Hilltops’ Komarnicki brings the boom on the ground

Power running back breaks out in third year with team

Brody Komarnicki is having a breakout season with the Hilltops.

Running with power will always be in Brody Komarnicki’s football DNA.

The third-year running back is having a breakout season with the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops. After the team’s first six games, Komarnicki has carried the ball 86 times for 435 yards and five touchdowns.

Komarnicki’s style is unmistakable. He hits the hole hard and runs over and through the opposition. The style goes back to Komarnicki’s roots in the game when he played for the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints Football team, whose head coach at the time is current Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen. 

“When I first started playing, I always wanted like those big runs, and it is good to still have those big runs,” said Komanicki, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds. “I was just dancing around a little too much.

“He (Davidsen) basically is just like you see that first hole and you hit it hard and north-south always. Then after that once you get into the open room, then you can start kind of dancing a little bit and make your cuts and all that. You always want positive yards.

“If you can hit that gap hard and get a couple of yards there, then you can dance. You don’t want to be dancing in that backfield and get negative yards. Donnie definitely put that into my head in high school and it worked out then, so I’m trying to apply it to Hilltops now.”

Komanicki, who resides in Warman, focused on playing basketball until his Grade 10 year starting in September of 2021. At that time, he wanted to give football a try and enrolled at Bishop James Mahoney as Warman High School didn’t have an outlet to play high school football.

At Bishop James Mahoney, Komanicki started playing on the Saints junior team before moving up to the senior team before the end of his Grade 10 season. He was ecstatic that he gave football a try.

“It was just the team,” said Komarnicki. “You have 12 guys out there and all working together.

“Obviously, I like the physicality. I hadn’t played a physical sport like a contact sport until football. It was just unique having special teams and all that.

“It was just all around the whole just the makeup of football was definitely what caught my eyes.”

Komarnicki would help the Saints advance to the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 5A 12-a-side football provincial championship game in his Grade 11 season on November 11, 2022. The host Saints prevailed over the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles 18-15 in that contest at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Komarnicki said his love for football was built due to the great experience he had with the Saints. As Davidsen was serving as the Hilltops offensive line coach while coaching the Saints, Komarnicki said the wheels were put in motion to join the Hilltops.

Brody Komarnicki in action for the Saints in 2022.

“He (Davidsen) didn’t influence it directly,” said Komarnicki. “I looked up to Donnie in high school, and we always talked about Hilltops being like a future opportunity.

“I would come to the high school camps, and I loved the coaching style. Whenever I did talk to “Sarge” (Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant), I loved everything I heard and his style of the game and his views. I agree with it a lot.

“Definitely, it helped like influence in a sense. It is just they’re so similar. It is just what I know.”

Komarnicki joined the Hilltops following his high school graduation for the 2024 campaign. By the campaign’s end, he was awarded the team’s Past Presidents Trophy as the club’s rookie of the year, while also being named to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

Sargeant said Komarnicki was a pretty natural fit.

“He is one of our toughest football players,” said Sargeant. “He certainly plays the game the way I appreciate it and the way we appreciate it.

“What a hard-nosed individual, and he motivates the team around him. The game plan is going to centre around him at times just like it will (star running back) Corbin (Ebben). We believe with those two guys being heavily involved in that run game it is only going to make it better instead of having one of them on the bench.”

Sargeant said Komarnicki came to the Hilltops with a solid base in the game having played for the Saints.

“He (Komarnicki) got coached the right way,” said Sargeant. “Any BJM player that has come into our system, boy, they’ve been game ready, and they’ve been able to handle all the moments.

“It has been great to have high school coaches coach with you. It keeps you connected to what is going on there as well. When you have a coach that has coached him, it helps you recruit him here as well.”

Sargeant added Komarnicki continued to improve working with Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde. Back in the day when Lalonde was a Hilltops running back graduating as a player in 2013, he earned the nickname “the Bowling Ball” playing the same physical style Komarnicki does.

“Andre is an outstanding running backs coach,” said Sargeant. “You just can tell by the development of our running backs over the years.

“He (Lalonde) has got a system. He has got a format that week in and week out is tried and true. It is tested on game days.

“They (the Hilltops running backs) have got the right mentor in Andre. If we’re talking about special teams, Andre is my special teams coordinator, and Brody has been one of our top special teams players too. Not only does he (Komarnicki) play well on offence, he plays outstanding on special teams too, so what a true football player.”

Brody Komarnicki (#20) dives over a pile for a first down.

Komarnicki has a pretty lengthy thank you list when it comes to those who have helped him during his time with the Hilltops. It includes Sargeant, Davidson, Lalonde, Ebben and David Collins, who was a star running back who graduated from the team after last season.

The 20-year-old power back said Lalonde has been helping him refine his game while continuing to emphasize Komarnicki’s strength in hitting the hole hard.

“I never had seen his film, but I have heard that me and him are pretty similar in that sense,” said Komarnicki. “He definitely encourages it.

“He adds just little things, little details that might take that five-yard gain, six-yard gain to like a 15-to-20-yard gain. That is what I’ve been trying to add in the most is the next step, because you can always improve.”

Komarnicki said his sophomore season last year was an amazing highlight. He was proud of how his team persevered in the campaign.

That included going through an opening game blowout loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg and making a 30-27 comeback overtime victory in the PFC final over the Thunder in Regina after falling behind 24-9 to their provincial rivals with 10:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After the win over the Thunder, the Hilltops returned home to SMF Field and downed the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun 21-18 in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. That marked the Hilltops 24^th CJFL title.

