Schnitzler’s football journey settles into coaching stage

Crusaders HC enjoyed playing CJFL, U Sports and CFL

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

HC Tom Schnitzler addresses his Crusaders after a game last season.

Tom Schnitzler’s football life has been a full circle Saskatoon story.

After playing high school football with the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints winning provincial titles in 2011 and 2012, Schnitzler moved on to play five seasons in the CJFL with the storied Saskatoon Hilltops from 2013 to 2017 winning four straight CJFL championships with the club from 2014 to 2017. Following his time with the Hilltops, the star defensive lineman and standout long snapper moved on to play for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Football Team in 2018 and 2019.

He went on to be selected in the eighth round and 72^nd overall in the 2020 CFL Draft by the Hamilton Tigers-Cats. Schnitzler played the 2021 campaign with the Tiger-Cats as they moved on and fell 33-25 in overtime to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at home in the Grey Cup. Following the 2021 campaign, Schnitzler suited up for the Calgary Stampeders in 2022 moving over to play full back on offence.

His time in the CFL concluded after the 2022 campaign. Schnitzler got on to the staff at Holy Cross High School and became the offensive coordinator for the Crusaders Football Team in 2023. When the team’s head coach and all-time coaching great in Scott Hundseth retired from teaching, Schnitzler took on the role of Crusaders head coach, while Hundseth remained to be the squad’s defensive coordinator.

After guiding the Crusaders to their seventh provincial title last season, Schnitzler settled into the start of his third campaign as the team’s head coach.

“I loved playing the game,” said Schnitzler. “Playing high school at BGM (Bishop James Mahoney High School) was a lot of fun.

“Playing high school football and seeing all the time and effort that the coaches put in and gave to us really meant a lot. It just kind of made me want to get back into coaching and kind of give back to the kids. Playing Hilltops and UBC and a few years in the CFL, I feel like I have a lot to give back, and I want to repay what those coaches gave me.

“I guess in a way it is full circle. I really enjoy doing it. It is fun to still be involved with the game.”

On top of being part of the football scene in Saskatoon, Schnitzler’s football life keeps bringing him back to Saskatoon Minor Football Field on the grounds of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. 

He played high school and CJFL games at SMF Field. On the coaching front, Schnitzler has coached high school and with Saskatoon Minor Football programs like academy league teams at SMF Field.

Tom Schnitzler scores a TD for the Hilltops on August 29, 2015.

While it has only been four years since he dressed for the Stampeders, Schnitzler is starting to feel the distance from his playing days, especially his days in high school and the CJFL. He chuckled at the memory of scoring a touchdown on a fumble return for the Hilltops in a 65-9 regular season win over the Winnipeg Rifles at SMF Field on August 30, 2015 noting that happened 11 years ago.

“You know what, it is crazy to think about,” said Schnitzler, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighed 235 pounds in his playing days. “There are kids in Grade 9 now, and they’re born in, you know, 2012 or whatever.

“I played Hilltops in 2013. It is kind of crazy to think about it. It didn’t seem that long ago, and then you know when you look back, I guess it is quite some time ago.

“(There are) lots of great memories. I met a lot of my best friends playing there and had good experiences. A touchdown, I got pretty fortunate with a few plays there for sure.”

Schnitzler said it was always in the back of his mind that he would coach football once his playing days were done. He said that idea took root after playing for the Saints with Kirby Frey serving as the team’s head coach.

“He (Frey) did an awesome job,” said Schnitzler. “They had a great staff there.

“It was a lot of fun. I’ve just seen the work they put in for us, but not only that, how much fun they had as a staff. It really made us all want to give back.

“I think a lot of the people on that team, my high school, ended up coaching at some point after. They (the Saints coaches) just set a really good example for us.”

With the Hilltops, Schnitzler played under that team’s iconic head coach in Tom Sargeant. Sargeant entered the 2026 CJFL campaign with 254 career wins combined from CJFL regular season and post-season play. Including play in the CJFL, U Sports football and the CFL, the only person with more career head coaching wins than Sargeant is Wally Buono with 305 victories combined in the CFL regular season and post-season.

