Injury unable to derail Rhode’s final season with Hilltops

Tanner Rhode (#11) jets home for a Hilltops touchdown on Sunday.

    It wasn’t going to be a lost season for Tanner Rhode.

    Rhode had bigger games, but he cherished every moment he was on the field with the Saskatoon Hilltops on Sunday.

    During the first day of Hilltops training camp, the fifth-year pass catcher injured his shoulder, and there was concern that he wouldn’t even be able to play out his final season of CJFL eligibility.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Marion M. Graham Collegiate Falcons high school football team was determined not to miss his final campaign with the Hilltops, who he has won three CJFL championship rings with joining the squad in 2016.

    With the help of the team’s training staff, Rhode worked to get healthy, so he could rejoin the Hilltops on the field. Rhode’s return became a reality on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, when the Hilltops improved to 7-0 dumping the Winnipeg Rifles 49-22 in a CJFL regular season contest.

Tanner Rhode hits the field with the Hilltops on Sunday.

    Rhode caught two passes for 75 yards, but one of his catches was on a deep slant pattern that went for a 65-yard touchdown reception. The 22-year-old’s catch gave Saskatoon a 35-8 lead at halftime.

    “It has been such a long wait, but I finally got on the field,” said Rhode. “It feels good to get back with the guys.

    “In a way, it was pretty deflating knowing that it (his shoulder injury) was potentially a season ending injury. With our good training staff, they got me back early. I am here playing now, so it feels good.”

    Last season, Rhode was the Hilltops second leading receiver catching 23 passes for 409 yards and scoring two touchdowns in eight regular season games.

    Last Sunday versus the Rifles, Rhode was shaking off some rust as far as his timing was concerned with game speed. Early on, he misjudged the ball on a couple of plays.

    On one end zone toss, he tried to make an acrobatic one-handed grab, but the ball was knocked away by Rifles defensive back Jake Richardson.

Tanner Rhode, left, secures the ball for his 65-yard touchdown catch.

    Still, Rhode was just happy to be on the field to try and make plays. He admitted he had a fear for a short time that returning to action this season might not be in the cards at all.

    “I still had hope,” said Rhode, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 185 pounds. “The main goal was to be back by playoffs.

    “To get out here to play some plays, it is perfect.”

    What was more perfect for Rhode was the fact he reached the end zone on a deep pass near the end of the first half. Rhode’s long touchdown reception was a fluid play and reminiscent of what he did for the Hilltops in the past.

    Even with that in mind, Rhode deflected credit in the direction of Hilltops starting quarterback Tyler Hermann.

    “Hermann made a perfect throw to me,” said Rhode. “I was in the right spot at the right time.

The Hilltops celebrate Tanner Rhode’s touchdown catch.

    “It was a team effort.”

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant was happy to see Hermann and Rhode connect for that long touchdown reception on Sunday. The legendary sideline boss wanted to see Rhode revert to his playmaking form and was going to give the veteran pass catcher every chance to return to that form.

    “It is good to see Tanner Rhode back,” said Sargeant. “He gave us that big play – a big home run.

    “Number 11 back on our roster makes us a better football team, so we’re really excited about that.”

    Sargeant is always committed to having his Hilltops play each season for the team’s fifth-year players. With everything Rhode has given to the program over the years, Sargeant wanted to see the standout receiver back out on the field during game action.

Tanner Rhode, in back, tries to make a one-handed catch.

    The sideline boss was impressed with the effort Rhode has put into making his comeback a reality.

    “He stayed with it and worked hard,” said Sargeant. “We gave him about 20 snaps (on Sunday), and he’ll get more work next week and more practice time.

    “At the end of the day, he is a high end football player that is getting back to us at the right time. It is only going to make us a little more dynamic and tougher to defend.”

    Rhode was proud of the fact he was able to comeback early. He was expecting his first action would have been the first game of the post-season.

