Family feeling keeps pushing Hilltops forward

The Hilltops storm out of the gate for the CJFL national semifinal on Sunday.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops love winning in the playoffs because it means the team stays together.

    For the fourth straight year, the Hilltops are heading to the Canadian Junior Football League championship game – the Canadian Bowl. Saskatoon is trying to become the first team in the history of the CJFL, which dates back to 1908 with its national championship game, to win four straight league titles and claim seven championships over an eight-year span.

    The Hilltops (10-1) will face the host AKO Fratmen (9-1) in Windsor, Ont., on Nov. 11 in this year’s Canadian Bowl.

    While winning is always great, the Hilltops will be pumped that for a fourth straight season they will go on to play in the last possible game they can play in. 

The Hilltops defence celebrates a big play on Sunday.

    Over the next couple of weeks, they will get to enjoy dressing for the final times in the team’s old clubhouse at Ron Atchison field before heading off to practice. Next year, the team will be operating out of a new state of the art clubhouse facility.

    The team gets to practice for another couple of weeks, enjoy a plain flight to Windsor, Ont., take in the sites of another CJFL awards banquet and get to take the field for the chance to win a 20^th national title overall for the club.

    Above everything, the best part of the next two weeks is the Hilltops family gets to stay together. That has been a huge intangible over the club’s current run of 12 straight playoff victories.

Hilltops receiver Ryan Turple, left, tries to push out of a tackle.

    Even this year, that feeling of family helped drive the Toppers through a tight 28-21 Prairie Football Conference semifinal win over the Winnipeg Rifles and earn a hard fought 36-24 PFC final victory over their provincial rivals, the Regina Thunder. Had two plays been changed in each of those games, the Hilltops players likely would have cleared their gear out of the old clubhouse facility for the final time.

    In a CJFL national semifinal on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops left no doubt they would play for another national title hammering the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders 48-0.

    Had the Hilltops lost in any of those three playoff outing, the players would have kept in contact, but it wouldn’t be the same. Real life factors like school work at the University of Saskatchewan or Saskatchewan Polytechnic, work, family matters and girlfriends would all be pushed to the forefront in hampering the players’ ability to get together.

    Every playoff win allows more practices and film sessions to be held, which means there are scheduled times when everyone gets together. While the Hilltops constantly improve they are good at focusing on the task at hand, the players enjoy all the social aspects that come with the team’s game preparations.

Hilltops players get good family support like James Vause (#24) right here.

    On top of that, the players blood families get to stay connected with the team as well. It is common to see parents, brothers and sisters line up to watch practice at Ron Atchison Field or SMF Field. Besides coming out in large numbers for home games, family members and friends follow the Hilltops on the road in big numbers.

    When the Hilltops played for the first time at the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina back on Aug. 12, they came out to huge ovation from the large Saskatoon contingent that followed them down for the game. After the Hilltops downed the host Thunder 37-20, the players met their family and friends that lined the first row of the west side stands of the stadium.

    Alums from all sorts of years also frequent all the home games and appear at a few road contests.

    The importance of staying together was seen from a couple of veteran running backs who battled through injuries.

The Hilltops celebrate a Logan Fischer (#21) TD on Sunday.

    Star fifth-year running back Logan Fischer was hampered with a nagging leg injury all season and still managed to carry the ball 121 times for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns over eight regular season games. He was named a PFC all-star and the PFC’s most outstanding offensive back.

    He wasn’t able to dress for the PFC final, but he was a jovial presence on the Hilltops bench. He saw spot duty in the CJFL national semifinal win over the Raiders and still managed to catch two passes for 44 yards and carry the ball nine times for 57 yards and score one touchdown.

    One could easily create an NFL Films style top 10 list of the best big games Fischer has had in his five seasons with the Hilltops, and you can bet the team’s coaches and staff will do their best to ensure Fischer finishes his junior eligibility in a full game uniform.

    Fourth-year running back Liam Murphy missed significant stretches of last season due to injury, and he was out the entire regular season this year with injury until returning at full health for the start of playoffs.

Liam Murphy battled injury to return for the playoffs.

    Before his injury troubles, Murphy had significant playing time returning kicks and being a change of pace back on offence throughout the 2015 CJFL championship campaign.

    When he returned for playoffs this season, Murphy, who is a running backs coach with the Saskatoon Valkyries Western Women’s Canadian Football League team, was blocking and tackling on special teams because others had taken on the roles he used to fill and cemented their status there.

    Still, Murphy wanted to be back in uniform to be around the team. In the romp over the Raiders, Murphy was inserted at running back in the fourth quarter and ripped off 45 yards rushing on nine carries. 

