Cinderella has horns, Rams in Mitchell Bowl

Rouge et Or won’t be phased by sentimental feelings

An unlikely run by the University of Regina Rams is capturing the imagination of football observers in Saskatchewan.

After opening their U Sports regular season schedule with two straight wins, the Rams proceeded to lose five straight. On the cusp of missing the post-season, the Rams closed the regular season downing the visiting U of Alberta Golden Bears 29-22 in their final regular season contest on October 25 at Leibel Field.

That allowed the Rams to finish with a 3-5 regular season record to place fourth in the Canada West Conference and capture the conference’s final post-season berth.

On November 2, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and knocked off the U of Manitoba Bisons 28-25 at Princess Auto Stadium. The Bisons had finished first in Canada West with a 7-1 mark. Down 25-21, quarterback Noah Pelletier hit receiver Nicholas Sirleaf with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Rams their 28-25 victory.

That marked the Rams first post-season win since 2012 and their first post-season victory since legendary head coach Frank McCrystal retired following the 2014 campaign.

The Rams advanced to the Canada West final to face their provincial rivals the U of Saskatchewan Huskies at Griffiths Stadium. Playing in front of 6,355 spectators, the Huskies jumped out to a 14-1 lead early in the second quarter. The Rams rallied back for a 19-14 victory.

Defensive back Carson Somback returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown to account for the winning score. Somback’s major came with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter and gave the Rams an 18-14 edge.

The Rams proceeded to add a rouge on the ensuing kickoff to make their lead 19-14. U of R’s defence held the fort from there to ensure that 19-14 score in their favour was the game’s final outcome.

Defence has been key to the Rams run. During the regular season, the Rams gave up 177 points against, which was the lowest points against total in Canada West. The stout defence was needed as the Rams scored the fewest points in the conference at 157.

Back when the Rams were in the CJFL winning 15 championships on that circuit or advancing to the 2000 Vanier Cup in their second U Sports season falling 42-39 to the U of Ottawa Gee-Gees, they were best known for their high scoring offence. They never gave the image of being Ray Lewis and the Super Bowl championship winning Baltimore Ravens of 2000 in the NFL.

This year’s Rams placed four defensive players on the Canada West all-star team in defensive lineman Tarick Polius and defensive backs Brandon Wong, Dolani Robinson and Jackson Sombach. Defensive tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes, who is in his second year of eligibility, battles in the interior making plays and absorbing beatings on double teams in order for his teammates to make plays.

Now the Rams face their greatest challenge when they host a U Sports semifinal contest in the Mitchell Bowl at 2 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. They will take on the ultra-power Universite Laval Rouge et Or. The winner advances to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – slated to be held Saturday, November 23 at noon Saskatchewan time at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Windsor, Ont.

The Rouge et Or are 9-1 overall and have won 11 Vanier Cups since their birth in 1996. Current legendary Rouge et Or head coach Glen Constantin has guided the Laval side to 10 of those Vanier Cup titles as head coach. He is all-time career head coaching wins leader in U Sports history with 218 victories in regular season and post-season play.

On paper, this Mitchell Bowl is the equivalent of the 2011 Denver Broncos with famed born again Christian Tim Tebow at quarterback going into an NFL Divisional Playoff match up against quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. 

Brady, Belichick and the Patriots didn’t have any sentimentalities for “Cinderella runs” and proceeded to steamroll the Broncos 45-10.

Darryl Leason in action in 2000 for the Rams.

If Saskatoon StarPhoenix stir the pot columnist Darrell Utley, who was known as “Barney from the bowling alley,” was writing about this game, he would write the Rams better turn to their Catholic Church roots from the days of legendary head coach Gord Currie, who passed away in 2017, and McCrystal to find a hope of beating the Rouge et Or.

(*Side note – Utley loved taking shots and total runs at the Rams back in the day.*)

Utley would also write the Rams would be best to see if Darryl Leason was available to play quarterback. 

Leason quarterbacked the Rams to three straight CJFL title from 1993 to 1995, went to play three seasons with the U of Calgary Dinos, sat out a season and rejoined the Rams in 2000. With the Rams, Leason expertly executed the offensive system devised by the squad’s legendary genius offensive coordinator in Bernie Schmidt.

Before the 2000 season started, Leason vowed the Rams would be in the Vanier Cup. The Rams finished third in the Canada West regular season standings at 4-4. They went on a post-season run with Leason firing lasers everywhere and piling up big games in three wins and the Vanier Cup, which the Rams lost by three points.

So how good was Leason in the 2000 Vanier Cup? He completed 28-of-44 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He also ran the ball 12 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Still if the defence of the current Rams has a big game, that could seed doubts into the minds of Rouge et Or players making an upset possible.

Also, Rams current head coach Mark McConkey, who was a Rams player from 2007 to 2013, has been able to channel his old head coach in McCrystal and Currie in motivational speeches. While that is an intangible, it has helped the Rams reach another level in their play.

The chance is there the Rams can dial up “1-800-Rams-Win” once again. This generation of the Rams is writing their own story, and they can make the ending a good one win or lose by bringing their best on the field.

