Hilltops get redemption in romp over Rifles at SMF Field

Saskatoon storms over Winnipeg 42-15

Charles Sawi (#18) celebrates his second of three TDs for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops turned their regular season opener into a distant memory.

In that contest played on August 10 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, the host Rifles thumped the visiting Hilltops 31-11. That encounter was the first CJFL regular season contest of the 2025 campaign for both clubs.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, those same squads met once again, and the result on the field was vastly different. The Hilltops stormed out to a 25-0 lead at halftime and rolled to a 42-15 victory.

With that result in the books, both teams sit with identical 2-1 records on the campaign. The Hilltops also hold the standings tiebreaker between the two sides claiming a 53-46 advantage in total points scored in the head-to-head matchups between the two sides.

David Collins ran the ball 33 times for 262 yards and two TDs.

“That was obviously in the plan,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “That is what we talked about, and they came out and executed.

“We didn’t play great, but boy, we played hard. That is a good football team on the other side, but son of a gun, the kids were on point. The coaches did a great job all week, and hey, we showed great strides from last week to this week.

“This was a great team win, and we needed it.”

How both teams played over their respective first two games was reflected in the CJFL Power Rankings that were released on Thursday. In those rankings, the Rifles were rated fifth, while the Hilltops were placed seventh.

Jace Mowles makes his second of two interceptions on Sunday.

In the Hilltops convincing win on Sunday, they relied on their veteran players. David Collins, who is a 22-year-old running back playing his first season with the Hilltops, had a monster game carrying the ball 33 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Collins came to the Hilltops having last played for the Central Lakes College Raiders in Brainerd, Minn., in the 2023 campaign.

Long-time explosive playmaking running back Charles Sawi, who is in his fourth season with the team, collected a staggering 368 all-purpose yards. Sawi ran the ball seven times for 93 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 88 yards.

On special teams, he returned eight punts for 99 yards and two kickoffs for 67 yards. Sawi also ran back a missed field goal for 21 yards.

Charles Sawi had 340 all-purpose yards for the Hilltops.

On defence, Hilltops fifth-year star defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens recorded two sacks and two defensive tackles. Fifth-year cornerback Jace Mowles hauled in a pair of interceptions, knocked down three passes and made one solo defensive tackle. Fifth-year defensive tackle Nahom Menghestab, who frequently takes on double team blocks, had two-and-a-half total tackles and one quarterback sack.

With the Hilltops set to go in a bye week following Sunday’s game, Sawi said his team had to head into the break on a high note.

“We had to take the moment,” said Sawi. “We had to go into the bye week with a win.

“We really wanted to find out where we are as a team, and as of right now, we’re winners.”

Sawi added it was also important for the Hilltops to win by a big enough spread to earn the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Rifles.

The fans at SMF Field cheer on the Hilltops.

“It was very big for us,” said Sawi. “It was very big.

“As everybody saw, we really wanted it, so we executed it.”

The Hilltops opened the contest needing two plays on the game’s first offensive drive to score a touchdown. Hilltops quarterback Hayden McMahon hit Sawi with a pass and run play that went 52 yards to the Winnipeg 24 yard line. Collins ran in a major score on the next play to give the Hilltops a 7-0 lead.

With 1:17 remaining in the first quarter, Hilltops punter Gino Frassetto kicked a 46-yard punt single to give the Hilltops an 8-0 advantage.

Riley Element put up 342 yards passing for the Rifles.

Early in the second quarter, Mowles made his second of two interceptions in the contest. On the ensuing Hilltops possession, Collins ran home a touchdown from 40-yards out to push the host side’s lead out to 15-0.

Sawi proceeded to run in a major score from 15 yards out, and Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton hit a field goal from 31 yards out to give Saskatoon a 25-0 advantage.

Mowles was pleased he could help the Hilltops efforts with a pair of interceptions.

“I just wanted to get that ball, and ‘Sarge’ (Sargeant) has been on me for the last two weeks,” said Mowles. “I had to execute.

