Round 2 – Hilltops ready to rumble with Rams

Jadyn Pingue, left, makes a tackle in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    In a rare CJFL championship battle of unbeatens, Saskatoon Hilltops linebacker Jadyn Pingue said the Langley Rams are the real deal with their 12-0 mark.

    The battle for the Canadian Bowl and CJFL national title features the Hilltops, who are 11-0 overall, taking on the host Rams, who are 12-0 overall, on Saturday in Langley, B.C., at McLeod Stadium (3 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 92.9 The Bull).

    The last time two undefeated teams squared off for the CJFL title came back in 2006 in Nanaimo, B.C.

    In that year’s Canadian Bowl, the Edmonton Wildcats entered the title tilt sporting an 11-0 overall record, and they took on the Vancouver Island Raiders, who were 12-0 overall going into that contest. The Raiders pulled out a thrilling 27-26 victory to take the CJFL title.

    In this year’s battle of unbeatens, the Hilltops go into the game placing a number of streaks on the line. 

Ben Abrook charges upfield in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    They are the five time defending CJFL champions, have won their last 30 games overall including action in the regular season and post-season, won their last 28 games in a row on the road including action in the regular season and playoffs and have won a CJFL record 19 post season games in a row.

    The Hilltops are trying to finish with back-to-back perfect seasons. They were 11-0 last year after hammering the Rams 58-21 in the Canadian Bowl held at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The Rams, who finished last season with a 10-4 overall record, would like to finish at 13-0 this season, which would in the process derail all the Hilltops impressive streaks.

    Pingue believes the Rams put in the work to get a lot better to try and avoid a repeat result from last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    “These guys are different,” said Pingue. “They are good.

    “They are very good. Their record speaks for itself. You can look at their scores.

    “They’ve been blowing everyone out. They’ve been doing everything that need to do in their conference to able to be in this spot. They have talent all across the board.”

Tyler Hermann (#12) throw a pass in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    Offensively, the Hilltops head into Saturday’s game led by fifth-year quarterback Tyler Hermann, who wants to complete a dream season as a first-year starter. He improved steadily throughout the 2019 campaign completing 123-of-192 passes for 1,908 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions appearing in all of his club’s eight regular season games.

    His two top receivers have been fifth-year clutch pass catcher Connor Graham and third-year playmaker Keegan Dicks.

    Graham caught 28 passes for 599 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. Dicks hauled in 31 passes for 494 yards and four touchdowns in the regular campaign.

Duncan Little (#10) in action in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    The main cog in the Hilltops offence is star power running back Ben Abrook, who led the PFC in rushing yards in the regular season carrying the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns.

    The Hilltops offence is powered by a veteran and elite starting offensive line that includes right tackle Jonathan Chisholm, right guard Taylon Elderkin, centre Patrick Arno, left guard Ryder Klisowsky and left tackle Mason Ochs.

    “We’re really excited honestly, because we definitely built up to a higher level here,” said Hermann. “The first game we had a little bit of a slow start, and we kind of had to grind through our first four games.

    “We feel it has really come together for us offensively. I think it couldn’t be a better time for us, so we’re excited to showcase what we have. We have a couple of new things in store.

Tato Ferreyro (#24) of the Rams in action in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    “It should be a fun one.”

    The biggest question regarding the Rams on offence circles around the availability of star quarterback Duncan Little. Little hasn’t played since injuring his knee in a 66-0 romp over the Valley Huskers on Oct. 5 in Chilliwack, B.C., in what was the ninth regular season game for both clubs.

    In nine games for the Rams this season, Little completed 100-of-168 passes for 1,866 yards and 20 touchdowns. Colby Peters paced the Rams at quarterback through the post-season.

    Star running back Andrew Pocrnic had a stellar year for the Rams in his final campaign of CJFL eligibility. 
    The graduate of the Marion Graham Collegiate Falcons program in the Saskatoon high school football ranks carried the ball 163 times for 1,199 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Rylan Kleiter (#7) in action in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    He had a receiving touchdown to post a total of 27 majors for the campaign.

    His rushing and total touchdown totals were new CJFL records for one regular season. The old records were held by Edmonton Wildcats running back Tristan Jones, who ran for 25 major scores and 26 total touchdowns in the 2006 CJFL campaign.

