FRC – CIS football players of the week (#12): Fochesato, Plesius, Chrétien honoured

VANCOUVER (CIS) – McMaster wide receiver Brad Fochesato and Laval teammates Frédéric Plesius and Jérémie Chrétien are the Canadian Interuniversity Sport football players of the week for the period ending Nov. 18, 2011.

The selection was made by a committee comprised of members of Football Reporters of Canada (FRC).

Fochesato, a fourth-year political science student from Windsor, Ont., was honoured on offence thanks to a pair of touchdown receptions in a 45-21 Uteck Bowl win over Acadia in Moncton, last Friday. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior, who finished the game with five catches for 159 yards, scored on a 75-yard pass-and-run play midway through the second quarter to give McMaster a 21-14 lead and found the end zone again before halftime, this time on an 11-yard pass from all-conference quarterback Kyle Quinlan, to make it 31-14. The fourth-ranked Marauders (10-1), making their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1967, will be looking for the first CIS title in school history when they face No. 1 Laval Friday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver (TSN & RDS).

Laval running back Sébastien Lévesque was also up for the award.

Plesius, a third-year sciences student from Laval, Que., took home the weekly honour on defence after he racked up a team-high 6.5 tackles, including six solo and one for a loss, while breaking up a pair of passes in a 41-10 Mitchell Bowl victory over the Dinos in Calgary, also last Friday. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker, who also forced a fumble on special teams in the win, was the anchor of a defensive unit that held Calgary to 10 first downs and 225 yards of offence. The Rouge et Or (11-1) hope to capture a record seventh Vanier Cup title on Friday night.

McMaster linebacker Ben D’Aguilar was also nominated.

Chrétien, a third-year education student from Cantley, Que., was the choice on special teams after he all but sealed the Rouge et Or Mitchell Bowl win with a touchdown on the first play of the second half. With Laval coming back from the break holding a 27-10 lead, Boris Bede’s kickoff was mishandled in Calgary’s end zone by returner Chris Dobko and the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Chrétien pounced on the loose ball to make it a 34-10 affair.

McMaster’s Spencer Moore was also up for the distinction.

Offensive nominees:
AUS: No nominee
RSEQ: Sébastien Lévesque, running back, Laval
OUA: Brad Fochesato, wide receiver, McMaster (recipient)
CWUAA: No nominee

Defensive nominees:
AUS: No nominee
RSEQ: Frédéric Plesius, linebacker, Laval (recipient)
OUA: Ben D’Aguilar, linebacker, McMaster
CWUAA: No nominee

Special team nominees:
AUS: No nominee
RSEQ: Jérémie Chrétien, cover, Laval (recipient)
OUA: Spencer Moore, cover, McMaster
CWUAA: No nominee

CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

CIS final: 47th Vanier Cup

November 25
18:00 PST Laval (11-1) vs. McMaster (10-1), B.C. Place Stadium, Vancouver, TSN & RDS

About Football Reporters of Canada – University Division
The Football Reporters of Canada – University Division represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958 the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) have been an organization of media members who have covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the league’s outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC) to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with amateur and college football.

The FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines and working conditions for the men and women who report on the game. Selected members of the FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

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