Thunder snatch victory away from Hilltops

Regina pulls out 29-21 OT win in miraculous fashion

Ryland Leichert (#32) scores the OT winning TD for the Thunder.

The Regina Thunder pulled a game that was seemingly lost out of the fire leaving the Saskatoon Hilltops to wonder what might have been.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops saw a 21-14 advantage disappear right before the end of the fourth quarter as the Thunder scored to force overtime and proceeded to pull out the CJFL regular season clash in the extra session 29-21 before 1,477 spectators.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert ran home the winning touchdown from 15 yards out in overtime, and Regina star quarterback Carter Shewchuk hit star receiver Isaac Foord with a pass for a two-point convert to round out the final outcome.

Ryland Leichert (#32) had 139 yards rushing for the Thunder.

“Shoutout to the O-linemen,” said Leichert. “They had great blocks.

“They made a hole for me. I just hit it. A lot of that goes to them.

“It just feels good to get the win.”

With less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Hilltops defensive back Dylan Cook recovered a Thunder fumble to set Saskatoon up with an offensive possession just inside Regina’s side of midfield. The host Hilltops led the Thunder 21-14 and were looking to run out the clock.

The Hilltops offence went two and out. After a punt by Saskatoon kicker Connor Green, the Thunder had the ball with just over a minute to play deep in their end with no timeouts.

Carter Shewchuk threw for 319 yards for the Thunder.

Very quickly, Shewchuk connected on a number of intermediate routes to move the ball downfield. The visitors would then find themselves facing a third-and-eight situation from the Saskatoon 31 yard line.

Shewchuk proceed to throw a duck pass that seemed destined to fall incomplete on the Saskatoon five yard line on the right side of the field. Thunder star receiver Isaiah Woodley, who was running a go route down the right sideline, broke to the middle, and he hauled in the underthrown and wobbly pass.

Woodley then zipped in to the end zone for the touchdown that evened the score at 21-21 with 16.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and ultimately forced overtime.

Isaiah Woodley celebrates his late fourth quarter TD catch.

In overtime, the CJFL plays CFL shootout rules, where offences scrimmage from the opposing 35 yard line attempting to drive the short distance for a score and teams have to go for two-point conversions after major scores. The Hilltops got the first possession in overtime and got down to the Regina six yard line after quarterback Damon Dutton hit Lachlan Horsley with a 29-yard pass.

The Hilltops drive stalled and a third down gamble pass to Horsley in the end zone fell incomplete.

That set the stage for Leichert to put up the winning points on the Thunder’s ensuing possession.

“We got a little too high,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, whose team will face the Thunder again this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. “We still struggle in moments and situations, and that seems to be the flavor of this team right now.

Hilltops R Lachlan Horsley, left, had nine catches for 122 yards.

“At the end of the day, that falls directly on me. Preparation is half the battle. At the end of the day, we didn’t close the game, which has been a theme.

“Regina wanted it more than we did at the end. That was pretty simple. Good for Regina, and we’ll see them next week.”

The Hilltops opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter going up 3-0 with a 12-yard field goal from Green. Just 61 seconds into the second quarter, the Thunder evened things up at 3-3 with a 32-yard field goal from star kicker Eric Maximuik.

At the 5:06 mark of the second quarter, Dutton hit Hilltops backup running back Tanner Szakacs with a nine-yard touchdown pass to give the hosts a 10-3 advantage heading into halftime.

Charles Sawi, left, returns a missed field goal 125 yards for a TD.

Green booted the second half kickoff into the Thunder end zone, where it was downed for a single point to increase the Hilltops lead to 11-3. 

At the 5:30 mark of the third quarter, Green hit a 39-yard field goal to increase the Hilltops advantage to 14-3.

With 1:40 remaining in the third quarter, Thunder running back Keane Szabo dove into the Saskatoon end zone from a yard out for a touchdown. Following Szabo’s major score, Shewchuk hit Leichert with a five yard pass for a two-point conversion that trimmed Saskatoon’s lead to 14-11.

Boston Davidsen (#24) had 128 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

Early in the fourth quarter, Maximuik attempted a 45 yard field goal to pull the Thunder even on the scoreboard. His kick sailed wide, and Hilltops 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi ran the ball back 125 yards the other way for a touchdown to give Saskatoon a 21-11 edge.

With 6:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Maximuik connected on a field goal from 31 yards out that cut the Hilltops lead to 21-14. That set the stage for the dramatics inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.

