Skid puts Hilltops in unfamiliar territory in CJFL

Saskatoon falls to 2-3 with 23-7 loss to Thunder

Boden Marley and the Hilltops have lost three straight games.

Shockingly could this Saskatoon Hilltops be team what its record says it is?

Unfortunately, the Hilltops recent perfect CJFL championship seasons of going 11-0 in 2018 and 12-0 in 2019 seem like something long gone in the rearview mirror.

On Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Hilltops fell 23-7 to the host Thunder. The setback was a third straight for the Hilltops, who saw their CJFL regular season record fall to 2-3.

The last time the Hilltops lost three games during an entire CJFL regular season came back in 1993, when they posted a 5-3 mark to finish second in the PFC. In the 1993 post-season, Saskatoon advanced to the PFC final ultimately falling 30-15 to the Regina Rams, who advanced to win the CJFL title with a perfect 12-0 record.

It is unknown when exactly the Hilltops last lost three games in a row before their current skid. The last time the Hilltops had a losing regular season record came back in 1973, when they posted a 3-4-1 mark in the then Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League.

The Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League in 1973 was a conference comprised of the Hilltops, Rams, Winnipeg Hawkeyes and Winnipeg Rods. The Hawkeyes and Rods junior programs are both defunct, while the Rams joined the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams in 1999.

This is the first time the Hilltops have lost three regular season games let alone three in a row under the guidance of legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who became the team’s top sideline boss before the start of the 1998 CJFL season. Sargeant’s career record is 220-36-2 overall including 163-26-2 in regular season play.

During the first two games of their current three-game skid, the Hilltops faltered in moments. After starting 2-0, the Hilltops losing streak started on August 28 with a 19-16 setback to the Rifles at East Side Eagles Field in Winnipeg.

The Hilltops held a 16-13 advantage at the 3:45 mark of the fourth quarter, but weren’t able to close out the contest down the stretch. Rifles kicker Donavon Downing booted two field goals including the winner from 10-yards out with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to pull out the 19-16 victory.

Hilltops QB Damon Dutton, left, was pulled in the second quarter.

Saskatoon’s second straight loss came on September 10 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, when they dropped a 29-21 decision in overtime to their provincial rivals in the Thunder. That was a contest where the Hilltops were in position to win but couldn’t make the plays down the stretch to seal a final outcome in their favour.

The Hilltops were up 21-14 and their offence was given the ball with less than two minutes to play just inside Regina’s side of midfield after a fumble recovery by Saskatoon defensive back Dylan Cook. Saskatoon’s offence wasn’t able to get a first down, and the Thunder gained another offensive possession after a Hilltops punt.

On that ensuing possession the Thunder found themselves facing a third-and-eight situation from the Saskatoon 31 yard line. Thunder quarterback Carter Shewchuk connected with receiver Isaiah Woodley on a 31-yard touchdown pass that evened the score at 21-21 with 16.8 seconds remaining the quarter.

Woodley had to make a great adjustment on an underthrown pass to allow that scoring play happen.

The Thunder got the winning touchdown in overtime on a 15-yard run from running back Ryland Leichert, while Shewchuk connected with receiver Isaac Ford on a two-point convert. In the CJFL, teams must attempt a two-point convert after every major score due to using the CFL’s shootout format to decide extra time games.

When those two sides met again on Saturday in Regina, there was no wondering what might have been if two or three plays were changed in critical moments in the fourth quarter or overtime. The Thunder seemingly scored 23 points in the slowest way possible to post a solid victory and improve to 5-0.

The Hilltops were close on the scoreboard for most of the contest but couldn’t seem to get kickstarted to start any type of roll of momentum. Regina had possession of the ball for long stretches of time, while the Hilltops had a significant number of drives where they went two-and-out.

Trey Reider score the Hilltops only TD on Saturday.

Regina held a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 35-yard field goal by kicker Eric Maximuik and a conceded safety by the Hilltops due to bad field position.

Just 51 seconds into the second quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Damon Dutton was intercepted by Thunder star defensive back Justin McKerracher, who returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown to increase the host side’s advantage to 12-0. McKerracher would ultimately make three interceptions on the day to sit with five picks on the season.

Dutton played one more two-and-out series, which included being sacked on first down by Thunder defensive lineman Reece McCormick, before being pulled for backup quarterback Trey Reider. Reider played the rest of the way in relief.

With 2:38 remaining in the second quarter, the Hilltops conceded another safety due to bad field position to give the Thunder a 14-0 advantage.

Despite all the momentum being on the Thunder’s side, the Hilltops broke through on the scoreboard, when Reider executed a quarterback sneak from one-yard out for a major score that cut Regina’s advantage to 14-7 with 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter. That Hilltops scoring drive was kept alive by roughing the kicker and rough the passer infractions against the Thunder.