Kaiden Banfield had one rushing TD and one receiving TD.

“It felt relieving. ‘Turk’ (defensive backs coach Brent Turkington) has been on the sidelines, and he has been really helping out a lot. He has been putting us in great positions.”

In the second half, the Rifles put up a battle in an effort to not give up the advantage of having the head-to-head standings tiebreaker. Just three minutes into the third quarter, Rifles quarterback Riley Element hit star running back Kaiden Banfield with a 43-yard pass and run touchdown to cut the Hilltops lead to 25-7. The Hilltops needed to win the contest by 21 or more points to pick up the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with the Rifles.

The Hilltops proceeded to run off an offensive scoring run in the fourth quarter. At the 7:13 mark of the fourth quarter, Gratton hit an 18-yard field goal to push the Hilltops lead out to 28-7.

Isaiah Vallderruten (#3) makes an interception for the Hilltops.

Hilltops safety Isaiah Vallderruten proceeded to get an interception on the Rifles next series. The ensuing Hilltops offensive series was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Sawi to make Saskatoon’s advantage sit at 35-7. Sawi proceeded to add a 48-yard rushing touchdown to give the Hilltops a 42-7 lead.

Winnipeg would give Saskatoon a bit of a scare in holding on to the standings tiebreaker. Banfield ran in a major from 10 yards out with 48.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Element proceeded to hit slotback Miles Blatherwick for the two-point convert to cut the Saskatoon lead to 42-15. The Rifles weren’t able to get any closer.

“We needed this to happen, because there are bigger games in front of us,” said Sargeant. “Now, this keeps us right on the path that we want to be in and controlling destiny and all of those things.

The Hilltops Cheerleaders perform at halftime of Sunday’s game.

“At the end of the day, I am very happy and pleased with everything that I saw, and I know we can just be so much better.”

McMahon completed 10-of-18 passes for 173 yards, while throwing one interception for the Hilltops. Receiver David Boyd Jr. caught four passes for 64 yards for Saskatoon.

Element completed 25-of-38 passes for 342 yards and one touchdown, while throwing three interceptions for the Rifles. Banfield led the Rifles with 15 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. He also had six catches for a game high 92 receiving yards and one major score.

Johnathon Stevens had a pair of sacks for the Hilltops.

Outside linebacker Rudolph Osborne led the Hilltops with six total tackles. Hilltops sophomore defensive back Ryan Valentino made a game-high five solo tackles on special teams.

Outside linebacker Cohen Mccluskey led the Rifles with 12 total tackles to go with one quarterback sack. Defensive back Gage Richey had an interception for Winnipeg.

The Hilltops are now off until Saturday, September 6 when they travel to Regina to face their provincial rival and defending Prairie Football Conference champions in the 3-0 Thunder (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

“The last two games are something we can hang our hat on,” said Sargeant. “Getting into the bye week, there is nothing better than feeling good about a bye week knowing that we went out there and each game we’ve played better.

The Hilltops players mingle with family and friends after Sunday’s game.

“As long as (two) weeks ago was ground zero which I think it was, man, this team is only going to get better and better. Hey, we’ll find out truly who we are in two weeks down in Regina. I can’t wait.”

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Hilltops seek redemption as Rifles come to town

Winnipeg romped to 31-11 win over Saskatoon in PFC Week 1

The Hilltops huddle up during game action last Sunday.

The score 31-11 is burned into the minds of the Saskatoon Hilltops.

That was tally the Hilltops were on the losing end of when they faced the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg on August 10. The contest was the regular season opener for both teams.

It is believed that since the start of the 2006 season the only other time the storied Hilltops lost to the Rifles came back on August 28, 2022, when the Rifles claimed a 19-16 victory in Winnipeg. The fact the Hilltops lost on August 10 to the Rifles in convincing fashion turned heads across the CJFL.

With the Hilltops having won 23 CJFL championships in their history, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the convincing setback to open the season in Winnipeg was a reminder his squad is gunned for by the rest of the teams in the entire CJFL.

