Price faced gritty beginnings before becoming Hilltops star

Ex-receiver remembers paying dues before making big plays

Jason Price makes a 70-yard TD catch in 2017.

Jason Price is remembered as a big play receiver for the Saskatoon Hilltops, but the big plays didn’t come when he first joined the team.

From 2014 to 2019, the Hilltops won six straight CJFL championships, and Price played on the first five of those title winners during his five years with the team. His last CJFL play came on November 17, 2018 when the Hilltops took a knee to conclude a 58-21 victory over the Langley Rams at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl.

Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant ensured the team’s eight fifth-year players including Price were on the field for that final play. With that moment, Price graduated from the team with an ultimate moment and special memory.

He was on the field as part of a group of eight teammates becoming the first players to play on five straight CJFL championship winning teams.

Way back as a rookie in 2014, Price had just graduated high school from Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate having been a member of the Marauders football team. During that first season with the Hilltops, Price’s main focus was just hanging in with the team.

“The whole rookie season is a lot of anxiety and like trying to do your part but not get in the way kind of thing,” said Price. “Obviously, I wasn’t really playing at that time.

“I’d just be on the sidelines.”

Price remembers being awestruck by his veteran teammates in 2014. He saw quarterback Jared Andreychuk, who was in his third season at that time, as an incredible leader.

Jason Price makes a 32-yard TD catch in 2016.

He saw a receiving corps that was deep where everyone could make plays. The veteran receivers included fourth year players Evan Turkington, Evan Kopchynski and Chad Braun along with third year players Preston Njaa, Tyson Sawatzky and Ryan Turple. Second year receiver Davis Mitchell was also finding his way on to the field to make clutch plays.

Price knew he wasn’t going to see the field very much. He didn’t say much that season and just working on getting better and doing his best to be part of the team.

Price remembers that season going by like a blur. When it came time for the Hilltops to travel to Langley, B.C., to face the Rams in the Canadian Bowl in 2014, Price wasn’t part of the travel roster that made that jaunt. The Hilltops would win that contest 39-14, and help the Saskatoon side bury the disappointment of falling in the 2013 PFC final to the Regina Thunder, who won the CJFL title that year.

 While he wasn’t with the Hilltops in person for that CJFL title win in Langley, Price got to be part of a moment that made him first feel truly linked to the Hilltops, where he saw the team as family.

“I remember they invited all of the players (who remained in Saskatoon) to the clubhouse to watch them play in that championship game on the screen,” said Price. “I remember a lot of nerves but also just a lot of cheering.

“It was definitely huge just as an end to my rookie season to be invited to like the clubhouse and feel a part of the team even though you’re not there. Even though you are not in Langley with the team, you’re still with the team in the clubhouse cheering on the guys that are there. After they won it, I remember like everybody watching it on the field and seeing everybody celebrate and everybody cheering like crazy in the clubhouse.

Jason Price, right, makes a 22-yard TD catch in 2016.

“It was a just a rush of excitement, obviously, from what had happened the year before to that year was huge.”

The Hilltops didn’t graduate any receivers following the 2014 campaign, but they were set to start graduating a number of veterans at that position starting with Turkington, Kopchynski and Braun at the end of the 2015 season. In 2015, Price found himself getting more reps at practice and the veterans taking a bigger role in helping mentor him.

“I just remember kind of feeling a little more comfortable,” said Price, who stood 6-feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. “Those guys when they are not in and you are kind of getting your second team reps I remember always coming back and getting some advice from Chad Braun or Evan Turkington.

“Those guys were kind of always around. They understood that they were fifth years, and they were the leaders. They also understood the traditions that come and the next generation that is coming through and really helped kind of build and help you get to that next level.

“It just says a lot about the leadership group we had in those years.”

After the Hilltops downed the Okanagan Sun 38-24 in the 2015 Canadian Bowl played at SMF Field, Price found himself hitting the field as a starter in his third campaign in 2016.

Jason Price makes 38-yard TD catch in Regina in 2017.

“I was nervous at the start,” said Price. “It was my first time starting, and the game still feels fast.

“I remember not doing well the first few games personally and then kind of fell into my own and kind of got an understanding with Jared (Andreychuk) and got an understanding with the rest of the team.”

With Andreychuk playing in his fifth and final season, Price had a breakout campaign hauling in 28 passes for 763 yards and seven touchdowns during the Hilltops nine-game regular season that year. Price’s receiving yardage and touchdown reception totals were career highs.

On November 12, 2016, the Hilltops traveled to Langford, B.C., where they downed the Westshore Rebels 37-25 in the Canadian Bowl. Price caught Andreychuk’s final career touchdown toss hauling in a 47-yard pass to account for the Hilltops final major of that game.

