Thunder stampede their way to PFC championship

Hilltops downplay no flag on head hit to Reider

The Thunder celebrate their PFC championship win.

The Regina Thunder continued to be their version of Bronko Nagurski and the Chicago Bears of the 1930s NFL.

On Sunday playing before 1,826 spectators at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Thunder stampeded their way to a 24-19 victory in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference final over their provincial rivals the Saskatoon Hilltops, who entered the contest as the defending CJFL champions.

The Thunder starting offensive line of left tackle Nolan Finn, left guard Caleb Barajas, centre Max McFadden, right guard Tristen Rapchalk and right tackle Eric Boyd hammered the Hilltops defence allowing the Regina side to pile up 321 yards rushing as a team on 49 carries for an average of 6.6 yards per rush attempt.

The Thunder O-line help their team rush for 321 yards.

Thunder star running back Sadik Sadik led Regina with 28 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Regina’s other star running back in Ryland Leichert also had a big day carrying the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Before facing the Hilltops, the Thunder piled up 751 yards rushing in their two previous outings that included a regular season 40-21 victory over the Calgary Colts and a 64-7 PFC semifinal win over the Colts.

Sadik is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility as he is 22-years-old. He was pumped his club could win the PFC title after falling in last year’s PFC final 21-13 to the Hilltops in Saskatoon.

Sadik Sadik ran the ball 28 times for 178 yards and two TDs.

“Coming out here, I told the boys I don’t’ want to end my season here in Saskatoon,” said Sadik. “This honestly couldn’t have been drawn up any better playing Saskatoon at their home.

“Coming out here dominating and making this place our territory, we own this place. It is really what it is.”

Despite the physicality of the Thunder, the Hilltops almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat taking the ball on one last offensive series from their own 15 yard line with 61 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and no timeouts at their disposal. After getting across midfield, the Hilltops went into their bag of tricks for a gadget play that resulted in the most controversial moment of the contest.

On what would ultimately be the second last play of the contest, the Hilltops ran their version of the “Philly Special.” Star fifth-year quarterback Trey Reider, who was named the MVP of the PFC for the 2024 campaign, passed the ball laterally in the right flat to star power running back Corbin Ebben.

Trey Reider charges downfield for the Hilltops.

Ebben took a couple of steps and fired a lateral pass back across the field to Reider. Reider took off down the left sideline before encountering Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith at the Thunder 22 yard line. Smith made a head first driving tackle striking the crown of his helmet into the head of Reider dropping the signal caller to the turf.

The Hilltops bench was immediately calling for a major foul penalty for the obvious and visible helmet-to-helmet hit that has been banned in tackle football for some time now, but the officials didn’t throw a flag on the head shot. As a result, the Hilltops had basically one play to throw the ball into the end zone from the Thunder 22 yard line with 6.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Since Reider went down in bounds, the clock starts when the officials blow the play in.

A Hilltops final pass to the end zone in knocked incomplete.

Had a major foul penalty been called, the Hilltops would have been scrimmaging first and goal from the Thunder seven yard line, and the clock would not start until the ball was snapped. Saskatoon could have conceivably run two more offensive plays in that scenario.

Instead, Reider made a Hail Mary jump ball pass to star fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas about five yards deep in the end zone along the right sideline. Thunder safety Adam King knocked down the final toss to preserve the victory for his side.

Reider put the Hilltops offence on his back finishing the day completing 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. He also topped the Hilltops with 102 yards rushing on nine carries.

The Hilltops react to losing in the PFC final.

At end of the contest, Reider didn’t have anything bad to say about the officials or what happened on the play when he was hit helmet to helmet.

“At the end of the day, you can try to blame the refs, but I just put this on myself,” said Reider, who finished his career with the Hilltops with a 25-2 record as their started quarterback. “You can’t really blame anyone.

“I could have made him miss maybe. That is just on me. I’m not going to put anything on the refs or anyone else.

The Thunder raise the PFC championship trophy.

“I am going to put it on myself.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was diplomatic when asked about the head shot Reider took.

“That is a variable we don’t control,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, referees are working hard doing their job.

“I have a lot of respect for what they do. Being in these big games and at the end of the day, their job is to make sure our players are protected. If they felt that was the case, then we got to agree with what was in front of us.”

