Heartbreak for Huskies again in Vanier Cup

Rouge et Or prevail 30-24 in showcase U Sports title game

Mason Nyhus played his final game with the Huskies on Saturday.

If you told the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in training camp that they’d be in position to make a two-minute drill drive at the end of the fourth quarter to win the Vanier Cup, they would take it.

If you told the Huskies they would have to make that drive against the forever powerful Universite Laval Rouge et Or, the Dogs would still take it.

That was the position the Huskies were in on Saturday playing before 8,420 spectators at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ont. They were actually in that position twice.

Trailing the Rouge et Or 30-24, the Huskies had the ball at their own 18 yard line with 1:44 remaining in the fourth quarter with two timeouts. They needed to drive 92 yards to win the game, but it was something that could be realistically done and had been done in the past.

The Huskies got 21 yards downfield on four plays before turning the ball over on downs. The drive ended when Huskies star fifth-year quarterback Mason Nyhus hit sophomore star second-year running back Ryker Frank with a pass on a third-and-six situation.

Frank initially caught the ball six yards downfield, but took a step backwards looking to make a cut for additional yards. Because of that step backwards, Frank was stopped short of the first down marker and the Rouge et Or took over at the Huskies 39 yard line.

Connor Delahey had 8.5 total tackles for the Huskies.

After the Rouge et Or offence went two and out, they punted the ball to the Huskies, who had the ball at their own 20 yard line with 34 seconds remaining with no timeouts. Needing chunk plays, the Huskies went three and out to turn the ball over on downs.

The Rouge et Or took two kneel downs to end the contest and begin the celebration of their 30-24 victory, and the fact they won the Vanier Cup to become U Sports champions for the 11^th time in team history. Before Saturday’s game, the last time the Rouge et Or won the Vanier Cup was in 2018.

Overall, U Sports football was the biggest winner on Saturday. The 57^th Vanier Cup played between the Huskies and Rouge et Or was an outstanding showcase of the sport of football at the Canadian university level. The fact it was shown live on CBC’s national network made it even better, because people who wouldn’t have normally watched the game would have been pulled in by a compelling encounter.

When the dust settled, the two teams combined for 975 yards of total offence. The Huskies had 469 total yards, and the Rouge et Or had 506 total yards.

Nyhus, who was playing in his final U Sports game, completed 34-of-43 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing one interception due to a tipped pass. Rouge et Or star second year quarterback Arnaud Desjardins connected on 27-of-36 passes for 397 yards. Nyhus was the U Sports second team all-Canadian all-star quarterback, and Desjardins was the first team all-Canadian all-star quarterback.

Daniel Perry had five catches for 85 yards on Saturday.

Ultimately, Saturday’s contest was one of those games that could have gone the Huskies way had the result of two or three plays changed.

The teams were trying to gage what they could do in the first quarter and traded field goals. David Solie hit a 20 yard field goal for the Huskies, and Vincent Blanchard replied with a 15 yard field goal for the Rouge et Or to create a 3-3 tie after 15 minutes.

Early in the second quarter gambling on a third-and-goal situation, Nyhus rolled right and hit third-year receiver Everett Iverson with a three-yard touchdown toss to put the Huskies in front 10-3.

The Rouge et Or answered back on their ensuing offensive series with first-year running back Kalenga Muganda running in a touchdown from three yards out taking a direct snap in the wildcat formation to force a 10-10 tie. The Rouge et Or proceeded to take their first lead when Blanchard booted the ensuing kickoff through the end zone for a rouge and an 11-10 edge.

The Huskies retook the lead on their ensuing offensive series, when Nyhus hit star second-year receiver Rhett Vavra with a three-yard touchdown pass for a 17-11 advantage.

Before the second quarter came to an end, Blanchard hit a field goal from 28 yards out to cut the Huskies lead to 17-14 and knocked home a field goal from 49 yards out with 0.2 seconds to play in the frame to force a 17-17 tie at halftime.

Everett Iverson had the Huskies first TD catch on Saturday.

With 9:07 remaining in the third quarter, the Rouge et Or caught a positive break to avoid falling behind again on the scoreboard. Solie launched a long punt, which Rouge et Or returner Alex Duff allowed to bounce into his own end zone playing the situation like the punt return rules in the United States were in play.

Duff circled back into his end zone to get the ball. As soon as his fingers grabbed the ball, he was hit by Huskies long snapper Jayden Engel. The ball popped out of Duff’s hands and Huskies backup running back Kody Gutek recovered the ball in the end zone for an apparent touchdown.

 The officials correctly called a no yards penalty on Engel, which negated the major score and even the opportunity to pick up a single point.

