Photo courtesy of Louis Christ Photography

The defending Canadian Bowl champion Saskatoon Hilltops will once again be a force in the Prairie Conference again this season as several of their weapons on both sides of the ball are returning.

One of those weapons is receiver Noah Flaman.  Last season he led the Conference with an average of 20.1 yards a catch hauling in 21 passes for 422 yards and had six touchdowns during the regular season.  Then in the Canadian Bowl he made three receptions for 94 yards and had the opening touchdown of the game in a rain drenched national championship in Westshore last November. 

He will return for his fourth season hoping to build off of last year.  His biggest strength is his knowledge of the opposing defences and how he can exploit holes to get open.  His ability to find the open spot and give his quarterback a target to throw to is something every receiver needs to be successful and Flaman does it with ease.

Coming into this season his goal is to keep improving.  Everything player has a team goal to win the Canadian Bowl and for Flaman that is most definitely the same as he would love for his Hilltops to win a back-to-back championship. However personally, he is honing in on skill development and will try to be the best teammate he can be.

When he looks back at his previous three seasons in the CJFL, the game that stands out is without a doubt last year’s Canadian Bowl in Westshore.  He and the Hilltops set the goal of a national championship at the beginning of the year and they worked hard to not only reach that game, but win it as well.  

He has been part of some very memorable plays throughout his career, but his favourite play of all time didn’t really involve him.  In his rookie season his Hilltops were playing the Edmonton Huskies in a semi-final with their season on the line.  During one play the Hilltops fumbled the ball, but All-Canadian offensive lineman Mason Ochs jumped on it and in turn saved their season.  It’s a play that Flaman will never forget. 

Now in his fourth year, Flaman is inherently a leader particularly within the receiver corps and will try and lend his knowledge to the younger players coming up.  

The Hilltops open defence of their national championship on August 11th when they host the Huskies at SMF Field.

Receiver Noah Flaman is a CJFL Player to Watch.