the Canada West title in 2006.
    The Huskies improved steadily during the course of last season and hosted their first playoff game since 2010. They took a 37-18 lead in the third quarter of a Canada West semifinal contest against the U of Manitoba Bisons, but the Bisons rallied for a 47-39 victory.
    The comeback came because the Bisons scored 14 points off a pair of interceptions including a pick-six, a major coming off a blocked punt, a field goal off a fumble and a safety caused by a bad long snap.
    During the spring camp, not much was said about the post-season implosion against the Bisons. The Huskies players and coaches just focused on getting better and getting the newcomers used to the team's systems.

Drew Burko unloads a pass at the Huskies spring camp scrimmage.

    Veteran quarterback Drew Burko, who is entering his fourth year of eligibility, looked good during his reps in the scrimmage. Second-year signal caller Kyle Siemens looked really good. The offence once again has a huge stable of standout running backs.
    The defence also came through with big stops, and it will be anchored by veterans like linebacker Dylan Kemp and defensive back Chris Friesen, who will both be entering their fifth and final years of eligibility. The biggest addition is linebacker Justin Filteau, who starred with CJFL's Hilltops.
    When main training camps rolls around August, the Huskies have to follow the old cliché in taking each week as it comes and also hope the injury bug is kind. When the post-season arrives, it is expected to be a wide open with regards who could win it all, because most of the other teams in Canada West have gone through big changes in the off-season.
    The Huskies continuity might give them a big edge.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. To see more pictures of the Hilltops and Huskies respective scrimmages, check out Twitter @StanksSports.