“Last year, it was an insane feeling,” said Komarnicki. “(We had) ups and downs.

“That Regina game was insane. There was definitely a lot that we faced, but we overcame it. That is kind of what our coaches train us to do.

“They do a great job doing that and teach us not to give up.”

This season, Komarnicki has become a one-two punch at running back with Ebben, who is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility. Komarnicki said it has been a good development year as he picks up more work in the running game compared to past seasons.

“I’m just trying to apply all that I’ve learned in the past couple of years here,” said Komarnicki. “It is like trial and error for me right now just seeing what works, what I see out there and getting the vision working.”

As the Hilltops set to embark in playing the CJFL’s post-season in 2026, they have once again encountered their share of adversity. Komarnicki believes his squad will rally together to make another run at a CJFL title.

“I know that we’ll put it together, because we’re putting in that work now and putting in all that stuff behind the scenes that people don’t see,” said Komarnicki. “It is not just confidence, because I’m saying it is.

Brody Komarnicki believe the Hilltops can make a long playoff run.

“I have total confidence from what I see from the coaches in the past few years and how everyone here talks and meetings and film. You can just tell everyone here knows we have it. We just need to put it together.”

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on October 4, 2026.

Clark’s drive paved way to starting spot on Hilltops O-line

Left guard first took up tackle football in Grade 11

Simon Clark (#51) has become a mainstay on the Hilltops O-line.

For Simon Clark, it didn’t matter how late you took up the game just as long as you finally gave it a try.

These days Clark is the starting left guard on the offensive line for the CJFL’s storied Saskatoon Hilltops. When he started his high school studies at Walter Murray Collegiate, Clark had yet to play the tackle version of the sport and did play flag football a little bit growing up.

He was hoping to join Walter Murray’s Marauders Football team in his Grade 10 year, but that was in the fall of 2020 and high school extracurricular activities were halted due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Clark wasn’t going to pass up the chance to join the Marauders in his Grade 11 year, and he found out that playing tackle football was even better than he imagined it would be.

“I’d always seen football as a sport that it has got that intensity that really kind of builds a passion within you,” said Clark. “People get really connected to the sport.

“You always hear people talk about there is one thing I wish I could do one more time it would just be to get those pads on and play again. I kind of wanted to experience some of that for myself, and going through Walter Murray and then especially coming here, it is just kind of feeling the team culture, feeling the camaraderie with all the guys, that isn’t really something that I feel like you can get somewhere else. I’ve always been just like really invested in that kind of team aspect of it kind of getting to know the guys, wanting to play for each other, fight for each other and that sort of thing.

“It is a really special thing.”

Clark soaked every part of his two seasons playing for the Marauders. As a Grade 11 rookie, he built what turned out to be a good friendship with one of the team’s veteran Grade 12 offensive lineman in Davin Johnson. The two are now in their fourth season playing together for the Hilltops as Johnson is the team’s fifth-year star left tackle.

During Clark’s start in tackle football in his Grade 11 year, Clark credited Johnson with being a big person in helping him out and introducing him to all aspects of the sport. Clark recalled that all his teammates enjoyed being part of the Marauders. 

When his Grade 12 season came to a close, Clark felt like he built an experience with tackle football he would forever cherish going into the rest of his life not knowing a door was going to open for him to continue in the sport.

One day while Clark was in English class after his Grade 12 season with the Marauders concluded, the school’s principal and legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant dropped in for a visit. Clark was well aware of Sargeant’s history with the Hilltops, but football wasn’t crossing the mind of the Walter Murray senior student.

At that point in time, Clark didn’t have a lot of interactions with Sargeant and was seeing him in his principal’s role. Clark thought he might have been in trouble for something. He couldn’t figure out what that might be, because he focused on trying his best to be a good person at Walter Murray.

Simon Clark is in his second season starting at left guard.

“If you kind of saw him (Sargeant) in the hallway and he was calling for you, that usually meant a bad thing,” said Clark, who stands 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds. “He came and knocked on my door while I was in the middle of class and said, “Come out here. I want to talk to you.”

“He said he had been watching me in the high school football scene, and he kind of offered me a chance to come tryout and get to know the guys. It was pretty exciting to kind of be kind of plucked by him, because he has always been such a legend in so many different ways. To kind of get selected like that was pretty cool.”

In Clark, Sargeant saw a lot of great intangibles that might potentially make him a good player for the Hilltops one day despite his late start in the sport. 

The sideline boss liked what he saw from the young offensive lineman on game days with the Marauders.

“The reality is when you’re the principal of the school I went to all of our games, because, obviously, I’m a supporter and want the Marauders to perform and play well,” said Sargeant. “I got to see all their games.

“I knew Simon (Clark) was a player that I wanted in this program. What I didn’t know at the time was just how bad he wants it and how hard he worked. He has had some outstanding off-seasons.

“He is one of the strongest players on our team, and he has certainly walked right in and he’s been a two-year starter. For us to do great things at the end, we’re going to need him to finish off a great season with his own performance.”

With the Hilltops, Clark improved rapidly where he saw time as a situational tight end with the offence in 2024 during his second season with the team. He became a starter at left-guard at the start of last season.

“His growth has been unbelievable,” said Sargeant. “He was always a first class individual at our school.

“He was a great role model for the younger grades the Grade 9s, 10s and 11s when he was a Grade 12. He loved the game of football. I remember when I was recruiting him, and when his high school season ended, he really dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger.

