Fun with photos

Garth Knittig (#59) dives in for a TD for the Hilltops.

    Defensive lineman touchdowns always make great photos.

    Anyway how saw big old Garth Knittig fly through the air like a bird in the 2017 PFC final for the Saskatoon Hilltops would know that was true. 
    The defensive tackle, who was dubbed “the Delisle Destroyer,” looked like a stout thick building standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 285 pounds getting some serious air time taking the ball on a short-yardage plunge and diving in over top of the Regina Thunder defence from a yard out.

    Knittig’s score came with 96 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and it put the Hilltops up 36-24 over the Thunder. The score would be cemented as the final outcome of the contest at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Oct. 22, 2017.

    Before Knittig’s touchdown, the Hilltops were holding on to a 29-24 lead against their Regina rivals late in the fourth quarter and wanted to ensure the Thunder didn’t have a chance to pull out any last minute heroics.

    On Knittig’s goal-line short-yardage score, he actually wasn’t supposed to get the ball. He was in the Hilltops short-yardage offensive package to be a blocking fullback.

    Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls didn’t hear the play call correctly and was supposed to hand off to a regular ball carrier. He also didn’t question what he heard, because Knittig was a strong, tough and hard-working defensive tackle.

    Everyone in the Hilltops huddle would have been in favour of getting Knittig into the end zone. Little did anyone know, Knittig could run the one-yard dive play as well as Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, who was an all-time NFL great with the Los Angeles version of the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Garth Knittig gets set on defence in the 2017 PFC final.

    After that win, the Hilltops advanced on to win a fourth straight CJFL title.

    The image of Knittig’s score in that PFC final is one of the many photos I have captured over the years I enjoy looking at. Since I started this blog in late August of 2014, readers have constantly said they like the photos I have posted.

    Readers might not always like what I have to write, but I don’t think I have ever received a bad word regarding a picture I have posted. Most of those pictures have been from sports events that I have covered.

    Actually, I have usually received great feedback from my picture taking at sporting events. The first photos I ever took came from the second school year I worked at the University of Regina student news paper, The Carillon, in 1997-98.

    I shot a tonne of photos during my time at the Prince Albert Daily Herald from 2001 to 2004.

    I then went through a period of time where I didn’t shoot extensively. When I joined the Medicine Hat News in September of 2004, I was brought on to be a WHL beat writer that covered the Medicine Hat Tigers.

    While I did write about other sports, my main focus was on the Tigers and stories on the WHL league front.

    When I first got to the news, we had a deep editorial staff with three talented photographers. I wasn’t needed to fill that role.

The Hilltops celebrate winning the PFC title in 2017.

    During my time there, the News was sold to Glacier Media and the budget cut era began to take hold at that outlet. I took up shooting photos once again during the 2010-11 hockey season and have kept doing that craft since then.

    I actually like shooting photos more than I do writing.
    During these days that pass under the cloud of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it seems doom and gloom can overcome life.

    I figured I would share 10 more photos in no particular order I have taken over the years that look cool. I saw on my Instagram account I have posted at the moment 1,299 photos I have taken that I really like.

    That volume makes it hard to cut down to a handful of favourities. I figured this could be a fun post I could do on continuing basis even after the pandemic ends.

    With all that said, I hope you enjoy the first batch of photos I have collected for this post. 

Hannoun’s Game 7 OT winner gives WHL title to Raiders

    This will go down as the most iconic photo I have ever taken.

    Overage centre Dante Hannoun (#17) reacts to scoring the overtime winner for the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series played on May 13, 2019 at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    Hannoun’s goal gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. It also gave the defining moment in the history of the Raiders legendary home rink in the Art Hauser Centre.

Rams’ Hughes the Huskies in the dust

    University of Regina Rams running back Neal Hughes was one of that program’s all-time top playmakers before going on to a 10-year CFL career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    Before he won two Grey Cup rings with the Roughriders, Hughes blasts away from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies defence in this photo take on Sept. 15, 2001. He ran the ball 17 times for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns and caught six passes for 80 yards and a major score.

