CJFL playoffs arrive for Hilltops

Saskatoon ready to get it on with Huskies in PFC semifinal

Boston Davidsen finished second in the PFC in rushing yards.

The Saskatoon Hilltops never leave anything to chance especially when it comes to playing a quality opponent they seemingly always beat.

At practice this week, the Hilltops have been their traditional businesslike selves preparing for their Prairie Football Conference semifinal clash with the Edmonton Huskies. The two sides go at it in that CJFL playoff clash on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“It will be a challenge,” said Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton. “They are definitely a good team.

“We just have to come out and compete and play our best game of the season on Sunday.”

The Hilltops finished second in the PFC regular season standings with a 6-2 mark, while the Huskies were third with a 5-3 record.

Saskatoon earned a bye to host a PFC semifinal thanks to the second place finish. The Huskies romped over the Calgary Colts 53-9 in a PFC quarter-final contest held this past Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton.

The two sides went at it twice during the regular season with the Hilltops pulling out wins on both occasions.

“You play a team three times you really get to know what they do with their tendencies,” said Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson. “They are going to be the same for us.

“We watched a lot of film. We have a lot of film on them now of us playing them. We know what we have to get better at.”

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season back on August 22, the Hilltops rallied from a 14-0 deficit to slip past the Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl. Hilltops punter Doug Fleming kicked a rouge on the last play of the game to win the contest.

Declan O’Flaherty (#4) topped the PFC in passing yards.

The two sides met again on October 3 at SMF Field, and the Hilltops claimed a 34-20 victory in that encounter.

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world helped cancel the 2020 CJFL campaign, the Hilltops and Huskies met the last two times the PFC final was contested. The Hilltops claimed both of those encounters pulling out a 30-14 win in 2019 and a 28-9 victory in 2018.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant knows all that past success doesn’t guarantee any future success.

“They are a good football team,” said Sargeant, whose team has won four straight games. “They are well coached.

“They got skill levels at all positions. They are hungry. You got to remember this is a team we’ve faced in the PFC final for that couple of years.

“We have a history with them as well. It is going to be a big, physical clash, but we’re excited that we are playing at SMF.”

During the 2021 regular season, the Huskies had the highest scoring offence in the PFC scoring 334 points in eight games.

The Hilltops defence gave up the least amount of points in the PFC surrendering 135 points over eight contests.

On offence, Dutton became the Hilltops full-time starter in the team’s fourth game of the campaign. During the regular season, Dutton completed 127-of-183 passes for 1,528 yards and 12 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions.

Dutton had the third most passing yards and touchdown passes in the PFC.

Damon Dutton (#19) finished third in the PFC in passing yards.

Huskies starting quarterback Declan O’Flaherty had a stellar campaign completing 138-of-234 passes for 2,115 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. O’Flaherty led the PFC in passing yards and touchdown passes.

He also rested for much of the Huskies quarter-final win over the Colts completing his only pass for nine yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Hilltops running backs Boston Davidsen and Carter McLean finished second and third respectively in the PFC in rushing yards. Davidsen carried the 98 times for 634 yards and scored six touchdowns, while McLean had 125 carries for 599 yards and four touchdowns.

Huskies running back Alex Gayle carried the ball 149 times for 927 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He topped the PFC in all three of those statistical categories.

Edmonton also has veteran Brandt Burzuk in the backfield at running back. In 2019, Burzuk was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back. He battle injuries for much of the 2021 season.

Receiver Ethan Godson led the Hilltops and was fourth in the PFC in receiving yards hauling in 30 catches for 524 yards and six touchdowns.

Pass catcher Adner St Hilaire topped the Huskies and finished second in the PFC in receiving yards catching 35 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns.

During their wins over the Huskies, the Hilltops usually piled up huge yardage on the ground, which included 285 yards rushing in the 34-20 victory on Oct. 3. Dutton said his squad will keep going to the ground game until success doesn’t happen anymore.

“If our running game is working, that means we are doing our jobs,” said Dutton. “We’re confident that it can and it will work.

“We just have good confidence in our guys.”

Alex Gayle (#33) lead the PFC in rushing yards.

On defence, Johnson had a massive year finishing second in the PFC in defensive points. Over eight regular season games, Johnson recorded 26 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 12 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and five interceptions.

Huskies defensive back Maurice Dubois finished ninth in the PFC in defensive points. He collected 32 defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, four special teams tackles, four pass knockdowns and two interceptions over eight regular season games.

