The Winnipeg Rifles were in Chilliwack, British Columbia Saturday to play the Valley Huskers and came away with a 35 – 0 win in Canadian Junior Football League inter-conference action.
The game made Canadian Junior Football League history as the two teams met for the first-ever regular season game between the Prairie Football Conference and the British Columbia Football Conference.
Poor weather conditions forced both teams to use the run, with the Rifles dominating. The Rifles had 425 yards in net offence, piling up 21 first downs, 380 rushing yards but only 56 passing yards.
Leading the way once again was Michael Ritchott with 225 yards on 22 carries. However, he wasn’t alone as Blair Mattes had 73 yards on 15 carries while Austin Klein had 76 yards on six carries.
The heavy rain caused issues for any type of aerial attack as quarterback Jamie Ybarra didn’t have much success through the air. Ybarra attempted 21 passes, completing seven for 52 yards. Top receiver was Kai Madsen with three catches for 24 yards.
Scoring touchdowns for the Rifles were Jonathon Remple with two, Michael Ritchott with one and Kai Madsen with one.
Defensively the Rifles played well, as they kept the Valley Huskers to a net offense of 110 yards. Top players were defensive back Stefan Conway with two tackles and one interception, Donavon Hillary with two quarterback sacks and Andrew Ricard with four tackles and two pass knockdowns.
The Rifles’ next game is September 24 at Investors Group Field when the Edmonton Huskies will be in town. It will be an important game as the Rifles will need to win to stay in the playoff hunt. Game time is 6 p.m. Individual game-day tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster online. Fans are asked to enter through the Bomber store. Rifles fans are reminded if they can’t make the game, they can still catch all the action online at riflesfootball.com