“He put in a lot of time and energy into developing his game for the first couple of years through (offensive line) coach (Donnie) Davidson. It was just a lot of growth, a lot of work, a lot of development, and then, boom, he walked in last year as a starter and became a heck of a football player. Now, it is at the next level, and as a fourth-year player, we certainly got big expectations.”

Simon Clark (#51) enjoys playing alongside Davin Johnson (#71).

While getting to play for the Hilltops has been a highlight for Clark, he said the thing he cherishes the most in his playing career is how much support he has received from his father, Charlie, after taking up the sport. From October 31, 2016 to November 20, 2024, Charlie was the mayor of Saskatoon. He was serving as mayor during Simon’s entire high school career with the Marauders and his first two seasons with the Hilltops.

Simon was well aware of how hyper busy his father’s schedule was. No matter how busy things got, Charlie always made it to all of Simon’s games first with the Marauders and now with the Hilltops. During Simon’s career with the Hilltops, Charlie has become an ace 50/50 seller for Hilltops home games.

“He (Charlie) would just be so exhausted, but then he’d still come home and make sure that we had what we need and make sure we felt a lot of love,” said Simon. “That same thing even when he was the mayor in 2023-2024, he was in these super busy times, but yet he’d come out and he’d make sure to take the time to support us.

“I think seeing that is a lot of inspiration too, because he worked so hard and yet he also made sure that he was out there to support us always. He was making sure that we felt his presence all the time. It was amazing, because I think he would probably spend 12 hours in a day working, and then it felt like he was spending the other 12 making sure that we had kind of what we needed.

“I wouldn’t be at all where I am without him and without his support, so it means the world for me for sure. He has been a great role model.”

Clark said it was special to be a rookie on the Hilltops 2023 CJFL championship team that went 12-0. He said it was a bigger highlight to win the CJFL title last season, where the Hilltops went 9-2 overall.

The 2025 campaign started with a convincing road loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg and included a home loss to the Hilltops’s provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder. Clark was proud of how the team last year rallied together and battled through adversity to win the 24^th CJFL title in the club’s history.

Looking toward the near future, Clark still has the rest of this season and all of next season to play for the Hilltops before exhausting his CJFL eligibility. He plans to embrace all the moments and all the ups and downs that are still to come.

“It is tough, because it goes by fast,” said Clark. “When you’re in a culture like this, you just want to cherish every single moment of it.

“It kind of sometimes can feel like you’re taking it for granted, because the practices can get tough. You face adversity. At the end of the day, it is just such a blessing to be able to come out and do this and to meet all these great people who become really like brothers to you and to be able to commit this time and really see results out of it and build this team culture and work so hard.

Simon Clark (#51) said playing for the Hilltops is a blessing.

“At the end of the day, I think it is worth it a million times over to go through all that we go through, because you are going to have these relationships for the rest of your life. It is really such a blessing and a privilege.”

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on September 26, 2026.

Crusaders provincial title win to be iconic sports moment in P.A.

Zane Litzenberger reacts to his winning TD catch for the Crusaders.

In Prince Albert, the 2024 Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team will walk together forever.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Crusaders claimed their first ever provincial title in thrilling fashion. Taking on Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 5A championship game, the Crusaders found themselves trailing 34-29 late in the fourth quarter.

With 72 seconds remaining in the contest, Crusaders star quarterback Sullivan Smith-Windsor hit standout receiver Zane Litzenberger on a five-yard slant pass for a touchdown. The Crusaders proceeded to attempt and failed to get a two-point convert, but they held a 35-34 advantage.

Sullivan Smith-Windsor sets to throw the winning TD.

That lead would hold up to be the game’s final score as the Saints were not able to drive into field goal range in the time that remained on the clock and eventually turned the ball over on downs. That allowed the Crusaders to end the encounter with two kneel downs to finalize the 35-34 victory.

Since opening in 1975, Carlton appeared in three provincial title games all at the then 3A level, but fell each time in 1984, 1991 and 1995. Saturday’s thrilling win allowed the Crusaders to finish the 2024 campaign with an 8-0 record including action in the regular season and post-season.

Actually, the City of Prince Albert had been undergoing a prolonged drought when it came to winning a provincial title in high school football. Until Saturday’s win by the Crusaders, Prince Albert’s last provincial title in high school football came way back in 1971, when star running back Tom Chad and the St. Mary High School Marauders claimed the then 3A championship.

Fans from Prince Albert cheer on the Crusaders.

Back in 1971, the Marauders playing in front of a home crowd thumped Moose Jaw’s Albert E. Peacock Collegiate Tornadoes 61-27 in the provincial title game held at the field next to what was then known as Prince Albert Collegiate Institute. The Marauders piled up 506 yards rushing as a team in that contest.

The Crusaders of 2024 will go down as the most exciting high school football team to come out of Prince Albert. From 2022 to 2024, the Crusaders became best known for their passing attack that allowed them to push the ball downfield. Smith-Windsor, who has been the team’s starter through that whole stretch, has looked like a CFL quarterback when he is playing his best.

The Crusaders begin celebrating their provincial title win.

As a Grade 12 senior, Saturday’s provincial final was Smith-Windsor’s final game of his high school career. He wrapped that part of his football life up with his greatest performance ever.

Smith-Windsor completed 28-of-30 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He also ran the ball four times for 19 yards and one touchdown.

To add more to the performance, Smith-Windsor booted a 61-yard punt single with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Crusaders a 29-28 lead at that point in the contest.

Litzenberger was heroic in Saturday’s game. The sure-handed Grade 11 pass catcher hauled in 14 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Late in the game, he was hobbled by a minor leg injury, but still managed to catch the winning touchdown while hampered physically.

The Crusaders raise the provincial championship trophy.