Johnson said the Hilltops are going to try and neutralize the Huskies running game first to try and make their opponents one dimensional.

“That is the main goal, especially now it is getting colder out,” said Johnson. “Teams want to run as much as they can.

“I think that is what they are going to be focused on at the start. We have to shut that down. It should be a better game for us.”

Entering the post-season, the Hilltops have won the CJFL championship the last six times it was up for grabs from 2014 to 2019. That means they have an active 20-game CJFL record post-season game winning going into Sunday’s game too.

The last time the Hilltops didn’t make the PFC final when the CJFL playoffs were contested was way back in 2006. During that campaign, the Hilltops season came to an end with a 35-27 setback in a home PFC semifinal contest played at Griffiths Stadium against the Huskies.

Of course in the current campaign, there has been extra excitement for everything that happens in a season after the 2020 campaign was lost.

Sargeant believes his squad will be once again ready to rock ’n’ roll when it comes time to play this Sunday’s post-season game.

“We know what we need to do and how we need to do it,” said Sargeant. “We’re excited to have a great week of practice and focus on the task at hand.

Konner Johnson (#42) and the Hilltops defence are ready to rock.

“We know that the game still comes down to fundamentals. That is what we are doing all week. The coaches are coaching how we expect our players to play.

“The game plan is laid out. The players have to come out and execute that plan. If they do a good job of that, usually things work out pretty well for us.”

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Hilltops eye up opening day game in Edmonton

Carter McLean makes a cut during a Hilltops scrimmage.

The game day excitement is back for the Saskatoon Hilltops.

After the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world wiped out the 2020 CJFL season, the Hilltops will open their regular season schedule traveling to Edmonton, Alta., on Sunday to face the Huskies at Jasper Place Bowl. The two sides met in the last two Prairie Football Conference title games in 2018 and 2019 with the Hilltops coming out on top both times en route to capturing a CJFL championship.

The Hilltops were able to practice for six weeks in the fall of 2020, and now they will finally be able to play a game again.

With that regular season opening contest just three days away, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is finding his energetic game day form again when he talks about the upcoming clash with the Huskies.

“That is the team we had to get past to get on to even more important games,” said Sargeant. “We know they are hungry.

“We know they’ve had enough of our success. They have an all-Canadian running back. They have a fifth-year quarterback.

“They have lots of players that are used to being in big games. We have lots of work to do to get everybody ready and playing the type of football that the Hilltops are used to excepting to play.”

Brandt Burzuk, right, returns to the Huskies at running back.

The Hilltops last hit the field for a game on November 16, 2019 downing the host Langley Rams 11-6 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

The Huskies last saw game action on October 27, 2019, when they fell 30-14 in the PFC title game to the Hilltops at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

While the venerable Hilltops have won 22 CJFL championships in their history, the Huskies have a storied history too claiming five CJFL titles. Traditionally, they have been a tough foe for the Saskatoon side.

When asked if it was good to get a traditionally tough opponent first, Sargeant kept rolling.

“We’ll just line up against anyone when and where and they’ll just tell us,” said Sargeant, who is the all-time leader for head coaching victories in Canada’s post-secondary football ranks at 210. “That is who we are.

“We’ll see if all the work we’ve done and the preparation we’ve done has been the right preparation. My team, myself, we’re judged on game day by how we perform, so we’re expecting a great performance on Sunday and we’ll take it from there.”

The Huskies return some familiar players. They are led by quarterback Declan O’Flaherty, who is in his final season of CJFL eligibility.

Declan O’Flaherty is back with the Huskies at quarterback.

Veteran running back Brandt Burzuk is also back for a final swan song CJFL campaign. In 2019, Burzuk was the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back.

He also took home honours as a CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

The Hilltops are taking the field with one of their younger rosters in recent years. Out of the 93 total players that are with the Hilltops this season, 38 are returning veterans and 55 are newcomers.

Out of the returning veterans, three players will be playing their fifth and final campaign with the team in left tackle Mason Ochs, right tackle Jonathan Chisholm and boundary corner Jared Giddings.

Doug Fleming, who is in his third full season with the Hilltops, will be making his first start at quarterback on Sunday against the Huskies.

“It is exciting,” said Fleming. “I thought we were going to be able to go last year.

“I don’t like the year off, but it was nice to be able to grow and learn a little bit and just be even more prepared for this year. They (the Huskies) are a very physical and tough team. They are geared to try and shut us down, so we’re trying to game plan to get open.”

