It was a packed house yesterday, as the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame committee announced the class of 2023. Overall, 12 individuals and one team were called to the ninth induction of the hall, encompassing six different generations of household names.

Individually, Paul Bennett (player/coach), Steve Dolyniuk (official), Leo Ezerins (player), Bob Irving (media), Brent Irwin (coach/builder), Brownie Krochak (player), George Kunyckyj (player/coach/builder), Lorne Lagimodiere (player/coach), Stu Nixon (coach), Dennis Radlinsky (coach), Jennifer Romanoff (coach/builder), Glen Scrivener (player/coach) and the 1984 St. Vital Mustangs Junior Football team earned the distinction.

Nixon – who began his coaching career in 1987 and spent two decades as head coach of the Oak Park Raiders, earning multiple Division 1 championships – spoke on behalf of the class. He acknowledged the quality of inductees and the breadth of experience they provided to the game.

“George Kunyckyj was an icon in Manitoba football in 1986 when I started coaching, and he’s still involved. Glen Scrivener, what he’s done at Dakota and his involvement there, Dennis Radlinsky in the North End, these guys are football in Manitoba. They make it happen,” he said.

“I still can’t believe George is still doing what he’s doing. To be categorized at the level that these guys are at, for me, it validates the sacrifices made in regards to regards to family life. It’s just really special. I value this greatly.”

Those in attendance were also given the chance to speak.

Scrivener – whose roots are traced back to six-man football in River Heights, and later Morehead State (player), Eastern Washington University (player), William Jewell College (player), the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (player), Surrey Rams (coach) Winnipeg Rifles (coach) and Dakota Lancers (coach) – provided an excellent take home message about the power of sport.

“We touched on what football does, the power that football has, the dreams, etcetera, I’m a bi-product of that myself. I was not a school kid. If it wasn’t for football, I’m not standing here. Football kept in me school, football taught me how to be a leader. I’m very, very grateful.

Common connections

A bevvy of inductees had common connections.

Kunyckyj and Lagimodiere were both a part of the Brandon Bobcats university football team, which operated for numerous decades, until 1973.

Kunyckyj played for the Bobcats from 1966-1970. After, he became head coach of the Elmwood Eskimos of the WHSFL. He transferred to Daniel McIntyre school as head coach from 1980 to 1996, winning a championship in 1986.  Kunyckyj was inducted into the WHSFL Hall of Fame in 2016 and continues to be involved as PA announcer at games.

Along with Scrivener, Bennett and Ezerins made permanent marks on the CFL as players, as did Bob Irving in the media wing and Steve Dolyniuk as an official.

Bennett was voted the most outstanding Canadian player in 1983 and 1985, and was a Grey Cup champion in 1986.  After 11 years in the CFL he started his coaching career with the Winnipeg Hawkeyes and went to the MJL final, winning in 1990. He coached the Oak Park Raiders in the WHSFL for eight years afterwards, focusing on developing fundamental skills and understanding the game of football.

Ezerins suited up for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger Cats in the late 80s, and won a Grey Cup in 1986. This is his second induction into the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame, following a 2022 nod as a player on the 1972 Winnipeg Hawkeyes.

Irving told the story of pro football in Manitoba for five decades, retiring following the 2021 CFL season. He was made a member of the Order of Manitoba, while the Bombers’ media room is named after him. He is also a member of the club’s Ring of Honour.

Dolyniuk had a long and distinguished career in the CFL as an official. He worked five Grey Cups over a period of 20 years and was very active in the local association (MFOA), presenting many clinics to amateur officials. Now retired, Steve continues coaching and mentoring younger officials. This coming football season, he will be the Supervisor of Officials for Winnipeg home games.

Additionally, Krochak played for St. John’s Tech School in 1938, with the team winning the city championship. He played on both offense and defense.  In 1939 he became Tech’s number one man on offense, lugging the ball 90 percent of the time. In 1941 to 1944 played with the RCAF Bombers in the Western Service Football League. Brownie ended his career playing with the 1945 Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He left the game to take care of his young family.

Meanwhile, Irwin was instrumental in the development of both the Portage Pitbulls and the Portage Trojans Football program. He was the first head coach for both these clubs, coaching for 15 years.  As a high school coach, he brought the PCI Trojans to a Division 3 Championship in their second year in the league. His relentless pursuit of integrity, tenacity, and hard work has made a huge impact on the players he coached.

Radlinksy has been coaching for nearly 20 years from grass roots to high performance. During this time, he amassed 116 wins as a head coach.  Starting in 2005 he coached the North Winnipeg Nomads Bantam team.  His record includes 12 consecutive playoff appearances and 4 championship game appearances. In 2008 and 2009, he won league championships in the Manitoba Major Football League.  He was also head coach of the Nomads in the Manitoba Girls Football Association for several years.

Romanoff has been part of the Vanier Cup, CFL’s Eastern final, WHSFL championship games and the Football Canada Cup in her role as an athletic therapist.  She played a pivotal role in the delivery of Football Manitoba’s flag football in 2006 and 2007 and her skills in athletic therapy and coaching are far reaching from local to international. She was also a linebacker with the Maples Marauders and the Manitoba Fearless.

The St. Vital Mustangs Junior Football team were crowned the MJFL Provincial Champions, then travelled to Ottawa to represent Manitoba in the Eastern Canadian Championships against the undefeated Ottawa Sooners.  Unlike the Sooners who were the only Junior team in Ottawa, the Mustangs was a team of players in Winnipeg that had four Junior teams.  The Mustangs lost 33-32 in a very close contest.  The Mustangs team was comprised of many players that played for four years with the team, with several moving on to University and pro levels.

The hall of fame induction dinner will take place later this fall.