In Prince Albert, Smith-Windsor and Litzenberger will be immortalized combining on a play that will be iconic in the lore of the northern Saskatchewan city’s sports history. The game and season will also become iconic in Prince Albert.

About 1,000 supporters from Prince Albert made their way to Saskatoon to be part of the sizable crowd at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. They brought out the loud noise to support their Crusaders and mimicked a scene often seen on the WHL’s hockey front when the Prince Albert Raiders visit the SaskTel Centre to take on the Saskatoon Blades.

The Crusaders celebrate their provincial title win with their supporters.

After the post-game trophy presentations, the Prince Albert faithful rushed on to the field to celebrate with the Crusaders. The mood was jovial over the following 90 minutes as the team and their supporters took numerous pictures and soaked in the moment.

The victory was made more meaningful due to the fact the Crusaders beat a foe that had built a storied run in recent years. Since 2015, the Saints had won four provincial titles under head coach Donnie Davidsen with the last coming in 2022 with an 18-15 triumph over the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles at SMF Field.

In Saturday’s clash with the Crusaders, the Saints played strong piling up 475 yards of total offence coming off 209 yards rushing and 266 yards passing. Quarterback Kyren Houmphanh completed 19-of-29 passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rylan Morrison (#10) grinds out tough yards for the Crusaders.

Receiver Josh Gutek hauled in seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jack Boeschler ran the ball 14 times for 114 yards and two major scores. Tailback Wyatt LaRoche ran the ball 19 times for 91 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 25 yards.

The Saints basically needed to make two more plays and they would have had a fifth provincial title with Davidsen guiding the team as head coach.

Instead, Crusaders head coach Lindsay Strachan, who has been coaching with the program for 18 years, got to celebrate his first provincial football title as a sideline boss. The Crusaders players and supporters were as excited for Strachan as anyone else on the field on Saturday.

Crusaders HC Lindsay Strachan checks out his clipboard.

The back-and-fourth contest saw the Saints account for the only points in the first quarter going up 7-0 on a one-yard touchdown run by Boeschler. Early in a high-scoring second quarter, Smith-Windsor hit receiver Jordan Stene with a 15-yard touchdown pass to event the score at 7-7.

The Saints would go back in front 14-7 on a 13-yard touchdown toss from Houmphanh to Race Marcinkiw. A short time later, the Crusaders evened the score at 14-14, when Smith-Windsor connected with receiver Colm Phillips on a 35-yard touchdown toss.

With less than a minute to play in the second quarter, Boeschler ran home his second major score of the contest with this one coming from two yards out to put the Saints up 21-14.

Kyren Houmphanh passed for 266 yards for the Saints.

Working with a small amount of time remaining before halftime, the Carlton offence quickly got downfield. On the last play before halftime, Smith-Windsor scored on a one-yard run to even the score at 21-21.

The Saints started the third quarter with a clock eating drive that culminated with Houmphanh hitting Gutek with an 11-yard touchdown pass to put the host side up 28-21. With 3:48 remaining in the third quarter, Smith-Windsor zipped a 25-yard touchdown pass to Litzenberger to even the score at 28-28.

Smith-Windsor proceeded to record his punt single to give the Crusaders their first lead in the contest. That affected some of the decisions down the stretch.

With 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Saints jumped in front 34-29 on a three-yard touchdown run by LaRoche. The Saskatoon squad elected to go for a two-point conversion in order to get a seven-point advantage, but the conversion attempt was not successful.

Wyatt LaRoche scores a fourth quarter TD for the Saints.

That set the stage for Smith-Windsor to throw his winning touchdown pass to Litzenberger.

Also in the win, the Crusaders got a solid performance from running back Rylan Morrison, which allowed the Prince Albert side to pick up some key first downs. Morrison carried the ball nine times for 66 yards, and he caught three passes for 38 yards.

Now as the years go by in Prince Albert, you can be sure the 2024 Crusaders will achieve a mythical status like the 1971 Marauders did. Folks will look back at the 2024 Crusaders and say they were special.

Over time, it might seem like everyone in town saw Smith-Windsor work his magic on the football field. They will remember Litzenberger as being able to catch everything that was thrown his way.

Zane Litzenberger (#11) caught 14 passes for 206 yards.

Prince Albert will always proudly be recognized as a hockey town rightfully earning the nickname of “Hockey Town North” for loyal supporting the Raiders, the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team and the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA female squad. With that noted, people in Prince Albert always have room in their collective hearts to support hard-working athletes pursuing all sorts of sports.

As a province, football is viewed as Saskatchewan’s game thanks to the impact of the CFL’s Roughriders, who have existed since 1910. On Saturday, Prince Albert got celebrate they had high school football’s best at the 5A level in the Crusaders.

The Crusaders bask in their first provincial championship win.

In “Hockey Town North,” the 2024 football Crusaders will always be remembered, and they will be viewed as one of the city’s iconic teams.

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’ Davidsen touted with Roughriders Recognition Award

Coach pumped for upcoming CJFL and high school seasons

Donnie Davidsen accesses play at the Hilltops Alumni Game.

Winning games, capturing championships and making a positive impact on young lives are just a few of the uplifting experiences Donnie Davidsen has gotten from coaching football.

The 55-year-old is currently the offensive line coach for the defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops and the head coach of the Bishop James Mahoney Saints Football Team. Davidsen has been with the Hilltops for 22 years and the Saints for nine years.

He has been coaching in Saskatoon since 1995, when he along with his wife, Rhonda, moved to the city to continue at the time their young careers as teachers. Before moving to Saskatoon, Donnie Davidsen also coached with the high school program in the town of Assiniboia and Vanier Collegiate in Moose Jaw.

