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.”

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Hilltops set to rock ’n’ roll in PFC final against Thunder

Saskatoon aims to shine on big game stage again

Drake Douglas, left, holds on to a deep pass for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops we built for the bright lights of the big game.

Their 23 CJFL championships and 35 conference titles since the modern day version of the club hit the field in 1947 is testament to that. On Sunday, the Hilltops will be playing for their 24^th Prairie Football Conference title and 36^th conference crown overall.

They will host their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in the PFC final.

The Hilltops first conference title came in their inaugural 1947 campaign when they claimed the Saskatchewan Junior Football Rugby Union championship. They proceeded to win the Saskatchewan Junior Football League four times and claim the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League crown seven times. From there, 23 PFC titles followed.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said his storied squad is always up for these huge moments.

“It is why we have the tradition that we have,” said Sargeant. “We win big games.

“We’re in a lot of big games. We take advantage of the opportunities. It is who we are.

“These moments aren’t too big for us. We embrace that, we’re excited for it, and we expect to be in them. It is nothing bigger than that.”

The defending CJFL champion Hilltops head into Sunday’s contest sporting a 9-0 overall record and having won their last 21 games overall. The Thunder have a 7-2 overall record and fell to the Hilltops in last year’s PFC final at SMF Field 21-13.

Hilltops QB Trey Reider is the MVP of the PFC.

Saskatoon goes into this year’s PFC final with their 2024 version of “The Triplets” in fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider, fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas and third-year power running back Corbin Ebben. All three were PFC all-stars.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC. He picked up honours as the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback, most valuable player and offensive player of the year.

Douglas led the PFC in receptions (58), receiving yards (955) and receiving touchdowns (eight) during the regular season. Over the Hilltops eight regular season contests, he returned 38 punts for a PFC leading 342 yards. The consistent pass catcher claimed honours as the PFC’s most outstanding receiver and most outstanding special teams player.

Ebben ran the ball 157 times for 964 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season, and he got better as the campaign moved on. His rushing yardage total topped the PFC.

Reider enjoys hitting the field with both Douglas and Ebben by his side.

“It obviously helps me out a lot when Drake (Douglas) is catching every ball I’m throwing at him,” said Reider. “When Ebben is running for 10 yards a carry, it really helps us out.

“Corbin (Ebben) has been working hard. Drake (Douglas) has been working hard. That stuff just doesn’t happen overnight.

“It starts at the practice field.”

Corbin Ebben led the PFC with 964 yards rushing.

In the Hilltops two regular season wins over the Thunder, Reider said the team’s offensive line was the reason the venerable club put up the points that allowed victory to be possible. The Hilltops will be looking to their starting offensive line of left tackle Davin Johnson, left guard Erik Barsness, centre Matthew Noble, right guard Jack Erlandson and right tackle Cody Schumanski to have another big outing.

“We’ve been able to control the line of scrimmage,” said Reider. “Our O-line has been doing a great job, and that has been opening up everything else for us.

“I just have to give a big shout out to our O-line for everything they’ve been doing. They’re working hard.”

This will mark the fourth straight year the Hilltops and Thunder have gone at it in the PFC final. Saskatoon claimed two of the previous three meetings.

Hilltops safety Dalton Urban, who picked a PFC all-star selection in 2024, said it is pretty easy to get motivated to play the Thunder in the post-season.

“It is a big tradition,” said Urban. “We always expect to see them at the end of the year.

“It is a long season, but they’re always the team that we have kind of a target on at the end of the year. We’re at this point now. We just have to finish and show up and get the job done.

“They’re always going to be physical. We have to match that, bring our energy, and I think we’ll be good to go.”

Sargeant said both teams have earned their way to get to this point in the campaign. He added the club that plays the best on Sunday will earn the PFC title.

Hilltops RG Jack Erlandson, left, faces Thunder MLB Stephen Smith.

“It is what it is,” said Sargeant. “We’re in the league that we’re in, and we’ve worked hard to finish first.

“They’ve worked hard to finish second, so the best part of all that is we get to host at home. We love home field advantage. We know we have to come out and play our best game of the year, because they’re very well coached and have good players.