“Looking back on it, that was an amazing season, and I loved it,” said Price.

In 2017, Price had a solid season catching 19 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular season games. Quarterback Jordan Walls, who was in his fourth year with the Hilltops and first year as a starter in 2017, had a strong campaign, but the Hilltops ground game might have been the highlight spot offensively.

Jason Price makes a TD catch at SMF Field in 2017.

The Hilltops were rich in talent at the running back position that season as the trio of Logan Fischer, Adam Machart and Josh Ewanchyna all saw significant playing time, while Colin Stumborg consistently made big plays from his fullback spot. Rookie tailback Ben Abrook saw playing time, and he would be a key player on the team in 2018 and 2019.

Price thought a key point in the 2017 campaign came when the Hilltops dropped a 29-26 decision to the Thunder in their fourth regular season game. That was Saskatoon’s only loss that season, but Price believes that setback helped sharpen the team’s focus for the rest of that campaign.

With the Hilltops having won the last three straight CJFL titles, Price thought maybe the vibe on the storied team had gotten a little too relaxed.

“When you take a loss like that, it puts things into perspective and kind of gets you to have to refocus on things,” said Price. “I think that loss was pretty big to help us kind of refocus and just kind of don’t think about the past.

“You kind of just better yourself as the Hilltop group every day. You take it one week at a time, and eventually, you will get there. Obviously, we were led by another group of great leaders.

“I think that was big for the rest of the season, because sometimes you do need to kind of get put back in your place.”

Jason Price, right, makes a catch in Regina in 2018.

The Hilltops concluded the 2017 campaign traveling to Windsor, Ont., and downing the host AKO Fratmen 56-11 in the Canadian Bowl. With that victory, the Hilltops became the first team to win four straight CJFL titles.

Price believes the run of consecutive championships came because the Hilltops were good at concentrating on the notion that each season was its own campaign with its own story.

“Every year is kind of new,” said Price. “Every year you have a different team, a different group of starters.

“I think we kind of did a good job kind of staying focused year to year. There was something new every year, and we were not worried about what was happening in the past or what could happen in the future. We just kind of took it one game at a time.

“Obviously with repeat championships, there comes a little bit of pressure to pull through and do the same thing.”

In Price’s final season, the Hilltops had statistically one of their most dominant campaigns posting a perfect 11-0 record. They trailed on the scoreboard for a total of 81 seconds for the whole season.

Price had a strong personal campaign catching 31 passes for 709 yards and scoring four touchdowns in eight regular season games. He was named a PFC all-star and a CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

The sure handed pass catcher often just played two-and-a-half quarters per game as the Hilltops were usually holding big leads and cycling backups to get game experience at that point.

Jason Price makes an 81-yard touchdown catch in 2018.

“Reflecting back on that season, I think we all just had the most fun not necessarily because we were winning, but because we were such a developed team at that point,” said Price. “We were such a brotherhood.

“We always talk about the Hilltops brotherhood. It was just like that was our family. We just had the most fun with our family kind of thing.”

In the Canadian Bowl win over the Rams in 2018, Price caught three passes for a team high 75 yards. The biggest memory came in being one of the team’s eight fifth-year players that was on the field for the final knee down snap.

That group included Walls, receiver Adam Ewanchyna, right tackle Kirk Simonsen, defensive end Connor Guillet and linebackers Cody Peters, who was the CJFL’s defensive player of the year in 2018, Bobby Ehman and Adam Benkic. All eight of those players had each played five complete seasons with the Hilltops first taking the field with the team in 2014.

“For that to be your year and know that you’ve done it and those final seconds are ticking off the clock there, and you’re out there with all the guys that you’ve gone through five years of practising every day, games, putting your body on the line for those guys, and you get to celebrate with them after that final whistle, that was something special that is for sure,” said Price.

For Price, he looks back at all points of his five career with the Hilltops being memorable from the time he was an anxious rookie trying to do his best to be part of the team to being a fifth year star veteran at the end. 

Jason Price and the Hilltops celebrate a Canadian Bowl win in 2018.

The good things that came Price’s way came from the fact he ultimately just focused on working hard and getting better in his first year 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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Karma bit Huskies football in tough 2017 campaign

QB Kyle Siemens calls a play for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team met a pre-season prognostication they hoped to avoid in 2017.

    In the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll, the Huskies were rated fifth out of the conference’s six teams, which meant they were picked to miss the post-season for the first time since 2000. After winning their first two regular season games in convincing fashion, it appeared the Huskies were on their way to crushing that low expectation.

