Undeniable - Hilltops’ Douglas is one of the CJFL’s best

Drake Douglas has made lots of dynamic plays for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops will never be confused with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

The Hilltops, who are the CJFL’s most storied team, pride themselves on being workmanlike and humble. Players that have overflowing amounts of talent don’t draw attention to themselves, and they work on being great persons off the field.

The late Chase Bradshaw goes down as one of the biggest examples of this image. He was a Hilltops quarterback from 2007 to 2011. He was a backup on the Hilltops 2007 CJFL championship winning club and the star starter on the 2010 and 2011 CJFL championship winners.

He was the athlete who had the rocket arm and could get out of trouble with his legs thanks to his agility and blazing speed. You would be hard pressed to get Bradshaw to talk about himself, but when you saw his work on the field, his talent was undeniable.

Star players with the NFL’s Cowboys are often viewed as showman types that like the spotlight, and they will bombard you with talking about how great they are. Pro Football Hall of Fame receivers Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson exemplify the image of the classic Cowboys players.

The Hilltops do not like to do the showman thing, so this next line might get uncomfortable.

Drake Douglas is worth the price of admission of any game he plays in.

The graduate of Regina’s Balfour Collegiate Bears Football Team, has been that good and that entertaining to watch.

Douglas and the Hilltops (4-0) are set to finally play at home again on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Winnipeg Rifles (0-4) at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The last time the Hilltops played at home was for their regular season opener way back on August 11, when they downed the Edmonton Huskies 38-13 at SMF Field.

Douglas has had a blazing start to his final CJFL campaign. The 22-year-old star receiver leads the Prairie Football Conference in pass receptions (27), receiving yard (504) and receiving touchdowns (five). He also leads the PFC in punt return yards at 268 and is tied for punt return attempts at 24.

On the receiving side, Douglas, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 185 pounds, is on pace that he could possibly surpass the 1,000-yard receiving plateau in the regular season. No Hilltops player has ever hit 1,000 yards receiving in one regular season and that feat has happened less than 20 times in the history of the CJFL.

Slater Zaleski, who played for the Edmonton Huskies, holds the PFC record for receiving yards in one regular season with 1,064 yards coming back in 1987 in an eight-game regular season. 

Drake Douglas has 504 yards receiving in four games in 2024.

Michael Schaper, who played for the Vancouver Island Raiders, holds the CJFL record with 1,179 receiving yards in one regular season coming in a 10-game regular season played by the British Columbia Football Conference in 2010.

The CJFL’s career regular season record for receiving yards is held by Hilltops all-time great Andrew Busby, who piled up 3,109 receiving yards from 2004 to 2008. Busby holds the Hilltops record for most receiving yards in one season when he caught 73 passes for 974 yards and nine touchdowns in 2006.

On Tuesday, Douglas was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts in the Hilltops 29-15 victory over the Thunder in Regina on Saturday, Sept. 7. 

In that contest, Douglas caught 10 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown. He also returned six punts for 39 yards for the defensive CJFL champions, who are still rated first in the CJFL’s latest Top 10 Power Rankings.

On Thursday, the CJFL put together a graphic with Douglas being the top receiver for the first half of the campaign.

To go along with his efforts as a receiver and punt returner, Douglas is the Hilltops holder for field goal attempts on special teams. Off a fake field goal, Douglas threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to power running back Corbin Ebben in a 52-19 victory over the Colts in Calgary on August 25.

The Hilltops will mix things up in their running game and get the ball to Douglas on a jet sweep or other similar style running plays.

Douglas has been outstanding in all aspects of the game. As a receiver, quarterbacks can throw to him when he is covered. If a pass in his direction is off target, Douglas makes the one-handed stab catch to pull in the reception.

When he was growing up, Douglas’s favourite receiver with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders was Naaman Roosevelt, and Douglas certainly mirrors Roosevelt’s consistency. On the excitement creating side, Douglas is the Hilltops version of Roughriders legend Weston Dressler, who was formally inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Friday night.

Douglas is humble. When he settled in Saskatoon to be part of the working world in 2002, his football career was revived when his highlight packaged was emailed off by older brother Brayden to legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. Sargeant gave Drake a call and the rest is still becoming history.

While Douglas has a shot to become the first Hilltops receiver to hit 1,000 yards receiving in one regular season, that accomplishment still possibly might not happen. The storied CJFL club is always looking to the future, and the Hilltops usually empty their bench to get their younger reserve players playing time.