    Khalik Johnson topped the Rams in receiving with 32 catches for 569 yards and nine touchdowns.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said his side is working on being ready for whoever plays quarterback for the Rams.
    “We’re preparing for all scenarios,” said Sargeant. “At the end day, we got to play against him (Little) last year and seen him play some this year.
    “Compared to last year, they run the ball way more. Last year, they threw the ball more. They had (Jevon) Cottoy and some special players.

John Brown, right, in action in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    “I don’t think (Rams head) coach (Howie) Zaron is too concerned about who plays quarterback, because he has a bit of a different game plan and sort of matches us. We love to run the football, so our game plan is to get out there and try and run at anybody. I think they are trying to start to do that too.”

    On defence, Pingue was named the most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker for the Prairie Football Conference. 
    He collected 33.5 total tackles, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception during the regular season.

    Defensive tackle Jesse McNabb, who is in his final campaign of CJFL eligibility, recorded 26.5 total tackles and three sacks for the Hilltops in the regular campaign.
    Third-year safety Brant Morrow collected 18.5 total tackles, three interceptions, two pass knockdowns, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the regular season for Saskatoon.

Tristan Hering, right, makes a sack in last year’s Canadian Bowl.

    Riley Keating, who is a fifth-year weak side linebacker, topped the Hilltops with 46 total tackles in the regular season.

    Linebacker Cole Barron led the Rams with 28 tackles in the regular season.

    “We know how the result turned out last year, so we know they are going to be hungrier this time around,” said Hermann. “I think they are going to do a little bit different to kind of control the game in more of a sense.

    “We are preparing as though we are playing ourselves, and we are kind of trying to make sure that we are at our top level regardless of what they decide they want to do.”

    Sargeant is expecting his Hilltops will see an inspired effort from the Rams side.

    “They’ve made a lot of significant plays all throughout the year,” said Sargeant. “We have to be sharp, we have to ready.

    “They know what we are about now, so there will be no surprises.”

Ochs, Kleiter named CJFL all-Canadians

Mason Ochs (#73) was named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

    It was a familiar honour for Mason Ochs but a new one for Rylan Kleiter.

    On Thursday, the CJFL announced its all-Canadian all-stars on the offensive side of the ball as well as the place kicker on special teams. The two members of the five time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops both picked up all-star nods.

    For the third straight year, Ochs was named an all-Canadian all-star manning the Hilltops left tackle position in each of those campaigns.

    Ochs and the Hilltops starting offensive line played a huge part in allowing star power running back Ben Abrook carry the ball 199 times for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns in the club’s eight regular season games.

Rylan Kleiter (#7) was named CJFL all-Canadian all-star at place kicker.

    The protection by Ochs and the offensive line allowed starting quarterback Tyler Hermann to complete 123-of-192 passes for 1,908 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in the regular campaign.

    Kleiter was named to the CJFL all-Canadian all-star team at place kicker. He connected on 18-of-22 field goal attempts for an 81.8 per cent success rate with a long of 42 yards.

    On top of the success in the field goal department, Kleiter kicked 33 conversion attempts, recorded one rouge and hauled in two touchdown receptions as a receiver to lead the Prairie Football Conference in regular season scoring with 100 points.

    The Hilltops will try to win an unprecedented sixth straight CJFL title when they face the Langley Rams on Saturday at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C., at the Canadian Bowl.

    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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Hering has signature moment, aims for another in final playoff run with Hilltops

Hilltops DE Tristan Hering, right, sacks Rams QB Duncan Little in 2018.

    Tristan Hering will always be cemented in Saskatoon Hilltops lore, but he still aims to create one last sequel.

    The fifth-year defensive end has helped the Hilltops win the last four of their current run of capturing five straight CJFL championships. In last year’s CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl, Hering had his signature moment with the team.

    On the second play of the clash with the Langley Rams on Nov. 17, 2018 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Hering broke through and levelled Rams quarterback Duncan Little. That seemed the set the tone in the contest as the Hilltops proceeded to roll to a 24-0 lead and ultimately claimed a 58-21 victory over the visitors from British Columbia.

Tristan Hering gets set to rush the quarterback.

    Hering, who is a graduate of the Humboldt Collegiate Institute Mohawks nine-man football team, has fond memories of the sack that started the Hilltops romp in last year’s CJFL final.

    “It was good, because it made a big statement against obviously a team we haven’t seen before,” said Hering. “It was a nice way to start the game and let them know where they were.

    “I think it set the tone, because when they came in, they were shivering and cold. We could see they were used to their B.C. weather, and us coming out that hard really scared them.”

