Hilltops claim record fourth straight CJFL title, hit new heights of competitive greatness

The Hilltops enjoy a fourth straight CJFL title. (Photo courtesy Bonnie Bitz)

    The Saskatoon Hilltops are an uncommon football team.

    In the Canadian Junior Football League, they continue to accomplish things that have never been done before.

    On Saturday in Windsor, Ont., the venerable Hilltops continued to add their list of unique experiences. They rolled into Alumni Field at the University of Windsor and proceeded to dismantle the host Windsor AKO Fratmen 56-11 in the CJFL title the game – the Canadian Bowl.

    The Hilltops, who finished the 2017 campaign with an 11-1 overall record, became the first team in the history of the CJFL to win four straight league championships. The circuit’s national championship game dates back to 1908.

    On top of that accomplishment, the Hilltops became the first team to win seven CJFL titles over an eight year span, and they have now won a total of 20 CJFL championships. Their first national championship came way back in 1953, when they downed the AKO Fratmen 34-6 before 7,200 spectators at Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.

    Since Tom Sargeant became head coach in 1998, the Hilltops have won 11 of their 20 CJFL championships. Their seemingly endless dynasty under Sargeant seemed destined to continue on Saturday in Windsor as the host AKO Fratmen ultimately finished 9-2 overall this season.

    On the game’s second play from scrimmage, the AKO Fratmen had the ball on offence, and the centre’s shotgun snap sailed over the head of quarterback Brandon Reaume.

    Hilltops fifth-year star defensive end Tom Schnitzler recovered the ball at the Windsor one yard line. On the ensuing play, Hilltops star big game fifth-year running back Logan Fischer powered into the end zone for a touchdown to give Saskatoon a 7-0 lead.

    Saskatoon forced 10 turnovers in Saturday’s contest and converted those takeaways into 35 points. With Jeff Yausie as defensive coordinator, the Hilltops have cemented a reputation of taking the ball away and those takeaways always seem to result in points causing the score to snowball in favour of the blue and gold.

Hilltops defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler lifts the Canadian Bowl.

    Usually, the Hilltops can produce a lopsided game in their favour off of four turnovers. If they get 10 turnovers, the outcome is academic.

    Before the first quarter expired the Hilltops lead grew to 16-0 thanks to a conceded safety by the AKO Fratmen and a one-yard touchdown run from running back Joshua Ewanchyna.

    Near the start of the second quarter, Sargeant showed off how great he was as a play caller taking over the offensive coordinator role this season from Sheldon Ball, who departed from the club for work and family reasons. With the Hilltops facing a third-and-eight from the Windsor 32, Sargeant called a quarterback draw showing he can throw curveball plays at the opposition like Ball once did.

    The play was executed perfectly and signal caller Jordan Walls sprinted 32 yards for another major to put the Hilltops up 23-0.

    At that point, the AKO Fratmen started to push back. With around 11 minutes to play in the second quarter, Reaume hit receiver Devon Woods for an eight-yard touchdown toss to cap a long scoring drive to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 23-7.

    Just when it seemed like the hosts were building momentum, the Hilltops stomped out the uprising. Hilltops fifth-year defensive back Luke Melnyk made an interception. The ensuing offensive series for the visitors was capped by a 10 yard sweep touchdown run by Ewanchyna to put the Hilltops up 30-7.

    Inside of the final two minutes of the second quarter, Hilltops linebacker Adam Benkic recovered an AKO Fratmen fumble at the Windsor 37. The Hilltops quickly drove downfield on a short touchdown drive that was capped when Walls hit Turple with a 16-yard scoring strike to expand Saskatoon’s advantage to 37-7 with 34.7 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Hilltops DB Luke Melnyk picks up defensive player of the game honours.

    Driving into the wind early in the third quarter, the Hilltops lead shrank to 37-9 after they conceded a safety. When it seemed the AKO Fratmen might get going, they were stuffed on a third-and-one gamble at their own 54.