“They’re going to come out and play their best game of the year, so we have to match their intensity. We have to match their physicality, and it is just going to come down to who makes more plays that is all it is. That is what it has been the first few times we face each other this year.”

Sun win Cullen Cup to become BCFC champs, other notes

The Okanagan Sun are going to Saskatchewan.

On Saturday at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, B.C., the host Okanagan Sun raised the Cullen Cup as British Columbia Football Conference champions for the second time in three years. In the latest BCFC final, they downed the Westshore Rebels from Langford, B.C., 23-17.

The Rebels entered the contest as the defending BCFC champions. This was also the third straight year the Sun and Rebels met in the BCFC final.

In Saturday’s encounter, the Sun took a 17-3 lead into halftime of their clash with the Rebels. The Rebels got a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to even the score 17-17 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sun kicker Liam Attwood hit field goals from 31 and 26 yards out in the fourth quarter to push the Sun out to their six-point win. He made all three of his field goals on the day.

Sun defensive back Easton Fenske picked off Rebels quarterback Ethan Pickard on the final play of the contest to preserve victory for the host side.

Backup Liam Kroeger started at quarterback for the Sun in place of Marek Filipek.

Okanagan improved to 12-0 with the win, while Westshore finished out with a 6-6 overall mark.

With the win, the Sun advance to play in a CJFL semifinal against the winner of the PFC final to be played between the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The CJFL semifinal between the Sun and the PFC champion will be played on Sunday, October 27.

The last time the Sun won the BCFC title in 2022 they advanced on to capture the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions.

·         A website called Castanet had a game story of the Okanagan Sun’s Cullen Cup victory over the Westshore Rebels to take the BCFC title. That piece can be found by clicking right here.

·         On Saturday in London, Ont., the host London Beefeaters hammered the Quinte Skyhawks from Belleville, Ont., in an Ontario Football Conference semifinal 65-7.  The Beefeaters improved to 7-2 overall with the win, while the Skyhawks finished at 6-4 overall.

·         On Sunday at Acumen Stadium in Windsor, Ont., the St. Clair Saints (8-0) host the Ottawa Sooners (5-4) in a second Ontario Football Conference semifinal at 7 p.m. local time.

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 gear up to face Thunder stampede in PFC final

Two sides meet for conference title on Sunday at SMF Field

The Hilltops defence corrals Thunder RB Sadik Sadik.

The defending CJFL Saskatoon Hilltops are gearing up for the Regina Thunder stampede.

On Sunday, the provincial rivals will go at it in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The winner advances to host a CJFL semifinal game against the winner of Saturday’s British Columbia Football Conference championship clash in Kelowna between the host Okanagan Sun (11-0) and the defending BCFC champion Westshore Rebels (6-5).

The Hilltops (9-0) and Thunder (7-2) are meeting for the fourth straight year in the PFC final. Saskatoon claimed two of the three previous meetings including last year’s October 22 clash 21-13.

The current stretch of consecutive meetings between the Hilltops and Thunders in the PFC final is the most between CJFL representatives from Saskatoon and Regina since the Hilltops and Regina Rams collided eight straight years for the conference title from 1991 to 1998. The Rams took six of those eight contests before moving to the U Sports ranks to become the University of Regina Rams.

In 2024, the Hilltops took both regular season clashes with the Thunder. Saskatoon prevailed 29-15 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on September 7 and 36-11 at SMF Field on September 28.

Following September 28 meeting, the Thunder hosted the Calgary Colts twice at Leibel Field to close the regular season on October 6 and in a PFC semifinal last Sunday. In those contests, the Thunder elected to become their versions of Bronko Nagurski and the 1930s Chicago Bears or Bronko Nagurski Jr. and the 1960 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The elder Nagurski was an all-time NFL legend at fullback and the son was an all-star offensive tackle in the CFL.

In the Thunder’s 40-21 victory over the Colts on October 6, the Thunder piled up 452 yards of offence including slugging out 326 yards on the ground. During the 64-7 win in the PFC semifinal over the Colts, the Thunder amassed 584 yards of total offence including an unthinkable 425 yards along the ground.

