Rams were a play away from their biggest upset

Rouge et Or claim Mitchell Bowl to end Cinderella run

The University of Regina Rams are likely not over the stunned and numb feelings yet.

On Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, the Rams nearly pulled off the biggest upset likely ever seen in U Sports football. With 3:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, second-year running back Marshall Erichsen ran home a touchdown from 36 yards out to give the Rams a 14-10 lead over the visiting and ultra-power Universite Laval Rouge et Or in the Mitchell Bowl, which is a U Sports semifinal playoff game.

The Rouge et Or responded putting together an 11-play touchdown drive that covered 85 yards. With 79 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, star quarterback Arnaud Desjardins hit receiver Isaac Gaillardetz with a five-yard touchdown toss that put the Rouge et Or up 17-14.

The Rouge et Or proceeded to force the Rams to turn the ball over on downs in their next offensive series. Laval than ran out the clock ensuring the 17-14 advantage help of as the contest’s final outcome.

With the win, the Rouge et Or (10-1) advanced to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup. They will face the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ont.

Earlier in the day last Saturday, the Golden Hawks beat the Bishop’s University Gaiters 48-24 in the Uteck Bowl, which is the other U Sports semifinal. The visiting Golden Hawks (11-0) built a 34-10 lead over the Gaiters (10-1) at Coulter Field in Lennoxville, Quebec, and cruised to victory from there.

For the Rams, they obtained way more success this season than few outside their players and coaches thought they would have.

After opening their U Sports regular season schedule with two straight wins, the Rams proceeded to lose five straight. On the cusp of missing the post-season, the Rams closed the regular season downing the visiting U of Alberta Golden Bears 29-22 in their final regular season contest on October 25 at Leibel Field. U of R was down 22-4 in the third quarter before rallying for the win.

That victory allowed the Rams to finish with a 3-5 regular season record to place fourth in the Canada West Conference and capture the conference’s final post-season berth.

On November 2, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and knocked off the U of Manitoba Bisons 28-25 at Princess Auto Stadium. The Bisons had finished first in Canada West with a 7-1 mark. Down 25-21, quarterback Noah Pelletier hit receiver Nicholas Sirleaf with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Rams their 28-25 victory.

The Rams advanced to the Canada West final to face their provincial rivals the U of Saskatchewan Huskies at Griffiths Stadium. Playing in front of 6,355 spectators, the Huskies jumped out to a 14-1 lead early in the second quarter. The Rams rallied back for a 19-14 victory.

Following the victory over the Huskies, the Rams returned to Regina to face the Rouge et Or at Mosaic Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,532 spectators. Going into the Mitchell Bowl, it was near impossible to find a pundit that gave the Rams a chance against the Rouge et Or, who have won 11 Vanier Cups since first taking the field in 1996.

When the dust settled, the Rams basically needed to make one more play to pick up the win. One of those missed chances came on the Rouge et Or’s final scoring drive of the contest.

Scrimmaging on first down from the U of R 46 yard line, Desjardins threw a pass that was batted in the air by Rams star defensive end Tarick Polius. The ball deflected high in the air, and one of the Rams defenders in the second level just missed making a diving interception. Had that play been made, it might have preserved victory for the Rams.

The players on the Rams defensive line were some of biggest stars of the contest. A tone was set on Laval’s first possession when pressure from the Rams defensive line caused two Desjardins incompletions for a two-and-out.

Polius, fourth-year defensive end Jacob Dakiniewich and nose tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes showed they were going to be handful for the offensive line of the Rouge et Or. That played a factor for the rest of the game.

After the Rams went up 4-0 in the second quarter on a 20-yard field goal and a 33-yard missed field goal rouge from kicker Isaac Wegner, the Rouge et Or got their only big play on offence in the first half. Desjardins hit receiver Olivier Cool for a 75-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a 7-4 advantage. Outside of that play, Laval couldn’t get anything done in the first half.

Wegner hit a 14-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining before halftime to even the score at 7-7. That 7-7 draw lasted until there was 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter when Rouge et Or kicker Felipe Forteza hit a 32-yard field goal to put the Quebec side up 10-7. That set the stage for the dramatics that followed with Erichsen’s touchdown for the Rams and Gaillardetz’s major that won it for the Rouge et Or.

The Rouge et Or coaching staff led by head coach Glen Constantin made some good adjustments at halftime to get around the pressure the Rams defensive line was bringing. On offence, Laval elected to rely on a lot of quick hitters and short passes in the passing game looking to put together eight to 10 play marches to score.

The Rouge et Or would change up their tempo mixing up going between no huddle, to quick huddle to regular huddle in order to cause disruptions to the Rams defence.

During the regular season, the Rams gave up 177 points against, which was the lowest points against total in Canada West. Tonnes of credit has to be given to Rams defensive coordinator Sheldon Gray for how well the U of R played on that side of the ball all season. Gray, who was once a Rams star defensive back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has turned into an outstanding coach.

Rams head coach Mark McConkey, who was a Rams receiver in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and his squad did a great job of playing to their strengths with their defence against the Rouge et Or.

Offensively, it feels like the Rams aren’t that far from having a big breakout where they consistently put up high point totals. The coaches will have to make decisions if they need to find and add a couple of playmakers via recruiting or believe they have the guys and keeping continuity will result in a breakout in 2025.

Against the Rouge et Or, gritty Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier completed 28-of-44 passes for 356 yards, while throwing one interception. After throwing his interception in the fourth quarter to Rouge et Or defensive back Jordan Lessard, Pelletier made a tackled with his injured left shoulder to take down Lessard.

While you don’t want to throw an interception, Pelletier’s effort in making his tackle on that play using his injured shoulder is one of those things that inspires teammates.

Playing his third year of eligibility, Pelletier began the 2024 campaign as the Rams backup, but he retook the starter’s role when Owen Sieben went down due to injury midway through the U of R’s first regular season contest. Pelletier started all eight of the Rams regular season games and their Canada West semifinal playoff loss in his first year of eligibility in 2022.

He started the Rams first two games in 2023 before being injured. The signal caller returned as the team’s backup and short-yardage quarterback for that campaign.

Having been an academic all-Canadian in the past, it has felt like Pelletier could morph into a big hero one day in his own style. In late September, the Canada West website put together a story about the journey Pelletier was taking off the field to build at stronger connection with his Metis roots. While those from Indigenous communities can relate to that story, it is also something anyone from any culture or ancestry can relate to.