    The 22-year-old would like to have another signature moment in helping the Hilltops win an unprecedented sixth straight CJFL championship. Saskatoon is the only team in the history of the CJFL to win five straight national titles.

    The Hilltops (8-0) begin their march through the CJFL post-season on Sunday, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-6) in a Prairie Football Conference semifinal contest at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

Tristan Hering (#65) gets one of his four sacks this season.

    Saskatoon enters that contest having won its last 27 straight games in a row including action in the regular season and playoffs. Due to winning the last five straight CJFL titles, the Hilltops are looking to extend their CJFL record post-game winning streak that currently sits at 16 straight games.

    Last year’s Canadian Bowl ended with the Hilltops taking a knee to end the game, and the club’s eight fifth-year players that season were on the field for that final snap. Having watched Adam Benkic, Bobby Ehman, Adam Ewanchyna, Connor Guillet, Cody Peters, Jason Price, Kirk Simonsen and Jordan Walls all graduate from the team having each won their fifth CJFL championship ring, Hering would like to have that experience as well.

Tristan Hering (#65) makes a sack on a Winnipeg Rifles quarterback.

    “That is the goal anyway,” said Hering, who stands 6-feet and weighs 220 pounds. “Seeing them do it makes it that much more realistic to get five years and five rings.”

    In helping the Hilltops post an 8-0 record for the second straight regular season, Hering had a solid final regular season for the Saskatoon side piling up a team high four sacks, while adding in 18 total tackles.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant remembers Hering playing well in the club’s spring camp back in 2015 and noted that likely foreshadowed what was to come.

    “To start off, he was our rookie of the camp out of Humboldt right off the bat and was our top player we identified,” said Sargeant. “He’s played a lot of football for the Hilltops.

Tristan Hering springs into action on the defensive line.

    “He’s been a great special teamer. In the last couple of years, he has been our rusher and boundary end player and led our team in sacks this year. Tristan (Hering) is just who he is.

    “He is unsung. He just does his job. He works hard during the day, and he works hard at night. He probably gets more out of a 24-hour day than most players on my team.”

    Sargeant has great memories of Hering’s early sack in last year’s Canadian Bowl during that frigid November day game played in front of 1,465 spectators.

    “It brought great energy,” said Sargeant. “I remember the crowd and the fans and it just turned electric.

    “Look at us last week (in a 48-8 regular season win over the Wildcats last Sunday). We got six sacks, and he (Hering) was part of the sack brigade and that just brings energy to the crowd, to the defence, to the other players and the coaching staff. We’re going to need a lot of sacks moving forward, if we are going to keep moving this team in the right direction.

Tristan Hering (#65) is all pumped up after making a sack.

    “As a fifth-year player, we always expect our fifth-year players to come out and step up and do their best and play their best. That is what we anticipate to happen in each game we play. We expect them to be the best, and if they are, we’re going to be in good shape.”

    Hering has enjoyed playing on the Hilltops defensive line this season along with tackles Jesse McNabb and Jaxon Funk and end Caleb Haight. Hering and McNabb were the two returning starters on that unit.

    “We came along ways,” said Hering. “(Jaxon) Funk is having an unreal year.

Tristan Hering sizes up an offensive formation.

    “(Caleb) Haight has been playing good. Everyone is just coming together. It has been great.”

    Along with the success on the field, Hering was able to experience some special family moments with the Hilltops. He joined the venerable Saskatoon junior club in 2015 due to the fact his older brother, Tyrell, was on the team as a standout defensive lineman.

    Tyrell graduated from the Hilltops following the 2015 CJFL championship campaign.

    This year, Tristan’s younger brother, Dawson, is a rookie linebacker playing on the team’s practice roster.

    Tristan said those opportunities to play alongside his siblings with the Hilltops was something you could never put a price on.

    “It was awesome,” said Hering. “I got to play with my older brother one year in high school, but I never did get to play on the same team with my younger brother.

 

Tristan Hering (#65) enter SMF Field with his parents.

  “It is a good way to finish my last year of football.”

    The Hilltops and Wildcats will meet for the third time in four weeks and will be going at it in their first playoff encounter since 2013. Back in 2013, the Hilltops thumped the Wildcats 41-10 in a PFC semifinal clash.

    Sargeant said this is the time every year the Hilltops look forward to.

    “It is a different season,” said Sargeant. “Here we go.

    “This is why you play the eight games to try and get in a good spot. We’re in first place, so now we have to defend our dirt. At the end of the day, they are coming into our place, so we have to make sure this isn’t a good place; it is an uncomfortable place to play.