After surviving that mishap, the Rouge et Or accounted for the only points in the third quarter with a 10-yard field goal from Blanchard to take a 20-17 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Rouge et Or went into the bag of tricks to pull out a major score. Facing a first and goal situation from the Huskies one yard line, star receiver Kevin Mital lined up behind centre in the wildcat formation. Mital faked like he was going to run the ball and looped a one-yard touchdown toss to second-year fullback David Dallaire to increase the Rouge et Or’s lead to 27-17.

Ryker Frank had 65 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving on Saturday.

The Huskies looked like they were going to trim the Rouge et Or’s advantage on their ensuing offensive possession. U of S got the ball down to the Rouge et Or six yard line for a first-and-goal situation.

Nyhus threw a pass in the end zone to third year receiver Caleb Morin. Morin wasn’t able to hold on to the high pass and the ball slipped through his hands into the arms or Rouge et Or defensive back Felix Petit for an interception with 9:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The result of the play was an unfortunate one for Morin, who had a strong game leading the Huskies with seven catches for 97 yards.

After the interception, the Huskies defence forced the Rouge et Or offence to go two-and-out. Following a 35-yard punt return by Vavra, U of S started a drive on the Rouge et Or’s 51 yard line.

The Huskies quickly drove the short field and Nyhus hit sure handed second-year receiver Daniel Wiebe with a three-yard touchdown pass to cut the Rouge et Or lead to 27-24 with 4:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Nick Wiebe had six total tackles for the Huskies on Saturday.

The Rouge et Or pushed their lead out to 30-24 on their ensuing offensive series with Blanchard hitting a 25 yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. That field goal was set up mainly by Desjardins hitting Rouge et Or fourth-year receiver Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc with a 55-yard pass. Blanchard made all five of his field goals on the afternoon.

That set the stage for the Huskies final two failed drives as the Rouge et Or made the 30-24 score hold up as the game’s final outcome.

Mital, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the player of the year in U Sports football on Thursday, was awarded the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the Vanier Cup game MVP. Mital hauled in eight passes for a game high 142 yards to go with his touchdown toss.

The Bruce Coulter Award for the defensive player of the game went to second-year linebacker Charles-Alexandre Jacques. Jacques made 5.5 total tackles for the Rouge et Or in the win.

The Huskies piled up 125 yards rushing as a team in the first half and only nine yards rushing as a team in the second half. Frank carried the ball 12 times for 65 yards and caught five passes for 30 yards.

Teb Kubongo had two carries for 65 yards for the Huskies.

Third-year running back Ted Kubongo ran the ball twice for 65 yards and caught two passes for five yards.

Huskies star fourth-year receiver Daniel Perry had five catches for 85 yards, and Vavra had six catches for 66 yards.

Muganda topped the Rouge et Or in rushing with 19 carries for 76 yards to go with his major score. Dansereau-Leclerc finished the contest with eight catches for 119 yards.

Defensive end Connor Delahey led the Huskies with 8.5 total tackles, while linebacker Nick Wiebe had six total tackles.

Defensive back Maxym Lavallee topped the Rouge et Or with 7.5 total tackles, while defensive lineman Jean-William Rouleau had a quarterback sack.

Rouge et Or head coach Glen Constantin picked up his 10 Vanier Cup win as the team’s head coach and increased his U Sports record for career head coaching wins to 202 with Saturday’s result.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory saw his team’s overall record conclude at 10-2, while the Rouge et Or close out at 11-1 overall. The Huskies went into the game rated fourth in the final U Sports Top 10 rankings, while the Rouge et Or were rated second.

HC Scott Flory saw his Huskies fall after a strong effort.

When Saturday’s game reached its conclusion, it was another lesson in heartbreak in the Vanier Cup for the Huskies. The Dogs were in last year’s Vanier Cup, and they fell 27-21 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec.

The Huskies last won the Vanier Cup in 1998 downing the Concordia University Stingers 24-17 at the venue then known as the Skydome and now Rogers Place in Toronto. 

The Huskies have returned to the U Sports title game six times since dropping five of those contests by six or fewer points.

One of these years, you have to think the Huskies persistence will result in a U Sports championship. Still with how most of amateur sport in Canada isn’t followed that closely anymore by mainstream media outlets, it was big the Huskies could play well and make the Vanier Cup a showcase game before a national television audience.

The Huskies finish the 2022 campaign with a 10-2 overall record.

If Saturday’s Vanier Cup gets more people talking about U Sports football, that is a big victory for the sport as a whole.

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 know 10-0, claim PFC title for fifth straight year

The Hilltops raise the PFC championship trophy once again.

    Saskatoon Hilltops defence laid the hammer down to ensure the opportunity to play for a fifth straight Canadian Junior Football League title wouldn’t be denied.

