Douglas soaking in farewell tour with CJFL’s Hilltops

Saskatoon downs Rifles 47-1, improves to 2-0

Drake Douglas continues to make big plays for the Hilltops.

Drake Douglas won’t let the final moments of his CJFL career pass him by.

The 22-year-old star receiver has gotten out to a strong start playing out his final year of CJFL eligibility with the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops. In the Hilltops opening week 38-13 victory over the Edmonton Huskies on August 11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Douglas caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, he returned six punts for 113 yards.

On Sunday, Douglas accounted for a pair of touchdowns as the Hilltops improved to 2-0 romping past the Rifles 47-1 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg. The Rifles fell to 0-2 with the loss to Saskatoon.

While Douglas is trying to cherish all his final experiences as a Hilltops player, he adds that it feels like time is passing by at warp speed.

“Time flies fast,” said Douglas. “It feels like we just ended last season almost.

“It feels like the whole off-season went by really fast, and it’s crazy that we’re already back here. I know I feel ready, but it’s just time flies so fast.”

Douglas’s stature in the CJFL is a lot different at that start of this season compared to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Going into the 2023 season, Douglas wasn’t really well-known around the CJFL, but he did have a reputation in Saskatchewan that he could be a quality player at the post-secondary level.

Drake Douglas had a breakout season for the Hilltops in 2023.

After playing his final campaign with Regina’s Balfour Collegiate Bears Football Team in 2019, Douglas originally committed to play with the Regina Thunder on June 1, 2020. With shutdowns in affect due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world, Douglas practiced with the Thunder in the fall of 2020, but never played a down with the Regina CJFL side.

As there was no certainty when the sports world would resume action, Douglas elected to move to Saskatoon for an opportunity in the working world. His brother and his two sisters were already living in “The Bridge City.” Douglas got a call from legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant and joined the storied CJFL club for their fourth game of the 2022 campaign. Sargeant’s call came after he received Douglas’s football highlight package from the pass catcher’s brother, Braydan.

Douglas finished that season making some big plays as the Hilltops fell 39-21 to the Thunder in Regina in that year’s PFC final. The Hilltops coaches believed bigger things were ahead for Douglas in 2023.

Douglas proved the faith of the Hilltops sideline bosses to be correct coming thru with a breakout campaign in 2023. He hauled in 56 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns for the Hilltops on the way to being named a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star. Douglas became a major part of a Hilltops club that went 12-0 overall and won their 23^rd CJFL title in team history downing the Westshore Rebels 17-10 in Langford, B.C., in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

Coming into the 2024 campaign, Douglas, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 185 pounds, is now the star receiver all other CJFL teams are game planning for. A Hilltops offensive team captain, Douglas was rated fifth among the CJFL’s Top 50 players list for the start of the season.

“I think a lot of the younger players my age spend a lot of time on Instagram and stuff, so that’s where they get most of their information from,” said Douglas, who holds for field goals for the Hilltops too. “It puts a little bit of a target on your back.

Drake Douglas can make exciting plays returning kicks.

“You get a little bit more words thrown your way, but I don’t think it changes much about how the actual game goes or how the coaches game plan. I think most coaches in the league know who they’re looking for and who they’re planning against regardless of what the CJFL posts on Instagram and what not. As a leader, I just try to set the tone, and I think there are a lot of guys who have stepped up due to injuries.

“I think on this team everybody has to lead in their own way, and I think a lot of guys have done that really, really well by just doing their job and staying in their lane.”

Sargeant believes Douglas has done a great job leading by example at the start of the campaign.

“Well, that’s what a captain does,” said Sargeant. “That’s what an all-Canadian does, and that’s what a fifth-year does.

“When you’re in dire straits and you need someone to make plays, it’s a 22-year-old who steps up, and that is the Hilltop way. Coach (Shane) Reider and his staff did a good job figuring out how to get him the ball, and (quarterback) Trey (Reider) made the throws, and he (Douglas) made the plays. At the end of the day, we want to be more balanced and be more multiple in our offensive look.”

