After scoring a 58-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter against Saskatchewan to open the season last Friday, first-year Bison Mike Ritchott threw one up to the sky to acknowledge those that aren't with him any longer.

It was an emotional moment for a running back and returner that didn't have it easy growing up — but he's honest about his past. It's what has molded him into the football player, and man he is today.

"I grew up in the north end of Winnipeg for the first nine years of my life. It was a little bit rough," he says.

"I have six brothers and sisters as well, so things were a little bit tight on the budget, and my mom was a single parent for most of her life, so coming from that background, that's definitely one of the things that was motivating for me and always made me want to get more in life."

When Ritchott was going into grade six, he, along with his siblings were taken to Child and Family Services, as his mom was struggling to provide for the entire family. Unfortunately, the home that he was put in until grade eight was less than ideal.

"Things were a bit rough there," Ritchott remarked.

"We didn't have access to our fridge the entire time that we were there. We were never allowed to cook for ourselves, and I would be doing house chores regularly and extended amounts of schoolwork just to keep us busy when they didn't know what to do with us. They would find ways to do things that weren't completely necessary, and looking back on it, some of it was actually kind of wrong."

Ritchott coped with his surroundings by taking up football.

"When I got to foster care, I knew they said I could play any sport that I wanted. I found football, because my friends had said the practices were long, and I just had to do something to really stay out of the house.

I knew football would be a good getaway for me. I wasn't the nicest person at a young age and was definitely more aggressive. Football let me control my emotions and was a big outlet for me."

Just under two years after taking up football, Ritchott was able to move back home with his mom, who had gotten her life together.

"That's when football started to take off."

Success with Grant Park

Beginning in grade nine at Grant Park High School, Ritchott started training with elite level speed coach Glenn Bruce, who was also a teacher at the school.

Bruce had helped local CFL stars such as Andrew Harris, Anthony Coombs and Nic Demski elevate their game. He did the same for Ritchott, while also becoming a valuable male role model.

"[Bruce] is one of the biggest mentors I have. He really showed me what it's like to be a professional athlete," Ritchott says.

"He pushed me and saw something in me at a younger age that I didn't quite see. I don't have many male figures in my life, so he was instrumental for me. I don't think I'd be looking at the opportunity I'm looking at or be the football player I am today without him."

With the guidance of Bruce, as well as long-time varsity, and current junior varsity head coach Mike Kennedy, Ritchott tore up the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL).

He helped his team make it to the inaugural junior varsity title game in 2010, thanks to a last-second missed field goal return for a touchdown. The following year, he won the Division 2 Offensive Player of the Year award, while also leading Grant Park to their first-ever championship in team history. In his senior year, he won top offensive player once again.

Move to Vancouver Island

Despite all of his accolades, Ritchott was never ranked as a top 100 recruit at any point in high school and didn't receive an offer from a U SPORTS school. His size may have been a factor, as he was just five-foot-nine and a little over 180 pounds coming out of high school.

"That's a chip I carry, but it's not something that affects my game," he says of his lack of U SPORTS offers at the time.

"It's definitely something that makes me better, because if you know me, you'll know that I'm one self-motivated guy, and I don't need anybody else's motivation, but if you're going to give me that motivation, it's just more fuel to the fire."

One man that was high on Ritchott's abilities however, was former Vancouver Island Raiders head coach Matt "Snoop" Blokker.

"Coach Snoop was one of, if not the only coach in Canada to legitimately say, I want you on my program. I want to give you an opportunity."

Blokker flew Ritchott out for the B.C. junior football team's 2013 spring camp, where the duo hit it off.

The Raiders utilized a three back system that year, with Ritchott contributing 406 yards as a rookie while also making his presence felt as a return specialist. As a team, Vancouver Island made it all the way to the national championship, with Ritchott being named offensive player of the game in the national semifinal against Windsor.

Off the field, life was more challenging, as Ritchott had trouble with the cost of living on the west coast. At just 17, managing bills was difficult. Thankfully, Blokker was right there to provide support, while also pushing Ritchott at the right times.

The end of the 2013 season threw a minor wrench into Ritchott's plans however, as Blokker made the move to the Prairie Football Conference (PFC) to coach the Calgary Colts.

With his most valuable mentor in the area gone, Ritchott was forced to adjust. While his rushing numbers decreased, his return yardage didn't. He finished the season averaging 24.1 yards per punt return and 25.3 yards per kick return and also added three combined touchdowns.

He also made history in a 52-44 win in week five against Langley, becoming the first-ever Canadian Junior Football League player to return two 100-plus yard kickoffs for touchdowns.

Return home with Winnipeg Rifles

Unfortunately, things weren't going well back home. Ritchott's grandpa was sick with cancer and his mom wasn't taking it too well. At the end of his second season, he knew it was time to come back home and be with his family.

Not long after returning, the PFC's Winnipeg Rifles got in contact with Ritchott after finding out he'd come back to the 204. The coaching staff helped him secure a job and made his transition to the team a seamless one.

Personally, Ritchott's most grounding experience with the Rifles occurred during his fourth year, as his child was born.

He was in a position where he was working full time during the season in order to provide for his family. He'd go to work from 8-4 during the week, and then head straight to practice. He wouldn't get home until around 9 p.m., when he would spend quality time with his son.

"[Having a child] brought things into perspective about what's more important, and what to prioritize," he says passionately.

"Before him, I saw nothing but football. But bringing him into my life created a different diversity for me. It was actually more motivating for me as a football player, father and support worker. It brought the best things out of me and made me a better person than I am today."

On the field, Ritchott's play was consistent. He recorded at least 800 yards rushing in each of his three seasons, and finished with 3,173 combined all-purpose yards, as well as 23 touchdowns.

His work on the field earned him an invite to the 2018 Western Regional Combine in Winnipeg. He showed well but didn't get the nod to go to the national showcase.

Despite this, Ritchott kept working and a year later found himself at Bisons spring camp this April, where he was a standout and earned a spot on the team. He kept the consistency up in pre-season action against Regina in late August, with 169 all-purpose yards and was back at it again against the Huskies last week with 181 all-purpose yards.

It's just another tremendous chapter of his story, one that he hopes will end in a CFL opportunity when all is said and done.

"It took him a while to get here. He has gone through a lot. And here he is, suddenly in university. He didn't see that coming. That wasn't in his plans," Bisons head coach Brian Dobie says.

"We had some meetings and yeah, he was in. I think he's feeling pretty good. He's got breakaway speed, he's so elusive and hard to tackle and he's got some Anthony Coombs in him, but also a surprising amount of power and acceleration. He's going to do damage as a running back and a returner."