On November 9, 2022 at Investors Group Field, one of the best games in WHSFL history went down. In the blowing snow and frigid temperatures of a Winnipeg winter, the Vincent Massey Vikings and Sturgeon Heights Huskies – the titans of Division 2 who were undefeated entering the championship game that night – met for gridiron supremacy. When all was said and done, the Vikings came out on top 20-14 in double overtime for their first-ever Division 2 title (click here to watch the game).

The lead-up

Let’s set the scene.

Entering the game, the 7-0 Vikings were on the verge of something unprecedented. Led by dynamic quarterback Justin Sharp and offensive lineman Carter Moore, a Manitoba Bisons commit, Vincent Massey’s seniors were attempting to finish their high school careers undefeated.

A JV title in 2019 was followed by a Westman championship in 2021 where the Vikings out-scored their opponents 228-76.

It was much of the same this year, as the Brandon-based powerhouse recorded 292 points in the regular season, and allowed just 68 while posting three shutouts. Over half of their points allowed came in a 42-38 thriller against Most Outstanding Player Dylan Tereck and the John Taylor Pipers.

Sharp was on the money all year, living up to his ‘Sharpshooter” nickname. He threw for over 1700 yards in the regular season and added 451 on the ground to go with a ridiculous 36 total touchdowns.

The 5’9”, 182-pounder spread the ball out to everyone. His receiving corps included five seniors, and they were versatile.

“Matthew Escoto, (led the team with 32 receptions for 776 yards and 13 scores) I met when I started playing quarterback when I was nine. We’ve had that connection ever since. We’re brothers, we work hard and feed off of each other. Slotback Aaron Pasaporte (26 receptions for 221 yards), he probably doesn’t pass the eye test, but he’s very fast and gets open on almost all of his routes and doesn’t drop the ball,” reflected Sharp, the Division’s Most Outstanding Player.

“Same with Lucas Cels (28 receptions, 454 yards, two scores). He’s a very fast, shifty guy. He’s undersized, I think he’s about 5’5”. The best receiver I could compare [him and Aaron to] are Weston Dressler. Other wideouts like James Li (13 yards per reception, two touchdowns) and Brady McDuffe (17.5 yards per reception, one major) are big and physical. Brady is 6’1”, James is 5’11.” They don’t have many weaknesses that defences can use to their advantage.”

The numbers are incredible all across the board, but what sets this group of pass-catchers apart is the connection they have with their pivot. It goes back to the playground days and hasn’t stopped since.

The team stuck together during COVID and when restrictions allowed, they started training together again. It didn’t stop from there. One-on-ones and route repetition were key points of focus for a team that knew they were on the verge of something special entering the season.  

But that was never really on their minds. The joy of the game, the lessons taught and the memories made is what they play for. It’s a culture of family — the Viking way — that’s been instilled for a very long time by head coach Mike Steeves, Kevin Grindey and many others.

“Coach always says effort, attitude, character. It’s the words we live by,” said Li. We embody the Viking way every day, on and off the field.”

“We have fun. We love football,” Sharp added.

“At the end of the day, what you have to do to be good is put in reps. And we put in the reps. That’s all it is. We have fun when we play with each other. We’ll be at the field for three hours just catching balls over each other’s heads and embarrassing each other. We all have a good time when we’re doing it.”

Standing in the Vikings’ way of history were the Sturgeon Heights Huskies. The Pipers, as well as Steinbach Sabres in the 2021 final, had given Vincent Massey a few scares, but this Huskies team was arguably their most difficult opponent.

Mentored by head coach and former CJFL and U SPORTS linebacker Eric Vincent, the Huskies defence pitched three shutouts, while their offence scored over 40 points in five games, entering the final unblemished.

Quarterback Brennan McCammon (#5 below) could go throw for throw – and run for run – with Sharp, and had over 1200 total yards in the regular season. Senior receivers Carter Esch and Jarome also Penner combined for over 400 yards, thriving in the option-based offence that included pre-snap motion from Penner on countless plays, while McCammon and Penner combined for over 1000 rushing yards.

It’s important to highlight Penner for a minute. The Jim Foubister Award-winner overcame a career-threatening infection, putting in an insane amount of work during the pandemic and over the summer in order to be ready for his senior year.

He was one of the standouts at Rifles rookie camp as a grade 11, won a gold medal with the U18 flag team in the summer and also played on the tackle team during the Canada Cup.

When all was said and done, Penner proved why he was one of the best players in the province, regardless of position. The 5’9” sensation had a knack for big plays, making highlight-reel grabs look easy.

The game

And that brings us to November 9.

A defensive slugfest was the story for most of the contest. Both teams had opportunities to win the game late, but the football gods chose overtime.

The Vikings got the ball first, but were unable to cash in. That set the stage for the Huskies, who could walk things off with a score.

A solid gain on first down by Penner on a fly sweep and another run set Sturgeon Heights up with a third and one. The attempted quarterback sneak was snuffed out by Moore, who plowed through the line, engulfing McCammon before he could sustain any momentum.

From there, Sharp led the troops downfield. The game-winning major came on a quarterback sneak, where he snuck behind Moore to give his team a 20-14 lead.

“All I know is when I line up behind Carter Moore behind centre and I take that ball, I know he’s getting that yard,” said Sharp. “At that point it’s just up to me to get the job done. Big 69, he gets the job done every time. He’s reliable, and I love him with my whole heart. That touchdown is his.”

The Vikings missed the convert though, and the Huskies could win with a major and extra point. Strong protection up front helped the Huskies get into the red zone, where Penner eventually scored on a fly sweep. Also the team’s kicker, all he needed to do was make the single to complete an insane run of a year.

But there was laundry on the field.