Overall, the 2024 campaign was a huge success for the Rams, who were tied for last along with the U of Calgary Dinos in the pre-season Canada West coaches poll. They hadn’t won a post-season game since 2012 and last won the Canada West Conference title in 2000, when they made the Vanier Cup and fell 42-39 to the U of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Rams restored some of their luster.

They will likely hear less of, “Oh, they were great back in the day when Gord Currie and Frank McCrystal were their head coaches and Darryl Leason was their quarterback.”

Of course, that reflects back to the Rams days in junior football when they won 15 CJFL titles and initial campaigns in U Sports and spurts when Teale Orban , Marc Mueller and Noah Picton played quarterback for the team.

In 2024, the Rams provided hope that maybe their best days aren’t just “back in the day.”

Reider named Hilltops top grad

Trey Reider sets to throw a pass for the Hilltops.

Trey Reider piled up the individual awards in the 2024 campaign, so it was no surprise he claimed one last big honour from his Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Saturday, the Hilltops hosted the Saskatoon Hilltops Football Club Honours at the Roxy Theatre. For the second straight year, the Hilltops held an awards show similar in nature to awards shows hosted by the NFL and NHL.

Reider, who is the team’s star 22-year-old quarterback, was named the winner of the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the team’s most outstanding graduate. In 2024, Reider also claimed honours as a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback, offensive player of the year and most valuable player.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC.

In the Hilltops 24-19 loss to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder on October 20 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Reider did his best to push the Saskatoon side to victory. He completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. He also topped the Hilltops with 102 yards rushing on nine carries.

Reider threw up a final Hail Mary jump ball pass on the final play of the game into the Thunder end zone from 22 yards out attempting to win the contest. His final pass was knocked down by Thunder safety Adam King.

Graduating right tackle, Cody Shumanski claimed the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman. He was a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Lineman.

The Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award for the top linebacker went to graduating outside linebacker Noah Gedir. Gedir finished in the top eight for defensive points in the PFC with 92 points coming off of 22 defensive solo tackles, 16 defensive tackle assists, five special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, six pass knockdowns, two fumble recoveries and one interception in regular season play.

Graduating left guard Erik Barsness claimed the Ron Atchison True Grit Award. Barsness has been the model of consistency for the past two seasons with the Hilltops.

The Jim Courtice Inspiration Award was taken by graduating receiver Drake Douglas. Douglas was a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Receiver. The sure-handed pass catcher picked up nods as a PFC all-star on special teams and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

Justin Adamko, who is a graduating defensive back, claimed The Blue and Gold Award for dedication and commitment. Adamko had five pass knockdowns, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the regular season.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went to running back Brody Komarnicki. Komarnicki was named to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

Argos Grey Cup run impressive, other notes

The Toronto Argonauts are the holders of one of the most unique and amazing runs in the history of sports.

On Sunday, the Argonauts downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-22 in the 111^th Grey Cup game to become CFL champions playing before 52,349 spectators at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C. With the win, the Argonauts have won their last eight straight Grey Cup appearances spaced out over the last 33 yards.

During that run, they won the storied trophy in 1991, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024. The last time the Argonauts lost the CFL’s big game was in the 75^th Grey Cup played at B.C. Place. They fell 38-36 to the Edmonton Eskimos in an all-time classic that saw Eskimos icon Henry “Gizmo” Williams return a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown.

Speaking of icons, Argonauts icon Michael “Pinball” Clemons has been part of the Argonauts for all of their last eight straight Grey Cup winners. He was a player in 1991, 1996 and 1997, the head coach in 2004 and held an executive position in 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024.

In Sunday’s win over the Bombers, the Argonauts held a slim 17-16 lead after Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo hit a 23-yard field goal with 12:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

From that point, Argonauts went on a roll and the wheels fell off for Winnipeg. Toronto scored 24 straight points to jump out front 41-16. The Bombers got a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion from the CFL’s George Reed Most Outstanding Player Award winner in running back Brady Oliveira in “garbage time” to round out the final score.

Argonauts journeyman quarterback Nick Arbuckle was named the MVP of the Grey Cup game. Arbuckle completed 26-of-37 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He was starting in place of Chad Kelly, who broke his ankle in the Argonauts East final win.

Argonauts receiver Dejon Brissett was named the game’s Most Outstanding Canadian. He caught three passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. Brissett was one of nine receivers Arbuckle completes passes to.

Bombers have played in the last five consecutive Grey Cups winning in their first two appearances and falling in the past three contests. At the moment, it seems like the majority of CFL followers are remembering the Bombers three straight losses more than their two wins at the start of their current run.

Still, the Argonauts are deserving of the spoils of victory. They have won more Grey Cups than another other team at 19 and have a 19-6 record in the biggest annual football contest played in Canada.

They are the sports team from Toronto that always wins. When the Argonauts make the Grey Cup game, you can almost start engraving their name on the trophy.

• On Thursday, U of Regina Rams graduating defensive back Jackson Sombach was named a second team all-Canadian all-star for U Sports football. Sombach played a key role helping the Rams win their second Canada West Conference title in team history and advance to the Mitchell Bowl, which is a U Sports semifinal game.
• On Thursday, U of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team senior advisor Jerry Friesen was named the winner of the Gino Fracas Award given to the volunteer assistant coach of the year in U Sports. Friesen has a long and storied history with U Sports football and the Huskies.
•  On Thursday, U of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team star running back Ryker Frank claimed the Russ Jackson Award. It is given to a player across U Sports football who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship within the community. Frank also captured honours as a U Sports second-team all-Canadian all-star. Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby and receiver Daniel Wiebe were both named first team all-Canadian all-stars in U Sports.
• Remember a year ago when it seemed like NHL superstar left-winger Alexander Ovechkin was done? The Washington Capitals captain struggled bad at the start of the 2023-24 campaign and finish the campaign with his lowest goal total for a complete NHL regular season at 31 and a tie for his lowest point total for a complete regular season at 65. He failed to record a point in the 2024 NHL Playoffs as the Capitals were swept in four games in the first round by the New York Rangers. This season the 39-year-old shot out of the gate recording 15 goals and 10 assists in his first 18 games. Unfortunately, Ovechkin’s momentum was stopped when he suffered a fractured left fibula that will keep him out four-to-six in the Capitals 6-2 victory over the host Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City. Ovechkin has 868 career regular season goals and he is attempting to Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals.

