Recent Winnipeg Rifles News
Kick-Off is August 13
The CJFL and Prairie Conference (PFC) have released their 2023 schedule that will see the six-member Conference open the CJFL season on Sunday August 13, 2023 with a full slate of games.
The Conference champion Regina Thunder begin their title defence that afternoon at 1:00pm when they visit the Calgary Colts. The Saskatoon Hilltops who finished as the second seed last year will host the Edmonton Wildcats on the same day and the Edmonton Huskies welcome the Winnipeg Rifles.
The teams are scheduled to play an eight-week regular season concluding on October 8th. The Conference playoffs will open the following weekend with a pair of semi-finals before the Conference title game scheduled for Sunday October 22nd.
The winner of the Prairie Conference will host the winner of the Ontario Conference in the CJFL national semi-final game the following week, Sunday October 29th. The winner of this game will then travel to BC and play for the 2023 Canadian Bowl and a national crown. It will be the first national final host by the BC Conference since 2019.
The BC and Ontario Conferences continue to work on their schedules and do anticipate releasing them in the coming weeks.
Seven players with CJFL ties completed in the combine
The CJFL was very well represented at the CFL Invitational Combine with seven players completing among some of the best from US colleges and U-Sport programs.
Below are the final results from the seven players that took part:
| Players | Bench Press | 40-Yard | Vertical | Broad Jump | 3-Cone | Shuttle Run |
| Burgmaier, Donovan | 21 | 5.37 | 30 | 8'10 1/8 | 7.53 | 4.7 |
| Charles, Shawn | 4 | 4.92 | 28 | 8'11 7/8 | 7.94 | DNP |
| Hayes-Williams, Jared | DNP | 5.01 | 27 | 8'9 5/8 | 7.44 | 4.45 |
| Ricard, Andrew | 8 | 5.12 | 24.5 | 8'4 | 7.66 | 4.58 |
| Pingue, Jadyn | DNP | 4.95 | 31 | 8'8 | 7.71 | DNP |
| O'Shea, Mike | DNP | 4.86 | 34 | 9'8 5/8 | 7.26 | 4.4 |
| Oling, Ronnie | 11 | 4.78 | 32 | 9'2 3/4 | 7.32 | 4.37 |
Winnipeg Rifles linebacker
Photo courtesy of Matthew Hamilton
He was the heartbeat of the Winnipeg Rifles defence in the 2022 season filling the stats sheets and now he’s part of the CJFL Class of 2023 as he’s set to return.
Linebacker Brandon Kamenz led the Prairie Conference with 37 solo tackles during the 2022 season. He also collected nine assisted stops, he had four sacks, four interceptions, knocked down two passes and forced a fumble. His 120 defensive points was the most in the Conference last year and second most across the entire CJFL.
The Winnipeg native was a dominating force for the Rifles who are excited to have him return this season with a ton of veteran leadership. He will no doubt once again be an important piece of the Rifles defence this coming year and will cause the opposition’s offence fits.
Brandon Kamenz is a member of the CJFL’s Class of 2023, click HERE to enjoy his highlights.
A Look Back at 2022
- By Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters) 12/31/2022, 11:00am PST
Thunder Host Rifles
- By Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters) 10/22/2022, 6:15pm PDT
Prairie Conference Wrap
- By Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters) 10/17/2022, 10:00pm PDT
Week 13 Preview
- By Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters) 10/15/2022, 9:30am PDT
Top 10 Power Rankings
- By CJFL 10/13/2022, 7:30am PDT
