‘Sarge,’ Yausie, Hilltops coaches face unique challenge in 2023

Saskatoon club young, inexperienced in resetting PFC

Jeff Yausie and Tom Sargeant are the Hilltops dynamic coaching duo.

Tom Sargeant and Jeff Yausie – you seemingly can’t have one without the other when it comes to coaching the Saskatoon Hilltops.

Sargeant was named head coach of the storied and historic CJFL club in December of 1997 having served as an assistant coach for seven seasons from 1991 to 1997. Yausie is going into his 22^nd season as a linebackers coach with the Hilltops and 13^th campaign as defensive co-ordinator.

Through the Hilltops run of winning nine CJFL championships in a span of 10 years that included three consecutive wins from 2010 to 2012 and six straight titles from 2014 to 2019, Sargeant and Yausie have come to the forefront in the minds of football followers in Canada as the dynamic duo of the Hilltops coaching staff.

Both are quick to add the Hilltops success comes from the work the team receives from the entirety of the club’s veteran coaching staff. The coaching staff includes offensive coordinator Shane Reider, special teams coordinator Andre Lalonde, Brent Turkington, Donnie Davidsen, Dave Fisher, Barclay Schlosser and Bruce Rempel.

Turkington has been on the staff for 24 seasons, while Lalonde, Schlosser and Rempel are the relative newcomers entering their eighth, seventh and sixth seasons with the team respectively.

Tom Sargeant has been the Hilltops HC since Dec. 1997.

In 2023, Sargeant, Yausie and the Hilltops coaches face a unique challenge of guiding a more youthful and inexperienced team through a CJFL campaign. A reality check about the work that needs to be done came during in the Hilltops Alumni Game played Thursday at Ron Atchison Field, when the Alumni Team rolled to a 32-1 victory.

Sargeant said the coaches are going to get to work and grind as hard as ever to correct things. He said the Hilltops coaches have high trust in each other.

“It is a brotherhood,” said Sargeant. “We all roll up our sleeves.

“The good thing is we’re all embarrassed. We’re all not feeling very good about ourselves. We’ll have the tough conversations, the critical conversations, the open conversations, and we’ll grind and grind and make sure by next week we coach a better team and more importantly they come out and play better.

“You can do whatever you want, but once they get between the lines they have to go play the game. We have to instill a lot of energy, a lot of passion and the smarts.”

The Hilltops had 20 players exhaust their CJFL eligibility at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign including four starters on the offensive line in Jordan Bisson, Luciano Jolly, Jayson Kehler and Ethan Paslowski along with three starters on the defensive line in Jaxon Funk, Daylen Hartz and Dylan McNutt. The graduations included star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, who won the CJFL’s Larry Wruck Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022.

Jeff Yausie is entering his 22nd season on the Hilltops coaching staff.

“We miss our studs and veterans, but it is really fun to coach new guys and new faces,” said Yausie. “We have to help build what they are going to be.

“They have to learn how to play hard and play fast and to celebrate and play for each other and to be a great team. Our offence needed our help on defence (in the Alumni Game). We had zero turnovers in the first half.

“Our offence needed a couple of turnovers to give them a short field and to give them some life. They absolutely needed that, and we didn’t do it.”

The Hilltops open their regular season schedule on Sunday, August 13, at 1 p.m. when they host the Edmonton Wildcats at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Sargeant and Yausie both said the focus turns to making the Hilltops game ready for that contest.

Sargeant said he thought the Hilltops had a good week of practice heading into the Alumni Game. Alumni quarterback Jordan Walls, who played for five straight CJFL championship winners from 2014-18, showed he could still shred a defence like NFL all-time great Tom Brady.

Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the Alumni Team.

The Hilltops offence was stuck in quicksand going against an Alumni defence that had standouts everywhere like linebacker Cody Peters, who won the CJFL’s Larry Wruck Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018. Peters also played on five straight CJFL championship winners from 2014 to 2018.

“It was a great alumni effort with high-end talent – the hearts and the smarts,” said Sargeant. “They were so smart out there.

“They just made us look like a real young and immature football team, which I guess maybe I thought we were but didn’t want to think that. At least now I know. If this is ground zero, then we will be OK.

“If not, then we’re in a lot of trouble.”

While the Hilltops are finding their way, it appears they won’t be alone in that department in 2023. Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL season was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world, the circuit’s leaders elected to give 1998 and 1999 born players an extra year of eligibility.

That decision resulted in two classes of players graduating following the conclusion of last season with players born in 1999 and 2000 exhausting their eligibilities at the end of the campaign. Clubs in the Prairie Football Conference the Hilltops play out of are seeing significant turnover making the 2023 season a big reset one.

QB Trey Reider and the Hilltops struggled against the Alumni Team.

Yausie said the Hilltops coaches will put in the effort to get the club going in an upward direction on the field.