Ryland Leichert (#32) ran the ball 20 times for 118 yards.

Overall, Sargeant said his storied club didn’t perform at a level that was needed to pull out a victory.

“We didn’t play well enough to win,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, full credit goes to the Regina Thunder.

“They battled, and they competed for sixty minutes. I’m proud of my kids, you know what? At the end of the first half, they took it to us.

“We responded, regrouped, and you know, just didn’t make the right plays at the right time. As I said, it just wasn’t enough. We kept on fighting, scratching and clawing to the end, but it wasn’t good enough today.”

The Thunder opened the contest with an impressive first series that ended with starting quarterback Ethan Hugg hitting receiver Zak Woidyla for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up 7-0.

Drake Douglas caught seven passes for 121 yards.

Before the first quarter ended, the Hilltops got on the scoreboard with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to trim the Thunder lead to 7-3.

At the 3:29 mark of the second quarter, Thunder kicker Shawn Green hit a 26 yard field goal to give his squad a 10-3 lead at halftime.

The Thunder pushed their lead out to 17-3 with a four-yard rushing major by Sadik at the 5:51 mark of the frame. With 2:18 remaining in the third, Green had to concede a safety due to bad field position to make the Thunder lead stand at 17-5.

On the ensuing offensive series, the Hilltops quickly drove downfield. With 59.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Ebben ran home a major from 14 yards out to cut the Thunder advantage to 17-12.

Corbin Ebben (#34) scored a pair of touchdowns for the Hilltops.

Early in the fourth quarter, disaster struck the Hilltops on special teams. Douglas muffed a punt return deep in his own end, and defensive back Owen Effa recovered the ball for the Thunder. Zadik proceeded to score on a two-yard run at the 3:20 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Thunder a 24-12 advantage.

With 4:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reider hit Ebben with a 14-yard touchdown pass to trim the Thunder lead to 24-19. That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the game.

Coming into Sunday’s contest, the Thunder had lost five straight overall to the Hilltops, who finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-1 overall mark. The Hilltops had also won 21 straight games overall. Sadik was overjoyed his squad beat the Hilltops to capture the PFC title in his final CJFL season.

Trey Reider (#3) completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards.

“It means a lot,” said Sadik. “There is a lot of work that went into this you know what I mean?

“(There were) a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we came out here, and we did what we had to do and we came out with the win.”

The Thunder, who improved to 8-2 overall, have now won their last three straight overall. Their last loss came on September 28, when they were thumped 36-11 by the Hilltops at SMF Field.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was pumped his team rebounded from that drubbing to ultimately claim the PFC title.

“It feels fantastic,” said MacAulay. “It wasn’t an easy season.

Zak Woidyla makes a 10-yard touchdown catch for the Thunder.

“We had to do a lot of changes. I think the turning point was the last time we played against the Hilltops. We had to go back and take a look at what our assets were on our team and make sure we tried to use them a little bit more and put the ball in the boys’ hands and let them do the job.”

MacAulay said the players and coaches on his club concluded their strengths on offence were their offensive line and their talented veteran running backs. Since pushing all the chips in on the running game, the Thunder have been riding high.

“Our guys worked out hard during the off-season,” said MacAulay. “They’re physically fit, and this is what they wanted.

Stephen Smith had seven total tackles for the Thunder.

“The players were the one stepping up and saying that they wanted to run the rock and were holding the coaches accountable. It was a great couple of weeks.”

Douglas led the Hilltops with 121 yards receiving on seven catches. Ebben finished with 52 yards rushing on 13 carries to go with his major score on the ground. He caught 10 passes for 114 yards.

“We worked pretty hard, and this is not the outcome we wanted at the end of the day,” said Reider. “There is not really a lot to say right now.”

Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one touchdown. Former Thunder starter Carter Moberg saw spot action completing 1-of-2 passes for 11 yards.

Kai Kukurudza (#73) shows he made a fumble recovery.

Defensive back Nathan Young led the Hilltops with nine total tackles and one pass knockdown. Hilltops defensive end Kai Kukurudza and defensive tackle Ryan Adamko each had one fumble recovery.

Thunder cornerback Tristan Bergquist led his squad with seven solo defensive tackles and three pass knockdowns. Smith record five solo defensive tackles and four defensive tackle assists for the Thunder.

