By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
This week on Inside the MMJFL, Mike Still took some time to chat with veteran #cutestshowonturf running back Domenico Slobodian as well as MMJFL rookie Ray Cruz, who is back strapping it up after a stint with the Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA. Hear about both of their football journeys as well as their connection to the #CSOT and more!
By: Mike Still
Feature photo: Dane directing traffic during practice in 2017. Photo by Perry Bergson.
Brady Dane eats, sleeps and breathes Westman football.
The former offensive lineman began his career at age 12 in the Westman Youth Football Association (WYFA) before transitioning to Vincent Massey High School. The year after he graduated – 2010 to be exact – was the first year Westman fielded a team in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL). He’s been a fixture ever since.
A player for three seasons, Dane was key in helping the Wolverines remain competitive against high level talent from Winnipeg’s St. Vital, Transcona, St. James and North End-based teams. The squad posted four wins in all three years that he was part of the team, engraining a firm culture along the way.
Once his playing career ended, Dane took over as Westman’s lead guy. He’d already been coaching in the WYFA and also with Massey, so the transition seemed like a natural fit.
“Basically all of our coaches now are guys who played in those early years,” Dane says.
“We developed such a strong team bond and a strong chemistry. Guys whose weddings I’m going to now are guys that I met playing on the Wolverines. We sort of all came together and formed some bonds that have lasted to this day.”
Dane is a players’ coach. As someone who is fairly similar in age to his athletes – and in the case of last season, had two guys on the team who he’d suited up with in his last year of MMJFL eligibility – he understands and relates to their grind. This was particularly notable in 2017 when Westman won the league’s Coaching Staff of the Year award, while Moosomin, Saskatchewan native Cole Easton took home the league MVP and Most Outstanding Defensive Player awards.
“I think our league is such that we’re not necessarily running boot camps here. The old school angry coach approach doesn’t necessarily work. It’s the player’s team. It’s what they want to make of it and we will always go as far as they want to take it,” Dane says.
“When we’ve had success, I always will defer to the players. They take it as far as they can and we’ve had some great players, such as Cole Easton, who has won multiple league awards. There’s some really great players who are really great leaders as well and help establish the culture.”
Dane noted that the team typically carries about 40 players per year and is invaluable to the Westman community as the only true option for players post-high school who don’t want to make the trek out to Winnipeg to continue their playing careers. He also contacts the head coaches of all of the teams in the Rural Manitoba Football League (RMFL) to ensure that their seniors can continue to further their passion for the game.
“It’s just a great opportunity to continue playing the game. It is that kind of game where there isn’t a beer league everywhere or leagues all over the place that you can join. It’s a limited window and even when I graduated, there was no Wolverines team. If you weren’t playing on a junior roster or a U SPORTS roster, there was no option for you.
And even with the junior and the U SPORTS options, there was nothing locally. It just gives the guys such a great opportunity to continue playing the game and again you build those bonds and connections.”
Introducing a new feature for the 2019 season: Inside the MMJFL! Follow along as communications coordinator Mike Still takes you through all five teams in the league, Q & A style, in order to get to know the players and coaches better.
First up is East Side head coach Barry Berard, who, along with the bulk of the back-to-back Transcona championship teams, has moved 20 minutes over to Eagles field due to the Nationals not fielding a team in 2019. With third-year pivot Bryson McNeil back, as well as defensive catalyst Bradley Klassen and impact newcomer Danny Harris among many others, the Eagles are in good shape as the season opener on August 10 against St. James nears closer.
By: Mike Still
Feature photo: Jonasson in action during phase three of Team Manitoba U16 practice.
One word comes to mind when discussing linebacker Belle Jonasson: determination.
A passionate fan of football, her dreams of playing were halted prior to three years ago, as there was concern from her family about competing against boys, along with the fact that there was no Manitoba Girls Football Association (MGFA) team in her area.
The MGFA is a six-a-side league for junior and senior females that’s played in the spring. The league allows girls to learn the game, hone their skills and compete against each other, and if they so choose, compete in youth leagues in the fall.
But Jonasson’s dreams were fulfilled in 2017 when the Transona Nationals entered the MGFA.
“I went up to my dad and said, you can’t say no. Please sign me up,” Jonasson joked. “And he’s like ‘yeah for sure.'”
Jonasson was a natural from the start. Named a team captain as a defensive back, she rightfully earned a spot as an MGFA all-star early in her career.
“It was a big stepping point for me going into a sport that I’d never played before and being such a role model to the other girls that are new to the sport too.”
