Hilltops greats Filteau and Kozun perfect fit for CJFL all-decade team on defence

Justin Filteau in action with the Hilltops in 2014. 

    The Saskatoon Hilltops only needed two selections to overfill the quality of the CJFL’s all-decade team on defence.

    The CJFL has been determining its all-decade team via a fan vote over the last four weeks for the period of years from 2010 to 2019. The Hilltops won three straight CJFL title capturing the Canadian Bowl from 2010 to 2012 and the last six straight championships starting in 2014.

    On Saturday, the offensive members of the all-decade team were announced via the CJFL’s Instagram account, and five Hilltops were selected including quarterback Jared Andreychuk, running backs Logan Fischer and Andre Lalonde and offensive linemen Kirk Simonsen and Mason Ochs.

    On Sunday, the defensive members of the all-decade team were announced via the CJFL’s Instagram account. They included two of the best that ever donned Hilltops jerseys in the late Justin Filteau at linebacker and defensive tackle Matt Kozun.

    Filteau played for the Hilltops from 2010 to 2014 and was a member of three straight CJFL championship wins from 2010 to 2012 and in his final season in 2014. He picked up 43 per cent of the fan votes, which was tops among all linebackers.

    Following his time with the Hilltops, Filteau played for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team in the U Sports ranks from 2015 to 2017.

Justin Filteau (#45) enjoys the Hilltops PFC title win in 2014.

    In 2017, he joined the coaching staff of the Saskatoon Valkyries, who are a powerhouse squad in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League, as a linebackers coach. He was coaching the team’s defensive line last season before tragically passing away in a plane crash at age 26 before the Valkyries final regular season game.

    The Valkyries went on to win the WWCFL title dedicating the rest of their season to him finishing their 2019 campaign with a perfect 9-0 record.

    Filteau coached minor football at different levels and with the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints.

    He was born and raised in Moose Jaw and became a high school football star at A.E. Peacock Collegiate. Filteau joined the Hilltops after graduating from high school.

    Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing 214 pounds, Filteau didn’t look like a linebacker. When he hit the field, you realized quickly looks were deceiving. He was the underdog who made it.

    During his five seasons with the Hilltops, Filteau’s best campaign might have been during his final season in 2014. After the Hilltops got out to an uncharacteristic 1-2 start losing twice to their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder, Filteau played a big role in rallying the team off the field to help his teammates get into a better head space mentally.

Justin Filteau, left, works as a Valkyries assistant coach in 2019.

    The Hilltops proceeded to win their final eight games of that campaign between the regular season and playoffs to capture the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions.

    Filteau was honoured as a CJFL all-Canadian all-star on defence registering 37 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one pass knockdown in the Hilltops eight regular season games.

    Last season, the Hilltops coaches did a great job of teaching their current generation of players how much Filteau meant to the provincial football scene. The Hilltops posted a 12-0 overall record in the 2019 campaign winning a sixth straight Canadian Bowl and posting a second straight perfect season.

    One person that was fully aware of Filteau’s impact on the provincial football scene before the 2019 CJFL season started was Hilltops fifth-year middle linebacker Jadyn Pingue. As a rookie in 2015, Pingue began wearing the old #45 jersey Filteau wore and at the moment is the only Hilltops player to wear #45 after Filteau.

    Pingue brought up the suggestion that maybe #45 should be retired by the team. The coaches asked Pingue to continue wearing #45 as one way to keep Filteau’s memory alive.

    In a fitting tribute to Filteau, Pingue went on to have an individual season that saw him win the award as the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2019.

Matt Kozun (#53) enters Saskatoon Minor Football Field in 2015.

    While Filteau turned heads at linebacker, Kozun was a force on the defensive line for five seasons with the Hilltops from 2011 to 2015 coming straight to the club from Bishop James Mahoney High School. Kozun picked up 46 per cent of the fan votes, which led all defensive players.

    He was a member of four CJFL championship teams with the Hilltops in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.

    Kozun, who stood 6-foot-6 and weighed 280 pounds, was a gifted athlete and played on the team’s short-yardage package on offence as a tight end. He had a touchdown reception in the 2015 PFC final that the Hilltops claimed with a 38-16 victory over the Calgary Colts.

    Kozun’s best two seasons with the Hilltops were his final two campaigns with the team. In the Hilltops 2014 CJFL championship season, Kozun was named an all-Canadian all-star after piling up 15 sacks, seven tackles, five tackle assists, two pass knockdowns and one fumble recovery in eight regular season games.