“Obviously Sergeant, you can look at his accolades,” said Schnitzler. “He is the best junior coach that has ever done it.

HC Tom Schnitzler, left, gives instructions to his players.

“You pick up a tonne just routine, discipline and togetherness as a team. He is hard on us, but he has got our backs. If we work hard for him, he is going to battle for us.”

When he suited up for the Thunderbirds, Schnitzler played for head coach Blake Nill, who built a legendary career in U Sports. Nill guided the Thunderbirds to a U Sports championship in 2015 and the Saint Mary’s University Huskies Football Team to U Sports title wins in 2001 and 2002.

“He (Nill) is going to tell you what to do and how to do it right,” said Schnitzler. “The expectations are there.

“I guess it is no different for me now. I take that here is the standard and here are the expectations. That is how I want the kids to perform.”

Schnitzler added he learned from both Sargeant and Nill to lean on his team’s leaders. The Holy Cross sideline boss looks for his Grade 12 seniors and high-end Grade 11 players to lead the way.

One spot where Schnitzler was really proud of his players came after the Crusaders downed Regina’s Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School Marauders 21-16 in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 6A Championship Game on November 7, 2025 at SMF Field. After receiving the championship trophy, the Crusaders captains gave it to Hundseth to allow him to be the first to raise it.

Before that championship win, the Crusaders had lost their previous 10 straight appearances in a provincial final with a number of those setbacks coming in heartbreaking style. Hundseth was the Crusaders head coach of the last nine of those 10 straight losses.

“Coach Hundseth is arguably the best high school football coach Saskatchewan has seen in recent history,” said Schnitzler. “He has been here for 16-to-17 years as the head coach, and he has built this program to what it is today, set the standard high and kept it high.

“I kind of walked into a program that was already ready to roll. I didn’t have to do a whole lot as far as build it. It is already there.

“I think we just had the right mix of players and coaches working together. It (the provincial title win) was for him, so it is really good to see the kids do that. It is well deserved for him.”

Looking towards the future, Schnitzler plans to be coaching the Crusaders for the long term. When players graduate from his team, Schnitzler hopes they become better all-around persons.

“Just the programs I’ve been at with my experience with Hilltops under Tom Sargeant and playing some U Sports, I feel like I can give the kids some guidance as far as expectations and the level and standard we set at this program,” said Schnitzler. “I feel like it will serve them well in the future whether they’re playing football after their Grade 12 year or not.

Tom Schnitzler, right of trophy, enjoys a provincial title win.

“We’re trying to build character and build hard-working young men. It is fun to see those guys move on. It is awesome that a lot of those guys are staying home and playing Hilltops or even (University of Saskatchewan) Huskies.

“We want to keep sending more kids there. It is fun to see.”

To see the 2026 schedule for high school football, check out the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletics Directorate site at sssad.net/schedule/.

Familiar football faces of Saskatoon AFFL highlight photo roundup

By Gordie Howe Sports Complex staff
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Danielle Girolami sets to unload a pass for Flagging Rights.

The Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League has well-known faces galore from the Saskatoon and area football scene.

Born in 2012, the Saskatoon AFFL has been a mainstay on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds playing games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field from its start to indoor action at the Indoor Training Centre since it officially opened on March 1, 2019. On the women’s side, the league features lots of players that are either current members or alums of the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries WWCFL squad, and it is now seeing youngsters come up from Saskatoon Minor Football’s female flag programs.

The men’s side of Saskatoon AFFL features numerous players who are graduates of the historic Saskatoon Hilltops of the CJFL and of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team, who are a legacy squad in U Sports.

Tom Schnitzler snags a contested catch for Columbian Gold.

