Hilltops’ Johnson, Sawi pick up major PFC awards

Konner Johnson (#42) walks on to SMF Field with his parents.

Even as a major award winner, Konner Johnson evaluates even plays that were successful to determine if he could have done things better.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops announced that Johnson, the team’s star 22-year-old weak side linebacker, captured the PFC’s conference awards for most outstanding linebacker and most outstanding defensive player along with being a PFC all-star for the second straight year. While Johnson makes big plays on defence, he reflects on a big play he made on special teams that could have accidentally taken away a highlight touchdown from a young rookie.

On September 10, the Hilltops were playing host to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder. Early in the fourth quarter, the Hilltops were holding a 14-11 lead and Thunder star kicker Eric Maximuik was attempting a 45-yard field goal to try and tie the contest.

Maximuik’s kick sailed wide of the upright, and Hilltops 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi ran the ball back 125 yards for a touchdown. On the tail end of the play, Johnson blocked out the last Thunder pursuer to ensure Sawi got a major.

While Johnson’s play was a good one, he wasn’t as certain when watching it back on video.

“I don’t know if I should have hit that guy or not,” said Johnson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds. “I didn’t get flagged luckily, but I could have.

Charles Sawi was named the PFC’s offensive rookie of the year.

“I didn’t want to take that touchdown away from him.”

Looking back on the play, Johnson thought Sawi was far enough in the clear that any blocks made on the play at that point could have been flagged for a penalty. 

Johnson believed there were better options in handling the final Thunder pursuer in either letting the pursuer go as it would be unlikely he would catch Sawi or run in front of the pursuer to edge him away from Sawi.

Sawi’s major put the Hilltops in front 21-11 in that contest the Saskatoon side would ultimately drop in overtime 29-21. That was the second game of a three-game losing streak that saw the ’Toppers record fall to 2-3.

Saskatoon rebounded closing the CJFL regular season with three straight wins to finish second in the PFC with a 5-3 mark. Last Sunday, the Hilltops won their fourth straight downing the Edmonton Huskies 20-15 in a PFC semifinal at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The Thunder finished the regular season with an 8-0 mark to finish first in the PFC and claimed their PFC semifinal 23-14 against the visiting Winnipeg Rifles at Leibel Field in Regina last Sunday.

The Hilltops and Thunder will go at it in the PFC final this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. It marks the second straight year the two sides have met in the conference title game with the Hilltops taking last year’s encounter 29-9 also at Mosaic Stadium.

Defensive end Riece Kack (#47) was named a PFC all-star.

While the Hilltops are deep into preparing to try and win the PFC title for an eighth consecutive season, they took time for some positive reflection on players getting recognized for individual awards.

Sawi took home the PFC’s award for offensive rookie of the year and was named to the rookie all-star team at running back. During the regular season, he carried the ball 30 times for 342 yards and scored two touchdowns.

On special teams, Sawi returned seven kickoffs for 168 yards and one touchdown, and five missed field goals for 271 yards that included the 125 yard touchdown return. Johnson was pleased to see the Holy Cross High School Crusaders Football Team graduate get honoured for the work he put in.

“He (Sawi) is an electric player,” said Johnson. “It is awesome to see.

“It is always fun to watch. He definitely deserved that. He’ll have a lot more coming in the future I am sure.”

As for Johnson, he finished second in the PFC in defensive points at 117 after collecting 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions.

Luciano Jolly (#58) was named a PFC all-star at centre.

Johnson said he reflects on his individual awards as team awards. The graduate of the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate Comets nine-man football team said he was able to have individual success on the field due to the fact Hilltops middle linebacker Matt Wist and strong side linebacker Wade Keating had great seasons.

“All three of our linebackers this year we all played pretty good,” said Johnson. “We did our jobs for most of the season.

“It is definitely a team effort. It always is.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant proud to see Johnson and Sawi pick up major PFC awards.

“You always want to see players get recognized by their peers,” said Sargeant. “Konner (Johnson) has certainly put in five great years of working with the Hilltops.

“It took him two or three years to get bigger, stronger and apply his craft. Then, he has been an all-star the last two years. He has taken advantage of his work ethic and some great coaching from coach (in Hilltops defensive coordinator Jeff) Yausie.