    The Rams won the Hall of Fame game 31-21 before 7,238 spectators on the frozen concrete of Taylor Field.

Smith’s joyful Ruthy moment with Huskies

    Chloe Smith only played two seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, but that was enough time to carve out a memorable moment.

    In this photo taken on Feb. 24, 2018, Smith (centre) celebrates scoring the winning goal for the Huskies who downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-1 in Game 2 of a Canada West semifinal series. She was in her rookie season with the Huskies when she scored this goal.
    The win allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.

    Smith’s tally goes down as the final U Sports women’s playoff series winner scored at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

Shirley so good at age 15 with Stars

    So good, so young.

    Sophie Shirley is pictured in action here for the Saskatoon Stars at age 15 during a Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League semifinal series against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at the Agriplace Arena.
    At the time standing just 5-foot-4, Shirley weaved her magic piling up 12 goals and 12 assists helping the Stars win all nine of their league playoff games in 2015 and capture their first Fedoruk Cup as SFU18AAAHL champions.

    She finished second SFU18AAAHL regular season scoring with 22 goals and 17 assists in 27 games.

    Now standing 5-foot-9, Shirley is a star centre with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team and a member of Canada national women’s development team. She helped the Badgers win an NCAA national title in 2019 and has a decorated list of accomplishments in hockey having just turned 21-years-old.

Huskies’ Machart follows Riley to the end zone

    Running back Adam Machart rocked and rolled for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in 2019.

    In this picture taken on Sept. 6, 2019, Marchart follows the block of left guard Mattland Riley in the Huskies homecoming game against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Griffiths Stadium.

    Machart had a big night carrying the ball 15 times for 134 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He caught an additional five passes for 39 yards in a 40-7 Huskies victory before 6,278 spectators.

    That was the beginning of a huge campaign for Machart. He set a new Huskies team record for most rushing yards in a season piling up 1,334 yards on 156 carries, where he scored eight touchdowns.

    Machart also caught 20 passes for 204 yards and scored three majors through the air. His 1,538 all-purpose yards were a new Huskies team record for one regular season.

    Riley would be selected in the first round and seventh overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Draft held this past April 30.

Cornwall blows roof of SaskTel Centre for Rush

    Jeff Cornwall gave the Saskatchewan Rush a dream finish to their first campaign playing out of the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

    On June 4, 2016, Cornwall, who is a Rush defender, scored a on a coast-to-coast rush with 12 seconds to play in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie with the Buffalo Bandits and put the Rush ahead 11-10 sending 15,182 spectators into delirium. That 11-10 score held up as the final in Game 2 of the National Lacrosse League Championship Series.

    The Rush swept the best-of-three set 2-0 to capture their second NLL title in team history. Their first came the previous season in what was their final campaign based in Edmonton.

    This photo shows the Cornwall (centre in front) celebrating his winning goal in 2016. I like the zoomed out photos of this moment the best, because they show how crazy the SaskTel Centre crowd was.

Moskaluke performs on Canada in 2017

    Just to show I can take pictures of happenings outside of the sports world, I had to throw in this picture of Jess Moskaluke.

    In this picture, Moskaluke is performing at Diefenbaker Park in Saskatoon on Canada Day of 2017. I guess it wouldn’t be much of an admission to say I love taking pictures of Jess Moskaluke performing in concert.

    I’ve only done that twice in my life. I hope I will have another opportunity to take pictures of her in action in the future.

    She has quite the stage presence, and of course, a fantastic singing voice.

Steel’s all-heart goal celebration for the Pats

    Sam Steel represented everything that was good about the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    The star centre gave his heart and soul to the historic major junior team every time he stepped on the ice.

    This picture was taken on April 17, 2017, and it was of Steel’s celebration in scoring the Pats first goal in a series deciding Game 7 of a second round playoff series against the Swift Current Broncos.      This picture shows Steel was locked into performing heroics with the Pats.

