Two sides go at it Sunday at SMF Field
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| Hilltops MLB Isaac Michayluk (#48) tackles a Huskies ball carrier. |
Sargeant, who is the Hilltops legendary head coach, has seen his Hilltops go at it in all sorts of close contests since the 2016 campaign with the Huskies. The commonality in all those clashes is the Hilltops have always found a way to win.
For the 2024 campaign, the defending CJFL champion Hilltops (8-0) and Huskies (3-5) will battle for a third and final time in a PFC semifinal at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops took both regular season encounters with the Edmonton side.
The two clubs opened their respective regular season schedules against each other on August 11 at SMF Field with the Hilltops claiming a 38-13 victory. The Hilltops and Huskies closed their respective regular season schedules against each other last Sunday with Saskatoon pulling out a 21-14 victory at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton.
The Huskies attempt at a two-minute drill drive in the fourth quarter to change the latter contest’s final result came to an end with an interception by Hilltops rookie defensive lineman Noah Chelsom with 14.4 seconds remaining on the clock at Saskatoon’s 26 yard line. Two plays before Chelsom’s interception, Huskies backup quarterback Wyatt Matson just missed receiver William Campbell on a deep slant pattern that would have been home free for a touchdown.
Sargeant said last Sunday’s game was a reminder that his side has to continue to be aware of what the Huskies can do.
“We are heading
into game nine,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, we know the Edmonton
Huskies are a good football team.
“They have played
us tough over the last five to eight years, a proud organization, and they’ve
got good football players. They have a good team. Records mean nothing now when
you’re heading to playoffs.
“All the 8-0 does
for us is it gives us home field advantage. That is all that means.” 
Carson Eddy charges upfield for the Huskies.
Sargeant knows his
Hilltops need to have a better performance in the PFC semifinal compared to
what happened this past Sunday. If the Hilltops have a repeat of what happened
last Sunday, the Huskies might find the one or two plays they need to claim
victory.
“Can we get better?
Absolutely,” said Sargeant. “We have to get better.
“We’ve got to
play better. We’ve got to coach better, and we’ve got to perform better. I’m
sure the Edmonton Huskies are saying the same thing.”
During the regular season, the Hilltops led the PFC in points scored at 325 and allowed the fewest points against at 106. The Huskies were fourth in the PFC for points scored at 159 and third in allowing the fewest points against at 184.
The backbone this season of the Huskies offence was their running game as they topped the PFC in rushing yards at 1,475 yards. Running backs Carson Eddy, Nolan Baragar and Titus Fagnan along with starting quarterback Jackson Harnett all made sizable contributions to that rushing total.
Hilltops star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk knows his side is facing more than a formidable opponent in the Huskies.
“It is going to
be a challenge for sure,” said Michayluk, who led the PFC with 113 defensive
points. “Every week is a challenge.
“Every team that
we play we give them the respect that they deserve. The Huskies are no
different. They are a good team.
“They’re
physical. They play hard. We’re going to practice hard here on the practice
field and just prepare for them the best we can.”
The Hilltops enter the game with some of the biggest stars in the PFC on offence. Fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider topped conference with a 119.8 quarterback efficiency rating. He completed 119-of-185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing just two interceptions.
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| Corbin Ebben led the PFC with 964 yards rushing. |
When the dust settles in the PFC semifinal against the Huskies, Sargeant believes his players will raise the effort to another level.
“We learned a lot
about ourselves,” said Sargeant. “We need to correct a lot of mistakes.
“If we’re able to
do that, I’m pretty sure these players will rally around each other, play for
the fifth-year player, and you know what? - Come out and play our best game of
the year in game nine.
“That is all I’m
looking for.”
Hilltops pick up 11 PFC all-star selections
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| Trey Reider topped the PFC with a 119.8 quarterback rating. |
The CJFL
announced the PFC all-stars on Friday. The Hilltops picked up five all-star
selections on offence, four on defence and two on special teams.
Fifth-year star quarterback Trey Reider helped highlight the offensive all-stars. He led the conference with a 119.8 quarterback efficiency rating. Reider completed 119-of-185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing just two interceptions.
The Hilltops PFC all-stars on offence also included receivers Drake Douglas and Datiel Fountaine, power running back Corbin Ebben and right tackle Cody Shumanski.
Third-year middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk highlighted the Hilltops PFC all-stars on defence. Michayluk led the PFC with 113 defensive points. He picked up those points by recording 33 defensive solo tackles, 27 defensive tackle assists, five special teams solo tackles, four special teams tackle assists, one pass knockdown and one interception.
The Hilltops PFC
all-stars on defence also included defensive end Kai Kukurudza, defensive
tackle Johnathon Stevens and safety Dalton Urban.
Douglas picked up
a second all-star nod as the PFC’s return specialist on special teams. He
returned 38 punts for 342 yards. His punt return yardage total topped the PFC.
