Hilltops make memorable return in season like no other

2021 campaign a great one despite CJFL semi heartbreaker

The Hilltops celebrate a winning TD catch from Dillan Heintz.

When the Saskatoon Hilltops got together for training camp in early August, they were just looking forward to playing an actual game.

The goals become that simple after you lose an entire season due to a worldwide pandemic that caused unprecedented shutdowns.

It seems that moment in August was a long time ago, when the Hilltops 2021 campaign came to an end last Saturday with a 17-14 heartbreaking loss in a CJFL semifinal to the Langley Rams at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

With that noted, the entire 2020 CJFL campaign was cancelled due to the fact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic got its grip on the world. The Hilltops were able to gather for six weeks of practice in September and October of that year, but that was all the time they would have together on field.

Fans cheer on the Hilltops at SMF Field.

In early August of this year, the Hilltops knew they would at least get in their regular season opener on August 22 against the Edmonton Huskies at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta.

There was an extra bounce in everyone’s step that they would get to play a game. Every game that could be played was viewed as a blessing.

There was also added anticipation knowing that the first contest back was against the Huskies, who had traditionally been a tough opponent for the Hilltops.

The two sides met in the PFC final in 2018 and 2019, and the Hilltops came out victorious on both occasions.

Mason Ochs goes down as a Hilltops all-time great.

Actually, the Hilltops modest expectations of just looking forward to one game were a big departure from what the team was able to accomplish before the 2020 season was lost.

The Hilltops had won six consecutive CJFL championships leading up to that lost season. From 2010 to 2019, the Hilltops won nine CJFL titles. The Regina Thunder interrupted that run capturing a CJFL championship in 2013.

Saskatoon seemly had a firm lock on the CJFL championship trophy – the Canadian Bowl. The team carried lengthy overall, road and post-season winning streaks into the 2021 campaign.

Still at the start of this past season, there was a thought in the back of everyone’s mind that the 2021 campaign could fall through with the introduction of new public health orders or other legislation brought in by governments.

Jonathan Chisholm played five strong seasons for the Hilltops.

The fact there was going to be a game against the Huskies in Edmonton on August 22 was a big thing.

In that contest, the Hilltops fell behind 14-0 at halftime before rallying for an 18-17 victory. The winning point came when punter Doug Fleming kicked a punt single on the last playoff the game to give the ’Toppers their 30^th straight victory on the road including action in the regular season and playoffs.

The Hilltops also made history in that contest as linebacker Emmarae Dale took the field to become the first female to ever play in a CJFL regular season game.

With that game in the bag, it felt like the season was actually for real. The day-to-day focus earnestly turned back on to what was happening on the field. The goals grew bigger for real as the campaign went on as the confidence grew that factors outside the team’s control likely wouldn’t bring the season to a stop.

Jared Giddings (#6) stood out as the Hilltops boundary corner.

The Hilltops improved to 2-0 with a road win against the Colts in Calgary and proceeded to lose both games in a home-and-home series with their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder.

On September 11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Thunder prevailed 16-13 on a 51-yard last play game winning field goal by Eric Maximuik. On September 18 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Thunder held on for a 30-27 victory thanks to an end zone interception by defensive back Justin McKerracher with seven seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

Both encounters were CJFL classics.

The Hilltops were sitting with a 2-2 record and their overall winning streak was halted at 33 games and their road winning streak was stopped at 31 games. It is believed both those marks are CJFL records.

Emmarae Dale made history as the first female to play in the CJFL.

Saskatoon also dealt with inconsistent play at the quarterback position resulting in who would be the starter between Fleming and Damon Dutton. Fleming started the first three games was pulled in the club’s first and third contests in favour of Dutton.

Dutton started the fourth contest in the 30-27 loss to the Thunder and remained in that starter’s spot for the rest of the season.

Going into their fifth game, the Hilltops just wanted to get back in the win column. They did that with a 25-10 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles at SMF Field that was far from a masterpiece.

The Hilltops turned the ball over seven times, and the Rifles gave it away six times.

Konner Johnson (#42) had a breakout season at outside linebacker.

That set up a big showdown with the Huskies. If the Hilltops wanted to host a playoff game and earn a bye to a PFC semifinal, they needed to win that contest.

In the first season back after the 2020 stoppage, it was decided in the PFC that all of the conference’s six teams would make the post-season.

On October 3 at SMF Field, the Hilltops downed the Huskies 34-20 on the strength of a monster game from running back Boston Davidsen, who carried the ball 31 times for 221 yards and scored three touchdowns.

The Hilltops closed the regular season with four straight wins to finish second in the PFC with a 6-2 record.

Tom Sargeant, centre, and his staff did great work the last two years.

That set the scene for the playoffs. Before even getting ahead of themselves and thinking of a run, the Hilltops were focused on a third encounter with the Huskies.

That clash at SMF Field turned into one of the CJFL’s all-time great post-season games. With 21.3 seconds remaining in the game, Dutton hit standout receiver Dillan Heintz with a five-yard touchdown toss to lift the Hilltops to a 33-31 victory.

The Huskies, who were great in that game, arguably saved their best work on their journey home. About 50 kilometres north of Saskatoon, the team bus came across an accident scene where a motorcyclist apparently hit a deer.

Damon Dutton emerged as the Hilltops starting QB.

The team’s training staff including Cassidy Ku, Shawna Crozier and Randy Kuefler, equipment manager Luca Cupelli and defensive back and paramedic student Sheldon McNabb helped save the motorcyclist’s life assisting the victim before first responders arrived. They provided assistance to the first responders when they got to the scene too.

