Gunning for the Grey Cup

Winnipeg to play in CFL Eastern Finals on Sunday

Former Del Norte Warrior Buck Pierce, above and below, during game action with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Photos courtesy of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The 2000 Del Norte High graduate from Gasquet is one step away from that goal as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League East Finals on Sunday at home.

The winner will go on to the Grey Cup, the CFL version of the Super Bowl, next week in Vancouver.

Pierce, the starting quarterback, won a Grey Cup in 2006 as a backup with the B.C. Lions and said it has been an emotional experience to once again be so close to the title game after suffering a serious injury last year.

“It means everything to me,” Pierce said in a Friday telephone interview with the Triplicate after a long day of practice and media interviews. “We’ve all worked so hard to make it to this point.”

 Winnipeg has not been to the Grey Cup since 2007 and has not won it since 1990.

“We need to control the football and help keep our defense fresh and rested,” Pierce said. “We need to take care of the football and execute for four quarters.”

The 10-8 Blue Bombers, the Eastern Conference champions, will host the 9-10 Tiger-Cats on Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT. The game will be shown live on the Internet on ESPN3. Winnipeg earned a first round bye by winning the East title while Hamilton, which Winnipeg defeated all three times they met this year, downed Montreal in the first round 52-44 last week.

Among those watching in Del Norte will be Pierce’s parents, Tim and Connie Pierce.

Pierce, the starting signal caller, and the Bombers will play in the East Division Championship on Sunday against Hamilton at home.

“It’s a big game,” he said. We’re really excited.”

Practices have been productive but chilly this week since the Bombers  practice outside in wintry Winnipeg, Buck Pierce said.

“It’s pretty cold,” Pierce said. “It’s snowing pretty hard right now.”

Affer an injury-filled season with Winnipeg last year when he he dislocated the humerus in his throwing elbow and bone chips were found, Pierce has played in 16 of 18 regular season games this year.

Pierce was named CFL offensive player of the week twice this season. He has 3,348 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 18 picks. He has run for 324 yards and two scores.

Pierce did sit out the Bomber’s regular season finale at Calgary with a knee injury and there was speculation in the Canadian media about whether he would start Sunday. On Thursday, it was announced by the team Pierce would indeed be under center for the Bombers.

While Pierce would have liked to have played in the regular season finale he said he understands the reasons for him to sit out.

 “You hate to miss a football game but we knew we were in the playoffs,” Pierce said. “It was big for me to get rest. Playing an 18-game schedule definitely takes a toll on your body.”

“It was hard for him not to be out there with his team,” Tim Pierce said. “But he knew that he had to rest.”

 This year, Buck Pierce was the recipient of the Ed Kotowich Good Guy Award, which recognizes a Blue Bomber player for his excellence in combining football ability, team camaraderie and extraordinary effort in the community.

He has donated his time to organizations such as the United Way and has traveled to many rural towns throughout Manitoba for public-speaking events.

 Since last season, Pierce lives in Winnipeg year-round and said he loves it.

“I’m glad I can go out and represent the Blue Bombers in the community,” he said.

Pierce said for a pro athlete, Winnipeg is a wonderful city to play and live in.

“Oh man, you have to be here to have an understanding of how passionate this province and city is and how much they want a championship,” Pierce said. “Football means a lot for the people here. It’s a tradition... I love being a part of this organization.”

On Tuesday, Pierce celebrated his 30th birthday.

“It’s a big accomplishment to still be playing football at 30 years of age,” Pierce said. “I feel privileged to still be able to play at a high level.”

Tim Pierce said he talked to his son on his birthday and he seemed to be in great spirits.

“It’s the big 30 for him,” Tim  Pierce said. “I talked to him after his weekly radio show and he sounded good. He is really confident and excited for Sunday and knows he has a great opportunity. I think he understands that these chances don’t come around very often.”

If Winnipeg wins Sunday, Pierce will play at the home stadium of the team he began his pro career with. He was released by B.C. in 2009 and eventually signed with Winnipeg. Making things even more interesting,  B.C. is in the CFL West finals at home against Edmonton on Sunday

When he heard that the Grey Cup would be held in Vancouver, Pierce was excited. He said it would be something else to play for the title in B.C.

And, Pierce added, since it’s only around a 12-hour drive from Crescent City to Vancouver, he knows a good-sized group of local fans from Del Norte would be there to cheer him on,

“We will definitely be there,” Tim Pierce said.

As they have done all season, a number of local people here have approached Tim Pierce about Buck.

“They say they will be watching him and wish him the best of luck,” Tim Pierce said.

Buck Pierce said he is proud of being from Del Norte County and it means a lot to him to know that there are people here who care about him.

Pierce said he is and will always be a diehard Del Norte Warriors fan.

He often checks on how the teams here are doing. He has talked to local coaches like Ray Rook, the head football coach, to see how the season is going.

He also has spent some Friday nights on the computer listening to Warrior football games streamed online by KPOD.

Friday night, Pierce planned to listen to Del Norte take on Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland in the first round of the Northcoast Section playoffs.

“I love seeing them go on the road and represent Del Norte so well,” he said.