Scarcelli looking for his shot
June 22, 2009 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Perri Scarcelli is taking another kick at the can.
The 24-year-old Calgary product, who spent the past four seasons as the University of Regina Rams' punter and kicker, made his training-camp debut with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.
It's not the first time Scarcelli has had a look from a CFL team. He attended the Calgary Stampeders' training camp in 2003 and '04 when he was a member of the PFC's Calgary Colts.
"I'm not starstruck," Scarcelli said after Sunday's rain-soaked workout. "I went to camps before, so I kind of knew what to expect and anticipate.
"It's great to be here. I'd love to get to know these guys as teammates. I'm ready to play."
Scarcelli, who was eligible for the 2009 Canadian college draft but wasn't selected, said he had a workout with the Roughriders in May and was considering offers from other teams. But he said the Roughriders called on Friday and he was at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
"It gave me a feeling of what's going on, what kind of pace they have, what they expect," Scarcelli said of watching Saturday's practice. "That kind of gave me an upper hand."
Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said Scarcelli was brought in "to develop," and noted he'll do so with veteran kicker Luca Congi and veteran punter Jamie Boreham. Rookie Jeff Bolen is doing the same thing during camp.
During the 2008 regular season, Scarcelli finished sixth in Canada West with a 35-yard average on 58 punts. He was also sixth in field-goal percentage at 60.9 after hitting 14 of 23 three-point attempts. One of his successful kicks was a U of R-record 53-yarder Sept. 27 against the Simon Fraser Clan.
"I definitely have to show consistency," Scarcelli said when asked what he has to do to turn some heads at the Roughriders' camp.
"Congi is a great kicker, he's very consistent and he does a good job. Boreham's also a good punter. I definitely have to show that I can do both plus kick off, and that I can play at the next level. I really have to put confidence in (the coaches) to have confidence in me."
Scarcelli has one season of CIS eligibility remaining, but he's eager to compete for a spot and land a job in the CFL. Right now, he's hoping that will be in Saskatchewan.
"To learn from and hopefully play for (Roughriders special-teams coach Kavis Reed) would be an honour," Scarcelli said. "To play with this organization, with the fan base and the history behind it, would be amazing."