By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Rifles linebacker Barret Mueller records an interception in the second half against the Auggies. Photo by Matt Hamilton.
This Sunday at East Side Eagles field, the Winnipeg Rifles were handed their first test of the 2019 Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) season as they faced off against NCAA Division 3 team Augsburg University. It’s safe to say they passed with flying colours, securing a ten-point win in the border battle.
The game was contested with a mix of Canadian (12-on-12 with unlimited pre-snap motion, no yards, one yard off the ball) and American rules (11-on-11 with limited motion, fair catch rule, no yard given) — the former taking place in the first half and the latter in the second.
Winnipeg controlled the pace of play all afternoon long, taking a 6-0 lead to the half and eventually an 18-0 lead late into the contest. The Gunners could have been up by even more, however they missed a field goal and also had a pass dropped in the end zone.
Despite some minor execution issues in the red zone, the team looked solid despite missing starting offensive linemen Miguel Leano, Jaden Lakie and KJ Whittaker, as well as starting receivers Sheycoy Selent and Cole Chowen. Their performance was even more impressive considering the fact that head coach Geordie Wilson and his staff had just ten days with the entire squad to get an understanding of both the team’s playbook as well as the formations and alignment necessary when playing American rules.
“Our original plan for practices that week were American, Canadian, American. But the first day it didn’t go smooth at all,” joked second-year receiver Luke McMillan postgame. “We were running around all over the place, just no clue what we were doing. So we did [American rules] the second day right away and after that it was a lot better, we figured it out.”
That they did. Winnipeg didn’t look out of place at all playing the American-style game in the second half, with power backs Mathe Mitayango and Brandon Urciuoli controlling the tempo of the contest, including a number of big gainers from the former who noted the positive relationship he’s been able to establish already with running backs coach Eric Yuen.
“They started feeding me the ball and then my momentum started going,” Mitayango said. Once I get my momentum, you can’t stop me.”
Mitayango and Urciuoli’s performance helped open up the passing game, including a red zone touchdown toss in the second half from Riley Naujoks — who’s QB1 for the second year in a row — to Dallas Opiola. The drive was set up by an impressive one-handed grab from h-back Tyler Hodgson.
Not to be outdone was the defence, which got multiple sacks from 2018 Prairie Football Conference (PFC) All-Star Justin Kwiatkowski, as well as a fumble recovery for a touchdown and interception from former Midget Football League of Manitoba (MFLM) standout Barret Mueller. Rookie defensive back Keyshawn Gaskin from Vincent Massey Collegiate was also impressive with a few pass knockdowns.
The Rifles are now way ahead of schedule, as their spring game last year took place a month later. Wilson says the biggest benefit of an earlier game is the fact that the team was forced to get a grasp on the playbook quicker and will now be ahead of schedule for main camp. They will take a few days off before getting back to workouts on Wednesday, with the rookie class of 2019 being inducted in early June.