Hilltops get nods in CJFL Top 50

Storied Saskatoon squad opens regular season on Sunday

Charles Sawi was rated second on the CJFL Top 50 list.

Tom Sargeant is about team first, but he will always be up for his players receiving any individual recognition.

Heading into the 2023 CJFL regular season, the Hilltops had five players crack into the CJFL’s annual Top 50 players to watch list heading into the campaign. Running back and kick returner Charles Sawi was rated second, defensive end Riece Kack placed eighth, running back Boston Davidsen was listed 22^nd, middle linebacker Matt Wist cracked in at 26^th and defensive back Joe Yausie was rated 38^th.

The Hilltops, who were rated third in the CJFL’s pre-season power rankings, open their regular season schedule on Sunday when they host the Edmonton Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Sawi cracking the list in the second spot was head turning considering he is entering his second campaign in the CJFL, and he is still 18-years-old.

“It is certainly a recognition of the type of playmaker that he is,” said Sargeant, who is the Hilltops legendary head coach. “At the end of the day, it is still a small sample size, because he really didn’t get a lot of touches.

“Certainly, Boston (Davidsen) is still our feature running back and the guy that we’re going to put a lot of emphasis in. Charles will get some of his reps there, and he’ll get some reps in other places as well. We have a pretty good core offence.

Riece Kack (#47) was rated eighth on the CJFL Top 50 list.

“We’ll move him around a little bit and try and showcase what his skill set is and see if he can earn that number being number two.”

The CJFL has produced Top 50 players lists at the start of each season since 2016. Sawi joins select company as only three other Hilltops players have been rated either first or second on the Top 50 lists that have come out.

 The first time the circuit ever did such a list in 2016, Hilltops linebacker Cole Benkic was rated first. 

One year later, Hilltops running back Logan Fischer cracked the Top 50 list in the second position. In 2018, Hilltops quarterback Jordan Walls was ranked first on the Top 50 list.

Benkic, Fischer and Walls were all in their respective final campaigns of CJFL eligibility when they reached those lofty ratings on the Top 50 list.

Last season, Sawi won the CJFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He became the first member of the Hilltops to be named a rookie of the year for the entire CJFL since that honour was first handed out in 1998.

In 2022, Sawi, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, played through his rookie campaign in the CJFL at just 17 years of age and made some of the season’s most electrifying plays on offence and special teams. During the regular season, Sawi carried the ball 30 times for 342 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Boston Davidsen was rated 22nd on the CJFL Top 50 list.

On special teams, Sawi returned seven kickoffs for 168 yards and one touchdown, and five missed field goals for 271 yards that included a 125-yard return for a touchdown.

Sargeant, who is the all-time leader in career amateur post-secondary head coaching wins in Canadian football at 224 victories, said the splash plays Sawi made in 2022 picked up a lot of attention.

“First things first, he is so exciting on special teams, and that is where he made the majority of his name,” said Sargeant. “He runs pitch well, and he has a few things that really feature well into our offence.

“He is going to be our punt returner and kick returner. He is going to get into that offence way more than he was last year. Coach (Shane) Reider and the offensive staff have to keep figuring out how to get him in space, because once you get him in space, boy, he is tough to tackle out there.”

While Sawi captured the CJFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, Davidsen had an outstanding campaign in his own right. 

In the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Davidsen, who is entering his final season of CJFL eligibility, carried the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

With Davidsen slated as the Hilltops top running back, Sargeant has his own set of expectations for Sawi in 2023.

Matt Wist was rated 26th on the CJFL Top 50 list.

“We just want him to be a solid, competitive player that fits in well with our offence, and at the end of the day, that is reliable,” said Sargeant. “We can rely on him consistently.

“He is accountable to himself and to his teammates. If he can do those things, then they usually turn into big things with the blue and gold.”

On August 3, the Hilltops fell 32-1 to the Hilltops Alumni Team in the annual Hilltops Alumni Game at Ron Atchison Field. The Hilltops enter the 2023 regular season with a young and inexperienced team playing out of a resetting Prairie Football Conference.

Sargeant said there is a bit of a different vibe going into Sunday’s game with the Wildcats compared to how the Hilltops started any of their other campaigns in recent memory.

“It is way different, because we have so many new starters in here,” said Sargeant. “Certainly, we saw that last week against the alumni that youth and the lack of experience.

“Hopefully, through that performance and that game, the coaches are coaching it up and coaching hard that they’re going to be ready to play against their peers in the Edmonton Wildcats, a foe we’ve gone against for years. They have a new coaching staff and a new regime. There is a lot of uncertainty.

Joe Yausie (#9) was rated 38th on the CJFL Top 50 list.

“At the end of the day, we’re just focusing on ourselves and making sure that we get out here, and we perform up to our standards and attack the goals that we’ve set. At the end of the day, let’s see where it takes us.”

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Price faced gritty beginnings before becoming Hilltops star

Ex-receiver remembers paying dues before making big plays

Jason Price makes a 70-yard TD catch in 2017.

Jason Price is remembered as a big play receiver for the Saskatoon Hilltops, but the big plays didn’t come when he first joined the team.

