ADDITIONAL RECRUITS COMMIT TO VARSITY BLUES FOOTBALL, U OF T

The Varsity Blues football program is pleased to announce six additional student-athletes that have made known their intentions and committed to play and pursue an education at the University of Toronto in the fall of 2010.

“With new recruits being announced today and still more to come, I couldn’t be more excited about the start of our season and the future of our program,” said Varsity Blues head coach Greg DeLaval. “These six student-athletes have committed to the development of our football team as well as their development at the University of Toronto and I intend to give them the best opportunity to succeed at both.”

Zack Lukings from London, Ont. leads this crop of new recruits. He is a product of Catholic Central High School and was a member of the 2007 Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) junior champions, London Falcons.

The six-foot defensive lineman was a 2009 OVFL senior finalist with the Falcons as well as the 2009 unlimited weight class wrestling rookie gold medalist. A scholar award winner in 2008, Lukings is interested in studying sociology while at the U of T.

Toronto natives Justin Burns and Mike Kanopoulos have also signed letters of intent and look forward to playing for the Blue and White this coming season.

Burns is a six-foot-one centre from Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute where he was named the football team’s MVP in 2007 after leading the Panthers to a city championship that same year.

The former member of the OVFL’s Toronto Thunder, Burns earned offensive lineman of the year honours in 2008 and was also given the team’s President’s award for leadership. The 2008 Ontario scholar helped guide his squad to the league championship in the summer of 2009.

Kanopoulos, a wide receiver from Leaside High School, has been a very versatile athlete for the Lancers over the past four years. He was the senior football team MVP in 2009 and is a three-time offensive player of the year as well as special teams player of the year.

Dylan Dutrisac is a six-foot-one linebacker from West Ferris High School in North Bay, Ont. As a member of the Trojans, Dutrisac was the 2009 West Ferris and Nippissing District Association (NDA) player of the year. He was also the NDA defensive player of the year this past season and named a NDA first team all-star (2008 & 2009).

A member of the powerhouse Lakeshore Catholic High School Gators, Alex Zelina looks to bring his winning ways to Toronto next season as a member of the Varsity Blues. A linebacker from Fort Erie, Ont., Zelina lost only two games in four years with the Gators and was named the defensive most valuable player in the 2008 Golden Horseshoe Bowl after guiding his team to victory over the Notre Dame (Burlington).

A product of Saint Paul High School in Niagara Falls, Patrick Brunet is another defensive recruit who will look to don the Blue and White in September. A native of Stevensville, Ont., Brunet is an honour roll student who earned the Patriots defensive MVP award in 2009. He is a former member of the Niagara Spears and also enjoys hockey, rugby and ATVing.

http://varsityblues.ca/news/2010/3/1…310104848.aspx