Hilltops will be back

Venerable CJFL club will continue positive impact in Saskatoon

Austin Thorarinson raises the Canadian Bowl for the Hilltops in 2015.

     The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic became a tough more real for the followers and all those involved with the Saskatoon Hilltops.
    While the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the North American sports scene since March 11, the reality of it hits teams and leagues to a more elevated degree when normal events of an entire season stop happening. That includes missing training camp activities and games.

    On Thursday, the CJFL announced the cancellation of the entire 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount of regulations regarding travel and large gatherings that needed to be eased for football activities were just a couple of factors that were too much for the CJFL to overcome.

Tom Sargeant gets the ice bucket shower after the 2015 CJFL title win.

    Many other leagues in Canada are dealing with similar hoops the CJFL is trying to overcome. On Friday, the Prince Albert Minor Football Association cancelled all its fall programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    On the CJFL front, the Hilltops have won the last six straight league title and nine out of the 10 CJFL championships. The Canadian Bowl trophy has comfortably resided in the trophy display located at the entrance way of the Hilltops clubhouse.

    For the Hilltops, Thursday’s announcement would have been the latest shoe drop for this week. For those involved with the team, events that were missed in annual timelines had to be running through everyone’s minds.

Justin Filteau in action for the Hilltops in 2014.

    Monday would have normally be the start of Hilltops training camp. Thursday would have been the usual time for the team’s Alumni Game.

    The Alumni Game is an annual event alums look forward to, because it is often the one time every year the old players get to come back and see each other again. The alums often take part in some social gatherings after the game.

    There were likely a few times this week where those involved with the Hilltops thought, “Wow, we actually aren’t doing this for this year.”

    At this point in time, it is apparent the whole sports scene in Canada is going to go through a reset due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No one can predict what that reset will look like outside of the fact things will look a lot different than they did on March 10, which was seemingly the last normal sports calendar day in North America.

    The Hilltops will be there when the pandemic ends and the reset runs its course. In a current world that has very few certainties, this is one you can bank on.

Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops in 2018.

    The current modern day version of the Hilltops first hit the field in 1947 and won the provincial title that year. They made it to the CJFL title game in 1948 falling 23-10 to the Hamilton Wildcats.

    In 1953, the Hilltops won their first CJFL championship hammering the Windsor AKO Fratmen 34-6 in front of 7,200 spectators at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon on the golden arm of quarterback Ron Adam, who completed 12-of-20 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Adam’s throwing was complimented by powerful and tough rushing attack.

    Since that first CJFL championship win, the Hilltops have gone on to win a total of 22 CJFL titles hoisting three different league championship trophies in the Leader-Post Trophy, the Armadale Cup and the Canadian Bowl in the process.

Jadyn Pingue in action for the Hilltops in 2019.

    Since 1998, the Hilltops have been guided Tom Sargeant as head coach and have won 13 CJFL championships under his direction. Sargeant also experience CJFL title wins one as a player and twice as an assistant coach with the Hilltops.

    He holds the record for most career post-secondary head coaching football wins in Canada posting a 210-30-2 mark in the CJFL regular season and post-season. Sargeant is cemented on the Mount Rushmore of amateur football coaching greats in Saskatchewan.
    Tonnes of his former players credit him for being one of their biggest life influences.

    Besides “Sarge,” the Hilltops have a legacy of stellar people hold executive and coaching roles with the team who have had big impacts in the community. The list includes people like Ed Henick, Len Richardson, Don McDonald, Bob Arn, Al Ledingham and Dave Hardy.

Rylan Kleiter makes a tough catch for the Hilltops.

    Due to the great leadership the club has had over the years, the Hilltops have build a vast network of alums and people that identify with the team in the community.

    If Saskatoon is having a year where seemingly everything is going on in the world is bad, the Hilltops inevitably seem to be the one thing that rises up and shows you can still do great things by doing things the right way.
    Any time the Hilltops go on a CJFL championship run, people in Saskatoon can recall warm memories the team produced in the past and relive those memories in the present.

The Hilltops celebrate winning the Canadian Bowl in 2018.