    Unfortunately for the Huskies, their season concluded with six straight losses, and they missed the Canada West playoffs with a 2-6 record. That ended a run for the Huskies of making the U Sports post-season for 16 straight years. They finished fifth overall in Canada West taking the head-to-head tiebreaker with the U of Manitoba Bisons holding a 76-59 total score edge in two head-to-head meetings.

A lot of Huskies LBs lost time to injury like Ben Whiting.

    After posting a 5-3 regular season mark in 2016 and bowing out in a Canada West semifinal game 47-17 to the U of Calgary Dinos, the Huskies went through an overhaul in the coaching department.

    Former Montreal Alouettes star offensive lineman Scott Flory, who was the Huskies offensive coordinator and former player, became the new head coach. Former CFL quarterback Marcus Crandell was brought on as the new offensive coordinator, former CFL linebacker and Huskies player Warren Muzika rejoined the program as the new defensive coordinator and veteran U Sports coach Jerry Friesen assumed the role as special teams coordinator.

    The Huskies staff included five new assistant coaches and five holdovers from the 2016 campaign. A large contingent of players returned as well.

    Of course, the new staff took over in the shadow of the resignation of the legendary Brian Towriss last December after 33 years on the job. Towriss’s departure wasn’t handled in the smoothest of fashions.

    A joint statement had to be posted on the Huskie Athletics website from U of S president Peter Stoicheff and Towriss that saw Stoicheff apologize for how the news of Towriss’s resignation was handled.

Chad Braun’s called back TD on Oct. 14 was a tough break.

    Since that time, Towriss visited the training camp of the U of Guelph Griffins as a guest in August, was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Sept. 14, and received an Alumni Achievement Award from the U of Saskatchewan Alumni Association for his commitment to athletics, sports and wellness on Oct. 26.

    The honours were beyond well earn as Towriss piled up 196 career victories, 11 Canada West titles, nine Vanier Cup appearances and three Vanier Cup champions during his storied career guiding the Huskies as head coach.

    While moves have been made to heal up any ill will regarding Towriss’s departure, it still sticks in the mind with some in Saskatoon and some of the alums of the overall Huskies program, which did create some negative vibes. 

    In a spiritual sense, it felt like the Huskies football team had to ultimately take it on the chin for one season as punishment for everything that went down last December, which included the departures of eight other coaches from the 2016 squad.

    It seemed like karma bit the Huskies in this instance.

    Anyone that approaches this with an analytical mind would say that is nonsense.

Head coach Scott Flory saw his Huskies endure a tough season.

    Judging on statistics, you can conclude the Huskies were getting it done on offence averaging 30.6 points scored and 448 yards gained per game. The defense struggled allowing 35.8 points and 544.9 yards per game. The defensive problems mounted due to a host of injuries at the linebacker position including fifth-year veteran Justin Filteau for the season and third-year standout Ben Whiting for a pair of contests.

    With all that in mind, the difference between making and missing the playoffs in the Canada West Conference is razor thin. The Huskies could have easily had two more wins if the outcome of two plays were changed on the campaign.

    Had Chad Braun’s 33-yard touchdown catch with 4.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter not been wiped out by a penalty, the Huskies wouldn’t have fallen at home 29-25 to the powerhouse University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Oct. 14.

    During the Huskies final regular season game last Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, they led 32-29 against the Bisons going into the final minute of play. With about 16 seconds to play, a four-yard touchdown catch by U of M receiver Kyle Patchell gave the Bisons a 36-32 win before 2,074 spectators.

    The stars seemed to line up against the Huskies.

The Huskies defence struggled in 2017.

    The enormity of the shadow Towriss casts can’t be understated. There will be and have already been voices that say this season would have played out better had Towriss still been there.

    In Saskatoon, the reality is the Huskies football team traditionally has faced tighter scrutiny than any other team in the city due to the prominent status nationally the team held after winning three Vanier Cups under Towriss in the 1990s. If the wins don’t come, the criticism will. Regardless if that notion is fair, it is the reality.

    Still, there is too much football knowledge on Flory’s staff that a turnaround can be envisioned, even if it is hard for some to see it right at this moment.

    It felt like the 2017 season was meant to play out like it did to allow the Huskies to have more of a clean slate in 2018.

Hilltops will be big Canadian Bowl favourites, other notes

QB Jordan Walls (#19) and his Hilltops are aiming for another CJFL title.

    It is the elephant in the room as far as the Canadian Junior Football League is concerned, but the three-time defending league champion Saskatoon Hilltops are huge favourites to win the upcoming Canadian Bowl against the host AKO Fratmen in Windsor, Ont., on Nov. 11.

