Winter season goes down in the record book, as 141 teams competed for 28 championships and continued the trend that has made PIT Football the largest touch and flag football league in Canada!
This was a time for youth to be served as many of our younger up-and-coming teams finally got over the hump and knocked off some of our veterans.
Most finals went down to the wire with a record ten games being won in the final minute of play.
An amazing championship weekend of football!
WHSFL Division 1
Grant Park Pirates 26 Oak Park Raiders 20
We would like to thank the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) for their continued support in providing opportunities for high school players to play non-contact football in the offseason.
The talent level of the players participating is astonishing!
In a battle of the Parks, Grant Park edged Oak Park via a touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining. The top two teams in the flag division put on a show, with highlight-reel catches, throws, and defensive plays.
Provincial flag quarterback Scott Sisson (Grant Park) and Recruit Ready standout Ryan Wirtzfeld (Oak Park) showed why they are two of the top U-18 quarterbacks in Manitoba. Both quarterbacks used all corners of the field to keep the defences guessing in perhaps the best Division 1 WHSFL final in league history!
WHSFL Division 2
Vincent Massey Trojans 21 Dakota Lancers 15
Vincent Massey continues to have a stranglehold on the WHSFL Division 2 flag trophy, having now defended the title across multiple years.
However, this game was almost their undoing as only a timely interception with seconds remaining, followed by the go-ahead score, allowed the Trojans to escape with the championship belt.
Owen Britton followed up his five interceptions during the regular season with two more in the final which was ultimately the difference maker!
The first two divisions in the WHSFL flag division came down to the wire, demonstrating the parity and the talent level of all the participating teams.
WHSFL Division 3
Maples Marauders 46 Vincent Massey 26
The Maples Marauders defended their Division 3 title in a big way, jumping out to an insurmountable lead early and then cruising to victory.
The Marauders accomplished their championship aspirations the hard way, going winless during the regular season, only to turn it on during the playoffs. Maples scored 104 points in their two playoff games, only nine less than the team’s offensive output for the entire regular season!
Quarterback Kevin Thomas threw a WHSFL championship-high five touchdown passes. Defensively, Kaden Romaniuk and Trey Westwood both had two interceptions to ensure the Marauding victory.
Co-ed Division 1
Coed Guardians 38 FSP 32
The Coed Guardians won their first coed championship and in so doing avenged their loss during the regular season, retaliated for their championship game loss in the Fall, and stopped FSP from winning their fourth consecutive coed championship!
There were lots of dramatic storylines in this game. Five different Guardians scored in the championship and yet the Guardians still had to count a touchdown late to preserve their victory over an FSP team full of provincial collegiate players and Manitoba Bisons.
Guardians’ player Anna Koswin will sleep comfortably tonight in the bed she made for herself!
Co-ed Division 2
Please Lettuce Win 32 Here for the Football 12
The football vegans defended their Division 2 championship over Here for the Football in a game which started the Down to Football takeover of the finals weekend.
Kevin “I have too many PIT championship t-shirts now” Cortens threw five touchdown passes — two to Buster “I am taking all the XL shirts and there is nothing you can do to stop me” Kroeger.
Nicole Hodgins and Foster Jasin replied for Here for the Football who couldn’t avenge their regular season loss to the salad-smiths.
Coed Division 3
Unnecessary Ruff-ness 31 Here for More Football 10
Unnecessary Ruff-ness is a mainstay in the coed division and finally got the gold in winning their first coed championship.
Here for the Football’s sister team Here for More Football unfortunately suffered a similar fate, losing in almost the exact same fashion and by almost the exact same score.
Unnecessary Ruff-ness was led by the Geddart’s three, with Aaron, Messe, and Beza accounting for all 31 points thrown by the Highlander Jason Cassie.
Coed Division 4
Washed 1 Flea Flickers 0
Sometimes an act of nature plays havoc on the best laid plans! The Flea Flickers are out of towners, and the unfortunate timing of the March snowfall shut down the highways, putting out the flicker that was the Flea’s championship dreams.
Flag Football Division
E.B.O. 52 Beer Leaguers 35
E.B.O. is fronted by former National flag football champion and B.C. Lion coach Trysten Dyce.
