Photo credit Andrew Dobrowolskyj
OTTAWA (CIS) – Bishop’s quarterback Jordan Heather, Guelph linebacker Curtis Newton and Alberta returner Tylor Henry are the CIS football players of the week for the period ending Oct. 26, 2013.
Heather, a fifth-year history student from Oromocto, N.B., was honoured on offence for the third time this fall thanks to a record-breaking performance which helped the nationally sixth-ranked Gaiters clinch second place in the RSEQ standings and the program’s first home playoff date since 1994. In the final regular season game of his career, a 40-21 win over McGill on Saturday, the 6-foot, 200-pound senior racked up 484 yards and four touchdowns through the air - with no interceptions – to finish conference play with 3,132 passing yards and shatter the previous single-season CIS mark of 3,047 set only a week earlier by Western’s Will Finch. Heather, who also set an RSEQ season record with 20 TD passes, will now try to lead Bishop’s (6-2) to its first post-season win in two decades Saturday against No. 7 Montreal (5-3), in a league semifinal.
Running backs Jordan Botel of Mount Allison, Wayne Moore of McMaster and Anthony Coombs of Manitoba were also up for the award.
Newton, a second-year arts major from London, Ont., took home the weekly honour on defence after he helped the No. 5 Gryphons to a 31-21 OUA quarter-final victory over visiting Windsor, on Saturday. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore, who finished the contest with 5.5 tackles, returned an interception on 58 yards for a touchdown seven minutes into the game to give his troops an early 14-0 advantage they would not relinquish. Guelph (8-1) travels to Kingston on Saturday to face No. 4 Queen’s (7-1) in OUA semifinal action (1 p.m. – Sportsnet 360).
Devante Sampson, a defensive back from Mount Allison, as well as linebackers Shayne Gauthier of Laval and Brad Kotania of Saskatchewan were also nominated.
Henry, a first-year physical education and recreation student from Camrose, Alta., earned the nod on special teams thanks to a spectacular performance in the Golden Bears’ final game of 2013, a 60-18 home loss to No. 9 Manitoba. The 5-foot-10 speedster, who also stars at receiver for Alberta, amassed 192 return yards off five punts and two kickoffs, including a team-record 106-yard kickoff return touchdown late in the first quarter. The talented freshman added 149 yards on 11 receptions to end the contest with 341 all-purpose yards.
Kickers Kyle McLean of Mount Allison, Mathieu Paquette of Bishop’s and Daniel Ferraro of Guelph were the other nominees.
Offensive nominees:
AUS: Jordan Botel, running back, Mount Allison
RSEQ: Jordan Heather, quarterback, Bishop’s
(recipient)
OUA: Wayne Moore, running back, McMaster
CWUAA: Anthony Coombs, running back, Manitoba
Defensive nominees:
AUS: Devante Sampson, defensive back, Mount Allison
RSEQ: Shayne Gauthier, linebacker, Laval
OUA: Curtis Newton, linebacker, Guelph
(recipient)
CWUAA: Brad Kotania, linebacker, Saskatchewan
Special team nominees:
AUS: Kyle McLean, kicker, Mount Allison
RSEQ: Mathieu Paquette, kicker, Bishop’s
OUA: Daniel Ferraro, kicker, Guelph
CWUAA: Tylor Henry, returner, Alberta
(recipient)
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE (all times local)
November 1
19:00 No. 10 Saskatchewan (5-3) at No. 9 Manitoba (5-3) (SHAW TV & video webcast)
November 2
13:00 Sherbrooke (3-5) at No. 2 Laval (8-0) (Radio-Canada TV & video webcast)
13:00 No. 5 Guelph (7-1 / 1-0) at No. 4 Queen’s (7-1) (Sportsnet 360)
13:00 No. 7 Montreal (5-3) at No. 6 Bishop’s (6-2) (video webcast)
14:00 Acadia (3-5) at Mount Allison (4-4) (Eastlink TV & video webcast)
15:00 UBC (4-4) at No. 3 Calgary (8-0) (SHAW TV & video webcast)
16:30 No. 8 McMaster (5-3 / 1-0) at No. 1 Western (8-0) (Sportsnet 360)
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