HUMBOLDT — After six years as a member of the Saskatoon Hilltops, things will certainly be different for Humboldt product Jared Giddings.
“I think I’ll miss going to the clubhouse and seeing all the boys the most,” he said. “Being there with them every day made it feel like a second home and I could always turn to them when maybe things weren’t going the best for myself.”
Over five full seasons with the junior football juggernaut, the son of Lorne and Gail Giddings was a part of five Prairie Football Conference titles and four Canadian Bowl national championships.
“I think what allows the program to be successful year after year is the coaching staff and management of the team and the consistency it brings so we as players can perform at a high level,” Giddings said. “I truly believe the Saskatoon Hilltops have the best coaches around and they gave me all the tools to be the best football player I could be.”
Over the years, Giddings played important roles for the Hilltops. In 2018, the defensive back was a PFC All-Star. Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant described Giddings as a “shutdown corner”. The coach said the Hilltops will miss a number of things about Giddings, who served as a captain.
“No. 1, his positive demeanor,” Sargeant said. “He always had a smile on his face. Even keeled.”
Usually, players can suit up for up to five seasons with the junior team. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the 2020 campaign, a sixth year was granted. Giddings was one of only three sixth-year Hilltops last season. Regarding Giddings, Sargeant said he has “great respect for the loyalty and commitment he has shown to this program.”
Giddings was banged up part of this past season, but Sargeant praised him for battling back to help the team. The Hilltops dropped two games early on to the Regina Thunder. However, they were able to make it to the PFC finals and defeat the Thunder, who had previously been unbeaten, to claim their seventh straight conference title. The Hilltops’ season came to an end in the national semifinals. They had won the last six Canadian Bowls.
“I was just thrilled to be back playing football,” said Giddings, alluding to the lost 2020 campaign. “This season was different from previous years as the team faced some adversity early on and had to go through some growing pains throughout but that allowed us to become closer as a team and that made this season even more special.”
Whether he was developing his game at the Humboldt Collegiate Institute or playing for the Hilltops, Giddings has had the support of his parents.
“They have given me every opportunity to succeed in everything I’ve tried doing up to this point. They are my biggest fans and biggest supporters no matter how things may have gone while playing football. Without them, I don’t know where I would be right now, but I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done,” said Giddings, who also praised the ongoing support of his siblings Josh, Kaitlin and Jenna; both sets of grandparents; aunts; uncles; and all his friends.
Giddings is finishing up his agronomy degree at the University of Saskatchewan. He is unsure what comes next as far as football or his career.
“Right now, I am just trying to soak in what I was able to do with the football team and with my schooling here in Saskatoon and looking forward to whatever comes next.”
