FRC – CIS football players of the week (#7): Thiel, Charles, Higgs make can west sweep

OTTAWA (CIS) – Regina running back Adrian Charles and Saskatchewan teammates Nico Higgs and Luke Thiel are the Canadian Interuniversity Sport football players of the week for the period ending Oct. 17, 2010.

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

Charles, a Campion arts student from Scarborough, Ont., was honoured on offence after he amassed a season-high 222 rushing yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns as the No. 3-ranked Rams (5-1) took sole possession of first place in the Canada West standings with a 41-19 road win over Manitoba, last Saturday. With his team down 18-0 midway through the second quarter, the first-year Ram took off on 90 yards all the way to the Bisons’ five-yard line to set of Regina’s first score of the game. The 5-foot-9, 184-pound back then found the end zone from five and 37 yards out in the fourth frame as the visitors completed their spectacular comeback. With two games remaining in conference play, Charles leads the country with nine rushing majors and ranks second with 889 yards on the ground, only 64 shy of the single-season school record.

Mount Allison running back Alonzo Howell and quarterbacks Bruno Prud’homme of Laval and Chris Rossetti of Guelph were also up for the award.

Higgs, a fourth-year business student from Saskatoon, took home the weekly honour on defence thanks to his five solo tackles, quarterback sack and 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in a convincing 36-17 Huskies’ win over then-No. 2 Calgary (4-2), last Friday in Saskatoon. The 5-foot-9, 187-pound linebacker, the anchor of a defensive unit that held the Dinos’ offence to one field goal on the night, all but sealed the victory when he scored 50 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it a 34-10 affair. With its third win in a row, Saskatchewan (4-2) moved up to No. 4 in the CIS Top 10 and joined Calgary in second place in the conference standings.

Saint Mary’s defensive back Jeff Hecht, Sherbrooke linebacker Felipe Fonseca and Toronto lineman Joe Cappiello were also nominated.

Thiel, a second-year kinesiology student from Regina, was the choice on special teams after he racked up 108 yards on only six punt returns, including a crucial 74-yard touchdown that broke the game open late in third quarter of Saskatchewan’s win over Calgary. Less than two minutes after the Dinos cut the Huskies’ lead to 13-7, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound defensive back scored with 5:47 remaining in the third to restore a 13-point cushion for the locals. Thiel also contributed on defence with a team-high seven solo tackles, one forced fumble and one interception.

Kickers John Szilagyi of Mount Allison, Pierre-Paul Gélinas of Montreal and Lirim Hajrullahu of Western were also up for the distinction.

Offensive nominees:
AUS: Alonzo Howell, running back, Mount Allison
QUFL: Bruno Prud’homme, quarterback, Laval
OUA: Chris Rossetti, quarterback, Guelph
CWUAA: Adrian Charles, running back, Regina (recipient)

Defensive nominees:
AUS: Jeff Hecht, defensive back, Saint Mary’s
QUFL: Felipe Fonseca, linebacker, Sherbrooke
OUA: Joe Cappiello, defensive lineman, Toronto
CWUAA: Nico Higgs, linebacker, Saskatchewan (recipient)

Special team nominees:
AUS: John Szilagyi, kicker, Mount Allison
QUFL: Pierre-Paul Gélinas, kicker, Montreal
OUA: Lirim Hajrullahu, kicker, Western
CWUAA: Luke Thiel, returner, Saskatchewan (recipient)

CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

Note: Complete webcast and radio schedules at [URL]http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/schedule

October 22
19:00 Concordia (3-4) at No. 6 Montreal (5-2)
19:00 No. 7 Calgary (4-2) at No. 3 Regina (5-1)
19:00 No. 4 Saskatchewan (4-2) at UBC (2-4)

October 23
13:00 Sherbrooke (3-4) at No. 9 Bishop’s (5-2) (TV: SRC / Web: SRC & SSN Canada)
13:00 No. 1 Laval (7-0) at McGill (0-7) (Web: SSN Canada)
13:00 Toronto (3-4) at No. 2 Western (6-1) (TV: Rogers Cable 13)
13:00 Guelph (4-3) at No. 5 Ottawa (6-1) (TV: The Score)
13:00 York (0-7) at Queen’s (2-5) (TV: TVCogeco Local 13 – tape delayed)
13:00 Laurier (3-4) at Windsor (2-5) (TV: TVCogeco Local 11)
13:00 Manitoba (1-5) at Alberta (2-4) (TV: Shaw)
14:00 Mount Allison (3-3) at No. 10 Saint Mary’s (3-3) (Web: haligonia.ca)
14:00 Acadia (3-3) at StFX (1-5) (TV: EastLink / Web: EastLink & SSN Canada)

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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