Fleming will have a talented receiver group to distribute the ball to in slotbacks Dillan Heintz and Matt Turple along with wide receivers Ethan Godson and Lachlan Horsley. Explosive veteran Carter McLean provides big play capability from the tailback position.

The signal caller has lots of confidence in his offensive line that is led by Ochs and Chisholm.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Fleming. “I think we have a really good group of guys.

The Hilltops have depth at the receiver position.

“I think we have a solid O-line. We have a lot of fast receivers and a fast running back room. I think it will be pretty exciting to be out there with all those boys.”

While Ochs and Chisholm are the returning starters on the offensive line, the three new starters are all veterans in their respective fourth full seasons with the team who have been working hard to take on these roles in centre Luciano Jolly, left guard Ethan Paslowsky and right guard Jordan Bisson.

“It doesn’t even feel different,” said Ochs. “We’ve had so many off-season workouts.

“We’ve been together having fun after hours. We kind of kept tight there in COVID. We had our little group chat going, so all the guys are really close.”

Even in the lead up to Sunday’s encounter with the Huskies, Ochs said it has felt like the four other full seasons he played with the team.

“Since we’ve been back this week, it feels like nothing has changed,” said Ochs. “It just feels like it is just another year.”

The Hilltops defence will be anchored by Giddings, fourth year linebacker Brady Fossen, fourth year nose tackle Jaxson Funk and fourth year safety Brant Morrow.

No matter what the end result ends up being on Sunday, Sargeant knows his teams will have things to work on. He knows it is all part of the journey through a season.

Doug Fleming will make his first start at QB for the Hilltops.

“It is like anything,” said Sargeant.  “We’ll know way more Sunday after the game.

“Practice is one thing. Game day is different against a different opposition. I’m excited for all my team.

“It is a young team. They just have to play games.”

NOTES – While the CJFL hasn’t hit the field for a game since November of 2019, the Hilltops enter the 2021 campaign with a number of winning streaks that are still active. They have won their last 31 straight games including action in the CJFL’s regular season and post-season.

The Hilltops have claimed their last 29 straight games on the road including action in the CJFL regular season and post-season. In the post-season, the Hilltops have a CJFL record of 20 straight wins going into the current campaign.

End Zone Dinner on for Hilltops

A Scott Schultz card.

The Saskatoon Hilltops traditional In The End Zone Dinner to raise funds for the team’s scholarship program is returning this season.

The club wasn’t able to hold the fundraising dinner a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s dinner will be held on September 11 at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. The guest speakers will be a pair of former Saskatchewan Roughriders members in defensive lineman Scott Schultz and linebacker Mike McCullough.

Schultz, who is originally from Moose Jaw, Sask., played for the Roughriders from 2002 to 2009 and helped Saskatchewan win the 2007 Grey Cup as CFL champions.

McCullough suited up for the Roughriders for 11 seasons from 2003 to 2013 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.

A Mike McCullough card.

Doors for the In The End Zone Dinner open at 4:15 p.m. with dinner to be served at 5:15 p.m. Following dinner, the Hilltops will hold their home opener at 7 p.m. hosting their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 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 a the 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’ mystique paves way to sixth straight PFC title

The Hilltops raise the PFC championship trophy for a sixth straight year.

    When it is crunch time, the Saskatoon Hilltops always find a way to make the plays.

    When most teams gamble on third down, they are often living on the edge. When the Hilltops gamble on third down, they see it as an opportunity to do something great.

    On Sunday before 481 spectators in somewhat cool and light snowy conditions at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Hilltops star power running back Ben Abrook ran home a pair of touchdowns from a yard out in the second half on third-and-goal gambles. The scores allowed the Hilltops to down the Edmonton Huskies 30-14 to win the PFC final for a sixth straight year.

Ben Abrook ran the ball 44 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

    “It is not easy stuff to do out there,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “That is not easy.

    “To win one is unreal. To win six in a row you don’t even understand it. There is a lot of pressure on these guys this year, lots of pressure.

    “You know what, they figured it out. That is all I know. They figured it out.”

    The Hilltops, who have won the last five straight CJFL titles, gambled on a handful of third down conversions during the contest and were successful on each attempt. The venerable CJFL club didn’t have a single turnover on downs in the contest.

    On top of those gambles, Saskatoon rode the Abrook train, and the graduate of Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears high school football team delivered lugging the ball 44 times for 246 yards to go with his two scores.

    Abrook said it energized the team, when the coaches allowed the offence to go for major scores on the two third-and-goal opportunities from the one yard line.