Having a victory over a quality opponent on and off the field, the Hilltops turned their attention to the PFC final and the Thunder.

In that contest on November 14 at Mosaic Stadium, the Hilltops offensive line of left tackle Mason Ochs, left guard Jayson Kehler, centre Luciano Jolly, right guard Ethan Paslowski and right tackle Jonathan Chisholm allowed Davidsen and fellow star running back Carter McLean have big days as the Hilltops piled up 386 yards rushing as a team.

Ethan Godson became a big play receiver for the Hilltops.

Saskatoon came away with a 29-9 victory winning the PFC title for a seventh straight season.

By this point in the campaign, the Hilltops belief was high that they were going to go all the way once again.  The focus was on winning the Canadian Bowl to help the team’s graduating players depart as CJFL champions.

They knew they faced a big challenge against the Rams in Langley in the CJFL semifinal. Late in the third quarter of that contest, Fleming hit receiver Presley Peterson with a 23-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal to put the Hilltops up 14-7 going into the fourth quarter.

The Rams rallied in the fourth quarter to pull out a 17-14 victory. The contest wasn’t the cleanest performance on the execution front as the Hilltops turned the ball over 12 times, and the Rams gave away the ball seven times.

Carter McLean rolled off some big runs for the Hilltops.

The turnovers made that contest a heartbreaker for the Hilltops.

Their CJFL record post-season game winning streak would end at 22 contests.

The Hilltops only had four players graduate due to aging out in Dale, Ochs, Chisholm and boundary cornerback Jared Giddings.

All four were able to play as 23-year-olds after the CJFL ruled all 22-year-old players on team rosters in 2020 were eligible to return as 23-year-olds in 2021.

Ochs, Chisholm and Giddings played five full seasons with the Hilltops and were looked to as leaders to guide the day. While Dale was just with the team for one season, she ended up becoming a leader and a calming influence on the team.

Boston Davidsen piled up big yards on the ground for the Hilltops.

The players knew about her years playing with the Saskatoon Valkyries in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League and many had trained with her at Ignite Athletics. The younger players looked to Dale to help show the way.

Chisholm said the four 23-year-olds were like the parents for the rest of the team, and that was likely an accurate observation.

During the season, the Hilltops improved a lot. There were various feel good storylines like Ethan Godson emerging as a big-play receiver and Konner Johnson cementing himself as a star big play outside linebacker.

Ochs was named the PFC’s most outstanding lineman and graduates the Hilltops’ program as one of the team’s all-time greats. On Thursday, Ochs was named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star for the fourth straight season.

The coin toss of a Hilltops game versus the Rifles.

He was a PFC all-star for the last four straight campaigns too.

Legendary head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff did an outstanding over the past two years navigating the team through all the uncontrollable world events relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and all the unique situations it created playing through the 2021 campaign.

Behind the scenes, the Hilltops board of directors and support staff did an amazing job to ensure the club kept going forward in world situations no one plans for. 

Mason Ochs (#73) raises the PFC championship trophy.

When former player Chris Hengen-Braun became team president in February of 2020, I don’t think he would have ever imagined dealing with the things he had deal with for the rest of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

He had the hardest road to tackle out of any Hilltops president in recent memory.

The Hilltops are set to return a good core of players for the 2022 campaign. The fact the team wasn’t able to win the CJFL title in 2021 will supply motivation in 2022.

Still, the 2021 campaign was a memorable one, with how far the Hilltops came as a team with having to restart after the 2020 season was lost. It was a big thing to prove a season could happen again.

The Hilltops needed to find out what their new starting point would be heading into future seasons.

The Hilltops enjoy fun moments with their supporters.

The effort of the 2021 team gives the Hilltops a great base to build off of going forward. With all that has happened in the world, providing that strong starting base is a great lasting accomplishment the 2021 Hilltops will have forever.

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Hilltops record CJFL playoff run comes to an end

Rams claim circuit semifinal in 17-14 defensive slugfest

The Rams celebrate their CJFL semifinal win. (Photo courtesy BCFCTV)

The Saskatoon Hilltops played tough and aggressive defence, but the defence of the Langley Rams might have unbelievably been a step better.

When the dust settled in a CJFL semifinal battle between the two sides Saturday at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C., the host Rams prevailed 17-14 in a defensive slugfest. The 14 points the Hilltops scored were actually the most points the Rams had given up in any game this season.

The Hilltops, who are the PFC champions, entered the fourth quarter holding a 14-7 lead, but the Rams, who are the BCFC champions, pulled out a fourth-quarter comeback to claim the three-point victory.

The result ended the Hilltops CJFL record post-season game winning streak at 22 contests and the ’Toppers run of winning six consecutive CJFL championships, which was also a CJFL record. Saskatoon won six straight CJFL championships from 2014 to 2019.

The 2020 CJFL campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

The Hilltops conclude the 2021 campaign with an 8-3 overall record, which includes a 6-2 mark in regular season play. The Rams improved to 10-1 overall, which includes a 7-1 mark in regular season play.

Langley advances to play in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Rams will travel to London, Ontario, to face the Ontario Football Conference champion London Beefeaters in the Canadian Bowl on Saturday, December 4.

Brady Fossen blocked a punt for the Hilltops.

The Beefeaters, who are 8-2 overall and 6-2 in regular season play, upset the St. Clair Fratmen 15-14 in the OFC championship game held Saturday in Windsor. The Fratmen finish the 2021 campaign with a 9-1 overall record, which included an 8-0 mark in regular season play.

In Saturday’s battle between the Hilltops and Rams, the contest got off to an auspicious start for the visitors.