    He was named an all-Canadian all-star again in the Hilltops 2015 CJFL championship campaign. In eight regular season games, Kozun recorded nine tackles, five tackle assists, 2.5 sacks, two pass knockdowns and one forced fumble.

Hilltops DT Matt Kozun (#53) chases down a Winnipeg Rifles QB in 2015.

    Kozun was a member of a freakishly good starting defensive line in 2015 that included fifth-year defensive tackle Blake Adams, third-year rush end Tom Schnitzler and third-year boundary end Blake Hermann.

    That foursome on the Hilltops defensive line could crush opposing team’s offensive units all by themselves.

    Following his time with the Hilltops, Kozun joined the Huskies for two seasons before his playing days came to an end.

    During their time with the Hilltops, Filteau and Kozun left their marks as two of the team’s all-time greats, and their legacies with the squad continue to live on long after they last played for the venerable and storied club.

    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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Football Huskies in good hands with new coaches

U of Saskatchewan might surprise a few in U Sports ranks

Huskies head coach Scott Flory, right, meets fans as part of a charity event.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team has the coaching staff to take them into the future.

    There were huge bumps in the road that made the process of creating a new coaching staff a painful one. The departure of legendary Huskies head coach Brian Towriss late last December wasn’t handled in the smoothest fashion to say the least. A joint statement had to be posted on the Huskie Athletics website from U of S president Peter Stoicheff and Towriss that saw Stoicheff apologize for how the news of Towriss’s resignation was handled.

    Towriss will be officially inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Sept. 14 in Hamilton, Ont.

    Former CFL and Huskies star player Scott Flory, who had been the Huskies offensive coordinator, was named the team’s new head coach on March 13. Since that time, Flory, who will turn 41 on July 15, has taken the ball and run with it putting his stamp on the team. Flory has put in the ground work to create optimism.

    He revamped the coaching staff, and the staff is likely deeper overall than it was during Towriss’s final season. Including Flory, only six people from the 16 person coaching staff last season remain to be part of the 14 person staff this season. The five other holdovers include Dan Houle, Lane Bryska, Cody Halseth, Braden Suchan and Paul Woldu.

    Flory brought in long-time veteran CFL quarterback Marcus Crandell as the new offensive coordinator. Crandell was a member of the Calgary Stampeders Grey Cup winning team in 2001 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders Grey Cup championship team in 2007. Those that knew Crandell during his years in Regina speak highly of him, and you can expect him to give the offence great guidance.

    Warren Muzika joined the Huskies as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Muzika played for first the Canadian Junior Football League’s Saskatoon Hilltops and then the Huskies establishing a reputation of being a “Terminator” type linebacker in the 1990s.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Walter Murray High School helped the Hilltops win the Canadian Bowl in 1991 and the Huskies win Vanier Cups in 1996 and 1998. He played five seasons in the CFL split between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1999 to 2003 and was on Hamilton’s Grey Cup winner in 1999.

Kyle Siemens (#19) fires a pass downfield for the Huskies.

    After returning to Saskatoon once his CFL career wrapped up to pursue a teaching career, Muzika spent time as a defensive assistant with the Hilltops playing a major part in shaping that team’s linebackers. He never had a sizable role on the Huskies coaching staff until now. It is great that Flory is re-establishing some stronger links with old alums and storied former Huskies players like Muzika, who now gets to play a more significant role with the program.

    The other new assistant coaches Flory brought in who had significant playing careers with the Huskies include Duane Dmytryshyn and Tony Michalchuk. Jeremy Long and Tye Mountney are two new assistants that spent a short time with the Huskies as players. Mountney is better remembered as a star linebacker with the Hilltops in the 1990s helping them win a Canadian Bowl in 1996.

    The Huskies saw another old face return to the fold when Jerry Friesen rejoined the team as the special teams coordinator. Friesen played five seasons with the Huskies in the 1970s and was an assistant coach for 10 years starting in 1986. He spent time coaching the U of Calgary Dinos, U of Alberta Golden Bears and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in his lengthy career before rejoining the Huskies.

    Friesen, who was the head coach of the Golden Bears during his stop at U of A, brings tonnes of valuable experience to the Huskies.

    The current Huskies staff is rounded out by Ignite Conditioning co-owner Joel Lipinski, who is the strength and conditioning coordinator and a defensive assistant. Before making CFL stops as a player with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Eskimos, Lipinski made his mark in the U Sports ranks as an all-Canadian defensive back first with the U of Regina Rams and then with the Saint Mary’s University Huskies in the 2000s.

