Hilltops rumble past Thunder for fourth straight PFC title

DL Garth Knittig (#59) dives in for a Hilltops touchdown.

    Garth Knittig got to live a defensive lineman’s dream at a critical point of a championship game.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the third year defensive tackle for the Saskatoon Hilltops was called upon to carry the ball on a first-and-goal from the one yard-line. The Hilltops were holding a slim five-point lead on the Regina Thunder with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter of the Prairie Football Conference final.

    Knittig, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 285 pounds, made no mistake diving over a pile of bodies at the line of scrimmage to score the touchdown that put the Hilltops up 36-24 with 96 seconds to play. That score held up as a final as the Hilltops claimed a fourth straight PFC championship.

    “All I knew was that I couldn’t be stopped,” said Knittig. “I just had to motor through anyone who was in my way.

    “The O-line had an unreal push, and they gave me a nice place to go through. It was my first touchdown ever in my life, so it was unreal. I will never forget it.”

Garth Knittig lines up at defensive tackle for the Hilltops.

    The 20-year-old from Delisle, Sask., was pumped he could help his Hilltops down their provincial rivals for another conference title.

    “It is an unreal feeling right now,” said Knittig. “I can’t even put it into words. It is unreal having this experience with the boys.”

    Knittig’s touchdown capped a hard-fought battle of a game that has become a trademark of the clashes between the Hilltops and Thunder.

    Just 90 seconds into the contest, Hilltops running back Adam Machart burst through the middle of the Thunder defence on a 48-yard touchdown run to put the hosts up 7-0. The Hilltops lead increased to 9-0, when fifth-year defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler forced a Thunder safety.

    Schnitzler knocked the ball out of the hands of Thunder star quarterback Sawyer Buettner, when the signal caller was throwing out of his own end zone.

Safety James Vauses runs back an interception for the Hilltops.

    Thunder offensive lineman Logan Ferland dived on the loose ball, and he was downed in the end zone, when Schnitzler tagged him in attempting to recover the ball as well.

    Regina responded with a 10-point surge to pull ahead 10-9. With 37.7 seconds to play in the first quarter, rookie kicker Eric Maximuik booted a 28-yard field goal to give the Thunder their first points. Early in the second quarter, Buettner hit star receiver Levi Paul with a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a one-point edge.

    The Hilltops answered back. Facing a third-and-one from the Thunder 40 yard line, the Toppers elected to gamble. Sophomore running back Joshua Ewanchyna broke a short-yardage play into a 40-yard touchdown run to give Saskatoon a 16-10 advantage.

    With 23.3 seconds to play in the first half, the Hilltops added another major score coming from a one-yard touchdown plunge from fullback Colin Stumborg to surge in front 23-10.

QB Sawyer Buettner threw for 325 yards for the Thunder.

    Regina wouldn’t allow Saskatoon to run away with the contest. Early in the third quarter, the Hilltops fumbled the ball on a punt return, and it was recovered by Regina defensive lineman Ryland Gibb.

    Buettner quickly drove the Thunder downfield on a short drive that was capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass to receiver Lee Brown to cut the Hilltops lead to 23-17.

    The Hilltops pushed their edge back out to 29-17 before the third quarter ended, when fourth-year safety/kicker James Vause hit field goals from 33 and 36 yards out respectively. Vause had a big night for the Hilltops making six solo tackles and a second quarter interception.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman Collegiate was pleased he was able to come through with a big performance.

    “It was really good,” said Vause. “Honestly, I’ve had a tough year. I really just dialed in mentally this week, and I just did my job.

    “Those field goals have to go in. They are big points. I’m glad I could contribute that for the team as well.”

Joshua Ewanchyna (#18) ran for 81 yards on eight carriers for the Hilltops.

    With 7:55 to play in the fourth quarter, the Thunder cut the Hilltops lead to 29-24 with a diving one-yard touchdown run by star running back Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette.

    That set the stage for Knittig’s score near the end of the fourth quarter.

    “That was one of the most intense games I was a part of,” said Vause. “You have to be focused every play. It was a battle.

    “Give full credit to Regina. They battled back like they always do. We just have to stay the course and react and come back stronger every time they have a nice drive or a touchdown.

    “We pulled it together. I couldn’t be happier for the guys.”

    Buettner had a big day for the Thunder completing 29-of-39 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Paul topped all Thunder receivers hauling in nine passes for 86 yards to go with his major score.

Adam Machart (#20) ran for a massive 206 yards for the Hilltops.

    Regina linebacker Tanner Smith had nine solo tackles and two assisted tackles in the contest. The Thunder finished the season with a 6-4 overall record.

    The Hilltops did most of their damage offensively on the ground piling up 297 yards as a team rushing. Machart carried the ball 22 times for 206 yards to go with his rushing touchdown.

    With Hilltops fifth-year star running back Logan Fischer not dressed due to a lower body injury, Machart wanted to come through with a big outing and was pumped about another conference title win.

    “It feels amazing,” said Machart. “Our guys are super pumped. It feels really, really good.

    “This game meant a lot to the team and to our coaches. To come out and have a good game and get the “W” just feels amazing.”

The Hilltops begin celebrating their PFC title win.

    Ewanchyna had 81 yards rushing on eight carries to complement Machart’s efforts.

    Hilltops quarterback Jordan Walls completed 11-of-17 passes for 117 yards. Tom Schnitzler and middle linebacker Cameron Schnitzler both had sacks for the Hilltops.

    With the win, the Hilltops, who are 9-1 overall, have won 11 straight playoff games having claimed the last three straight Canadian Junior Football League championships. Saskatoon’s last post-season loss came back in the 2013 PFC final by a 21-16 score to the Thunder at Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.

    The Hilltops will host a CJFL national semifinal match this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field against the Vancouver Island Raiders (8-3-1), who are based in Nanaimo, B.C.

The Hilltops raise the PFC championship trophy.

    Last Saturday, Raiders downed the Westshore Rebels 21-7 in Langford, B.C., to capture the British Columbia Football Conference title.

    The winner of the match between the Hilltops and Raiders advances to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl will be held on Nov. 11 in Ontario against the winner of the Ontario Football Conference.

    The Windsor AKO Fratmen (8-1) host the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-3) in the OFC final, and the schedule of that clash is still to be announced.

    In the present, Machart is pumped his team gets to play the Raiders this coming Sunday.

    “I couldn’t be happier right now,” said Machart. “I love this sport, and we wanted to win today, and we got that.

    “To continue on in our season just feels awesome.”

    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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