Rob Vanstone: Trevor Harris savours playoff win with Mom and Dad in the stands
A home-team victory didn’t disappoint all the visitors.
As an example, consider Tom and Suzanne Harris of Waldo, Ohio.
The proud parents of Trevor Harris were at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, when their 38-year-old son quarterbacked the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 28-19 CFL playoff victory over the B.C. Lions.
The proceedings concluded with three kneel-downs by Harris. Most of the intensely contested game, however, was considerably tougher on the central nervous system.
“That’s probably part of why I had to get stents put in,” Tom Harris said. “My heart’s getting worn out watching him through the years.
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
When Trevor has been traded, or cut, or injured, his parents and siblings — Chantress, Cody and Autumn — have always been there to provide support and encouragement.
Tom and Suzanne have been known to make long drives to attend games when Trevor plays in an East Division city.
Given everything that was at stake on Saturday, Regina was the destination for Mr. and Mrs. Harris.
“Having my parents here is awesome,” Trevor said in Mosaic Stadium’s media room while his father stood in the back, listening and smiling.
“I’m a mama’s boy. I call my mom every morning. My dad’s been through hell and back through a lifetime to provide for our family and to allow us to do the things we’ve been able to do. I wouldn’t be sitting this table without him.
“He was recently diagnosed with leukemia, but you wouldn’t know it. He’s up with the sun every day and he comes back home from work when the sun goes down. He does it every day.
“The blue-collar work ethic that I have is totally a testament to him and my mom. I’m just grateful that they were able to be here in these moments, because I’ve almost lost both my parents twice.
“They’re kind of like cats. They’ve got nine lives. Having them there brings a tear to your eye. It’s one of those things that I’ll reflect on tonight and just be thankful that they were able to be here.”
During the game, Tom and Suzanne sat with two other Ohioans — Phil and Jody Ouellette. Their son, A.J., rushed for two touchdowns to help Saskatchewan advance to Saturday’s Western Final against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
Although these are high-stakes games, Trevor’s approach to parental attendance isn’t dramatically different from the days, long ago, when he was playing Pop Warner football and Tom and Suzanne were in the stands. There will always be the temptation to look up in the stands and see Mom and Dad.
“It’s the same thing, but a different level,” the Roughriders’ signal-caller said. “Even when I’m around them, I still feel like I’m 14.
“I’m grateful. They’re truly amazing people.”
Not to mention resilient.
Trevor’s pet saying — “don’t flinch” — is most applicable to his parents, who survived a serious motorcycle accident in 2012. That was three years after Suzanne conquered cancer.
On Saturday, when the priority was to beat B.C., Trevor completed 26 of 33 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown.
His completion percentage (78.8) was the fifth-highest by a Roughrider in a post-season game.
The bottom-line figure: Saskatchewan has won the last five games he has started.
“If you want anybody to have the ball in their hands, you want him to have the ball in his hands,” Trevor’s dad said. “His high school coaches would always say, ‘If you want to win, put the ball in Trevor’s hands.’
“He has always been on a team that strived to win. He has always been that leader who pushes everybody else. That’s his character. He has always been that way.
“We didn’t necessarily instill it in him. He instilled it in himself. When the kids in high school were going to certain functions, such as parties and stuff, Trevor was at home, studying football. He never strayed.
“We always knew as a young kid that he would amount to something like this because of his desire and his yearn for it.”
All-world parenting doesn’t hurt, either.
“Just to watch him mature from a young kid playing football to now, what a class act he is,” Tom Harris marvelled.
“I hope that’s a reflection of his mother and I.”