Always striving to get better, Jonasson also played bantam football against boys, having a blast while doing so. It was there that she was shifted to linebacker, a position she “fell in love with” and still plays now.
“I like being in every play. I like watching how the offensive line moves so that you can see every play is going to go. And I like how much knowledge you have to have to play the position.”
Last year, the Transcona native took an even bigger step in her growth as a football player, trying out for Team Manitoba’s U16 squad. She made it to phase two but was ultimately not selected to the roster.
Instead of getting down on herself, Jonasson took the experience and grew from it.
“After last year being unsuccessful after phase two, it was a big realization for me that you have to go 100 percent every rep and you can’t just give up.”
This year, Jonasson was back for U16 tryouts, dedicated to doing whatever it took to become the first-ever female to make the squad.
“During prep camp [head coach Jeff Ready] walked up to me and was like ‘are you ready for this year?’ And I used some foul language, but I was like I’m gonna make this fucking team. Then he came to me during phase one and said ‘same mindset.’ And I said, I’m gonna make this fucking team.”
Jonasson did just that, and made sure to remind her head coach of what she’d said to him during prep camp.
“When [Ready] called me and told me I made the team, I’m like, I told you. I told you in prep camp I’d make this team. It was pretty nice going all the way and being the first female.”
Jonasson and her squad are currently in Kamloops getting set for their first game of the U16 Western Challenge later today. The linebacker is excited for the experience, which she feels will prepare her well for her debut season in the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) this fall with Murdoch MacKay — an incoming Division 1 team.
She won’t be alone however, as a growing number of females have begun plying their trade in the WHSFL, with over ten suiting up for various schools in 2018.
“After I made [Team Manitoba] it kind of opened my eyes more to high school football,” Jonasson says. “I thought if I could play Team Manitoba, then I can play high school.”
Her message to any female looking to make their mark in the sport is simple.
“Go in there like you’re one of the boys and give it 100 percent because you never know who it watching you. You can be as good as you think you are.”
By: Mike Still (@mikestill)
Feature photo: Farber with St. John’s head coach Grant McMillan shortly after receiving a bursary from the Rising Stars Foundation during the first annual Night of Excellence
Joshua Farber understands the meaning of determination, being humble and staying positive. Raised in the north end by a hard-working single mother, he strives to better himself every day.
Somewhat reserved off the field, Farber turns on another gear when playing football — a sport he started at age seven with the North Winnipeg Nomads after some encouragement from his mom.
“First, my mom was like, ‘you have to go try something. You could try out for football.’ I was like sure, I’ll try it out. At first I didn’t get the full hang of it, but then my first game I dominated and I just started liking it and it became a big feature of my life.”
Farber — now 13 years old — spent the first three years of his minor football career as a defensive lineman and like he said, absolutely dominated. He was named the Nomads best defensive lineman in 2014 and was the team MVP the following two years in a row.
But things really picked up for Farber in 2016 when he made the transition to running back after a suggestion from his coach. Originally hesitant to make the switch to offence, it took just one play for the powerful and built downhill runner to change his mind.
“When I first got the ball, it was my first time ever dropping the shoulder and the kid went flying! And I was like, I actually did that. I surprised myself and thought that maybe I could continue doing this.”
Farber was offensive MVP for the Nomads in his debut year as a running back and two years later helped shoulder the load as his squad won the Manitoba Minor Football Association (MMFA) PeeWee “A” Division championship.
Instead of boasting about his accomplishments or even the championship itself, Farber was quick to emphasize key personal values such as perseverance and trust.
“It makes me feel good every time I do something good to help out the team,” he says. ““When we were down, we would somehow always rise back up and try staying positive in the best way.”
This season, Farber will make his WHSFL debut at the varsity level, suiting up for last year’s CanadInns Bowl winners the St. John’s Tigers.
In preparation for high school ball, the Nomads alum decided to try out for the U16 provincial team following the suggestion of a teammate. That choice paid off big time as Farber was one of the standouts during the selection team process, cementing his spot on the roster during after an impressive showing at the phase two inter squad scrimmage.
But as usual, he remained humble.
“I didn’t feel that I did the greatest, but I know that I can improve on a lot. People said I did pretty good, but I don’t really know about that.”
The workhorse that he was, Farber also chose to attend indoor practice sessions hosted by the Football Manitoba Prospects Program, which provides an opportunity for players that are not selected to the U16 or U18 High Performance Program.
“Josh attended essentially every single indoor prospects practice as well as our Sunday night prospects sessions at Gordon Bell,” Eric Vincent, a coach for the prospects program says.
