Hilltops family celebration and reunion highlighted 2015 Canadian Bowl

The Hilltops celebrate their Canadian Bowl win in 2015.

The celebration was on for the Saskatoon Hilltops alums 75 minutes before kickoff of the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

On arriving at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field parking lot on November 7, 2015, a festive atmosphere was in the air. The Hilltops alums were out everywhere sporting their trademark team blue jackets from their playing days.

It should be noted they weren’t prematurely celebrating a Hilltops victory in the CJFL title game that was about to be played.

They were gathering in fellowship to celebrate and relive the memories they collected during their playing days. It seemed like Hilltops alums had arrived from various generations of the team’s modern era that began in 1947.

Hilltops alums flocked to the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

The Hilltops were the defending CJFL champions and were entering the 2015 Canadian Bowl with a 9-1 overall record to face the undefeated 12-0 Okanagan Sun from Kelowna, B.C.

It felt like there was a special tingly feeling in the air that the game and day were going to be great ones.

As a side bonus, the weather was 5 C and sunny, which was unseasonably warm for that time of year.

I encountered Cory Wolfe later that afternoon.

Wolfe covered five Hilltops CJFL championship wins for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix with the last being a 34-23 victory over the Vancouver Island Raiders in 2010 in Saskatoon. Wolfe said the 2015 Canadian Bowl game was a lot warmer than any of the CJFL title contests he had ever covered.

Tailgating was going full out at the 2015 Canadian Bowl.

The pleasant weather added to the upbeat nature of the day.

Inside the stadium, the festive atmosphere continued including a stage that was set up beside the field featuring a live musical act.

On the field, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant and his players were focused as they went through pre-game warm-ups. The focus continued throughout the game.

When the Hilltops were introduced at pre-game, they had to get a rush from the thunderous ovation they received from the crowd. The statistics sheet for that game stated 2,567 spectators attended that Canadian Bowl, but is seemed like the attendance was larger than that.

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant focuses on game action.

Looking in the stands on either the west or east sides of the venue, you couldn’t find an empty seat. Spectators seemed shoehorned into the park’s old stands configuration, and many fans elected to sit on the hills at that venue.

The 2015 Hilltops team was a close-knit unit that was loaded with veterans. They had playmakers all over the place including star quarterback Jared Andreychuk and outside linebacker Cole Benkic, who was named the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player that season.

The Hilltops main calling cards were their outstanding offensive and defensive lines.

The offensive line featured Tyler Hoath at right tackle, Drayke Unger at right guard, Jordan Hydomako at centre, Nathan Heide at left guard and Terry Thesen at left tackle. They made up one of the arguably the best offensive lines the Hilltops ever had.

Jared Andreychuk (#5) threw for 369 yards for the Hilltops.

The defensive line included Tom Schnitzler and Blake Herman at the ends and Tyrell Hering and Matt Kozun at the tackle positions. They made up arguably one of the best defensive lines the Hilltops ever had.

It was common in games for the Hilltops linebackers and defensive backs to drop into coverage assignments only to watch the defensive line squash any opposing offensive play before it could get going.

While the Hilltops were loaded, the Sun were a formidable opponent. The B.C. side took the turf at SMF Field locked arm in arm with a quiet and strong resolve.

The 2015 Canadian Bowl would be a showcase of junior football in Canada at its best.

The Hilltops defence pressures Sun QB Cam Bedore (#7).

After the Hilltops surged out to an early 10-0 lead that included a 45-yard field goal from Brett Thorarinsson, the Sun battled back and jumped in front 14-10 early in the second quarter.

A rushing touchdown by star running back Logan Fischer put the Hilltops back out in front 17-14, and it looked like that would be the score at halftime.

The Sun proceeded to come through with a big play before the halftime break. Sun linebacker Layne Hull blocked a punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown with 4.5 seconds remaining before halftime to give the B.C. side a 20-17 edge.

Hull would be named the game’s most outstanding defensive player.

The Hilltops weren’t shaken by that big play that had them trailing on the scoreboard at halftime. They still had the quiet confidence that they would make the plays to come out on top.

Logan Fischer (#21) piled up the yards for the Hilltops.