The Hilltops celebrate Ben Abrook’s first touchdown run.

    “It is huge for everyone on the field,” said Abrook, whose Hilltops have a 10-0 overall record so far this season. “We know when we are on the one yard line we’re going for it.

    “We’re going to score. Having that confidence behind us too just pushes over the goal-line, so it is huge definitely.”

    Most of Sunday’s contest was pretty much a slugfest. The Hilltops built 6-0 lead in the fourth quarter, when receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter hit field goals from 27 and 34 yards out.

    Before the first quarter expired, the Huskies jumped ahead 7-6, when quarterback Declan O’Flaherty hit receiver Adner St. Hilaire with a seven-yard touchdown pass.

    Just 49 seconds into the second quarter, the Hilltops jumped back in front 13-7, when third-year receiver Keegan Dicks hauled in a 10-yard touchdown reception on a pass from fifth-year quarterback Tyler Hermann.

Keegan Dicks makes a 10-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    The teams proceeded to play to a stalemate on the field, before Abrook broke through with his first touchdown run on a third-and-goal gamble with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter to give Saskatoon a 20-7 advantage.

    Abrook said the Hilltops offensive line allowed the team to have success on Sunday.

    “On days like this and weather like this, you have to own the line of scrimmage,” said Abrook. “Our O-line outplayed their front seven.

    “Hands down, great game by them, and I think that was the difference maker for sure.”

    The Huskies didn’t go away. With 18.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, O’Flaherty hit standout receiver Sam Clayton with a 17-yard touchdown pass to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 20-14.

    With the game still in the balance, the turning point came that allowed the Hilltops to ultimately seal the contest.
    With 6:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, third-year Hilltops safety Brant Morrow intercepted O’Flaherty in front of the Huskies bench.

Sam Clayton (#80) caught 10 passes for 132 yards for the Huskies.

    Morrow returned the ball seven yards before stepping out of bounds. He was hit by the Huskies, while he was out of bounds. The Huskies bench argued the call.

    The officials gave the Edmonton side 25 yards in penalties with an unnecessary roughness and objectionable conduct calls.

    That set the Hilltops up on the Huskies 23 yard-line. At first, the Huskies defence held forcing the Hilltops to try a 25-yard field goal.

    Kleiter made the kick, but he was hit by Huskies defensive back Justin Hodinsky. The officials penalized the Huskies for roughing the kicker.

    The Hilltops elected to take Kleiter’s kick off the board and continue the drive. The drive ended with Abrook’s second touchdown run from one yard out on a third-and-goal gamble giving the host side a 27-14 lead with 3:58 remaining in the fourth.

    “My coach put me in a perfect situation to make a play,” said Morrow about his interception. “I made it.

The Hilltops defence gets the clamps on Huskies RB Brandt Burzuk.

    “All I had to do was finish, and I did. Like always, they (the Hilltops offence) capitalized on turnovers with that energy that we (the Hilltops defence) gave them.”

    Despite holding a 13-point lead with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Morrow said his squad stayed focused on the task at hand and never thought victory was in the bag.

    “We we’re waiting until the game was over to celebrate,” said Morrow. “Obviously, it gave us a little more confidence with the score a bit more in our favour, but we wanted to fight right to the end.”

    Kleiter rounded out the game’s scoring with a 14-yard field goal with 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    Both Abrook and Morrow were experiencing their third straight victory in the PFC final with the Hilltops, and both soaked in the moment.

Rylan Kleiter makes a 38-yard catch for the Hilltops.

    “It is an awesome feeling,” said Abrook. “It never gets old.

    “I’m super happy for the guys involved.”

    “It is amazing,” said Morrow. “It gets better every time.

    “I’m so proud of our team for fighting through a bunch of tough games during the season and through a tough one today again.”

    Hermann completed 8-of-17 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Hilltops. Kleiter topped all Hilltops receivers with three catches for 47 yards.

    O’Flaherty completed 23-of-39 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Huskies. Clayton led all receivers in the contest with 10 catches for 132 yards to go with his one major score.

    Huskies running back Brandt Burzuk, who was named the PFC’s most valuable player and most outstanding offensive player, ran the ball 18 times for 111 yards.

Caleb Haight had a sack for the Hilltops.

    Defensive end Caleb Haight had a sack for the Hilltops. Outside linebacker Riley Keating led Saskatoon with 6.5 total tackles.

    Hodinsky led the Huskies with 7.5 total tackles and one sack. Mitchel Phillips and Nahome Giorgis had interceptions for the Edmonton, while Carter Carlson had a sack.