“Even when he knew he was going on to phase two (of U16), Josh continued to come to Sunday night prospects practices to work on his skills with coach Brian Marks.”
It’s important to note however, that in certain instances the cost to be a member of Team Manitoba can be a challenge. In order to take some of the pressure off of his mom’s shoulders, Farber applied for a bursary with the Rising Stars Foundation — a local non-profit corporation whose mission is to “enrich the amateur sports community in Manitoba by supporting, developing, and mentoring young student leaders from all backgrounds.”
In order to apply, Farber — who admits that long-form writing can be a challenge at times — was tasked with writing an essay that detailed his academic and athletic achievements as well as volunteer involvement within his school and community.
“I wanted to do it for my mom, because we needed the extra money so we could get to this level. That really pushed me to write the essay, even though writing and stuff isn’t the easiest for me.”
The humble athlete was successful in receiving a bursary to help aid in the cost of the program, thanks in part to the excellent essay he wrote which detailed a multitude of community work such as delivering Christmas hampers from Winnipeg Harvest to those less fortunate in the community.
Farber — who draws many comparisons on the field to former Grant Park Pirates standout running back/fullback/linebacker Dustin Ellis-Kyle — is eager to test his skills in the upcoming U16 Western Challenge, taking place in mid-July in Kamloops, BC, as well as against top Division 2 competition in the WHSFL.
“Because of the age gap and the fact that there’s going to be stronger people than me [in the WHSFL], I want to push myself and be able to take them down and not the other way.”
By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Sisler’s Richard Lugumire in WHSFL action last season.
Second-year Team Manitoba head coach Ryan Karhut has his U18 troops ready to go for the 2019 Football Canada Cup, being held from July 6-13 in Kingston, ON. Below is everything you need to know about the team ahead of their quarterfinal tilt against Quebec on Sunday, July 6. All games can be viewed live for free here.
Quarterbacks: Richard Lugumire (Sisler), Sawyer Thiessen (Steinbach)
Runningbacks: Ishe Matanga (Vincent Massey Collegiate), Tanner Frobisher (St. Paul’s)
Lugumire and Thiessen are two of the top local pivots in the 2021 class. Each has the capability to use their arm or legs effectively and both are receptive listeners who absorb information like sponges. Thiessen already has years of experience as the starter for the Division 1 Sabres, while Lugumire also stepped up as a grade ten starter for the fellow Div 1 Spartans.
Matanga has been here before and really led by example on the practice field this week. He moves laterally impressively well for a man of 220 pounds and has good hands. Expect to hear his name quite a bit during the tournament.
Frobisher formed a nice 1-2 combo in the backfield with Te Jessie last year and now has the chance to gain even more experience against top national competition. He has good vision and is particularly dangerous in the red zone.
Receivers: Kaiden Bannon (Vincent Massey Collegiate), Justus Flett (Oak Park), Jayden Martens (Steinbach), Theo Karahalios (St. Paul’s), Nathan Udoh (Miles Mac), Reece Wyke (River East), Luke Cameron-Brandstrom (St. Paul’s), Miciah Stone (Miles Mac)
Bannon, a returning player, is the leader of this group, putting in a consistent effort every single day just like his teammate Ishe. The long, athletic wideout at 6’2″, 190 has tremendous high point abilities and rarely loses a jump ball. The former member of Team Canada also had a standout performance during the CFC Prospect Game earlier in the summer and along with Sisler’s Steven Koniuck is one of Manitoba’s top receiving prospects in the 2020 class.
Flett is another returning veteran with playmaking abilities due to his size, standing at 6’4″. He’s a matchup nightmare who loves competition.
Fellow wideout Jayden Martens out of Steinbach has established a strong connection with Thiessen over the years and it’s likely we’ll see that combo perform well again together on the national stage. Standing at 6’5″, he’s threat both vertically or in the short passing game.
Karahalios is no stranger to national competition. The incoming grade 11 out of St. Paul’s put on a show during last year’s U16 Western Challenge and has been fun to watch at practice. He’s another multi-use threat that can burn you in all facets. His school-mate Luke Cameron-Brandstrom is a very intelligent prospect who has good route-running skills.
Udoh and Stone are both products of highly respected Dan Washnuk’s Miles Mac program. Udoh is a vocal leader who at 6’2″ can get up for the deep throws but can also speed past you at the line of scrimmage. He’s also a capable punter/kicker.
