Kicker Abel-Douglas starts hot for Hilltops

Teijon Abel-Douglas boots a field goal for the Hilltops.

Teijon Abel-Douglas embraces the pressure that place kickers face in the sport of football.

The 18-year-old Humboldt, Sask., product has had ice in his veins at the start of his CJFL career with the Saskatoon Hilltops when it comes to kicking field goals. Abel-Douglas had made all five of his field goal attempts during the Hilltops first four games, and he just graduated from high school this past June at Humboldt Collegiate Institute.

His first practices in training camp with the Hilltops were a little rough, but things soon skyrocketed in an upward direction.

“I think a lot of it is just trust from the coaches and trust from the team,” said Abel-Douglas. “In practices, I gained quite a bit of momentum.

“Misses were becoming less of a thing as I got used to doing my job. Once you can leave the aspect of all the pressure that is built up from the crowd, you have to trust what you’ve done.”

Abel-Douglas and the Hilltops (2-2) are looking to end a two game losing streak when they host the Winnipeg Rifles (1-3) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Saskatoon’s two losses have both been heartbreakers to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder. Thunder claimed a 16-13 victory Sept. 11 at SMF Field and took the return match 30-27 this past Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

In those encounters against the Thunder, Abel-Douglas was tabbed with going head-to-head against veteran Regina kicker Eric Maximuik, who is in his fourth full CJFL season. Abel-Douglas went 2-for-2 in the field goal department for the Hilltops in each of those outings against the Thunder.

Ultimately, Maximuik had more opportunities in those contests than Abel-Douglas did. In the Sept. 11 game at SMF Field, Maximuik connected on 3-of-4 field goals including a 51-yarder winner on the game’s last play.

In the game this past Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, the 22-year-old went 3-for-3 in the field goal department.

“Of course, you want to be the best,” said Abel-Douglas, who stands 6-feet and weighs 145 pounds. “Watching him (Maximuik) kick a 51-yarder, all you can do is applaud it.

Teijon Abel-Douglas is 5-for-5 in field goals this season.

“It is something everyone dreams about especially as a kicker. Of course, I want to be the best. I don’t like to compare myself all the time.

“There is a moment where you are like, ‘Oh, I wish that was me.’ Of course, I wish that was me kicking that one for the win.”

After those encounters, Abel-Douglas visited with Maximuik and came away feeling enthusiastic.

“He (Maximuik) is a great kicker,” said Abel-Douglas. “I’ve talked to him after both games.

“He is a great guy and very humble. You can never go wrong with a guy like that. He works hard on his craft.

“All I can do is respect that and learn from him.”

Abel-Douglas’ performance in the early going has impressed legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, especially the fact the 18-year-old rookie hit pressure kicks for the Hilltops in those tight setbacks against the Thunder.

“He (Abel-Douglas) has done a real good job,” said Sargeant. “He has come in here and he’s worked real hard.

“He has taken advantage of his opportunities. He is five-for-five and doing what we want him to do. There is a young kid taking advantage of opportunities and moments.

“We’re happy he is here. He is a kid out of Humboldt that has just got a bright, bright future here.”

Growing up in Humboldt, Abel-Douglas focused heavily on playing soccer, and he also competed seriously in track and field.

In Grade 10, Abel-Douglas left soccer and track and field behind to take up football becoming a receiver and kicker for the Mohawks football team at Humboldt Collegiate Institute.

He said it was a bit of an adjustment going from kicking a soccer ball to a football.

“The big difference was just honestly the shape of the ball,” said Abel-Douglas. “The shape of the ball and your steps they are a lot more precise when you are kicking a football.

Teijon Abel-Douglas made four key field goals against the Thunder.

“You have to be a lot more hit the ball in a place where that ball is going to fly straight. On a soccer ball, it is just all round. You have to find that sweet spot on a football, and it did take me awhile to get used to.

“I struggled in Grade 10 for sure. Great coaching, and I am learning every day even here. All these little tips you go into a game and even in practice they make me a lot better of a kicker and more accurate.”

He also had highlights playing receiver too in his high school years.

“I think the track speed really helped,” said Abel-Douglas. “On short passes and when we could get the ball over the top, I was pretty good.

“I didn’t really return punts, but I got one chance in a game and took it back. I think it was pretty successful. Our quarterback would throw perfect balls and just being in the right spot at the right time and it came together.”