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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Is the CFL a place you should or shouldn’t be?

Great Grey Cup game doesn’t erase uncertain feelings

Mosaic Stadium at pre-game of the 2019 Labour Day Classic.

Is the CFL good and feeling alright?

It feels like those who are overseeing the operations of Canada’s professional football circuit want you to believe the answer to that question is yes. The CFL has a solid backing of ultra-passionate fans who believe the answer to that question is yes, and the league doesn’t have any problems at all. Those fans believe the only problem the league has are negative people that want to talk bad about the CFL, and those negative people aren’t real fans.

One step removed from the ultra-passionate fans are passionate fans who have loved the league for a long time, but aren’t sure what their current relationship is with the circuit. Some of those fans that have been season ticket holders for decades are planning to not be ticket buyers in any form in 2023.

As the 2022 CFL season concluded with the playing of the Grey Cup game on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina with the Toronto Argonauts ousting the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23, it didn’t feel like the campaign finished off as the normal love in that it usually does.

 No matter what challenges the CFL deals with, it always seems the bad stuff is forgotten during Grey Cup week, and everyone bonds over the circuit’s great attributes. The Grey Cup is often a compelling contest, and when it is completed, fans come away thinking the CFL game is great no matter who won.

The CFL is this league that seems to survive through sheer stubbornness. While I myself have loved the league, the realist in me was surprised the circuit was able to survive financially after the 2020 campaign was completely cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

When the CFL returned in 2021, some of the festivities surrounding the Grey Cup played in Hamilton, Ont., were limited as there were still various restrictions in place across Canada to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bombers downed the host Tiger-Cats 33-25 in overtime before 26,324 spectators at Tim Hortons Field in that contest.

This year marked the first time the CFL could host a full out Grey Cup week since the shutdowns that occurred in 2020. The circuit also ran its first full regular season where each club played 18 games for the first time since 2019.

By all accounts, the Grey Cup Festival events that started last Tuesday and ran through to Sunday were a success. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s state of the league address on Friday mainly received a warm reception. It looked the 2022 CFL campaign was going to conclude with the classic love in the Grey Cup week brings.

The Grey Cup game delivered with lots of thrills. At the start of the fourth quarter, Bombers returner Janarion Grant returned a punt 102 yards for a touchdown. The run back was the longest punt return in Grey Cup history.

The previous record was held by Terry Williams of the Calgary Stampeders, who returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown in his team’s 27-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks in the 2018 Grey Cup played in Edmonton.

The Bombers missed the extra point after Grant’s return score to make their lead at the time stand at 23-14. The Argonauts rallied for 10 straight points to win the game 24-23.

When Toronto closed the gap to 23-17, they had to finish the rest of the comeback behind backup quarterback Chad Kelly as starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand.

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

After the Argonauts got ahead 24-23, the Grey Cup ended with a wrinkle I had never seen happen in the countless number of football games I’ve watched live in person or on television. The contest ended with blocked field goals on back-to-back series in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

First Argos kicker Boris Bede attempted a 37-yard field goal attempting the increase his team’s 24-23 advantage, but his kick was blocked by Bombers defensive back Nick Hallett. The Bombers had the ball at their own 29 yard line with two minutes remaining in the frame after the block.

Bombers star quarterback Zach Collaros drove his team into position to attempt a 47-yard field goal to go back ahead on the scoreboard. Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio’s kick was blocked by Argonauts defensive lineman Robbie Smith.

The Argonauts got the ball on their own 19 yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. They were able to bring the contest to an end with three kneel downs before going off to celebrate their one-point championship victory.

Even with the exciting finish, there was a visible sign that all was not good. Looking at the game on TV, it was easy to see Mosaic Stadium was about 40 per cent empty. A sellout attendance of 33,350 was announced by the CFL.

Way back on September 28, the CFL and the Roughriders jointly announced the Grey Cup game was a sellout. On Grey Cup game day on Sunday, you could have easily gone on to Ticketmaster’s website and bought tickets for the contest.

During the week leading up to events like the Grey Cup, it is common that tickets that are reserved for dignitaries that won’t be used for that purpose are released for sale to the public. Still, there seemed to be about 1,000 tickets on the Ticketmaster site that were coloured in blue meaning they had yet to be bought by someone in the public.

You could purchase upper deck tickets for $296.85 each or tickets five rows behind a team bench for $546.60 each.

There were a sizable number of tickets available in the resale red, which means people who originally purchased the tickets were trying to unload them.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the NFL had a practice of announcing an actual attendance figure of people who actually entered the stadium and a no show figure. The no show figure was for people who purchased tickets but didn’t go to the game.

It is unlikely a no show figure will ever be released for Sunday’s Grey Cup game.

In the 2000s, it was common for tickets anywhere in CFL stadiums to cost between $40 and $60. The focus was to get the average working person into the stadium.

At least for Saskatchewan Roughriders games this past season, about 70 per cent of the seats at Mosaic Stadium cost at least $100 per seat. In 2019 which was the CFL’s last year operating before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the ticket prices in the lower sections between the 20 yard lines was anywhere between $55 to $155 before fees and taxes in eight of the nine CFL stadiums.

Patrick Neufeld (#53) sets to make a block for the Bombers.

Price point is a big problem in the CFL. It is an even bigger problem in 2022, when inflation in Canada has seen seemingly every product in Canada increase in price. Travel costs are higher, and it seems taking a flight to travel anywhere in Canada via airlines becomes a bigger gamble by the day.

The CFL’s solid backing of ultra-passionate fans don’t seem to mind the increased costs. They see rising ticket costs as a tax increase you pay to show your loyalty to your team. If it means you go into debt to support your team, you do it.

Judging by how many people didn’t show up for the Grey Cup, it appears all the inflationary costs do actually matters to a sizable amount of people these days.

During the regular season, 3DownNation reported the Bombers led the CFL in attendance for the first time in league history averaging 28,652 fans per game. The Roughriders were second averaging 27,431 spectators per game according to 3DownNation, which the first time attendance dropped below 28,000 per contest since 2006.

The Bombers record for average regular season attendance was 30,637 spectators per contest in 2013. The Roughriders record for average regular season attendance was 37,503 spectators per contest in 2013.