They are well into house money now where any extra success from this point is a bonus.

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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CJFL coach of the year award long time coming for “Sarge”

Legendary Hilltops sideline boss last took honour in 2003

Tom Sargeant, centre, checks out action on the field. 

It felt like a much-deserved legacy moment for legendary Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant.

Last Friday, Sargeant was named the winner of the CJFL’s Gord Currie Coach of the Year award at the circuit’s Celebration of Excellence in Windsor, Ont. It marked the third time Sargeant was named the CJFL’s coach of the year with the previous two occasions coming way back in 2000 and 2003.

The third CJFL individual nod was a long time in coming for Sargeant. Since becoming the Hilltops head coach in early December of 1997, Sargeant has posted a 245-38-2 career record in both the regular season and post-season as the club’s top sideline boss. 

He has guided the Hilltops to 14 CJFL championships as head coach with the last coming in 2023.

He is the all-time leader in career head coaching victories for amateur post-secondary football in Canada. Glen Constantin, who is the legendary head coach of the Universite Laval Rouge et Or Football Team in U Sports, currently sits second on that list with 218 victories. Constantin has a 218-39 record in regular season and post-season play as Rouge et Or head coach including 10 Vanier Cup titles as U Sports champions.

Looking at the Hilltops record of success, one wonders how Sargeant didn’t have a CJFL coach of the year award win between 2003 and this year. That included a stretch where the Hilltops won three straight CJFL titles from 2010 to 2012 and six straight from 2014 to 2019.

The 2024 campaign was a different year. The differences went beyond the Hilltops posting an 8-0 record in regular season play to top the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference, winning a PFC semifinal 33-18 against the Edmonton Huskies before falling to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 24-19 in the PFC final.

om Sargeant overcame a significant health scare in the off-season

In an interview with Saskatoon StarPhoenix forever sports writer Darren Zary for a story published on September 14, Sargeant detailed that he had open heart, double-bypass surgery back in March of this year. Sargeant said he remembered one game late in the 2023 CJFL title winning campaign that he had a weird sensation in his chest.

After the Hilltops downed the Westshore Rebels 17-10 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C., on November 11, 2023 for their 23^rd CJFL championship, Sargeant went and saw his doctor. He failed a heart stress test and found out he had four blockages over 90 per cent. He could have had a heart attack at any time.

In his open heart, double-bypass surgery this past March, doctors took a vein out of his Sargeant’s left leg to reroute blood flow to his heart.

Following the medical procedure, Sargeant turned 59-years-old in May and retired as the principal of Walter Murray Collegiate at the conclusion of the school year in June. When the Hilltops opened training camp on July 28, Sargeant was the all ready to go.

The first thing you noticed was he had lost a considerable amount of weight from the end of the 2023 campaign, and he looked a lot healthier physically. Sargeant was able to keep the trimmer and physically healthier look for the rest of the campaign.

When others in the coaching profession in sports deal with a similar serious health scare, it is not uncommon to see those coaches retire once they went through their procedures or comeback for just one last farewell season. Fading off into the sunset to enjoy time with the family becomes the understandable preferred option.

Tom Sargeant, centre, was named the CJFL’s coach of the year.

Sargeant took a page out of the playbook of late CFL icon coach and manager Cal Murphy, who is best remembered for his time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1983 to 1996 that included Grey Cup championship wins in 1984, 1988 and 1990. Murphy survived heart attacks in 1978 and 1985 and returned to coaching in the CFL both times.

In 1992, he underwent emergency heart bypass surgery that kept him alive before being saved by a last-second donor and successful heart transplant surgery. 

Murphy returned to the Blue Bombers after that medical ordeal. He remained working in football and was still a scout for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts at the time of his passing on February 18, 2012 at age 79.

While those that knew Murphy knew no matter what he was Blue Bombers “blue and gold” through and through, Sargeant is Hilltops “blue and gold” through and through. Before being the Hilltops head coach, he was a slotback for the team for four seasons in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987 and served as an assistant coach from 1991 to 1997.

Sargeant was part of a CJFL championship winners as a player in 1985 and as an assistant coach in 1991 and 1996. If you knew “Sarge,” there was no way he was not going to return to the Hilltops sidelines as head coach in 2024.

While the Hilltops didn’t win a PFC title or a CJFL crown in 2024, the biggest victory looking at the overall big picture was that Sargeant returned to coach this season at all. On the health front, the possibility was there for things to not work out this way.

Tom Sargeant talks to his players during a timeout.

After the Hilltops were eliminated from the CJFL post-season, Sargeant was making his rounds scouting high school football games with members of his coaching staff. It appears 2024 won’t be a last hurrah.

With how passionately his wife, Kris, adult daughters, Macy and Abby, and grandson Jaylen are into the Hilltops, Sargeant has a strong backing at home to continue coaching the Hilltops for as long as he would like to coach the team. After all the years Sargeant put into the team, you have to think the Hilltops head coach position is his for however long he wants it.