    The Huskies finished the 2019 campaign with a 7-3 overall record.

    Sargeant was pleased to see his side gut Sunday’s game out.

    “We didn’t play great at all, but we won,” said Sargeant. “That is all we ask for.

    “I can’t wait to coach another week and get this thing figured out and do a better job. At the end of the day, look at the guts. Look at the pride.

    “They weren’t going to be denied today. That was simple.”

Brant Morrow (#22) has fun with the Hilltops DB group post-game.

    With the win, the Hilltops improved their overall winning streak to 29 games and their CJFL record winning streak in the post-season to 18 games.

    They advance to play in a CJFL semifinal contest against the Ontario Football Conference champion London Beefeaters, who are 8-2 overall, in London, Ont., this coming Saturday. The Beefeaters claimed the OFC final 28-20 on Sunday night against the Windsor AKO Fratmen in Windsor, Ont.

    “It is exciting you know being on the plane with the boys and having a good time,” said Abrook. “I’m sure Ontario is going to get ready for us.

    “They’re going to be a tough match for us, and hopefully, we can go in there and get the win.”

“Sarge” equals McCrystal with 208 career wins

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, centre, picked up his 208th career win.

    Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant hit a milestone with his team’s 30-14 victory over the Edmonton Huskies on Sunday in the PFC final.

    That win was Sargeant’s 208^th career victory between the CJFL’s regular season and post-season. With that victory, Sargeant equaled retired Regina Rams head coach Frank McCrystal for the most wins in Canadian amateur football in the post-secondary ranks.

    Sargeant became the Hilltops head coach in 1998, and he has compiled a 208-30-2 career record between the CJFL’s regular season and playoffs. He has a 155-21-2 record in the regular season and a 53-9 mark in the post-season.

    The Hilltops have won 12 CJFL titles with Sargeant guiding the team as head coach. That includes winning the last five straight CJFL championships and eight of the last nine CJFL titles.

HC Frank McCrystal on the Rams sidelines in 2000.

    McCrystal was the head coach of the Rams from 1984 to 2014, and they played 15 seasons in the CJFL and 16 campaigns in U Sports over that time as the University of Regina Rams. Over those 31 seasons, McCrystal compiled a 208-104-2 record as head coach in the regular season and post-season in both the CJFL and U Sports.

    In the CJFL, McCrystal posted a 104-17-1 record in the regular season and a 37-8 record in the post-season as the Rams head coach. The Rams won seven CJFL titles under McCrystal’s guidance in 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998.

    In U Sports, McCrystal posted a 60-67-1 record in the regular season and a 7-12 record in the post-season as the Rams head coach. The Rams made the U Sports title game – the Vanier Cup – once under McCrystal’s watch falling 42-39 in the 2000 Vanier Cup to the U of Ottawa Gee Gees.

    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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“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’ Keating ready for final home bow in PFC final

Riley Keating (#47) stands for the national anthem before a PFC semifinal.

    For the Saskatoon Hilltops fans that will see him play live one last time in person, Riley Keating wants to leave a final good impression.

    Keating’s Hilltops, who are 9-0 overall, are set to host the Edmonton Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference final. The winner will advance to a CJFL semifinal contest expected to be played on either Nov. 2 or 3 and hosted by the champion of the Ontario Football Conference.

    With the CJFL championship game - the Canadian Bowl - set to be held Nov. 16 at the home of the champion of the British Columbia Football Conference, the Hilltops will play at home for the last time with coming Sunday in 2019 no matter what the final outcome is of the PFC final.

    Keating, who is a popular fifth-year weak side linebacker with the team, will make his final home start in that contest.

Riley Keating, left, closes in on a Calgary Colts quarterback.

    “I’m pretty nervous, because it is my last home game here as a fifth-year,” said Keating. “If we win this game, I know the rest of the games are going to be road trips.

    “This game is very special to me, because it is going to be my last home game as a fifth year, and I’m very excited to take that opportunity and show everybody what I have.”

    Keating came to the Hilltops from the Centennial Collegiate Chargers in Saskatoon’s high school football ranks before the start of the 2015 season. Due to the depth the Hilltops had at linebacker, the 22-year-old found himself playing on special team throughout his first four campaigns with the club.

Riley Keating sizes up the opposing offence.

    During the last two seasons, Keating received more and more snaps with the squad’s main defensive unit as a regular substitute.