    He was quite pumped to return for the Hilltops final two games of the regular season. The Hilltops, who are the five-time defending CJFL champions, close their regular season schedule this coming Sunday, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-5) at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    Rhode is thankful he doesn’t have to continue watching from the sidelines. When he returned to game action, the feeling he had was better than what he imagined it would be.

Tanner Rhode (#11) enjoys Sunday’s win with a couple of supporters.

    “It is amazing,” said Rhode. “Words can’t even describe it.

    “Sitting out is the worst. I’m back, so it is nice.”

    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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Abrook’s day – Hilltops’ power back blows past 1,000 yards rushing in 49-22 victory

Ben Abrook piled up 206 yards rushing for the Hilltops on Sunday.

    Ben Abrook didn’t question his head coach when it came to hitting the 1,000-yard mark for rushing in a season.

    Before the current season started, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant challenged Abrook with the goal of rushing for 1,000 yards this season. Abrook was entering his third year with the team, but was in his first year holding the starting role at running back.

    Last season with one start and relief duty, he had a strong campaign appearing in all eight of the Hilltops regular season games running the ball 83 times for 503 yards and scoring six touchdowns.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Abrook roared past the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. 
    In a 49-22 romp over the Winnipeg Rifles in a CJFL regular season clash played before 902 spectators, Abrook ran the ball 18 times for 206 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Ben Abrook (#32) follows his blocking downfield.

    In helping the five-time defending CJFL champion Hilltops post a 7-0 record, Abrook has run the ball 180 times for 1,114 yards and scored seven touchdowns on the campaign.

    Upon obtaining the impressive milestone, Abrook reflected back to the goal he talked about with Sargeant in the pre-season.

    “I thought if he (Sargeant) believes it I can maybe get it then,” said Abrook. “That is awesome.

“It helps me. It helps my confidence, so I’m glad I was able to get her done.”

    While Abrook entered Sunday’s contest needing to rush for 92 yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark, the Hilltops remained committed to being balanced on offence.

Ben Abrook (#32) breaks downfield on a 52-yard touchdown run.

    The Rifles had the first possession to start the game, and that quickly turned into a second possession, when the Hilltops fumbled a punt return away. The ball was recovered by Rifles defensive back Bryce Marino.

    Winnipeg was forced to attempt a 38-yard field goal, but kicker Alex Minor hit the left upright on his try resulting in no points and the Hilltops taking the ball on their own 20 yard line.

    On their first play on offence, Hilltops quarterback Tyler Hermann hit receiver Dillan Heintz with a deep pass, and Heintz took the play 90 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead for the host side.

    That play seemed to back off the Winnipeg defence, and Abrook went to work. Abrook exploded out of the gates in the first half carrying the ball 16 times for 192 yards and scoring both his touchdowns helping the Hilltops build a 35-8 lead by halftime.

Keegan Dicks (#3) helps celebrate at TD run by Ben Abrook (#32).

    He had the Hilltops second major score on a 16-yard run to give the Hilltops a 14-0 lead at the 4:37 mark of the first quarter.

    Late in the second quarter, he broke off a 52-yard run for his second major that put the Hilltops up 28-8.

    “The O-line was just blocking so hard,” said Abrook. “The receivers were blocking well.

    “We were able to spring some big runs. It was awesome. It looked great out there.”

    Kicker/receiver Rylan Kleiter hit field goals from 12 and 27 yards out and recorded a point from a missed 40-yard field goal attempt for the Hilltops in the first half.

    Hermann hit fifth-year receiver Tanner Rhode on a deep slant pass for a 65-yard touchdown toss to round out Saskatoon’s first half scoring.

Ben Abrook, left, has 1,114 yards rushing on the season.

    Winnipeg punter Dallas Opiola scored a point on a 63-yard punt single, while running back Brandon Urciuoli ran in a touchdown from three-yards out to account for the scoring for the visitors in the first half.

    Abrook ran the ball twice more on the Hilltops first offensive series of the second half to get over 200-yards rushing for the game before being rested for the rest of the contest. Saskatoon completed that series with fifth-year receiver Connor Graham making an acrobatic 26-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Hermann to put the Hilltops up 42-8.

