Charles family reunion
Aug. 28, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Like many of the University of Regina Rams, Stefan Charles had a family member in the Mosaic Stadium stands Friday to watch the team's intrasquad game.
Unlike his teammates, though, Charles had never met his relative before.
At one point during the Green and Gold game, the 22-year-old product of Scarborough, Ont., sauntered over to the stands and shook hands with his second cousin. Hugh Charles is a tailback with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders -- and the two expect to see a lot of each other over the next few months.
"It's good to have somebody in town who I can call," said Stefan, whose mother, Thelma, is a first cousin of Hugh's dad, Lloyd. "He also knows what it takes to get to the next level, so I'll take what I can from him."
"We'll definitely be meeting up and spending time getting to know each other," added Hugh, who isn't on the roster and therefore didn't travel with the Roughriders to Edmonton for their game today against the Eskimos. "We'll eat and talk. I've got to catch up with that side of the family."
A former CFLer actually had a hand in Friday's family reunion.
Ex-Roughriders defensive end Daved Benefield was Stefan Charles' coach last season with the BCFC's South Surrey Big Kahuna Rams. Hoping to see Charles -- a 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive lineman -- move up the football ranks, Benefield called the Rams.
"Paul (Dawson, the Rams' defensive co-ordinator) and I talked to Daved and he said (Charles) was a great kid and a good player who needed to get into a place where he'd get an opportunity," U of R head coach Frank McCrystal said. "So we've given him the opportunity."
"It has been a while coming," Charles noted. "Life in football wasn't that easy back home. I wasn't in the right place at the right time and I was moving around a lot until my (Ontario Varsity Football League) coach told me about Big Kahuna.
"Then (in B.C.) I was overlooked. If it wasn't for Frank giving me a chance, I probably wouldn't be playing."
He showed Friday that he can play pretty well.
Going up against the Rams' starting offensive line, Charles and fellow newcomer Akiem Hicks wreaked havoc along the line of scrimmage.
In fact, the defence carried the night. It didn't surrender a point -- the offence's deepest penetration ended with an interception in the end zone by cornerback Jeff Lukomski -- and forced numerous turnovers.
"We want to put a new face on the defence," Charles said. "We're after aggression. We're trying to make a push in the CIS this year."
"We needed to be better along the line and (Charles and Hicks) are making us better -- and they're making other guys like (defensive tackle) Benton Gieni better, too," McCrystal added.
"The offensive linemen -- as much as it looked like they were getting pushed around and run over -- are going to be better for having to play those guys."
Hugh Charles certainly was impressed with what he saw out of Stefan.
"I didn't know he was that big," said Hugh, who was planning to take Stefan out for dinner after the scrimmage. "I've got to treat him. I'm his big cousin."
RAMBLINGS: Slotback Brenden Owens left the scrimmage after just one offensive series and remained on the bench with an icebag on his right shoulder. McCrystal said Owens suffered a bruised shoulder that won't keep him out of action ... Linebacker Chris Gregory hobbled off the field with a right knee issue. McCrystal said the problem was that the brace Gregory wears on the knee -- which has been surgically repaired -- had slipped and was causing him pain ... The Rams open the Canada West regular season Friday, 7 p.m., against the visiting Manitoba Bisons.