    The memories include players like Ron Atchison, Steve Molnar, Wayne Shaw, Gord Barwell, Ted Dushinski, Warren Muzika, Sheldon Ball, Brian Guebert, Jorgen Hus, Andre Lalonde, Justin Filteau, Jordan Walls and Jadyn Pingue leaving everything on the field for the team.

    The amount of people that have positive emotional investment in the Hilltops seems endless. You can bet the Hilltops will continue to leave a positive and inspirational mark on Saskatoon sports scene when North America and the world gets rolling after the tough part of these current pandemic times end.

Huskies’ Vance, Drever to coach one day female goalie camp

Information on Solid Goaltending’s all-girls one day camp.

    If you are a young female goaltender that is looking to get out of the house, Solid Goaltending has an offer that is too good to pass up.

    On Sunday, Aug. 16, Solid Goaltending will be running a one day girls’ only camp featuring Jessica Vance and Camryn Drever as instructors at the Jemini Arena. Vance and Drever make up the dynamic goaltending tandem for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    Solid Goaltending is run by Sheldon Goertzen, who is the goaltending coach for the Huskies women’s team.

    The camp has six spots open for goalies in the under-18 age group and six sports for the under-15 age category.

    For young female netminders, this camp will be well worth their time. Vance and Drever are outstanding goalies and are both personable and approachable.

Jessica Vance in action for the Huskies.

    Odds are quite high those attending the camp will come away feeling they had a great experience.

Vance just finished her fourth season of U Sports eligibility and third campaign with the Huskies. The Prince Albert, Sask., product has appeared in 59 career regular season games with the Huskies posting a 38-14-6 record, a 1.17 goals against average, a .947 save percentage and 20 shutouts.

    In the 2017-18 U Sports campaign, Vance was the most valuable player of the Canada West Conference and a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star. She starred for five seasons with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA team from 2010 to 2015.

    Drever just finished her second U Sports campaign with the Huskies. She has appeared in 14 career regular season games posting an 8-5-1 record, a 1.56 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts.

Camryn Drever makes a stop for the Huskies.

    The Edmonton product backstopped the Alberta based St. Alberta Slash to Canadian female Under-18 AAA championships capture the Esso Cup in 2017 and 2018.

    Together, Vance and Drever bring a vast amount of experience that they can pass on to a younger generation and give the camp attendees an upbeat break from the stress of the current COVID-19 pandemic world.

    Those interested in registering for the camp can call (306) 371-6008 or email solid.goaltendingsk@gmail.com.

    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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Morrow fills big shoes as Hilltops starting safety

Brant Morrow runs back a punt for the Hilltops.

    Brant Morrow focuses on being the best player he can be and adds the James Vause influence is there.

    In his sophomore Canadian Junior Football League campaign, Morrow stepped into the role of starting safety for the defensive unit of the Saskatoon Hilltops, who have won the last four straight league titles. The 19-year-old takes over a spot that was held by James Vause, who graduated from the Hilltops program after a distinguished four-year career.

    Vause was a Prairie Football Conference all-star last season, and during his career, he might have been the Hilltops best representative in the community. As a rookie last season, Morrow was impressed how well Vause interacted with people from all walks of life.

    “James, he is more than a good football player,” said Morrow, whose Hilltops close the regular season on Sunday taking on the Winnipeg Rifles at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. “He is an awesome guy too the way he treats his teammates.

    “In the community, he always got out into the community. This year, I’ve tried to do that more. He treated everybody the same.

    “He treated everybody nicely and with respect. That is something you can take as a human being not only as a football player. I learned a lot more from him than just football.”

    On the field, Morrow has more than held his own. Appearing in six out of the Hilltops seven regular season games so far in the 2018 campaign, Morrow has recorded 17 total tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football team has returned 23 punts for the second most yards in the PFC at 267.

    Morrow, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 150 pounds, said Vause left pretty big shoes to fill, but that he has to play to his strengths.

    “I have to listen to my coaches and get help from my teammates to be the best player I can be,” said Morrow. “I don’t necessarily need to compare to him.

    “It was good to watch him last year and see what he did to be successful and what I can use from his game to put into my game. It is nice to see somebody like that.”

