Hilltops embrace opportunity to beat adversity

Saskatoon lineup expected to be juggled to break skid

The Hilltops are looking to halt a three-game skid.

Riding a three-game losing streak, head coach Tom Sargeant said his Saskatoon Hilltops don’t dwell on the negative of what could happen if the setbacks continue.

With Sargeant guiding the Hilltops as head coach since the start of the 1998 season, the storied CJFL club hadn’t lost three games in a regular season or three in a row until the current campaign. Sargeant’s run as the Hilltops sideline boss is best known for the 13 CJFL championships the squad has collected under his watch over the years.

So far in the 2022 campaign, the Hilltops came out of the gates winning their first two contests before dropping their last three straight games to sit at 2-3. The three losses in regular season play and three setbacks in a row mark the first time those things have occurred in Sargeant’s career as Hilltops head coach.

The legendary sideline boss is taking an upbeat approach to his team’s predicament heading into their next regular season game this Sunday against the Colts in Calgary (1 p.m. local time, Shouldice Park).

“I’m doing great,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, I get the opportunity to coach young men and get an opportunity to get them ready for Calgary.

“At the end of the day, we just have a lot of work to do to get better. That is OK. It is healthy.

“It is real. The players are embracing the situations they are in as well. At the end of the day, it is not how you start the race it is how you finish it.”

The Hilltops face stakes the club doesn’t normally see heading into the clash with the Colts. Both teams sport 2-3 records to sit in a tie for fourth and fifth place in the PFC standings. The team that loses will be sitting in fifth place and one win behind fourth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

Both sides have two games remaining after their head-to-head contest on Sunday including another head-to-head encounter on Sunday, October 16 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. That October 16 game closes the respective regular season schedules for both clubs.

Boston Davidsen (#24) sits second in the PFC in rushing.

Sargeant said his team isn’t contemplating where they would stand if they drop their game this Sunday against the Colts in Calgary.

“We don’t think that way,” said Sargeant, who Hilltops are 0-2 on the road this season. “We’re working hard in figuring out who is going on the bus when we leave Saturday morning.

“We’re doing the same thing we’ve always done. We’re in the film room. We’re in the coach’s meetings.

“We’re grinding, and the players are grinding. This isn’t a very happy place right now, and that is OK. You know what, you learn way more in adversity.”

In last Saturday’s 23-7 loss to the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the Hilltops pulled starting quarterback Damon Dutton early in the second quarter after he completed 2-of-4 passes for 22 yards, while throwing one interception. Dutton’s interception was returned 35 yards for a touchdown by Thunder star defensive back Justin McKerracher.

Trey Reider, who is the Hilltops 20-year-old backup quarterback, played the rest of the way in relief completing 18-of-29 passes for 180 yards and no touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. Reider accounted for the Hilltops only major score on a one-yard sneak.

Sargeant said Dutton and Reider are splitting reps at practice this week 50/50, and the team’s coaches are evaluating to see just how many younger players they could elevate up to the starting lineup not just at the quarterback position.

“There are some young guys who are going to start this weekend for sure,” said Sargeant. “They don’t know who it is yet.

“We’re letting them split reps. There are going to be some new starters performing on Sunday. That is exciting for a coach.

“That is a cool thing to see. We’re uncovering every stone and turning everything over just to see if we can find that spark that switch that sort of ignites what we feel this team should be. There is more than enough talent all across the board.”

Veteran defensive tackle Dylan McNutt, who is one of the team’s captains, said his club is focused on getting out of the rut they are in. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Football Team said Sunday’s game provides a chance for the Hilltops to prove they’re not finished as far as this season is concerned.

Konner Johnson leads the PFC in defensive points.

“I think we’re going to come out on Sunday there, and the boys are going to strap up the buckets and go out there and go to work and prove to everybody that there maybe is a glimmer that we are making it through playoffs,” said McNutt. “Once playoffs hit, it is a whole different season.

“The season starts all over again. We’re going to go from there. We’ll finish off the season strong, and the boys will be prepared and ready to go to work.”