Stone models his game around New England’s Julian Edelman, and it makes sense. The former is 5’11”, 155 but has great hands and a willingness to go into the heart of a zone just to make a play.
Wyke was stellar last year during River East’s run to the Division 2 CTV Bowl, both as a starting receiver and the team’s kicking specialist. He’s got speed to burn and isn’t afraid of contact.
Offensive line: Victor Olaniran (Vincent Massey Collegiate), Eric Boyd (Crocus Plains), Carter Little (Portage), Matthew Lushney (Hammarskjold, Thunder Bay, ON), Lucas Radbourne (Hammarskjold, Thunder Bay, ON), Giordano Vaccaro (St. Paul’s), Dawson Waldner (Murdoch MacKay)
Offensive line coach Stephen Fedus — who has national team experience — has done an excellent job getting this athletic group of hoggies ready to go for the tournament. Olaniran, Boyd and Little are all back from last year and each offer something a little different. Olaniran is very nimble for 6’4″, 280 and shone during the CFC Prospect Game, while Boyd is just as athletic and thrives on physicality, as does Boyd, who plays through every whistle.
Vaccaro is a vocal leader with sound fundamentals and a great motor, while Hammarskjold’s duo of Lushney and Radbourne provide aggression, heart and intelligence.
Dawson Walder of Murdoch was an integral part of an offensive line that helped pave the way for a dynamic Clansmen ground game, led by pivot Carter Kutzan. He’s a model teammate who has all of his brothers backs.
Defensive line: Jordan Friesen (Dakota), Owen Steele (Superior, Thunder Bay, ON), Jonah Siciliano (Hammarskjold, Thunder Bay, ON), Ethan Papineau (Dakota), Brandyn Linklater (Interlake), Nahum Meshesha (Sisler)
One of Manitoba’s biggest strengths, the defensive line returns three players from last year in Friesen, Steele and Siciliano. Friesen wreaks havoc off the edge due to his quickness and athleticism but can also bump inside on certain packages. The CFC Prospect Game participate is also a former Team Canada member who has vocally expressed how determined he is to once again stand out at the national tournament and don the red and white once more.
Steele was all over the place during the team’s controlled scrimmage during phase two of tryouts and is another athletic specimen at 6,5″, 237, while Siciliano can move incredibly well for a defensive tackle who stands at 6,0,”, 300.
Papineau had an excellent grade 11 season for a loaded Dakota front seven that also included Friesen, Josh Ma and Langley Rams-bound Raffaele Caligiuri. He thrives on his strength and ability to hold the line of scrimmage.
Linklater, also known as chainlink, lives up to his nickname with exceptional physicality, speed and a deep desire for contact. He played all over Interlake’s defence last year, including at safety and is a class act both on and off the field.
Meshesha is new to the sport but is a quick learner who is very smart. He’ll benefit from being able to learn from the likes of Siciliano and Papineau and should be primed for a breakout 2019 with Sisler.
Linebackers: Jayden Engel (Vincent Massey High School, Brandon, MB), Isaac Dokken (Steinbach), Bradley Macklin (St. Ignatius, Thunder Bay, ON), Nic Pereira (St. Paul’s), Evan Rollwagen (Miles Mac)
Engel is the emotional leader of this group and has been unbelievably fun to watch at practice all week due to his nonstop energy, enthusiasm and sheer athleticism. A veteran, expect him to be in the running for all-star recognition.
Dokken and Macklin also return from the 2018 roster. The former has great range and versatility, putting up big numbers at running back as well for Steinbach in 2018. He’s another all-star candidate. The latter’s no quit attitude and speed are evident every time he touches the field and he is also an all-around great guy.
Pereira was nothing short of phenomenal for Team Manitoba U16 last year, including the hit of the tournament against Alberta. He was the defensive player of the game during the phase two controlled scrimmage and loves to lay the boom down. His play didn’t go unnoticed at the Division 1 level last year either, as he was the Rookie of the Year and also participated in the CFC Prospect Game.
Rollwagen was a standout as a grade ten last year on a young Miles Mac squad. He has reliable tackling abilities and has been a morale booster all week with his personality.
Kicking specialist: Ethan Nagler (Kelvin)
A converted soccer player, Nagler won multiple games last year for the Clippers on the strength of his well-balanced kicking and punting abilities. He also participated in the CFC Prospect Game and is earning looks stateside as well.