From 2014 to 2019, the Hilltops won six straight CJFL championships, and Price played on the first five of those title winners during his five years with the team. His last CJFL play came on November 17, 2018 when the Hilltops took a knee to conclude a 58-21 victory over the Langley Rams at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant ensured the team’s eight fifth-year players including Price were on the field for that final play. With that moment, Price graduated from the team with an ultimate moment and special memory.

He was on the field as part of a group of eight teammates becoming the first players to play on five straight CJFL championship winning teams.

Way back as a rookie in 2014, Price had just graduated high school from Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate having been a member of the Marauders football team. During that first season with the Hilltops, Price’s main focus was just hanging in with the team.

“The whole rookie season is a lot of anxiety and like trying to do your part but not get in the way kind of thing,” said Price. “Obviously, I wasn’t really playing at that time.

“I’d just be on the sidelines.”

Price remembers being awestruck by his veteran teammates in 2014. He saw quarterback Jared Andreychuk, who was in his third season at that time, as an incredible leader.

Jason Price makes a 32-yard TD catch in 2016.

He saw a receiving corps that was deep where everyone could make plays. The veteran receivers included fourth year players Evan Turkington, Evan Kopchynski and Chad Braun along with third year players Preston Njaa, Tyson Sawatzky and Ryan Turple. Second year receiver Davis Mitchell was also finding his way on to the field to make clutch plays.

Price knew he wasn’t going to see the field very much. He didn’t say much that season and just working on getting better and doing his best to be part of the team.

Price remembers that season going by like a blur. When it came time for the Hilltops to travel to Langley, B.C., to face the Rams in the Canadian Bowl in 2014, Price wasn’t part of the travel roster that made that jaunt. The Hilltops would win that contest 39-14, and help the Saskatoon side bury the disappointment of falling in the 2013 PFC final to the Regina Thunder, who won the CJFL title that year.

 While he wasn’t with the Hilltops in person for that CJFL title win in Langley, Price got to be part of a moment that made him first feel truly linked to the Hilltops, where he saw the team as family.

“I remember they invited all of the players (who remained in Saskatoon) to the clubhouse to watch them play in that championship game on the screen,” said Price. “I remember a lot of nerves but also just a lot of cheering.

“It was definitely huge just as an end to my rookie season to be invited to like the clubhouse and feel a part of the team even though you’re not there. Even though you are not in Langley with the team, you’re still with the team in the clubhouse cheering on the guys that are there. After they won it, I remember like everybody watching it on the field and seeing everybody celebrate and everybody cheering like crazy in the clubhouse.

Jason Price, right, makes a 22-yard TD catch in 2016.

“It was a just a rush of excitement, obviously, from what had happened the year before to that year was huge.”

The Hilltops didn’t graduate any receivers following the 2014 campaign, but they were set to start graduating a number of veterans at that position starting with Turkington, Kopchynski and Braun at the end of the 2015 season. In 2015, Price found himself getting more reps at practice and the veterans taking a bigger role in helping mentor him.

“I just remember kind of feeling a little more comfortable,” said Price, who stood 6-feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. “Those guys when they are not in and you are kind of getting your second team reps I remember always coming back and getting some advice from Chad Braun or Evan Turkington.

“Those guys were kind of always around. They understood that they were fifth years, and they were the leaders. They also understood the traditions that come and the next generation that is coming through and really helped kind of build and help you get to that next level.

“It just says a lot about the leadership group we had in those years.”

After the Hilltops downed the Okanagan Sun 38-24 in the 2015 Canadian Bowl played at SMF Field, Price found himself hitting the field as a starter in his third campaign in 2016.

Jason Price makes 38-yard TD catch in Regina in 2017.

“I was nervous at the start,” said Price. “It was my first time starting, and the game still feels fast.

“I remember not doing well the first few games personally and then kind of fell into my own and kind of got an understanding with Jared (Andreychuk) and got an understanding with the rest of the team.”

With Andreychuk playing in his fifth and final season, Price had a breakout campaign hauling in 28 passes for 763 yards and seven touchdowns during the Hilltops nine-game regular season that year. Price’s receiving yardage and touchdown reception totals were career highs.

On November 12, 2016, the Hilltops traveled to Langford, B.C., where they downed the Westshore Rebels 37-25 in the Canadian Bowl. Price caught Andreychuk’s final career touchdown toss hauling in a 47-yard pass to account for the Hilltops final major of that game.

“Looking back on it, that was an amazing season, and I loved it,” said Price.

In 2017, Price had a solid season catching 19 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular season games. Quarterback Jordan Walls, who was in his fourth year with the Hilltops and first year as a starter in 2017, had a strong campaign, but the Hilltops ground game might have been the highlight spot offensively.

Jason Price makes a TD catch at SMF Field in 2017.

The Hilltops were rich in talent at the running back position that season as the trio of Logan Fischer, Adam Machart and Josh Ewanchyna all saw significant playing time, while Colin Stumborg consistently made big plays from his fullback spot. Rookie tailback Ben Abrook saw playing time, and he would be a key player on the team in 2018 and 2019.

Price thought a key point in the 2017 campaign came when the Hilltops dropped a 29-26 decision to the Thunder in their fourth regular season game. That was Saskatoon’s only loss that season, but Price believes that setback helped sharpen the team’s focus for the rest of that campaign.

With the Hilltops having won the last three straight CJFL titles, Price thought maybe the vibe on the storied team had gotten a little too relaxed.

