Hilltops hungry for another title
Perennial powerhouse begins season on the road with bull’s-eye on it again
The Saskatoon Hilltops enter the 2018 season atop a mountain of championship rings. They want another for the pile.
The Prairie Football Conference powerhouse has won four straight national titles, and seven over the last eight seasons. They’ve got 20, total, dating back to 1953. There’s room for another, says head coach Tom Sargeant, provided they do things the right way in 2018.
“We’re the Saskatoon Hilltops. We have massive expectations every year,” said Sargeant, whose squad opens its season Saturday night in Regina against the host Thunder. “We have the biggest bull’s-eye every year. And we embrace that; we enjoy it. We can’t wait to showcase what this team’s going to be this year.”
Sargeant launches this unprecedented drive for five with a 186-30-2 record, both regular season and playoffs, in 20 campaigns as the team’s head coach. He’s lost just 21 regular-season contests in those 20 years.
But Sargeant said he doesn’t feel much different now, as he heads into a new season, than he did as a fresh head coach two decades ago.
“I’ve still got that nervous excitement,” he said. “I’ve got those insecurities about are we doing enough? Do we have enough in front of us to make sure we put together a great effort? And yeah — I still get the goosebumps.”
The Hilltops lost plenty of topend talent after last season; five starters on each side, which is the way things go in junior football.
But Sargeant, who can be a tough guy to please, said he’s happy with what he saw from his new-look team at training camp. “I really like it,” he said. “Offensively, we’re really balanced. I love the offensive line; I love the mix between the run and the pass. Receivers are stepping up. And defensively, from my vantage point, we look so fast and so athletic — lots of guys flying around with lots of confidence. It’s a very nice team. We’re looking to build on what we’ve seen so far.”
The Hilltops will play their home opener next Saturday against the visiting Calgary Colts, but before they get there, they have the Thunder to contend with.
Saskatoon beat Regina 36-24 in last season’s league final, and the teams split two regular-season games.
“Regina’s done a great job of recruiting, so they’ve got a lot of high-end talent,” Sargeant said.
“They’ve got a new defensive co-ordinator (longtime Roughriders assistant coach Alex Smith), so we’re not exactly sure how they ’re going to play us from a defensive perspective.
“But we know what they ’re going to do offensively — that personnel is still there — and at the end of the day, I’m looking for my team to play physical, mistake-free football. When you do that early in the year, that usually leads to a lot of success. Protect the ball, do your responsibilities, and finish the plays. If we do that, it should be a good day for the Hilltops.”