    The Hilltops quickly drove down on another scoring drive that was capped on a touchdown catch from Schnitzler. The defensive standout lined up as a tight end on short yardage offence near the goal-line and hauled in a three-yard touchdown toss on a short slant route to give the Hilltops a 44-9 lead.  

    Saskatoon conceded another safety before the third quarter ended but still held an insurmountable 44-11 edge.

    An interception by fifth-year middle linebacker Cameron Schnitzler set up the Hilltops final major of the game. On the ensuing offensive series, Walls hit Turple with an eight-yard scoring pass to increase the Hilltops lead to 51-11.

    The Fratmen conceded a safety and second-year receiver Rylan Kleiter booted a 37-yard field goal to round out the 56-11 final in favour of the visitors.

    The 56 points the Toppers put up on the scoreboard was the second highest total ever for a CJFL title game. The Hilltops hold the record for most points scored in a CJFL title game when they blasted the Victoria Rebels 59-0 in the 2003 Canadian Bowl in Chilliwack, B.C.

    In Saturday’s win over the AKO Fratmen, Walls completed 11-of-18 passes for 192 yards and three touchdown passes to pick up offensive player of the game honours. As a team, the Hilltops ran the ball 37 times for 188 yards. Fischer, who was playing his final game of his storied Hilltops career, ran the ball 14 times for 80 yards and one touchdown.

Hilltops veterans enjoy the Canadian Bowl.

    Melynk was named the defensive play of the game for his two key interceptions. Defensive ends Riley Pickett and Tom Schnitzler each had a sack.

    Reaume completed 12-of-24 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Windsor running back D’Angelo Knox ran the ball seven times for 37 yards and caught two passes for 104 yards.

    AKO Fratmen linebacker Quinten Earhart had nine tackles and a sack.

    After the final seconds ticked away, the Hilltops walked off the field with the Canadian Bowl and their 13^th consecutive playoff win. During their run of four straight CJFL championship victories, the Hilltops run could have been derailed.

    The Prairie Football Conference semifinal and final contests in each of the past two years could have been lost, if a couple of plays were changed. In those tight games, the Hilltops character and resiliency always rose up to allow them to make the two to three key swing players that are needed to win tight games.

    Against the AKO Fratmen on Saturday, the Hilltops showed how well they can roll, when they are firing on all cylinders forcing their opponent to play without making a mistake.

    Sargeant got to lay claim to his 14^th CJFL championship ring with the team including 11 rings from his time as head coach, two as an assistant coach and his first as a player won back in 1985.

    He will admit it takes everyone pulling in the same direction, constantly striving to improve and bonding as a family to create the success the Hilltops have had. As a result, the Hilltops keep achieving new feats of competitive greatness no team in the CJFL has ever done before.

CANADIAN BOWL CHAMPIONS!! The Saskatoon Hilltops Win our twentieth national championship with a 56-11 win over the Windsor AKO Fratmen. #fourpeat pic.twitter.com/bffxavnwpL

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) November 11, 2017

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

-------

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

Hilltops hammer Raiders 48-0, return to the Canadian Bowl

Raiders quarterback Jake Laberge was sacked seven times by the Hilltops.

    It was easy to see the Saskatoon Hilltops had a great day just by the way head coach Tom Sargeant was rocking and rolling during his post-game media scrum.

    Moments after the Hilltops hammered the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders 48-0 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Sargeant was still all fired up about how his team performed on Sunday afternoon to win the Canadian Junior Football League national semifinal contest.

    “It feels great, because you know what, we played our best game of the year,” said Sargeant. “We were physical. We were on point.

    “When you look at the score 48-0, we did what we were supposed to do. A lot of belief, a lot of trust and all the kids came out and played great. It is exactly what we want to see.

Joshua Ewanchyna darts home on a 20-yard TD run.

    “The coaches did a great job in preparing. The players executed the game plan. You win 48-0, and I was pretty excited about that.”