    He finished the night with two goals in a 5-1 Pats victory. The Pats trailed in the series 3-1 before pulling out three straight wins to take the set.

    It still marks the only time in the post-season the Pats have rallied back to win a series in which they trailed 3-1.

Caller versus Loewen

    This at the moment goes down as my best photo from a hockey fight, but the fight actually wasn’t as good as the photo was.

    On Dec. 9, 2017, the Saskatoon Blades hosted the Kamloops Blazers in a WHL regular season game at the SaskTel Centre. At the 11:45 mark of the first period, Blades 18-year-old defenceman Jackson Caller fought Blazers powerhouse 19-year-old left-winger Jermaine Loewen.

    Moments before this fight, Loewen had driven Caller’s defensive partner, Evan Fiala, hard into the boards.

    Caller, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 189 pounds, hung in a little bit with Loewen, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 221 pounds. Loewen overpowered Caller and won the fight without dispute.

    The fight was one-sided, but an early still made the bout look more competitive than it was. The Blazers took the game 4-1.

Willoughby plays hero for Huskies

    Kaitlin Willoughby had a number of big moments for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, but one picture I took of her goes down as an all-time classic.

    This photo taken on Jan. 21, 2017 shows Willoughby celebrating her overtime winner that gave the Huskies a 5-4 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a U Sports regular season game at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    Willoughby’s tally was a highlight reel one that saw her speed down the left wing in the Thunderbirds zone, cut to the net and snipe the winner top corner past diving Thunderbirds defender Kelly Murray and netminder Amelia Boughn.

    Willoughby, who was in her fourth season with the U of S at the time of this photo, finished as the Huskies second all-time leading scorer with 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 regular season games.

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

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Hilltops’ family feeling continues to live on, key in “drive for five”

Josh Ewanchyna and Garth Knittig share a funny moment.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops have a real family feeling, and it powered them to complete the “drive for five.”

    Most elite sports teams shoot to have a family feeling, and very few reach what the “Hilltop family” has. The family feeling the Hilltops have is one that has been built since the modern day version of the club formed in 1947.

    As soon as new players become part of the venerable Canadian Junior Football League team, the Hilltops family feeling quickly becomes part of who you are. You quickly begin to genuinely care about everyone who is part of the organization.

    Everyone from the alums, players, coaches, training staff, directors, volunteers and the cheerleading team all see each other as family.

    That family feeling was one of the reasons the Hilltops had an incredible 2018 campaign that resulted in an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL title.

    The Hilltops capped their “drive for five” going 11-0 to complete the fourth perfect season in team history and first since 2003.

The Hilltops fifth-years get set to accept the Canadian Bowl.

    Saskatoon concluded the 2018 season with an impressive 58-21 victory over the Langley Rams in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – held last Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops trailed on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds.

    In posting an 8-0 regular season, the Hilltops outscored their opponents 402-70. Looking at all 11 games they played, the Hilltops closest margin of victory came in the PFC final, when they downed the Edmonton Huskies 28-9.

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls (#19) calls signals in short yardage.

    Everyone involved with the Hilltops knows how to keep each other accountable, and criticisms are always taken constructively. Everyone in this family wants to see each other get better and improve.

    When you see members with the Hilltops interact with each other, the ease and the high comfort level with those interactions are amazing. It creates some humourous looking moments too like when star defensive tackle Garth Knittig sat on lap of Josh Ewanchyna, who is the team’s star running back, and shared a laugh in the final minutes of a 58-5 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles in a Prairie Football Conference semifinal contest at SFM Field.

LB Cody Peters backpedals into pass coverage.

    The collection of people involved with the Hilltops come from all sorts of backgrounds, and being part of the “blue and gold” unites them.

    In 2018, the family feeling within the squad hit new heights like the impressive performance of the team on the field. There were very few valleys in this campaign.

    Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff deserve boatloads of credit for what took place.

    With that said, the family feeling was really set by the group of players Sargeant dubbed “The Great Eight,” who happened to be the eight members of the club who were in their fifth and final years of CJFL eligibility.