Hilltops DBDalton Urban (#17) returns an interception on Sept. 28.

Over their last two outings, the Thunder have posted an incredible total of 751 yards rushing handing the ball off to running backs Ryland Leichert, Sadik Sadik and Peter Boersch behind what has become a road grader style offensive line anchored by PFC all-star left tackle Caleb Barajas. Sadik was named the PFC’s most outstanding running back on Monday to go with a PFC all-star selection that had been awarded on October 11.

“That is their game plan right now,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “They’re going to try and bully you at the line of scrimmage.

“They feel two of their real productive players are (Ryland) Leichert and (Sadik) Sadik. They’re both running backs, so at the end of the day, you see a lot of split formation, two backs in the backfield. They’re letting that O-line get after you, and they’re running in behind.

“They feel they have a pretty good flow, and they’ve had two good weeks of running the football. That is obviously something we need to focus on and get ready for.”

Traditionally, the Thunder have had good ground games, but they are better known for taking it to the air and leaning towards the passing game. They are normally one of the PFC’s best passing teams and piled up the second most passing yards during the PFC regular season at 1,940.

In their PFC semifinal win over the Colts, the Thunder played regular starting quarterback Carter Moberg and backup Ethan Hugg fairly equally. Hugg started last year’s PFC final for the Thunder.

Hilltops OLB Noah Gedir hits Thunder RB Ryland Leichert.

Hilltops PFC all-star safety Dalton Urban believes the Thunder’s trend to being a more physical team will continue in Sunday’s PFC final.

“It shows that in playoff football they want to establish that run game early,” said Urban. “We’ve got to do a good job this week making that our priority.”

On the Hilltops side things, they have hammered their opponents running attack all season. During the regular season, the Hilltops gave up the fewest rushing yards in the PFC at 665.

Saskatoon’s starting defensive line of defensive tackles Nahom Menghestab and Johnathon Stevens and defensive ends Kai Kukurudza and Noah Chelsom have clogged things up at the line of scrimmage. Hilltops PFC all-star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and outside linebackers Noah Gedir and the emerging Zaden Taylor had swarmed in to nullify ball carriers coming out of the backfield.

Urban had made a reputation of throwing his share of hard hits since he started playing for the Hilltops in 2021 after graduating from the St. Joseph High School Guardians Football Team. He said the game is going get very man versus man physical, if the Thunder elect to push with the running game like they have against the Colts.

“Playoff football is always going to be physical,” said Urban. “We know that going into the game that we have to bring that mindset.

“We have to come out on first down expecting the run and get them into those second and long situations where we can get off the field and get turnovers.”

Noting what the Thunder have done on the ground, there also comes the question that showcasing the running game against the Colts might be all smoke and mirrors as they could come into the PFC final with a totally different game plan. At this point in the season, teams like to bring out plays they have been working on all year but haven’t used so they don’t show up on video.

That also applies to the Hilltops. Sargeant deadpanned the notion that his venerable squad will have some surprises for the Thunder.

The Hilltops mark their win over the Thunder on Sept. 28.

“We’re not that fancy a team,” said Sargeant, whose 245 career head coaching wins are the most in post-secondary amateur football in Canada. “We have a pretty strong blueprint of what we believe in, so we’re going to show up and do what we’ve sort of done consistently all year.

“We’re going to let our players be physical and make plays. I’m sure they got different plays for different situations as we do. At the end of the day, it is not about trick plays or this or that.

“It is about who controls the line of scrimmage, who is more disciplined and who wins a plus-minus turnover battle. That is what we focus on.”

Reider cleans up in major PFC awards

Trey Reider was named MVP of the PFC.

Monday turned out to be a golden day for Saskatoon Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider.

Reider picked up a trio of honours as the PFC major award winners were announced. The fifth-year signal caller was named the conference’s most outstanding quarterback, most valuable player and offensive player of the year.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC. That marked the second straight year Reider led the PFC in quarterback rating.

On top of his throwing, Reider carried the ball 26 times for 135 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season as well.

