Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not?
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The fix for six is complete.
The Saskatoon Hilltops extended an unprecedented streak of success Saturday by beating the Langley Rams 11-6 to capture the team’s sixth straight Canadian Bowl championship.
Head coach Tom Sargeant raised his 13th Canadian Bowl trophy with the win. For Sarge, that winning feeling never gets old.
“We knew where the game was, it was in front of us and we just did what we did. That’s why we’re walking away as six-time national champs. That’s just an amazing feeling,” Sargeant said moments after the game ended.
Sargeant knew the game was going to be a struggle, but even he didn’t expect such a battle in the 112th Canadian Bowl.
“I just look at that scoreboard and it was an unbelievable battle today,” he said. “Two teams just playing with great intensity and fierce competition. Both teams wanted to win just as bad as the other, and it was an equal playing field today.”
Led by unlikely hero Rylan Kleiter, the Hilltops managed to kick its way to a victory — without scoring a single touchdown — after bulldozing much of the competition all season long.
On a soggy day in Langley, B.C., Kleiter made good on three field goals to account for nine of his team’s 11 points. The kicker and receiver never imagined he would lead his team to victory with his leg.
“I know with our program we always need one guy to stand up and make some plays. I was just fortunate to be put in that position today,” Kleiter said.
The fourth-year player has ended each of his seasons as a national champion.
“It never gets old for us. The work that we put in, it’s nice to get that reward at the end of the season,” he said.
The game was a matchup of Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) powerhouses. Not only were the Rams and Hilltops both undefeated entering the game, the teams have played in four Canadian Bowls since 2012 with Saskatoon winning each game. Last season, the toppers defeated the Rams 58-21 in Saskatoon. The Hilltops also won in Langley in both 2012 and 2014.
Kleiter converted two second quarter field goals to build a lead. The first field goal from 21 yards and the second from 23 yards. Kleiter missed a field goal at the end of the first half, but a safety conceded by the Rams would give the Hilltops a 8-0 lead at halftime.
Langley’s first possession of the second half was a long march into Hilltops territory before Rams running back Max Joseph found the endzone on a one-yard touchdown plunge. A two-point conversion attempt from the Rams was unsuccessful for a 8-6 score after the third quarter.
Competition ramped up in the fourth quarter as neither team could sustain much offensive success and punted the ball back and fourth as the clocked ticked away.
With less than four minutes left in the game, Saskatoon Hilltops linebacker Jadyn Pingue managed to stop the Rams offence on two successive plays with less than a yard to gain for a first down to get the ball back at the Rams 31-yard line.
“Jadyn’s been doing that all season for us and it’s really a game-changer. Our defence today was lights out,” Kleiter said.
Sargeant feels the fifth-year linebacker’s other contributions lift the entire defence.