Hilltops receiver Lachlan Horsley fumbled away the opening kickoff, and it was recovered by Rams defensive back Beko Wande. Wande would make numerous big plays for the Rams in the contest.

Langley was only able to turn that turnover into a long 60-yard punt single from punter Darian Pritchard to go ahead 1-0.

Rams kicker Tato Ferreyro Araya had a shot at a 40-yard field goal later in the opening quarter, but he sailed his kick wide, and the Hilltops ran the ball out of the end zone to avoid giving up any points.

Early in the second quarter, Ferreyro Araya hit a field goal from 27 yards out to increase the Rams advantage to 4-0.

Shortly after Ferreyro Araya hit his field goal, the Hilltops got in position to attempt a field goal from 28 yards out, but the kick attempt was never made after holder Doug Fleming covered up a bad snap.

On the ensuing Rams possession, they were stopped on a third-and-inches attempt at their own 36 yard line.

The Hilltops promptly drove down that short field for a major score, where quarterback Damon Dutton hit receiver Dillan Heintz with a seven-yard touchdown pass on an out pattern. That score put the visitors in front 7-4.

QB Damon Dutton struggled for the Hilltops on Saturday.

On the final possession of the second quarter, the Rams got in position to attempt a 25-yard field goal on the last play of the frame. Ferreyro Araya’s kicked was blocked by the Hilltops defensive line to allow Saskatoon to head into the halftime break with a 7-4 edge.

Early in the third quarter, the Rams drove down to the Hilltops one yard line. The Hilltops defence came up with a goal-line stand stopping the Rams three times from the one yard line to force a turnover on downs.

The Rams were set up on the Hilltops one yard line, when linebacker Colten Dejong made an interception and returned it to that spot.

With just over seven minutes expired in the third quarter, the Rams found themselves on the Hilltops one yard line again facing a third and goal decision. This time, the Rams elected to have Ferreyro Araya hit a field goal from eight yards out to even the score at 7-7.

That field goal was set up off an interception by Rams defensive back Nathan Murray.

The Hilltops jumped back out in front with a minute to play in the third quarter. On a fake field goal, Fleming threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Presley Peterson to put the visitors in front 14-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Hilltops got the ball with great field position, when outside linebacker Brady Fossen blocked a punt from Pritchard.

The Hilltops got down to the Rams 25 yard line and elected to gamble on a third and five. Rams defensive lineman Jesse Goedman sacked Dutton on the third down play to allow the hosts to take over the ball on their own 30 yard line.

Dillan Heintz had a TD catch for the Hilltops.

Later in the fourth quarter with 5:01 remaining in the frame, Rams quarterback Michael Calvert hit running back Derek Best with a 29-yard touchdown toss to even the score at 14-14.

With 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter, Balucos hit a field goal from eight yards out to give the Rams a 17-14 lead. The field goal was set up by a fumble by Dutton that was recovered by Rams defensive lineman Tyler Eckert.

On the ensuing series, the Hilltops elected to pull Dutton for backup quarterback Trey Reider. Dutton had struggled for a lot of the contest completing 9-of-14 passes for 92 yards and the one touchdown toss, while throwing three interceptions and fumbling once.

Reider got two offensive series to try and move the team and was unable to complete any of his four pass attempts, while throwing one interception. On his second series, Reider was intercepted by Wande, which sealed the win for the Rams. The interception was Wande’s second of the contest.

After that Wande interception off Reider, the Rams offence ended the contest taking two knees.

While the teams didn’t have to battle any adverse weather conditions, the CJFL semifinal clash was far from a classic. The Rams turned the ball over seven times, while the Hilltops committed an unimaginable 12 turnovers.

The Hilltops got sound production from their two star running backs in Carter McLean and Boston Davidsen. McLean ran the ball 14 times for 64 yards. Teammate Boston Davidsen carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards.

Ethan Godson led all Saskatoon receivers with five catches for 45 yards.

Riece Kack had six total tackles for the Hilltops.

Calvert completed 18-of-25 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for the Rams. He also ran the ball eight times for 26 yards.

Best led the Rams in rushing carrying the ball 14 times for 67 yards to go with his 29-yard touchdown reception.

Defensive lineman Craig Torgerson had a sack for the Hilltops. Middle linebacker Matt Wist had a team high eight solo tackles and five total tackle assists for Saskatoon.

Defensive end Riece Kack had five total tackles and a tackle assist for the Hilltops.

Eckert had a pair of sacks for the Rams. Defensive back Kyle Clarot led Langley with six total tackles.

The Hilltops and Rams met in the Canadian Bowl in 2019, which also turned into a defensive slugfest at McLeod Stadium. Saskatoon pulled out an 11-6 victory in that encounter.

Before Saturday’s CJFL semifinal contest, the last time the Hilltops lost a post-season game came in the 2013 PFC final, when they fell 21-16 against the Regina Thunder at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon on October 27 of that year.

The Hilltops run of six consecutive CJFL championships and 22 straight post-season victories were CJFL records no one could ever seriously imagine could happen. While those streaks came to an end, they were truly remarkable accomplishments.

Ultimately, it took arguably the craziest of post-season games to bring those streaks to an end.

Congratulations to the @LangleyRams - who are heading to the Canadian Bowl.

A truly worthy opponent and our pick for Canadian Bowl champions based on their defence alone.

Enjoy the win Langley!

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) November 21, 2021

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CJFL playoffs arrive for Hilltops

Saskatoon ready to get it on with Huskies in PFC semifinal

Boston Davidsen finished second in the PFC in rushing yards.

The Saskatoon Hilltops never leave anything to chance especially when it comes to playing a quality opponent they seemingly always beat.