    With the Hilltops having built an 18-0 first quarter lead on the Edmonton Huskies in the Prairie Football Conference final on Sunday afternoon at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Saskatoon’s defensive unit ensured Edmonton’s offence never got on track.

    The Hilltops limited the Huskies to just 78 yards rushing and 165 yards passing in winning the PFC final 28-9 before 863 spectators. Sunday’s victory marked the fifth straight year the Hilltops have captured the PFC title.

DTs Garth Knittig, left, and Jesse McNabb, nail a Huskies QB.

    Of course after the previous four PFC championship victories, the Hilltops moved on to capture the Canadian Bowl.

    With Sunday’s win in the books, the Hilltops will host the CJFL title game on November 17 at SMF Field at a time to be announced.

    “It feels amazing,” said Hilltops star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb, who had five defensive tackles in the win. “We have a good group of guys around us.

    “We have a good group of fifth years. We all just did our job today. Offence struggled a little bit, but our defence picked it up when we needed it to.”

    The Huskies defence was stout against the Hilltops passing game.

    Saskatoon’s star quarterback Jordan Walls completed 11-of-25 passes for 145 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Earlier in the day, Walls was named the most outstanding quarterback, the most outstanding offensive player of the year and the most valuable player of the PFC. 

Hilltops DB Colton Holmes (#9) drills a Huskies receiver.

    Hilltops star receiver Jason Price was held to one catch for eight yards. Price was named the most outstanding receiver for the PFC earlier in the day.

    The Hilltops ground game was firing on all cylinders. Star running back Josh Ewanchyna, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding offensive back earlier in the day, ran the ball 24 times for 163 years and three touchdowns. He also hauled in two passes for 33 yards.

    In his last three outings against the Huskies, Ewanchyna has rushed for 100 or more yards in each of those contests.

    After Walls threw for 473 yards in the Hilltops 58-5 romp over the Winnipeg Rifles in a PFC semifinal contest one week earlier, Ewanchyna believed he was going to have to step up against the Huskies.

    “With Walls’ performance last week, we knew that they were going to be watching that passing game a little closer,” said Ewanchyna. “We knew the run game was going to be there.

    “It was very physical. Our ground and pound game is what we kind of pride ourselves with. We know, if we keep driving the ball, the game is going to be a little easier.

The Hilltop got great support from their faithful fans at SMF Field.

    “We are going to wear out the defence. That is what seemed to happen. When we got the ball and pounded it, things were going pretty good for us.”

    The Hilltops’ first quarter surge started with a David Solie field goal from 31 yards out, which was set up by a blocked punt by defensive end Connor Delahey. Ewanchyna ran in his first major of the game from three yards out and Solie scored a single on the ensuing kickoff to put the Hilltops up 11-0.

    Hilltops fifth-year linebacker Adam Benkic recovered a fumble on the ensuing Edmonton series. On the drive resulting from that fumble recovery, Ewanchyna ran his second major of the game in from 21 yards out on the final play of the first quarter to give the Hilltops an 18-0 lead.

RB Josh Ewanchyna scores three TDs for the Hilltops.

    From there, Edmonton tried to make a comeback but was only able to chip away at the Saskatoon lead.

    In the second quarter, the Huskies forced the Hilltops to concede a safety, received an 18-yard field goal from Cole Sabourin and a single from a missed field goal from Sabourin to cut Saskatoon’s edge to 18-6.

    Sabourin booted a 19-yard field goal in the third quarter to further trim the Hilltops advantage to 18-9.

    “Once we got ahead of them, all they could do was kick field goals,” said McNabb. “We did our job.

    “We knew we were going to keep doing our job, and they would have to pull some magic out to score on us it felt like. We just did the game plan and did our job. That is all we need to do.”

    The Huskies won turnover battle with the Hilltops 5-3, which is something the Hilltops almost never come out on the wrong end of.

    Edmonton was without starting quarterback Tommy Yanchuk due to injury. Sunday’s starter Brendan Guy left the PFC final with an injury early in the fourth quarter running for a first down on a third down gamble.

Huskies QB Brendan Guy faced constant pressure from the Hilltops defence.

    Guy completed 14-of-24 passes for 138 yards before departing the contest. Jordan Lane, who is normally Edmonton’s third string quarterback, competed 4-of-7 passes for 27 yards in relief.

    Before Guy was injured, the Huskies odds at making a comeback became a lot more difficult, when Ewanchyna ran home a major from 34 yards out near the end of the third quarter to increase the Hilltops lead to 25-9.

    After Guy left the contest, Solie booted a 27-yard field goal with 4:45 to play in the fourth quarter to seal the final outcome at 28-9 in favour of the Hilltops.

    Benkic had four defensive tackles and four special teams tackles to go along with his fumble recovery for Saskatoon.

