Expect offence to take centre stage for Hilltops in 2024

Trey Reider fires a pass down field on August 1.

It was the year of the defence for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2023, and it hid the fact their offence was pretty good.

In 2023, the Hilltops allow just 51 points against over their eight regular season games. It was the lowest points allowed total for the team in regular season play dating back to 1949.

Saskatoon followed that up giving up just 25 points in four post-season games on the way to winning the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions for a 23^rd time. On the campaign itself, the Hilltops posted a 12-0 overall record giving up a total of 76 points against, which is the team’s lowest total in that department since 1949.

Actually when it comes to combined action in both the regular season and post-season, the 1949 Hilltops are the only squad in the history of the team to give up fewer points against that the CJFL championship winning 2023 Hilltops did.

When you break things down to average points allowed per game, the 2023 Hilltops in overall play gave up an average of 6.3 points a game, which is the lowest total in team history.

With that run, the Hilltops defence seemingly gathered up all the headlines in 2023. The Hilltops offence was strong too, but it was often overshadowed by the defence.

Drake Douglas (#86) was a first team CJFL all-Canadian in 2023.

The 2023 Saskatoon Hilltops were like the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s. Everyone wanted to see “Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount on defence. In time, players like Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and Mike Webster took centre stage too.

The Hilltops in 2024 return 11 of 12 starters on offence from the previous season. The offence is led by a sure-fire star in quarterback Trey Reider, who is playing his final season of CJFL eligibility.

During the Hilltops eight regular season games, Reider completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. 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.

Reider returns along with two of his biggest receiving targets in Drake Douglas, who is also in his final year of CJFL eligibility, and Noah Flaman, who is in his fourth year of eligibility. In the regular season in 2023, Douglas hauled in 56 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns for the Hilltops on the way to being named a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star. Pass catcher Noah Flaman, who is known as “TD Noah,” caught 21 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season.

That trio played a large part in allowing the Hilltops to top the PFC in regular season scoring with 335 points for an average of 41.9 points per game. Saskatoon finished second in total offensive yards gained in the PFC at 3,556.

Noah Flaman (#85) was a touchdown maker for the Hilltops in 2023.

The biggest missing piece is star power running back Boston Davidsen, who was the Hilltops lone starter that exhausted his CJFL eligibility following the completion of the 2023 campaign. In being named a first team all-Canadian all-star, Davidsen led the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards (1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine). He finished his CJFL career posting two straight seasons for rushing over 1,000 yards.

Still, a pair of third-year running backs in Charles Sawi and Corbin Ebben have been improving and gaining experience in preparing for the time right now when they have the chance to step into a bigger role. Sawi gives the Hilltops an explosive playmaker, while Ebben brings a power game that is similar to Davidsen’s.

The Hilltops return their starting offensive line in right tackle Cody Shumanski, right guard Victoire Bikulo, centre Matt Noble, left guard Erik Barsness and left tackle Davin Johnson. Saskatoon also has a super sub waiting in the wings in Quinton Pike. Pike started the Hilltops final regular season game and all four of the club’s post-season games at right guard in 2023 after Bikulo was lost due to a lower right leg injury.

Shumanski was a first team all-Canadian all-star a season ago.

When the Hilltops open their regular season schedule on Sunday hosting the Edmonton Huskies at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, it will be the time for the Hilltops offence to take on more of the spotlight.

Charles Sawi can make explosive plays for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops lost some key pieces on defence due to graduation after the 2023 campaign concludes. Middle linebacker Matt Wist, outside linebacker Wade Keating, defensive back Carter Wingert and defensive tackle Craig Torgerson all exhausted their CJFL eligibility. Wist, Keating and Wingert were all key starters and Torgerson played frequent snaps on the defensive line rotation.

Defensive end Riece Kack moved on to join the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in the U Sports ranks.

Still, the Hilltops defence will be anchored by star veterans in defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, outside linebacker Noah Gedir and hard-hitting safety Dalton Urban. Stevens was a first team all-Canadian all-star.

With that noted, watch for the Hilltops offence to fly high in 2024.

Berries fever takes over Saskatoon, other notes

Joe Carnahan has words for the umpire crew on Thursday.

Joe Carnahan is well on his way to becoming a household name in Saskatoon.

On Thursday, the Saskatoon Berries head coach took one for the team to give his players an extra spark in their 3-0 loss to the Medicine Mavericks in Game 2 of a best-of-three WCBL semifinal series. The Mavericks win on that night evened the series at 1-1.

