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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