Photo credit: Darren Steinke
As a running back with the Saskatoon Hilltops, Corbin Ebben has demonstrated an ability to change directions in the blink of an eye.
In effect, that is how he got into football — a sport he did not play until Grade 10.
Previously, Ebben was a goaltender. There was a time when, like many Canadian youngsters, he dreamed of playing in the NHL.
As one who resided in Delisle at the time, there were routine reminders of big-league hockey. Along Highway 7, there is a sign that honours Hockey Hall of Famers Max and Doug Bentley, both of whom proudly called Delisle their hometown.
Delisle also boasts the Rebels, a nine-a-side high school football team.
Classmates at Delisle Composite High School had suggested to Ebben that he might want to try the gridiron game.
Just give it one chance, at least, they said. He eventually took their advice.
Sold! Just like the goaltending equipment that soon ended up on a sports-exchange shelf.
“Honestly, after the first practice, I knew what I wanted,” Ebben recalls. “I was done with hockey and I knew I wanted to play football.
“I just liked the physicality of it. There’s no other sport like it.
“There’s not much contact when you’re a goalie, so maybe that’s why I like football so much.”
As much as Ebben appreciated the physical part of the game, avoiding contact became a key part of his repertoire. Would-be tacklers found him to be most elusive.
“Nine-man football is a different game, for sure,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s pretty much the same field (as 12-on-12), so it’s more of a track race.”
The sport eventually led him back to his birthplace, Saskatoon, and to the Prairie Football Conference.
“Growing up, I knew about the Hilltops, so that was kind of my goal from Grade 10,” recalls Ebben, who attended high school in Delisle while living on an acreage with his mother and stepfather.
“It was my Grade 12 season and I didn’t have any teams talking to me or anything. Our head coach in Delisle, Ty Pylypow, used to play for the Hilltops. He told me, ‘Send your film out and wait for them to get back to you.’
“They did give me a call and told me to start coming out to their winter camps. That’s how it all started.”
What was it like to receive that call?
“I was over the moon,” Ebben says. “That was definitely a top-five day in my life.”
And now … well, he’s in the top five!
The 20-year-old Ebben is tied for third in the league in touchdowns (five) and points (30) as a key member of a 4-0 Hilltops team.
He is third in rushing yardage, with 338, and has also made immense contributions as a receiver out of the backfield.
Consider the three touchdown passes he caught in a 52-19 victory over the host Calgary Colts on Aug. 25.
“I actually started off as a receiver in high school,” the third-year Hilltop notes. “They had me switching back from receiver to running back.
“Maybe being a goalie helped with my hand-eye co-ordination. I like to think I’ve always had good hands.”
Also against Calgary, Ebben rushed for 140 yards on 18 carries en route to earning PFC offensive-player-of-the-week laurels.
Despite being singled out individually, Ebben is not one to highlight himself when asked about the season to date.
“It’s going well,” he says. “The whole team had a really good off-season, training at Ignite Athletics here in the city,” says the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, who in 2023 helped the Hilltops win the 23rd national title in franchise history.
“I feel like we’re all coming together, working hard every day, doing our best to have a great season again.”
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation supports amateur football throughout the province.