    If needed, he showed he can contribute in a bigger role in the Canadian Bowl.

    The family feeling the Hilltops have is something very few sports teams across Canada actually have. 

    That intangible has always been and will continue to be a key factor in the blue and gold’s success.

“Off the Leash Luncheon” nears fast

An “Off the Leash Luncheon” puck.

    This year’s “Off the Leash Luncheon” is nearing fast, but there is still time to get a ticket to attend this major fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The ninth “Off the Leash Luncheon” will be held on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Prairieland Park, and the guest speaker will be former NHL star left-winger Brendan Shanahan, who is currently the president and alternate governor for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1987 to 2009, Shanahan played in 1,524 NHL regular season games split between the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers piling up 656 goals, 698 assists and 2,489 penalty minutes.

    He was with the Red Wings teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 and was part of Canada’s gold medal winning men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in 2002.

    Following his playing days, Shanahan moved on to being a hockey executive first with the NHL office before joining the Maple Leafs.

    Saskatchewan comedian Kelly Taylor will be back for another year as the master of ceremonies for this event, which is commonly well attended by the alumni of the Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The doors open for the “Off the Leash Luncheon” at 11 a.m. Individual tickets are $125 each. Sponsorship packages are available for a children’s table at $750, a Friend of the Dogs table of eight for $1,250 and a Power Play package table of eight with major sponsor privileges and recognition for $3,500.

    Tickets can be purchased through picatic.com by clicking 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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Hilltops hammer Raiders 48-0, return to the Canadian Bowl

Raiders quarterback Jake Laberge was sacked seven times by the Hilltops.

    It was easy to see the Saskatoon Hilltops had a great day just by the way head coach Tom Sargeant was rocking and rolling during his post-game media scrum.

    Moments after the Hilltops hammered the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders 48-0 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Sargeant was still all fired up about how his team performed on Sunday afternoon to win the Canadian Junior Football League national semifinal contest.

    “It feels great, because you know what, we played our best game of the year,” said Sargeant. “We were physical. We were on point.

    “When you look at the score 48-0, we did what we were supposed to do. A lot of belief, a lot of trust and all the kids came out and played great. It is exactly what we want to see.

Joshua Ewanchyna darts home on a 20-yard TD run.

    “The coaches did a great job in preparing. The players executed the game plan. You win 48-0, and I was pretty excited about that.”

    The win allows the Hilltops (10-1) to advance to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – for a fourth straight year. The Toppers will be in search for a fourth straight CJFL title, when they travel to Windsor, Ont., on November 11 to face the AKO Fratmen. The AKO Fratmen (9-1) advanced to the Canadian Bowl winning Ontario Football Conference title 34-20 in Windsor on Sunday against the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-4).

    On Sunday at SMF Field, the Hilltops, who are the champions of the Prairie Football Conference, seemed intent on delivering an early knockout blow to the Raiders, who are the champions of the British Columbia Football Conference. The Raiders would finish the 2017 campaign with an 8-4-1 mark after falling to the Hilltops.

    Saskatoon elected to take the wind for the opening quarter, and safety/kicker James Vause booted the opening kickoff into the end zone for a single.

Quarterback Jordan Walls threw a pair of TD passes for the Hilltops.

    After the Raiders were forced to punt away the ball, the Hilltops quickly drove downfield and running back Joshua Ewanchyna ran the ball in from two yards out for a major score to put the hosts up 8-0.

    With 61 seconds to play in the opening quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Jordan Walls hooked up with receiver Ryan Turple on a 10-yard touchdown toss to put Saskatoon up 15-0. Vause put the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for another single point to increase Saskatoon’s edge to 16-0.

    It seemed the only thing that went wrong for the Hilltops in the first quarter was Vause hitting the right upright on a 40-yard field goal attempt during a time when the wind was blowing the posts all over the place.

    “Our guys are just hungry right now,” said Sargeant, whose team has won 12 straight CJFL playoff games. “They are playing fast and playing aggressive with a lot of trust.

The Hilltops kick coverage unit hammered Raiders returners.

    “It is certainly a different team than maybe what it was a month ago. As coaches, we’re starting to get out of their way, because they are playing at such a high level.”

    In the second quarter, the Hilltops turned out to be more prolific driving into the wind. Fifth-year fullback Colin Stumborg found paydirt twice.

    He scored first on a one-yard plunge and put up a second major on a 15-yard swing pass to give the hosts a 30-0 lead. Stumborg believes his two touchdowns in one game were a personal career high.

    “We came out, and we just played our game,” said Stumborg. “The weather was not cooperating that much, but we just rallied together

    Things didn’t get any better for the Raiders. Hilltops fifth-year defensive back Luke Melnyk intercepted Raiders quarterback Jake Laberge to set up another short Saskatoon scoring drive. Ewanchyna capped that march scoring a major on a right sweep from 20 yards out to give the Hilltops a 37-0 advantage at halftime.