At practice this week, the Hilltops have been their traditional businesslike selves preparing for their Prairie Football Conference semifinal clash with the Edmonton Huskies. The two sides go at it in that CJFL playoff clash on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“It will be a challenge,” said Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton. “They are definitely a good team.

“We just have to come out and compete and play our best game of the season on Sunday.”

The Hilltops finished second in the PFC regular season standings with a 6-2 mark, while the Huskies were third with a 5-3 record.

Saskatoon earned a bye to host a PFC semifinal thanks to the second place finish. The Huskies romped over the Calgary Colts 53-9 in a PFC quarter-final contest held this past Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton.

The two sides went at it twice during the regular season with the Hilltops pulling out wins on both occasions.

“You play a team three times you really get to know what they do with their tendencies,” said Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson. “They are going to be the same for us.

“We watched a lot of film. We have a lot of film on them now of us playing them. We know what we have to get better at.”

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season back on August 22, the Hilltops rallied from a 14-0 deficit to slip past the Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl. Hilltops punter Doug Fleming kicked a rouge on the last play of the game to win the contest.

Declan O’Flaherty (#4) topped the PFC in passing yards.

The two sides met again on October 3 at SMF Field, and the Hilltops claimed a 34-20 victory in that encounter.

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world helped cancel the 2020 CJFL campaign, the Hilltops and Huskies met the last two times the PFC final was contested. The Hilltops claimed both of those encounters pulling out a 30-14 win in 2019 and a 28-9 victory in 2018.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant knows all that past success doesn’t guarantee any future success.

“They are a good football team,” said Sargeant, whose team has won four straight games. “They are well coached.

“They got skill levels at all positions. They are hungry. You got to remember this is a team we’ve faced in the PFC final for that couple of years.

“We have a history with them as well. It is going to be a big, physical clash, but we’re excited that we are playing at SMF.”

During the 2021 regular season, the Huskies had the highest scoring offence in the PFC scoring 334 points in eight games.

The Hilltops defence gave up the least amount of points in the PFC surrendering 135 points over eight contests.

On offence, Dutton became the Hilltops full-time starter in the team’s fourth game of the campaign. During the regular season, Dutton completed 127-of-183 passes for 1,528 yards and 12 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions.

Dutton had the third most passing yards and touchdown passes in the PFC.

Damon Dutton (#19) finished third in the PFC in passing yards.

Huskies starting quarterback Declan O’Flaherty had a stellar campaign completing 138-of-234 passes for 2,115 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. O’Flaherty led the PFC in passing yards and touchdown passes.

He also rested for much of the Huskies quarter-final win over the Colts completing his only pass for nine yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Hilltops running backs Boston Davidsen and Carter McLean finished second and third respectively in the PFC in rushing yards. Davidsen carried the 98 times for 634 yards and scored six touchdowns, while McLean had 125 carries for 599 yards and four touchdowns.

Huskies running back Alex Gayle carried the ball 149 times for 927 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He topped the PFC in all three of those statistical categories.

Edmonton also has veteran Brandt Burzuk in the backfield at running back. In 2019, Burzuk was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back. He battle injuries for much of the 2021 season.

Receiver Ethan Godson led the Hilltops and was fourth in the PFC in receiving yards hauling in 30 catches for 524 yards and six touchdowns.

Pass catcher Adner St Hilaire topped the Huskies and finished second in the PFC in receiving yards catching 35 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns.

During their wins over the Huskies, the Hilltops usually piled up huge yardage on the ground, which included 285 yards rushing in the 34-20 victory on Oct. 3. Dutton said his squad will keep going to the ground game until success doesn’t happen anymore.

“If our running game is working, that means we are doing our jobs,” said Dutton. “We’re confident that it can and it will work.

“We just have good confidence in our guys.”

Alex Gayle (#33) lead the PFC in rushing yards.

On defence, Johnson had a massive year finishing second in the PFC in defensive points. Over eight regular season games, Johnson recorded 26 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 12 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and five interceptions.

Huskies defensive back Maurice Dubois finished ninth in the PFC in defensive points. He collected 32 defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, four special teams tackles, four pass knockdowns and two interceptions over eight regular season games.

Johnson said the Hilltops are going to try and neutralize the Huskies running game first to try and make their opponents one dimensional.

“That is the main goal, especially now it is getting colder out,” said Johnson. “Teams want to run as much as they can.

“I think that is what they are going to be focused on at the start. We have to shut that down. It should be a better game for us.”

Entering the post-season, the Hilltops have won the CJFL championship the last six times it was up for grabs from 2014 to 2019. That means they have an active 20-game CJFL record post-season game winning going into Sunday’s game too.

The last time the Hilltops didn’t make the PFC final when the CJFL playoffs were contested was way back in 2006. During that campaign, the Hilltops season came to an end with a 35-27 setback in a home PFC semifinal contest played at Griffiths Stadium against the Huskies.

Of course in the current campaign, there has been extra excitement for everything that happens in a season after the 2020 campaign was lost.

Sargeant believes his squad will be once again ready to rock ’n’ roll when it comes time to play this Sunday’s post-season game.

“We know what we need to do and how we need to do it,” said Sargeant. “We’re excited to have a great week of practice and focus on the task at hand.

Konner Johnson (#42) and the Hilltops defence are ready to rock.

“We know that the game still comes down to fundamentals. That is what we are doing all week. The coaches are coaching how we expect our players to play.

“The game plan is laid out. The players have to come out and execute that plan. If they do a good job of that, usually things work out pretty well for us.”