On Sunday, Reider’s Hilltops face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. As he is playing through his final post-season run with the Hilltops before exhausting his CJFL eligibility, Reider is focused on beating the Thunder for one last time.

“This is my last year, so it means everything to me to get this last win,” said Reider. “There are no tomorrows for me anymore.

“This is it for me, so I just need to come out with the win.”

Reider’s top target in fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas picked up a couple of PFC awards on Monday. Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver and most outstanding special teams player.

Drake Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver.

He led the PFC in receptions (58), receiving yards (955) and receiving touchdowns (eight) during the regular season. Over the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Douglas returned 38 punts for a PFC leading 342 yards.

Hilltops right tackle Cody Shumanski captured honours as the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman and legendary head coach Tom Sargeant was named the PFC’s coach of the year.

Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith was named the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker and defensive player of the year. During the regular season, Smith piled up 34 solo defensive tackles, 20 defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two pass knockdowns and one interception.

Thunder tailback Sadik Sadik claimed honours as the PFC’s most outstanding running back, defensive end Liam Sellwood took the nod as most outstanding defensive lineman and the offensive rookie of the year award went to Thunder starting left guard Tristen Rapchalk. Sadik carried the ball 106 times for 781 yards and a PFC leading 10 touchdowns during the regular season.

The Hilltops and Thunder will be going at it in the PFC final for the fourth straight year. The Hilltops have won two of the previous three encounters. Reider said the luster in conference title games between the Saskatoon and Regina never fades.

“I always like playing Regina in the final,” said Reider. “They’re always the best team.

“They bring a really good crowd. The excitement is always up, and at the end of the day, it is just really fun to play Regina.”

Sawi, Michayluk get weekly PFC honours

Charles Sawi took PFC special teams player of the week honours.

Charles Sawi and Isaac Michayluk came up big in helping the Saskatoon Hilltops win their PFC semifinal, and they claimed weekly awards for their effort.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops downed the visiting Edmonton Huskies 33-18 in a PFC semifinal at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. 

With the two sides locked in an 18-18 tie, Sawi returned a missed field coal 112 yards for a touchdown that gave the Hilltops a 25-18 advantage with 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. That play sparked the Hilltops to victory.

With that effort, Sawi was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week on Thursday. Sawi also returned two punts for 12 yards.

Michayluk, who is a PFC all-star at middle linebacker, recorded seven solo tackles, four defensive tackle assists, one pass knockdown, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception in the Hilltops win. His interception came shortly after Sawi returned his missed field goal for a major to give the Hilltops a lead they would never relinquish.

Isaac Michayluk was the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert claimed honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts helping the Thunder flatten the visiting Calgary Colts 64-7 last Sunday in a PFC semifinal at Leibel Field in Regina.

Leichert carried the ball 22 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He was a big part in helping the Thunder amass 425 yards rushing as a team in that victory.

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 searching for identity in longer early hiccup

The Raiders celebrate a goal earlier this season at home.

It appears the early growing pains have dogged the Prince Albert Raiders longer than expected.

After starting the 2024-25 campaign with a loss and a win, the Raiders proceeded to go winless over their next six outings with an overtime setback and five regulation losses. In all but one of those games in that skid, the Raiders, who are 1-5-2 entering play on Tuesday, have been one or two plays away from gaining victory.

They kind of mirror what the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders went through earlier this year, when the ’Riders went through a seven game winless skid where they were one or two plays away from victory in most of those outings. Saskatchewan’s CFL side currently rides a four game winning streak and has clinched the right to host a home playoff game.

For the Raiders, you look over their game footage, and you have to conclude a solid effort is there every night. The wins just aren’t coming. They are going through the growing pains and mistakes that come with hitting the ice with a younger roster.

Also, the Raiders changed things up a bit with trades in the off-season, and it seems like the team is searching for an identity early on in the campaign.

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

Sawi saves Hilltops season

Saskatoon wins ugly, takes PFC semifinal over Huskies

Charles Sawi begins to return a missed field goal for a touchdown.

