Rams' Boersma says being selected by Riders `surreal'
The University of Regina Rams' Riley Boersma has been known to roam the stands at Mosaic Stadium, selling 50-50 tickets at Roughriders home games.
On Tuesday, it was Boersma's turn for his name to be drawn. The Roughriders selected the speedy receiver in the eighth round (72nd overall) of the 2022 CFL draft.
“It has always been my dream to be able to play on a field like that (in the pro ranks),” said Boersma, who has made regular appearances at Mosaic Stadium since joining the Rams for the 2018 Canada West season. “You're watching it from such a different perspective (while selling 50-50 tickets) but then, to hear your name called, it kind of seems surreal right now. ”
The Rams traditionally sell 5050 tickets at Roughriders games, with the proceeds going to support amateur football in Saskatchewan.
That is part of the overall football culture of the province, to which Boersma was introduced when he moved to Regina from Ontario to join the Rams.
“Before I even got a chance to play, I went to a Riders game with a couple of my roommates and I remember being kind of in awe, seeing all the people flooding the stadium,” Boersma said Wednesday during a Zoom call with reporters.
“The amount of people and the energy that they bring, it's nothing like I've seen in all my years in Ontario. That was really something that got me very excited to be playing football in Regina. People love their football and people love the Riders, so it's a really cool energy.”
The five-foot-10, 191-pound Boersma has caught 39 passes for 763 yards — an average of 19.6 yards per reception — and six TDS over 17 games with the Rams.
At the 2022 CFL combine, he boasted the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.49 seconds) and tied for the highest vertical jump (40.5 inches).
Saskatchewan, which picked seventh in each of the eight rounds, spent its first selection on Louisiana Tech's Samuel Emilus. The next six picks were as follows: Round 2: Western offensive lineman Zack Fry (16th overall). Round 3: UBC offensive lineman Diego Alatorre Montoya (27th). Round 4: Wilfrid Laurier linebacker Tommy Bringi (36th).
Round 5: Mcgill defensive back Tristan Fleury (45th).
Round 6: Alberta defensive back Jayden Dalke (54th).
Round 7: Hillsdale College defensive back Zach Herzog (63rd).
Boersma was the third Ram to be chosen, following linebacker Ryder Varga (third round, 29th overall, B.C. Lions) and offensive lineman Joel Braden (fifth round, 43rd, Calgary Stampeders).
Three members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies were selected — most notably defensive lineman Nathan Cherry, who went third overall to B.C.
The Lions also looked to the Huskies in Rounds 2 (choosing Langenburg-born offensive lineman Noah Zerr 12th overall) and 5 (defensive lineman Riley Pickett, 41st). Cherry and Pickett are from Saskatoon.
Regina-born defensive back Eric Sutton, 23, went to the Toronto Argonauts in the sixth round (53rd). He is the son of Eric Sutton Sr., who was a defensive back with the Roughriders for all or parts of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 seasons.