“People want to come out and play their best and do their best against us, because we’re the measuring stick,” said Sargeant. “That is the reality.

“At the end of the day, we know that. We got to prepare better, coach better, they got to play better and the rest of the stuff just don’t matter.”

Injuries have made Hayden McMahon (#15) the Hilltops starting QB

Last Sunday, the Hilltops rebounded and romped over the visiting Edmonton Huskies 46-6 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Also on that day, the Rifles traveled to Sherwood Park, Alta., and downed the host Edmonton Wildcats 43-24.

Rifles quarterback Riley Element completed 15-of-26 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in that contest. He was named the offensive player of the week for the Prairie Football Conference on Wednesday for his performance against the Wildcats.

The Hilltops (1-1) host the Rifles (2-0) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. 

In the CJFL Power Rankings that were released on Thursday, the Rifles are rated fifth, while the Hilltops are rated seventh.

After what happened between these two sides on August 10, there will be a lot of intrigue around the CJFL to see how the second clash between these two teams in three weeks will play out.

The Hilltops head into Sunday’s game battling the injury bug especially at quarterback. Brexton Elias, a fifth-year veteran who was pegged as the starter in pre-season, and Charlie Molder, a second-year player who was pegged as the backup, are both out with longer term injuries. 

Isaac Michayluk steadies the Hilltops defence at MLB.

Hayden McMahon, who is in his third year with the team, was penciled in at third on the Hilltops depth chart in pre-season and is now the starter for the foreseeable future.

McMahon actually played the majority of the first encounter with the Rifles as Molder went down due to injury very early in that contest. 

Going into the upcoming battle with the Rifles, McMahon said the intensity would be dialed up to a higher level at Hilltops practice in anticipation for this next meeting.

“I know the coaches will make the adjustments, and we’ll have a really good game plan,” said McMahon. “If we’ve got to adjust that game plan throughout the game, we will.

“I’ve got full faith in our team and our coaching staff that we’ll put a great game plan together and play those Rifles hard, because they’re a really good team.”

On May 17 at St. Vital Mustangs Field in Winnipeg, the Rifles played an exhibition game against the Saint John’s University Johnnies, who are an NCAA Division III team based out of Collegeville, Minnesota. The Johnnies hammered the Rifles 51-3.

Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson was quoted on the Rifles Instagram account that his club’s clash with the Johnnies was a necessary process that will aid his team’s readiness to play the Hilltops in the season opener.

Kaiden Banfield (#34) charges downfield on Sept. 15, 2024.

Hilltops star fourth-year middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk said the Rifles are legit.

“They’re a good team,” said Michayluk. “They are physical.

“They want it. They have a really good running back in Kaiden Banfield. He is a stud.”

Michayluk said you could tell the Rifles worked hard in the off-season to get ready for the 2025 campaign during that season opening tilt.

“They had a really good off-season it seemed like,” said Michayluk. “They were prepared.

“A lot of respect goes to them. We’ve just got to prepare. We’ve just got to work hard and prepare for them.”

Sargeant said his Hilltops know the challenge that waits for them this coming Sunday.

He said it is up to his venerable squad to bring the battle in this encounter, and he doesn’t expect his team to receive much sympathy if they don’t beat the Rifles in this contest and fall to 1-2.

“No one is going to feel sorry for the Saskatoon Hilltops for all we’ve accomplished, all we’ve done and so we know that,” said Sargeant. “Hey, we’re in the chase, we’re in the hunt, and we’re just going to keep battling.

David Collins charges downfield for the Hilltops.

“I think this team is going through a lot of adversity right now, and hey, I’m creating a lot of that adversity for them too. As I said, we’re not going to take a backseat to no one, and we’re just going to keep grinding. That is the team I got.”

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Hilltops focus on football, not online haters

Saskatoon romps to 46-6 win in home opener

Isaac Michayluk runs back an interception for the Hilltops on Sunday.

Let the haters be who they are going to be.

The Saskatoon Hilltops are just focusing on football.

