Sudden interest surge shows how sport can link community

Supporters come out of closet for football title games

The Hilltops charge out to the SMF Field turf on Oct. 29.

The phenomenon of “sudden interest” has likely been around in the sports world since there has been a sports world.

Even with that being a trend that seemingly repeats itself, it still always comes as a surprise when it happens. When it does happen, it shows how sports can link a community.

In Saskatoon over the past four weeks, the “sudden interest” phenomenon repeated itself in the football scene for the CJFL’s storied Saskatoon Hilltops along with the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears and the Holy Cross High School Crusaders in the high school football scene. “Sudden interest” perked up as all three teams took part in championship games on November 11 on Remembrance Day, which fell on a Saturday.

The Hilltops were playing in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – against the Westshore Rebels at Starlight Stadium in Langley, B.C., which is a suburb of Victoria.

The Bears traveled to Weyburn to take on the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 5A provincial championship game at Darold Kot Field.

The Crusaders stayed home to host Regina’s Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School Marauders in the SHSAA’s 6A provincial title contest at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Bears receiver Brady Blackburn, right, sprints past a defender.

As the time approached for those three squads to play in their respective title games, a flood of messages from well wishers came their way. A lot of the positive messages for the teams came could be seen in the comments section of posts make on the Facebook page for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

It seemed a lot of the people passing on good luck messages followed the teams only casually, but stronger connections from the past were hinted at. The connections could have included being former players, coaches or staffers of those squads, or you could have had family members on those teams.

Some of the people were more engaged fans at one point in time of their lives maybe in childhood, or in the case of the Bears and Crusaders, when they were students at those respective schools. No matter where the link came from, it turned out to be a positive link.

The Hilltops, Bears and Crusaders have existed for decades and all have their own storied histories. The current Hilltops in their modern day era were formed in 1947.  Aden Bowman Collegiate opened in 1958, and Holy Cross High School opened in 1963.

Due to being in existence for a lengthy span of time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise people will reconnect with these squads, when they make an appearance in a championship game. People who are reconnecting with these teams aren’t able to follow them on an avid basis, because life has a tendency in the current day to keep people busy.

Some of the people passing on “good luck” messages to the Hilltops wanted to know if the CJFL championship game was going to be on national television. Those folks have been so involved in their own lives they didn’t realize how much the media - especially the sports media - has been cut in Canada, which meant the CJFL title game would not be on television.

Elias Flory slings a touchdown pass for the Crusaders.

Those asking about the game being on television had to settle for the CJFL’s online broadcast, which was really good.

For the Bears and Crusaders, people did ask if their championship games were going to be streamed online. Unfortunately as far as I could find, there were no online streams of those contests, and they weren’t picked up by the community channels of SaskTel or Access 7.

People didn’t realize the majority of the sports world in Canada depends on volunteers. In the United States, there is a much larger chance paid professionals will make those broadcasts happen.

Ultimately, it was cool to see these teams get their surges of “sudden interest” even for a short time.

The “sudden interest” phenomenon was seen in Saskatchewan in the professional football world in recent days as former Saskatchewan Roughriders star quarterback Cody Fajardo was playing in the Grey Cup in Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Alouettes prevailed 28-24 in the CFL title clash at Tim Hortons Field with Fajardo executing a game-winning scoring drive that ran seven plays and covered 83 yards.

He concluded the drive throwing the winning touchdown pass from 19 yards out to Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Following the Alouettes win, Roughriders fans poured out congratulations messages for Fajardo on various social media networks.

Cody Fajardo raises the Grey Cup.

The Hilltops would see congratulations messages too. On Nov. 11, they downed the Rebels 17-10 to capture the Canadian Bowl and their 23^rd CJFL championship in team history.

The Bears fell 35-15 in their 5A provincial championship game to the Eagles. The Crusaders dropped a 12-10 heartbreaker to the Marauders, who won the 6A provincial title for a third straight year.

It was a great thing that these “sudden interest” moments materialized in Saskatoon. If these moments continue to happen in the future, it would be a welcomed thing.

U.S. road trip was good one for Raiders

The Raiders bang their sticks on the boards prior to a faceoff.

One of the toughest challenges in the WHL is to make a road trip through the U.S. Division.

For the Prince Albert Raiders, their jaunt through the U.S. Division was one that saw them make strides forward. In total, the Raiders played seven games on the trip make a stop in Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes on November 8 before venturing into the United States.

The Raiders took the clash with the Hurricanes 4-2 to get some good vibes going. The Raiders posted a 4-2-0-1 record on the trip to allow their overall regular season mark to sit at 13-10-0-2.

