The Saskatoon Hilltops are in a familiar spot. They’re first in the Prairie Football Conference (PFC) and are ready to host a playoff game at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.
For the fifth straight year, the Saskatoon Hilltops are the No. 1 seed in the PFC playoffs, but it took a road win over the Edmonton Huskies in the final week of the season to get there.
“It was definitely huge, I thought. They were the top team in the league for a while, you know. It just set the mood, I think, for the second part of the season,” Hilltops receiver Sam Mike said.
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The Toppers will host the Winnipeg Rifles on Sunday for a spot in the PFC final. They’ve already clobbered them twice during the regular season, but they’re not taking anything for granted.
“They’re going to come in with a little bit of hunger and they’re going to want to punch us in the mouth a little bit so we got to be ready for anything that they do and just execute our game plan,” Hilltops quarterback Jordan Walls said.
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Saskatoon currently leads the conference in rushing yards by a wide margin and with running back Logan Fischer set to return from injury, it will open a wealth of options in the backfield.
“What did I say about that running back stable all year. They have just been phenomenal. We also had three rushers in the top 10, two in the top five,” Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said.
“Adam Machart, Josh Ewanchyna have been exceptional too. You put those three guys out, that’s going to make any defence feel uncomfortable.”
Saskatoon hasn’t lost to Winnipeg in six previous playoff meetings, all in the conference semifinals. The last four times they’ve defeated the Rifles, they’ve gone on to win the Canadian Bowl. A win on Sunday at SMF Field would get them one step closer.