    The win allows the Hilltops (10-1) to advance to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – for a fourth straight year. The Toppers will be in search for a fourth straight CJFL title, when they travel to Windsor, Ont., on November 11 to face the AKO Fratmen. The AKO Fratmen (9-1) advanced to the Canadian Bowl winning Ontario Football Conference title 34-20 in Windsor on Sunday against the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-4).

    On Sunday at SMF Field, the Hilltops, who are the champions of the Prairie Football Conference, seemed intent on delivering an early knockout blow to the Raiders, who are the champions of the British Columbia Football Conference. The Raiders would finish the 2017 campaign with an 8-4-1 mark after falling to the Hilltops.

    Saskatoon elected to take the wind for the opening quarter, and safety/kicker James Vause booted the opening kickoff into the end zone for a single.

Quarterback Jordan Walls threw a pair of TD passes for the Hilltops.

    After the Raiders were forced to punt away the ball, the Hilltops quickly drove downfield and running back Joshua Ewanchyna ran the ball in from two yards out for a major score to put the hosts up 8-0.

    With 61 seconds to play in the opening quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Jordan Walls hooked up with receiver Ryan Turple on a 10-yard touchdown toss to put Saskatoon up 15-0. Vause put the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for another single point to increase Saskatoon’s edge to 16-0.

    It seemed the only thing that went wrong for the Hilltops in the first quarter was Vause hitting the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt during a time when the wind was blowing the posts all over the place.

    “Our guys are just hungry right now,” said Sargeant, whose team has won 12 straight CJFL playoff games. “They are playing fast and playing aggressive with a lot of trust.

The Hilltops kick coverage unit hammered Raiders returners.

    “It is certainly a different team than maybe what it was a month ago. As coaches, we’re starting to get out of their way, because they are playing at such a high level.”

    In the second quarter, the Hilltops turned out to be more prolific driving into the wind. Fifth-year fullback Colin Stumborg found paydirt twice.

    He scored first on a one-yard plunge and put up a second major on a 15-yard swing pass to give the hosts a 30-0 lead. Stumborg believes his two touchdowns in one game were a personal career high.

    “We came out, and we just played our game,” said Stumborg. “The weather was not cooperating that much, but we just rallied together

    Things didn’t get any better for the Raiders. Hilltops fifth-year defensive back Luke Melnyk intercepted Raiders quarterback Jake Laberge to set up another short Saskatoon scoring drive. Ewanchyna capped that march scoring a major on a right sweep from 20 yards out to give the Hilltops a 37-0 advantage at halftime.

FB Colin Stumborg scores a 15-yard receiving touchdown for the Hilltops.

    “I didn’t want this to be my last game,” said Melnyk. “I wanted to keep playing. I want to play two weeks from now (in the Canadian Bowl).

    “This is my last game on this field and the last chance for all my friends to come and watch me, so I want to play for them too.”

    Saskatoon proceeded to get fifth-year star running back Logan Fischer into the game in the third quarter. He didn’t dress for the Hilltops 36-24 PFC final victory over the Regina Thunder on Oct. 22 in Saskatoon due to nagging leg injury.

    In his short appearance against the Raiders, Fischer ran the ball nine times for 57 yards and caught two passes for 44 yards. He scored a touchdown on a one-yard run with 9:12 to play in the third quarter to give the Hilltops a 44-0 lead.

The Hilltops defence takes down Raiders receiver Brycen Mayoh.

    The Hilltops rounded out the game’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a 52-yard punt single from John Brown and 42-yard field goal from Vause.

    Both Stumborg and Melnyk were pumped they would get the chance to play for a fourth straight CJFL championship with the Hilltops before exhausting their junior eligibility.

    “It feels unbelievable,” said Stumborg. “As a fifth-year, you can’t match that feeling.”

    “It is crazy,” said Melnyk. “I just feel honoured just being a part of the Hilltops and just getting the opportunity to do that.”