    Defensive tackle Garth Knittig, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive lineman earlier in the day, had seven defensive tackles for the Hilltops. 

The Hilltops Cheerleading team entertains at halftime.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had five defensive tackles and forced a fumble for the host side. Peters was named the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker and most outstanding defensive player earlier in the day.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said he would have liked to have seen a little more production from his team’s passing game, but when it comes to playoff football, the legendary sideline boss said all that mattered was getting the job done.

    “At the end of the day, you are just here,” said Sargeant, who was named the coach of the year in the PFC earlier in the day. “I don’t care if you win by one or win by 100.

    “You have to figure out how to win and move on. Hey, we’re going to another Canadian final. That tells you so much about this group of coaches and this group of men.

The Hilltops defence corrals Huskies receiver Sam Clayton.

    “Five in a row, you think about that. That don’t happen anywhere.”

    With the win, the Hilltops improve to 10-0 overall on the 2018 campaign. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have won their last 18 games in a row. Saskatoon has won its last 15 straight post-season games in a row too.

    When the Hilltops try to win an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL title on Nov. 17, they will be trying to complete a perfect season and keep their overall and playoff winning streaks intact.

    The Huskies finished the 2018 campaign with a 7-3 overall record.

The Hilltops celebrate Josh Ewanchyna’s third quarter TD.

    The CJFL’s other two conference title games were also contested on Sunday. In the Ontario Football Conference final in Hamilton, the host Hurricanes slipped past the Windsor AKO Fratmen 28-23.

    In the British Columbia Football Conference final in Kelowna, the Langley Rams thrashed the host Okanagan Sun 39-7.

    The Rams, who are 9-3 overall, host the Hurricanes, who are 10-0 overall, in a CJFL semifinal game this coming Saturday in Langley, B.C.

    While the Hilltops will have close to three full weeks off before hosting the Canadian Bowl, McNabb is looking forward to playing the CJFL title game at home.

The Hilltops DLs and DL coach Dave Fisher pose for a memorable picture.

    “It is exciting to have it at home,” said McNabb. “We have to stay mentally prepared through those three weeks.

    “That is all we can really do is prepare for the next game whoever we play.”

    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 pay the Price and make Rifles hit the Rhode

Receiver Jason Price jets home on an 81-yard touchdown catch.

    Jason Price was happy he could help pull his Saskatoon Hilltops out of some doldrums.

    After the Hilltops stormed out to a 25-3 lead in the first quarter over the visiting Winnipeg Rifles in a Prairie Football Conference semifinal playoff match on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the host side stalled in the second quarter. 
    In that frame, the Hilltops scored just one point and had to concede a safety due to bad field position to see their lead sit at 26-5.

    Price, who is the club’s star fifth-year receiver, had an 81-yard touchdown reception in his side’s explosive first 15 minutes. At the 3:10 mark of the third quarter, Price hauled in a deep corner route to score a 45-yard touchdown reception to put the Hilltops up 33-5.

    That kick started the venerable Canadian Junior Football League team, and the Hilltops cruised to a 58-5 victory from that point.

Receiver Tanner Rhode reaches into the end zone for a touchdown.

    “We had kind of a rough second quarter,” said Price. “Coming into the next half, we just had to make some kind of play, and it turns out they called on my number.

    “I just had to make it, and it helped carry the team to this kind of victory.”

    Price and third-year receiver Tanner Rhode had monster games in the Hilltops romp. Price hauled in five catches for 191 yards and his two major scores. Rhode hauled in eight catches for game high 193 yards and scored one touchdown burning Rifles defensive back Troy Wilson seemingly all afternoon.

    Thanks to the big games by Price and Rhode, Hilltops fifth-year star quarterback Jordan Walls had the best statistical game of his CJFL career completing 18-of-29 passes for 473 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

    “Offensively, Wallsy did a great job of finding his receivers,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “Tanner Rhode stepped up and had the best game I’ve seen him in our uniform.

QB Jordan Walls piled up 473 yards passing for the Hilltops.

    “Jason Price was Jason Price. (Running back) Josh Ewanchyna had a couple of big catches and big runs. It was just a great effort.”

    The Hilltops struck quickly in Sunday’s contest, when Ewanchyna ran home a touchdown from 24 yards out at the 2:04 mark of the first quarter to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

    Winnipeg answered back with a 27-yard field goal from kicker Barrett Mueller to cut Saskatoon’s edge to 7-3.

    From that point, the Hilltops almost burned out the lights on the scoreboard at SMF Field during the rest of the first quarter.

    Receiver/kicker David Solie booted a 31 yard field goal, and punter John Brown booted a 54-yard punt single to put the Hilltops up 11-4. From there, Price hauled in his 81-yard touchdown reception to increase the Hilltops lead to 18-3.