The veteran players in both the women’s and men’s games often show that their skills are as good as ever. Some of the players are aiming to make national teams overseen by Football Canada, while others use the competition as a break from responsibilities in the working world, often coaching in the overall sport and the family front.

The lead photo of our photo roundup sees Valkyries veteran Danielle Girolami all set to fire a pass downfield in a game for Flagging Rights on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. While known as a star defensive back for the Valkyries, Girolami enjoys throwing passes for a flag side loaded with players that have ties to the defending WWCFL champions.

The second picture sees Tom Schnitzler hauling in a contested catch as a receiver for Columbian Gold on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Schnitzler is currently the head coach of the Holy Cross High School Crusaders, who are the defending Saskatchewan 6A provincial champions. As a defensive lineman, he won four CJFL titles with the Hilltops, suited up for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and played in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders.

Keira Maffin is playing her first year with U of Saskatchewan White.

The third shot shows Keira Maffin slinging a pass for University of Saskatchewan White. 

Maffin is in her first year at U of S after graduating from Centennial Collegiate last June.

Along with the pictures from Saskatoon AFFL, this photo roundup has images from baseball, football, softball and speed skating.

The pictures in this photo roundup capture some of the memories that are made on our grounds. In this photo roundup, all of these pictures were taken by our Communications Coordinator in Darren Steinke.

Without further ado, here is a selection of 15 shots we hope you enjoy.

Incoming

A hitter from the 222’s Fastpitch program drives a ball off a tee into the net during a training session on January 14 at the Indoor Training Centre. These pictures when taken from behind the net can surely make someone blink or jump backwards.

Take off

A trio of young Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club skaters take off down the front straightaway of the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval on January 14. The Lions were doing sprint work, and this was an image from a 50-metre race.

All about the skill

A pitcher from the JQFP Softball program unloads a throw during a training session in the pitching tunnels at the Indoor Training Centre on January 17. The hurlers were putting a lot of concentration into perfecting the mechanics of various pitches.

Going the distance

The skaters from the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club were out doing endurance work on the morning of January 17 at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval. Some of the skaters did a total of 30 laps to strengthen the aerobic energy system.

Warmup flow

A young player lets go of a throw during a warmup for a Going Yard Baseball Academy training session on January 21 at the Indoor Training Centre. Going Yard is good at having their players built towards performing the skills of the game of baseball at full speed.

Lift off

A young batter drives a hit off a tee during a Saskatoon Berries Baseball Academy training session on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. The players were working on driving the ball into the outfield during this drill.

Nice snag

A player from the Saskatoon Lasers softball program catches a fly ball that was taking a drop during an outfielding drill on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Lasers were putting a mix of players from their various age groups through drills that were set up in three stations.

Smarts on the base paths

A baserunner was staying locked in to what was happening at home plate during a simulated game at a Saskatoon Selects training session on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. The simulated game was part of the Selects continuing evaluations for this upcoming spring and summer season.

Freeze

A trio of players from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team all come to a power stop during a conditioning workout on January 29 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Huskies football squad, who are the defending Canada West champions, have been a day one user of the Indoor Training Centre for off-season work.

Shuffle and run

Veteran defensive back Ethan Laing does a number of side shuffle steps before breaking into a short sprint during a University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team conditioning workout on January 29 at the Indoor Training Centre. These conditioning workouts have drills that help the Huskies get used to the various stops and starts in football.

Berries Academy love for Grey Cup

The Grey Cup paid a visit to a Saskatoon Berries Training Academy session on February 3 at the Indoor Training Centre. A couple of Berries players showed their appreciation for the CFL’s biggest prize that was won this past November by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Grey Cup at home at the Complex

The Grey Cup looked right at home for a couple of days at the Indoor Training Centre. The CFL’s biggest prize that was won this past November by the Saskatchewan Roughriders is shown at a Saskatoon Berries Training Academy session on February 3. One day earlier, the Grey Cup appeared at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds for an Institute of Saskatchewan Football session.