FB Colin Stumborg scores a 15-yard receiving touchdown for the Hilltops.

    “I didn’t want this to be my last game,” said Melnyk. “I wanted to keep playing. I want to play two weeks from now (in the Canadian Bowl).

    “This is my last game on this field and the last chance for all my friends to come and watch me, so I want to play for them too.”

    Saskatoon proceeded to get fifth-year star running back Logan Fischer into the game in the third quarter. He didn’t dress for the Hilltops 36-24 PFC final victory over the Regina Thunder on Oct. 22 in Saskatoon due to nagging leg injury.

    In his short appearance against the Raiders, Fischer ran the ball nine times for 57 yards and caught two passes for 44 yards. He scored a touchdown on a one-yard run with 9:12 to play in the third quarter to give the Hilltops a 44-0 lead.

The Hilltops defence takes down Raiders receiver Brycen Mayoh.

    The Hilltops rounded out the game’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a 52-yard punt single from John Brown and 42-yard field goal from Vause.

    Both Stumborg and Melnyk were pumped they would get the chance to play for a fourth straight CJFL championship with the Hilltops before exhausting their junior eligibility.

    “It feels unbelievable,” said Stumborg. “As a fifth-year, you can’t match that feeling.”

    “It is crazy,” said Melnyk. “I just feel honoured just being a part of the Hilltops and just getting the opportunity to do that.”

    Walls completed 9-of-13 passes for 153 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Hilltops romp.

    Saskatoon put up 247 yards rushing as a team thanks to big contributions from four different running backs. Besides Fischer’s big day, Adam Machart started the contest and led the Hilltops with 84 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Hilltops running back Liam Murphy jets through a big hole.

    Ewanchyna had 62 yards rushing on eight carries to go with his two touchdowns. Fifth-year running back Liam Murphy, who missed much of the season to injury before returning to full health for the playoffs, ran the ball nine times for 45 yards.

    On defence, defensive linemen Tom Schnitzler and Riley Pickett and defensive back Logan Bitz each had two sacks for the Hilltops. Defensive tackle Tristan Hering added one sack to the impressive effort from the home side.

    Laberge completed 14-of-25 passes for 125 yards and was intercepted once for the Raiders. Defensive back Josh Paisley had an interception for the visitors.

    Now, the Hilltops will try to be the first team in the history of the CJFL, which dates back to 1908, to win four straight league championships, when they head to Windsor for the Canadian Bowl.

The Hilltops raise a trophy for their CJFL national semifinal win.

    Sargeant has some preliminary information on the AKO Fratmen, and he is looking forward to what is to come over the next two weeks.

    “They are big, athletic and they are good,” said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, we will have to figure it out and get in the lab and make sure we come out and try and play another inspired effort as we did today.”

    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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Stumborg will do whatever it takes to help Hilltops

FB Colin Stumborg has played a key part in the Hilltops success.

    Out of all the high points Colin Stumborg has been part of with the Saskatoon Hilltops, nothing might beat getting some love from the offensive line.

    When Stumborg joined the Hilltops in 2013 after graduating from Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School, he was tasked with switching from tailback to fullback. That move meant Stumborg would have to block more than any previous point in time during his football career.

    The 22-year-old believes the nod he received over the past couple of seasons from the Hilltops offensive line means he got the blocking part of the team’s game right.

    “The past couple of years they’ve called me their piglet,” said Stumborg, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 235 pounds. “The O-line are always the hogs, and I got sort of adopted into the family as the piglet.

    “It feels good to have the respect and support of those guys.”

    While he has become a top-rate blocker, Stumborg has the skills to make key plays offensively. A lot of times, the plays Stumborg makes will catch opponents off guard, because he might only get two or three touches a game.

    Last Sunday in the Hilltops 36-24 PFC final victory over the Regina Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Stumborg scored a rushing touchdown on a one-yard plunge with 23.3 seconds to play before halftime to give the toppers a 23-10 lead.

Colin Stumborg hammers his way into the end zone.

    Late in the fourth quarter with the Hilltops holding a 29-24 advantage, Stumborg hauled in a 26-yard pass on a play action play to get his team deep in Thunder territory. His catch set up a game-sealing touchdown from defensive tackle Garth Knittig on a short-yardage play.

    “Those were some of the biggest plays I have ever had to be a part of,” said Stumborg, who has helped the Hilltops win the last three straight Canadian Junior Football League titles. “That is the biggest moment my number has ever been called.