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Abel-Douglas only played one game in his Grade 12 year in the 2020 campaign. He wanted to play sports after high school but wasn’t sure if that would happen due to the pandemic’s impact on the world.

When receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter elected to join the University of Regina Rams in the U Sports ranks instead of rejoining the Hilltops for one last CJFL campaign, the Hilltops were looking for a kicker. Abel-Douglas was approached by one of his high school coaches about going after the Hilltops open kicking spot.

Following that talk, Abel-Douglas made a video recording and sent it in to Sargeant. Sargeant invited Abel-Douglas to the Hilltops spring camp.

He came to main camp and joined with main roster with fellow new kicker in Saskatoon product Carter Sirman, who made his only field goal attempt in the Hilltops 18-17 regular season opening win against the Huskies in Edmonton on August 22.

Abel-Douglas has enjoyed practising with Sirman. As the Hilltops head into the second half of the regular season, Abel-Douglas’s confidence is high, and he is looking to tackle kicking in cold weather games.

“You have to stay in there and believe in yourself,” said Abel-Douglas. “With all the trust from these guys, it has been smooth sailing so far.

Teijon Abel-Douglas has high confidence for the rest of the season.

“Come winter, it is going to be a new challenge. I have to be ready for that mentally, and that is also a big thing. You can’t say you’re going miss, or else that is that outcome.

“It is all about what you believe and how strong mentally you are when these November games come along.”

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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Fleming perseveres to score winning point for Hilltops

Saskatoon rallies for 18-17 victory in Edmonton

Doug Fleming sets to throw a pass at a Hilltops scrimmage.

When world events throw you a curveball, Doug Fleming believes you try to do the best you can with the cards that get dealt your way.

Fleming was looking forward to his third season in the CJFL in 2020 as he was slated to become the new starting quarterback for the storied Saskatoon Hilltops.

Unfortunately, the world came into the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost.

The Hilltops were cleared to hold practices for six weeks during September and October of 2020, and Fleming was happy to take that on field action given the circumstances.

“It was tough, but we were fortunate enough to at least practice together and get a few scrimmages in,” said Fleming, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 215 pounds. “It sucked not playing, but it was nice to be able to grow as a person and like be better mentally and be better physically for this season.”

Fleming’s third CJFL season did indeed get underway. On Sunday, he made his first career start at quarterback as the Hilltops battled the Huskies at the Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta.

The start was a rough one. The Hilltops offence struggled in the first half and a late second quarter interception by Fleming saw the Huskies turn that turnover into a touchdown to go up 14-0 at halftime.

At the start of the second half, the Hilltops inserted Damon Dutton in at quarterback, who is also in his third full season with the team. Dutton led a second half comeback that saw the Hilltops get back on even terms at 17-17 with 5:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

On the final play of the contest, the Hilltops had the ball on the Huskies nine yard-line. Fleming, who is also the Hilltops’ punter, came into the game and booted a walk-off rouge through the Edmonton end zone to give Saskatoon an 18-17 victory.

Damon Dutton throws a pass at a Hilltops scrimmage.

During the 2019 season, Fleming was being groomed to eventually take over as the Hilltops starting signal caller during his sophomore campaign with the team. Besides seeing action in lopsided wins, Fleming hit the field on goal-line and short-yardage situations along with some special offensive packages the team designed.

He completed 9-of-16 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown over the team’s eight regular season games. Fleming also ran the ball nine times for 68 yards and scored three touchdowns in those contests too.

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football team said the 2019 CJFL championship season with the Hilltops was a campaign where he was doing a lot of learning and trying to get better.

“It wasn’t bad, but I definitely needed to improve on a bit of stuff,” said Fleming. “As the season went on, I missed a few easy throws.

“I really worked on trying to correct those mistakes for this year. It was fun to play. It was just nice to get off the bench a little.

“Even just running the ball, it was nice to be able to get out there and contribute.”

With Tyler Hermann playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility as the Hilltops starting quarterback in 2019, Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who is also the club’s offensive coordinator, wanted to get Fleming some meaningful reps that season.

“That was purposeful,” said Sargeant. “Number one, we knew eventually he was going to move into that starting role, so we wanted to give him some opportunities in real live situations to grow and learn what he needs to do and how he needs to do it to play at an elite level.

Doug Fleming saw frequent action in 2019.

“The good thing is Damon Dutton has had an outstanding camp as well. We’re very happy with our two quarterbacks.”

