Next stop: junior ball

Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Rifles’ latest group of player signings has head coach Geordie Wilson looking forward to training camp and the upcoming season. Several local high school stars recently committed to play with the Canadian Junior Football League club, with more names to be announced in the months ahead.

A pair of Grant Park Pirates top the list. Quarterback Alex Blasko looks to make the jump to junior in the coming season. In 2025, Blasko completed 78 of 127 passes for 1,341 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns. In an October game against the Crocus Plainsmen, he threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for a fifth.

“He’s tall, and a good athlete with good mechanics,” Wilson said. “He has the ‘it factor’.”

Blasko will have a familiar face protecting him on the offensive line. Fellow Pirate Sebastian Weisberger comes from a football family. Wilson said the young lineman has a great frame and loves to move bodies.

Murdoch MacKay graduate Logan Garrow is another O-lineman with promise. If his 6-foot-3 frame and 305 pounds isn’t enough to get the coach excited, Wilson said Garrow also plays with an edge.

On the other side of the ball, a familiar face is seeking a role on the defensive line. Miles Macdonell Buckeye defensive tackle Charlie Cockriell hopes to join older brother Will, who is a Rifles linebacker.

“He has a great motor and loves to hunt,” Wilson said of the younger Cockriell.

Jack Addaway-Truthwaite from Sturgeon Heights is cut from a similar mold as Cockriell. Wilson said Addaway-Truthwaite loves the action and plays with physicality and emotion.

The current Rifles offence is a high-scoring one, and Wilson has added more weapons for starting quarterback Riley Element. West Kildonan Wolverine receiver Dominik Skorupski generated 1,000 yards of offence and 12 touchdowns last season. Wilson said Skorupski is tall, athletic and will develop into a good junior player.

Work is available at running back, and Sturgeon Heights Husky Jabari Marshall has a chance to get his share. Wilson loves Marshall’s athleticism and believes he could develop into a good tailback.

With several good quarterbacks in the Prairie Football Conference, Wilson is also on the prowl for a few good defensive backs. He believes he’s found one in Kelvin Clipper Trey Robertson.

“He has good size and athleticism,” Wilson said.

The Rifles’ 2026 schedule should be announced soon. While the team’s first home game won’t be until late August or early September, the players will have a week-long spring camp and summer training before hitting the field for the main training camp in late summer.