    “We need great energy from our fans, and more importantly great energy from our players to give to the fans. As I’ve said, we just need to come out and execute a great game plan, play fast and play physical and get the job done and move on to the next week. That is all it is.”

Hermann takes PFC offensive player of the week nod

Tyler Hermann (#12) was the PFC’s offensive player of the week.

    Tyler Hermann earned a league tip of the cap for surpassing 300 yards passing in a game for the first time in his CJFL career.

    On Wednesday, the fifth-year quarterback for the Saskatoon Hilltops was named the offensive player of the week for the PFC. 
    Last Sunday against the Edmonton Wildcats, Hermann, who is in his first season as the Hilltops starting signal caller, completed 20-of-26 passes for 364 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

    Powered by Hermann’s efforts, the Hilltops thumped the Wildcats 48-8 to finish the CJFL regular season with an 8-0 record for the second straight year.

    On the season, Hermann started all of the Hilltops eight regular season games completing 123-of-192 passes for 1,908 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had the best completion percentage in the PFC at 64.1 per cent and his 17 touchdown passed equaled Regina Thunder quarterback Blake Scherle for tops in the conference.

McNabb lands PFC defensive player of the week honours

Jesse McNabb was the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

    Jesse McNabb made a loud lasting impression during his final CJFL regular season game resulting in a weekly league honour.

    On Wednesday, the veteran defensive tackle, who is in his final campaign of CJFL eligibility, was named the defensive player of the week for the PFC. Last Sunday against the Edmonton Wildcats, McNabb piled up three sacks and 6.5 total tackles.

    With McNabb anchoring the defence, the Hilltops hammered the Wildcats 48-8 to conclude the CJFL regular season with an 8-0 record for the second straight year.

    On the season, McNabb posted three sacks and 26.5 total tackles.

    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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Bring on the Rams – Hilltops set for Canadian Bowl

HC Tom Sargeant, centre, and the Hilltops are ready to rock and roll.

    On the verge of what could be one of their greatest moments in team history, the Saskatoon Hilltops are approaching Saturday’s appearance in the Canadian Bowl with the same quiet confidence they have with anything they have taken on.

    The Hilltops will be trying to win an unprecedented fifth straight Canadian Junior Football League title on Saturday, when they host the Canadian Bowl at 1 p.m. against the Langley Rams (10-3).

    Saskatoon heads into the contest with a 10-0 overall record, which means the Hilltops are trying to complete their fourth perfect season in team history and first since going 12-0 in 2003. In 2003, the Hilltops crushed the Victoria Rebels 59-0 in the Canadian Bowl in Chilliwack, B.C.

    The two other perfect seasons came in 1978 at 12-0 and 1958 at 11-0.

    The current Hilltops can keep building on their current overall winning streak of 18 games and post-season winning streak of 15 games.

    They are also trying to capture their eighth CJFL championship in the last nine years and 21^st CJFL title in team history.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said all the milestones his team has accomplished and has a chance to accomplish are by-products of doing things the right way, or as he often says, “The Hilltop way.”

The Hilltops offensive line aims to have another big game.

    That means the players have to respect their opponents and focus on what they can control in practices and games to get better and put out their best performance on game day.

    “We’re wired to be in these situations,” said the Hilltops legendary sideline boss. “As I told my leadership group, this is where we put all our time and energy.

    “They’re built for this. We understand what is in front of us. We understand what we need to do.”

    The Hilltops and Rams are familiar foes in the Canadian Bowl as they will meet in the CJFL title game for the third time in seven years.

    The previous two encounters were both held in McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

    In 2012, the Hilltops claimed one of the all-time classic CJFL title encounters downing the Rams 23-21. In 2014, the Hilltops ran away with a 39-14 victory, which started their current run of winning four straight CJFL championships.

    The Hilltops will be trying to win their 21^st CJFL title in their upcoming Canadian Bowl clash with the Rams.

QB Jordan Walls has had a stellar campaign for the Hilltops.

    “I think every time you get to this game it is always special,” said Hilltops fifth-year star quarterback Jordan Walls, who has a 21-1 overall record as the team’s starter. “You never know how many more you are going to get.

    “Our fifth-year group has been fortunate enough to be in all five of these. It is going to be fun.”

    The Rams head into the Canadian Bowl with the makings of being a very dangerous team riding a nine-game winning streak. Off the field, they have to overcome the resignation of head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker during the course of the season. Blokker was the Calgary Colts head coach and resigned last season and took over the same role with the Rams.