Defensive backs: Nathan Smallwood (Hammarskjold, Thunder Bay, ON), Adam Fast (Kelvin), Owen Miller (Sisler), Brandon Slobozian (St. Paul’s), AJ Wright (St. Paul’s), Simon Kosman (River East), Charlie Polet (St. Paul’s), Matthew Graham (Miles Mac)
Smallwood is the only returning player from last year in this group and has great speed out of his break at the halfback position, along with sound coverage and tackling abilities. He proved how tough he was a few years ago in the infamous ‘broken nose game’ and is a player to watch all tournament.
Fast is another former Team Canada player at the U16 level and will be a someone to watch for at the cornerback position. A two-way player for Kelvin, his ability to make quick reads is notable.
Miller is an emotionally mature baller who made one of the plays of the day during last Wednesday’s red zone scrimmage in single coverage against the much longer Jayden Martens. The Recruit Ready trained athlete has great fundamentals, much like fellow #RRFam member Brandon Slobozian, whose 6’2″ length at the safety position is an asset.
Wright is a very physical DB who loves to lay the hammer down, while his Crusaders teammate Charlie Polet is disciplined and calm under pressure. Miles Mac’s Matthew Graham is another well-rounded athlete who understands the value of being the hammer and not the nail.
By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Harrison during his time with the Manitoba Bisons. Photo by David Lipnowski.
The 2019 season will see a fresh face on Dakota Collegiate’s sideline, when North Winnipeg Nomads, Sisler Spartans and Manitoba Bisons alumnus Mitchell Harrison takes over as varsity head coach for the Lancers starting this fall.
The spirit of inclusivity drew Harrison to football when he was a young child and that passion hasn’t left him ever since.
A self-proclaimed “nerdy kid” in elementary school, the sport helped him make new friends while also gaining an appreciation for teamwork and dedication, among other things.
“I really fell in love with [football] because I was super awkward and uncoordinated, and the good thing about football is that there’s kind of a spot for everybody so I was able to find my own little niche. I really liked the brotherhood aspect of the sport.”
A multiple-time provincial team member with the Spartans, Harrison was recruited to play for the U of M beginning 2010. His versatility was — and continues to be — a massive asset as he suited up as both a defensive back and strong side linebacker for Sisler while learning the responsibilities of all the back end players during his time with the Bisons.
Arguably the biggest moment during Harrison’s tenure with the Herd occurred in 2014, as the squad upset Saskatchewan and Calgary in back-to-back weeks on the road to earn their first conference title since 2007 with the North Winnipeg product playing a large role.
Harrison was also a standout in the classroom, receiving Academic All-Canadian status (minimum GPA of 3.5) in five straight university seasons.
“My parents have always been keen on making sure my brothers [Brett and Riley, both also football standouts] and I were getting a good education, and making a backup plan at the very least because you never know when one injury [on the football field] could end it all for you.”
With a passion to coach instilled in his mind and a strong academic standing, it just made sense that Harrison would pursue education as a career path once his playing days were over. It gave him the opportunity to give back to the next generation while also continuing to be involved in football.
Destiny came calling in 2016, as the Sisler alum had the honour of returning to his former high school as a teacher/coach, quickly shifting into the defensive coordinator position.
“It was a dream come true being able to come back and coach at my old school and build upon the culture with [co-head] coaches [Sean] Esselmont and [Dave] DeGrave,” says Harrison.
“I’m just thankful that they gave me such a key role so early on. Lots of schools wouldn’t be willing to just hand over a coordinator role to a new grad, so I’m thankful for that and being able to experiment with a lot of new things and to able to grow as a coach.”
Harrison was quick to mention his time at the U of M as having a massive influence on his knowledge of defensive schemes.
“Being able to experience higher-level football with the Bisons specifically — in multiple positions on the defence — really allowed me to flourish when it came to coaching, because I knew the techniques necessary for all of those spots,” he says.
“When you’re playing linebacker, you also have to have an understanding of what the defensive line is doing, so it all meshed really well.”
Interestingly, Harrison received head coaching offers from a few schools straight out of college, but wanted the chance to learn and grow first. Following the 2018 season however, he knew he was ready but wanted the right opportunity to come.
That opportunity came courtesy of Dakota Collegiate, with the defensive specialist accepting a teaching position [that will start in the fall] and head coaching duties in early June, where he will take over for the highly respected Ray Jarvis.
“By no means was it oh I’m looking to leave,” Harrison noted of departing from his alma mater.
“I really loved my time at Sisler and it was amazing being able to give back to that community and to help out that area. I live in the North End and I’m from that area, so I’m definitely going to miss it.”
