It was expected but the Winnipeg High School League has been forced to make the difficult decision.
The 2020 season has officially been postponed.
Officials are now working on a Spring 2021 season to replace the lost fall season if the COVID-19 pandemic allows it.
The league will be working with coaches on a possible restart.
Dryden, Kenora and Fort Frances had already announced they wouldn’t participate in any fall sports.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not moving the yardage sticks when it comes to financial aid for the Canadian Football League.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says they are in dire straits financially due to COVID-19.
The league says it’s looking for $30-million in immediate funding and $150-million overall.
Trudeau says he recognizes this is an important issue for the league and Canadians.
He notes the CFL has approached the government for support and those discussions are ongoing.
The 2019 Winnipeg High School Football League season is officially in the books.
All three divisions wrapped up play Saturday with championships games at IG Field in Winnipeg.
The Fort Frances Muskies won the Division 3 title with a 64-49 win over Churchill.
The Miles Mac Buckeyes took home Division 2 honours with a 28-6 win over Portage.
The St. Paul’s Crusaders came out on top in the Division 1 final, shutting out the Vincent Massey Trojans 22-0.
The season has come to an end for the Dryden Eagles High School Football team.
The Eagles dropped a hard fought 39-6 decision to the Miles Mac Buckeyes at IG Field in Winnipeg on Thursday.
The strong Buckeyes team broke the game open in the second quarter to seize control of the Semi-Final after a scoreless first period.
Troy Kirouac hooked up with Nick Pinette on an 89-yard catch and run for the Eagles lone touchdown.
On the defensive side, Dom Morriseau intercepted a Buckeyes pass and 140-pound Karson Bibeau wreaked havoc in the fourth quarter after moving from his safety position to defensive tackle.
Head Coach Geoff Zilkalns says all coaches are proud of the team’s effort, noting significant progress was made throughout the season.
(Photo Credit: Shawn Lawson Taylor)
The Dryden Eagles High School Football team will be on the big stage today (Thursday) at IG Field in Winnipeg.
The ‘Blue and Gold’ take on the Miles Mac Buckeyes in Semi-Final play.
The two teams met in Dryden on Week #2.
Miles Mac downed the Eagles 46-0, but the young Dryden squad is a completely different team now that the kids have gained valuable experience.
Dryden booked their ticket to the final four with a 25-14 win over the Elmwood Giants last week.
The Buckeyes earned a 33-0 victory over St. John’s to advance.
Miles Mac finished the regular season with a 6-1 record, while Dryden finished 4-3.
Game time is 5:00.
It’s playoff time for the Dryden Eagles High School Football team.
The Eagles head to Winnipeg today (Thursday) for Quarter-Final action.
Their opponent is the Elmwood Giants.
The two teams didn’t meet in regular season play.
The Giants finished with a 5-2 record, while Dryden was 4-3.
The Eagles should be well rested as they haven’t seen game action since October 18th.
Kick-off is 7:00pm at Eastside Eagles Field.
The Dryden Eagles Football Team will be on the road today in Winnipeg High School Football action.
The Eagles will take on the St. John’s Tigers at 4:00pm.
Both teams enter the match-up with a 2-2 record over the current season.
The Dryden Falcons Intermediate team was in Winnipeg on the weekend for the ultimate Football weekend.
The team took in a University of Manitoba game as well as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers-Hamilton Tiger-Cats before hitting the field for a big game of their own.
They had their annual match-up on Sunday with the Beaver Brae Broncos at IG Field.
The Grade seven and eight Broncos team ended up on top 25-6 at the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It was a huge crowd for Homecoming and the Dryden Eagles High School Football team didn’t disappoint.
The Eagles dominated from start to finish in an emotional 22-7 win over the visiting St. Norbert Celtics Thursday afternoon.
After a scoreless first quarter, Dryden exploded in the second.
Gage Delorme got things going with a field-goal.
The Eagles would make it a 10-0 game a short time later with a 4 yard touchdown run from Peter Zilkalns.
The major was set up by an Adrian Brannon-Larocque interception.
Dryden’s defence only made one mistake in the contest and St.Norbert would pounce on it with a 70 yard touchdown pass.
The second half belonged to the Eagles as they marched down the field on nearly every possession, both on the ground and through the air.
Nick Pinette scored in the third quarter with a 2 yard touchdown run.
Troy Kirouac would ice the game in the fourth with a 12-yard major to Brody McMurrich.
That score wouldn’t have been possible without some heroics from Kirouac.
A few plays before, the Dryden Quarterback was pressured, sending him way back in his own zone.
He appeared to be dead in the water and close to hitting the ground, when he some how escaped, ran outside and threw an Aaron Rogers-like Hail Mary to Gage Delorme deep in St. Norbert territory.
The miracle pass completely deflated a tired Celtics team.
Karson Bibeau recorded an interception, while Mike Kusano registered a sack in the game.
The contest was a physical one, with several injuries on both sides of the ball.
The highlight was a punishing block on a Celtic defender courtesy of Dom Morriseau.
After an 0-2 start, the Eagles are now 2-2.
They hit the road next Friday to play St. John’s.
(File Photo)
The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is getting ready to celebrate our region’s proud sports heritage.
The 38th Annual Induction Ceremony is Saturday and CKDR is recognizing the Class of 2019.
Hall of Fame Executive Director Diane Imrie says one of the inductees is Kenora’s Dave Van Belleghem.
“He’s going to be recognized for his incredible Football career. Vanier Cup and two Grey Cup’s. One with Toronto. One with Calgary.
Van Belleghem played defensive back with the University of Calgary and was picked in the fourth round by the Argonauts in the 1990 CFL draft.
Imrie says he was a member of the Beaver Brae Broncos dynasty of the 1980’s.
Tickets are still available for the NWO Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
They can be ordered by calling 807-622-2852 or by email at nwosport@tbaytel.net
