Start of a new era for the Herd

The Stan Pierre era of Manitoba Bisons football is ready to kick off.

Pierre, who enters his 27th season with the Herd, will begin his head coaching career on the West Coast against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Thunderbirds Stadium on Thursday (8:30 p.m. CT).

A defensive co-ordinator by trade, Pierre was promoted in February to replace long-time friend Brian Dobie — who retired after leading the program for nearly three decades. A natural transition period followed, as players and coaches adjusted to a new voice calling the shots, but a strong training camp has left the bench boss feeling confident about his group.

“Was there some turnover in the off-season? Certainly there was. But in terms of the group now, they’ve been excellent,” Pierre told the Free Press. “We’re all rowing the boat in the same direction, and everything’s clear, I think, to the players of what the expectations are. They’re a great bunch of kids — they’ve been working hard and just trying to get better.”

“They’re a great bunch of kids — they’ve been working hard and just trying to get better.”–Stan Pierre

The Herd open as the No. 8 program in the country, coming off a shocking season-ending defeat in last year’s Canada West conference semifinal after going 7-2 in the regular season.

Before their early playoff exit, the Bisons enjoyed tremendous success — boasting the country’s No. 1 rushing attack and No. 5 unit in total offence, while the defence ranked top-five in takeaways.

It’s difficult to expect things to remain the same, given the typical roster turnover in the off-season and the significant changes to the coaching staff.

Blair Atkinson will make his first appearance as offensive co-ordinator in seven years, while Pierre added Jayden McKoy (defensive backs) and Mitchell Harrison (linebackers) as positional coaches following their successful stint running the Dakota Lancers high school program.

Atkinson, who was hired as the program’s first full-time offensive co-ordinator after coaching receivers last season, has installed a new playbook that brought a learning curve for the veteran unit.

It’s a combination of new plays and new terminology, which starting quarterback Jackson Tachinski said has created a “noticeable” change in the way the Bisons’ offence will look.

“That’s probably the biggest change for us, but it’s a lot easier implementing a new playbook when you’re familiar with everybody,” said Tachinski. “You know everybody’s styles, you know how everybody plays, so the communication standpoint has been really good.”

Tachinski, who begins his final year with the program, is one of 10 returning starters on offence.

The two non-returning offensive starters were pillars, as former All-Canadian receiver AK Gassama graduated and All-Canadian lineman Giordano Vaccaro transferred south to play NCAA Division 1 at Purdue University.

Gassama and Tachinski had a special connection in particular, dating back to their high school days. With the speedy receiver gone, someone will need to step up.

But while Vaccaro and Gassama are massive departures due to their play and leadership, the latter will still have an on-field impact, as the former receiver takes on the role as receivers coach.

Moreover, Tachinski’s own experience has deepened, entering this season with a new view on his position after taking part in training camp with the Edmonton Elks as a receiver.

“Learning a whole different perspective of football, just from the receiver standpoint, I think was, honestly, pretty valuable for me as a quarterback. Just knowing their timing, knowing how they’re going to get in and out of breaks, what they’re seeing in zones and everything like that — I think that’s pretty valuable,” Tachinski said.

He didn’t take his eyes off the position he knows best either, watching how the Elks’ quarterbacks — fellow Canadian Tre Ford and veteran Cody Fajardo — operate a pro offence. Despite being released at the end of camp, Tachinski believes he made some strides as a receiver, which could help him if he gets another crack in the pros after this season.

But, for now, he’s doing his best to soak up this season first.

“It’s mixed emotions going to your last — could possibly be my final year of football ever,” he said.

“I’m just trying to be grateful throughout the whole year, show a lot of gratitude and really just kind of soak it all in, because I know being a university football player is not an experience everybody in the world gets. So, just trying to be grateful for everything I got, really living in the moment, being where my feet are — that’s just my main focus.”

On defence, the Bisons will lean on a veteran front that is backed by a young secondary. Linebacker Markos Bockru, another graduate who — like Gassama — will be starting his new chapter with the Bisons as defensive back coach this season, and defensive lineman Collin Kornelson — who went pro and is currently playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — are among the notable departures from last season.

Manitoba will rely on breakouts from several players to return to form, including linebacker Nic Pereira — a first-time captain and second-year starter.

“I feel like last year we were a really physical and fast-paced defence. We were super good at turning the ball over… so that was definitely a key contributor to our season,” Pereira said.

“Just based on the fact that we’re a younger crew, we just got to continue building that connection day by day, and making sure that each week we’re all on the same page with what’s going on so that, come game time, we’re ready to rock and roll.”

The Bisons will be thrown right into the deep end, playing the first two games of the season on the road before its home opener against the Saskatchewan Huskies at Princess Auto Stadium on Sept. 13, meaning Pierre will have to wait to make his home debut.

But there is optimism that the Bisons can build on a successful 2024, despite undergoing big changes this summer.

“Coach Pierre has been awesome, so far,” said Tachinski. “I think he’s done a good job of commanding the team and pushing us in the direction that he wants us to be in. I think he’s done a great job of getting our defence ready for our Week 1 game coming up, and I think he’s done a great job of communicating and being player-friendly.

“I’m excited to see what he can do.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X:@jfreysam