Celebration is deserved for CFL Draft selections

Nelson Lokombo in action for the Huskies in 2019.

They’ve worked their butts off and deserve a moment of celebration.

On Tuesday, the annual CFL Draft was held by the beleaguered Canadian professional football circuit which wasn’t able to hit the field for a season in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Due to public health orders and restrictions that are still in place to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of a possible 2021 CFL season has been pushed back from June 10 to August 5. Each team is slated to play 14 regular season games each as opposed to the normal length of 18 regular season games.

As it stands right now, the last CFL game that was played was on Nov. 24, 2019 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta., when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers thumped the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 to win the Grey Cup.

While the CFL wasn’t able to hit the field in 2020, players who were selected in Tuesday’s CFL Draft should take every opportunity to enjoy the moment. They put in a lot of hard work and made a tonne of sacrifices to get to this point.

The draftees that play out of Canada had to preserver though an unprecedented 2020, where the football league in U Sports and the CJFL weren’t able to hold campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connor Berglof in action for the Huskies in 2019.

Football has been a passion for a long time for the draftees. Being selected in the CFL Draft is still a huge accomplishment.

The latest CFL Draft was a good day for both the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams.

The Huskies had three players taken in the draft including defensive backs Nelson Lokombo and Josh Hagerty along with centre Connor Berglof.

The Rams had two players selected in linebacker Robbie Lowes and running back Kyle Borsa.

On the Huskies front, Lokombo was the most well-known CFL prospect as he was named the U Sports defensive player of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star in 2019.

That season, Lokombo, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds, topped the Huskies with four interceptions, and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns during the regular season.

The Abbotsford, B.C., product posted 23.5 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups during the regular campaign, which saw the Huskies post a 5-3 record.

Josh Hagerty in action for the Huskies in 2019.

The 22-year-old, who has played three complete seasons with the Huskies, can play every position in the defensive secondary and could likely slide into an outside linebacker spot if needed.

Connor Berglof kept up the Huskies reputation as being “O-line U” getting selected in the third round and 24^th overall by the Ottawa Redblacks. 

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate Tigers high school football team was the Huskies starting centre in 2019 and picked up all-Canadian all-star honours in his third campaign of U Sports eligibility.

The 24-year-old Berglof, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds, became the third starter from the Huskies O-line in 2019 to be selected in the CFL Draft.

In the 2020 CFL Draft, left guard Mattland Riley was picked in the first round and seventh overall by the Roughriders, and right tackle Nick Summach was selected in the seventh round and 57^th overall by the Edmonton Football Club.

Hagerty rounded out the Huskies that were picked in the 2021 CFL Draft going in the sixth round and 47^th overall to the Toronto Argonauts.

Robbie Lowes (#32) recovers a fumble for the Rams in 2018.

The 22-year-old, who is a graduate of Regina’s Campbell Collegiate Tartans high school team, had 13.5 tackles and one interception playing six regular season games for the Huskies in 2019. Hagerty, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 200 pounds, has played three seasons for the Huskies and has a huge upside.

He has the potential to be one of those players where people will look back and not believe he was a sixth round CFL Draft selection.

On the Rams side of things, both Lowes and Borsa were selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Lowes was the first to go off the board being taken in the fourth round and 34^th overall. The 25-year-old, who is a graduate of Regina’s Michael A. Riffel High School Royals football team, collected 35 total tackles, two forced fumbles, two blocked kicks, one interception and one fumble recovery helping the Rams post a 3-5 record in 2019.

Lowes, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds, played two complete seasons with the Rams after spending three seasons in the CJFL split between the Regina Thunder and the Langford, B.C., based Westshore Rebels.

Kyle Borsa in action for the Rams in 2018.

The Bombers picked Borsa in the fifth round and 39^th overall. The 22-year-old last played for the Rams in 2018 and was forced to miss the 2019 U Sports football season serving a 16-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

In the 2018 campaign, Borsa, who stands 6-feet and weighs 185 pounds, appeared in all eight of the Rams regular season games carrying the ball 96 times for 613 yards scoring six touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 227 yards with one of those receptions going for a major score.

Borsa piled up 1,340 all-purpose yards in 2018, which was the second highest total for a Rams player in one season in the team’s U Sports history.

Also, former Rams linebacker Nick Cross, who played the 2019 campaign with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, went in the first round and ninth overall to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 21-year-old Cross, who stands 6-feet and weighs 182 pounds, appeared in all eight regular season games for the Thunderbirds in 2019 piling up 66.5 tackles and returned one interception 17 yards for a touchdown.

Cross is a graduate of Regina’s Dr. Martin Leboldus High School Golden Suns football team.

Nick Cross, left, with Nicholas Dheilly in 2019.

For the players that were selected in Tuesday’s CFL Draft, their hard work resulted in the realization of a dream.