“He (Johnson) has put it together into a great Hilltop career. With Charles (Sawi), we knew he was a high end recruit coming out of Holy Cross, and he has certainly provided a lot of energy and splash plays. It has been fun to coach him and see him develop.”

Boden Marley, left, was tabbed a PFC all-star at receiver.

Hilltops defensive end Riece Kack was also named to the PFC all-star team. Kack topped the PFC with 7.5 sacks. He also had 20 solo defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

On offence, centre Luciano Jolly and left tackle Jayson Kehler, who have both been with the Hilltops since 2017, captured PFC all-star honours for the first time at their respective positions. Receiver Boden Marley, who has two seasons of CJFL eligibility remaining, was also named a PFC all-star for the first time.

Marley led the Hilltops in receiving making 33 catches for 349 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, Marley returned 32 punts for 278 yards and nine kickoffs for 161 yards.

“We had some other all-stars as well in two O-lineman who have never had it before in Jayson Kehler and Luciano Jolly,” said Sargeant. “I’m proud and pleased for that.

“Boden Marley gets one as a receiver, and then you have Riece Kack, who led the league in sacks this year. We feel good about all of that, but saying all that, we know it is a team game. It is the ultimate team game.

“We don’t get too caught up in accolades or awards. We just focus on wins.”

Johnson echoes those sentiments. While awards are nice, he is focused on taking on the Thunder in the PFC final.

Jayson Kehler (#50) was named a PFC all-star at left tackle.

“It is cool to be recognized, but we’re just worried about winning our games as a team,” said Johnson. “We have a big opponent this week, and that is what we are looking forward to right now.”

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Skid puts Hilltops in unfamiliar territory in CJFL

Saskatoon falls to 2-3 with 23-7 loss to Thunder

Boden Marley and the Hilltops have lost three straight games.

Shockingly could this Saskatoon Hilltops be team what its record says it is?

Unfortunately, the Hilltops recent perfect CJFL championship seasons of going 11-0 in 2018 and 12-0 in 2019 seem like something long gone in the rearview mirror.

On Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Hilltops fell 23-7 to the host Thunder. The setback was a third straight for the Hilltops, who saw their CJFL regular season record fall to 2-3.

The last time the Hilltops lost three games during an entire CJFL regular season came back in 1993, when they posted a 5-3 mark to finish second in the PFC. In the 1993 post-season, Saskatoon advanced to the PFC final ultimately falling 30-15 to the Regina Rams, who advanced to win the CJFL title with a perfect 12-0 record.

It is unknown when exactly the Hilltops last lost three games in a row before their current skid. The last time the Hilltops had a losing regular season record came back in 1973, when they posted a 3-4-1 mark in the then Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League.

The Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League in 1973 was a conference comprised of the Hilltops, Rams, Winnipeg Hawkeyes and Winnipeg Rods. The Hawkeyes and Rods junior programs are both defunct, while the Rams joined the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams in 1999.

This is the first time the Hilltops have lost three regular season games let alone three in a row under the guidance of legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who became the team’s top sideline boss before the start of the 1998 CJFL season. Sargeant’s career record is 220-36-2 overall including 163-26-2 in regular season play.

During the first two games of their current three-game skid, the Hilltops faltered in moments. After starting 2-0, the Hilltops losing streak started on August 28 with a 19-16 setback to the Rifles at East Side Eagles Field in Winnipeg.

The Hilltops held a 16-13 advantage at the 3:45 mark of the fourth quarter, but weren’t able to close out the contest down the stretch. Rifles kicker Donavon Downing booted two field goals including the winner from 10-yards out with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to pull out the 19-16 victory.

Hilltops QB Damon Dutton, left, was pulled in the second quarter.

Saskatoon’s second straight loss came on September 10 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, when they dropped a 29-21 decision in overtime to their provincial rivals in the Thunder. That was a contest where the Hilltops were in position to win but couldn’t make the plays down the stretch to seal a final outcome in their favour.

The Hilltops were up 21-14 and their offence was given the ball with less than two minutes to play just inside Regina’s side of midfield after a fumble recovery by Saskatoon defensive back Dylan Cook. Saskatoon’s offence wasn’t able to get a first down, and the Thunder gained another offensive possession after a Hilltops punt.

