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| QB Jordan Walls (#19) calls signals for the Hilltops. |
The Saskatoon Hilltops are looking forward to the fact their
last regular season match will be a winner take all battle for first place in
the Prairie Football Conference.
On Saturday, the three time defending Canadian Junior
Football League champions travel to Edmonton to take on the Huskies at 7 p.m.
local time at Clarke Park in the only regular season meeting between the two
sides. The winner will capture first place in the PFC.
The Huskies currently sit first in the conference with a 7-0
record, while the Hilltops are second at 6-1. Saskatoon would get first place
with a win on Saturday taking the standings tiebreaker by claiming the one
head-to-head meeting.
In recent years, the Hilltops haven’t participated in a
head-to-head contest in their final regular season outing where so much was on
the line. Last year, the Toppers locked up first in their final regular season
game by thumping the Winnipeg Rifles 44-14 at Saskatoon Minor Football. A day
earlier, the Calgary Colts had a chance to lock away top spot in the PFC, but
they fell 51-35 to the Huskies in Edmonton.
This year, there will be no scoreboard watching to see if
first place is a reality.
Hilltops fifth-year receiver Ryan Turple has been doing his
best to soak in every moment of his final CJFL campaign, and he admits the
switch has flipped to hit another gear.
“We are already in
the last game of the regular season, but it is going to be the most important
game of the regular season coming into Edmonton and first place on the line,”
said Turple. “I am really excited for that.
“It is going to be a
battle. It is going to be a physical game. I am really excited to see how we
stack up against them.”
The Hilltops and Huskies last met in Week 2 of the 2016
campaign in Edmonton, and Saskatoon had to scrap for a 29-20 victory. Since
that encounter, the Huskies have posted a 13-2 record including the regular
season and playoffs, but the Hilltops have continued to roll going 15-1
including action in the regular season and playoffs.
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| RB Adam Machart motors upfield for the Hilltops. |
Saturday’s clash provides an interesting encounter due to
the fact the two sides haven’t faced each other in some time.
The Huskies have scored the most points in the PFC at 306
and allowed the fewest points at 87. The Hilltops have scored the second most
points in the conference at 300 and allowed the second fewest at 99.
Fourth-year veteran Jordan Walls has had an outstanding
campaign guiding the Hilltops for the first time in his career as the starting
quarterback. He has completed 115 of 181 passes for 1,738 yards, 16 touchdowns
and two interceptions.
Fifth-year quarterback Brad Launhardt has had a stellar campaign
for the Huskies. He has completed 122-of-200 passes for 1,712 yards, 16
touchdowns and four interceptions.
On the ground, the Hilltops have received star efforts this
season from running backs Logan Fischer and Adam Machart. Fischer has carried
the ball 121 times for 804 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in his final campaign
with the Toppers. Machart has run the ball 63 times for 543 yards and scored
two touchdowns for Saskatoon.
Fischer is questionable for Saturday’s game due to injury.
The bulk of the Huskies ground game has been shared by
running backs Brandt Burzuk and Jimmie Airey. Burzuk carried the ball 62 times
for 430 yards and scored three touchdowns. Airey has 50 carries for 332 yards
and three touchdowns.
Edmonton enters the first place showdown having crushed the
Rifles in Winnipeg 43-7 last Saturday. In their last outing, the Hilltops
blanked the Edmonton Wildcats 51-0 last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football
Field.
Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant believes his defence is
hitting peak form at the right time and was pleased with the shutout against
the Wildcats.
“At the end of the day, there is an obligation and an
expectation to come out and play the way we needed them to play,” said Sargeant.
“The last few games they haven’t done that.
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| LB Adam Benkic (#40) and DB Luke Melnyk (#16) combine on a tackle. |
“We called them out a little bit and asked for some more
focus and reality to their jobs and their position. I thought I saw that.
Anytime you pitch a shutout at this level you are doing something right.
“That is a credit to the defensive coaches and the defensive players for doing their jobs and
doing it well.”
The winner of
Saturday’s game will host the Rifles (3-4) in one PFC semifinal playoff match.
The second place finisher in the PFC hosts the Regina Thunder (5-2) in the
other conference semifinal tilt. The Calgary Colts (2-5) and Wildcats (1-6)
have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Saturday’s clash
between the Hilltops and the Huskies should provide quite a show for the
spectators in Edmonton. It might set the tone for the post-season that is to
come.
Huskies men’s hockey team poised for another
great season
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| Kendall McFaull enters his final season with the Huskies. |
The University of
Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team appears set to send the ancient
Rutherford Rink out on a high note.
Last season, the
Huskies made it to the U Sports championship game, where they fell 5-3 to the
host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in Fredericton. The Dogs return
most of their team from last season, which means the Rutherford Rink host many
more exciting nights, before the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams move
into their new confines of Merlis Belsher Place next season.
Jordon Cooke returns
to the Huskies men’s team for his fourth season having been named the U Sports
goalie of the year in each of the past two campaigns. He has a strong partner
in rookie backup Taran Kozun, who was named the WHL’s goaltender of the year
playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds in his final major junior campaign in
2014-15.
The defensive and
forward units are loaded with great depth. Captain Kendall McFaull is back to
anchor the blue-line for his fifth and final season. Fourth-year veteran Jesse
Forsberg hit new heights as an elite offensive-defenceman, while still
maintaining a solid presence in the defensive zone.
Connor Cox, who is
in his fifth year, and Jordan Fransoo, who is in his fourth season, help to
ensure the back end will always be taken care of for the U of S. The back end
gets even stronger with the addition of rookie Sam Ruopp, who built a strong
WHL career with the Prince George Cougars over the past four complete seasons.
Up front, the games
might not be long enough for the Huskies coaches to give adequate ice time to
all their skilled and speedy skaters. In no particular order, Logan McVeigh, Kohl
Bauml, Levi Cable, Michael Sofillas, Connor Gay, Andrew Johnson, Jaimen
Yakubowski and Parker Thomas can all score and the team’s followers will likely
hear the names of a pile of other forwards hit the scoresheet as the season
goes on.
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| Jordon Cooke has provided superstar goaltending for the Huskies. |
Rookie Collin
Shirley and Alex Forsberg, who sat out last season as an injured red shirt,
both have strong reputations for their offensive work up front, and they both
could work their way into regular roles.
U of S is again
guided by a stellar coaching staff led by head coach Dave Adolph, who is the
all-time wins leader for U Sports men’s hockey and took home U Sports coach of
the year honours last season. Adolph always puts his players in the best
positions to succeed.
The Huskies open the
regular season traveling to Regina on Friday to take on the University of
Regina Cougars. On Saturday, the Huskies host the Cougars at 7 p.m. at
Rutherford.
Once again, the
Huskies men’s team will be one of the most exciting clubs to see on Canada’s amateur
sports ranks.
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