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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