“We’re such good friends that we’ll not accept what we saw,” said Yausie. “I know ‘Sarge’ is a great competitor.

“I know he’ll push us as hard or harder than he will push the kids. We’ll get in and watch our film and get ready to play an unknown opponent really against the Wildcats. There are a lot of unknowns about our league this year.

“I don’t know who the quarterbacks are, and there are some new coordinators. The one thing I know is we will work extremely hard to get better.”

At age 58, Sargeant said he is still as motivated and passionate as ever when it comes to coaching the Hilltops. When it comes to facing the challenges of the 2023 campaign, he is pumped he gets to do it with Yausie and the rest of the Hilltops coaching staff.

“I know what their pride is all about,” said Sargeant. “As I said, there were some good discussions during this game.

HC Tom Sargeant knows his staff has a lot of work ahead of them.

“I know the pride of that group, and I know that at the end of the day we’ll embrace this challenge. We have way more work than maybe I thought we did. I’m just trying to do all that processing now, because I said this was an old fashioned butt kicking that as I said didn’t see coming.

“We have to figure out how to react and respond properly.”

At age 57, Yausie said his love for football is still there. He loves coaching with Sargeant and the rest of the Hilltops coaching staff and helping the players grow. Yausie said that love for everything about the game keeps the Hilltops coaches coming back year after year.

“I think you have to love what you do,” said Yausie. “When you love what you do, it is easy to come to practice.

“I love the guys I coach with, and Tom (Sargeant) has built that in a bunch of different ways. I never thought that I would be coaching at this age. I still got the zip.

Jeff Yausie believes the Hilltops coaches will get the team rolling again.

“I still got some life and energy. I just have fun, and coaching these young guys keeps you young.”

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Hilltops will give Sawi chance to be X-Factor

Tailback adds dynamic touch to storied CJFL club at age 17

Charles Sawi breaks downfield for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops are finding out “the kid” at age 17 is alright.

During the off-season, the Hilltops made a major splash recruiting running back Charles Sawi, who burst on to the Saskatoon football scene last season on a meteoric rise as a Grade 12 senior with the Holy Cross High School Crusaders football team. The big plays kept coming with the Hilltops as the team held its main training camp this past week concluding with an Alumni Game played at Ron Atchison Field on Thursday night.

“He (Sawi) has come as advertised,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, whose 218 career wins are most for Canadian post-secondary football in the amateur ranks. “Number one, he has a great personality.

“The kids really like him. He’s got an electric skill set. The coaches coach (Shane) Reider and the staff are working hard to try and get him into the fray of things, get him opportunities and touches.

“We have a pretty good baseline with our offence, but I think Charles (Sawi) can come in and really given us a different look at times.”

Sawi is still a relative newcomer to the sport of football taking up the game in Grade 10 joining the Crusaders junior program in the fall of 2019 and was brought up to the senior squad near the end of that campaign. Before suiting up for football, Sawi’s main sport for the majority of his life had been soccer, and he established himself as a high-level player in that game.

After the 2020 high school football season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Sawi continued to train with the players on the Crusaders senior team during his Grade 11 year. Almost immediately in his Grade 12 year, Sawi began ripping off big runs for the Crusaders and helped them qualify for the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association (SHSAA) 6A provincial final against Regina’s Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School Marauders.

Charles Sawi was a star for the Crusaders in 2021.

On November 13, 2021 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Marauders prevailed 28-24 over the Crusaders in an all-time classic that saw Sawi score two majors for the Holy Cross side.

On May 29 of this year, Sawi again turned heads rolling off some big runs helping Team North get past Team South 28-17 at SMF Field in Football Saskatchewan’s Ed Henick Senior Bowl, which is the annual high school all-star game in Saskatchewan for graduating seniors. A couple of those runs were called back due to behind the play penalties. 

While he was wrapping up high school, Sawi took part in off-season training sessions with the Hilltops since January. He was named the MVP of the team’s spring camp held in early May.

During Thursday’s Alumni Game, Sawi make some big splash plays as the Alumni Team downed the current squad 19-10.

“We have to get him (Sawi) on the field,” said Sargeant. “He’s going to get in on special teams.

“We’re creating an offensive package for him. He’s going to get his plays and the better he does the more he is going to get. That is just who we are and what we are going to do.

“It gets real next week, so we’ll see if he is in that scenario where he keeps growing and keeps understanding the playbook and growing and then boom - then he gets out here and makes plays for us.”

While he is a newcomer, Sawi has dived head first into fitting in with his new teammates. He said his experience with the team has been real positive.

Charles Sawi is breaking off big plays in camp with the Hilltops.

“It has gone very good for me,” said Sawi. “I’ve made a lot of friends and just been playing very well, just playing my best and getting to know others better.”

Sawi said the level of play at Hilltops camp has been a step up from what he has experienced in high school.

“It has kind of been different from Holy Cross,” said Sawi, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. “It is like more intense and more fast paced.