“When you take a loss like that, it puts things into perspective and kind of gets you to have to refocus on things,” said Price. “I think that loss was pretty big to help us kind of refocus and just kind of don’t think about the past.

“You kind of just better yourself as the Hilltop group every day. You take it one week at a time, and eventually, you will get there. Obviously, we were led by another group of great leaders.

“I think that was big for the rest of the season, because sometimes you do need to kind of get put back in your place.”

Jason Price, right, makes a catch in Regina in 2018.

The Hilltops concluded the 2017 campaign traveling to Windsor, Ont., and downing the host AKO Fratmen 56-11 in the Canadian Bowl. With that victory, the Hilltops became the first team to win four straight CJFL titles.

Price believes the run of consecutive championships came because the Hilltops were good at concentrating on the notion that each season was its own campaign with its own story.

“Every year is kind of new,” said Price. “Every year you have a different team, a different group of starters.

“I think we kind of did a good job kind of staying focused year to year. There was something new every year, and we were not worried about what was happening in the past or what could happen in the future. We just kind of took it one game at a time.

“Obviously with repeat championships, there comes a little bit of pressure to pull through and do the same thing.”

In Price’s final season, the Hilltops had statistically one of their most dominant campaigns posting a perfect 11-0 record. They trailed on the scoreboard for a total of 81 seconds for the whole season.

Price had a strong personal campaign catching 31 passes for 709 yards and scoring four touchdowns in eight regular season games. He was named a PFC all-star and a CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

The sure handed pass catcher often just played two-and-a-half quarters per game as the Hilltops were usually holding big leads and cycling backups to get game experience at that point.

Jason Price makes an 81-yard touchdown catch in 2018.

“Reflecting back on that season, I think we all just had the most fun not necessarily because we were winning, but because we were such a developed team at that point,” said Price. “We were such a brotherhood.

“We always talk about the Hilltops brotherhood. It was just like that was our family. We just had the most fun with our family kind of thing.”

In the Canadian Bowl win over the Rams in 2018, Price caught three passes for a team high 75 yards. The biggest memory came in being one of the team’s eight fifth-year players that was on the field for the final knee down snap.

That group included Walls, receiver Adam Ewanchyna, right tackle Kirk Simonsen, defensive end Connor Guillet and linebackers Cody Peters, who was the CJFL’s defensive player of the year in 2018, Bobby Ehman and Adam Benkic. All eight of those players had each played five complete seasons with the Hilltops first taking the field with the team in 2014.

“For that to be your year and know that you’ve done it and those final seconds are ticking off the clock there, and you’re out there with all the guys that you’ve gone through five years of practising every day, games, putting your body on the line for those guys, and you get to celebrate with them after that final whistle, that was something special that is for sure,” said Price.

For Price, he looks back at all points of his five career with the Hilltops being memorable from the time he was an anxious rookie trying to do his best to be part of the team to being a fifth year star veteran at the end. 

Jason Price and the Hilltops celebrate a Canadian Bowl win in 2018.

The good things that came Price’s way came from the fact he ultimately just focused on working hard and getting better in his first year campaign.

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Competitive greatness on a different level

Hilltops run of six straight CJFL title wins a spectacular era

The Hilltops celebrate their Canadian Bowl win in 2015.

From 2014 to 2019, the Saskatoon Hilltops had a run that even the most optimistic person involved with the storied CJFL club wouldn’t have thought possible.

Since the modern version of the team hit the field in 1947, the Hilltops have become one of the most fabled teams in all of Canadian sport having won 22 CJFL championships. With all the accolades the Hilltops have collected over the past 75 years, the most impressive high point might have been the team’s run at winning six straight CJFL titles from 2014 to 2019.

The run was capped with the Hilltops posting two straight perfect seasons going 11-0 in 2018 and 12-0 in 2019.

“It was amazing,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, whose 218 career wins entering this season are the most in Canada’s amateur post-secondary football ranks. “I guess you remember the championship teams a little bit different than the other teams, and it is too bad.

“I’m not saying that is right, but you have that tendency to do that. It was just a great energy and a great confidence. These guys knew when they showed up in big games they were going to play their best football, and that is what championship caliber football is all about is playing your best when your best is needed.”

From left, Justin Filteau, Tom Sargeant and Jeff Yausie in 2014.

While the Hilltops strive to hit new levels of competitive greatness which they did during the run of six straight CJFL title wins, the run actually had an auspicious start.

Going into the 2014 season, the Hilltops were looking to bounce back after falling 21-16 in the PFC final against the Regina Thunder at Griffiths Stadium. The Thunder went on to win the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions for the first time in team history.

The Hilltops and Thunder opened the 2014 campaign playing each other at Taylor Field in Regina, and the Thunder prevailed in that contest 19-16 in overtime. After rebounding with a 19-13 victory over the Edmonton Huskies in Week 2 at Griffiths Stadium, the Hilltops hit a low point that seemingly came out of nowhere.

On Sept. 6, 2014, the Hilltops were set to play at their long time home park, which was newly renovated and rechristened Saskatoon Minor Football Field, against the Thunder. A lot of extra functions took place around that contest to commemorate the improvements at the park.