The Hilltops O-line allowed Ben Abrook to surpass 1,000 yards rushing.

    Sargeant was pumped to see Abrook surpass the 1,000-yard mark in rushing.

    “That is just awesome,” said Sargeant. “You know any time you have a 1,000-yard rusher that speaks volumes to your program, to the players within the program and to the mindset of the program.

    “We love to run the ball. This is as good as I’ve seen Benny (Abrook) look. He looked fast today.

    “We’re going to build on that. I’m excited for next week as the games get a little more important now.”

The Hilltops’ defence stops the Rifles on a third-and-one gamble.

    The Hilltops scoring for the rest of the way was rounded out field goals from 40 and 15 yards out by Kleiter and a 52-yard punt single from fifth-year defensive back Kirk Morrow. Morrow tried out the punting duties for the Hilltops in the second half.

    The Rifles scoring was rounded out by starting quarterback Riley Naujoks hitting receiver Eric Klein with a 20-yard touchdown toss, a one-yard touchdown run from Urciuoli and conceded safety by the Hilltops.

    The Rifles tried to make two-point converts after both of their second half touchdowns, but they came up empty on both tries.

    Winnipeg fell to 1-6 with the loss and was eliminated from playoff contention.

Hilltops right guard Taylon Elderkin runs the ball for 13 yards.

    “This was a big game for the Rifles, so we knew we had to match their intensity,” said Sargeant. “I am more than confident that we did.

    “We had a little bit of a lull in the third quarter, when we put our second and third stringers in. At the end the day, I am happy. There are a lot of plays out there.

    “There is a lot of fun and a lot of good energy. Once again, we got to unload the bench, and it makes us all feel good as coaches, players and families.”

    Hermann completed 10-of-19 passes for the Hilltops for 254 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

    Naujoks connected on 20-of-38 passes for the Rifles for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Winnipeg backup quarterback Kyle Logan entered the contest for a relief appearance competing 7-of-13 passes for 121 yards.

QB Tyler Hermann (#12) threw three TD passes for the Hilltops.

    Winnipeg receiver Jake Roger caught seven passes for 137 yards.

    Defensively, fifth-year defensive end Tristan Hering had a sack for the Hilltops, and fifth-year defensive back Logan Kelsey-Stern had an interception. Linebacker Riley Keating topped Saskatoon with 6.5 total tackles.

    Linebacker Barrett Mueller had a big day for the Rifles making 10 total tackles and recovering a fumble.

    The Hilltops have won their last 26 games in a row including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    With Abrook surpassing 1,000-yards rushing for the season, it marked the second straight year the Hilltops had a runner break the 1,000-yard mark in rushing.

    Last season, Josh Ewanchyna, who now plays for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team in U Sports, surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the Hilltops. In 2018, Ewanchyna appeared in seven regular season games for the Hilltops carrying the ball 134 times for 1,007 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Hilltops Cheerleading Team performs at halftime.

    Abrook was happy to break the 1,000-yard mark as tribute to the team’s offensive line. The Hilltops starting five on the offensive line in left tackle Mason Ochs, left guard Ryder Klisowsky, centre Patrick Arno, right guard Taylon Elderkin and right tackle Jonathan Chisholm blocked for the bulk of Abrook’s yardage.

    Ochs, Klisowsky, Arno and Elderkin were on the Hilltops starting offensive line last season that helped produce Ewanchyna’s 1,007-yard rushing season.

Tristan Hering had a sack for the Hilltops.

    “I’m super excited for those guys (on the offensive line),” said Abrook. “They’re unreal.

    “They are an athletic O-line, and they play hard every game, so I was happy I was able to get that for us and as a team.”

    The Hilltops will now close their regular season schedule this coming Sunday, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-5) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    It isn’t likely Abrook will be able to surpass the Hilltops record for most rushing yards in one regular season in that contest.

