Grenier Cracks Rifles Squad

Gabriel Grenier will be suiting up for the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).

"It makes me pretty happy honestly," said Grenier who graduates high school this year. "I've been working pretty hard for this for quite a while now. I've been driving to Winnipeg a lot of the past three years playing football and it's now paying off."

The Rifles are comprised of players aged 17 to 22 and play in the Prairie Football Conference of the CJFL.

Last year Grenier played with the Midget Southwest Wolves, which is a joint program between the Fort Garry Lions and St. James Rods.

With the Wolves last season he was the team's quarterback and has seen time as a receiver.

This upcoming season with the Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson is going to place him as a receiver and added training camp wasn't his first encounter with Grenier.

"Last year he played for Southwest and for the midget all-star game, we coach the teams. My coaching staff and our players. Gabe actually ended up being on the team I was coaching but was playing at quarterback. He's really a receiver, but they used him as a quarterback," said Wilson. "He's one of those kids that right off the get-go you took a shinning to. He would do what ever you asked him to do and a super polite kid and respectful. That was my first meetings with him. He actually did quite an incredible job in the game as the quarterback. Our team ended up winning and he was the player of the game that day too."

Wilson kept in touch with Grenier and got the invite to rookie camp and then was brought to mini camp.

"He's going to fill out and mature into a really good Winnipeg Rifle. I think there's a lot of upside to him. He's athletic and super cacheable," said Wilson. "He's a great kid. In the dealings that we've had with him as a parent he's a kid you'd like to have as a son."

Grenier started his football career with the Pembina Valley Corn Huskers and have continued to play ever since. He added coach Wilson explained they're looking for character players, who have a good attitude and are cacheable players.

The Rifles will hold training camp July 24th and will play their first game of the season in Ottawa on the 12th of August against the Sooners. The Rifles will have their home opener on August 20th against the Saskatoon Hilltops, who are the three-time defending champions.