It appeared it was going to be a great day for the Hilltops as they held a 25-3 lead at one point in the contest and were up 25-6 going into the final two minutes of the game. Before those final two minutes elapsed, the Thunder scored three touchdowns to pull out a shocking 26-25 victory.

Justin Filteau sets to make a tackle in the PFC final in 2014.

Sitting with a 1-2 record, the Hilltops were in a soul searching position, and they were looking to just win a game.

“We had lost at Griffiths to Regina at the end of the year (in 2013),” said Sargeant. “They kicked the door down, and they were rocking and rolling.

“The next year they showed up with a lot of confidence, and they took us down. I wasn’t worried about them. I was just worried about us.

“I remember meeting with our leadership group, and I said, ‘Guys, you keep playing like this at the end of the day I’m going to have to play young guys, and we’re going to have to move forward.’ I said, ‘If this isn’t ground zero then we are in trouble.’”

The Hilltops in 2014 were a younger team with only five fifth-year players. One of those was linebacker Justin Filteau, who got a read on what needed to be done.

Filteau, who passed away in a plane crash on June 1, 2019, called a players’ only meeting in the basement of the Hilltops old clubhouse building. He spoke to the team about coming together as a family and working on the brotherhood within the squad.

Wayndel Lewis, right, takes a handoff in 2014.

In unique Filteau fashion, he was able to pull on the heartstrings of his teammates.

“That is one of the things we ended up writing on our rings was the brotherhood,” said Hilltops safety James Vause, who was in his rookie year in 2014. “I think it probably stemmed from that players’ only meeting that we had downstairs after we were 1-2 there.

“He (Filteau) definitely did bring the guys together. We had a good chat and the leaders all spoke. It was mostly Filteau speaking, but it was good to have something without the coaches around.”

Jordan Walls, who was a first-year quarterback with the Hilltops in 2014, said it was perfectly accurate to say that the players’ only meeting Filteau called was the point the team that season truly came together.

“It was a bunch of strangers that came in the first couple of weeks and then kind of after that meeting we all bought in,” said Walls. “We started doing things a lot more together as a team and going out as a group and making sure everyone was feeling included.

“As a first year guy, I definitely felt that way.”

After an intense week of practice, the Hilltops traveled to Edmonton and crushed the Huskies 68-17, which started a run where they closed the campaign with eight straight wins. The 2014 season culminated on November 8 with a 39-14 victory over the Rams in Langley, B.C. in the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions.

The Hilltops celebrate winning the PFC final in 2014.

Hilltops fifth-year star running back Wayndel Lewis, whose season came to an end with a left ankle injury in the team’s first playoff game, was named the CJFL’s offensive player of the year. Filteau took home individual honours as a CJFL all-Canadian all-star. Vause said you couldn’t overstate the impact Filteau had on the team.

“He was super important,” said Vause. “He definitely led by example.

“Being a young guy and kind of seeing his stature for a linebacker and how many plays he made and how much heart he showed on the field, he really put his heart and soul into every single practice and game. As a young guy seeing that, it was something that I definitely wanted to try and emulate as well. There wasn’t too many fifth years on the team, but they were definitely great leaders and players that we looked up to.

“A huge mantra on the Hilltops is to always try to help our fifth years leave as champions. With only having a few of them on our team, we really wanted to do it for them. Being a young guy, you really played for them, so they could leave the program as national champions.”

The Hilltops returned most of their roster in 2015, which in a lot of ways made it feel like a continuation of the 2014 season. A total of 16 players were playing out their final campaign of junior eligibility.

Jared Andreychuk, right, throw a pass in the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

It could be argued the Hilltops in 2015 were the most talented group out of the teams that won six straight CJFL titles from 2014 to 2019.

Jared Andreychuk was the cool and calm leader at quarterback. Logan Fischer was the star all-purpose running back, who could run hard through the tackles or make catches and big plays in space in the passing game. Des Vessey started at fullback, but he could carry the load at tailback if needed.

At receiver, Andreychuk seemingly had five or six number one receivers to throw to in Chad Braun, Evan Kopchynski, Davis Mitchell, Preston Njaa, Tyson Sawatzky and Evan Turkington.

On defence, outside linebacker Cole Benkic would be named the CJFL’s defensive player of the year, and he was joined by a highly talented duo in middle linebacker Cam Schnitzler and outside linebacker Quinn Pierce. The secondary was loaded with playmakers in Vause, Dylan Larson, Arnold Osam, Austin Thorarinson and Derek Sadownick.

The most remembered part of the 2015 Hilltops team were the starting offensive and defensive lines, which were arguably the best the team ever had. The starting offensive line featured Jordan Hydomako at centre, Tyler Hoath at right tackle, Terry Thesen at left tackle, Drayke Unger at right guard and Nathan Heide at left guard. The defensive line benefited from the stellar play of Blake Adams and Matt Kozun at the inside tackle spots and Tom Schnitzler and Blake Hermann at the defensive end positions.

Cole Benkic, right, sets to make a hit in the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

“(Matt) Kozun and (Blake) Adams were probably two of the best interior D-linemen that I’ve ever played with,” said Vause. “They were a force.

“Of course, you add the athleticism of (Tom) Schnitzler and (Blake) Hermann on the side, it was really fun to watch. You sit back and watch them play.”