While Douglas had an outstanding game in the season opener against the Huskies, he still felt he had room for improvement.

“In terms of my individual performance, I feel solid,” said Douglas. “I feel like I did my job, but definitely, there were a couple of plays like a couple dropped balls and a couple like mishaps on communication and stuff that definitely could have been better.

“I’m also happy with the return game. That’s probably one of my better return games I’ve had. That just goes to show the work that the coaches have been putting in.

Drake Douglas has become the Hilltops biggest offensive playmaker.

“‘Sarge’ has been putting a lot of pressure on (special teams coordinator) Andre (Lalonde) to get the special teams together, and that was a good way to start it for punt return at least. Andre was calling us out saying we need some more big returns this year, so I was happy to be a part of that, and the boys blocked great for me. It made my job easy.”

As for the rest of the 2024 campaign, Douglas hopes it doesn’t go by too fast. 

He said he is pretty good at staying in the moment but noted to recognize how special it was to be in each moment as a player for the final time.

“Essentially like every now and then, I just kind of look around and pretty much every day I’m like this is the last,” said Douglas. “It is the last this.

“It is one of the last days. I’ll be here like this will be my last trip to Winnipeg. That’ll probably be my last home game against Edmonton that kind of thing.

“I’m trying to appreciate every moment. I’m trying to just soak it all in the best I can essentially.”

In Sunday’s clash with the Rifles, the Hilltops led 7-0 after the first quarter, 20-0 at halftime and 33-1 after three quarters. The Hilltops received majors from running backs Corbin Ebben and Charles Sawi, defensive lineman Ryan Adamko and defensive back Nathan Young. Kicker Ryden Gratton connected on a pair of field goals for the Saskatoon side.

Drake Douglas, right, is piling some final memories with the Hilltops.

The Hilltops, who have won 14 straight overall, return to action this coming Sunday when they travel to Calgary to take on the 1-1 Colts (1 p.m. local time, Shouldice Athletic Park).

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Flaman morphs into “TD Noah” for Hilltops

Saskatoon improves to 5-0, locks up CJFL playoff berth

Noah Flaman has six TD catches for the Hilltops this season.

The end zone has become Noah Flaman’s zone.

In his first four games with the Saskatoon Hilltops this season, Flaman has caught 12 passes with six of those catches going for touchdowns. Those efforts saw “TD Noah” jump to the top of the Prairie Football Conference for touchdown catches.

Coming into his third year with the Hilltops in 2023, Flaman figured he would have extra opportunities to make plays. The 20-year-old said he has had success because everyone around him on offence is playing well.

“We lost six guys last year just in our receiving group,” said Flaman. “We had a lot of spots to fill.

“The message was next man up. We have lots of young guys, but we felt like we had the talent, we had the work ethic, and we do. We’re a young team, but we’re going to come out and we’re going to fight.”

On Sunday, the Hilltops didn’t need Flaman to catch any touchdowns as they improved to 5-0 wiping out the Edmonton Wildcats 52-7 in a CJFL regular season clash at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta. The Wildcats fell to 0-5 with Sunday’s result.

Star power running back Boston Davidsen ran for two touchdowns for the Hilltops, while Charles Sawi had a major on the ground. Trystan Ginther, Evan Ward and Drake Douglas all had touchdown catches for Saskatoon. Teijon Abel-Douglas hit a pair of field goals for the ’Toppers in the win.

Combined with the fact the Regina Thunder downed the Rifles in Winnipeg 23-11, the Hilltops officially clinched a berth in the CJFL playoffs. If the Hilltops beat the Huskies (3-2) this coming Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, the Saskatoon side will lock up the right to host a Prairie Football Conference semifinal game to open the post-season.

Noah Flaman makes one of his six TD catches this season on Aug. 13.