    Walls completed 9-of-13 passes for 153 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Hilltops romp.

    Saskatoon put up 247 yards rushing as a team thanks to big contributions from four different running backs. Besides Fischer’s big day, Adam Machart started the contest and led the Hilltops with 84 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Hilltops running back Liam Murphy jets through a big hole.

    Ewanchyna had 62 yards rushing on eight carries to go with his two touchdowns. Fifth-year running back Liam Murphy, who missed much of the season to injury before returning to full health for the playoffs, ran the ball nine times for 45 yards.

    On defence, defensive linemen Tom Schnitzler and Riley Pickett and defensive back Logan Bitz each had two sacks for the Hilltops. Defensive tackle Tristan Hering added one sack to the impressive effort from the home side.

    Laberge completed 14-of-25 passes for 125 yards and was intercepted once for the Raiders. Defensive back Josh Paisley had an interception for the visitors.

    Now, the Hilltops will try to be the first team in the history of the CJFL, which dates back to 1908, to win four straight league championships, when they head to Windsor for the Canadian Bowl.

The Hilltops raise a trophy for their CJFL national semifinal win.

    Sargeant has some preliminary information on the AKO Fratmen, and he is looking forward to what is to come over the next two weeks.

    “They are big, athletic and they are good,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, we will have to figure it out and get in the lab and make sure we come out and try and play another inspired effort as we did today.”

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

-------

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

Hilltops show off big game mystique

Adam Machart had a big game in the Hilltops win in Edmonton.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops always rise to the occasion, when the game gets big.

    On Saturday night at Clarke Park in Edmonton, the Hilltops took on the host Huskies in a winner take all battle for first place in the Prairie Football Conference. The Huskies held a 14-10 lead at halftime, but the Hilltops scored 21 points in the third quarter to surge ahead 31-14.

    Edmonton pushed back in the final quarter, but the Hilltops came away with a gritty 38-28 victory.

    With the Hilltops victory, both teams finish with 7-1 records. The Hilltops take the standings tiebreaker for top spot due to their victory over the Huskies, which was the only head-to-head meeting between the clubs.

    In the third quarter, the Hilltops went ahead 17-14 on a touchdown run by Adam Machart and their edge extended to 31-14 thanks to a pair of rushing majors from Joshua Ewanchyna.

    The Huskies pushed back and the Hilltops lead shrank to 35-28 with 2:51 to play. A field goal from James Vause with 71 seconds to play sealed victory.

QB Jordan Walls played a game manager role on Saturday.

    Machart and Ewanchyna proved to be the huge dual punch to help the Hilltops surge out to a win. Machart carried the ball 20 times for 143 yards to go with his third quarter score. Ewanchyna piled up 100 yards on 17 carries to go with his two rushing majors.

    In the first quarter, Linebacker Riley Keating blocked a punt and fellow linebacker Adam Benkic recovered the ball to score a touchdown.

    Vause made three of his four field goal attempts and the Hilltops also received a rouge to round out their scoring.

    Quarterback Jordan Walls completed 9-of-21 passes for 132 yards.

    Defensive back Luke Melnyk had nine solo tackles and an interception for the Hilltops. Defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler had a sack for Saskatoon.

    Huskies quarterback Brad Launhardt completed 22 of 42 passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Running back Brandt Burzuk ran the ball 14 times for 133 yards.

    Linebacker Jassen Brown had eight solo tackles for the Huskies.

    Thanks to finishing first in the PFC, the Hilltops will have home field advantage throughout their run in the Canadian Junior Football League playoffs.

    Big credit has to be given to Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff for ensuring the Hilltops are again prepared for when the big game lights shine their brightest. The Toppers consistently find another gear and play at a higher level when the opponent is tougher and the game is bigger. They thrive in that challenge. 

The Hilltops get to enjoy the spoils of another first place finish.