    That mark is held by current Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde. In his final campaign as a Hilltops running back in 2013, Lalonde ran the ball 182 times for 1,367 yards and seven touchdowns in eight regular season games.

    Lalonde was the CJFL’s offensive player of the year and an all-Canadian all-star that season.

    Going forward, Abrook said the focus will be on improving as a team week in and week out.

    “It is just forget about what we’ve done,” said Abrook. “Whoever we play next, we need to play them hard.

The Hilltops hope to enjoy more big games from Ben Abrook (#32).

    “We just try and play our best game of the season and keep going.”

    With one week to play in the regular season schedule of the Prairie Football Conference, the PFC semifinal playoff matches, which are expected to be held on Sunday, Oct. 20, have been cemented.

    The Hilltops will host the Wildcats in one semifinal, while the Regina Thunder (5-2) and the Edmonton Huskies (5-2) will go at it in the other semifinal. The host site for the playoff clash between the Thunder and Huskies depends on the results of the final week of regular season play.

    The Calgary Colts (1-6) will miss the post-season for a third straight year.

    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 pay the Price and make Rifles hit the Rhode

Receiver Jason Price jets home on an 81-yard touchdown catch.

    Jason Price was happy he could help pull his Saskatoon Hilltops out of some doldrums.

    After the Hilltops stormed out to a 25-3 lead in the first quarter over the visiting Winnipeg Rifles in a Prairie Football Conference semifinal playoff match on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the host side stalled in the second quarter. 
    In that frame, the Hilltops scored just one point and had to concede a safety due to bad field position to see their lead sit at 26-5.

    Price, who is the club’s star fifth-year receiver, had an 81-yard touchdown reception in his side’s explosive first 15 minutes. At the 3:10 mark of the third quarter, Price hauled in a deep corner route to score a 45-yard touchdown reception to put the Hilltops up 33-5.

    That kick started the venerable Canadian Junior Football League team, and the Hilltops cruised to a 58-5 victory from that point.

Receiver Tanner Rhode reaches into the end zone for a touchdown.

    “We had kind of a rough second quarter,” said Price. “Coming into the next half, we just had to make some kind of play, and it turns out they called on my number.

    “I just had to make it, and it helped carry the team to this kind of victory.”

    Price and third-year receiver Tanner Rhode had monster games in the Hilltops romp. Price hauled in five catches for 191 yards and his two major scores. Rhode hauled in eight catches for game high 193 yards and scored one touchdown burning Rifles defensive back Troy Wilson seemingly all afternoon.

    Thanks to the big games by Price and Rhode, Hilltops fifth-year star quarterback Jordan Walls had the best statistical game of his CJFL career completing 18-of-29 passes for 473 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

    “Offensively, Wallsy did a great job of finding his receivers,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “Tanner Rhode stepped up and had the best game I’ve seen him in our uniform.

QB Jordan Walls piled up 473 yards passing for the Hilltops.

    “Jason Price was Jason Price. (Running back) Josh Ewanchyna had a couple of big catches and big runs. It was just a great effort.”

    The Hilltops struck quickly in Sunday’s contest, when Ewanchyna ran home a touchdown from 24 yards out at the 2:04 mark of the first quarter to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

    Winnipeg answered back with a 27-yard field goal from kicker Barrett Mueller to cut Saskatoon’s edge to 7-3.

    From that point, the Hilltops almost burned out the lights on the scoreboard at SMF Field during the rest of the first quarter.

    Receiver/kicker David Solie booted a 31 yard field goal, and punter John Brown booted a 54-yard punt single to put the Hilltops up 11-4. From there, Price hauled in his 81-yard touchdown reception to increase the Hilltops lead to 18-3.

    On the final play of the first quarter, Walls connected with Rhode on a 25-yard touchdown pass to give the Hilltops a 25-3 edge.

Josh Ewanchyna piled up 157 yards rushing for the Hilltops.

