Hilltops smash Saints 43-0, advance to CJFL title game

Kack sets sack record in CJFL semifinal victory

The Hilltops celebrate their CJFL semifinal win.

Riece Kack was thinking about paying off some debts to his teammates on a CJFL record breaking day.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Kack’s PFC champion Saskatoon Hilltops led the visiting OFC champion St. Clair Saints 21-0 just 33 seconds into the second quarter thanks to three touchdown passes by star quarterback Trey Reider. 

At that point, Kack would go on to steal the show piling up six quarterback sacks from his defensive end position as the Hilltops rolled to a 43-0 victory in the CJFL semifinal clash between the two sides.

Riece Kack makes his CJFL record sixth sack of Sunday’s game.

With the win played before 1,007 spectators, the Hilltops, who improved to 11-0 overall, advance to the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl. That contest will be played on Saturday, November 11 at 3 p.m. local time or 5 p.m. Saskatchewan time against the BCFC champion Westshore Rebels (12-0) at Starlight Stadium, in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria.

The Saints, who are based in Windsor, finished out at 10-1 overall.

While the celebration was on for the Hilltops who will get to play in the CJFL title game since last winning it in 2019, Kack made history as his six sacks were a new record for a CJFL playoff game. The old record of five sacks was set by Roger Rourke of the Richmond Raiders on October 12, 1985.

Riece Kack reacts to making his CJFL record sixth sack in one game.

Kack said the majority of his sacks were coverage sacks. The Saints rotated quarterbacks Maurice Sodja and Matthew Guenette throughout Sunday’s game and both often held on to the ball as they didn’t see what they liked downfield.

That allowed Kack to pile up his sacks, and he admitted he owed the Hilltops defensive backs a bit of a debt.

“Their quarterbacks weren’t liking it a lot of times,” said Kack, who also had six total tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go with his sacks. “They were holding on to it real long.

“It lot of the sacks weren’t two second pressures. They were like seven or eight seconds, so it was just spectacular. I definitely owe those guys (the Hilltops defensive backs) a case of beer.

Riece Kack (#47) closes in on a sack for a safety.

“I’m just thrilled.”

Kack, who was named the defensive player of the game on Sunday, actually recorded the most sacks in any CJFL contest be it the regular season, playoffs or the CJFL championship game. The CJFL record for most sacks in a regular season game is five, which had been achieved on six occasions.

Ron Zammit of the Hamilton Hurricanes was the first to record five sacks in a CJFL regular season game on October 2, 1982 and Evan Foster of the Langley Rams was the last to pull of that feat on September 9, 2012.

Tyler Eckert of the Langley Rams recorded the most sacks in a CJFL championship at 3.5 coming in his squad’s 37-0 victory over the Beefeaters in London, Ont., in the Canadian Bowl played on December 4, 2021.

Riece Kack gets a sack on the last play before halftime.

While Kack’s record will stand for the most sacks by an individual in a CJFL playoff game, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was pumped his 21-year-old veteran had a record day in an important post-season outing.

“It is unbelievable,” said Sargeant. “He is one of our lifelines out here.

“He is the energy guy. He is a motivator. He loves the game, and we feed off him.

“For him to have that type of play today in the biggest game of our season so far, that just speaks volumes of who he is and what he means to us.”

After the Hilltops went ahead 21-0 just 33 seconds into the second quarter, Kack went to work and proceeded to record four of his sacks in that frame. Kack’s second sack caused a turnover on downs, his third sack resulted in a safety and his fourth sack came on the final play before halftime.

Riece Kack got to break out a number of sack celebrations.

In third quarter, Kack recorded his fifth sack to tie the CJFL record. His record equaling accomplishment at the time was announced over the public address system at SMF Field.

“I heard it, and then I was just kind of like you know I am just going to keep doing my thing,” said Kack, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 230 pounds. “I’m not going to over do it, and it should come.

“There was a lot of time left in still the third quarter, so I figured that it was quite possible.”

After the Hilltops went ahead 35-0 in the fourth quarter, Kack took down Sodja for the record breaking sixth sack.

“Crazy. I can’t describe it,” said Kack about the record. “It is just awesome coaching, awesome team.

Noah Flaman jets home on a 51-yard touchdown reception.

“It is just spectacular. I’m glad that we could come out and put up the performance that we did.”

The Hilltops opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter when Reider hit “TD Noah” in receiver Noah Flaman for touchdown passes from 10 and 51 yards out to give the host side a 14-0 lead.

On the second score in the 51-yard toss, Reider did a play action fake to star power running back Boston Davidsen before connecting with a wide open Flaman on an intermediate route. Flaman weaved the rest of the way taking the ball to the end zone for the major score.

The Hilltops had good success on play action pass plays as the Saints defensive players seemed to be too locked in on Davidsen. Flaman said the Hilltops plan was to use the play action pass to get some chunk plays in the passing game.

Drake Douglas hauls in a 27 yard touchdown catch.

“We have a great running game, a great running back and a great O-line,” said Flaman. “It is just part of everyone doing their own job.

“When your chance comes, you make the play. The receivers did that today.”

 Just 33 seconds into the second quarter, Reider connected with sure handed pass catcher Drake Douglas on a 27-yard touchdown strike to push the Hilltops advantage out to 21-0. The Hilltops proceeded to get a 38-yard punt single from middle linebacker/punter Matt Wist and Kack followed up with his safety to send the Hilltops into the halftime break with a 24-0 edge.

