FRC – CIS football players of the week (#7): Coombs, Hayden, Falvo honoured

OTTAWA (CIS) – Manitoba running back Anthony Coombs, UBC defensive back Levar Hayden and Ottawa kicker Matthew Falvo are the Canadian Interuniversity Sport football players of the week for the period ending Oct. 16, 2011.

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

Coombs, a first-year student from Winnipeg, was honoured on offence after he had the best game of his young CIS career in a 48-20 home win over Alberta on Saturday. He scored four touchdowns on the ground – one shy of the single-game team record – and racked up 226 yards on only 20 carries for an impressive average of 11.3 yards per rush. The 5-foot-9 freshman, who already had 180 rushing yards at halftime, scored from 69, one and five yards out in the first 30 minutes and added a 12-yard major after the break despite seeing limited action as the Bisons began to rest their starters. Coombs currently leads the Canada West conference in all-purpose yards (996) and touchdowns (7) and ranks third in rushing yards (472).

Fellow running backs Zack Skibin of Acadia, Rotrand Sené of Montreal and Ryan Granberg of Queen’s were also up for the award.

Hayden, a fifth-year arts student from Calgary, took home the weekly honour on defence thanks to his two interceptions and a timely knock down in a 23-16 victory over Regina. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior killed a Rams drive in the third quarter when he picked off quarterback Zach Oleynik at the UBC 23-yard line and recorded his second interception of the afternoon at the Regina 42 early in the fourth, running the ball back on 31 yards to set up a field goal. With eight seconds remaining in the game, Hayden, who also finished with a team-high 7.5 tackles, knocked away a pass in the Thunderbirds’ end zone to help preserve the win for No. 8-ranked UBC (4-2).

Acadia defensive back Cameron Wade, Sherbrooke lineman Emmanuel Thériault and Toronto defensive back Dorian Munroe were also nominated.

Falvo, a fourth-year social sciences student from Welland, Ont., was the choice on special teams after he kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the No. 9 Gee-Gees (5-2) to a 32-30 victory over visiting Windsor (4-3). The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior split the uprights from 38 and 21 yards out in the first half but it was his 11-yard boot on the last play of the contest that allowed Ottawa to remain in third place in the OUA standings going into the final weekend of conference play. Falvo also averaged 34.3 yards per punt and 64.3 on kickoffs despite challenging conditions.

Kickers Brett Lauther of Saint Mary’s and Boris Bédé of Laval were also up for the distinction.

Offensive nominees:
AUS: Zack Skibin, running back, Acadia
RSEQ: Rotrand Sené, running back, Montreal
OUA: Ryan Granberg, running back, Queen’s
CWUAA: Anthony Coombs, running back, Manitoba (recipient)

Defensive nominees:
AUS: Cameron Wade, defensive back, Acadia
RSEQ: Emmanuel Thériault, lineman, Sherbrooke
OUA: Dorian Munroe, defensive back, Toronto
CWUAA: Levar Hayden, defensive back, UBC (recipient)

Special team nominees:
AUS: Brett Lauther, kicker, Saint Mary’s
RSEQ: Boris Bédé, kicker, Laval
OUA: Matthew Falvo, kicker, Ottawa (recipient)
CWUAA: No nominee

Photo credit Manitoba Athletics / Bob Frid, UBC / Shane Hultquist, Ottawa

CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

October 21
19:00 AT StFX (1-5) at Mount Allison (0-6)

October 22
13:00 ET Waterloo (0-7) at Toronto (2-5), SSN (webcast)
13:00 ET Windsor (4-3) at York (1-6), SSN (webcast)
13:00 ET Laurier (3-4) at Guelph (2-5), SSN (webcast)
13:00 ET No. 9 Ottawa (5-2) at No. 5 McMaster (6-1), Cable 14 (TV) / marauders.ca (webcast)
13:00 ET No. 1 Western (7-0) at Queen’s (5-2), The Score (TV & webcast)
13:00 ET McGill (0-7) at Bishop’s (2-5), SSN (webcast)
13:00 ET No. 6 Montreal (4-3) at Concordia (3-4), Radio-Canada (TV & webcast) / SSN (webcast)
13:00 MT No. 8 UBC (4-2) at Alberta (0-6), CanadaWest.tv (webcast)
13:00 MT Manitoba (3-3) at No. 2 Calgary (6-0), CanadaWest.tv (webcast)
14:00 AT No. 7 Saint Mary’s (5-1) at Acadia (5-1), EastLink (TV & webcast)
19:00 CT No. 8 Saskatchewan (3-3) at Regina (2-4), Shaw (TV)

October 23
13:00 ET No. 4 Sherbrooke (6-1) at No. 3 Laval (6-1)

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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