2007 October news archive

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2007 Manitoba football champions

October 28, 2006
WINNIPEG - The 2007 minor football league championship games were played this weekend at the Canad Inns Stadium. Here are the 2007 football champions:

Midget champion:
St Vital Mustangs (defeated Fort Garry Lions, 49-3)

Bantam Champion:
Charleswood Broncos (defeated Fort Garry Lions, 16-10)

Peewee Champion:
St Vital Mustangs Red (defeated North Winnipeg Nomads East, 63-31)

Atom Champion:
St Vital Mustangs Red (defeated Fort Garry Lions, 56-18)

Midget Raiders name all-stars, take home league award

October 16, 2007
STEINBACH - The MFLM season has come to an end, the Midget Raiders finished with the same record as last season, however they will fall 2 points shy of securing a playoff positon. However before the post-season begins, teams selected their MLFM league all-stars, and the league selected their annual award winners. This year the Raiders were allowed to select 4 players as league all-stars.

Luc Ducharme, Randy Hayden, Alex Pilloud and Brent Noelette were selected by the Raiders coaching staff as the Raiders MFLM league all-stars.

Luc Ducharme (#77)

Randy Hayden (#45)

Alex Pilloud (#99)

Brent Noelette (#24)

Kelly Sansregret (#18)

Luc Ducharme (#77) led all receivers in the league with 856 yards which left him more than 400 yards ahead of the second place receiver. He hauled in 7 touchdowns and was virtually unstoppable on the field.

Randy Hayden (#45) played Iron Man all season long, playing Left Tackle and filling in at Centre on the Offensive Line, and playing Defensive End along the Defensive Line. He was solid on the O-Line, and led the all Defensive Linemen in the league with 35 tackles.

Alex Pilloud (#99) started at Safety and Linebacker at different times throughout the season. Alex was a force on defense, whether dropping back in coverage, stopping the run, or providing pressure with pass rushing. While he missed the season opener he came back and made up for lost time, finishing 4th in the league in tackles.

Brent Noelette (#24) was a dominant force at Middle Linebacker. Making tackles all over the field, Brent was the top run stopper on the Raiders defense, making it difficult for opponents to run the ball up the middle. While injuries limited him to only 5 games this season, he still finished second in the league with 56 tackles, just 4 shy of first.

Raiders Quarterback, Kelly Sansregret (#18), also took home an award. He was one of the three players who finished in a 3 way tie in awards voting for the MFLM Rookie of the Year Award. Kelly was impressive as a rookie quarterback, throwing for 1,400 yards and tossing 11 TD passes in his first season. This is the first time a Raiders player has won the Rookie of the Year award.

The Raiders will also hand out several team awards at the Raiders wind-up on November 2nd.

Raiders League All-Stars:
SB, Luc Ducharme (#77)
LT/DE, Randy Hayden (#45)
S/LB, Alex Pilloud (#99)
MLB, Brent Noelette (#24)

MFLM Rookie of the Year:
QB, Kelly Sansregret (#18)

Atom Grey Raiders sunk by St Vital

October 14, 2007 - by Debbie Renaud
ST VITAL - What an exciting game. The Raiders came out full force in the first half and the defense was amazing. The score at the half was St Vital 6, Raiders 0. The team was ready for the win and played all out. Unfortunately the Raiders made a few wrong plays in the third quarter and the Mustangs took advantage and scored. The Raiders came back in the fourth to hold them but just couldn’t get across the goal line. Final score was 32-0 for the Mustangs. This finishes an amazing season for the Atoms! Congrats everyone.

Midget Raiders end season with loss to Lions

October 13, 2007
FORT GARRY - The Raiders went into Saturday's coming off the momentum of a big win just 6 days earlier in the mud and rain in Transcona. The first quarter would end scoreless as both the Lions and Raiders defenses would step up, making most of the first half a battle for field position. Then late in the second, trailing 4-0, Raiders QB Kelly Sansregret (#18) would hit SB Luc Ducharme (#77) for his 7th receiving touchdown of the season, it would be Sansregret's 11th touchdown pass of the season. However two scores with less than two minutes remaining in the half would have the Lions going into halftime with a 17-6 lead. The second half would have more field position battles as the Raiders and Lions would jockey for field position. However the Lions would add two more scores taking a 28-6 lead. While the offense had trouble moving the ball through the redzone, the Raiders defense would make sure that the score would not go higher, highlighted by an impressive goal line stand. With the Lions offense having 1st and goal on the 1 yard line, the Raiders defense would not budge as the Lions would fail in three attempts to break through to the end zone. Despite being held by a tough Lions defense, the Raiders offense would keep fighting till the final whistle, making a final march downfield, however time would run out for the Raiders on the Lions 17 yard line, making 28-6 the final score.