Middle linebacker Mitchell Tanchak had an interception for Regina.

Sargeant said he was going to be realistic with his final address with the club.

“(I will tell them) just how much I love them and how far we grew as a team,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day when you’re a Hilltop, the expectations are always high.

Ethan Hugg completed 7-of-9 passes for 53 yards and one TD.

“No one is going to feel sorry for the blue and gold. It is the reality. We played well, but we didn’t play well enough to win. We’ve got to live with that, and we’ve got to deal with that.

“At the end of the day, we’ll move on. That is life. You move on.”

The Thunder will move on to host a CJFL semifinal this coming Sunday against the BCFC champions Okanagan Sun (12-0) at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina. When the Thunder last won the PFC title in 2022, they fell to the Sun 21-19 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

MacAulay is giving his squad the chance to soak in the PFC final victory first before the Thunder turn their attention to the Sun.

Thunder members enjoy the PFC championship trophy.

“We’re going to celebrate tonight,” said MacAulay. “Winning in the PFC, there are six great teams.

“I think you’ve got to relish in the moment and worry about the Sun come tomorrow. We’re definitely excited to be moving on and have that opportunity.”

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Hilltops gear up to face Thunder stampede in PFC final

Two sides meet for conference title on Sunday at SMF Field

The Hilltops defence corrals Thunder RB Sadik Sadik.

The defending CJFL Saskatoon Hilltops are gearing up for the Regina Thunder stampede.

On Sunday, the provincial rivals will go at it in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The winner advances to host a CJFL semifinal game against the winner of Saturday’s British Columbia Football Conference championship clash in Kelowna between the host Okanagan Sun (11-0) and the defending BCFC champion Westshore Rebels (6-5).

The Hilltops (9-0) and Thunder (7-2) are meeting for the fourth straight year in the PFC final. Saskatoon claimed two of the three previous meetings including last year’s October 22 clash 21-13.

The current stretch of consecutive meetings between the Hilltops and Thunders in the PFC final is the most between CJFL representatives from Saskatoon and Regina since the Hilltops and Regina Rams collided eight straight years for the conference title from 1991 to 1998. The Rams took six of those eight contests before moving to the U Sports ranks to become the University of Regina Rams.

In 2024, the Hilltops took both regular season clashes with the Thunder. Saskatoon prevailed 29-15 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on September 7 and 36-11 at SMF Field on September 28.

Following September 28 meeting, the Thunder hosted the Calgary Colts twice at Leibel Field to close the regular season on October 6 and in a PFC semifinal last Sunday. In those contests, the Thunder elected to become their versions of Bronko Nagurski and the 1930s Chicago Bears or Bronko Nagurski Jr. and the 1960 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The elder Nagurski was an all-time NFL legend at fullback and the son was an all-star offensive tackle in the CFL.

In the Thunder’s 40-21 victory over the Colts on October 6, the Thunder piled up 452 yards of offence including slugging out 326 yards on the ground. During the 64-7 win in the PFC semifinal over the Colts, the Thunder amassed 584 yards of total offence including an unthinkable 425 yards along the ground.

Hilltops DBDalton Urban (#17) returns an interception on Sept. 28.

Over their last two outings, the Thunder have posted an incredible total of 751 yards rushing handing the ball off to running backs Ryland Leichert, Sadik Sadik and Peter Boersch behind what has become a road grader style offensive line anchored by PFC all-star left tackle Caleb Barajas. Sadik was named the PFC’s most outstanding running back on Monday to go with a PFC all-star selection that had been awarded on October 11.

“That is their game plan right now,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “They’re going to try and bully you at the line of scrimmage.

“They feel two of their real productive players are (Ryland) Leichert and (Sadik) Sadik. They’re both running backs, so at the end of the day, you see a lot of split formation, two backs in the backfield. They’re letting that O-line get after you, and they’re running in behind.

“They feel they have a pretty good flow, and they’ve had two good weeks of running the football. That is obviously something we need to focus on and get ready for.”

Traditionally, the Thunder have had good ground games, but they are better known for taking it to the air and leaning towards the passing game. They are normally one of the PFC’s best passing teams and piled up the second most passing yards during the PFC regular season at 1,940.

In their PFC semifinal win over the Colts, the Thunder played regular starting quarterback Carter Moberg and backup Ethan Hugg fairly equally. Hugg started last year’s PFC final for the Thunder.