On the jaunt, the Raiders downed the Chiefs in Spokane 3-2 on November 10 before falling to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., 5-4 on Remembrance Day. The Raiders proceeded to down the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 in Kent, Wash., on November 14 before dropping a 4-3 decision to the Silvertips in Everett one night later.

The biggest moment of the trip came this past Friday, when the Raiders slipped past the Winterhawks in Portland 2-1. It is huge challenge for any visiting squad to pull off a win in Portland.

Raiders netminder Max Hildebrand stole the show in that contest making 42 saves in the win. Oli Chenier and import left-winger Krzysztof Macias potted single for the Raiders.

The trip ended this past Sunday with a 4-3 loss after a tiebreaking shootout to the Wild in Wenatchee.

Now the Raiders get to enjoy being back at the Art Hauser Centre for a couple of nights. This coming Saturday, they host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. on a night the #16 jersey of Raiders all-time great centre Dan Hodgson will be retired.

This coming Sunday, the Raiders host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

I wrote a column in the Prince Albert Daily Herald talking about how the Raiders would get a significant test on the U.S. Division trip. That piece that ran on November 15 can be found by clicking right here.

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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Redemption for Fajardo as ragtag Alouettes win Grey Cup

Cody Fajardo raises the Grey Cup.

It was supposed to be career over for Cody Fajardo.

About a year ago at this time, Fajardo was taking flack as the scapegoat of a Saskatchewan Roughriders season that went off the rails. Entering the 2022 CFL campaign as the Roughriders star starting quarterback, Saskatchewan got out to a 4-1 start, and the season fell off the rails at that point.

The Roughriders would proceed to win just two of their last 13 games and finished the campaign with a 6-12 record closing the season out on a seven game losing streak. Fajardo was a reserve quarterback for the club’s final two regular season games as the Roughriders missed the playoffs.

Due to become a free agent on February of 2023, it was safe to say the Roughriders brain trust gave up on Fajardo, and veteran signal caller made it known he felt that way.

While Fajardo had lots of supporters among Rider Nation, there was a sizable loud minority that viewed the quarterback was finished. They said Fajardo would never win a Grey Cup as a starting quarterback.

The Roughriders needed to get rid of Fajardo. He was a flash in the pan and not a good quarterback.

Those might have been the nicest things the detractors said. There were a lot of comments that were downright cruel.

It seemed the detractors were intent on not just driving Fajardo out of town. They wanted him to leave town strapped to the front of a locomotive, and if the locomotive hit a wall or ran into a cliff it was all the better.

Forgotten was Fajardo’s 27-17 career record as the Roughriders starting quarterback or that he signal called them to two West Division final appearances in 2019 and 2021. The Roughriders fell both times to the eventual Grey Cup champion and their traditional rivals the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Cody Fajardo throws a pass for the Roughriders in 2019.

Also forgotten was Fajardo’s magical 2019 season, where he was the West Division’s nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award. During the 2019 campaign, Fajardo started 16 games for the Roughriders posting a 12-4 record, and he completed 338-of-473 passes for 4,302 yards and 18 touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions. He also ran the ball 107 times for 611 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He was and still is a practicing Catholic who is strong in his Christian faith, and he made “a sprinkle of Jesus” his catch phrase.

With his coming out of nowhere to be a star quarterback story, Fajardo looked like he was going to be the CFL’s version of Kurt Warner. Warner was quarterback who came out of nowhere to light the NFL on fire quarterbacking the St. Louis Rams to a magical 1999 campaign that resulted in a Super Bowl win. He had a career that saw him be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Warner was the picture of what it looked like to be the star quarterback who was strong in his Christian faith.

As for Fajardi, it looked like there would be no more glory for him following the 2022 CFL season.

The signal caller wasn’t the only Roughriders scapegoat. Roughriders offensive coordinator Jason Maas’ contract wasn’t renewed following the 2022 campaign. He had been Fajardo’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.

On December 17, 2022, Maas was hired to be the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. On the first day of CFL free agency this past February, Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia and Maas elected to sign Fajardo to a two-year contract and install him as the club’s starting quarterback.

At the start of the CFL season, the Alouettes were ridiculed for their moves. Most pundits were predicting the Alouettes to finish last and be the laughing stock of the nine-team circuit.

The Alouettes were viewed as a team of castoffs and misfits. The castoffs included defensive end Shaun Lemon, who led the CFL with 14 sacks in 2022 playing for the Calgary Stampeders.

Cody Fajardo (#7) was a CFL MOP nominee in 2019.

The Stampeders elected to not resign Lemon. He signed with the B.C. Lions and was cut during their training camp on May 22. 

Lemon signed with the Alouettes on July 23^rd and showed he was pretty motivated getting nine sacks in 13 regular season games.