Late in that Game 2 with his players having concerns with the strike zone of home plate umpire Brendan Boucher, Carnahan came out of his team’s dugout to make his feelings known. Along with getting in a shouting match with members of the umpire crew, Carnahan proceeded to kick dirt in order to cover up home plate.

Carnahan got tossed, and he walked out of the park to a standing ovation from the 1,974 spectators that packed into Cairns Field. While the Berries are a first-year expansion team, Carnahan has a long and storied history with the WCBL.

He played on Swift Current’s WCBL championship teams in 2001, 2005 and 2006, and he was Swift Current’s head coach winning WCBL titles in 2010, 2016 and 2017. This isn’t his first rodeo going through the ups and downs of a WCBL campaign.

In baseball, good coaches are always thinking about the next game, because in leagues like the WCBL, teams are playing every day. You can expect Carnahan knew putting on a show and getting kicked out would get his players fired up and refocused for the series deciding Game 3 that was to come on Friday night in Medicine Hat.

In that Game 3 at Athletic Park, Berries scored four runs in the top of the ninth to break a 2-2 tie and ultimately post a 6-2 victory to take the series 2-1. Combined with the fact the Moose Jaw Miller Express upset the powerhouse Regina Red Sox sweeping the other East Division semifinal series 2-0, the Berries find themselves having home-field advantage for the best-of-three East Division Championship Series against the Express.

Game 1 is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cairns Field. Game 2 is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Stadium in Moose Jaw. If necessary, Game 3 will be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Cairns Field.

The Berries stumbled out of the gates with an expected expansion team slow start posting a 3-8 mark to start the regular season. When the regular season wrapped up, the Berries finished with a 31-25 mark to sit third in the East Division just two games back of the Mavericks for second place.

The Express finished fourth in the East Division with a 26-29 mark.

Carter Beck has had a stellar season for the Berries.

The presence of Carnahan along with pitching coach and former MLB pitcher Andrew Albers on the Berries coaching staff did create the conceivable potential the Berries could progress at a rapid rate.

Centre-fielder Carter Beck has emerged as the Berries most recognizable star being one season removed from being named the most valuable player of the under-18 AAA level of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League with the South East Twins. Local area products like Nolan Sparks, Oakland Flodell, Cory Wouters and Colin Plain have also come through at key times for the Berries.

Plain, a right-handed pitcher who is an alumnus of the Saskatoon Cubs under-18 AAA team, closed out Friday’s win throwing three scoreless innings striking out five batters and give up just one hit.

United States products like Bailyn Sorensen, Jalen Freeman and Ethan Menard have endured themselves to the Saskatoon and area community since arriving in the area in May.

On the attendance front, the Berries are playing in front of an average home crowd of about 1,900 spectators a night.

It is cool to see this season has turned out as it has for Berries president Steve Hildebrand, who is still better known as the associate general manager of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. When the Sask Entertainment Group, the parent company owns the Berries and Blades, bought into the WCBL with the Berries expansion franchise, you could tell the Berries and baseball were Hildebrand’s passion. He really, really wanted to make this work.

To add on to the already memorable campaign, Hildebrand was able to spend the summer working with his son Max Hildebrand before the go off to be WHL rivals again. Max Hildebrand, who was once an accomplished baseball player himself, is the Berries equipment manager but is best known as the star netminder of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

The Berries are well into playing with house money in 2024. Still at this point in the campaign, you suspect the Berries want to get greedy at this point and win it all.

Backed by the warm crowds that they are playing in front of at home and are starting to follow the team on the road, let’s just see how far this feel-good story can go.

• On Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Team Canada downed Czechia 2-1 in the Gold medal game of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Liam Kilfoil, who plays for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, and Caleb Desnoyers, who plays for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, netted singles for Canada. Jack Ivankovic, who plays for the OHL’s Brampton Steelhead, made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Canadian side. Gavin McKenna, who is a star left-winger of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, had three goals and three assist in five games for Canada at that event. McKenna will turn 17-years-old on December 20.
• The CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference opens regular season play with all six teams hitting the field on Sunday. The defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops host the Edmonton Huskies a 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Regina Thunder travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles. The Edmonton Wildcats venture to Calgary to face the Colts.
• On Friday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on PSI Hockey Training, which is an off-ice conditioning program that has attracted the “who is who” of hockey players seemingly in Saskatoon and area. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures from Softball Canada’s Under-19 Women’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship tournament that was held on the diamonds at the Complex. That post 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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