Saskatchewan Roughriders clinch first in West as Corey Mace refuses Gatorade shower

The road to the 112th Gray Cup runs through Mosaic Stadium, but Corey Mays isn't ready to celebrate just yet.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders officially clinched first place in the West Division with a 27-19 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night. However, their second-year head coach remained laser-focused after that, sensing the approaching Gatorade rain from Mickey Johnson and Sean Bayne Jr. and deflecting it with a strong, steely hand.

“Yeah, no. Not for me. Not for me,” Mace told TSN reporter Brit Dort about the interaction.

“We still have a lot to improve on. We'll check the tape and move on. The goal remains the same. We have to win the game next week.”

Haha this is amazing! “No, it's not for me!” Corey Mays dodges the Gatorade bucket! I really like the way he does it. Shows he doesn't have to go with the flow/norm of accepting it. #Saskreaders take first place in #CFL West, a good advantage on the way to #GreyCup. #CFLGameDay… pic.twitter.com/NiZ0SAIUv9

– Mick the Australian (@mykaussie) October 11, 2025

Quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns in a victory that came down to the last few drives. In the final minutes, QB Jack Coan, with a five-yard gain, was initially stopped on a third-down play before Mays challenged to turn it around. Brett Lauter kicked a field goal to extend the lead to eight, and AJ Allen hit Toronto defender Jarrett Doege on his final pass to nearly seal it.

Saskatchewan initially earned a playoff berth back in Week 15—the very first CFL team to do so. They have now received a first round bye and will host the Western final on Saturday, November 8th.

“I'm happy for the guys, happy for our fans. Rider Nation, we'll be able to host the Western Finals here. I expect the place to be packed and hopefully we'll give you something to celebrate,” Mays said. “I'm so proud of everyone in the organization. These guys work hard for this.”

Saskatchewan lost the Western Final to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as visitors in 2024, 38-22. They last hosted a game in 2019, also losing to the Bombers 20-13.

The Roughriders (12-4) will return to action on Friday, Oct. 17, when they visit Winnipeg in a game that will mean nothing in the standings.