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| Hilltops RB Ben Abrook fights his way for an extra yard. |
The
five-time defending Canadian Junior Football League champions expected to be in
for a challenging campaign in 2019 having graduated a large number of players
after going 11-0 in 2018. They opened the 2019 season with a meat grinder of a
schedule starting with three straight road games before hosting their home
opener.
In those
first four games, the Hilltops took on the Winnipeg Rifles once, the Edmonton
Huskies once and the Regina Thunder twice. Those three teams were slated to be
the three other toughest clubs in the six-team Prairie Football Conference.
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| QB Tyler Hermann has two fourth quarter comebacks this season. |
With the
turnover the Hilltops experience in personnel, their conference rivals had to
be feeling they could finally take the venerable Saskatoon side down.
Facing four
early big season games, the Hilltops showed off their big game mystique. Often
veteran players came through in big moments allowing the team to pull out victory.
Third-year power
running back Ben Abrook has been a tank for the blue and gold. Over four games,
he has carried the ball 123 times for 642 yards and four touchdowns.
He has
paced the Hilltops offence running behind a powerful and veteran offensive line
in left tackle Mason Ochs, left guard Ryder Klisowsky, centre Patrick Arno,
right guard Taylon Elderkin and right tackle Jonathan Chisholm. Chisholm is the
only new starter on the unit, but he is in fourth year with the team.
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| Mason Ochs, left, locks up on a block for the Hilltops. |
On August
25 in Regina, the Hilltops downed the host Thunder 34-16. With the win,
legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant picked up his 200th win
combining action in the CJFL’s regular season and post-season.
Still, this
game had its nervous moments. The Hilltops held a slim 14-9 edge and the
Thunder had the ball on the Saskatoon four yard line with one play remaining in
the third quarter.
Hilltops
third-year safety Brant Morrow played the role of hero intercepting a pass and
racing 113 yards in the other direction for a touchdown that sparked the
Hilltops to a sound win.
The
Hilltops really got pushed in their next two games resulting in fifth-year
quarterback and first year starter Tyler Hermann getting credited with two
fourth quarter comebacks.
In a rarity, Saskatoon entered the fourth quarter in
back-to-back games trailing on the scoreboard.
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| Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, get the game ball for career win 200. |
On Sept. 1
in Edmonton, the Hilltops fell behind the host Huskies 14-0 in the first
quarter, 19-7 at halftime but down just 19-17 after three quarters.
The Huskies
got ahead 22-17 in the fourth quarter before Abrook powered home for the
winning touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the frame to give the Hilltops a 24-22
victory. Abrook finished that game carrying the ball 29 times for 204 yards and
one touchdown.
On Sept. 7,
the Hilltops finally hosted their home opener at Saskatoon Minor Football Field
against the Thunder. Regina held a slim 18-17 edge heading into the fourth
quarter, and the Hilltops offence looked stalled to that point in the second half.
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| Hilltops receiver Keegan Dicks, right, looks to get past a Thunder defender. |
The
Hilltops proceeded to drive down to the Thunder one yard line, where Hilltops
backup and short-yardage quarterback Doug Fleming fumbled the ball away to the
Regina side. The play was negated by an offside penalty against the Thunder.
Had the fumble
stood up, the Thunder would have likely been able to run out the clock as both
clubs had used up their timeouts at that point in the contest.
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| Brant Morrow (#22) made a game-changing play. |
Abrook
proceeded to dive home for the winning touchdown from a yard out on the next
play, and the Hilltops added a two-point convert for a 28-21 victory.
Going into
the second half of their regular season schedule, the Hilltops are still riding
a 23 game winning streak overall including action in the regular season and
playoffs. The Hilltops have won their last 26 straight road games including
three victories in the CJFL championship game –the Canadian Bowl.
So far in
2019, Sargeant said he and his staff have to keep finding ways to do things
better in the coaching department. When he evaluates games, Sargeant said there
have been times he and his staff haven’t put their players in the best
positions to succeed.
The players
themselves know they have to be better.
There is a
realization by all parties everyone a lot of players are learning and growing
in new roles as the campaign goes on.
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| The Hilltops defensive line springs into action. |
Right now,
the Hilltops need to win three out of their last four regular season games to
once again lock up first place in the PFC. They play the Calgary Colts (1-3)
once and the Edmonton Wildcats (1-3) twice along with one more date against the
Rifles.
No one
likes to count wins before the happen, but the Hilltops should collect three
victories from their encounters with the Colts and Wildcats. If the Colts or
Wildcats were able to beat the Hilltops, it would be a monumental upset.
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| The Hilltops keep making and enjoying coming through with big plays. |
Saskatoon one
again controls its own destiny. Getting to that point over their first four
games has been tougher than previous years.
The
Hilltops will have ample time to get things tuned up to their storied standards
before the post-season rolls around.
At the
moment, they are beatable, but when the chips are down, they still find ways to
pull through.
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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