“It didn’t end the way we want it to,” said Hilltops defensive end Daylen Hartz, who had a sack and three total tackles on Saturday. “The fun thing is that we get to play them again next week too.”

The Hilltops celebrate an interception from Konner Johnson.

Hartz said the Hilltops missed a lot of opportunities in key situations that would have helped them win the game. The veteran, who is in his final season of CJFL eligibility, said his will continue to work on getting better in practice to cash in on those missed opportunities.

“There were a lot of things everyone could have done a bit better,” said Hartz. “That is what this next week is for.

“A chip on the shoulder helps with working a bit harder, and I think we’re definitely going to be working a bit harder this week.”

During Saturday’s game, Dutton completed 19-of-32 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Horsley caught nine passes for 122 yards to lead the Hilltops in receiving.

Damon Dutton (#19) threw for 268 yards for the Hilltops.

Star power running back Boston Davidsen led the Hilltops on the ground carrying the ball 24 times for 128 yards.

Shewchuk completed 27-of-42 passes for 328 yards and one touchdown, while throwing two interceptions for the Thunder. Foord led the Thunder in receiving with eight catches for 127 yards.

Leichert paced the Thunder’s ground game carrying the ball 19 times for 91 yards to go with his game-winning major score. He said Saturday’s win improved his team’s confidence about pulling out games in desperate situations.

“I think that just goes to show our confidence and our effort,” said Leichert. “That is how we play all season.

“There is not going to be a game where it is not over. We’re going to be playing hard until the whistle blows. That is our mentality.”

Isaac Foord (#8) had eight catches for 127 yards for the Thunder.

Defensively, Hilltops star outside linebacker Konner Johnson had eight total tackles, two pass knockdowns and an interception. Defensive end Riece Kack had eight total tackles and one sack for the Hilltops, while defensive back Justin Adamko had an interception.

Thunder defensive back Adam King led his team with nine total tackles. Linebacker Kenten Effa had 7.5 total tackles and a sack for the Thunder, while defensive back Justin McKerracher had four total tackles and an interception for the Regina side.

Regina remained undefeated with the win improving to 4-0, while the Hilltops fell to 2-2 having lost two straight.

The Thunder celebrate their game-winning score on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we have to get back to drawing board, and we have to figure out how to become more effective as a football team in all three phases,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, third and eight the defence could have won the game right there too.

“We didn’t. They made more plays. They were a better football team tonight.”

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Hilltops focused on playing back to standard

Saskatoon opens home-and-home series with rival Thunder

Hilltops RB Boston Davidsen leads the PFC in rushing.

Tom Sargeant wants his Saskatoon Hilltops to show they’ve righted the ship.

A win over the Regina Thunder would be a bonus.

On Saturday at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the provincial rivals go at it in the first game of a CJFL regular season home-and-home series. The series concludes when the two sides go at it again on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Thunder head into those clashes with a perfect 3-0 record. The Hilltops sport a 2-1 mark falling in their last outing 19-16 to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28.

Sargeant, who is the Hilltops long time legendary head coach, wants to see his club play up to the standard that has seen the program in 22 CJFL championships.

“We are playing at home, so I want to make sure we come out and play our best game of the year, defend home turf and play a physical brand of Hilltop football,” said Sargeant, whose 220 career wins are the most for Canadian amateur football in the post-secondary ranks. “If we get that, it doesn’t matter who we play if we go and execute the game plans.

“I’m certainly not happy from the performance we saw (on August 28 against the Rifles). That is why we coach. We coach to get better and to improve.

“I believe we have the right players in the situations to grow and develop. If that is the case, they’ll come out and play game four real, real well.”

The Thunder enter the contest with the top ranked offence and defence in the PFC. They have gained 1,705 yards of net offence, while giving up just 862 net yards on defence.

The Hilltops are ranked third in offence and defence in the PFC entering Saturday’s game. They have gained 1,179 yard of net offence and given up 1,038 net yards on defence.

The biggest difference between the two clubs offensively has been the passing game. The Thunder lead the PFC with 1,059 yards passing, while the Hilltops sit last in the six-team PFC with 523 yards passing.

Damon Dutton has completed 45-of-68 passes this season.

Thunder star starting quarterback Carter Shewchuk has been on fire completing 60-of-79 passes for 990 yards and 10 touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. Shewchuk’s yardage and touchdown pass totals lead the PFC.

Hilltops starting quarterback Damon Dutton has officially completed 45-of-68 passes for 483 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Sargeant wants to see improved production from the passing game, because he expects the Thunder will key on disrupting the Hilltops ground game.