McNutt, who will turn 22-years-old in December, believes this down stretch provides an opportunity for the Hilltops to show character and that they can persevere.

“I think we have the right character,” said McNutt. “We definitely have the right set of guys out here on the field at all times.

“Our character is great. We’ve had to face a lot of adversity this year. You know what, adversity is something that it breaks you or you just get stronger from it.

“I think based off what we’ve showcased out here we’re getting stronger off of it, and I’m excited to go show what it is going to look like and how we are going to perform as a team.”

Going into this Sunday’s clash with the Colts, Hilltops star power running back Boston Davidsen sits second in the PFC with 590 rushing yards coming on 102 carries with two touchdowns. 

Hilltops star outside linebacker Konner Johnson leads the PFC in defensive points at 85 thanks to posting 21 solo defensive tackles, 10 defensive tackle assists, three special teams tackles, two special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns and three interceptions.

Colts quarterback Nick Kennedy is having a sound season completing 82-of-139 passes for 1,139 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing nine interceptions. 

Calgary defensive back Damien Bucknor sits fifth in the PFC with 62 defensive points coming off of 25 solo defensive tackles, four defensive tackle assists, two special teams tackles and one interception.

Dylan McNutt (#51) believes his team has great character.

Sargeant believe his Hilltops is going to face one of the most confident Colts teams they’ve seen in a number of years.

“You know what; they’re probably excited that we are rolling into town,” said Sargeant. “The tape we’ve thrown out the last couple of weeks it is sort of we’re not putting intimation or throwing the awe to anybody.

“At the end of the day, I understand that. Our players need to respect that. The old days of Calgary are gone.

“They are very athletic. They are well coached. You can tell they are heading in the right path.”

Thunder versus Rifles poses intriguing battle

Rifles QB Bryson McNeil (#9) leads the PFC in passing yards.

The Winnipeg Rifles can cement the notion they a powerhouse CJFL club in 2022, if they prevail in what is arguable the game of the week in the Prairie Football Conference.

On Sunday, the Winnipeg Rifles (3-2) host the Regina Thunder (5-0) at IG field in Winnipeg at 1 p.m. local time. The Rifles ride into that CJFL regular season clash with a three-game winning streak and are tied with the Edmonton Huskies (3-2) for the second and third place spots in the PFC.

The Thunder are holding down first place in the PFC and can lock up first place in the conference winning two of their final three games.

If the Rifles can beat the Thunder, they will hold victories over both Saskatchewan based CJFL teams this season. On August 28, the Rifles slipped past the visiting Saskatoon Hilltops 19-16 at East Side Eagles Field.

Before downing the Hilltops, the Rifles nearly prevailed in their first meeting with the Thunder back on August 21 at Leibel Field in Regina. Winnipeg led that contest 22-18 after three quarters, but Regina pulled out a 24-22 victory thanks to two fourth quarter field goals by kicker Zack Schmidt.

If the Rifles can beat the Thunder by three or more points in their encounter this Sunday, Winnipeg would hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker between the two sides placing more pressure on the Thunder to win out to lock up first place in the PFC.

This contest features the PFC’s two passing yardage leaders in Rifles quarterback Bryson McNeil and Thunder quarterback Carter Shewchuk. McNeil has a PFC leading 1,694 yards passing having completed 116-of-184 passes for nine touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions.

Shewchuk has the second most passing yards in the PFC at 1,662 yards having completed 111-of-162 passes for 11 touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions.

At the moment, folks in Winnipeg might have a chance to see a CJFL classic, when the Rifles and Thunder collide.

Thunder’s McKerracher gets player of the week nod

Justin McKerracher had a dream game that resulted in capturing a PFC player of the week award.

Last Saturday, the star defensive back made three interceptions helping his Regina Thunder down their provincial rivals the Saskatoon Hilltops 23-7 in front of 2,003 spectators at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. McKerracher returned the first of his three interceptions 35 yards for a touchdown.

On top of those interceptions, McKerracher had one solo defensive tackle, four defensive tackle assists and one pass knockdown in the win.