Still, Fajardo was the overall symbol of how the Alouettes were going to be the CFL’s sacrificial lamb in 2023. The sacrificial lamb turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

As it turned out, Maciocia actually built a really good roster that came together to become a great football team as the 2023 campaign marched on. 

On top of that, the Alouettes were a driven football team as everyone with the club came together due to having a chip on their collective shoulders on being left for dead. That ultimately made the Alouettes a very dangerous football team.

On Sunday at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., Fajardo, who is 31-years-old, had his finest hour in the CFL. He completed 21-of-26 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing one interception, in a 28-24 upset victory over the Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.

Fajardo, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 223 pounds, wrote a storybook finish in front of a sellout crowd of 28,808 spectators. On Montreal’s final offensive possession with the Bombers holding a 24-21 advantage, Fajardo drove the Alouettes 83 yards in seven plays for the winning touchdown.

He concluded the drive throwing the winning touchdown pass from 19 yards out to Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. 

The Bombers were unable to come out with a miracle play in the final 13 seconds causing the 28-24 score in favour of the Alouettes to hold up as the final outcome of the game.

Fajardo had a championship moment worthy of all the all-time great quarterbacks who played the game in either the CFL or NFL. He was named the MVP of the Grey Cup, and Philpot took honours as the Most Valuable Canadian.

The Alouettes celebrate a Grey Cup championship.

The Alouettes finished the 2023 campaign posting an 11-7 record in the regular season and a 14-7 mark overall, which saw the club close out the season with eight straight wins.

On Sunday, Fajardo showed the good guy can finish first. As a true good guy, he didn’t have to get the girl, because the girl was already there. Laura, his wife who is a doctor of physical therapy, convinced the signal caller in the off-season his playing days were not finished and he still had it.

Cody, Laura and their one-year-old son, Luca, were all together celebrating the Grey Cup win on Sunday. The redemption story ultimately finished as a fairy tale that came true.

Grads haul in Hilltops major team awards

Boston Davidsen, right, is named the Hilltops top grad.

The Saskatoon Hilltops graduating players cleaned up capturing five out of the club’s seven major team awards.

On Saturday, the Hilltops held their team awards ceremony in a new format for the club. Having held an annual awards banquet in past years, the Hilltops hosted the Saskatoon Hilltops Football Club Honors awards ceremony in a live theatre style show at the Roxy Theatre. The event was similar in nature to awards shows hosted by the NFL and NHL.

Graduating star power running back Boston Davidsen was named the winner of the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the club’s most outstanding graduating player. Davidsen was a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star had a monster campaign leading the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards (1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine) during the regular season.

In the Hilltops 17-10 victory over the Westshore Rebels on Nov. 11 in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl, Davidsen carried the ball 25 times for 157 yards and one touchdown. His major score ultimately held up as the winning score of the contest played at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C., which is a suburb of Victoria.

Graduating middle linebacker Matt Wist captured the Courtice Inspiration Award. Wist was named a second team CJFL all-Canadian at linebacker and a first team CJFL all-Canadian at punter.

During the Hilltops eight regular season games, Wist recorded 22 solo defensive tackles, 17 defensive tackle assists, two pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles and three interceptions. He punted the ball 47 times for a gross average of 37.7 yards per kick, a net average of 32.2 yards per kick and three singles.

Matt Wist, right, wins the Courtice Inspiration Award.

Graduating defensive tackle Craig Torgerson claimed the Blue and Gold Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to the team.

Defensive back Carter Wingert, who has exhausted his CJFL eligibility, was given the Ron Atchison “True Grit” Award.

Outside linebacker Wade Keating, who has completed his CJFL career, took the Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award as the team’s top linebacker.

Defensive end Riece Kack was the only other veteran player outside of the grads to capture a major award. Kack, who has one season of CJFL eligibility remaining, took the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman.

Receiver Datiel Fountaine claimed the Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year.

The Hilltops won all eight of their regular season games en route to posting a perfect 12-0 record in 2023. Their CJFL championship victory over the Rebels marked the 23^rd time in team history the Hilltops have captured the CJFL title.

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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Return to play honeymoon over for Roughriders

Outrage back in Rider Nation over losing

Cody Fajardo (#7) sets to throw a pass in 2019.

So do any Saskatchewan Roughriders fans remember missing the CFL a year ago at this time?

Judging by the reaction to the Roughriders 22-19 setback to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, it appears the answer is no.

After jumping out to a 3-0 start, the Roughriders have lost four of their last six games. Fans consumed by ragehol have returned too.

The Roughriders sit second in the CFL’s West Division with a 5-4, but the hold on second spot is far from secure. The British Columbia Lions sit third at 4-4 and the Stampeders sit in fourth place with a 4-5 mark.

