By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Jake Roger (R) alongside fellow receiver Sheycoy Selent
Growing up, Winnipeg Rifles receiver Jake Roger was always a bit of a bigger kid. Because of this, he spent a decent amount of his ten-year football career on the line, either at offensive tackle or the interior on defence.
But in his heart, he’d always wanted to play receiver, as he had good hands and enjoyed the position. He got the chance to show these talents a little bit in high school for Sturgeon Heights, where he was a three-year starter as a fullback/tight end.
Rogers’ abilities earned him a spot on the Rifles’ roster in 2018, where he was determined to make it as a pass-catcher. Unfortunately he saw limited reps all year and knew it was time to get in better shape while also making some lifestyle changes.
“I started dieting pretty good and hit the gym two times a day,” says Roger, who began working out rather heavily beginning this January.
“I was really motivated. I wanted to play ball and I didn’t want to ride the bench all year again.”
Roger accompanied a heavy workout regimen with an intelligent dieting plan, which he was able to integrate thanks to the knowledge of his high school gym teacher as well as his parents.
His typical food intake included items such as eggs, tuna, rice bowls, greek yogurt, chicken and lots of fruits and veggies, along with a heavy cutting of carbs.
“It kind of sucked. It was hard to get used to because there were lots of very bland foods, but once you get into the routine of it and start seeing progress, you get used to it.”
Roger was able to lose roughly 60 pounds, going from 225 all the way down to anywhere between 170-173.
With his weight now more manageable, Roger returned to the field this year hungry to make a difference for his team. He trained hard running routes in the offseason with starting pivot Riley Naujoks in order to gain more chemistry while also improving his speed — another area of weakness in the past.
“With the weight loss, the speed just came naturally. I ran a lot of hill sprints and did ladder work. It was mostly just by myself but that was okay.”
Rogers’ offseason work paid off. He earned a starting spot this season and is involved in every offensive formation the team runs. He was particularly effective in the team’s 52-45 overtime loss at the hands of Regina during Labour Day weekend, flying all around the field with a couple of diving grabs as well as a few in traffic.
The Rifles are currently 1-3, however they haven’t been beaten by more than 14 points by any of the top three squads in the conference in Saskatoon (4-0), the Edmonton Huskies (3-1) or Regina (2-2).
A big reason for their competitive edge has been the offence, as Roger, along with fellow receivers such as Tyler Hodgson, Timmy Solypa, Sheycoy Selent, Luke McMillan and Gabe Grenier have all been effective targets for Naujoks, who’s enjoying his best season of junior football, entering last weekend’s contest against the Huskies with over 1700 passing yards.
“Our group is pretty young, I think we’re going to be pretty phenomenal for the next two years at least,” Roger says.
“We have a good mix of everything. We have size, good speed on the outside and guys who can block and catch in traffic.”