Hilltops’ Collins chases 1,000-yard club for rushing

David Collins has 909 yards rushing this season.

Individual milestones were not on David Collins’ mind when he joined the Saskatoon Hilltops but getting to enjoy the game of football for one more season was.

The 22-year-old running back, who is from St. Michael, Minnesota, joined the CJFL’s storied and historic Hilltops after taking a year off from the sport. Collins last played the sport in 2023 for the Central Lakes College Raiders in Brainerd, Minn., who are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

After seven games with the Hilltops, Collins, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 195 pounds, has carried the ball 114 times for 909 yards and 11 touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks second in the Prairie Football Conference, and his 11 rushing majors top the conference in both rushing and total touchdowns.

The Hilltops (5-2) close their regular season on Sunday when they host the Calgary Colts (2-5) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. If Collins can collect 91 yards rushing in that contest, it will mark the 11^th time in the history of the modern version of the Hilltops dating back to 1947 that one player hit 1,000 yards rushing in one regular season.

“I am very blessed for the opportunity and being able to play for this long of a season, and hopefully we can go as far as we can go in the championship game,” said Collins. “(I am) really thankful for the O-line.

“Thank you for my team. Thank you for the coaches for giving me the opportunity and believing in me to even get this close to the chance.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Collins is going to get his chance to hit the 1,000-yard rushing barrier as the Hilltops aim to get going in an upward trend as the CJFL playoffs are just around the corner for the Saskatoon side. 

In their last outing, the Hilltops dropped a 24-21 decision at Saskatoon Minor Football Field to their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder back on September 27. Following action on September 27 and 28, all teams in the PFC headed out on a bye week.

David Collins leads the PFC with 11 total touchdowns.

Sargeant said the Hilltops path forward includes ensuring Collins is a major part of the offence.

“He (Collins) has got to touch that ball 20 to 25 times this weekend,” said Sargeant. “There is no question about it.

“The offence has got to go through him. That is the mentality. That is the reality.

“Let’s go out there and make it happen. When he is touching the ball, if he is getting his carries, that means we’re moving the chains and first downs lead to touchdowns, and that is the type of offence we want to run.”

Going into the final weekend of the regular season for the PFC, the Hilltops, who are rated fourth in the final CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings on Friday, still have an outside shot at top spot in the conference. If they beat the Colts and the Thunder (6-1) fall in their final regular season clash with the Edmonton Wildcats (2-5), the Hilltops would take top spot in the conference.

The Thunder and Wildcats go at it on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina. The Colts and Wildcats need to win their final respective contests, which would be big upsets, to keep their respective post-season hopes alive.

The Edmonton Huskies (3-4) will host the Winnipeg Rifles (3-4) at Jasper Place Bowl on Sunday at 1 p.m. local time. The winner will lock up third place in the conference. A tie would clinch post-season berths for both squads.

Currently, the Colts hold the tiebreaker over the Rifles. The Huskies hold the tiebreaker over the Colts. The Rifles hold the tiebreaker over the Wildcats.

The Wildcats hold the tiebreaker over the Colts and Huskies. If there ends up being a three-way tie for fourth place and the final playoff berth in the PFC, the points for and against ratio for each team could be the deciding tiebreaker.

When the Hilltops and Colts met back on September 14 in Calgary, Saskatoon romped to a 51-3 victory. Sargeant said that was his club’s most complete game of the 2025 campaign, and he wants his club to get back to and surpass that performance to make a long post-season run possible.

David Collins is enjoying his lone season with the Hilltops.

“I’m just trying to build this football team so that when we hit the playoffs we hit our stride, and we play with great confidence and get the ball to the right guys,” said Sargeant. “David Collins is certainly one of those guys.”

Going forward, Collins is looking forward to embracing all the remaining experiences with the Hilltops. He almost can’t believe his team will only play one more regular season contest before starting a journey through the single-elimination CJFL post-season.

“It (the 2025 season) has been super fast,” said Collins. “Especially like coming in late July and soon as like the season got started and going, it just was every day was like game after game.”

Saints and Sun rolling in 2025, other notes

The St. Clair Saints and Okanagan Sun have cemented themselves as the teams to beat in the CJFL in 2025.

Last year, the Saints and Sun met in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The host Saints claimed a 37-22 victory at Acumen Stadium in Windsor, Ont.