    Since becoming head coach, Flory has been visible on many fronts in the community. He is pretty active in reaching out to team supporters either in person or through electronic correspondence.  His messaging to his players has been great as he tells them everything matters on and off the field including demeanor, words, actions, decisions and academics.

    Having talked to a couple of the current Huskies football coaches in public settings, it sounds like the Huskies new coaching staff has developed chemistry quite quickly and the atmosphere with the staff is very upbeat. It is conceivable the Huskies could have a strong year in 2017.

The Huskies defence gets set for action.

    The new coaching staff also doesn’t have to rebuild the program from the ground up. They take over a Huskies squad that posted a solid 5-3 regular season record in 2016 before getting thumped 47-17 in a Canada West semifinal playoff game to the Dinos. The Dinos went on to fall in the Vanier Cup to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 31-26.

    The Huskies are slated to return a number of key players including quarterback Kyle Siemens and defensive lineman Matt Kozun. The Dogs might not experience that many growing pains. The Huskies first game is a pre-season contest on Aug. 25, when they travel to Hamilton, Ont., to face the McMaster University Marauders.

    With that said, the competition in the Canada West Conference is always tough, so success is never guaranteed. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Huskies went out and had a memorable campaign.

Two youngsters, one great vet take Valkyries awards

Alex Eyolfson is the Valkyries offensive MVP.

    The Saskatoon Valkyries women’s football team gave nods to two members of their youth moment and one to standout veteran at their team awards on Thursday night at Saskatoon Minor Football Field’s clubhouse complex.

    The Valkyries offensive and defensive MVP awards went to two of the Valkyries young sophomore players. Quarterback Alex Eyolfson was named the Valkyries offensive MVP.

    The 19-year-old assumed the role as the full-time starter in her second campaign with the team. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School has grown significantly over the past two seasons with the team and has a good command of the team’s offence.

    Linebacker Emmarae Dale was named the team’s defensive MVP. Since joining the Valkyries last year, Dale, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School, immediately became a force on the defensive side of the ball. Also a member of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies track and field team, Dale reads and reacts quickly to plays and moves swiftly from sideline to sideline.

    The Valkyries presented their Green and White award to sixth-year standout defensive lineman Melanie Harris for her overall dedication to the team and the women’s game. Harris lives in Outlook, Sask., and drives into Saskatoon for all the team’s practices and games. Each of those round trips takes two hours out of Harris’s day.

    Harris has become a realizable fixture on the defensive line helping the Valkyries win Western Women’s Canadian Football League titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. She retired from playing with the Valkyries at the conclusion of the 2017 campaign.

    This past season, the Valkyries posted a 5-2 overall record, and both of their losses came to the Regina Riot, who won the WWCFL title. The Valkyries fell 34-24 in the WWCFL Prairie Conference championship game in Regina to the Riot on June 4, and closed the season with a 44-20 victory in a WWCFL consolation final over the Edmonton Storm on June 10 in Saskatoon.

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

"Dinos jinx" goes on for Huskies

U of Calgary gets 10^th straight win over U of Saskatchewan

Niko DiFonte (#45) boots the winning field goal for the Dinos.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies just can’t seem to get a Dinos sized load off their collective backs.

    For a short time in Friday night’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport football encounter at Griffith’s Stadium in Saskatoon, the host Huskies appeared poised to earn their first victory against the University of Calgary Dinos in six years. The Dinos had other ideas.

    With 2:04 to play in the fourth quarter, the Huskies led 19-17 and had the Dinos pinned at their own six yard line. To make matters worse for the visitors, they had to drive into a fairly stiff breeze.

    Those obstacles didn’t seem to matter to fifth-year Dinos quarterback Jimmy Underdahl. Underdahl drove his team 101 yards in nine plays to put U of C in range for a 10-yard chip shot field goal. 

    Kicker Niko DiFonte booted home the winning points with 40.8 seconds remaining on the clock to ultimately give the Dinos a 20-19 victory before a packed house of 7,938 spectators. The win allowed U of C to sit alone in first place in the Canada West Conference with a 3-0 mark, while U of S falls to 2-1.

Quentin Chown (#31) pushes the Dinos into range for a winning field goal.

    Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Dinos have won 10 straight head-to-head meetings with the Huskies. The Huskies last win over the Dinos came back on Oct. 15, 2010, when U of S claimed a 36-17 decision at Griffiths Stadium.