Having posted two straight wins over the Roughriders, the Stampeders have already claimed the seasonal series between the two clubs and hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker.

With the way the records are shaping up in the East Division, it is conceivable the Roughriders could miss the playoff all together.

When the losing happens, the members of Rider Nation point the fingers in all directions. It is the fault of vice president of football operations and general manager Jeremy O’Day, head coach and special teams coordinator Craig Dickenson, franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo, the offensive line, the receivers who aren’t catching passes and the defence that gives up big plays at inopportune times.

The misfortune is a team effort.

Roughriders HC Craig Dickenson works the sidelines in 2019.

This type of outrage wasn’t even thought about a year ago at this time.

A year ago at this time, a lot of different public health orders were in place across Canada to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the moment, the world is still firmly in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, but vaccines have allowed sporting events to be held in front of full capacity venues at a large number of places in North America.

The CFL wasn’t able to navigate the public health orders in 2020 and didn’t hit the field at all. A year ago at this time, there was a lot of speculation that the CFL might have played its last game and might become a pandemic casualty.

There was a lot of speculation that the financial losses the CFL’s nine teams would incur would end the league.

There were people who wondered if you would get to see a Roughriders game again at Mosaic Stadium.

For the longest time, the Bombers 33-12 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Nov. 24, 2019 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta., stood as the last game played in the CFL.

As the calendar turned to 2021, news of team financial losses for 2020 came in.

In late March of this year, the community owned Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who won the Grey Cup in 2019, announced a loss of $6,982,217 for 2020. In May, the community owned Edmonton Elks announced a loss of $7.1-million for 2020.

Dan Clark calls signals at centre in 2019.

Just past the middle of June, the community owned Roughriders announced a loss of $7.5-million for 2020.

It is believed the six other CFL franchises posted bigger financial losses for 2020 than the three community owned teams did.

Somehow, the CFL returned.

On August 5 at IG Field in Winnipeg, the host Blue Bombers downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 19-6 before 29,376 spectators to open the CFL regular season.

I personally thought it was a miracle the CFL returned to play.

One day later on August 6, the Roughriders returned to a sellout crowd of 33,350 spectators at Mosaic Stadium to down the visiting Lions 33-29. 

Most in Rider Nation savoured this day as a sign that things were returning more to normal.

It was safe to say the fans were just happy to see the Roughriders play a game again.

Another normal also returned, as fans went crazy over analyzing and cutting down the team when losses started to happen. 

That was pretty evident in the aftermath of Saturday’s setback to the Stampeders.

Gainer the Gopher makes his rounds in 2019.

When you look at the complaining in comparison to what has happened in the world since March of 2020, the phrase “this is why we can’t have nice things” rings true.

On the bright side, attendance was still listed as a solid 27,964 to see the Roughriders fall to the Stampeders on Saturday.

For myself personally, I give the Roughriders a mulligan for everything that happens this season. They’ve already played nine more games than I thought they would play.

For a half glass full argument, at least Rider Nation has a team to complain about. That is better than not being able to complain, because the team ceased to exist.

Raiders stumble out of the gate, other thoughts

The Raiders have stumbled to an 0-4 start this season.

It appears the Prince Albert Raiders are on the road to a reload.

After topping the WHL regular season standings in 2018-19 and winning the league championship, the Raiders have stumbled out of the games to start the 2021-22 campaign dropping their first four games getting outscored 21-5 in the process.

On Saturday, the Raiders dropped an 8-0 decision to the Winnipeg Ice at the Wayne Fleming Arena in the Manitoba capital. The Ice, who improved to 4-0, appear to be the powerhouse team for the current campaign.

Right-winger Connor McClennon had a hat trick for the Ice, while centre Matthew Savoie had three assists. Savoie appears ready to take on star status fitting the fact he was selected first overall by the Ice in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, which is now known as the WHL Prospects Draft.

Jakin Smallwood had a pair of goals for the Ice, while Mikey Milne, Conor Geekie and Zachary Benson had singles.

Ronin Geraghty went the distance in goal for the Raiders turning away 26 shots. Gage Alexander turned away all 13 shots he faced to pick up the shutout for the Ice.

The Raiders have had to deal with the fact they have had guys away at NHL training camps. At the moment, they are still missing star defenceman Kaiden Guhle, who is still at camp with the Montreal Canadiens.

By the sound of media reports coming out of Montreal, Guhle is having a great camp with the Canadiens. Due to the fact Guhle is 19-years-old, he has to be returned to the major junior ranks unless he cracks the Canadiens NHL roster.

I still would like to see what the Raiders would look like with Guhle and Nolan Allan as a top defensive pairing.