Since arriving in Saskatoon, Davidsen previously coached the football teams at St. Joseph High School, E.D. Feehan Catholic High School and Bethlehem Catholic High School before moving over to work at Bishop James Mahoney. Davidsen has experienced 11 CJFL championship wins with the Hilltops and guided the Saints to four provincial titles.

On July 19, Davidson was a recipient of the Roughriders Recognition Award along with David Rogers, who is the long time head coach of the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate Comets Football Team that plays the nine-a-side game. 

From left, Donnie Davidsen, Trey Reider, Boston Davidsen and Shane Reider.

The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders through the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation along with Football Saskatchewan present Roughriders Recognition Awards for the lifetime contributions individuals make to promoting and developing football at the amateur level.

Davidsen and Rogers were honoured at that day’s Roughriders 19-9 home win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I love the ’Riders,” said Davidsen. “They took care of me.

“That Foundation does great work. They showed me nothing but class. It was awesome to be there.

“I was super happy to receive that recognition. They treated me like a king, so it was awesome.”

While Davidsen has compiled a vast amount of memories coaching the game, his best memories are coaching championship teams that his son, Boston, and daughter, Peyton played on. The 2016 and 2018 Saints provincial championship teams Donnie coached featured Boston as a running back.

Donnie Davidsen works the Saints sidelines in Sept. 2022.

The two were with the Hilltops together for their CJFL championship wins in 2019 and 2023. Boston exhausted his CJFL eligibility after last year’s CJFL title victory finishing his time with the Hilltops posting two straight 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in the regular season.

Donnie coached a flag football team that Peyton was the quarterback for to a city championship. They were together for two flag seasons and made it to the city final in both campaigns.

Also on the family front, Davidsen’s brother-in-law is Hilltops offensive coordinator Shane Reider, and Davidsen is the uncle to Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider, who is Shane’s son. The Reiders were a big part of the Hilltops CJFL championship win a year ago.

Looking back on his coaching career, Davidsen said he has coached so long that most of the players he once guided have been established in their adult lives now for some time.

“That’s so crazy thinking about like high school and even this team,” said Davidsen. “You coached guys that now have families.

Donnie Davidsen celebrates a provincial title with the Saints in 2022.

“How crazy is that? It’s awesome.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has a great appreciation for Davidsen’s run as a football coach. Sargeant became a Hilltops assistant coach in 1991 and took over as the team’s head coach in early December of 1997.

At the time Sargeant became the head coach of the Hilltops, he was head coach of the Evan Hardy Collegiate Souls Football Team. Sargeant guided the Souls to provincial title wins in 1997 and 2000 and went up against teams coached by Davidsen.

When Davidsen was given the Roughriders Recognition Award, Sargeant said everyone in the Hilltops organization was proud of the club’s long time offensive line coach.

Donnie Davidsen hugs a Saints player after a provincials win in 2022.

“It was outstanding for him to be recognized by his peers and by Football Saskatchewan,” said Sargeant. “He’s been a great coach for the Hilltops for a long, long time and such a loyal companion and friend.

“When we heard the news, you couldn’t have been more excited for coach Davidsen.”

Sargeant said Davidsen has done an outstanding job in his work with the Hilltops offensive line and guiding the Saints as a head coach for a very lengthy period of time.

“His commitment to his school in Bishop James Mahoney and to this program is second to none,” said Sargeant. “He coaches basketball in the off-season.

“We just love his background. He was a great competitor as an athlete himself and that has carried over to him as a coach. He’s a very competitive coach and has high, high expectations and demands on his players.

Donnie Davidsen, middle, checks out action on the field in 2023.

“We’ve enjoyed a lot of his hard work and labour that has really transferred into creating a lot of great players for the Hilltops.”

Davidsen’s passion for coaching football in the current day is still as strong as ever.

“It’s the ultimate team sport, and it’s different,” said Davidsen. “When I coach high school, it’s the development of young players.

“It’s the ability to see growth and to teach life lessons. That to me is the most important thing at that level. I come here and none of that changes, but it’s at a much more elite level.

“It’s the brotherhood of coaches that I coach with here as well. I probably wouldn’t do it, if I wasn’t happy doing it, but I love it. I guess that’s what keeps me going.”

With that said, Davidsen has enjoyed getting back at it as the Hilltops opened training camp on July 28. Last Thursday, the Hilltops hosted their annual Alumni Game and fell to the Hilltops Alumni Team 28-8.

Donnie Davidsen, right, on the Hilltops sidelines during a timeout.

The Hilltops open their regular season this coming Sunday taking on the Edmonton Huskies at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Soon, Davidsen will be overseeing the opening of training camp for the Saints.

“I think I have a good team at high school,” said Davidsen. “I think we’re going to have a great team here.

“It’s just a matter of, you know, putting the team together, putting the time in, getting the kids to commit and sometimes having the ball bounce your way and be a little lucky too.”

As for the Alumni Game, Sargeant said that contest always provides a good early learning experience for his current team.

“I felt our starters performed better than what they did last year and saw some good things,” said Sargeant. “The good thing is we got the drone going on.

Donnie Davidsen takes part in the Hilltops Alumni Game’s handshake line.

“There’s just lots to learn. There are some that thing this is the most important game we play all year, because it sort of sets the tone for how our players need to play and conduct themselves and the physical nature of which the game is all about. They learn from the alumni, and as I said, it has been a great vehicle for us moving forward each year.”

