RIDERS CANADIAN CONTENT EXCELLING

Roughriders' Rob Bagg, a product of Queen's University Golden Gaels in Kingston, ON, takes Stampeders' Keon Raymond for a ride during the second half of Saturday's game in Calgary.
Photograph by: Todd Korol, Reuters

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are thriving in the Canadian Football League.
An emphasis on non-import players has helped the Riders (8-6-1) grab a share of first place in the CFL’s West Division with the Calgary Stampeders. The commitment to Canadian talent was showcased in Saturday’s 44-44 overtime tie with the Stampeders when the non-imports accounted for all of Riders’ scoring.

On Saturday, Canadian fullback Chris Szarka had three rushing touchdowns. Receivers Andy Fantuz and Chris Getzlaf each caught touchdown passes and Rob Bagg accounted for a game-tying two-point convert in regulation time. Non-import placekicker Luca Congi added five converts, two field goals and a single on a 71-yard punt.

“It’s nice to see that happen,’’ Szarka said Tuesday after the Riders resumed their on-field preparations for Saturday’s game at Mosaic Stadium against the B.C. Lions. “The really nice thing is the coaches ask those guys to step up and they constantly do. No matter who it is, they have done that and they have been Canadian.’’

A sprained ankle to import wide receiver Gerran Walker in the first quarter inadvertently contributed to an overload of Canadian talent on offence. There were a number of occasions when 10 of the 12 Riders offensive players were Canadians. The only imports were quarterback Darian Durant and right tackle Joel Bell.

“We were definitely laughing about that,’’ said Bagg. “When I played in college (at Queen’s University) we had one American on offence and it felt like that. We have a ton of players on this team so it doesn’t matter who goes into the huddle, they are all going to play well.’’

The CFL recognized the play of Fantuz on Tuesday when he was named the Canadian player-of-the-week. Import defensive end Stevie Baggs was named the defensive player-of-the-week and import returner Jason Armstead was the special teams player-of-the-week.

Fantuz, who had 10 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown in the draw, has had heard talk about the contribution of the Riders’ Canadian content.

“It’s nice to get the recognition and it really shows the importance of a Canadian nucleus on a football team,’’ said Fantuz.

CFL rules guarantee that each team has a certain number of imports and non-imports. Teams must have 19 imports, 20 non-imports and three quarterbacks of any origin on its 42-player active roster.

The Riders have established non-imports as a priority since Eric Tillman replaced Roy Shivers as general manager on Aug. 23, 2006. Tillman, who is not conducting interviews while on paid administrative leave, has promised that the Riders’ Canadian talent will be second to none.

Saturday’s game offers proof of Tillman’s statements.

“There were numerous times on offence in particular that seeing all of those Canadians out there brought a smile to my face,’’ said Joe Womack, the Riders’ director of player personnel. “You can’t feel any stronger than that when your Canadians are producing that well.’’

Womack was also pleased to see how much the Canadians contributed Saturday. Bagg, Fantuz, Getzlaf and Jason Clermont each had more than 50 yards in total receptions. They also accounted for 29 of Durant’s 35 completed passes and 361 of the Riders’ 427 total passing yards.
Weston Dressler, who is sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with a broken leg, still leads the Riders’ receivers with 62 receptions for 941 yards. Dressler is followed by Fantuz (47 receptions, 676 yards and four TDs), Bagg (48 receptions, 636 yards and three touchdowns) and Getzlaf (33 receptions, 411 yards and five touchdowns).

“The level of Canadian players is continually going up,’’ said Womack. “I’ve been able to see that evolve because I first came up here as a player in 1973. To see how the Canadians have become such a strong force in our league is beautiful.’’

Tillman has been able to stockpile Canadian talent through the CFL draft, trades and free-agent signings. Once with the Riders, they are given time to develop and to start making contributions on offence and defence.

“This coaching staff has a lot of faith in Canadians and the previous regimes never really had that,’’ said Szarka, who is in his 13th season with the Riders. “It’s a testament to the players who are on the field because all of the guys we have here do make plays. It serves as a sense of pride that we’ve shown that Canadians can get the job done.’’

mmccormick@leaderpost.canwest.com