Noah Zerr's affinity for the Saskatchewan Roughriders has lasted for a long time.
"For every Sask kid growing up in Saskatchewan, it's really easy to fall in love with the Riders. From a young age, I was going to games and my dad was getting every ticket he could. I remember scrounging up some last-minute tickets to the 2013 Grey Cup; those are memories that I'll have for a lifetime," Zerr said to SportsCage host Barney Shynkaruk.
“My dad was scouring Kijiji or eBay and I remember some guy, maybe on the PR or something for the Riders, had these last minute tickets. They were great seats, we got on field passes and everything. It was really crazy, I was a young Sask kid. It was the nuttiest day of my life for sure."
That was the last time the Riders won the Grey Cup on November 24, 2013 when Saskatchewan defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23.
After re-signing with the Green and White, Zerr wants to win a Grey Cup of his own.
"It's awesome to get it done before Christmas. It's been such an up and down roller coaster, but being at home, being with these guys, being in this culture -- it's really a dream come true. I can't wait to do it again next year," Zerr said.
"I'm excited to get back to the grindstone with a great team, a great culture and excited to get back at it. It's a deal that makes sense for both sides."
The six-foot-seven, 330-pound offensive lineman has played three seasons in the CFL. The B.C. Lions selected him in the second round, 12th overall during the 2022 CFL Draft. He dressed in four games for the Lions as a rookie. In 2023, he was with the Tiger-Cats and suited up for three games. This past season was Zerr's first with the Riders when he signed with the team in the off-season and played 11 games.
"There were a lot of new pieces, a lot of new additions; I think I was one of them," Zerr said. "I think coach [Corey] Mace and all the coaches he brought, [Marc] Mueller, Edwin Harrison, our o-line coach, they do such a good job of building a strong culture. It may have been their first year, but it felt like we'd been there grinding with them forever."
This year the Riders had different offensive line combinations due to injuries. Zerr credits the veteran leadership on the o-line for helping the young guys.
"Our veteran leadership was great from guys like Yoshi, Philip Blake, Logan Ferland and Peter Godber," Zerr said. "They helped the guys that didn't have as much experience get ready for those games and get ourselves mentally prepared -- expect to see all the things that maybe we hadn't seen before."
Statistically, the Green and White offensive line improved this year compared to the last two seasons. The group allowed 35 sacks this year, which ranked fourth in the CFL, compared to 54 in 2023 and 77 in 2022.
