With the end of the regular season, two other seasons start: the postseason and most excitingly, awards season! In FPF Junior, we have two sets of awards. The first are the official awards handed out by senior media correspondent Simon Dagenais and FPF commissioner Robert Campana. Those awards are MVP and most improved player for each team. Those awards come with a shiny trophy to be handed out shortly.

The other awards are what I have affectionately dubbed the Dubois Awards. These are my unofficial division by division awards for best quarterback, rusher, defensive back, receiver and two-way player. Sadly, these awards do not come with a shiny trophy but rather with the gratification of knowing that you had a great season. That means that I will nominate 5 players per division, one for each category. Without further adieu, let’s jump right into the Dubois Awards for the Freshman division.

 

Freshman Division

• Quarterback Luka D’Aoust: The Red Cougars quarterback but up division high passing numbers with a total of 494 yards, 13 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The fact that the Freshman division is notorious for being centered on the rushing and less on the passing game makes the numbers that Luka D’Aoust put up all the more impressive. Luka D’Aoust also accumulated those 494 yards through the air in only 5 games which is 3 less than many of the other passers in this division. In the 5 games he started, he led his team to all four of their wins. Luka D’Aoust was instrumental to his team this season, he was the most dominant passer in his division and definitely deserves this award for QB of the year.

 

• Receiver Eliot Patterson: Another Cougar led the charge in receiving. However, this young man put up his stellar numbers for the Silver Cougars. Elliot Patterson finished his first FPF season with an outstanding 357 receiving yards as well as averaging over a touchdown a game. What made Eliot Patterson such an efficient receiver was the fact he didn’t only catch the homerun balls but also the shorter passes underneath. Despite only averaging 12 yards a catch, he put up exceptional numbers and led his team to 2^nd place in the Freshman division.

 

• Defensive back Ryan Whitehouse: Defensive back is often one of the most uncelebrated positions. When you do your job well, it often means you don’t get noticed. However, when the Red Cougars’ Ryan Whitehouse finished the season with a mind boggling 11 interceptions, it’s hard not to notice. To put that number into context, 11 tackles makes for a good season and this young man recorded that many interceptions. He even recorded two of those picks to the house to score for his team. To add to his 11 interceptions, he also recorded 14 tackles and 9 defended passes.

 

• Rusher Jayden Mclaren-Desir: Rusher is one more of those underrated positions because sacking a quarterback is so difficult it happens very rarely. In the Freshman level, it is even harder since the rush starts 10 yards away from the line of scrimmage. Despite that added distance to cover, Jayden Mclaren-Desir of Sunnybrooke Elites themanaged an impressive 5 sacks on the season to lead his division in that category.

 

• Two-way Amani Ho Sang: Two-way player of the year is awarded to the player who stood out both defensively and offensively. Amani Ho Sang of the Tigers did just that. As a quarterback, he had a stellar season passing for a total of 392 yards and 12 touchdowns. To add to that, he recorded an impressive 7 interceptions, 9 tackles and 3 defended passes. On many nights, he shifted the game in his team’s advantage and that is why he is worthy of this award.

 

Sophomore Division A

• Quarterback Trey Bentley: More than just being the past passer in his division, the argument can very easily be made that Trey Bentley of the Golden Eagles was the best quarterback in all of FPF Junior. The exceptional athlete led the league with an astonishing 1336 passing yards, a stunning 31 touchdowns and ridiculously low 8 interceptions. For a team that passes as much as the Eagles, the fact Trey Bentley only turned over the ball 8 times speaks volumes to just how precise he is with a ball.

 

• Receiver William Bradford: In FPF, we see many receivers with some massive games and games with barely a catch. While there’s nothing wrong with that, what is even better is being consistent and that is exactly what William Bradford was for his Western Patriots. That consistency allowed him to be among the top receivers in his division and accumulate 250 passing yards as well as 3 majors.

 

• Defensive back Ashtin Philistin: Many of the defenders in contention for DB of the year are in the race because of their dizzying number of interceptions, Ashtin Philistin of the AP Hurricnaes only recorded one. However, he compensated with 24 tackles and 4 defended passes Ashtin Philistin did not accumulate INTs like others not because he is not as good but because he is better. Opposing quarterbacks were so terrified of this player that they simply decided to avoid throwing the ball anywhere near him.

 

• Rusher Brenden Urquhart: The AP Hurricanes rusher finished the season with a staggering 16 sacks for the second most in all of FPF Junior. I have talked about this all year, but rushing is one of the most important positions in the game. If done well, it takes away the running game and severely limits the passing game. With 16 tackles and countless more pressures, Brenden Urquhart did exactly that for his team and helped them to victory by limiting opposing QBs.

 

• Two-way Jaden Theodore: DBs are often called receivers that can’t catch. Coming from a defensive back who can’t catch, that statement is generally true but Jaden Theodore Golden Eaglesis the exception that confirms that rule. Offensively, he caught 11 passes, 7 of which were touchdowns, for a total of 273 yards. On the defensive end of things, he recorded 10 tackles, an impressive 4 interceptions, one of which he returned for a TD and 6 defended passes.