This year the defending CJFL champion Saints have topped the Ontario Football Conference with an 8-0 mark and are rated first in the final CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings released on Friday. The Sun claimed first place in the British Columbia Football Conference with a 10-0 mark.

Due to the fact the champion of the Prairie Football Conference hosts the Canadian Bowl, the post-seasons in the CJFL Playoffs begin this weekend for teams in the OFC and the BCFC, while the PFC concludes its regular season.

The Saints open their post-season schedule hosting the Sault Ste. Marie Cougars (4-4) in an OFC semifinal at Acumen Stadium at 1 p.m. local time. The Sun host the Vancouver Island Raiders (5-4-1) in a BCFC semifinal at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, B.C., at 1 p.m. local time.

The BCFC champion will host the OFC champion in this year’s CJFL national semifinal set to be held on October 25.

• Winnipeg Rifles receiver Jarome Penner leads the PFC in receptions (39) and yards (760). He also has three receiving touchdowns on the campaign.
• Winnipeg Rifles linebacker Kyler Banfield leads the PFC with 118 defensive points. He tallied up that total recording 34 defensive solo tackles, 25 defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle, one special teams tackle assist, two quarterback sacks, four pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
• Saskatoon Hilltops defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens leads the PFC with three quarterback sacks.
• On Thursday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Bedford Road Collegiate Redhawks Football Team star in Parker Bond. Bond is a natural middle linebacker, and has filled the roles of running back, fullback, receiver, starting quarterback and played on all special teams with the Redhawks this season. The piece on Bond can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is dominated by images of high school football and the Toon Squad Female Flag Football League. The photo roundup also contains photos from baseball, softball, track and field and a couple of other surprises. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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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First place clinch in PFC up for grabs in rivalry clash

Hilltops and Thunder battle for top spot

Johnathon Stevens (#57) has three sacks this season.

Johnathon Stevens smiles at the fact his final CJFL season will include a showdown to lock up first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference between his Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder.

The provincial rivals take 5-1 records into their head-to-head clash set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops and Thunder are rated third and fourth respectively in the latest CJFL Top 10 Power Rankings released on Thursday. Saturday’s game is the second last regular season contest for both teams, who are guaranteed to finish first and second in the PFC and will respectively host PFC semifinal playoff matches.

Currently, the Hilltops hold the standings tiebreaker between the two sides having posted an 18-15 victory in the lone head-to-head meeting with the Thunder back on September 6 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. If the Hilltops straight out win in the upcoming game on Saturday, they will lock up first place in the PFC.

If the Thunder win by four or more points on Saturday, they will lock up first place in the PFC. If the Thunder win by three or fewer points, they will still need to down the visiting Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday, October 12 a 1 p.m. at Leibel Field to clinch first place.

The team that finishes first in the PFC will have home field advantage through the entire CJFL playoffs, because the PFC champion will host the CJFL championship game – The Canadian Bowl.

“It is always a good match whenever we play each other, obviously,” said Stevens, who is the Hilltops star fifth-year defensive tackle. “There is quite a bit on the line there.

“We’re just going to go out there and do the best we can. We respect them. They are a great team.

“We believe in ourselves as well, and you have to, if you’re going to try to win. I would love to win against them. Every win is a good one.”

The Hilltops head into Saturday’s encounter having won their last five straight. Last Sunday, they downed the host Edmonton Wildcats 52-26 at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta. Saskatoon led that contest 52-9 before Edmonton scored 17 straight points late in the fourth quarter to make the final outcome look more respectable.

The Thunder have won their last two straight. Last Sunday at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., the Thunder escaped with a 41-40 victory over the host Rifles. The Rifles scored a touchdown with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to pull within 41-40 and were unsuccessful in going for a two-point convert to claim the win.

“Obviously, we got pretty good momentum and pretty good energy,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “As a head football coach, things that are sort of bothering me are our discipline seems to crop up here and there and doesn’t put us in great spots.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant stands for the national anthem on Aug. 24.

“Then, we have some lapses of mental discipline of just having players in the right spots at the right time. That is on us as coaches. We got to keep grinding.

“My line to the team right now is do better longer, stay with us longer and be more committed longer. We live in such a different age, but you know when you get between these lines you should just be talking football and that is it and that is all.”

The first encounter of the season between the Hilltops and Thunder saw both teams play the contest with a game management style of approach. Saskatoon ultimately claimed victory on a one-yard touchdown run by running back David Collins with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Stevens believes Saturday’s encounter will be a game where both teams could potentially open up their playbooks a little more.