“We just have to move quicker.”

On the field, Sawi said one of the things he needs to work on is improving his blocking. Due to being the focal point of the offence with the Crusaders, Sawi said he didn’t have to block a lot in high school, and when he did, the players he faced in high school were a lot smaller in size compared the players he has to block with the Hilltops.

Besides blocking, Sawi aims to keep progressing and improving his overall game as the season goes on.

“I have to work better on my screens,” said Sawi. “I have to work better on my run plays.

“I have to figure it out better.”

Sawi knows he will get his chance to make plays in the early going for the Hilltops. He wants to cash in on the confidence the Hilltops coaches have in him coming out of the gate.

“It is just an opportunity that I have to take,” said Sawi. “I have to take advantage of it.

Charles Sawi runs the ball at the Ed Henick Senior Bowl.

“I need to take advantage of that opportunity, so I can get into more future games and play well and show other coaches what I have and showcase my skills.”

The explosive ball carrier is looking forward to the Hilltops first game. After having Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, the Hilltops return to practice on Monday and open the regular season hosting the Winnipeg Rifles on Sunday, August 14 at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

As that game nears, Sawi said he doesn’t have any nerves and believes he is going into that contest with the same businesslike approach the veterans have.

“It is nothing different,” said Sawi. “I just have to play good.

“I just have to play at my best and take advantage of that team and hopefully catch that ‘W’ and get a win.”

While Sawi is going to get his chance to make plays, Sargeant said the Hilltops coaches are still cognizant about how young the Holy Cross graduate is. Sawi will be 17-years-old throughout the 2022 CJFL campaign due to the fact his birthday isn’t until December.

In the CJFL, it is relatively uncommon for 17-year-olds to play a whole bunch. Newcomers coming out of high school don’t normally get a chance to make an impact with the Hilltops right out of the gate, and they spent their first season usually focusing on development.

Even with Sawi in the fold, the Hilltops are expecting to hit the field with a veteran offensive unit that includes veteran star running back in 22-year-old Carter McLean and 21-year-old Boston Davidsen, who is a tough inside power back runner.

Sargeant said the Hilltops have a sizable contingent of players playing out their final CJFL campaigns in 2022 who will provide great leadership for the team.

Charles Sawi looks to break off lots of big plays in 2022.

“Charles (Sawi) is going to have to learn from them,” said Sargeant. “He knows his place, so right now he’s just trying to fit in and be humble and work hard and when he does that, he’ll get more opportunities to make more plays for us.”

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Hilltops back in the groove, pumped for 2021 season

QB Doug Fleming fires a pass downfield at the Hilltops scrimmage.

Mason Ochs jokes that he has been the grizzled old veteran long before he became a fifth-year player with the Saskatoon Hilltops.

“They’ve always called me an old man for having grey hair,” said Ochs with a laugh. “It is kind of nothing new here.”

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate Tigers football program was back manning his left tackle position as the Hilltops began their training camp on Monday. The team’s first week wrapped up with a scrimmage on Thursday at Ron Atchison Field next to the Hilltops clubhouse.

Ochs joined the Hilltops right out of high school in 2016. He became a starter at left tackle in 2017 and was named CJFL all-Canadian all-star that year and again in 2018 and 2019.

The 2020 CJFL campaign was wiped out due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world. The Hilltops had won the last six straight CJFL titles including the last four of those with Ochs on the roster before play came to a halt.

The Hilltops did gather to practice for six weeks in the fall of 2020.

The 2021 CJFL campaign has been green-lighted as a go, and the Hilltops open the regular season on Sunday, August 22, traveling to Edmonton, Alta., to play the Huskies at Jasper Place Bowl.

The Hilltops last hit the field for a game on November 16, 2019 downing the host Langley Rams 11-6 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

A receiver holds on to a pass at the Hilltops scrimmage.

Ochs said it felt like Christmas time to be back at the Hilltops clubhouse and Ron Atchison Field this week.

“It feels great,” said Ochs, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 275 pounds. “It has been too long.

“It almost kind of felt like it was never coming back after you lose 2020. I didn’t even know if that was my last game in 2019 there. It couldn’t be better to be back.”

In 2021, Ochs truly is a grizzled old veteran with the team. He is just one of three players who were rookies in 2016 who are back with the Hilltops this season along with longtime pal on the offensive line in right tackle Jonathan Chisholm and boundary corner Jared Giddings.

The CJFL allowed players who were on team rosters as 22-year-olds in 2020 to return this season as 23-year-olds because of the fact the 2020 season was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ochs was upbeat about how things went during the first week of training camp and thought Thursday’s scrimmage provided a good conclusion to the week.

“Things went good,” said Ochs. “They started off a little sloppy, but towards the end, we picked them up.”

During the scrimmage, Ochs said it was good to see both the offensive and defensive units shine at different times.