On that ensuing possession the Thunder found themselves facing a third-and-eight situation from the Saskatoon 31 yard line. Thunder quarterback Carter Shewchuk connected with receiver Isaiah Woodley on a 31-yard touchdown pass that evened the score at 21-21 with 16.8 seconds remaining the quarter.

Woodley had to make a great adjustment on an underthrown pass to allow that scoring play happen.

The Thunder got the winning touchdown in overtime on a 15-yard run from running back Ryland Leichert, while Shewchuk connected with receiver Isaac Ford on a two-point convert. In the CJFL, teams must attempt a two-point convert after every major score due to using the CFL’s shootout format to decide extra time games.

When those two sides met again on Saturday in Regina, there was no wondering what might have been if two or three plays were changed in critical moments in the fourth quarter or overtime. The Thunder seemingly scored 23 points in the slowest way possible to post a solid victory and improve to 5-0.

The Hilltops were close on the scoreboard for most of the contest but couldn’t seem to get kickstarted to start any type of roll of momentum. Regina had possession of the ball for long stretches of time, while the Hilltops had a significant number of drives where they went two-and-out.

Trey Reider score the Hilltops only TD on Saturday.

Regina held a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 35-yard field goal by kicker Eric Maximuik and a conceded safety by the Hilltops due to bad field position.

Just 51 seconds into the second quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Damon Dutton was intercepted by Thunder star defensive back Justin McKerracher, who returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown to increase the host side’s advantage to 12-0. McKerracher would ultimately make three interceptions on the day to sit with five picks on the season.

Dutton played one more two-and-out series, which included being sacked on first down by Thunder defensive lineman Reece McCormick, before being pulled for backup quarterback Trey Reider. Reider played the rest of the way in relief.

With 2:38 remaining in the second quarter, the Hilltops conceded another safety due to bad field position to give the Thunder a 14-0 advantage.

Despite all the momentum being on the Thunder’s side, the Hilltops broke through on the scoreboard, when Reider executed a quarterback sneak from one-yard out for a major score that cut Regina’s advantage to 14-7 with 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter. That Hilltops scoring drive was kept alive by roughing the kicker and rough the passer infractions against the Thunder.

Early in the third quarter, the Hilltops came up with a goal-line stand turning away Leichert on a third-and-goal gamble from the Saskatoon one yard line.

Again, the Hilltops couldn’t build momentum off that stop and had to concede their third safety of the game on their ensuing offensive possession due to the bad field position increasing the Thunder’s edge to 16-7.

With 56 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Thunder running back Ife Adebogun punched in a touchdown from one-yard out to ultimately round out the game’s scoring at 23-7.

Hilltops RB Boston Davidsen, right, was kept in check on Saturday.

Inside the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Hilltops were turned away by a Thunder goal-line stand, when Reider was stopped on a quarterback sneak attempt on a third-and-goal gamble from the Regina one yard line.

With the win, the Thunder sweep the regular season series and the home-and-home set with the Hilltops 2-0. That marked the second straight year the Thunder have claimed the regular season series against the Hilltops 2-0, which was a first in the history of the Regina program that began play in 2000.

The Hilltops will try to end their skid, when they return to action on Sunday, September 25, when they travel to Calgary to face the Colts.

At the moment, the Colts, Edmonton Huskies and Rifles all have 2-2 records. The Colts and Huskies face each other this coming Sunday (tomorrow) in Edmonton, while the Rifles will also be in the Alberta capital at the same time taking on the 0-4 Wildcats.

Going forward, the Hilltops will be in a battle for the race for second place in the PFC and the right to host a game in the first round of the playoffs. As inconceivable as it sounds, the Hilltops could miss the post-season for the first time since 1971, when they posted a 3-5 record playing in the then Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League.

In Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, the Hilltops did have players make good plays in spurts including receiver Boden Marley and star power running back Boston Davidsen on offence and defensive end Riece Kack, who had a sack, and defensive back Evan Mantyka, who had an interception, on defence.

They have the coaches that can guide them out of this unaccustomed position. On paper, they have players who have the potential to allow the Hilltops to have a special season.

With all the media cuts that have happened in Canada, they aren’t going to face the big outside pressure to turn things around, and they won’t face anywhere near the scrutiny that comes the way of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are facing a tonne of heat being 6-8 on the Canadian professional football circuit.