    “When I got called, it was a good confidence boost. I knew that Sarge (Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant) and the other coaches that they trusted me to make that play. I just knew that I have to go out there and do it.”

    Sargeant said Stumborg has given the Hilltops another dimension with what they can do offensively.

    “I’d say about the last month we just fell in love with the type of game he adds to us,” said Sargeant. “We bring him in for a blocking area, and we keep him out in a quad of four receiver set.

    “Because he has good hands and he is a good blocker, he just make everyone better around him. He has been a great leader, a great kid. We’ve just been real happy with his production, his performance and his leadership.

    “He’s done exactly what we’ve asked.”

Colin Stumborg scores on a TD reception.

    Now in his fifth and final year of CJFL eligibility, Stumborg said it hasn’t sunk in that he will play his final home game ever for the blue and gold this coming Sunday. The Hilltops (9-1) host the Vancouver Island Raiders (8-3-1), who are based out of Nanaimo, B.C., in a CJFL national semifinal match at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    The winner advances to the CJFL national championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl will be held on Nov. 11 by the team that wins the Ontario Football Conference title game. The OFC final is set for this coming Sunday in Windsor, when the host AKO Fratmen (8-1) take on the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-3).

    For Stumborg, it doesn’t seem that long ago, when he was trying to earn his place on the Hilltops roster in 2013.

    “It is a battle,” said Stumborg. “It is a grind.

    “I didn’t play a whole lot in my first year, but that is most guys on the team. You just have to come out, and you have to keep battling and you have to grind and you have to get better every single day.

    “Hopefully by the end of your fifth year, you’re in the spot that we are in right now.”

    He has enjoyed being part of three straight CJFL championship victories.

    “It has been a wild ride,” said Stumborg, whose Hilltops have won their last 11 straight post-season games. “I’ve been to every one of those three victories playing more and more every year.

    “It would feel really good as a fifth-year to go out with that fourth one.”

    Sargeant said Stumborg has had a big impact with the Hilltops during his five seasons with the team.

Colin Stumborg (#28) got to enjoy a PFC title win last Sunday.

    “He (Stumborg) has been fantastic,” said Sargeant. “He has been our special teams’ leader with the punt team for the last couple of years, and he has great hands.

    “It is not a big deal for him to make plays, and he was one of the best players on the field (last) Sunday.”

    Against the Raiders this coming Sunday, Stumborg said he will do whatever it takes to get the win. If the coaches want him on the field for just two plays or every play, he will do whatever task he is given.

    “As long as we come out with the “W” that is really all that matters,” he said.

Saskatchewan sends strong squad to under-18 nationals

Hannah Koroll is part of a strong Saskatchewan provincial team.

  Saskatchewan will send a strong team to Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Championship, which runs Nov. 1 to 5 in Quebec City.

    The 20-player roster for the Saskatchewan squad is comprised of 10 members from the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA program. The Stars players heading to the event include forwards Joelle Fiala, Jordyn Holmes, Kaitlin Jockims, Anna Leschyshyn, Mackenna Parker, Jayda Sachs and Grace Shirley. They will be joined by Saskatoon defenders Grace Tam and Dana Wood along with netminder Jordan Ivanco.

    The defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champion Prince Albert Northern Bears have three representatives on the provincial team including forward Kate Ball, defender Hannah Koroll and netminder Ryan Fontaine.

Grace Shirley will join Saskatchewan’s stellar provincial team roster.

    The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats placed two players on the provincial team in forward Taylor Lind and defender Taylor Kirwan.

    Defenders Allison Hayhurst and Hannah Pennell from the Melville Prairie Fire round of the blue-liners on the Saskatchewan squad.

    Miranda Hatt of the Regina Rebels, Jenna MacLean from the Notre Dame Hounds and Regina product Kennedy Bobyck, who is playing for the Edge School female prep team based out of Calgary, round out the forwards on the Saskatchewan team.

    Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely will be the head coach for the Saskatchewan under-18 squad. The assistant coaches will be Greg Slobodzian, who is the head coach of the Stars, and Kelsie Graham from the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.

    Saskatchewan opens the under-18 tournament on Nov. 1 against British Columbia’s provincial team.

Apathy should worry Blades

Captain Evan Fiala and the Blades are off to a slow start.

    When the Saskatoon Blades dropped a 7-2 decision to the Victoria Royals on Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, it felt like you didn’t hear too much rageahol from fans.

    As weird as that sounds, that actually might be a worry as apathy for local sports teams seems to be a reoccurring characteristic from sports fans in Saskatoon.

    Having missed the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, there was optimism at the start of this season after the Blades went 28-35-7-2 and finished five points back of the Calgary Hitmen for the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference in 2016-17.