In this matchup, Trysten was playing against his former national champion teammates the Beer Leaguers who have a new quarterback running the show. His time away in B.C. didn’t slow Mr. Dyce down, as he shotgunned the Beer Leaguers defence to the tune of eight touchdown passes and 52 points. Four of those touchdown passes were thrown to Rifles standout Jake Rodgers, with two more to former Bison’s all-star Xavier Johnson.
It is unfortunate that Trysten will miss the 2023 flag national championships, but I suppose coaching a CFL team isn’t a bad consolation prize!
Division 1
Seafood City 26 Peg City 25
In the battle of the Cities, Seafood skewered Peg City to take home their first Division 1 championship. In doing so, the mollusks knocked off the top-seeded and previously undefeated Peg City in the process.
Peg City had the crustaceans ready for the seafood boil, up by six points and on the calamari’s five-yard line with time running out. Turning the tables, Kurtis Yakimoski scalloped an errant pass in the end zone for a turnover. This led to an incredible upstream march for the winning touchdown, and the spawning of a new/old era in Division 1!
Division 2
Puppy Notes Consortium 28 Beerhawks 25
The Puppy’s secured their undefeated season by taking a bite out of the Beerhawks.
The Beerhawks last two games were decided by just two points total, so it was not surprising we had yet another game come down to the wire. The Beerhawks were close to ending the Puppy’s perfect season, scoring at will in the second half. That was until Dom Horvath hit Nick Trinder with the game winner to retake the lead with time running out.
The Consortium add their first Division 2 title to their bottom line despite Brett Pruen’s MVP stat line for the Beerhawks that included hitting for the cycle: one touchdown pass, 13 points scored, one interception, and a sack. An amazing performance in the loss.
Division 3
Kings 40 Filthy Few 35
Are we starting to see a second King’s dynasty in the making?
After winning Division 4 in the Fall season, the Kings moved up to Division 3 and had an even more impressive regular season, culminating in another championship coronation.
The turning point was Pierre Feng’s post-corner-post route shoestring catch that required replay review. The video evidence confirmed one of the best catches of the season!
No shortage of offence in this game (defence on the other hand…) as the two teams combined for just three stops in the game.
Division 4
Red Light Green Light 26 Awesome Luck 24
Another game, another nail-biter as Red Light Green Light took home the trophy in the best division in all of touch football.
Six teams entered the season, three finished tied for first with identical 3-2 records, the remaining three teams tied for the fourth and final playoff spot at an indistinguishable 2-3. Red Light snuck into the playoffs based on a tie-breaking scenario and we required a supercomputer to break the code.
But in this division, everyone was so equally matched that it was no surprise the fourth seed would ultimately be crowned the champs.
Division 5
Fail Mary 24 The MennoKnights 18
Two teams known for their offence.
Two teams with defences that are often likened to cheese of the Swiss variety.
Two teams that had an over/under of 79.5 points for the championship final. Two teams that had defences that had had enough of the jokes.
Two teams that played some lock down defence.
Two teams that played back-and-forth football all game.
Two teams that contributed to another fantastic finish.
Two teams with a problem — only one team could be crowned the champs.
Fail Mary quarterback and St. James Mustangs coach extraordinaire Derek Mills hit game MVP Noah Sidar for the game winning touchdown late.
Two teams that were separated by just that one play!
Division 6
Down 2 Football 47 North Bay Nation 21
We can’t play in this division. This division is too difficult. This division has the previously undefeated North Bay Nation team from the fall.
This division now has a new champion in Down 2 Football.
Despite D2F’s protestations before the season beginning, the league knows best when creating divisional parity. And as such, the league was much less surprised than D2F to see D2F win the championship.
D2F went on a run in the second half of the season, winning four straight and culminating in one of the few finals that weren’t close. Game MVP Buster Kroeger also continues his run of securing all the PIT’s extra large championship shirts.
Division 7
Trailer Park Boyz 27 VaudeVillians 7
Division 7 was the first of three straight divisions in which the young and up-and-coming teams faced off against veteran, battle-tested squads.
Historically, it is the veteran teams who school the younglings, but as Ricky would say “Don’t judge a cover of a book by its look.”