In the third quarter, the Hilltops assumed a 28-0 advantage thanks to a single from a 22 yard missed field goal and a 20 yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas.

Wade Keating (#20) closes in on a sack for the Hilltops.

At the 3:13 mark of the fourth quarter, star running back Charles Sawi ran home a major from 18 yards out to put the Hilltops up 35-0. Saskatoon began to substitute in various backups after that score including quarterback Brexton Elias, who relieved Reider for the rest of the contest.

The Hilltops then rounded out the scoring with a single from missed field goal by Abel-Douglas and major score from a quarterback sneak by Elias.

Sargeant was pleased with the chunk plays the Hilltops were able to make on offence.

“You know what, we’ve been tough on this offence a little bit,” said Sargeant. “Our defence has sort of been the team in front of us.

Trey Reider (#3) threw three TD passes for the Hilltops on Sunday.

“Offensively, we sometimes get in our own way. Trey (Reider) was making the reads early and was on point, and our receivers were on point. Hey, it is nice to see a game where we put up 43 where Boston (Davidsen) is not dragging his butt, because we gave him the ball 25 times.

“We were actually pretty strategic and smart today and used him as a bit of a decoy. Guys were open and Trey (Reider) made the plays.”

Reider completed 7-of-17 passes for 200 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions before giving way to Elias. Flaman had three catches for 86 yards to go with his two touchdowns in being named the offensive player of the game. Douglas had two catches for 72 yards to go with his major score.

The faithful at SMF Field cheer on the Hilltops on Sunday.

Davidsen led the Hilltops in rushing with 62 yards on 13 carries.

Sodja completed 9-of-17 passes for 123 yards, while throwing one interception for the Saints. Guenette completed 16-of-25 passes for 173 yards during his shifts on the field for the St. Clair side.

Receiver Darius France had a big game for the Saints making seven catches for 110 yards.

The Hilltops had nine total sacks as a team which was a new club record for a CJFL playoff game. Saskatoon previously recorded a team record seven sacks in CJFL playoff games on November 2, 2002 and October 29, 2017.

The ’Toppers nine sacks for a playoff game equals the most sacks recorded in a playoff game by a team from the PFC. The Regina Rams recorded nine sacks in a CJFL playoff game on October 24, 1981 on their way to winning a CJFL title.

Charles Sawi runs in a touchdown from 18 yards out.

Outside linebacker Wade Keating had seven total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for the Hilltops. Defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens had two total tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for the Saskatoon. Defensive end Kai Kukurudza had a sack for the ’Toppers.

Defensive end Ben Marce had three total tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries for the host side. Hilltops safety Dalton Urban had the game’s lone interception.

Defensive back Billy Patterson Jr. led the Saints with five total tackles, while defensive end Carl Fabre had a sack for the visitors.

Running back Boriz Wright of the Saints was named the special teams player of the game returning five kickoffs for 72 yards and one punt for one yard.

The Hilltop Cheer Team celebrates the Hilltops victory on Sunday.

The Hilltops didn’t have a single turnover in Sunday’s game, while the Saints turned the ball over 11 times including five times on fumbles, five times on downs and on one interception.

Now, the Hilltops will turn their attention to the Rebels in two weeks time. The two sides met in the 2016 CJFL title game at Starlight Stadium, which was then known as Westhills Stadium. Saskatoon pulled out a 37-25 victory in that encounter to capture the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions.

The Hilltops have won 22 CJFL titles in their history. Kack is looking forward to the opportunity to try and help the storied squad capture a 23^rd CJFL crown against the Rebels.

The Hilltops raise the trophy given to the CJFL semifinal winner.

“It is going to be great,” said Kack. “I’m excited to go out there.

“I’ve been watching a bit of their games. It looks like they have a pretty good team, so it is definitely a tough test. We just have to get into film and on to the next game.”

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Reider has been the difference for Hilltops in 2023

Trey Reider has quarterbacked the Hilltops to a 10-0 mark in 2023.

Trey Reider has gotten the Saskatoon Hilltops over the hump.

During the 2023 CJFL season, Reider has given the Hilltops consistent play at quarterback. With that consistent play, the Hilltops have posted a 10-0 record and captured the Prairie Football Conference championship.

The Hilltops close out their home schedule on Sunday, when they host the Ontario Football Conference champion St. Clair Saints (10-0), who are based out of Windsor, in a CJFL semifinal contest at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The winner advances to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – which will be played on November 11 against the British Columbia Football Conference champion Westshore Rebels (12-0) in Victoria, B.C. The start time to the game is still to be announced.

During the Hilltops eight regular season games, Reider has completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions during the regular season. He topped the PFC with a 114.6 quarterback efficiency rating, was named a PFC all-star and took honours as the PFC’s Most Outstanding Quarterback.

Thanks to the fact the Hilltops have a strong running game behind star power running back in PFC MVP Boston Davidsen and the Hilltops defence has given up just 66 points in the club’s 10 outings, Reider hasn’t had to go out and gun the football all over the field like Warren Moon.

The 21-year-old signal caller has done his job in making good decisions and being efficient in the passing game in order to compliment the Hilltops running game, defence and the squad’s special teams unit, which has had a good campaign too.