Brant Morrow, left, has two interceptions this season.

    Morrow has enjoyed the fact he has been able to make some big plays for the Hilltops defence.

    “I has been pretty cool,” said Morrow. “This defence has been really successful this year, and to be a part of something special like that is always pretty cool.

    “I’m looking forward to hopefully contributing more for the rest of the season.”

    Originally, Morrow wasn’t slated to be the Hilltops starting safety this season. That job was being targeted for talented third-year veteran Leif Larson.

    Larson injured his knee in a Sunday night workout before the season started and has yet to dress in a game for the Hilltops in 2018. Morrow was the next man up, and he quickly showed he was ready for the challenge.

    “All of sudden Brant (Morrow) had to step up and become the player that he became,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “We are real proud of him.

    “That is a credit to (defensive backs) coach (Brent) Turkington with his expertise putting in the time and energy to get that thing done right. Brant (Morrow) has applied a lot of the lessons. He has gotten better.

    “Now, we have a lot of confidence in him. Even his punt return game has certainly been a real nice treat for us to watch.”

    Sargeant had a feeling Morrow was going to adjust quickly to the starting assignment and make some plays.

    “He (Morrow) was a high end high school player, quality high school player,” said Sargeant. “He just has a great nose for the ball.

    “He has great instincts. It is just great to see him just trust and trust himself even more. As I said, I was able to watch him enough in high school to realize he has top flight playmaking ability, and he has proven that.”

    Coming out of high school, Morrow said he decided to join the Hilltops because two of his Saints coaches in Donnie Davidsen and Pat Schnitzler spoke highly of the team. Davidsen happens to be the Hilltops offensive line coach and Schnitzler’s son, Tom, wrapped up a stellar five-year career as a defensive end with the club last season.

Brant Morrow calls out adjustments on the Hilltops defence.

    The skilled safety found a high comfort level working with Turkington too.

    Morrow said joining the Hilltops was the best decision he had ever made in football.

    Things also became a little more special this season for Morrow when his 21-year-old brother, Kirk, joined the Hilltops as a defensive back. Kirk became part of the Hilltops after taking a break from the game that lasted about three seasons.

    “It has been pretty cool,” said Brant Morrow. “We haven’t played a sport together since we were in probably soccer when were about 10-years-old.

    “I think we have a pretty good bond. When we come to football, it is more serious about football now. It is awesome to have my brother here too.”

    With one game remaining to play in the regular season, Morrow said he is looking forward to participating in his second run through the CJFL playoffs.

    “For me, I was pretty excited last year, because I was still dressing for the games in playoffs,” said Morrow. “Now starting, I have a bigger role, so I have to prepare a little bit better and get a little more psyched up to make plays and contribute to the team.

    “In that aspect, it is going to be a little more exciting. We have mentally prepare as a team better and be more focused now.”

    Going into Sunday’s clash with the Rifles, the Hilltops already have first place locked up in the PFC with a 7-0 record and will have home-field advantage throughout the CJFL playoffs. The Rifles are 3-4 and are locked into finishing fourth in the PFC.

    That means the two sides will play each other in back-to-back weeks, because they are slated to face each other in a PFC semifinal matchup with a date and start time still to be announced.

    The Edmonton Huskies (5-2) can lock up second place in the PFC if they defeat the Edmonton Wildcats (2-5) on Sunday in Edmonton. If the Huskies lose, the Regina Thunder (4-3) would claim second place if they down the Colts (0-7) in Calgary on Sunday.

    The Wildcats and Colts have been eliminated from playoff contention locked into respective fifth and sixth place finishes in the PFC.

Brant Morrow (#22) celebrates a big play with David Solie (#2).

    Sargeant said his side plans to avoid overthinking things in their final regular season game.

    “We’re just going to come out and be who we are,” said Sargeant. “We’re just going to have a solid game plan, nothing fancy, and we’re just going to try continue to build on what we’re done for the first seven games.

    “There is a room for growth that we want to see. We’re going to continue to coach the way we coach and expect our players to play the way we play. We’re at home.

    “We always like to defend home turf, and we don’t want anyone coming in here and feeling comfortable. We’re going to come out and be physical and let them know Saskatoon is a place you don’t want to come play.”

