By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Manitoba Bison commit Breydon Stubbs has been a huge part of the Trojans offence this year. Photo supplied by Ryan Karhut.
This week’s contests see St. Paul’s 1, River East and St. John’s return to the GOTW primer. They’ll be taking on Vincent Massey Winnipeg, Kildonan East and Churchill, respectively.
Division 1: Vincent Massey Trojans (2-0) at St. Paul’s 1 Crusaders (2-0), Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Two consistent contenders in division 1 will renew their rivalry in week three as the Crusaders host Vincent Massey. These are the only two undefeated teams left in division 1, with St. Paul’s 1 currently leading the Potter conference, while the Trojans are on top of the Gustafson conference.
The contest will be the ultimate tale of offence against defence. The Trojans have scored a mind-blowing 101 points through the first two weeks of play, while the Crusaders have yet to give up a single point. Something’s gotta give.
Vincent Massey will be led by senior pivot Jackson Tachinski, who has thrown for 482 yards and seven touchdowns thus far. Five of those touchdowns have been caught by versatile threat Vaughn Lloyd. The ridiculous part is that the scatback has only recorded six receptions. But those six catches have gone for 256 total yards, giving Lloyd a yards per catch average of 42.7.
Complementing the duo is another standout senior in Manitoba Bison commit Breydon Stubbs. The well-rounded running back has 186 yards on just 19 carries, averaging 9.8 yards per carry with two scores.
Combatting the Trojans offensive attack is a Crusaders defence that is young, but flies to the ball, plays physical and does their job — all critical traits on a Stacy Dainard-coached team.
Pacing the tempo are a pair of linebackers in junior Nathan Carabatsakis and sophomore Nic Pereira. Carabatsakis is one of the top linebacker prospects in the 2020 class and has six tackles and a sack this year. His intensity and fire are evident every time he makes a play. Pereira, a standout at the U16 Western Challenge under defensive coordinator Sean Oleksewycz, has six tackles, an interception and a forced fumble so far this year. His speed coming through the hole is among the best in the league.
The defensive line gets plenty of pressure both on the interior and edge as well. Two notable players are senior Dylan Duha, who has four tackles, and Zach Lytle — one of five sophomores on the squad — who has 3.5 tackles. The secondary also sees a sophomore making an impact in Trae Tomlinson, the second ranked player in the CFC class of 2021. He recorded an interception in his debut as a starter in week one against the Dakota Lancers. Seniors Vince DeRosa and Kyle Chorney also have interceptions.
Division 2: Kildonan East Reivers (0-2) at River East Kodiaks (2-0), Friday at 4:30 p.m.
The two schools that are just seven minutes apart from each other will renew their rivalry at River East’s homecoming game this Friday.
The Kodiaks are led by a stout, playmaking defence that has given up just one touchdown this year. Pacing the way is safety Ethan Topping, who has 16 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Two-way athletes Samual Hezekiah, who has multiple U SPORTS offers, as well as former Reiver Deion Nelson have been standouts on both sides of the ball. They’ve combined for five tackles and a interception a piece on defence, as well as 535 yards on offence and eight touchdowns.
Kildonan East will combat with an offence that’s led by athletic quarterback/receiver Nick Ducharme, who was a member of the Reivers 2016 WHSFL Bowl-winning team. They also have speed at running back and slotback, provided by Alex Fedrizzi and Bryce Bayisabe, respectively. Six-foot, 256-pound defensive end Joseph Heyward leads a defence that has played well this year, particularly last week against a stout St. Norbert squad.
Division 3: St. John’s Tigers (1-1) at Churchill Bulldogs (2-0), Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs have been dominant through two weeks so far, scoring 74 points while surrendering none. They’ll go face-to-face with their toughest challenge yet this week, in a Tigers squad that has had contributions from their squad all across the board. Four players have scored at least once on offence, led by Myles Kakewash’s five combined majors. On defence, the team has three total interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.