Drake Douglas was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week.

Jordan Walls, who was a Hilltops quarterback on their CJFL championship teams from 2014 to 2018 including being the star starter in 2017 and 2018, often said the Hilltops are not about individual statistics. In Walls final season in 2018, the Hilltops went 11-0 with the closest margin of victory being 19 points.

In most games in that campaign, the starters were off the field shortly after halftime due to the sizeable lead the Saskatoon side had. If the Hilltops would have left their starters in for three quarters or three and a half quarters, they could have potentially rocked a number of individual CJFL records that year.

With that in mind, you can expect Douglas is going to make a lot of special plays for the rest of 2024 campaign. If you don’t have a ticket to a Hilltops game Douglas is playing in, you will be missing out.

Mowles gets player of the week nod

Jace Mowles was the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

Saskatoon Hilltops cornerback Jace Mowles had his biggest game of the year and it resulted in a CJFL weekly award.

On Tuesday, Mowles was named the PFC’s defensive player of the week for his outstanding performance in the Hilltops 29-15 over the Thunder in Regina on Saturday, September 7. In that contest, Mowles, who is in his fourth year of CJFL eligibility, intercepted a pair passes and recorded three solo defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists and one pass knockdown.

On the season, Mowles, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate Marauders Football Team, has recorded five solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, one special teams tackle assist, two interceptions and one pass knockdown.

Sargeant records 240^th win as Hilltops head coach

Tom Sargeant has 240 career wins as Hilltops head coach.

Legendary Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant keeps collecting milestones as each season moves on.

When the Hilltops downed the Thunder in Regina 29-15 on Saturday, September 7, Sargeant earned his 240 career victory as Hilltops head coach. Sargeant became the Hilltops head coach in early December of 1997, and he has a 240-37-2 career record working the team’s sidelines.

His career record includes posting a 178-26-2 mark in the regular season and a 62-11 mark in the post-season. Sergeant is the all-time leader in career head coaching victories in Canada’s amateur post-secondary ranks.

The Hilltops, who are the defending CJFL champions, have won 14 CJFL titles with Sargeant as head coach. Sargeant also helped the Hilltops win two CJFL championships as an assistant coach and one CJFL title as a player. He was a Hilltops assistant coach from 1991 to 1997 and a player from 1983 to 1985 and 1987 having spent the 1986 campaign with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team.

Glen Constantin, who is the head coach of the ultra-powerful Laval Rouge et Or in the U Sports ranks, is second all-time in career head coaching victories in Canada’s amateur post-secondary ranks. Constantin picked up his 212^th career victory on Saturday as the Rouge et Or thumped the host McGill University Redbirds 45-12 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. The Rouge et Or improved to 3-0 with the victory.

Constantin served as the Rouge et Or’s defensive coordinator from the team’s inaugural campaign in 1996 to 2000 and has been the squad’s head coach since 2001. As the team’s head coach, Constantin has posted a career record of 212-38 which includes a 155-27 mark in the regular season and a 57-11 record in the U Sports post-season.

The Rouge et Or have won 10 of their 11 Vanier Cup titles as U Sports champions with Constantin as head coach.

Frank McCrystal sits third in career head coaching victories in Canada’s amateur post-secondary ranks at 208 serving as head coach of the Regina Rams from 1984 to 2014. McCrystal piled up his win total during the Rams final 15 seasons in the CJFL from 1984 to 1998 and the Rams first 16 season in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams from 1999 to 2014.

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

In U Sports, McCrystal posted a 60-67-1 record in the regular season and a 7-12 record in the post-season as 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.

Combining his records from the CJFL and U Sports, McCrystal posted a 208-104-2 mark as Rams head coach.

Clark to appear at End Zone Scholarship Dinner, other notes

Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019.

Dan Clark will be the special guest at the Annual Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner set for September 28.

Clark was a star centre for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2009 to 2022. He was on the Roughriders practice roster in 2009 and 2010 and was on the main roster from 2011 to 2022 appearing in 131 games. During his years on the Roughriders practice roster, Clark was playing for the CJFL’s Regina Thunder.

Clark gained fame catching an eight-yard touchdown pass from legendary Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant in a 37-0 romp over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a game played at historic Taylor Field on July 21, 2013. Following that contest, Clark and the Roughriders would later win the Grey Cup with a 45-23 victory over the Tigers-Cats on November 24, 2013 at Taylor Field.

