Photo | Greg Kolz/Freestyle Photography/Ottawa REDBLACKS
Playoffs, baby!
Playoff football in Ottawa has become something of a fall tradition the last few years. After back to back division titles that saw the East Division Final played at TD Place, the REDBLACKS fell a point short doing that for a third time in 2017.
Still, a second place finish in the East earned Ottawa another home game, the East Semi-Final against Saskatchewan on Sunday. It’s a big deal for the club and for the city, but particularly for the fans of RNation who welcomed the team back so passionately in 2014 and have been along for the ride every step of the way since. It’s the second-straight year Ottawa will host the West crossover team in the playoffs after downing Edmonton in last year’s East Final.
Keeping it rolling
It’s hard to argue that the two hottest REDBLACKS players entering Sunday’s East Semi-Final are running back William Powell and receiver/returner Diontae Spencer.
After missing all last year with an Achilles injury and struggling out of the gate this season, Powell dominated down the stretch on his way to becoming the first REDBLACKS player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He had three-straight games rushing for at least 100 yards in September and closed out the year with a 133-yard performance against Hamilton.
Spencer, meanwhile, was a threat on kick and punt and missed field goal returns all year, a fact illustrated by his CFL record-setting performance in the season finale, where he recorded 496 combined yards.
Playing old friends
While there are a number of Ottawa players with Saskatchewan connections on the REDBLACKS roster – Zack Evans played for the Riders and Evan Johnson is from Regina, for example – the player with the most recent history with Sunday’s opponent has to be defensive lineman Jonathan Newsome.
The REDBLACKS signed the Cleveland native after he was released by the Riders one game into the 2017 season and the 26-year-old has become an important piece of Ottawa’s defence in the nine games he played in 2017. In those games, Newsome recorded 13 defensive tackles, four sacks, an interception and forced fumble. Sunday will mark an opportunity for Newsome to help end the season of his former club.