“The offence was moving the ball,” said Ochs. “The defence was making plays.”

A defensive player secures a tackle at the Hilltops scrimmage.

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is well known for being a ball of energy. With that said, the legendary sideline boss still had an extra bounce in his step this week as his Hilltops are engaged to play a campaign.

With the team not taking the field for a game since 2019, Sargeant, who is the all-time leader for head coaching victories in Canada’s amateur post-secondary football ranks with 210 wins, said it does feel like a new beginning in 2021.

“It is just awesome to be back here,” said Sargeant. “It is awesome to be around my coaches and my players.

“It is such a good vibe and such a good feel. We have a lot of rust. We have lots of things we have to get better at.

“We have to replace 15 starters, so there is lots in front of us. We have the right kids here. We’re ready to develop this team and take it to great places.”

Sargeant said the first week of training camp had the standard ups and downs. When the team returns to practice this coming Monday after three days off, Sargeant said the focus will be getting ready for the first game against the Huskies.

“We picked our team,” said Sargeant. “We had some ebbs and flows, so we got that sorted out.

“Now, we’re identifying whose going to be our starters. We have to take 45 on the road. We’re traveling with players on the road now.

Carter McLean rolls off a big run at the Hilltops scrimmage.

“We have to figure out our 45 beginning on Monday when we come back to our main camp and get ready for the Edmonton Huskies. We’re real excited for the process ahead.”

Sargeant believes this year’s team can be really good, but there is still a lot of work to do.

“This team has tremendous potential and lots of room for growth,” said Sargeant. “That is what we have to do.

“Look at our scrimmage (Thursday night), we got to finish with a touchdown and some good vibes. Our defence really was flying and running around. We have lots of work to do on our special teams.

“I wasn’t happy with that tonight. As I said, we’re going to get to work, and I can’t wait for everything in front of us.”

Ochs said the Hilltops coaches have been great in making sure everything is going forward and everyone is taking care of business. He said training camp activities and practices have gone on like they would in any normal year, and you wouldn’t know the 2020 CJFL season was cancelled.

“The coaches are everything,” said Ochs. “After missing a year there, to have that same continuity, the same guys, the same systems and the same beliefs, that is huge.”

Ochs is very optimistic about how good the 2021 season can be. He is looking forward to the opener against the Huskies, but knows there will be growing pains as the campaign goes on.

“I think it can be great,” said Ochs. “It looks great out here.

The Hilltops are preparing for their CJFL regular season opener.

“Obviously, the test is Week 1. I guess we’ll know where we are at after a few weeks here facing some tough competition.”

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Hilltops gain new appreciation for being together

Rylan Kleiter hauls in a pass at Hilltops practice.

Saskatoon Hilltops veteran safety Brant Morrow is pumped his studies at the University of Saskatchewan haven’t been his one life consuming thing.

For the last three weeks, Morrow has been able to head to Ron Atchison Field and practice with the Hilltops. The Hilltops have practiced every Tuesday through Thursday for the last three weeks and will continue to get together on those nights for the next three weeks.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, CJFL cancelled its entire 2020 campaign back on Aug. 6. Had the Hilltops on been practising, Morrow’s life would have been consumed with online classes at the U of S.

“For me, I woke up at 7 a.m. this morning, and I studied all day,” said Morrow after a practice this week. “That can’t be too good for the mental health sitting in one spot.

Brant Morrow goes into coverage during a Hilltops practice.

“Getting out here and seeing your friends running around, it is activity and socializing. They are the two best things for your mental health. It is the best part of my day.”

The venerable Hilltops are the CJFL’s most storied program. In their modern history since the club was reformed in 1947, the Hilltops have won 22 CJFL titles which included winning three different league championship trophies in the Leader-Post Trophy, the Armadale Cup and the Canadian Bowl.

The Hilltops have won nine of the last 10 CJFL championships and the last six CJFL titles in a row.

Over that time, the moniker “Hilltop family” has reached new heights in describing how close everyone associated with the historic team is.

Rylan Kleiter makes a catch at Hilltops practice.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there was a big fear the “Hilltop family” wouldn’t be able to get together this year. The practices have allowed the players, coaches and staff to get an extra jump in their step.

“It has been a tonne of fun,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, who is the all-time wins leader in Canadian amateur football in the post-secondary ranks. “It is good to get around my buddies, my coaches, the guys, we work so hard together.

“It is good to get around these young athletes. They’re excited. It was fun to see everyone compete.

“The juices were flying, so that was good.”

Over the first two weeks, the Hilltops veterans practised in their own sessions on Tuesdays and Thursday. The club’s newcomers hit the field in sessions on Wednesdays and Thursday.

Brant Morrow makes a read during a Hilltops practice.

This past week, everyone took part in the same sessions from Tuesday to Thursday.

With all the changes that have come due to the COVID-19 pandemic, veteran Hilltops receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter said everyone with the club has developed a new appreciation just to be able to get together for practice.