    Sargeant always says the goal of the Hilltops each season is to play for the fifth-years and help them graduate from the CJFL as league champions. It was pretty easy to get motivated to play for the fifth-year group in 2018.

    Quarterback Jordan Walls, receiver Jason Price, right tackle Kirk Simonsen, receiver Adam Ewanchyna, defensive end Connor Guillet and linebackers Cody Peters, Bobby Ehman and Adam Benkic are all gems.

Hilltops receiver Adam Ewanchyna goes up and over a Rams tackler.

    Besides being great players and great sportsmen on the field, all are outstanding persons away from the game. Wherever they go, the atmosphere in any play they enter becomes more positive.

    At the team’s annual awards banquet held on Thursday at the Radisson Hotel, the fifth years were appropriately honoured and that included winning six of the possible seven team awards they could take.

    Walls, who is the club’s star quarterback, claimed the Ron Atchison “True Grit” award. During his first three years with the Hilltops, Walls played behind star quarterback Jared Andreychuk.

    Taking over as the starter last season, Walls showed he was more than ready for his opportunity. Compiling a 22-1 career record as the team’s starting quarterback, Walls showed great command of the offence and was the composed Joe Montana type leader that everyone wanted to follow.

MLB Bobby Ehman springs into action for the Hilltops.

    The Blue and Gold Award for dedication and commitment went to Price, who came through with big plays for the team game after game as a star pass catcher. Price built a big reputation for being a consistent deep threat.

    Simonsen claimed the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman. He has been one of the anchors on a standout offensive line and was the longest serving starter on that unit dating back to the beginning of the 2016 campaign.

    The Courtice Inspiration Award went to Ehman. During his first four seasons with the team, Ehman was a standout on special teams and stepped in wherever he could on defence. After star middle linebacker Cameron Schnitzler graduated for the club following the 2017 season, Ehman stepped into that vacated role for his well-deserved moment in the sun.

    The Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award for the top linebacker went to Benkic, who fought through a number of injuries in his career to either often hold a starting spot or be a regular in the linebacker rotation.

RT Kirk Simonsen, left, gets set to lock on a block for the Hilltops.

    The Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the team’s most outstanding graduate was presented to Peters. Peters was named the top defensive player in the CJFL in 2018.

    He attended the training camp for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and was on the Roughriders practice roster before rejoining the Hilltops for his final CJFL campaign. Peters deserves another shot to crack a CFL roster in 2019.

    Ewanchyna would fill in at any receiver position and became a strong kick returner for the team. He enjoyed getting to play three seasons with and see Josh, who is his younger brother, grow into a star.

    Guillet built an inspirational story returning to play in all of the Hilltops games in the 2018 season after missing the entire 2017 campaign with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Guillet had 2.5 sacks in the regular season and one to conclude his career in the fourth quarter of the Canadian Bowl win over the Rams.

Connor Guillet (#76) and friends pose for pictures with the Canadian Bowl.

   It is the fitting this group holds the distinction of being the only players to win five CJFL championship rings during their playing careers.

    Defensive back Evan Mantyka took the Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year. In Mantyka and the rest of the Hillltops returning players, the team’s future is in good hands.

The Hilltops will be in the “mix for six” in 2019.

    While attention will begin to turn to the next CJFL season, the contributions of “The Great Eight” fifth-year players from 2018 will live on in Hilltops lore forever.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Hilltops’ focus incredible so far in “drive for five”

The Hilltops celebrate with the PFC championship trophy last Sunday.

    Saskatoon Hilltops most impressive statistical accomplishment so far this season involves the number 81.

    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have trailed on the scoreboard for a total of 81 seconds in all their games building a 10-0 record in the 2018 campaign. On Sept. 22, the Regina Thunder held a 17-16 edge over their archrivals late in the first half in a clash at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The Thunder’s lead lasted for a stretch of 81 seconds. They were forced to relinquish the lead, when they had to give up a safety due to bad field position to fall behind 18-17.