If the season turns into a reloading campaign, general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid are the right guys to have in their respective places to guide the club through rough waters.

They are both experienced hockey leaders who have seen and dealt with all types of scenarios before. The Raiders will always be in good hands with Hunt and Habscheid on board.

During my 10 seasons covering the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News from 2004 to 2014, I saw how key it was to have good people in those leadership positions as Willie Desjardins and Shaun Clouston ensured the Tigers kept being an elite franchise over that time period.

After the Raiders won the WHL title in the 2018-19 campaign, they captured a banner for finishing first in the East Division in a 2019-20 that got cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They finished fourth in the seven-team WHL East Division bubble last season.

With the way junior hockey cycles go, it is hard to avoid the reload year after having highly successful seasons.

• The Saskatoon Blades have started out 2-1 thanks to a familiar sight. Veteran 19-year-old left-winger Kyle Crnkovic has three goals and two assists, and veteran centre Tristen Robins, who will turn 19-years-old in November, has one goal and four assists.
• Can you see the Calgary Stampeders running the table to win their last five straight games to running their current winning streak to seven games and finish the regular season 9-5 after a 2-5 start? If any team can do that in the CFL, it is the Stampeders quarterbacked by Bo Levi Mitchell.
• Could this be a big year for football in Winnipeg? The Blue Bombers sit first overall in the CFL with an 8-1 record, and the University of Manitoba Bisons football team has started the U Sports regular season 2-0 to sit first in the Canada West Conference. If both the Grey Cup and Vanier Cup end up residing in Winnipeg in December, you can bet you will hear all about it.
• The University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams have both started their U Sports regular seasons with 1-1 records. It would be fun if one of those teams could have a special campaign in 2021 with a Vanier Cup win.
• One of the most fun moments this season might occur if Saskatoon Blades general manager Colin Priestner makes a visit to Prince Albert in the role as president and governor of the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush. In branding themselves as Saskatchewan’s team, the Rush like visiting communities across the province, and I suspect Priestner would be able to ham it up with Raiders fans being on the same side when it comes to the Rush.

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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Johnson would bring beauty to Roughriders OL

Evan Johnson (#64) locks up on a block in 2019.

Offensive linemen aren’t usually associated with the word “pretty,” but the Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive line would get a boost in the glamour department, if they could add Evan Johnson.

Johnson, who is a Regina product, has been a member of the Ottawa Redblacks since the Redblacks selected him in the first round and ninth overall in the 2017 CFL Draft. Before joining the Redblacks, the graduate of Regina’s Campbell Collegiate played four seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team in the U Sports ranks from 2012 to 2016.

In his three complete CFL seasons, Johnson has dressed for 52 regular season games. He became a starter part way through his rookie campaign in 2017.

Since that time, Johnson, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 280 pounds, has shown his versatility starting games at left guard, right tackle and left tackle. During his career, He has been tasked with taking on defensive end quarterback sacking terrors like Charleston Hughes.

On Tuesday, Johnson could potentially become a free agent as his contract with the Redblacks will expire with the opening of the CFL’s free agency period. Canadian offensive linemen are gold in the CFL, and Johnson’s value due to his versatility is huge.

If he becomes a free agent, he would be a huge home product signing, if the Roughriders could ink him to a deal.

Dallis Johnson (#23) makes a tackle for the Valkyries in 2019.

Johnson comes with another bonus.

As far as the looks department goes, Johnson is the Tom Brady of offensive linemen.

Taking things a step further, Johnson and his wife, Dallis, are the Brady and Gisele Bundchen in the offensive linemen community.

When it comes to the looks department, Evan and Dallis Johnson are beautiful.

On top of that, they are your classic humble young Saskatchewan couple as Dallis hails from Canwood.

For another bonus, Dallis is a veteran defensive back with the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League and owns two league championship rings. When Evan isn’t involved with team activities with his CFL club, he is one of the Valkyries offensive line coaches.

Together, Evan and Dallis have the overall package that those in Rider Nation have to fall in love with, if Evan signs with the Roughriders.

Of course, franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo and his wife, Laura, are the Roughriders rock star couple.

With that said, offensive linemen are the most likeable guys on any football team. There is room for Evan and Dallis to be in a bigger spotlight.

Evan Johnson, right, played three OL positions for the Redblacks.

If Evan signs with the Roughriders, companies in Regina and Saskatchewan would look stupid if they didn’t get Evan and Dallis endorse their products.

If you are business that sells men’s suits, you should be running out to get Evan wearing all the best suits that your business makes.

If you sell fancy dresses, you should be running out to get Dallis wearing all your best dresses.

If you make nice clothes for men and women, you should be doing your best to get Evan and Dallis to endorse you products and dress in your gear.

