“Sarge,” Pingue highlight Hilltops major award winners for PFC

HC Tom Sargeant, right, give a play to Rylan Kleiter (#7)

    The fearless leader on the sidelines and a linebacker who had a career year were among four members of the Saskatoon Hilltops who claimed major awards for the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference on Friday.

    Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was coach of the year for the PFC for a second straight year, and Hilltops fifth-year middle linebacker Jadyn Pingue was named the conference’s most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker.

    The Hilltops, who are 9-0 overall, are set to host the PFC final on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Edmonton Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    Sargeant and his coaching staff arguably did some of their best work this season guiding the Hilltops to an 8-0 record in the regular season for the second straight year. The Hilltops 8-0 regular season finish in the 2019 campaign was unexpected as the team turned over a high volume of starters from last season and had a number of players adjusting to new roles.

    Along the way, Sargeant collected his 200^th career win, when the Hilltops, who are the five time defending CJFL champions, downed the Thunder in Regina 34-16 on Aug. 25 in Week 2 of the CJFL campaign. Currently, the 54-year-old has a 207-30-2 career coaching record in both the CJFL regular season and playoffs.

    Under the guidance of Sargeant and his staff, the Hilltops have won their last 28 games in a row overall, a CJFL record 17 in a row in the post-season, and 27 straight games on the road including three appearances in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl.

Jadyn Pingue (#45) leads the Hilltops on to the field.

    Pingue was a regular starter for the first time this season in his five campaigns with the Hilltops, and he made the most of his opportunity being named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker.

    The 22-year-old appeared in seven regular season games with the Hilltops in the 2019 campaign collecting 29 defensive tackles, seven assisted defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Hilltops veteran Colton Holmes, who is in his final year of CJFL eligibility, came away as a major award winner taking the nod as the PFC’s most outstanding defensive back despite missing four games in the regular season due to a leg injury. In the four regular season games Holmes appeared in, he posted 12 defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, three special teams tackles, two pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Holmes attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and was on the team’s practice roster until rejoining the Hilltops.

    Rylan Kleiter, who is a four-year veteran receiver/kicker with the Hilltops, captured honours as the PFC’s most outstanding special teams player. Kleiter hit 18-of-22 field goals for a success rate of 81.8 per cent with a long of 42 yards.

Colton Holmes, left, visits with supporters after a win in Regina.

    He kicked off 46 times for an average of 51.1 yards. Kleiter punted the ball seven times for an average of 36 yards per kick.

    As a receiver, Kleiter caught 22 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
    Hilltops fifth-year defensive end Caleb Haight took the PFC’s Al Park Community Service Award. He had 10 defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle and two sacks in Saskatoon’s eight regular season games. 

    In the PFC final, the Hilltops will be facing one of the Huskies stars who captured three major PFC awards. Running back Brandt Burzuk was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back.

    Burzuk carried the ball 129 times for 824 yards and six touchdowns appearing in all of the Huskies eight regular season games.

    Sargeant expects to be in a tough battle with the Huskies.

    “They are very well coached, they are very physical and they love to make plays,” said Sargeant. “They had the most sacks this year.

    “They had lots of turnovers. Their defence played at a very high level. Then you look at (Brandt) Burzuk who was the unanimous running back (as a PFC all-star), a good quarterback, a good receive corps, they just have good athletes all across the board.”
    Saskatoon downed the Huskies 28-9 in last year’s PFC final. The Hilltops took the lone regular season meeting in 2019 between the two sides 24-22 on Sept. 1 in Edmonton.

    Sargeant said the this year’s PFC final is a game where his side needs to be error free.

    “We have to play smart,” said Sargeant. “We have to be in right spots, and we have to play great Hilltops football.

Rylan Kleiter (#7) hit 81.8 per cent of his field goals in the regular season.

    “It is not an easy task in front of us, but we’re excited for the challenge. The coaches have been working extra hard to come up with great game plans, and now we have to figure out how to execute them and put our players in some critical spots and then expect them to make the plays, when the plays come their way.”

    Players from the Regina Thunder took the other five major PFC awards.

