Brett Lauther will soon celebrate a milestone in grand style.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ placekicker is 13 points shy of becoming the 27th CFLer to register 1,000 career points.
He could reach quadruple digits as early as Thursday, when the Roughriders and Ottawa REDBLACKS open the league’s 2025 regular-season schedule (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“That’s crazy to think about,” Lauther, who hails from Truro, N.S., said after Monday’s practice. “That’s pretty cool.
“But like everything else the past couple of years, with numbers or stats or achievements, it’s more a big ‘thank you’ to everyone in the organization, my teammates, friends, family and everyone back home.
“I’m not here without them, so it’s pretty special.”
For the longest time, Lauther’s career points total was stuck at 31 — his output over four games as a rookie with the 2013 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
He bounced around the league for several years until finding a home in Saskatchewan in 2018.
Seven years later, he is 44 points away from becoming only the third player to reach 1,000 as a Roughrider, following Canadian Football Hall of Famers Dave Ridgway (2,374) and Paul McCallum (1,615).
Patience and persistence allowed Lauther, who is two games away from his 100th as a Roughrider, to emulate them and become a successful CFLer.
“I don’t know if I’m ‘successful’ yet,” Lauther, 33, said with a laugh. “It might just mean I’m old.
“Hopefully success comes this season and we’re going where we want to go, one step at a time. I guess passing that milestone will be part of the journey for myself, personally, but I’m trying to keep things team-oriented.
“I’m just focusing on Thursday and trying to get a win and, week by week, keep growing with these guys.
“It really could be a special year this year.”
AARON IS RARIN’ TO GO
Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace is excited to unleash a weapon in the form of 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end Aaron Patrick.
“If you watched any of our special teams stuff, there’s not a lot of people in our league who can do that,” Mace said. “Size, speed, will, strength … it’s going to be fun to watch him.”
The 28-year-old Patrick, who signed with the Roughriders on April 4th, has 17 games of NFL experience with the Denver Broncos.
He registered a sack in his CFL debut — the Roughriders’ May 24th pre-season date with the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
JOHNATHON’S JUBILATION
Saskatoon Hilltops lineman Johnathon Stevens, who is practising with the Roughriders, incited bedlam among his defensive cohorts by returning an interception for a touchdown during Monday’s spirited session.
“It was fun to see that everybody was happy,” Mace said. “He was celebrating. He had to get back (to the huddle), because the reps move quickly after that.
“That kid is amazing, man. He’s probably one of the team favourites.”
INJURY UPDATE
Offensive lineman Jacob Brammer, who is nursing a back injury, is not expected to miss Thursday’s game.
According to Mace, Brammer experienced “a little tweak” during Sunday’s practice.
“We’re just being smart here,” Mace said of the precautions that are being taken.