For his efforts, McKerracher was the named the PFC’s defensive player of the week on Tuesday. McKerracher leads the PFC with five interceptions this season.

The PFC’s offensive player of the week went to Edmonton Huskies star running back Alex Gayle. Last Sunday at the Johnny Bright Bowl in Edmonton, Gayle carried the ball 21 times for 194 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 45-27 victory over the Calgary Colts. Gayle also caught one pass for nine yards.

Colts receiver Jonathan Dikoume was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week. In the loss to the Huskies, Dikoume returned two kickoffs for 132 yards, and one of those returns went 101 yards for a touchdown.

Football Weekend in Saskatchewan was a great showcase

The Saskatchewan Roughriders marketing department gets gold star for the successful execution of its Football Weekend in Saskatchewan promotion.

For the first time in history, the Roughriders and Saskatchewan’s two CJFL teams and U Sports teams were all in Regina playing games at Mosaic Stadium over a two-day period this past Friday and Saturday. The promotion really helped highlight the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and U Sports’s University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams.

Last Friday before a paid attendance of 26,974 spectators, the Roughriders fell 26-24 to the Edmonton Elks. The Roughriders led 24-23 until Elks kicker Sergio Castillo hit the winning field goal from 47 yards out with 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Last Saturday in an afternoon tilt, the Thunder downed the Hilltops 23-7 in front of a crowd of 2,003 spectators and many in attendance don’t normally check out CJFL football. The Roughriders ensured there was a radio call provincially for this contest on 620 CKRM.

In a night time U Sports clash, the Huskies slipped past the Rams 11-10 before 7,055 spectators. Again, many of the people who were in the crowd don’t normally check out U Sports football.

The Rams led 10-8 until Huskies kicker David Solie hit the winning field goal from 32 yards out with two seconds to play in the fourth quarter. Solie was a member of the Hilltops 11-0 CJFL championship team in 2018 ultimately handling duties as a place kicker, punter and receiver.

This game was carried on radio by 620 CKRM and the Huskies home broadcast was heard on 750 CKJH.

It would be cool if this promotion could be repeated in future years involving all five teams.

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

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Funk solidifies middle of Hilltops defensive line

Jaxon Funk has been a rock at DT for the Hilltops.

Jaxon Funk is in the middle of the action when it comes to keeping the Saskatoon Hilltops defensive line strong.

The 22-year-old product of Hague, Sask., is in his fourth full season with the team and his first full campaign as a starter at defensive tackle. During his first full three seasons with the team from 2017 to 2019, Funk said he learned from his veteran teammates, who have since graduated from the program.

When it came time for Funk to start, he was ready to play full time.

“I had great leadership in front of me,” said Funk, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 280 pounds. “It started with Tom Schnitzler.

“He was a great captain and a great guy to learn from. My next biggest influence was obviously Jesse McNabb. He was a great inside player, and he taught me a lot.

“Obviously, all our coaches have been around for a long time. They know exactly what they are doing. They put me in great spots and taught me everything I know.”

Schnitzler was a star defensive end for the Hilltops who graduated following the 2017 season, and McNabb was a star defensive tackle with the Hilltops, who graduated after the 2019 campaign.

Funk has followed in their footsteps continuing the lineage of stellar players the Hilltops have had along their defensive line. Playing on a defensive tackle spot, Funk doesn’t receive a lot of glory.

His job is often to take on double teams in order to allow his teammates to tackle running backs or sack quarterbacks.

Jaxon Funk (#77) storms on to the field with the Hilltops.

Even with that unglamourous role, Funk collected 27 solo tackles 12 assisted tackles, two fumble recoveries and a half sack helping the Hilltops post a 6-2 record during the regular season. Funk personally finished 16^th overall in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference in defensive points.

“Jaxon Funk has had an unbelievable year for us,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “He has been a rock on our defence.

“He is probably the most consistent player we have. He does his job. He doesn’t get a lot of pats on the back.

“To have a noseguard in the top 16 in defensive points is absolutely incredible. He is a captain. He is a great leader.”

