Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The Saskatoon Hilltops are starting over in 2025 after their Canadian Bowl quest cut short in 2024.
There’s a new No. 1 quarterback with Brexton Elias taking over the helm, new offensive weapons and a new flavour on offence.
“We’ve lost a couple of star receivers (Drake Douglas and Datiel Fountaine) and the team looks different,” says Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, who returns after his team got upset by the Regina Thunder in the 2024 Prairie Football Conference final.
A pair of all-Canadians — quarterback Trey Reider and offensive lineman Cody Shumanski — have both graduated.
Defensively, the Toppers said good-bye to cornerback Justin Adamko, linebacker Noah Gedir and defensive end Kai Kukurudza.
“More work on offence than defence,” assessed Sargeant, whose team held its annual spring camp over the weekend. “There’s a little bit of work there, but we’re excited. We’re embracing that. Defence looked good. It’s going to be a different team, but we’re going to be good.”
It’s a younger squad that will lean on all-Canadian running back Corbin Ebben on offence.
“We got a stud in Corbin,” noted Sargeant. “He’s going to be the focal point of this offence. Then, defensively, we’ve got Dalton Urban, John Stevens — guys like that. Defence is the strength of this team and we’ll get this offence and special teams up to snuff. We’ll be right back in the mix, like we always have been.
“I’m excited for it.”
URBAN, STEVENS HEADED TO RIDER CAMP
Urban and Stevens have both been invited to Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp in Saskatoon, with rookie camp running Wednesday to Friday at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
“We’re proud of that,” said Sargeant. “They’re going to represent. Once again, two all-stars on this team.”
Over 110 players auditioned for the Hilltops brass this past weekend. The ‘Toppers will keep a roster of 85-86 players.
“We’ve basically got our team (picked),” noted Sargeant. “We’re going to run some more practices over the next (two months).”
The Hilltops will play their PFC season-opener Aug. 8 in Winnipeg.
“Overall, our goal is to get bigger and stronger and I think we did that,” added Sargeant. “Very athletic group of players. Coaches did a good job of doing evaluations. We actually did a lot of recruiting in December and had a lot of players selected through the combine, and then kept a lot of players. They absolutely didn’t disappoint.
“We lost a lot of good players, a lot of all-Canadians. A lot of good players left the building, but we’ve done a good job of replenishing. In the long run, it’s going to be a good team.”
HOLCOMB NAMED CAMP MVP
Tommy Douglas linebacker Carson Holcomb was awarded the John Wasden Memorial MVP Award given annually to the top rookie in spring camp.
“It’s amazing,” Holcomb said of the honour. “I didn’t know (the award) was a thing, off the bat, but I wanted to come in and play the hardest I could, outshine everybody else. It is a team sport, but I think it’s important to also focus on your own goals.
“Hilltops is a great organization. Love it here. Everyone’s friendly. It’s tough being the No. 1 team.”
Holcomb, who stands just under six feet tall and weighs around 200 pounds, was discovered at the team’s winter combine. He plays the Sam (strong-side) outside linebacker position.
“He’s a great kid,” said Toppers defensive co-ordinator Jeff Yausie. “This year, we kind of changed the way we recruit. We ran that combine in December and we’re excited. We signed four linebackers from that camp.
“Carson’s got great speed. He played running back in high school, too. He’s got some good toughness. He had some big hits and some big plays. Physically, he’s not quite as big as the other guys we kept but he’s fast as heck — I like fast linebackers.”
Added Sargeant: “He played fast. He had bursts. He made a lot of big plays. Impact player. Fun to watch.”
dzary@postmedia.com