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‘Sarge,’ Yausie, Hilltops coaches face unique challenge in 2023

Saskatoon club young, inexperienced in resetting PFC

Jeff Yausie and Tom Sargeant are the Hilltops dynamic coaching duo.

Tom Sargeant and Jeff Yausie – you seemingly can’t have one without the other when it comes to coaching the Saskatoon Hilltops.

Sargeant was named head coach of the storied and historic CJFL club in December of 1997 having served as an assistant coach for seven seasons from 1991 to 1997. Yausie is going into his 22^nd season as a linebackers coach with the Hilltops and 13^th campaign as defensive co-ordinator.

Through the Hilltops run of winning nine CJFL championships in a span of 10 years that included three consecutive wins from 2010 to 2012 and six straight titles from 2014 to 2019, Sargeant and Yausie have come to the forefront in the minds of football followers in Canada as the dynamic duo of the Hilltops coaching staff.

Both are quick to add the Hilltops success comes from the work the team receives from the entirety of the club’s veteran coaching staff. The coaching staff includes offensive coordinator Shane Reider, special teams coordinator Andre Lalonde, Brent Turkington, Donnie Davidsen, Dave Fisher, Barclay Schlosser and Bruce Rempel.

Turkington has been on the staff for 24 seasons, while Lalonde, Schlosser and Rempel are the relative newcomers entering their eighth, seventh and sixth seasons with the team respectively.

Tom Sargeant has been the Hilltops HC since Dec. 1997.

In 2023, Sargeant, Yausie and the Hilltops coaches face a unique challenge of guiding a more youthful and inexperienced team through a CJFL campaign. A reality check about the work that needs to be done came during in the Hilltops Alumni Game played Thursday at Ron Atchison Field, when the Alumni Team rolled to a 32-1 victory.

Sargeant said the coaches are going to get to work and grind as hard as ever to correct things. He said the Hilltops coaches have high trust in each other.

“It is a brotherhood,” said Sargeant. “We all roll up our sleeves.

“The good thing is we’re all embarrassed. We’re all not feeling very good about ourselves. We’ll have the tough conversations, the critical conversations, the open conversations, and we’ll grind and grind and make sure by next week we coach a better team and more importantly they come out and play better.

“You can do whatever you want, but once they get between the lines they have to go play the game. We have to instill a lot of energy, a lot of passion and the smarts.”

The Hilltops had 20 players exhaust their CJFL eligibility at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign including four starters on the offensive line in Jordan Bisson, Luciano Jolly, Jayson Kehler and Ethan Paslowski along with three starters on the defensive line in Jaxon Funk, Daylen Hartz and Dylan McNutt. The graduations included star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, who won the CJFL’s Larry Wruck Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022.

Jeff Yausie is entering his 22nd season on the Hilltops coaching staff.

“We miss our studs and veterans, but it is really fun to coach new guys and new faces,” said Yausie. “We have to help build what they are going to be.

“They have to learn how to play hard and play fast and to celebrate and play for each other and to be a great team. Our offence needed our help on defence (in the Alumni Game). We had zero turnovers in the first half.

“Our offence needed a couple of turnovers to give them a short field and to give them some life. They absolutely needed that, and we didn’t do it.”

The Hilltops open their regular season schedule on Sunday, August 13, at 1 p.m. when they host the Edmonton Wildcats at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Sargeant and Yausie both said the focus turns to making the Hilltops game ready for that contest.

Sargeant said he thought the Hilltops had a good week of practice heading into the Alumni Game. Alumni quarterback Jordan Walls, who played for five straight CJFL championship winners from 2014-18, showed he could still shred a defence like NFL all-time great Tom Brady.

Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the Alumni Team.

The Hilltops offence was stuck in quicksand going against an Alumni defence that had standouts everywhere like linebacker Cody Peters, who won the CJFL’s Larry Wruck Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018. Peters also played on five straight CJFL championship winners from 2014 to 2018.

“It was a great alumni effort with high-end talent – the hearts and the smarts,” said Sargeant. “They were so smart out there.

“They just made us look like a real young and immature football team, which I guess maybe I thought we were but didn’t want to think that. At least now I know. If this is ground zero, then we will be OK.

“If not, then we’re in a lot of trouble.”

While the Hilltops are finding their way, it appears they won’t be alone in that department in 2023. Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL season was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world, the circuit’s leaders elected to give 1998 and 1999 born players an extra year of eligibility.

That decision resulted in two classes of players graduating following the conclusion of last season with players born in 1999 and 2000 exhausting their eligibilities at the end of the campaign. Clubs in the Prairie Football Conference the Hilltops play out of are seeing significant turnover making the 2023 season a big reset one.

QB Trey Reider and the Hilltops struggled against the Alumni Team.

Yausie said the Hilltops coaches will put in the effort to get the club going in an upward direction on the field.

“We’re such good friends that we’ll not accept what we saw,” said Yausie. “I know ‘Sarge’ is a great competitor.

“I know he’ll push us as hard or harder than he will push the kids. We’ll get in and watch our film and get ready to play an unknown opponent really against the Wildcats. There are a lot of unknowns about our league this year.

“I don’t know who the quarterbacks are, and there are some new coordinators. The one thing I know is we will work extremely hard to get better.”

At age 58, Sargeant said he is still as motivated and passionate as ever when it comes to coaching the Hilltops. When it comes to facing the challenges of the 2023 campaign, he is pumped he gets to do it with Yausie and the rest of the Hilltops coaching staff.

“I know what their pride is all about,” said Sargeant. “As I said, there were some good discussions during this game.

