A tip of the hat to Don Mcdonald
News of longtime member’s death comes just before game against provincial rivals
Move over, Gipper.
This one was for Don Mcdonald. “Absolutely,” said Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant after his team doubled up on the provincial archrival Regina Thunder 48-24 Saturday night at SMF Field.
By taking the Prairie Football Conference season series 2-0, the Toppers claimed the Shrine Bowl, which is something that Mcdonald — a longtime member of the Hilltops organization — helped initiate.
Mcdonald died prior to the weekend game, with news of his death circulating prior to Saturday’s contest.
“It’s tough,” added Sargeant. “He’s one of the guys who hired me. All the passion and energy, he symbolized what it means to be a Hilltop. We certainly talked a little about it before the game.
“They certainly played a better second half for Mr. Mcdonald than they did in the first half.”
After building up a quick 16-3 lead in the first quarter on touchdown passes from Jordan Walls to Tanner Rhode and Jason Price, the Hilltops watched the rival Thunder battle back and take a 17-16 lead.
A late hit on Walls on the sidelines resulted in an unnecessary roughing penalty on Regina. A Thunder staff member also got injured on the play and a lengthy delay followed.
The Hilltops responded with a 21-yard field goal to take a 21-17 lead into the locker-room at halftime. They never looked back.
“We went in and made some corrections,” said Walls, who finished the game completing 13 of 30 passes for 266 yards and three TDS.
Added Sargeant: “This team is always known for making halftime adjustments and putting players in better spots to be successful. We clearly dominated in the second half. To be frank, that shot on our quarterback (Walls) got us pretty fired up, too. Thanks for that.”
David Solie kicked three field goals and five converts for Saskatoon, which racked up 532 yards in total offence compared to 381 yards for Regina.
Josh Ewanchyna, Keegan Dicks and Ben Abrook also scored TD majors for the Hilltops.
Ewanchyna had 168 yards on 18 carries. Jason Price led all Hilltop receivers with four catches for 92 yards.
“The big thing in the second half is we got out-coached,” offered Thunder head coach Scott Macaulay. “Sarge was able to get his guys to get going and make some plays … We have to keep our composure. We have a lot of growing up to do here shortly. (But) we were better today than we were the first week. We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”
MCDONALD HONOURED
The Hilltops paid tribute to Mcdonald with a moment of silence prior to the game and also during their scholarship banquet earlier Saturday with former Saskatchewan Roughrider Darian Durant as special guest.
Mcdonald was a true lifetime member of the Hilltops organization. He was also quite resilient. He survived cardiac arrest, a bout with cancer and a couple of strokes.
Mcdonald, who played for the Hilltops in 1951 and 1952, never strayed away from the Blue and Gold over seven decades.
In 2015, Mcdonald was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
He served as the Hilltops’ president and was a longtime director, co-founded the Prairie Junior Football League in 1975 and was Canadian Junior Football League commissioner for eight years. He also spent eight years as president of Football Saskatchewan.
“He did just about everything at the executive level,” noted Hilltops president Terry Postey.
“When you say ‘Saskatoon Hilltops,’ between him and (the late) Ed Henick, those are the two guys you always think of all the time. And neither of them are around anymore.”
In 1989, Mcdonald was named Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year. He was awarded CTV’S Citizen of the Year in 2005 and gained a lifetime membership in the Royal Canadian Legion in 2011.
“I think he always had his point of view on the way he thought things should be done,” offered Postey.
The Hilltops celebrated Saturday’s victory in honour of Mcdonald, who was more than 60 years their senior.
“We learned about (his passing) in our team meetings (Saturday) afternoon,” said Walls, “so we wanted to get a win for him and this program.”
An always fired-up Sargeant pointed the Shrine Bowl trophy in Mcdonald’s direction.
“He bled blue and gold,” said Sargeant. “He put so much time and energy into it. He made it into the Hall of Fame because he was one of the key guys who put the Saskatoon Hilltops on the map. The expectations and pride that we have, he certainly was one of the cornerstones to all that. I have many great memories of being around him. He just loved the boys having success and being a part of that. It was standard for him to come to a lot of Canadian finals and be there and always be proud to wear his blue and gold jacket.
“It’s a tough day, but, you know what? It’s a day that we made him proud.”