    Going into the current campaign, the Blades put together a wonderful marketing blitz bringing back their classic Pac-Man logo and look as the club’s regular full-time look for the first time since the 1993-94 season ended.

    A 3-7-1 start seems to be dampening enthusiasm. After drawing 7,460 spectators to their home opener where they honoured the now late Bruce Gordon on Sept. 22, the Blades have drawn over 3,000 fans just once in their following five home dates.

    While there is still lots of time to get things turned around, the ability to draw in the casual fans helps create the larger attendance figures and wins are needed to create that ability. A lot of times, those causal fans won’t look at the ins and outs of the everyday activities regarding the team if they want to go to games.

Blades rookie Kirby Dach and company have played before small crowds.

    They will notice the scores like the last two home clashes in the loss to the Royals and the 6-3 setback to the Vancouver Giants on Oct. 18. Combine those results, the team’s current record and four straight years out of the post-season, the apathy switch gets turned on.

    Against the Royals, the Blades drew 2,732 spectators and 2,578 came out for the loss to the Giants.

Following the setback to the Royals, I have heard from a couple of regulars that attend games, but the Blades don’t come up in talks with people unless I bring them up. If I focus a blog post around the Blades after they had a bad loss, page views come in with very low numbers.

    On the other hand if the Blades win on the road against the Pats in Regina, the page views pour in.

    The Blades have been outstanding on the marketing and community side over the past four and a bit seasons, and they need to continue that. I get a big feeling people in Saskatoon want to see them win.

    With that said, it seems like any continued losing will be met with shoulder shrugs and empty seats.

    Starting Nov. 1, the Blades play a stretch where they will be on the road 12 times and at home four times over 16 contests. It would be nice locally, if some positive momentum could be started before the team’s schedule gets home heavy to help attract fans.

    Until then, the Blades travel to Swift Current to face a tough Broncos (9-1-1) side on Friday and host the Brandon Wheat Kings (9-3-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday.

Could a Leason re-flame a Saskatoon rivalry?

Quarterback Darryl Leason in action for the Rams in 2000.

    For those that have a long memory of Saskatchewan sports rivalries, the head was raised with a trade on the WHL front.

    After the Prince Albert Raiders had defeated the visiting Victoria Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders announced they sent a third round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft to the Tri-City Americans in exchange for 18-year-old centre Brett Leason. Leason is the son of legendary Regina Rams quarterback Darryl Leason.

    Darryl, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, helped stoke the rivalry pretty good between Regina and Saskatoon over two stretches. The first came in battles with the Hilltops from 1992 to 1995, when the Rams were still part of the Canadian Junior Football League.
    The Rams won three straight CJFL titles from 1993 to 1995.

    After the Rams moved to the U Sports ranks in 1999, Leason rejoined the Rams to cause aggravation in “the Bridge City” for those who supported the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team from 2000 to 2001. Leason guided the Rams to a 42-39 loss in the 2000 Vanier Cup to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

    Brett plays for the Raiders and their biggest rival happens to be the Saskatoon Blades. It is a different time in sports in the present day, but it would be interesting if there are rivalry sparks that ignite with Brett playing for the Raiders.

    Darryl’s time with the Rams included two high points in the rivalry between Regina and Saskatoon. The first came in the 1995 Prairie Football Conference final against the Hilltops.

    On the frozen concrete of Regina’s Taylor Field, the Rams had a 19-8 win sealed, and all their offence had to do was kneel on the ball one last play to officially end the game. Darryl started to go down on one knee only to stand up quickly and throw a touchdown pass to a wide open Josh Shaw. The play was nullified by a penalty, but tensions ran high between the two centres for a long time over that moment.

    The second high came during a Canada West semifinal playoff game in November of 2001 between the Rams and Huskies at Taylor Field. Entering that contest, Darryl missed three straight games and was going to attempt to play the Huskies with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Rams QB Darryl Leason steps up in the pocket to throw in 2001.

    Darryl hit the field and led the Rams to a 58-31 victory. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 418 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions before giving way to backup Mike Wong for mop up duty.

    Twice in the contest there were questionable hits on Darryl including Huskies linebacker Colin Dutton launching himself at the signal caller’s knees. The hits drew boos from a large contingent of the 7,122 spectators that came to support the Rams.

    Emotions were so high that Huskies supporters believed the Rams were a desperate team having Darryl play in such a beat up physical state.

    Rams supports thought the cheap shotting Huskies would sink to all types of new lows to keep their season alive.

    The Rams were penalized 11 times for 106 yards in the contest, and the Huskies took 13 penalties for 153 yards.

    Ian Hamilton, who was the Rams beat writer at the time for the Regina Leader-Post, wrote that Darryl had a game for the ages. Kevin Mitchell, who was the Huskies beat writer for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, wrote Darryl dropped bombs on the field and during the post-game media scrum.