Hilltops OLB Noah Gedir hits Thunder RB Ryland Leichert.

Hilltops PFC all-star safety Dalton Urban believes the Thunder’s trend to being a more physical team will continue in Sunday’s PFC final.

“It shows that in playoff football they want to establish that run game early,” said Urban. “We’ve got to do a good job this week making that our priority.”

On the Hilltops side things, they have hammered their opponents running attack all season. During the regular season, the Hilltops gave up the fewest rushing yards in the PFC at 665.

Saskatoon’s starting defensive line of defensive tackles Nahom Menghestab and Johnathon Stevens and defensive ends Kai Kukurudza and Noah Chelsom have clogged things up at the line of scrimmage. Hilltops PFC all-star middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and outside linebackers Noah Gedir and the emerging Zaden Taylor had swarmed in to nullify ball carriers coming out of the backfield.

Urban had made a reputation of throwing his share of hard hits since he started playing for the Hilltops in 2021 after graduating from the St. Joseph High School Guardians Football Team. He said the game is going get very man versus man physical, if the Thunder elect to push with the running game like they have against the Colts.

“Playoff football is always going to be physical,” said Urban. “We know that going into the game that we have to bring that mindset.

“We have to come out on first down expecting the run and get them into those second and long situations where we can get off the field and get turnovers.”

Noting what the Thunder have done on the ground, there also comes the question that showcasing the running game against the Colts might be all smoke and mirrors as they could come into the PFC final with a totally different game plan. At this point in the season, teams like to bring out plays they have been working on all year but haven’t used so they don’t show up on video.

That also applies to the Hilltops. Sargeant deadpanned the notion that his venerable squad will have some surprises for the Thunder.

The Hilltops mark their win over the Thunder on Sept. 28.

“We’re not that fancy a team,” said Sargeant, whose 245 career head coaching wins are the most in post-secondary amateur football in Canada. “We have a pretty strong blueprint of what we believe in, so we’re going to show up and do what we’ve sort of done consistently all year.

“We’re going to let our players be physical and make plays. I’m sure they got different plays for different situations as we do. At the end of the day, it is not about trick plays or this or that.

“It is about who controls the line of scrimmage, who is more disciplined and who wins a plus-minus turnover battle. That is what we focus on.”

Reider cleans up in major PFC awards

Trey Reider was named MVP of the PFC.

Monday turned out to be a golden day for Saskatoon Hilltops star quarterback Trey Reider.

Reider picked up a trio of honours as the PFC major award winners were announced. The fifth-year signal caller was named the conference’s most outstanding quarterback, most valuable player and offensive player of the year.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC. That marked the second straight year Reider led the PFC in quarterback rating.

On top of his throwing, Reider carried the ball 26 times for 135 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season as well.

On Sunday, Reider’s Hilltops face their provincial rivals in the Regina Thunder in the PFC final at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. As he is playing through his final post-season run with the Hilltops before exhausting his CJFL eligibility, Reider is focused on beating the Thunder for one last time.

“This is my last year, so it means everything to me to get this last win,” said Reider. “There are no tomorrows for me anymore.

“This is it for me, so I just need to come out with the win.”

Reider’s top target in fifth-year receiver Drake Douglas picked up a couple of PFC awards on Monday. Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver and most outstanding special teams player.

Drake Douglas was named the PFC’s most outstanding receiver.

He led the PFC in receptions (58), receiving yards (955) and receiving touchdowns (eight) during the regular season. Over the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Douglas returned 38 punts for a PFC leading 342 yards.

Hilltops right tackle Cody Shumanski captured honours as the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman and legendary head coach Tom Sargeant was named the PFC’s coach of the year.

Thunder star middle linebacker Stephen Smith was named the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker and defensive player of the year. During the regular season, Smith piled up 34 solo defensive tackles, 20 defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two pass knockdowns and one interception.

Thunder tailback Sadik Sadik claimed honours as the PFC’s most outstanding running back, defensive end Liam Sellwood took the nod as most outstanding defensive lineman and the offensive rookie of the year award went to Thunder starting left guard Tristen Rapchalk. Sadik carried the ball 106 times for 781 yards and a PFC leading 10 touchdowns during the regular season.