On Sunday, August 10, the Hilltops opened the CJFL regular season getting hammered 31-11 by the host Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man. The lopsided road loss in Winnipeg was a shocker for the storied Hilltops.

Outside of games against their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder, the Hilltops rarely drop contests to other Prairie Football Conference foes outside of falling 19-16 to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28, 2022.

Hayden McMahon picked up his first win as CJFL starting QB.

After the loss to the Rifles on August 10, there were social media accounts on Instagram that run updates and opinions on the CJFL posted the score of that contest. Those accounts are run independently from the CJFL. 

The comments section of those posts saw people share their glee that the Hilltops had lost in convincing fashion and stated their dislike for the Saskatoon club. A similar development happened when the score first appeared on the CJFL main Instagram account.

From the comments, the dislike came from the fact the Hilltops have had a successful history that has included winning 23 CJFL championships.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops righted the ship for one afternoon in their home opener romping over the Edmonton Huskies 46-6 dropping the Alberta side to 0-2. The Hilltops improved to 1-1 and will host the Rifles (2-0) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

David Collins led the Hilltops with 157 yards rushing on Sunday.

As for the social media comments that proclaimed happiness over the fact the Hilltops lost bad to the Rifles, the Hilltops themselves elected to block out the noise. Hilltops third-year quarterback Hayden McMahon started his first career CJFL game in Sunday’s win over the Huskies.

Slotted in as the third stringer at the start of the campaign on the team’s depth chart, McMahon found himself taking on the starting spot after fifth-year starter Brexton Elias and second-year backup Charlie Molder went down with injuries that are expected to keep them off the field for a longer term.

McMahon said he followed social media accounts that produce content on the CJFL. After the loss to the Rifles, he said the comments he saw were usually negative things that were said about professional athletes after they lose. It resulted in McMahon taking a new approach to his relationship with social media.

HC Tom Sargeant works the sidelines for the Hilltops.

“You know what, I give it to the professional athletes in the world,” said McMahon expressing empathy for those in pro-sports. “After that game in Winnipeg, I made the decision to delete everything off my phone that had anything to do with the team and the CJFL just so I didn’t have that negative feedback.

“I didn’t want to read anything. I just wanted to have a clean slate going into the week. It was very beneficial for me to get that off my phone and not read those bad comments.”

For Hilltops star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk, he said it was easy for him to avoid seeing posts or reading comments on social media.

Part of the crowd of 856 spectators that came to see Hilltops.

“Personally, I have a flip phone,” said Michayluk. “I don’t have social media.

“I live under a rock a bit. That is good. I just keep my focus on the task at hand and what it needs to be.”

When it comes to anything that is posted on social media, Michayluk said he hears about it second hand, and that information goes in one ear and out the other.

“I try not to focus on that,” said Michayluk. “If you focus on that, then you get distracted from the task at hand which is working for now.

Two Hilltops offensive linemen engage on a double team block. 

“We’ve got Winnipeg coming in here next week, so that is the task at hand. If we focus on all that social media stuff, we get distracted. We’ve got to focus up and get that mindset right.”

McMahon and Michayluk follow the lead of their legendary head coach Tom Sargeant when it comes to dealing with social media. Sargeant doesn’t follow anything on social media unless there is something his wife, Kris, shows him. As far as negative Instagram comments went following the loss to the Rifles, Sargeant was oblivious to what was said.

“I could care less no offence,” said Sargeant. “I don’t do a lot of reading.

Members of the Hilltop Cheerleaders perform on Sunday.

“I do a lot of coaching. We worry about us, and we don’t worry about anybody else. That is the Hilltop way.”

Sargeant said he doesn’t spend time reflecting on why people would write the comments that they do on social media. He concerns himself with what the Hilltops have to do that day to become a better football team.

“We’re very insular,” said Sargeant. “We just focus on us.

“I have a lot of work to do. This football team had a better performance today. You weren’t there last week, and it was just awful.

Charles Sawi ran the ball 12 times for 77 yards for the Hilltops.

