Homegrown Saskatchewan talent represented at Riders camp

The dream of playing football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders is one shared by many young athletes across the province. After years of practice, injuries, and skill development, receiving that coveted draft phone call from the team they grew up cheering for is a goal that only a handful of those who bleed green and white achieve.

“When you’re a little kid, it’s like that’s like the dream. You put that on a piece of paper for what job you want to have in the future when you’re in kindergarten, you write what job you want. I put...Saskatchewan Roughrider. So just the fact that is actually happening is just a pretty cool experience,” rookie defensive back Carson Sombach said.

Sunday marked the time for this year’s batch of rookies to be joined by veteran players after their week of training camp. For many of the new additions to the roster, particularly those who hail from Saskatchewan, it’s an opportunity to take in what it means to be a Saskatchewan Roughrider.

“I grew up playing slot receiver... I was always undersized and I was a huge fan of Weston Dressler. I would watch every single route that he did. So just like watching the riders and like having my stars and superheroes, I would watch every week and try to do the same thing, I would do in my atom peewee football game when I was in elementary school,” Sombach said.

The anticipation that comes along with being joined by the rest of the roster is something Sombach’s fellow Regina Rams alumnus, Jaxon Ford, remembers well.

“Time flies by.... the nerves are there always. It just means you care. That first one was, it was a grind because like those three or four days of camp, you get pretty much all those reps. And then when the vets come in, you get one day to kind of mellow out and get ready to go, and then the legs are heavy for the first day,” Ford said.

Now in his fourth year with the team, Ford shared that he’s still just as excited to be playing for his hometown team. It’s particularly special for the defensive back/safety, given how his grandfather, Alan Ford, both played for the Riders, and served as the team’s general manager.

“It’s a dream come true... being a Sask.-grown kid and growing up and understanding the fan base that we have here, it just means that much more to us. And, we just hope we can tell the Americans about the culture of Saskatchewan football,” Ford said.

That attitude is shared by many on the team. Now going into his sixth year on the roster, offensive lineman Logan Ferland grew up in Melfort.

“It adds a lot to it. I think it spreads to the guys who aren’t from here. They really learn and understand how important this fan base is to us and how important this game is to Saskatchewan,” Ferland said.

Ferland added that while he now has several of these training camps under his belt, the feeling of walking into a new season with the Roughriders is something he’ll never grow tired of.

“No, never. I don’t think it will ever get old. It feels good to have that support,” Ferland said.

According to head coach Corey Mace, those on the team who grew up cheering for the Riders certainly make a difference both on and off the field.

“To have those guys who are from Saskatchewan, you don’t have to tell them much to get them juiced up or what it means to wear the green and white... those guys can lead by example in everything that they do because you know they’re going to work their tails off and certainly off the field too,” Mace said.