By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Bison football commit Jarrett Alcaraz will be a major force on both sides of the ball for Garden City this season. Photo by the North Winnipeg Nomads.
Over the next month, manitobafootballfeed will be previewing each of the 31 varsity teams battling for supremacy in the Winnipeg High School Football League, which kicks off its regular season on Wednesday, Sept. 5. Below is a breakdown of the Garden City Fighting Gophers.
Team: Garden City Fighting Gophers
Head Coach: Beau Wilks, 8th year
Conference/Division: Potter Conference, Division 1
2017 Regular Season Record: 2-5
2017 Playoff Record: 0-1 (Lost to St. Paul’s 1 in AAA quarterfinal)
Under Beau Wilks’ leadership, the Garden City Fighting Gophers have consistently been a playoff contender, while also producing some high-quality U SPORTS athletes. As a matter of fact, two GC athletes have already committed to the Manitoba Bisons for the 2019 season. With seven starters back on both sides of the ball, Garden City should be right in the championship mix again this year.
Offence: Offensively, the team will be led by two-way threats Jarrett Alcaraz and Elijah Rivera – both of whom have already committed to play for the U of M in 2019. Alcaraz is a multi-purpose pivot who is a threat to run or throw the ball, while Rivera is a tremendous athlete coming out of the backfield.
Wilks says that the passing game will be a strength, and it’s hard to argue with that logic, as along with Rivera, the team will also have six-foot-three, Team Manitoba U18 member Kaiden Bannon and Recruit Ready athlete Everrett Findley to toss the pigskin to.
Defence: The team lost two impact defensive linemen to U SPORTS this offseason, with Kieran Cummings moving on to play for the Saskatchewan Huskies and Tyrece Viner-Cox suiting up for the Calgary Dinos. Despite this, Garden City will still be a threat defensively, particularly in the secondary where almost the entire unit from last year returns.
Team Manitoba U18 members Alcaraz and Rivera, along with Reese Francey will anchor the defensive backfield. The first two have committed to play for the Bisons specifically as DBs, while Francey — a senior — has been a starter since his sophomore year and has an amazing story, having battled through cystic fibrosis for many years.
Additionally, senior middle linebacker Tyson Nigussie-Ahmo will be relied upon as a playmaker, along with junior offensive/defensive lineman Brennan Vaarmeyer.
Short and long-term goals
As has been the case ever since Wilks began his tenure as head coach for Garden City, the team will be expected to play “mentally strong and disciplined football.” The long-term goal, as it is every year, is to compete with the top teams in the province.