Season Preview - Defence: 'It just builds'

One of the most respected coaches in Canada, Stan Pierre makes his head coaching debut this Thursday when the Bisons host Regina in pre-season action at 5 pm. Pierre takes over from 29-year bench boss Brian Dobie, and the transition has been smooth for the long-time assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (who maintains his role in the former).
 
Pierre lives the Bison culture. An alum of the program, he was brought onto Dobie's staff in 1998 as linebackers coach, quickly becoming the latter's "partner in this."
 
Pierre was the defensive coordinator when the Herd won the Vanier Cup in 2007, and he has been a part of three three Hardy Cup Championships (2001, 2007, 2014) and two Mitchell Bowl (U SPORTS Semi-Final) Championships (2001, 2007).
 
Under Pierre's watch, Manitoba has had 62 Canada West All-Star selections on defence, along with 56 U SPORTS All-Canadians, two J.P. Metras Trophy award winners - which is for the Outstanding Down Lineman of the Year in U SPORTS Football - and two Presidents' Trophy recipients - which is for the Defensive Player of the Year in U SPORTS Football. 
 
Additionally, 35 defensive players coached by Pierre have been drafted by CFL (Canadian Football League) teams. Two alumni have also played in the NFL (National Football League, David Onyemata and Israel Idonije) with one of them being a participant in the Super Bowl (Idonije).

"There is no question that Stan is one of the best football coaches and football minds in the country of Canada. Stan and I are very different people, he and I both acknowledge that. I think our different personalities and our different strengths play to each other," said Dobie in an interview with gobisons.ca back in 2021.

"It certainly worked. I consider him to be one of the best friends that I've had in my life. When the chips have been down, he's been an incredible friend above all else."
With all that being said, it's no surprise that Pierre was prepared for his new role. And while there are still some minor things to get used to, including more emails to read, the well-respected coach has been, and is ready for all this season has in store.
"I'm more of the point guy now, so I'm just touching base with more people. Other than that, honestly it hasn't been that big of a transition," he said.
 
"Brian and I shared the work so much here. I do have to do a little bit more, which is expected. [Ottawa REDBLACKS head coach and former Bisons staff member] Bob Dyce was in here and we were talking about it, and I was saying I don't find any of it all that hard. It's been fine."
 
'Everyone just keeps communicating with each other'
In this line of work, communication is critical. Pierre's never been short on words, and he expects the same from the players, especially on defence. In today's game, with considerable pre-snap motion and option plays, it's more important than ever to talk.
 
"When I was growing up, I played all kinds of sports, so I learned different communication methods through all of those different sports. It's a function of confidence. People don't want to say the wrong things. It's more important to say something and be wrong than say nothing. A lot of times our communication is where people are going," acknowledged Pierre.
 
"If I hear a voice, I know where it's coming from so I know where to look. If you say the wrong word, I don't really care. You've got my attention to look. That's what I'm really trying to impart with them."
 
Senior Nic Pereira is one of many student-athletes on defence who have embraced Pierre's message in full, evolving into a key leader amongst the 2025 roster.
 

The hard-hitting weak side linebacker who can "fly around" posted a career-high 35 tackles last season, and was part of the reason why the Herd led Canada West in total takeaways. A quieter voice early on as a Bison, he's evolved into a heart-and-soul player vocally, and his IQ for the game while playing in Pierre's system has aided his performance, and his teammates.  
 
"I'm impressed with how much he's communicated. It's been really helpful. He's been really good with it this year, and that tells me he has more confidence, and understands what he's doing," said Pierre.
 
"There's one concept I introduced yesterday and I said to them, I'm going to be honest with you fellas, this concept, in my brain, I want it to be the opposite of what it is. So I have to think it through when I'm watching it on the field. He came over when we were doing a group drill, and he started talking it out with the defensive backs. I said, when he did that, it helped me. He said those things and it just flipped my brain. That's the idea, and everyone just keeps communicating with each other and helping each other understand what's happening around them."
 
Along with Pereira, fellow St. Paul's grads Kundanji Sinkala and Dario Macchia will take the next step in their evolution as linebackers. Entering his senior season, Sinkala assumes a larger leadership role following the graduation of Nick Thomas, while Macchia was a Bisons Male Rookie of the Year finalist, posting 28 tackles while tying for the team lead in interceptions, with two.
 
Much like Pereira, the duo's ability to dissect and analyze what they're seeing, and relay that to their teammates, has been notable.
 
"That's one of the funnest things about my job, you can tangibly see the changes in their experience with how they articulate and how they communicate. Those guys are really leaders now. They're talking, they're helping other kids out, they're being vocal and confident on the field. That's just the natural progression of things here," noted Pierre.
 
