Saskatchewan secures top spot in CFL's West Division with 27-19 win over Toronto

With first place in their pocket, the Saskatchewan Roughriders remain focused on the ultimate prize.

The Riders clinched top spot in the CFL’s West Division on Friday with a 27-19 victory over the Toronto Argonauts. The victory improved Saskatchewan’s record to 12-4, and the first-place finish means the Riders will host the West Division final in Regina on Nov. 8.

The Argos, who were eliminated from the post-season picture last week, dropped to 5-12.

“Obviously you want to maximize the regular season, and that has been done. But now we get a bonus, three weeks to refine and fine tune ourselves into being who we need to be come Nov. 8,” said Trevor Harris, who finished 23 of 29 passing for 340 yards and two touchdowns. 

“So we'll just kind of keep our focus one day at a time, and make sure that we're improving so we are that team on that date.”

The Riders will complete the regular season with a road game in Winnipeg on Oct. 17 and a home game against B.C. on Oct. 25. The West semifinal is Oct. 1 with the winner of that contest travelling to Regina for the West final on Oct. 8.

Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace has thought about how the team will use the next four weeks to prepare for the post-season.

“I would think that that would be the biggest benefit is you have a hard timeline to be able to get some guys back [from injury] and see what that looks like. There is a plan and how we put it in place and moving forward, there's some benefits,” Mace said. 

“But we've seen it over the years where it's not been a benefit for people, so it’s just about how you conduct the business we're going to look to do in a beneficial way. And, hopefully, come time for the playoffs, we'll be back as full of strength as possible.”

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