Team Sask DQ'd at Football Canada Cup

A rule change spoiled what would have been a gold medal appearance for Team Saskatchewan at the 2008 Football Canada Cup in Quebec on Saturday.

In previous years, teams were allowed CIS and Junior players, as long as they were still under the age of 19, and red-shirted their first year of eligibility. That rule was changed this year, and the Team Sask coaching staff was unaware.

Two Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders were part of Team Saskatchewan, Offensive Lineman Cam Redl and Defensive Back Casey Pfeifer, who I talked to about the whole situation.

CS: Well let's start with the positives. Talk about the excitement of playing for Saskatchewan at the Football Canada Cup in Quebec.

Casey Pfeifer: It was a great experience being able to make Team Sask. I wasn't really expecting to make it. Cam (Redl) got an invite right away after Senior Bowl but I got mine a little later. Try-outs went really good for both of us in Saskatoon and we both found starting roster spots, so it was good stuff.

CS: It was a fairly short tournament but you spent a full week at least there didn't you?

CP: Yeah, we stayed right at the dorms at Bishop's University and ate at the cafeteria there, and both our games were played at Bishop's on the turf. We did a little site-seeing, we went to Montreal a couple times, we watched the Alouettes and Stampeders play. We did some touring to Sherbrooke, just outside of Lennoxville.

CS: How'd your games go?

CP: Our first game was against Manitoba, they weren't a great team, our defense really stopped them and our offense clicked, our starting running back was ripping yards left and right off of them. Then our next game against Alberta was a little more even. Alberta was a stronger team than they usually are. Our starting running back went down in the first quarter but our defense really held them back, it was 10-0 at half, they battled back and went ahead, but we came back and went ahead at the end, we had some goal line stops and turnovers and it won us the game in the end (16-15).

CS: That was the semi-final, which should have meant you'd go to the gold medal game, but you were disqualified. Explain what happened there.

CP: After we won the semi final we were to play Quebec in the gold, and while we were in Montreal the next day, we found out Football Canada and the rest of the teams were having a meeting to discus these ineligible players we supposedly had. Our coaches found out while we were in Montreal but chose not to tell us so it wouldn't ruin the day for us, but the next morning we were all called to a meeting and the coaches told us those six players were disqualified and we were unable to play for the gold.

CS: Obviously your coaches wouldn't have had those players if they knew the rule, so it was obviously a new rule they didn't realize.

CP: Definitely, we've never hidden the fact that we had these players on the team. They wore their (Saskatoon) Hilltops, and (Regina) Thunder, and (U of S) Huskies helmets on the team. And actually it was in the rule book that Football Canada is supposed to do eligibility checks on all the players, so obviously they just didn't do it or this just slipped by.

CS: But in previous years teams were allowed to have CIS and Junior guys as long as they were under 19 right?

CP: Yes. We always had players, probably every year Saskatchewan's been part of this and it hasn't been a problem.

CS: You're going to be one of those guys in the junior ranks next year. Talk about what your plans are for the fall.

CP: (Redl and I) are starting with the Hilltops on July 27th and our first home game comes up in early August, and it should be a great experience. They're defending National Champs and they're expecting to win it again, so hopefully me and Cam can be part of that and help them bring home the National Championship again.

CS: Does it make it more special playing with Cam (pictured below)? You played High School together, went to the Senior Bowl, Canada Cup, and now you're furthering your careers together at the next level too.

CP: Definitely, we've been good friends for awhile now, and it's great playing with him, he's such a big guy. You're used to being around a 6'7" guy, when you go out in public people are always staring in amazement at him, but he's a great guy and a great football player and he'll probably be in the CFL one day.

Cam Redl photo: Courtesy http://www.canada.com/ (Star Phoenix)