Finch, Timmis, Botel join Heather as Hec Crighton nominees

OTTAWA (CIS) – A trio of sophomores including Western quarterback Will Finch, Calgary running back Mercer Timmis and Mount Allison ball-carrier Jordan Botel joins Bishop’s pivot Jordan Heather in the race for the Hec Crighton Trophy as CIS football player of the year.

The OUA, Canada West and AUS conferences unveiled their annual awards on Thursday, two days after the RSEQ recipients were announced.

Finch, a social science student from Burlington, Ont., set single-season OUA records with 3,047 passing yards in eight league games – the second highest total in CIS history – and a 69.7 completion percentage, the best in the country this fall. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound sophomore guided the nationally top-ranked Mustangs to their first 8-0 campaign since 1998 and is at the helm of an offensive unit which established a new OUA mark for most points scored in a season (458).

Timmis, also from Burlington, led CIS in rushing yards (1,157) as well as all-purpose touchdowns (19) and rushing majors (18), both Canada West season records. With 114 points, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound business student became the first non-kicker to lead the conference in scoring since 2006, while helping the No. 3-ranked Dinos to their first-ever undefeated campaign. 

Botel, an arts student from Prince George, B.C., led the Atlantic conference in rushing yards (758) and touchdowns (6) and was the most-utilized back in the country with 170 carries – three more than Timmis – for a team that ranked 26th in passing out of 27 CIS football programs. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior was one of the main reasons behind the Mounties 4-4 season, good for second place in the AUS standings.

Other OUA winners for the 2013 season include Western linebacker Pawel Kruba (defensive MVP), Ottawa defensive tackle Ettore Lattanzio (outstanding down lineman), McMaster slotback Daniel Vendervoort (rookie of the year), Queen’s receiver Aaron Gazendam (Russ Jackson Award nominee) and Western sideline boss Greg Marshall (coach of the year).

In Canada West, linebacker Doctor Cassama (defensive MVP), receiver Rashaun Simonise (rookie of the year), quarterback Andrew Buckley (Russ Jackson Award nominee) and bench boss Blake Nill (coach of the year), all of the Calgary Dinos, were also honoured, along with UBC defensive tackle Donovan Dale (outstanding down lineman).

The other AUS recipients were St. Francis Xavier linebacker Ron Omara (defensive MVP), Acadia defensive end Jesse St. James (outstanding down lineman), Acadia defensive tackle Adam Melanson (rookie of the year), Mount Allison wide receiver Stu Moore (Russ Jackson Award nominee) and Mount Allison coach Kelly Jeffrey (coach of the year).

In addition to Heather, a fifth-year senior from Oromocto, N.B., who set a single-season CIS record with 3,132 passing yards this fall, the other RSEQ winners announced Tuesday were Montreal linebackers Antoine Pruneau (defensive MVP) and Alex Cromer-Émond (rookie of the year), Bishop’s mentor Kevin Mackey (coach of the year), as well as McGill offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (outstanding down lineman & Russ Jackson Award nominee).

The CIS individual awards will be presented on Nov. 21 in Quebec City, two days before the TELUS Vanier Cup final (1 p.m. Sportsnet 360 & Radio-Canada).

2013 CIS FOOTBALL AWARD NOMINEES:

HEC CRIGHTON TROPHY (player of the year):
RSEQ: Jordan Heather, quarterback, Bishop’s
AUS: Jordan Botel, running back, Mount Allison
OUA: Will Finch, quarterback, Western
CWUAA: Mercer Timmis, running back, Calgary

PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY (defensive player of the year)
RSEQ: Antoine Pruneau, linebacker, Montreal
AUS: Ron Omara, linebacker, StFX
OUA: Pawel Kruba, linebacker, Western
CWUAA: Doctor Cassama, linebacker, Calgary

J.P. METRAS TROPHY (outstanding down lineman)
RSEQ: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, offensive tackle, McGill
AUS: Jesse St. James, defensive end, Acadia
OUA: Ettore Lattanzio, defensive tackle, Ottawa
CWUAA: Donovan Dale, defensive tackle, UBC

PETER GORMAN TROPHY (rookie of the year)
RSEQ: Alex Cromer-Émond, linebacker, Montreal
AUS: Adam Melanson, defensive tackle, Acadia
OUA: Daniel Vandervoort, slotback, McMaster
CWUAA: Rashaun Simonise, receiver, Calgary

RUSS JACKSON AWARD (football, academics & citizenship)
RSEQ: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, offensive tackle, medicine, McGill
AUS: Stu Moore, wide receiver, commerce, Mount Allison
OUA: Aaron Gazendam, receiver, kinesiology, Queen’s
CWUAA: Andrew Buckley, quarterback, kinesiology, Calgary

FRANK TINDALL TROPHY (coach of the year)
RSEQ: Kevin Mackey, Bishop’s
AUS: Kelly Jeffrey, Mount Allison
OUA: Greg Marshall Western
CWUAA: Blake Nill, Calgary

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