The top U16 and U18 players in the province competed Sunday in the Blue and Gold Showcase; photos by Cameron Bartlett
Over 240 of this province’s top U16 and U18 high school football players came together for the 4th Annual Blue and Gold Showcase on Sunday with one game each at Princess Auto Stadium.
Organized by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the annual event – which includes eight practices over two weeks – serves as a premier development opportunity showcasing elite high school talent from Manitoba at the local and rural levels.
There is no charge to players for this annual program, which reduces financial barriers to ensure the province’s top talent is in attendance. Athletes get the chance to meet and interact with coaches from all throughout Manitoba, expanding their football IQ while competing against the best of the best and gaining exposure.
“It gives an opportunity to play football when there’s a little bit of a lull,” said Matt Bruneau, Amateur Football and Community Relations Manager for the Blue Bombers.
“It really opens the door to get ready for the season, which is nice. And bringing people to play (at Princess Auto Stadium) is always a really good time, being able to see how much (the athletes) enjoy it.
“It’s different than playing on your home field.”
University coaches from Manitoba, McMaster, Guelph and Saskatchewan were all in attendance, and the action didn’t disappoint. Both games came down to the final drive, with Team Blue winning the U16 game 42-36 and Team Gold winning the U18 contest 11-8.
Charlie Ringland – an Oak Park alum, All-Canadian with the Saskatchewan Huskies and CFL veteran with the B.C. Lions and Ottawa RedBlacks – was helping scout for his former university team and was impressed by what he saw.
“It was really exciting. It was nice to see a bunch of different players make big plays in big moments against good competition. It turned out really well,” smiled the Winnipeg native.
“It’s big to get guys playing against the best competition they can. This Blue and Gold game really gives them a chance to do that, and to showcase their skills against other top high school players, and with great coaching as well.”
‘It was a game, I’ll say that’
The action kicked off with an offensive outburst at the U16 level, with the blue and gold squads combining for 78 points. Team Blue held a 28-7 lead at halftime, but Team Gold stormed back, taking a 36-35 lead thanks to a two-point convert with 1:52 to go.
Receiver Schei Nkiasi from the Vincent Massey Trojans (Class of 2028) hauled in five key grabs in Gold’s second half surge, including the go-ahead grab from five yards out that gave his side a one-point lead.
But that’s when Blake Dagg took over.
The Oak Park quarterback – who led his side to a 21-point halftime lead with three touchdown strikes and a rushing score from 20 yards out – was inserted back into the game for the final possession, and he didn’t disappoint.
With 45 seconds left, the dual-threat pivot used his feet to get his team to the Gold 17-yard line, and two plays later he delivered the game-winning major, finding 5’10” receiver Quinton Jones from St. Paul’s (Class of 2028) in the corner of the end zone.
The touchdown was vintage Dagg. The Junior Varsity Champion with Oak Park – who also led Team Manitoba to a come from behind win in the bronze medal game of last summer’s U16 Western Challenge – used his feet to roll outside of the pocket, eventually finding Jones with a dime in single coverage, despite throwing off balance on his back foot.
“Coach just told me Blake, put your helmet on, warm up. I went blank after that to be honest. It was a game, I’ll say that. It was so much fun, just competing against great guys in Manitoba,” said Dagg, a Class of 2028 prospect who threw for 1,829 yards last season, along with 29 majors while rushing for 786 more and 12 scores in an undefeated campaign.
“It’s definitely a big step from just JV 12-man. The Blue and Gold Showcase, there’s definitely a lot of competition in it. I learned a lot from different guys.”
‘All of us got better’
The U18 contest featured a defensive slugfest on both sides, and timely plays on offence when it mattered.
Team Blue opened the scoring in the final minute of the first on a Spiro Vagianos (Class of 2027) touchdown pass to St. Paul’s teammate Tristin Channer (Class of 2027). The major was set up by a Zayden Ross red zone interception that he took all the way back to the Team Blue 30.
Team Gold stayed in the fight in the second half, narrowing the score to 8-4 with two minutes to go thanks to gritty play on defence, especially in the front four.
Then, with just over a minute left, Murdoch’s Jack Jaworski (Class of 2027) rewarded his defence, delivering a clutch drive that included multiple strikes to Miles Mac receiver Ethen Meryl (Class of 2027).
The 6’1” target (a former flag football quarterback) got his side into the red zone with two key receptions and had ten grabs overall for over 100 yards. With 29 seconds left, Buckeyes teammate Alex Haywood capped the comeback with a two-yard rushing touchdown.
“I had an interception in the red zone earlier, but I was able to bounce back and drive the field a couple more times, and we ended off with a big one there,” said Jaworski, who started playing football in grade three.
“We knew what kind of coverages they were running. They had a lot of man and a lot of cut. We called the right plays at the right time. My guy Ethan, he was just making plays all around. It was really nice.”
“Playing with all the best players from around Manitoba, all of us got better,” added Meryl.
“Every rep is a good competition. There’s not a dull rep when you play against the best competition. “
