Hilltops look for others to do the same in
rematch with Thunder
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| Lachlan Horsley, left, had a big game last Saturday for the Hilltops. |
Horsley, who is playing his final season of CJFL eligibility with the Hilltops, caught nine passes for 122 yards as his squad dropped a 29-21 regular season decision in overtime to their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder last Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. With the CJFL using the CFL’s shootout format to decide games in extra time, Horsley almost ended up the overtime hero for the Hilltops.
Saskatoon had the first possession of the extra season, and Horsley hauled in a 29-yard pass and was stopped six yards from the end zone. On a third and goal gamble, Horsley came open just inside the end zone, but Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton threw the ball behind the sure-handed pass catcher.
The Thunder proceeded to post a touchdown and a two point conversion to win the game on their ensuing possession.
The two sides are set to go at it again on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Thunder sport a perfect 4-0 record, while the Hilltops sit at 2-2 having lost their last two straight outings.
Tom Sargeant, who is the Hilltops legendary head coach, said his team is going to need other players to step up like Horsley did to allow the storied CJFL club to break out of its recent funk. Sargeant said the Hilltops plan to keep targeting Horsley, but the sideline boss expects his skilled receiver will attract increased attention from the Thunder defence.
“The other team is going to know that too,” said Sargeant. “We gave him (Horsley) 10 targets last week, so that is a good number.
“We need some other players to step up too. Other players got to start making plays to make the field even bigger for him. Regina is smart.
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| Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, is working to end his team’s skid. |
Horsley returned to the Hilltops lineup last Saturday after missing the team’s previous two games with a minor calf injury. While he drew the start against the Thunder, the 22-year-old wasn’t originally expecting to have a big night until the Thunder started playing a defensive look that gave him an opportunity to make plays.
“It wasn’t really a game plan that I was going to have the opportunities I did,” said Horsley, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 185 pounds. “Once we got going and I got a look at the defence, we got the look we wanted.
“It was going to come my way. They played a lot of cut where the half would give me this free space, so I just took it. Damon (Dutton) made the reads.
“He threw the ball to me coincidentally quite a bit, so I just made the plays. It turned out I had a pretty decent game after all.”
Even with having a good outing, the final outcome on the scoreboard still stung for Horsley. The setback hurt even worse for the Hilltops due to the fact they were holding a 21-14 lead inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and the Thunder were facing a third-and-eight situation from the Saskatoon 31 yard line.
Thunder star quarterback Carter Shewchuk found star receiver Isaiah Woodley with a 31-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 21-21 with 16.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and ultimately force overtime. That set the stage for Regina to win the game in the extra session.
Due to that setback, the Hilltops find themselves in an unaccustomed position in the PFC standings. At 2-2, the Hilltops are tied for second to fifth place in the conference standings with the Winnipeg Rifles, Edmonton Huskies and Calgary Colts, who all sport 2-2 marks as well.
Horsley said he thought his team’s offence showed stretches of being able to play at a really high level last Saturday only for things to frustratingly drop off. He believes the Hilltops offensive unit can become a stellar unit like the team is used to seeing.
“Last Saturday, I think there were a lot of exciting things that you see when you watch this offence at times,” said Horsley. “Then, there are other times where you’re kind of scratching your head, and you’re like, ‘What are these guys doing?’
.JPG) |
| The Hilltops want more players to have big performances. |
While the Saskatoon side is looking to clean a few things up, Sargeant said the Hilltops are looking for Horsley to come through with another clutch game in the rematch with the Thunder this coming Saturday, which will close a home-and-home series between the two sides.
“He (Horsley) was one of the best players for us on Saturday, so we are expecting to run the same type of game plan this weekend, which means he will be heavily involved,” said Sargeant. “We’re excited to see how he performs.”