    NOTE – The Hilltops will play tribute to late legendary team executive Don McDonald during halftime of Sunday’s game. McDonald, who is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder, passed away at age 86 on Sept. 21.

    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.

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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Hilltops thump Thunder thanks to second half surge

Saskatoon improves to 5-0 with season sweep of archrivals

Hilltops RB Joshua Ewanchyna powers past Regina Thunder LB Davin Williamson.

    For the first time all season, the Saskatoon Hilltops found themselves in an unfamiliar spot.
    On Saturday night at a snowy Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops jumped out to a 16-3 lead on their archrivals the Regina Thunder only to see the Thunder roar back with a pair of touchdowns to go in front 17-16 with 2:28 to play in the first half.
    Regina’s go-ahead touchdown came on a 96 yard pass and run play by veteran receiver Greg Lamb, who caught a long streak pass from quarterback Brock Sich.

Hilltops DT Jesse McNabb hits a Thunder ball carrier.

    With those developments, the Hilltops found themselves behind in a game for the first time in the 2018 Canadian Junior Football League regular season.

    The slim deficit didn’t last long.

    With 67 seconds remaining in the first half, the Hilltops forced the Thunder to concede a safety due to bad field position to go ahead 18-17. Hilltops kicker David Solie booted a 21 yard field goal with 6.5 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Hilltops a 21-17 halftime advantage.

    Saskatoon took off in the second half and romped to a 48-24 victory to improve to 5-0 on the campaign. The Hilltops swept the two regular season encounters with the Thunder, who fell to 2-3 with the setback, and claimed the Shrine Bowl Trophy as a result.

QB Jordan Walls threw three touchdown passes for the Hilltops.

    “We needed to face some adversity,” said Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls, whose squad locked up a playoff berth with the win. “We definitely didn’t handle it well in the first half, when they started to punch us in the throat.

    “We came back and made our plays, so I was pretty happy with the way that we responded. Our defence stepped up. Our offence made some plays.

    “All in all, it was a good second half.”

    The Thunder seemed intent on pulling out all the stops in trying to manufacture an upset. They tried to recover a short kickoff to open the game only to have the Hilltops field the ball.

    Saskatoon proceeded to drive down and score a touchdown as Walls hit receiver Tanner Rhode with a 27-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.

Safety Brant Morrow returns a kick for the Hilltops.

    The Thunder responded with a 28 yard field goal from Eric Maximuik on their opening series to cut the Hilltops edge to 7-3.

    With 11.5 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Walls hit fifth-year star receiver Jason Price with a 24-yard touchdown toss to extend Saskatoon’s advantage to 14-3.

    Regina was forced to concede a safety early in the second quarter to put Saskatoon up 16-3.

    At that point, the visitors came to life offensively. The Thunder scored their first major on a gadget play.

    Sich handed the ball to receiver Lee Brown on an apparent jet sweep, but Brown proceeded to throw the ball to offensive lineman Chad Teskey in the Hilltops end zone for a four yard touchdown pass to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 16-10.

    From there, the Thunder went ahead on Lamb’s big pass reception.

    “In the first half, we had a lot of little mistakes that led to some points and momentum for them,” said Hilltops safety Brant Morrow, who had a key fumble recovery in the first quarter. “In the second half, we came out strong.

OL Chad Teskey hauls in a touchdown catch for the Thunder.

    “We just played our game and kept playing hard the whole second half.”

    After the Hilltops went ahead 21-17 at halftime, they opened the second half scoring 27 unanswered points to go up 48-17.

    In the third quarter, star running back Joshua Ewanchyna capped a long Hilltops scoring drive with a nine yard touchdown run, and Solie hit field goals from 12 and 24 yards out to give Saskatoon a 34-17 advantage.

    On the first play of the fourth quarter, Walls found receiver Keegan Dicks for a 33-yard touchdown toss to put the hosts up 41-17. The Toppers surge was capped by six-yard touchdown run from running back Ben Abrook.

    The Thunder rounded out the contest’s scoring when backup quarterback Blake Scherle hit receiver Michael Letts on an eight-yard touchdown toss with 67 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Hilltop DB Logan Bitz sacks Thunder QB Brock Sich.

