Redblacks’ Starczala to make first CFL start

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The Redblacks will actually have not one, but two new starting quarterbacks making their 2024 debut when they face the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Field on Thursday.

Jeremiah Masoli and Eric “Ziggy” Starczala, the big guy he’ll be accepting the ball from every snap.

While Masoli will be taking the field for the the 116th time in his CFL career, it will be game No. 4, start No. 1 for Starczala, who is replacing Cyrille Hogan-Saindon as the Redblacks’ centre.

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The job, if you didn’t know, is a very important one.

Not only does every play begin with the ball in his hands, but the centre is the quarterback of the offensive line, calling the blocking schemes as he approaches scrimmage.

“You’re conducting the orchestra as a centre,” said offensive line coach Pat Perles. “You’re in tune with the quarterback, really, you’re one mind in a sense, because you have to make the adjustments, whether it’s run or pass game, to what you’re seeing in front of you. And, as you know, pictures change very quickly. So you have to make quick decisions, but you’ve got to be right.

“There’s a huge mental aspect to it, the O-line in general, but especially when you talk about the centre. So to say he’s getting thrown into the fire, absolutely he is, but he’s ready for it. He hasn’t played a lot of football, but he has shown us, from Day 1  since we’ve all got here this year, that he deserves to be a starter in this league. He’s practised that way. He’s prepared that way. His mental preparation has proved to be that. So it’s going from zero to 60, from a practice roster to a start and centre, but if we didn’t feel he could handle it we wouldn’t make this change.”

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Starczala’s story is one of perseverance.

After six seasons with the Guelph Gryphons, he joined the Toronto Argos, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 draft but didn’t have him suit up for a game.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder signed with the Redblacks in 2023 and dressed for three games — against Saskatchewan, Montreal and Toronto — but only saw spot duty as a sub.

Despite never landing a full-time role, Starczala never considered moving on to a different career.

“It’s a sport we all love,” said the 28-year old Brantford product, who was a tackle for five of his six university seasons. “We wouldn’t really be doing it if we didn’t love it, right? It’s hard to give up on it or anything. I don’t think I’ll ever move on from the game. I’l probably end up coaching at some point, getting involved in some way or another.”

Starczala, who Perles says has “tremendous football character”, admits he was nervous when first told he’d be starting against Calgary.

“But as the week went on, that’s kind of faded away,” he said. “I feel I got more prepared daily, watching film and everything. I feel good.”

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Not like he’s being thrown into the fire.

“Not at all,” said Starczala, whose parents may fly in for the game from Cambridge. “The coaches, guys around me, we all did a really good job prepping. Coaches get us really prepared for the game. Do a really good job going in depth, making sure we’re all ready.”

Head coach Bob Dyce is confident the right decision has been made to start Starczala, a player he says has earned the spot.

“Offensive line is an interesting position because it takes time,” said Dyce. “That’s probably where the biggest jump is … this isn’t to play down Canadian college, but a lot of times a Canadian kid (on the O-line) is playing against a kid from Auburn or a kid from Ohio State. And it’s different. So sometimes it takes time to gel at that spot because they’re seeing a lot of different speeds and things like that. And it’s to Ziggy’s credit that in the time that he’s put in, and continued to keep his nose to the grindstone and continued to get better, and that’s what he’s done. It’s been impressive throughout practice, and I look forward to seeing him playing the game.”

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According to Perles, the demotion of Hogan-Saindon is not a reflection of the five sacks the Redblacks allowed against Saskatchewan.

“It’s not a negative statement on Cyrille,” insisted Perles. “It’s two guys, one bone, two dogs, one bone. It just so happens that Eric has, in the last couple weeks, really trended up to the point where we couldn’t keep them on the practice roster anymore. So it’s more what Eric has achieved and proven to us, at least in practice, than the negative parts about Cyrille.”

Meanwhile, Masoli acknowledges that it “definitely” takes reps for a quarterback to develop chemistry with his centre, but at the same time says he’s not concerned of any possible hiccups with the rookie.

“The thing is, we’ve been in the same building for a while, we’ve been working with each other for a while,” said Masoli. “So  we already have some good rapport, we have history together out there on the field. Maybe not live games, but I mean, we’ve played together for years now. We’re just getting comfortable with each other and improving every day.”

Oh, and as for the nickname Ziggy, Starczala explains that it was given to him in his first year at Guelph from veteran O-lineman Zach Bader.

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“He said, ‘So your last name is pronounced Starczala? Like Stardust?’” said Starczala. “And I got Ziggy Stardust from that. Ziggy.”

And now for the Redblacks, it’s time to get Ziggy with it.

GOING DEEP

With the B.C. Lions on a three-game slide and without starting QB Vernon Adams Jr. (knee) the last two, the Redblacks thought they might catch a break when they face Rick Campbell’s team on Aug. 24 in Ottawa and again on Aug. 31 in Vancouver. But now, with the Lions signing Nathan Rourke on Tuesday, it appears they’ll have no such luck. “I honestly haven’t given him any time,” Dyce said when asked about Rourke after practice. “He’s a good player, and I’ll worry about Nathan Rourke in a couple of weeks.” … Former Redblacks FB Patrick Lavoie has been released by the Edmonton Elks. The 25-year-old from Gatineau, who also played for the Carleton Ravens, was with the Redblacks from 2014-17, which means he has a Grey Cup ring from the 2016 season.

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