Charles Sawi came to the rescue for the Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the defending CJFL champion Hilltops found themselves locked in an 18-18 tie with the Edmonton Huskies in a PFC semifinal match with under eight minutes to play. Huskies PFC all-star kicker Laine Santos was lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt to try and put the visitors ahead.

Santos was just wide, but that allowed Sawi his opportunity. The third-year running back returned the ball out of the Hilltops end zone.

Sawi continued his return down the left sideline, he turned toward the centre of the field at the Hilltops 40 yard line, and cut upfield down the right sideline to the Huskies end zone for a touchdown. Sawi’s 112-yard missed field goal return for a major put the Hilltops in front 25-18 with 7:32 to play in the fourth quarter.

Laine Santos attempts a 46-yard field goal he would miss.

That played sparked the Hilltops to a 33-18 victory before a crowd of 818 spectators as they improved to 9-0 overall. The Huskies would finish the 2024 campaign with a 3-6 overall mark.

“It was a very big return for myself,” said Sawi. “I wanted another week of football, and there were guys that were struggling and were stressing on the sidelines.

“You know what? I thought I had to return it all the way back to the crib.”

The 19-year-old said he was happy to reach the end zone when he did on his return.

“I was running out of gas as soon as I got to the end,” said Sawi. “It was a very far run, if I can say so myself.”

Charles Sawi jets his way downfield for the winning touchdown.

The win allows the Hilltops to advance to host the PFC final expected to be held this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field. They will play their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder (7-2), who thumped the visiting Calgary Colts (4-5) by a 64-7 outcome in the other PFC semifinal played at Leibel Field on Sunday.

When the dust settled in the clash between the Hilltops and Huskies on Sunday, Sawi gave a determined foe their due.

“It was a very physical match I’ll say that,” said Sawi. “The Huskies brought their guys, their star players, and we struggled at times.

“We did overcome it once again, and we are now in the (PFC) final.”

The Hilltops celebrate Charles Sawi’s fourth quarter touchdown.

After the host side went ahead on Sawi’s major, the Hilltops defence ensured the Huskies wouldn’t hit the scoreboard again. A short time after Sawi’s score, Hilltops star third-year middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk came up with an interception to snuff out one Huskies drive.

With under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Huskies gambled on a third-and-10 on their own five yard line. An incomplete pass caused a turnover on downs.

At that point, Hilltops star power running back Corbin Ebben ran and dove home for five-yard touchdown run that put the Hilltops up 32-18 with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ebben finished the contest carrying the ball 29 times for 172 yards to go with his major on the ground. He also caught thtree passes for 25 yards.

Charles Sawi reflects on his missed field goal return TD.

Following Ebben’s major, Hilltops fourth-year kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas recorded a single booting a ball through the end zone on a 23-yard missed field goal attempt to round out the 33-18 final score in favour of the Hilltops.

Michayluk finished the contest recording seven solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, one pass knockdown, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. He was pumped his squad gets to play on for another week.

“It is awesome,” said Michayluk. “I didn’t want this to be my last week.

“For sure the fifth years, I didn’t want that to be their last game for sure. We have another week. That is what it is.

“We have another week, and so we got to go and put our nose to the grindstone. Regina is going to be a tough test. We have a long week of work ahead of us.”

Corbin Ebben (#34) carried the ball 30 times for 177 yards.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was pleased his team survived and found a way to overcome the Huskies. He cautioned leading up to Sunday’s PFC semifinal the Huskies were going to provide a big challenge, and sideline boss said the final score ultimately flattered his club. Sargeant gave credit to the Huskies for their effort.

“They’re a good football team,” said Sargeant. “They know how to play football.

“They know how to coach. We’ve had so many competitive games with these guys over the last three or four years. There is a lot of pride on their end.

“It was obvious. At the end of the day, a champion heart kicked in. We were able to walk away with this win.”

Isaac Michayluk returns an interception for the Hilltops.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies got on the scoreboard first going ahead 3-0 on a 46-yard field goal by Santos.

Just when a seemed the Huskies had all the momentum, they muffed a punt return a short time later where the ball was recovered by Hilltops fifth-year outside linebacker Noah Gedir. The hosts proceeded to drive down field and the march culminated with star quarterback Trey Reider hitting rookie receiver Hayden Day with a four-yard touchdown toss to put the Hilltops in front 7-3.