So far this season, Flaman said one of biggest memories will be hauling in three touchdowns to help the Hilltops down the Thunder 36-6 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on September 9. In that contest, Flaman finished with four catches for 84 yards to go with his three major scores.

“It was cool,” said Flaman, who stands 6-feet and weighs 170 pounds. “Playing in Mosaic (Stadium) is always awesome.

“Coach (offensive coordinator Shane Reider) is calling good plays and (quarterback) Trey (Reider) putting the ball in good spots makes my job easy. It was good to get a good team win.”

Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant said Flaman has found a comfort zone with the red zone. The sideline boss said the veteran receiver has been getting good looks when the team is in the red zone which has allowed the sure handed pass catcher to haul in multiple touchdown grabs during the club’s first four games.

“He’s a red zone threat,” said Sargeant. “When we get in red zone situations and a team thinks we are running the ball, we know we are going to get zero one.

“Noah and Trey (Reider) have such a good chemistry together that they know what each other is doing and it has resulted in some might nice touchdowns plays. We know that teams are going to creep up and play a little bit more man-to-man. Noah is a man beater.

“He has a multitude of different patterns that make a big difference. We just make sure that we take advantage of what is in front of us. Coach (Shane Reider) makes some good play calls, and they execute it, so it is fun to watch.”

Noah Flaman caught three TDs against the Thunder on Sept. 9.

Flaman said he got into football early in life when his father, Cory, enrolled him in flag football. The pass catcher’s love for the game grew, and he ended up suiting up for the Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High Crusaders Football Team guided by long time head coach Scott Hundseth, who is a Hilltops alumnus.

“The Holy Cross tradition of excellence, there has always been a good team there,” said Flaman. “The coaching staff is awesome.

“There are lots of great players. Mitch Hillis is a physio here. He was a great receiver there.

“I look up to a lot of those guys. Just the tradition, you kind of see that here. It started at Holy Cross and then seeing the winning here just flew right in.”

When it came to joining the Hilltops, Flaman said it meant a lot when Hilltops receivers coach Barclay Schlosser called his place asking if he wanted to play. Flaman felt he really hit things off well with Schlosser.

The talented receiver also met a lot of players from across Saskatoon playing for Saskatoon Minor Football’s North Sask Academy program. A number of those friends were electing to join the Hilltops, which added to Flaman’s decision to stay home.

“I met a good group of guys here, and that really kept me home,” said Flaman. “You meet all these guys through high school and all the camps.

“That played a huge decision. It is a great group of guys and being home. It is a great team, and there is lots of winning.”

During his first two seasons with the Hilltops, Flaman said he learned a lot watching veteran receiver Dillan Heintz, who was playing his final two campaigns of CJFL eligibility, go about his craft. Flaman said Heintz did so many little things well and was awestruck by how well Heintz could block.

Noah Flaman can haul in those challenging catches.

“Being a receiver who doesn’t really like to block coming into this team, seeing him (Heintz) go out and work his butt off and feeling that throughout the whole team I think really just motivates everyone and pushes everyone else,” said Flaman. “Being a young guy and then trying to replicate that this year has been something I’m trying to work on.

“I think as a group we’re going to get more physical and kick butt throughout the rest of the year.”

As a sophomore receiver in 2022, Sargeant said Flaman started to come into his own and elevated up the Hilltops depth chart.

“Last year, we had a real deep receiving corps,” said Sargeant. “Noah worked his way into that mix and became very, very productive.

“During the off-season and with him and Trey, they’ve been together these three years. It was neat to see how they developed it together. Now, it is just a real natural feel with the way they play.

“Noah, he had a real good off-season. He trained real hard, and we’re benefitting with his results.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Flaman said the Hilltops are just living in the moment taking things day by day. With that said, he said the team is trying to build up to another gear as post-season play draws near.

“We’re really excited,” said Flaman. “We have lots of young guys, so we feel like we can make it through the whole season healthy.

“That next day, one day mentality, take it one day at a time. It is not all going to be there at once. Once we do get further in the season, we have to tighten up and lock down, because that is when it starts to get cold, it starts to get tough.