    The 2019 campaign marked his first and only season as a starter, and Keating cashed in on the opportunity. The 22-year-old finished second in the PFC with 94 points on defence recording 34 defensive tackles, 11 defensive tackle assists, five special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists and one pass knockdown.

    He shared his starting experience with middle linebacker Jadyn Pingue, who like Keating played on special teams and substituted in on defence for his first four seasons before starting in his final CJFL campaign.

    “It has been awesome,” said Keating, who stands 6-feet and weighs 205 pounds. “Me and Jadyn Pingue we were waiting for this day to come, because we’ve had a lot of older guys in front of us.

    “We just played special teams since our second year. We just kept grinding. We were waiting for this day.

    “We always talked about it in our second, third and fourth year. Finally this day came, and we were both very excited. We both had a great season.”

Riley Keating (#47) lines up with DT Jesse McNabb.

    During his football career, Keating had to overcome the fact that he was born deaf. His doctors confirmed that fact when Keating turned three-years-old.

    A cochlear implant that was put in his head via surgery has allowed Keating to hear. He said the impairment hasn’t affected his ability to play football.

    “The nice thing about playing defence is the coach does signal calls, so it is not like I have to hear or anything,” said Keating. “When the coach makes a signal, I know the play automatically, and everybody is on the same page.

    “Sometimes when we are audibling, I usually can hear, because it is usually the middle linebacker making the audibles. I haven’t had any issues, so it has been good for me.”

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said it has been rewarding to see Keating improve and grow over the years as a member of the team. Even with that in mind, the legendary sideline boss said he was impressed Keating placed second in defensive points for the PFC.

Riley Keating (#47) charges on to the field with his teammates.

    “That shows you the type of high-end player he is,” said Sargeant. “He has a natural nose for the football, likes to get there and loves to make plays.

    “He is just a high-energy guy, one of our captains that we’re very proud to watch him perform.”

    Keating has always been very popular amongst his teammates during his time with the Hilltops, and his 18-year-old brother, Wade, joined the venerable CJFL club this season as a rookie defensive back.

    Sargeant said the elder Keating is so well liked due to the fact he has truly taken the team to heart.

    “He is a five-year Hilltop,” said Sargeant. “He cares greatly for our tradition.

    “He has a brother on the team in Wade (Keating). It just means a lot to him. He’s put a lot into it.

    “It is great to see him perform and represent us and lead this team to the PFC final. With all our fifth-years, we expect Riley and all fifth-years to play their best game of the year Sunday afternoon at one.”

Riley Keating became a starter this season for the Hilltops.

    Riley Keating said one of the characteristics he loves about the Hilltops is the program has a supportive environment. While everyone with the squad is competitive in practice, the players, coaches and staff are constantly trying to help each other improve.

    “That is why I love this Hilltop program, because everybody just continues to support each other,” said Keating. “If someone goes down, we always bring that person up.

    “If I am doing something wrong, everybody helps bring me up.”

    Riley said it has also been special to play alongside Wade for one season. With the siblings being four years apart in age, Riley said there aren’t many sports or leagues where the pair have played together on the same team.

    With Wade on the Hilltops, Riley has extra motivation to help Saskatoon win a sixth straight CJFL title, because he wants his younger brother to have that experience with the team.

Riley Keating (#47) enters SMF Field with parents Peter and Teresa.

    “He (Wade) has been playing in a lot of games,” said Riley. “He is doing pretty good for a rookie.

    “I’m guiding him in the right path showing him what has to be done and how things should be done. He is doing really good, and I am impressed by him. I was really excited when he made the team.

    “It is awesome to play with my younger brother.”

    The elder Keating knows the next step on the playoff trail will be the Hilltops biggest test of the campaign.

    The Hilltops and Huskies met once during the regular season back on Sept. 1 in Edmonton. The Huskies jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter of that contest and held a 19-7 edge at halftime.

Saskatoon rallied in the second half and cut the Huskies advantage to 22-17 in the fourth quarter.  
    With 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hilltops star power running back Ben Abrook scored the winning touchdown to give Saskatoon a 24-22 victory.

Riley Keating, right, pictured with the PFC championship trophy last year.

    Offensively, the Huskies hit the field with a number of strong players including quarterback Declan O’Flaherty, running back Brandt Buzruk and receivers Ronnie Oling and Sam Clayton.

    The Hilltops made the PFC final after downing the Edmonton Wildcats 31-7 in one PFC semifinal contest last Sunday, while the Huskies claimed last Sunday’s other PFC semifinal game 20-17 over the Thunder in Regina.