    On the final play of the first quarter, Walls connected with Rhode on a 25-yard touchdown pass to give the Hilltops a 25-3 edge.

Josh Ewanchyna piled up 157 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    Brown conceded a safety early in the second quarter to give Winnipeg two points to trim Solie collected a single point off a 27 yard missed field goal with 9.8 seconds remaining before halftime to give the Hilltops a 26-5 advantage.

    While Sargeant was happy with the win, the Hilltops legendary sideline boss saw too many spots - especially in the second quarter - where the Rifles could have gotten back into the game.

    “We had some good lessons to learn,” said Sargeant. “There are lots to improve and get better.

    “There are some things I am not happy about, but ultimately in playoffs, you just want to keep moving to the next week. We’ve done that, so I’m just looking forward to getting back to work next week and making this team even better.”

    Price’s early third quarter score got the Hilltops rolling in the second half.

Fans at SMF Field cheer on the Hilltops.

    Just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, Ewanchyna took a swing pass from Walls and turned it into a 34-yard touchdown reception to put the Hilltops up 40-5. Ewanchyna carried the ball 18 times for 157 yards and hauled in three passes for 68 yards to go with his one major score on the ground and one through the air.

    Solie hit a field goal from 32 yards out and collected a single from a 31-yard missed field goal to put the Hilltops up 44-5.

    Saskatoon’s defence proceeded to get in on the scoring from that point.

    After the Rifles drove deep into Saskatoon’s end, Hilltops fourth-year defensive back Logan Kelsey-Stern picked off Rifles quarterback Riley Naujoks and ran the ball back 117 yards for a touchdown to give the Hilltops a 51-5 advantage.

DB Logan Bitz, right, defenses a pass for the Hilltops.

    Following that score, Hilltops sophomore defensive back Michael Gerber sacked Naujoks forcing a fumble. Hilltops sophomore defensive end Connor Delahey picked up the loose ball and raced 41 yards for a touchdown to round out the game’s scoring. 
    The major score was the first for Delahey in his post-secondary football career.

    “I was just worried I was going to end up tripping on the ball and falling over it and looking like an idiot,” said Delahey, who had a sack in Sunday’s win. “We were lucky.

Logan Kelsey-Stern returns a pick 117 yards for a touchdown.

    “I scooped it and scored and everyone was blocking for me, so I ended up getting into the end zone. My first touchdown and maybe my last.

    “Hopefully not, but maybe my last with the Hilltops. I have to really cherish the moment, because it might never happen again.”

    Delahey had a breakout campaign with the Hilltops making 21 total tackles and four sacks in six regular season games with the team.

    “For me personally, I think I have improved a lot,” said Delahey. “That is what is the most important to me from the start of the season to the end.

    “My pass rush has gotten better. I’ve been able to read the run. As a whole D-line, we’ve improved.

    “As the whole D-line improves, it is going to open up opportunities for me.”

    Defensive tackle Jesse McNabb had a pair of sacks for the Hilltops, and star fifth-year linebacker Cody Peters had a team-high four total tackles.

Rifles QB Riley Naujoks is sacked by Hilltops DB Michael Gerber.

    Naujoks, the Rifles regular starting quarterback who returned from injury, completed 24-of-49 passes for 341 yards, but his one interception resulted in Kelsey-Stern’s major score. Brendan Naujoks topped the Rifles in receiving hauling in nine passes for 99 yards.

    Winnipeg was held to 25 yards rushing as a team.

    Rifles defensive back Andrew Ricard led his side with eight total tackles and recovered one fumble.

    The Hilltops, who were 8-0 in the regular season, improve their overall record to 9-0. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, they have won their last 17 games in a row.

    The Rifles, who were 3-5 in the regular season, finish the 2018 campaign at 3-6 overall.

DE Connor Delahey returns a fumble 41 yards for a TD.

    In the other PFC semifinal on Sunday, the Edmonton Huskies, who were 6-2 in the regular season, downed the Regina Thunder, who were 5-3 in the regular season, 39-36 in overtime at Commonwealth Stadium in the Alberta capital.

    The Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, will travel to Saskatoon to meet the Hilltops, who have won the last four straight CJFL titles, in the PFC final set for this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    In making his last run through the CJFL playoffs, Price wants to keep advancing and help the Hilltops win an unprecedented fifth-straight CJFL title.

    “You always want to go out on top as a fifth year,” said Price. “We have the right team for it.

    “We just have to keep playing as that Hilltop team and keep playing Hilltop football.”

    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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The Hilltops most dynamic player

Ewanchyna has delivered big plays since rookie year

Josh Ewanchyna has been a play maker for the Hilltops since day one.

    During a big championship game moment as a rookie, Josh Ewanchyna gained a new appreciation for what it was like to be part of the Saskatoon Hilltops family.