    Saskatoon hit high gear from that point surging to a 48-24 victory.

    Last Sunday, the Hilltops improved to 10-0 downing the Edmonton Huskies 28-9 in the Prairie Football Conference final at SMF Field. That marked the fifth straight year the Hilltops have won the PFC title.

    With that victory, the Hilltops will host the Canadian Junior Football League championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at SMF Field. Saskatoon will try to win an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL championship in that contest.

QB Jordan Walls piled up the PFC awards.

    The Hilltops will face the winner of a CJFL semifinal contest to be played this coming Saturday between the Ontario Football Conference champion Hamilton Hurricanes and the British Columbia Football Conference champion Langley Rams in Langley, B.C.

    Saskatoon’s focus has been incredible so far this season. The coaches, staff and players have lived each day for that day as the season has gone on.

    Collectively, they have embraced and enjoyed each moment as it has come.

    They focused on letting this season write its own story. As a result, the team will get a chance to win a fifth straight CJFL title.

    The Hilltops had to do the same thing last year in becoming the first team to win four straight CJFL titles. In the 2017 campaign, no one really talked openly about winning a fourth straight CJFL title until the Toppers locked up a spot in the Canadian Bowl.

    Knowing the PFC champion would host the Canadian Bowl this season, it would be safe to say winning a CJFL title for the fifth straight year was in the back of everyone’s mind that is part of the Hilltops organization. A veteran team was returning as well to take a crack at a fifth straight national championship.

Bobby Ehman (#48) and the Hilltops defence have been solid this season.

    A total of eight players in their fifth-years with the team will have the chance to hold the distinction of being part of a CJFL national championship club in every season they played with the Hilltops. All of those returning fifth-year players are key members of the team.

    Quarterback Jordan Walls racked up the PFC awards being named an all-star, the most outstanding quarterback, the most outstanding offensive player of the year and the most valuable player.

    Receiver Jason Price was named a PFC all-star and the most outstanding receiver for the conference. Offensive lineman Kirk Simonsen was named a PFC all-star and receiver Adam Ewanchyna was named a PFC all-star as a return specialist.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had a big haul of PFC honours being named an all-star, the most outstanding linebacker and most outstanding defensive player.

    Bobby Ehman did an admirable job taking over at middle linebacker from Cameron Schnitzler, who starred at that position and graduated after last season.

RB Josh Ewanchyna, right, jets to the end zone for a touchdown.

    Adam Benkic proved he could still fly around at outside linebacker and on special teams. He was named the special teams player of the week for the PFC after the Hilltops won the conference title.

    Defensive end Connor Guillet was dogged by injury all last season and returned to record 2.5 sacks appearing in six of the Hilltops eight regular season games this season. He has played so well you wonder what he might have been able to do had he not been injured.

    The Hilltops swept the PFC player of the week awards after the conference title victory with third-year running back Josh Ewanchyna taking offensive player of the week honours and fourth-year defensive tackle Garth Knittig being named the defensive player of the week.

    Ewanchyna was named a PFC all-star and the conference’s most outstanding offensive back, and Knittig was named a PFC all-star and the conference’s most outstanding defensive lineman.

    Head coach Tom Sargeant got his due being named the PFC’s coach of the year. Sargeant and his coaching staff might have pulled off one of their best jobs ever with how well they have guided this year’s team.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, middle, is the PFC coach of the year.

    The fact the players have stayed focused on the task at hand is a credit to the work of the coaches.

    With such a group of super people in the fold, it is only human to envision what it would be like to win a fifth straight CJFL title from time to time.

    Because of the day-to-day work put in this season, the Hilltops can embrace the fact they have a chance to do something uncommon and win a fifth straight CJFL championship in their next game. If they pull off that victory, a whole host of other milestones will come.

    They would cap the run of five straight championships with a perfect season, which would be the fourth 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 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.