An illegal block was called on the far side wideout, moving the Huskies back. Three plays later, defensive back Kevin Garcia made the play of a lifetime to bring the CTV Bowl to the Vikings.

Specifically responsible for covering Penner, Garcia sprinted to get to the far sideline, as Penner motioned late in the snap count. Everyone in the building knew the ball was going to the standout senior, who reached up to high point the ball against the 5’7” Garcia.

But the ferocious corner, who had a team-leading six pass break-ups, had other ideas.

Displaying perfect timing, Garcia, while falling backwards, snuck his hand over top of Penner’s, getting enough of the pigskin to force it to the ground for an incompletion. Ball game.

When the clock hit zero, Sharp, a former winner of the Brandon Sun’s H.L. Crawford Award as the Most Outstanding Athlete in Westman, couldn’t contain his emotions. He sprinted from the sideline all the way to Garcia, who was being mobbed by about 14 other people at the time, picked him up and gave him a bear hug.

“I love these guys like they’re my brothers. I’d take a bullet for anyone and they’d do the same for me, and they proved that today. When they put that ball in the end zone and I watched Kevin make that play at the end of the game, I couldn’t contain myself. I lost it. It’s unbelievable. You can’t describe it.”

For two long years, the Kildonan East football program waited patiently to return to the gridiron. The 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, and last year veteran head coach Jason Hawkins opted to go the developmental route.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but Hawkins and his coaching staff felt that it was the right one. It gave the program the opportunity to “bring players along” and not rush their progression as athletes.

Winters and summers were spent on speed and endurance, while the emphasis during the fall of 2022 was on the fundamentals. Led by a core of 15 seniors who hadn’t played in a league game since their freshman seasons, the Reivers ran the table, going 9-0 while out-scoring their opponents 319-51.

Hawkins’ emphasis on conditioning paid off big time once the season began. A great example came against Fort Frances in week five, where the team rallied from 3-0 down at halftime to beat the Muskies 34-3.

In the championship against Dryden, Kildonan East did it again, grinding down their opponent in the second half.

Two botched punts set the Reivers up with short fields and two quick scores in the first half, and in the second half they went to senior Gavin Buckmaster early and often.

The seven-year veteran of the sport, who “always works and doesn’t give up,” embodying the mantra of the entire team, took countless handoffs from the wildcat formation, recording well over 100 yards in the final 20 minutes of play.

A jack of all trades, he was used on special teams all season, and was also the team’s quarterback for a while after an injury to Colm Balez.

Buckmaster’s five-yard major late in the third quarter made the score 21-0, and while the Eagles pushed back with a strong run game and stout defence, it wasn’t enough to top the Reivers in a 30-0 final.

The championship was the school’s first since 2016, with Buckmaster being named the Offensive MVP.

“I’m so proud of them. I said to them, they stuck with me and believed in what we were doing,” Hawkins said.

“We didn’t have a team for two years with COVID. Last September we just worked at it, two practices a week and developed. Winter training, speed training all summer. They didn’t doubt me. They listened to what we were doing and it worked. Speed kills, we did a good job this season.”

Speed and athleticism were certainly the calling cards for the Reivers on offence and special teams.

Senior Tyson Egan had numerous return touchdowns on the year, while fellow senior and Offensive Player of the Year nominee Jesse Andrews used his wheels to out-run the opposition, and set the tone in the championship with a few long runs early.

On defence, there was no question who the heart and soul was.

“Darius Totin, he’s like my coach on the field. Everyone hears me yelling Darius, Darius, we’re on the same page,” laughed Hawkins.

The grade 11 linebacker’s IQ for the game was evident every week, where he consistently called out the opposition’s formations. In the championship, he had four of the game’s first five stops, and was named Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the season after countless contests with double-digit tackles.

Helping anchor the front seven were powerful defensive tackles Jordan Ross and Cody Vanderveer. The pair of first-years were in the backfield all night long for a Kildonan East team that got four sacks in the championship, and will be key pieces for a roster that returns 13 seniors.

“[Vanderveer], I picked him up. He tried out for basketball, he was like a dog on a bone going after the ball all the time. I’m like football would be a nice transfer over for you. He was awesome,” recalled Hawkins.

“Jordan Ross, he’s a great kid with big size. He really came along the last month. I’m so proud of him too, because football has really helped his academics too, and he’s buying in and learning what football is all about. Championships are nice, but it’s about the process. This is just a good group of young men. Everybody on the team is respectful, they do what we ask them to do, and it’s just a pleasure. They’re people that I enjoy spending time with.”

Since coming back from the pandemic, the Dakota Lancers and Oak Park Raiders have been top dawgs at the junior varsity level.

The two teams have gone a combined 21-5 between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with Dakota’s only two losses during that time coming to Oak Park.

In ’21, the Lancers ran the table, thanks to over 25 touchdowns from standout running back Augustine Nkundimana. They met the 2-2 Raiders in the championship, where fireworks erupted in a 55-25 final for Dak.

The championship game offered a glimpse into both team’s futures at the varsity level.

For the Lancers, underclassmen like quarterback Rogan Vergata, linebacker Noah McCorriston, receiver Mikun Odunuga and others made the jump to Division 1, along with incoming juniors like Nkundimana and fellow running back John Boubard.

With a boatload of veterans already present, Dakota reached the ANAVETS Bowl in 2022, falling just short to St. Paul’s in the most impressive season the school has had to date in Division 1.

Oak Park also lost some key pieces from their 2021 JV roster. Five sophomores moved up to Division 1, including quarterback Ryan Wirtzfeld. He was the leading passer at the U16 Western Challenge, and had over 1700 total yards in 2022, helping the Raiders make the playoffs.

One person who chose to stay at the JV level was sophomore running back Onan Furst.