    Darryl gave a doozy quote for all media in attendance stating, “I was hoping for 450 (yards passing). I made a few bad decisions.

    “I could have been (taken) out of the ball game earlier than I was (by the Rams’ coaches in the fourth quarter) if I didn’t throw a couple of interceptions and some other bad passes.”

    Huskies supporters took that as Darryl rubbing in the final outcome of that contest.

QB Darryl Leason and the Rams win the Hall of Fame game in 2001.

    As for Brett, he has played in 81 career WHL regular season games collecting a modest nine goals and 19 assists. His rookie campaign in 2016-17 has been his only full season so far.

    Growing up in Calgary, Brett, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 206 pounds, has been a phenom at all levels of minor hockey piling up points. During his last minor hockey campaign in the midget AAA ranks in 2015-16 with the Calgary Flames, he had 21 goals and 29 assists in 32 regular season games.

    Due to having depth at forward, the Americans traded Brett, who was selected by Tri-City in the third round and 50^th overall in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, to the Raiders in hopes that he would get more ice time and opportunity in Prince Albert. If Brett can start scoring like he did in minor hockey, he will be a very key pick up for the Raiders and a thorn in the side of every opponent including the Blades.

    It is a different era, so time will tell if Brett has his father’s skill when it comes to stirring up any rivalries in media interviews.

    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 rumble past Thunder for fourth straight PFC title

DL Garth Knittig (#59) dives in for a Hilltops touchdown.

    Garth Knittig got to live a defensive lineman’s dream at a critical point of a championship game.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the third year defensive tackle for the Saskatoon Hilltops was called upon to carry the ball on a first-and-goal from the one yard-line. The Hilltops were holding a slim five-point lead on the Regina Thunder with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter of the Prairie Football Conference final.

    Knittig, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 285 pounds, made no mistake diving over a pile of bodies at the line of scrimmage to score the touchdown that put the Hilltops up 36-24 with 96 seconds to play. That score held up as a final as the Hilltops claimed a fourth straight PFC championship.

    “All I knew was that I couldn’t be stopped,” said Knittig. “I just had to motor through anyone who was in my way.

    “The O-line had an unreal push, and they gave me a nice place to go through. It was my first touchdown ever in my life, so it was unreal. I will never forget it.”

Garth Knittig lines up at defensive tackle for the Hilltops.

    The 20-year-old from Delisle, Sask., was pumped he could help his Hilltops down their provincial rivals for another conference title.

    “It is an unreal feeling right now,” said Knittig. “I can’t even put it into words. It is unreal having this experience with the boys.”

    Knittig’s touchdown capped a hard-fought battle of a game that has become a trademark of the clashes between the Hilltops and Thunder.

    Just 90 seconds into the contest, Hilltops running back Adam Machart burst through the middle of the Thunder defence on a 48-yard touchdown run to put the hosts up 7-0. The Hilltops lead increased to 9-0, when fifth-year defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler forced a Thunder safety.

    Schnitzler knocked the ball out of the hands of Thunder star quarterback Sawyer Buettner, when the signal caller was throwing out of his own end zone.

Safety James Vauses runs back an interception for the Hilltops.

    Thunder offensive lineman Logan Ferland dived on the loose ball, and he was downed in the end zone, when Schnitzler tagged him in attempting to recover the ball as well.

    Regina responded with a 10-point surge to pull ahead 10-9. With 37.7 seconds to play in the first quarter, rookie kicker Eric Maximuik booted a 28-yard field goal to give the Thunder their first points. Early in the second quarter, Buettner hit star receiver Levi Paul with a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a one-point edge.

    The Hilltops answered back. Facing a third-and-one from the Thunder 40 yard line, the Toppers elected to gamble. Sophomore running back Joshua Ewanchyna broke a short-yardage play into a 40-yard touchdown run to give Saskatoon a 16-10 advantage.

    With 23.3 seconds to play in the first half, the Hilltops added another major score coming from a one-yard touchdown plunge from fullback Colin Stumborg to surge in front 23-10.

QB Sawyer Buettner threw for 325 yards for the Thunder.

    Regina wouldn’t allow Saskatoon to run away with the contest. Early in the third quarter, the Hilltops fumbled the ball on a punt return, and it was recovered by Regina defensive lineman Ryland Gibb.

    Buettner quickly drove the Thunder downfield on a short drive that was capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass to receiver Lee Brown to cut the Hilltops lead to 23-17.