Trailer Park Boyz played stifling defence, only allowing the VaudeVillians to finally score late in the game when the championship was all but decided. The Trailer Park Boyz were led by Bison quarterback Jordan Hanslip, who threw for four touchdowns. Who knew he was also a stalwart defensive player? Jordan intercepted three passes, including an unreal diving interception that prevented the VaudeVillians from gaining any momentum towards a comeback.
Division 8
Small Footballs 22 Gotham Knights Legends 6
Small Footballs played big football, as the relative newcomers knocked off the veteran-laden legends crew.
Brandon Kamenz, who led the Rifles and the Prairie Conference in solo tackles last year, donned the quarterback uniform and led his team to the Division 8 championship of the world.
Alex Minor took over for Brandon on defence, registering a championship night high of five sacks and picking up MVP honours. PIT Football’s all-time leader in sacks, Brady Pauls was the MVP for the Legends. His two sacks, and 100 mile run in pursuit of Brandon was more than a days work! Unfortunately, the legends couldn’t kick start their offence, while the Footballs did just enough on that side of the ball to bring the belt home.
Division 9
Blowouts 26 Wickermen 0
The Blowouts lived up to their names, blanking the high powered Wickermen offence in the final and winning their first championship in the PIT in the process.
The team with the best social media team in rec sports used their size, speed, and linguistic acumen to send the Wickermen to the Hebrides to meet their Sun God.
Harrison Rogers was a defensive force, finishing the game with four sacks, an interception, a safety, and MVP honours. I suppose for the Wickermen, it was still better than receiving a helmet of bees.
Division 10
Meme Team 33 Bleue’s Clueless 20
The Meme team knows just two things: a good meme, and how to play football.
Nathan “Be afraid of the Cocaine Bear” Leitao threw for five touchdowns and kept the Bleue’s defence clueless. More importantly, he kept his teammate, cousin, and divisional scoring champion, Miguel Leitao off the scoreboard. Ye of little faith, Miguel had wagered his own team would lose the game.
Ideally, the Meme Team had some fun spending their newfound winnings. Ideally, Meme team have some fodder for new memes regarding cousin Miguel to unveil in the Spring season.
Division 11
Lizard Kings 34 Original 16 Free Agents 32
In a game where the lead changed multiple times and there were numerous highlight reel plays, it was unfortunate that one team had to go home empty handed.
The Free Agents gelled quickly but lost to the Lizard Kings by a lopsided amount during the regular season. The Free Agents came back stronger from the loss and held the lead late in the game, hoping to avenge that regular season loss.
The Lizard Kings however, wouldn’t be denied the defence of their Fall championship, or their undefeated season. Karanvir Warha had two sacks, an interception, and a convert in winning the MVP. The Lizards are once again Kings.
Division 12
D3F 34 The Notorious 18
The Down to Football franchise won their third championship of the night.
Buster Kroeger rain down terror on anyone in the PIT who requires an XL championship shirt. Kevin Cortens threw four touchdowns to three different receivers, constantly keeping the Notorious defence on their heels.
Caleb Mueller had two touchdowns and a sack for the Notorious ones in winning the game MVP, however it was not enough this weekend as the D’s brought their A game all weekend long.
Division 13
IR 47 Chubb Club 18
Chubb Club laid the beat down to I.R. during the regular season. And with that, the Chubb Club were introduced to the PIT curse.What is the curse?Win your division and your odds paradoxically go down to win the championship.
Parity tends to get the best of teams!
With that in mind, it was not surprising that the I.R. put the Chubbs on I.R. Patrick Gyles, long-time player, first time quarterback, threw for a remarkable seven touchdowns in the victory. In the process, the I.R. returned the favour from their regular season drubbing in the Club.
Which begs the question, why was Patrick Gyles a long-time player and not a long-time quarterback?
Division 14
Venum 32 Thunderbirds 30
Venum took a bite out of the Thunderbirds with their second consecutive comeback victory in the playoffs.
In the semi-finals, Venum was down two scores with under three minutes remaining but managed to win the game with a wild last second finish.
The same would happen in this game as the Thunderbirds took the lead with limited time on the clock. Cue the comeback. Veteran quarterback Paul Frias hit Dino Lisi for a touchdown as time ran out to complete another remarkable comeback victory.
It has been some time since Venum were in the winners’ circle, which makes the “double playoff comeback” that much sweeter.