    The only time they wouldn’t play at home is if they make the Canadian Bowl championship game, which will be hosted by the winner of the Ontario Football Conference. Saskatoon has won the Canadian Bowl for the last three straight years and six times over the past seven years.

    The Hilltops begin their run through the playoffs this coming Sunday, when they host the Winnipeg Rifles (4-4) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
    The Huskies host the other semifinal against the Regina Thunders (5-3) also this coming Sunday.

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

Thunder finally get over Hilltops hump with comeback win

QB Sawyer Buettner throws the winning TD pass for the Thunder.

    Sawyer Buettner was pumped and relieved his Regina Thunder were finally the last team standing in a clash against the Saskatoon Hilltops.

    Trailing the Hilltops 26-21 with just under 2:47 to play in the fourth quarter of a Canadian Junior Football League clash Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Thunder found themselves set up on their own 30 yard line.

    Regina had lost its last six straight encounters with Saskatoon including action in the regular season and playoffs. 

    Four of those losses came by four-or-fewer points, where the venerable Hilltops, who have won the last three straight CJFL titles, always found a way to make two more plays than the Thunder to pull out victory.

    This time, the script was different. 

    Buettner, who is the Thunder’s star quarterback, drove his team 80-yards in two-minute drill style, and the march culminated with the signal caller hitting receiver Lee Brown with an eight-yard touchdown pass.

Receiver Lee Brown cradles the winning touchdown catch for the Thunder.

    After Brown’s catch, Buettner proceeded to hook up with receiver Levi Paul on a short five-yard pass for a two-point conversion to put the Thunder up 29-26 with 60 seconds to play.

    The Hilltops proceeded to march deep into Regina territory with their final possession, but Thunder defensive back Tyrel Latoski snuffed out the drive making an interception at his own five yard line with two seconds to play to ensure the 29-26 score held up as the final in Regina’s favour. The last time the Thunder prevailed over the Hilltops was back on Sept. 6, 2014 by a 26-25 final at SMF Field.

    “It was nice to finish the game off,” said Buettner. “It is kind of a relief to prove to ourselves that we can do it against a great team like the Hilltops, so it was good.”

Receiver Sam Mike (#4) celebrates a score to put the Hilltops up 26-21.

    The 20-year-old Moose Jaw, Sask., product added it had been some time since he helped win a game with a two-minute drill type drive.

    “I haven’t had one of those since high school,” said Buettner. “It was fun.

    “I told the (offence) we want to be great, when we have the last drive. I told the guys like I was proud of them no matter what happened.

    “We battled all the way back. It was just nice to score a touchdown there and win it.”

    Saturday’s game had a number of different swings. Right before the Thunder went on their game-winning scoring drive, the Hilltops had erased a slim 21-20 deficit, when quarterback Jordan Walls found veteran receiver Sam Mike with a short seven-yard touchdown pass to put the host side up 26-21. Saskatoon failed to score on a two-point conversion try after Mike’s major.

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls threw for 351 yards in a setback.

    In the first quarter, the Hilltops tried to do their best to run away with the contest early. Saskatoon put together two long drives that ended in respective 20 and 25 yard field goals from safety/kicker James Vause, which gave the hosts a 6-0 edge.

    On the final play of the opening frame, Hilltops fullback Colin Stumborg muscled his way in from a yard out for a major score to put the Hilltops up 13-0.

    In the second quarter, Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik hit field goals from 29 and 35 yards out to cut the Hilltops lead to 13-6. With nine seconds to play in the first half, the Hilltops pushed out to a 20-6 lead, when Walls hit receiver Ryan Turple with a 13-yard scoring strike.

    The Thunder offence began to really hit stride in the second half but started out having trouble finding the end zone. On Regina’s first series of the second half, Thunder running back Ethan Hautz fumbled the ball away right before the Hilltops goal-line and Saskatoon defensive back Luke Melnyk recovered the ball in his own end zone to turn away the scoring threat.

