For the first time since 1989, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will meet in the Grey Cup.
For the first time since 1989, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will meet in the Grey Cup.
Two premier pivots will battle as Henry Burris looks to give Hamilton its first championship in 14 years, while Darian Durant looks to lead the Riders to a storybook victory on home field at Mosaic Stadium.
This year's Grey Cup features teams that finished second in their respective divisions and needed to win division semifinals and finals to get there.
The Ticats stunned the Toronto Argonauts in the eastern final with a 36-24 win, while the Roughriders handled the Calgary Stampeders in the western final 35-13.
A focus on the football program at the Weyburn Comp was mentioned several times during the west final broadcast on TSN, as both Brendon LaBatte and Brett Jones were on the field. LaBatte plays offensive line for the Riders and the Jones is a centre for the Stampeders.
"Our boys did very well," said Darren Abel, head coach for the Eagles. Abel had personally spent time as a coach with both LaBatte and Jones, before they continued on their career with the University of Regina Rams and then were signed to the CFL.
"The Riders had a very strong ground game, which dominated over Calgary," said Abel, noting LaBatte's strong role on the offensive line. "Unfortunately for Brett, Calgary had a few turnovers during a game, and he wasn't on the field a whole lot."
Calgary turned the football over seven times and had possession of it for just eight minutes and 43 seconds in the first half.
Kevin Glenn was pulled by the Stampeders after the first half, and the Riders took full advantage of the shaky start by the Stamps to book their ticket to the 101st Grey Cup on home turf.
Needing a boost in momentum, the Stamps opted to turn the game over to Drew Tate to begin the second half. At first Tate's luck was no better, as a 28-yard completion was negated when he fumbled the ball to Riders.
But the Stamps got a much-needed touchdown, after scoring a 46-yard pass in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 22-13. The Riders pushed for a 20-yard field goal attempt, but it was blocked by the Stamps.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Riders did score a 13-yard field goal to make the score 25-13. Then with three minutes left in the game, the Riders scored a 39-yard field goal.
Then with roughly one minute left on the clock, the Riders pushed past the one yard-line to score the last touchdown of the game, securing the 35-13 victory over the Stampeders.
Like he was in the western semi-final against the B.C Lions, Darian Durant was at the top of his game as he went 24 for 30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns - all in the first half.
While the offence was moving at peak efficiency, the defence was making play after play after play as they forced Calgary into turning the ball over seven times. Terrell Maze had a huge interception in the first half.
Even with the season done for Calgary, Abel still thought that Brett shone as a CFL rookie.
"Brett had an outstanding rookie season," said Abel. He noted that Jones was featured during the pre-game show, and that it highlighted all that Jones had done to become a pinnacle of success for the Stampeders.
Three proud Eagles coaches will be in Regina on Sunday, Nov. 24 for the 101st Grey Cup. Abel said that he is looking forward to seeing the year-end awards presented, and he is really hoping that both Jones and LaBatte win in their categories.
Brett Jones is nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, and Brendan LaBatte was nominated the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for the fourth time in his career.
"To have two guys coming from the same high school program, it was kind of unbelievable. You're lucky as a high school football coach to maybe have one kid go off to play in the CFL," said Abel.
"You don't think they'll ever go that far, but they put in the work and the effort," said Abel. "Both of them are very smart and they're both so passionate about the game and improving themselves. They do whatever it takes to become better. I'm just so proud of those guys for what they've done for our program and for Weyburn."
Prior to the west final, LaBatte talked about his expectations of the game against Calgary. "We have to approach it as if it were any normal game. I just have to try to represent myself, my team and my family."
It will be a slightly different atmosphere on Grey Cup Sunday, especially since the Riders play in a Regina-hosted Grey Cup. The 'Rider Pride' nation are known to show their support for the team with passion.
Grey Cup week will officially start today, Nov. 20 when the two coaches meet at the annual head coaches media conference.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, the Roughriders will attempt to become the third host team in a row to win the championship trophy. The Argonauts beat Calgary in Toronto last year to take the Cup and the B.C. Lions won it in Vancouver in 2011.