In 2019, Clark was the unanimous selection as the Saskatchewan Roughriders Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. He was also named a CFL all-star.

The Annual Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner will be held in the main hall of the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building located at the south end of Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The doors for the dinner will open at 4:15 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5 p.m.

The presenting sponsors of the event are TCU Financial and SaskTel. It is hosted in conjunction with the Hilltops community partners in the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation. The official beverage sponsor is the Crossmount Cider Company.

All proceeds of the event go towards the Saskatoon Hilltop Scholarship Fund.

Single tickets for the event are $100, and a table of eight goes for $725. Ticket purchases include admission to that night’s CJFL regular season contest between the Hilltops and the Regina Thunder set for 7 p.m. at SMF Field. Tickets for the End Zone Dinner can be purchased by clicking right here.

• On Thursday, the CJFL put up graphics for Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider being the most valuable player and the top quarterback for the first half of the PFC’s regular season. A graphic was made for Regina Thunder running back Sadik Sadik being the top rusher and for Winnipeg Rifles linebacker Kyler Banfield for being the top defender.
• On Tuesday, Calgary Colts kicker/punter Robert Lasebnik was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week for his work in his team’s 36-30 victory over the host Edmonton Wildcats at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta, last Sunday. Lasebnik punted the ball nine times for an average of 40.7 yards per punt and kicked the ball off six times for an average of 55.7 yards per kick. He also hit five one-point converts for the Colts.
• On Monday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Aulain Penner, who is the star running back of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School Crusaders Football Team. Penner is one of Saskatoon’s most exciting high school players. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures from Softball Canada’s Men’s and Master Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship tournaments that were played on the diamonds at the Complex. It also includes other photos from baseball, football and softball. That post can be found by clicking 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 aim for redemption in PFC final against Thunder

Low point loss in Regina fresh memory for Saskatoon side

The Hilltops charge on to the field this past Sunday.

The Saskatoon Hilltops haven’t forgotten the loss that truly humbled them.

On September 17 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Hilltops fell to the host Thunder 23-7. The setback to their provincial rivals saw the Hilltops losing streak grow to three games. At 2-3, the Hilltops had lost three games during an entire regular season for the first time since 1993, when the Saskatoon side posted a 5-3 mark.

During the three game losing skid, the Hilltops dropped a 19-16 decision to the Rifles at East Side Eagles Field in Winnipeg, Man., on August 28, and they feel in an overtime heartbreaker 29-21 to the Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on September 10. In both of those games, the Hilltops could have pulled out victory by making one or two more plays.

The setback to the Thunder on September 17 at Mosaic Stadium was a definite one for the Hilltops where they got outplayed on offence, defence and special teams.

The two sides are slated to go at it again this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in the PFC final. The winner advances to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on November 12.

Hilltops star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson said his team was disappointed by the September 17 showing and wants to make up for that effort this time around.

“It is definitely a motivator,” said Johnson. “We want to give them that back and just play our best game of the year on Sunday.”

Since that September 17 loss to the Thunder, the Hilltops have won four straight games. They took their last three regular season outings to finish second in the PFC at 5-3.

Ryland Leichert had a monster playoff outting for the Thunder.

The Hilltops hosted the Edmonton Huskies in a PFC semifinal this past Sunday at SMF Field and pulled out a gutty 20-15 victory.

The Thunder are a perfect 9-0 overall in the 2022 campaign. This past Sunday, they won their PFC semifinal match 23-14 over the Rifles at Leibel Field in Regina.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the September 17 loss to the Thunder was a shock to the system reality check for his club.

“That game changed our season,” said Sargeant. “Since then, we haven’t lost another football game.

“You break it down sometimes you get smacked in the mouth and then you have to decide what you are going to do about it. I think we addressed a lot of things that transpired during that game. As I said, we haven’t lost since then.

“We feel really good about that path we are in, the direction we are in and the team that we’re coaching. We’ve seen a lot of growth, so now, hey, great character win, gut check win on Sunday (against the Huskies) and we’re going to build on that and we’re going to play our best game of the year.”

The Hilltops and Thunder met in last year’s PFC final, which was also held at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatoon posted a 29-9 victory to take the conference title for a seventh straight year.

The last time the Hilltops fell in the PFC final came way back in 2013, when the Thunder pulled out a 21-16 victory at Griffiths Stadium on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan. The Thunder advanced to win the CJFL title interrupting the run where the Hilltops won three straight CJFL crowns from 2010 to 2012 and six straight CJFL championships from 2014 to 2019.

