Rifles victorious in Prairie clash against Hilltops
That's not the case for the Winnipeg Rifles.
The club remarkably rumbled to a convincing 31-11 victory over the Saskatoon Hilltops in Canadian Junior Football League Prairie Conference action at Maple Grove Rugby Park last weekend.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Riley Element led the team to a season-opening victory over the perennial CJFL powerhouse Saskatoon Hilltops.
It's a significant result for two squads that have often been on opposite ends of the standings.
The Rifles were coming off a 1-8 showing last summer and have struggled to find any resemblance to consistency in recent years, while the Hilltops continue to be perennial contenders for the national championship.
The matchup between the Prairie foes hadn't been much of a rivalry for that reason. It's just the second time in the last 11 years that the Rifles have defeated the Hilltops (2022).
'It's huge, and I'll say this: that was the Saskatoon Hilltops we beat,' said Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson. 'Since 2006, Saskatoon has been in every Prairie Conference final. You talk about teams that — they think it's in their DNA to automatically win when they roll it out.'
It's also just the second time since 2018 that the Rifles have begun a season with a win.
'They're the measuring stick in the CJFL year in, year out,' Wilson said. 'They're the dudes. So you feel good about that, but in saying that, we got a ton of work.'
Wilson was confident his club was a quarterback away from better results.
The Rifles have struggled to find a stable option at the most important position in recent years, and Wilson knew that if he didn't find a quarterback this off-season, his otherwise promising club would be in trouble once again.
After exhausting resources locally, Wilson looked to La Belle Province, where he discovered Chateauguay (an hour south of Montreal) product Riley Element, a 6-4, 200-pound pivot who was finishing up his third and final season with the Vanier College Cheetahs of Quebec's CEGEP program — which is equivalent to community college in Manitoba.
The fit was evident almost immediately. Wilson believed he found his guy, while Element thought Winnipeg offered a promising opportunity to realize his goal of reaching the CFL and studying to become an electrician.
'They welcomed me in right from the first day,' said Element, who comes from a football-crazed family. 'Obviously, you have to prove yourself in that way, but they welcomed me right away, and it was just a great fit. The city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba, has been great. It feels like my second home now.'
Element completed 16-of-29 passes, tossing for 215 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions against the Hilltops. He connected with fellow newcomer Jalen McDonald and third-year receiver Jarome Penner for scores.
Wilson said the 21-year-old signal-caller has been even better than he expected.
'It fires me up,' Element said upon hearing his head coach's review. 'I believe that everybody has their own journey, and now it's my time to shine with the team, and the team (to) shine. It doesn't give me pressure, really. Maybe pressure because you want to win, and I'm very competitive, but no type of nervous pressure.'
It speaks to who Element is. He approaches the game with a quiet confidence, and he's not easily rattled, as evident by his first game as a member of the Rifles.
Playing against Saint John's University in a pre-season contest, his first pass attempt was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
Element bounced back immediately and put together a strong performance, just as he did against the Hilltops.
'He's not too serious a guy, but everyone knows that he wants to win and he's gonna do everything he can to help us make sure we get that win,' said fifth-year running back Kaiden Banfield. 'Everyone on the team is ready to play behind a guy like that, (a guy) that's willing to do everything he can to make sure we win the game.'
Banfield, who is also on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice roster, is the focal point of the Rifles' offence again and has designs on being named to the CJFL All-Canadian team. He rushed 21 times for 79 yards and one touchdown against Saskatoon.
The workhorse tailback is one of 19 starters to return from last season and one of four players who ranked inside the CJFL's top-50 pre-season rankings. Banfield ranks No. 30, while his brother, linebacker Kyler Banfield (No. 14), defensive lineman Zach Davis (No. 25) and linebacker Derek Gumieny (No. 44) joined him on the list.
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Like the veteran he is, Banfield noted the Rifles haven't accomplished anything yet, but he didn't discount the effect that a season-opening win can have on this group. In the pre-season, he explained, there was a buy-in to the potential for the team, but since knocking off one of the country's powerhouses, there is a genuine belief that the Rifles could turn the corner in a big way this summer.
'I think it's huge for us, especially over a team like Saskatoon. It kind of shows where we are,' Banfield said. 'Before that game, I think everyone on the team knew we had it, we had the pieces and we could beat them, so after getting it done and actually beating them it's a confidence boost for our team overall, knowing that we can compete with anybody in the PFC (Prairie Football Conference) or in the CJFL week in and week out.'
Next up are the Edmonton Wildcats, another program that has struggled in recent years but is coming off a victory over the Calgary Colts.
The Wildcats and Rifles square off at Emerald Hills in Sherwood Park, Alta., on Sunday (2 p.m. CT).
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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