    Thunder left-tackle Logan Ferland was named the conference’s most outstanding offensive lineman. Ferland is on the practice roster of the Roughriders.

    Isaac Foord was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver hauling in 31 passes for 605 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

    Blake Scherle took home honours as the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback. He completed 144-of-247 passes for 2,196 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

    Carson Bell was named the most outstanding defensive lineman posting 11 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.

    Defensive back Justin McKerracher captured the PFC’s rookie of the year award recording seven defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, two interceptions and two pass knockdowns.

Brandt Burzuk in action in last year’s PFC final.

    The Regina players compiled their statistics over seven regular season games due to claiming a home victory over the Winnipeg Rifles 1-0 by forfeit on Oct. 13. The Rifles were unable to make that contest due to snowstorm conditions in Manitoba.

    The Thunder were 6-2 in the regular season and 6-3 overall.

    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 get some luck, rally past Thunder in epic clash

Ben Abrook dives home for the Hilltops winning touchdown.

    Ben Abrook is enjoying reruns so far in the 2019 Canadian Junior Football campaign.

    On Saturday night before 1,981 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the third-year power running back played hero for the five time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops in a 28-21 victory over the Regina Thunder in a hard-fought regular season tilt.

    With the Thunder holding a 21-20 lead, Abrook dived over top of a pile on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 33.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops the winning points in the contest. The Hilltops followed Abrook’s touchdown with a two-point convert on a five-yard pass completion from quarterback Tyler Hermann to backup running back Carter McLean.

    In the Hilltops previous outing last Sunday at Clarke Park in Edmonton, Alta., Abrook scoring the winning touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops a 24-22 comeback victory over the Huskies.

The Hilltops celebrate Ben Abrook’s game winning touchdown.

    The Hilltops trailed 19-7 at halftime in that contest.

    Abrook has relished the chance to come through in big moments.

    “I personally enjoy being on the field more, because you can kind of make what is going to happen,” said Abrook. “You can make the moment.

    “I enjoy that, and it is just good to see our ‘D’ close it out and everything. It is a good ending.”

    Abrook’s winning score almost didn’t come to pass in the victory over the Thunder.

    On the play before Abrook’s game-deciding major, Hilltops backup quarterback Doug Fleming, who handles short-yardage situations, fumbled the ball away, and the Thunder recovered the loose ball.

Eric Maximuik kicks a 45-yard field goal for the Thunder.

    The fumble recovery was nullified due to an offside penalty that was assessed to the Regina side.

    Both teams had used all their timeouts at that point, and the Thunder would have likely run out the game clock to pick up the victory had the fumble recovery stood up.

    “They got it absolutely,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “We didn’t deserve that (break with the offside), but at the end of the day, I guess we’ll take it.

    “We will learn from it. That was bad coaching. A quarterback that didn’t play much, I put him in thinking because he did it early in the game I thought I put him in a good spot.

QB Tyler Hermann fires a key final drive pass for the Hilltops.

    “Maybe the moment was too big at the time for Doug (Fleming). We’ll see. Doug is a character kid, he is a quality kid, he is going to be a great player at some point, but we can’t have those mishaps in those types of situations.”

    Sargeant said he made the decision to put Fleming in the game on the play where the fumble happened that was negated by the offside call to the Thunder.

    “Once again, that is on me,” said Sargeant. “I have to coach it better.”

    The win allowed the Hilltops to improve to 4-0 and run their overall winning streak to 23 games including action in the regular season and playoffs. The Thunder fell to 2-2 with the setback, and both of their losses came to the Hilltops.

    The Hilltops claimed the Shrine Bowl for sweeping the season series with the Thunder 2-0, and have claimed that honour for five straight years.

Connor Graham, middle, makes a tough catch on the Hilltops final drive.

    For a moment, it looked like the Thunder were going to escape Saturday’s game pulling out a win with last minute heroics. With 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Hilltops holding a 20-18 lead, veteran Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik drilled a 45-yard field goal to put the visitors up 21-20.

