CIS-SIC.ca
CFL.ca Staff
With files from CIS-SIC.ca
OTTAWA – Quarterbacks Andrew Buckley from the University of Calgary and Will Finch from Western University are the first two nominees for the prestigious Hec Crighton Trophy, which will be presented later this month to the most outstanding player in CIS football.
The Canada West and OUA conferences unveiled their season award winners on Thursday, while the AUS and RSEQ recipients are set to be announced on Friday.
CW release: CLICK HERE
OUA release: CLICK HERE
Buckley and Finch are both repeat Hec Crighton finalists. The Calgary standout is the reigning winner from 2014, while the Western all-star had previously merited the OUA nomination two years ago.
In his fifth and final university season, Buckley put up mind-boggling numbers for the nationally top-ranked and undefeated Dinos. In eight league games, the 6-foot, 201-pound senior passed for a CIS-record 3,162 yards (395.3 per game), set a new Canada West standard by completing 72 percent of his throws, had a CIS-best touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19-to-1, and helped the U of C become the highest-scoring team in conference history (471 points). The kinesiology student from Calgary, who was selected by his hometown Stampeders in the 2015 CFL Draft, also scored three rushing majors while maintaining an average of 7.2 yards per carry.
The other Canada West award winners for the 2015 campaign are defensive back Robert Woodson (defensive MVP) and first-year bench boss Wayne Harris (coach of the year), both of the Dinos, as well as a trio of Manitoba Bisons, including defensive tackle David Onyemata (outstanding down lineman), running back Jamel Lyles (rookie of the year) and linebacker DJ Lalama (Russ Jackson Award nominee).
Finch, a fourth-year social science student, is the offensive leader of a team that established new CIS marks for most points (494) and touchdowns (64) in a season, while averaging an astonishing 729.5 yards of offence per game. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound veteran wrapped up conference play with 2,616 passing yards (327 per game), completed 69.5% of his attempts and threw for 17 majors against only six interceptions in leading the No. 2 Mustangs to an unblemished 8-0 record. Like Buckley, the Burlington, Ont., native averaged 7.2 yards per carry and scored three rushing touchdowns.
Finch was accompanied in the OUA’s winners circle by Guelph linebacker John Rush (defensive MVP), Wilfrid Laurier defensive end Kwaku Boateng (outstanding down lineman), York running back Jesse Amankwaa (rookie of the year), Queen’s wide receiver Curtis Carmichael (Russ Jackson Award nominee) and Western mentor Greg Marshall (coach of the year).
The CIS individual awards will be presented on Nov. 26 in Quebec City, leading up to the ArcelorMittal Vanier Cup presented by Promutuel Assurance on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium.
NOTES: The CIS football conference finals are set for this Saturday, including the Hardy Cup at noon MT (UBC at Calgary), the Yates Cup at 1 p.m. ET (Guelph at Western), the Loney Bowl at 2 p.m. AT (StFX at Mount Allison) and the Dunsmore Cup at 2 p.m. ET (Montreal at Laval)… The CIS semifinals follow on Saturday, Nov. 21, including the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Mitchell Bowl at 12:30 p.m. ET (RSEQ at OUA) and the Uteck Bowl at 4 p.m. ET (Canada West at AUS).
2015 CIS FOOTBALL AWARD NOMINEES:
HEC CRIGHTON TROPHY (most outstanding player):
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: Will Finch, quarterback, Western (Burlington, Ont. / Social Science)
CWUAA: Andrew Buckley, quarterback, Calgary (Calgary, Alta. / Kinesiology)
PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY (defensive player of the year)
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: John Rush, linebacker, Guelph (Niagara Falls, Ont. / Commerce)
CWUAA: Robert Woodson, defensive back, Calgary (Calgary, Alta. / Arts)
J.P. METRAS TROPHY (outstanding down lineman)
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: Kwaku Boateng, defensive end, Wilfrid Laurier (Milton, Ont. / Business)
CWUAA: David Onyemata, defensive tackle, Manitoba (Lagos, Nigeria / Arts)
PETER GORMAN TROPHY (rookie of the year)
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: Jesse Amankwaa, running back, York (Etobicoke, Ont. / Health & Society)
CWUAA: Jamel Lyles, running back, Manitoba (Surrey, B.C. / University 1)
RUSS JACKSON AWARD (football, academics & citizenship)
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: Curtis Carmichael, wide receiver, Queen’s (Scarborough, Ont. / Physical & Health Education)
CWUAA: DJ Lalama, linebacker, Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man. / Extended Education)
FRANK TINDALL TROPHY (coach of the year)
AUS: To be announced on Nov. 13
RSEQ: To be announced on Nov. 13
OUA: Greg Marshall, Western
CWUAA: Wayne Harris, Calgary