Already being described as the next big thing to come out of Oak Park, he has all the potential to follow in the footsteps of Raiders greats Andrew Harris, Nic Demski and Brady Oliveira.

The 5’11”, 203-pounder came to the Raiders in 2021 after a dominant MMFA career. He helped the Valour Patriots to a peewee championship previously, the first provincial title for the program, and was the game’s MVP.

Furst is a hot commodity, because he does all the little things well. He is a terror running north-south but can also beat you with his speed to the outside. Additionally, he’s a punter, is used as a gadget quarterback and is a strong blocker downfield.

Described as a “one in a 1000 player” by former coach Nathan Leitao, Furst’s IQ for the game is also a strength. He started officiating four years ago and is like another coach on the sideline.

When you combine all of these intangibles, you get a player who’s borderline unstoppable. That is, unless he’s hurt.

In 2021, Furst missed considerable time, including the championship due to an injury. Despite this, he was as engaged as anyone on the sideline in a brutally cold day at East Side Eagles field, offering words of encouragement to his teammates.

When the clock hit zero, it was clear that there was unfinished business for the west end wonderkid.

Furst came back with a vengeance this season, and played so well in the spring that he could’ve made Oak Park’s varsity team.

His tournament-leading 185 rushing yards at the U16 Western Challenge alongside Wirtzfeld further enforced his rise to stardom, but when it came time to make a decision, the bruising back chose to play JV for one more year.

In his eyes, the decision was a simple one.

“It was a decision just because of last year, with injuries,” he said. “I thought that we could do something special this season, so I stuck with [the JV team].”

Boy, did the Raiders ever do something special. They out-scored their opponents 344-84 and didn’t lose a game all year. On November 12, they culminated their season with a 35-13 win over the Lancers, getting redemption from one year prior.

Standout performances all season from Furst, the offensive player of the game in the final, as well as 6’3”, 170-pound receiver and tight end Nathan Esch, quarterback Kevan Savage, receiver Tavin Parani, offensive and defensive lineman Cole Garriock and many others helped turn the Raiders into an unstoppable force.

“I think this year, we just had better teamwork. We were together a lot more than last year,” noted Furst. “Obviously winning more games brought us together. We were a wild group. We had a lot of personalities that came together.”

Furst got the scoring started in the championship, taking a red zone pitch to the outside where he was virtually un-touched. It was the first of three second quarter majors for the Raiders, who never trailed, going into halftime with a 21-2 lead thanks in large part to their passing game.

Esch and Parani scored in the second quarter on tosses from Savage, while Owen Sampson also had a key interception in the second half.

Overall, Oak Park kept the Lancers guessing with a well-balanced offensive attack that included numerous gadget plays from Furst, resulting in chunk yardage through the air. Dakota kept pushing, led by likes the of David Sindikubwabo and Jake Godfrey, but it simply wasn’t their night.

“Going in, we wanted to pass the ball more, knowing [Dakota] would play the run and spy,” recalled Furst. “We were trusting our quarterback and receivers, so we threw the ball more.”

With their first championship since 2017 secured, the future is bright for Oak Park. Over 20 seniors return for the 2023 season, along with Wirtzfeld and a grade 11 class that should make the Raiders a top contender in 2023 and 2024.

When asked what the future holds, Furst went straight to the point.

“The same thing,” he noted with a beaming smile. “More championships.”

Entering the U18 flag football national championships in PEI in mid-August, Manitoba – despite being a powerhouse in the sport – were underdogs. One of the youngest teams in the tournament and without a big name such as Jackson Tachinski (former ANAVETS Bowl and flag football champion) slinging the rock, there was plenty of uncertainty as to how ‘Toba would do. 

“I think we were definitely underdogs. I think with a couple of the other teams that we had won gold medals with, there was almost an expectation that we would be one of the top teams,” admitted head coach Jon Franklin, a six-time gold medalist in flag as a coach as well as the founder of the PIT Football League.  

“Myself and [assistant coach] Raza [Butt], we preached being the smartest team out there. We were probably the youngest team competing at U18, so we were probably at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of size and speed, so we had to work out ways to win games against opponents that probably had more physicality than we had.”

In just over a month, Franklin and Butt used their bevvy of experience to help the squad transition from a bunch of skilled tackle players with previous flag experience, to a near-unstoppable force. After losing their first two games, they stormed back to win the gold medal, holding off tournament favourite Ontario 46-30 in the final. 

“With tackle, the route tree is a little bit different than what we would see in flag, and obviously in flag there’s no press coverage, so we really worked on running crisp and precise routes and running layers on the field, and making sure that we had receivers at short depths, deep depths and the middle depth, which a lot of teams don’t utilize,” mentioned Franklin. 

“We really wanted to work that middle of the field between the linebackers and the safeties, which often opens up in the flag game.”

Sisson scores MVP honours 

Throwing dimes all tournament for Manitoba was Scott Sisson, who enters his junior season with Grant Park this fall. He was named tournament MVP after going off for more than 2000 yards through the air. 

“I think my confidence and timing were the most important. The first two games I wasn’t confident, but then I realized that my team needed me and I needed to improve on getting the ball there in good time,” he said of his tournament progression. 

“I would throw outs and post corners and lead them into a window, and on the fades and post break ins, only my receivers could catch the balls.”

“Scott really flipped a switch from when we were doing our tryouts and practices to actual game situations. He’s definitely a quarterback who needs to feel a little bit of pressure to succeed, and when that pressure was on, that was when Scott was at his best,” added Franklin. 

“We worked on his route progressions, and I think it’s a little bit different in tackle where often you’re going from your deepest routes to your shortest routes, whereas in flag football it’s probably more advantageous to look for your shortest routes first and then go over top. We worked with Scott on what he should be looking off and looking at on all of his reads, and to his credit he studied that a lot, and come the tournament he was able to implement his reads at a very high level.”