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Hilltops to face Huskies in Prairie Football Conference semi

QB Declan O'Flaherty and the Huskies advanced in the PFC playoffs.

In what should come as no surprise, the Saskatoon Hilltops and Edmonton Huskies are going to go at it for a third time in the 2021 CJFL campaign.

On Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta., the host Huskies, who were 5-3 in the regular season, went into their Prairie Football Conference quarter-final as huge favourites over the Calgary Colts, who were 1-7 in the regular season. In the six-team conference, the Huskies were third while the Colts finished sixth.

The Colts held a 2-0 lead early in the contest, but the visions of a monumental upset quickly faded away.

The Huskies rolled to a 33-2 advantage at halftime on their way to a convincing 53-9 victory.

With the win, the Huskies advance to face the Saskatoon Hilltops in a PFC semifinal contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 7 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops finished second in the PFC with a 6-2 regular season record to earn a bye to host a PFC semifinal contest.

The Hilltops, who have won the CJFL title the last six times it has been contested, are riding a four game winning streak heading into the PFC semifinal. They met the Huskies twice in the regular season pulling out wins on both occasions.

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season back on August 22, the Hilltops rallied from a 14-0 deficit to slip past the Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl. Hilltops punter Doug Fleming kicked a rouge on the last play of the game to win the contest.

The two sides met again on October 3 at SMF Field, and the Hilltops claimed a 34-20 victory in that encounter.

The Hilltops and Huskies met in the 2019 PFC final at SMF Field on October 27 of that year, and the Saskatoon side posted a 30-14 win on that day.

RB Ivan Jaque and the Rifles won their PFC quarter-final.

In the other PFC quarter-final match on Sunday held at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., the host Rifles, who finished fourth in the PFC with a 2-6 regular season record, downed the Edmonton Wildcats, who placed fifth in the PFC with a 2-6 mark, 29-18.

The Rifles finished ahead of the Wildcats in the PFC standings due to winning the one regular season encounter between the two sides.

With the win, the Rifles advance to face the Regina Thunder in the other PFC semifinal contest, which will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 7 at Leibel Field in Regina, Sask.

The Thunder, who first took the field in 2000, topped the PFC standings with a perfect 8-0 record. That marked the first time the Thunder have finished first in the PFC, and it was also the first time the Thunder went undefeated in the regular season.

The Thunder and Rifles have met twice in the regular season, and the Regina side posted lopsided wins on both occasions.

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season on August 22, the Thunder blanked the Rifles 37-0 at Maple Grove Rugby Park. The two sides met again in Week 2 on August 29 at Leibel Field, and the Thunder romped to a 64-19 victory in that encounter.

Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, it was decided all of the PFC’s teams would make the post-season in 2021.

Dutton takes PFC offensive player of the week honour

Damon Dutton captured a PFC player of the week honour.

Saskatoon Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton was named the offensive player of the week for the PFC thanks to his performance in his team’s final CJFL regular season game.

On Sunday, October 24 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., Dutton completed 28-of-37 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing one interception against the host Winnipeg Rifles. Thanks to Dutton’s efforts, the Hilltops won their fourth straight game downing the Rifles 32-17.

Dutton was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week two days after that win.

In helping the Hilltops finish second in PFC with a 6-2 regular season record, Dutton completed 127-of-183 passes for 1,528 yards and 12 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions. Dutton is playing in his third full season with the Hilltops.

Johnson gets defensive player of the week nod

Konner Johnson (#42) got a PFC defensive player of the week nod.

Saskatoon Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson was named the defensive player of the week for the PFC thanks to his performance in his team’s final CJFL regular season game.

On Sunday, October 24 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., Johnson had six solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist, one special teams tackle, one pass knockdown and one interception against the host Winnipeg Rifles. Thanks to Johnson’s efforts, the Hilltops won their fourth straight game downing the Rifles 32-17.

Johnson was named the PFC’s defensive player of the week two days after that win.

In helping the Hilltops finish second in the PFC with a 6-2 regular season record, Johnson recorded 26 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 12 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and five interceptions. Johnson, who is playing his third full season with the Hilltops, finished second in the PFC in defensive points.

For that final week of the PFC regular season, Edmonton Wildcats kick return Declan Mullin was named the special teams player of the week for the conference for his efforts in his club’s 35-27 setback to the Edmonton Huskies on October 23 at Jasper Place Bowl.

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Hilltops focus on Rifles, not bye

Damon Dutton and the Hilltops are focused on the Rifles.

The Saskatoon Hilltops don’t want to go on a premature bye before going on an actual bye.

The Hilltops are locked into finishing second in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference with a 5-2 record as the conference sets to play the final week of its regular season schedule. The Hilltops travel to Winnipeg to face the Rifles (2-5) at Maple Grove Rugby Park in the final regular season clash for both teams.

The two sides have met once this season back on September 26, where the Hilltops claimed a 25-10 victory at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Following Sunday’s encounter with the Rifles, the Hilltops head off on a bye week before hosting a PFC semifinal contest.

While that contest won’t have any effect on where the Hilltops end up in the standings, head coach Tom Sargeant said his squad is going to play this contest out with the same mindset that they had going into each of their other regular season games.

“It is real simple, we are going there to win a football game,” said Sargeant. “It is that simple.

“We are going to do anything we can, because we know we have the bye the following week. We’re not going all that way to play a lot of our young players. We want to keep building on this.”

The Hilltops started the season winning their first two games before losing two straight both to their provincial rivals Regina Thunder. The Thunder have first place in the PFC locked up at 7-0 and have a bye to host the PFC’s other semifinal post-season contest.

