Entering the 2021 WHSFL season, West Kildonan head coach Russell Wallace, much like the rest of the league, didn’t really know what his roster would look like. The COVID-19 pandemic had cancelled the 2020 season, meaning that the vast majority of league rosters would include players whose most recent season was in grade ten. In the case of the Wolverines, only five players were returning from 2019 and therefore Wallace had his work cut out for him in terms of fielding a roster that would be competitive at the Division 3 level. 

Thankfully, West K’s hallways are filled with multi-sport athletes, and with that in mind, Wallace did his due diligence in recruiting players from within the school. It’s safe to say the work paid off for the Wolverines, who bonded as a group and ran the table in the playoffs en route to the league title. 

“I was going down the hallways saying hey, if you’re interested in football, come out. Here’s the time. I didn’t really hear back from those players. Then, on the first day of camp we had I think 51 players out,” he noted.

“Normally we’ll have a high number out and then players will kind of say no, this isn’t for me and kind of fade away to other sports, which is fine. Football is not for everyone, but nine weeks later our roster still sat at 46 players. It’s the highest number in our team’s history. Those are hockey players, volleyball players and soccer players. Multi-sport athletes who are still committing to football.”

Amongst the group of rookies was running back Dawson Berganini, who led the Wolverines with 762 rushing yards in five regular season games, utilizing his excellent game speed to get the edge on a number of occasions. He, along with slotback and fellow hockey player Logan Poloway – the team’s leading receiver who had 219 yards against Maples late in the year – were just a few of the multi-sport weapons that West K had at their disposal. 

Veteran presence 

But let’s not get carried away here. The Wolverines, who went 3-2 in the regular season before knocking off Maples and top-seeded John Taylor in the championship, were successful in large part because of the veterans they had in key spots. 

On defence that included former Rookie of the Yeah Noah Hrabi, who led the team with 63 total tackles at linebacker. On offence the conversation started and ended with 6’0” 180-pound senior quarterback Connor Machum, the team’s starter since grade ten who took over following the graduation of his older brother and fellow WHSFL champion Devon. 

Connor, whose roots can be traced to the North Winnipeg Nomads Football Club, began playing football when he was six and right from the jump he knew he wanted to be a signal-caller and follow in his brother’s footsteps. 

“[Devon] kind of inspired me to get into football when I saw him play. I just wanted to try it out, and I looked and saw that there was one guy who controlled the whole field and that was the quarterback and I said I wanted to be that guy. I started training and I just fell in love with throwing the ball. I just kept working and working until I got to high school.”

Machum had a successful debut in grade ten, as West K advanced to the Heavy Metal Bowl, but were unable to emerge victorious. Taking it upon himself, as leaders do, Machum went to work. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic halting his junior year, he continued to grind, attending camps such as Big Air Academy while also working on his acceleration and strength.

“I didn’t want to lose again so I started hitting the gym. I mostly worked on speed with [alumni] Devon Young and went to some quarterback camps. I’m pretty proud of myself because I didn’t take any days off. It’s a grind not only to win a championship but also to get an offer to the next level.”

When the 2021 campaign came around, Machum was ready. He didn’t miss a snap, practice or game all year and with the help of offensive coordinator Ryan Scott, the pair executed a diverse offensive game plan that took advantage of the group’s multi-sport athletes. 

“[Scott’s] a great coach. He finds out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so that way he knows which plays to put in,” Machum noted. “A lot of these boys are hockey kids and multi-sport athletes. When they got their names called they ran the ball well, and they’re good with their assignments with blocking. We had that team chemistry and morale was high so we just clicked.”

Machum finished with a 60 percent completion rate on the year and close to 800 yards passing, but also got it done on the ground with 221 yards. In that regard, Scott gave Machum the freedom to run when needed, where he was able to showcase all the hard work he’d put in with Young. 

Perhaps the best example of Machum’s versatility and toughness came against Maples in the playoffs, where he kept the ball off tackle on a read option play, bouncing off of three defenders for a gain of 25. At no point did Machum look to slide. Instead, in the case of one defender, he met him head on, kept a level base and exploded for another ten yards. 

“We had a lot of fast players and during the season they got tired because it was a different sport,” recalled the pivot. “It helped them a lot when they got to stretch and I would take the ball and run so they could get a little breather for a play.”

Interestingly, the team’s best showing through the air came in a 37-29 week four loss to John Taylor in a battle for first place. It was there that Machum broke the Division 3 single-game passing yards record after throwing for 361 yards on the day. Four different players had at least one grab in the contest, including Poloway, who led the group with 104 yards on four catches and a score. 

“They got the ball first and they scored really quickly through the air. With me being really competitive and wanting to be the best out there, I said no, I need to show this QB what’s up. I just went in there and started throwing. We ran a lot of power and were throwing the ball really well and stuck with it.”

A shot at redemption in the snow 

West K got their chance at redemption just a few weeks later when they took on the Pipers in a snow-filled affair at Nomads Field, Machum’s old stomping grounds. The Wolverines burst out of the gate with a commanding run game, led by Berganini, who had all but one of the team’s majors on the day and was named game MVP. It was 32-0 at the half, but Machum made sure his squad didn’t let up en route to a 42-12 win. 

“[Scott], he told me he didn’t want me to throw a lot. It wasn’t because I couldn’t throw in the conditions, I threw a bit, but John Taylor had a really strong offence and we wanted to stick to our run game so we could take control of the time of possession. We kept the ball on the ground, kept getting first downs and it worked out for us,” Machum says. 

“Even when we were up, I wasn’t thinking that we had already won. I told the team we had to keep our foot on the gas pedal and that we couldn’t let up. Eventually in the fourth we were all comfortable and we were just clicking. I made sure the team wasn’t too cocky or getting ahead of ourselves until the final whistle.”

The victory served as redemption for Machum and a stellar way to end his career. He’s been invited to the Winnipeg Rifles’ rookie camp in March where he’ll look to take the next step in his career. 

For Wallace, the page now turns to 2022. With a steady amount of players eligible to return, including a variety of multi-sport athletes, the future is certainly bright. 

“We had a great group of young players, inexperienced players, but we had our vets in the right positions where we’ve had some success. We’re looking to build on those younger players for future years.”