Overcoming adversity 

Manitoba battled plenty of adversity during the tournament. In game three, they lost one of their best defensive players Miguel Reyes to injury, and in the final minutes of the gold medal game, Sisson went down after an Ontario defender charged into his shoulder while rushing. 

Nonetheless, the team rallied. In the final, Liam Hutter’s glue-like hands secured the win in a one-score contest, while captain Jarome Penner was lights out on both sides of the ball. 

Originally just a defender, Penner – who led the team in interceptions – became one the team’s leading scorers on offence after Thane Carlos was shifted from centre to corner to account for the Reyes injury. 

Penner’s best touchdown of the tournament came on the final play of the half against PEI, where he high-pointed a ball with three defenders draped all over him, then used his textbook breakaway speed to make a fourth man miss in space. 

“There were a couple of catches where there were two or three guys on me at the same time,” said Penner. “Just staying in the gym, the vertical helps you a lot out there. I’m only 5’9” and a lot of those guys were 6’3” and I was out-jumping them and getting the ball over top of them.”

Penner’s work ethic speaks for itself, against bigger players as well as in his personal life. His 2021 season was derailed due to a career-threatening infection in his back which ate away at his psoas muscle, and factoring in COVID he hadn’t played competitive football in a very long time. 

Despite being in excruciating pain and unable to walk for certain periods, Penner pushed through with the help of numerous professionals. He was back in 2022, busting his butt with the Winnipeg Rifles as an under-aged player at spring camp, while also playing for Manitoba in the Football Canada Cup. 

“I was on pain meds constantly. It was only like two hours spurts on the pain meds where I was even good enough to shower. During that time I would go to the field and just walk some routes and go to the gym under the supervision of my parents and do just a little bit of weights,” he said. 

“I needed to put myself out there and prove that I’ve been putting in the work.”

The work sure paid off for a Manitoba team that put everything together on both sides of the ball. 

“Our receivers were the best in the tournament,” said Sisson. 

“Brady Fay? He’s a route running god and will go and put his body on the line for a catch. Absolutely lights out play.Riley [Hanssen] played crazy as an outside threat. He has such sticky hands, and he absolutely won us that championship game with his 2 or 3 touchdowns.Liam Hutter and Jarome Penner are absolute dawgs. if they don’t have any offers coming out of high school I’m going to lose hope.”

By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)

After two years off due to COVID-19, the U16 Western Challenge returned this week, with Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta taking to Langley, BC looking for bragging rights.

The No. 4 seed Manitoba opened the tournament against No. 1 seed Saskatchewan yesterday, in a game that was broken wide open by Sask in the second half. Tied at 14 entering the third, the top seed out-scored their opponents 35-9 in the second half, advancing to the gold medal game and a chance to defend their title from 2019 after a 49-23 win.

“A lot of what we’ve talked about is controlling what we can control and focusing on what we bring to the table, and not worrying about outside forces. We got away from that a little bit in the third quarter,” noted ‘Toba head coach Stefan Hirsch, whose side allowed three straight scores to open the third. 

“Some things didn’t break our way, and it’s a tough lesson to learn, especially in a short tournament like this. There were times when we ran a great call, and the other team just made a play. For these young men coming into a short tournament like this, they need to have a short memory, both on the good plays and the bad plays.”

Manitoba’s dynamic offence went shot-for-shot with Sask in the first half, as ‘Toba spread the ball out effectively to a number of skilled playmakers. 

Running back Onan Furst, a grade nine starter at the JV level for Oak Park last year and one of the top players in his class, scored the game’s first major from a yard out with 1:40 left in the first quarter. A power back who can go north-south in a hurry, he accounted for a significant amount of his side’s 142 first half rushing yards and was complemented by the speed of Amid Kanu from Dakota as well as Owen Britton from Vincent Massey. 

“We’re very happy with the backs that we have. Obviously Onan featured early and is a great inside runner, but Amid’s speed really sets us up in space. After Saskatchewan adjusted and started stuffing our inside runs, our ability to shift and maneuver and start getting to the edge really became important,” said Hirsch. 

“I was really happy with the offence, especially early on. We have a lot of skill players and they kind of announced themselves and caught Saskatchewan off guard in a lot of ways. I think we’re definitely a tough matchup for a lot of teams, and we were able to get our guys in space and allow our play makers to make plays. That was a huge benefit for us in the first half.”

Manitoba’s other major in the first half came from the hands of QB1 Ryan Wirtzfield, the team’s Offensive Player of the Game. The Oak Park standout, who will be ‘the guy’ for the next three years for the Raiders, found the team’s leading receiver Mikun Odanuga with less than six minutes to play before halftime, and had 114 passing yards through two. 

Odanuga made the catch of the day a few drives earlier when he kept his foot in bounds while falling backwards on a throw near midfield. Another Dakota playmaker, he, Furst, Kanu and Wirtzfield made up four of the 17 total players from the two schools, who met for the JV championship last season. 

The wheels fell off for Manitoba in the second half. Sask opened the scoring on a 75-yard touchdown strike on a short crosser in the flats that went the distance, and didn’t look back. Despite the result, the defence was stout many times, including a forced fumble by 6’2”, 180-pound linebacker Jake Godfrey of Dakota. He had five tackles in the first half and was the team’s Defensive Player of the Game. 

Manitoba now looks ahead to a bronze medal matchup against No. 3 Alberta on July 6 at 4 pm. 

“I’m excited to see how our guys respond. In seeing what I’m seeing from all the teams so far, there’s a lot of parity. We’ll work through the film and break things down and really stress the right things to these guys and see how they respond. How you respond to something happening is more important, often than the result,” Hirsch said. 