    Following the Thunder field goal, Matt Turple returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards for the Hilltops to allow them to start their offensive series at their own 45 yard-line. The Hilltops proceeded to drive 65 yards for the winning touchdown.

Ben Abrook ran for 128 yards and scored two TDs.

    One of the key plays on the series was Hermann hitting fifth-year receiver Connor Graham for a 23-yard gain that put the Hilltops on the Thunder one yard-line. That set the stage for the fumble that was negated by a penalty and Abrook’s winning score.

    “At the end, players make the plays,” said Sargeant. “Connor Graham made a big catch.

    “I thought Matt Turple’s kick return sort of energized our football team and sort of led us to a good touchdown winning drive. Lots of positives, but for me, there are still more negatives than positives today. Unfortunately, the way I coach that is who I am and is where I am at.”
    The Thunder took a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s game, when Maximuik drilled the opening kickoff 70 yards into the Saskatoon end zone, where it was downed for a rouge.

    Abrook scored his first of two touchdowns on the night at the 2:13 mark of the first quarter to give the Hilltops a 7-1 advantage.

    Maximum hit an 18-yard field goal to cut the Hilltops edge to 7-4 just over six minutes after Abrook’s first score.

QB Blake Scherle had 333 yards passing for the Thunder.

    On the final play of the opening quarter, McLean ran a touchdown in from four yards out to give the Hilltops a 14-4 lead.

    Just past the midway point of the second quarter, Hilltops kicker Rylan Kleiter hit a 22-yard field goal to push the host side’s lead out to 17-4.

    Momentum changed late in the second quarter when Thunder defensive back Brandyn Martin intercepted Hermann. The Thunder turned that interception into a mid-length touchdown drive that was kept alive by a Hilltops unnecessary roughness penalty and the visitors executing a fake field goal to get a first down.

    The drive was capped when Thunder quarterback Blake Scherle hit receiver Ethan Douglas for a five-yard touchdown pass that trimmed the Hilltops lead to 17-11 with 2:55 remaining before halftime.

Ethan Douglas hauls in a five-yard touchdown reception for the Thunder.

    The Thunder had the only score in the third quarter, when backup running back Maxwell Foerster dove in from a yard out to put the visitors up 18-17 with 1:26 remaining in the frame.

    Kleiter hit a 22-yard field goal with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Hilltops back on top 20-18. Saskatoon appeared to ice the game after forcing a turnover on downs when star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb stopped Foerster on a third-and-one game.

    The Hilltops took over the ball at Regina’s 43 yard-line. On the ensuing series, Abrook was stopped on a third-and-one gamble allowing the Thunder to take over the ball at their own 34 yard-line.

    Regina proceeded to drive downfield to set up Maximuik’s long field goal and the rest of the dramatics at the end of the contest that saw the Hilltops drive for the winning touchdown.

Hilltops DT Jesse McNabb, middle, makes a stop on a third down gamble.

    “It was a big game,” said McNabb, who is in his fifth and final season with the Hilltops. “It is always a big game, when we play Regina.

    “They always play their best game against us, so it is a big one to come out with the win.”

    Abrook piled up 128 yards on 30 carries to go with his two touchdowns. Hermann finished the contest completing 21-of-31 passes for 245 yards with one interception.

    Fifth-year linebacker Riley Keating topped the Hilltops with seven total tackles, while second-year linebacker Konner Johnson had a fumble recovery.

    Scherle completed 25-of-44 passes for 333 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for the Thunder. Veteran receiver Isaac Foord caught nine passes for 155 yards for the Thunder.

Hilltops receiver Keegan Dicks, right, looks to get past a Thunder DB.

    Martin had six-and-a-half total tackles and pass knockdown to go with his interception.

    Abrook was happy the Hilltops pulled out the win, and he believes the fact his side took two straight close games will help his squad later on in the season.

    “I think it definitely can be good for us just to give us some composure and everything going into playoffs, because we will have to play those teams again most likely,” said Abrook. “I think it is going to be good in the long haul.

    “We definitely need to get better and keep going, and yeah, it should be good.”

    Both the Thunder and Hilltops embark on bye weeks before returning to action on Sunday, Sept. 22. 

