Noah Zerr to make first CFL start for Riders

Noah Zerr grew up watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Now the Langenburg, Sask. product will wear the green and white in his first CFL start.

“It’s huge. It’s my first opportunity to start in this league and it’s with the hometown team,” Zerr said. “It’s the team I grew up cheering for and try to go to every game with. It’s really exciting to be in that starting role finally.”

Zerr will draw into the starting five offensive linemen as the Riders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic rematch on Saturday – also known as the Banjo Bowl.

The Riders lost 35-33 in the Labour Day Classic to the Bombers on Sunday.

But it was more than just a loss in the standings for the Riders as two more offensive linemen – centre Peter Godber (ankle) and guard Zack Fry (elbow) were injured in the game.

Zerr had to enter the game and has a number of snaps under his belt now.

“It’s never good for a guy to go down. It was heartbreaking to see Peter on the ground but at the end of the day, it’s next-man-up mentality and you have to go in there and fight your butt off for the guys beside you and I feel like I did that to the best of my ability and I think I am proud of myself for stepping and in stepping up,” Zerr said.

It also meant a lot to the 26-year-old to get a chance to play in the Labour Day Classic.

“Labour Day is a special moment. I’ve never been here for the Labor Day classic playing for this team. I think stepping in there, when guys went down, it was like a fever dream,” Zerr said. “It’s something you’ve always wanted to do, I always wanted to rep the green on Labour Day and it was amazing.”

Those two now find themselves on the six-game injured list along with tackles Jermarcus Hardrick (quad) and Jacob Brammer (knee), guard Philip Blake (quad), and guard Ryan Sceviour (elbow).

“It’s a roller-coaster but the CFL is always a roller-coaster,” Zerr said. “It’s one of those jobs that has a bunch of turmoil but when it pays off, it really pays off. I think it’s paying off for me now and I just have to go prove it and play my butt off and go play a football game.”

Zerr, who is in his third CFL season, admits it’s an accumulation of all the hard work he has put in over the years, dating back to his time as a member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Zerr was selected by the B.C. Lions in the second round, 12th overall, of the 2022 CFL Draft, dressing for four games that season.

The next year, he was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and dressed for three games there.

“I feel like I’m ready and I feel like I have been ready and I have just been dying for an opportunity to slug it with the fellas,” Zerr said.

With all the changes the team has had at the offensive line position, Zerr said there’s always some anxiety with a new player coming in but the group believes in each other.

“We’re a tenacious group. We fight our butt off for every inch of every play,” Zerr said.

Zerr will look to help the Riders end a six-game winless streak (0-5-1).

“I think we’re always desperate for a win. We want to win every week,” Zerr said. “I think we have the talent in the room to win every week and it’s just about going out there and proving it.”

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