Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant certainly enjoyed his last visit to Langley’s McLeod Athletic Park
It was two years ago and the highlight was Sargeant and his football team marching off the field with the Canadian Bowl championship trophy in their clutches.
The Hilltops are back in town for the 2014 Canadian Bowl — Canada’s junior football championship — which will be once again contested at McLeod Athletic Park.
The game on Saturday (McLeod Athletic Park, 1 p.m.) pits the Hilltops against the Langley Rams in a rematch of the 2012 title game, a dramatic 23-21 Saskatoon victory.
The Hilltops have won 16 national championships — 2012 capped off a three-peat — while the Rams are still in search of their first. This is the Rams’ third title-game appearance.
The Rams went 7-3 during the regular season before upsetting the Okanagan Sun 23-19 in the BCFC championship game.
The Hilltops were tops in the Prairie Football Conference at 6-2 and defeated the Calgary Colts 27-7 in the championship game.
Saskatoon had begun the season at 1-2.
“We were tripping over ourselves, but we were able to right the ship,” said Sargeant. “For us, since week four, each game has been a playoff game.
“It wasn’t easy but we got to our final destination.”
Sargeant knows his team will be in tough against a squad that went 6-0 at McLeod Athletic Park.
“We have great respect for Coach (Jeff) Alamolhoda and his staff and the work they do,” he said.
“The close games, that’s where it shows that coaching makes a difference and they certainly proved that (against Okanagan).”
In the 2012 championship final, Langley was ahead 21-6 early in the third quarter, but Saskatoon capitalized on a fumble to get back in the game and score the final 17 points in the dramatic come-from-behind victory.
Alamolhoda said the team needs to have a one-play mentality, whether it is a positive or negative play.
“We are going to have to win each and every play and if we don’t, we are going to have to look at the next play,” he said.
“If something happens one play, we have to respond immediately on the next play.
“We can’t let things start trickling downhill because that is a slippery slope and sooner than later, it gets away from you and you have lost the game immediately.”
While the bulk of the players are different from two years ago, the coaching staffs remain the same.
“Every team is different and we will see a wrinkle here and there,” Alamolhoda said.
“(But) it gives you an idea to prepare for.”
The Hilltops boast a pair of offensive linemen — Ben Hodgson and Terry Thesen — who were both named all-Canadians. They also have Wayndel Lewis, who led the country with 1,063 rushing yards, averaging 8.2 yards per carry and nine touchdowns.
Quarterback Jared Andreychuk threw 11 touchdown passes and 1,624 passing yards, completing 49.3 per cent of his passes with an efficiency rating of 84.7 per cent.
His favourite target was receiver Evan Kopchynski who had 17 receptions for 463 yards and five touchdown catches.
Tasked with trying to stop the offence will be a pair of all-Canadians along the Rams defensive line.
Dylan Roper, the BCFC defensive player of the year, led the league with 10 sacks. He also forced two fumbles and had 11 tackles.
Clogging the middle of the line will be Alex Agnoletto, who had 23 tackles, 15 assists and four sacks.
The Rams also have the league’s rookie of the year in linebacker Ethan Schulz. He had a team-high 23 tackles, 14 assists, four sacks and a league-leading four fumble recoveries.
And John Beckerleg anchors the defensive backfield.
He led the team with five interceptions and had 16 solo tackles.
Both Beckerleg and Schulz had one defensive touchdown.
The Rams offence is led by quarterback Jordan McCarty, who took over the midway through the season when starting quarterback Dylan Tucker was hurt and lost for the year.
Prior to the injury, Tucker was having a phenomenal season, completing 63 per cent of his passes (63-for-100) for 1,149 yards and 14 touchdowns. He had an efficiency rating of 125.4 per cent,
In the four and a half games McCarty has played, he was 62-for-118 for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns for an efficiency of 89 per cent. He completed 52.5 per cent of his passes.
Largely on the receiving ends of the passes are a pair of tall, physical receivers in Daniel English and Malcolm Williams. The duo combined to collect 69 receptions for 1,395 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Leading the rushing attack with be running back Nathan Lund. Injured for the first part of the season, he finished with 411 yards on 51 carries — an average of 8.1 yards — and five touchdowns.
Langley also has Tore Corrado in the slot, and the speedy receiver collected 18 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns, despite missing time with injury.
Saskatoon defensive end Matt Kozun led the country with 15 sacks while defensive back Austin Thorarinsoon had three interceptions. And linebacker Justin Filteau had 37 solo tackles, 20 assists, two fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions. And if teams key on Filteau, Cole Benkic has taken advantage, collecting 25 tackles, 12 assists and two turnovers, including one pick-six.
Langley’s Luke Andrews, the Rams’ special teams captain, was a part of the 2012 championship game. The Canadian Bowl will be his final junior football game.
He said it will be of some benefit playing a familiar opponent.
“Before we didn’t really know what they did or how they played,” he said.
There is pressure playing as the home team, but the Rams will take the added weight of playing in front of their fans.
“There is pressure as the home team, but we have no intention of anyone beating us in our house,” said Nathan Lund, the Rams’ second-year running back.
Lund led the team with 411 yards rushing and five touchdowns despite being injured for the start of the year.
“The line of scrimmage is going to be huge,” said the Rams’ centre, Anthony Daley, who just returned to the line-up in the last game.
Daley was part of the 2012 Langley team which lost in the final. The Hilltops defence was bigger two years ago, while the 2014 squad is quicker.
“It will be a little different, but nothing we can’t adjust to,” he said.
“They play four quarters of football, so we have to be tough as them and play all four. We can’t take a play off,” added Andrew Chichka, another Rams offensive lineman.
