Hilltops rock ’n’ roll to 8-0 regular season mark once again

Hilltops DT Jesse McNabb, left, brings down a Wildcats ball carrier.

    It was one of those things where you have to be part of the Saskatoon Hilltops to understand it.

    During a team breakfast before the Hilltops closed their regular season schedule against the Edmonton Wildcats at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Sunday, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant decided he needed to make veteran star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb hit another gear with a call out.

    It worked.

    McNabb, who is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility, went out and had 6.5 total tackles and three sacks as the Hilltops hammered the Wildcats 48-8 before 811 spectators. 

Jesse McNabb, centre, enters the field with parents Deb and Aaron.

    The win allowed the Hilltops, who had first place in the Prairie Football Conference locked up, to close the regular season with an 8-0 record for the second straight year.

    “I called him (McNabb) out today in front of all the team and the parents at the morning breakfast, and he shoved it right in my mouth so good for him,” said Sargeant, whose team has won the last five straight CJFL titles. “He got it done today, and it was fun to watch.

    “He is a nice player to watch, and I had the lens on him. He got a hat trick today. He did a pretty good job of shutting me up today.”

    Truth be told, McNabb doesn’t really need any extra motivation to get going. The North Battleford, Sask., product has a unique relationship with his legendary head coach where they usually have some good-natured banter going back-and-forth.

Jesse McNabb, centre, celebrates one of his three quarterback sacks.

    Often, that results in Sargeant dropping down a challenge, which looks serious but is done in a good-natured way. McNabb goes out and executes the challenge with precision and calm and usually drops a sly smile to his sideline boss, when the challenge is complete.

    “Sarge” responds with a smile of his own and with a “Sargeism” that makes everyone laugh.

    When asked about Sargeant’s call out after the game, McNabb had a matter of fact response.

    “He (Sargeant) called me out at breakfast in front of everyone, so I thought I better respond today,” said McNabb said with a grin.

    McNabb said he had lots of motivation to play well on Sunday. He was one of the team’s 15 graduating players that were introduced individually and made the walk to the SMF Field turf with their parents.

Jesse McNabb, left, and Jaxon Funk get set on the defensive line.

    The graduates walk to the field with their parents has been a Hilltops tradition for some time, and for McNabb, it was hitting him that the time had come where he was one of the grads. It was also Thanksgiving Day weekend, so McNabb wanted to do something good that everyone could talk about.

    “It was good to unleash and just have a fun time,” said McNabb, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 245 pounds. “It was a good time with all the guys.

    “Our guys played great, so I can’t complain. Playing with your parents watching and Thanksgiving Day weekend, you want to put on a good show. I think we did that for the fans today.”

Tyler Hermann threw four TD passes for the Hilltops.

    McNabb made the walk to the field with his parents Aaron and Deb McNabb, and it crossed his mind that he wished he could come back and play another full season.

    “It is a little different it being your last trip out here in the regular season,” said McNabb. “You’d give anything to be out here for another year and another year after that.

    “Everything has to come to an end at some time I guess.”

    The venerable Hilltops did their best to try and bring a quick end to the competitive phase of Sunday’s game. The host side jumped out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and held a 35-0 edge at halftime cruising to victory from there.

    Star power running back Ben Abrook ran in a touchdown from four yards out, and fifth-year receiver Tanner Rhode hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from starting quarterback Tyler Hermann for the Hilltops in the first quarter.

Connor Graham hauls in a 58-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    Hermann threw three more touchdown passes in the second quarter. He hit fifth-year receiver Connor Graham with a 54 yard touchdown bomb, third-year receiver Keegan Dicks with a 27-yard scoring strike and second-year receiver Dillan Heintz for a 58-yard deep throw for a major.

    Hermann finished the game completing 20-of-26 passes for a career high 364 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

    Graham topped all pass catchers with 114 receiving yards coming off four catches including his one score. He was pleased he could help his team finished 8-0 in the regular season for a second straight year.

    “If we can come out and win every game in the regular season, we feel good about that,” said Graham. “We felt like we had a good statement game to get ready for next week, so we’re just happy where we are right now.”

Tanner Rhode (#11) hauls in a 24-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    Receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter pushed the Hilltops advantage out to 38-0 with a 20-yard field goal.

    The Wildcats made a slight push back scoring eight straight points to cut the Hilltops lead to 38-8. The Edmonton surge came via a 37 yard missed field goal single from kicker Sebastian Firtsen and a 43-yard interception return touchdown from defensive back Zach Putters.

    With 3.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter, backup running back Carter McLean ran a touchdown in from a yard out for the Hilltops to push their lead out to 45-8.

    Kleiter closed the scoring in the contest with a 26 yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

    “We want to make sure that we are playing our best as we head into playoffs,” said Sargeant. “It was a basic game plan, but son of a gun, the coaches did a great job of improving the areas we needed to improve.