“We have to work hard to get our pass game better,” said Sargeant. “Like anything, we always want to be a 50/50 team.

“Right now, we haven’t been able to do that, because we haven’t executed the plan as well.  That is straight on the coaches and the players. Those things we need to figure out, and we need to figure it out by Saturday night.

“The good thing about Regina, they’ll let us know what they think are our strengths. I’ll be able to tell after the game what we need to do to move forward.”

Statistically, the teams are almost even with the production they’ve gotten out of their ground game. The Thunder top the PFC in rushing with 712 yards along the ground, while the Hilltops sit second with 672 yards along the ground.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert sits second in the PFC in rushing with 379 yards coming on 53 carries, and he has scored one touchdown.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen leads the PFC with 392 yards rushing coming on 65 carries, where he has reached the end zone twice. The last time these two teams met back on Nov. 14, 2021 at Mosaic Stadium, the Hilltops piled up 386 yards as a team on the ground road gradering their way to a 29-9 victory in the PFC final to capture a seventh straight conference crown.

Davidsen said the Hilltops offensive line had a special game that day leading to that dominant final outcome.

Boden Marley leads the Hilltops with 143 yards receiving.

“I just feel that the mindset that we had of our blockers was really good that day,” said Davidsen. “There were some pretty big holes that day I feel like you maybe could have drove a truck through.

“When you have blockers like that, it makes the game easy. It looks good, and I think that really came down to their mindset.”

Davidsen said the ground game isn’t always going to have a monster outing like in last year’s PFC final. He believes his team’s passing game is on the verge of having a breakout performance.

With that said, Davidsen believes the passing game will have a better chance to get on track, if the Hilltops can continue to have success along the ground.

“Obviously, we are looking to run the ball and run it well,” said Davidsen. “That is obviously a goal for us every game, especially this upcoming Saturday.

“I think we would really benefit, if we run the ball well early on. It will really help us open up our pass game. We have a lot of really talented players on the passing side of the ball.

“They haven’t really been able to showcase and put up those numbers that I think they really could put up yet this year. I think if our backs can run the ball well early on it would really help our pass game this Saturday.”

The Thunder receivers have made the big plays so far this season. Isaac Foord sits second in the PFC with 290 receiving yards coming off 16 catches, and he has leads the PFC in receiving touchdowns with four.

Isaiah Woodley sits third in the PFC with 279 receiving yards coming on 16 catches, and he has scored three touchdowns through the air. 

Rylan Sokul, who was the PFC’s most valuable player last season, sits fifth in the conference with 205 receiving yards coming off 13 catches, and he has scores two touchdowns.

Dillan Heintz is looking for his first big game of the 2022 season.

Boden Marley tops the Hilltops in receiving with 12 catches for 143 yards and one touchdown. He ranks eighth in receiving yardage in the PFC.

On paper talent wise, the Hilltops have depth at receiver with Marley, Dillan Heintz, Lachlan Horsley, Presley Peterson, Boden Marley, Matthew Turple and Noah Flaman. All of those pass catchers are capable of having big games.

“At the end of the day, it is all of us in one big pile working hard to sort this out,” said Sargeant. “We’re not going to talk about it too much.

“We just have to come out and practice harder, play better, compete harder, and when you do those things, it is amazing what the results are. I’m excited for the challenge that is coming our way. Saturday night can’t come soon enough.”

Roughriders alum Hughes coming to End Zone Dinner

A Neal Hughes card.

Saskatchewan Roughriders alum Neal Hughes will be the special guest speaker at this year’s Saskatoon Hilltops End Zone Dinner.

The End Zone Dinner will be held on Saturday, September 10 at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. Doors open for the dinner at 4:15 p.m. with food to be served at 5:15 p.m. The funds raised at the dinner go towards the Hilltops scholarship fund.

Hughes, who is from Regina, played 11 CFL seasons at fullback for the Roughriders from 2004 to 2014 helping the team to Grey Cup wins in 2007 and 2013. The 2013 championship was won at the Roughriders historic home park in Taylor Field.

During his time with the Roughriders, Hughes mainly focused on blocking duties as a fullback or from a tight end position and covered kicks on special teams. He also showed his versatility in being able to make big plays running the football, catching it out of the backfield or punting it when required.

Before joining the Roughriders, Hughes played six seasons with the Regina Rams as their star running back. He suited up for the Rams as a rookie in 1998, when they played their final season in the CJFL capturing their 15^th and final CJFL championship.