The Argonauts had the worst average attendance during the 2022 regular season averaging 11,874 spectators per game. Believe it or not, the Argonauts record for average attendance per contest is 47,355 spectators per game set back in 1976.

It is a fact that attendance in the CFL isn’t what it used to be.

For myself, I often struggle with the notion that the CFL is a place for me when it comes to any form of a role. The last game I attended in person was the Labour Day Classic contest on September 1, 2019, when the host Roughriders downed the Bombers 19-17 at Mosaic Stadium.

I didn’t go to any CFL games in 2021 due to the fact I was covering the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades on a regular basis. The teams in the CJFL and WHL were doing frequent COVID-19 testing and it was still common for teams and leagues to be shut down due to positive tests. No matter what, those three teams elected to interact with the media in person.

I personally didn’t want to be the one that accidentally brought in a COVID-19 case to get the Hilltops, Raiders or Blades shutdown, which meant no CFL games for me. Since March of 2020, I’ve only been out to four big fun social gatherings that included a family wedding in September 2021 and a WWE house show this past October.

I was planning to go to a CFL game this season, but work related projects prevented that from happening.

In Saskatchewan, I felt the negativity when things go bad for the Roughriders has been way worse since they returned to play in 2021 than it had before the shutdowns in 2020. That had been a factor in killing the motivation to go to games even with having a couple of friends on the Roughriders roster. Cost also became a factor too this season as I’ve elected to spend money elsewhere to adjust to various price inflations that are currently seen in Canada.

I also feel the CFL isn’t as connected to the fans as it once was. It seems like the decision makers on that circuit are comfortable with getting by on the support of the ultra-passionate fans who will spend huge amounts of money on the league no questions asked.

Dan Clark calls signals for the Roughriders in 2019.

The rules and the CFL game itself are as awesome as always. This past week I caught the re-airing ESPN broadcast of the 1981 Grey Cup.

Famed NFL analyst Paul Maguire did the analyst work on the 1981 Grey Cup, and he went into great lengths about how great the various unique rules are for the Canadian game. It felt like the ESPN broadcast was an advertisement for the Canadian game.

No matter what happens in Canada or the world, it feels like the CFL will somehow always be around. The Grey Cup game has been awarded in Canada since 1909. Again by sheer stubbornness, the Canadian version of pro-football never goes away.

Will it have another golden age when it comes to fan interest? Being a realist, the jury is out on the answer to that question, but it doesn’t seem possible in the short term or midterm.

Johnson gets final salute at Hilltops team awards banquet

Konner Johnson was named the Hilltops most outstanding grad.

Konner Johnson received one last hurrah with the Saskatoon Hilltops during the team’s annual award banquet, which was held Saturday night at the Delta Marriott Hotel.

The weak side linebacker, who established himself as one of the storied CJFL club’s all-time greats, took home the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the club’s most outstanding graduating player. During the Hilltops eight regular season contests, Johnson piled up 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions.

Individually, Johnson picked up a lot of accolades this season. The 22-year-old was named a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding linebacker, the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player, a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star and the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player. This past May and June, Johnson attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went right tackle Davin Johnson. Davin was a true first year player having graduated from Saskatoon’s Walter Murray Collegiate this past June.

He became the Hilltops starting right tackle about halfway through this past season and started the Hilltops two post-season games. It is rare for any rookie straight out of high school to earn a starting spot as a rookie with the Hilltops, so Davin accomplished big things with the Hilltops in 2022.

Jaxon Funk was named the Hilltops top lineman.

Graduating centre Luciano Jolly took home the Blue and Gold Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to the team. Graduating receiver Dillan Heintz captured the Courtice Inspiration Award.

Defensive back Evan Mantyka, who also exhausted his CJFL eligibility, was given the Ron Atchison “True Grit” award. Middle linebacker Matt Wist, who has one year of CJFL eligibility remaining, claimed the Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award as the team’s top linebacker.

Graduating defensive tackle Jaxon Funk captured the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman.

The Hilltops posted a 5-3 record in regular season play to finish second in the Prairie Football Conference. They advanced to the PFC final, where they dropped a 39-21 decision to the host Thunder in Regina at Mosaic Stadium back on October 30.

The Hilltops graduate 20 players from their 2022 roster including Connor Green, Matt Turple, Mantyka, Damon Dutton, Carter McLean, Steve Gilewicz, Tanner Szakacs, Konner Johnson, Jayson Kehler, Dylan McNutt, Mitchell Clarke, Jordan Bisson, Jolly, Aidan Connoly, Ethan Paslowski, Daylen Hartz, Funk, Presley Peterson, Heintz and Lachlan Horsley.

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 must win to host 2020 Grey Cup, get big game in 2022

CFL eyes shortened season with September start

William Powell jets downfield for the Roughriders.

    The Saskatchewan Roughriders could still host the 2020 Grey Cup, but it will come down to how they do in a shortened regular season.
    On Wednesday, the CFL presented an update regarding its 2020 season in the face the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is gripping the world. Had there been no pandemic, CFL main training camps had originally been slated to open on Sunday around the country.

    As for the first announcement on Wednesday, the CFL said it is expecting to start the 2020 regular season on Sept. 1 at the earliest. Teams will play a shortened regular season with the number of games to be determined.

    The circuit announced that barring the creation of a vaccine for COVID-19 there won’t be any regular season games held during the summer months.

    As a result, the CFL has cancelled Touchdown Atlantic slated for July 25 in Halifax, N.S. That regular season contest would have seen the Roughriders face the Toronto Argonauts at Huskies Stadium on the grounds of Saint Mary’s University.

    Due to playing a shortened regular season, the CFL announced the 2020 Grey Cup won’t be played on Nov. 22 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, which is the home of the Roughriders. The CFL has decided give the hosting rights of the 2022 Grey Cup to Regina.

Roughrider DT Makana Henry (#74) rushes a quarterback. 

    The 2020 Grey Cup host will be determined by a “win and host” model. That means once the two teams that will meet in the Grey Cup have been determined, the finalist that has the best record in the regular season will host the CFL’s title game.

    The circuit said the 2020 Grey Cup could potentially be played in December.

    The 2021 Grey Cup is still slated to be held in Hamilton.