Early in the third quarter, the Hilltops came up with a goal-line stand turning away Leichert on a third-and-goal gamble from the Saskatoon one yard line.

Again, the Hilltops couldn’t build momentum off that stop and had to concede their third safety of the game on their ensuing offensive possession due to the bad field position increasing the Thunder’s edge to 16-7.

With 56 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Thunder running back Ife Adebogun punched in a touchdown from one-yard out to ultimately round out the game’s scoring at 23-7.

Hilltops RB Boston Davidsen, right, was kept in check on Saturday.

Inside the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Hilltops were turned away by a Thunder goal-line stand, when Reider was stopped on a quarterback sneak attempt on a third-and-goal gamble from the Regina one yard line.

With the win, the Thunder sweep the regular season series and the home-and-home set with the Hilltops 2-0. That marked the second straight year the Thunder have claimed the regular season series against the Hilltops 2-0, which was a first in the history of the Regina program that began play in 2000.

The Hilltops will try to end their skid, when they return to action on Sunday, September 25, when they travel to Calgary to face the Colts.

At the moment, the Colts, Edmonton Huskies and Rifles all have 2-2 records. The Colts and Huskies face each other this coming Sunday (tomorrow) in Edmonton, while the Rifles will also be in the Alberta capital at the same time taking on the 0-4 Wildcats.

Going forward, the Hilltops will be in a battle for the race for second place in the PFC and the right to host a game in the first round of the playoffs. As inconceivable as it sounds, the Hilltops could miss the post-season for the first time since 1971, when they posted a 3-5 record playing in the then Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League.

In Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, the Hilltops did have players make good plays in spurts including receiver Boden Marley and star power running back Boston Davidsen on offence and defensive end Riece Kack, who had a sack, and defensive back Evan Mantyka, who had an interception, on defence.

They have the coaches that can guide them out of this unaccustomed position. On paper, they have players who have the potential to allow the Hilltops to have a special season.

With all the media cuts that have happened in Canada, they aren’t going to face the big outside pressure to turn things around, and they won’t face anywhere near the scrutiny that comes the way of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are facing a tonne of heat being 6-8 on the Canadian professional football circuit.

Still at this time, the facts lead to the conclusion that realistic doubt has to exist if the Hilltops can get thing done on the field in 2022.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, faces his first ever three-game skid.

At the moment, the Hilltops are what their record says they are and that is that they are a 2-3 football team.

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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Thunder snatch victory away from Hilltops

Regina pulls out 29-21 OT win in miraculous fashion

Ryland Leichert (#32) scores the OT winning TD for the Thunder.

The Regina Thunder pulled a game that was seemingly lost out of the fire leaving the Saskatoon Hilltops to wonder what might have been.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops saw a 21-14 advantage disappear right before the end of the fourth quarter as the Thunder scored to force overtime and proceeded to pull out the CJFL regular season clash in the extra session 29-21 before 1,477 spectators.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert ran home the winning touchdown from 15 yards out in overtime, and Regina star quarterback Carter Shewchuk hit star receiver Isaac Foord with a pass for a two-point convert to round out the final outcome.

Ryland Leichert (#32) had 139 yards rushing for the Thunder.

“Shoutout to the O-linemen,” said Leichert. “They had great blocks.

“They made a hole for me. I just hit it. A lot of that goes to them.

“It just feels good to get the win.”

With less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Hilltops defensive back Dylan Cook recovered a Thunder fumble to set Saskatoon up with an offensive possession just inside Regina’s side of midfield. The host Hilltops led the Thunder 21-14 and were looking to run out the clock.

The Hilltops offence went two and out. After a punt by Saskatoon kicker Connor Green, the Thunder had the ball with just over a minute to play deep in their end with no timeouts.

Carter Shewchuk threw for 319 yards for the Thunder.

Very quickly, Shewchuk connected on a number of intermediate routes to move the ball downfield. The visitors would then find themselves facing a third-and-eight situation from the Saskatoon 31 yard line.

Shewchuk proceed to throw a duck pass that seemed destined to fall incomplete on the Saskatoon five yard line on the right side of the field. Thunder star receiver Isaiah Woodley, who was running a go route down the right sideline, broke to the middle, and he hauled in the underthrown and wobbly pass.

Woodley then zipped in to the end zone for the touchdown that evened the score at 21-21 with 16.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and ultimately forced overtime.

Isaiah Woodley celebrates his late fourth quarter TD catch.