Still at this time, the facts lead to the conclusion that realistic doubt has to exist if the Hilltops can get thing done on the field in 2022.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, faces his first ever three-game skid.

At the moment, the Hilltops are what their record says they are and that is that they are a 2-3 football team.

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 focused on playing back to standard

Saskatoon opens home-and-home series with rival Thunder

Hilltops RB Boston Davidsen leads the PFC in rushing.

Tom Sargeant wants his Saskatoon Hilltops to show they’ve righted the ship.

A win over the Regina Thunder would be a bonus.

On Saturday at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the provincial rivals go at it in the first game of a CJFL regular season home-and-home series. The series concludes when the two sides go at it again on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Thunder head into those clashes with a perfect 3-0 record. The Hilltops sport a 2-1 mark falling in their last outing 19-16 to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28.

Sargeant, who is the Hilltops long time legendary head coach, wants to see his club play up to the standard that has seen the program in 22 CJFL championships.

“We are playing at home, so I want to make sure we come out and play our best game of the year, defend home turf and play a physical brand of Hilltop football,” said Sargeant, whose 220 career wins are the most for Canadian amateur football in the post-secondary ranks. “If we get that, it doesn’t matter who we play if we go and execute the game plans.

“I’m certainly not happy from the performance we saw (on August 28 against the Rifles). That is why we coach. We coach to get better and to improve.

“I believe we have the right players in the situations to grow and develop. If that is the case, they’ll come out and play game four real, real well.”

The Thunder enter the contest with the top ranked offence and defence in the PFC. They have gained 1,705 yards of net offence, while giving up just 862 net yards on defence.

The Hilltops are ranked third in offence and defence in the PFC entering Saturday’s game. They have gained 1,179 yard of net offence and given up 1,038 net yards on defence.

The biggest difference between the two clubs offensively has been the passing game. The Thunder lead the PFC with 1,059 yards passing, while the Hilltops sit last in the six-team PFC with 523 yards passing.

Damon Dutton has completed 45-of-68 passes this season.

Thunder star starting quarterback Carter Shewchuk has been on fire completing 60-of-79 passes for 990 yards and 10 touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. Shewchuk’s yardage and touchdown pass totals lead the PFC.

Hilltops starting quarterback Damon Dutton has officially completed 45-of-68 passes for 483 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Sargeant wants to see improved production from the passing game, because he expects the Thunder will key on disrupting the Hilltops ground game.

“We have to work hard to get our pass game better,” said Sargeant. “Like anything, we always want to be a 50/50 team.

“Right now, we haven’t been able to do that, because we haven’t executed the plan as well.  That is straight on the coaches and the players. Those things we need to figure out, and we need to figure it out by Saturday night.

“The good thing about Regina, they’ll let us know what they think are our strengths. I’ll be able to tell after the game what we need to do to move forward.”

Statistically, the teams are almost even with the production they’ve gotten out of their ground game. The Thunder top the PFC in rushing with 712 yards along the ground, while the Hilltops sit second with 672 yards along the ground.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert sits second in the PFC in rushing with 379 yards coming on 53 carries, and he has scored one touchdown.

Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen leads the PFC with 392 yards rushing coming on 65 carries, where he has reached the end zone twice. The last time these two teams met back on Nov. 14, 2021 at Mosaic Stadium, the Hilltops piled up 386 yards as a team on the ground road gradering their way to a 29-9 victory in the PFC final to capture a seventh straight conference crown.

Davidsen said the Hilltops offensive line had a special game that day leading to that dominant final outcome.

Boden Marley leads the Hilltops with 143 yards receiving.

“I just feel that the mindset that we had of our blockers was really good that day,” said Davidsen. “There were some pretty big holes that day I feel like you maybe could have drove a truck through.

“When you have blockers like that, it makes the game easy. It looks good, and I think that really came down to their mindset.”

Davidsen said the ground game isn’t always going to have a monster outing like in last year’s PFC final. He believes his team’s passing game is on the verge of having a breakout performance.

With that said, Davidsen believes the passing game will have a better chance to get on track, if the Hilltops can continue to have success along the ground.