During the 2019 campaign, Funk was often rotated on to the defensive line for suspected running situations and kept off the field in obvious pass situations. The coaches worked that rotation to keep players fresh and playing to their strengths.

Now, Funk rarely leaves the field being a full-time starter. The Hague High School Panthers six-man football team graduate said he has had a tonne of help making plays from his teammates on the Hilltops defensive line.

Funk has formed a formidable duo inside with fellow defensive tackle Dylan McNutt, while defensive ends Daylen Hartz and Riece Kack have applied consistent pressure from the outside.

Jaxon Funk (#77) paired with his DT partner in Dylan McNutt (#51).

“We lost a lot of guys, but there have been a lot of guys who have stepped up and did their job,” said Funk. “It has been great.

“Obviously, the coaches are putting everyone in the right spots. It has been a good time.”

If he runs into situations where he is taking on constant double teams, Funk said the Hilltops linebackers coming in behind him have been outstanding making plays.

“I love knowing that if I take on a double team then we got guys behind me that are going to fill their roles,” said Funk. “Wisty (middle linebacker Matt Wist) has been doing a great job this year of filling in gaps.

“If I can get that double and if I end up on a single team, I just have to take advantage of that and try to make a play and do the best I can off that.”

Sargeant said Funk has a number of attributes that allow him to have success.

“Number one, he has worked real hard over the last couple of years to make himself bigger and strong,” said Sargeant. “He has got football IQ.

“He understands leverage and how to work against the O-line and the double teams. He is a player that gets double teamed a lot. He just had a knack for getting off blocks and staying alive and working towards the ball.

Jaxon Funk (#77) passes on kind words to a teammate.

“He is just always around the play. He makes us so much better.”

Before joining the Hilltops, Funk enjoyed playing the six-man game with the Panthers and then head coach Clay Kirby. The Hague Panthers six-man high school team gained notoriety being one of the feature teams in the 2007 “Season of Dreams” documentary about football in Saskatchewan.

Funk said a trio of Hilltops alums from Hague including Richard Zacharias and brothers Tyler and Shayne Dueck were big influences who convinced him to try out for the storied CJFL club.

“Richard Zacharias, who was a linebacker with the team and has helped out coaching recently, really showed me what the team was about,” said Funk. “(Zacharias) helped me get prepared for my rookie season and has been a great mentor ever since.”

Funk’s family became a football family after he first took up the sport in Grade 8. His older sister, Alyssa, has been a star at left tackle for the Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League since 2015.

Younger brother, Jeremy, is in his first year with the Hilltops on the team’s practice roster.

Jaxon credits his parents in father, Lyle, and mother, Katrina, for being the biggest influences for helping him along in football.

“My parents are huge on sports,” said Jaxon Funk. “My dad never really played football, but he always wanted to, but Hague didn’t have a team at that point.

Jaxon Funk finished 16th in the PFC in defensive points.

“When I started, he learned everything about it and supported me as much as he could. I kind of started it in our family. My sister played with Valkyries and my younger brother is on the team now. It just turned into a really big football family.”

With the PFC having completed its regular season schedule, the Hilltops earned a bye to host a PFC semifinal contest due to finishing second in the conference standings. The Hilltops are scheduled to host that contest on Sunday, November 7 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

They will play the team that has the best record that advances out of the two PFC quarter-final games that will be held on Sunday.

Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Funk said there is extra excitement within his team as that first post-season contest draws near.

He said the businesslike approach to that contest mirrors what the Hilltops do in the regular season.

“It is just the same kind of atmosphere,” said Funk, who helped the Hilltops win CJFL titles in each of his first three seasons with the team. “You have to put your time in and practise hard.

“That will reflect how we play on the field. Obviously, we were all pretty excited to back into playoffs after last year not being able to play. You really appreciate the time we can have out here.

Jaxon Funk (#77) and the Hilltops have enjoyed playing after a year off.

“Everyone knows that they’ve got to step it up and have their best game of the year next Sunday and just keep it going.”

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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