In overtime, the CJFL plays CFL shootout rules, where offences scrimmage from the opposing 35 yard line attempting to drive the short distance for a score and teams have to go for two-point conversions after major scores. The Hilltops got the first possession in overtime and got down to the Regina six yard line after quarterback Damon Dutton hit Lachlan Horsley with a 29-yard pass.

The Hilltops drive stalled and a third down gamble pass to Horsley in the end zone fell incomplete.

That set the stage for Leichert to put up the winning points on the Thunder’s ensuing possession.

“We got a little too high,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, whose team will face the Thunder again this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. “We still struggle in moments and situations, and that seems to be the flavor of this team right now.

Hilltops R Lachlan Horsley, left, had nine catches for 122 yards.

“At the end of the day, that falls directly on me. Preparation is half the battle. At the end of the day, we didn’t close the game, which has been a theme.

“Regina wanted it more than we did at the end. That was pretty simple. Good for Regina, and we’ll see them next week.”

The Hilltops opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter going up 3-0 with a 12-yard field goal from Green. Just 61 seconds into the second quarter, the Thunder evened things up at 3-3 with a 32-yard field goal from star kicker Eric Maximuik.

At the 5:06 mark of the second quarter, Dutton hit Hilltops backup running back Tanner Szakacs with a nine-yard touchdown pass to give the hosts a 10-3 advantage heading into halftime.

Charles Sawi, left, returns a missed field goal 125 yards for a TD.

Green booted the second half kickoff into the Thunder end zone, where it was downed for a single point to increase the Hilltops lead to 11-3. 

At the 5:30 mark of the third quarter, Green hit a 39-yard field goal to increase the Hilltops advantage to 14-3.

With 1:40 remaining in the third quarter, Thunder running back Keane Szabo dove into the Saskatoon end zone from a yard out for a touchdown. Following Szabo’s major score, Shewchuk hit Leichert with a five yard pass for a two-point conversion that trimmed Saskatoon’s lead to 14-11.

Boston Davidsen (#24) had 128 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

Early in the fourth quarter, Maximuik attempted a 45 yard field goal to pull the Thunder even on the scoreboard. His kick sailed wide, and Hilltops 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi ran the ball back 125 yards the other way for a touchdown to give Saskatoon a 21-11 edge.

With 6:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Maximuik connected on a field goal from 31 yards out that cut the Hilltops lead to 21-14. That set the stage for the dramatics inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.

“It didn’t end the way we want it to,” said Hilltops defensive end Daylen Hartz, who had a sack and three total tackles on Saturday. “The fun thing is that we get to play them again next week too.”

The Hilltops celebrate an interception from Konner Johnson.

Hartz said the Hilltops missed a lot of opportunities in key situations that would have helped them win the game. The veteran, who is in his final season of CJFL eligibility, said his will continue to work on getting better in practice to cash in on those missed opportunities.

“There were a lot of things everyone could have done a bit better,” said Hartz. “That is what this next week is for.

“A chip on the shoulder helps with working a bit harder, and I think we’re definitely going to be working a bit harder this week.”

During Saturday’s game, Dutton completed 19-of-32 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Horsley caught nine passes for 122 yards to lead the Hilltops in receiving.

Damon Dutton (#19) threw for 268 yards for the Hilltops.

Star power running back Boston Davidsen led the Hilltops on the ground carrying the ball 24 times for 128 yards.

Shewchuk completed 27-of-42 passes for 328 yards and one touchdown, while throwing two interceptions for the Thunder. Foord led the Thunder in receiving with eight catches for 127 yards.

Leichert paced the Thunder’s ground game carrying the ball 19 times for 91 yards to go with his game-winning major score. He said Saturday’s win improved his team’s confidence about pulling out games in desperate situations.

“I think that just goes to show our confidence and our effort,” said Leichert. “That is how we play all season.

“There is not going to be a game where it is not over. We’re going to be playing hard until the whistle blows. That is our mentality.”

Isaac Foord (#8) had eight catches for 127 yards for the Thunder.

Defensively, Hilltops star outside linebacker Konner Johnson had eight total tackles, two pass knockdowns and an interception. Defensive end Riece Kack had eight total tackles and one sack for the Hilltops, while defensive back Justin Adamko had an interception.

Thunder defensive back Adam King led his team with nine total tackles. Linebacker Kenten Effa had 7.5 total tackles and a sack for the Thunder, while defensive back Justin McKerracher had four total tackles and an interception for the Regina side.

Regina remained undefeated with the win improving to 4-0, while the Hilltops fell to 2-2 having lost two straight.

The Thunder celebrate their game-winning score on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we have to get back to drawing board, and we have to figure out how to become more effective as a football team in all three phases,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, third and eight the defence could have won the game right there too.

“We didn’t. They made more plays. They were a better football team tonight.”

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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