Hilltops kicker
Teijon Abel-Douglas took home honours as the PFC’s all-star punter.
Abel-Douglas punted the ball 39 times for 1,433 yards for an average of 36.7
yards per kick. His punting average led the PFC.
Along with the
all-stars, the Hilltops claimed a pair of PFC all-rookie team selections on
Friday as well. Brody Kormarnicki was named all the all-rookie team running
back and Charlie Molder captured honours at the all-rookie team quarterback.
Kormarnicki and Molder are backups at their respective positions.
Abel-Douglas takes PFC player of the week nod
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| Teijon Abel-Douglas was the PFC’s special teams player of the week. |
As a result of his efforts, Abel-Douglas was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week on Tuesday. In the Hilltops 21-14 victory over the Huskies at victory at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton last Sunday, Abel-Douglas nailed 4-of-5 field goal attempts and booted his only one-point conversion attempt to account for 13 out of the Hilltops 21 points. The Humboldt, Sask., product connected on field goals from 22, 35, 36 and 26 yards.
Along with his field goals, Abel-Douglas punted the ball five times for 203 yards for an average of 40.6 yards per kick. He also kicked off twice for 103 yards for an average of 51.5 yards per kick.
In the Hilltops final two regular season contests of the 2024 campaign, Abel-Douglas has connected on 9-of-10 field goal attempts and all four of his one-point converts.
Winnipeg Rifles running back Kaiden Banfield claimed honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his performance in his club’s 32-21 season ending loss to the Edmonton Wildcats at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta. In that contest, Banfield carried the ball 36 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 25 yards.
Regina Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith claimed the PFC’s defensive player of the week award. Smith had a big outing this past Sunday, when the Thunder downed the visiting Calgary Colts 40-21 at Leibel Field in Regina. He recorded six solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists and returned one interception 23 yards.
Douglas comes up just short of 1,000 yards,
other notes
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| Drake Douglas led the PFC with 955 receiving yards. |
Throughout the 2024 regular season, the fifth-year star receiver was in pursuit to try and become the first Hilltops player to ever hit 1,000 yards receiving for one regular season. He finished the regular season topping the PFC in receptions (58), receiving yards (955) and touchdowns (eight). Douglas came up just 45 yards short of the 1000-yard plateau, but he still had a spectacular season.
To go along with his receiving exploits, Douglas also returned 38 punts for 342 yards. His punt return yardage total topped the PFC.
In a 52-19 victory over the Colts in Calgary on August 25, Douglas also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to power running back Corbin Ebben off a fake field goal.
On Friday, Douglas picked up PFC all-star selections as a receiver on offence and a return specialist on special teams.
Douglas also came up just shy of the Hilltops record for most receiving yards in one regular season held by one of the storied squad’s all-time greats in Andrew Busby. In 2006, Busby caught 73 passes for 974 yards and nine touchdowns. His receiving yardage total from that regular season is still a Hilltops record.
Busby holds the CJFL’s career regular season record for receiving yards. He piled up 3,109 receiving yards playing for the Hilltops from 2004 to 2008.
Late in the Hilltops 36-11 victory over the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on September 28, Douglas had a deep pass reception nullified due to a holding penalty. That catch would have given him the Hilltops receiving yardage record for one regular season and would have put him close to 1,000 yards receiving.
- Hilltops star fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider has a 24-1 career record as the venerable club’s starting signal caller at the conclusion of the 2024 regular season.
- The Regina Thunder (6-2) host a PFC semifinal match against the Calgary Colts on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field. The winner faces the victor of Sunday’s PFC semifinal between the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops (8-0) and the visiting Edmonton Huskies (3-5) at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
- In the final CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings that were released on Wednesday, the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops were rated first, the Regina Thunder came in at fourth and the Calgary Colts were listed at seventh. The Okanagan Sun, who topped the British Columbia Football Conference with a 10-0 mark, were ranked second. The St. Clair Saints, who finished first in the Ontario Football Conference at 8-0, were rated third. The Saints are based out of Windsor, Ont.
- Saskatoon Hilltops star defensive end Kai Kukurudza led the PFC with seven quarterback sacks.
- Cohen McCluskey of the Winnipeg Rifles, Lorrin LeBlanc of the Regina Thunder and Keon Raymond Jr. shared the lead in interceptions for the PFC at four.
- Regina Thunder kicker Shawn Green made 16-of-22 field goal attempts with a long from 44 yards out and all 30 of his one-point conversion attempts. All of those numbers led the PFC in their respective categories.
- The Saskatoon Hilltops topped the PFC in the takeaway-giveaway category at plus-24.
- On Wednesday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Samuel LaFreniere, who is the star running back of Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School Guardians Football Team. LaFreniere is having an insane overall football year in 2024. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures that show the memories that are made at the home games of the CJFL’s storied Saskatoon Hilltops. It also includes photos from high school football and the YXE First Responders Fitness Festival. 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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