    With the COVID-19 pandemic having wrecked havoc on travel, tourism and the economy, the CFL noted the traditional week long Grey Cup Festival leading up to the CFL’s championship game would not have the size and scope it would normally have.

    The CFL noted that continuing government imposed restrictions on assemblies, travel and border crossings all played into the decisions that were made on Wednesday.

    The circuit’s announcement noted a number of provinces and municipalities have decided to prohibit all sporting events featuring large gatherings until Sept. 1.

    The CFL said the September start is one scenario the league is looking at and noted a cancelled season is still possible. A determination on possibly cancelling the 2020 football season has not yet been made.

The Roughriders hope to have celebrations on the field in 2020.

    The CFL announcement added the league is focused on safety, and a final decision on a return to play on what governments tell the circuit is safe for players, fans and all involved with the game.

    Following the release of that announcement, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie held an online town hall with season ticket holders.

    “I think we’ve learned three things trying to run a pro sports league during a pandemic,” said Ambrosie during the online town hall. “The first is that certainty is really hard to come by.

    “There are lot of scenarios to consider, but in the end, public safety and the safety of our players is the most important consideration. All of that has gone into the announcements that we’ve made today.”

Phase two Sask. reopening offers some relief, other notes

There were lines to get into some stores at Midtown Plaza on Wednesday.

    Going to a mall near you turned out to be an exciting even this week in Saskatchewan.

    On Tuesday, phase two of the Government of Saskatchewan’s reopen plan for the province took hold in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that grips the world. With that move, retail stores, hair salons and malls were allowed to reopen, but they have to follow strict health protocols laid out by the provincial government.

    After living through major lockdown restrictions for about the last nine weeks, life at least in Saskatoon seemed a little more regular.

    Traffic as you drove through the city seemed a lot more normal, which brought out the good and the bad. I am sure a number of people experienced their share of frustrations with driving.

    Parking in downtown was a challenge, and the City of Saskatoon announced recently all paid parking zones would be enforced starting this coming Monday.

    Confederation Mall is in my neighbourhood. Going in for a bank trip on Tuesday, it felt like a relief to see Warehouse One, Winner’s and Tim Hortons inside the mall were all open along with the $1. Store Plus.

    I went and bought a lottery ticket at the $1. Store Plus, and the clerk, who I often talk to there, said that was the first lottery ticket he had sold in two months. Due to the fact no one else was in the store at the moment, we proceeded to have a quick five minute chat to catch up.

    I proceeded to check out Lawson Heights Mall on Tuesday and Midtown Plaza on Wednesday. When I went into both places, I would say about 65 per cent of the stores were open.
    There were staff working in some of the stores that were closed, and they appeared to getting things ready for a reopening.

    While the stores were open, it was obvious that life wasn’t normal. Most stores had arrows spelling out which way people should walk.

A video game store at Midtown Plaza was popular on Wednesday.

    Staffers wore gloves and the majority wore masks. I looked in a couple of hair salons and the stylists looked like they were ready to perform open heart surgery.

    At Midtown Plaza, it was easy to see which stores were popular. About four of five stories had customers lined up waiting to get in. Most of the other stores appeared to be quiet.

    Most of the business in Midtown’s food court weren’t open. I walked past where the new Saskatchewan Roughriders retail store was and wondered if it will ever open.

    Still, it seemed like seeing the stores opened gave a glimmer of optimism, and any type of optimism in the current day is a good thing.

• On Monday, the iPolitics site reported the CHL, which is the umbrella that the WHL, OHL and QMJHL all operate under, is lobbying the Canadian federal government for financial aid for its 52 teams located in Canada. Susan Smith, Raphael Brass and Tim Barber of Bluesky Strategy are registered to lobby on the CHL’s behalf.
• On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan reported the WHL has contracted two lobbyists from the Vancouver-based Bluestone Consulting Group to lobby the Government of British Columbia with regards to returning to play. Mark Jiles, who is the principal owner of Bluestone, and Rob Nagai, who is Bluestone’s vice-president, will be lobbying on the WHL’s behalf.
• The WHL continued to roll out its league awards via an online format this week. On Tuesday, Dustin Wolf of the Everett Silvertips claimed the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as the goaltender of the year. On Wednesday, Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs took home the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the defenceman of the year.
• On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame cancelled its 2020 induction dinner and ceremony slated for Sept. 26 in Regina due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 induction class, which has yet to be announced, will be carried forward as the class of 2021. The organization wanted to all the inductees to be able to gather together with family and friends in person, which is extremely difficult to do with the various travel restrictions around the world.
• On Tuesday, Softball Canada cancelled all its fast pitch and slo-pitch national championship tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 10 Canadian championships were scheduled to be held in six different provinces between late July and early September.

    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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Imagine Canada without the CFL

Cody Fajardo (#7) fires a pass downfield for the Roughriders last season.

    Could Norm Kwong, Jackie Parker, Ken Ploen, Russ Jackson, Angelo Mosca, Ron Lancaster, Herman Harrison, Hugh Campbell, Cal Murphy, Condredge Holloway, Henry “The Gizmo” Williams, Geroy Simon, Ben Cahoon and Darian Durant fade from the memories like Lionel Conacher or the Montreal Maroons?

    Who was Lionel Conacher you ask?

    Conacher was named Canada’s top athlete for the first half of the 20^th century by The Canadian Press. He excelled in baseball, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse and wrestling. He starred with the Toronto Argonauts in 1921 and 1922 and helped them win the Grey Cup in 1921.

    In hockey, Conacher played 12 seasons on defence in the NHL from 1925 to 1937 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Americans, Montreal Maroons and Chicago Black Hawks. He was a member of Stanley Cup winning teams with the Black Hawks in 1934 and the Maroons in 1935.

    You would likely be hard pressed to find people in Canada that knew The Canadian Press award for the country’s make athlete of the year is named the Lionel Conacher Award.

Darian Durant (#4) fires a pass downfield for the Roughriders in 2016.

    Conacher retired as an athlete in 1937 to pursue a career in politics. He passed away on May 26, 1954 as a member of Parliament at the age of 54.
    Due to the fact Conacher last competed as a competitive athlete 83 years ago, very few in Canada would know of his exploits.

    He played for three NHL teams in the Pirates, Americans and Maroons that have been defunct for some time.

    The Pirates moved out of Pittsburgh following the 1929-30 season to Philadelphia to become the Quakers. The Quakers played on campaign in 1930-31 before ceasing to exist.

