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Following a 21-13 Prairie Football Conference final victory over the Regina Thunder, the Saskatoon Hilltops are gearing up to play the St. Clair Saints with a chance to return to the Canadian Bowl for the first time since 2019.
Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. at SMF Field in Saskatoon. The winner advances to the Canadian Junior Football League final against the champions of the British Columbia Football Conference.
Last time out for the Hilltops may not have been the strongest game, but a couple of big sacks from Hilltops defensive lineman Riece Kack helped swing the momentum the Hilltops’ way.
“Riece is a team leader,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “He’s our energy guy. As the moments get bigger, he gets better.”
Sargeant said winning a close game after a strong fourth quarter is what builds champions.
“It takes us to the next level, because what I saw on that field on Sunday was a poise and confidence that I hadn’t always seen,” the coach explained.
The Hilltops also took their fair share of penalties last week, and Sargeant said going forward he expects to see a more disciplined team taking the field.
“It was a loud and clear message to the football team. It was embarrassing. At the end of the day, that’s on me,” said Sargeant. “When you get 17 penalties for 165 yards, that’s not good enough. That’s not championship-level football.”
The Hilltops, luckily, are no strangers to championship-level football. The 22-time national champions also hold the record for most consecutive Canadian Bowl victories, with six.
Now, for the Hilltops, it’s all about looking forward to what could happen and not steering too far from the path that has been paved out for them.
Sargeant said it’s important for the team to stay involved the process and not focus too far ahead.
“They just have to stay within themselves, do their job, and not get ahead of themselves,” said Sargeant. “Once they start looking at ‘Hey, it’d be fun to do this, fun to do that,’ that’s when you’re going to trip up and make mistakes.”
Avoiding mistakes will be important, as the Saints were the best team in the Ontario Football Conference this year, going 10-0 while scoring 421 points and only allowing 146.
But despite the tough fight ahead, Sargeant said his team isn’t feeling any extra pressure going into this weekend’s game.
“At the end of the day, we’re going into Game 11. We should be able to come out and play our best game of the year,” said Sargeant. “We should be polished. We should be solid, understanding what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, and who we’re going to be doing it against.”
Preparations for this weekend’s game are a little bit different than what a normal week would look like for the team.
“It’s a little bit different this week preparing, for sure, because it’s a team we haven’t seen this year,” said Carter Wingert, a defensive back for the Hilltops.
“Anyone they’ve played, we haven’t played, so it’s kind of hard to know exactly how good they are.”
Linebacker Matthew Wist said the team is watching film and trying to learn as much as possible about its opponents.
“They are definitely a very skilled team, probably more skilled than some of the teams we’ve played,” said Wist. “But it’s just different football up here.”
As for St. Clair, one of its biggest challenges might come from Saskatchewan itself. The Saints have been playing and practising in double-digit temperatures, while the Hilltops have been adapting to the below-freezing temperatures.
Hilltops quarterback Trey Reider said it’s actually more fun playing and practising in the colder elements.
“The hands might get a little cold, but if you wear the hand warmer and you stay in the game, stay calm, cool and collected, you’ll be alright,” said Reider.
“To practise in this is pretty fun, because it shows Canadian football.”
Fifth-year running back Boston Davidsen said he’s trying to enjoy every last moment he has with the Hilltops before his time is up.
“I just try to live in the present as much as possible,” Davidsen said. “Every time I can come to this building or go on the field with the guys, it’s a super-fun and enjoyable opportunity.”