Noah Flaman and the Hilltops look to have more end zone visits.

“We have to focus up and play hard for the guy next to you.”

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Reider makes case to cement himself as Hilltops starting QB

Saskatoon smashes Wildcats 50-2 on opening day

Trey Reider was firing strikes for the Hilltops on Sunday.

While it may be a cliché, Trey Reider knows all he can do is put his best effort forward in order to remain the starting quarterback of the Saskatoon Hilltops.

If Reider can keep stringing together performances like he had at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Sunday, any questions about him being the Hilltops starting signal caller will fade away to the point of no longer being in existence.

In the Hilltops opening day game to start their 2023 CJFL regular season schedule, Reider completed 20-of-25 passes for 294 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions as the Hilltops hammered the visiting Edmonton Wildcats 50-2 before 1,201 spectators. After his final pass found offensive lineman Jeremy Funk for a six-yard completion for a touchdown on a gadget play from the jumbo set to give the Hilltops a 39-2 edge with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter, Reider gave way to the team’s reserve quarterbacks as the Saskatoon coaching staff got all the team’s backup into the contest.

Hilltops OC Shane Reider, left, talks to QB Trey Reider.

Brexton Elias took snaps right after Reider and Wil Ansell entered the contest at quarterback in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

“We finally started to figure it out, and everything started to click out there,” said Reider, who also carried the ball three times for 19 yards. “I just put it up, and my wide receivers made some good catches, and O-line stood up and just was great with lots of pocket time.”

With the Hilltops having dealt with uncertainty at quarterback each of the past two seasons, Reider wants to do his best to make sure he is the answer as the starting quarterback in 2023. Last year, Damon Dutton started the campaign as the Hilltops starting quarterback, but after he struggled for a stretch, Reider was inserted at the starting spot for the last three regular season games and both of the club’s post-season contests.

Trey Reider scrambles downfield for the Hilltops.

In 2021, Doug Fleming started the first three regular season games at quarterback for the Hilltops before he got benched after he struggled for a stretch. Dutton took over as the starting quarterback for the rest of that campaign starting with the team’s fourth regular season contest.

Fleming departed from the Hilltops following the 2021 campaign, and Dutton exhausted his CJFL eligibility with the completion of the 2022 season. Reider said he focuses on what he has to do to become a better quarterback and added Dutton was a big positive influence in helping him out.

“Damon (Dutton) taught me a lot last year, and we were always competing for the spot,” said Reider, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 175 pounds. “Now that he is gone, I am just working as hard I can every day in practice to make sure it (uncertainty at the starting quarterback spot) doesn’t happen.”

Trey Reider (#3) calls out signals for the Hilltops. 

During regular season action in 2022, Reider completed 63-of-95 passes for 756 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. Last year, Reider said he had a tendency to get locked on veteran receivers. In 2023, the fourth-year signal caller said he has gotten better at throwing to all the Hilltops pass catchers.

“With the younger guys, I just have more of a confidence level, and I just feel better in the pocket,” said Reider, whose father, Shane, is the Hilltops offensive coordinator. “As an older guy, now I have to take control, so it is a lot better now.”

Trey Reider completed 20-of-25 passes for 294 yards on Sunday.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was pleased to see Reider have a big first game like he did on Sunday to start the campaign. With Hilltops star running back Boston Davidsen having surpassed 1,000 yard rushing in the 2022 regular season, Sargeant figured the Wildcats would try to key on the run first.

“The way they were playing, we knew Boston (Davidsen) is a marquee guy in the league,” said Sargeant. “They certainly came in and wanted to jam the line of scrimmage.

“Coach (Shane) Reider and his staff did a heck of a job of calling the right plays at the right time. Hey, Trey hit his marks. When he does that, it is amazing what we do and how we’re going to do it.

Part of the crowd of 1,201 spectators that saw the Hilltops play on Sunday.