    If there was a betting line in a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Hilltops, who are 10-1 overall, would likely be installed as 20-point favourites for the CJFL title game.

    During the regular season, teams from the Prairie Football Conference met teams from the Ontario Football Conference six times in head-to-head games, and the PFC team was the victor on every occasion. The PFC club won five of those games by a blowout margin.

    The closest encounter came on Sept. 23, in Edmonton, when the host Wildcats, who were 1-7 overall, of the PFC came away with a 40-37 victory over the Hamilton Hurricanes, who were 6-4 overall, of the OFC.

    The Hurricanes fell last Sunday in the OFC final 34-20 to the AKO Fratmen in Windsor. The AKO Fratmen are 9-1 overall, but their one loss came in their only encounter with a PFC team. Way back on Aug. 12, the AKO Fratmen took a 30-7 drubbing at home against the Edmonton Huskies, who were 7-2 overall.

    The Hilltops faced one OFC foe crushing the Ottawa Sooners 49-15 on Aug. 26 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Sooners were 3-6 overall.

    It can be argued that the AKO Fratmen can pull off a major upset.

Most that follow the CJFL will expect to see the Hilltops walk away with their 20^th national championship in league history.

    The Hilltops have a characteristic of always respect their opponents. That helps the Toppers play at a high level no matter who they face. That characteristic faces the ultimate test in the upcoming CJFL title clash.

• The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team is finding ways to win posting a 5-2-1 record in the early going of the regular season. They still have to battle to light up the scoreboard scoring 17 goals over their first eight games, but they have given up 12 goals, which equals the UBC Thunderbirds and U of Lethbridge Pronghorns for lowest total goals allowed in the Canada West Conference. The Huskies have outshot their opponents in all but one of their games and have had 20 or more shots than their opponents on four outings. U of S has to keep grinding and working hard and the goals should eventually come. The Huskies work ethic has been outstanding so far.
• Mackenna Parker appears set to have a beyond outstanding season for the Saskatoon Stars. After eight regular season games, the 17-year-old centre had 18 goals and 14 assists to lead the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League scoring race by 11 points over teammate Grace Shirley. If Parker continues at her pace, she would smash the league record for points in a season of 81 set by Alyssa Wiebe of the Notre Dame Hounds in 2007-08. Wiebe, who is a Saskatoon product, had 45 goals and 36 assists that season before going on to star with the U of North Dakota women’s hockey team, which folded last March.
• If you were in the northwest corner of Saskatoon on Halloween, you would have had a cool and scary experience checking out the Hampton Village House of Horrors on McClocklin Road. The organizers did an outstanding job with the jump scares. The axe-wielding clown at the end of the tour definitely made a memory.

    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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Huskies victory wiped out

Penalty nullifies Braun TD catch with 4.8 seconds to play

Receiver Chad Braun thought he had the winning TD here for the Huskies.

    Some Higher Power up there owes Chad Braun a mulligan.

    The veteran receiver, who is in his fifth-year of eligibility, looked like he was going to be the hero for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team during a U Sports regular season clash on Saturday night at Griffiths Stadium against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
    With the Thunderbirds holding a slim 29-25 lead, Braun hauled in a pass on a sideline out route and zipped into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown reception with 4.8 seconds to play.

    The 24-year-old’s score was wiped out, when the officials called an illegal block penalty on Huskies receiver Yol Piok.

    On the next and last play of the game, a Hail Mary pass from Huskies quarterback Kyle Siemens was intercepted by Thunderbirds receiver/defensive back Alex Morrison at the UBC seven to preserve a 29-25 victory for the visitors.

QB Kyle Siemens made some big plays passing for the Huskies.

    The officials departed under a chorus of boos and catcalls from a large number of the 3,310 spectators that were in attendance. A miraculous comeback by the host side was not to be as the Huskies trailed 23-2 entering the fourth quarter.

    If you are part of the Huskies coaching staff headed up by Scott Flory, you initially want to watch the video of Braun’s nullified touchdown catch to see if the officials made the correct penalty call on Piok. If the officials were right, it gives you some piece of mind knowing the correct call was made.

    If the call was wrong, you can start consoling your players telling them they did indeed do the right things during the game-deciding moment. The sideline bosses also have to tell their players in this instant you just have to gut through what happened, because in life, you will encounter various situations where bad things happen to you that are out of your control.

Chad Braun had two TDs called back due to penalties.

    You can get upset at an official’s mistake for a time, but then you have to learn to let it go and move on. In a respectable fashion, you have to realize they are human too.

