New look offensive line leads way in opening
day victory
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| The Hilltops offensive line paved the way for 435 total offensive yards. |
The Saskatoon Hilltops new look offensive line is no longer
a question mark.
Coming into the 2016 season, there were concerns the Toppers
O-line would no longer be as vaunted as it has been in the past. After winning
the Canadian Junior Football League championship for a second straight year in
2015, the Hilltops graduated all-Canadian all-stars in left tackle Terry Thesen
and left guard Nathan Heide along with standout centre Jordan Hydomako.
Those three departures were more than monster size to say
the least.
During Sunday’s regular season opening 40-13 romp over the
Winnipeg Rifles at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops new look
offensive line didn’t skip a beat helping the host side pile up 435 yards of
offence including 220 yard along the ground and 215 yards through the air.
Tyler Hoath and Drayke Unger were back as starters but in
new positions. Hoath moved from right tackle to left tackle, while Unger
switched from right guard to left guard. Kirk Simonsen is the new starter at
right tackle, Jack Sloboda takes over at right guard and Cord Ivanco handles
the duties at centre.
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| Hilltops RB Logan Fischer had lots of running thanks to the O-line's work. |
The fact the offensive line jelled so well maybe shouldn’t
have been that big of a surprise, and it comes as a testament to the work put
in by Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen. This year the O-line is
also getting additional tutelage from first year coach and former Hilltops
player Chris Mercer.
Also, Simonsen is in his third year with the team, while
Ivanco is in his fourth year. Both worked hard as reserves and they are taking
advantage of their time to shine as starters. Sloboda moved over to the
Hilltops from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team, so he also
has the experience of being a seasoned post-secondary player.
As a unit, the Hilltops O-line was also athletic and mobile,
and they allowed offensive coordinator Sheldon Ball utilize a fairly wide open
game plan.
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| Hilltops QB Jared Andreychuk was protected well by his O-line. |
Saskatoon went up 14-0, when Andreychuk hit defensive
lineman Dylan Buckle with a four-yard toss on a gadget roll out play. Buckle
was playing tight end in a jumbo set when he hauled in Andreychuk’s pass.
Just a short time after those scores, the Hilltops defence
added to the outburst, when linebacker Adam Benkic returned a fumble 22 yards
for a major score to put the hosts up 21-0. James Vause proceeded to boot two
field goals to put the Hilltops up 27-0 at halftime and the host side cruised
on the scoreboard from there.
In the second half, Vause hit another field goal, Andreychuk
hit third year receiver Sam Mike for a TD strike and rookie receiver Rylan
Kleiter booted his first career field goal to round out Saskatoon’s scoring.
Rifles quarterback Jamie Ybarra Jr. hit receiver Ian Lee for
a six-yard scoring toss and tailback Micheal Ritchott ran in a major from 19
yards out to account for Winnipeg’s points.
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| Hilltops rookie RB Joshua Ewanchyna found lanes to cruise through. |
Ybarra Jr. completed 22 of 35 passes for 262 yards, one
touchdown and two interceptions.
The Rifles turned the ball over six times, while the
Hilltops didn’t have any giveaways.
The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they
travel to Edmonton to take on the Huskies (0-1).
In Saskatoon’s season opening win, there were bumps which
has to be expected at this point in the year. If the Hilltops offensive line
can keep rolling, the venerable CJFL club’s quest to win a third straight
Canadian Bowl and a sixth league title in seven years becomes much more
attainable.
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