    Brown conceded a safety early in the second quarter to give Winnipeg two points to trim Solie collected a single point off a 27 yard missed field goal with 9.8 seconds remaining before halftime to give the Hilltops a 26-5 advantage.

    While Sargeant was happy with the win, the Hilltops legendary sideline boss saw too many spots - especially in the second quarter - where the Rifles could have gotten back into the game.

    “We had some good lessons to learn,” said Sargeant. “There are lots to improve and get better.

    “There are some things I am not happy about, but ultimately in playoffs, you just want to keep moving to the next week. We’ve done that, so I’m just looking forward to getting back to work next week and making this team even better.”

    Price’s early third quarter score got the Hilltops rolling in the second half.

Fans at SMF Field cheer on the Hilltops.

    Just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, Ewanchyna took a swing pass from Walls and turned it into a 34-yard touchdown reception to put the Hilltops up 40-5. Ewanchyna carried the ball 18 times for 157 yards and hauled in three passes for 68 yards to go with his one major score on the ground and one through the air.

    Solie hit a field goal from 32 yards out and collected a single from a 31-yard missed field goal to put the Hilltops up 44-5.

    Saskatoon’s defence proceeded to get in on the scoring from that point.

    After the Rifles drove deep into Saskatoon’s end, Hilltops fourth-year defensive back Logan Kelsey-Stern picked off Rifles quarterback Riley Naujoks and ran the ball back 117 yards for a touchdown to give the Hilltops a 51-5 advantage.

DB Logan Bitz, right, defenses a pass for the Hilltops.

    Following that score, Hilltops sophomore defensive back Michael Gerber sacked Naujoks forcing a fumble. Hilltops sophomore defensive end Connor Delahey picked up the loose ball and raced 41 yards for a touchdown to round out the game’s scoring. 
    The major score was the first for Delahey in his post-secondary football career.

    “I was just worried I was going to end up tripping on the ball and falling over it and looking like an idiot,” said Delahey, who had a sack in Sunday’s win. “We were lucky.

Logan Kelsey-Stern returns a pick 117 yards for a touchdown.

    “I scooped it and scored and everyone was blocking for me, so I ended up getting into the end zone. My first touchdown and maybe my last.

    “Hopefully not, but maybe my last with the Hilltops. I have to really cherish the moment, because it might never happen again.”

    Delahey had a breakout campaign with the Hilltops making 21 total tackles and four sacks in six regular season games with the team.

    “For me personally, I think I have improved a lot,” said Delahey. “That is what is the most important to me from the start of the season to the end.

    “My pass rush has gotten better. I’ve been able to read the run. As a whole D-line, we’ve improved.

    “As the whole D-line improves, it is going to open up opportunities for me.”

    Defensive tackle Jesse McNabb had a pair of sacks for the Hilltops, and star fifth-year linebacker Cody Peters had a team-high four total tackles.

Rifles QB Riley Naujoks is sacked by Hilltops DB Michael Gerber.

    Naujoks, the Rifles regular starting quarterback who returned from injury, completed 24-of-49 passes for 341 yards, but his one interception resulted in Kelsey-Stern’s major score. Brendan Naujoks topped the Rifles in receiving hauling in nine passes for 99 yards.

    Winnipeg was held to 25 yards rushing as a team.

    Rifles defensive back Andrew Ricard led his side with eight total tackles and recovered one fumble.

    The Hilltops, who were 8-0 in the regular season, improve their overall record to 9-0. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, they have won their last 17 games in a row.

    The Rifles, who were 3-5 in the regular season, finish the 2018 campaign at 3-6 overall.

DE Connor Delahey returns a fumble 41 yards for a TD.

    In the other PFC semifinal on Sunday, the Edmonton Huskies, who were 6-2 in the regular season, downed the Regina Thunder, who were 5-3 in the regular season, 39-36 in overtime at Commonwealth Stadium in the Alberta capital.

    The Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, will travel to Saskatoon to meet the Hilltops, who have won the last four straight CJFL titles, in the PFC final set for this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    In making his last run through the CJFL playoffs, Price wants to keep advancing and help the Hilltops win an unprecedented fifth-straight CJFL title.

