Two pick game versus Thunder was big
highlight
 |
| Jace Mowles tops the Hilltops with three interceptions this season. |
Back on August 25, Mowles’ Saskatoon Hilltops had a banner
day crushing the Colts 52-19 at Shouldice
Athletic Park in Calgary. The Hilltops veteran standout cornerback thought he
didn’t have one of his better days as the Colts collected 274 yards passing as
team.
After that
contest, the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference which the Hilltops play out of
went on a bye week. Mowles, who is in his fourth year with the team, was
determined to have a better outing when the Hilltops returned to action on
September 7 against their provincial rivals the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium in
Regina.
In that contest,
Mowles recorded three defensive solo tackles, three defensive tackle assists,
two interceptions and one pass knockdown helping the Hilltops post a 29-15
victory. While the Thunder piled up 348 yards passing, Mowles’ interceptions
came at key times to stall the Regina side’s momentum.
For his efforts,
Mowles, who is a graduate of the Walter Murray Collegiate Marauders Football
Team, was named the PFC’s defensive player of the week.
“It was good,”
said Mowles. “It helped motivate the offence too and helped me elevate my game
from having a bad game to having a good game.”
On Saturday, Mowles and the defending CJFL champion Hilltops (6-0) get to see the Thunder (5-1) again when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops are rated first in the CJFL’s Top 10 Power Rankings, and the Thunder are listed as fourth in those ratings.
If the Hilltops win that contest, they will lock up first place in the PFC and home field advantage through the CJFL playoffs up until the league’s title game in the Canadian Bowl, which will be hosted by the champion of the Ontario Football Conference. If the Thunder win, first place will still be up for grabs between the two squads heading into the final week of the PFC’s regular season.
Mowles is looking forward to the upcoming heavyweight encounter between the two sides.
“It will be fun
to be at home,” said Mowles. “It will be better for us, and I’ll enjoy it.”
Jace Mowles secures an interception for the Hilltops.
On the season, Mowles has three interceptions, which is one behind Calgary Colts defensive back Keon Raymond II. To go along with his three picks, Mowles has recorded seven defensive solo tackles, five defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, one special teams tackle assist and one pass knockdown.
Mowles said during the season he hasn’t seen many passes get thrown his way, but he believes that is more due to his position on the field as opposed to a strategy of trying to avoid him.
“They’re throwing weak (side) more than strong (side),” said Mowles, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. “Most teams do.
“I just play my
game, and play it true.”
Last Sunday, the
Hilltops gave up 374 yards passing to the Edmonton Wildcats in a 45-19 home victory
at SMF Field. Mowles didn’t think the Hilltops had to make any adjustments in
the secondary outside of executing better.
He gave credit to
Wildcats quarterback Marcos Soltero and his receivers group for having a good
game. Mowles said the Wildcats are a better team than their 0-6 record
indicates.
“They had really good receivers,” said Mowles. “They all played high-level football.
“Their
quarterback surprised us. He threw the ball really well.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against the Thunder, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant would love to see Mowles have another big game.
“At the end of
the day, he is one of our better players,” said Sargeant. “We put him in all
situations, whether it be man or zone.
“He is always
willing to do whatever he is asked to. He loves being around the ball, and he
has a knack for being around the ball. I think he has got three interceptions
so far this year and a few knockdowns.
Jace Mowles has provided strong play at cornerback for the Hilltops.
“He is a
primetime player, and everybody knows who he is.”
Sargeant served as the principal of Walter Murray Collegiate when Mowles was a student there. Thanks to that development, the sideline boss knew he was getting a quality person when he recruited Mowles to join the Hilltops.
“When you’re the principal
of a high school, you’re always going to the games to your student-athletes,”
said Sargeant, who retired from his position as principal at Walter Murray
Collegiate this past June. “He (Mowles) was just an excellent high school
player.
“He did all the
right things and got involved in all the different teams. In a short period of
time, he became a pretty good impact player for us. By his second year, he was
getting some quality opportunities to compete.
“You get to know
who the kids are (as a principal in high school), which is awesome. At any
school, I like to phone the coaches and get a flavour for what they’re saying,
because at the end of the day, we want good character kids in this program.”
Mowles got his
start playing football in the KFL in Saskatoon for three seasons before joining
the Marauders. In his KFL years, Mowles spent his first two campaigns as a
receiver before switching over to defence.
He said he enjoys
football because it is fun to throw the ball around and he loves the team
environment the sport provides. During the winter months, Mowles was also
playing AA hockey, but there was no doubt that he would continue football after
high school with the Hilltops.
“It was the only
real option,” said Mowles. “I had hockey, but I chose football, because I loved
it more.
“I enjoy playing
this more than any other sport.”