FUNK'S TOYOTA OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
#18, QB - Kelly Sansregret (305 yards passing, 1 TD)
#77, SB - Luc Ducharme (124 yards receiving, 1 TD)

PRIORITY AUTO SERVICE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
#45, DE - Randy Hayden (11 tackles)
#99, LB - Alex Pilloud (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF)

Bantam Raiders beat by Transcona

October 13, 2007
TRANSCONA - It was an incredible autumn afternoon, as far as the weather was concerned, but out on the football field, the Bantam Raiders struggled in a 34-6 loss to the home-team Transcona Nationals. The quick exit from the playoffs is sure to be a disappointment for the team, but the Raiders should be proud of their improvement this season. It was only a year ago, that they finished the 2006 campaign with only 1 win in total. This year, they went 4 and 4 in the regular season and made it to the post season. Perhaps next year they'll be challenging for the Bantam championship? Way to go, Bantams!

Peewee Raiders fall to Fort Garry

October 13, 2007
FORT GARRY - The Peewee Raiders took to the field to face off against the Fort Garry Lions, for the Raiders second game of the MMFA post-season. The Raiders jumped ahead to an early lead, going up by 12-0 at one point, but unfortunately the Lions then went on to score 22 unanswered points to take the game by a final score of 22-12. The loss brings the Raiders 2007 season to an end.

Post-season play for both Raiders Terminator teams

October 10, 2007
STEINBACH - Although the Terminator teams don't keep track of game scores and standings, they will still be involved in some "post-season" play. Football Manitoba's playoff schedule has our Raiders Grey team in a Saturday matchup at 12:00pm, October 13th, verses the St James Rods Silver team. Then on Sunday morning, October 14th, at 11:30am, the Raiders Teal team will play against the St James Rods Black. Both of these games are to be played at the Crescentwood Grizzlies field, just off of Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg.

Thanksgiving weekend, Midget Raiders feast on Nationals

October 8, 2007
TRANSCONA - The Midget Raiders rolled into Transcona on Thanksgiving Monday for their second clash of the season with the Transcona Nationals. Having given up a single point in the previous meeting, the Raiders defense was going in looking for the shutout, while the Raiders offense was looking to get back into their mid-season form after scoring only 13 points in their last two games. The Raiders may have had plenty to be thankful for, the weather was definitely not one of them. With the temperature floating just above freezing, combined with constant rain and wind, it was set up to be a true test of toughness. The first half both teams battled not only the opposing defense, but also slippery and muddy conditions which made handling the football an adventure to say the least. However late in the second quarter the Raiders would start on their own 10 yard line and would proceed to drive the entire length of the field capped off with 4 yard TD run by Raiders FB Joel Lajoie (#93). Lajoie would put up his biggest numbers of the season, rushing the ball 13 times for 77 yards. Lajoie would take all his carries straight down through the middle, regularly getting hit after 1 or 2 yards and then carrying several defenders anywhere from 3 to 8 yards further. The Raiders defense would force their share of turnovers with forced fumbles from Alex Pilloud (#99), Brent Noelette (#24), and Evan Letkeman (#39), the Raiders defense also had interceptions from Evan Letkeman (#39), and Zach Loewen (#42). Raiders QB Kelly Sansregret would throw for two TD's in the second half, one to RB TJ Stapleton (#20) and the second to SB Luc Ducharme (#77), he would also run one in for a TD as well. The Raiders improve their record to 3-4 and now look ahead to next Saturday's game against the Fort Garry Lions, it will be the second meeting for the two teams. Kickoff is 12:30pm.

KEY STATS:
421 yards of offense
6 forced turnovers

FUNK'S TOYOTA OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
FB, #93 - Joel Lajoie (77 yards rushing, 1 TD)
QB, #18 - Kelly Sansregret (239 yards passing, 2 TD, 1 Rushing TD)

PRIORITY AUTO SERVICE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
LB, #24 - Brent Noelette (11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF)
LB, #39 - Evan Letkeman (5 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF)

Playoff round-two speculation

October 8, 2007
STEINBACH - Based on information posted on the Football Manitoba webite, it appears that the Raiders will be involved in the following round-two MMFA playoff matchups:

Bantam:
Eastman Raiders (4-4, 6th place) @ Transcona Nationals (6-2, 3rd place)
Game time is 12:30pm on Saturday, October 13th at Transcona.
Note: the Raiders did not play against the Nationals during the regular season.