Johnson tabbed with third player of the week
nod
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| The Hilltops celebrate a Konner Johnson (#42) interception. |
On Tuesday, Johnson was named the PFC’s player of the week for the third time this season. The Melfort, Sask., product picked up his latest weekly honour thanks to his performance in the Hilltops regular season game this past Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field against the Regina Thunder.
In that contest, Johnson posted eight total tackles, two pass knockdowns and an interception. On special teams, he also threw a key final block to clear the way for 17-year-old running back Charles Sawi to score a touchdown on a 125-yard missed field goal return.
On the season, Johnson leads the PFC in defensive points with 70 coming on 19 solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, two special teams tackles, one special teams tackle assist, one quarterback sack, four pass knockdowns and three interceptions.
The Thunder ultimately prevailed in that clash 29-21 in overtime.
Rookie Sawi named special teams player of
the week
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| Charles Sawi romps to a 125-yard missed field goal TD return. |
On Tuesday, the Saskatoon Hilltops 17-year-old rookie running back was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week. This was the first time Sawi was named a player of the week in his young CJFL career.
Sawi claimed the award after returning a missed field 125 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter in the Hilltops 29-21 overtime setback to the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. After Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, Sawi caught the ball deep in his own end zone, came first up the middle, then burst down the left sideline and cut back up the middle in returning the rock all the way the other way for a major.
The graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School Crusaders Football Team had one other touch on special teams returning a punt for 11 yards. He also ran the ball on offence once for three yards.
So far this season, Sawi has returned four missed field goals for 239 yards including his long touchdown jaunt.
Edmonton Huskies coach passes away, other
notes
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| A tweet from the Huskies about Neil MacLean. |
MacLean suffered a brain aneurysm on Monday night. He passed away the next evening with his family by his side.
The 64-year-old had been a fixture in the Edmonton football community, and he had been the Huskies special teams coach for a lengthy amount of years.
The Huskies gathered on Tuesday night to reflect and celebrate the impact MacLean had on their lives.
MacLean is survived by his wife, Wilma, and sons, Iain and Andrew. Iain served as the Huskies head coach from November of 2011 to November of 2020.
· On Tuesday, Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Bryson McNeil was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his work in his team’s 31-28 victory over the Calgary Colts last Sunday at East Side Eagles Field in Winnipeg. In that contest, McNeil completed 18-of-28 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He also ran the ball four times for 39 yards as the Rifles won their second straight game to improve to 2-2. On the season, McNeil has completed 91-of-144 passes for 1,254 yards and five touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. He has passed for the second most yards in the PFC this season.
· On Wednesday at their annual general meeting, the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders announced a profit of $151,191 for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The Raiders posted a profit of $25,891 for the 2020-21 fiscal year, where they played a 24-game regular season in a bubble environment in Regina due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world. That profit came due to $1,081,179 in government grants including $600,000 from Saskatchewan’s provincial government. The Raiders lost $331,895 in 2019-20 in a campaign that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. In their WHL championship season in 2018-19, the Raiders posted a profit of $633,314.
· The U Sports football regular season provides an intriguing gem of a game this coming Saturday. In a battle of 2-0 teams, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies face the University of Regina Rams at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. The Huskies and Rams are the last two remaining undefeated teams in the Canada West Conference. The Huskies are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, while the Rams are listed in sixth. The clash will see Huskies fifth-year star veteran quarterback Mason Nyhus go up against Rams rookie quarterback Noah Pelletier. Nyhus has completed 54-of-73 passes for 70 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Pelletier has completed 32-of-57 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception.
· On Thursday, tennis all-time great Roger Federer announced he will be retiring from the ATP Tour and grand slams following the Laver Cup, which runs Sept. 23 to 25 in London, England. The 41-year-old has won 20 singles grand slam titles in his career.
· Last Friday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature about how high school football has been a tradition at Saskatoon Minor Football Field since 1960. That piece can found by clicking right here. I also created a photo round up that had a mix of pictures from the summer and fall sports seasons that can be found by clicking right here.
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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