“We have taken a few steps forward, but we got a long ways to go, if we’re going to be the team (to beat). Hey, we have Winnipeg coming in who absolutely laid it to us last week. We’re not resting.”

Looking in from the outside, McMahon said it was unfortunate negative comments come the Hilltops way, but he believes the players, who range in age from 18 to 22, grow up quickly by making responsible decisions on how to deal with comments. During his high school days, McMahon played six-a-side football with the Biggar Central School Blazers in Biggar, Sask., and he said one of his coaches advised to ignore the noise and listen to the message the coaches were delivering.

McMahon said he always has that advice in his head, and that is how he goes ahead with approaching social media. He believes the Hilltops have been really good at not worrying about what is said on social media.

Isaiah Vallderruten secures a 29-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

“We’ve got really good leaders on this team,” said McMahon. “Our fifth years do a really good job and often a lot of times the phones don’t come out.

“We’re boys, and we have fun in the locker room. Whatever happens outside of the football field, we have no control on. All we can do is bring our best on the football field and play between the lines and the whistles and have a lot of fun.”

The Hilltops had a fair amount of fun on Sunday sending a crowd of 856 spectators that came out to SMF Field home happy. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a safety conceded by the Huskies, a 34-yard field goal from kicker Ryden Gratton and a 12-yard touchdown run by star running back Corbin Ebben. Ebben left the game early in the second quarter due to injury to which he will undergo further evaluations.

Huskies receiver Dustin Campbell is hit by a Hilltops DB.

Edmonton got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a 23-yard missed field goal single from kicker Boaz Comeau.

Saskatoon responded with a pair of touchdowns from 22-year-old running back David Collins, who scored on runs from 75 yards and one yard out to hold a 26-1 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Hilltops pushed their lead out to 36-1. McMahon hit receiver Isaiah Vallderruten with a 29-yard touchdown pass, and Gratton booted a field goal from 33 yards out.

Second-year running back Brody Komarnicki ran in a major from four yards out and Gratton hit a 30-yard field goal to make the Hilltops lead stand at 46-1.

Aiden Rosa (#26) steals an interception for the Hilltops.

The Huskies closed out the game’s scoring with a 38-yard field goal from Comeau and a conceded safety by the Hilltops as time expired.

McMahon completed 7-of-15 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception for the Hilltops. Collins topped the Hilltops with 157 yards rushing on 11 carries to go with his two major scores. 

Charles Sawi ran the ball 12 times for 77 yards for Saskatoon. Vallderruten caught three passes for 57 yards to go with his touchdown reception.

Jackson Harnett started at quarterback for the Huskies completing 10-of-15 passes for 95 yards. Wesley Neitz played a sizable chunk of the contest in relief connecting on 9-of-15 passes for 77 yards, while throwing two interceptions. Receiver William Campbell led the Huskies with seven receptions for 64 yards.

Ryden Gratton boots a 33-yard field goal for the Hilltops.

Michayluk led the Hilltops with seven total tackles, and he intercepted one pass. Second-year defensive back Aiden Rosa also came up with an interception for the Hilltops, while star defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens had a fumble recovery.

Middle linebacker Kaige Houle led the Huskies with 8.5 total tackles and had one interception. Defensive back Juven St. Hilaire had an interception for the Huskies. Linebacker Mateo Muir had a fumble recovery for Edmonton.

“At the end of the day, we’re certainly happy with the result,” said Sargeant. “It has been a tough week, and it is nice to see the players respond.

The Hilltops celebrate a TD from Brody Komarnicki (#20).

“We’ve been hard, we’re coaching hard, and we expect them to play hard. It wasn’t an easy day to play, and we have a lot of respect for the Edmonton Huskies. They have a lot of tradition, and we knew it was going to be a physical game.

“For me, the best thing I saw is how our offensive line stepped up today, and they just absolutely controlled the line of scrimmage and made life easier. It was nice to see Hayden McMahon execute the game plan and find the right guys and the defence was on point. We did well enough to win the game, and I am very thankful for that.”

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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