Tigers participate in RMFL all-star game
- Details
- Published on Thursday, June 2, 2016
Players from left to right: Dylan Oshanyk, Dillon Neufeld, Will Birnie, Scott Dowd, Jesse Doerksen and Parker Guy.
Brody Miller played but is missing from this photo. Jeremy Roe and Taine Middleton were selected as all-stars but were unable to participate.
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The Neepawa Area Collegiate Institute (NACI) Tigers found themselves well represented at the 2016 Rural Manitoba Football League’s (RMFL) all-star game. There were nine players from Neepawa who were invited to play in the annual showcase, which was held on Saturday, May 29, at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.
The local players singled out for this honour were Jeremy Roe, Will Birnie, Brody Miller, Taine Middleton, Scott Dowd, Dillon Neufeld, Dylan Oshanyk, Jesse Doerksen and Parker Guy. Though they received all-star recognition, Roe and Middleton were unable to compete in the game. The seven other members of the Tigers roster, however, were able to participate.
The format of the game featured players being divided into teams representing the Northern and Southern Division, with the Neepawa all-stars playing for the North. Although the RMFL plays nine-man football in the regular season, this game used the 12 player format, with the Canadian Football League’s rules. The additional players featured were two tackles and a receiver on the offensive side of the ball and two defensive backs and a linebacker or lineman ,depending on the scheme used, on the defensive side of scrimmage.
As for the final results, it would the South Division all-stars who would come off the field victorious, by a 32-14 margin. Though Neepawa all-stars were on the losing end of the final score, they still had a very strong showing. One particular standout effort was from NACI’s Will Birnie, who was recognized as the defensive player of the game.
Saturday’s RMFL matchup was part of the Elite Blue and Gold Classic, an annual event which showcases the top players from several different skill levels across Manitoba and portions of northern Ontario. It also serves as an opportunity for coaches and scouts associated with Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS), to get a closer look at the league’s graduating players and its rising stars.