    “We are going to come out, and we’re going to play our best game,” said Keating. “We’re going to play a full 60 minutes, and that is our main goal.

    “The Huskies are a great team. They are fine tuned. They beat Regina, so we know this game is going to be tough and physical.

    “We’re just going to grind and be physical and do all in our power to beat those guys.”

Abrook takes third PFC offensive player of the week honour

Ben Abrook gets up in the air to try and fly over the Wildcats.

    Another big game from Saskatoon Hilltops star power running Ben Abrook means another PFC offensive player of the week award.

    For the third time in the 2019 campaign, Abrook was named the PFC’s top offensive player for the week, when the CJFL announced its players of the week on Thursday.

    Abrook had huge outing last Sunday, when the Hilltops downed the Edmonton Wildcats 31-7 in a PFC semifinal contest. 
    He carried the ball 29 times for 153 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

    During the regular season, Abrook topped the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns in the Hilltops eight regular season games. 
    For his efforts, Abrook was named a PFC all-star on Tuesday.

Fourth time a charm for Kleiter and weekly special teams nod

Rylan Kleiter launches a punt for the Hilltops.

    After a one-week absence, Rylan Kleiter returned to the top of the weekly PFC special teams list.

    On Thursday, Kleiter, who a receiver/kicker for the Saskatoon Hilltops, was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week. Kleiter, who is a star curling skip, has captured the CJFL’s weekly PFC player of the week honour for the fourth time in the last five weeks.

    This week’s award likely came due to Kleiter’s punting prowess. In the Hilltops 31-7 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats in a PFC semifinal contest held last Sunday, Kleiter punted the ball eight times for 299 yards for an average of 37.4 yards per kick.

    Kleiter was handling the Hilltops punting duties due to the fact the squad’s regular punter in John Brown is undergoing concussion protocol.

    Besides the punting game, Kleiter hit his only field goal attempt from 25 yards out and made all four of his converts. He kicked off five times for 247 yards for an average of 49.4 yards per kick.

    On top of his special teams contributions, Kleiter hauled in touchdown catches from 16 and 30 yards out in the Hilltops victory last Sunday.

    During the regular season, Kleiter led the PFC in scoring with two touchdowns, 18 field goals, 33 converts and one single in the Hilltops eight regular season games. He was named a PFC all star on Tuesday at the place kicker position.

    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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Defence delivers first place in PFC to Hilltops

Saskatoon improves to 6-0 downing Huskies 36-16

The Hilltops defence corrals Huskies RB Brandt Burzuk.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops unleashed the beasts on defence.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops defence forced 10 turnovers and recorded a pair of sacks powering Saskatoon to a 36-16 victory over the Edmonton Huskies before 762 spectators. The win in the Canadian Junior Football League regular season encounter allowed the Hilltops, who have won the last four straight CJFL titles, to improve to 6-0 to clinch first place in the Prairie Football Conference.

    Saskatoon has won its last 14 games in a row including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    The Huskies fell to 4-2 to remain second in the PFC.

The Hilltops defence takes down Huskies starting QB Tommy Yanchuk.

    With two weeks to play in the regular season, the Huskies would be unable to pass the Hilltops for top spot in the conference due to Sunday’s loss. By winning the only regular season clash between the two sides in 2018, the Hilltops control the standings tiebreaker with the Huskies.

    The first place finish allows the Hilltops to play at home throughout the 2018 CJFL playoffs including the Canadian Bowl league championship game.

    “It is nice knowing that we don’t have to go out on the road for playoffs,” said Hilltops defensive tackle Jesse McNabb. “It is always nice to play in front of our home crowd and give the hometown people a show.”

    It seemed like everyone on the Hilltops defence was stepping up to make plays in the win over the Huskies. Still, the Hilltops were only able to slowly pull away in the contest due to the fact the Huskies defence forced four turnovers of their own.

Huskies backup QB Brendan Guy, left, is sacked by Hilltops DB Logan Bitz.

    Early in the first quarter, a blocked punt by Hilltops linebacker and ace special teamer Riley Keating allowed Saskatoon’s offence to start on Edmonton’s 22 yard-line. A short touchdown drive ensued with Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls hitting receiver John Brown with a 10-yard touchdown catch to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

    An interception by Hilltops middle linebacker Bobby Ehman would turn into a 41-yard field goal from kicker David Solie to give the Toppers a 10-0 edge.

