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VANCOUVER - Ask Zach Collaros teammates about him and most immediately point to how competitive the Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback is.Its been like that for about as long as the 26-year-old Ohio native can remember.My mom and dad have got some stories about that, Collaros said with a wry smile. It was always bad at family reunions. Wed go to St. Louis, for my moms side of the family, and wed be playing a softball game. Id be like seven years old treating it like its the World Series. Youve got 80-year-old grandmothers out there playing.Everyone hated me for it, but its gotten me to where I am so far. Its been good for me.Off the field, the clean-cut Collaros looks anything but a wild man. He is quiet, polite and respectful.But he is different behind centre.Zach Collaros is a beast, said Ticats cornerback Delvin Breaux. When I saw him play at Toronto last year, I was like that guys very competitive. He can play. Thats who we need at the helm of a team. You need that quarterback thats going to have that competitive nature and the will to win. Thats who Zach Collaros is. Hes a great competitor.Highly competitive, wants to be great, echoed head coach Kent Austin.Collaros and Calgary counterpart Bo Levi Mitchell, another relative newcomer, will share the spotlight Sunday in the 102nd Grey Cup. In his third year in the CFL, Collaros has found a home in Hamilton after two years in the shadow of Toronto star Ricky Ray.Hes a proven winner at every level, from high school through college, Austin said of Collaros. He got put on the road in a tough situation before we got him, the year before, when he was in Toronto, and won some tough games on the road. I know because we were trying to catch Toronto in the standings, and we couldnt.Collaros went 41-1 in three years as starting quarterback at Ohios Steubenville High School, posting a 30-0 record the final two years en route to back-to-back state titles.At the University of Cincinnati, he completed 485 of 783 passes for 6,272 yards and 51 touchdowns. He also rushed 268 times for 1,240 yards and 16 touchdowns.Listed at six foot and 216 pounds, Collaros is anything but prototypical NFL quarterback size.He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was released a week later after mini-camp.The difficult thing was up until that point I had never been told I wasnt good enough to be somewhere — athletically, said Collaros. A month later, he signed as a free agent with the Argonauts.He dressed for four regular-season games and won a Grey Cup ring in April 2012 but failed to see the field as the Argos downed Calgary in what was Rays hometown show.Its at home so I havent looked at it, Collaros said of his ring. In 2013, he went 5-3 as starter when Ray went down, leading Toronto to four crucial road wins.Collaros joined the Ticats as a free agent in January after the Argos, realizing he did not plan to re-sign, released him. He is generous in his praise to Ray and Toronto coach Scott Milanovich.I learned a lot about football from both of them, he said.Collaros, who moved his home a couple of kilometres down the road after the move, admits being able to stay close to his family in Ohio played a big part in his choice of Steeltown.Im a very family-oriented guy. I love my hometown, he said. I love my family and friends that are back there .. Having my parents be able to come to the games was huge for me.It has not all been smooth sailing this year.He was hurt in the Ticats fourth game of the season, a 28-24 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on July 4. Collaros missed five games with concussion-related problems, with the Ticats going 1-4 in his absence.It was definitely hard to stay positive, he said of his time on the sideline. There were some tough times, but the training staff did a great job with me.His teammates and coaches told him to take his time coming back. Collaros is particularly indebted to Austin.He understood the injury, how serious it can be, he said.Austin also told him that no matter what happened, Collaros was his quarterback.He was very patient with the whole thing and very supportive. And I appreciate that and he knows that i appreciate that.Collaros return was more than timely. Hamilton was 1-6 going into its Labour Day debut at Tom Hortons Field.With a healthy Collaros at the helm, the Cats went on to win eight of the next 11 including all six games at their new stadium to finish the season at 9-9. Collaros is meticulous in his pre-game work. It is his safety blanket.As long as I do my due diligence during the week and Im prepared for the game, usually that leads to good things, he said.Added Austin: (He) prepares really hard. Hes very, very unselfish. Hes endearing to his teammates. The guys dont ever question whether Zach will come to play and be prepared to play.Collaros completed 279 of 424 passes for 3,26 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He also rushed 57 times for 328 yards.Hes got all the talent in the world, said receiver Andy Fantuz.The plays never over for him. He can move around and make plays.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Jabari Parker Jersey . 