“One thing that we’re really trying to get across is how to manage our energy and our emotions. Let’s not let the highs get too high and the lows to get too low, and to stay even-keel. I think at moments we were really good at that, and then obviously in the third quarter, not so great at it. I think once we great down the film and emphasize the positives, it’ll click and they’ll understand.”

By: Mike Still (@mikestill94), MMJFL communications, photography, videography, etc

The 2021 MMJFL season proved just how much parity there is amongst the league’s four teams. Westman (1-4), St. James (2-3), East Side (2-4) and St. Vital (6-0) all secured at least one victory, with the Wolverines taking the Mustangs to their limit in the semi-finals in a 20-7 defensive battle. East Side also avenged a regular season loss to the Rods with a semi-final win before falling 25-14 in the championship to the Mustangs. Below is a quick recap of the season as a whole. 

Rods and ‘Reens take steps in right direction 

The Westman Wolverines had a dedicated run game all season and despite dealing with setbacks from injuries, they played with grit and physicality each week, led by league alum Brady Dane. Because of the culture within the program and the strong relationships Dane has built with Westman’s three high schools, as well as the Rural Manitoba Football League (RMFL), the Wolverines will always have a home in the league and are a tough opponent to face. 

“Just speaking, not only as a coach in this league, but as a guy who played in this league, it’s such a great place to play in,” says Dane. “Football is so precious and you get such a small opportunity of time to play this game, Whatever opportunity I think anyone gets to play this game, I think you want to take advantage of it and just play this game in whatever way we can.”

St. James dealt with adversity following a coaching change. Instead of letting the decision define them, they put their heads down and got to work. Former MMJFL and St. Paul’s standout AJ Braconnier stepped into the head coaching role and did a spectacular job of keeping his team level-headed throughout a stressful process. 

Braconnier was supported by a quality coaching staff that included former Winnipeg Rifles and St. James difference-maker Joel North, as well as Timothy Demidiuk, a household name in the amateur football scene who ran the rock for West Kildonan, the Winnipeg Rifles and the Alberta Golden Bears. 

During his playing days, Demidiuk ran angry and wore his heart on his sleeve, and that attitude hasn’t shifted as a coach. The team rallied around his energy and played to their fullest potential as the season progressed. They lost team leader and starting quarterback Nathan Leitao to a severe knee injury prior to week one, but gained another coach in that regard. 

Team leaders like defensive end Chris Grouette were on the Rods’ 2019 roster and experienced growing pains which made the team stronger. Having dealt with, and overcome previous adversity, they were locked and loaded for 2021. 

Arguably the team’s best moment during the year came in a week four upset against East Side. \Versatile athlete Nate King-Wilson, a former two-way standout for DMCI and the team’s MVP nominee, threw multiple touchdowns and had well over 100 all-purpose yards filling in for Leitao, while Kadien Smith and Grouette wreaked havoc off the edge. 

“We’re dawgs,” noted Grouette. “We’re physical, we go after it and we don’t take breaks. We know we are a football team that can win games against good teams. Nathan [Leitao] is one of my best friends. We hang out all of the time. A lot of us guys are friends from high school. We played against each other and I met a lot of these guys in 2019. We instantly clicked with each other.”

Eagles, Mustangs renew classic rivalry 

There’s no doubt that between 2015-19, the East Side Eagles and St. Vital Mustangs engaged in many memorable battles. The Eagles won league titles in 2015 and 2019, and a variety of their players were also on the Transcona Nationals rosters that claimed MMJFL championships in 2017 and 2018. The Mustangs popped the bubbly in 2016, and were East Side’s top rival throughout the other four championship seasons. 

With a number of East Side’s veterans aged out, the 2021 campaign marked the next wave for the program. There were still key playmakers on the roster, such as receiver/defensive back Will Reimer, running back/receiver Dustin Jackson, receiver Jonathan Krieg, receiver Isaac Henry and offensive/defensive lineman Brandon Hoel, but youth was certainly a factor. 

The team dealt with a fair amount of adversity, including losing 2019 Offensive Player of the Year Danny Harris to a season-ending injury in week one, as well as Jackson for a fair portion of the year, but came alive when it counted in the playoffs, making up for a loss to the Rods with a stout defensive performance in the semis. Key additions such as quarterback Carter Kutzan – who was in Winnipeg Rifles camp and was a favourite to start – as well as former CTV Bowl champ Ulrich Mbakop on the defensive line and defensive back/returner Reed Davies showed that the future is bright, and that the Eagles will fly again. 

“We’re a young team learning to win and have confidence,” noted first-year head coach Stefan Hirsch, a 15-year coaching veteran and former U SPORTS and CJFL linebacker who took over for Barry Berard in 2021. 

“We had a lot of veterans who were really top heavy on some positions, but we’re really young in others, so we’ve leaned on a couple of key guys. We had to figure it out and learn how to win and compete against guys who are quite a bit older in general. Defensively, we were probably one of the youngest, if not the youngest in the league. It took some time for them to find their way.”

Entering the season, the St. Vital Mustangs were the heavy favourite to contend for the league championship. Led by head coach Derek Mills, they had 15 seniors returning, including a number of difference-makers on defence such as linebackers Mackenzie (Mac) Dueck and Zach Carpenter and safety Robert Lussier. The boys in red made their last ride count, allowing just a handful of touchdowns in the regular season along with multiple turnovers in each game. 

The championship final against the Eagles was yet another classic. The Mustangs took a 17-0 lead late into the first half, thanks in part to a strong run game, however East Side kept it interesting with a late major on a drive that saw Reimer and Jackson both make key plays. Ben Harrington then capped the drive with a touchdown reception from Kutzan. 