The Hilltops rolled to a 7-0 start before having a hiccup and dropping their last regular season game to the Calgary Colts 34-4 at SMF Field. Saskatoon quickly reset for the post-season holding homefield advantage through the entire CJFL playoffs.

The “Blue and Gold” downed the Winnipeg Rifles 49-21 in the PFC semifinal and rocked the Colts in the PFC final 38-16. In the Canadian Bowl on November 7, 2015, the Hilltops battled the Okanagan Sun in a tightly contested game.

The 38-24 victory was only sealed when Andreychuk hit Turkington with a 33-yard touchdown pass with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops their 14-point lead. Fischer ran the ball 23 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught seven passes for 107 yards.

“Probably, my greatest memories as a Hilltop were that season,” said Vause, who became the Hilltops starting safety late in the regular season after Thorarinson went down to injury. “Winning at home in front of that crowd, it was an incredible experience.

Blade Adams kisses the Canadian Bowl in 2015.

“I still sort of think that 2015 team is one of the most dominant teams ever to play, which is a huge credit to Okanagan as well, because they gave us a really good game in that final. That 2015 team from top to bottom had a loaded roster. When I sort of think about Hilltop football, it was that season.”

After a mass amount of graduations, the Hilltops looked to be in a reloading phase in 2016, but one of their key fifth-year players was Andreychuk. While Andreychuk was throwing to a younger group of receivers outside of Sawatzky, who was also in his fifth year, the signal caller’s leadership showed through as the younger Hilltops grew.

 The Hilltops took it on the chin in an early season loss to the Colts but pulled out a number of close games to again finish first in the PFC with an 8-1 mark.

With Andreychuk calling the signals, the Hilltops got past the Colts 43-31 in the PFC final and advanced to the Canadian Bowl to play the Westshore Rebels in Langford, B.C. In the Canadian Bowl played on November 12, 2016, the Hilltops trailed the Rebels 19-16 late in the third quarter before hitting high gear to pull out a 37-25 victory.

Tom Sargeant eyes up the action in the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

Andreychuk finished his CJFL career posting a 9-0 record as a starting quarterback in the post-season and became just the third starting quarterback in CJFL history to lead his team to three straight CJFL championships.

“It was very eye-opening about how you need to play,” said Walls, who backed up Andreychuk from 2014 to 2016. “He (Andreychuk) was so good, so dialed in with everything he did.

“I really fed off of him. We did a lot of things together during the season. We always sat together at films and roomed together on the road.

“Every rep he took in practice I was watching and just trying to soak everything in from him, because he is one of the all-time great quarterbacks for the Hilltops. (It was big) getting the front row seat to see how he performed and how he acted and prepared and just ultimately on game day went out and performed at a very high level every single game. I can’t remember a game where he was ever bad.”

Walls took over the starter’s role at quarterback in 2017, and the Hilltops machine kept rolling. Their only loss came on September 9 of that year, when they dropped a 29-26 decision to the Thunder at SMF Field. That ultimately would be the last game the Hilltops would lose until 2021.

The Hilltops finished first in the PFC with a 7-1 record in the regular season. In the PFC final, a one-yard touchdown plunge from defensive tackle Garth Knittig with 96 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter sealed a 36-24 victory over the Thunder. Saskatoon proceeded to host the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders in a CJFL semifinal contest and romped to a 48-0 victory.

Logan Fischer runs the ball in the 2016 PFC final.

On November 11, 2017, the Hilltops became the first club to win four straight CJFL championships overwhelming the host Windsor AKO Fratmen 56-11 in the Canadian Bowl. For Vause, the Canadian Bowl win over the Fratmen marked an end to his playing career with the Hilltops.

“I would have done anything to have another year with the Hilltops,” said Vause. “I still think that those years playing football were some of the best years of my life.

“(There were) so many memories during those times. Aside from even the football aspect, it is just the relationships you build. It is the brotherhood that really makes you love the program.”

The 2018 campaign might have been one of the most dominant statistical seasons the Hilltops ever had. They opened the regular season on August 18 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina and thumped the host Thunder 41-7. The Hilltops took off and never looked back.

They went 8-0 in the regular season outscoring their opponents 402-70. Between the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops trailed on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds. The Thunder held a 17-16 lead for an 81-second span in the second quarter in a regular season game against the “Blue and Gold” at SMF Field September 22, which the Hilltops took by a 48-24 final score.

“We played a lot as rookies, because the old guys would get up so much,” said Hilltops linebacker Konner Johnson, who was a rookie in 2018. “I think every home game we got the rookies in for at least the fourth quarter and some of the third quarter sometimes.

Rylan Kleiter holds up the PFC Championship Trophy in 2016.

“That is huge in getting the young guys developed. It has definitely paid dividends for us.”

Saskatoon’s closest margin of victory came in the PFC final with a 28-9 triumph over the Edmonton Huskies. In the Canadian Bowl played on November 17 at SMF Field, the Hilltops stormed out to a 28-0 lead and cruised to a 58-21 victory over the Langley Rams.

“Reflecting back on that season, I think we all just had the most fun not necessarily because we were winning, but because we were such a developed team at that point,” said receiver Jason Price, who was a CJFL all-Canadian all-star in 2018. “We were such a brotherhood.

“We always talk about the Hilltops brotherhood. It was just like that was our family. We just had the most fun with our family kind of thing.”

