Players of week: Canada West, RSEQ, OUA, AUS

Players of the week: Canada West, RSEQ, OUA, AUS

 

HAMILTON, Ont. – The following student-athletes have been named OUA Football Players of the Week for the period ending November 4, 2012.

 

DEFENCE: Zachary Androschuk, Guelph Gryphons, Defensive Back 
Zach Androschuk, a fifth-year Biomedical Sciences student from Sarnia, Ont. was named the Porter Airlines player of the game helping the Gryphons to a 42-39 semifinal victory over the Queens Gaels. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound defensive back tallied two solo tackles, three assisted tackles, one interception and one fumble return for a touchdown. The team captain put the first points on the board for the Gryphons, after pinning the Gaels offence deep, Androschuk and John Rush stripped the ball from Queens quarterback Billy McPhee on a quarterback sneak. Androschuk scooped up the ball and carried it uncontested for 26 yards into the endzone. With three minutes left in the game and the Gaels leading 36-28 Androschuk stepped in fro nt of a McPhee pass to regain the Gryphons possession, setting up the next play to tie the game, sending it to overtime.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS: A’dre Fraser, Guelph Gryphons, Receiver  

A’dre Fraser, a first-year Commerce student from Halifax, N.S. was the choice on special teams for athlete of the week thanks to an outstanding performance this past Saturday in the Gryphons OUA semifinal win over the Queens Gaels at Alumni Stadium. The six-foot 175 pound speedster tallied four kickoff returns tallying 145 yards, with a 76 yard highlight.  He also made is mark in punt returns with a total of five for 43 yards.

 

OFFENCE: Mike DiCroce, McMaster Marauders, Receiver 
Playing in his first game since suffering a training camp injury, Marauder Michael DiCroce had a sensational 2012 OUA debut. The fourth-year receiver hauled in five catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.  His thrilling third-quarter TD grab went for 103 yards and ranks among the longest TD receptions in CIS playoff history.  It was also the turning point in the contest, as McMaster took a 23-18 lead over the Mustangs that it would not relinquish.  His fourth quarter TD catch made the score 35-21 for the Marauders and provided a cushion for Mac.

 

 

 

EDMONTON – Regina Rams QB Marc Mueller, Rams DE Ryan Wellman and Calgary Dinos return specialist Jake Harty are Canada West football Players of the Week.

OFFENCE: #14 Marc Mueller, Regina

University of Regina fifth-year quarterback Marc Mueller led a Rams offence that collected exactly 500 net yards in the team’s 31-9 win over Saskatchewan in a Canada West semifinal game on Friday.

Despite a snowstorm that didn’t let up until long after the game had ended, Mueller completed 21 of his 32 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. All three of his touchdown passes were off long balls, starting with a connection with Addison Richards in the back of the end zone from 25 yards out late in the second half to give the Rams the lead for good.

Mueller also hit Kolten Solomon with a 59-yard catch-and-run on the final play of the third quarter and found Landon Buch open on the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown midway through the fourth that essentially sealed the victory for the Rams.

The Rams will now prepare for their fifth Hardy Cup game in their 14 seasons as a Canada West member. They’ll square off with Calgary on Saturday with a 2 p.m. kickoff at McMahon Stadium.

DEFENCE: #62 Ryan Wellman, Regina

Third-year defensive end Ryan Wellman led a Rams defence that helped give the team a 31-9 win over Saskatchewan on Friday night in the Canada West semifinals at Mosaic Stadium.

Wellman was quiet until late in the third quarter, when a hard hit on Saskatchewan’s Jeff Moore on a kickoff return forced a fumble that deflected off Landon Buch before going out of bounds, giving the Rams the ball right back after a Buch touchdown.

He was at it again on Saskatchewan’s next possession, elevating to knock down a Drew Burko pass to force a two-and-out. Early in the fourth with Saskatchewan starting a drive from Regina’s 48-yard line, Wellman recovered a Shane Buchanan fumble following a Chris Sciog hit, setting up a Rams drive where the offensive would deliver the knockout punch to the Huskies with a long touchdown pass to Buch.

The Rams defence hasn’t allowed a point in the last two games, as the nine Saskatchewan points came off a conceded safety and a fumble return touchdown.

The Rams will now prepare for their fifth Hardy Cup game in their 14 seasons as a Canada West member. They’ll square off with Calgary on Saturday with a 2 p.m. kickoff at McMahon Stadium.

SPECIAL TEAMS: #6 Jake Harty, Calgary

Coming into the game all the hype was around Manitoba receiver/returners Nic Demski and Anthony Coombs – but it was the Dinos’ Jake Harty that stole the show.

On the offence, Harty was the only player on either team with more than 100 yards on the day, finishing with eight catches for 106 yards and a touchdown – a career-best receiving performance – as the Dinos punched their ticket to the 76th Hardy Cup with a 57-18 win over the Bisons Saturday night.

And on special teams, he was dominant. He returned seven punts a total of 53 yards, but his biggest impact came late in the third quarter. After the Bisons had put their first points of the game on the board, Harty went back to return the ensuing kickoff. Catching the ball on his own goal line, he found a seam and blew through it, returning the kick 110 yards to the end zone. It was the longest kickoff return in Canada West history, and it restored a 40-plus point lead for Calgary heading into the fourth quarter.

He finished with 269 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in the game.

 

Offensive Player of the Week

Melvin Abankwah
Running Back
Saint Mary’s University
5’9″, 176 lbs.
Etobicoke, Ont.

Running back Melvin Abankwah of the Saint Mary’s Huskies is the Atlantic University Sport Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending November 4th, 2012.

Abankwah, a 5-foot-9 sophomore from Etobicoke, Ont., had 22 carries for a game-high 162 yards this past weekend, including a 60-yard TD run, in a 49-11 AUS semifinal win over the Mount Allison Mounties in Halifax.

Melvin also added 75 yards on two kickoff returns and 17 yards on three punt returns for a total of 254 all-purpose yards in the game.

Abankwah led the Atlantic conference in all-purpose yards this season with 1,017 and his 632 yards rushing were ranked second in the league.

Defensive Player of the Week

Prince Baffoh
Defensive Line
Saint Mary’s University
6’3″, 239 lbs.
Hamilton, Ont.

Saint Mary’s defensive lineman Prince Baffoh is the Atlantic University Sport Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending November 4th, 2012.

Baffoh, a first-year student-athlete from Hamilton, Ont., recorded 3.5 tackles this past weekend, including two sacks in a 49-11 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties in the Subway AUS semifinal game played at Huskies Stadium.

Prince finished tied for seventh in AUS sacks this season with 3.0 and his three fumble recoveries were the second-most in the conference.

The Huskies (4-5), will travel to Wolfville to face the first place Acadia Axemen (7-1) this Saturday in the 2012 Subway AUS Loney Bowl. Game time is 1:00pm.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Brett Lauther
Saint Mary’s University
6’1″, 195 lbs.
Truro, N.S.

For the third time this season Saint Mary’s place kicker and punter Brett Lauther is the Atlantic University Sport Special Teams Player of the Week.

Lauther, a third-year Arts student from Truro, N.S., was successful on 3-of-4 field goal attempts, was 5-of-5 on PAT’s and added an 84-yard single on a kickoff to account for 15 of the Huskies’ points this past weekend in a 49-11 playoff win over the Mount Allison Mounties.

His successful field goals came from 18, 33 and 41 yards respectively. He also averaged 39.1 yards on eight punts, including four downed inside the 20-yard line in the game.

Brett also led the conference in scoring for the second year in a row this season with 73 points. His 16 field goals in regular season play are tied for the fifth-most field goals made in a single season.