Saskatchewan Roughriders punter Jon Ryan. (File photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Roughriders)

By Britton Gray/ CJME News

‘It’s like a hole-in-one in golf’: Riders enjoy rare trick shot during practice

Sep 2, 2021 | 6:28 PM

The special teams got a kick out of Saskatchewan Roughriders practice Thursday — and maybe a steak dinner as well.

During every practice, punters Jon Ryan and Ben Scruton punt the width of the field towards a plastic garbage can. Usually the ball lands around the can, rarely hitting the rim or bouncing towards it.

But on Thursday, Scruton launched a ball into the air and it came down perfectly inside the bucket.

“I don’t think (I’ve seen that before). So far, we’ve been about 0-for-1,000 in the first seven weeks here. You don’t see it very often. It’s almost like a hole-in-one in golf, trying to hit that garbage bucket across the field with a football,” Ryan said.

But with the Australian punter hitting the tough shot, head coach Craig Dickenson admits he might be a bit lighter in the wallet.

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“Did I notice that? That’s all they wanted to talk about. I think (special-teams co-ordinator Kent Maugeri) said something silly like, ‘We’ll buy you steak dinners if you can do this,’ ” Dickenson said. “I think (Maugeri) has already committed me to a few dollars out of my pocket for steak dinners.

“I saw that and that was pretty neat that (Scruton) put that in the bucket.”

As Ryan and the rest of the special teams enjoyed smiles from the moment, the Regina-born punter is also excited for Sunday’s game – the annual Labour Day Classic against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Kickoff for the game at Mosaic Stadium is 4 p.m.

“I think I went to the Labour Day game every year from 1986 until I was drafted in 2004,” Ryan said.

The 2004 and ’05 seasons saw Ryan enjoy the game from a different vantage point — as a member of the Bombers.

“It was different but I loved that team and wanted to win for them at the time,” Ryan said. “Although it was different and not the way that I had planned it out as a child going to all those games, it was still one of the coolest experience of my life in 2004 to play in that first Labour Day game for me.”

And Ryan admitted “it sucked” that the 2020 game and the entire CFL season couldn’t go ahead due to COVID-19.

“Everything about the last 21 months without football sucked. I was just talking to (kicker Brett Lauther) earlier (Thursday) and said this is my 33rd year of organized football. To have a whole year where you can’t step on the field and not be in the locker room with the guys, it hurts,” Ryan said.

“When dates come along like Labour Day or playoffs and there’s no football, it was hard to swallow. We’re just grateful for this one and thankful to be back on the field.”

Ryan and the rest of the Riders will look to continue their run of success during the Labour Day Classic. The Riders are 37-19 in the showdown with the Bombers, including winning 14 of the last 15.

Notes: The locations of the Riders’ games against the Edmonton Elks have been changed, a result of the CFL rescheduling the Elks’ game Aug. 26 against the Toronto Argonauts that was postponed due to COVID-19. The Riders will now play the Elks in Edmonton on Nov. 5 instead of at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatchewan then will play host to the Elks on Nov. 13 instead of travelling to Edmonton … Defensive lineman Micah Johnson (ankle) and slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert (head) were both full participants in Thursday’s practice … The Green Zone pre-game show Sunday gets underway at 2 p.m.