Hughes suited up with the Rams during their first five seasons in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams helping them advance to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – in 2000. The Rams fell 42-39 in that contest to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Following the End Zone Dinner, the Hilltops will face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which is right next to the Gordie Howe Sports Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

Single tickets for the dinner are $100 or a table of eight can be bought for $725.

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking on a link 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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“Sarge,” Pingue highlight Hilltops major award winners for PFC

HC Tom Sargeant, right, give a play to Rylan Kleiter (#7)

    The fearless leader on the sidelines and a linebacker who had a career year were among four members of the Saskatoon Hilltops who claimed major awards for the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference on Friday.

    Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was coach of the year for the PFC for a second straight year, and Hilltops fifth-year middle linebacker Jadyn Pingue was named the conference’s most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker.

    The Hilltops, who are 9-0 overall, are set to host the PFC final on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Edmonton Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    Sargeant and his coaching staff arguably did some of their best work this season guiding the Hilltops to an 8-0 record in the regular season for the second straight year. The Hilltops 8-0 regular season finish in the 2019 campaign was unexpected as the team turned over a high volume of starters from last season and had a number of players adjusting to new roles.

    Along the way, Sargeant collected his 200^th career win, when the Hilltops, who are the five time defending CJFL champions, downed the Thunder in Regina 34-16 on Aug. 25 in Week 2 of the CJFL campaign. Currently, the 54-year-old has a 207-30-2 career coaching record in both the CJFL regular season and playoffs.

    Under the guidance of Sargeant and his staff, the Hilltops have won their last 28 games in a row overall, a CJFL record 17 in a row in the post-season, and 27 straight games on the road including three appearances in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl.

Jadyn Pingue (#45) leads the Hilltops on to the field.

    Pingue was a regular starter for the first time this season in his five campaigns with the Hilltops, and he made the most of his opportunity being named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker.

    The 22-year-old appeared in seven regular season games with the Hilltops in the 2019 campaign collecting 29 defensive tackles, seven assisted defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Hilltops veteran Colton Holmes, who is in his final year of CJFL eligibility, came away as a major award winner taking the nod as the PFC’s most outstanding defensive back despite missing four games in the regular season due to a leg injury. In the four regular season games Holmes appeared in, he posted 12 defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, three special teams tackles, two pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Holmes attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and was on the team’s practice roster until rejoining the Hilltops.

    Rylan Kleiter, who is a four-year veteran receiver/kicker with the Hilltops, captured honours as the PFC’s most outstanding special teams player. Kleiter hit 18-of-22 field goals for a success rate of 81.8 per cent with a long of 42 yards.

Colton Holmes, left, visits with supporters after a win in Regina.

    He kicked off 46 times for an average of 51.1 yards. Kleiter punted the ball seven times for an average of 36 yards per kick.

    As a receiver, Kleiter caught 22 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
    Hilltops fifth-year defensive end Caleb Haight took the PFC’s Al Park Community Service Award. He had 10 defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle and two sacks in Saskatoon’s eight regular season games. 

    In the PFC final, the Hilltops will be facing one of the Huskies stars who captured three major PFC awards. Running back Brandt Burzuk was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back.

    Burzuk carried the ball 129 times for 824 yards and six touchdowns appearing in all of the Huskies eight regular season games.

    Sargeant expects to be in a tough battle with the Huskies.

    “They are very well coached, they are very physical and they love to make plays,” said Sargeant. “They had the most sacks this year.

    “They had lots of turnovers. Their defence played at a very high level. Then you look at (Brandt) Burzuk who was the unanimous running back (as a PFC all-star), a good quarterback, a good receive corps, they just have good athletes all across the board.”
    Saskatoon downed the Huskies 28-9 in last year’s PFC final. The Hilltops took the lone regular season meeting in 2019 between the two sides 24-22 on Sept. 1 in Edmonton.

    Sargeant said the this year’s PFC final is a game where his side needs to be error free.

    “We have to play smart,” said Sargeant. “We have to be in right spots, and we have to play great Hilltops football.

Rylan Kleiter (#7) hit 81.8 per cent of his field goals in the regular season.

    “It is not an easy task in front of us, but we’re excited for the challenge. The coaches have been working extra hard to come up with great game plans, and now we have to figure out how to execute them and put our players in some critical spots and then expect them to make the plays, when the plays come their way.”

    Players from the Regina Thunder took the other five major PFC awards.