Since joining the
Hilltops in 2021, Mowles said the thing he loves the most about being part of
the storied CJFL team is how tight-knit everyone is with the club.
“Everyone is
basically family,” said Mowles. “We all get along, so we all enjoy coming out
here every day and having fun.”
Jace Mowles (#23) looks to enjoy more big plays with the Hilltops.
Last season,
Mowles said one of his biggest thrills came was helping the Hilltops win their
23rd CJFL title with a 17-10 victory over the Westshore
Rebels at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. As this season continues, he
would love for it to finish with him helping the Hilltops capture the Canadian
Bowl to claim another CJFL title.
“It would be
amazing,” said Mowles. “I loved going down to B.C. there and winning it.
“It was the best
moment of my life, and I’d like to enjoy that again in Ontario.”
Reider tabbed as PFC player of the week
 |
| Trey Reider is the PFC’s offensive player of the week. |
On Wednesday, Reider, who is the Saskatoon Hilltops star quarterback, was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts in his team’s 45-19 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. In that victory, Reider completed 15-of-22 passes for 278 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
On the season, Reider, who is playing out his fifth and final season of CJFL eligibility, has completed 86-of-130 passes for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He has been tabbed as the PFC’s offensive player of the week twice in the 2024 campaign.
Winnipeg Rifles linebacker Cohen McCluskey was the PFC’s defensive player of the week due to his efforts to help his squad down the visiting Calgary Colts 23-9 at Maple Grove Rugby Park. In that contest, McCluskey recorded eight solo defensive tackles, two defensive tackle assists and three interceptions. He returned one of his interceptions 46 yards for a touchdown.
Rifles kicker Evan Guercio was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week for his contributions in his team’s win over the Colts. Guercio made all three of his field goal attempts with a long from 27 yards out. He made both his one-point converts and kicked off five times for 252 yards for an average of 50.4 yards per kick.
Big SMF Field crowd leaves positive
impression
 |
| Part of the crowd of 3,534 that came out to the Hilltops game last Sunday. |
Last Sunday, the Hilltops hammered the visiting Edmonton Wildcats 45-19 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. A crowd of 3,534 spectators came to check out the contest, which was the Hilltops highest attendance for a home regular season game in at least over a decade.
That contest was the team’s Kinsmen Family Day/Young Hilltops Day game. Those that came out on Sunday could take part in the various fun promotions that took place around the game.
Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was pumped to see the huge turnout.
“I think it is
absolutely fantastic,” said Sargeant, who is the all time leader in career head
coaching win in Canada’s amateur post-secondary football ranks with 242
victories. “Family day and we have a Hilltop family here that we’re very proud
about.
“When you get a
lot of people rallying and supporting that, number one, great job by the
directors to have that initiative and get a lot of people, a lot of friends and
family out and supporters. It really filtered down to the players, and they
felt real good about the energy that was in the crowd. It gave them a boost and
enabled them to play exciting football for the fans.
“It was just a
good day all in all, especially when you win.”
Hilltops fourth-year cornerback Jace Mowles appreciated the atmosphere the crowd brought to the stadium.
“It was great,
because you get all the family out,” said Mowles. “Everyone is having fun.
“The kids are
having fun, and even the intermission there, everyone was having fun. I enjoyed
it. It was electric.”
Clark to appear at End Zone Scholarship
Dinner
 |
| Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019. |
Clark was a star centre for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2009 to 2022. He was on the Roughriders practice roster in 2009 and 2010 and was on the main roster from 2011 to 2022 appearing in 131 games. During his years on the Roughriders practice roster, Clark was playing for the CJFL’s Regina Thunder.
Clark gained fame catching an eight-yard touchdown pass from legendary Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant in a 37-0 romp over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a game played at historic Taylor Field on July 21, 2013. Following that contest, Clark and the Roughriders would later win the Grey Cup with a 45-23 victory over the Tigers-Cats on November 24, 2013 at Taylor Field.
In 2019, Clark was the unanimous selection as the Saskatchewan Roughriders Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. He was also named a CFL all-star.
The Annual Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner will be held in the main hall of the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building located at the south end of Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The doors for the dinner will open at 4:15 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5 p.m.
The presenting sponsors of the event are TCU Financial and SaskTel. It is hosted in conjunction with the Hilltops community partners in the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation. The official beverage sponsor is the Crossmount Cider Company.
All proceeds of the event go towards the Saskatoon Hilltop Scholarship Fund.
Single tickets for the event are $100, and a table of eight goes for $725. Ticket purchases include admission to that night’s CJFL regular season contest between the Hilltops and the Regina Thunder set for 7 p.m. at SMF Field. Tickets for the End Zone Dinner can be purchased 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.
-------
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.
