'We’re not playing to our full potential': Saskatoon Hilltops hope to turn things around after rare back-to-back losses
Despite losing back to back games, Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said it’s no time to panic.
"You know what, this is old hat, we've been here many times before,” Sargeant said as the team began practicing Tuesday night.
You have to dig back many years to find the last time the Hilltops were on the practice field after two straight losses.
"Following them after high school, I haven't seen them losing three games, let alone even two games in a row. So this is pretty big, but it's a good humbling moment for us,” running-back Carter Mclean said.
Adding salt to the wound, both losses came against their provincial rivals, the Regina Thunder.
Now the Hilltops are hoping to avoid losing their third straight game and falling below .500.
"It's my job to find the right players and put them in the right spots to do the right things, and we have to become more consistent so, were excited for what's in front of us,” Sargrant said.
"We've been making stupid mistakes and you know, we gotta work hard at practice and just get better. We're not playing to our full potential yet," line-backer Konnor Johnson said.
The coach said that means getting back to fundamentals.
"We are going focus on blocking and tackling. As you see were going to be in full pad all week and were just going to focus on the basics,” he said.
There's been a changing of the guard at quarterback as Damon Dutton took the reigns from Doug Fleming, and posted a whopping 82 percent completion rate.
"To try not to get to high on highs and try not to get to low on lows, just try to stay rather neutral. And I think that by doing that were not throwing other guys off. And were not bringing the wrong energy," Dutton said.
Saskatoon's defence has been bend-but-don't-break, allowing just over 20 points a game, which is third best in the Prairie Football Conference.
The Hilltops will be back at home this Sunday to face the Winnipeg Rifles, a team that dating back to 2014, the Hilltops have beaten 16 straight times.
But if they lose, they would fall below .500 for the first time in seven years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.