Division 15
Young Wild and Free 38 Post Dig Picks Route 12
Young Wild and Free spoiled the top seeded Post Dig Picks Route championship dreams and prevented Buster “One XL shirt to rule them all” Kroeger from exhausting our championship chemise supply.
Thomas Hubbard threw multiple touchdown passes to both game MVP Isaiah “I still fit my Football Manitoba u16 shirt” Hirst and Brennan Davis of Holland Hurricanes and U-Puttz fame.
Young Wild and Free have an impressive pipeline to our graduating tackle players, developing them into a force on the touch football field!
Division 16
Old Degenerates 20 Banda Makers 6
The Banda Makers were no match for the wily vets from the Old Degenerates, who used their old man strength to hoist the championship trophy.
There was nothing degenerate about the Old Degen’s defence, who swarmed the Banda Makers to the tune of two sacks and five interceptions. The offence was nothing but quality with three different receivers scoring.
No Banda would be made on this day.
Division 17
2 Banda 2 Makers 19 Back That Pass Up 12
Or would there be Banda? The Banda Makers sister team showed they had twice the Banda and twice the Maker in defeating the veterans from Back that Pass Up.
The win capped off an undefeated season of Banda-making.
Back That Pass Up looked good early, capitalizing off five interceptions, however Banda quarterback Chandeep Brar settled down after a rocky start to lead the comeback, ultimately hitting the division’s leading scorer Ben Ziprick for the winning touchdown late.
Let the celebratory Banda-Making begin!
Division 18
Dusters 24 Athletes Foot 12
The last time we saw the Dusters, they went winless, having incurred record setting losses by 71 and 84 points!
Well, the Dusters dusted themselves off and wrote quite the redemption story.
This season the Dusters went 6-2, including an impressive championship victory over a very gamey Athletes Foot. Treyton Vieira, son of PIT legend Eli Vieria, followed in his Dad’s footsteps to lead the Dusters to victory.
Treyton threw three touchdowns to most valuable player Justin Roselo. The Dusters dusted off the ghosts of their previous season and to take home the championship belt!
Division 19
Flying Vivancos 18 Bomber Boyz 13
The Flying Vivancos are no circus act, but rather a battle-tested group of Dads and their friends looking to do battle on the gridiron and the lounge.
Having avenged their regular season loss in the semi-finals, the Vivancos prevented the Bomber Boyz from doing the same in the championship game.
Kory Stagg hit former all-star quarterback turned receiver Eric Rout for three touchdowns in the victory. Mathew Kozier tried to keep the Bombers in the game by throwing for two touchdowns on offence and intercepting a pass on defence.
However, just like the parent team, this was just not their year. Perhaps knowledge of Winnipeg hosting the Grey Cup in 2025 will bolster the team (both the Bombers, Blue, and the Bombers, Boyz) to greater heights and to win the championship in front of the home crowd.
Redemption Bowl
Pancake Platoon 21 Hot-Ice 12
Hot-Ice jumped out to an early lead, but they couldn’t keep the griddle cakes on the heating lamp for long. As time wore on, Hot-Ice got pancaked by Mason Thorn’s 18 points, buttered by Brennan Mccammon’s three touchdowns passed, and creamed by Liam Fischer’s three sacks.
The Pancake Platoon gets their first syrupy taste of victory during the Winter season, while Hot-Ice had to reach for the Icy-Hot after playing ironman for the championship game.
Winter MVP
Lauren Garbutt
Congratulations to Lauren Garbutt, who won the Winter Most Valuable Player award as voted by her peers.
After each game, teams pick the MVP from their opponents and the player that accumulates the most votes receives the MVP belt (and an array of prizes from our sponsors) at the end of the season.
Lauren is a former Pro Bowl MVP and just missed out via tiebreaker in winning the MVP voting in the Fall. Lauren won’t do without belts for the Spring season as she was able to add both the MVP belt and the Division 4 championship belt with Red Light Green Light to her wardrobe.
The PIT Football league is the official touch football league of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Registration for the Summer season will be open soon. 7v7, 5v5, and coed divisions available. All skill levels welcome! Follow us @PITFootball on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with Canada’s largest non-contact football league or check us out at www.pitfootball.com