Jackson then hauled in a 30-yard major to make the score 17-14 with 5:49 left in the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Eagles would get, as Ethan Thacker climbed the ladder for six shortly after on a drive that was set up by a long punt return. Just one more point was scored the rest of the way as the Mustangs claimed their first title since 2016.

For Dueck, who previously played for Steinbach and the Winnipeg Rifles, it was a fitting end to an memorable MMJFL career that included plenty of fun moments both on and off the field. 

“I found this team, and it’s just incredible. I fell in love the first year. It’s so athletic and it’s so fun. I’ve never had a league that’s been so competitive but at the same time I’m enjoying it so much. I don’t have to pull myself out of it just to go hard and win every rep. I love just getting in the locker room and vibing with the boys. We have a group chat every year. It’s a true brotherhood that I’ve never had in 15 years of football,” he says. 

“There’s no questioning each other. It’s football, sometimes stuff is going to go wrong and when it does we don’t point fingers and get on each other’s asses. We pick each other up, and move onto the next play. It’s pure trust. We like to have fun and goof around, but when it’s time to clock in, it’s pure game time.”

St. Vital Mustangs head coach Derek Mills has spent his entire life around the game of football. A Transcona Nationals and Winnipeg Hawkeyes alum, he’s given back to the game as a coach over the last two decades. Until last Friday however, one thing he didn’t done during his illustrious career – which includes an MMJFL championship from 2016 – was beat the East Side Eagles. That came to an end in week two of the 2021 season, as Mills’ St. Vital Mustangs knocked off the three-time defending champs (split between Transcona and East Side) 31-25 on the road under the lights. 

The story in this one was St. Vital’s ability to stymy a potent Eagles offensive attack, led by first-year pivot Carter Kutzan, who was a standout during Winnipeg Rifles camp this year. Frequent pressure from the likes of former Laurier Golden Hawks commit Ray Cruz, Mac Dueck and Zach Carpenter led to Kutzan scrambling early and often, surrendering numerous sacks. The Mustangs offence then took advantage of solid field position, scoring their first major – a two-yard romp from charismatic running back Jeremy Gillis – thanks to a turnover on downs.

The visitors never trailed, padding their lead to nine at the end of the first on a field goal set up by an Easton Montour interception. They made it 17-0 on a 30-yard Ethan Thacker score, the first of many big plays for the receiver, who led all players in catches and yards. 

East Side – who was playing without last year’s Offensive MVP Danny Harris and also lost key playmakers Jonathan Krieg and Will Reimer to injuries – kept the game competitive throughout. Their best player on either side of the ball was veteran receiver Isaac Henry, who enters his last season of eligibility in 2021. He scored the team’s first two majors, showcasing his trademark route-running abilities and elusiveness on both. Henry’s second score made the score 17-13 with 2:12 to go, however that’s as close as the hosts would get, as Mustangs pivot Peter LeClair perfectly executed the two-minute drill right after, closing out the drive with a second touchdown toss to Thacker. 

The tilt featured a friendly amount of chirping back and forth, and the energy and physicality were high all game long. This is to be expected for two teams that’ve cemented themselves at the top of the mountain over the last decade in the league. They have a healthy and fun rivalry that’ll continue this Saturday at 3 pm at Mustangs field. If St. Vital wins, they’ll have essentially wrapped up top spot in the league standings, while East Side is battling to take that honour away. 

In out of town action, Westman got their first victory of the season with a 23-4 win over St, James. The two squads will meet again this Saturday at Rods field. 

St. Vital Mustangs defensive back Robert Lussier is no stranger to big games. He played in plenty of them as a member of the storied St. Paul’s Crusaders’ program, and stepped his efforts up further in 2016 when the Mustangs claimed their most recent MMJFL title. And while this past Saturday’s season opener on the road against the St. James Rods didn’t provide the same stakes as a title game, it still carried significant emotional ties.

First off, it was the final season opener of Lussier’s career. He’ll age out at the end of the season and completed his Bachelor of Commerce (honours) degree not long ago. His final run would’ve likely been last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the 2020 season being cancelled. With this in mind, the game last weekend was Lussier and company’s first in over 600 days.

“[The emotions] are high. How could they not be? I’ve been playing this game since I was ten years old. A lot of the guys have a lot of similar memories to mine,” he noted shortly after the contest.

“To be able to come back here after two years, it’s hard, but it’s more than worth the work. There’s just no place like a football locker room and being on that field and having the opportunity to play with the guys that you go to work with every single day. It means the world to me and I can’t be more thankful for it.”

Lussier and his teammates on defence didn’t show any rust against St. James. The intelligent safety showcased his football IQ with two interceptions as the Mustangs defence pitched a shutout in a 20-4 win. 

Lussier’s first interception came with 7:30 to go in the first quarter and he added his second early in the second half. Both plays were a result of the veteran being in the right spot at the right time. The Rods were looking to spread out their opposition to take advantage of their size and skill with the likes of Foster Jasin and Riley Desrochers, but were handicapped by the loss of starting quarterback Nathan Leitao to a knee injury prior to the season starting. With a new gunslinger under centre, Lussier trusted his reads and make the opposition pay. 

“For me it’s all about reads and understanding numbers,” he said. When they come with four receivers we’re going to sit over top on that stuff. My big goal is to take away the deep ball. If I’m able to read the quarterback and his eyes and understand what he’s looking for, then I know where he’s going to want to go with the ball. It’s all between the ears honestly and that’s the part of my game that I’m probably most proud of.” 

The Rods’ only points came off of two safeties in the first quarter. They led 4-0 early, but surrendered field position many times due to untimely penalties. The Mustangs’ lone touchdown for example – a two-yard quarterback sneak by Vancouver Island Raiders and Grant Park alum Peter LeClair with five mins left in the first half – came after multiple unnecessary roughness penalties by the hosts. 

