More than pride on the line for Sask. Roughriders in Labour Day Classic

Nicholas Dheilly will be out for revenge on Sunday.

Dheilly, now a defensive lineman in his second season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2020 CFL draft. The league missed a season that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bombers signed him in 2021, but demoted him to the practice roster in July, then cut him in November.

"You want to prove to them that they f—ed up," said Dheilly, who also plays special teams for the green-and-white.

"I can't wait to go out there and just fly around, and have fun with my boys."

A sold-out crowd will flock to Regina's Mosaic Stadium Sunday to witness another chapter of the Labour Day Classic, the annual grudge match between the Roughriders and rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The CFL tradition spans nearly six decades.

Saskatchewan holds the winning record when it comes to Labour Day games, but they've dropped the last two.

They also haven't beaten Winnipeg when it counts, in general, since Oct. 5, 2019.

"We've got a bad taste in our mouth," said wide receiver Mitchell Picton, who is from Regina.

"I've been a part of too many losses. It's time to flip the script."

The Roughriders' roster features a handful of players from Saskatchewan. Several of them, during interviews with CBC News, recounted attending Labour Day games with their families growing up.

They especially remember the noise from the crowd.

"All that sticks out for me is going to the games and just Riders fans yelling at anybody who was wearing a Winnipeg jersey," said Dheilly, a Regina boy who played football for the University of Saskatchewan.

Most of the hometown players have been here before, so they're prepared for the atmosphere and emotions of the Labour Day Classic.

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