If you are a car dealer, you should be getting the young couple the best pimped out truck, car or any type of vehicle they might desire.

With their looks, all they have to do is flash their smiles and Roughriders fans will be buying up any product they make a pitch for.

As for the Roughriders team itself, the value of having a couple like Evan and Dallis representing your club in the community is priceless.

You can send them to all the high class functions. At those functions, they are going to look good, and they will make the team look good.

Dallis Johnson drops into coverage for the Valkyries.

You can send them to community fundraisers and people will be enamored with them, because they have a Saskatchewan folksy feel to them to go with their incredible looks.

Of course, the world is in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and how developments play out on that front will ultimately determine if there is a CFL season in 2021. The CFL was unable to get on the field for any games in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Still, the Roughriders would get a big boost, if they were able to have Evan Johnson on their roster when they begin playing games again. As a couple, Evan and Dallis bring an enormous potential to attract causal fans back to the team coming out of a stoppage.

So if Evan Johnson becomes a free agent, the Roughriders need to sign him to ensure he and Dallis are in Saskatchewan year round.

That development would look awe-inspiring good on all fronts.

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Labour Day Classic photo fun Roughriders, Bombers style

Darian Durant (#4) fires a pass downfield in the 2016 Labour Day Classic.

    The Labour Day Classic in Saskatchewan equals the ultimate annual great lost weekend.

    Traditionally, the Labour Day long weekend clash between the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the host Saskatchewan Roughriders provides the perfect celebration weekend for Rider Nation and a great CFL rivalry. The celebration for Rider Nation part is helped by the fact the Roughriders have won 14 out of the last 15 Labour Day Classics.

    The lone Bombers victory came in 2016 thanks to a 43-yard walk-off field goal by kicker Justin Medlock. That allowed Winnipeg to take the final Labour Day Classic ever played at Taylor Field 28-25.

    Of course, the Roughriders have a massive advantage as this game is usually a sellout, and the crowd in most years sounds louder than any other home game in that respective season.

    While most of the stadium is full of Roughriders fans, a sizable following usually follows the Bombers from Winnipeg to Regina for this game.

    For a number of years, there was a time fans from out of town started arriving in Regina on Friday night to party. The party ran Friday and all day Saturday leading to game day on Sunday.

    Following the game, the parties usually continued all through the night and people began returning home on Monday.

    I’ve been to 19 Labour Day Classic games with the first coming in 1996. The Roughriders have posted a 17-2 record in those contests.
    Star quarterback Cody Fajardo lead the Roughriders to victory in last year’s game.

Cody Fajardo (#7) slings a pass in the 2019 Labour Day Classic

    I made the last 12 straight Labour Day Classics in a row dating back to 2008. Unfortunately, this year’s CFL season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which means there is no Labour Day Classic in 2020.

    Starting around 2004, I began taking photos of the happenings on the Labour Day Classic weekend. From 2004 to 2011, those photos were usually taken on a disposable film camera.

    I got my first digital point and shoot camera in 2012. Yes, I was late to the game getting to the digital camera world with my own equipment.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from the parties that took place post-game at Bart’s on Broad from the late 1990s through to 2006. As a result, there are no pictures of the Blue Bomber Cheer and Dance Team, which was then known as the Blue Lightning Dance Team, doing a performance to “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls.

    Of course, that song has the chorus lyric, “Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me.”
    Trust me, that was an epic night at Bart’s.

    Anyways, I hope you enjoy checking out these photos. I could have posted a tonne more, but I though this supplied a good sampling.

A dream scoreboard for Roughriders fans

    This is the final scoreboard from the 2012 Labour Day Classic.

    The Saskatchewan Roughriders down the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 52-0. For many Roughriders fans, their favourite Labour Day Classic game is the 2012 contest.

Drum guy rallies the fans

    Of course, the fans are a key part in making the Labour Day Classic great. In this photo, a drum guy named “Spanky” rallies the Taylor Field crowd in 2013.

Bombers walk-off win in 2016

    Right here might be the most memorable moment for Bombers fans at the Labour Day Classic.

    In 2016 at the final Labour Day Classic game at Taylor Field, kicker Justin Medlock nails a 43-yard walk-off field goal to give the Bombers a 28-25 victory over the Roughriders.

“This Is Our House”

    During the 2010 season, the Bon Jovi song “This Is Our House” blared throughout Taylor Field pregame to pump up Rider Nation for contest that was to come.

    Here fans are waving rally towels the team gave out before that year’s Labour Day Classic game as “This Is Our House” played throughout the stadium.

Lauther’s walk-off 2019 Roughriders win

    In 2019 at Mosaic Stadium, Brett Lauther’s 26-yard walk-off field goal sails true to give the Roughriders a 19-17 victory over the Bombers.

