Pfeffer returns to CFL after absence
Kitchener native back in the game after multiple seasons on the sidelines of CFL action
Ronnie Pfeffer’s patience and perseverance has been rewarded.
The affable Kitchener native, who last appeared in a Canadian Football League regular-season game in 2015, is back in action Friday night (8:30 p.m., TSN) when the Toronto Argonauts take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Pfeffer, a former Wilfrid Laurier University standout via Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute, became the Argonauts’ first-choice kicker/punter last week when the team released American Swayze Waters.
“I’m just excited to be back and being part of the team and doing whatever I can to contribute,” the 25-year-old Pfeffer said Thursday.
“The nerves are great. Obviously, you get butterflies in your stomach but I feel that’s part of the love of the game. I’m excited to get out there.”
The CFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Edmonton Eskimos taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a game that featured three players with ties to Waterloo Region. Defensive back Godfrey Onyeka (Brampton) and defensive end Kwaku Boateng (Milton) both played for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and safety Jordan Hoover (Sault Ste. Marie) suited up for the University of Waterloo Warriors. All three started the season on the Eskimos’ active roster.
Pfeffer was first signed by the Argonauts on July 1, 2015, and played six games with Toronto before being released on Aug. 21. He signed with the Ottawa Redblacks three days later and finished the season in the nation’s capital. Pfeffer connected on 12 of 16 field goal attempts in his rookie season and averaged 43.2 yards per punt on 63 attempts.
He missed Ottawa’s entire 2016 campaign after suffering an ankle injury in the pre-season and signed with Toronto last year, only to sit in the wings and watch Lirim Hajrullahu handle all the kicking duties. Pfeffer, as a result, has two Grey Cup rings to his credit over the past two season, from Ottawa and Toronto, without playing a regular-season game.
“It’s basically been battling through adversity and persevering, knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Pfeffer. “You just keep your head up, keep grinding and you’ll get there.”
The Argonauts’ opening-night roster also includes former WLU linebacker Nakas Onyeka of Brampton.
The CFL season continues Saturday with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against the Calgary Stampeders and the Montreal Alouettes facing the BC Lions. Both games feature players with Waterloo Region ties.
Montreal has former WLU linebacker Chris Ackie (Cambridge) and ex-WLU linebacker Brandon Calver (London), Calgary has former WLU defensive lineman Ese Mrabure (North York), Hamilton has offensive lineman Brett Golding (WLU, Dunnville) and defensive back Mike Daly (McMaster, Kitchener), and Ottawa has former Guelph Gryphons offensive lineman Andrew Pickett (Kitchener).
Isaiah Guzylak-Messam (DB, WLU) and Rashari Henry (DL, WLU) are on BC’s practice squad, and Richmond Nketiah (WR, University of Waterloo) is on Montreal’s practice squad. Shamawd Chambers (WR, WLU) is on Hamilton’s six-day injured list.