“Obviously, we are looking to run the ball and run it well,” said Davidsen. “That is obviously a goal for us every game, especially this upcoming Saturday.

“I think we would really benefit, if we run the ball well early on. It will really help us open up our pass game. We have a lot of really talented players on the passing side of the ball.

“They haven’t really been able to showcase and put up those numbers that I think they really could put up yet this year. I think if our backs can run the ball well early on it would really help our pass game this Saturday.”

The Thunder receivers have made the big plays so far this season. Isaac Foord sits second in the PFC with 290 receiving yards coming off 16 catches, and he has leads the PFC in receiving touchdowns with four.

Isaiah Woodley sits third in the PFC with 279 receiving yards coming on 16 catches, and he has scored three touchdowns through the air. 

Rylan Sokul, who was the PFC’s most valuable player last season, sits fifth in the conference with 205 receiving yards coming off 13 catches, and he has scores two touchdowns.

Dillan Heintz is looking for his first big game of the 2022 season.

Boden Marley tops the Hilltops in receiving with 12 catches for 143 yards and one touchdown. He ranks eighth in receiving yardage in the PFC.

On paper talent wise, the Hilltops have depth at receiver with Marley, Dillan Heintz, Lachlan Horsley, Presley Peterson, Boden Marley, Matthew Turple and Noah Flaman. All of those pass catchers are capable of having big games.

“At the end of the day, it is all of us in one big pile working hard to sort this out,” said Sargeant. “We’re not going to talk about it too much.

“We just have to come out and practice harder, play better, compete harder, and when you do those things, it is amazing what the results are. I’m excited for the challenge that is coming our way. Saturday night can’t come soon enough.”

Roughriders alum Hughes coming to End Zone Dinner

A Neal Hughes card.

Saskatchewan Roughriders alum Neal Hughes will be the special guest speaker at this year’s Saskatoon Hilltops End Zone Dinner.

The End Zone Dinner will be held on Saturday, September 10 at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. Doors open for the dinner at 4:15 p.m. with food to be served at 5:15 p.m. The funds raised at the dinner go towards the Hilltops scholarship fund.

Hughes, who is from Regina, played 11 CFL seasons at fullback for the Roughriders from 2004 to 2014 helping the team to Grey Cup wins in 2007 and 2013. The 2013 championship was won at the Roughriders historic home park in Taylor Field.

During his time with the Roughriders, Hughes mainly focused on blocking duties as a fullback or from a tight end position and covered kicks on special teams. He also showed his versatility in being able to make big plays running the football, catching it out of the backfield or punting it when required.

Before joining the Roughriders, Hughes played six seasons with the Regina Rams as their star running back. He suited up for the Rams as a rookie in 1998, when they played their final season in the CJFL capturing their 15^th and final CJFL championship.

Hughes suited up with the Rams during their first five seasons in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams helping them advance to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – in 2000. The Rams fell 42-39 in that contest to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Following the End Zone Dinner, the Hilltops will face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which is right next to the Gordie Howe Sports Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

Single tickets for the dinner are $100 or a table of eight can be bought for $725.

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking on a link 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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Hilltops’ Sawi explodes against Huskies in 38-10 victory

The Hilltops celebrate a second TD by Charles Sawi on Sunday.

Charles Sawi was humble and appreciative from the love he received from his Saskatoon Hilltops family.

He said his teammates made his first two career CJFL touchdowns feel that much more special and Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field a day he will never forget. In the first quarter of the Hilltops clash with the Edmonton Huskies, the 17-year-old rookie running back scored on a 40-yard swing pass reception and 31-yard run off a reverse helping power his squad to a 38-10 CJFL regular season victory.

On both plays Sawi got into the end zone, the Hilltops players on the field and on the bench burst into joyful cheers and charged towards the shifty open field runner offering pats on the back, hugs, applause and congratulations.

Charles Sawi blows past a defender on a 40-yard TD reception.

“There is no other better feeling than that,” said Sawi, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. “Like oh my gosh, it was probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in such a long time.

“I thought this would not happen at all. It felt really good. I’m really happy that my team is excited for me.”

On the day, Sawi touched the ball just five times, but he still put up 113 all-purpose yards. He had three carries for 52 yards and his one rushing major, 40 yards receiving on his one catch that went for a major and one kickoff return for 21 yards.

