Hilltops escape with dramatic win over rival Regina Thunder in home opener

The Saskatoon Hilltops typically aren’t accustomed to dramatic victories, but don’t tell the 2019 team that.

The Hilltops escaped with a 28-21 victory over the Regina Thunder Saturday night at SMF Field after Saskatoon running back Ben Abrook plunged over the goal line from a yard out to regain the lead for good with 33 seconds remaining in the game.

There was one only one thing going through Abrook’s mind mid-air.

“Definitely the first thought going through my mind is: ‘Do not lose the ball,’” Abrook said after racking up 130 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

Regina looked to have the win in its sights when Thunder kicker Eric Maximuik thumped a 45-yard field goal to go up 21-20 with 1:24 remaining.

The ensuing kickoff was returned to the Hilltops 45-yard line before a bomb downfield was caught near the goal line a few plays later to set up Abrook’s heroics.

Adding to the daramatic finish was a fumble on the initial plunge by Hilltops backup quarterback Doug Fleming, but a Thunder penalty negated the turnover.

“It’s a close game. All I know is that we got better from the first time we played these guys to this game, so I’m proud of the effort our guys put in,” Thunder head coach Scott MacAuley said. “You got to play the full 60 minutes.”

Saskatoon has won the season series against the Thunder the past five seasons, and the accompanying Shrine Bowl that goes along with that feat.

Still, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant doesn’t see Saturday’s result as a reason for celebration.

“Lots of positives, but for me, there’s more negatives than positives for me,” he said. “I don’t like what I’m seeing.”

It’s the second week in a row the Hilltops needed a winning touchdown drive in the game’s final minutes after beating Edmonton Huskies 24-22 in a similar fashion a week ago.

“We weren’t in these spots in the past, but hey, we are who we are and we got to figure it out, sort it out and coach it up,” Sargeant said.

Saskatoon pushed it’s winning streak in both the regular season and playoffs to 23 Saturday. Seeing Abrook fly through the air for the win didn’t mean much to Sargeant, though.

“At the end of the day, we got out played,” Sargeant said. “Win or lose, I’m not feeling good about this win. The way I’m going to coach it next week, I’m coaching like I lost this game.”

After a short two-and-out to start the game, the Hilltops took advantage of a bobble on the Thunder return for a fumble recovery and a quick 3-yard touchdown run by Abrook.

After a Thunder field goal made the score 7-4, Saskatoon extended the lead to 10 points thanks to a four-yard run by Carter McLean.

A Ryan Kleiter field goal midway through the second quarter would give the Hilltops a 17-4 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Thunder would come alive after Tyler Hermann threw an interception with 4:55 remaining in the half.

Thunder coach Scott MacAulay would reach into his bag of tricks following the interception for a fake field goal that would fool the Toppers and set the Thunder up at the 4-yard line, where Ethan Douglas would pull in the touchdown pass for a 17-11 Saskatoon lead at the half.

The Thunder wouldn’t stop there. A lengthy catch would take the Thunder all the way down to the goal line, where three runs were needed before Maxwell Foerster put the Thunder up 18-17 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.

The Hilltops struggled throughout the rest of the half before igniting again in the final minutes.

Both teams enter a bye week before returning to action on Sept. 22.

After such a close game that looked far different from the Hilltops 34-16 victory earlier this season, MacAuley hopes to see the Toppers one final time in the playoffs.

“We’ll coach those guys up, and they’re going to be better come the playoffs,” he said. “We’re excited to play them again hopefully.”