Harrison has already met briefly with the team and is looking forward to continuing a strong legacy with a Lancers program that made it to the ANAVETS Bowl two years ago and is a consistent Division 1 contender.
“I’m really just excited to build on that culture and see what I can do. I really don’t know what my own potential is in regard to this or what the team’s potential is. I’m really just excited to continue to bring in high-quality coaches and to hopefully be one of the pre-eminent programs year in and year out.”
By: Mike Still
Feature photo: Brady Welburn (42) celebrates after winning the 2018 MMJFL title.
East Side Eagles defensive back Nick Martens has a relatively simple guideline when it comes to his gridiron career.
“I just want to play football, wherever my friends are at.”
A product of the Transcona Nationals and later a member of the ANAVETS Bowl finalist Murdoch MacKay Clansmen in 2013, he thought his career was over after declining the junior football route.
Cue the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL).
“I had a buddy playing majors for East Side and he told me to come out. Those were two of my funner years for sure. I think there were seven teams my first year with full rosters. We went 4-3-1 which is fine, I don’t care. I like competition. From then on I was hooked.”
Martens, who was 5’8″ in his senior year of high school, learned to use his size to his advantage, becoming an expert tackler and eventual champion on a 2015 Eagles squad that went undefeated.
Brady Welburn, a jack of all trades in the secondary, was also on that team.
A senior when Elmwood brought home their first-ever provincial title in 2013, he battled back from a broken patella sustained that year to capture a second league championship last season with Martens and Transcona — a move that the latter made in 2016 due to low numbers at East Side.
“Playing East Side, we had a lot of River East kids come, because a bunch of my friends went there,” Martens says. “Then when we went to Transcona, they all made the drive because they wanted to keep playing with their buddies.”
Welburn echoed Martens’ comments.
“At this age I’m not really here to get signed or anything. I’m just here to have fun with my friends and ball out. That [Nationals team] was with all my good friends that I’ve played against growing up and a bunch of the guys I played East Side with. That whole team is like an absolute family.”
Not to be outdone was the work of Nationals head coach Barry Berard, who was a massive influence on Martens, Welburn and company,
“We wouldn’t have won in Transcona if it wasn’t for our coaches Barry [Berard] and them. Barry did a phenomenal job running an offence. He was like a friend but we all gave him the respect he deserved.”
This season, the pair will return to East Side where their roots in the MMJFL began. And they’re bringing along the core that’s helped win back-to-back titles with the Nationals.
But there’s also going to be some fresh faces on the field looking to make an immediate impact. Arguably one of the hungriest newcomers is fellow defensive back Adam Gottfried, another high-level tackler with solid instincts.
A four-year veteran of the Winnipeg Rifles, his history in the sport can be traced back to his time with Transcona. He played all the way through midget, winning a provincial title in his final year in 2014 alongside heavily influential head coach Steve Hoel.
“He’s like a second dad,” Gottfried says of his former bench boss.
“He’s been my head coach for years when I was growing up. I can give him a lot of thanks for having a talk with me and keeping me involved with football.”
Unfortunately, Gottfried’s Rifles experience wasn’t all he was hoping for. Understanding that he couldn’t come into the major league as a 22-year-old once his junior eligibility ran out, he felt the time was right to play out his final two years in the MMJFL.
“Last year wasn’t ideal for me. I didn’t see as much field as I would’ve liked. I definitely have that sitting in the back of my mind. I have a little bit of aggression and a show people what I’m made of sort of mentality right now. I’m ready to get down there and can’t wait to get back on the field.”
Martens says that due to the talent in the secondary, the team may look at running packages with six defensive backs. That’s music to Gottfried’s ears.
“We’ve had a couple of practices and [Martens] has been my halfback and already some chemistry is coming between us.
It’s a good group of guys. And them keeping in your ear and seeing how much fun they have, it’s nice to have. And it’s nice to come to a good team. Back-to-back champs is always good too.”
By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Lugumire in action last year against Oak Park.
Growing up, learning how to throw a football was the least of Richard Lugumire’s concerns.
Born in the Congo, he moved to Uganda with his mother as a refugee when he was four.
“My mom had to work hard,” Lugumire says.
“She didn’t have a proper job. She’d make food and go sell it on the streets so that we would get some of the money. We didn’t have house, we didn’t have electricity or anything like that.”
I remember some nights without eating. But as a young kid these were things that weren’t a big deal for me because all I did was play outside all day and come back home, then eat if there was food. I basically didn’t have a normal childhood like someone here would have, but I wasn’t worried, because I was only five, six or seven years old. As long as I was happy, nothing else really mattered to me.”