“It is kind of a welcoming feeling knowing that everybody is here again,” said Kleiter, who has played four seasons with the team. “Honestly, I’m just excited to see everybody again.

“It has been awesome to have everyone out here even just as a mental release to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. Just getting the chance to see everybody out here again is a pretty sweet opportunity.”

Rylan Kleiter secures a catch last season for the Hilltops.

Of course, there are noticeable differences. Players are arriving at Ron Atchison fully dressed in all their equipment as the dressing rooms at the Hilltops clubhouse aren’t being used, which is a standard procedure at sports facilities during the pandemic.

Hilltops directors are on hand before practice to do temperature checks. There are frequent breaks to sanitize and get water.

The team runs through a lot of individual position drills before doing walk throughs of some of the offensive and defensive schemes the team runs.

Kleiter said arriving to practice already dressed in equipment brings back memories of playing minor football in the Kinsmen Football League.

“It is definitely different than what we are used to without the locker room camaraderie and all the other stuff outside of the football field,” said Kleiter, who is continuing to skill his high level curling team in men’s competition after winning four straight provincial junior titles. “We’re enjoying it just being out here.”

Brant Morrow celebrates a big play with the Hilltops in 2019.

Morrow said he misses the bonding time in dressing room.

“That is one of the best parts is the camaraderie in that locker room,” said Morrow, who has played three full seasons with the Hilltops. “I’m missing that a lot.

“Before practice, we get to talk a bit.”

Morrow enjoys getting locked in and focusing in on football, when he is on the field. He said you can tell the returning veterans have putting in good working during the off-season, because everyone looks in shape and are stronger and faster on the field.

When he sees the improvement in his teammates, Morrow wishes there could have been a season this year. Still, he all you can do is do the best with what has been dealt your way and prepare of 2021.

HC Tom Sargeant mans the Hilltops sidelines last season.

The Hilltops practices have helped perk up Morrow.

“It is good just getting back together with your friends and competing and getting better for next year,” said Morrow. “It takes your mind off of whatever is going on in your life.

“It is still our escape from life. We get come out here and have fun for a couple of hours and get better at football. Hopefully at some point, we can get some contact in this year.”

Sargeant said he believes the practices have helped the players, coaches and staffers on the mental health front, because it gets them all doing something they are used to doing. While Sargeant is normally upbeat and energetic, the sideline boss said the practice sessions have been a big help to him as well.

The Hilltops look forward to getting back to moments like this.

“I think it is huge, and that is one of the reasons we wanted to come together,” said Sargeant. “I think absence makes the heart grow fonder.

“It was really nice to see when we came together again just that spirit and that attitude and the care and love for each other. This has been good for everybody. We’re enjoying what it has brought us.

“It has just been a tonne of fun. It is good to get back on the old Hilltops field again. It makes me feel good.”

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Godson aims to be fixture on Hilltops radar

Ethan Godson looks to be a bigger playmaker for the Hilltops this season.

    Ethan Godson wants to make plays in order to see more time on the field with the Saskatoon Hilltops.

    The 20-year-old speedster made the biggest play in the Hilltops Alumni Game on Thursday at Ron Atchison Field. With the current Hilltops scrimmaging from their own one yard line, fifth-year quarterback Tyler Hermann hit Godson, who is a third-year receiver, perfectly in stride on deep streak down the right sideline.

    Godson, who had a step on his defender from the alumni side, raced the rest of the way for a touchdown that put the current Hilltops up 14-0.

    “It was nice,” said Godson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds. “It is almost a tryout for me, so it is nice to get noticed by the coaches and put my name out there.”

    The alumni side rallied back to take the contest 18-14 to mark the fifth straight year current Hilltops have fallen to the alum squad.

Ethan Godson is off to the races on a deep touchdown catch.

    Godson was buried his first two seasons on the Hilltops depth chart as the powerhouse club won its fourth and fifth straight respective Canadian Junior Football League titles. The Hilltops have claimed the CJFL crown eight out of the last nine years.

    Following last year’s 58-21 triumph in the Canadian Bowl over the Langley Rams at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops experienced a sizable turnover on their roster having claimed their 21^st CJFL title.

    With that turnover, Godson is hoping to get into more game action.

    “It is different just competing for a starting spot,” said Godson, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football team. “It is exciting.

    “It is like the most fun I could have. My first year, I wasn’t really that comfortable. Being in my third year, I am getting really comfortable out here.”

    With how well things went on his long touchdown catch, Godson is hoping head coach Tom Sargeant might want to dial up that play again, if the Hilltops are pinned in their own end.

Ethan Godson, middle, fights for extra yards after a catch.

    “If we’re not getting out of the end zone, he (Sargeant) wants to take a knee,” said Godson. “We are going to take our shot, and if we make it, then we make it.