Sargeant wasn’t surprised Gedir came through with a big play to get the Hilltops going at that point in the contest.

“That is your fifth-year player making plays,” said Sargeant. “Noah (Gedir) has been a great leader for us.

“He rallies in and steps up and does what he needs to do in the big moments. That is why he has been like that for five years. It is awesome to see.

Hayden Day makes a four-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

“I’m proud of him, but I’m proud of the whole team, how we stuck together (and) played hard together.”

The Huskies then conceded a safety, and Reider followed connecting with second-year PFC all-star receiver Datiel Fountaine on a 39-yard touchdown toss to push the Hilltops advantage out to 16-3.

Just 80 seconds into the third quarter, the Huskies started to get rolling. Reider fumbled the ball away while running up the left sideline on a scramble, and the ball was scooped up by Huskies outside linebacker Matthew Alloway.

Alloway returned the fumble 36 yards for a touchdown that cut the Hilltops lead to 16-10. Michayluk said it was big for his squad to navigate the ups and downs of the contest.

Datiel Fountaine makes a 39-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

“We were definitely put through some adversity there for sure,” said Michayluk. “Our team stuck together.

“We’re a family, we bonded, so we stayed with it and got it done.”

At the 7:07 mark of the third quarter, Huskies punt returner Aiden Janes fumbled the football at his own two-yard line on a hit by Hilltops long snapper Colton Zimmer. The ball rolled into the end zone. The Huskies recovered it, but they were downed in the end zone resulting in a safety that increased the Hilltops lead to 18-10.

That mishap didn’t deter the Huskies. At the 4:16 mark of the fourth quarter, Huskies running back Carson Eddy powered in for a major score from three yards out putting the visitors in position to attempted a two-point conversion to tie the contest.

The Huskies enjoy a fumble return TD by Matthew Alloway (#47).

Huskies quarterback Wyatt Matson hit receiver Cameron Coyne with a five-yard pass for a successful two-point conversion to even the score 18-18.

A short time later, Huskies defensive halfback Moise Mutebutsi intercepted Reider. That interception allowed the Huskies to set up for Santos’s field goal attempt that was missed and returned to the end zone by Sawi. That was ultimately the last momentum change in the contest.

“They (the Huskies) play us hard every time we play them,” said Michayluk. “They’re a physical bunch.

“They’re well coached. They play right to the end of the whistle. They play right to the end of the game.

Carson Eddy had a three-yard rushing TD for the Huskies.

“A hell of a lot of respect to them, and we wish them the best on the next year, next season.”

Sunday’s game was a gutty and at times an ugly post-season win. The Hilltops turned the ball over five times in the contest, and the Huskies gave away the ball on seven occasions.

Reider completed 13-of-19 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He ran the ball seven times for 50 yards.

Fountaine caught two passes for a team high 48 receiving yards to go with his major score.

Matson completed 19-of-37 passes for 160, while throwing two interceptions. He also ran the ball seven times for a team high 58 yards.

Corbin Ebben (#34) dives into the end zone for a touchdown.

William Campbell led the Huskies with five catches for 52 yards.

Kai Kukurudza and Lucas Sosnowski each had one quarterback sack for the Hilltops. Zaden Taylor and Johnathon Stevens each had a half sack. Defensive halfback Jackson Dean had an interception for the Saskatoon side.

Outside linebacker Tristan Price led the Huskies with nine total tackles to go with a pass knockdown. Westley Johnsen and Kaige Houle recorded one quarterback sack each for the Huskies.

Now, the Hilltops turn their attention towards the PFC final and the Thunder, but they first had to respect the battle they got from the Huskies.

“We knew we drew the hard seed, because they’re physical,” said Sargeant. “They play a certain brand that matched up well against us.

The Hilltops do a cheer after their win on Sunday.

“Football is about matchups, and they match up well. We knew it was going to be physical. They got underneath us at times, and they took it to us.

“It is live and learn and grow. We’ve got to get better for next week. The good thing is we’re playing at home.”

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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