Jetting through traffic

Receiver Jackson Andrews, centre, from Mean Machine (Litzenberger) jets between a pair of defenders from Seaman Squad during Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League action on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Offensive players aim to show great elusiveness in the flag game.

Escape artist

Quarterback Max Major of the 7^th Floor Crew eludes a pass rusher from Touchdown There during Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League action on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Major is best known for his exploits in softball suiting up for Softball Canada’s national program on a number of occasions. He can also make plays in the flag game like Patrick Mahomes in the NFL.

Winter beauty at Cairns

A winter look at Cairns Field from February 7. These photos are keepers for the archives. In partnership with the Saskatoon Berries and the Sask Entertainment Group, 352 new seats as part of new stadium seating sections will be installed starting early spring and will be ready for the Berries opening day on May 30.

Crusaders’ Penner aims to make final high school magic

Running back one of Saskatoon’s most exciting players

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Aulain Penner drives downfield in the 2023 SHSAA 6A final.

In recent years and the current day, Aulain Penner is the show stopper at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Every time the running back from Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School Crusaders gets his hands on the football, the potential for something special to happen is there. When he is handed the ball out of the backfield, he can juke, jive, spin and burst in the mold of Barry Sanders.

When he catches the ball out of the backfield, he can take the reception all the way like Marshall Faulk. On kick off, punt and missed field goal returns, Penner can make crazy happen like Henry “Gizmo” Williams in ducking big guys and high hurdling small guys.

In the spring and summer, he continued to do all those things playing in Saskatoon Minor Football’s North Sask Academy program.

Now, the Grade 12 student, who will turn 17-years-old in early October, is playing out his final season with the Crusaders. He is looking to make the most in creating a last batch of memories with the team.

“It is pretty crazy,” said Penner. “Even though I’ve played two years of senior before this, it goes really fast.

“Once football season is over, it is just like, you know, it is hard. It is always like, ‘Oh. I have next season.’ But this year, this is my last season, so you’ve got to make it count.

“It’s weird realizing that this is my last time ever with these guys playing on this field for Holy Cross.”

Penner started playing organized football in Grade 2 first in SMF’s flag football system due to his cousin’s father being a flag football coach. He had been playing hockey, but football started to take over as the sporting love that resulted in Penner playing in SMF’s various programs.

“I played all of SMF five-a-side flag football,” said Penner. “Then, Grade 6 came around, and I played six-a-side (tackle football).

Aulain Penner (#26) breaks out a tackle attempt by a defender.

“Dave Blackburn, he’s a legendary coach, you know, legendary player. Then, I started playing KFL (Kinsmen Football League) and was pretty good at it. I decided football is for me, and then I started playing, you know, tackle.”

Penner enjoyed playing six-a-side for Blackburn, who was a star receiver for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team from 1990 to 1994. Blackburn helped the Huskies win the Vanier Cup in 1990 and fall in an overtime heartbreaker in the 1994 Vanier Cup. He would be a receivers coach on the Huskies 1996 and 1998 Vanier Cup winners.

On top of having good mentors along the way, Penner’s finds his biggest joys in the game come from simple moments.

“I like scoring touchdowns I’m not going to lie,” said Penner. “I like running fast, and I like scoring touchdowns.

“I like beating other people.”

Penner’s abilities have impressed former CFL player Tom Schnitzler, who joined the Crusaders coaching staff last season as their offensive coordinator. Schnitzler took on the team’s head coach role this season after Scott Hundseth retired from teaching. Schnitzler, who helped the Saskatoon Hilltops win CJFL titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, has enjoyed the short time he has coached Penner.

“It has been obviously a very big help to our team,” said Schnitzler. “He (Penner) is a tremendous athlete and a really good kid too.

“He is a more quiet, softer demeanour guy, but on the field he turns it up and obviously is a special athlete. He is very fast, very strong and explosive. We’re going to lean on him a bit this year for sure.”

Schnitzler said Penner’s most notable strength is his speed.