No matter what is happening in the world outside of the control of these players, their draft selections are an accomplishment they have every right to savour and enjoy.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Huskies hold off Rams rally on end zone pick by Lewis

Machart grinds out 121 yards on the ground for U of S

Bowan Lewis, left, holds up the game-saving interception ball.

    Bowan Lewis came up golden when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies desperately needed a play.

    On Friday night at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies jumped out to a comfortable 30-3 lead in the third quarter of a U Sports regular season clash over their provincial rivals the University of Regina Rams only to see that edge shrink to 30-20 with 11:16 to play in the fourth quarter.

    The Huskies fumbled the ball away on their ensuing offensive series after their lead dwindled to 10 points.

    The Rams proceeded to drive down to the Huskies seven yard line for a first and goal opportunity and appeared poised for another score.

    Rams star quarterback Noah Picton fired a pass into the end zone only to see the ball deflect off the intended receiver into the hands of Lewis with 7:06 to play in the fourth quarter.

Adam Machart piled up 121 yards rushing for the Huskies.

    With that opportune interception, the third-year defensive back swung the momentum back on the Huskies side where it stayed.

    The ensuing Huskies drive ran 4:31 off the clock and resulted in a 26-yard field goal by star kicker Sean Stenger to cap a 33-20 victory before 2,715 spectators.

    The win allows the Huskies, who were rated ninth in the U Sports top 10 rankings, to sit alone in second place in the Canada West Conference with a 3-1 record. The Rams, who were rated eighth in the U Sports top 10 rankings, fall to 2-2 to sit in a tie with the University of Manitoba Bisons for the third and fourth positions in Canada West.

    The Huskies have to be given full marks for not losing their cool, when it seemed everything was going the Rams way.

    When Rams standout running back Kyle Borsa dashed home on a 27-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to cut the U of S lead to 10 points, the Huskies appeared to tighten up a little bit.

Kyle Borsa (#22) scored two touchdowns for the Rams.

    After Rams linebacker Danny Nesbitt recovered a Huskies fumble at the U of R’s 37 yard line, it appeared everything was unraveling for the host side.

    Lewis’s interception ensured the Rams surge came to an end.

    A composed Huskies offence guided by star quarterback Kyle Siemens went to work on a clock eating drive that covered 72 yards in eight plays resulting in Stenger’s short field goal.

    U of S’s defence rose to the occasion on the Rams next offensive series. The Rams gambled on a third-and-one at their own 48 yard line and Picton’s quarterback sneak was stuffed by the Huskies.

    Overall, the Huskies received key contributions from a number of different players. Running back Adam Machart, who helped the Saskatoon Hilltops win CJFL titles the past three seasons, had his best game with the Huskies carrying the ball 16 times for 121 yards and catching four passes for 19 yards.

Kyle Siemens threw three touchdown passes for the Huskies.

    Siemens had a solid night completing 23-of-33 passes for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Running back Colton Klassen hauled in six of Siemens passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

    Rookie receiver Jesse Kuntz, who previously played for the CJFL’s Calgary Colts, hauled in seven passes for 96 yards and scored one touchdown.

    The Huskies received a pair of sacks from defensive end Tristian Koronkiewicz and single sacks from Riley Pickett, Evan Machibroda and Nathan Cherry.

    Defensive back Josh Hagerty had an end zone interception for the Huskies on the Rams first offensive series of the contest.

    Third-year defensive back Jacob Solie intercepted a tipped pass for the Huskies and ran it back 64 yards for a touchdown with 42.7 seconds to play in the second quarter. Solie’s major gave the Huskies a 21-3 lead at halftime.

    Stud linebacker Ben Whiting topped the Huskies with nine solo tackles.

Rams QB Noah Picton is chased by Huskies DE Riley Pickett.

    With how the game played out, one almost forgets the Rams actually held a 3-0 lead, when rookie kicker Aldo Galvan hit an 11-yard field with 3:08 to play in the first quarter.

    The first quarter ended with Siemens hitting Klassen with a 14-yard touchdown pass to start a run where the Huskies scored 30 straight point. The surge included the Huskies causing the Rams to concede a safety early in the third quarter.

    Picton completed 21-of-34 passes for 271 yards, but his three interceptions proved costly.

Borsa ran the ball 16 times for 96 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Rams. U of R made some suspect play calls in the red zone and likely could have given more touches to Borsa in that area of the field.

    Rams slotback Kyle Moortgat hauled in nine passes for 136 yards on the night.

    Galvan had a 17-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter to go with his boot in the first quarter.

    The win will likely give the Huskies, who play three of their final four regular season games on the road, a big shot in the arm. U of S likely needs to win just one more contest to qualify for the playoffs.

Huskies DB Jacob Solie (#6) gets set to intercept a tipped pass.

    The Huskies return to action on Sept. 29, when they travel to Calgary, Alta., to face the University of Calgary Dinos.

    The Rams will try to get back on track in their next game on Sept. 29, when they travel to Winnipeg, Man., to face the Bisons in what will be a key contest for both sides.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.