Friday 27 September 2024

Mowles settles in as playmaker on Hilltops defence

Two pick game versus Thunder was big highlight

Jace Mowles tops the Hilltops with three interceptions this season.
Jace Mowles prides himself on ensuring rare bad games don’t last.

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.

Jace Mowles secures an interception for the Hilltops.
“It will be fun to be at home,” said Mowles. “It will be better for us, and I’ll enjoy it.”

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.

Jace Mowles has provided strong play at cornerback for the Hilltops.
“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.

“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.

Jace Mowles (#23) looks to enjoy more big plays with the Hilltops.
“Everyone is basically family,” said Mowles. “We all get along, so we all enjoy coming out here every day and having fun.”

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 PFCs offensive player of the week.
For the second time this season, Trey Reider has been named a PFC 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.
The Saskatoon Hilltops got a boost from their big home crowd.

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.
Dan Clark will be the special guest at the Annual Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner set for September 28.

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.

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