    “If not, then we don’t. We’re going to take those shots, when we are down in our own end.”

    Sargeant was pleased with how well the deep pass call to Godson was executed.

    “That was a real momentum buster for us,” said Sargeant. “We have a lot of receivers who can run deep down the field.

    “They are very athletic, and they make a lot of plays. We’re going to be aggressive in anything we do. We just have to get better in what we do, and if we do that, I think we are going to be in better shape.”

    The current Hilltops opened the scoring in the alumni game, when Hermann hit receiver Carter Norrish for a touchdown toss from about 14 yards out to produce a 7-0 edge. 

QB Tyler Hermann (#71) fires a pass to receiver Carter Norrish (#88).

    Hermann is slated to be the team’s starter for the first time in his CJFL career.

    After Godson’s long catch gave the current Hilltops a 14-0 lead, the alums cut the gap to 14-7 right before halftime with a one-yard touchdown run from power back Andre Lalonde.

    In the second half, alumni kicker Rod Janzen hit a 22-yard field goal and scored a single point from a missed field goal to trim the lead by the current Hilltops to 14-11.

    Late in the second half, alum quarterback Riley Hobbins connected with receiver Sam Anderson on a touchdown pass from about 20 yards out to give the alumni side the 18-14 victory.

    Sargeant said it was obvious a large number of players on the current Hilltops are still getting used to new roles with the team. The team elected to rest a handful of regular starters too.

Andre Lalonde has a touchdown run for the Hilltops alums.

    “We have lots of work to do,” said Sargeant. “People weren’t comfortable.

    “There wasn’t a lot of confidence, a lot of moxy or lots of energy, because people were thinking too hard. It is going to take time. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

    “We lost a lot of high end players, so when that happens, there are some realities. Those realities are we need to coach better, they need to figure out how to play better, and we need to execute better. When we understand our plans and are able to do a better job of that, hopefully, it is going to lead to a better result than what we had.”

    In the first half, the alumni side came up a half yard short on a third down gamble, and the officials ruled a first down. Sargeant admitted the coaches have to be on top of situations like that during the regular season and request a measurement.

    “It shows you as I am getting older my eyes are getting worse,” said Sargeant. “I couldn’t see a darn thing out here.

Jared Giddings makes a stop for the current Hilltops.

    “That is why in the future we will have spotters up there, and we will be on top of that.”

    The alumni game officially brought an end to Hilltops training camp, which started on Monday. They will begin to prepare for their first regular season game on Sunday, Aug. 18, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles.

    Godson is looking forward to that opportunity to make another good impression.

The alums celebrate a win in the Hilltops Alumni Game.

    “It is exciting,” said Godson. “There are a lot of new guys out here.

    “Guys are going to have to step up and do their jobs.”

    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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Intangibles gave Hilltops the edge

The Saskatoon Hilltop celebrate a Canadian Bowl win at home on Saturday.

    The seeds of the Saskatoon Hilltops 2015 national championship season were sown back in their spring camp that wrapped up in early May.

    When one looked at those sessions on Ron Atchinson Field, you realized most of the players had returned from the squad’s Canadian Bowl winning team in 2014. Only four players exhausted their Canadian Junior Football League eligibility after the Hilltops claimed their 17^th national title downing the host Rams in Langley, B.C., 39-14 on Nov. 8, 2014.

    The fact that most to almost all the players from that campaign returned in 2015 speaks highly of the Blue and Gold. When 2014 wrapped up, there were a number of Canadian university teams looking to make quick fixes to deficiencies on their squads, and the coaching staffs and recruiters in those programs eyed up the Hilltops roster.

    The returning Toppers, whose numbers included 16 players in their fifth and final years of eligibility, did not want give up what they already had. They saw the team’s clubhouse on Kilburn Avenue as a second home. The teammates in that building were viewed as brothers and the family atmosphere was real.

    That family feeling truly extends back to when the modern version of the team was formed in 1947. All the players that came before were also family, and everyone was part of a special ongoing storyline. Those shared experiences created a bond, and they are not something you want to give up.

Head coach Tom Sargeant gets the Gatorade bucket shower.

    Also, the coaches led by head coach Tom Sargeant are as good or if not better than most of the university programs in Canada. The 2015 campaign would mark the 12^th time Sargeant was part of a CJFL title winning team with the Hilltops including one win as a player, two victories as an assistant coach and nine triumphs as a head coach.

    For the players, going somewhere else meant venturing to the unknown. You almost know that in your soul you would kick yourself if you left. Besides, you could almost guarantee the four graduates from 2014 would have returned in 2015, if the rules permitted it.

    When main training camp started in early August, optimism was high that the veteran laden team would win an 18^th CJFL title, which would also be a fifth championship in the last six years. Eyes at that time weren’t locked on November, but were focused on enjoying and living every day of the journey. All the best memories are made in the clubhouse, on bus trips, in hotel rooms and in restaurants on that journey, which was a big reason everyone returned.

