The Dubois Awards

With the end of the regular season comes: the exciting awards season! In FPF Junior, we have two sets of awards. The first are the official awards handed out by FPF commissioner Robert Campana in collaboration with the coaches. Those awards are MVP and MIP (most improved player) for each team. Those awards come with a shiny trophy and international recognition (OK, league wide recognition).

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 select 5 players per division, one for each category. Without further adieu, let’s jump right into the Dubois Awards for the Freshman division.

 

The Dubois Awards

Freshmen:

Quarterback of the year: Noah Swaminadhan (X-Men)

 There are two aspects to quarterback play: passing and rushing. Noah Swaminadhan perfectly embodies both of these aspects of the position. He led all Freshmen QBs with 24 TDs and nearly 1000 passing yards. Even more impressively, he only threw 6 interceptions in his 148 attempted passes. In terms of rushing, he led all Juniors with a staggering 394 yards and 3 TDs.

Receiver of the year: Nicolas Vanden-Abeele (AP Hurricanes)

Very rarely do we see players from the Freshmen division put up similar numbers to the big boys in Varsity. Well, Nicolas Vanden-Abeele did more than just put up similar number. He was the leading receiver in all of FPF Junior with nearly 500 receiving yards to go along with his 9 TDs and 30 receptions.

Defender of the year: Anthony Solomon-Payne (AP Hurricanes)

Anthony Solomon-Payne could very well be the tallest player in his division. He exploits that height perfectly in the secondary to get his hands on just about any ball that dares venture into his half of the field. He finished the season with an impressive 13 tackles, 7 interceptions and 12 PDs.

Rusher of the year: Cedrick Leroux (AP Hurricanes)

Rushing in Freshman is no easy task. Instead of leaving from seven yards like all other divisions, they must rush from ten. Cedrick Leroux did not let that fact stop him from leading all juniors in sacks with 18.

Two-way player of the year: Kingston Paquet (Sooners)

Throughout the seasons, we have all seen just how effective Kingston Paquet is as a passer. This year was no exception as the Sooners’ QB passed for over 500 yards and six scores. To add to those excellent numbers as a passer, Kingston Paquet made his impact felt on the other side of the ball just as heavily as he made it felt on offence. In fact, the young man led all juniors with eight interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns. As if those numbers weren’t enough, he also recorded 13 tackles and nine defended passes.

Sophomore B:

Quarterback of the year: Darius Paiement (Bruins)

This season was the first chance I got to see Darius Paiement play. I was impressed by the patience of the young passer. He did not try to force the play but rather completed the short easy passes and let his talented receivers accumulate the rest of the yardage after the catch. That simple technique permitted him to accumulate 764 passing yards as well as 20 scores.

Receiver of the year: Lucas Piscopos (Musketeers)

Leading all FPF Juniors in receptions was the Musketeers’ Lucas Piscopos. He has the uncanny ability to get open no matter the route he is assigned. If he has to run a short route like a slant, he has the explosivity to create separation. On deep routes, he has the speed to blow past defenders. Those skills allowed him to tally 34 receptions, 413 receiving yards and 6 TDs over the course of the season.

Defender of the year: Massimo Moufrage (Musketeers)

When opposing teams looks at Massimo Moufrage, they far too often presume that he is a weak spot on the Musketeer’s defence. In reality, he is anything but a weak spot. He has the ability to shut down just about any player in this division and he very rarely misses a tackle. To go along with that shut down ability, Massimo Moufrage accumulated 16 tackles, five defended passes and five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

Rusher of the year: Tyler Van Frank (Buffaloes)

Rusher is very often one of the more unrewarding roles in FPF. However, when you put up the numbers Tyler Van Frank did, you do get recognition. I played three games as a rusher before getting a single sack. The fact that Tyler Van Frank averaged over a sack a game is extremely impressive. For each one of those sacks, there are countless more pressures and hurries that don’t show up in the stats.

Two-way player of the year: Jaeden Edghill (Thundering Herd)

It’s very hard to do justice to the season Jaeden Edghill had. He has the unique ability to take over games on offence as well as on defence. As a receiver, he is practically uncoverable. That ability to always be open helped him accumulate 273 yards and five scores. On the other side of the ball, teams were terrified to throw anywhere near him. He always seemed to be in the perfect place at the perfect time to pick off opposing quarterbacks. In fact, he managed a staggering seven interceptions, four of which he ran back for scores.

