2011 Josten’s Cup preview: Saskatoon Hilltops vs. Vancouver Island Raiders

The Vancouver Island Raiders and Saskatoon Hilltops will square off in the newly re-named Jostens Cup on Saturday afternoon. This will be the third time that the clubs meet in the playoffs and second time the meet in the national semi-final. Both previous meetings have played out in the Bridge City, with the Raiders winning 27-25 in 2008 and the Hilltops won the Canadian Bowl 37-23 last November.

The Raiders are in the national semi-final for the 2nd straight year. Last season they dispatched the OFC Champion Hamilton Hurricanes 38-13. Meanwhile you have to go back to 2003 to find Saskatoon’s last national semi-final win as they downed the Ste.Leonard Cougars 35-20.

Let’s have a look at the teams involved in the maybe not-so-neighbourly semi-final.

SASKATOON HILLTOPS:

Head Coach: Tom Sargeant – Regular Season Record: 7-1 1st, 212 PF, 139 PA
How They Got Here: Defeated Winnipeg Rifles 36-34 in the semi-final; Won 32-3 over Calgary in PFC Championship Game.

Who to Keep an Eye On:

QB Chase Bradshaw
Bradshaw had a workmanlike effort against the Colts as he would complete 12 of 18 passes for 179 yards. The 5th-year pivot passed for 1711 yards and 11 touchdowns during the season. Bradshaw finds another gear at playoff time as he’s thrown for 567 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns along the ground.

RB Regan Schuler
The 5th-year veteran ran for 148 yards on 29 carries in the title win over Calgary. Schuler captured his 2nd conference rushing title in 2011. He’s averaged 120 yards along the ground in Saskatoon’s playoff run.

SB John Trumpy
If Bradshaw needs to dial long distance, it’s usually John Trumpy picking up at the other end. Trumpy had only 16 catches on the campaign, but averaged nearly 31 yards per grab. He scored 5 majors on the year. He had 2 huge catches in the PFC Championship Game, a 35-yarder to go along with a 44-yard first quarter touchdown.

LB Ben Cressman
The 4th-year-linebacker equalled a modern PFC playoff record in last Sunday’s championship win as he intercepted 3 Clayton Masikewich passes, taking the third one back 20 yards for a touchdown. The three ball thefts ties Greg Jones of the Hilltops who first set the mark in a November 5, 1978 game.

The Wildcard:

SAFETY-REC Graig Newman
Newman has been one of the premiere safeties in the Prairie Football Conference throughout his career. But a late-season injury to receiver Jace Muggli has Newman pulling double-duty. He reeled in a touchdown pass in a road win at Winnipeg.

The Skinny:

The words “Ball Control” are the key words here if the Hilltops look to emerge from hostile territory with the win. That’s exactly what they did in the conference final. Should the Saskatoon offense bring its “A-Game” to the coast, and the defense comes up with a stellar effort, which was on display in the PFC title win, look for the Hilltops to be Ontario-bound in 2 weeks.

VANCOUVER ISLAND RAIDERS

Head Coach: Matthew Blokker – Regular Season Record: 10-0, 1st 551 PF, 83 PA
How They Got Here: Defeated Westshore Rebels 49-17 in semi-final; blanked Langley Rams 44-0 in Cullen Cup Final.

Who to Keep an Eye on:

QB Jordan Yantz
The 2010 Peter Dalla Riva Award winner came up with some kind of encore in 2011. Try these numbers on for size; 35 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, while throwing for 2725 yards. Even though he ran for a pair of scores in the Cullen Cup win, his ability to scramble and extend plays doesn’t rate a lot of attention.

REC Andrew Smith
Smith leads one of the best receiving corps in the CJFL as he had 42 grabs for 799 yards and 13 touchdowns. Arguably, Smith is one of the best blocking receivers in the conference. The 4 year veteran doesn’t exactly have speed to burn, but can make defenders miss downfield.

RB Jordan Botel
Botel led the conference for the second straight campaign with 1225 yards along the ground. That’s the second consecutive season he’s broken the thousand-yard barrier. Has had his workload reduced somewhat, so he still has a lot in the tank.

LB Ranji Atwall
The 5- year veteran picked up Linebacker of the Year in the conference as he was in on 50 combined tackles. The Canadian Bowl loss last November still sits in his craw. He covers impressive amounts of real estate on pass coverage.

The Wildcard:

REC Whitman Tomusiak
Last season’s BCFC rookie sensation didn’t miss a beat in 2011 as he amassed 592 yards and 6 major scores. Tomusiak had a pretty impressive 26.9 yard average per catch. Tomusiak is a very effective route-runner.

The Skinny:

Yantz & his mates will face a stiff challenge against the Hilltops defense, but that’s hardly a newsflash. Should they continue to show the form that handily won the conference for them, expect a Raider invasion of Southern Ontario in 2 weeks.

Saskatoon Hilltops vs. Vancouver Island Raiders, 1 PM (local time) Caledonia Park

Online broadcasts: www.cjwwradio.com 1:30PM LOCAL (Saskatoon) www.viraiders.ca 12:30PM LOCAL (Nanaimo)