As the weather gets cooler in the post-season, both teams will be looking to their ground games to make an impact. Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen topped the PFC in rushing during the regular season carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert finished second in the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 124 times for 724 yards and four touchdowns. 

Boston Davidsen led the PFC with 1,037 yards in the regular season.

Leichert turned heads with an insane outing in the Thunder’s PFC semifinal win this past Sunday against the Rifles, where he carried the 52 times for 390 yards.

Leichert’s 52 carries are a record for a CJFL post-season game surpassing the old mark of 44 carries set by Hilltops running back Ben Abrook on October 27, 2019, when Saskatoon downed the Huskies 30-14 in that year’s PFC final. The Thunder had Leichert run the ball a bunch due to the frigid field conditions in Regina last Sunday, which saw the PFC semifinal encounter with the Rifles delayed by an hour and 45 minutes as parents, players, fans and volunteers cleared a large snowfall to allow the game to be played.

“They (The Thunder) are obviously a great team,” said Johnson. “I think we are too.

“This is PFC football weather. It is getting cold out. We’re excited, but we have a lot of work to do at practice this week and learn to stop the run a bit better than we did this past weekend.”

Johnson was referring to the fact the Hilltops gave up 207 yards rushing as a team in their PFC semifinal win over the Huskies.

With tale of the tape in the running game noted, Environment Canada is predicting the upcoming PFC final in Regina will be played in sunny conditions with an 8 C temperature. Those conditions would allow the passing game to be a factor, and the Thunder have the edge in that department.

During the regular season, Thunder star quarterback Carter Shewchuk completed 157-of-250 passes for 2,351 yards and 18 touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions.

The Hilltops quarterbacks have had their ups and downs this season resulting in Damon Dutton starting five regular season games, while Trey Reider has started three regular season contests. During the regular season, Dutton completed 74-of-119 passes for 790 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. Reider in regular season action has completed 63-of-95 passes for 756 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions.

Sargeant said he is watching how the Hilltops week goes at practice before making a decision on who will start at quarterback in the PFC final. The sideline boss said he can see why his team would be overlooked in the PFC final but his Hilltops shouldn’t be written off.

Tom Sargeant looks to guide his team to a win in the PFC final.

“Obviously if you are a betting person, you’re going to put your money on the team that has the better numbers,” said Sargeant. “As I said, it is who is playing their best at this time of the year is the team that is going to win a championship, and that is what the Saskatoon Hilltops are really good at doing.”

When the Hilltops playoff run does end, they will graduate 20 players who will exhaust their CJFL eligibility including Johnson. Johnson said it has gone through his mind that the end of his Hilltops career is near, but the team’s graduating players are focused on living in the moment.

“There are a lot of fifth year guys out here,” said Johnson. “There are like 20 of us that are definitely going to be leaving it all on the field every time we get out there now.

“We believe we have two games left, but we’re definitely only worried about this weekend so far.”

Former ’Toppers star QB Bradshaw passes away at age 33

We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chase Bradshaw.

Chase was an incredible football player, an amazing friend and teammate and a part of our family.

Our condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew him. We will miss him dearly.

RIP QB1 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/840WPZthGV

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) October 27, 2022

The Saskatoon Hilltops and the football community of Saskatoon are mourning the passing of former Hilltops championship winning quarterback Chase Bradshaw.

Bradshaw passed away on Monday at age 33 after a two-and-a-half year battle with glioblastoma/brain cancer. He played five seasons with the Hilltops from 2007 to 2011.

In 2007, Bradshaw was a rookie backup quarterback as the Hilltops won the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – over the St. Leonard Cougars 26-3 at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Man.

He was the Hilltops star starting quarterback when they won CJFL titles in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Bradshaw was at the controls of the offence helping the Hilltops down the Vancouver Island Raiders 34-23 at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus to win the Canadian Bowl.

Bradshaw called signals in his final CJFL game on November 14, 2011 helping the Hilltops down the host Hamilton Hurricanes 29-1 at Ivor Wynne Stadium to win the Canadian Bowl for a second straight year.

Before joining the Hilltops, Bradshaw helped the Evan Hardy Collegiate Souls win a Saskatoon city high school championship in 2006. After graduating from the Hilltops, Bradshaw played one season in the U Sports ranks for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in 2012.

Bradshaw will forever be part of the long list of great quarterbacks the Hilltops have had come through their storied program.

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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