    Going into Friday’s battle, it seemed like the Huskies, who were rated 10^th in the CIS top ten rankings, were due to break the jinx.

    Before Friday’s contest, the last time these two teams met was in a Canada West quarter-final playoff match last year. The Huskies led that encounter 22-19 early in the fourth quarter only to fall 37-29.

    During the off-season, the Huskies strengthened their depth landing some key recruits from the Saskatoon Hilltops 2015 Canadian Junior Football League championship team. It was hoped the additions of those recruits would get the Huskies over a few humps, which included ending the head-to-head skid with the Dinos, who are rated second in the CIS rankings.

Jimmy Underdahl (#16) fires a pass downfield for the Dinos.

    The visitors got out of the gates with a fast start on Friday going up 10-0 in the first quarter thanks to 22-yard field goal by DiFonte and a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Quentin Chown.

U of S responded rolling off 16 straight points in the second quarter to hold a 16-10 edge at halftime.  
    Huskies quarterback Kyle Siemens fired a 13-yard touchdown strike to Hilltops grad Chad Braun and an eight-yard scoring toss to Samuel Baker. U of S kicker Sean Stenger contributed singles from a missed field goal and a kickoff rouge to round out the Huskies second quarter surge.

    It also appeared luck was going to shine the Huskies way too. The Dinos first possession of the second half ended when DiFonte nailed the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt preventing the visitors from cutting into the Huskies lead.

    After a scoreless third quarter, the Dinos went in front 17-16, when Chown ran in a four-yard major score for his second rushing touchdown of the day with 9:16 to play in the fourth quarter.

Chad Braun hauls in a touchdown catch for the Huskies.

    U of S responded on its next series when a five play 78 yard drive culminated with a 20-yard field goal by Stenger to give the hosts a 19-17 edge. That set the stage for the dramatics on Dinos scoring drive late in the frame.

    After the Dinos went ahead 20-19, the Huskies had a chance to get in range for the winning field goal with the wind at their backs, but the offence turned the ball over on downs after three plays.

    Underdahl had a solid night completing 29-of-43 passes for 383 yards. He didn’t have any touchdown passes, but he also didn’t have any interceptions.

    Siemens was sound too connecting on 20-of-35 attempts for 283 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hilltops grad Matt Kozun had a pair of sacks being named the Huskies player of the game.

Huskies LB Brad Kotania (#40) nails Dinos SB Austen Hartley.

    When the dust settled, the difference in Friday’s game was the fact the Dinos were able to put together that long drive late in the fourth quarter to get in range for the winning kick. The Huskies played valiantly in the setback. With that said, it was still agonizing for the Huskies to drop their 10^th straight to U of C.

    The only thing the Huskies can do now is wait for their next opportunity to break the “Dinos jinx.” The two teams meet again on Oct. 22 in Calgary.

    Before contest comes around, both teams will be focuses on their respective upcoming schedules. The Huskies return to action on Sept. 24, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the U of Manitoba Bisons. The Dinos remain on the road and travel to Regina this coming Friday to take on the U of Regina Rams.

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

Hilltops run to PFC mountaintop

Logan Fischer rumbles into the end zone for a Hilltops touchdown.

    It seems you can always count on Logan Fischer.

    The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops believed their best option to win Sunday’s Prairie Football Conference final was to give the ball to their physical workhorse tailback, who led the team with 794 yards rushing in seven regular season appearances. Fischer was handed the rock 23 times, and he rumbled for 170 yards and scored four touchdowns to help the Hilltops dump the Calgary Colts 38-16 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The win allowed the Hilltops to repeat as conference champions and advance to the Canadian Junior Football League title game, the Canadian Bowl, for a second straight year. The Hilltops, who are the defending CJFL champions, will host the national junior final on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field against the Okanagan Sun. The Sun, who are 12-0 overall, crushed the Vancouver Island Raiders 54-0 in the British Columbia Football Conference final on Sunday in Kelowna.

    Fischer was excited that the 2015 season will go to the last possible game his club could play.

    “Every single night it is a blast with the guys,” said Fischer. “This is the closest group probably that we have had.

    “It just feels great playing with the guys for an extra two weeks. Everyone couldn’t be any happier about it.”

    Looking at the final score, one would think victory came easy to the storied Hilltops, but that was far from the case. The first quarter was a defensive slugfest that saw the only points come from a 17 yard field goal from Hilltops kicker Brett Thorarinsson. The Hilltops defence benefitted from the fact star fifth-year defensive tackle Blake Adams returned after missing a game with a left knee injury.

