Hilltops’ Davidsen on cusp of 1,000 yards rushing for season

Boston Davidsen has rushed for 891 yards this season.

Boston Davidsen will always be a team first guy, even when he is close to a big personal milestone.

Through seven games of the CJFL regular season, the Saskatoon Hilltops star power running back has carried the ball 133 times for 891 yards and five touchdowns. He needs to run for 109 yards in the Hilltops final regular season game to achieve the milestone of rushing for 1000 yards in one season.

The Hilltops, who are 4-3, also need to win their last game of the regular season to keep the possibility of hosting a PFC semifinal playoff game alive. They close the regular season hosting the Calgary Colts (2-5) on Sunday, October 16 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

At the same time when the Hilltops are facing the Colts, the Edmonton Huskies (5-2) travel to Regina to take on the Thunder (7-0) at Leibel Field. A Hilltops victory combined with a Huskies loss will see both club sport 5-3 records and give Saskatoon second place in the PFC and the right to host a PFC semifinal against the Huskies.

The ’Toppers hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Huskies having won the lone regular season encounter between the two sides 38-10 back on August 21 at SMF Field.

Davidsen is aware how close he is to 1,000-yards rushing, but he said his mind is focused on helping the Hilltops secure a win against the Colts.

“It is far from a guarantee that we will get there (to 1,000-yards rushing),” said Davidsen, who leads the PFC in rushing. “I think more importantly we have a game (against the Calgary Colts) that we have to win.

Boston Davidsen (#24) hits a hole created by his offensive line.

“If we win and things go our way, we’ll get a home playoff game in the first round. That is what we are focused on. If I can contribute to that win by running the ball, then I am all for it.

“If I need to block, I’ll do whatever it takes. That win comes first.”

As Saskatoon leads the PFC in rushing with 1,463 yards, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant knows his team’s path to victory calls for being strong on the ground. The legendary sideline boss said his team will be trying to get Davidsen to 1,000 yards rushing for the season, because his success along the ground gives the Hilltops a better chance to win.

While Davidsen has had a good season, Sargeant believes his standout has found another gear in recent weeks.

“The last couple of games we’ve played better, and one of the reasons is because Boston (Davidsen) and the O-line are playing better,” said Sargeant. “He (Davidsen) is doing a heck of a job reading his holes and making good decisions.

“You look at his performance he did last year he is a heck of a runner there. We know what he is all about. We’ll rally around that, and that will be one of our goals as we head into our last game of the year of trying to get Boston (Davidsen) over that mountaintop, because he deserves it, the O-line deserves it and the offence deserves it and the team deserves it.”

Last season, Davidsen had a breakout campaign finishing second in the PFC with 634 yards rushing coming on 98 carries, where he scored six touchdowns. The graduate of the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football program is aware that the players on the offensive line would be pretty pumped, if they could say they blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher.

Boston Davidsen can pile up the yards in traffic.

“It might even show more success on their part than it does on mine,” said Davidsen, whose father, Donnie, is the Hilltops offensive line coach. “Without a successful O-line, you’re not going anywhere.

“They’re the ones creating the lanes for you allowing you to get your yards. They’re the ones that take a lot of pride in it too. They’ve been keeping me I guess updated with the stats even maybe more than myself just trying to I guess motivate me to hit that mark.”

The last Hilltops player to hit the 1000-yard plateau in rushing was Ben Abrook, who accomplished the feat in 2019 when Saskatoon capped a run of winning the CJFL title in six straight years. That season, Abrook ran the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns.

During the Hilltops 2018 CJFL championship season, Josh Ewanchyna hit the 1,000-yard plateau. Suiting up in seven regular season games, Ewanchyna carried the ball 134 times for 1,007 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Wayndel Lewis is currently the third last player to hit 1,000-yards rushing in a season. During the Hilltops 2014 CJFL championship season, Lewis carried the ball 130 times for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns while being named the CJFL’s offensive player of the year.

Current Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde holds the Hilltops team record for most rushing yards in one season set in his final campaign as a player in 2013. In that season, Lalonde carried the ball 182 times for 1,367 yards and seven touchdowns while being named the CJFL’s offensive player of the year.

Boston Davidsen can power his way through attempted tacklers.

Davidsen said one of his biggest influences on his career is Lalonde.

“I owe a tonne of my success to him,” said Davidsen. “He’s led the way.

“He has been a good leader for me, a good coach and a good example to follow. All of the technique and stuff we use, it is taught by him. He is a major part of our team’s success and the running backs’ success.”

Looking towards the Hilltops final regular season game, Sargeant said it is special when a running back can reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season. With the PFC traditionally being the CJFL’s toughest conference, Sargeant said that makes getting to 1,000-yards rushing that much more impressive a milestone on top of the fact the Hilltops have had their struggles this season.

The sideline boss said it would be a memorable moment, if the Hilltops could get Davidsen to 1,000-yards rushing.

“When you break this league down, it is not easy, especially with the way we’ve been playing,” said Sargeant. “It is credit to everybody that he is in this situation, but most importantly him.

“He has put in the time. He does everything right, and as I said, everyone is going to rally around him.

Boston Davidsen, left, is focused on helping the Hilltops win games.

“He’d be embarrassed if we’re talking like this behind him with these accolades. That is just who he is. At the end of the day, he is one heck of a football player, and he makes the Saskatoon Hilltops better.”

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