    Thunder left-tackle Logan Ferland was named the conference’s most outstanding offensive lineman. Ferland is on the practice roster of the Roughriders.

    Isaac Foord was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver hauling in 31 passes for 605 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

    Blake Scherle took home honours as the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback. He completed 144-of-247 passes for 2,196 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

    Carson Bell was named the most outstanding defensive lineman posting 11 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.

    Defensive back Justin McKerracher captured the PFC’s rookie of the year award recording seven defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, two interceptions and two pass knockdowns.

Brandt Burzuk in action in last year’s PFC final.

    The Regina players compiled their statistics over seven regular season games due to claiming a home victory over the Winnipeg Rifles 1-0 by forfeit on Oct. 13. The Rifles were unable to make that contest due to snowstorm conditions in Manitoba.

    The Thunder were 6-2 in the regular season and 6-3 overall.

    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 get some luck, rally past Thunder in epic clash

Ben Abrook dives home for the Hilltops winning touchdown.

    Ben Abrook is enjoying reruns so far in the 2019 Canadian Junior Football campaign.

    On Saturday night before 1,981 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the third-year power running back played hero for the five time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops in a 28-21 victory over the Regina Thunder in a hard-fought regular season tilt.

    With the Thunder holding a 21-20 lead, Abrook dived over top of a pile on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 33.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops the winning points in the contest. The Hilltops followed Abrook’s touchdown with a two-point convert on a five-yard pass completion from quarterback Tyler Hermann to backup running back Carter McLean.

    In the Hilltops previous outing last Sunday at Clarke Park in Edmonton, Alta., Abrook scoring the winning touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops a 24-22 comeback victory over the Huskies.

The Hilltops celebrate Ben Abrook’s game winning touchdown.

    The Hilltops trailed 19-7 at halftime in that contest.

    Abrook has relished the chance to come through in big moments.

    “I personally enjoy being on the field more, because you can kind of make what is going to happen,” said Abrook. “You can make the moment.

    “I enjoy that, and it is just good to see our ‘D’ close it out and everything. It is a good ending.”

    Abrook’s winning score almost didn’t come to pass in the victory over the Thunder.

    On the play before Abrook’s game-deciding major, Hilltops backup quarterback Doug Fleming, who handles short-yardage situations, fumbled the ball away, and the Thunder recovered the loose ball.

Eric Maximuik kicks a 45-yard field goal for the Thunder.

    The fumble recovery was nullified due to an offside penalty that was assessed to the Regina side.

    Both teams had used all their timeouts at that point, and the Thunder would have likely run out the game clock to pick up the victory had the fumble recovery stood up.

    “They got it absolutely,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “We didn’t deserve that (break with the offside), but at the end of the day, I guess we’ll take it.

    “We will learn from it. That was bad coaching. A quarterback that didn’t play much, I put him in thinking because he did it early in the game I thought I put him in a good spot.

QB Tyler Hermann fires a key final drive pass for the Hilltops.

    “Maybe the moment was too big at the time for Doug (Fleming). We’ll see. Doug is a character kid, he is a quality kid, he is going to be a great player at some point, but we can’t have those mishaps in those types of situations.”

    Sargeant said he made the decision to put Fleming in the game on the play where the fumble happened that was negated by the offside call to the Thunder.

    “Once again, that is on me,” said Sargeant. “I have to coach it better.”

    The win allowed the Hilltops to improve to 4-0 and run their overall winning streak to 23 games including action in the regular season and playoffs. The Thunder fell to 2-2 with the setback, and both of their losses came to the Hilltops.

    The Hilltops claimed the Shrine Bowl for sweeping the season series with the Thunder 2-0, and have claimed that honour for five straight years.

Connor Graham, middle, makes a tough catch on the Hilltops final drive.

    For a moment, it looked like the Thunder were going to escape Saturday’s game pulling out a win with last minute heroics. With 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Hilltops holding a 20-18 lead, veteran Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik drilled a 45-yard field goal to put the visitors up 21-20.

    Following the Thunder field goal, Matt Turple returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards for the Hilltops to allow them to start their offensive series at their own 45 yard-line. The Hilltops proceeded to drive 65 yards for the winning touchdown.

Ben Abrook ran for 128 yards and scored two TDs.

    One of the key plays on the series was Hermann hitting fifth-year receiver Connor Graham for a 23-yard gain that put the Hilltops on the Thunder one yard-line. That set the stage for the fumble that was negated by a penalty and Abrook’s winning score.

    “At the end, players make the plays,” said Sargeant. “Connor Graham made a big catch.

