Hilltops remember legendary figure ahead of matchup against Thunder

The Saskatoon Hilltops will be heading to Regina tonight to face the Thunder.

The rivalry will be top of mind, but some members of the Hilltops will be playing with heavy hearts.

Last week, the club announced that Jeff Gould — a former Hilltops director, manager, president, game day convenor and the Prairie Football Conference’s second vice president — died on Aug. 26.

Gould was a popular member of the organization according to Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant.

“He became our president and provided the leadership, but more than anything else he just had a way of connecting with people and making them feel good. He always had a funny story,” Sargeant said.

“He’d just sit in the chair right over there and we would just talk. We would go on the road and he just loved wearing the Blue and Gold. He just had a passion for junior football — he just made everyone around him better, and certainly made me better.”

Sargeant said he knew Gould for 20 years, and said he was one of the proudest members of the Hilltops.

“A proud director and proud of the organization. Anytime he went out there he liked to showcase his rings and the jacket to make sure everyone knows he is from the national champion Saskatoon Hilltops. Fearlessly loyal, and great pride for the Blue and Gold,” he said.

Sargeant said Gould also meant a lot to the players.

“Our coaches are always selling and telling the story of ‘we aren’t here without the work of the directorship, and the time that they put in’,” he explained.

“All our players understand the importance of what he did, and he had a way of just sitting down one on one with a player and making them feel good or saying the right things at the right time. That was Jeff for you.”

The Hilltops will be hoping to get a victory against their rivals from Regina this week to help honour Gould’s legacy.

Both teams are undefeated at 3-0 heading into tonight’s game, and Sargeant suggests this will his groups biggest test of the young season.

“I’m happy where we’re at. At the end of the day, coaches have done a good job coaching and players have done a good job of playing, but … we see areas to improve and we need to do that and that’s why we’re practicing real hard,” he explained.

“We’re going to find out truly who we are because the good thing about playing Regina Thunder is there’s no secrets between the two teams,” Sargeant said.

“They know us as well as we know them, and that’s why it’s a rivalry and that’s why it will be a great game.”

Sargeant suggests not only does the rivalry get the juices flowing, but so too does playing under the bright lights of Mosaic Stadium.

“I still get the goosebumps and I’m 59-years-old — I still get excited going to that stadium. Any chance you get to go to The Shrine, as I call it, that’s going to be a good day and good night — but it only means something if we put the effort (in) and leave with the two points,” he said.

Kick off for tonight’s game in Regina is set for 7 p.m.

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