Kian Schaffer-Baker set a record the last time he was part of a CFL playoff game.

He caught 12 passes — the most by a Saskatchewan Roughrider in a post-season contest — for 162 yards against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final on Nov. 9, 2024.

After the game, though, Schaffer-Baker was inconsolable. Individual stats (see list below) were immaterial. He wanted to win. Period.

A 38-22 loss with a Grey Cup berth at stake is a painful memory but, like so many of his teammates, he uses it as fuel.

“I think about it pretty often, just to spark that fire back up,” he said after Friday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.

“Ever since that day, we’ve just been thinking about how we can get better and get back to that point, but finish the job this year.

“We’ve been blessed with another opportunity to play in the West Final, so we’re going to handle this one.”

The first-place Roughriders are to return to action on Nov. 8 at Mosaic Stadium against the B.C. Lions or Calgary Stampeders. The latter two teams are to meet in a divisional semi-final on Saturday in Vancouver.

The winner of the Lions-Stampeders game will provide the opposition in Saskatchewan’s first home-field Western Final since 2019.

“That was before I even got here,” noted Schaffer-Baker, the Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Rookie in 2021.

“We’re excited about the fans filling the house again and starting to believe in us. But it starts with us coming out here and proving it to them each and every day.”

The 2024 Western Final scenario was reversed to begin the current season.

On the 2025 Roughriders’ second offensive play, Schaffer-Baker suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for nearly four months.

Unwaveringly team-oriented, he celebrated the on-field successes of his comrades instead of lamenting his own situation.

He returned to the lineup on Oct. 3 and, just one week later, caught five passes for 68 yards in a 27-19 home-field victory over the Toronto Argonauts — a conquest that secured first place in the West Division and an opening-round playoff bye.

“I’ve definitely got to thank God every day, because if the injury had happened at any other point in the season, I probably would have been out for the rest of the year,” Schaffer-Baker said.

“Just to be able to have the opportunity to come back and play with this special group is just a blessing.”

Schaffer-Baker had six catches for 69 yards last Saturday against the visiting Lions in the Roughriders regular-season finale. Pro Football Focus awarded him the highest player grade of any CFL receiver during Week 21.

“I thought it was important for Schaff to get out there last week and have the game that he did,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “It just solidified for him the things he knows he’s capable of.

“He’s a hell of a football player. When he’s healthy, it’s a big bonus for us.”

MACE AT YOUR PLACE?

Mace will spend the early part of Friday evening going trick-or-treating with his wife (Petra) and children (Maleena and Micah).

“I’m not missing Halloween with the kids,” the Roughriders’ field boss stated. “We’re out there. We’re cruising tonight.”

That was also the plan last year, late in Mace’s first season with the Roughriders. Suffice to say that many people were pleasantly surprised to see the team’s Head Coach on the doorstep.

“You always get a bit of a mixed reaction,” he said, “but it’s friendly. They’re always supportive of the team.

“They still didn’t offer any extra candy or anything. I thought that was one of the perks of the gig, but evidently not.”

INJURY UPDATE

Short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens returned to the practice field this week after missing four games with a knee injury.

“He’s certainly a crucial weapon for us and, honestly, just a great guy to have in the locker room and activated,” Mace said.

“Everybody’s got so much faith in what he’s able to do, so it’s a big bonus.”

Like Stevens, key contributors such as both 1,000-yard receivers — KeeSean Johnson (knee) and Dohnte Meyers (ankle) — and defensive halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. (foot/knee) missed time late in the regular season.

The latter three players, who were named divisional All-CFL selections on Wednesday, did not practise this week.

The hope is that they will resume on-field workouts as the Western Final draws closer.

“That’s the anticipation as we get out to practice next week — to get those guys rolling,” said Mace, who will next run a practice on Tuesday.

“We want to be smart with them and give them ample time to make sure they’re OK to get out there physically.”

MOST RECEPTIONS BY A ROUGHRIDER IN A PLAYOFF GAME

12 — Kian Schaffer-Baker (162 yards) at Winnipeg, Nov. 9, 2024

10 — Don Narcisse (182) at Edmonton, Nov. 15, 1992

9 — Hugh Campbell (101) vs. Calgary, Nov. 7, 1964

9 — Tom Campana (83) vs. Hamilton, Dec. 3, 1972 (Grey Cup)

9 — Mike Saunders (77) at Edmonton, Nov. 15, 1992

9 — Matt Dominguez (120) at Edmonton, Nov. 9, 2003

9 — Kyran Moore (119) vs. Winnipeg, Nov. 17, 2019

9 — Samuel Emilus (106) vs. B.C., Nov. 2, 2024

MOST RECEIVING YARDS BY A ROUGHRIDER IN A PLAYOFF GAME

182 — Don Narcisse (10 receptions) at Edmonton, Nov. 15, 1992

162 — Kian Schaffer-Baker (12) at Winnipeg, Nov. 9, 2024

157 — Ken Carpenter (6) vs. Winnipeg, Nov. 3, 1956

153 — Weston Dressler (6) at Calgary, Nov. 11, 2012

150 — Weston Dressler (8) vs. B.C., Nov. 14, 2010