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Kwaku Boateng has been a workhorse in the Edmonton Eskimos pass rush.

Just don’t call him one to his face. Not with a game coming up against the rival Calgary Stampeders, anyway.

The third-year defensive end has been wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks since being the steal of the 2017 Canadian Football League draft. And while he is no stranger to the Battle of Alberta, he already entered the pro ranks with what can only be described as a rivalry carryover.

“Ironically, back at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., our arch nemesis was the Western Mustangs,” said Boateng. “And they’re also wild horses. So I’ve always had a vendetta towards wild horses, right?”

But wait, there’s more.

“And I’ve never really liked horses since Superman was paralyzed falling off a horse,” Boateng said of the tragedy that befell actor Christopher Reeve, who had portrayed the quintessential DC comic book superhero. “I don’t trust those things. So it’s like my whole life is surrounded by them. I can’t get away from these horses.”

Coming off a two-sack outing in a shutout victory over the Toronto Argonauts to grab a share of the team lead with four on the season, it doesn’t hurt that his Eskimos, who lead the league with 23 sacks, are coming up against a Stampeders pass protection that has allowed the second-most with 19 sacks on the year.

“I look at Calgary as, yeah, they’re a good team,” Boateng said. “They’re consistent, but as long as we work on what we need to work on, there is nothing else I need to worry about.”

Email: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge