“It truly is a blessing”: Stephen Smith embraces double duty with Riders, Thunder

Time spent in an elevator with Trevor Harris was an early indicator that Stephen Smith had ascended to a different level.

Smith, a Regina Thunder linebacker and a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ practice roster, admits to being star-struck when he bumped into the CFL team’s star quarterback in a University of Saskatchewan dormitory this past May.

Even now, nearly three months later, there is still a “wow!” factor.

“I definitely haven’t completely lost it,” Smith said during an interview in Mosaic Stadium’s players’ lounge.

“I remind myself of how grateful and how appreciative I should be to have the opportunity to learn every day. It’s not quite like when I saw Trevor Harris and I was thinking, ‘I’m in an elevator with Trevor Harris!’ ”

Smith can also relate to grain elevators, having grown up on the family farm — one that was established in 1883 — just south of Abernethy.

“It’s a very small town,” he said. “There’s a Co-op there and a post office. There’s a small museum.

“There are a few small towns around. Lemberg is where I went to (high) school. Neudorf has an elementary school.

“There are a few things to do out there. There’s a lake nearby … and a lot of farming.”

The 22-year-old son of Paul and Susan Smith shares a love of football with his sister (Rachelle) and brother (Matthew).

Matthew, in fact, was a member of the first six-a-side football team in the history of Lemberg-based North Valley High School. He subsequently joined the Saskatoon Hilltops and helped them win one of their unprecedented 23 Canadian junior football titles.

Rachelle played with the NVHS Eagles before joining the Western Women’s Canadian Football League’s Regina Riot. She later moved to

Saskatoon for scholastic reasons and became a member of another WWCFL team, the Valkyries.

Now Stephen is emulating brother and sister by enjoying success on the gridiron.

“Football has always been in my life,” he said. “My grandparents (Robert and Janice Hawking) had season tickets to the Riders for a lot of years. It went through all my siblings and, as soon as I got old enough, I took over and I went to the games with them.”

Like Matthew and Rachelle, Stephen played six-a-side football — he was a linebacker, running back and placekicker with Lemberg’s Eagles — and set his sights on playing the game beyond the high school level.

“I did one year of selects (football) in between my Grade 11 and 12 years,” he recalled. “While I was down in Texas, I tore my ACL (knee ligament), so I missed my Grade 12 year.

“I didn’t have any offers coming out of high school, really. The only person I knew was from my one year of selects. That was Paul Dawson, who became the defensive co-ordinator of the Regina Thunder that year.

“I reached out to him and asked if they had a place for me to come and try out. He said, ‘Sure thing. Come on out.’

“They were the only ones who gave me an offer coming out of high school, so I took the opportunity. Then I ended up missing another year, because that was during COVID, so I didn’t play football for two years.

“If I’m being honest, I just about hung up the cleats. I went home to the farm and I was working full-time. I put on a bunch of weight and I wasn’t quite the athlete I had been, for sure.

“The coaches talked me into coming back out and I kind of fell in love with the game again.”

As for rival ball-carriers, well, they’re not enamoured of the prospect of encountering, and ultimately being tackled by, Smith.

In 29 Prairie Football Conference regular-season games, dating back to 2021, he has registered 233 defensive tackles, five sacks and two interceptions.

He was named the Canadian Junior Football League’s top defensive player in 2023 after recording 89 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.

His skills became evident to the Roughriders, who invited him to the team’s first training camp under Head Coach Corey Mace.

“My whole life, I’ve looked up to the Rider organization,” Smith said. “I used to dream about it as a kid. When I was playing in the living room or outside in the yard, I’d be catching a ball like I was in Mosaic Stadium. So once I got here, it was really an eye-opener.

“Coach Mace said something in a team meeting that really stuck with me. He was talking about his story and how he was the same way when he got to the NFL. He was like, ‘Wow. This is what I’ve dreamed about all my life.’

“Then he had a moment where he realized that he had reached his dreams and now it was time to reset the goals and to push further. That hit home with me.

“From there on, I’ve been pushing to not just be a Rider and be around, but to try to improve myself in all areas of the game.”

Photo credit: Wanda Harron Photography

That opportunity has materialized because, as one who is classified as a territorial junior, he is eligible to practise with the Roughriders and play for the Thunder.

“I have the opportunity to learn and better myself with two practices in a day,” the 6-foot-0, 220-pounder said. “I have so much time to work on my craft and get better.

“When I started this, the goal was to try to learn as much as I can and take it back to the Thunder. The goal is to win a national championship with the Regina Thunder, so whatever I can bring back there, big or small, that is the goal.”

The Thunder is to begin its regular season on Sunday against the host Winnipeg Rifles.

Smith enjoyed a head start when it came to on-field duty against Winnipeg. He suited up for the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium in a May 20 CFL pre-season game against the Blue Bombers.

“It was the most unreal experience,” he recalled. “I used to be in the stands, cheering for the Riders, when they ran out of the tunnel. So, when I ran out of the tunnel, I took a big, long look around the stadium and tried to soak it all in.

“On the other hand, I was a little disappointed, because I think I got caught up in the moment a little bit too much, and I didn’t play as well as I think I could have, but it’s something to learn from.

“The goal is, if I do get the opportunity again to play in the CFL, not to repeat that and focus more on my game and make sure that I put the best foot forward on tape.”

Although Smith is inclined to critique his performance, members of his cheering section were not complaining.

“I think half the Regina Thunder team was there,” he said with a laugh. “They had videos of my plays from every angle in the stadium. My parents and my whole immediate family was there. My grandparents were there as well.

“They all came into this room (the players’ lounge) after the game, actually, and we got some pictures. There were some family friends as well, so quite a few people made the trip for the game.”

A landmark game at that!

Smith became the first product of Abernethy to suit up for the Roughriders, who over the years have been represented by players or prospects from 63 communities in Saskatchewan.

“It’s just awesome to show that no matter where you come from — even a small town — you can make a career out of football,” he said shortly before diving into another few hours of film study at Mosaic Stadium.

“It truly is a blessing.”