One thing that made Lugumire happy was being active. Soccer was the most popular sport in Africa and he took part. He was also an avid tree climber.
“We had a guava tree close to where I used to live,” he says happily. “Every now and then when there was nothing to eat I’d go up and eat some guavas and go back home.”
But seven years ago Lugumire’s world changed, as he moved to Canada. Living in a permanent residence, he took nothing for granted.
“For the first time, I would spend days on end without being dirty. In Africa I would always be looking at my hands because they’d be brown from touching dirty stuff. Here, my hands and clothes would be clean for days on end.”
Another discovery for Lugumire was football — a sport that would change his life in more than one way.
He first strapped on the pads at age 12 for the Valour Patriots as a running back. Blessed with tremendous speed, Lugumire thrived at the position. But as he entered his grade nine year at Sisler High School in 2017, he decided he wanted to play quarterback and be a leader for his team.
“After practice one day, I remember seeing the way the quarterback threw the ball. It was amazing and a perfect spiral and I said wow, I want to learn how to do that.”
I took the ball and threw it. It wasn’t pretty at all. And after I threw it I was like, I want to learn how to throw like that kid. That’s when I started taking football seriously.”
Lugumire’s work ethic and infectious personality immediately caught the eye of varsity co-head coach Sean Esselmont. At the conclusion of his freshman year in junior varsity and with a vacancy at the pivot position, Esselment felt the time was right to bring up the determined gunslinger.
“[Richard] always had that infectious personality where he laughs and is a person that you gravitate towards,” he says.
“He was under our radar right away. As soon as we put him under centre — and I’m the offensive coordinator — we never really wavered from him being our guy.”
Last season, Lugumire led the Spartans to a 4-3 record in an incredibly deep Division 1 and was also nominated for Rookie of the Year. But the season didn’t come without its trials.
“It was hard. As a person who’s just starting to play this position on a team that is expecting a lot from you, it was hard to deliver and deal with the drama when things didn’t go my way,” he says.
“These were older guys who were expecting more from me and when I didn’t provide it for them I didn’t know how to deal with it. That was the first time I experienced not feeling like I wasn’t good enough at everything I did.”
But his head coach saw things differently.
“There was a little bit of tribulations at first. He was dealing with kids that were older than him and had been around longer than him. But he never shied away from that. He’s like any high school kid but he’s found ways to cope and not get down on himself and rebound. His heart is undeniable.”
Lugumire has also had the privilege of developing under numerous mentors during his career as a pivot.
Last year, he took part in the Football Manitoba Prospects Program — going both ways as a quarterback and safety — and this offseason is a part of Team Manitoba’s U18 squad where well-respected Manitoba Bisons coach Ryan Karhut is the bench boss.
“As a new quarterback there were moments where I relied on my feet to make plays. That was the biggest thing that [Karhut] told me was to trust my arm and trust my reads and what I’d learned.”
Additionally, Lugumire has benefited from the support of the Rising Stars Foundation (RSF) , whose vision is “to help young people from all socio-economic backgrounds in Manitoba see that they can rise up and help make our community a better place.”
The RSF accomplish their vision in a number of different ways. Eric Vincent and John Kiesman, who help run the Prospects Program, also offer tutoring sessions an hour before the start of practice. The RSF’s scholarship and bursary fund also goes towards removing financial barriers for Winnipeg youth in high performance support. Since launching in February, they’ve handed out over $12,000 to deserving athletes and coaches.
“As an athlete we are all caught up in getting offers and performing great, but we also forget the important stuff which is doing well in school and the money,” Lugumire says.
“One thing I like about the Rising Stars is that it’s provided me with all of those things. I remember working with Coach Kiesman and I thought that was the end of it, but he started getting involved with my schooling and wanted to know how I did in class and if I attended school that day.
The foundation itself offered me a bursary and I was like, wow. These guys are really trying to help me out. For them, it’s about more than just the athlete. They also want to develop the person in you.”
While the financial support has meant a great deal to the young gunslinger, it has also been a weight off his mom’s shoulders.
“She knows I work hard, she’s seen me play and knows I’m passionate about the sport. She can’t do enough for me to continue to do what I love and it doesn’t feel to good to her, so getting this extra money from Rising Stars makes life much better for both of us.”
And in the long run, creating a stable future for his mother is what matters most to the grade 10 student.