Logan Kelsey-Stern returns an interception for the Hilltops.

    “In that first 30 minutes, we got to see a lot of things I hadn’t seen this year, so we are getting this team right at the right time. Now, we just have to keep building it, keep working the confidence, keep working on scheme and do a better job of preparing. Those two interceptions that Hermann threw in the second half they just sort of outsmarted us.

    “We have to get back to the lab and coaching that thing a little bit better. We’ll work to improve that for sure.”

    Abrook topped the Hilltops in rushing carrying the ball 19 times for 101 yards to go with his touchdown. On the season, Abrook touted the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns.

    Wildcats starting quarterback Dante Tabacu completed 4-of-8 passes for 51 yards and two interceptions. Devin Desormeau had considerable playing time at quarterback for Edmonton too completing 11-of-13 passes for 103 yards.

    The Hilltops defence limited the Wildcats to 82 yards rushing and 154 yards passing as a team.

Jared Giddings, centre, makes an interception for the Hilltops.

    Caleb Haight, Tristan Hering and rookie Craig Torgerson all had single sacks for the Hilltops. 
    Fifth-year defensive back Logan Kelsey-Stern and fourth defensive back Jared Giddings each had one interception for Saskatoon.

    Star linebacker Chopper Hippe had eight total tackles for the Wildcats. 
    Evan Eide had one sack and Rony Bakehe and Brett Phillips split a sack for the Edmonton side.

    Ty Smith had an interception for the Wildcats, who closed the regular season with a 2-6 record to finish fourth in the PFC.

    The Hilltops and Wildcats will go at it again this coming Sunday in a PFC semifinal playoff contest set for 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The other PFC semifinal, the Regina Thunder (6-2) will host the Edmonton Huskies (6-2) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in the Saskatchewan capital.

Ben Abrook, left, ran for 1,215 yards on the season for the Hilltops.

    The Thunder finished ahead of the Huskies for second in the PFC standings winning the lone head-to-head contest 24-21 between the two sides on Sept. 22 in Regina.

    Regina won its final regular season game by default at home on Sunday due to the fact the Winnipeg Rifles (1-7) were unable to travel to “The Queen City.” 
    The Trans-Canada Highway was closed at different parts in Manitoba due to snowstorm conditions.

    The Huskies closed the regular season by traveling to Calgary and posting a 49-21 victory over the Colts (1-7).

    Graham said the Hilltops, who have won their last 27 straight games overall in the regular season and playoffs, can’t wait to get going in the post-season as the intensity gets cranked up another notch.

The Hilltops celebrate their win over the Wildcats on Sunday.

    “This is where we want to really make sure we make our plays and everyone is crisp out there,” said Graham. “This is when it matters.”

    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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Mantyka rises quickly up Hilltops ranks - Saskatoon locks up first in PFC in Edmonton

Evan Mantyka, middle, runs an interception back for the Hilltops.

    Evan Mantyka believes family linage helped link him to the Saskatoon Hilltops.

    Long before the second year defensive back joined the Canadian Junior Football League powerhouse squad, Mantyka’s grandfather, Don, was a Hilltops head coach. Don guided the Hilltops in the late 1970s and resigned following the 1980 campaign.

    In hearing stories from his grandfather, Evan Mantyka thought he would fit in quickly with the team.

    “It just seemed like a really good atmosphere around here,” said Mantyka. “My grandpa used to coach for the team, so I already had like a little bit of an idea of what it was like.

    “I came to summer camp a couple of times, and I just loved the atmosphere.”

    Mantyka turned heads last year earning honours as the team’s rookie of the year. He had his biggest highlight game on Oct. 7, 2018 posting a pair of interceptions in a 53-0 road victory over the Edmonton Wildcats.

    On Sunday, Mantyka and the Hilltops were in Edmonton again taking on the Wildcats in a much more competitive CJFL regular season contest. Saskatoon held a slim 15-10 advantage early in the third quarter before rolling to a 38-10 victory.

Evan Mantyka was the Hilltops rookie of the year in 2018.

    With the win, the Hilltops improved to 6-0 and locked up first place in the Prairie Football Conference for a seventh straight year. The Wildcats fell to 2-4 to hold fourth place and the final playoff berth in the PFC.

    Mantyka, who played high school football with Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Collegiate Souls, said he got a good grasp of the junior game quickly due to the fact the Hilltops coaches are good teachers.

    “It was a pretty big jump at first,” said Mantyka. “The coaches are good at getting everyone adjusted pretty quick, and then it starts coming easy.”

    Working with defensive backs coach Brent Turkington, Mantyka found himself getting increased playing time as his rookie campaign moved on. He is now starting in the defensive secondary in his second season with the team.

    Mantyka said he cherished the time he got on the field.

    “It was good,” said Mantyka, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 160 pounds. “It was fun.

    “All that time in practice was starting to play off, when you get on the field more and play with the guys.”

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Mantyka has earned is playing time with his work in practice and in games.