    Early in the second quarter, the Colts had a chance to draw even with a 28-yard field goal, but kicker Kyle Bryne’s attempt was wide counting for a single that cut Saskatoon’s lead to 3-1.

    From that point, the Hilltops really started to churn out the yards along the ground. Fischer scored his first major of the day on a slashing run from 25 yards out and put in his second score on a plunge from a yard out to give the hosts 17-1 edge.

    The grad of Saskatoon’s Bethlehem Catholic High School was quick to credit his success to the Hilltops offensive line that included starters Terry Thesen, Nathan Heide, Jordan Hydomako, Drayke Unger and Tyler Hoath.

Hilltops DT Blake Adams takes down a Colts ball carrier.

    “When it comes down to it, it is all about the battle in the trenches,” said Fischer. “Our O-line just absolutely dominated.

    “Without them, we couldn’t run the ball. We couldn’t throw the ball. Really, it comes down to the O-line.”

    The Colts battled back putting together a two-minute drill drive right before halftime. The march was capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Dylan Minshull with 15.2 seconds to play in the second quarter that cut the Toppers lead to 17-8.

    Near the start of the third quarter, the Colts put together another long offensive drive, which looked like it would result in more points. The series ended when Calgary quarterback John Kiesman unloaded a dangerous throw across the middle of the field that was intercepted by Hilltops safety James Vause. Vause would add a second interception the fourth quarter, which was also his fourth pick in Saskatoon’s two post-season games.

    Things weren’t totally smooth on offence for the Hilltops. They didn’t have their greatest outing when it came to passing the ball, as starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed just 7-of-17 passes for 149 yards. The incompletions included drops from receivers and a couple of missed throws by Andreychuk.

    With the passing game sputtering, the Hilltops continued to feed Fischer the ball. Right before the third quarter ended, he ran in a score from 24 yards out for his third major of the game to give the Hilltops a 24-8 lead.

    Early in the fourth quarter, Fischer drove in from a yard out for his fourth score to put Saskatoon up 31-8.

    “We kind of had a game plan,” said Fischer. “Whoever ran the ball was going to win it. Today, we wanted to run the ball.”

DT Matt Kozun hauls in a TD catch for the Hilltops.

    The lead increased to 38-8, when Andreychuk hit defensive tackle Matt Kozun, who lined up as a tight end in a short yardage situation, for a two-yard scoring toss.

    The Colts accounted for the last major, when Kiesman hit Jesse Kuntz on a 20-yard post pattern with 8.7 seconds remaining on the clock. Kiesman hit Grayson Javorsky with a short pass for a two-point conversion.

    Calgary’s signal caller finished the contest completing 27-of-46 passes for 375 yards. Calgary piled up 486 yards of total offence, while the Hilltops had 350 total yards.

    The statistical difference in the game came from the fact the Colts turned the ball over three times and had 180 yards in penalties. The Hilltops didn’t have any turnovers and only had 30 yards in penalties.

    With the win, Saskatoon improved to 9-1 overall, while Calgary finished at 6-4.

    With the PFC final in the books, Fischer was excited about playing the CJFL title game on home turf, and he wants his squad to put out another strong effort at home in about two weeks.

    “That is a tremendous feeling,” said Fischer. “We came out here and this is our home. We take that very seriously.

    “We don’t really want anyone to come in here and manhandle us. We want to do all the manhandling.”

    The Hilltops claimed last year’s Canadian Bowl 39-14 over the Rams in Langley, B.C. Saskatoon has won 17 CJFL titles.

    The Sun have won two CJFL championships, but they haven’t appeared in the Canadian Bowl since 2004, when they fell 24-7 to the Huskies in Edmonton. Okanagan’s last CJFL title came in 2000 with a 36-28 victory in Kelowna against the visiting Hilltops.

Colts played to honour Ramias

Colts DB Conner Robinson wore #23 to honour late teammate Brock Ramias.

    The Colts played Sunday’s PFC final with heavy hearts.

    On Monday, former Colt player Brock Ramias, who was with the team last season, was found dead in Kinsmen Park in Lethbridge. Ramias was a high school football star with the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams.

    The Colts dedicated playing Sunday’s game to the memory of Ramias. Calgary defensive back Conner Robinson wore #23 instead of his normal #3 to honour his former teammate. Robinson, who is also from Lethbridge, and Ramais were close friends and played together in high school with the Rams. Ramias wore #23 during his high school years.

    He was only 20-years-old, and autopsy results indicate his death was non-criminal in nature.

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