Recent Prairie Conference News
June 1, 2024 players can officially sign with a CJFL team
For some Saturday June 1st is the biggest day of their young lives, as the CJFL presents its National Signing Day.
The day is earmarked every year on June 1st, the day in which players can finally sign with a CJFL club. When a player signs they are essentially signing for their entire junior football career as the player then becomes the property of that team.
So many considerations are made before signing with a CJFL club; location, team support, roster depth, coaching staff, scholarship program, etc all weighs in on a player’s decision.
National Signing Day is not only exciting for the players, but the coaches as well. Their ideas, hopes and hard work will finally come to fruition as they start to fill their roster spots.
Following National Signing Day coaches can continue to recruit and sign a player immediately if they are a good fit for their team. That said the bulk of the players ready to play in the CJFL will sign on Saturday.
Once players sign on the dotted line, coaches can begin developing their schemes and systems around their potential starters. They can also begin preparing for their Main Camp along with Week 1 of the regular season.
All three Conferences and 19 CJFL teams will participate on June 1st, signing players to their 2024 roster.
Fans can keep up to date with CJFL National Signing Day on social media with #CJFLSigningDay as teams will be posting once a player signs.
Dante Gibson of the Calgary Colts shares his football story
If you spent three years away from something you were really good at, how long would it take to come back to the same level you were at when you left?
Dante Gibson not only is better, but he’s also faster, stronger and smarter as he returns to the sport of football after some time away and will no doubt be a force for the Calgary Colts in 2024.
He has an inspiring story, as he overcomes heartache, weight gain and battles his own mental health returning for his fifth and final year of CJFL eligibility. Dante is beyond motivated to make a difference and is looking to get the Colts back to the top of the Prairie Conference standings.
He shares his amazing football and life story with Ryan Watters.
Winnipeg Rifles running back Kaiden Banfield
Photo courtesy of Matthew Hamilton
The Winnipeg Rifles are expecting big things from their running attack in 2024 and will be looking to Kaiden Banfield to make an impact.
Last year during his third CJFL season he carried the load on the ground for the Rifles with 573 yards on 128 carries and tallied four touchdowns. He is not only a physical runner who loves to pound through the line for tough yards, but he is also very versatile coming out of the backfield making 23 receptions last year for another 227 yards and three more majors.
Now heading into his fourth season, Banfield has high expectations on himself and has a personal goal of being named a CJFL All-Canadian.
When he looks back at some of his most memorable plays from his first three seasons, the one that stands out the most came last year and surprisingly it didn’t come on the ground. Banfield would leak out of the backfield and catch a pass against the Calgary Colts and scamper 45-yards for a touchdown. For a running back, grabbing a pass and making a big play like that adds to the excitement.
To date, his favourite game of his CJFL career came last year against the Edmonton Wildcats. He exploded for three touchdowns to help his club record the come-from-behind victory.
Banfield and the Rifles have already had their spring camp and will open the season on August 11th when they host the Regina Thunder in a one o’clock kickoff.
Kaiden Banfield is a CJFL Player to Watch in 2024.
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