    “You always want to go out on top as a fifth year,” said Price. “We have the right team for it.

    “We just have to keep playing as that Hilltop team and keep playing Hilltop football.”

    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 thump Thunder thanks to second half surge

Saskatoon improves to 5-0 with season sweep of archrivals

Hilltops RB Joshua Ewanchyna powers past Regina Thunder LB Davin Williamson.

    For the first time all season, the Saskatoon Hilltops found themselves in an unfamiliar spot.
    On Saturday night at a snowy Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops jumped out to a 16-3 lead on their archrivals the Regina Thunder only to see the Thunder roar back with a pair of touchdowns to go in front 17-16 with 2:28 to play in the first half.
    Regina’s go-ahead touchdown came on a 96 yard pass and run play by veteran receiver Greg Lamb, who caught a long streak pass from quarterback Brock Sich.

Hilltops DT Jesse McNabb hits a Thunder ball carrier.

    With those developments, the Hilltops found themselves behind in a game for the first time in the 2018 Canadian Junior Football League regular season.

    The slim deficit didn’t last long.

    With 67 seconds remaining in the first half, the Hilltops forced the Thunder to concede a safety due to bad field position to go ahead 18-17. Hilltops kicker David Solie booted a 21 yard field goal with 6.5 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Hilltops a 21-17 halftime advantage.

    Saskatoon took off in the second half and romped to a 48-24 victory to improve to 5-0 on the campaign. The Hilltops swept the two regular season encounters with the Thunder, who fell to 2-3 with the setback, and claimed the Shrine Bowl Trophy as a result.

QB Jordan Walls threw three touchdown passes for the Hilltops.

    “We needed to face some adversity,” said Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls, whose squad locked up a playoff berth with the win. “We definitely didn’t handle it well in the first half, when they started to punch us in the throat.

    “We came back and made our plays, so I was pretty happy with the way that we responded. Our defence stepped up. Our offence made some plays.

    “All in all, it was a good second half.”

    The Thunder seemed intent on pulling out all the stops in trying to manufacture an upset. They tried to recover a short kickoff to open the game only to have the Hilltops field the ball.

    Saskatoon proceeded to drive down and score a touchdown as Walls hit receiver Tanner Rhode with a 27-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.

Safety Brant Morrow returns a kick for the Hilltops.

    The Thunder responded with a 28 yard field goal from Eric Maximuik on their opening series to cut the Hilltops edge to 7-3.

    With 11.5 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Walls hit fifth-year star receiver Jason Price with a 24-yard touchdown toss to extend Saskatoon’s advantage to 14-3.

    Regina was forced to concede a safety early in the second quarter to put Saskatoon up 16-3.

    At that point, the visitors came to life offensively. The Thunder scored their first major on a gadget play.

    Sich handed the ball to receiver Lee Brown on an apparent jet sweep, but Brown proceeded to throw the ball to offensive lineman Chad Teskey in the Hilltops end zone for a four yard touchdown pass to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 16-10.

    From there, the Thunder went ahead on Lamb’s big pass reception.

    “In the first half, we had a lot of little mistakes that led to some points and momentum for them,” said Hilltops safety Brant Morrow, who had a key fumble recovery in the first quarter. “In the second half, we came out strong.

OL Chad Teskey hauls in a touchdown catch for the Thunder.

    “We just played our game and kept playing hard the whole second half.”

    After the Hilltops went ahead 21-17 at halftime, they opened the second half scoring 27 unanswered points to go up 48-17.

    In the third quarter, star running back Joshua Ewanchyna capped a long Hilltops scoring drive with a nine yard touchdown run, and Solie hit field goals from 12 and 24 yards out to give Saskatoon a 34-17 advantage.

    On the first play of the fourth quarter, Walls found receiver Keegan Dicks for a 33-yard touchdown toss to put the hosts up 41-17. The Toppers surge was capped by six-yard touchdown run from running back Ben Abrook.