    While the Toppers will work to stay focused in a break of 19 days between games before taking the field on Nov. 17, that break might provide a chance to turn the end of the season into a celebration of the venerable CJFL team attracting many alums and supporters of the club.

The Hilltops are looking to draw a big crowd for the Canadian Bowl.

    The lengthy stretch off between games will allow alums who live outside of Saskatoon to potentially make plans to venture back to “The Bridge City” to see the Toppers play in a Saturday CJFL championship game. You only have to hang around the Hilltops for a short time to realize a lot of people hold the squad close to their hearts.

    The Nov. 17 contest will allow supporters from all points on the map to make plans to return for this title tilt.

    The 2018 campaign has been special for the Hilltops. All that is left is to make one big splash with a final send off.

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

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Hilltops know 10-0, claim PFC title for fifth straight year

The Hilltops raise the PFC championship trophy once again.

    Saskatoon Hilltops defence laid the hammer down to ensure the opportunity to play for a fifth straight Canadian Junior Football League title wouldn’t be denied.

    With the Hilltops having built an 18-0 first quarter lead on the Edmonton Huskies in the Prairie Football Conference final on Sunday afternoon at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Saskatoon’s defensive unit ensured Edmonton’s offence never got on track.

    The Hilltops limited the Huskies to just 78 yards rushing and 165 yards passing in winning the PFC final 28-9 before 863 spectators. Sunday’s victory marked the fifth straight year the Hilltops have captured the PFC title.

DTs Garth Knittig, left, and Jesse McNabb, nail a Huskies QB.

    Of course after the previous four PFC championship victories, the Hilltops moved on to capture the Canadian Bowl.

    With Sunday’s win in the books, the Hilltops will host the CJFL title game on November 17 at SMF Field at a time to be announced.

    “It feels amazing,” said Hilltops star defensive tackle Jesse McNabb, who had five defensive tackles in the win. “We have a good group of guys around us.

    “We have a good group of fifth years. We all just did our job today. Offence struggled a little bit, but our defence picked it up when we needed it to.”

    The Huskies defence was stout against the Hilltops passing game.

    Saskatoon’s star quarterback Jordan Walls completed 11-of-25 passes for 145 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Earlier in the day, Walls was named the most outstanding quarterback, the most outstanding offensive player of the year and the most valuable player of the PFC. 

Hilltops DB Colton Holmes (#9) drills a Huskies receiver.

    Hilltops star receiver Jason Price was held to one catch for eight yards. Price was named the most outstanding receiver for the PFC earlier in the day.

    The Hilltops ground game was firing on all cylinders. Star running back Josh Ewanchyna, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding offensive back earlier in the day, ran the ball 24 times for 163 years and three touchdowns. He also hauled in two passes for 33 yards.

    In his last three outings against the Huskies, Ewanchyna has rushed for 100 or more yards in each of those contests.

    After Walls threw for 473 yards in the Hilltops 58-5 romp over the Winnipeg Rifles in a PFC semifinal contest one week earlier, Ewanchyna believed he was going to have to step up against the Huskies.

    “With Walls’ performance last week, we knew that they were going to be watching that passing game a little closer,” said Ewanchyna. “We knew the run game was going to be there.

    “It was very physical. Our ground and pound game is what we kind of pride ourselves with. We know, if we keep driving the ball, the game is going to be a little easier.

The Hilltop got great support from their faithful fans at SMF Field.

    “We are going to wear out the defence. That is what seemed to happen. When we got the ball and pounded it, things were going pretty good for us.”

    The Hilltops’ first quarter surge started with a David Solie field goal from 31 yards out, which was set up by a blocked punt by defensive end Connor Delahey. Ewanchyna ran in his first major of the game from three yards out and Solie scored a single on the ensuing kickoff to put the Hilltops up 11-0.

    Hilltops fifth-year linebacker Adam Benkic recovered a fumble on the ensuing Edmonton series. On the drive resulting from that fumble recovery, Ewanchyna ran his second major of the game in from 21 yards out on the final play of the first quarter to give the Hilltops an 18-0 lead.