Sophomore A:

Quarterback of the year: Nicholas Masella (NS Hurricannes)

After stepping in half way through last season, Nicholas Masella proved he can compete with the very best Sophomore passers. This year, he was more than one of the best, he was the best. He finished the season leading all Juniors with a very impressive 1,277 passing yards. Even more impressively, he only threw five interceptions all year long. If you consider his 28 TD passes, he throws one pick for every 5.5 touchdowns which is fantastic.

Receiver of the year: Louis Vincent (Sun Devils)

Last year, Louis Vincent used his speed to claim rusher of the year. This year he put that speed to use as a receiver. Despite significantly fewer receptions than other top receivers, he finished fourth in the league with 416 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Defender of the year: Zachary Cyrenne (Sun Devils)

When you watch the Sun Devils play, Zachary Cyrenne isn’t the first player you notice. That is largely because when a DB plays well, his receiver never gets targeted and you forgot all about that player. Well, let this award proclaim that Zachary Cyrenne’s hard work game in and game out did not go unnoticed. To show for that great defending, Zachary Cyrenne has my respect as well as 17 tackles, 6 PDs and 5 interceptions, 60% of which he returned for touchdowns.

Rusher of the year: Russel Bienstock (Dusters)

Everything seemed to go right for the Dusters this year. Their offence was a well-oiled machine and their defence, a force to be reckoned with. One key aspect to any good defence is great rushing. The Dusters got that from Russel Bienstock. His five sacks led Sophomore A. To go along with that already impressive total, he also tallied 6 tackles and three defended passes.

Two-way player of the year: Ashtin Philistin (NS Hurricanes)

After two seasons of watching Ashtin Philistin play, I’d be hard pressed to find a single element of his game that needs improvement. I remember back in my first shifts as a scorekeeper, Simon Dagenais pointed Ashtin Philistin out to me. From that first game I saw him play, it was clear there was something very special about him. That unique skill set allowed him to lead the league with 46 tackles. On the other side of the ball, he put up just as stellar numbers with 26 receptions for 265 yards and nine scores.

Varsity:

Quarterback of the year: Kaelen Trepanier (NS Lions)

Ever since Kaelen Trepanier has entered the league, he has been an annual contender for the QB of the year award. Since that first season however, he has continued to improve as a passer. He made the transition from scramble to pocket passer and along with that transition, came even more yards and touchdowns. This year, playing with the NS Lions, Kaelen Trepanier surpassed himself once again and but up 1,167 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. Even more impressively, he was only sacked twice all year and only threw 5 picks in 8 games.

Receiver of the year: Dylan Hacker (Buckeyes)

After starting out his FPF Junior career with the Mustangs, Dylan Hacker switched over to the newly formed Buckeyes. While the Mustangs might have soared to new heights, so did their former receiver Dylan Hacker. The talented young man was a deep threat on every single snap and used his pace to accumulate 451 yards and seven touchdowns in only seven games.

Defender of the year: Bradly Parent (NS Lions)

So often, the work of good defenders goes unnoticed because their receiver never gets targeted. However, great defenders find a way to get noticed all while locking down the oppositions #1 receiver. Bradly Parent definitely falls into that great category. I remember when the Lions were playing the Falcons and all through the first half, the Lions were getting burnt by Tristan Pelletier. However, when Bradly Parent showed up, the Falcons #1 receiver suddenly fell very quiet.

Rusher of the year: Japhet Pidi (Falcons)

Rusher is never an easy position to learn. It is so much more than running full steam at a quarterback. Furthermore, no position in tackle football is equivalent to rusher in flag football. Those realities made the fact that Japhet Pidi recorded a Varsity high 12 sacks all the more impressive.

Two-way player of the year: Ryan McGrath (Spartans)

Just like Kaelen Trepanier is the perennial favorite for QB of the year, Ryan McGrath is, season in and season out, the favorite for two-way player of the year. His unrivalled football IQ allows him to excel as both a safety and as a receiver. If you pair with those football smarts with the blistering speed that he possesses, you have a truly dominant player. That dominance was reflected in his stats with 283 yards and seven TDs as a receiver as well as 17 tackles, 2 PDs, 6 INTs and 2 defensive TDs as a defender.

There you have all twenty of my choices for FPF Junior’s second (and hopefully not last) edition 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!