The Hilltops and Thunder will be going at it in the PFC final for the fourth straight year. The Hilltops have won two of the previous three encounters. Reider said the luster in conference title games between the Saskatoon and Regina never fades.

“I always like playing Regina in the final,” said Reider. “They’re always the best team.

“They bring a really good crowd. The excitement is always up, and at the end of the day, it is just really fun to play Regina.”

Sawi, Michayluk get weekly PFC honours

Charles Sawi took PFC special teams player of the week honours.

Charles Sawi and Isaac Michayluk came up big in helping the Saskatoon Hilltops win their PFC semifinal, and they claimed weekly awards for their effort.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops downed the visiting Edmonton Huskies 33-18 in a PFC semifinal at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. 

With the two sides locked in an 18-18 tie, Sawi returned a missed field coal 112 yards for a touchdown that gave the Hilltops a 25-18 advantage with 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. That play sparked the Hilltops to victory.

With that effort, Sawi was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week on Thursday. Sawi also returned two punts for 12 yards.

Michayluk, who is a PFC all-star at middle linebacker, recorded seven solo tackles, four defensive tackle assists, one pass knockdown, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception in the Hilltops win. His interception came shortly after Sawi returned his missed field goal for a major to give the Hilltops a lead they would never relinquish.

Isaac Michayluk was the PFC’s defensive player of the week.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert claimed honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week for his efforts helping the Thunder flatten the visiting Calgary Colts 64-7 last Sunday in a PFC semifinal at Leibel Field in Regina.

Leichert carried the ball 22 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He was a big part in helping the Thunder amass 425 yards rushing as a team in that victory.

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Battle of undefeated teams up next for Hilltops

3-0 Saskatoon faces 3-0 Thunder in Regina

Drake Douglas has been making big plays for the Hilltops.

Just saying “Saskatoon versus Regina” is enough to stoke the passions in Saskatchewan’s amateur football community.

For venerable Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder, it is “rivalry week” in their respective CJFL campaigns. On Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the defending CJFL champion Hilltops take on their provincial rivals in the Thunder in a battle of 3-0 teams. The winner will sit alone in first place in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference.

The Hilltops head into this regular season clash rated first in the CJFL’s Top 10 Power Rankings, while the Thunder are rated fourth. For the followers of both clubs, the hype for Saturday’s game is well underway.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant is looking for his players to have their best outing of the campaign. He also knows a long road remains in the 2024 campaign following Saturday’s encounter.

“We enjoy the process, the preparation,” said Sargeant. “It is game four, so this should be our best game of the year.

“Coming off a bye, we’re all fresh, and we’ve got a lot of time to figure out what we need to do and how we need to do it just like they are. It is just going to come down to who is going to control the line of scrimmages and who is going to execute their game plans better”

Sadik Sadik is having a breakout season for the Thunder.

In their three games this season, the Hilltops have outscored their opposition 137-33. The Thunder have outscored their opponents 127-14 in their three contests. Last season, the Hilltops took all three meetings against the Thunder including two regular season encounters and a 21-13 victory in the PFC final at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The Hilltops go into Saturday’s contest with a large cast of star playmakers on offence in quarterback Trey Reider, running backs Corbin Ebben and Charles Sawi and receivers Drake Douglas and Datiel Fountaine. Douglas has 17 receptions for a PFC leading 319 yards and four touchdowns. He tops the PFC in punt returns (18) and punt return yards (229).

Saskatoon’s offensive line is solid once again being anchored by left tackle Davin Johnson and right tackle Cody Shumanski.

The Thunder counter with their stars in quarterback Carter Moberg, running backs Sadik Sadik and Ryland Leichert, and receivers Zak Kwiatek and Lucas Di Iorio. 

Dalton Urban drops into coverage for the Hilltops.

Sadik is having a breakout campaign as a 22-year-old leading the PFC in rushing yards (358) and rushing touchdowns (five) on 40 carries. He also has seven catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Regina’s offensive line is anchored by left tackle Mekhi Molleken and centre Max McFadden.

“They know us just as well as we know ourselves and vice versa,” said Sargeant. “Everyone has put in time and energy to come out and play a great game.