    The Maroons, who also won the Stanley Cup in 1926, last played in the 1937-38 campaign.

    The Americans became the Brooklyn Americans following the 1940-41 campaign and folded following the 1941-42 season.

    The football team Conacher won a Grey Cup with in the Argonauts was founded in 1873. 

Cal Murphy at a speaking engagement in 1999.

    The Argonauts are the oldest existing team in North America still using its original name and is the oldest surviving team in the modern CFL.

    The Argonauts lead all teams with the most Grey Cup victories at 17.
    In the current day, it is conceivable the Argonauts and the CFL could fade from memories of Canadian society like Conacher and the once storied Maroons of the NHL.

    The CFL is in a tough predicament due to forces outside of its control.

    At the moment, the world is battling through a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Shutdowns in North America started on March 11 with the NBA suspending play and dominos subsequently falling that seemed to reach all walks of life.

    If there had been no COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL would not be in trouble, and it would be business as usual. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL postponed training camps that were to start this month and the beginning of the regular season, which was to start on June 11.

    At first, it was hoped the CFL regular season could start in early July. 

Andrew Harris (#33) became a Grey Cup hero for the Blue Bombers.

    Due to travel restrictions and a number of areas in Canada severely limiting large gatherings until Aug. 31, things took a turn for the worst for the CFL.

    During the last week of April, news leaked that the CFL was looking for $150-million in financial assistance from the Canadian federal government in the event the 2020 season was lost.
    On Thursday, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie spoke before a House of Commons standing committee on finance and said the CFL’s best scenario was holding a very shortened season in 2020, but the most likely scenario was there would be no season at all.

    He said the league’s future was very much in jeopardy.

    After Ambrosie said those things, the idea that the CFL might no longer exist became that much more real.

    The Grey Cup was first won by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in 1909.

    It was last awarded on Nov. 24, 2019 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

    Could that ultimately be the final game ever played in the history of the CFL?

    Back when the Blue Bombers won their 11^th Grey Cup title last November in Calgary, no one envisioned that could have remotely been a possibility.

Nate Coehoorn scores a TD for the Eskimos in 2016.

    Conacher was an early star in the Canadian game of football.

    Kwong, Parker, Ploen, Jackson, Mosca, Lancaster, Harrison, Campbell, Murphy, Holloway, Williams, Simon, Cahoon and Durant have all obtained legendary status in the Canadian professional game. They’ve built a vast history creating many fabled tales with the teams and communities they represented.
    Imagine if Parker’s 90-yard fumble return touchdown to give the Edmonton Eskimos a 26-25 win in the 1954 Grey Cup over the Montreal Alouettes never happened.

    What would it be like if Ploen never scored in overtime to give the Blue Bombers a 21-14 victory over the Tigers-Cats in the 1961 Grey Cup?

    How sad would it be had the 1977 Grey Cup never happened, which was best known as Canada’s version of “the Ice Bowl.”

    On an icy turf at an open air Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the host Alouettes fired staples into the bottom of their shoes and went on to hammer the Eskimos 41-6 before 68,318 spectators.

    Of course, the CFL team with the largest and most loyal following is the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and they were involved in two of the most famous Grey Cups. In 1989, the Roughriders outgunned the Tiger-Cats 43-40 winning the game on a last second field goal by kicker Dave Ridgway.

Ricky Ray (#15) led the Argonauts to a Grey Cup win in 2017. 

    That play is known as “The Kick” in “the Wheat Province.”

    As thrilling as that victory was for Rider Nation, heart break occurred in arguably the most infamous Grey Cup in history in 2009. The Roughriders were ready to celebrate victory after the Alouettes missed a last-play field goal, but a too many men penalty against Saskatchewan gave Montreal kicker Damon Duval a second chance to win the game.
    Duval connected from 33-yards out to give the Alouettes a stunning 28-27 victory.

    The CFL needs its history to be documented by an NFL Films type entity. The CFL has so much rich history there are many endless opportunities to make legendary tales iconic.

    In the current crazy days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL faces an uncertain future like many sports leagues and businesses.

    The CFL’s survival is not a given.

    The last chapter in its history is possibly being written, which would mean it ultimately dies at the hands of COVID-19.

Roughriders fans are on their feet at Taylor Field in 2016.

    If the CFL does ultimately meet its demise, it would be a shock to the system of Canadian culture, because at that point, the realization of just what would be missing would become that much more real.

    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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New Gainer – marketing genius or marketing bomb?

Gainer looks like he had a hell of a rough long weekend and then had to report to work on Monday. #newgainer #notafan pic.twitter.com/RwhmNqDSp9

— Michael Scissons (@mrscizz) July 2, 2019

    It is the biggest gopher controversy since the Calgary Stampeders “Gainer ban” in 2006.

    Back in 2006, the Stampeders hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a CFL west semifinal playoff game on Nov. 5 of that year. Early in the week leading up to that contest, the Stampeders said the Rider Cheer Team was allowed to come, but Gainer, who was the Roughriders lovable mascot, was banned.

Classic Gainer at the 2018 Labour Day Classic.

    The Stampeders thought Gainer would do too good of a job of exciting Rider Nation causing the Calgary side to lose their home field advantage.

    About a couple of days later, the Stampeders recanted saying Gainer wasn’t banned from the facility, but he could not be on field level. Gainer could come to the game, but he had to sit in the stands.

    Politicians even got into the fray with then Alberta Premier Ralph Klein issuing a press release stating he supported the Stampeders “Gainer ban,” noting he appreciated the team’s efforts to keep Alberta free of “imported pests.”

    A number of Roughriders fans attended that game wearing buttons or messages on their clothes that said, “Free Gainer.”

    The odd person came to the facility dressed as the gopher mascot.

    The Roughriders ultimately won that contest 30-21.

    In the current day, that gopher controversy looks small compared to the one in the present day.

    On Monday during a 32-7 regular season home opening victory over the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium, the Roughriders unveiled a new trimmed down Gainer to the shock of those in attendance and those seeing pictures on social media platforms.

    It was more surprising considering classic Gainer appeared at a wedding reception two nights earlier on June 29 at Mosaic Stadium.

Classic Gainer makes a last ride at Taylor Field in 2016.