Following those two losses to the Thunder, the Hilltops have won three straight. In their last game this past Sunday at SMF Field, the Hilltops thumped the Edmonton Wildcats 44-7. Their 44 points was a season high for points scored in a game and the seven points allow stands as the fewest points they’ve given up in a contest in the current campaign.

Boston Davidsen has scored six touchdowns this season.

The Hilltops also piled up 528 yards of total offence in the win over the Wildcats, which was also a season high.

“We have some momentum now,” said Sargeant. “It took us awhile to get here.

“We want to keep climbing that mountain of confidence of playing hard and playing physical. As I said, we want to go out there and the goal is to play our best game of the year. That is the focus, and that is the purpose.”

Going into the encounter with the Rifles, the Hilltops traditionally vaunted running game is again in top form. Running back Carter McLean sits second in the PFC in rushing piling up 558 yards on 112 carries, while scoring three touchdowns.

Power back Boston Davidsen sits third in the PFC in rushing compiling 552 yards on 86 carries, while scoring six touchdowns.

The Hilltops passing game has rounded into form as Damon Dutton cemented himself as the team’s starting quarterback after Doug Fleming started the first three games of the regular season.

So far this season, Fleming has completed 99-of-146 passes for 1,169 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Dutton wants to keep the groove his team has right now going and build on it.

“We’re definitely not going to take the foot off the pedal,” said Dutton. “We’re going to keep going and keep that same energy we just had.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a similar result in the next game. They (the Rifles) are good competition. We’re going to have to have a good week at practice and move forward as we have.”

DT Jaxon Funk has handled unglourious work in the trenches.

On defence, the Hilltops have given up the fewest points in the PFC at 118. Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson sits second in defensive points in the PFC with 106 collecting 20 defensive tackles, 12 defensive tackle assists, 11 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, one fumble recovery and four interceptions.

Rifles linebacker Brandon Kamenz sits third in the PFC in defensive points with 93 recording 33 defensive tackles, six defensive tackle assists, one forced fumble and two interceptions.

Hilltops stout defensive tackle Jaxon Funk said it is important to head into the post-season on a good note and not have a drop off against the Rifles.

“We just need to keep momentum going into playoffs,” said Funk. “We just need to make sure that we are executing our jobs and just keep it simple.

“We have to make sure our starters are doing their thing. We have to not put too much worry on playoffs yet. We have to get that game over with.”

At the moment, the Rifles might need a win on Sunday to host a PFC quarter-final contest. With their 2-5 record, the Rifles sit fourth in the PFC due to having beaten the fifth place 2-5 Wildcats in the lone regular season clash between the two sides.

The Calgary Colts sit in sixth place and in the basement of the conference with a 1-6 mark.

The Edmonton Huskies at 4-3 are locked into third place and know they will host at PFC quarter-final contest. The Huskies can’t catch the Hilltops for second place, because the Hilltops swept the seasonal series between the two sides 2-0.

The Huskies host the Wildcats at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton on Saturday. The Thunder host the Colts at Leibel Field in Regina on Sunday.

The Hilltops want to finish the regular season on a high note.

Going into the post-season, Sargeant wants to set a tone against the Rifles in case the two sides happen to cross paths later on. The legendary sideline boss notes his Hilltops didn’t have the best outing in the Sept. 26 win over the Rifles, where the Saskatoon side won despite turning the ball over an uncharacteristic seven times.

“At the end of the day, you never know if you might be playing Winnipeg again down the way,” said Sargeant. “You just don’t know.

“It is football. We have to make sure we let them know our style and how we play. Hey, our worst game of the year was against the Winnipeg Rifles.

“I don’t want that to happen this weekend.”

Thunder’s Maximuik lands player of the week nod once again

Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik continues to be clutch.

One has to wonder if the Regina Thunder’s foes are advocating to professional teams on behalf of kicker Eric Maximuik.

On Tuesday, Maximuik was named the special teams player of the week for a huge game he had this past Sunday, where the Thunder rallied from a 36-12 deficit to pull out a 45-42 victory over the Huskies in Edmonton to lock up first place in the PFC.

Maximuik hit all five of his field goals including boots from 32, 51, 45, 35 and 12 yards.

He also punted the ball eight times for 317 yards for a 39.6 yards per kick average.

The fourth-year kicker has built a solid reputation for coming through in the clutch. He has been named the PFC’s special teams player of the week three times this season.

One has to think the Thunder’s foes wouldn’t mind, if Maximuik moved up to the professional ranks.

Thunder receiver Rylan Sokul was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week hauling in eight passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s OT comeback win over the Huskies.

Calgary Colts linebacker Austin Daisy took honours as the PFC’s defensive player of the week collecting seven defensive tackles, one quarterback sack and one interception in his team’s 23-17 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles this past Sunday in Calgary.

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Hilltops set sights on rebound

The Hilltops storm on to SMF Field on September 11.

When it comes to his Saskatoon Hilltops sporting a 2-2 record at this point in time, head coach Tom Sargeant said an old cliché is proving to be true.

“Right now, it is who we are,” said Sargeant. “We are an average football team hence the 2-2 record.

“The mood is good. At the end of the day, a lot of conversations and a lot of tough talks and lots of reality checks. At the end of the day, I have to coach better, and they have to play better.

“We’re all in this thing together. We’ve all committed and signed up that you know what we can do a better job and we can do more than what we are doing. Ultimately, it is my job to find the right players and put them in the right spots and do the right things.”

The Hilltops sport a 2-2 record after losing two straight games to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder, who are 4-0 and lead the Canadian Junior Football League’s Prairie Football Conference.