"It's really good to see. When you're sitting in that chair during a film session in training camp, and it's your first year, I think sometimes it can get a little discouraging. And then it just builds, and all of a sudden you're doing the right things and you're having confidence doing your thing. That's the natural progression."
 
Additionally, Dakota teammates Nevan Brown (third season with the Herd) and Asun Ducharme (second season) are among the rising stars that've grown their game at linebacker, along with Oak Park grad Matthew Gillespie (second season).
 
Brown broke the WHSFL Division 1 record for tackles in a season, with 99 in eight games as a senior, and Ducharme helped the Lancers win their first-ever provincial title in 2023. Meanwhile, the physical Gillespie was the heart and soul of a Raiders defence that fell just a point shy of the WHSFL finals in '23.
 
"We're pretty happy with the group. We have a lot of depth there," said Pierre.
 
"Some of those kids who are now the backups and are getting ready to step in, haven't played lots. It will be good for them to get some experience. That's the idea, it builds everybody else up."
 
Elsewhere, Manitoba's defensive line will be their most experienced group.
 
"We really need them to be our best group," Pierre emphasized. "They're our most veteran on defence. We have a lot of talent there. We're not deep on the edge, but we have good players there. I think it's a talented group. It should be our best group on defence."
 
East-West Bowl selection Kaleb Mackie-Mcleod, former NCAA Division 1 commit Lamar Goods and former WHSFL Lineman and Most Outstanding Player of the Year Jordan Friesen are among the veterans who will command the interior.  
 

On the edge, 6'2", 237-pound sophomore Jerome Fouillard, a teammate of Gillespie's in high school, is one of the most versatile athletes in the country. Last year he was effective as a rusher and can also cause chaos off the line of scrimmage. Expect a breakout season for the Oak Park grad.
 
"In terms of his size, you would say he's an under-sized rush end. But, he's really strong and really athletic. He doesn't have any trouble down there," said Pierre.
 
"He moves quite a bit better than most players who are putting their hands in the ground. He has more of a linebacker athleticism."
 
Additionally, senior Jack Shaffer brings a wealth of experience to the defensive end spot, while Gavin Perkins, a special teams force, is back after a lower body injury.
 
The secondary sees the most turnover for Manitoba, following the departures of starters Stephen Adamopoulos, Jarrett Alcaraz, Seb Reid, Nick Conway, Austin Balan and Jake Nitychoruk.
 
Owen Miller and Shad Nkiasi-Nsebwir have starting experience, while Nick's younger brother Daniel was one of Manitoba's top special teams players a year ago. Impact recruits Aidan Wallace-Blackett (6'4" safety from the Ottawa Sooners), Marcus Wahl (corner from the UND Fighting Hawks via Dakota Collegiate) and Kenley Williams (corner from the Okanagan Sun) bring junior and post-secondary experience, and are expected to have big roles, while rising stars Carter Dallas and Maxwell Grieman have also had notable camps.


'Good people and good mentors'
Pierre has also brought in a few notable names to his coaching staff on defence. Joining veteran voices Andy Williams and Shaquille Armstrong (defensive line), along with William Dallaire, are Jayden McKoy (defensive backs) and Mitchell Harrison (linebackers). Markos Bockru also returns, assisting at the defensive backs position, while Sean Oleksewycz shifts his focus to special teams and recruiting. 
 
McKoy, Harrison and Bockru are alums of the program, all of whom started at Manitoba on defence. The first two won a Hardy Cup together in 2014, and McKoy was Harrison's best man at his wedding, while Bockru is also a Dakota grad.
 

Harrison was previously the head coach at Dakota, where he oversaw the development of many of the current Bisons standouts from that school, while helping lead the program to back-to-back provincial titles in 2023 and 2024, with McKoy as defensive coordinator.
 
"I was really interested in having people that I knew and that I trusted, but that were good people and good mentors for the kids. Jayden puts satellites into space, Mitch is a high school teacher who is one of the best football coaches in the province. That was my main interest. And to be honest, Mitch has always been here. Of my former players who've been in coaching, he's been the most invested in staying up to date with what I'm doing. It was really natural to bring them both in," said Pierre.
 
"I always like to have people who are not that far removed, because they can relate with the players better. I haven't played football in a really, really long time so I've lost that I know what you're going through feel with the kids. [Bockru] has a good understanding that way. He talks to the kids differently and he's sometimes a buffer and then he'll come to me and bring a question that the kids are feeling, maybe something that they're not comfortable bringing to me. Those things are all really good."