Next Game
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ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MISSISSAUGA – The newest old Argo, P/K Noel Prefontaine, didn’t arrive in Toronto until late Tuesday night and will not hit the practice field until Wednesday afternoon, but it seems as though his awaited return to the Double Blue already has LB Kevin Eiben grinning ear to ear.
“It is good to have him back,” Eiben said. “We lost a great kicker in [Justin] Medlock but ‘Pre’ is just so versatile. He is a great locker room guy and a great teammate so he should be a good addition to our team.”
Eiben and Prefontaine go as far back as any tandem on the Argos, spending all but two-and-a-half seasons of their careers together. Eiben began holding for Prefontaine in 2003 and the two won a Grey Cup together the following season.
Considering their time together, nobody is likely to understand what Prefontaine brings to the table more than Eiben, especially now that he is likely to take over both the punting and place kicking with the departure of Medlock and the leg injury sustained by Jamie Boreham.
“It is so important [Prefontaine’s ability to punt effectively]. He is pretty consistent at driving it low and keeping it out of bounds,” Eiben continued.
Prefontaine, who was a perennial all-star as a punter during his first tenure with Toronto, is having arguably his best year as a field goal kicker since leaving the Boatmen prior to the 2008 season. The San Diego State product has hit 84% of his attempts as well as the league’s longest three-pointer this season – from 57 yards.
The 13-year vet has played 10 seasons (1998-07) and 171 regular season games for the Argonauts prior to being traded to Edmonton to make room for Mike Vanderjagt. He is the club’s second-leading scorer all-time (935 points), second-leading punter (57,246 yards), and the team’s all-time kickoff yards leader (36,265 yards).