The venerable Saskatoon side aims to begin the first step towards a rebound on Sunday, when they host the Winnipeg Rifles (1-3) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in a CJFL regular season clash.

The storied Hilltops were close in their two setbacks to the Thunder. On Sept. 11 at SMF Field, the Thunder used a last play 51-yard field goal from kicker Eric Maximuik to pull out a 16-13 victory.

This past Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, an end zone interception by Justin McKerracher with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter preserved a 30-27 victory for the Thunder in an all-time classic CJFL match.

The losses halted the Hilltops overall winning streak at 33 games and their road winning streak at 31 games.

Sargeant said the confidence on his team is still high, and the Hilltops are focused on continuing to grow and learn. The legendary sideline boss said the club has dealt with adversity like this before in past seasons.

Damon Dutton had a solid outing in the Hilltops last game.

“You know what, this is old hat,” said Sargeant. “We’ve been here many times before.

“People forget about that maybe because we’ve had a lot of success lately. What is the old saying? It doesn’t matter how you start the race. It is how you finish it.

“We have four more games in front of us to dictate where we end up. The real season starts when playoffs begin. It is our job in these next four weeks to get us ready for those moments.”

Barring a Thunder collapse during the second half of the regular season, the highest the Hilltops can realistically finish in the PFC standings is second place, and they will likely have to win all four of their remaining games to do that.

Finishing first and second in the PFC has extra meaning in the 2021 campaign, as the post-season format for the conference has been expanded an extra round.

The last time a CJFL campaign was completed in 2019 before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in March of 2020 causing shutdowns in North America, the top four teams in the PFC made the playoffs.

It was decided that this season all six of the conference’s teams would take part in post-season play. The first and second place clubs get byes to host PFC semifinal games.

The post-season for the PFC opens with a quarter-final round with the third place club hosting the six place team and the fourth place squad hosting the fifth place finisher.

In the semifinal round, the first place team will host the lowest seeded club that advances from the quarter-final round.

During their first four games, the Hilltops have juggled things at the quarterback position. Doug Fleming started the Hilltops first three games and was pulled in favour of Damon Dutton.

Dutton started the Hilltops last outing, which was the 30-27 setback to the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium.

The Hilltops still have big plans for Doug Fleming on offence.

In that contest, Dutton was really good completing 28-of-34 passes for 332 yards and one touchdown, while throwing the one inception with seven seconds remaining in the game.

“We are judging everybody week by week, and there is no question,” said Sargeant. “Damon (Dutton) came in and was one of our better players on Saturday night in a hostile environment.

“It was quite an environment. He showed a lot of poise, lot of confidence and made some real good decisions. He is certainly going to start this weekend.

“We look forward to him continuing his play and improving and continuing to move that offence.”

Sargeant said the Hilltops haven’t given up on Fleming, who is also the team’s punter. The sideline boss said the Hilltops coaches have been honest and real with both signal callers in working to keep things moving forward.

“Doug (Fleming) is a captain,” said Sargeant. “Doug (Fleming) is a great kid.

“He is doing all the right things. You don’t worry about Doug Fleming. If we need him, you can count on him.

“As I said, he is still our veer quarterback and short yardage quarterback. He is our punter. The thing about quarterback is you are one play away from being the guy in there.”

Fleming and Dutton joined the Hilltops together back in 2018, and Sargeant said the duo has worked well together and both want to see each other have success.

“They’ve been together for three years,” said Sargeant.” They’ve been teammates for a long time.

“They support each other. That is what we look for and that is what we expect and that is why the Hilltops have been so successful in the past.”

Sargeant believes a bright future is still ahead for the Hilltops in the 2021 campaign. The team’s practices this week have been upbeat and positive as the players strive to improve.

The Hilltops want to hit the end zone lots the rest of the season.

“There is so much in front of us,” said Sargeant. “It is a team that we thought would be ahead of schedule, and right now, we’re behind schedule.

“That is on me. That is not on anybody else. We’re just going to have to work and dig and grind. Ultimately, it is my job and our job to get this right.”

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Hilltops home debut spoiled by big Thunder boot

Maximuik hits 51-yard walk off winning field goal

Eric Maximuik hits a 51-yard winning field goal for the Thunder.

Eric Maximuik’s powerful leg put a damper on the homecoming party for the Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the fourth-year kicker with the Regina Thunder hammered a 51-yard walk off field goal to lift his side past the host Hilltops 16-13 in a CJFL regular season clash played before 1,891 spectators.

The Thunder win spoiled the 2021 home debut for Hilltops. Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hilltops hadn’t played at SMF Field since October 27, 2019, when they down the Edmonton Huskies 30-14 in the Prairie Football Conference championship game.

The Thunder mob Eric Maximuik after his winning kick.

Saturday’s victory allowed the Thunder to improve to 3-0 to sit alone in first place in the PFC, while the Hilltops fell to 2-1.

When Maximuik was lining up for his winning kick on the final play of the game, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the action from the rest of the contest went through his head.

“The thoughts that go through the mind are we should never ever be in that situation,” said Sargeant. “You reflect back a little bit.

The Hilltops defence stops a Thunder run early in Saturday’s clash.

“It was good for him (Maximuik) to clutch up in the moment and make a big kick. For amateur football, this is as good of a game as you are going to see. It was a defensive battle back and forth.

“Both teams played real hard and wanted it real bad. The good thing is for us we have to regroup and get to Regina next week. Obviously, they have a lot of momentum and energy on their side right now.”

The two provincial rivals will go at it again on Saturday, September 18 at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

RB Ryland Leichert runs in a TD for the Thunder.

Maximuik said he felt good he was able to boot home the winning score in the first encounter in Saskatoon to head into the back end of the home-and-home series in Regina.