    Games, obviously, included a lot of memories. There was a 16-14 setback in an unofficial exhibition show to a still very much in shape alumni team.

    A regular season 31-10 opening victory in Calgary against the Colts was sparked by a punt block from second year linebacker Bobby Ehman, which was returned for a major by defensive lineman Dillon Buckle.

Evan Turkington speeds downfield after a catch for the Hilltops.

    The regular season home opener started with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by Bryant Sackney that sparked a Hilltops 65-9 romp over the Winnipeg Rifles. Running back Logan Fischer rank for 293 yards in a 35-17 home victory over the Regina Thunder. 

    A week later in Regina, the Hilltops erased a 15-point deficit to pull out a 26-25 victory over the Thunder, which was capped by slotback Evan Turkington catching the winning major to complete a 75-yard two-minute drill drive.

    Down went the Rifles in the Prairie Football Conference semifinal and the Colts in the Prairie Football Conference final to set up a home Canadian Bowl.

    Arriving at Saskatoon Minor Football Field 75 minutes before kickoff of the CJFL final, you could see a festive atmosphere was in the air. Fans were out tailgating, which is something that doesn’t normally happen at Hilltops home games. A large number of the tailgaters were former players, and they were usually wearing their old classic blue jackets.

    The hosts got an early jump on the visiting Okanagan Sun going up 10-0 on a 45-yard Brett Thorarinsson field goal and 10-yard TD reception by Turkington.

    The Sun didn’t go away in a match that was a showcase for junior football in Canada. They stormed back, and after linebacker Layne Hull blocked a punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown with 4.5 seconds to go before halftime, the Sun led 20-17.

Hilltops defensive tackle Blake Adams gives the Canadian Bowl a kiss.

    The Hilltops never shy away from big moments in big games. After the Sun went up 21-17 on a punt single, the Hilltops made the biggest play of the contest. Quarterback Jared Andreychuk found receiver Tyson Sawatzky on a 73-yard touchdown bomb to put the hosts up 24-21 and a packed SMF field erupted with its loudest cheers of the season.

    The Sun would stay close, but the Hilltops earned a 38-24 victory after Turkington hauled a 33-yard insurance major late in the fourth quarter.

    The 2015 Saskatoon Hilltops, who were 10-1 overall in the regular season and playoffs, added to the lustre of the franchise’s spectacular overall story. The success at the end of the campaign was made up of all the little intangibles you won’t find on a statistics sheet. Those little things when put together help keep the Hilltops championship dynasty going.

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

A great time to reconnect with the Hilltops

The starting Saskatoon Hilltops offensive line shares a laugh on the bench.

     Sometimes you just have to go out and see that good old neighbour.

    Since 1947, the modern version of the Saskatoon Hilltops junior football club has been part of the fabric of Saskatoon. Soon, they will try to close their 69^th season by claiming an 18^th Canadian Junior Football League championship.

    The Toppers host the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which for most of its history was known as Gordie Howe Bowl. If you haven’t seen the Hilltops play in a while, there is no better time than Saturday to go out and be part of another memory associated with the Blue and Gold.

    If you are a fan, a former player, a former director, volunteer or even a former Bridge City media member, this will be a perfect time to relive some old memories, while supporting a first class franchise that ages extremely well.

    Many things in life like work or personal situations can pull one away from something they once had a deep rooted investment in. If it has been a long time since you last saw the Hilltops play, you will discover something familiar, if you venture to SMF Field on Saturday.

    The Hilltops are still that good old neighbour that brings a smile to your face. When they succeed, you feel extremely proud of them.

    Many in the Saskatoon community can recall teaching or coaching a Hilltops player, when they grew up. If your family had children, your children might have grown up being best friends with a Hilltops player. You likely take pride in seeing how outstanding that Hilltops player became as he grew into adulthood.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant gives encouragement to QB Jared Andreychuk.

    Those connections aren’t just limited to the Bridge City. People in Prince Albert share that same pride when it comes to following one of their products on the Toppers like receiver Evan Kopchynski. The same can be said for the citizens of Bonnyville, Alta., who followed the career of Hilltops defensive tackle Blake Adams.

    It is fitting that the Hilltops clubhouse and practice facility, Ron Atchinson Field, is located in a long existing residential neighbourhood. Even SMF Field borders with a residential area. The Hilltops are literally your neighbours.

    When you go and visit them, you can feel the family atmosphere, and it is very welcoming.

    Their coaching staff led by head coach Tom Sargeant doesn’t just help players succeed on the field but helps them become strong first rate people, who are very community minded.

    Because the Hilltops do strive to succeed in the right way, it adds to the pride you feel for them when they do succeed.

    This Hilltops team is also on the verge of accomplishing a special milestone. If they win the Canadian Bowl, it will mark the fifth time in the last six years they have claimed the CJFL title. The only other team to win five CJFL titles over a six-year span was the Regina Rams from 1993 to 1998 before they moved on to the Canadian university ranks.