After returning to action after the 2020 CJFL campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world, the Hilltops didn’t get consistent enough play from the quarterback position in 2021 and 2022. The quarterbacks had some great games in those campaigns, but they also had outings where things stalled out.

Trey Reider has been efficient at QB for the Hilltops.

In 2021, Doug Fleming started the first three regular season games at quarterback for the Hilltops before he got benched after he struggled for a stretch. Damon Dutton took over as the starting quarterback for the rest of that campaign starting with the team’s fourth regular season contest.

The Hilltops finished 6-2 in the regular season and finished with an 8-3 record overall after falling in a CJFL semifinal to the Rams in Langley, B.C., 17-14 after turning the ball over 12 times.

In 2022, Dutton began the campaign as the Hilltops starting quarterback, but after he struggled for a stretch, Reider was inserted at the starting spot for the last three regular season games and both of the club’s post-season contests. The Hilltops made it to the PFC final falling to the Thunder in Regina 39-21.

The Hilltops posted a 5-3 record in the regular season due to a three-game skid and went 6-4 overall. That 6-4 overall mark was the worst record the Hilltops had posted since going 6-4 overall in 1993.

Fleming departed from the Hilltops following the 2021 campaign, and Dutton exhausted his CJFL eligibility with the completion of the 2022 season.

Saskatoon was good but not good enough in 2021 and 2022.

Reider is showing was the storied CJFL club can do with consistent play at quarterback. When the Hilltops won nine CJFL titles in a 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, they never had questions at the quarterback spot.

When the Hilltops won three straight CJFL titles from 2010 to 2012, the late Chase Bradshaw played quarterback with great athleticism and humbleness in the 2010 and 2011 title wins, and Matt Karpinka held down the controls under centre for the 2012 championship win.

In the Hilltops run of winning six straight CJFL titles from 2014 to 2019, Jared Andreychuk quarterbacked the Hilltops in expert fashion to championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Jordan Walls was the master at the controls in the title wins in 2017 and an 11-0 perfect season 2018.

Tyler Hermann had the opportunity to call signals as the starting quarterback for one season as a fifth-year senior in 2019, and he put together a memorable campaign that saw the Hilltops go 12-0 in winning the CJFL championship.

Trey Reider (#3) is pictured with the PFC championship trophy.

Over that 10-year run from 2010 to 2019, the Hilltops were spoiled with great play at quarterback, and it went so long that you could almost take it for granted. When the quarterback play was a step under from the level of what those Hilltops signal callers performed to from 2010 to 2019, the drop was noticeable.

In 2023, Reider has given the Hilltops their best play at the quarterback spot since the 10-year run from 2010 to 2019. As a result, the Hilltops record in 2023 has been better than it was in 2021 and 2022.

With Reider at the controls, you have to like the Hilltops chances at potentially getting two more wins to capture a 23^rd CJFL title in the team’s history that dates back to 1947.

Hilltops first CJFL title came against Saints club in 1953

The Saskatoon Hilltops saw one of their defining moments as a team come to pass against the St. Clair Saints franchise.

On Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the PFC champion Hilltops host the OFC champion Saints, who are based out of Windsor, in a CJFL semifinal final. The Saints first trip to Saskatoon came way back in 1953, when they were known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen.

Back in 1953, the modern day current version of the Hilltops were in their seventh year of existence, and they were playing host to the AKO Fratmen in the CJFL title game. The AKO Fratmen entered the contest as defending CJFL champions having defeated the visiting Edmonton Wildcats 15-12 in Windsor in the previous year’s national final.

The Hilltops made it to the CJFL championship game in their second year of existence, but they dropped a 23-10 decision to the Wildcats in Hamilton.

Excitement was high for the 1953 title game in Saskatoon, and the first 4,300 tickets for the contest at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus sold out quickly. Another 2,900 tickets were sold for the game bringing the attendance to 7,200, which was a record at the time for a CJFL title game played on the Prairies. The large gathering circled the field at Griffiths Stadium.

Hilltops quarterback Ron Adam hooked up with Bill Trout on a sleeper play for the game’s first touchdown and the hosts never looked back. The Hilltops stormed to a 34-6 victory on a -1 C day to capture the then league championship trophy the Leader-Post Trophy, which was also known as “the Little Grey Cup,” as CJFL champions.

For historical references, touchdowns in 1953 were worth five points instead of six points before teams tried to tack on a one or two-point conversion.

In the 1953 CJFL title game, Adam’s arm was golden in that contest as he completed 12-of-20 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. At the time, football was way more geared to the run, and it was common for the offensive line to contain seven players. It was very rare for quarterbacks at that time to eclipse 300 yards in passing in those days as Adam did.

Adam also ran home a major score from 13 yards out.

At that time, the CJFL drew big crowds as the main feeder for the CFL. Following the 1953 CJFL title game, Adam, who passed away in 2014, went on to play seven seasons with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders mainly as a defensive back.

At the Canadian university level, the first Vanier Cup to declare a national champion wasn’t played until 1965.

The Hilltops and AKO Fratmen met in a CJFL title game in 1996 in a neutral site clash in Oshawa, Ont. Saskatoon romped to a 39-7 victory. The two sides collided in the 2017 CJFL title game in Windsor, which the Hilltops claimed 56-11.