“The kid’s got a gift,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant about Sawi. “Number one, he is a great kid.

Charles Sawi bursts his way to a 31-yard TD run.

“He came out today. We added him up into the offensive plan. He has certainly produced and did some good things.

“Now, we’ll expand the repertoire even more and put him in more situations where he can give us that explosive element that certainly is fun to watch.”

On a day when the scoreboard malfunctioned at SMF Field causing the officials to relay the time on the clock to the coaching staffs on both teams, Sawi might have been able to blow out the scoreboard had it been working properly on a sunny day with temperatures reaching 34 C.

Just over five minutes into the first quarter, Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton dumped a pass out to Sawi in the left flat, and Sawi burst, spun and weaved his way to a 40-yard scoring reception giving the Hilltops a 7-0 lead.

Charles Sawi had 113 all-purpose yards on five touches on Sunday.

“I caught it, and instantly I was just like go to the end zone, go to the end zone, go to the end zone,” said Sawi. “That is what I did.

“I exploded past the other defenders and got in the touchdown area.”

Just over four minutes later, the Hilltops pushed their lead out to 10-0 off a 21-yard field goal from kicker Connor Green, who is in his first year with the Hilltops.

At that point, the Hilltops defence came through with a big play, when defensive end Riece Kack intercepted Huskies quarterback Carson Neitz. Kack returned the interception 25 yards setting the offence up deep in Huskies territory.

Charles Sawi is overjoyed by the support he gets from his teammates.

Kack said he anticipated the Huskies were going to run a short pass play he saw in film study and dropped into the area he expected the ball to thrown to. After catching the ball, Kack said he had visions of going all the way to the end zone, but those visions faded as he didn’t feel like a running back or a receiver running down the field.

“I was hoping for the first five seconds,” said Kack, who had a sack and three total tackles on Sunday. “As soon as I started running, I felt like Vince Wilfork (who was a very large run stopping defensive tackle in the NFL) running it.

“The main goal was to not fumble it, so I kind of just went down. It would have been pretty special to get in.”

Riece Kack had an interception and a sack for the Hilltops.

A short time later, Sawi scored his second touchdown of the game with this coming on a reverse run, where he made a spectacular 31-yard jaunt, bursting, spinning and breaking out of tackles on his way to pay dirt give the Hilltops a 17-0 lead. Sawi said that once he had the ball in his hands that once again all he thought about was getting into the end zone any way he could.

He didn’t think he would get his first two career CJFL touchdowns in just his second career CJFL game.

“It felt really good,” said Sawi. “I was not expecting it within my rookie year.

“I thought it was going to be next year. Otherwise, yeah, it felt really great. I’m really happy that I scored for the Hilltops.

“I couldn’t do anything better than that.”

Boston Davidsen runs for tough yards up the middle.

Following Sawi’s touchdown, the Hilltops got a rouge on an 85-yard kickoff single from Green to make their lead stand at 18-0 heading into the second quarter.

After the teams played through a scoreless second quarter, the Huskies hit the scoreboard at the 4:58 mark of the third quarter with a 38-yard field goal from kicker Laine Santos to trim the Hilltops edge to 18-3.

If there were any thoughts of a comeback, the Hilltops quickly dashed them. Before the third quarter ended, the Hilltops got a 38-yard field goal and Dutton hit second-year receiver Noah Flaman with an eight-yard touchdown pass to surge the Hilltops lead out to 28-3.

The Hilltops offence was set up with a short field for the Flaman touchdown after third-year backup linebacker Andy Scrivens blocked a punt and the ball was recovered by second-year defensive lineman Ben Marce.

Damon Dutton completed 18-of-21 passes for 212 yards and three TDs.

Just 58 seconds into the fourth quarter, Dutton hit third-year receiver Boden Marley with a 27-yard touchdown toss in increase the host side’s advantage to 35-3. That score saw both teams begin substituting in their backup players for the rest of that frame.

With 4:35 remaining in the fourth, the Huskies were able to get a major score on a four-yard run from backup running back Mikey Pang to cut the Hilltops lead to 35-10.

Abel-Douglas rounded out the 38-10 final score booting a 22-yard field goal for the Hilltops with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

A pair of Hilltops players combine on a special teams tackle.