    The one person who will like have bad dreams about Saturday’s clash is Braun. He had two touchdowns that were called back due to penalties.

    Besides seeing his last-second touchdown catch get nullified, Braun had an 82-yard punt return touchdown late in the third quarter erased due to an offside penalty.

    Braun, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 190 pounds, came to the Huskies last season after spending five campaigns with the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League. He helped the Toppers win CJFL titles in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 developing a reputation of having a playing style like Weston Dressler, when he played with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    On top of making electric plays on the field, Braun is one of the most likeable players in the Saskatoon football community, so you feel extra sorry for him when his big plays get taken away.

    A number of Huskies supporters will likely blame the officials for the outcome of Saturday’s game.

QB Michael O’Connor put up big numbers for UBC.

    What most in the general public don’t realize is officials these days do their best to try and get all the calls in a game right, because the most consistent ones move on to work games at higher levels. If they realize a mistake was made, they often don’t feel good about what happened.

    Resorting to jumping on them and overly criticising them just makes the situation worse, and if teams level hard criticism, the members of those clubs gamble with the prospect of coming off as pricks. At that point, you might accidentally not have some calls go your way in the future.

    In Canada, officiating in all sports is a work in progress in trying to make things better.

    In the United States, a lot more funding is put into officiating at all levels of sports, but sports in a big industry there. In Canada, sports at all levels often relies on volunteers to move forward and succeed.

    It also has to be noted for the longest time on Saturday it didn’t appear Huskies would even get in position to win the game with a possible last-second touchdown. They led 2-0 after the first quarter due to the Thunderbirds conceding a safety.

    The visitors proceeded to score 23 straight points. Morrison hauled in touchdown receptions from 25 and 35 yards out in the second quarter from Thunderbirds quarterback Michael O’Connor. O’Connor hit receiver J.J. DesLauriers on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and the Huskies conceded a safety to conclude the surge by the visitors.

Huskies DB Payton Hall (#28) nails a Thunderbirds receiver.

    While the Thunderbirds offence scored points, the Huskies offence appeared to be stuck in the mud plagued by a number of dropped passes from receivers.

    The Huskies halted the bleeding early in the fourth quarter, when Siemens hit Samuel Baker for an eight-yard touchdown toss to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 23-9.

    O’Connor ran in a touchdown from six yards out, but the point after attempt was botched to hold UBC’s lead at 29-9.

    Siemens hit sophomore receiver Finley Easton with a 13-yard touchdown toss and Piok with a 33-yard scoring strike to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 29-23. The Thunderbirds conceded a safety with 59.3 seconds to play to cut their edge to 29-25 and give the Huskies one last drive from 75 yards out to try and win the game. That led to the dramatics at the end.

Alex Morrison (#85) makes one of his two TD catches. 

    Siemens completed 26-of-47 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Huskies lost their fourth straight to fall to 2-4. O’Connor completed 37-of 51 passes for 466 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Thunderbirds, who improved to 4-2 and locked up a playoff berth. Thunderbirds receiver Trivel Pinto caught 13 passes to lead all pass catchers with 156 yards receiving.

    With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Huskies still sit fourth in the Canada West Conference and hold the conference’s final playoff berth ahead of the U of Alberta Golden Bears and U of Manitoba Bisons, who are both 1-5.

    After Saturday’s heartbreaker to the Thunderbirds, the Huskies are at a turning point. They could let that affect them to the point where they tailspin right out of the post-season picture.

    They could also show true character and rally back from that disappointment, because they can still have a memorable season.
    The Huskies would look real impressive, if they can pull off the latter.

    Their first chance to get on the upswing occurs this coming Saturday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Golden Bears.

    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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"Dinos jinx" goes on for Huskies

U of Calgary gets 10^th straight win over U of Saskatchewan

Niko DiFonte (#45) boots the winning field goal for the Dinos.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies just can’t seem to get a Dinos sized load off their collective backs.

    For a short time in Friday night’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport football encounter at Griffith’s Stadium in Saskatoon, the host Huskies appeared poised to earn their first victory against the University of Calgary Dinos in six years. The Dinos had other ideas.

    With 2:04 to play in the fourth quarter, the Huskies led 19-17 and had the Dinos pinned at their own six yard line. To make matters worse for the visitors, they had to drive into a fairly stiff breeze.

    Those obstacles didn’t seem to matter to fifth-year Dinos quarterback Jimmy Underdahl. Underdahl drove his team 101 yards in nine plays to put U of C in range for a 10-yard chip shot field goal. 