 

Sophomore Division B

• Quarterback Jahmaal Roach: In Jahmaal Roach’s first season as a starting quarterback in FPF, he had a massive year. He finished the season with a total of 885 yards through the air, 18 touchdowns and was only sacked 4 times in 155 snaps. While other QBs in the division had similar numbers, what set Jahmaal Roach of the Buckeyes apart was his ability to come up big on clutch plays and elevate his game in hotly contested matches. Those abilities will give his team a chance to make a deep run in the postseason.

 

• Receiver Ben Arnovitz: The receiver for the Huskers led all divisions in terms of both receiving yards with 512 and 12 touchdowns with 12. To put those numbers into context, Ben Arnovitz generated as many yards of offence as some teams. No team was able to find a fay to stop him and he ran rampant on his way to a career season. With Ben Arnovitz on their roster there’s no telling how far the Huskers can make it in this postseason.

 

• Defensive Back William Leclerc: After a phenomenal 2017 winter season, many wondered what more William Leclerc could do. Well, to answer the skeptics, the Gators defensive back recorded a league high 30 tackles. To add to that impressive tally of tackles, he batted down five passes and intercepted five more. Of those five William Leclerc intercepted, he ran two back for touchdowns. The only remaining question is how much better will he be next year?

 

• Rusher Brayden Bevan: I don’t think anyone who hasn’t rushed understands just how hard it is. Personally, after one game rushing, I spent the rest of the week with both my ankles heavily bandaged. Needless to say, I did not manage a single sack. Now, I watch in awe as a player like Brayden Bevan of the AP Hurricnaes finish the season with both his Achilles tendons intact and more impressively, with a division leading 5 tackles. Getting a single tackle is impressive. Five, is a work of art.

 

• Two-way Riley Element: The Huskers passer was definitely in the conversation for quarterback of the year but I felt that nominating him there would have failed to take into consideration his massive defensive contributions. As a passer, he aired it out for a impressive total of over 1000 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. To add to those already very strong offensive totals, Riley Element also recorded 11 tackles, 5 interceptions, 3 of which he returned for TDs and 4 defended passes. As if that wasn’t enough, he also played a bit of rusher and managed three sacks.

 

Varsity Division

• Quarterback Kaelan Trepanier: After going down to a rugby injury during the spring season 2017 Kaelan Trepanier was back with a vengeance for this winter campaign surrounded by a strong cast of surehanded receivers and he was able to put up division leading numbers. While still being one of the best rushing quarterbacks, he got the aerial part of his game on that same level and finished the season with a romping 1066 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He also minimized turnovers since he averaged a mere one interception a game. With his skills as a passer and a rusher as well as the talented core of players around him, the Fighting Irish are a dark horse contender for the Varsity title.

 

• Receiver Aryan Jamati: When I talked about the sure handed receiving cast surrounding Kaelan Trepanier, I was largely thinking about Aryan Jamati. Coach Tony Khoury has gotten the best out of him for the Fighting Irish by creating matchups in Aryan Jamati’s favor and finding the holes in the oppositions defence for him to exploit. Thanks to good coaching and Aryan Jamati’s rare skill set, the Irish’s receiver finished the regular season with 24 catches for 389 yards and 7 touchdowns.

 

• Defensive back Max Sabourin: The Thunder’s defence was their strongest weapon all season long. That strong defensive effort was spearheaded by the outstanding play of defensive back Max Sabourin. On a team of all-star players, he distinguished himself both for his exceptional play and his trademark head band. In Max Sabourin’s first season in the league, he finished with a team high 18 tackles as well as 4 interceptions and 6 defended passes. This Thunder defence led by Max Sabourin will definitely give their team a very strong chance at the Varsity division title.

 

• Rusher Louis Vincent: I have already mentioned just how hard it is to get a sack in FPF. I have also discussed the impact that good rushing can have on a game. Well, what Louis Vincent did as a rusher this season for the Thunder cannot be qualified as good. Otherworldly? Maybe, that’s more like it. For me his 23 sacks on the season are one of the most astonishing feats not just in FPF Junior but in all leagues combined. Most players can’t hope for 23 tackles. Well, Louis Vincent had a season for the ages and recorded a phenomenal 23 sacks. That number must be an FPF Junior record and he has set a new benchmark for elite rushing.

 

• Two-way Olivier Gauthier: Having played with Olivier Gauthier last season, I am relatively sure he can play any position. He filled in as QB last year and took a few snaps there this year. He also excelled on the Wildcats as a receiver and finished the season as his teams leading receiver with 23 catches for 256 yards and 7 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he was given the job of safety and all the freedom and responsibilities that come with that position. He responded in a big way to his coaches vote of confidence and finished the season with phenomenal numbers. In fact, he recorded 23 tackles, 8 interceptions and 12 defended passes.

 

There you have all twenty of my choices for FPF Junior’s very first (and hopefully not last) issue of the Dubois Awards. Keep your eyes and ears glued to FPF because the winners of this years MVP and most improved player awards will soon be announced!