The Saints/AKO Fratmen franchise last won the CJFL championship in 1999, when they defeated the visiting Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun 32-29 in Windsor.

The St. Clair College Student Athletic Association bought the Fratmen in February of 2020. The club played as the St. Clair Fratmen in 2021 and took on the St. Clair Saints name before the start of the 2022 campaign.

Rebels knock off Sun for BCFC title, other notes

The road to the Canadian Bowl will lead to Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C.

On Saturday at that venue, the host Westshore Rebels downed the defending CJFL champion Okanagan Sun 33-19 to capture the Cullen Cup as British Columbia Football Conference champions. With the win, the Rebels, who improved to 12-0 overall, advance to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on November 11 at Starlight Stadium.

The Rebels will play the winner of the CJFL semifinal between the PFC champion Saskatoon Hilltops and OFC champion St. Clair Saints. The CJFL semifinal between the Hilltops and the visiting Saints is set for Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field at 1 p.m. Both squads enter that contest with 10-0 overall records.

In Saturday’s BCFC title clash between the Rebels and the Sun, the Sun took a 12-4 lead into halftime. The Rebels proceeded to score 29 unanswered points in the third quarter to hold a comfortable 33-12 advantage. The Sun answered back with a touchdown in the fourth quarter to round out the 33-19 final in favour of the Rebels.

The Kelowna based Sun concluded the 2023 campaign with a 9-2 overall record.

• Rob Vanstone, who is the senior journalist and team historian of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, wrote a great piece on the Saskatoon Hilltops PFC championship win. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• The Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears won the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate’s 5A Football City Final with a 41-14 victory over the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints on Friday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
• The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team concluded their U Sports regular season with a 43-11 victory over the University of Regina Rams on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Huskies finished third in the Canada West Conference with a 5-3 record, while the Rams were last in the six-team Canada West with a 1-7 mark. Attendance for Saturday’s game between the Huskies and Rams at Mosaic Stadium was 1,599.

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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‘Sarge’ wants Hilltops to be aware of Saints in CJFL semi

Legendary sideline boss says OFC is much improved

HC Tom Sargeant will ensure his Hilltops are on point this weekend.

Tom Sargeant doesn’t want to hear any talk of OFC teams being a free space on the bingo card.

The legendary head coach of the Saskatoon Hilltops believes his team is facing a foe in the St. Clair Saints from Windsor, Ont., who is coming out of a much improved Ontario Football Conference. The Hilltops, who are champions of the Prairie Football Conference, host the OFC champion Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in a battle of teams that both have 10-0 overall records.

The Hilltops last three encounters with OFC opponents have been wipeouts for the storied Saskatoon side. The last time the Hilltops played and OFC team was in the CJFL semifinal on Nov. 2, 2019, when they hammered the Beefeaters 51-1 in London, Ont. Saskatoon moved on to win the CJFL title.

On November 11, 2017, the Hilltops faced the Saints franchise then known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl. The Hilltops flattened the Fratmen 56-11 in that contest played in Windsor.

On August 26, 2017 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops hosted the Ottawa Sooners in an inter-conference CJFL regular season game. The Hilltops smashed the Sooners 49-15.

Those contests all occurred before the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world.

Last season on October 29, 2022, the Saints hosted the British Columbia Football Conference champion Okanagan Sun in a CJFL semifinal at Acumen Stadium in London. The Saints put of a fight before falling 42-24 to the Sun, who advanced on to win the CJFL title.

Last Saturday, the Saints prevailed in a highly entertaining OFC final 32-31 over the Beefeaters at Acumen Stadium. The Beefeaters looked to be on their way to scoring the winning points in the game’s final seconds only to fumble the ball away at the Saints four yard line, and the Saints made a recovery in their own end zone to preserve the win.

Trey Reider became a PFC all-star at quarterback this season.

“Traditionally, a lot of times there is a big separation in their final,” said Sargeant about the OFC final. “London had every opportunity and right to win that football game too.

“They fumbled the ball in the end zone to lose. They were just playing for a field goal. At the end of the day, their football has improved, because they’ve played us more and more.

“You play us or you play the B.C. league you get a sense of what the level is and what the expectations are.”

On offence in the regular season, the Saints biggest playmakers are MJ Doyle-Marshall and receiver Javier Lewis, who were both named OFC all-stars. Doyle-Marshall carried the ball 64 times for 593 yards and seven touchdowns, and Lewis caught 20 passes for 536 yards and seven touchdowns.

Saints quarterback Maurice Sodja was named an OFC all-star completed 44-of-73 passes for 900 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions during the regular season. Sodja split time at the quarterback positions with Matthew Guenette. Guenette completed 43-of-71 passes for 892 yards and nine touchdowns, while throwing one interception for the Saints.

Receiver Darius France was the OFC’s offensive rookie of the year and an OFC all-star hauling in 18 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns. Ezzat Elnagmi was the OFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman and an OFC all-star. Saints head coach and offensive coordinator Mike LaChance claimed honours as the coach of the year for the OFC.

While the Saints are an unknown foe, Hilltops star defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens said his side can’t over think things in preparation. He said that he and his teammates just have to go out and execute the game plan the Hilltops coaches create.

“I feel like it will be like just any other game,” said Stevens, who collected 20 solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, three quarterback sacks, one pass knockdown, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. “We just create a game plan, stick to it and feel it out.

