(Submitted photo/Saskatoon Hilltops, Twitter)

By Ben Tompkins

Local representation

Northeast well represented in Hilltops seventh consecutive PFC title season

Nov 22, 2021 | 5:55 PM

Although the season may not have ended how the Saskatoon Hilltops had wanted it after they lost in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) semifinal, this was still a successful season.

On Saturday the Langley Rams defeated Saskatoon 17-14 ending the Hilltops 22 game CJFL playoff winning streak and their six straight Canadian Bowls streak.

The rebuilding Saskatoon squad, which features a lot of young players, is poised to get back on top for the future and features a few handfuls of players in and around our area.

A total of 14 players come from the likes of Melfort, Tisdale, Humboldt, and Prince Albert, as northeastNOW sat down with a few to get the true definitions of what it means to be all things Saskatoon Hilltops.

Where it begins is joining the organization and Pavel Lalonde, a third-year defensive lineman from Tisdale who actually played on the Regina Thunder the year prior, the team Saskatoon defeated for the Prairie Football Conference (PFC) Championship, said just that.

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“The Hilltops are obviously a great organization that has a lot of history behind, so joining a team like this and being a part of it is a pretty good feeling. It was unreal to wear the colours and just a great team to be a part of,” Lalonde said.

And speaking of that final, Lachlan Horsley, a second-year wide receiver from Warman said that game was a lot different than the Hilltops are accustomed to, having not been the favourite.

“It was a massively anticipated game, especially since we lost to them twice earlier in the year, they had that 8-0 record and we were 6-2, so for the first time in a while, we were the underdogs going into this game,” Horsley said. “We were ready for this football game though and our coaches made us confident and relax a little bit as there wasn’t as much pressure as there usually is. We won when it mattered and we wouldn’t have wanted to play anyone else.”

And in the end, that’s what counted for this team, something Jarred Giddings, a fifth-year defensive back from Humboldt, who played his final game of eligibility on Saturday, confirmed when speaking about how the game unfolded.

“It was a tough game, we were a young team and we just had to focus on ourselves going into that game. We all knew that if we played our game, we’d have a good shot at winning the title. It seemed like it all came together and in the end, the boys were pretty happy, the coaches were happy and I couldn’t be more proud of the team and the way we performed that weekend,” Giddings said.

But to get to a high level, as these athletes have, a lot of their success can be credited towards how and where they started and the community they now represent. Konner Johnson, a fourth-year linebacker from Melfort, said this is very apparent when looking at his situation.

“It’s great, there have been some great football players that have come from Melfort and the Comets, they got a great program and the coaches there, they put a lot of time and effort into the team and that definitely played a role in me wanting to play some football after high school and Hilltops was where it was, so I definitely love representing Melfort,” Johnson said.

Someone else who spoke about representing the small community he’s from is Jaxon Funk, a third-year defensive linemen from Hague, who said growing up in a small town provides benefits when pushing you to the next level.

“It’s pretty cool, especially knowing how many other people are coming from small towns. I love all the support that comes from a small community. When you grow up, you basically play every sport otherwise you wouldn’t have teams, so growing up in smaller communities can definitely give you more grit and determination and make you a better player,” Funk said.

And finally, for a player who is quite new to the team, a rookie, in fact, he has a lot of time left with Saskatoon. Despite that fact, Connor Rolland, a second-year defensive back from Melfort, who didn’t play last year because of the COVID hiatus, said although his future is a few years down the road, returning to his hometown is definitely something that’s on his mind.

“This year was a great first experience, especially with the whole COVID thing last year, our season was cancelled, which made this my rookie year,” Rolland said. “If I ever moved back to a smaller community like Melfort, after my playing days are over, I would definitely come back and coach and give back to the community, what it gave to me in my time there.”

The full list of northern boys includes a pair of brothers including, Justin and Ryan Adamko, who grew up in Candle Lake and went to high school in Prince Albert, along with Jaxon’s brother Jeremy, both of whom are from Hague.

The two other Melfort boys include Warner Solsten and Mitch Clarke, along with three others from Humboldt in Ethan Pasloski, Dawson Hering and Teijon Abel-Douglas.

All were reached out to, however, not all responded for an interview.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8