Logan Ferland (#60) sets to make a block for the Thunder.

    The Thunder will host the Huskies at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, and the Hilltops host the Calgary Colts at 1 p.m. at SMF field.

    The Hilltops head into their final four regular season games winning the season series and holding the standings tiebreaker against both the Thunder and Huskies. The Thunder and Huskies are expected to be the Hilltops two main competitors in the race for first place in the Prairie Football Conference.

    “We’re pretty much controlling our destiny,” said Sargeant. “We’re good at doing that, and we are used to doing that.

    “This is nothing new, but the product on the field is not what I am happy with. We had a great week at practice. I should have seen just more things I saw in practice that I didn’t see on game day, but game day is different.

The Hilltops celebrate their victory on Saturday night.

    “We have to be right and get our players more understood in tight within the game plan, so that they execute it better. It just wasn’t good enough today.”

    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 grind out 200th career win for coach “Sarge”

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, second from right, sends in a play.

    REGINA, Sask. – Even while soaking in a huge milestone, head coach Tom Sargeant was still thinking about how he could coach his Saskatoon Hilltops to perfection.

    On Sunday before 1,495 spectators at Mosaic Stadium, Sargeant guided the Hilltops to a gritty 34-16 victory over the host Regina Thunder in a Canadian Junior Football League regular season game that had a number of moments that weren’t picture perfect. With the win, Sargeant picked up his 200^th career CJFL win improving his record to 200-30-2 in both the regular season and playoffs.

    In Canadian amateur football in the post-secondary ranks, Sargeant becomes the second coach to break the 200-win barrier joining retired Regina Rams head coach Frank McCrystal with that distinction. 

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant checks out a play on the big screen.

    McCrystal posted a career 208-104-2 mark in both CJFL and U Sports regular season and post-season action guiding the Rams from 1984 to 2014.

    The Rams left the CJFL and joined the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams for the start of the 1999 campaign. The Thunder joined the CJFL in 2000 as an expansion club.

    When the final seconds of Sunday’s game expired allowing the Hilltops to improve to 2-0 this season, Sargeant received an ice bucket shower from his players. The sideline boss, who became the Hilltops head coach in 1998, had a short celebration with his players before proceeding to handshakes with the Thunder players and coaches.

    “I am very thankful for my family,” said Sargeant, whose wife, Kris, and one of his daughters, Macy, were in attendance on Sunday. “I am very thankful for my coaches, and the players I’ve coached over the years.

    “To do something like this, you don’t think about it, you don’t set out to do it, but it certainly feels good to be a part of it.”

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, gets an ice bath shower after win 200.

    The 54-year-old always strives to get his players to play as close to perfection as possible. Reflection on Sunday’s contest, Sargeant said you would have thought that was the first game he coached in his career.

    “In the same thought, I’m not happy with our performance today,” said Sargeant, who has guided the Hilltops to 12 CJFL titles including the last five in a row. “I can’t wait to show up on Tuesday (for practice), and I’m worried about becoming 3-0.

    “We have a process that we are very proud about. We have a lot of pride. It is about how we perform between the lines.

    “It wasn’t good enough, so I wait to get us better, because what you see is what you coach. I didn’t think I did a very good job today irregardless of how many wins I have. It is how good is my team right now, and it is not as good as I need them to be.”

Ben Abrook (#32) lunges out to score a Hilltops touchdown.

    After a scoreless first quarter, the Hilltops jumped out to a 14-2 lead at halftime. The Thunder cut the gap to 14-9 in the third quarter and had the ball at about the Hilltops four yard-line with one snap to go in the frame.

    Thunder quarterback Blake Scherle tried to hit receiver Tanner Zaharia on an out pattern. Hilltops third-year safety Brant Morrow undercut the route, made an interception just inside his own end zone and raced 113 yards the other way for a Saskatoon touchdown.

    Morrow’s score gave the Hilltops a 21-9 advantage.

    “It was my first touchdown in the CJFL,” said Morrow. “It was my first interception of the year, so it was good to get the jitters out of me and finally make a play this year.”

