Hilltops’ Morrow excels in dual role once again

Safety again making impact resuming punt returning duties

Brant Morrow returns a punt for the Hilltops.

Brant Morrow was all in when it came to making an old role new again.

After his rookie year in 2017, Morrow took on the dual role of starting safety and punt returner for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2018 and 2019. After the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Morrow was at first penciled in to just be the starting safety for the storied CJFL squad.

As a safety, Morrow, who is one of the Hilltops team captains, handles calling out adjustments in the defensive secondary.

After the Hilltops dropped a 16-13 decision to the Regina Thunder on Sept. 11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Saskatoon coaching staff talked to Morrow about resuming his role as a punt returner.

In that role, Morrow would be back returning punts with long time friend Ethan Godson. Both players are in their fourth full season with the team.

The pair had a lot of success returning punts for the Hilltops in 2019 helping the venerable Saskatoon side win a sixth straight CJFL title.

Before joining the Hilltops, Morrow and Godson were the punt returning duo when they were teammates on the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football team.

Morrow thought he needed a spark, and the team was looking for a spark in the return game. The 22-year-old was more than happy to jump at that opportunity.

Brant Morrow (#22) is one of the Hilltops captains.

“Having the opportunity to make a big play and also to have the ball in my hands, I don’t get that all the time as a DB,” said Morrow, whose Hilltops (4-2) host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-4) at 1 p.m. on Sunday at SMF Field. “It brings some excitement and kind of lights a fire under your (butt).

“You’re excited every time you get out there on special teams.”

Morrow made a big impact in the punt return department in the Hilltops 25-10 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles on Sept. 26. With the Rifles holding a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Morrow nearly missed getting his first punt return touchdown of his CJFL career.

He returned a punt 56 yards before he was taken down at Winnipeg’s one-yard line. That return still set up a one-yard touchdown run from power running back Boston Davidsen.

Morrow returned two punts for 73 yards that game and had a kickoff that traveled 40 yards. He earned special teams player of the week honours for the Prairie Football Conference for his efforts in the win over Winnipeg.

Looking back at that long return against the Rifles, Morrow was happy it set up a touchdown, but he still wishes he would have scored on that play.

“I really didn’t anticipate that punter (Luke McMillan),” said Morrow, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 165 pounds. “He is a receiver too, but I didn’t anticipate he’d catch me.

“Looking back at the film and everything, you wished you would have put your head down a little bit more. I guess that is a good learning lesson, because you don’t want to leave anything on the field. Having a play like that makes you really realize like there are only a couple of plays in the game where that little extra effort will pay dividends.

Brant Morrow (#22) fills the dual role of safety and punt returner.

“I’m happy the team scored, but yeah, obviously you want to score for yourself as well.”

For the moment, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant believes Morrow has just scratched the surface when it comes to making big plays this season. The legendary sideline boss thinks Morrow will be part of multiple big moments as the campaign moves on.

“Brant (Morrow), he is always a breath of fresh air,” said Sargeant. “He brings a lot of energy and a lot of leadership.

“He loves playing the game. He is a great competitor. He loves to make big plays, and we’re looking forward to these next two regular season games and the playoffs where he is going to be even more dynamic as a playmaker and help put us in some real good spots as a punt returner and as a safety.”

When it comes to big plays, Morrow’s signature play came on August 25, 2019 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina against the Thunder. Right before the end of the third quarter of that contest, Morrow returned an interception 113 yards for a touchdown to help power the Hilltops to a 34-16 victory.

That win was the 200^th career victory in combined CJFL regular season and post-season action for Sargeant.

“It is something that you like to get hyped up on,” said Morrow. “Being my fifth year here, sometimes you feel like you are almost expected to make plays.

“Really, our coaches put us in good spots. I trust that my coaches are put me in a spot to make big plays like that and not necessarily that I’ll have to do something out of the ordinary to make a play like that. I think I’ll just be doing my job and something great can happen out of that.”

Brant Morrow has been the Hilltops starting safety since 2018.

So far this season on defensive side of the ball, Morrow has 20 total tackles, one quarterback sack and two pass knockdowns.

While the Hilltops were able to practice for six weeks in September and October of 2020, Morrow felt like he had to shake off some rust to get back to game speed due to not playing any games last year.

Morrow believes he is starting to get back to where he was.

“I think personally I could be playing better,” said Morrow. “I’ve been getting better every game.

“That year off really, definitely took something to me. It has taken a lot to get it back, but I feel like I’ve got my feet under me. For the rest of the season, I’m going to be looking a lot different than the first half.”

The Hilltops are looking to close out the regular season by winning their last two games in order to lock up second place and earn a bye to host a PFC semifinal contest in the CJFL playoffs.

The Wildcats head into Sunday’s game with running back Nathan Zacharias posing a big threat on the ground. Zacharias sits second in the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 94 times for 549 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

The Hilltops head into the contest with the Wildcats after posting a huge 34-20 victory over the 4-2 Edmonton Huskies on Oct. 3 at SMF Field.

“Hey, (Wildcats head) coach (Darcy) Park has been around for a long time and does a good job with his group and his staff,” said Sargeant. “Hey, they are playing the Saskatoon Hilltops, so he is going to come in fired up and motivated.

Brant Morrow (#22) is all fired up for the stretch run.

“They are going to put in a lot of time and energy into getting ready for this game. We have to make sure that we show up, and we play our Sunday best. The reality is we had a great first half against the Edmonton Huskies.

“I wasn’t as happy in the second half. I’m looking to see if we can come out and play a 60-minute game. There is no better time to do it than against the Edmonton Wildcats.”

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