    The Hilltops pushed their edge back out to 29-17 before the third quarter ended, when fourth-year safety/kicker James Vause hit field goals from 33 and 36 yards out respectively. Vause had a big night for the Hilltops making six solo tackles and a second quarter interception.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman Collegiate was pleased he was able to come through with a big performance.

    “It was really good,” said Vause. “Honestly, I’ve had a tough year. I really just dialed in mentally this week, and I just did my job.

    “Those field goals have to go in. They are big points. I’m glad I could contribute that for the team as well.”

Joshua Ewanchyna (#18) ran for 81 yards on eight carriers for the Hilltops.

    With 7:55 to play in the fourth quarter, the Thunder cut the Hilltops lead to 29-24 with a diving one-yard touchdown run by star running back Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette.

    That set the stage for Knittig’s score near the end of the fourth quarter.

    “That was one of the most intense games I was a part of,” said Vause. “You have to be focused every play. It was a battle.

    “Give full credit to Regina. They battled back like they always do. We just have to stay the course and react and come back stronger every time they have a nice drive or a touchdown.

    “We pulled it together. I couldn’t be happier for the guys.”

    Buettner had a big day for the Thunder completing 29-of-39 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Paul topped all Thunder receivers hauling in nine passes for 86 yards to go with his major score.

Adam Machart (#20) ran for a massive 206 yards for the Hilltops.

    Regina linebacker Tanner Smith had nine solo tackles and two assisted tackles in the contest. The Thunder finished the season with a 6-4 overall record.

    The Hilltops did most of their damage offensively on the ground piling up 297 yards as a team rushing. Machart carried the ball 22 times for 206 yards to go with his rushing touchdown.

    With Hilltops fifth-year star running back Logan Fischer not dressed due to a lower body injury, Machart wanted to come through with a big outing and was pumped about another conference title win.

    “It feels amazing,” said Machart. “Our guys are super pumped. It feels really, really good.

    “This game meant a lot to the team and to our coaches. To come out and have a good game and get the “W” just feels amazing.”

The Hilltops begin celebrating their PFC title win.

    Ewanchyna had 81 yards rushing on eight carries to complement Machart’s efforts.

    Hilltops quarterback Jordan Walls completed 11-of-17 passes for 117 yards. Tom Schnitzler and middle linebacker Cameron Schnitzler both had sacks for the Hilltops.

    With the win, the Hilltops, who are 9-1 overall, have won 11 straight playoff games having claimed the last three straight Canadian Junior Football League championships. Saskatoon’s last post-season loss came back in the 2013 PFC final by a 21-16 score to the Thunder at Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.

    The Hilltops will host a CJFL national semifinal match this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF Field against the Vancouver Island Raiders (8-3-1), who are based in Nanaimo, B.C.

The Hilltops raise the PFC championship trophy.

    Last Saturday, Raiders downed the Westshore Rebels 21-7 in Langford, B.C., to capture the British Columbia Football Conference title.

    The winner of the match between the Hilltops and Raiders advances to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl will be held on Nov. 11 in Ontario against the winner of the Ontario Football Conference.

    The Windsor AKO Fratmen (8-1) host the Hamilton Hurricanes (6-3) in the OFC final, and the schedule of that clash is still to be announced.

    In the present, Machart is pumped his team gets to play the Raiders this coming Sunday.

    “I couldn’t be happier right now,” said Machart. “I love this sport, and we wanted to win today, and we got that.

    “To continue on in our season just feels awesome.”

    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 run to PFC mountaintop

Logan Fischer rumbles into the end zone for a Hilltops touchdown.

    It seems you can always count on Logan Fischer.

    The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops believed their best option to win Sunday’s Prairie Football Conference final was to give the ball to their physical workhorse tailback, who led the team with 794 yards rushing in seven regular season appearances. Fischer was handed the rock 23 times, and he rumbled for 170 yards and scored four touchdowns to help the Hilltops dump the Calgary Colts 38-16 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The win allowed the Hilltops to repeat as conference champions and advance to the Canadian Junior Football League title game, the Canadian Bowl, for a second straight year. The Hilltops, who are the defending CJFL champions, will host the national junior final on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field against the Okanagan Sun. The Sun, who are 12-0 overall, crushed the Vancouver Island Raiders 54-0 in the British Columbia Football Conference final on Sunday in Kelowna.

    Fischer was excited that the 2015 season will go to the last possible game his club could play.

    “Every single night it is a blast with the guys,” said Fischer. “This is the closest group probably that we have had.

    “It just feels great playing with the guys for an extra two weeks. Everyone couldn’t be any happier about it.”

    Looking at the final score, one would think victory came easy to the storied Hilltops, but that was far from the case. The first quarter was a defensive slugfest that saw the only points come from a 17 yard field goal from Hilltops kicker Brett Thorarinsson. The Hilltops defence benefitted from the fact star fifth-year defensive tackle Blake Adams returned after missing a game with a left knee injury.