    The new Gainer had a much different head too displaying a huge smile and bright white, green and black coloured eyes. The green colour in the eyes was the most jarring site, and classic Gainer’s eyes had always been all black.

    The new mascot sparked about 80 per cent outrage, while about 20 per cent said they either liked the new mascot or it was growing on the. The percentage of people that like the new Gainer seems to be going upwards at a snail’s pace.

    Complaints range from the new mascot looking either crazed or drugged out.

    It appears the Roughriders are going to stick with the new Gainer. You had to expect there would have been a contingency in place for a backlash.

    While this may sound crazy, the change in Gainer might ultimately be a move of “marketing genius” by the ’Riders. Yep, you just read that correctly, “marketing genius.”

After some deep soul searching and weighing the pros and cons - I have decided to be PRO-GAINER AF.

We all evolve.

Gainer lost MAD weight & went #MichaelJackson on his face.

If it makes him happy - I am happy.

His 💚 remains epic as ever.

I support the #IntenseAFGainer pic.twitter.com/gYbq3IM7If

— ●■fakeGAINER ●■●■●■●■ (@fakeGAINER) July 3, 2019

    Gainer is the most iconic mascot in the CFL, and arguably the most famous sports mascot in Canada. He ranks up there in fame department with Youppi!, who started as the mascot of the MLB’s Montreal Expos and is now the mascot of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, and Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound.
    The Roughriders were looking to tweak their game day experience.

Classic Gainer gives kids “fives” at Taylor Field in 2016.

    The biggest way to shake things up on that front was to change the look of Gainer, because that was still thought of as being unconceivable, despite the fact we seemingly live in a world where all manner of crazy things can happen.

    There is a phrase in marketing that there is no such thing has bad press. In an era where attention cycles seemingly last less than 30 seconds at a time, new Gainer has been in the news cycle for days.

    Actually, a large number of social media posts related to new Gainer could make up comedy hour, if you read them all. They will keep you laughing for hours on end.

    Michael Scissons, who is the business manager of the WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders, started things off on Monday night with a beauty tweet that said Gainer looked like he had a rough weekend.

    Scissons said in a story in paNOW.com he believes people will get used to the new Gainer in time.

    New Gainer has drawn the approval of the two most famous Gainer parody accounts on Twitter in “Fake Gainer” and “Bitter Gainer.”

Luc is my spirit animal. https://t.co/xI8wkzFFye

— Bitter Gainer (@BitterGainer) July 4, 2019

    Some people might check out Saturday’s home game at 8 p.m. against the Calgary Stampeders to see what all the fuss is about.

    Still, this move could prove to be a “marketing bomb” by the Roughriders.

    Out of all the things in the game day experience, Gainer was the one thing that didn’t need to be changed. That increases risk in the public relations gamble when you actually do change Gainer.

Classic Gainer was always popular with the ladies.

    Seeing the lovable and plump classic Gainer was something you always expected to see from the Roughriders brand.

    For myself, I prefer classic Gainer, but changing the mascot won’t affect my decision to attend Roughriders games at home or on the road.

    Fans need those familiar points that link them with the experience of cheering for a team, which never seem to change.

    It is like going to a hockey game and hearing “The Hockey Song” by Stompin’ Tom Connors or “Clap Your Hands” by the Beau Marks. It is like seeing the “White Out” during a Winnipeg Jets NHL playoff game.

    While many on social media noted their kids liked the lovable classic Gainer, it feels like the female fan base loved the classic Gainer more than the new Gainer. That includes the 18-year-old millennials who recently graduated high school to seniors who are young at heart.

    They seem to have the urge to hug classic Gainer.

    Time will tell if new Gainer grows on Rider Nation.

Classic Gainer doing his thing at Mosaic Stadium in 2017.

    With the passage of time, it will become clearer if this was an act of “marketing genius” or a “marketing bomb.”

    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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Rageahol runs through Rider Nation when Roughriders lose

Head coach and GM Chris Jones, centre, and the Roughriders lost a bad one.

    It is almost comical the way rageahol runs through Rider Nation when the Saskatchewan Roughriders lose.

    On June 15, the Roughriders opened the CFL regular season with a 27-19 victory over the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts in the friendly confines of Mosaic Stadium. Everything was great, and Roughriders fans seemed to have visions of a memorable campaign ending in a Grey Cup triumph.

    On Thursday, the Roughriders played their second regular season game traveling to Ottawa to face the host Redblacks. Before 24,224 spectators at TD Place Stadium, the Redblacks rolled to a 40-17 victory.

    The Redblacks played great, but the Roughriders put on one of their classic stinkers. It seems like Saskatchewan is good for three of those a season even in championship campaigns.

    All of a sudden, it seems like a huge vocal group of Roughriders fans collectively push the panic button. The comments on sports talk radio and social media lines seems to be similar every time the Roughriders lose.

    There are calls for players to be traded and coaches and managers to be fired. At times, it seems like no one is immune to criticism in the Roughriders organization.

    If you search hard enough, you will probably find blame getting spread to the waterboy, Gainer the Gopher and the Rider Cheer Team.

    When you look at the schedule, the Roughriders were heading into a buzz saw in their match with the Redblacks.

Charleston Hughes (#39) and the Roughriders had a rough day in Ottawa.

    Saskatchewan was going into that contest on a short week with five off days between games and had to travel. Ottawa had a bye to start the 2018 campaign resulting in the benefit of an extra week to prepare for Saskatchewan.

    In most incidents where that type of situation occurs in professional football, a blowout occurs where the club with the extra rest wins by a lopsided score.

    For those that are part of Roughriders organization, it becomes a daily part of life seeing fans react in extremes with their emotions. The players try not to get too caught up in how the fans react and work on getting better for the next game.

    Thursday’s loss made me flashback to a bad setback the Roughriders had in the 2008 CFL season. On Oct. 13, 2008, the Roughriders were heading to Calgary to play the host Stampeder at McMahon Stadium.

    Both teams went head-to-head 10 days earlier at Taylor Field in Regina, where the Roughriders pulled out a 37-34 victory.

    Both clubs were sporting 9-5 records and the winner would sit alone in first place in the West Division. The squad that lost would fall in a three-way tie for second to fourth in the division with the Edmonton Eskimos and British Columbia Lions, who were both 9-6.

    It felt like the clash on Oct. 13, 2008 at McMahon Stadium was over minutes into the first quarter. The Stampeders romped past the Roughriders by a 42-5 final score.