With the Hilltops becoming the first team to ever win five straight CJFL titles, Sargeant had the team’s eight fifth-year players take the field for the final knee down snap of the Canadian Bowl. The group included Walls, Price, receiver Adam Ewanchyna, right tackle Kirk Simonsen, defensive end Connor Guillet and linebackers Cody Peters, who was the CJFL’s defensive player of the year in 2018, Bobby Ehman and Adam Benkic.

All eight players played their entire CJFL careers from 2014 to 2018 with the Hilltops.

Garth Knittig scores a touchdown in the 2017 PFC final.

“That was probably one of my fondest memories as a Hilltop just being out there with the guys that you had been through it all with from year one to year five,” said Walls. “It was a nice gesture of ‘Sarge’ to do that and put us out there and make sure that we were all bonded over that thing and we were kind of remembered for that.”

The Hilltops returned a veteran roster in 2019 that would see 15 players graduate at the end of the campaign. The club had a different dynamic as a number of fifth-year players were starting for the first time due to how deep the team was in previous seasons.

Some of the Hilltops first time fifth-year starters who had stellar campaigns included quarterback Tyler Hermann, receiver Connor Graham, and linebackers Jadyn Pingue and Riley Keating. Pingue was named the CJFL’s defensive player of the year for the 2019 campaign, and he said winning that award, which is named after Hilltops all-time great Larry Wruck, was life changing in opening doors in the sport.

Going into the 2019 campaign, Pingue said he wasn’t on anyone’s radar when it came to staying in football after his time with the Hilltops was complete, because he had been a backup. He just wanted to have a good season in his final campaign with the Hilltops to show he could be at a league best level as a player.

“I didn’t just want to be an all-star,” said Pingue, who is still playing football with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds with aspirations to make the professional ranks. “I wanted to be the best.

James Vause runs back and interception in the 2017 PFC final.

“I knew I was going to be doubted a lot, because not a lot of people have seen me play, and it was my first year as a starter. I put my heart into that season to be the impact player and a leader immediately. I knew that they needed to count on me to make it in the defence and to help our team win.

“I spent the off-season working, training, watching film of NFL players that I knew, and I took time to manifest on how I could be the best player possible and a national champion again. That award and season were really special for me, because it set a new standard for me that I knew how to achieve.”

The Hilltops were in tight battles in the first four weeks of the season. In Week 3, they downed the Huskies in Edmonton 24-22, and in Week 4, they outlasted the Thunder 28-21 at SMF Field. 

In both those games, the Hilltops needed rushing touchdowns from star power running back Ben Abrook to erase deficits inside the final two minutes of play.

“Those games were down in the final two minutes, and it took a drive to kind of come back and win,” said Hermann. “To me, that showed a lot of character in the team including myself.

Jordan Walls throws a pass in 2018.

“That gave me the kind of confidence that you know what it is not always sunshine and roses in the Hilltop world. There is adversity, and it is nice to know that when were facing that we can rise above it and rally around each other.”

Saskatoon proceeded to roll from there. In the PFC final, the Hilltops downed the Huskies 30-14 at SMF Field and bombed the Beefeaters on London, Ont., 51-1 in a CJFL semifinal contest.

In the Canadian Bowl played on November 16, 2019, the Hilltops took on the Rams for a second straight year with this clash taking place McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C. 

Saskatoon claimed the defensive slugfest 11-6 thanks to three field goals coming from receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter.

“I hadn’t cried like that in five years before or five years after,” said Hermann. “That was the most special moment being able to enjoy it with my parents and those coaches and specifically with one of my best friends Connor (Graham), and we able to do this whole thing together.

“I just remember hugging him on the field after and just crying. All that hard work and all those times when we were like questioning if it was worth it, we were just putting in so much time. We were just kind of buried in the depth chart.

“At the end of the day, feeling that moment at the end of the game, and it wasn’t the most beautiful game from an offensive standpoint, but I didn’t even care at the time. I was just so happy to climb that mountain and done it with my brothers and all the people that believed in me and really supported me throughout.”

Jason Price runs downfield after a catch in 2018.

Johnson hopes he can help the Hilltops defence emulate this year what they did in 2019, when he was a sophomore with the team.

“It was unreal, and that is what we are trying to get back to this year,” said Johnson. “Close games like that where it is low scoring and defences are kind of ruling the field both ways, it is super exciting as a defensive player.

“You’re kind of the star of the show out there and what everyone is watching. Hopefully our defence can stand up like that again this year.”

The 2019 season had extra special meaning for Pingue due to Filteau’s passing before that CJFL campaign began. Pingue was wearing the same #45 number that Filteau wore, and he was aware of the impact Filteau had on the program.

Pingue said the Hilltops played that season to honour Filteau, and one of his best memories was Sargeant being lifted on the shoulders of the Hilltops players while raising the Canadian Bowl to the sky to Filteau after the CJFL title win in Langley.

Jadyn Pingue in action for the Hilltops in 2019.

“Wearing the #45 that season had a new meaning for me,” said Pingue. “I had that number since my rookie season right after Filteau graduated from the program.