    “You have to remember at the end of last year he was our rookie of the year, so we identified him as our top rookie though his performance and through his play,” said Sargeant. “He has just continued to build.

    “He has a lot of confidence. He is a motivated kid. He is hungry, and coach (Brent) Turkington has done a good job of developing him.

Evan Mantyka has build a reputation for being a playmaker.

    “He is just a natural playmaker. He has good eyes and good ball sense. What I love about him is he finishes his plays.”

    Mantyka hit the highlight reel, when the Hilltops thumped the Calgary Colts 53-6 on Sept. 22 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The 19-year-old intercepted Colts quarterback Cole Belway and returned the ball 58 yards for a touchdown.

    Besides that moment, Mantyka came up with a huge performance making 11 tackles in the Hilltops 24-22 victory over the Edmonton Huskies in the Alberta capital on Sept. 1.

    Sargeant said the team loves it when young players like Mantyka step up and make plays.

    “It is always great,” said Sargeant. “That is why we were so excited after the Calgary Colts game.

    “Our young players played unbelievable. The level didn’t drop, so the coaches are feeling good because what you see is what you want to coach. We’re seeing that.

    “As long as Evan (Mantyka) keeps doing what coach (Brent) Turkington is telling him to do, he is going to be a high end player. No one develops his football players as good as coach (Brent) Turkington, and all my coaches have that ability to keep making players get better and improve. When they think they are there and they’ve arrived, we expect more than that.”

    Looking back at helping the Hilltops win a fifth consecutive CJFL title last season, Mantyka wasn’t expecting to be named the team’s rookie of the year.

    “It was just fantastic getting recognized like that,” said Mantyka. “It makes you feel good.”

Evan Mantyka listens to a play call coming from the sidelines.

    Mantyka said he enjoyed getting into the end zone against the Colts noting it had been some time since he scored a touchdown. As the season keeps going, he wants ensure he keeps the trust of the Hilltops coaches.

    “I was just hoping to keep playing and get more playing time,” said Mantyka. “It has worked out so far, so I am just looking to keep that going.”

    When it comes to winning another CJFL title, Mantyka said he hasn’t thought that far ahead. He said he is focused on the present.

    “We just have to keep rolling through the rest of our regular season here,” said Mantyka. “We have a couple of games left, so just keep winning.”

    Against the Wildcats on Sunday at Clarke Park, the Hilltops held a 15-9 lead at halftime, and the Wildcats drove deep into the Saskatoon end early in the third quarter.

    The Hilltops defence caused the Wildcats drive to stall forcing the Edmonton side to try a short 16-yard field goal. Wildcats kicker Sebastien Fritsen missed the attempt, but the kick resulted in a single cut the Hilltops edge to 15-10.

    The Hilltops took the ball on their own 35 yard line and drove 75 yards the other way concluding with a 33-yard touchdown toss from quarterback Tyler Hermann to receiver Keegan Dicks. The point after attempt by Hilltops kicker Rylan Kleiter was blocked, but the Hilltops advantage on the scoreboard stood at 21-10.
    Saskatoon rolled off 17 points in the fourth quarter to seal the 38-10 romp.

Evan Mantyka (#15) had a big game in a win over the Edmonton Huskies.

    Hermann completed 12-of-18 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hilltops backup quarterback Doug Fleming completed both of his pass attempts for 39 yards and one touchdown.

    Dicks topped the Hilltops with 87 yards receiving on four catches, with two of those grabs going for major scores.

    Fifth-year receiver Connor Graham made three catches for 70 yards and one touchdown for the Hilltops.

    Hilltops star power running back Ben Abrook ran the ball 22 times for 114 yards and scored one touchdown. On the season, Abrook has carried the ball 162 times for 908 yards and five touchdowns.

    Kleiter hit field goals from 42, 32 and 21 yards out and caught three passes for 51 yards for the Hilltops.

    The Hilltops received two points, when the Wildcats conceded a safety in the second quarter.

    Dante Tabacu completed 17-of-27 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Wildcats.

    Veteran receiver Lucas Howe caught six passes for 108 yards and one touchdown for the Wildcats. Wildcats running back Ramone English topped his side in rushing with 74 yards on 19 carries.
    The Wildcats received two points, when the Hilltops conceded a safety in the first quarter.

    On defence, Hilltops defensive end Tristan Hering had 6.5 total tackles and one sack. Linebacker Jadyn Pingue had an interception.

    Wildcats linebacker Chopper Hippe had 10.5 total tackles.

Evan Mantyka (#15) and the Hilltops aim to enjoy more big plays.

    The Hilltops ran their overall winning streak including action in the CJFL regular season and playoffs to 25 games and their road winning streak to 27 games. The road winning streak includes three victories in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl.

    Due to locking up first in the PFC, the Hilltops could potential host home games every Sunday during the month of October.

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday when they host the Winnipeg Rifles (1-5) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    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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