PIT TOUCH and FLAG FOOTBALL in WINNIPEG MANITOBA - FOOTBALL!

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If you have been following the site or Twitter you know that Team Manitoba won the first ever U20 National championship this past weekend in Halifax, defeating a very formidable BC squad 25-19 in the title game. To make this championship even more impressive the Manitoba team was the youngest squad in the U20s, and one that can return four of its players to compete for both the Provincial and National titles next year. Made up of the guys who were free agents without a home for the PIT tournament, these “Bad News Bears” transitioned from a team with a reputation for having the worst sportsmanship during the regular season to the best at nationals. Not only am I proud to have coached these guys to a National Championship on the field, it was rewarding to see these guys become better people off the field. Team Manitoba (formerly Team PIT Football) brings a second National Title to the PIT, following in the footsteps of the Winnipeg Avengers who captured a national touch title in 2011. The PIT really has become the place where the best touch and flag football players in Manitoba come to play!

Here is a brief summary of what each of our National team members brought to the team:

#2 Garrison Trinder
The youngest player in U20 has a bright future as this 17-year-old led his team to a national championship using a combination of a strong arm and quick feet. Garrison led the highest scoring offense in the division and led the team on the game winning drive in the title game demonstrating poise and composure beyond his years. Be wary Canada, armed with multiple seasons QBing in the PIT this kid still has two more years of eligibility left at the U20s! Given the right direction and opportunity Garrison could become an all-time great quarterback in the province!

#8 Richard Wyss
Richard has the size and talent to be a force in touch football, he just needs to keep his emotions in check to make that happen! Richard is another under-ager who still has a year of eligibility in the U20 division. A great young receiver, Richard uses his body positioning well to shield out opponents and once the ball hits his mitts you know the catch is secure. That is just one of the reasons Richard was the offensive MVP in the third game of the tournament. Richard was also our third-down safety at Nationals, coming in whenever we needed to defend a long pass or make an important play on defense.

#9 Jeremy Kornelson
Jeremy is our third under-ager and that should scare teams as he led Team Manitoba in scoring with 34 points in the tournament. Jeremy played his way to a starting spot on defense as well in the championship game hauling in a game-changing interception early in the second half. Jeremy also made the key play to secure championship glory when he knocked away BC’s final Hail Mary attempt at the end of the title game. This kid is money. At just 18 Jeremy already has multiple Division 1 titles in the PIT, holds the Division 1 indoor scoring record, and is now a National title holder. Jeremy will be even better next year at nationals with another year under his belt at the top level in the PIT.

#11 Josh Martin
The composite team player, Josh lead by example both on and off the field, keeping opposing defenses off guard and keeping the mood light off the field. The third leading scorer at nationals quietly goes about his game and always seems to end up on the score sheet. The team had Josh running out of every possible spot on the offense. This versatility presented match-up problems for opposing defenses all tournament long. Josh ran into some problems the last night when he lost a battle against some Baby Duck, however that was the only battle Josh didn’t come out on top of all weekend.

#21 Nick Lajoie
Nick saved his best work for Nationals as he elevated his game to new heights. Finishing second on the team in interceptions and winning defensive MVP in the fourth game Nick was a force all tournament. In the championship final the BC game plan was to go at Nick, which backfired spectacularly as he nearly picked off two of the first three passes thrown in the game. Nick proclaims he can stop a fade route from any WR, and while we always debated the accuracy of his claims, Nick was put to the test when BC threw the fade pattern to a 6’4” receiver in the end zone…Nick took a cleat to the face, but kept his fade shutout streak alive in the process!

#87 Marcello Vaziri
Marcello battled adversity almost from day one with this team as multiple injuries hampered him throughout the duration of both the PIT seasons and Nationals. Despite playing with injuries Marcello relentlessly tracked down quarterbacks as the team’s primary rusher. Marcello’s game hit its stride in Nationals winning the defensive MVP in the first game, setting the tone for the rest of the tournament. While most teams had multiple rushers, Team Manitoba rolled Marcello and it worked in keeping teams in check and holding teams to the lowest points against in the tournament.