“You just have to adapt to the situation that is coming your way, and that is what we will do with them and with any other team.”

Johnathon Stevens is a standout on the Hilltops D-line. 

On defence, the Saints had OFC all-stars in defensive linemen Carl Fabre and Mo Ibraheem, linebacker Keewone Parker and defensive backs Nathanial Norton and Billy Patterson Jr. During the Saints eight regular season games, Parker collected 19 solo defensive tackles, 18 defensive tackle assists, one special teams solo tackle, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.

Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider said his team is doing their work in the classroom to study the Saints. He expects there will be a bit of a feeling out process when the game starts.

“We’re going to watch a whole bunch of film and see how that goes,” said Reider. “Once you get in the game it is a whole different world than just the film.

“You can only watch so much film before you actually have to play. When it comes to game day, we’ll make some adjustments on the field if we have to.”

The Hilltops have a stockpile of star power on their side. Reider completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions during the regular season. He topped the PFC with a 114.6 quarterback efficiency rating.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen led the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards (1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine). Sure-handed receiver Drake Douglas hauled in 56 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns.

Reider said his Hilltops are going to focus on what they can control to be ready for the Saints.

“We’re just working on us and preparing for how good we can be like individually and how we are going to be and just trusting the coaches’ plan,” said Reider. “They are going to give us a good plan, and we just have to trust it.

Boston Davidsen led the PFC with 1,184 yards rushing.

“At the end of the day, they are a really good team. We can’t take them lightly. We just have to come out and practice every day and do what we do best and just trust our coaches out here.”

On defence, the Hilltops gave up just 51 points in eight regular season games, which was their lowest points allowed total dating back to 1949. Defensive end Riece Kack topped the PFC in sacks in each of the past two seasons recording 7.5 sacks in each of those campaigns respectively. Safety Dalton Urban finished second in the PFC in interceptions with five.

Defensive back Carter Wingert had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries playing out his final CJFL campaign for the Hilltops. Matt Wist, who is the Hilltops star 22-year-old middle linebacker, recorded 22 solo defensive tackles, 17 defensive tackle assists, two pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles and three interceptions this season.

Outside linebacker Noah Gedir had a breakout season for Saskatoon with 17 solo defensive tackles, 14 defensive tackle assists, nine special teams solo tackles, one quarterback sack, two pass knockdowns, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Teijon Abel-Douglas was named a PFC all-star at kicker. He was good on 23-of-27 field goal attempts for an 85.2 per cent success rate. Abel-Douglas led the PFC in scoring with 104 points coming off 23 field goals, 31 converts and four singles.

Wist, who doubles as the Hilltops punter, punted the ball 47 times for a gross average of 37.7 yards per kick, a net average of 32.2 yards per kick and three singles. In being named at PFC all-star at both linebacker and punter, Wist led the PFC in gross average, net average and punt singles.

Sargeant said his team will focus on trying to take away the Saints run, which is what they usually aim to do against their opponents.

“That is our mantra,” said Sargeant. “We want to stop the run first and force them to become one dimensional.

Riece Kack has made lots of big sacks for the Hilltops.

“If we can do that, then I think we are going to put everyone in good space. That is why our mission always offensively is 50 per cent run and 50 per cent pass and be unpredictable. They’re going to look at our film and come up with a game plan.

“We’re looking at their film coming up with a game plan. Whoever executes the plan the best traditionally is going to be the one that has the most success.”

Besides all the game planning, Sargeant is looking forward to playing at SMF Field. He believes his Hilltops gain an edge having their home supporters behind them.

“It is going to be a great battle this weekend,” said Sargeant. “We’re just excited we are playing at home, because we have a great fan base and great energy.

“When we seem to play at home, good things seem to happen for the Saskatoon Hilltops.”

CJFL final four lines up with final power rankings

The Hilltops charge on to the playing surface at SMF Field.

The final four teams left in the CJFL playoffs took the top four spots in the final CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings.

The CJFL has been releasing power rankings for a number of seasons, and for the most part, league followers and those with the teams themselves take a glance at them. In the final power ranking for the 2023 campaign that came out on October 12, the top four teams happen to be the four clubs that still remain in the CJFL post-season.

In the final power rankings, the Westshore Rebels were rated first, the Saskatoon Hilltops were second, the St. Clair Saints were third and the Okanagan Sun were fourth.

The Rebels topped the BCFC regular season standings with a 10-0 record and are 11-0 overall. The Sun, who are the defending CJFL champions, finished second in the BCFC regular season standings with an 8-1 mark and are 9-1 overall.

Those two clubs will battle for the Cullen Cup to become BCFC champions when the Rebels host the Sun on Saturday at Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C., at 3 p.m. local time. The winner will host the CJFL championship game on Saturday, November 11 against the winner of the CJFL semifinal between the PFC champion Hilltops and OFC champion Saints.

The CJFL semifinal between the Hilltops and the visiting Saints is set for Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field at 1 p.m. local time. Both squads enter that contest with 10-0 overall records.

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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Hilltops’ Stevens no stranger to long playoff runs

DT won 6-man football high school title in Eatonia

Johnathon Stevens springs into action at DT for the Hilltops.

Long playoff runs in football seem to fit Johnathon Stevens just fine.