“I’m very proud of everybody today.”

Going forward, Sargeant said the Hilltops coaches will be working on helping Reider consistently have performances game after game like he had on Sunday. The sideline boss really liked what his signal caller did early in the game on a 12-yard scramble run.

“I felt Trey’s best play of the game was none of these throws,” said Sargeant. “We had a certain play call.

Noah Flaman secures a 13-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

“He looked, and he didn’t trust it and took off for 12 yards. That is the evolution of a quarterback, and that is what we are challenging on. That is what we keep practicing so hard and filming so hard.

“As I said, he was the leader of that offence today. Any time you put 50 points on then you are leading it pretty well.”

As for Sunday’s game, the Hilltops took a 1-0 lead, when kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas’s opening kickoff went into the Edmonton end zone for a rouge. After defensive back Justin Adamko came up with an interception for the Hilltops, Abel-Douglas booted a 42-yard field at the 2:49 mark of the first quarter to push the Hilltops lead out to 4-0.

Boston Davidsen ran in two touchdowns for the Hilltops.

With 5:14 remaining in the first quarter, Reider hit third-year receiver Noah Flaman with a 13-yard touchdown toss to give the Hilltops an 11-0 advantage. On the final play of the opening quarter, Davidsen scored on a one-yard plunge to push the Hilltops edge out to 18-0.

In the second quarter, Reider hit receiver Drake Douglas with a four-yard touchdown toss to put the Hilltops up 25-0 at halftime. Douglas finished the contest leading all receivers with nine catches for 171 yards to go with his major score.

“Drake Douglas was so good,” said Reider. “He just got open for me, and I just threw it deep to him.

“It was good to get that going.”

A bad shotgun snap by Hilltops centre Matthew Noble resulted in Davidsen downing the ball in his own end zone for a safety for the Wildcats and slightly trimmed the Saskatoon’s lead to 25-2 just 30 seconds into the third quarter.

Drake Douglas caught nine passes for 171 yards and a TD.

Davidsen later scored on another one-yard plunge leading up to Funk’s touchdown catch to give the Hilltops a hefty 39-2 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Hilltops rounded out the game’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a 60-yard punt single by middle linebacker/punter, Matt Wist, a 40-yard field goal from second-year kicker Ryden Gratton and 33-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Xavier Sabo.

“For a young team, the thing we challenged on that was we want to see great energy and great excitement and enthusiasm,” said Sargeant. “We saw that today.

“We were physical. The coaches did a great job of getting this group ready, and they were on point. Any time you win 50-2 you are doing a lot of things right.

“Offence and defence and special teams complimented one another. It was just a great team win, and we need this.”

Ben Marce returns a fumble recovery for the Hilltops.

Davidsen led the Hilltops with 74 yards rushing on 16 carries to go with his two touchdowns.

Defensively, Wist had three total tackles and an interception for the Hilltops. Defensive lineman Johnathon Stevens had a sack for the host side, while fellow defensive lineman Ben Marce had a fumble recovery for Saskatoon.

Quarterback Caleb Taylor completed 12-of-21 passes for the Wildcats for 96 yards, while throwing two interceptions. Running back David Lezama led the Wildcats with 67 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Defensively, defensive back Tytan Johannesson led the Wildcats with 6.5 total tackles. Defensive linemen Lajaune Morgan and D’wayne Williams each shared a half sack.

Xavier Sabo (#32) reacts to scoring a TD for the Hilltops.

With the opening day game out of the way, the Hilltops now turn their attention to their next contest this coming Sunday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles (1 p.m. local time, Maple Grove Park). Going into that contest, Reider said the key is for his Hilltops to keep sharpening up their game.

“I’d say we just worry about us this week at practice and just continue to throw hard,” said Reider. “Our wide receivers are going to make some plays for us next week.”

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Hilltops get nods in CJFL Top 50

Storied Saskatoon squad opens regular season on Sunday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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‘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.”

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

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Hilltops 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.”

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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