Sargeant is more than deserving of his third nod as the CJFL’s coach of the year. No one could have thought after the Hilltops won the CJFL title in 2023 that the fact Sargeant made it back to the sidelines would be the ultimate victory of all.

Guardians end Saskatoon’s 6A high school title jinx

Samuel LaFreniere had a monster season for the Guardians.

In what seemed like big relief for all of high school football in Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 6A title jinx for “the Bridge City” is over.

Last Saturday, Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School Guardians faced the host Campbell Collegiate Tartans in the SHSAA’s 6A title game at Mosaic Stadium. The Guardians left no doubt about the final outcome rolling to a 52-14 victory.

With the win, the Guardians ended a drought of 15 years of Saskatoon teams not winning the SHSAA’s 6A provincial championship in football. Before the Guardians victory last Saturday, the last Saskatoon school to claim that distinction was the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears back in 2009, when they downed Regina’s Winston Knoll Collegiate Wolverines 20-19. At that time, the 6A level was known as 4A until the levels of high school football were reclassified in Saskatchewan following the 2018-19 school year.

The Guardians won their only other provincial title way back in 2003. They had a season to remember in 2024 that included a trilogy of exciting games against their top rivals in Saskatoon in the Holy Cross High School Crusaders in Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate play.

On October 4, the Guardians dropped a heartbreaker to the Crusaders 29-28. On October 17, the two sides closed their respective regular season schedules against each other. The Guardians led 35-34 going into the fourth quarter and ultimately fell 48-35.

The two sides met for the Saskatoon city title on November 1 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. They played an all-time classic with the Guardians coming out on top 38-34.

The battles between the Guardians and Crusaders were highlighted by duels between Guardians Grade 11 running back Samuel LaFreniere and Crusaders Grade 12 tailback Aulain Penner. That city title clash may have been their greatest showdown.

LaFreniere ran the ball 25 times for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Penner carried the ball 29 times for 305 yards and three major scores. They had a cool “bro” embrace with each other following that contest.

Following that contest, the Guardians advanced to the SHSAA’s 6A title game where they downed the Tartans. St. Joseph finished the 2024 campaign with an 8-2 overall record including play in the regular season and post-season.

LaFreniere was the Guardians biggest star. While end of year individual football statistics haven’t been released, odds are high LaFreniere surpassed 1,300 yards rushing in the Guardians seven regular season games and 2,000 yards rushing in the squad’s 10 contests overall.

The 2024 Guardians ended a provincial title drought that seemed to take on a life of its own for Saskatoon. They will always have a soft spot in the collective hearts of Saskatoon’s football community for being the team from the city that finally captured the SHSAA’s 6A championship once again.

Saints end OFC’s CJFL title drought, other notes

The St. Clair Saints pulled off one of the biggest shockers in the history of the CJFL and restored respect to the circuit’s Ontario Football Conference in the process.

Last Saturday at Acumen Stadium in Windsor, Ont., the host Saints upset the British Columbia Football Conference champion Okanagan Sun 37-22 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – before 2,750 spectators. The Sun led 15-6 at halftime and were up 22-9 at one point in the third quarter.

The Saints closed things out scoring the game’s final 28 points with two majors in the third quarter and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out the 15-point win. Their victory marked the first time a team from the OFC won a CJFL title since 1999.

Back in 1999, the Saints, when they were known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen, beat the Sun 32-29 at Windsor Stadium for the OFC’s previous CJFL title win.

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.

In the CJFL title clash this past Saturday, Saints quarterback Maurice Sodja had a monster outting being named the offensive player of the game. He completed 15-of-25 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Sodja carried the ball 25 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns.

Saints receiver Cameron St. Kitts-Park also had a big game catching six passes for 137 yards. He took home honours as the special teams player of the game.

On top of his receiving skills, St. Kitts-Park punted the ball eight times for 273 yards or an average of 34.1 yards per kick. He returned two kickoffs for 45 yards and ran for eight yards on a fake punt.

Sun linebacker Jacob Bond was the defensive player of the game recording six solo defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, three special teams tackles, one forced fumble and one interception.

The Saints finished the 2024 campaign posting an 11-0 overall record. The Sun posted a 13-1 overall mark.

Last year, the Saints made it to a CJFL semifinal contest and were thumped 43-0 by the host Saskatoon Hilltops at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops advanced onward to claim the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions for a 23^rd time in team history.

For a large number of years, it was common for OFC champions to lose in the fashion the Saints did when they started playing out of conference opponents. When the Saints got drubbed by the Hilltops in the 2023 CJFL semifinal encounter, they obviously took a lot of lessons out of that contest.

Just over a year later, they come out as a sound winner in a CJFL title game played on home turf. Heading into the Canadian Bowl clash between the Saints and Sun, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Sun would win.

On top of ending the OFC’s CJFL title drought, the Saints gained back a measure of respect for their conference. In the process, the CJFL was the biggest winner as you can say the teams that win their conference have a real shot at capturing the Canadian Bowl.