Brant Morrow had two big interceptions for the Hilltops.

    Morrow said it was important for the Hilltops players to get Sargeant his 200^th win. The talented defensive player said Sargeant always gives honest feedback on what players need to do to become better and get players to play at a higher level because of that.

    “He means a lot,” said Morrow. “He gets us pumped up.

    “He makes us work hard. What he expects we give. If you’re not going to give it, they’ll put someone else in there.

    “You have to always go out there and make your plays. They’ll put us in good spots, and you have to make your plays.”

    The Hilltops expanded their edge to 25-9 in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard field goal from Rylan Kleiter, who is both a receiver and kicker.

    The Thunder cut the gap to 24-16 with 5:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Scherle hit Zaharia on a four-yard touchdown toss.

    Saskatoon sealed victory, when Kleiter hit a 28-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the visitors up 27-16. 

Ben Abrook piled up 166 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    Backup quarterback Doug Fleming ran in a score from 11 yards out for the Hilltops final touchdown of the contest with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
    The Hilltops first touchdown came courtesy of a three-yard round by power running back Ben Abrook, which capped a 109-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter. Fleming ran in Saskatoon’s second touchdown on a 33-yard run on a third-and-two gamble late in the second quarter.

Regina’s points in the second quarter came off a conceded safety. The Thunder’s third quarter touchdown came on a three yard pass reception by receiver Ethan Douglas.

    Abrook piled up 166 yards on 33 carries to go with his major score. No matter the ups and downs that occurred on Sunday, Abrook said his team wanted get Sargeant his 200^th win.

    “We’re super happy to get it for him,” said Abrook. “It was motivation for the guys.

The Hilltops defence gangs up on a stop.

    “We still have a long way to go, but I’m glad to get ‘Sarge’ his 200th.”

    Abrook said words don’t do justice on how much Sargeant means to the team.

    “He is huge,” said Abrook. “He is the absolute backbone of this organization.

    “He instils us with knowledge every day, and he is so passionate. He is huge for the club.”

    Hilltops starting quarterback Tyler Hermann completed 12-of-22 passes for 136 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Receiver Keegan Dicks topped the Hilltops with 55 receiving yards on three catches.

    Scherle completed 19-of-34 passes for 228 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Thunder. Receiver Isaac Ford topped the Thunder with 82 yards on four catches.

Jared Giddings secures an interception for the Hilltops.

    Running back Brayden Long led the Thunder in rushing with 96 yards on 17 carries.

    Defensively, the Hilltops won the takeaways battle 5-3. Morrow had two interceptions for the Hilltops, while boundary corner Jared Giddings had one interception.

    Hilltops defensive back Colton Holmes had a fumble recovery, while Saskatoon forced one turnover on downs.

    Defensive back Brandyn Martin had two interceptions for the Thunder, while fellow defensive back Finn Marcotte-Cribb had one interception.

    The Thunder, who fell to 1-1, return to action this coming Saturday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles (1-1).

    The Hilltops have won their last 21 games in a row including action in the regular season and playoffs and their last 25 straight on the road include three victories in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

The Hilltops do a team cheer after their win on Sunday.

    They will try to keep both those streaks going when they return to action on Sunday, Sept. 1, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Huskies (2-0).  

    Looking at his 200-win milestone, Sargeant said he is not a numbers guy, but he is proud he shares that distinction with McCrystal adding he got along really well with Rams sideline boss over the years.

    “I have a lot of respect for Frankie, and we spent a lot of time talking football in the past,” said Sargeant. “To be mentioned in the same breath, I’ll take that as a tremendous honour.

    “When you look at how he ran his program and he how conducted his players and all of that, you know what, he has certainly helped me, and he taught me a lot as well. As I said, I am very appreciative to be compared to him, and I want to keep honouring the blue and gold the tradition of the Hilltops. That is why I am here is too keep doing the best I can.

Hilltops president Terry Postey collects the game ball for HC Tom Sargeant.

    “I’m not too worried about numbers. I just want this team to play better. I’m going to work hard to make sure we show up next week and play even better.”

    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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