The Saskatoon Hilltops star defensive tackle said he has been blessed to play with some great guys, great coaches and great communities in his football career. Currently, Stevens is doing his best to help the Hilltops in their drive towards a CJFL championship in his third year with the club.

After having won the PFC final 21-13 over the visiting Regina Thunder last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops (10-0) now host the OFC champion St. Clair Saints (10-0) for Windsor this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Stevens was part of the Hilltops team that won the PFC title in 2021 only to fall 17-14 on the road to host Langley Rams in a CJFL semifinal. The Rams moved on to win the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions that year.

Before joining the Hilltops, Stevens was a member of the storied Eaton School Spartans 6-man football team in Eatonia, Sask. During his Grade 11 year in the 2019 fall football season, Stevens helped the Spartans capture the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s then 1A 6-Man Football championship with a 63-48 victory over Kerrobert.

Stevens said the join of winning that provincial title was one of his most memorable moments in the game.

“It was awesome,” said Stevens, who played D-line, O-line and was a kicker for the Spartans. “It was great, because the whole community, all of Eatonia and people who were from Eatonia who don’t live there anymore and still have roots there, they came down to support us.

“It felt like the whole town was a family at that moment, and everyone was just so proud of everybody for doing that. It is pretty special, because small towns, that is kind of all we have.”

Johnathon Stevens was named a PFC all-star this season.

After graduating from Eaton School, Stevens found another group of guys he enjoys playing with in the Hilltops. With this season’s Hilltops, Stevens was named a PFC all-star on the defensive line having collected 20 solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, three quarterback sacks, one pass knockdown, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

He was part of a Hilltops defensive until that saw the team give up just 51 points in eight regular season games, which was the team’s lowest total for points allowed in the regular season dating back to 1949. Stevens enjoys the chemistry the current Hilltops have had and is pumped to be part of the team’s current post-season run.

“It is awesome,” said Stevens, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 275 pounds. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys and a better group of coaches there to do this with.

“It just kind of happens. We just come together, and it just feels great. That is all I can really way about it.”

Stevens isn’t the first player the Hilltops have found at the Eaton School Spartans program in Eatonia that has come to the venerable CJFL squad and found success. 

Defensive back Cam Cooke and running back Chad Nunweiler are a couple of notable standouts that came from the Spartans to the Hilltops and helped the stories Saskatoon club win three straight CJFL titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Johnathon Stevens, left, takes down a Winnipeg Rifles RB.

When it came time to decide where he was going to play football after high school, Stevens said he knew about the history Cooke and Nunweiler had with the Hilltops. Stevens added his main reason to play for the ’Toppers was a simple one.

“They were close to home,” said Stevens. “That was really it.

“They were the closest place I could quickly come back to Eatonia if I ever needed to feel at home again. That was the main reason why I came to Saskatoon.”

On top of that, Stevens has a sizeable contingent of family and friend drive out from Eatonia to Saskatoon to see his home games. Eatonia is about a two-and-a-half hour drive southwest of Saskatoon.

Stevens has found a home with the Hilltops. He has enjoyed learning the 12-man game and making the adjustments from playing the six-man game.

“It is a very different game there,” said Stevens. “Six-man it is very athletic game.

“When you face O-linemen there, they’re not usually as big as the 12-man guys. I’d say the biggest change is just getting used to stopping the run, because in six-man it was throw, throw, throw and then the occasional run. Just getting physical was probably the biggest change coming here.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has enjoyed coaching Stevens since he came to the storied CJFL team. The sideline boss said the young defensive tackle, who will turn 20-years-old in late December, has grown into an all-star level player.

Johnathon Stevens won a high school 6-man title in Eatonia.

“John coming out of Eatonia has just been exceptional,” said Sargeant. “To see his growth and development from day one when he walked in here until now as a third year player as an all-star, he has just been a great run stopper.

“He has really added a pass rush game. He is just with it. He can sniff out plays.

“He’s that D-lineman that can read the screens, and that is how he has ended up with a couple of interceptions. He is just always around the ball and is always playing with such a positive attitude and great energy. He is just a great guy to coach.”

Sargeant was the Hilltops head coach when Cooke and Nunweiler played for the team. The long time coach has always been impressed with how athletic the players are that come in from the 6-man teams in the small Saskatchewan towns.

“Six and nine man players are good football players,” said Sargeant. “John had to play O-line and D-line.

“You have to play in a lot of space, and you see it here. He is just natural there, very athletic for his frame. He just has a lot of love to play the game.

“We’re so happy to have John on our team. A third year guy, he has a bright future ahead too. We believe he can be more impactful than he is right now.”

At the moment, Stevens is locked into the present. As the Hilltops are just two wins away from a CJFL title, Stevens wants his team to finish off the campaign by winning it all.

Johnathon Stevens (#57 blue) is pictured with the Hilltops D-linemen.

Be it back in 6-man with Spartans or the CJFL with the Hilltops, Stevens said the post-season has a do or die feel to it. He wants to see what the feeling would be like to go all the way with the Hilltops in the CJFL.

“We’d obviously love to finish the year with a win and go undefeated,” said Stevens. “That would be awesome.

“It is always the end goal. When you want to play football, you always want to win, because if you don’t, you’re not in the right sport.”

Davidsen, Wist take player of the week nods

Boston Davidsen was named a PFC’s offensive player of the week.

Boston Davidsen and Matthew Wist had monster games in the PFC final for the Saskatoon Hilltops resulting in PFC player of the week honours.

