SASKATOON – In a Prairie Football Conference (PFC) semi-final dominated by two explosive offences, a play by one of the Saskatoon Hilltops’ defensive leaders may have been the turning point.
“For me the biggest play of the game was the Matt Kozun block at the end of the half. That’s a fifth-year guy doing what needed to be done and that helped to get us a little more life,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant.
With Saskatoon clinging to a 21-14 lead late in the first half, Kozun blocked a 23-yard Brad Mikoluff field goal attempt, preserving the seven-point advantage and giving his team a big lift at the break. Unsurprisingly, Kozun doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t know if it was so much the blocked kick. I think it was more Sarge’s half-time speech and we just knew that we needed to smarten up a lot,” Kozun said.
READ MORE: Hilltops advance to PFC final with 49-21 win over Rifles
Whatever the reason, the Hilltops defence looked like a completely different unit in the second half, pitching a shutout until the final seconds of a 49-21 victory.
“It was kind of an effort thing more than anything and I think we came out with more fire in the second half,” Kozun explained.
The Toppers offence needed no such jumpstart. Quarterback Jared Andreychuk led it up and down the field all day, tossing three touchdowns and running for one more while completing 71 per cent of his passes – many in spectacular fashion.
“You’ve got to understand the spots to put (the ball) in, away from the defender and just in the spot that only (the receiver) can make the play, and it’s an outrageous play usually,” Andreychuk said.
The Hilltops now find themselves in a familiar place: back in the PFC Final. They will face the Calgary Colts, who upset the Regina Thunder 17-3 at Mosaic Stadium. The game is scheduled for Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. CT at SMF Field.
Comments