• The Saskatoon Hilltops had six players named CJFL first team all-Canadian all-stars for the 2024 campaign. They include quarterback Trey Reider, receiver Drake Douglas, running back Corbin Ebben, right tackle Cody Shumanski, defensive end Kai Kukurudza and safety Dalton Urban. The Hilltops had three players named CJFL second team all-Canadian all-stars for 2024. They included defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and punter Teijon Abel-Douglas.
• Last Friday, Regina Thunder middle linebacker Stephen Smith was named the winner of the Larry Wruck Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the CJFL. In the Thunder’s eight regular season games, Smith recorded 34 solo defensive tackles, 20 defensive tackle assists, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two pass knockdowns and one interception.
• Nathan Reiter of Prince Albert Daily Herald put together a great story on Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team winning their first ever provincial title. They claimed the SHSAA’s 5A championship last Saturday with a 35-34 victory over Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Reiter’s piece 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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Raiders wise in keeping faith in Hildebrand

Max Hildebrand in action for the Raiders earlier this season.

Max Hildebrand is still giving the Prince Albert Raiders a chance to win every night.

The 20-year-old netminder has been the steady hand for a Raiders team that is working towards finding a new identity in the 2024-25 campaign. In the off-season and at the start of this season, the Raiders made changes with their roster electing to go with a number of younger players and made tweaks through trades looking to create more offence.

The deals the Raiders made on the trade front along with a key graduate departure saw them go without five players who played the bulk of the past two seasons with the team making up a key part of the club’s core. The key graduate was star left-winger Sloan Stanick, who led the Raiders last season in scoring with 84 points coming off 30 goals and 54 assists.

The biggest returnee for the Raiders was Hildebrand. At the moment, his statistics don’t look as flashy as they did last season.

So far this season in 15 appearances, Hildebrand has recorded a 6-6-2 record, a 3.79 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. Last season, Hildebrand posted a 25-20-4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts.

What the statistics don’t show is Hildebrand has been as sharp as ever. With the Raiders going through growing pains in trying to find a new identity, Hildebrand has faced more quality scoring chances than he has likely at any point during his time in Prince Albert since joining the Raiders full time part way through the 2021-22 campaign.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Crusaders provincial title win to be iconic sports moment in P.A.

Zane Litzenberger reacts to his winning TD catch for the Crusaders.

In Prince Albert, the 2024 Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team will walk together forever.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Crusaders claimed their first ever provincial title in thrilling fashion. Taking on Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 5A championship game, the Crusaders found themselves trailing 34-29 late in the fourth quarter.

With 72 seconds remaining in the contest, Crusaders star quarterback Sullivan Smith-Windsor hit standout receiver Zane Litzenberger on a five-yard slant pass for a touchdown. The Crusaders proceeded to attempt and failed to get a two-point convert, but they held a 35-34 advantage.

Sullivan Smith-Windsor sets to throw the winning TD.

That lead would hold up to be the game’s final score as the Saints were not able to drive into field goal range in the time that remained on the clock and eventually turned the ball over on downs. That allowed the Crusaders to end the encounter with two kneel downs to finalize the 35-34 victory.

Since opening in 1975, Carlton appeared in three provincial title games all at the then 3A level, but fell each time in 1984, 1991 and 1995. Saturday’s thrilling win allowed the Crusaders to finish the 2024 campaign with an 8-0 record including action in the regular season and post-season.

Actually, the City of Prince Albert had been undergoing a prolonged drought when it came to winning a provincial title in high school football. Until Saturday’s win by the Crusaders, Prince Albert’s last provincial title in high school football came way back in 1971, when star running back Tom Chad and the St. Mary High School Marauders claimed the then 3A championship.

Fans from Prince Albert cheer on the Crusaders.

Back in 1971, the Marauders playing in front of a home crowd thumped Moose Jaw’s Albert E. Peacock Collegiate Tornadoes 61-27 in the provincial title game held at the field next to what was then known as Prince Albert Collegiate Institute. The Marauders piled up 506 yards rushing as a team in that contest.

The Crusaders of 2024 will go down as the most exciting high school football team to come out of Prince Albert. From 2022 to 2024, the Crusaders became best known for their passing attack that allowed them to push the ball downfield. Smith-Windsor, who has been the team’s starter through that whole stretch, has looked like a CFL quarterback when he is playing his best.

The Crusaders begin celebrating their provincial title win.

As a Grade 12 senior, Saturday’s provincial final was Smith-Windsor’s final game of his high school career. He wrapped that part of his football life up with his greatest performance ever.

Smith-Windsor completed 28-of-30 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He also ran the ball four times for 19 yards and one touchdown.

To add more to the performance, Smith-Windsor booted a 61-yard punt single with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Crusaders a 29-28 lead at that point in the contest.

Litzenberger was heroic in Saturday’s game. The sure-handed Grade 11 pass catcher hauled in 14 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Late in the game, he was hobbled by a minor leg injury, but still managed to catch the winning touchdown while hampered physically.

The Crusaders raise the provincial championship trophy.

In Prince Albert, Smith-Windsor and Litzenberger will be immortalized combining on a play that will be iconic in the lore of the northern Saskatchewan city’s sports history. The game and season will also become iconic in Prince Albert.