    After this kicked went through the uprights, Lauther and punter Jon Ryan made a mad dash to Pil Country in the south end zone, where Lauther ultimately drank a beer. The celebration capped that year’s Labour Day Classic.

Fans prefer rock over banjos

    This group of Roughriders fans in 2004 had a response to Bombers kicker Troy Westwood’s infamous comments towards those in Rider Nation.

    They brought this sign out before the Labour Day Classic that year and it said, “Rider fans play more than banjos! Rock on Riders!!!”

Sheets meets the public

    It seemed like Roughriders star running back Kory Sheets never missed an opportunity to meet Rider Nation.

    Here Sheets signs autographs for the gathering of fans that wait outside the Roughriders dressing room after the 2013 Labour Day Classic. Sheets would be the MVP of the Roughriders Grey Cup championship win later that year.

Gainer loves meeting the public too

    At the 2008 fan festival that occurs the day before the Labour Day Classic, Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher satisfies an autograph request from a young fan.

Durant TD celebration

    Roughriders star quarterback Darian Durant poses for this sweet celebration photo after scoring a touchdown in the 2016 Labour Day Classic.

Rally at “Wayne’s World”

    Bombers fans rally at “Wayne’s World” before the 2008 Labour Day Classic. These pre-game rallies at “Wayne’s World” are an annual tradition for Bombers fans.

Fans takes over south end zone

    Fans take over the south end zone at Taylor Field during the 2004 Labour Day Classic. Before stands were installed in that spot, fans jammed on to a hill that used to be located in that part of the Roughriders old historic park.

Harris on the run

    Bombers star running back Andrew Harris tears downfield on a run during the 2016 Labour Day Classic.

Rider Cheer Team entertains

    The Rider Cheer Team entertains fans with a little stunting at the 2011 fan festival that occurred the day before that year’s Labour Day Classic.

Carter aims to muscle out of a tackle

    Roughriders star receiver Duron Carter tries to muscle his way out of the grasp of a Bombers tackler in the 2017 Labour Day Classic.

Reaves family reunion

    The family and friends of Roughriders defensive lineman and special teams ace Jordan Reaves, fourth from right, pose for a group photo following the 2018 Labour Day Classic.

    In the front on one knee is Jordan’s proud father Willard, who was a star running back for the Bombers in the 1980s. Willard Reaves was voted the CFL’s most outstanding player in the Bombers Grey Cup championship year in 1984.

We can all be friends

    The final picture is of yours truly with a couple of members of the Bombers Cheer and Dance Team before the 2016 Labour Day Classic.

    I just bought the Blue Bomber Cheer and Dance Team calendar off them. Remember folks, it is always better to make love and not war.

    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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’Riders lose frustrating West final, surprise season still fun

Cody Fajardo was the breakout star for the Roughriders.

    No matter how well things go for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, fans always have to fear one of those moments is just around the corner where you ask yourself, “Why do I cheer for this team?”

    The latest installment of asking that very question went down on Sunday, when the Roughriders fell 20-13 to their archrivals the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL’s West final before a near capacity crowd of 33,300 spectators at Mosaic Stadium.

    With the Bombers holding their 20-13 edge, they turned away the Roughriders on two defensive stands inside the Winnipeg 10 yard line to preserve victory.

    The last play of the game saw Roughriders breakthrough star quarterback Cody Fajardo wire a pass intended for open receiver Kyran Moore off the upright in the Winnipeg end zone. With that thud, the Roughriders magical 2019 campaign came to an end.

    Winnipeg advances to the Grey Cup this coming Sunday in Calgary, Alta., to face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the CFL championship. The Tiger-Cats romped to a 36-16 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL’s East final on Sunday in Hamilton, Ont.

    For Roughriders fans, the West final loss to the Bombers was a painful way to season come to an end that far exceeded expectations.

Shaq Evans led the Roughriders with 1,334 receiving yards.

    When training camps opened for CFL clubs back in late May, most pundit predictions had the Roughriders posting a record that would allow them to just scrap into the playoffs as a best case scenario.

    Only those on the inside with the team would have had higher hopes.

    During the off-season, the Roughriders went through a head coaching change with Chris Jones leaving his head coach and general manager duties behind to bolt or an assistant coach position with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.

    Craig Dickenson, who is a player’s coach type that everyone likes, took over as the Roughriders head coach, and Jeremy O’Day became the club’s new general manager.

    At the start of the campaign, the Roughriders were bringing back Zach Collaros as the team’s starting quarterback. Fans feared Collaros might potentially suffer another concussion injury, and the season would go down the drain.