HC Tom Sargeant knows his staff has a lot of work ahead of them.

“I know the pride of that group, and I know that at the end of the day we’ll embrace this challenge. We have way more work than maybe I thought we did. I’m just trying to do all that processing now, because I said this was an old fashioned butt kicking that as I said didn’t see coming.

“We have to figure out how to react and respond properly.”

At age 57, Yausie said his love for football is still there. He loves coaching with Sargeant and the rest of the Hilltops coaching staff and helping the players grow. Yausie said that love for everything about the game keeps the Hilltops coaches coming back year after year.

“I think you have to love what you do,” said Yausie. “When you love what you do, it is easy to come to practice.

“I love the guys I coach with, and Tom (Sargeant) has built that in a bunch of different ways. I never thought that I would be coaching at this age. I still got the zip.

Jeff Yausie believes the Hilltops coaches will get the team rolling again.

“I still got some life and energy. I just have fun, and coaching these young guys keeps you young.”

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Hilltops’ Davidsen on cusp of 1,000 yards rushing for season

Boston Davidsen has rushed for 891 yards this season.

Boston Davidsen will always be a team first guy, even when he is close to a big personal milestone.

Through seven games of the CJFL regular season, the Saskatoon Hilltops star power running back has carried the ball 133 times for 891 yards and five touchdowns. He needs to run for 109 yards in the Hilltops final regular season game to achieve the milestone of rushing for 1000 yards in one season.

The Hilltops, who are 4-3, also need to win their last game of the regular season to keep the possibility of hosting a PFC semifinal playoff game alive. They close the regular season hosting the Calgary Colts (2-5) on Sunday, October 16 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

At the same time when the Hilltops are facing the Colts, the Edmonton Huskies (5-2) travel to Regina to take on the Thunder (7-0) at Leibel Field. A Hilltops victory combined with a Huskies loss will see both club sport 5-3 records and give Saskatoon second place in the PFC and the right to host a PFC semifinal against the Huskies.

The ’Toppers hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Huskies having won the lone regular season encounter between the two sides 38-10 back on August 21 at SMF Field.

Davidsen is aware how close he is to 1,000-yards rushing, but he said his mind is focused on helping the Hilltops secure a win against the Colts.

“It is far from a guarantee that we will get there (to 1,000-yards rushing),” said Davidsen, who leads the PFC in rushing. “I think more importantly we have a game (against the Calgary Colts) that we have to win.

Boston Davidsen (#24) hits a hole created by his offensive line.

“If we win and things go our way, we’ll get a home playoff game in the first round. That is what we are focused on. If I can contribute to that win by running the ball, then I am all for it.

“If I need to block, I’ll do whatever it takes. That win comes first.”

As Saskatoon leads the PFC in rushing with 1,463 yards, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant knows his team’s path to victory calls for being strong on the ground. The legendary sideline boss said his team will be trying to get Davidsen to 1,000 yards rushing for the season, because his success along the ground gives the Hilltops a better chance to win.

While Davidsen has had a good season, Sargeant believes his standout has found another gear in recent weeks.

“The last couple of games we’ve played better, and one of the reasons is because Boston (Davidsen) and the O-line are playing better,” said Sargeant. “He (Davidsen) is doing a heck of a job reading his holes and making good decisions.

“You look at his performance he did last year he is a heck of a runner there. We know what he is all about. We’ll rally around that, and that will be one of our goals as we head into our last game of the year of trying to get Boston (Davidsen) over that mountaintop, because he deserves it, the O-line deserves it and the offence deserves it and the team deserves it.”

Last season, Davidsen had a breakout campaign finishing second in the PFC with 634 yards rushing coming on 98 carries, where he scored six touchdowns. The graduate of the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football program is aware that the players on the offensive line would be pretty pumped, if they could say they blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher.

Boston Davidsen can pile up the yards in traffic.

“It might even show more success on their part than it does on mine,” said Davidsen, whose father, Donnie, is the Hilltops offensive line coach. “Without a successful O-line, you’re not going anywhere.

“They’re the ones creating the lanes for you allowing you to get your yards. They’re the ones that take a lot of pride in it too. They’ve been keeping me I guess updated with the stats even maybe more than myself just trying to I guess motivate me to hit that mark.”

The last Hilltops player to hit the 1000-yard plateau in rushing was Ben Abrook, who accomplished the feat in 2019 when Saskatoon capped a run of winning the CJFL title in six straight years. That season, Abrook ran the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns.

During the Hilltops 2018 CJFL championship season, Josh Ewanchyna hit the 1,000-yard plateau. Suiting up in seven regular season games, Ewanchyna carried the ball 134 times for 1,007 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Wayndel Lewis is currently the third last player to hit 1,000-yards rushing in a season. During the Hilltops 2014 CJFL championship season, Lewis carried the ball 130 times for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns while being named the CJFL’s offensive player of the year.

Current Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde holds the Hilltops team record for most rushing yards in one season set in his final campaign as a player in 2013. In that season, Lalonde carried the ball 182 times for 1,367 yards and seven touchdowns while being named the CJFL’s offensive player of the year.

Boston Davidsen can power his way through attempted tacklers.

Davidsen said one of his biggest influences on his career is Lalonde.

“I owe a tonne of my success to him,” said Davidsen. “He’s led the way.

“He has been a good leader for me, a good coach and a good example to follow. All of the technique and stuff we use, it is taught by him. He is a major part of our team’s success and the running backs’ success.”