“That is all we’re looking for. I’m excited to go down to Regina to Mosaic. Hey, 3-0 versus 3-0, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

On defence, the Hilltops have a number of playmakers in defensive end Kai Kukurudza, defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and defensive halfback Nathan Young and safety Dalton Urban. Young has returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season.

The Thunder counter with a host of playmakers on defence in middle linebacker Stephen Smith, outside linebackers Mitchell Tanchak and Zach Cloutier and defensive backs Noah Zimroz, Marcus Butz and Cooper Filazek. 

Ryland Leichert runs the ball for the Thunder in October 2023.

Tanchak, Zimroz, Butz and Filazek each have two interceptions for the Thunder.

Sargeant believes Saturday’s clash has the makings to be a great game but again cautions there is still a long way to go in the 2024 campaign after Saturday’s contest.

“It is game four,” said Sargeant. “You’re looking for placing and standings and all that other stuff, but it is game four.

“You know what? We’re going there, and they’re at home, so they’re going to be feeling good about themselves. They’re going to want to play well and represent in front of their fans.

“We’re going there, and you know, as I said, come out and play our best game of the year. That is all I’m asking.”

Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner set for Sept. 28

The Annual Hilltops End Zone Scholarship Dinner is set for September 28.

The dinner will be held in the main hall of the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building located at the south end of Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The doors for the dinner will open at 4:15 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5 p.m.

The presenting sponsors of the event are TCU Financial and SaskTel. It is hosted in conjunction with the Hilltops community partners in the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation. The official beverage sponsor is the Crossmount Cider Company.

All proceeds of the event go towards the Saskatoon Hilltop Scholarship Fund.

The guest speakers for the End Zone Dinner are still to be announced. Past guest speakers have included a host of stars and legends from the CFL’s Roughriders including the late George Reed, Darian Durant, Chris Getzlaf, Neal Hughes, Al Johns, Carm Carteri, Derrick Moncrief and Jorgen Hus.

Single tickets for the event are $100, and a table of eight goes for $725. Ticket purchases include admission to that night’s CJFL regular season contest between the Hilltops and the Regina Thunder set for 7 p.m. at SMF Field. Tickets for the End Zone Dinner can be purchased by clicking right here.

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Hilltops see improvement, aim for better against Colts

The Hilltops defence gangs up on a tackle in a 2023 PFC semifinal.

For legendary Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, Week 2 was better than Week 1, and he is expecting better in Week 3.

In Week 1 on August 11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops downed the Edmonton Huskies 38-13 in an opening contest that was flat on seemingly all fronts. 

In Week 2 this past Sunday at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, the Hilltops romped past the host Rifles 47-1 in an outing where Sargeant thought his club played to the level of where they should be at in this point in the campaign.

“I felt I certainly gave some challenges during the week to players and coaches,” said Sargeant. “I felt that at the end of the day the growth that took place is right now we’re more on course to where I feel this team can be playing.

“I still expect more and want more, but I saw some real positive strides that got us excited. Now, we’ve got to build on that.”

Now the Hilltops travel to Calgary to face the Colts (1-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m. local time at Shouldice Athletic Park. The Hilltops are rated first in the CJFL’s Top 10 Power Rankings, while the Colts come in at ninth. Last season, the Hilltops had a couple of their best games in their two meetings with the Colts.

Kai Kukurudza (#73) had three sacks on Aug. 27, 2023 versus the Colts.

In a Week 3 meeting in the 2023 regular season, the Hilltops stampeded over the Colts 50-18 at SMF Field. The two sides went head-to-head in a PFC semifinal, where Saskatoon hammed the Calgary side 53-2 again at SMF Field. The 18 points the Hilltops gave up in the first encounter with the Colts was the most points they would allow in a game in the 2023 campaign.

In the regular season meeting last year, Hilltops defensive end Kai Kukurudza had a breakout game. Kukurudza recorded three sacks to go with three total tackles.

“You always tell yourself you can have big games and like breakthrough games,” said Kukurudza, who is now in his third season with the Hilltops. “When it finally happens, it really feels like that hard work paid off.

“It is euphoric after that. It kind of felt like I belonged, and it felt really good.”

Kukurudza is starting for the Hilltops this season. Over the team’s first two contests, he has recorded 10.5 total tackles, two quarterback sacks and an interception.

A graduate of the Monsignor McCoy High School Colts Football Team in Medicine Hat, Alta., Kukurudza is looking forward to team’s upcoming clash with the Colts for a number of reasons.