    Rams general manager Howie Zaron took on the head coaching duties after Blokker left this season, and Langley has rolled with a roster that contains a number of talented recruits courtesy of Blokker, who is one of the CJFL’s all-time coaching greats.

    On offence, the Rams are guided at quarterback by Duncan Little, who is a former member of the Colts.  Little had a stellar year completing 185-of-308 passes for 2,611 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during the regular season.

    Little’s favourite target was 22-year-old receiver Jevon Cottoy, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 230 pounds. Cottoy was a British Columbia Football Conference all-star hauling in 39 passes for 657 yards and nine touchdowns in nine regular season games.

Cody Peters (#44) and Connor Delahey (#70) aim to make big plays.

    On the ground, running back Maximilian Joseph was named a BCFC all-star carrying the ball 64 times for 428 yards and scoring five touchdowns in seven regular season games.

    Rams offensive linemen Ross Baykay and Niko Lazarakis were named B.C. conference all-stars.

    On defence, Rams defensive lineman Skye King was named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star recording 10 defensive solo tackles, four sacks and a fumble recovery. Defensive back Kyle Clarot was also named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star piling up 27 defensive solo tackles, one sack and four interceptions.

    Linebacker Isaiah Okoli led the Rams with 41 defensive solo tackles, three sacks and one interception.

    “You just hear how they are talking,” said Sargeant. “They are a very proud organization, a proud franchise.

    “They are not coming out here to not come out and play their best game of the year. They are hungry. They are motivated.

    “You know what, they got the skill, the talent and the coaching level to do good things. As I said, they have our respect, and hopefully, we come out there on Saturday and earn their respect with how we coach and how we play.”

Garth Knittig and Jesse McNabb are powerful on defence.

    The Hilltops have trailed for a total of just 81 seconds in all their games so far in the 2018 campaign. They have numerous standouts on their roster.

    On offensive, the Hilltops have their version of the “The Triplets” in Walls, running back Josh Ewanchyna and receiver Jason Price.

    Walls had an outstanding campaign completing 122-of-197 passes for 2,010 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions in the regular season. He was named the most outstanding offensive player and the most valuable player of the Prairie Football Conference.

    Ewanchyna appeared in seven regular season games carrying the ball 134 times for 1,007 yards and 14 touchdowns. He led the PFC in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns and was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week on four occasions.

    Price was by far the PFC’s most productive pass catcher. During the regular season, he hauled in 31 passes for 709 yards and scored four touchdowns. The fifth-year veteran collected the most receiving yards in the PFC.

    Ewanchyna and Price have been named CJFL all-Canadian all-stars along with offensive tackles Kirk Simonsen and Mason Ochs. Simonsen and Ochs are part of an elite and veteran offensive line that contains right guard Taylon Elderkin, centre Patrick Arno and left guard Ryder Klisowsky.

Jason Price looks to make some big catches on Saturday.

    On defence, linebacker Cody Peters was named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star recording 26 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception during the regular season. He was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player.

    Defensive tackles Garth Knittig and Jesse McNabb were also named CJFL all-Canadian all-stars. Knittig had 16 defensive solo tackles and 2.5 sacks during the regular season, and McNabb had 16 solo defensive tackles and 4.5 sacks.

    In the secondary, defensive backs Jared Giddings and Colton Holmes were PFC all-stars. Giddings and eight solo tackles and two interceptions during the regular season, while Holmes had 18 total tackles, one sack and one interception.

    During the campaign, the Hilltops offence has displayed great balance, and Walls said that will be key in facing the Rams.

    “It doesn’t matter what the weather conditions are,” said Walls. “We can throw the ball, we can run the ball whatever we need for that specific game, and we’ve been able to show that. 
    “It makes the defence a little bit off-balance when they don’t know what to expect. I expect our O-line and Josh (Ewanchyna) to have big day. Myself and the receivers need to be sharp as well.”

Josh Ewanchyna has piled up stellar efforts for the Hilltops.

    Overall, Sargeant is expecting his players to be at the top of their game on Saturday.

    “Ultimately, it is game 11 of 2018, so it should be your best game of the year,” said Sargeant, who was named the PFC’s coach of the year this season. “It is that simple.

    “We are at home in front of a great crowd and a great environment. As I said, everything is in front of us. Now we just have to control our emotions, we have to be disciplined, focused and if we keep all those things together, you should see a pretty nice product come Saturday.”

    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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