    Back on Nov. 12, 2016, the Hilltops were trying to win their 19^th Canadian Junior Football League title and third Canadian Bowl league championship game in a row. The Canadian Bowl was being played at Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C., and the visiting Hilltops found themselves down 19-16 to the host Westshore Rebels with just under five minutes expired in the third quarter.

    Rebels quarterback Ashton Mackinnon has just scored a major on a one-yard sneak to give his side a three-point lead.

    At that moment, Ewanchyna stepped up to the forefront as the Hilltops X-factor. He took the kickoff following Mackinnon’s major score back 105 yards for a Hilltops touchdown to put Saskatoon up 23-19. The Hilltops proceeded to expand their edge to 37-19 and ultimately claimed the contest 37-25.

    Ewanchyna had a rushing touchdown in the first half of that contest, but the second half kickoff return touchdown was the highlight of his rookie year.

    “Having been my first year and to have such a big impact on a game like that, I wasn’t happy (just) for myself,” said Ewanchyna, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 195 pounds. “I was happy for everyone that was happy for me and just having all that joy and people just like appreciating that.

    “It gave me that feeling that it is not just about me making big plays. It is about playing for the team and playing for everyone around you especially the fifth years when you are here.”

    Ewanchyna continued to be an X-factor as a sophomore for the Hilltops last season playing behind Logan Fischer and Adam Machart at the running back position.

Josh Ewanchyna, right, breaks away from a Regina Thunder tackler.

    Following the Hilltops fourth straight Canadian Bowl victory in 2017, Fischer, who was the team’s established star at running back, graduated from the club having exhausted his CJFL eligibility. Machart moved on to play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the U Sports ranks.

    Now in his third CJFL season, Ewanchyna has risen to a star role at the running back position. The 20-year-old has won a pair of offensive player-of-the-week awards for the Prairie Football Conference this season.

    On Sunday at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton, the graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School carried the ball 22 times for 187 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Hilltops blanked the host Wildcats 53-0 in a CJFL regular season clash.

    On the campaign, Ewanchyna has carried the ball 107 times for 830 yards and scored 10 touchdown playing six out of the Hilltops seven regular season games to date having missed the first contest with a minor injury. He strives to emulate what Fischer and Machart did with club and said it was eye-opening learning from those two players.

    “I wanted to kind of sit back and you know just like watch those guys, see what they did at practice, see what they did for film (and) how their body language was,” said Ewanchyna. “You want to be like those guys.

    “You kind of realize those guys weren’t playing for themselves. They were playing for the team, the Hilltops, the ‘H’ on their helmets.

    “I just want to do the same and kind of follow in the footsteps as those guys did. I don’t know if I will ever get to those high standards, but it is definitely worth a try.”

Josh Ewanchyna has piled up the rushing yards for the Hilltops this season.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Ewanchyna has been an impact player with the Hilltops since arriving with the team. The sideline boss was proud of how his talented tailback handled playing behind Fischer and Machart in 2016 and 2017.
    Sargeant said Ewanchyna is able to be a dynamic player on the field due to a number of characteristics.

    “Number one, he is the second fastest player on our team, and he is just so physical,” said Sargeant. “He is tough.

    “He bounces off blocks. He knows how to put his body in good positions. He has great balance and really good vision.

    “He is just getting better and better at understanding what he needs to do and jelling with that offensive line. It is always a mechanism that needs to work with each other. He is doing a real good job of blending into that.”

    With the Hilltops having one regular season game remaining before they embark on the post-season, Sargeant expects Ewanchyna to play a sizable role in the team’s quest to win a fifth straight CJFL championship.

    “The Hilltops love to run the ball in the playoffs, so we’re going to pound that rock,” said Sargeant. “Josh is a big part of that.

    “He is a natural playmaker. We’re going to need him to stay healthy and make those type of plays.

    “If he does that, that puts us in great spots to be the team that we want and expect ourselves to be in this championship run for 2018.”

    While Ewanchyna has a big family with the players and staff on the Hilltops, he has relished the chance to play alongside a blood family member in older brother and 22-year-old fifth-year receiver Adam. Adam opened the scoring of Sunday’s game hauling in an eight-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter.
    Josh said he always looked up to Adam as they grew up together and followed Adam up through football.

Josh Ewanchyna can get downfield with great speed.

    When Adam was a Grade 12 star with Holy Cross’s football team, Josh was the Grade 10 youngster that wanted to be in Adam’s position.
    With the Hilltops, Josh became the bigger name player, but he found it huge to have Adam in the dressing room to help with the various ups and downs of a season.

    “I’ve been real close to my brother kind of coming up playing Hilltops,” said Josh Ewanchyna. “He is going out on his final one, so it is a little bit bittersweet this year playing my last year with him seeing him there in the locker room.