“He is a sprinter,” said Schnitzler. “He is a provincial level sprinter on our track team.

Aulain Penner has made numerous big plays for the Crusaders.

“Obviously, you see him in the weight room, and he is very strong too. He is twitchy, he cuts really fast, and he keeps his speed coming out of his cuts, which I think that is what gives him a lot of separation and explosiveness.”

Over the years, Penner has worked on becoming a more physical player, and he believes he has improved a lot in that department

“I’ve always been like a faster guy on the field, so I always felt going outside was better,” said Penner, who stands 5-foot-9. “Now, I’ve gotten bigger.

“I’m around 190 pounds now, so I can go in A-gap. I can like put the shoulder down and break out of tackles. That’s probably where I progressed the most.”

Penner said in KFL he was able to rely on his athletic ability to make plays, but at the high school level, he has to play smarter as well as being more physical. The skilled ball carrier said you had to focus more on running plays like the coaches laid out in order to have success.

“Guys are bigger,” said Penner.“Guys are faster.

“They know how to tackle better and cover better. They’re smarter on the field, and they’re just smarter people. You can’t just go outside every time.

“You’ve got to follow your blocks and actually use it.”

Penner believes he has become a better player and person playing for the Crusaders. With the storied history the Crusaders have, he said you get motivated to help carry on the team’s legacy and live up to a standard.

The dynamic player said he focuses on acting right and playing respectfully. He said the Crusaders players have fun, but they make sure to carry themselves with class.

In last season’s Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 6A provincial championship game played at SMF Field on November 11, 2023, Penner learned how to deal with some adversity. Locked in a 10-10 tie with Regina’s Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School Marauders, a handoff between then Crusaders quarterback Elias Flory and Penner was mishandled when Holy Cross was pinned on its one yard-line.

Aulain Penner is playing his final high school football season in 2024.

Penner dived on the loose ball in the end zone and was downed there for a safety with 32.5 seconds remaining in the contest. That safety gave the Marauders a 12-10 victory.

The Holy Cross star is aware of Saskatoon’s provincial football title curse at the 6A level. The last Saskatoon school to win the 6A provincial title was the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears back in 2009, when the 6A level was known as 4A. The levels of high school football were reclassified in Saskatchewan following the 2018-19 school year.

Holy Cross’s last provincial title win in football came back in 1995. The Crusaders have lost all 10 of their provincial championship game appearances since their last title triumph.

“I really want to win it this year,” said Penner. “Last year was more like I felt bad for the seniors.

“I want to win it this year not as much for me, but for the seniors last year and just for Saskatoon in general. We haven’t won it in like 15 years, especially Holy Cross. You know, I’m not even just doing it for me or this school.

“I’m doing it for like all the Saskatoon schools showing that we can run provincial football down here too.”

Schnitzler said in the situation of the botched handoff you console the players, persevere, move on and remember you win as a team and lose as a team. The sideline boss said the Crusaders coaches were proud of Penner and their players on the team. Looking beyond this season, Schnitzler believes Penner can have a long future in the sport.

“You know what, for him, I think it is how far he wants to take it and commit to it,” said Schnitzler. “I think he is a hard-working kid, hard-working athlete.

“If he keeps working hard, the only thing that can hold him back is himself. I think he is on the right track, and I definitely do see him playing post-secondary football at some point.”

Penner said the offers to play football at the post-secondary level are coming in, but he hasn’t made any commitments on where he will go. He aspires to play at the professional level.

At the moment, he doesn’t want to miss out cherishing his final campaign playing for the Crusaders. Overall, his best memories come from being with his teammates.

Aulain Penner (#26) handles reaching the end zone with grace.

“Definitely, the bus rides to and from games, especially after games,” said Penner. “It was really fun talking with the team in the locker room after a win.

“That has got to be the best time and practices. Practices, they’re hard work, but they’re fun. It is fun being with the guys.”

To see the 2024 schedule for high school football, check out the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletics Directorate site at sssad.net/schedule/.