Thunder RB Jonathan Thebaud (#30) and the Hilltops defence collide. |
For anyone that has seen these
two clubs go at it over the years, that observation shouldn’t come as a shock.
When the Hilltops and Thunder meet, spectators get to see the Canadian Junior Football
League at its best.
In their latest clash, the
Hilltops led the Thunder 20-6 at halftime only for the Thunder to rally and
pull out a heart stopping 29-26 victory. It was a reversal of script from the
six previous encounters between these two teams, where the Hilltops came up
victorious on each occasion. Four of those Saskatoon victories came by four or
fewer points.
While Saturday’s result was a
tough one for the Hilltops and their fans to stomach, the end result doesn’t
take away from the fact they took part in an outstanding game, which helps sell
the CJFL.
In Canada’s media cut age, circuits like the CJFL always have to
embrace opportunities when they can sell themselves.
QB Jordan Walls (#19) was on fire for the Hilltops. |
The same can be said for the four
head-to-head games the Hilltops claimed by four or fewer points in their
previous six clashes with the Thunder. In those contests, the Thunder and their
fans came away disappointed, but the fact the Hilltops won doesn’t take away from
the fact the two clubs played an outstanding game on each of those occasions.
Looking back at Saturday’s
encounter, both teams will lament the fact they didn’t score more points, when
the opportunities presented themselves. When the coaching staffs on both sides
review video from that game, they will see the missed opportunities.
Thunder QB Sawyer Buettner, left, evades the Hilltops’ rush. |
First comes from quarterback
play, and the star signal callers for both teams had strong nights. Hilltops
starter Jordan Walls completed 27-of-41 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns
and one interception. Thunder starter Sawyer Buettner proved to be a touch
better on the night completing 33-of-40 passes for 374 yards, two touchdowns
and one interception.
The second statistical area that
shows how outstanding the game was came on the turnover front. The Hilltops
manufactured two takeaways, while the Thunder had one. Both sides did a sound
job of looking after the ball.
Both sides had missed plays, but
in the overall view of a game, those missed plays really only stood out due to
how well the rest of the game was played.
Saturday’s contest had all sorts
of turning points that could have really swung the fortunes to one side or the other.
Receiver Ryan Turple escapes upfield for the Hilltops. |
With the Hilltops up 20-6, the
Thunder had two long drives early in the third quarter that resulted in no
points being scored due to turnovers. The first was a costly fumble by running
back Ethan Hautz right before the goal-line of the Saskatoon end zone, and the second was an interception by Hilltops defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler.
Hilltops kicker James Vause was
wide on a 29-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, and the
Thunder ran the ball out of the end zone to prevent any points from being
scored.
Receiver Isaac Foord jets downfield on a punt return for the Thunder. |
The Thunder proceeded to drive 80
yards in two-minute drill style that saw Buettner hit receiver Lee Brown from
eight yards out for what turned out to be the game’s winning touchdown. Regina
added a two-point conversion to lead 29-26.
Still, 60 seconds remained on the
clock and the Hilltops had both of their timeouts. That is like an eternity in
the Canadian game.
The Hilltops started on their own
30 yard line and drove to the Regina 20 yard line. The hosts had a first down
situation with nine seconds to play and one timeout to use.
There was more than
enough time to take a shot at the end zone before trying a potential game-tying
field goal.
The Thunder and Hilltops get set in a short yardage situation. |
Unfortunately for the Hilltops,
the intermediate sideline throw that was intended for Mike was intercepted by
Thunder defensive back Tyrel Latoski at his own five yard line. Saskatoon had
run that exact play a few times in the game, and on this occasion, Latoski saw
what was coming and he undercut Wall’s pass for the game-sealing turnover.
If Saturday’s match was a CFL
game involving the Saskatchewan Roughriders, there would have been all sorts of
talking points.
The Thunder defence gets to Hilltops RB Joshua Ewanchyna. |
Will it mark a turning point for
the rest of the season? Only time will tell.
Going forward, the Hilltops and
Thunder are currently tied with the Winnipeg Rifles for second in the Prairie
Football Conference at 3-1. The Edmonton Huskies lead the way at 4-0.
The Hilltops, who are the
three-time defending CJFL champions, took the regular season series with the
Thunder, who won the 2013 CJFL title, outscoring their provincial rivals 63-49
in two regular season meetings. Saskatoon took the first encounter 37-20 in
Regina on Aug. 12.
The CJFL was arguably the big
winner with a showcase game. In Canada’s amateur sports scene, that is something
that is always priceless.
Media watch an interesting game
Huskies head coach Scott Flory participates in a media scrum. |
When I was in Regina back on May
14 covering the Seattle Thunderbirds winning the WHL title with a 4-3 overtime
victory over the host Pats, I still have the air of finality imprinted on my
mind from the media members in attendance while interacting in the media and
scouts lounge an hour before that contest. Since the conclusion of that game, a
number of my friends saw their time in the mainstream media and media overall
come to an end.
Due to the media cuts in Canada,
I have found myself watching for differences on the media front compared to the
previous campaign.
On Friday night, the University
of Saskatchewan Huskies football team hosted their home opener, and they romped
over the University of Alberta Golden Bears 43-17 before 8,009 spectators in U Sports action.
When I went on the sidelines to
shoot pictures of that game, I felt like I was working a Saskatchewan
Roughriders CFL game due to all the cameras that were circling the field. That
caught me by surprise.
It is also seemed like the
majority of those cameras were shooting pictures or video for Huskie Athletics
and the U of Saskatchewan. The one videographer I saw wore a jacket signalling
he was part of a Huskies film crew.
The Huskies also had an actual
game program with a pair of stories, which was something you didn’t see a year
ago.
The cameras didn’t translate to
interviews post game. Intent on writing a column, I didn’t do any post-game
interviews. I did look in on the post-game scrums and saw three microphones from
mainstream outlets and a Huskies staff filming video.
For Saturday’s CJFL clash between
the Hilltops and Thunder, I was one of only three people shooting photos for
the entire game. I saw two other shooters arrive for part of the contest before
leaving. When the game concluded, there were only four reporters, including
myself, on the field doing interviews.
The Hilltops also have different
content in their game programs for each home contest this season.
A year ago at both events, it
seemed like there were more reporters at each game doing interviews. With that
said, the media presence was there. It will be interesting to see what media
personnel presence will be like when the Saskatoon Blades open their WHL
regular season schedule.
As for my own front, I will
mirror what I wrote in a column back in May. My goal is to ensure that whatever
I do cover it will be something I am passionate about.
I find that when you do cover
something you are not passionate about, the reader sees through it, and you do
them a disservice.
I just try to take things one day
at a time and roll with the punches as they come.
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.