RB Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette (#31) ripped off a long touchdown run.

    Regina’s next series was stopped thanks to an interception by Hilltops defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler deep in Saskatoon’s end of the field.

    With nine seconds to play in the third quarter, the Thunder finally found the end zone, when Buettner hit receiver Isaac Foord with an 11-yard scoring toss to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 20-13. Maximuik’s ensuing kickoff went 85 yards through the Saskatoon end zone for a single to further cut the Hilltops edge to 20-14.

    Around the midway point of the fourth quarter, the Thunder took their first lead of the contest, when star running back Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette burst 45 yards downfield for a major to put Regina in front 21-20. That set the stage for the dramatics in the contest’s final three minutes.

    “It (Saturday’s win) is a big one for us,” said Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay. “We haven’t had too much success against these guys in the last couple of years.

    “To be able to come up here into their own house and come out with this win, it is a big deal for our team. I think it is going to bring us a lot closer.”

The Hilltops defence forces a fumble near their goal-line.

    Buettner was pleased his side was able to overcome some re-occurring difficulties that helped the Hilltops build a six game head-to-head winning streak against the Thunder.

    “We’ve had issues with this team before of driving down and kicking field goals and turning over the ball, which we did today,” said Buettner. “When it counted, we drove down and we scored touchdowns when we needed to.

    “We came up big when it counted.”

    Buettner completed 33-of-40 passes for 374 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win for the Thunder. Walls connected on 27-of-41 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the loss for the Hilltops.

The Thunder celebrate their comeback win over the Hilltops.

    Saturday’s result creates a logjam at the top of the Prairie Football Conference standings. The Edmonton Huskies sit alone in first place at 4-0, while the Hilltops, Thunder and Winnipeg Rifles are all tied for second to fourth with identical 3-1 marks.

    The Calgary Colts sit fifth at 1-3, while the Edmonton Wildcats are last at 0-4. The top four clubs in the conference make the post-season.

    Having defeated the Thunder 37-20 back on Aug. 12 in Regina, the Hilltops hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker against the Thunder outscoring their provincial rivals 63-49 in the teams’ two regular season meetings.

    The Hilltops return to action on Sept. 17, when they travel to Calgary to face the Colts. The Thunder return home to face the Rifles on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at new Mosaic Stadium.

Kinsmen Football League celebrates 50^th season

KFL players were part of the halftime festivities at the Hilltops game.

    The players of Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Football League took centre stage during a halftime ceremony of the CJFL contest between the Hilltops and Thunder.

    To celebrate the league’s 50^th anniversary season, the teams from the amateur league were introduced to the crowd at SMF Field. It is estimated that around 450 players will suit up as part of the Kinsmen Football League this season.

    The league contains two age groups for players. The peewee age group is for players 11 and 12-year-olds. Peewee league games are played under Canadian nine-man rules.

    The league also contains a bantam age group for player 13 and 14-years-old. Bantam league games are contested under Canadian 12-man rules.

    A total of 41 players on the Hilltops current roster got their start playing in the Kinsmen Football League, which held its first season way back in 1968.

Thunder player with rare chronic pain condition needs funds

    A GoFundMe campaign was started on Thursday to help a Regina Thunder player, who is suffering a rare chronic pain condition.

    In 2015, Jarrett Seck was playing his third season of Canadian Junior Football League eligibility as a 20-year-old linebacker for the Thunder. He was also attending the University of Regina to become a physiotherapist.

    Seck was injured in a game in September of 2015 causing pain in his left leg. The pain never went away, and in December of 2016, he was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

    CRPS is believe to be caused by damage or malfunction of the peripheral and central nervous systems. The cause is not definitively known and there is no cure.

    Seck is forced to lay in bed all day. Having exhausted all treatments locally, the family is seeking treatments outside of Regina and Canada, and the expense is expected to be $81,000.

    Those looking to donate to help Seck can do so by clicking here.

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