It's just past midway through the first quarter at Princess Auto Stadium, and the No. 7 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons are looking for a spark against Alberta. Entering play 2-0 on the campaign, quarterback Jackson Tachinski drops back. He's got plenty of weapons to choose from, including long-time teammate Vaughan Lloyd and CFL Draft pick AK Gassama. But on this particular play, second and ten from the Golden Bears 40-yard line, he throws it up to receiver Mula Yitna.
 
The redshirt freshman had sprinted past his defender in single coverage, catching the ball down the near sideline in stride. He then dragged the Golder Bears player five yards, diving into the end zone for his first career U SPORTS catch, and first career U SPORTS touchdown.
 
It was the first of two grabs for Yitna, who finished with a team and career-high 78 yards on the day.
 
For anyone who knows the journey Yitna's been on, the memorable game was years in the making.
 
A member of Manitoba's roster since 2021, the versatile student-athlete had been struck by a series of unfortunate injuries up until 2024, but he never gave up on himself, or his teammates.
 
It's the ultimate story of perseverance and belief.
 
"I was talking to my brother, and he was saying that's your first catch in the last five years. I played in 2019 [ in grade 11], end of the year. In 2020 it was COVID, I graduated. I didn't play in 2021, didn't play in 2022, didn't play in 2023. I would say I was ready for that. I like to play with a certain level of intensity in practice, so that I'm not surprised in the game," said Yitna.
 
"When you haven't played in so long, I started to ask myself at times, what would I be like if I was able to get into that situation? It's been so long. I just stayed ready. A lot of the guys were in my corner. They were so happy for me, and always taught me to keep working. You could see it when I scored, guys were jumping on me, [high school teammate] Gio [Vaccaro] picked me up, AK [Gassama] picks me up. I come to the sideline and everyone was just so hyped."



'It taught me to be resilient'
Yitna entered the Bisons program in 2021 with tons of potential.
 
Born of Ethiopian descent, he's the youngest of eight siblings, a few of whom [Birhanu and Fiker] were also standout football players. Following in their footsteps, Mula started playing the sport at age nine, and was a natural.
 
"My first coach was [Auburn running back, two-time Grey Cup Champion] Tim Jessie. His son [Te] was one of my best friends. We would always train and hang out together. His dad would have us doing conditioning and running all the time. We won the championship our first year, I had a ten touchdown game. It was a lot of fun memories."
 
Yitna started his career as a running back, shifting to receiver around 11 years old because of his smaller frame. He already had the footwork down thanks to Jessie, and became a gifted play maker as a pass-catcher.
 
In grade ten, Yitna earned a spot on the varsity team at St. Paul's, then a powerhouse in the Winnipeg High School Football League [WHSFL]. His stock rose significantly in the ANAVETS Bowl against Vincent Massey that year, following a two touchdown game.
 
His first major came in the final minute of the first quarter, beating his man in single coverage in the red zone for the easy score.
 
Then, with his side down 21-11 with eight minutes to go, Yitna once again beat his man in single coverage, racing 40 yards – the same distance of his first career U SPORTS catch and major – down the near sideline to narrow Vincent Massey's lead to 21-18.
 
The Trojans eventually won the game, 28-25, following a blocked field goal by Kyler Filewich from the Massey 32-yard line with no time left. Future teammate Tachinski, along with over a half dozen other Bisons were on the winning side that day, one of the greatest finishes to a high school championship in the province's history.
 
Yitna's stock rose that day. But it was far from the end of his journey.
 
Growing up in the Kildonan area, he switched schools to River East in grade 11 to be closer to home. He had to sit out a few games due to transfer rules, eventually suiting up as a running back. His grade 12 year was then cancelled due to COVID.
 
Despite limited film, Yitna had ambassadors in his corner.
 
He'd trained with Recruit Ready [co-founded by Bisons alums Brad Brad and Blair Atkinson], the premier program for football in Manitoba, and the country for many years, which helped elevate his game. This year, he's been re-united with Atkinson as one of his coaches, in a full-circle moment.
 
As a walk-on, Yitna busted his butt, earning a roster spot in 2021. He didn't know at the time that he'd be relegated to the sidelines for the next three years.
 
A series of unfortunate injuries resulted in him missing the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. As frustrating as these were, he didn't quit.
 
"I wouldn't say things have come easy for me, but I've always been a guy who, when I worked hard, things would just gravitate towards me. My coach Tim [Jessie] taught me to work towards what you believe you deserve, and they will most likely happen. You can't control everything, but I was seeing the process when I was young. Blair [Atkinson], all these coaches helped me out," Yitna said.
 
"It taught me that I had to kick it into another gear. It taught me another level of humility. I believed in my heart that I could be helping on the field, but you're not there because of other reasons. It taught me to be resilient in ways I hadn't been tested before."
 
With the assistance of the exceptional Bisons medical staff [led by Lori Giasson], and lead  strength and conditioning coach Cole Scheller, Yitna was able to return in full health in 2024.
 
As Scheller pointed out, football is "not an instant gratification sport," and the Ethiopia native learned this first hand.
 
Despite this, he continued to show up and do his work, and it didn't go unnoticed.
 
"[Yitna] came to all the runs in the winter time. He was trying to do stuff and he wanted to do stuff, but he physically couldn't. But it's really easy for someone in that context to stop doing things. It's February, he doesn't live close to the school. He had to plan 45 minutes to get here in the morning, and we start at 7 am. He drove for that long to walk in here in the winter time, to start warming up and realizing it's not a good day and I can't do anything. I guess I'll go on the bike again. You do that for three months before you can start running again. That's a lot," noted Scheller.
 
"It's enough time to start doing the workout and it's dark outside, and starting the workout and the sun is coming up. It's a lot of time. It takes consistency to be able to do that and it's really easy for people to not do that. Doing the hard stuff is the thing."
 
Yitna's done the hard stuff for a very long time now. The 21-year-old "freshman" is finally seeing his work pay off.
 
He's scored two touchdowns in his last three games, establishing himself as a key figure on Manitoba's roster.
 
It's safe to say he'll never forget his first grab and first touchdown, a reminder of how far he's come.
 
"You are always told to be ready for the ball, but I wasn't told anything specifically as far as targets or reps, because I'm not even a starter, I'm sort of the next guy who rotates in. I split my reps at Y, and I was subbing in at Z if need be and I'll play R. We ran a play coach [Vaughan] Mitchell drew up going into that week. It was meant to attack a part of the field that [Alberta] didn't really cover too well. They left it open, Jackson threw me the ball and I turned around and caught it. I saw two guys around, so I knew I had to get two hands on it. I didn't stop going until I knew I could dive."