Ryker Frank says Friday’s matchup is being dubbed “Homecoming Two” as the Regina Rams head up Highway 11 to face the Saskatchewan Huskies. “It’s always a big game between us and the Rams,” said Frank, who expects to see many familiar faces across the line of scrimmage. “I know a lot of those guys on that team, so it’s very familiar.” The Rams and Huskies will clash in the only scheduled meeting between the two squads this regular season. And with the Rams holding a one-game lead over the Huskies for first place in the conference, Friday’s tilt could play a major role in shaping the trajectory of the standings. “We’re treating this like a playoff game, and obviously we remember the Hardy Cup last year,” said Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud. The Huskies are coming off a tough one-point loss to the Manitoba Bisons last weekend. A loss in which the Huskies had a 17–0 lead before the Bisons came back to score a 21–20 victory. Head Coach Scott Flory says Manitoba is a well-coached team and always plays Saskatchewan tough. But he feels that the Huskies could have won that game if they had capitalized on opportunities in the second half. “We missed a whole bunch of stuff, and it wasn’t anything that they did or anything against them. It’s just, when we look at ourselves and we look at ourselves in the mirror, we know that we let one get away. And we gotta do everything to right our wrongs here this week.” Flory says it felt like things really tilted against them in the third quarter last week, while the Bisons mounted a come from behind victory. He says there are going to be times during the season when things won’t go their way, and the team will face adversity. But he says it’s how the team rises above it that counts. “We just gotta make sure we nip that stuff and turn the tables quicker on that. And I’ve challenged our leadership, I’ve challenged myself, I’ve challenged our coaches, and we’re going to do a better job.” The Huskies say they’re looking forward to the challenge on Friday of trying to stop a high-powered Rams offence led by running attack Marshal Erichson, who is averaging 160 yards rushing per game. With this being the only meeting between the Rams and Huskies on the regular season schedule, and with a share of first place possibly being on the line, Friday’s battle could make a huge difference in terms of where each team ends up in the standings or if a home playoff game becomes more likely. But Flory says he’s not looking too far ahead. “We’re just trying to go 1–0 this week. That’s all we are trying to do.” And he says it’s so important to win on home turf, especially in a crucial matchup against the top team in the conference. “At the end of it, we gotta take care of home field and that’s where this game is. It’s here at Griffiths on Friday night, and I know our boys are going to be fired up.”
