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.”