Former Royals and Calgary Colts receiver Josh Wiebe repels a tackler at the 2017 Can-Am Bowl in Kerrobert. Wiebe has joined the Saskatoon Hilltops for the 2018 season.

David McIver
of The Crossroads

After a year with the Calgary Colts, former Royal Josh Wiebe has joined the Saskatoon Hilltops.

“I’ve always wanted to play for a storied franchise like the Hilltops,” said Wiebe, who also starts kinesiology studies at the University of Saskatchewan on Sept. 5.

Wiebe practised at wide receiver throughout the Hilltops main camp and practices.

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“I’m a rookie so I’m at the bottom of the depth chart,” he said. But the coaches are happy with how he performed and he was working his way up that chart until he suffered an injury, he said.

Wiebe strained a quadricep muscle during the club’s alumni game on Aug. 9. While it’s not serious, it meant he couldn’t do much in practice last week.

“I don’t try to get caught up in that because everybody’s got to do their time,” he said. “That’s what makes this program so good.” All the starters are third-, fourth- and fifth-year players, he said.

He’d like to be back to 100 per cent next week, he said, adding, “I don’t know how realistic that is but that’s the hope.”

Wiebe isn’t too concerned because he understands that he’ll have to wait to get into the starting lineup.

Of Wiebe’s time with the Colts, he said: “I met a lot of great guys, got a lot of reps, played against a lot of good players, but, ultimately, I wanted to be home.”

As a Colt, he got into some game action but registered no catches or other statistics.

“I got there and started low and kind of of worked my way up the depth chart as it went,” Wiebe said. “I think if I would stayed this year, I would have been contending for a starting spot.”

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