RB Josh Ewanchyna scores three TDs for the Hilltops.

    From there, Edmonton tried to make a comeback but was only able to chip away at the Saskatoon lead.

    In the second quarter, the Huskies forced the Hilltops to concede a safety, received an 18-yard field goal from Cole Sabourin and a single from a missed field goal from Sabourin to cut Saskatoon’s edge to 18-6.

    Sabourin booted a 19-yard field goal in the third quarter to further trim the Hilltops advantage to 18-9.

    “Once we got ahead of them, all they could do was kick field goals,” said McNabb. “We did our job.

    “We knew we were going to keep doing our job, and they would have to pull some magic out to score on us it felt like. We just did the game plan and did our job. That is all we need to do.”

    The Huskies won turnover battle with the Hilltops 5-3, which is something the Hilltops almost never come out on the wrong end of.

    Edmonton was without starting quarterback Tommy Yanchuk due to injury. Sunday’s starter Brendan Guy left the PFC final with an injury early in the fourth quarter running for a first down on a third down gamble.

Huskies QB Brendan Guy faced constant pressure from the Hilltops defence.

    Guy completed 14-of-24 passes for 138 yards before departing the contest. Jordan Lane, who is normally Edmonton’s third string quarterback, competed 4-of-7 passes for 27 yards in relief.

    Before Guy was injured, the Huskies odds at making a comeback became a lot more difficult, when Ewanchyna ran home a major from 34 yards out near the end of the third quarter to increase the Hilltops lead to 25-9.

    After Guy left the contest, Solie booted a 27-yard field goal with 4:45 to play in the fourth quarter to seal the final outcome at 28-9 in favour of the Hilltops.

    Benkic had four defensive tackles and four special teams tackles to go along with his fumble recovery for Saskatoon.

    Defensive tackle Garth Knittig, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive lineman earlier in the day, had seven defensive tackles for the Hilltops. 

The Hilltops Cheerleading team entertains at halftime.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had five defensive tackles and forced a fumble for the host side. Peters was named the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker and most outstanding defensive player earlier in the day.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said he would have liked to have seen a little more production from his team’s passing game, but when it comes to playoff football, the legendary sideline boss said all that mattered was getting the job done.

    “At the end of the day, you are just here,” said Sargeant, who was named the coach of the year in the PFC earlier in the day. “I don’t care if you win by one or win by 100.

    “You have to figure out how to win and move on. Hey, we’re going to another Canadian final. That tells you so much about this group of coaches and this group of men.

The Hilltops defence corrals Huskies receiver Sam Clayton.

    “Five in a row, you think about that. That don’t happen anywhere.”

    With the win, the Hilltops improve to 10-0 overall on the 2018 campaign. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have won their last 18 games in a row. Saskatoon has won its last 15 straight post-season games in a row too.

    When the Hilltops try to win an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL title on Nov. 17, they will be trying to complete a perfect season and keep their overall and playoff winning streaks intact.

    The Huskies finished the 2018 campaign with a 7-3 overall record.

The Hilltops celebrate Josh Ewanchyna’s third quarter TD.

    The CJFL’s other two conference title games were also contested on Sunday. In the Ontario Football Conference final in Hamilton, the host Hurricanes slipped past the Windsor AKO Fratmen 28-23.

    In the British Columbia Football Conference final in Kelowna, the Langley Rams thrashed the host Okanagan Sun 39-7.

    The Rams, who are 9-3 overall, host the Hurricanes, who are 10-0 overall, in a CJFL semifinal game this coming Saturday in Langley, B.C.

    While the Hilltops will have close to three full weeks off before hosting the Canadian Bowl, McNabb is looking forward to playing the CJFL title game at home.

The Hilltops DLs and DL coach Dave Fisher pose for a memorable picture.

    “It is exciting to have it at home,” said McNabb. “We have to stay mentally prepared through those three weeks.

    “That is all we can really do is prepare for the next game whoever we play.”

    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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