By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Griffin Shillingford scores Winnipeg’s first touchdown of the 2018 season. Photo by Matthew Hamilton.
The Winnipeg Rifles opened their 2018 season on the right foot last night, knocking off the Edmonton Wildcats 19-3 at St. Vital Mustangs field. Below are five thoughts on the game from the broadcast point-of-view.
No Ritchott, no Ogidan, no problem!
Despite losing veteran running backs Micheal Ritchott and Odun Ogidan to graduation, the Rifles had nothing to worry about in the backfield, as second year Miles Mac grad Mathe Mitayango proved that he could be relied upon to be a 20+ carry back for this team. The Rifles went to the run early and often, and despite being stifled for most of the first half, they stayed persistent, and Mitayango rewarded his squad with some big gainers in the second half, which essentially closed the game out in the its dying stages.
On top of Mitayango, the team also have fifth year Austin Klein, who can relied upon as a zone-read option to complement Mitayango’s power running style, and is also dangerous out of the backfield. The scariest part, however, is that the third piece of the puzzle in fellow power runner Brandon Urciuoli wasn’t available due to a shoulder injury. He’s expected back in a few weeks, and when he makes his debut, the Rifles rushing attack will be among, if not the best in the conference.
Shillingford steps up offensively
Nineteen-year-old St. Paul’s product Riley Naujoks was making just the second start of his CJFL career last night. Interestingly, his first start also came against the Wildcats last season. He showed flashes of excellence on Saturday night, but also threw two costly interceptions when the team was driving into the red zone. But when he needed a big play to rally, he went to one of the leaders in his receiving corps.
Griffin Shillingford, a fifth year and former member of the Mount Allison Mounties in the AUS, was the guy to step up. The Rifles were trailing 3-2 in the contest with just 1:30 left in the first half. Naujoks drove the team to near midfield, and then completed his biggest passing play of the day.
Facing pressure, he scrambled outside the pocket and found Shillingford — who had adjusted his route — open near the sideline. The veteran would do the rest, making a few defenders miss while tiptoeing down the sideline for the Rifle’s first major of the season. Winnipeg went into the half up 9-3 and wouldn’t relinquish the lead from that point on.
Making a statement on special teams
Speaking of veterans stepping up, fellow fifth year receiver/returner Brendan Naujoks did just that as well. The older brother of Riley made his first critical play in the opening half, holding on to a ball over the middle despite taking a massive hit by the ever-present Tony Savchuk of the Wildcats.
Naujok’s biggest play of the day came on special teams though. Still up by just six in the second half, Naujoks took an Edmonton punt 60+ yards to the house to put the momentum permanently in the home team’s corner. The play itself was rather entertaining. Naujoks accidentally double-clutched the ball when trying to field it, which worked in his favour, as he was able to cut back against the grain to his left, where no defenders were present.
Hillary and Ricard live up to top 50 rankings
Prior to the season beginning, the CJFL put out their annual top 50 rankings. There were two Rifles on the list, with fifth year safety Andrew Ricard being ranked 14th, and fifth year linebacker — and the PFC’s leading tackler last year — Donovan Hillary, being ranked sixth. Both players lived up to the pre-season hype with stellar performances.
Ricard patrolled the deep third of the field with poise, frequently stepping up to make bone-jarring hits in a contest that featured tons of jaw-jacking back and forth. He also partially blocked a punt late in the first quarter. Hillary, on the other hand, was a dominant force in the run game, with his two biggest plays occurring on a goal-line stand late in the first half.
D-line so fine
The Rifles defence put on a near-perfect display, getting to fifth year Edmonton quarterback Justin Swedish on many occasions. Former Carleton Raven Machuor Akau led the way with two sacks, while third year Justin Kwiatkowski had a massive interception early in the fourth quarter and was in the backfield all night. The latter was also named the team’s player of the game. Fellow veteran defensive linemen Hayden Nellis and Noah Wilson were also factors in the backfield, with the latter also stepping up big on the previously mentioned goal-line stand.