    Kicker Niko DiFonte booted home the winning points with 40.8 seconds remaining on the clock to ultimately give the Dinos a 20-19 victory before a packed house of 7,938 spectators. The win allowed U of C to sit alone in first place in the Canada West Conference with a 3-0 mark, while U of S falls to 2-1.

Quentin Chown (#31) pushes the Dinos into range for a winning field goal.

    Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Dinos have won 10 straight head-to-head meetings with the Huskies. The Huskies last win over the Dinos came back on Oct. 15, 2010, when U of S claimed a 36-17 decision at Griffiths Stadium.

    Going into Friday’s battle, it seemed like the Huskies, who were rated 10^th in the CIS top ten rankings, were due to break the jinx.

    Before Friday’s contest, the last time these two teams met was in a Canada West quarter-final playoff match last year. The Huskies led that encounter 22-19 early in the fourth quarter only to fall 37-29.

    During the off-season, the Huskies strengthened their depth landing some key recruits from the Saskatoon Hilltops 2015 Canadian Junior Football League championship team. It was hoped the additions of those recruits would get the Huskies over a few humps, which included ending the head-to-head skid with the Dinos, who are rated second in the CIS rankings.

Jimmy Underdahl (#16) fires a pass downfield for the Dinos.

    The visitors got out of the gates with a fast start on Friday going up 10-0 in the first quarter thanks to 22-yard field goal by DiFonte and a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Quentin Chown.

U of S responded rolling off 16 straight points in the second quarter to hold a 16-10 edge at halftime.  
    Huskies quarterback Kyle Siemens fired a 13-yard touchdown strike to Hilltops grad Chad Braun and an eight-yard scoring toss to Samuel Baker. U of S kicker Sean Stenger contributed singles from a missed field goal and a kickoff rouge to round out the Huskies second quarter surge.

    It also appeared luck was going to shine the Huskies way too. The Dinos first possession of the second half ended when DiFonte nailed the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt preventing the visitors from cutting into the Huskies lead.

    After a scoreless third quarter, the Dinos went in front 17-16, when Chown ran in a four-yard major score for his second rushing touchdown of the day with 9:16 to play in the fourth quarter.

Chad Braun hauls in a touchdown catch for the Huskies.

    U of S responded on its next series when a five play 78 yard drive culminated with a 20-yard field goal by Stenger to give the hosts a 19-17 edge. That set the stage for the dramatics on Dinos scoring drive late in the frame.

    After the Dinos went ahead 20-19, the Huskies had a chance to get in range for the winning field goal with the wind at their backs, but the offence turned the ball over on downs after three plays.

    Underdahl had a solid night completing 29-of-43 passes for 383 yards. He didn’t have any touchdown passes, but he also didn’t have any interceptions.

    Siemens was sound too connecting on 20-of-35 attempts for 283 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hilltops grad Matt Kozun had a pair of sacks being named the Huskies player of the game.

Huskies LB Brad Kotania (#40) nails Dinos SB Austen Hartley.

    When the dust settled, the difference in Friday’s game was the fact the Dinos were able to put together that long drive late in the fourth quarter to get in range for the winning kick. The Huskies played valiantly in the setback. With that said, it was still agonizing for the Huskies to drop their 10^th straight to U of C.

    The only thing the Huskies can do now is wait for their next opportunity to break the “Dinos jinx.” The two teams meet again on Oct. 22 in Calgary.

    Before contest comes around, both teams will be focuses on their respective upcoming schedules. The Huskies return to action on Sept. 24, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the U of Manitoba Bisons. The Dinos remain on the road and travel to Regina this coming Friday to take on the U of Regina Rams.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass on about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Hilltops' Fischer goes beast mode on Thunder

The Hilltops' Logan Fischer was too much for the Thunder to handle.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops unleashed “The Beast” in Logan Fischer on the Regina Thunder.

    The third-year tailback had a career night rushing for 293 yards on 32 carries to help the Toppers down their provincial rivals 35-17 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Saturday night. Fischer ran around, past and through the Thunder defenders, and he also caught a pair of passes for 26 yards in the Canadian Junior Football League battle. His efforts grew in importance as the night progressed.

    The two clubs began Saturday’s clash playing in cool but fairly pleasant conditions. A mist began to fall during the second quarter, and it turned into a monsoon for the entire second half.

    The heavier rainy weather worked out in favour of the Hilltops, who were locked in a 14-14 tie with the Thunder at halftime, but rolled to victory as the conditions worsened.

    The Thunder, who have a strong passing game and like to favour it, saw their aerial show get grounded.