    “I thought Matt Turple’s kick return sort of energized our football team and sort of led us to a good touchdown winning drive. Lots of positives, but for me, there are still more negatives than positives today. Unfortunately, the way I coach that is who I am and is where I am at.”
    The Thunder took a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s game, when Maximuik drilled the opening kickoff 70 yards into the Saskatoon end zone, where it was downed for a rouge.

    Abrook scored his first of two touchdowns on the night at the 2:13 mark of the first quarter to give the Hilltops a 7-1 advantage.

    Maximum hit an 18-yard field goal to cut the Hilltops edge to 7-4 just over six minutes after Abrook’s first score.

QB Blake Scherle had 333 yards passing for the Thunder.

    On the final play of the opening quarter, McLean ran a touchdown in from four yards out to give the Hilltops a 14-4 lead.

    Just past the midway point of the second quarter, Hilltops kicker Rylan Kleiter hit a 22-yard field goal to push the host side’s lead out to 17-4.

    Momentum changed late in the second quarter when Thunder defensive back Brandyn Martin intercepted Hermann. The Thunder turned that interception into a mid-length touchdown drive that was kept alive by a Hilltops unnecessary roughness penalty and the visitors executing a fake field goal to get a first down.

    The drive was capped when Thunder quarterback Blake Scherle hit receiver Ethan Douglas for a five-yard touchdown pass that trimmed the Hilltops lead to 17-11 with 2:55 remaining before halftime.

Ethan Douglas hauls in a five-yard touchdown reception for the Thunder.

    The Thunder had the only score in the third quarter, when backup running back Maxwell Foerster dove in from a yard out to put the visitors up 18-17 with 1:26 remaining in the frame.

    Kleiter hit a 22-yard field goal with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Hilltops back on top 20-18. Saskatoon appeared to ice the game after forcing a turnover on downs when star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb stopped Foerster on a third-and-one game.

    The Hilltops took over the ball at Regina’s 43 yard-line. On the ensuing series, Abrook was stopped on a third-and-one gamble allowing the Thunder to take over the ball at their own 34 yard-line.

    Regina proceeded to drive downfield to set up Maximuik’s long field goal and the rest of the dramatics at the end of the contest that saw the Hilltops drive for the winning touchdown.

Hilltops DT Jesse McNabb, middle, makes a stop on a third down gamble.

    “It was a big game,” said McNabb, who is in his fifth and final season with the Hilltops. “It is always a big game, when we play Regina.

    “They always play their best game against us, so it is a big one to come out with the win.”

    Abrook piled up 128 yards on 30 carries to go with his two touchdowns. Hermann finished the contest completing 21-of-31 passes for 245 yards with one interception.

    Fifth-year linebacker Riley Keating topped the Hilltops with seven total tackles, while second-year linebacker Konner Johnson had a fumble recovery.

    Scherle completed 25-of-44 passes for 333 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for the Thunder. Veteran receiver Isaac Foord caught nine passes for 155 yards for the Thunder.

Hilltops receiver Keegan Dicks, right, looks to get past a Thunder DB.

    Martin had six-and-a-half total tackles and pass knockdown to go with his interception.

    Abrook was happy the Hilltops pulled out the win, and he believes the fact his side took two straight close games will help his squad later on in the season.

    “I think it definitely can be good for us just to give us some composure and everything going into playoffs, because we will have to play those teams again most likely,” said Abrook. “I think it is going to be good in the long haul.

    “We definitely need to get better and keep going, and yeah, it should be good.”

    Both the Thunder and Hilltops embark on bye weeks before returning to action on Sunday, Sept. 22. 

Logan Ferland (#60) sets to make a block for the Thunder.

    The Thunder will host the Huskies at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, and the Hilltops host the Calgary Colts at 1 p.m. at SMF field.

    The Hilltops head into their final four regular season games winning the season series and holding the standings tiebreaker against both the Thunder and Huskies. The Thunder and Huskies are expected to be the Hilltops two main competitors in the race for first place in the Prairie Football Conference.

    “We’re pretty much controlling our destiny,” said Sargeant. “We’re good at doing that, and we are used to doing that.

    “This is nothing new, but the product on the field is not what I am happy with. We had a great week at practice. I should have seen just more things I saw in practice that I didn’t see on game day, but game day is different.

The Hilltops celebrate their victory on Saturday night.

    “We have to be right and get our players more understood in tight within the game plan, so that they execute it better. It just wasn’t good enough today.”

    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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