Peewee (Saturday Division):
Eastman Raiders (6-2, 4th place) @ Fort Garry Lions (8-0, 1st place)
Game time is 10:00am on Saturday, October 13th at Fort Garry.
Note: the Raiders did not play against the Lions during the regular season.

Atom (Sunday Division):
Eastman Raiders Grey (4-4, 4th place) @ St Vital Mustangs Red (8-0, 1st place)
Game time is 10:00am on Sunday, October 14th at St Vital.
Note: the Raiders did not play against the Mustangs Red during the regular season.

Peewee Raiders drop Broncos to advance to semi-finals

October 7, 2007
STEINBACH - What an exciting playoff game for the Eastman Peewee Raiders. If you weren't there, you sure missed an incredible game! The Raiders were ahead for much of the first half, but the Broncos scored a touchdown to go ahead by a score of 14-13 at half-time. The two teams battled for position throughout most of the second half, before the Raiders finally put together a gutsy drive to score the game-winning touchdown near the end of regulation time. Final score was Raiders 21, Charleswood Broncos Gold 14. The victory lifts the Raiders into the next round of playoff action, and I'm sure they will be anxiously waiting to find out who their next opponent will be. The schedule for the second week of the playoffs should be available shortly, and details will be posted on this website.

Atom Grey Raiders win play-off game

October 7, 2007 - by Debbie Renaud
STEINBACH - The Eastman Atom Grey Raiders jumped ahead to a 14-0 lead, early in this chilly October morning matchup, and they never looked back as they romped to a 39-20 win over the visiting St Vital Mustangs White team. Darby Gula again played a miraculous game for the Raiders offense by running in five touchdowns. He broke many tackles and with the help of his offensive line was able to get through and score. The defense again played unbelievable. They made a strong Mustangs White offensive team stop in their tracks and held them to only 20 points. Great tackles were made by the defense with Justin Marchand again stepping up and showing a strong game. The Atom Grey played hard and continued to dominate throughout the game without letting up. The team just keeps getting stronger and stronger. The Atom Grey Raiders will advance to the second round of the Atom playoffs, and details for that game should be available within a couple of days.

Broncos beat Bantam Raiders

October 6, 2007
CHARLESWOOD - During the first half of today's game in Charleswood, the Bantam Raiders certainly held their own. They jumped ahead to a quick 8-3 lead on the scoreboard and sayed in front of the undefeated Broncos until half-time. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Charleswood managed to score 19 unanswered points in the second half, as they took the game by a score of 22-8. Near the end of the game, a Charleswood player was injured after being tackled. An ambulance was called out to the scene, and with only 50 seconds remaining on the game clock, the teams agreed to call it a day. (Note: game photos taken during this game may be viewed at the photographer's website after they are uploaded.) The Raiders end the season with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses: good enough to secure a spot in the playoffs, but not good enough to earn home-field advantage and so they will begin the playoffs on the road. Specific playoff details will be posted on this website when they are announced.

Terminator Grey schedule change

October 2, 2007
STEINBACH - This Sunday's Terminator game between the Raiders Grey and the Grizzlies Orange has been pushed back by one hour. The game was originally scheduled for a 9:00am start, but will now be played at 10:00am instead. (This information is according to the Football Manitoba schedule update that was released earlier this morning.)

Playoff quarter-final matchups

October 1, 2007
STEINBACH - Based on information posted on the Football Manitoba website earlier today, it looks as if the Eastman Raiders will be involved in the following quarter-final playoff matchups:

Peewee (Saturday Division):
Charleswood Broncos Gold (4-4, 5th place) @ Eastman Raiders (6-2, 4th place)
Game time is 1:30pm on Sunday, October 7th at A. D. Penner Park in Steinbach.
Note: the Raiders won their regular-season contest, by a score of 59-48 on Aug. 18/07.

Atom (Sunday Division):
St Vital Mustangs White (4-4, 5th place) @ Eastman Raiders Grey (4-4, 4th place)
Game time is 11:00am on Sunday, October 7th at A. D. Penner Park in Steinbach.
Note: the Mustangs White won their regular-season contest, by a score of 35-6 on Aug. 26/07.

Unfortunately, it appears that our Atom Teal Raiders team has been eliminated from playoff contention, based on a complicated set of tie-breaking rules. There were six different Atom teams with identical records of 2 wins and 6 losses. These teams were ranked firstly on their head-to-head game results, and secondly according to the fewest-points allowed. When all things were taken into account, the Atom Teal Raiders were edged out of the playoff pool.