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Zach LaVine Jersey . - Skiing far more aggressively than in her season debut a day earlier, Lindsey Vonn was in provisional 10th place after the first 45 skiers in a World Cup downhill on Saturday.TORONTO -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has taken down three top-10 players this week on his way to the Rogers Cup final. It wont get any easier in the championship match. The Frenchman will take on Roger Federer after both players posted straight-set semifinal victories on Saturday at Rexall Centre. Tsonga beat Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-3 in the afternoon while Federer topped Spains Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4 in the evening. Tsonga, who is 4-11 lifetime against Federer, said after his win that he would prefer to play the Swiss star for the title. "When you play against Roger, its always special," Tsonga said. "First, because you play in a big area, in a big stadium anyway. And every time the crowd is for him, so its quite a good sensation. "Its quite a good feeling when you win against 10,000 people," he added with a smile. Its always a tall order to knock off the second-seeded Federer, but Tsonga is one of a handful of players to have done it a few times. He has beaten him in Canada too -- with wins at Montreal in 2009 and 2011. Federer has been challenged at times this week and was pushed in a couple of three-set matches ahead of the semifinal. However, he was in top form against Lopez. "I think I served well, I was aggressive and I was able to really play the way I wanted to play tonight," Federer said. "Im very happy." The 13th-seeded Tsonga, meanwhile, is also brimming with confidence. He dispatched top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the third round, eighth-seeded Andy Murray in the quarter-finals and then the seventh-seeded Dimitrov. "This week Im more consistent and its good because it (helped) me beat three guys in the top 10," Tsonga said. "I didnt do that (for a) couple of years now and it gives me hope for the rest of the year." It will be a clash of styles when the two veterans meet on the stadium showcourt at the US$3.78-million Masters 1000 Series event. Tsonga, 29, plays with an edge, is as demonstrative as they come and his emotions always on full display. The elegant Federer, 33, plays with a steadiness and poise that few can match. "I just think he can overpower guys," Federer said of Tsonga. "Serve up a storm and then play really aggressive with his forehand and also be solid on his backhand. "You think youre in a safe place sometimes in the rally and he takes one step and just hits it and the point is over." On Saturday, Tsonga improvved to 4-0 in head-to-head matchups against Dimitrov while Federer remained perfect against Lopez at 11-0.dddddddddddd Tsonga needed a few games to get his legs going but his powerful serve helped him stay on serve against the young Bulgarian, who is enjoying a breakout season. Tsonga picked up the lone break of the set by taking advantage of his raw power from the backcourt. Heavy topspin strokes forced Dimitrov from side to side and he came up short on two straight returns. Tsonga, buoyed by the enthusiastic near-capacity crowd, skipped and pumped his fist when he converted the break point for a 5-4 lead. He fought off four break point opportunities in the next game to take the opening set. "You have your chances," Dimitrov said. "Today things were just not leaning on my side." Perhaps a little tired after his three-hour quarter-final a day earlier, Dimitrov appeared a tad sluggish in the second set and was unable to dictate the play. Tsonga won on his second match point when Dimitrovs lob bounced just long. The Frenchman extended his arms in the air after the victory and shadow-boxed on the court in celebration. In the other semifinal, Federer was in control from the start on a clear, comfortable evening. He took the opening game at love and dropped only five points on his serve in the first set. Lopez turned in a game effort against the two-time Rogers Cup champ but couldnt match Federers consistency. The Swiss star was his usual smooth self and never appeared threatened. Sundays match will be Tsongas second final appearance of the season. He lost to Latvias Ernests Gulbis in Marseille last February. Federer will be appearing in his seventh final this year. He has a 2-4 record with victories at Dubai and Halle. Tsonga has won 10 career titles and will be looking for his first Rogers Cup crown. It will be his first appearance in a Masters 1000 final since he lost to Federer three years ago at the BNP Paribas Masters. Tsongas only Masters 1000 title came in Paris back in 2008. Federer, meanwhile, has won 79 career titles and is a 17-time Grand Slam champion. In mens doubles semifinal play, third-seeded Daniel Nestor of Toronto and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia dropped a 6-4, 7-6 (8) decision to No. 2 Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil. Earlier, the fourth-seeded duo of Brazils Marcelo Melo and Croatias Ivan Dodig defeated Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Croatias Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-2. ' ' '