About 1,000 supporters from Prince Albert made their way to Saskatoon to be part of the sizable crowd at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. They brought out the loud noise to support their Crusaders and mimicked a scene often seen on the WHL’s hockey front when the Prince Albert Raiders visit the SaskTel Centre to take on the Saskatoon Blades.

The Crusaders celebrate their provincial title win with their supporters.

After the post-game trophy presentations, the Prince Albert faithful rushed on to the field to celebrate with the Crusaders. The mood was jovial over the following 90 minutes as the team and their supporters took numerous pictures and soaked in the moment.

The victory was made more meaningful due to the fact the Crusaders beat a foe that had built a storied run in recent years. Since 2015, the Saints had won four provincial titles under head coach Donnie Davidsen with the last coming in 2022 with an 18-15 triumph over the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles at SMF Field.

In Saturday’s clash with the Crusaders, the Saints played strong piling up 475 yards of total offence coming off 209 yards rushing and 266 yards passing. Quarterback Kyren Houmphanh completed 19-of-29 passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rylan Morrison (#10) grinds out tough yards for the Crusaders.

Receiver Josh Gutek hauled in seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jack Boeschler ran the ball 14 times for 114 yards and two major scores. Tailback Wyatt LaRoche ran the ball 19 times for 91 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 25 yards.

The Saints basically needed to make two more plays and they would have had a fifth provincial title with Davidsen guiding the team as head coach.

Instead, Crusaders head coach Lindsay Strachan, who has been coaching with the program for 18 years, got to celebrate his first provincial football title as a sideline boss. The Crusaders players and supporters were as excited for Strachan as anyone else on the field on Saturday.

Crusaders HC Lindsay Strachan checks out his clipboard.

The back-and-fourth contest saw the Saints account for the only points in the first quarter going up 7-0 on a one-yard touchdown run by Boeschler. Early in a high-scoring second quarter, Smith-Windsor hit receiver Jordan Stene with a 15-yard touchdown pass to event the score at 7-7.

The Saints would go back in front 14-7 on a 13-yard touchdown toss from Houmphanh to Race Marcinkiw. A short time later, the Crusaders evened the score at 14-14, when Smith-Windsor connected with receiver Colm Phillips on a 35-yard touchdown toss.

With less than a minute to play in the second quarter, Boeschler ran home his second major score of the contest with this one coming from two yards out to put the Saints up 21-14.

Kyren Houmphanh passed for 266 yards for the Saints.

Working with a small amount of time remaining before halftime, the Carlton offence quickly got downfield. On the last play before halftime, Smith-Windsor scored on a one-yard run to even the score at 21-21.

The Saints started the third quarter with a clock eating drive that culminated with Houmphanh hitting Gutek with an 11-yard touchdown pass to put the host side up 28-21. With 3:48 remaining in the third quarter, Smith-Windsor zipped a 25-yard touchdown pass to Litzenberger to even the score at 28-28.

Smith-Windsor proceeded to record his punt single to give the Crusaders their first lead in the contest. That affected some of the decisions down the stretch.

With 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Saints jumped in front 34-29 on a three-yard touchdown run by LaRoche. The Saskatoon squad elected to go for a two-point conversion in order to get a seven-point advantage, but the conversion attempt was not successful.

Wyatt LaRoche scores a fourth quarter TD for the Saints.

That set the stage for Smith-Windsor to throw his winning touchdown pass to Litzenberger.

Also in the win, the Crusaders got a solid performance from running back Rylan Morrison, which allowed the Prince Albert side to pick up some key first downs. Morrison carried the ball nine times for 66 yards, and he caught three passes for 38 yards.

Now as the years go by in Prince Albert, you can be sure the 2024 Crusaders will achieve a mythical status like the 1971 Marauders did. Folks will look back at the 2024 Crusaders and say they were special.

Over time, it might seem like everyone in town saw Smith-Windsor work his magic on the football field. They will remember Litzenberger as being able to catch everything that was thrown his way.

Zane Litzenberger (#11) caught 14 passes for 206 yards.

Prince Albert will always proudly be recognized as a hockey town rightfully earning the nickname of “Hockey Town North” for loyal supporting the Raiders, the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team and the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA female squad. With that noted, people in Prince Albert always have room in their collective hearts to support hard-working athletes pursuing all sorts of sports.

As a province, football is viewed as Saskatchewan’s game thanks to the impact of the CFL’s Roughriders, who have existed since 1910. On Saturday, Prince Albert got celebrate they had high school football’s best at the 5A level in the Crusaders.

The Crusaders bask in their first provincial championship win.

In “Hockey Town North,” the 2024 football Crusaders will always be remembered, and they will be viewed as one of the city’s iconic teams.

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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Raiders passings cause memories to be more cherished

Plaques for Donn Clark and Bruce Vance on the Raiders Wall of Honour.

You never know how someone’s passing is going to affect you until they actually pass away.

When I moved to Prince Albert way back in May of 2001 to work for the Daily Herald as a full-time sports reporter, the first two people I basically met after Daily Herald staffers were Donn Clark and Bruce Vance. The introduction came at a Raiders annual general meeting shortly after I arrived in town.

