It’s the busiest week of the year in the Winnipeg High School Football League.
The penultimate slate of the season kicks off Wednesday and will crown champions in several divisions while setting the stage for title bouts in others.
“(I feel) almost like a kid at Christmas time,” said WHSFL commissioner Jeffrey Bannon. “It’s exciting for us and it’s also logistically getting everything together and the best way I can describe it is a huge family gathering.
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Grant Park Pirates football coach Doug Kovacs works with his players Tuesday at practice.
“You just want to make sure you have everything ready and you’re ready to go because someone’s gonna win some hardware this week.”
It wouldn’t be the playoffs without some dramatic endings and shocking upsets, which is what Doug Kovacs hopes his Grant Park squad (6-1) can pull off when they meet the reigning provincial champion and No. 1 St. Paul’s (7-0) in Friday’s AAAA semi-final at IG Field (5 p.m.).
“This is what high school football is all about, the chance to gauge yourself and see where you’re at and play a higher level competition,” said Kovacs, in his 13th season leading the Pirates. “We’re happy to be back and playing in the semi-finals this year. Our kids are really excited, our captains are really excited because they’ve worked very hard for this opportunity.
“I think we were picked to finish at the bottom of our conference. The Winnipeg High School Football League tiers out the teams but you have to win to get in, there’s no freebies. We’ve done a great job of winning games and getting to this opportunity and we’re looking forward to taking the next step.”
Grant Park won the Division 1 consolation championship in 2018 but hasn’t reached the top of a varsity mountain since 2011 when they won the AA crown. Kovacs said his team has embraced the underdog mentality that’s come with playing the vaunted Crusaders.
“Absolutely. Grant Park is never talked about, we’re the smallest school in quad-A and we don’t use that as an excuse,” he said.
“I told the kids from Day 1, ‘These are the games you want to be in, where the opponent looks like they’re unbeatable.’ But when you beat them, that is the pinnacle of sports, that’s what you want to have.”
The only completed part of the WHSFL playoff bracket is the AAAA conference’s consolation game, which saw No. 21 Murdoch Mackay knock off No. 22 Portage 35-15 last week.
This week’s action begins Wednesday at IG Field with Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) and Grant Park in the junior varsity nine-a-side championship (5:30 p.m.). Dakota and Oak Park will fight for the 12-a-side JV title at 8 p.m.
Varsity hopefuls from the top AAAA conference will also clash at IG Field beginning Thursday when a rematch of last year’s Division 2 championship between Sturgeon Heights and Vincent Massey (Brandon) will decide who hoists the Vidruk Bowl (teams ranked 9-12). The out-of-towners won 20-14 last fall.
Later, the Bramwell Bowl (teams ranked 13-16) will wrap up with Kildonan East, the 2022 Division 3 champions, and Springfield at 8 p.m. Springfield is seeking its second bowl victory in program history, the first coming in Division 2 to cap its inaugural 2021 season.
In the eight-team AAA conference, Tec Voc, enjoying their first season since 2019, is one win away from the big game. The Hornets clash with the Beaver Brae (Kenora) Broncos on Thursday at St. Vital Mustangs Field (5 p.m.). The winner will battle whoever is left standing from Friday’s tilt between the Fort Francis Muskies and Dryden Eagles at East Side Eagles Field (5 p.m.).
The AAA championship will go under the bright lights of IG Field on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.
“I’m very intrigued by the triple-A,” Bannon said. “Especially the top four teams, what’s going to happen with Fort Francis and Dryden— they’ve been slugging it out all year.
“And then the story of Tec Voc and coach (Ryan) Karhut and what he’s done with that program just amazes me,” he continued. “I’m just impressed with some of the teams that have this opportunity and are one win away from a championship, which could drastically increase football in that school.”
A busy week concludes Friday with a loaded triple-header in varsity, beginning with the AAAA conference’s Gustaffson Bowl (17-20 seeds) between River East and Crocus Plains (Brandon) at 2 p.m. The Kodiaks are seeking their first championship since winning Division 2 in 2018.
After the dust settles on Grant Park and St. Paul’s semi-final bout, Dakota and Oak Park will duke it out to complete the matchup for the coveted Anavets Bowl (seeds 1-8), which takes place at IG Field on Nov. 10 (5 p.m.).
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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter
Joshua Frey-Sam happily welcomes a spirited sports debate any day of the week.
