Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Hayden McMahon hadn’t forgotten that brutal bus ride from Winnipeg to Saskatoon following a stinging 31-11 loss to start the season.
The rematch — held Sunday at SMF Field in the Gordie Howe Sports Complex — could have been dubbed the Rifles Revenge Bowl.
“It felt a little bit like that,” agreed McMahon, the Hilltops quarterback, after his team avenged a season-opening loss to the Rifles with a convincing 42-15 win on home turf.
“It was almost just like, ‘Get back at them.’ We wanted to get them back.”
Doing so made Sunday’s victory even more satisfying and gratifying.
“Absolutely it was,” said McMahon. “We had to make that long bus ride back from Winnipeg (after the season-opening loss) and it was awful, so it felt like every minute of that bus ride came out in this game, which meant the world to the whole team. We’re just going to soak it in.
“We have a bye week, then we’ve got to get ready for Regina.”
The Toppers (2-1) don’t resume action until Saturday, Sept. 6 in Regina against the reigning Prairie Football Conference champion Regina Thunder (3-0).
You can call Sunday’s game the Rifles Revenge Bowl or merely call it a convincing win.
“I don’t know what it is, but it was needed,” said veteran Toppers head coach Tom Sargeant, who was visibly excited and boisterous following the win over the Rifles. “We needed this to happen because there are bigger games in front of us. Now this keeps us right on the path we want to be in, controlling destiny and all of those things. At the end of the day, very happy and pleased with every thing I saw, and I know we can be so much better.
“What do you think about that? That’s (bleepin’) Hilltop football. Great response.”
Saskatoon racked up 507 yards in net offence. David Collins led the way, rushing 33 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Sawi had seven carries for 93 yards and three TDs, adding four catches for 88 yards, two kickoff returns for 67 yards and six punt returns for 71 yards.
McMahon completed nine of 17 passes for 152 yards.
Defensively, the Hilltops won the turnover battle with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Jace Mowles led the way with two picks, three pass knockdowns and one tackle.
Defensive back Ryan Valentino established a new Canadian Junior Football League record with five solo tackles on special teams.
Johnathon Stevens had two quarterback sacks plus two tackles, while Nahom Menghestab had one sack and three tackles.
“We hadn’t had any sacks in the first two games, but boy, did we get after that quarterback (Sunday),” noted Sargeant. “That was certainly a big thing that we talked about. We talked about David Collins and the O-line, from the first game ‘til now, and the onus on what they can be about. And Hayden stepped up in a tough spot and made some throws. Kids made some plays. It was just fun to watch. Special teams played their best game of the year, and hey — who would have thought, after Game 1, we’d be 2-and-1?
“Winnipeg Rifles are a good football team but they weren’t ready for us, I tell you what.”
For McMahon, the victory spelled redemption after getting thrown into the fire unexpectedly in Game 1, following injuries to No. 1 QB Brexton Elias and back-up Charlie Molder.
“When I went in at Winnipeg, no other words to say it but I feel like I wasn’t ready … The last two weeks, I’ve worked really hard during the week and we’ve been preparing for this game,” McMahon said. “We wanted to get back at them and show them who we really were. I think we’ve improved on (the previous win) to this one, so I’m really happy with the team play and I’m glad I could help out, too.”
Winning the season tie-breaker between Winnipeg and Saskatoon also helps out.
The Toppers needed to win by 21 points or more.
“That was obviously in the plan,” confirmed Sargeant. “We talked about it a lot, and they came out and executed. We didn’t play great but, boy, we played hard. That’s a good football team on the other side, but son of a gun — our kids were on point, coaches did a great job all week and, hey, we showed great strides from last week to this week. This was a great team win and we needed it.”
dzary@postmedia.com