“That was a few weeks ago, and obviously we’ve got film on them, and they have film on us,” said Stevens, who has three quarterback sacks and 13 total tackles so far this season for the Hilltops. “We’re just going to watch the film, and we’ve got to be ready in any game if they’re going to try to take risks or if they’re going to do anything that is an attack there.

“I know they had good plays during that game, and I know we had good plays during that game. It could change any given Sunday, in this case Saturday.”

Sargeant believes all parts of his Hilltops club will look much better on Saturday compared to the first encounter with the Thunder.

“I guarantee you we’re going to coach better than what we did the first game against them,” said Sargeant. “I guarantee you my players are going to be playing better than how they played last time.

“It just comes down to what is Regina going to bring? What are they going to do different? How will they look?

“We haven’t seen them in three weeks. We’ve all played different teams, and as I said, we’re excited to get them at our place Saturday night and get under the lights and son of a gun, that is going to be a lot of fun.”

Sargeant said he believes the rivalry between the Hilltops and Thunder is still as heated as it has ever been. The sideline boss said it comes from the fact a lot of the players see each other at events like the Senior Bowl, which is the high school football all-star game put on by Football Saskatchewan for Grade 12 players right before they graduate from high school.

David Collins has been a key player for the Hilltops this season.

The veteran coach added the rivalry between the Hilltops and Thunder shares some common traits with the U Sports football rivalry between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams.

“It is no different than with Huskies and Rams anytime proximity is a big part of a rivalry,” said Sargeant. “That is what we have.

“They (the Thunder) are the team that is closest to us. Every year they line up, they want to beat us, and every year we line up we want to beat them. We know if we do that it has a tendency to lead us to bigger and better games.

“That is what is at stake this weekend. We’re hungry for the opportunity. I just want my team to play better and show up and handle all the excitement and all the adversity and see if we’re ready for prime time.”

Thrilling game results in PFC players of the week nods

The Regina Thunder and Winnipeg Rifles staged one of the wildest games of the season, and it comes as no surprise two PFC player of the week awards come out of that clash.

Last Sunday at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., the Thunder and Rifles engaged in a shootout, which saw Regina emerge with a 41-40 victory. Players from this contest claimed the awards for the PFC’s offensive player of the week and the PFC’s special teams player of the week.

The offensive player of the week nod went to Rifles receiver Jarome Penner. Penner hauled in 15 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown in the heartbreaking setback. His 15 catches are the second most ever for a PFC regular season contest and are tied for the second most for a CJFL regular season game.

Saskatoon Hilltops all-time great Andrew Busby holds the record for most catches in a CJFL regular season contest and by extension PFC regular season clash. He hauled in 19 passes for the Hilltops on August 20, 2006.

Thunder kick returner and defensive back Jackson Ashman claimed honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week. In the heart pounding win over the Rifles, Ashman returned the opening kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown.

He returned two kickoffs for 123 yards and ran a punt back for 12 yards. Ashman emulated his father and Thunder assistant coach Chris Ashman, who was a dangerous returner for the Regina Rams in the late 1990s and early 2000s including play in both the CJFL and U Sports as the University of Regina Rams.

Calgary Colts defensive back Quinn Feodoroff was tabbed as the PFC’s defensive player of the week for his efforts in his squad’s 41-30 setback to the visiting Edmonton Huskies last Sunday at Shouldice Athletic Park. Feodoroff recorded seven solo defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Big upcoming Sunday in PFC

Riley Element sets to throw a pass for the Rifles.

This coming Sunday will be a big one when it comes to deciding the final two playoff berths in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference.

The Winnipeg Rifles, Edmonton Wildcats, Calgary Colts and Edmonton Huskies all have identical 2-4 records and are tied for third through sixth in the conference. The top four teams in the PFC qualify for the post-season, so only two of those four squads will be left standing when the regular season concludes.

On Sunday, the Rifles host the Wildcats at 2 p.m. local time at Maple Grove Rugby Park, while the Huskies host the Colts at 1 p.m. local time at Jasper Place Bowl.

The final week of the PFC regular season sees all six of the conference’s teams go at it on Sunday, October 12. The Huskies will host the Rifles at Jasper Place Bowl at 1 p.m. local time. The Saskatoon Hilltops host the Colts at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, and the Regina Thunder host the Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field.

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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