Clark at the time was holding the roles of Raiders head coach and general manager. Vance had recently at that time arrived in town as the team’s new director of marketing. In recent days, I have been struggling with the fact that both are now gone from this life.

Clark passed away on March 2, 2019 just two days shy of his 57^th birthday. We share a March 4 birthday. Vance passed away this past October 18 at age 63.

Cancer got both of them. Looking back to that first meeting in May of 2001, I thought we would all seemingly live forever and be in hockey forever being fairly young like I was back then.

I never thought Clark or Vance would not live to see their respective 65^th birthdays. For both, I knew the end was coming in their cancer battles, but it still doesn’t prepare you for when it will happen.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Hilltops 2024 – A season with an unfulfilled finish

The Hilltops react to losing in the PFC final.

There are times the Saskatoon Hilltops are trapped by their own success.

Since the current modern version of the Hilltops were founded in 1947, they have won 23 CJFL championships. When don’t win a CJFL championship, it feels like the season was unfulfilled.

Legendary head coach Tom Sargeant has repeatedly said the standard is the standard. With that level of expectations, it seems like the regular season is something to just get through as ultimate barometer of success comes in the playoffs.

With that noted, the Hilltops coaches have been able to create a day-to-day value in the journey of the happenings of practice days and game days. The Hilltops advanced through the regular season posting an 8-0 record and piling up individual honours.

Sargeant was named the coach of the year for the Prairie Football Conference. Star fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider claimed honours as a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most valuable player, the PFC’s most outstanding offensive player and the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback.

Drake Douglas was the PFC’s most outstanding receiver, the PFC’s most outstanding special teams’ player, a PFC all-star receiver and the PFC’s all-star return specialist.

Right tackle Cody Shumanski was the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman and a PFC all-star.

Third-year middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk led the PFC in defensive points and third-year defensive end Kai Kukurudza topped the PFC with seven quarterback sacks. Both were named PFC all-stars.

The biggest challenges came in the post-season. In the PFC semifinal on October 13 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops found themselves locked in an 18-18 tie with the Edmonton Huskies in the fourth quarter.

Charles Sawi returns a missed field goal for a touchdown on Oct. 13.

Hilltops third-year running back Charles Sawi returned a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown to put Saskatoon up 25-18 with 7:32 to play in the fourth quarter. Saskatoon would post a 33-18 victory.

Next came the PFC final, and the Hilltops fell to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 24-19 this past Sunday at SMF Field. The Thunder piled up 321 yards rushing as a team on 49 carries for an average of 6.6 yards per rush attempt.

Now we get to the elephant in the room being the head hit Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith threw on Reider on the second last play of the game, when the Hilltops ran a gadget play. The facts are the hit happened and the officials missed it.

On that play, the Hilltops ran their version of the “Philly Special.” Reider passed the ball laterally in the right flat to star power running back Corbin Ebben.

Ebben took a couple of steps and fired a lateral pass back across the field to Reider. Reider took off down the left sideline before encountering Smith at the Thunder 22 yard line. Smith, who is a 21-year-old veteran, made a head first driving tackle striking the crown of his helmet into the head of Reider dropping the signal caller to the turf.

With the no penalty call, the Hilltops had basically one play to throw the ball into the end zone from the Thunder 22 yard line with 6.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Since Reider went down in bounds, the clock starts when the officials blow the play in. The final play was a Reider pass to the Thunder end zone that was knocked down.

Had a major foul penalty been called, the Hilltops would have been scrimmaging first and goal from the Thunder seven yard line, and the clock would not start until the ball was snapped. Saskatoon could have conceivably run two more offensive plays in that scenario to try and win the game.

First, it should be noted that Smith is a good guy. 

The head hit play. (Photo courtesy Shane Clausing at 650 CKOM).

With the Hilltops running a gadget play, it is conceivable that a panic adrenaline rush took over for Smith on the misdirection play, and in the moment, he might not have realized what he was doing when he got Reider to the ground. Unfortunately, the hit played out the way it did.

Football has changed and the maniac linebacker and head hunting free safety that existed in the game’s past main from the 1950s up to about 2010 have been cycled out of the sport.

Second, it should also be noted the official crew for the PFC final did an outstanding job working that contest. They missed that call, and that is part of the human element of the game. With the misdirection of the “Philly Special” play and the fact the Hilltops were in a two-minute drill, there is a good chance the officials weren’t in the best position to see Smith’s hit on Reider.

Still, there were lots of points the Hilltops could have made plays in that contest that could have changed the outcome. In the first quarter, receiver Datiel Fountaine had a pass in the end zone slip through his hands and the Hilltops settled for a 22-yard field goal by Teijon Abel-Douglas.

Abel-Douglas hit the post on a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, Douglas muffed a punt return that the Thunder recovered. The Thunder turned that gift into a touchdown for a 24-12 lead with 11:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Despite the miscues by the Hilltops, Reider had a heroic last game trying to carry his side to victory. He completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Reider ran the ball nine times for 102 yards.