Looking towards the Hilltops final regular season game, Sargeant said it is special when a running back can reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season. With the PFC traditionally being the CJFL’s toughest conference, Sargeant said that makes getting to 1,000-yards rushing that much more impressive a milestone on top of the fact the Hilltops have had their struggles this season.

The sideline boss said it would be a memorable moment, if the Hilltops could get Davidsen to 1,000-yards rushing.

“When you break this league down, it is not easy, especially with the way we’ve been playing,” said Sargeant. “It is credit to everybody that he is in this situation, but most importantly him.

“He has put in the time. He does everything right, and as I said, everyone is going to rally around him.

Boston Davidsen, left, is focused on helping the Hilltops win games.

“He’d be embarrassed if we’re talking like this behind him with these accolades. That is just who he is. At the end of the day, he is one heck of a football player, and he makes the Saskatoon Hilltops better.”

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Bikulo finds home on Hilltops offensive line

Second year player becomes starter moving from D-line

Victoire Bikulo sets up in a pass block for the Hilltops.

Victoire Bikulo believed in the faith the Saskatoon Hilltops coaches placed in him.

As a result, the 18-year-old has earned a starting role at right tackle on the offensive line in just his second season with the team. When he joined the Hilltops at the start of last season, Bikulo was a defensive lineman.

He cracked on to the team earning a spot on the practice roster. At a Hilltops practice session during his first campaign with the team, head coach Tom Sargeant, who holds the all-time career wins record for Canada’s amateur post-secondary football ranks, pitched the idea to Bikulo of having the young player switch from the defensive line to the offensive line.

“Initially, it was ‘Sarge’ that approached me about the idea,” said Bikulo, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 325 pounds. “He just called me from the D-line warm up to the centre of the field and threw the idea my way.

“I was more than happy to just give it a try. I wasn’t opposed to it, because it was an opportunity. He saw something in me obviously that I hadn’t seen.

“If I had passed up that opportunity that he gave me, it probably wouldn’t have worked out as best as it has today. He believed in me. I took his belief, and I showed him that he was right.”

Bikulo rapidly improved to the point he earned the starting nod in the Hilltops three regular season games to date this season as they’ve posted a 2-1 record. When you take into account Bikulo first started playing football in his Grade 9 year at Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School, he believes it is a big accomplishment to become a starter on the Hilltops offensive line at the beginning of his second season with the powerhouse CJFL team.

Victoire Bikulo (#59) runs onto the field with the Hilltops.

“It was very cool,” said Bikulo. “It was awesome, because I saw the progress that I did make.

“Obviously, I had to work very hard. I came from the bottom of the depth chart on O-line to now being a starter. It wasn’t the easiest job ever, but I worked my butt off.

“I had a lot to prove, a chip on my shoulder, so I’m happy with having to earn the starting spot and the way I did it.”

Sargeant said the team’s coaching staff came up with the idea of moving Bikulo from the defensive line to the offensive line due to him having athletic abilities that fit the position and his smarts.

“Number one, you look at his frame,” said Sargeant. “He’s got a great frame and real good feet.

“He just seemed to have the mindset of an offensive lineman. He is a cerebral player. He is smart and has good understanding.

“It is like, ‘Hey, we can put something together here.’”

Sargeant said Bikulo really excelled during the team’s winter workouts, and he had been penciled in as the Hilltops starter at right tackle for the last five months.

Victoire Bikulo locks on to a block on a running play.

“He has come a long, long way from the first time he walked in,” said Sargeant. “There was a lot of learning and a lot of understanding.

“The guys have really rallied around him. His performances you can see the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows of a new starting right tackle. We’re in it with him.

“He has got a long ways to go. At the end of the day, he’s got a chance to be an outstanding football player here. We’re excited to be around him.”

Bikulo credits the coaches he has had throughout his football career for getting him to where he is today. He started with the coaches he had when he was a member of the St. Joseph High School Guardians football program for teaching him the game and giving him a foundation in the sport.

With the Hilltops, Bikulo said the coaches had belief that he could do well in a position he had never played before. He credited Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen for helping him make the strides he has on the offensive line.

“Donnie helps a lot,” said Bikulo. “To this day, he still helps me a lot on the sidelines and during games.

“He is still helping a lot even right before the snap. There are still certain cues that he is still willing to remind me to not forget. Later on in the game we all get tired and we forget our fundamentals, he is always ready to remind you of that.

“He helps us stay calm and collected on the sidelines. He had a huge part in my transition from D-line to O-line.”

Victoire Bikulo, left, works with a teammate in pass blocking.

Bikulo said he is pleased with how the season has gone so far for the most part. He wasn’t satisfied with the fact his Hilltops dropped their last outing this past Sunday 19-16 to the Rifles in Winnipeg.

The young lineman is expecting a big bounce back effort in the team’s next outing on Saturday, September 10, when the Hilltops host their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder (3-0) at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“Honestly, I feel it (the season) has gone pretty good,” said Bikulo, who will be 18-years-old this entire season due to having a late December birthday. “I kind of have a sour taste in my mouth from that loss that we took.

“We could have done a lot better as a team. We’ll move on, and once Regina (Thunder) comes around, we’ll perform.”

Despite the bump in the road against the Rifles, Bikulo is optimistic the Hilltops can have a special season in 2022.

“For the team, I think we can have a very great season,” said Bikulo. “We have a very good team.

“If we all stay consistent, do our job and just trust one another on the field, we’ll be a great team. We’ll take this thing all the way to the end for sure. As far as myself goes, I’m just here to learn.

Victoire Bikulo believes the Hilltops can hit big heights in 2022.

“I’m always learning and happy to play football. I’ll keep learning and getting better every day.”

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