Big Blue aim for Classic hat trick

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/08/2023 (779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You’re not going to want to miss the closing minutes of Sunday’s Labour Day Classic in Regina.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders have met 58 times on the Labour Day weekend and 32 times the game was decided in the final three minutes.

Get your popcorn ready.

“That sounds about right,” said the longest-tenured Bomber, defensive tackle Jake Thomas, when that stat was brought to his attention after Thursday’s practice at IG Field.

“I’ve been on both sides where we weren’t really good and they were really good and these games just always seem to be a coin-flip. I don’t really know why. Maybe something is in the weather or something is in the air, but they’re always tough. Every time you have to go into Saskatchewan it’s a tough place to play… I don’t know what the difference is, but if we played there Week 2 compared to this week, there’s just something different about it. I don’t know how to explain it with my vocabulary.”

The Bombers (9-2) extended their winning streak to five games after dominating the Montreal Alouettes 47-17 at IG Field last week. The Riders (5-5) entered last week’s bye on a high after taking down the B.C. Lions 34-29 at home in Week 11 thanks to a strong showing from third-string quarterback Jake Dolegala.

The two sides met at Mosaic Stadium in Week 2 and the Bombers prevailed 45-27.

Ask right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick and he’ll tell you to ignore what the standings say. Hardrick, now in his seventh season in Winnipeg, was with the Riders back in 2015 when they started the year 0-9 before crushing the Bombers 37-19 on Labour Day to earn their first win.

“Labour Day is like their baby. In training camp and on fan day, they’re talking about Labour Day. I played there, we were 0-9 and all the people said was ‘We don’t care. Just win Labour Day,” said Hardrick.

Not that anyone in Bomberland needs reminding, but this weekend has not been kind to the Blue and Gold over the years. Saskatchewan is 37-21 against Winnipeg on September long weekend and enjoyed a stretch between 2005-2015 during which they won 11 straight. The Bombers finally ended the streak in 2016 with kicker Justin Medlock drilling a 43-yard field goal with no time left to give the visitors a 28-25 win.

Winnipeg is starting to close the gap, though, as the Bombers have won the last two (20-18 last year, 23-8 in 2021). If they make it three in a row on Sunday, it’ll be the first time the Bombers have done so since they had a run of four straight between 1978-82 (the Riders hosted the Montreal Alouettes in 1981).

“It would be cool to be part of that group to be the first to win three (straight) in a long time, but that doesn’t really surprise me too, too much,” said Thomas, a Bomber since 2012.

“They’ve been a pretty good team for a lot of years.”

Wide receiver Kenny Lawler got to experience the Battle of Alberta last season in his lone campaign with the Edmonton Elks. The Elks (2-9) will be in Calgary to take on the Stampeders (3-8) on Monday.

“It doesn’t compare, man. The Battle of Alberta is nowhere near the Labour Day Classic with us and the Banjo Bowl. The Banjo Bowl-Labour Day rivalry experience is probably the second best behind the Grey Cup,” said Lawler.

It’s more than just a heated rivalry between the fanbases. Bombers defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall played for the Riders (1988-91), coached the Riders (1994-2008, 2011-14), and lives in Regina. But when talking about his former club on Thursday, Hall referred to them as “that other team.”

“When you get to the stadium, like when the Banjo Bowl is here, there’s a buzz in the air. As soon as you get out of the car, the crowd is excited and there’s electricity when you walk into the stadium. To me, that’s (like) college football and I just love that feeling. You wish could have that every week, but you usually don’t,” said Hall.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Right guard Patrick Neufeld is well-versed in the history of the game as he’s from Regina and spent 2010-2013 with his hometown team before being shipped off to Winnipeg. Despite having deep roots in Riderville, no one in the Neufeld family will have a watermelon on their head on Sunday.

“Go kick their ass,” said Neufeld when asked what he hears from friends and family during this week.

“All my friends and family are Blue Bombers fans and they’re rooting for us. My parents have the offensive line, quarterbacks and fullbacks over for supper the night before the game and they’re rocking out in their Blue Bomber gear. As soon as I got traded, it was a big allegiant shift.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.