    The Hilltops pounded their way to victory thanks to Fischer’s numerous gritty runs. He also benefited from the fact the Toppers offensive line blocked well, and the receivers did their part to seal off Regina’s defensive backs.

Logan Fischer piled up 293 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    When the two teams began their fight for top spot in the Prairie Football Conference, it appeared the game would be a tight affair.

    Regina controlled the contest for much of the first quarter and took a 7-0 edge, when quarterback Jaeden Marwick slipped a nine-yard outlet pass to an uncovered Colton Klassen. The scoring drive was aided by the fact Marwick connected with receiver Kasim Ocaya on a 49-yard bomb.

    Momentum changed early in the second quarter, when Marwick was intercepted near midfield by Hilltops cornerback Arnold Osam. Osam ran the ball back to the Regina 22, and on the ensuing play, Hilltops quarterback Jared Andreychuk hit wide receiver Chad Braun in the end zone to tie the contest up 7-7.

    A short time later, the Thunder appeared to wrestle momentum back in their favour blocking a Saskatoon punt and recovering the ball on the Hilltops five. Two plays later, Marwick hit Thomas Bresciani on a short four-yard TD toss to put the visitors up 14-7.

    Saskatoon tied things up shortly before the first half came to an end. After a short Regina punt, the Hilltops started a drive on the Thunder’s side of midfield and tied the contest up 14-14 on a three yard run by Fischer with 49.7 seconds to play.

    When the downpour of rain came at the start of the second half, the Hilltops jumped ahead 28-14. First, Andreychuk hit Evan Kopchynski on an 18-yard strike, and the signal caller later ran in for a major from nine yards out.

    Kristopher Calcutt kicked a short 12-yard field goal for the Thunder before the third quarter ended to cut the Saskatoon lead to 28-17.

Jared Andreychuk (#5) celebrates a TD run with his teammates in a monsoon.

    The Hilltops iced the game just past the midway point of the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by starting right guard Drayke Unger, who went as a fullback for the short yardage situation.

    While Fischer was the game’s star, Andreychuk completed 9-of-18 passes for 158 yards including his two touchdown tosses. He managed to avoid throwing an interception in the adverse conditions.

Marwick completed 15-of-25 passes for 184 yards, two touchdown strikes and two picks. Klassen was the top ground gainer for the Thunder running for 83 yards on 17 carries.

    With the win, the Hilltops improve to 4-0, while the Thunder fall to 3-1. The two rivals meet again this coming Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    If you have any comments or thoughts you would like to pass on about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Who hoo! It is playoff time

Drew Burko (#2) slings a pass for the Huskies.

            Playoffs! Please tell me about playoffs.

            I don’t know how someone could not be excited when post-season play arrives for football. With my sporting background being linked to football, I am likely biased that way. On the other hand, this is Saskatchewan, and football is number one.

            The next couple of days are going to be fun. Tonight at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (6-2) host the University of Manitoba Bisons (4-4) in one Canada West semifinal playoff match.

            On Saturday, the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops are in Langley, B.C., to take on the host Langley Rams for the Canadian Junior Football League championship, the Canadian Bowl. The Toppers are in quest of their 17^th national title, and kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

            First up is the Huskies and their intriguing match with the Bisons. Last year in Winnipeg, the Bisons slipped past the Huskies in a Canada West semifinal 37-36.

            As strange as this sounds, the Huskies will be hosting their first home playoff game since 2010. They haven’t won a playoff contest since defeating the University of Regina Rams at Griffiths back in 2009.

            In other words, there is pretty much a whole generation of students at the University of Saskatchewan that have never seen the Huskies football team win a playoff contest, and a small representation of that current student body likely remembers the 2010 home post-season game, where the Huskies fell 31-30 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Huskies are also 1-7 in post-season play over the past seven campaigns.

            The team’s three Vanier Cup titles in the 1990s and the four Vanier Cup appearances between 2002 to 2006 seem like a distant memory.

            The Huskies recent troubles in the post-season also coincide with the run of the University of Calgary Dinos winning the last six straight Canada West titles under head coach Blake Nill. In Canada West, you have the Dinos and then everyone else.

            This season has the potential to be different. Huskies have had some up and down games, but they managed a 6-2 finish. They enter the playoffs with solid back-to-back wins downing the Golden Bears 41-23 on Oct. 25 at Griffiths and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 38-18 last Saturday in Vancouver.

            The win over the Thunderbirds was a good one, because the Huskies had nothing to gain in the standings, and they played that contest out hard.

            The Bisons are the last team from Canada West to win the Vanier Cup back in 2007, which was the year before the Dinos began their current conference title run. This season, the Bisons have been all over the map posting a 4-4 mark looking impressive one week and then a question mark the next week.