In the third quarter, the Sun lead grew slightly to 21-17 thanks to a rouge from a punt single.

With over four minutes to play in the third, Andreychuk hit skilled slotback Evan Kopchynski with a 75-yard touchdown strike that had the Hilltops faithful rocking and rolling. The celebration was short-lived as an offside penalty negated the score.

Two plays later, Andreychuk connected with speedy slotback Tyson Sawatzky for a 73-yard touchdown strike. There were no flags this time and the noise at SMF Field might have hit record levels as the Hilltops went ahead 24-21.

Fischer ran in his second touchdown of the game before the third quarter ended to increase the Hilltops edge to 31-21.

The Hilltops Cheer Team entertains the SMF Field crowd.

The Sun tightened things up in the fourth quarter when kicker Thomas Huber hit a 40-yard field goal to cut the Hilltops lead to 31-24.

With under two-and-a-minutes to play in the fourth, the Sun got the ball back, but they were back up at their own one yard-line. Still, they were 109 yards away from sending the contest to overtime.

The Sun drive went to the Okanagan 33 before the Hilltops defensive line flexed its muscle and laid the hammer down forcing a turnover on downs.

Andreychuk proceeded to hit playmaking slotback Evan Turkington with a 33-yard touchdown strike to put the Hilltops up by the game’s final score of 38-24. The scored was Turkington’s second touchdown catch of the game.

Blake Adams (#54) celebrates one of his two quarterback sacks.

While the game was a battle, the Hilltops and their family and faithful were able to soak in a championship moment as the final minute of the fourth quarter ticked down with the host side leading by two touchdowns.

The Sun players kept their effort up as well, but you could visibly tell they were sensing the finality of what was to come.

They would finish the 2015 campaign at 12-1, and the Hilltops would improve to 10-1 and repeat as CJFL champions. The win that day marked the 18^th time the Hilltops won the CJFL title.

Since that time, the Hilltops have gone on to win the next four straight CJFL crowns to extend their current consecutive title run to six straight and improve their overall CJFL title count to 22.

Tyson Sawatzky celebrates his 73-yard TD catch.

After the CJFL title game on November 7, 2015 came to an end, the Hilltops stormed the field in celebration.

This was the second season I had covered the team as I began writing about them halfway through the 2014 campaign after relocating to Saskatoon from Medicine Hat, Alta.

After the 2015 CJFL title win, my biggest memory was hugging Sargeant after the game and hearing him say, “Thank you for everything you have done for us!”

At the time, I was still unsure if I could cover sports on my own platforms outside of the mainstream media, so Sargeant’s words at that point in time meant a tonne to me. It gave me the reassurance that I could be taken seriously doing my own thing covering sports.

Hilltops LB Quinn Pierce makes a tackle.

With that noted, I didn’t go into the day looking for that special personal nod. I had a feeling I was going to soak in a special day for the Hilltops, and I really enjoyed being around that team like I still do to this day.

Fischer was named the game’s most outstanding offensive player breaking the 100-yard barrier in rushing and receiving. He carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards and caught seven passes for 107 yards.

He had the biggest smile, when he accepted the trophy as the game’s most outstanding offensive player.

Andreychuk completed 18-of-23 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns to go with one interception. Sawatzky caught four passes for 132 yards to go with his long TD catch.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant gets the ice bucket shower post-game.

Adams had two sacks, while Kozun and Hermann had one-and-a-half sacks each.

Sun quarterback Cam Bedore completed 25-of-43 passes for 350 yards and one touchdown. Kyle Kawamoto caught eight passes for 159 yards for the Sun, while Kyle Patchell hauled in nine passes for 110 yards and one touchdown for the visitors as well.

The Hilltops returned to their old longtime clubhouse for a celebration that ran well into the night.

Hilltops safety Austin Thorarinson (#17) raised the Canadian Bowl.

On that Canadian Bowl winning game day, it felt like all the links anyone had with that venerable team were renewed.

The Hilltops family celebration and reunion that November 7^th day in 2015 was well deserved.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. The original game story from the Hilltops 2015 Canadian Bowl victory can be found by clicking right here. The season wrap up column for the Hilltops 2015 campaign can be found by clicking right here.

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