    “I’m going to have to get used to that next year not seeing him. He was always the one kind of pushing me to do better things with where I am today. It is awesome.”

    Going forward, Josh Ewanchyna said the Hilltops can’t overlook any opponent, especially with single-elimination playoff games sitting around the corner. While there are parts of the season that can be a grind, Ewanchyna admits the campaign does seem to go by too quickly, so it is important to enjoy the moment.

    “Four months out of the year, you have to kind of commit your life to it,” said Ewanchyna. “Next thing you know, you’re almost done it.

    “Every week, every game, every time you have practice, instead of sitting there kind of pouting about being there, you just have to enjoy the little things and be outside with your friends. You know happy you’re there. When you are on the field, you just have to work.

    “It is crazy how fast time flies. You don’t really realize it until it is gone. Definitely enjoying those wins and those times after with the guys celebrating is definitely what you have to take into account and enjoy the most.”

    With Sunday’s win in the books, the Hilltops improve to 7-0 on the season, extend their overall winning streak to 15 games including the regular season and playoffs and extend their road winning streak to 23 contests including the regular season and post-season.

    The Wildcats fell to 2-5 and were eliminated from CJFL playoff contention.

Josh Ewanchyna will see more touches as Hilltops head to the playoffs.

    In Sunday’s runaway win, Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls completed 14-of-26 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Fifth-year star receiver Jason Price hauled in four passes for 103 yards and scored one touchdown.
    David Solie booted field goals from 31, 23 and 10 yards out for the Toppers.

    Backup quarterback Tyler Hermann hit receiver John Brown for a touchdown pass, and the Hilltops forced the Wildcats to concede a safety in the contest.

    Saskatoon led 10-0 after the first quarter and 29-0 at halftime.

    Defensive end Connor Delahey had seven total tackles for the Hilltops, while rookie safety Evan Mantyka had a pair of interceptions.

    The Hilltops, who have first place in the PFC locked up, close the regular season this coming Sunday hosting the Winnipeg Rifles (3-4) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Rifles are locked into finishing fourth in the PFC, which means the two sides will meet in a PFC semifinal contest in the CJFL playoffs.

Back in the Express with Hilltops assistant coaches

Donnie Davidsen, left, is one of many key assistant coaches for the Hilltops.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with the cover story focused on the Saskatoon Hilltops assistant coaches.

    The piece focuses on how offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen became involved with the team and his journey with the club that is now into its 13^th season. Davidsen spent a number of years in Saskatoon’s high school ranks before joining the Hilltops.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant goes into detail about how important the assistant coaches are to the team.

    The club’s assistant coaches this season include defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Yausie, quarterbacks coach Shane Reider, defensive backs coach Brent Turkington, defensive line coach Dave Fisher, running backs coach Andre Lalonde and receivers coach Barclay Schlosser.

    Ben Hodson was added as another offensive line coach and Evan Turkington was added as another receivers coach as the season went on. They ultimately returned for a second campaign in those roles.

    The piece on the Hilltops assistant coaches can be found by clicking 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, Huskies to battle in first place showdown

Expect the Hilltops to come out fired up for a first place showdown.

    In the 2018 season to date, it will be the biggest game in the Prairie Football Conference and arguably the biggest game in the Canadian Junior Football League.

    On Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Saskatoon Hilltops will take on the Edmonton Huskies for first place in the PFC in what will be the only regular season meeting between the two sides. The Hilltops currently hold top spot in the PFC with a 5-0 mark, while the Huskies sit second at 4-1.

    If the Hilltops win this contest, they will lock up first place in the PFC. If the Huskies win, they will sit in first place due to holding the standings tiebreaker with the Hilltops.

    Edmonton’s schedule gets quite a bit easier after facing Saskatoon over the final two weeks of the regular season. The Huskies close their regular season slate hosting the Calgary Colts (0-5) on Oct. 6 and the Edmonton Wildcats (2-3) on Oct. 14.

    The squad that finishes first in the PFC locks up home field advantage though the entire CJFL playoffs including the Canadian Bowl national title game.

    “This is really our first playoff game at the end of the day, because it is major ramifications for what takes place,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “Every team wants home field advantage.

    “That is certainly a goal we have set, so we’re going to do everything in our power to come up with a great game plan, make sure the players come out and execute it well and see where it takes us. Film study tells us the Edmonton Huskies are a well-coached, physical football team.”

    The Hilltops and Huskies had a major rivalry in the 2000s with the two sides combining to win the CJFL title in five straight seasons. The Hilltops claimed three straight national titles from 2001 to 2003, while the Huskies won back-to-back national titles in 2004 and 2005.
    The Huskies hit a downturn, but they have returned to their powerhouse form from the past in recent years finishing 6-3 in 2016 and 7-1 last season. Their recent clashes with the Hilltops have been hard fought.