    You have to like Saskatoon’s chances of matching that accomplishment. The Hilltops have a veteran team that includes 16 players in their fifth and final year of junior eligibility. Overall, this is a squad that has won numerous big games and keeps finding a way to raise its play to a higher and higher level when everything is on the line.

The Hilltops are aiming to pull off one final victory celebration to close 2015.

    Victory on Saturday is far from a sure thing. The Sun are 12-0 overall this season and enter the Canadian Bowl having crushed the Vancouver Island Raiders 54-0 in the British Columbia Football Conference final. The Sun’s last CJFL title win came back in 2000 thanks to a 36-28 victory in Kelowna over the visiting Hilltops.

    When the adversity comes, you almost know and expect the Hilltops, who are 9-1 overall, to find a way to persevere. If you can witness of those types of storylines play out again, it would only feel right and familiar. For a resident of Saskatoon, you know that will be a moment that makes you feel good.

    NOTE - The Hilltops pre-selling tickets for the Canadian Bowl on Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, $5 for elementary school students and free for pre-school age and under.

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

Hilltops grads face last hurrah

Hilltops OL Jordan Hydomako walks to the field with his parents.

    This is it.

    For 16 members of the Saskatoon Hilltops, they are enjoying their final days as players for the storied Canadian Junior Football League club. If the team goes all the way to host this year’s Canadian Bowl on Nov. 7, it means those fifth-year graduating players have at most 23 full days starting on Friday to enjoy suiting up for the blue and gold for practices and games. They only have at most 23 full days to enjoy spending time with their teammates.

    When Nov. 8 rolls around, there will definitely be no more practices or games to take part in as a CJFL player.

    The Hilltops begin their playoff run on Sunday, when they host the Winnipeg Rifles in a Prairie Football Conference semifinal contest at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Saskatoon topped the PFC regular season standings with a 7-1 mark, while Winnipeg finished fourth with a 4-4 record.

    On paper, the contest is a severe mismatch, as the Hilltops swept the two regular season meetings between the clubs outscoring the Rifles 115-17. The Toppers are expected to win this first contest on the post-season trail, but the results afterwards are not a sure thing.

    Even with that in mind, the veterans have to relish the limited time they have left and not take anything for granted including that playoff match with Winnipeg.

    The soon to be graduates include Blake Adams, Chad Braun, Nathan Heide, Tyrell Hering, Jordan Hydomako, Evan Kopchynski, Matt Kozun, Davis Mitchell, Preston Njaa, Quinn Pierce, Derek Sadownick, Brad Schnitzler, Terry Thesen, Austin Thorarinson, Brett Thorarinsson and Evan Turkington.

Hilltops LT Terry Thesen guides the way for Logan Fischer.

    They have had a huge hand in adding to the Hilltops proud legacy. During their years, the Hilltops claimed the Canadian Bowl three times, and they would all love to add a fourth title this season, which would be the team’s fifth CJFL championship in the last six years.

    The fact that the end is getting closer became more real during the Toppers final regular season home game last Sunday. In what has to be one of the most heartwarming annual traditions any sports team has in Canada, each graduating Hilltops vet was introduced to the crowd making the walk out of the tunnel with their parents. The parents were almost all decked out in cool looking team gear.

    That moment was definitely something the players and the parents will never forget, and it gives the parents recognition for the support they have given their boys over the years even before joining the blue and gold. A lot times, you can find the parents along with the players’ brother and sisters out watching practice in order to further share in the Hilltops experience.

    As the final days move on for the graduates, they will experience other memories they will never forget, and they won’t likely all revolve around winning games.

    The memories will include telling jokes between drills at practice at Ron Atchison Field or in the dressing room at the Hilltops clubhouse. Just being around the other guys, who become like family, will be a big thing that is missed. For anyone that has spent any around the Hilltops clubhouse, you can’t miss the family feeling atmosphere at that place.

    Going out into the community and being recognized is another thing that will be missed. The Hilltop players have always carried themselves with humility and class, but it always feels special to hear a good word from a complete stranger, who follows what the team does.

Brett Thorarinsson boots the ball away for the Hilltops.

    Not all the graduating veterans might be able to play these final playoff games, as like any football season the injury bug has something to say. The hearts of a lot of Toppers fans dropped when Adams, who has been an extremely popular member of the team’s star defensive line, suffered a left knee injury in the final regular season game and is questionable for the post-season.

    If they can’t play, the injured graduating players will likely be passing on encouragement and coaching tips to those that will fill their roles to keep adding to the Hilltops experience.

    The final days are indeed here for the graduating players, but the best time is still right now. You can be sure each will ensure every day is a good day, and as those good days add up, there is a good chance they will culminate with one last championship celebration memory on Nov. 7.

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