All-star heavy Hilltops seeking two more wins
It’s a star-studded cast assembled by the Saskatoon Hilltops as they head into yet another Prairie Football Conference final.
The Hilltops will play host to the Edmonton Huskies in the PFC final Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. gametime, The Bull 92.9 FM Radio) at SMF Field with a shiny collection of 12 conference all-stars.
“I’m really happy for a lot of those players — during the season we did put up some good numbers,” Toppers head coach Tom Sargeant said Friday. “But, at the end of the day, that stuff doesn’t carry over into the playoffs. It’s the team that wants it the most that’s going to get the thing done.”
All that Saskatoon has done is finish the regular season with a perfect 8-0 record (Edmonton was next at 6-2).
After a 58-5 win last week in their PFC semifinal, the Toppers have outscored their opponents 460-75. Their focus is on two more wins.
“We’ve got our eye on the prize,” stressed Sargeant. “We have great leadership. Guys are really excited for the opportunity and they all know that, when you become an all-star, there are a lot of reasons. Certainly, good coaching is one of them. The (position) coaches put in a lot of time and work into their development. No. 2, if anybody has success either on offence or defence, it’s the other 11 players who are helping them out as well.
“We feel good as a team, but we’re not into individual awards. We’re into team awards.”
Of the 12 PFC all-stars on the Hilltops, seven of them were unanimous choices. By comparison, the Huskies have eight all-star picks with two being unanimous.
Offensively, quarterback Jordan Walls,offensivelinemanKirkSimonsen, running back Josh Ewanchyna and receiver Jason Price were unanimous picks on the Hilltops.
Linebacker Cody Peters and defensive linemen Garth Knittig and Jesse McNabb were also unanimous
selections.
Joining them as PFC all-stars are defensive backs Colton Holmes and Jared Giddings, offensive linemen Mason Ochs and Taylon Elderkin, as well as return specialist Adam Ewanchyna.
Simonsen, Ochs and Elderkin
are all-stars for the second consecutive season.
For the Edmonton Huskies, running back Brandt Burzuk and defensive back Justin Hodinsky were unanimous all-star choices.
Linebacker Oshane Samuels and receivers Sam Clayton and Harrison Cabel also received all-star nods on the Huskies. Cole Sabourin earned double honours as punter and placekicker.
“They’ve got a great running game and a real athletic quarterback,” Sargeant said. “You’ve got two receivers who were all-stars this year, so they can certainly move the ball around and make plays. And then, defensively, they’re just aggressive and real physical. They like to get after things. They certainly have our respect and have us attending to all the little details that take place in big games.
“We’re just real excited to be playing at home and we’re ready for the opportunity.”
The Huskies are coming off a thrilling 39-36 OT victory over the Regina Thunder.
“We’re the two best teams coming out of the PFC and it’s always a tough battle in order to do that,” said Sargeant. “Certainly they showed a lot of heart and desire last week in an overtime (win over the Thunder). We’re certainly wary of their victory and they’re a team that certainly played us the toughest during the season, so I believe it’s going to be a good physical matchup for both.”
The Hilltops have won the past four PFC crowns and Canadian Bowl titles. They’re looking for an unprecedented five-peat. They’re two wins away from that.
Sargeant admitted he has lost count on the number of trips by the Toppers to the PFC final.
“I’m just living for today and I can’t wait to coach our team and make them better and making sure we have the opportunity to get better.
“Sunday will come soon enough. We’ve got to be ready, locked in.”