    At the time, I had a number of friends who were playing for the Roughriders. After the game, I visited with a few of them outside the stadium where they boarded the bus.

Rider Nation had a tough day in Calgary on October 13, 2008.

    One friend, who was a fan favourite and a regular starter, came to me and he said he didn’t know why the team played so flat. He said everyone was pumped up and motivated for the game and the wheels basically fell off.

    The social media platform Facebook was still fairly new at this time and a lot more basic than it is now. My friend mentioned early in the season he went into Facebook after a loss and there were 30 direct messages waiting for him.

    He pretty much knew most of the messages would be negative so he selected all of them and hit delete. He expected he would have to do the same thing after that loss to the Stampeders.

    My friend on the team said you just had to correct mistakes and move on as nothing could be done to change the outcome of that defeat to the Stampeders.

    To show how long ago that was, most professional squads and high level amateur teams didn’t have policies regarding social media. Twitter was around but wasn’t widely used and Instagram didn’t exist.

    In the current day, most of the fans do their social media venting on Twitter and Facebook. There might be some harsh words in the comments section in the pictures teams post on their Instagram sites, but that isn’t a regular place where displeasure is shown.

    On a side note, I remember one other friend taking that loss in 2008 hard in Roughriders special teams coach Alex Smith. He came out of the stadium door, said “hi” and walked aimlessly into the distance.

    To this day, I think he came back to one of the two team busses, but I am not sure.

Members of Rider Nation leave McMahon Stadium on October 13, 2008.

    Whether it be 2008, 1958, 1968 or 2018, fans in Saskatchewan seem to project getting too high emotionally when the Roughriders win and too low emotionally when they lose.

    What seems to be forgotten is that when the Roughriders win, they still aren’t going to be the second coming of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers NFL dynasty teams. When the Roughriders lose, they won’t be the current day version of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers sad sack NFL expansion team.

    All that matters is the 2018 CFL season still young.

    The Roughriders get to go out and try to be a little bit better in their next game on June 30, when they host the Montreal Alouettes (0-2) at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.

Awards loss by Rams’ Cross a “ho-hum” thing

Rams LB Nick Cross (#9) runs down Thunderbirds QB Cole Meyer.

    University of Regina Rams linebacker Nick Cross had a bit of an awkward week.

    During the 2017 U Sports football season, Cross entered his rookie campaign for the Rams starting at outside linebacker right out of high school. He appeared in all eight of the Rams regular season games recording 46 tackles, three tackles for a loss including a sack, two pass break ups, a forced fumble and an interception.

    For his efforts, he was awarded the Peter Gorman Trophy as the U Sports rookie of the year and a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star.

    On Wednesday, Cross was stripped of both of those honours by U Sports due to testing positive for cannabis. The graduate of Regina’s Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School was subjected to a random drug test following the Rams final regular season game on Oct. 28, 2017, when they dropped a 44-15 decision to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in Vancouver.

    While cannabis will soon be legal, it is still on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. It will still be a banned substance during the U Sports competitive season when it becomes legal.

    Cross was suspended two months, and he became fully active to return to team activities on Jan. 4.

    Before being suspended, Cross appeared in the Rams 28-21 Canada West semifinal playoff loss to the Thunderbirds in Vancouver on Nov. 4, 2017.

    Cross was also stripped of his Canada West rookie-of-the-year award and his Canada West all-star honour.

    The Canada West reward the rookie of the year award to University of Calgary Dinos offensive lineman Tyler Packer and the all-star award at linebacker to Cyril Iwanegbe, who is also from the Dinos.

    At the U Sports national level, quarterback Tre Ford of the University of Waterloo Warriors became the new rookie of the year. The second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star award at linebacker went to Bailey Feltmate of the Acadia University Axemen.

    Of course, Cross tested positive for a drug that doesn’t enhance on field performance. If he battles with mental health issues regarding anxiety, it is possible cannabis might help him get calm before a game, so that technically would help improve performance.

    There would have been a time in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, when this would have been a more major story. In Saskatoon, the sanctions against Cross would have been well known due to the fact he played for the Rams, the Rams had an intense rivalry with Saskatoon and there were more people in the mainstream media that would track such a story.

    The fans in Saskatoon would be out in full force to heckle the Rams the next time they played the University of Saskatchewan Huskies at Griffiths Stadium, and Cross would have been a target. The rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina was very heated back then.

    These days, there likely aren’t very many people in the general public in Saskatoon who know Cross is. The news of the sanctions against him are pretty much “ho-hum” thing.

    A year ago, Rams linebacker Michael Stefanovic removed himself from the 2017 CFL Draft after an alleged doping violation. On May 4, 2017, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced that a urine sample provided by Stefanovic during the CFL’s western regional combine in Regina on March 23, 2017 revealed the presence of drostanolone, which is a prohibited anabolic agent.

    At the time, a violation of the CCES’s anti-doping rules had not been confirmed, but the news about Stefanovic was disclosed due to the fact he was eligible for the CFL Draft.

    On October 23, 2017, the CCES confirmed Stefanovic’s doping violation. He was given a sanction of four years ineligibility from sport. He is ineligible to participate in any capacity with any sport signatory to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program including training with teammates.

    The news around Stefanovic barely made a ripple outside of Regina. Thanks to the fact he had exhausted his U Sports eligibility at the time of his drug infraction, there were very few follow up pieces if any in the mainstream media when his suspension was announced.

    It is highly unlikely Stefanovic would play any sort of competitive sport again, so there wouldn’t be any motivation to do any follow story in most media outlets.

    If what happened Stefanovic occurred in the late 1990s or early 2000s, that would have added fuel to the fire for Saskatoon fans to heckle the Rams.

    Also during that period of time if members of any Huskies teams went through situations like Cross and Stefanovic experienced, the Huskies teams would receive biting heckles by fans in Regina when they arrived in the Saskatchewan capital for road games.

    In the grand scheme of things, what Stefanovic was found guilty of was likely worse than what Cross was found guilty of. Cross’s infraction will likely be more of a small bump in the road.

    Thanks to the fact U Sports doesn’t have as high of a profile as it once did due to the media cut era of today, stories like the situations involving Cross and Stefanovic will be viewed as minor and will likely be quickly forgotten.

    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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