Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
It was a night only Rider Nation could love — cold, snowy, and unforgettable. Fans packed Mosaic Stadium through sub-zero temperatures Saturday night, refusing to leave until the final whistle as Saskatchewan pulled off a dramatic last-second win over the B.C. Lions to claim the Western Final.
The victory sent the Roughriders to their first Grey Cup in 12 years, and the stands erupted with cheers, snow flying as fans hugged, shouted, and waved green flags in the icy wind.
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Swift Current fan Jared Clark (second from right) celebrates with friends near Mosaic Stadium after the Riders clinched their first Grey Cup berth since 2013 on Saturday. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Swift Current fan Jared Clark said the win proved doubters wrong.
“Everybody said this is not a Grey Cup team,” Clark said. “Well, guess what? Our Week Five team is back, plus (wide receiver Kian) Schaffer-Baker. We dropped a couple of balls tonight, but we pulled it together and got a win. This is a Grey Cup team. The 2025 Riders are winning the Grey Cup.”
Clark said he layered up in winter gear and credited “a lot of green and a lot of alcohol” for staying warm. He plans to watch next week’s championship from home as the Riders face the Montreal Alouettes in Winnipeg.
Another diehard fan, Tyrieque Brown, was still buzzing long after the game ended.
“I was in three sections at a time, hopping up and down, going crazy,” Brown said, laughing. “If there was any Rider fan the loudest in that stadium, it might have been me, or the guy with the flag beside me.”
Brown said he believed from kickoff that the Riders would find a way to win.
“We always have faith — it’s the 13th man for a reason,” he said. “We could be down 20 points and Rider fans always got each other, always got the boys’ backs.”
When the game-winning touchdown sealed it, Brown celebrated in full Rider fashion.
“I took my cowboy hat off and chucked it,” he said. “Then I threw both gloves, one each way, yelling ‘we’re going to the Grey Cup’.”
Brown said he plans to travel to Winnipeg for Grey Cup weekend, joining his parents who already have tickets. Until then, he’s keeping his green gear close.
Fans Zach Gamble (left) and Noah McKay celebrate Saskatchewan’s comeback win in the Western Final on a cold Saturday night in Regina. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Fans Zach Gamble and Noah McKay said they never stopped believing, even as the game came down to the wire.
“Once I saw that big catch from Schaffer-Baker, I was hopeful,” Gamble said. “And when that passing touchdown hit, golly, that was crazy,” McKay said.
McKay said his adrenaline erased the cold.
“The team left us down until the last two minutes,” he said. “Then the adrenaline kicked in. Last two minutes, I was standing there, just feeling good.”
The pair were just seven and eight years old during the Riders’ 2013 championship run. McKay said his stepdad carried him on his shoulders during the victory parade back then, and this time he plans to celebrate on his own two feet.
As Saskatchewan prepares for the 112th Grey Cup, Rider Nation is already planning another green-and-white takeover in Winnipeg.
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