SportsLife 2016, issue 5 | Page 8

KLIMPKE, STEVENSON EARN US COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Because it tends to be a league for players who have already left high school. The Manitoba Women’ s Junior Hockey League has an unfair reputation as a league that doesn’ t graduate many hockey scholarship winners. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. This past off-season, a number of players have moved on from the MWJHL to University hockey. Elisha Oswald who played with the U of M Bisons, then came to the MWJHL, was scouted at the Alberta Showcase this year and was recruited by S. A. I. T of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. As well, the league’ s top scorer, Vanessa Klimpke( 84 goals in season play over two years), along with speedster and goal scorer Renee Stevenson have both been offered scholarships to Division III Morrisville State College of New York. There is obviously plenty of opportunity in the MWJHL.

Vanessa Klimpke earned a scholarship to a Division III NCAA University

RITCHOTT THE STORY OF RIFLES SEASON

It takes more than one to tackle Michael Ritchott

Runningback Michael Ritchott has been, unquestionably, the story of the 2016 Winnipeg Rifles football season. Ritchott, the former Grant Park Pirates RB, went into Chilliwack, B. C., recently, and racked up 225 rushing yards on 22 carries. He also scored a touchdown as the Rifles beat the Valley Huskers 35-0. However, the most impressive outing in a rather impressive season, came on Aug. 21, when Ritchott carried 33 times for 358 yards and two TDs in a 42-28 win over the Edmonton Wildcats. It was third highest single-game rushing total in Canadian Junior Football League history, but it wasn’ t all that surprising. Back in 2014, while playing for the Vancouver Island Raiders of the BCJFL, Ritchott set a Canadian junior football record by becoming the first player to record two 100-plus yard kickoff returns in the same game. Through the first five games of the season, Ritchott had carried 93 times for 785 yards( 8.4 yards per carry and 157.0 yards per game) and four touchdowns.

BENNETT AND OLIVEIRA AT UND

Two young Manitoba football players are getting a shot to play this season at the University of North Dakota. Defensive end Mason Bennett from Vincent Massey and runningback Brady Oliveira from Oak Park have had a solid opportunity to show their stuff with the Fighting Hawks in the FCS’ s Big Sky Conference. After redshirting all of last year, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Bennett has been given a chance to play this year and has already recorded a sack, in the season opener, and just played a role in UND’ s first win of the year, a 47-44 double overtime comeback against South Dakota. Meanwhile, Oliveira has played in all three UND games at the runningback’ s spot and( at press time) had 100 yards rushing on 24 carries( 8.0 yards per carry). The 5-foot-10, 225-pound sophomore has also caught one pass for three yards.

Mason Bennett UND

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