The Mustangs led 14-4 at the break, and let their defence – which head coach Derek Mills acknowledged will be a major strength this year – do the rest. Linebacker Zach Carpenter recorded two sacks while fellow veteran Mackenzie Dueck led the team in tackles and had numerous bone-jarring hits in the backfield. 

“We’re hyper-athletic. We have a lot of guys who are flying around and they just want to make plays,” said Lussier. 

“They want to go out there and they want to hit. We also have a bunch of guys who are really smart and understand their assignments and gap control. It’s really great to be able to work with guys who know what they’re doing.”

Offensively, the Mustangs struggled with drops, but got a solid showing from Richard Wyss, who led the team in receiving yards. The Rods’ best player on either side of the ball was arguably running back Teddy Mekonnen, who refused to go down on first contact. He trained with Big Air Academy prior to the season and showed out well. Defensively for the Rods, Matteo Urciuoli, whose brother Adamo is starting for the Valley Huskers in the BCFC, had an interception.

Week two primer 

Next up for the Mustangs is a tilt under the lights with the East Side Eagles, who are looking for a four-peat (factoring in two titles at Transcona). They opened the season 1-0 as well after a 32-0 win on the road against Westman and will play host to their consistent rivals at 8 pm on Friday.

It’ll be the ultimate battle of offence versus defence when the teams square off, as East Side – led by 16-year coaching veteran Stefan Hirsch – deploys a quick-strike attack led by versatile quarterback Carter Kutzan, who had three touchdowns in the opener. Do-it-all running back Danny Harris, the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year, led the team in scoring last week with a touchdown, four converts, a single and a field goal. Westman will play host to St. James in other week two action, the first of a back-to-back in the four week regular season schedule. 

By: Mike Still (@mikestill94), all photos by Matthew Hamilton

Last Sunday – for the first time in 22 months – the Winnipeg Rifles took to the field for a regular season CJFL football game at St. Vital Mustangs field. The squad’s roster looked much different compared to 2019, as over 20 veterans chose to hang up the cleats during the pandemic. As a result, Winnipeg fielded what was likely the youngest group in head coach Geordie Wilson’s six-year tenure as bench-boss, and – to be expected – there were growing pains and lessons to be learned. The first came against the Regina Thunder, who capitalized on Winnipeg’s mistakes, especially in the second half en route to a 37-0 win. 

In the first half alone, Winnipeg had five dropped passes, four procedure calls and a few untimely turnovers, one of which led to the Thunder’s first touchdown on a 44-yard Isaac Foord reception. 

“The average age on our team is probably 19 and a half. We’re young, and we knew that we were young. We had to go out here and see what was going to happen,” Wilson said postgame. “I think we were at ten drops, seven procedure calls [by the end of the game]. When you have pre-snap penalties, they’ll kill you.”

The Rifles’ defence – led by conference player of the week JoJo Funk-Clements’ eight tackles and a forced fumble, and defensive end Spenser Pilon’s two sacks – kept the Thunder at bay for the most part in the first half. The Foord catch-and-run was the only major for Regina prior to the third quarter, however Winnipeg, who trailed 13-0 at halftime, couldn’t capitalize on the other end. Every one of the team’s drops on offence came on second down, which seemed to have an effect on starting quarterback Bryson McNeil’s confidence. Regina then opened the second half with a pick six and didn’t look back. 

McNeil, a first-time CJFLer at 22, was a top-level Division 1 quarterback while at River East. He came to the Rifles as a highly-touted pivot out of the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL) and was praised throughout camp for his maturity, leadership and football IQ. He did some good things against the Thunder – keeping multiple plays alive with his feet while keeping his eyes downfield – and didn’t get frustrated despite dealing with a number of high snaps. 

“He has some intangibles, first of all because he’s an older kid, he’s 22. He assumed a leadership role and he’s got a lot of composure and moxie when he’s standing in there. I thought he played well, especially in the first half,” Wilson noted. 

“He threw some dynamite balls, but guys have to catch them. He’s no different than anyone else, your confidence starts fading a bit and then you start forcing things because we’re getting down. We were trying to hit some drag routes and get [receivers] off coming down the field, because they were playing so deep, we just wanted to get some drags to hit guys when they were moving. I thought overall he played a pretty good game.”

Winnipeg’s best chance to score came late in the third quarter. McNeil connected with first-year receiver Ronin Francis, a Dakota alum, for a 20-yard gain to the one, but the squad couldn’t cash in on three attempts. 

One of the host’s issues, not only on the drive, but as a whole, was their snapping. Jackson Haime took over at centre for Dawson Abbott, who was having issues in the shotgun. The team ran into a different issue on the goal line though.

“[Haime] doesn’t have a lot of reps at centre, and we put him in, and what was happening was they were nervous about going under centre with him because we’re on the one-yard line, but I didn’t want to run a wedge from the one. That’s why we called the timeout, to get Jackson a couple of practice snaps,” added Wilson. 

“What happened was Sekina [Scheibler], our running back, he essentially started pushing the quarterback before he took the snap. If a quarterback gets into the pile and he’s driving and someone pushes him from behind, they’re fine with it, you just can’t pull him, but Sekina got excited and he actually had his hands on the quarterback before he took the snap. That’s why we got the procedure call. It wasn’t good.” 

Winnipeg will get a chance at revenge on Sunday, as they travel to Regina for a 1 pm tilt. The key for Wilson and company will be to clean up their mistakes and play clean football. 

“Regina is a good football team, but I don’t think they’re way better than us. If you fix dropped balls, procedure calls, those kinds of mistake are all correctible mistakes. It’s not a physical problem, a lot of guys just need to tune in a bit more and be better.”