Caine Harrison throws a pass for the Colts in a 2023 PFC semifinal.

“I actually have a couple of friends on the Colts too, which is kind of interesting,” said Kukurudza. “I didn’t have to play against them last year, but it’ll be fun.

“I’m excited. I have my friends coming to the game too and lots of family. It is close to home, which is good.

“You just want to perform. It should be good.”

The Colts have some strong talent on offense this season like they did in 2023. They have two capable quarterbacks in Isaiah Klein and Caine Harrison. Tailback Zion Dogbe-Brown has made big plays in the running game, while receivers Blaise Newberry, Sam Duerr and Quinn Fedoroff are all sound target through the air.

Sargeant said he will be looking to Kukurudza and defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens to lead the charge to disrupt the Colts.

“We’re playing the Calgary Colts this weekend, and they’re a team that likes to throw the ball,” said Sargeant. “They’re more of a 60-40 throw team, so he (Kukurudza) is going to get a lot more opportunities, and we need him to step up.

“We need him to get in the way of the quarterback and just sort of get them off their launch pads and throw points. Kai is a big part of that. With John Stevens pressure from the inside, we feel we’ve got two guys that really provide that energy of going to the quarterback, and we’re looking for more.

Johnathon Stevens has been a rock at DT for the Hilltops.

“We want more willing participants stepping up to help us in this sack attack.”

Overall, Sargeant said his Hilltops need to be aware of the Calgary side, and he is looking for his squad to keep their current progression going.

“It is game three,” said Sargeant. “Let’s come out and play a better game against Calgary, because Calgary is a good football team.

“They’ve got a quarterback that can make plays and some skilled guys that certainly got us under great concern. We’re excited for the next challenge. We’re 2-0 and happy to be there.”

Kukurudza tabbed as a PFC player of the week, other notes

Kai Kukurudza (#73) had two sacks last Sunday against the Rifles.

A dominant effort by the Saskatoon Hilltops defence has resulted in another PFC play of the week nod.

On Tuesday, Hilltops third year defensive end Kai Kukurudza was named the defensive player of the week for the PFC. In the Hilltops 47-1 victory over the Rifles at Maple Grove Rugby Park last Sunday in Winnipeg, Kukurudza recorded five solo defensive tackles, two defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle assist and two quarterback sacks.

Kukurudza played a key part in limiting the Rifles to 68 yards rushing and 123 yards passing as a team. After adding in team losses, the Rifles posted just 123 yards of net offence against Saskatoon.

The Hilltops have collected defensive player of the week honours in both weeks of regular season action held by the PFC in 2024. Last week, Hilltops defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens took the PFC’s defensive player of the week award.

Also on Tuesday, Regina Thunder running back Sadik Sadik claimed honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week. In the Thunder’s 36-0 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats last Sunday at Emerald Hills Regional Park in Sherwood Park, Alta., Sadik ran the ball 15 times for 194 yards and one touchdown. He also caught two passes for five yards.

Thunder place kicker Shawn Green took honours as the PFC’s special teams player of the week for his efforts in that win over the Wildcats. Green made all five of his field goals with a long kick from 38 yards out along with all three of his one-point converts.

He kicked the ball off four times for 191 yards for an average of 47.8 yards per kick and punted the ball eight times for 286 yards for an average of 35.8 yards per kick.

• Saskatoon Hilltops star receiver Drake Douglas tops the PFC in receptions (14), receiving yards (277) and receiving touchdowns (four) after two games. He also sits first in the PFC with 170 yards on punt returns coming off 14 run backs.
• Edmonton Huskies running back Carson Eddy leads the PFC with 246 yards rushing coming off 45 carries after two games.
• Regina Thunder quarterback Carter Moberg is the only player with over 400 yards passing in the PFC after two games. Moberg has completed 28-of-55 passes for 458 yards and five touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions.
• Winnipeg Rifles linebacker Kyler Banfield leads the PFC with 43 defensive points coming from 17 solo defensive tackles, two defensive tackle assists, one special teams tackle, one special teams tackle assist and one interception after two games.
• Rob Vanstone, who is the senior journalist and team historian of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, put together a great story on Saskatoon Hilltops star receiver Drake Douglas. That piece 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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