Hilltops long snapper Colton Zimmer was named the special teams player of the game of the PFC final by the CJFL. The CJFL tabbed Thunder left guard Caleb Barajas as the offensive player of the game and Thunder defensive back Tristan Bergquist as the defensive player of the game.

Trey Reider won a number of individual awards in 2024.

The Hilltops entered the 2024 campaign as defending CJFL champions and finished the season wondering what might have been. With how the PFC final played out, those with the team will likely be processing that contest still in the coming weeks of the near future.

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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Thunder stampede their way to PFC championship

Hilltops downplay no flag on head hit to Reider

The Thunder celebrate their PFC championship win.

The Regina Thunder continued to be their version of Bronko Nagurski and the Chicago Bears of the 1930s NFL.

On Sunday playing before 1,826 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Thunder stampeded their way to a 24-19 victory in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference final over their provincial rivals the Saskatoon Hilltops, who entered the contest as the defending CJFL champions.

The Thunder starting offensive line of left tackle Nolan Finn, left guard Caleb Barajas, centre Max McFadden, right guard Tristen Rapchalk and right tackle Eric Boyd hammered the Hilltops defence allowing the Regina side to pile up 321 yards rushing as a team on 49 carries for an average of 6.6 yards per rush attempt.

The Thunder O-line help their team rush for 321 yards.

Thunder star running back Sadik Sadik led Regina with 28 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Regina’s other star running back in Ryland Leichert also had a big day carrying the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Before facing the Hilltops, the Thunder piled up 751 yards rushing in their two previous outings that included a regular season 40-21 victory over the Calgary Colts and a 64-7 PFC semifinal win over the Colts.

Sadik is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility as he is 22-years-old. He was pumped his club could win the PFC title after falling in last year’s PFC final 21-13 to the Hilltops in Saskatoon.

Sadik Sadik ran the ball 28 times for 178 yards and two TDs.

“Coming out here, I told the boys I don’t’ want to end my season here in Saskatoon,” said Sadik. “This honestly couldn’t have been drawn up any better playing Saskatoon at their home.

“Coming out here dominating and making this place our territory, we own this place. It is really what it is.”

Despite the physicality of the Thunder, the Hilltops almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat taking the ball on one last offensive series from their own 15 yard line with 61 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and no timeouts at their disposal. After getting across midfield, the Hilltops went into their bag of tricks for a gadget play that resulted in the most controversial moment of the contest.

On what would ultimately be the second last play of the contest, the Hilltops ran their version of the “Philly Special.” Star fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider, who was named the MVP of the PFC for the 2024 campaign, passed the ball laterally in the right flat to star power running back Corbin Ebben.

Trey Reider charges downfield for the Hilltops.

Ebben took a couple of steps and fired a lateral pass back across the field to Reider. Reider took off down the left sideline before encountering Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith at the Thunder 22 yard line. Smith made a head first driving tackle striking the crown of his helmet into the head of Reider dropping the signal caller to the turf.

The Hilltops bench was immediately calling for a major foul penalty for the obvious and visible helmet-to-helmet hit that has been banned in tackle football for some time now, but the officials didn’t throw a flag on the head shot. As a result, the Hilltops had basically one play to throw the ball into the end zone from the Thunder 22 yard line with 6.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Since Reider went down in bounds, the clock starts when the officials blow the play in.

A Hilltops final pass to the end zone in knocked incomplete.

Had a major foul penalty been called, the Hilltops would have been scrimmaging first and goal from the Thunder seven yard line, and the clock would not start until the ball was snapped. Saskatoon could have conceivably run two more offensive plays in that scenario.

Instead, Reider made a Hail Mary jump ball pass to star fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas about five yards deep in the end zone along the right sideline. Thunder safety Adam King knocked down the final toss to preserve the victory for his side.

Reider put the Hilltops offence on his back finishing the day completing 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. He also topped the Hilltops with 102 yards rushing on nine carries.

The Hilltops react to losing in the PFC final.

At end of the contest, Reider didn’t have anything bad to say about the officials or what happened on the play when he was hit helmet to helmet.

“At the end of the day, you can try to blame the refs, but I just put this on myself,” said Reider, who finished his career with the Hilltops with a 25-2 record as their started quarterback. “You can’t really blame anyone.

“I could have made him miss maybe. That is just on me. I’m not going to put anything on the refs or anyone else.

The Thunder raise the PFC championship trophy.

“I am going to put it on myself.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was diplomatic when asked about the head shot Reider took.

“That is a variable we don’t control,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, referees are working hard doing their job.

“I have a lot of respect for what they do. Being in these big games and at the end of the day, their job is to make sure our players are protected. If they felt that was the case, then we got to agree with what was in front of us.”

Ryland Leichert (#32) ran the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Overall, Sargeant said his storied club didn’t perform at a level that was needed to pull out a victory.

“We didn’t play well enough to win,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, full credit goes to the Regina Thunder.

“They battled, and they competed for sixty minutes. I’m proud of my kids, you know what? At the end of the first half, they took it to us.

