BC Lions star Emmanuel Arceneaux is part of the festivities surrounding Sardis secondary school’s Saturday home opener.
The Falcons hit the field for the first time since the late 1970s, kicking off at 2 p.m. at Exhibition Stadium in a game against the Sullivan Heights Stars.
Arceneaux will be out between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. meeting Lions fans and signing autographs.
Halftime will feature a special ceremony to retire the No. 31 jersey of former Sardis football great Rick Klassen, who won a Canadian Football League championship with the 1985 B.C. Lions.
Klassen passed away in December of 2016 after losing a battle with cancer. He will be represented by family, friends, former teammates and the man who coached him at Sardis, John Tymoschuk.
The Sardis Drum Line is also making an appearance.
Falcons head coach Adam Smith and his staff have been coaching up the troops, getting them ready for battle, and it’s time for the hard work to pay off.
“The kids are at the point where they just want to get a game in,” Smith said. “We are ready to go. Attitude. Displine. Looking at them in practice every day, it’s in their eyes and you can tell they are eager to go.”