With the Hilltops down 14-0, they engineered their first score with Dutton at quarterback off a nine-yard touchdown run by running back Carter McLean at the 5:11 mark of the third quarter to trim the Huskies lead to 14-7.

Late in the third quarter, new Hilltops kicker Carter Sirman hit a field goal from 26 yards out to cut the Huskies advantage to 14-10.

Early in the fourth quarter, Laine Santos hit a 34-yard field goal for the Huskies to extend the host side’s advantage to 17-10.

With 5:27 remaining in the fourth quarter Dutton hit speedy receiver Ethan Godson with a 22-yard touchdown pass to even the score 17-17.

On the Hilltops final possession, Dutton hit sure handed receiver Dillan Heintz with a 38-yard pass to get the visitors down to the Huskies 18-yard line.

After one running play, Fleming was brought in try a punt single to win the game. He kicked the ball into the end zone, but the Huskies kicked the ball out of end zone.

Fleming fielded the ball for the Hilltops but was unable to kick the ball back into the end zone. The Huskies were called for a no yards penalty when Fleming caught the football giving the Hilltops one more play with no time remaining on the clock at the Huskies nine yard line.

Fleming hit the game-winning point from there.

The Huskies first half scores came courtesy a one-yard touchdown run by running back Alex Gayle early in the second quarter and quarterback Declan O’Flaherty hitting receiver Adner St Hilaire with a six-yard touchdown pass late in the second frame.

Sargeant said Fleming put in the time and deserved to be the Hilltops starting quarterback going into the opener. The sideline boss said the signal caller has continually improved and put in great work during the team’s six weeks of practice in the fall of 2020.

Doug Fleming, left, takes off on a memorable TD run in 2019.

“Dougie (Fleming) is growing, and he is getting better every day,” said Sargeant. “Coach (Shane) Reider and the offensive coaches are putting some things in to match his skill set.

“Every day he takes 100 steps. He is throwing the ball. He is getting more confidence with the game plan and our concepts. It is fun to watch.

“He is improving daily. He is a captain. Guys are rallying around him. They are following him. He just has positive energy. He is a fun kid to be around.”

Fleming carved out a special memory in the Hilltops second regular season game of the 2019 campaign, when they played the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Aug. 25.

On a third-and-two gamble late in the second quarter, Fleming ran off a 33-yard touchdown run on a draw play for the Hilltops second major of the contest. He also ran in the Hilltops final major from 11 yards out to round out a 34-16 victory.

The result allowed Sargeant to record his 200^th career coaching victory.

Fleming was pumped to help Sargeant get that milestone win and remembers being pretty energized after the 33-yard touchdown run.

“I was pretty excited,” said Fleming. “(Then Hilltops kicker and receiver Rylan) Kleiter said I was shaking really bad trying to hold the extra point after.

“I was really amped up for it maybe a little too amped up.”

Doug Fleming (#4) celebrates a memorable TD run in 2019.

Fleming enjoyed being part of the Hilltops CJFL championship teams in 2018 and 2019. Saskatoon had won the last six straight CJFL titles before the 2020 campaign was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, Fleming said the veterans left a big positive influence on the younger players.

“It was pretty cool,” said Fleming. “You get to learn a lot from those veteran guys.

“In 2018, we only had eight guys, but they were very well accomplished. In 2019, we had 15 guys who hadn’t played much, but you learn a lot about perseverance from those guys who stood on the bench for four years and waited their turn to play one year.

“It was good learning that from them too.”

As for the 2021 campaign, Fleming said he doesn’t want to look too far ahead. With the Hilltops having gone a lengthy stretch of not having a game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fleming wants to soak in the moments on the field as they come.

“We are taking it one week at a time and try and focus and win our game each week,” said Fleming. “We just go one week at a time.”

The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday when they travel to Calgary to take on the Colts at Shouldice Park.

Doug Fleming, with ball, and the Hilltops next play in Calgary.

NOTES – Sunday’s victory marked the 30^th straight game the Hilltops have won on the road including play in the CJFL regular season and post-season. The Hilltops last road setback came way back on August 17, 2014, when they fell 19-16 in overtime to the Thunder in Regina at Taylor Field.

Overall, the Hilltops have won their last 32 games in a row including action in the CJFL regular season and post-season. Their last loss was a 29-26 setback to the Regina Thunder on Sept. 9, 2017 against the Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

It is believed both winning streaks are CJFL records. On paper, those streaks continue from the 2019 season with the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

End Zone Dinner is a go 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 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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