With the Watermelon Smash returning to Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place, a couple of your Saskatchewan-born Lions had marked this highly anticipated game down on their calendar.
They wanted to put on a show because everybody back home would be tuning in for this Week 6 match-up. But Ryder Varga, Nathan Cherry and Riley Pickett had to overcome individual adversity before this first-place battle up for grab.
In the offseason, Varga was training to be a starting linebacker. While finishing off his first CFL season in 2023 on a high note, cruising all over the field with 22 total tackles and one sack, everything was smooth sailing in the offseason.
“I thought I had my best offseason ever. I chose not to work to literally get stronger, faster and ready to be a starting linebacker in this league. I was hitting on all cylinders. Then it was about mid-April, I started to get sick,” Varga recalled.
About a month before training camp, Varga was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
The illness jeopardized the start of his 2024 season, and sidelined Varga for most of training camp, limiting his time on the field.
“I would say two weeks of intense sickness, couldn’t do any physical activity. I was going to do some heavy squats one day and the doctor called me and said I might rupture my spleen. All I could do was body weight or some isometrics. Three weeks before training camp of no workouts is a detriment to your body no matter how good your offseason was before that,” Varga added.
Varga was able to suit up for Week 1 and beyond. He can put this battle with mononucleosis at rest and focus on playing his best football. With a couple of injuries lingering on the defence, the timing could not have been better for Varga to step up to the challenge.
Less than a year ago, Cherry suffered from an ACL injury. A couple of months back when he spoke to bclions.com, he said he hoped to be ready for Week 1.
Cherry had the right support group to help him rehab his injury at Ignite Athletics Inc. in Saskatoon. Despite training with several CFL players and Huskies/Lions teammates, Cherry still required some adjustment once he returned to the field.
“Some people never recover from a serious injury. I don’t want that to be the narrative with me. I love this sport, I love this team and I was thrilled to be back,” Cherry said.
“When you’re watching the team from the sideline, you’re visualizing what you would do on this certain play, but it’s different because you are not participating. I was lucky to be able to do a little of indies to shake the rust off.”
While Cherry has rejoined the team at practice, he still needs to fully convince the Lions front office that he’s able to play in full gear again. Winning his 1-on-1 battle was a good starting point.
Mentally, he must prepare as if he’s playing every week because he just might dress for the next game with injuries shaking up on the D-Line.
“This process has made me a better football player because I can appreciate it, and never take one day for granted. I’m just lucky to be out there with my family,” Cherry added.
When NFL veteran long snapper, Kyle Nelson was brought into the mix amongst the long snapper position, training camp battles suddenly intensified between Nelson and Pickett.
When Pickett spoke to bclions.com before training camp, he was assured that he, Sean Whyte and Stefan Flintoft would be the best special team trios in the CFL. That remains the case through Week 6, but the party just got bigger with the addition of Nelson and 2024 Global Draft pick, Carl Meyer.
“Kyle asked me to be his workout buddy. That kind of washed away the awkwardness between us. He wants me to succeed. With me doing the field goal snaps and him doing the punt snaps, we’re both helping each other throughout the game,” Pickett said.
On top of trying to keep his long snapping job, Pickett learned a new position at fullback. Pickett has been a defensive-minded player since day one, and now he’s getting technical with fullback, David Mackie — learning the fundamentals of blocking.
“The playbook is insane. It’s probably like four or five times bigger than the defence playbook. Everything is completely flipped on what you want to do with footwork, striking,” Pickett said.
As for catching the ball out of the backfield, Pickett is confident.
“I’ve got pretty hands to catch the football. I actually hold Saskatoon’s flag football record for touchdowns. I’ve got a great veteran of Mackie helping me with the playbook, learning the audibles,” he added.
During his offseason, Pickett trains with Saskatchewan Roughriders long snapper, Jorgen Hus. The two long snappers are competitive with each other, the offseason spirits will carry over to this Watermelon Smash game in Week 6.
“We always want to beat out each other, the saying iron sharpens iron is kind of a cliché, but it’s true. When you surround yourself with great competitors, people, athletes, that’s how you are going to be,” Pickett said.
Adversity comes with the football life. The three ‘Sasky’ boys on this Lions squad have hit it head on.
