SportsLife 2016, issue 5 | Page 8

KLIMPKE , STEVENSON EARN US COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
RITCHOTT THE STORY OF RIFLES SEASON
BENNETT AND OLIVEIRA AT UND

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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