“After Justin’s passing, it turned into a number that meant more than my own, and it became one that I needed to honour as it had another legacy that needed to be respected. Back in that season, I went to ‘Sarge’ and the coaches in their office before the season kicked off to offer his number up for retirement, and I was open to changing my number. In my head at that time, it was the right thing to do, and I was open to changing my number.

“‘Sarge’ had a better idea and said that it would be better to honour it by wearing it for him, not by retiring it at that time. We added the JF45 decal on the back of our helmets to keep the memory alive of our Hilltop brother. We wanted to win not only for ourselves but for him too.”

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world caused the cancellation of the 2020 CJFL season.

In 2021, the Hilltops finished second in the PFC with a 6-2 regular season record, but traveled to Regina and downed the Thunder 29-9 in the PFC final at Mosaic Stadium. 

Saskatoon proceeded to fall in a CJFL semifinal contest 17-14 to the Rams in Langley, B.C., on November 20 to end the quest to win a CJFL title for the seventh straight year.

Tyler Hermann throws a pass in 2019.

During the run of winning six straight CJFL championships, the Hilltops won a CJFL record 22 straight post-season games. 

The 2021 season saw an overall winning streak of 33 games and a road winning streak of 31 contests including play in the regular season and post-season come to an end for the Hilltops. It is believed both of those streaks are CJFL records.

For many of the team’s followers, the Hilltops run of winning six straight CJFL titles is arguably the most memorable era of the modern version of the club that first took the field in 1947. 

Walls said he was humbled by any type of praise that comes the way of the Hilltops teams of that era.

“You’re honoured to be a part of it,” said Walls. “You’re honoured to be involved with the entire team.

“For the guys that had been around for the majority of the years and they’ve seen a lot of football, for them to say that six year stretch out of the all years they’ve been there is the one of the most memorable, that means a lot. You just start to think about all the teams and all the guys you’ve played with.

The Hilltops celebrate their Canadian Bowl win in 2018.

“We’ve all kind of gone our separate ways now, but when you get together for things outside of football or you see them at the field and you are coaching against them, that is one thing you always think back to. There were just so many guys that were involved with it. It was a good time for sure a good time.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. This piece originally ran in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program for their home game on August 14, 2022. A huge thanks goes out to Louis Christ for supplying a large number of photos for this feature.

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Hilltops’ QBs tackle bumps

Doug Fleming throws a pass at a Hilltops scrimmage.

The bumps came, but the Saskatoon Hilltops still found a way to win.

This past Sunday, the venerable Hilltops found themselves trailing the Edmonton Huskies 14-0 at halftime at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta. In the second half, the Hilltops rallied to pull out an 18-17 victory in rain soaked conditions on opening day of the CJFL regular season.

Quarterback Doug Fleming, who doubles as the club’s punter, kicked a punt single on the last play of the game to record the winning point of the contest. Fleming started the game for the Hilltops but was pulled at halftime in favour of backup Damon Dutton.

Dutton engineered the second half comeback that included hitting veteran receiver Dillan Heintz with a 38-yard pass on the Hilltops final drive to create the chance to score the winning point.

“The kids showed enough poise and guts and confidence to stay together and play and win,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “You certainly never like to switch quarterbacks at halftime, but I thought Damon Dutton came in and gave us some life and made some plays and the players rallied around him.

“Our defence, any time you give up 17 points in the PFC we feel that is a pretty positive. At the end of the day, the focus of this time right now is blocking, tackling, catching, throwing, running and just the basics of the game. If everyone does their job and we play hard and do it together, it is going to result in pretty good play.

“We didn’t do that consistent enough on Sunday.”

Following that opening day comeback win, the Hilltops have been extra focused on the film room and at practice on Ron Atchison Field preparing for their next game this coming Sunday against the Colts in Calgary at Shouldice Park.

The Colts dropped a 36-25 decision with past Sunday at home against the Edmonton Wildcats in the season opener for both of those squads.

Damon Dutton throws a pass at a Hilltops scrimmage.

With the way the Hilltops regular season opener went, it brought the million dollar question about whether there will be a change at the starting quarterback spot.

“Doug (Fleming) is going to come in against Calgary,” said Sargeant. “He is our starting quarterback.

“At the end of the day, they are both going to play. Doug is a great kid and a great leader. Damon (Dutton) is a real good football player.

“They are both going to play. At the end of the day, Damon (Dutton) has earned some minutes and some opportunity. Doug needs to get out there and show us that his is more capable than what he did last week.”

Sargeant, who also doubles as the Hilltops offensive coordinator, said the coaches have to elevate their games going forward and that included him as well.

“As coaches, we have to own some of that too on the performance,” said Sargeant. “I’ve met with both quarterbacks.

“I had great visits with them. As I said, they both know that they can play better, and they want to do better. I guarantee you they are going to practice harder, and we’re going to see hopefully better results in the future.”

Sargeant added the Huskies have often made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks in recent years and played the Hilltops tough. He said that was added into all the evaluations of the Hilltops last outing too.

“The Edmonton Huskies are extremely well coached,” said Sargeant. “Their defensive concepts and systems we haven’t quite cracked the code yet.

“That is on us. We’ll keep working at it. We’ll keep striving to improve.

“At the end of the day, you have to tip your hat off to your opponent as well. They came out, they were at home, and they played a real good football game.”

The Hilltops are focused on continual improvement.