“It is something you practise every week in practice,” said Maximuik. “You practise trying to put yourself in those game situations with the whole team.

“Being able to execute is huge. Hopefully, that momentum will keep going forward for next week and the weeks after that.”

When it came time to hit the winning kick, Maximuik said he was able to mentally get to a peaceful place.

“I try and keep the mind empty,” said Maximuik. “I just focus on the job.

Hilltops kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas hits a 42-yard field goal.

“There is not much going through my head. You stay relaxed and stay cool on the field with everyone else. We were expecting them to call timeout too, but they didn’t want to.

“We’ll take that all day long.”

The Thunder came rolling out of the gates on Saturday putting together a lengthy drive on the first offensive series of the contest that concluded with a seven-yard touchdown romp from running back Ryland Leichert. That score put the visitors up 7-0.

The Hilltops answered back about three minutes later with a 42-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to cut the Thunder lead to 7-3.

The Hilltops defence gang tackles Thunder RB Justin Reiger.

Before the first quarter ended, the Thunder extended their advantage to 10-3 thanks to a 29-yard field goal from Maximuik.

Veteran Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson thought the Thunder were able to set the tone early due to the fact they had success on the ground.

“They started off they got running the ball on us,” said Johnson, who had four total tackles and an interception in the setback. “We have to stop that right off the bat and make them pass.

“That is what we are comfortable doing. It is always a barnburner with these guys. They are a great football team.”

Thunder LB Ryan Mills sacks Hilltops QB Damon Dutton.

After the first quarter, the Hilltops pulled starting quarterback Doug Fleming, who completed just 1-of-5 passes for 20 yards and one interception in the contest.

Damon Dutton handled most of the signal calling duties from that point completing 9-of-14 passes for 128 yards and one interception.

The quarterback change did initially give the Hilltops a burst. With 6:15 remaining in the second quarter, they put together a sound offensive drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by running back Jordan Tabin to even the score at 10-10.

With 2:46 remaining in the second quarter, Abel-Douglas hit a 34-yard field goal to give the Hilltops a 13-10 lead.

Shortly before halftime, Maximuik had a chance to tie the game, but he hit the upright on a 45-yard field goal attempt to allow the Hilltops to head into the halftime break with a 13-10 advantage.

Hilltops DB Jared Giddings forces a Thunder runner out of bounds.

With 67 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Maximuik hit a 39-yard field goal to even the score 13-13. That set the stage for the dramatics on the last play of the game.

During the contest, the Hilltops were held to 288 yards of total offence. In two of the Hilltops three games, they have pulled Fleming in favour of Dutton.

Sargeant, who doubles as the Hilltops offensive coordinator, said the offence has been inconsistent, and he didn’t like getting shutout in the second half in the loss to the Thunder.

“It is ridiculous,” said Sargeant. “It is not up to our standard.

“Everyone is talking about a quarterback controversy. Obviously, that got in our way today. Our quarterback play in my books wasn’t very good.

Receiver Rylan Sokul makes a big catch for the Thunder.

“You know what, we have to get back to the lab and get to work and figure it out.”

Thunder quarterback Carter Shewchuk had a respectable outing completing 19-of-25 passes for 253 yards and one interception.

Defensively, linebacker Brady Fossen and defensive end Craig Torgerson had sacks for the Hilltops. Defensive back Jared Giddings led Saskatoon with 9.5 total tackles.

Linebacker Ryan Mills had two sacks for the Thunder, while fellow linebacker Davin Williamson had a single sack. Defensive backs Adam King and Bobo Kisusari had interceptions for Regina.

The Thunder win also brought an end to the Hilltops 33-game winning streak that included action in the CJFL’s regular season and post-season. It is believed that streak was a CJFL record.

Before Saturday’s game in Saskatoon, the Hilltops last loss came way back on September 9, 2017, when they dropped a 29-26 decision at SMF Field also to the Thunder.

Hilltops LB Konner Johnson wants to play the Thunder again.

“I’ve never worried about that stuff in the least,” said Sargeant. “I’m not worried about numbers.

“I’m worried about process and getting better. We took a step back today, and that is fine. That is on me.

“What you see is what you coach. Myself and my coaches have to do a better job of coaching this young team and get them more seasoned so that they can handle these situations better than what we did today.”

Johnson is looking forward to facing the Thunder again in seven days in Regina.

“We have some film now on them,” said Johnson. “We know what we need to correct.

“I think it is going to be another great game, but hopefully, we are coming out on top next week.”

’Toppers RB Tabin signs with NLL’s Rush

Jordan Tabin runs the ball for the Hilltops in 2019.

Saskatoon Hilltops running back Jordan Tabin took another step forward in his journey towards a career in professional lacrosse.

On Friday, Tabin signed a two-year contract with Saskatchewan Rush, who are a powerhouse club in the National Lacrosse League.

During the NLL Entry Draft that was held virtually on August 28, Tabin was selected in the sixth round and 89^th overall by the Rush, who are a league powerhouse. The Rush captured NLL titles in 2016 and 2018 playing out of the SaskTel Centre and when the franchise was still located in Edmonton, Alta., in 2015.

The 20-year-old Tabin plays defence for the Saskatchewan SWAT junior A lacrosse team.

On the football field, Tabin is playing in his third full season with the Hilltops having also suited up for the storied CJFL club in 2018 and 2019 CJFL championship seasons.

In the 2019 CJFL campaign, Tabin carried the ball seven times for 103 yards in the Hilltops eight regular season games and ran the ball six times for 81 yards scoring one touchdown in four post-season contests.

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