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Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick smiles during a walkthrough ahead of the 112th CFL Grey Cup, in Winnipeg, on Saturday, November 15, 2025. (Darryl Dyck \/ The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
On Sunday, approaching two years since he agreed on a pact to become the foundational pillar of another franchise, Hardrick and Mace\u2019s plans delivered.<\/p>\n
A 25-17 triumph over the Montreal Alouettes at Princess Auto Stadium, in the city where he experienced an early career revival, ended the Riders\u2019 13-year Grey Cup drought and put Hardrick at the top of the three-down mountain for the third time in his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to be a champ. I don\u2019t care if we did it in a parking lot,\u201d the three-time CFL all-star said.<\/p>\n
When it came time to hoist the Silver Mug, it wasn\u2019t quarterback Trevor Harris \u2014 named the game\u2019s Most Valuable Player \u2014 to get the trophy first, nor was it receiver Samuel Emilus, the Most Valuable Canadian: it was the 11-year pro out of Batesville, Mo., who let out a roar to both the fans who currently root for him, and those who used to, as confetti flew across the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. They just gave it to me. It was amazing,\u201d Hardrick said. \u201cWe\u2019re champs, baby \u2014 Saskatchewan Roughriders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 Jermarcus Hardrick speaks after being named the CFL\u2019s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman at the 2025 CFL Awards in Winnipeg on Thursday, November 13, 2025. (John Woods \/ The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n These are the games the Roughriders signed Hardrick for \u2014 the 35-year-old led a sensational effort by Saskatchewan\u2019s offensive line. The front-five paved the way for running back A.J. Ouellette, who racked up 83 yards on 17 carries, while keeping quarterback Trevor Harris\u2019 jersey spotless.<\/p>\n Hardrick was named the league\u2019s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for the first time in his career earlier in the week, and he looked every bit of that distinction.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing, and it\u2019s something I will never forget. My wife, my kids, they got a chance to witness this,\u201d Hardrick said, embracing his wife as his three children stood close, waiting for dad. \u201cMy wife, I love her. I\u2019m just grateful they got a chance to witness this, and we did it as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n During that same free agency period early in 2024, Mace also looked to another former Bomber, this time on the defensive side of the ball.<\/p>\n He plucked veteran cornerback Marcus Sayles off the wire, adding a trusted veteran to a secondary that would ascend to one of the best units in three-down football.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 Marcus Sayles (8) makes an interception meant for Montreal Alouettes\u2019 Tyson Philpot (6) during first half CFL football action at the 112th Grey Cup, in Winnipeg on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (Fred Greenslade \/ The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n Sayles, who, like Hardrick, won a Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 2019, played a major role in ending Saskatchewan\u2019s drought. The Manhattan, N.Y., native logged a pair of tackles, came down with the first of three interceptions thrown by Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander in the opening quarter and jumped on a crucial fumble at the goal line, lost by Montreal\u2019s backup quarterback Shea Patterson.<\/p>\n Big performances in big games are nothing new to the now two-time champion. Sayles led the Bombers with six tackles on that blissful night in 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I were sitting at a restaurant, and coach Mace called me, and his energy\u2014 he just knew that we (were) about to win,\u201d said Sayles, who went West to B.C. for three seasons after his time in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he called me, he knew that if I was going to be a part of this group, we (were) gonna win something. And not even just him: Trev (Harris) hit me on Instagram, Yoshi (Hardrick) hit me on Instagram \u2014 right when I got cut, they said, \u2018Yo, you come here, we\u2019re definitely gonna win,\u2019 and, man, I trusted the process, I believed, and this is the result of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n The third Roughrider who was integral to the Bombers\u2019 run in 2019 was homegrown talent, running back Andrew Harris.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace drinks from the Grey Cup in the locker room after defeating the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 to win the 112th CFL Grey Cup, in Winnipeg, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (Fred Greenslade \/ The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n The 38-year-old Winnipegger, who joined the Riders as a running backs coach this season, is a Grey Cup champion for the first time as a coach.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t \u201cIt feels different,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAs you play, it\u2019s almost self-fulfilling, where now you\u2019re more proud of the guys that you\u2019re around and you work with. You put so many hours in as a coach, so just trying to find ways to get the most out of them. It\u2019s rewarding in a completely different way.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris had a profound impact on Ouellette, who rumbled to a career-best 1,222 yards and eight rushing touchdowns after a down year in 2024. Like Harris in Winnipeg, Ouellette, in many ways, was the engine of the Roughriders\u2019 offence in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cHe meant everything,\u201d Ouellette said of Harris. \u201cThe trust to come in here, after I had a terrible season, to pick me as the running back that he trusted for the year, and his ability to step in\u2014 I know he wanted to play so bad. He\u2019s a competitor, and I appreciate the work that he put in. And that dude just wins, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Harris is five-for-five in the big game, winning with the B.C. Lions in 2011, and in 2019, 2021 and 2022 with the Bombers. Now he\u2019s done it from the sidelines, while being on the other side of the Prairie rivalry.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Saskatchewan Roughriders runningback coach Andrew Harris talks with Philippe Gagnon (53) during Grey Cup practice in Winnipeg, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (John Woods \/ The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/joshuafrey-sam<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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