Prairie Dogs kicker and defensive back Grant Shaw continued to make his mark in the Canada West record books this season, helping guide his team to a decisive victory over the Alberta Golden Bears 39-3 on Oct. 23.
Shaw’s longest field goal came from 49 yards out as he became the sixth kicker in the history of Canada West to nail six field goals in a conference match. The feat earned him his second Canada West special teams Athlete of the Week distinction on the season and helped further solidify his iron leg reputation.
The victory over the Golden Bears guarantees the Huskies a playoff spot and was sweet revenge for Saskatchewan. The trouncing of the Golden Bears was amplified for the Huskies since Alberta has been the only team able to rack up a win over the nearly perfect Huskies this season. The win improves the Huskies record to 6-1 and keeps the Green and White gridlocked with the Calgary Dinos in a first-place tie.
Head coach Brian Towriss was much more satisfied with his team’s recent performance against their Alberta nemesis than the 27-7 loss they suffered to the same team a month ago.
“We were much better prepared to play this time and I think it’s a sign that we’ve been improving for the last three weeks,” said Towriss.
“When we played Alberta the first time we were kind of banged up and had lots of new people in the line up. We’ve been getting better every week since that loss and it was a wake-up call for us as well. I think what we saw (Friday night) was a result of three or four weeks of practice and a little bit better execution.”
The Huskies play their final game of the Canada West season on Oct. 30 in Regina against provincial rivals the Regina Rams. Winning against the Rams is essential as a victory solidifies the Huskies’ first place ranking.
Both the quarter and semi-final games are slated to take place in Saskatoon regardless of the outcome of the approaching Rams game.
The Huskies will host their first playoff game on Nov. 7 against either the Manitoba Bisons, Rams or Golden Bears. The semi final game will only take place on Saskatchewan turf if they can make it past one of these teams and out the first round.
“We want to win the football game, finish first and play a couple more football games in Saskatoon.”
-Brian Towriss
Huskies Head Coach
Saskatchewan’s odds look good for escaping the first round and the Huskies dealt all three potential contenders losses this season. However, only two of these wins, the recent triumph over Alberta and the one over Manitoba the week prior, have been one-sided affairs in favour of the Huskies.
It was an offensively shaky situation last time Regina and Saskatchewan faced off. The game resulted in a 10-9 Huskies win, but could have been a Rams victory just as easily.
Towriss is aware that a win over the Rams this weekend to lock down first place in Canada West is crucial to set the tone for the post-season.
“We have to go out and play another physical game,” said Towriss.
“We have to win to finish first and host playoffs here and if we want to have any chance of winning a national championship I think that’s important, especially when you’re on the road for the national semi-final. We want to win the football game, finish first and play a couple more football games in Saskatoon.”
The Oct. 30 match against the Rams will indicate whether or not the Huskies are Vanier Cup material and if the Dogs are ready to do away with their two-year post-season win drought come playoff time.
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photo: Stephanie Borsa