    The Thunder rounded out the contest’s scoring when backup quarterback Blake Scherle hit receiver Michael Letts on an eight-yard touchdown toss with 67 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Hilltop DB Logan Bitz sacks Thunder QB Brock Sich.

    Walls didn’t have his best game regarding completing percentage connecting on 13-of-30 passes in the contest. With that said, his 13 completions resulted in 266 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

    The fifth-year veteran said the passing game got better as the game went on.

    “I think it was just the guys finding spots,” said Walls. “That is their job to get open.

    “It is pretty easy for me to find them when they do, so they did their job. Definitely, I wanted to get Jason Price the ball a bit more, and we did so that was nice to have that.”

    Ewanchyna had a big night carrying the ball 18 times for 168 yards and scoring a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 21 yards.

The Hilltops celebrate a touchdown catch from Jason Price (#83).

    Price had the biggest night amongst the Hilltops receivers hauling in four passes for 92 yards and one touchdown.

    Sich completed 16-of-27 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Lamb led the Thunder with 111 yards receiving on two catches, which included his long touchdown reception.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had five solo tackles and one sack for the Hilltops. Defensive back Logan Bitz had a sack for Saskatoon, while Jared Giddings and Evan Kretzer had interceptions.

    Williamson had six total solo tackles and six assisted tackles for the Thunder.

    The Hilltops piled up 257 yards rushing and 287 yards passing as a team. 

Evan Kretzer runs back an interception for the Hilltops.

    The Thunder put up 313 yards passing as a team but were held to 97 yards along the ground.

    Saturday’s encounter had the feel of a rivalry game as it included a lot of extracurricular activity and chippy play on both sides.

    “It is hard not to get mixed up in it,” said Walls. “It is just prairie football.

    “We’ve know these guys for a long time, and we are going to have some of that. It was a little bit chippier than we’ve had in the past, but I like the way we played.”

    “Our coaches always try to get us to stay out of that,” said Morrow. “I really appreciate that about our coaches.

    “They like us to just be out here to play football, so that was what we are doing. I think that kind of gave us an edge.”

    The Thunder return to action on Sept. 30, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-3) at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Hilltops celebrate their victory over the Thunder.

    The Hilltops could potentially lock up first place in the Prairie Football Conference in their next outing against the Edmonton Huskies (3-1) on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Huskies need to beat the Winnipeg Rifles (2-2) on Sunday in Edmonton for that scenario to happen.

    “We’re focused on winning the national championship,” said Morrow. “To do that, we just have to play good every week.

    “We just have to look at the team we are playing every week and we have to beat them. We are on to Edmonton now.”

Hilltops announce passing of legendary executive McDonald

Don McDonald, left,with Lyle Hislop in 2016.

    Before Saturday’s game, the Hilltops announced that legendary team executive Don McDonald had passed away.

    McDonald joined the Hilltops as a player suiting up for two seasons in 1951 and 1952. After hanging up his cleats, McDonald became an executive with the team.

    Along with being a Hilltops director, McDonald fulfilled many roles with the club over the decades, which included a stint serving as the team’s president. He was the commissioner of the CJFL for eight years and has had a long involvement with Football Saskatchewan, which included serving eight years as president.

    McDonald was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2016 as a builder. Only two other persons with ties to the Hilltops are members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame including the late Ron Atchinson, who was inducted as a player in 1978, and the late Ed Henick, who was inducted as a builder in 2003.

    McDonald also overcame at least four major health issues in about the last 15 years of his life. Through those challenges, his mind remained as sharp as ever.

    The Hilltops held a moment of silence before Saturday’s game to remember McDonald. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Player. Director. Builder. Legend.

It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Don McDonald. To his family & friends, we extend our deepest condolences. Know that the blue & gold will be with you always.

Thank you Don. RIP. pic.twitter.com/WI0EJQlyFR

— Saskatoon Hilltops (@SaskHilltops) September 23, 2018

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