Fleming completed 6-of-15 passes for 42 yards, while being intercepted on one occasion against the Huskies. Dutton completed 8-of-15 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown pass in the second half of that contest.

Both signal callers remember former Hilltops star starting quarterback Jordan Walls was never totally happy with his performances against the Huskies in his career even though Walls was victorious in every encounter with the Edmonton side.

Both Fleming and Dutton, who strongly support each other, admitted getting the Huskies in the opener was a big challenge.

“It was a little more difficult than I would like it to be,” said Fleming. “I mean they are a really good team, and they play us really, really well.

“Obviously, Wallsy wouldn’t like his games too much, because they know how to play us. It was just a little bit of growing pains out there, but that is kind of expected.”

“It was a challenge,” said Dutton. “All we had to do really was stick to what we know and trust the coaches and trust each other.

“We were able to go out and execute in the second half there.”

Fleming was pleased to kick the winning point for the Hilltops but noted he would have rather won in a more sound fashion.

“It was cool,” said Fleming. “We would have rather have not been in that situation and would have rather won the game a little bit more cleanly than that.”

The Hilltops are preparing to face the Colts this coming Sunday.

Dutton was pleased to part of some key moments in the comeback including the Hilltops last two scoring drives. 

He hit speedy pass catcher Ethan Godson with a 22-yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at 17-17 with 5:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“It was exciting,” said Dutton. “It was that time of the game, and some guys had to step up and the coaches they were calling great plays.

“The O-line was doing their thing. They were holding off the D-line. The running game was really working, so it was a mixture of a bunch of things.

“Obviously, it was very, very exciting to be able to be part of that group making that push for the end of the game there.”

Fleming gets PFC special teams player of the week nod

Doug Fleming picked up a weekly PFC award.

Saskatoon Hilltops starting quarterback Doug Fleming captured a weekly award for his work in the kicking game.

Fleming, who doubles as the Hilltops punter, was the named the special teams player of the week for the Prairie Football Conference on Tuesday. In the Hilltops 18-17 opening day win over the Huskies at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta., Fleming punted the ball 13 times for 455 yards for an average of 35 yards per punt.

The veteran in his third full CJFL season had 407 net yards off his 13 punts for a net average of 31.3 yards per punt.

On the last play of the game, Fleming kicked a punt single to break a 17-17 tie and give the Hilltops an 18-17 victory.

Fleming was appreciative of the weekly honour, but he wants to have better outings as a signal caller so he doesn’t have to kick as much.

“It was nice, but I’d rather not have to punt 13 times in a game,” said Fleming. “I’d rather not have to use me as a punter.”

Calgary Colts receiver Brendt Adams was the PFC’s offensive player of the week, while Winnipeg Rifles defensive back Joseph Funk-Clements took honours as the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

Dale makes history as first female to play CJFL game

Emmarae Dale made CJFL history this past Sunday.

Emmarae Dale carved out a piece of history on the CJFL’s opening day with the Saskatoon Hilltops.

This past Sunday, Dale became the first female player to suit up and play a game in the CJFL helping the Hilltops slip past the Edmonton Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta.

Dale, who is one of the Hilltops middle linebackers, recorded a special teams tackle in the win.

She was added to the Hilltops roster last year and took part in the six practice weeks the team held in September and October. The 2020 CJFL season was wiped out due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Dale’s older brothers Anthony and Donovan both played for the Hilltops in the late 2000s and early 2010s, so she was pretty pumped to play in last Sunday’s game.

“It was pretty surreal,” said Dale, who stands 5-foot-6. “I think it was just such a long time coming that it is kind of weird to think that it has already come and gone.

“It was the first game back since COVID. I think everyone is still just kind of getting the rust off after such a long wait, but it was awesome being there. I think even when I was just first putting on the shoulder pads and the Hilltops jersey it definitely kind of hit me that it was going to be a big game and very meaningful game.

“It was really awesome. It was definitely exciting and humbling. It was just a lot of emotions just kind of wrapped into one I think.”

Before joining the Hilltops, the 23-year-old Dale starred for the Saskatoon Valkyries from 2016 to 2019 helping them win Western Women’s Canadian Football League titles in 2016 and 2019. She was also a member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s track and field for four seasons through to the end of the 2019-20 campaign specializing in throwing events.

Since the September 15, 2020 announcement that Dale had officially cracked the Hilltops roster, she has been regularly featured by various media outlets across Canada.

End Zone Dinner is back for Hilltops

A Scott Schultz card.

The Saskatoon Hilltops traditional In The End Zone Dinner to raise funds for the team’s scholarship program is returning this season.

The club wasn’t able to hold the fundraising dinner a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s dinner will be held on September 11 at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. The guest speakers will be a pair of former Saskatchewan Roughriders members in defensive lineman Scott Schultz and linebacker Mike McCullough.

Schultz, who is originally from Moose Jaw, Sask., played for the Roughriders from 2002 to 2009 and helped Saskatchewan win the 2007 Grey Cup as CFL champions.

McCullough suited up for the Roughriders for 11 seasons from 2003 to 2013 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.

A Mike McCullough card.

Doors for the In The End Zone Dinner open at 4:15 p.m. with dinner to be served at 5:15 p.m.

Following dinner, the Hilltops will hold their home opener at 7 p.m. hosting their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 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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