On Wednesday, Davidsen was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week, while Wist was tabbed as the PFC’s defensive player of the week. The nods came from the work both players put in during the Hilltops 21-13 PFC final win over the visiting Regina Thunder this past Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

In that contest, Davidsen, who is the Hilltops star power running back, carried the ball 21 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also hauled in one pass for two yards.

Wist, who is the Hilltops star middle linebacker, recorded nine solo defensive tackles and eight defensive tackle assists in that victory.

Thunder defensive back Tristan Bergquist claimed honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week for his work in kick coverage in his team’s loss in the PFC final. He collected three special teams solo tackles in that contest.

Rebels and Sun go at it for BCFC title

Te Jessie in a CJFL promo graphic.

The class of the British Columbia Football Conference will battle for the conference championship and the right to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

The Westshore Rebels topped the BCFC regular season standings with a 10-0 record and are 11-0 overall. The Okanagan Sun, who are the defending CJFL champions, finished second in the BCFC regular season standings with an 8-1 mark and are 9-1 overall.

Those two clubs will battle for the Cullen Cup to become BCFC champions when the Rebels host the Sun on Saturday at Starlight Stadium in Langford, which is a suburb of Victoria, B.C., at 3 p.m. local time. The winner will host the CJFL championship game on Saturday, November 11 against the winner of the CJFL semifinal between the PFC champion Saskatoon Hilltops and OFC champion St. Clair Saints.

The CJFL semifinal between the Hilltops and the visiting Saints is set for Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field at 1 p.m. local time. Both squads enter that contest with 10-0 overall records.

The Rebels and Sun met back on August 26 at Starlight Stadium, where the Rebels romped to a 52-23 victory. The Sun entered that contest having battled disruptions to their schedule the previous two weeks due to forest fires near their home centre of Kelowna, B.C.

Rebels quarterback Te Jessie had an outstanding regular season completing 150-of-212 passes for 2,453 yards and 41 touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions. Jessie had a quarterback rating of 135.1, and his 41 touchdown passes are a new record for CJFL regular season play.

A graduate of the St. Paul’s High School Crusaders Football Team in Winnipeg, Man., Jessie topped the CJFL’s annual Top 50 players to watch list heading into the 2023 campaign.

Running back Aidan Wiberg was the Sun’s top offensive player. During the regular season, Wiberg carried the ball 114 times for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 78 yards.

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Hilltops return to top of PFC hill, improve to 10-0

Saskatoon guts out 21-13 victory over Thunder

The Hilltops celebrate their PFC championship win.

“Whatever it takes.”

The Saskatoon Hilltops lived out that cliché made famous by late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll, who coached the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships. On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field taking part in a gutty PFC final clash played before 1,712 spectators, the Hilltops entered the fourth quarter trailing their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 13-9.

Saskatoon closed out the contest scoring 12 straight points to capture the PFC title with a 21-13 victory. With the win, the Hilltops improved their overall record to 10-0. They advance in the CJFL playoffs to host a CJFL semifinal game this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field against the Ontario Football Conference champion St. Clair Saints (10-0) from Windsor.

Evan Ward makes a big 42-yard catch for the Hilltops.

The Thunder closed out the 2023 campaign with a 7-3 overall mark.

“We just have that championship heart,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “We have a tradition that is second to none and a belief system.

“At the end of the day, we knew if we just stayed positive, and I wasn’t that positive myself today, but the players were even saying, ‘Coach, we’ve got this. We’ve got this,’ and they did. We flipped the field with the wind. We got some special teams flavor.

“The defence picked up their end, and the crowd was outstanding. The offence made plays when they needed to, so at the end of the day, it is just a great gutsy win that, you know what, these fifth year players deserve.”

The Hilltops celebrate a fourth quarter TD from Boston Davidsen.

This was the third straight year the Hilltops and Thunder collided in the PFC final with the encounters in 2021 and 2022 taking place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Hilltops claimed the conference crown with a 29-9 victory in 2021, and the Thunder captured the conference title with a 39-21 win in 2022.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen thought his squad showed great resolve in Sunday’s win over the Thunder.

“This is a very special win with a special group of guys,” said Davidsen, who was named the MVP of the PFC on Friday. “Regina, that was a great test for us.

“That was a really good team. That was the closest game we’ve played, and we showed some resilience. We’re excited about it.

Boston Davidsen ran the ball 21 times for 161 yards and two TDs.

“We’ll have fun tonight, and then we have to focus on next Sunday.”

Going into the fourth quarter trailing 13-9, the Hilltops first started to slowly close the gap. With 9:49 remaining in the fourth, the Hilltops forced the Thunder to concede a safety due to bad field position, and that cut Regina’s lead to 13-11.

A short time later, Hilltops star middle linebacker and punter Matt Wist booted a long punt single that trimmed the Thunder lead to 13-12.

About three minutes after that, the Hilltops looked like they were going to have a drive stall just pass midfield after taking a holding penalty. On the ensuing play after the holding infraction, Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider was forced to scramble to his right.

The Hilltops celebrate a safety touch in the fourth quarter.

While on the roll out, he fired a pass deep to 22-year-old veteran receiver Evan Ward. Ward hauled in the pass for a 42-yard gain that set the Hilltops up with a first down inside the Thunder 15 yard line.

