University of Regina felt like ‘second home’ says commit

Rams add an out-of-province commit to their Class of 2017.

Halem Hrizai, an offensive lineman from Murdock MacKay Collegiate, will be dedicating the upcoming U Sports season with his new team, the Regina Rams, to someone very dear to him.

It has not been an easy season for Hrizai. Last August, his father passed away. “This is all for my dad,” he said. “He would be so proud of me.”

With a newfound purpose for playing, Hrizai wouldn’t be alone when he moves to Saskatchewan from his home of Winnipeg, Manitoba. “I have a lot of family throughout Saskatchewan and for that it just felt like a second home,” he said.

When it came to his new coaching staff, Hrizai has nothing but confidence. “The coaching staff at the university is such an amazing staff. When I found out what the head coach, Coach Bryce, has changed, it really made my decision easier,” he said.

In 2015, the Rams posted a winless season. The following year, the team went 6-3. “I knew that this was a coach I could trust,” Hrizai added about Bryce.

The young athlete has also had the opportunity to meet the offensive lineman coach at a spring camp. “He is full of so much wisdom when coaching the line and he made me feel so lucky to have a coach that knows everything,” Hrizai said.

The 6’3, 255lbs lineman knows that the winters on the prairies can be brutal. When he visited the University of Regina, he said that the university, for the most part, is all connected. “It made me think of the winter and how it will be so convenient when walking around the university,” he said.

In university, Hrizai plans on studying education with the goals of becoming a teacher. He said that has been his goal since he started high school.

Having spent his high school career with the Murdoch MacKay Clansmen (Winnipeg High School Football League), he has been recognized by the team three years in a row. In 2014, he was the team’s rookie of the year. The following two season he won a leadership award.