    Walls didn’t have his best game regarding completing percentage connecting on 13-of-30 passes in the contest. With that said, his 13 completions resulted in 266 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

    The fifth-year veteran said the passing game got better as the game went on.

    “I think it was just the guys finding spots,” said Walls. “That is their job to get open.

    “It is pretty easy for me to find them when they do, so they did their job. Definitely, I wanted to get Jason Price the ball a bit more, and we did so that was nice to have that.”

    Ewanchyna had a big night carrying the ball 18 times for 168 yards and scoring a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 21 yards.

The Hilltops celebrate a touchdown catch from Jason Price (#83).

    Price had the biggest night amongst the Hilltops receivers hauling in four passes for 92 yards and one touchdown.

    Sich completed 16-of-27 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Lamb led the Thunder with 111 yards receiving on two catches, which included his long touchdown reception.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had five solo tackles and one sack for the Hilltops. Defensive back Logan Bitz had a sack for Saskatoon, while Jared Giddings and Evan Kretzer had interceptions.

    Williamson had six total solo tackles and six assisted tackles for the Thunder.

    The Hilltops piled up 257 yards rushing and 287 yards passing as a team. 

Evan Kretzer runs back an interception for the Hilltops.

    The Thunder put up 313 yards passing as a team but were held to 97 yards along the ground.

    Saturday’s encounter had the feel of a rivalry game as it included a lot of extracurricular activity and chippy play on both sides.

    “It is hard not to get mixed up in it,” said Walls. “It is just prairie football.

    “We’ve know these guys for a long time, and we are going to have some of that. It was a little bit chippier than we’ve had in the past, but I like the way we played.”

    “Our coaches always try to get us to stay out of that,” said Morrow. “I really appreciate that about our coaches.

    “They like us to just be out here to play football, so that was what we are doing. I think that kind of gave us an edge.”

    The Thunder return to action on Sept. 30, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-3) at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Hilltops celebrate their victory over the Thunder.

    The Hilltops could potentially lock up first place in the Prairie Football Conference in their next outing against the Edmonton Huskies (3-1) on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Huskies need to beat the Winnipeg Rifles (2-2) on Sunday in Edmonton for that scenario to happen.

    “We’re focused on winning the national championship,” said Morrow. “To do that, we just have to play good every week.

    “We just have to look at the team we are playing every week and we have to beat them. We are on to Edmonton now.”

Hilltops announce passing of legendary executive McDonald

Don McDonald, left,with Lyle Hislop in 2016.

    Before Saturday’s game, the Hilltops announced that legendary team executive Don McDonald had passed away.

    McDonald joined the Hilltops as a player suiting up for two seasons in 1951 and 1952. After hanging up his cleats, McDonald became an executive with the team.

    Along with being a Hilltops director, McDonald fulfilled many roles with the club over the decades, which included a stint serving as the team’s president. He was the commissioner of the CJFL for eight years and has had a long involvement with Football Saskatchewan, which included serving eight years as president.

    McDonald was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2016 as a builder. Only two other persons with ties to the Hilltops are members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame including the late Ron Atchinson, who was inducted as a player in 1978, and the late Ed Henick, who was inducted as a builder in 2003.

    McDonald also overcame at least four major health issues in about the last 15 years of his life. Through those challenges, his mind remained as sharp as ever.

    The Hilltops held a moment of silence before Saturday’s game to remember McDonald. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Player. Director. Builder. Legend.

It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Don McDonald. To his family & friends, we extend our deepest condolences. Know that the blue & gold will be with you always.

Thank you Don. RIP. pic.twitter.com/WI0EJQlyFR

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) September 23, 2018

    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 Alumni Game a hit on many levels

Hilltops RB Des Vessey (#27) runs against the alumni team defence.

    The old Transformers slogan of “More than Meets the Eye” is a fitting way to describe the Saskatoon Hilltops Alumni Game.

    For decades, the venerable Canadian Junior Football League franchise has hosted a clash with its alumni as part of the team’s training camp. It is used as key evaluator for Hilltops coaches to grade current players. The contest has some modified guidelines, but it is played mostly under CJFL rules.