            In Week One, the Huskies downed the Bisons 44-24 at Griffiths. On Oct. 17, the blowout margin went the other way as the Bisons stomped the Huskies 41-8 in Winnipeg.

            It will be interesting to see which team advances tonight. The other Canada West semifinal features the heavily favoured Dinos (6-2) against the Rams (3-5). Barring something unforeseen, the winner of the tilt versus the Bisons and Huskies will be traveling to Calgary in a week’s time.

Jared Andreychuk gets set to unload a pass for the Hilltops.

            In the CJFL, the Hilltops (8-2 overall) roll into the Canadian Bowl riding a seven-game winning streak. The Rams (9-3 overall) have won three straight.

            Saskatoon has improved significantly as the season has gone on. The Rams have 15 players in their 22-year-old graduation year and experience will be on their side. The Hilltops have only five graduating players.

            These teams met in the Canadian Bowl two years ago, and the Hilltops battled back from a 15-point third quarter deficit to pull out a 23-21 victory. Expect this year’s game to likely be as close.

            The Hilltops will have veteran receive Chad Braun back in the lineup, who missed five games due to foot and knee injuries. Dynamic running back Wayndel Lewis, who rushed for 1,063 yards in the regular season, will be out for a second straight game with his injured left ankle.

            The one weird thing with the CJFL was the fact the Ontario Football Conference wasn’t eligible to compete for the Canadian Bowl this season. The OFC changed it age rules, which has provisions to allow players to play until the age of 24.

            With that development, the Canadian Bowl doesn’t have the national championship title feel like it did in past years.

            Despite that fact, the Hilltops and Rams both earned their way into the title game, and a championship victory is always a great thing to achieve.

A salute to Huskies men’s soccer squad

Brett Levis motors down the pitch for the Huskies.

            The Canadian Interuniversity Sports men’s soccer championships turned out to be a heartbreaker for the U of S Huskies men’s soccer team.

On Thursday night, the host University of Prince Edward Island Panthers downed the Huskies 2-0 in extra time in Charlottetown. Jared Murphy scored at the 110^th minute and Logan Dawson tallied at the 119^th minute to lift the host Panthers to victory.

Brett MacDonald earned the win in goal for the Panthers, while Michal Bandula was saddled with the loss for the Huskies.
            On Friday, the Huskies were eliminated from the tournament dropping a 4-3 decision after penalty kicks to the Universite de Montreal Carabins.
            Bryce Marinus, Garrett Peters and Sam Whiting netted singles in regulation for the Huskies. Bandula again took the loss in goal. Vincent Perret, Alan Torrent and Louis Simard picked up singles for the Carabins. Simard and Samuel Dufort both saw action in goal for Montreal.
           The Carabins took the shootout 3-2, with Maxime Laurey, Mircea Ilcu and Fernando Herrera picking up goals. Luigi Bekwayo and Carson MacDonald netted the Huskies markers in the shootout.
           After they get over those two setbacks, the Huskies can reflect on what was a special season. A program best 9-1-2 record in the regular season and the team's first ever Canada West title were impressive accomplishments.
           Also, a few more casual local spectators have taken notice of the Huskies soccer program. The team would have loved to have sent fifth-year captain Jordain Farahani into graduation as a national champ.

The Huskies could potentially return the rest of their roster next season. One can already imagine the exciting possibilities that await this club a year from now.

 

Goals dry up

 

 

Ryan Holfeld tends goal for the Huskies.

             It appears all the graduations up front are catching up to the Huskies men’s Hockey team.

            After opening the regular season with four straight wins, the Huskies have lost six straight in the ultra-competitive Canada West Conference. During the skid, the Huskies have managed to score just eight goals. The losses have come at the hands of the Golden Bears (9-1), the Dinos (8-2) and the Bisons (5-5), with the last four setbacks coming on the road.

            The Huskies return home to face the Mount Royal University Cougars (6-4) at 7 p.m. both tonight and Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

            As far as preventing goals goes, not much more can be asked of the Huskies. Fifth-year goaltender Ryan Holfeld has stellar numbers with a 1.78 goals against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout. Rookie Jordon Cooke has a 2.63 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout.

            The Huskies graduated their top four scorers last season in forwards Derek Hulak, Kenton Dulle, Andrew Bailey and Brennan Bosch. Hulak was the Canada West MVP last season and is now playing for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

            That foursome just doesn’t get replaced right away. At this point, a goal gusher would go a long way to restoring confidence offensively for the Huskies. Getting just three goals in a game might be enough to get a win with the way the goaltending and defence has played.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.