As he tried to keep warm on the sidelines, Saskatoon Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton turned away from any possible distractions and focused on his looming job at hand, whenever that pivotal time might come.
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The Lloydminster native answered the bell in the final minute of the Canadian Bowl, kicking a 37-yard field goal to break the tie and lift the host Hilltops to a 21-18 victory over the previously undefeated Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Junior Football League final.
Submitted photo
In frigid fall football weather, the Hilltops won their 24th national championship on Nov. 9. On their home turf in Saskatoon, to boot.
“It was a pretty cold day out and I didn’t have a field goal leading up to that one,” said Gratton, a fourth-year Hilltop whose game-winning heroics came with just 28.6 seconds left on the clock.
“I mean, I was just trying my best to keep warm and go out there and kick the ball. But, yeah, it was a special feeling, especially doing that in front of a home crowd.
“It didn’t even feel real.”
Underneath those layers of extra clothing, Gratton felt a warm sense of pride. He shared the national championship with longtime friend and teammate Xander Pierce, also a graduate of the Lloydminster Comprehensive High School Barons.
The Lloyd boys, both 21, have been on a similar football path for the past decade, from bantam to high school and now junior.
“We’ve had a lot of years of football together,” Gratton said. “Honestly, to win this with Xander this year makes it that much greater. We had never won a (major) championship together, so to have this happen is truly special.”
Bundled up in warm clothes, Pierce was watching from the sidelines for the national championship game, nursing multiple injuries, but the slick receiver was an integral part of the storied Hilltops’ march toward another Canadian crown.
“It was amazing,” Pierce said about winning alongside his buddy Gratton. “Me and Ryden have been teammates and really close friends for a long time — we’ve known each other for seven years — so that’s really special.
“To get to share that moment with him is unbelievable, especially in the way that it happened. To see him kind of walk away as the hero, it’s surreal. I’m just so happy for him more than anything.”
Gratton emerged from relative calm at the most critical time and delivered the kick that sent Saskatoon into a frenzy, even on a snowy and cool Sunday in mid-November.
“As a kicker, you don’t get a lot of praise when things are just going normal,” Pierce said about Gratton’s role. “Every once in a while, you get put in a spot where you can make a huge impact on a game and a season. Ryden got put in that spot and was lights out. It was amazing.”
Pierce wasn’t able to dress for the playoffs, because of lingering groin and hamstring injuries from the regular season.
“Usually, it’s the type of stuff that you can play through, but I just wasn’t as healthy as I should have been to help contribute,” he said.
“It was super unfortunate, but it definitely doesn’t take away from how amazing a moment it is for me, as well as Ryden and just everybody. It feels just as good, regardless of not having an impact on that game.”
As one of the older players, Pierce continued to make an impact off the field, mentoring younger teammates who gained valuable experience in the process.
“I was super proud of all the receivers who stepped into those roles and were able to get the ball moving early on and keep us in a good position to win football games,” he said.
With snow on the sidelines framing the Hilltops’ latest national championship picture, Saskatoon managed to plow through the Sun, the powerhouse from Kelowna, B.C.
“That’s just football in Saskatchewan to a T,” Pierce said with a chuckle. “It’s the biggest game of the year and it’s minus-8 or whatever and you’re freezing your butt off, but you’ve just got to make it work. It’s pretty bad.”
Gratton made it all good as the Hilltops completed their comeback victory and handed Okanagan its only loss all season. He showed poise on the big stage.
“Definitely, the most nervous I’ve ever been, for sure,” said Gratton, five-foot-11 and 190 pounds. “But, honestly, I didn’t think too much. People were trying to talk to me on the sidelines, and I was just trying to lock in as much as possible.
“I was kicking the ball on the sidelines, though, just to keep warm, because you never know when you’re going to get that opportunity. And then, I got out there, and didn’t think at all. Just put my head down and kicked the ball and it went through the uprights.”
Gratton was also part of the Hilltops when they won a national title early in his junior career, but he described this year’s championship as a different experience, playing such an impactful role.
“This one definitely feels a lot better, for sure,” he said.
“It’s such a special program and I’m just honoured to be a part of it. So much tradition and culture.”
Gratton and Pierce each have another year of junior eligibility remaining. Both are education students at the University of Saskatchewan, where Pierce played with the Huskies before moving to the Hilltops in 2024.
Gratton and Pierce are 2022 graduates of LCHS, home of the Barons.
“I’m extremely proud of Gratton and Pierce,” said Kieran Link, the Barons’ head coach.
“For both of them to win a national championship speaks to the quality of development that can come out of Lloydminster. Football in Saskatchewan is very grassroots, and these are athletes who have been playing since elementary school. To put in the time, effort and energy it takes to win a national championship is a tremendous accomplishment.”
That dedication has paid off in a big way for the former Barons.
“Gratton has been grinding with the Hilltops for four years, and when his number was called, he came through in the clutch,” Link said.
“I remember Ryden kicking several field goals against St. Paul in his Grade 12 year to help us win that game. He was dedicated, always at practice, always working. He’s always been steady and consistent.”
In similar fashion, Pierce brings a sense of professionalism to the game.
“I remember Xander coming up to the coaches in Grade 9 to shake our hands,” Link said. “He was respectful, driven, and wanted to be great. He was already polished as a high school player, and playing with the Sask Selects gave him more experience than most players his age.”
Lloyd Comp was also represented on this year’s Okanagan roster, as 2025 Barons’ graduate Mason Byford spent his rookie junior season with the Sun.
“Mason grew tremendously as a player in Kelowna, and in his first year he reached the national championship game,” Link said.
“That experience will be a major part of his development moving forward, and he now understands the standard of the program.”
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