Following Ward’s catch, the Hilltops got set up on the Thunder’s one yard line after the Regina side took a roughing the passer penalty. With 4:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, Davidsen plunged in from one yard out to put the Hilltops in front 19-13.

Davidsen said it was sweet to see Ward make that big catch that ultimately resulted in the Hilltops winning score.

“Ward is a real special player for us, because he does a lot of blocking,” said Davidsen. “He doesn’t get a lot of those opportunities like that.

Ryland Leichert ran the ball 23 times for 98 yards for the Thunder.

“When he gets them, he makes the most of it. We’re very privileged to have him on our team.”

On Regina’s ensuing offensive series, it appeared the pressure of the moment started to get to the Thunder. An errant shotgun snap went past 20-year-old Thunder quarterback Ethan Hugg into the Regina end zone.

Hugg corralled the ball in the end zone, but he was downed by Hilltops star defensive end Riece Kack and standout defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens for a safety that put the Saskatoon side up 21-13 with 3:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder would ultimately have one desperation Hail Mary throw on the final play of the fourth quarter towards the Hilltops end zone to try and pull even on the scoreboard. Hugg’s final prayer deep pass was intercepted by Hilltops star safety Dalton Urban.

Boston Davidsen reacts to scoring on a 49-yard touchdown run.

Kack, who was wearing the cleats of injured teammate Jordan Levesque, was elated his side pulled out the win.

“It feels awesome man like holy cow,” said Kack, who had six total tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks in the win. “It was a good last two quarters by the defence there.

“We came out of the halftime and let up a fricken score, and we were a bit shaky. I just have so much love and trust for this group I love it. I think that this team the veteran core of leaders we all made sure that every was level going into the fourth (quarter).

“We acted like we’ve been here before, and we executed our game plan pretty well. It was phenomenal.”

Austin Wood, right, reacts to making a TD catch for the Thunder.

The Hilltops got the only points in the first quarter taking a 2-0 lead, when the Thunder were forced to concede a safety due to bad field position.

With 6:19 remaining in the second quarter, the Thunder jumped in front 3-2 thanks to a 17-yard field goal from kicker Shawn Green.

On the Hilltops ensuing offensive possession, Davidsen broke off a 49-yard touchdown run to give the hosts a 9-3 advantage with 4:46 remaining in the second quarter. Saskatoon took that 9-3 lead into the halftime break.

Davidsen thought his long touchdown big play run helped the Hilltops offence get out the quicksand it was stuck in at that point in the contest.

Matt Wist booted a long punt single for the Hilltops.

“I think that play it kind of let our offence know that we can do this that we can make big plays,” said Davidsen, who carried the ball 21 times for 161 yards to go with his two major scores. “We had good blocks especially the O-line on that play that allowed us to have that big run.

“I think when we made that play we kind of had this, ‘you know, we can do this.’”

The Thunder received the second half kickoff. On that first offensive possession, they quickly went downfield. That series concluded with Hugg hitting receiver Austin Wood with a five-yard touchdown pass to give the Thunder a 10-9 lead just 2:14 into half.

Later in the third quarter, the Thunder proceeded to drive deep into the Saskatoon end of the field. The Hilltops forced the drive to stall causing the Thunder to settle for a 13-yard field goal from Green to push their lead out to 13-9. That set up the dramatics in the fourth quarter.

The Hilltops pressure Thunder QB Ethan Hugg.

Kack said, once the Hilltops went ahead with Davidsen’s major score with 4:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Hilltops defensive unit had the vibe that the game would be closed out from that point.

“I think once we got the lead our defence knew what we had to do,” said Kack, whose Hilltops gave up 51 points in the regular season which was the team’s lowest total in that department dating back to 1949. “We all believed in each other.

“I don’t think they got many yards after that. It was phenomenal, the best defence I’ve ever played on by far. I never lost trust in the process.”

Reider completed 12-of-20 passes for 165 yards, while throwing one interception for the Hilltops. He ran the ball seven times for 12 yards. Ward topped the ’Toppers with 60 receiving yards on two catches.

Hilltops safety Dalton Urban makes an interception.

Hugg completed 18-of-36 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown, while throwing two interceptions. 

Isaiah Woodley led the Thunder with 73 receiving yards coming off five catches. 

Star running back Ryland Leichert led the Thunder in rushing with 23 carries for 98 yards.

Wist had a monster game for the Hilltops with 13 total tackles. 

Standout defensive back Carter Wingert had an interception for Saskatoon.

Star middle linebacker Stephen Smith, who was named the PFC’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year on Friday, led the Thunder with 7.5 total tackles. 

The Hilltops receive the PFC championship trophy.

Defensive end Payton O’Connor had a pair of sacks for the Regina side. Defensive back Cooper Filazek had an interception for the Thunder.

Soon, the Hilltops will turn their attention towards the Saints, but Sargeant wanted his squad to soak in Sunday’s conference championship win over the Thunder.

“Hey, I’m just celebrating today,” said Sargeant. “We had to put everything on the line to beat Regina.

Hilltops players enjoy picture time with the PFC championship trophy. 

“That is it. That is all. You know what, you throw out all of the stats at the end of the day when you get going against these guys, and we had to do everything in our power to get success.

“You know what, we did it, and now we move on. Hey, at this stage you just want to live another week, and we’re living.”

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