    In the only meeting between the two sides in 2016, the Hilltops pulled out a 29-20 win in Edmonton in Week 2.

Joshua Ewanchyna, right, has been piling up yards for the Hilltops.

    Last season, the two clubs met in the final week of the regular season in Edmonton with first place on the line. The Huskies held a 14-10 lead at halftime before the Hilltops stormed back for a 38-28 victory.
    “We’ve been looking forward to this especially after the game we had against them last year,” said Hilltops star fifth-year receiver Jason Price. “That game was so intense trying to get that first place last year too.

    “This one we’re amped up. We’re ready. We’re going to throw the ball around and fire it up and hopefully take it to them.”

    The Hilltops, who have claimed the last four straight CJFL titles, enter the contest having won their last 13 straight games including action in the regular season and playoffs. Saskatoon has been impressive so far in 2018 having trailed on the scoreboard for just a total of 81 seconds through five outings.

    Fifth-year star quarterback Jordan Walls leads the PFC with 1,270 yards passing having completed 78-of-126 throws for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
    Price leads the PFC with 422 yards receiving on 19 catches scoring two touchdowns.

    Hilltops third-year running back Joshua Ewanchyna sits second in the PFC with 442 yards rushing coming off 58 carries and scoring six touchdowns.

    Defensively, sophomore defensive end Connor Delahey leads the Hilltops with three sacks, while defensive tackle Jesse McNabb and linebacker Cody Peters each have two-and-a-half sacks.

    Huskies second-year quarterback Tommy Yanchuk has completed 80-of-148 passes for 1,108 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Yanchuk’s yardage total ranks third in the PFC.

    Edmonton’s second-year running back in Brandt Burzuk leads the PFC in rushing having run the ball 67 times for 488 yards and scoring five touchdowns.

    Sam Clayton leads the Huskies in receiving hauling in 21 passes for 301 yards and scoring four touchdowns.

    Defensive lineman Kolton Densmore leads the Huskies with three sacks. Defensive back Oshane Samuels has been outstanding making 32 total tackles and one interception.

    Sargeant has a lot of respect for the Huskies.

Cody Peters, left, and Tristan Hering get set to rush the passer.

    “They’re good,” said Sargeant. “Trust me, that is what the film tells you.

    “They do everything proper. They’ve got good plans, and they work hard to execute them.

    “Their defence has always given us fits. They run a thirty-four, a different look than what we are used to, so we have lots of things to sort out and figure out compared to how we played in earlier parts of the year.”

    The Huskies last visited SFM Field way back on Sept. 20, 2015 in a campaign where they failed to make the CJFL playoffs. The Hilltops cruised to a 49-17 blowout victory in that encounter.

    That contest in 2015 seems like a distant memory now.

    In Sunday’s upcoming encounter, Price believes his side will rise to the occasion with a big performance again, because the Hilltops coaching staff prepares their players like they are going to play a powerhouse squad every week.

    “We feel like our team is big enough and strong enough to take it to them,” said Price. “We’re just going to have to play the game that we know we can play and just let our play do the talking.”

    The Hilltops will be powered by some extra emotion in Sunday’s game. Last Friday, legendary Hilltops executive and Canadian Football Hall of Fame member Don McDonald passed away at age 86. McDonald first joined the Hilltops as a player in 1951 and 1952.

    The majority of members on the team found out about his passing right before facing the Regina Thunder at SMF Field last Saturday posting a 48-24 victory. The Hilltops found themselves down 17-16 for a short time before surging to the win.

    A celebration of life for McDonald is set for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Saskatoon Inn, and the Hilltops will take the field against the Huskies the following day.

    “We’re going to play with him (McDonald) in our hearts,” said Price. “We’re going to come out there and play hard for him.

    “(He is) an alumni, director and like a big deal in this community. We’re going to go out there with him in our hearts and play Hilltop football the way he would want us to play it.”

    Sargeant said it is hard to find the words to describe what McDonald meant to the team.

Don McDonald, left, with Lyle Hislop in 2016.

    “There will be a lot of emotion through that, because he has been such an impactful and key leader for the Saskatoon Hilltops,” said Sargeant. “As I said, there is a lot of pride and blessing knowing and working with him. 

    “He is one of the big reasons the Saskatoon Hilltops are on the map. We appreciate what all he has done for us. It was good enough to get him into the (Canadian Football) Hall of Fame.

    “That certainly makes all of us feel pretty prideful about that. We also know that we have a job to do. (There is) a little more incentive to keep honouring his name and doing the right things the way the Saskatoon Hilltops are supposed to be doing them.”

    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.