    That fear played out as a reality on the fourth play of the Roughriders regular season opener on June 13 against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. Collaros ran for a seven-yard gain and gave himself up on a feet first slide only to have Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence drive his shoulder into the signal caller’s head.

Charleston Hughes, right, led the CFL with 16 sacks.

    Collaros left the game due to a concussion, and the Roughriders ultimately dropped that contest 23-17.

    After the first four weeks of the regular season, the Roughriders had a 1-3 record. No one could have seen they would turn their campaign around in a big way topping the West Division for the first time since 2009 with a 13-5 record.

    The 13 victories were the most for the Roughriders in the regular season since finishing 14-2 in 1970.

    The surprising first place campaign resulted due to the emergence of Fajardo as a star. Before signing with the Roughriders, the Brea, Calif., product spent about two-and-a-half seasons as a reserve quarterback with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and British Columbia Lions.

    The 27-year-old had an out of nowhere fantastic season completing 338-of-473 passes for 4,302 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He became the West Division nominee for the CFL’s most outstanding player award.

William Powell led the Roughriders with 1,093 yards rushing.

    Thanks the Fajardo’s meteoric rise, Collaros was deemed expendable. The Roughriders traded Collaros to the Toronto Argonauts in late July.

    Before the CFL’s trade deadline on Oct. 9, the Argonauts dealt Collaros to the Bombers. The Bombers were looking for more consistent quarterback play after star signal caller Matt Nichols was lost for the season due to shoulder injury in the Bombers 32-16 victory over the B.C. Lions on Aug. 15 in Winnipeg, Man.

    Roughriders 35-year-old defensive end Charleston Hughes played like an ageless wonder leading the league with 16 sacks and piling up 50 defensive tackles.

    Linebacker Cameron Judge is the West Division’s nominee for the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian player award. Judge posted 61 defensive tackles, 11 special teams tackles, five sacks and two interceptions for the Roughriders.

    Pass catcher Shaq Evans topped the Roughriders in receiving catching 72 passes for 1,334 yards and five touchdowns.

    Running back William Powell came over from the Ottawa Redblacks and broke the 1,000-yard barrier in rushing for a third straight season. He carried the ball 215 times for 1,093 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Cameron Judge is up for the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian award.

    Dickenson is the West Division’s nominee for CFL coach of the year.

    Just when all things seem great for the Roughriders, adversity strikes. In a practice leading to their final regular season game, Fajardo suffered an oblique muscle injury. He revealed after the West final loss he tore two oblique muscles.

    In another crazy twist, Collaros was healthy entering the West final with the Bombers. The Bombers had many pundits predicting in training camp they would make the Grey Cup game, but they finished third in the West Division still with a solid 11-7 mark.

    Had the Bombers overcome their injury bug, they could have had more wins. Still, Collaros’s arrival and strong play restored Grey Cup hopes in the Manitoba capital.

    In leading the Bombers to their West final win over the Roughriders, Collaros completed 17-of-25 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

    Fajardo had a strong game despite his injuries completing 27-of-41 passes for 366 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

Makana Henry (#74) had a solid campaign at DT for the Roughriders.

    The Roughrider struggled inside of the Winnipeg 10 yard line, and those struggles were costly.

    On the first of two defensive stands the Bombers made inside of the final 2:30 of the fourth quarter, the Roughriders gambled on a third and goal from the one on a Fajardo quarterback run. He was stopped creating a turnover on downs, but knowing his injury status, the play call was a curious one.

    When Fajardo rang his final pass off the crossbar of the goalpost on the game’s final play, it was the final sign to show this wasn’t the Roughriders day.

    The Bombers will try to win their first Grey Cup since 1990 going in as underdogs against the Tiger-Cats, who finished first in the East Division with a 15-3 regular season record.

    When the Roughriders host the Grey Cup next season, hopes will be high they can win it all at home like they did in 2013 downing the Tiger-Cats 45-23 at Taylor Field.

    Going into the 2019 campaign, the Roughriders had a lot of question marks, and those question marks have disappeared.

Craig Dickenson, middle, is up for the CFL coach of the year award.

    There will be questions and chances this off-season too. On the local front, one wonders if 37-year-old Regina product Jon Ryan will return as the punter and 33-year-old Weyburn, Sask., product Brendon LaBatte will be back on the offensive line.

    Age and life pursuits could play part in decisions on those fronts.

    The Roughriders have a franchise quarterback in Fajardo, who has the potential to play for a large number of years. That instils a bigger belief it is possible to build on the club’s meagre total of four Grey Cup titles.

    While it seems something always happens to dampen hopes of Roughriders fans, Rider Nation continues to find reasons to keep believing the best is still possible.

    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.