    Early in the second quarter, the Colts had a chance to draw even with a 28-yard field goal, but kicker Kyle Bryne’s attempt was wide counting for a single that cut Saskatoon’s lead to 3-1.

    From that point, the Hilltops really started to churn out the yards along the ground. Fischer scored his first major of the day on a slashing run from 25 yards out and put in his second score on a plunge from a yard out to give the hosts 17-1 edge.

    The grad of Saskatoon’s Bethlehem Catholic High School was quick to credit his success to the Hilltops offensive line that included starters Terry Thesen, Nathan Heide, Jordan Hydomako, Drayke Unger and Tyler Hoath.

Hilltops DT Blake Adams takes down a Colts ball carrier.

    “When it comes down to it, it is all about the battle in the trenches,” said Fischer. “Our O-line just absolutely dominated.

    “Without them, we couldn’t run the ball. We couldn’t throw the ball. Really, it comes down to the O-line.”

    The Colts battled back putting together a two-minute drill drive right before halftime. The march was capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Dylan Minshull with 15.2 seconds to play in the second quarter that cut the Toppers lead to 17-8.

    Near the start of the third quarter, the Colts put together another long offensive drive, which looked like it would result in more points. The series ended when Calgary quarterback John Kiesman unloaded a dangerous throw across the middle of the field that was intercepted by Hilltops safety James Vause. Vause would add a second interception the fourth quarter, which was also his fourth pick in Saskatoon’s two post-season games.

    Things weren’t totally smooth on offence for the Hilltops. They didn’t have their greatest outing when it came to passing the ball, as starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed just 7-of-17 passes for 149 yards. The incompletions included drops from receivers and a couple of missed throws by Andreychuk.

    With the passing game sputtering, the Hilltops continued to feed Fischer the ball. Right before the third quarter ended, he ran in a score from 24 yards out for his third major of the game to give the Hilltops a 24-8 lead.

    Early in the fourth quarter, Fischer drove in from a yard out for his fourth score to put Saskatoon up 31-8.

    “We kind of had a game plan,” said Fischer. “Whoever ran the ball was going to win it. Today, we wanted to run the ball.”

DT Matt Kozun hauls in a TD catch for the Hilltops.

    The lead increased to 38-8, when Andreychuk hit defensive tackle Matt Kozun, who lined up as a tight end in a short yardage situation, for a two-yard scoring toss.

    The Colts accounted for the last major, when Kiesman hit Jesse Kuntz on a 20-yard post pattern with 8.7 seconds remaining on the clock. Kiesman hit Grayson Javorsky with a short pass for a two-point conversion.

    Calgary’s signal caller finished the contest completing 27-of-46 passes for 375 yards. Calgary piled up 486 yards of total offence, while the Hilltops had 350 total yards.

    The statistical difference in the game came from the fact the Colts turned the ball over three times and had 180 yards in penalties. The Hilltops didn’t have any turnovers and only had 30 yards in penalties.

    With the win, Saskatoon improved to 9-1 overall, while Calgary finished at 6-4.

    With the PFC final in the books, Fischer was excited about playing the CJFL title game on home turf, and he wants his squad to put out another strong effort at home in about two weeks.

    “That is a tremendous feeling,” said Fischer. “We came out here and this is our home. We take that very seriously.

    “We don’t really want anyone to come in here and manhandle us. We want to do all the manhandling.”

    The Hilltops claimed last year’s Canadian Bowl 39-14 over the Rams in Langley, B.C. Saskatoon has won 17 CJFL titles.

    The Sun have won two CJFL championships, but they haven’t appeared in the Canadian Bowl since 2004, when they fell 24-7 to the Huskies in Edmonton. Okanagan’s last CJFL title came in 2000 with a 36-28 victory in Kelowna against the visiting Hilltops.

Colts played to honour Ramias

Colts DB Conner Robinson wore #23 to honour late teammate Brock Ramias.

    The Colts played Sunday’s PFC final with heavy hearts.

    On Monday, former Colt player Brock Ramias, who was with the team last season, was found dead in Kinsmen Park in Lethbridge. Ramias was a high school football star with the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams.

    The Colts dedicated playing Sunday’s game to the memory of Ramias. Calgary defensive back Conner Robinson wore #23 instead of his normal #3 to honour his former teammate. Robinson, who is also from Lethbridge, and Ramais were close friends and played together in high school with the Rams. Ramias wore #23 during his high school years.

    He was only 20-years-old, and autopsy results indicate his death was non-criminal in nature.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out more game photos on Twitter @StanksSports.