#1 Drake Lesperance
Drake led his flag squad to an undefeated regular season in the PIT but was upset by Team PIT Football in the playoffs. When Team PIT went looking to replace one of its players who could not attend Nationals Drake was the first choice. Drake can play any position on the field adding to the team’s versatility. In addition, Drake would serve as a backfield option for the team and had played previously at the national level bringing some much needed experience. Drake ended up finishing second on the team in scoring, had two offensive MVP awards and had perhaps the single greatest flag football play I had ever seen, finishing off what was a 45 second play which resulted in a score on the final play of the half in the championship game. That touchdown gave Manitoba the momentum and a six-point lead at the half, a lead they would never relinquish.

#42 Evinn Lyons-Keeley
A late edition to the team, Evinn hadn’t practiced or played with the team until Nationals. In fact, I hadn’t even met him until we found ourselves sitting beside one another on the plane ride out to Halifax. After discussing touch football philosophy and then having a walk through the Thursday night prior to the tournament you could tell Evinn was a natural. Evinn was supposed to just spare for the team when needed but the coaches decided to start him game one and he never looked back, garnering two defensive MVP awards along the way. Even better, Evinn is another under ager who agreed to return and play with the team next year in their quest for a second consecutive championship gold. Not bad for a guy who hadn't even heard of a 2-2 defense prior to a plane ride out Thursday!

Coach Steve Trinder
Steve really came into his own as a coach as the season progressed and was the real reason this team was able to gel and not kill each other, other teams, or innocent bystanders. While I worked the X’s and O’s, Steve was the character builder and the combination of our strengths really brought this team to the forefront of the tournament. I couldn’t have coached without him and look forward to doing this again with him next year when we go coast to coast and attempt to strike gold in BC! Football Manitoba gave the team props for representing Manitoba well both on and off the field and Steve can take credit for keeping everyone alive and out of jail.

Coach Jake Kornelson
Jake was there on the sidelines for all our games and made the trip out to Halifax on his own dime to support his son Jeremy and provide equal support for all the teams. His cool demeanor on the sideline and ability to relate information to the kids was invaluable. I have always known Jake as a gentleman on the field and he is an even nicer guy off the field. Thanks Jake, I am hoping you will be with us in the journey to BC next year as well.

We would be remiss if we didn’t also give a shout out to the U18 girls team who finished the tournament undefeated and took home gold. The U18 girls were coached by Brett Lesperance and Chris Helgeson, two former PIT players themselves! Mike McCheyne (long time PIT player) also led his team of mostly PIT Football players to the U18 bronze medal. Overall, Manitoba took home more golds and medals than any of the other provinces proving that Manitoba is the place to be to play football, especially if you have strong connections to the PIT!

Thanks to Football Manitoba for making this great opportunity happen for our players. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Football Manitoba and offering the opportunity for players who are in good standing with both the PIT and Football Manitoba to compete at the National level at various age groups. Ideally the Senior Men’s team will fare just as well at Nationals this upcoming weekend as they hope to end Nova Scotia’s 8-year reign as National Flag football championships and win their way to the Bahamas to compete for a World title!

The PIT Crew

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Congrats guys! That's an impressive accomplishment!

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Here is a link to all the scores and stats for the U20 team at Nationals! http://footballcanada.com/fr/national-championships-2/2016-flag-nationals/schedule-results-2016-flag-football-national-championships-calendrier-et-resultats-championnats-canadien-de-flag-football-2016/

The PIT Crew

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It is now two months to the day since the U20 team won gold at the National tournament. Figured I would get up some more pics of their Halifax adventures. Those pics can be viewed here: http://pitfootball.com/albums/850-u20-gold?page=1

Congrats again to the youngest team at the U20s and the team with the smallest roster. Team Manitoba overcame some significant odds to win in this tourney and ideally we can bring a team back next year that will defend the gold for Manitoba.

Only in the PIT!