    The game gives the current players a chance to interact and meet the former players that have come before them. The match also allows the Hilltops grads to renew bonds with their old club and see old teammates and friends they normally don’t get to see on a regular basis due to real life circumstances relating to work and family.

    In recent years, the game has kind of branched out to include various other members of the Saskatoon football community that have never played with the Toppers. It has become common place for the recent alumni squads to contain ringers that played for teams from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks and the CJFL.

QB Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the current Hilltops.

    This is done to increase the toughness of the alumni team to give the current Hilltops a tougher challenge. When it comes down to it, the alumni game might be the most difficult game the current Toppers play all year.

    The old players have enjoyed the game so much that word has gotten out, and more volunteers are turning out for the alumni team in terms of both former Hilltops players and players from other post-secondary teams.

    When the 2016 alumni game was held on Thursday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, a very powerful and deep alumni squad turned out to face a Hilltops squad that lost 16 players due to graduation from last year’s CJFL championship team and a small handful of other players to the CIS ranks.

    With the current Hilltops fielding squad that contained a number of recent 18-year-old high school grads against a squad of well-conditioned men, the alumni rolled to a 41-10 victory.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff definitely received a lot of film they can use for evaluations and corrections. The veteran coaching staff realizes there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to get the current team playing at the very high standard the Hilltops program is used to performing in 70 years of existence. Saskatoon opens its regular season hosting the Winnipeg Rifles on Aug. 14 at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

Two Hilltops defenders up end an alumni team receiver.

    With that said, Thursday’s game wasn’t all bad for the current Hilltops. A number of individuals put in good outings.

    Backup quarterback Jordan Walls threw the ball well all over the field. The alumni team defensive backs, who have tonnes of experience, said the third year signal caller was doing a great job moving defensive players around with his eyes creating openings for his receivers.

    It took a great play by Joel Lipinski, who is a former member of the University of Regina Rams and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to get an interception off Walls.

    Receiver Jason Price looks ready to be a playmaker. He had some nice catches and the only touchdown the current Hilltops scored in the game. The Walter Murray Collegiate graduate was buried on the depth chart his first two seasons behind five standout pass catchers the Hilltops graduated a year ago.

Receiver Ryan Turple zips up field for the Hilltops.

    Possession receiver Ryan Turple also made some nice catches and wasn’t afraid to mix things up in traffic despite standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 160 pounds.

    On defence, Adam Benkic was flowed to the ball well and looks like he is going to take step another step forward after a strong campaign in 2015. Rookie cornerback Leif Larson from Lloydminster showed that he has lots of promise.

    The current Hilltops sat out a number of their veterans for the alumni game in order to spend more time evaluating others on the roster. Those that didn’t dress included star quarterback Jared Andreychuk, last year’s CJFL defensive player of the year and linebacker Cole Benkic and beast running back Logan Fischer.

    On the alumni side of things, Hilltops grads like quarterback Steve Bilan, linebacker Warren Muzika and receivers Kit Hillis and John Trumpy showed they can still have game. Current Hilltops vice-president Rod Janzen showed he could still boot the ball as both a punter and place kicker. Way back in 1997 as the Hilltops punter, Janzen averaged 53.6 yards a punt, which is still a CJFL regular season record.

    After the game, the former players retreated to a social function the Hilltops held on the patio and lounge of the new clubhouse complex at SMF Field. That provided a chance to visit with, reminisce and tell some old tales with various members of the team’s staff including legendary executive Don McDonald, who will be part of the 2016 class inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Alumni team punter Rod Janzen gets set to boom the ball downfield.

    The former players - both Hilltops alumni and players from other programs - come away feeling they had a good time and were treated in a first-rate manner. While the former Toppers reconnect with their old club, the former players from other teams get an increased sense of belonging to a city they have made their working careers in. 

    As a spinoff, those players will be back to watch games, donate to things like the Hilltops scholarship program or convince the companies they work for to become team sponsors.

    When all is said in done, everyone wins when it comes to the Hilltops Alumni Game no matter what the result was on the scoreboard.

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