Overall, Sargeant like Sunday’s performance by his team better than their 19-10 Week 1 win at home over the Winnipeg Rifles.

“We really had a much better week of practice,” said Sargeant. “I think that first game Winnipeg exposed some things on us, so we were able to correct and coach.

“This week it was a bit better performance by everyone. Saying all that, I can’t wait to get back to the drawing board and make this team even better. I saw a lot of good things, and I feel real positive with the effort.

“At the end of the day, we got to play all our kids, and that is awesome.”

Dutton completed 18-of-21 passes for 212 yards, three touchdowns and without an interception for the Hilltops. Power running back Boston Davidsen topped the Hilltops with 62 yards rushing on 11 carries, and Marley lead all receivers with eight catches for 91 yards to go with his touchdown reception.

Boden Marley scores a major on a 27-yard reception.

The Huskies started Neitz at quarterback, but they rotated him at that position with Jordan Lane. Neitz completed 10-of-18 passes for 101 yards, while throwing his interception to Kack. Lane connected on 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards.

Star running back Alex Gayle was the Huskies most productive offensive producer running the ball 21 times for 109 yards, and he caught four passes for 34 yards. Receiver Adner St. Hilaire led the Huskies with 37 receiving yards coming off two catches.

Middle linebacker Matt Wist led Saskatoon with 5.5 total tackles. Defensive back Maurice Dubois topped the Huskies with seven total tackles, while defensive lineman Jacob Hegerfeldt had a sack for the Edmonton side.

Trey Reider throws a pass for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Huskies fell to 1-1.

Kack was pleased his defensive unit had strong performances in the first two weeks of the season. He admitted the final score against the Huskies surprised him a little, and the games between the Hilltops and Huskies for about the last six years have been hard fought.

Sunday’s game marked the only regular season meeting between the two sides in 2022, and Kack believes the Huskies will be a stronger team, if the two sides should meet in the post-season.

“We thought that it was going to be probably closer than it was,” said Kack. “Next time if we do end up seeing them again, I’m sure they will give us a better fight.”

The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the 0-2 Rifles. While the Hilltops were beating the Huskies, the Rifles dropped a 24-22 heartbreaker to the Thunder in Regina.

The Hilltops and Huskies shake hands after Sunday’s game.

Sargeant said the Rifles are a legit strong team, and he didn’t mind the fact his Hilltops have to play them twice in the first three weeks of the 2022 campaign.

“At the end of the day, we learned a tonne, and we have a tonne to do to improve for that,” said Sargeant. “As I said, we are going to enjoy this one, because this was a big effort today.

“I challenged the guys during the week to sort of man up and just practice harder and better. As I said, I saw what I needed to see today to move this team forward the way it needs to be moved.”

Roughriders alum Hughes coming to End Zone Dinner

Neal Hughes gets pictured with a couple of small fans in 2011.

Saskatchewan Roughriders alum Neal Hughes will be the special guest speaker at this year’s Saskatoon Hilltops End Zone Dinner.

The End Zone Dinner will be held on Saturday, September 10 at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. Doors open for the dinner at 4:15 p.m. with food to be served at 5:15 p.m. The funds raised at the dinner go towards the Hilltops scholarship fund.

Hughes, who is from Regina, played 11 CFL seasons at fullback for the Roughriders from 2004 to 2014 helping the team to Grey Cup wins in 2007 and 2013. The 2013 championship was won at the Roughriders historic home park in Taylor Field.

During his time with the Roughriders, Hughes mainly focused on blocking duties as a fullback or from a tight end position and covered kicks on special teams. He also showed his versatility in being able to make big plays running the football, catching it out of the backfield or punting it when required.

Before joining the Roughriders, Hughes played six seasons with the Regina Rams as their star running back. He suited up for the Rams as a rookie in 1998, when they played their final season in the CJFL capturing their 15^th and final CJFL championship.

Hughes played with the Rams during their first five seasons in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams helping them advance to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – in 2000. The Rams fell 42-39 in that contest to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Following the End Zone Dinner, the Hilltops will face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which is right next to the Gordie Howe Sports Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

Single tickets for the dinner are $100 or a table of eight can be bought for $725.

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking on a link 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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