LaBatte OK with play in Shrine Game

Tim Switzer
The Leader-Post

Monday, January 21, 2008

University of Regina Rams offensive guard Brandon LaBatte was glad for one thing after playing in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday in Houston.

"I didn't give up any sacks or get anyone killed," LaBatte said with a laugh.

LaBatte played -- by his count -- five series in the game to help the West team beat the East 31-13 in the annual university all-star showcase. The West team, which also included Moose Jaw product and Saskatchewan Huskies safety Dylan Barker, had two sets of O-linemen who took turns playing a few series at a time.

"It was a blast," said LaBatte, a 21-year-old Weyburn product. "It was a lot different than what I'm used to but I think I adjusted to it pretty well.

"Everything was just so great. The way they treat you is first class. They feed you steak and prime rib. At practices it was just fun being around guys laughing and joking but still playing hard."

The week didn't start out that way, however.

LaBatte said the first practice of the week didn't go as well as he would have liked, but he eventually caught on to the subtle differences in the game -- the biggest one being the disappearance of the one-yard neutral zone between the offensive and defensive lines used in Canadian football.

"The first practice I noticed it, but the second practice I got the pass blocking figured out," said LaBatte, who roomed with Kansas Jayhawks receiver Marcus Henry during the week. "I kind of got the run block towards the end, but it's a big difference."

And, he hopes, he was good enough to get noticed by a few of the several scouts in attendance throughout the week. LaBatte, 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, is not eligible for the NFL draft since his plans to return to the U of R for his fourth season in the fall, but could be selected in the CFL Canadian College Draft in May.

"I thought I hung in there pretty well considering I never played the game," said LaBatte.

"I hope I (impressed some scouts) but there's still a lot of potential to get better so hopefully they'll see that and recognize it.

"(Scouts) were looking at guys for the (NFL) draft so those were the guys they were talking to. I didn't mean too much to any of them, but hopefully they made a sidenote on a piece of paper. That's about all I was hoping for."

One thing that won't be a sidenote in LaBatte's memories from the week is the teams' visit to the Shriner's Hospital in Houston.

"That was a real eye opener," said LaBatte. "It made you really appreciate everything when you see other people that just had bad luck like that. You see kids that weren't doing anything wrong. They were just walking by a radiator and twisting it and it burns them.

"That trip will stand out for sure. It was a big party on two floors -- dancing, basketball, everything. It was fun to be able to interact with them and know they appreciated it so much."

Some of those the team visited may have been a part of the announced crowd of 15,328. The fans were far from enough to fill Reliant Stadium, but it was a significantly bigger crowd than those LaBatte is used to playing in front of.

"They had the band playing and everything so it was something different for sure," said LaBatte. "You never get that at home. It was bigger than the crowd we get in Regina, but it wasn't what I envisioned."

LaBatte was also impressed with how welcoming the American players and coaches were to him and his fellow Canadians.

The East team included Laval Rouge et Or linebacker Eric Maranda and Sherbrooke Vert et Or receiver Samuel Giguere.

"The first couple days (coaches) didn't really seem like they were too worried about us, they were more worried about everyone else. But as the week went on, they started caring more and more about us," said LaBatte. But maybe that was the impression we came down here expecting andthat's what we got."

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