“We responded, regrouped, and you know, just didn’t make the right plays at the right time. As I said, it just wasn’t enough. We kept on fighting, scratching and clawing to the end, but it wasn’t good enough today.”

The Thunder opened the contest with an impressive first series that ended with starting quarterback Ethan Hugg hitting receiver Zak Woidyla for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up 7-0.

Drake Douglas caught seven passes for 121 yards.

Before the first quarter ended, the Hilltops got on the scoreboard with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to trim the Thunder lead to 7-3.

At the 3:29 mark of the second quarter, Thunder kicker Shawn Green hit a 26 yard field goal to give his squad a 10-3 lead at halftime.

The Thunder pushed their lead out to 17-3 with a four-yard rushing major by Sadik at the 5:51 mark of the frame. With 2:18 remaining in the third, Green had to concede a safety due to bad field position to make the Thunder lead stand at 17-5.

On the ensuing offensive series, the Hilltops quickly drove downfield. With 59.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Ebben ran home a major from 14 yards out to cut the Thunder advantage to 17-12.

Corbin Ebben (#34) scored a pair of touchdowns for the Hilltops.

Early in the fourth quarter, disaster struck the Hilltops on special teams. Douglas muffed a punt return deep in his own end, and defensive back Owen Effa recovered the ball for the Thunder. Zadik proceeded to score on a two-yard run at the 3:20 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Thunder a 24-12 advantage.

With 4:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reider hit Ebben with a 14-yard touchdown pass to trim the Thunder lead to 24-19. That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the game.

Coming into Sunday’s contest, the Thunder had lost five straight overall to the Hilltops, who finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-1 overall mark. The Hilltops had also won 21 straight games overall. Sadik was overjoyed his squad beat the Hilltops to capture the PFC title in his final CJFL season.

Trey Reider (#3) completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards.

“It means a lot,” said Sadik. “There is a lot of work that went into this you know what I mean?

“(There were) a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we came out here, and we did what we had to do and we came out with the win.”

The Thunder, who improved to 8-2 overall, have now won their last three straight overall. Their last loss came on September 28, when they were thumped 36-11 by the Hilltops at SMF Field.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was pumped his team rebounded from that drubbing to ultimately claim the PFC title.

“It feels fantastic,” said MacAulay. “It wasn’t an easy season.

Zak Woidyla makes a 10-yard touchdown catch for the Thunder.

“We had to do a lot of changes. I think the turning point was the last time we played against the Hilltops. We had to go back and take a look at what our assets were on our team and make sure we tried to use them a little bit more and put the ball in the boys’ hands and let them do the job.”

MacAulay said the players and coaches on his club concluded their strengths on offence were their offensive line and their talented veteran running backs. Since pushing all the chips in on the running game, the Thunder have been riding high.

“Our guys worked out hard during the off-season,” said MacAulay. “They’re physically fit, and this is what they wanted.

Stephen Smith had seven total tackles for the Thunder.

“The players were the one stepping up and saying that they wanted to run the rock and were holding the coaches accountable. It was a great couple of weeks.”

Douglas led the Hilltops with 121 yards receiving on seven catches. Ebben finished with 52 yards rushing on 13 carries to go with his major score on the ground. He caught 10 passes for 114 yards.

“We worked pretty hard, and this is not the outcome we wanted at the end of the day,” said Reider. “There is not really a lot to say right now.”

Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one touchdown. Former Thunder starter Carter Moberg saw spot action completing 1-of-2 passes for 11 yards.

Kai Kukurudza (#73) shows he made a fumble recovery.

Defensive back Nathan Young led the Hilltops with nine total tackles and one pass knockdown. Hilltops defensive end Kai Kukurudza and defensive tackle Ryan Adamko each had one fumble recovery.

Thunder cornerback Tristan Bergquist led his squad with seven solo defensive tackles and three pass knockdowns. Smith record five solo defensive tackles and four defensive tackle assists for the Thunder.

Middle linebacker Mitchell Tanchak had an interception for Regina.

Sargeant said he was going to be realistic with his final address with the club.

“(I will tell them) just how much I love them and how far we grew as a team,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day when you’re a Hilltop, the expectations are always high.

Ethan Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one TD.

“No one is going to feel sorry for the blue and gold. It is the reality. We played well, but we didn’t play well enough to win. We’ve got to live with that, and we’ve got to deal with that.

“At the end of the day, we’ll move on. That is life. You move on.”

The Thunder will move on to host a CJFL semifinal this coming Sunday against the BCFC champions Okanagan Sun (12-0) at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina. When the Thunder last won the PFC title in 2022, they fell to the Sun 21-19 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

MacAulay is giving his squad the chance to soak in the PFC final victory first before the Thunder turn their attention to the Sun.

Thunder members enjoy the PFC championship trophy.

“We’re going to celebrate tonight,” said MacAulay. “Winning in the PFC, there are six great teams.

“I think you’ve got to relish in the moment and worry about the Sun come tomorrow. We’re definitely excited to be moving on and have that opportunity.”

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.