    Edmonton forced Saskatoon to concede a safety right before the first quarter expired, and Saskatoon returned that favour in the second quarter to see the hosts hold a 12-2 edge.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said his defensive unit’s success was due to an outstanding game by the defensive line. Star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb had six tackles, defensive tackle and captain Garth Knittig had three tackles, three assisted tackles and one sack and defensive end Connor Guillet had one tackle, three assisted tackles and two fumble recoveries.

 

MLB Bobby Ehman knocks down a pass for the Hilltops.

  “The D-line, we really challenged them all week,” said Sargeant. “It was great to see them come out and perform up to the level of standard that we expect.

    “They were the difference makers today no question. They just controlled the line of scrimmage, so it was awesome to see. I couldn’t be more proud.”

    While the Hilltops defence had the big highlights of the day, the Hilltops offence still delivered a critical play right before halftime. After forcing the Huskies to turn the ball over on downs, Walls hit receiver Keegan Dicks for a 70-yard pass-and-run touchdown with 23.9 seconds to play in the first half to give the Hilltops a 19-2 lead.

DB Jared Giddings intercepts a pass for the Hilltops.

    Dicks finished the contest hauling in three passes for 112 yards including his one catch for a major score.

    “That was massive,” said Sargeant. “Any time with less than a minute you get something over the top like that, you don’t anticipate that.

    “Keegan is a special player. He has got lots of growing and learning to do. He certainly has that gift of making some big time plays.”

    In the third quarter, the Huskies cut the Hilltops lead to 19-9 scoring a kickoff single from kicker Cole Sabourin and seven-yard rushing touchdown from running back Brandt Burzuk. Edmonton failed to score on a two-point conversion attempt after Burzuk’s touchdown.

    Solie hit a 35-yard field goal for the Hilltops to extend their lead to 22-9 by the end of the third quarter.

RB Brandt Burzuk scores a touchdown for the Huskies.

    Early in the fourth quarter, Hilltops star outside linebacker Cody Peters came up with an interception. Saskatoon proceeded to drive down for another major score as Walls hit fifth-year star receiver Jason Price for a nine-yard touchdown toss to give the hosts a 29-9 lead.

    “I felt like we played unreal out there,” said Peters. “We overcame adversity.

    “They brought it to us, but we answered back with a good response.”

    Burzuk scored on a one-yard plunge for Edmonton to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 29-16 with 6:47 to play in the fourth quarter.

    The Huskies forced the Hilltops offence to go two-and-out to get the ball back. Edmonton’s offensive drive came to an end when starting quarterback Tommy Yanchuk tried to run for a first down on a third-and-seven gamble in his own end only to get drilled short of the first down marker by McNabb.

    After that turnover on downs, the Hilltops scored their final major on an 11-yard run from star running back Joshua Ewanchyna to cement the final at 36-16.

RB Josh Ewanchyna piled up 201 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    “It was pretty physical,” said Peters of Sunday’s game. “They a little dirty out there to be honest with you, and they like to hit a little bit.

    “It is OK. We answered back out there. I like a team that likes to get a little dirty.”

McNabb appreciated the physical approach of the Huskies as well.

    “It was pretty good,” said McNabb. “There was always lots of good contact in there.

    “You are always playing hard to the whistle, no dirty stuff after. You can’t ask for anything else than that.”

    Walls completed 15-of-25 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns and zero interception for the Hilltops. Ewanchyna ran the ball 27 times for 201 yards and one touchdown.

    Defensive back Logan Bitz had four tackles, three assisted tackles, one sack and a forced fumble for the Hilltops. Fellow defensive back Jared Giddings had an interception for the Toppers. Saskatoon’s defence forced Edmonton to turn the ball over on downs on five occasions in the contest.

Jordan Walls (#19) threw three touchdown passes for the Hilltops.

    Yanchuk completed 17-of-26 passes for 213 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Burzuk ran the ball 23 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

    Huskies linebacker Jassen Brown had six tackles and a fumble recovery.

    “At the end of the day, this was a big game, a key, critical scenario, and we are able to execute the mission,” said Sargeant referring to his club’s first place finish in the PFC. “That feels pretty good.

    “It is not very often you do that after six games. They are a worthy opponent. They are a good football team.

The Hilltops celebrate a 70-yard TD catch from Keegan Dicks, left.

    “It was a good, physical aggressive game. Ultimately, we were able to get the two points (in the standings) that were extremely needed.”

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Wildcats (2-4). That will be the Toppers final road trip of the 2018 campaign.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.