“I’ve seen how hard she works. She’s been through a lot. I remember when I came here the first thing I wanted to do was buy her a house. I thought soccer could do that, but I realized it’s not going to take me anywhere if I’m not passionate about it. So when I found that passion for football and that it could take me somewhere it motivated me to be able to pay back my mom for everything she’s done for me.”
By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: The 2018 iteration of the #cutestshowonturf
Entering the 2016 season, former St. Vital and Dakota standout Lucas Johnston had a tough decision to make regarding his football future.
The mature pivot had played his first year post-high school with the Winnipeg Rifles, however the experience wasn’t all that we has hoping for. He was seriously considering hanging up his cleats for good, however that all changed when he was approached by some of his 2015 Rifles teammates such as linebackers Chris Brown-Fillion and Logan Thacker.
They brought up the idea of playing in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL) with the St. Vital Mustangs, a proposition that Johnston was all for, as it gave him the opportunity to continue balling out with the guys he’d gotten close to on the Gunners’ roster as well as other players he’d grown up with.
It didn’t take long for the 2016 Mustangs to develop an identity, courtesy of Johnston.
“[The #cutestshowonturf] started completely by accident,” he joked.
“The first year there we used to always make jokes about how cute of a team we were and all this stuff. Eventually there was one game, I forget which one it was, where I had watched a video of the greatest show on turf [1999-01 St. Louis Rams] the night before so it was kind of in my mind.
And I was like you know what, we’re the cutest show on turf. We started saying that when we were talking about our team and then it just caught on. Everyone started using it. This was three years ago and every year since then we sort of pick it back up and run with it.”
The inaugural edition of the #cutestshowonturf also included players such as Cam Penner, Matt Miles and Robert Lussier. As a group, they were near unstoppable, scoring 301 total points while giving up just 70 en route to an undefeated league championship.
“On the field, we’ve gone to battle every single week that we’ve played. The [cutest show on turf] brand is a brotherhood, it’s a family,” says Lussier, a versatile defensive back/product of the St. Paul’s Crusaders who performs well above his 5’8″ frame, especially in championship games.
“Here are a bunch of guys that you know are going to have your back and go out there and fight for you. It’s very much a team-first mentality. Really, I’ve never been a part of something quite like that.
Off the field, we hang outside of the football season. It’s friendship year round. Personally, I enjoy spending my time with these guys. They’re a fun, engaging group and everyone has a genuine friendship with each other.”
For Johnston, that “team-first mentality” has resulted in him playing all over the field during the last three seasons, including as a receiver and defensive end, the latter of which earned him all-star status during the team’s 2016 championship run.
” When I went to the Mustangs the team already had a fifth-year quarterback in Matt Nikkel,” he says.
“He was a really good player and obviously one of the leaders on the team so I didn’t feel like it was my place to go in and fight him for his job. I just wanted to help the team in whatever way I could.
We were already set on linebackers so they tried me out at defensive line. From there it was history. I got the gist of it real quickly, it clicked and I played reasonably well I guess.”
A year after Nikkel aged out, the #cutestshowonturf got another valued member in gunslinger Peter LeClair, the team’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2018.
An impact playmaker at Grant Park, he went to Vancouver Island for a year to play with the Raiders before returning to Winnipeg and finding his home with the Mustangs.
“When you’re coming into a new team you kind of have a lot to prove, whether you’re a starter or not. But those guys didn’t care if it was your first year or your fifth year, they just wanted to play football. It was great to be with guys who didn’t care who you were, they just wanted to win.”
It was an added bonus to have a teammate like Johnston, who being a former pivot himself could relate to some of the things LeClair was seeing on the field.
“It’s definitely nice having somebody who’s had the experience as well, whether it’s a mistake I’ve made or he’s made and trying to grow on that mistake or just being able to give each other pointers on what we’re seeing or have seen and how we do things,” LeClair says.
“Even though he’s not playing quarterback now, he’s still there, he’s in the huddle playing receiver so he’s coaching on the field as he’s playing and it’s definitely a big help.”
St. Vital returned to the championship game in 2017, however they were upended by a Transcona Nationals squad that surrounded just 21 points all year. The following season was deja-vu, as the Mustangs went undefeated before falling yet again to the Nationals in the finals.
For Johnston, the 2019 season can’t come soon enough as the #cutestshowonturf look to finish what they started.
“I think our first priority is to win the championship. And on top of that we’d like to finish off the undefeated season that we got close to last year and just take it one game at a time.
Going into every game I always tell the guys we don’t want to let up a single point and we want to score every single time we touch the ball. So we go into each game with that sort of mentality of let’s be perfect today. Pretty much take it one game at a time.”
