CIS Football: Laval QB Groulx earns third Hec Crighton nomination

QUEBEC CITY (CIS / QSSF) – Fifth-year Laval quarterback Benoit Groulx was named the Quebec University Football League (QUFL) most valuable player for the second straight season and the third time in four years Monday morning, earning his third nomination for the Hec Crighton trophy as CIS MVP.

Groulx, who last year became the first Rouge et Or player to claim the Hec Crighton, was also up for the national award in 2006.

Groulx is only the fifth player in CIS history to receive three Hec Crighton trophy nominations following fellow quarterbacks Chris Flynn of Saint Mary’s (1988, 1989, 1990), Brent Schneider of Saskatchewan (1993, 1994, 1996) and Phil Côté of Ottawa (1998, 1999, 2000), as well as St. Francis Xavier receiver and defensive back Kevin Aver (1975, 1979, 1980).

Flynn won all three years making him the only three-time Hec Crighton recipient in history. Côté received the honour in 1999, while Schneider and Aver couldn’t put their hands on the CIS award.

Other QUFL award winners announced on Monday include Concordia linebacker Cory Greenwood (defensive MVP), Laval left tackle David Bouchard (outstanding down lineman), McGill quarterback Jonathan Collin (rookie of the year) and McGill receiver Charles-Antoine Sinotte (Russ Jackson award nominee). The Quebec coach of the year will be announced next week.

The season award winners from the three other CIS football conferences will be unveiled Thursday. The CIS winners will be announced at the Desjardins Vanier Cup banquet in Quebec City on Thursday, Nov. 26.

Following is the press release issued Monday morning by the Quebec Student Sports Federation.

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QUFL HONOURS GROULX, GREENWOOD, BOUCHARD, COLLIN, SINOTTE

Quebec City, November 9, 2009 - The Quebec University Football League (QUFL) announced its 2009 major award winners at a press conference held today at Université Laval. Benoit Groulx and David Bouchard from the Laval Rouge et Or, Cory Greenwood from the Concordia Stingers, along with Jonathan Collin and Charles-Antoine Sinotte of the McGill Redmen are this year’s honourees.

For the second consecutive season, quarterback Benoit Groulx (Montreal, Que.) of the Laval Rouge et Or is the winner of the Jeff Russel Trophy as the QUFL Player of the Year. Groulx becomes the QUFL’s nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding football player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

Playing in his fifth and final season of university football, Groulx reached new heights in 2009, despite missing a pair of games due to injury. The Cégep du Vieux Montréal graduate led the QUFL with 18 touchdown tosses this season and recorded a conference best 73.2-percent completion rate, which was almost 12-points better than his closest competitor. He finished the season completing 101 of 138 passes attempted for 1462 yards while being intercepted on just three occasions.

His statistics are even more impressive given the fact that Groulx only played one full game at quarterback this season. He was thrice lifted from games at half-time, while playing three quarters of football in two other contests.

As field general, Benoit Groulx had a major role in the success of the Rouge et Or attack that finished the regular season ranked first in the conference scoring 333-points and just two behind the Western Ontario Mustangs for the title of top offence in Canada.

Linebacker Cory Greenwood (Kingston, Ont.) from the Concordia Stingers has been named Defensive Player of the Year, and the Quebec nominee for the Presidents’ Trophy, presented to the CIS Defensive Player of the Year.

This season, Greenwood recorded a conference leading 62 tackles, including 52 solo stops, for an average of 7.8 tackles per game. His 14 tackle performance on September 19, 2009 against the Sherbrooke Vert & Or was the fifth best single-game total in Quebec university football history. After four seasons in the league, Greenwood sits in eighth place in the QUFL record book with 186.5 total career tackles. Greenwood was ranked third in the Canadian Football League (CFL) list of prospects for the 2010 Canadian College Draft.

David Bouchard (Trois-Rivières, Que.) of the Laval Rouge et Or, has been named the league’s most outstanding lineman, and is the QUFL nominee for the J.P. Metras Trophy, given to the top lineman in Canadian university football.

Playing his fifth and final season of university football, Bouchard was a major factor in Laval racking up the second best ground attack in the QUFL. With the graduation of key players after last season’s Vanier Cup conquest leaving the Rouge et Or with an inexperienced offensive line, the giant 6’5” left tackle reached new heights in 2009. The former Les Estacades Academy (Juvinile AAA) and François-Xavier-Garneau College (CEGEP AAA) stand-out, impressed players and coaches alike this season with his physical strength, technique and work ethic. His presence on the gridiron installed a sense of confidence for the Rouge et Or as they amassed 1556 rushing yards this season.

Quarterback Jonathan Collin (Greenfield Park, Qué.) of the McGill Redmen is the QUFL rookie of the year, and the league’s candidate for the Peter Gorman Trophy – presented to the CIS Rookie of the Year.

A six-foot-4, 240-pound pivot, Collin broke into the lineup in Week 1, became a starter during the second week of the season and started all seven remaining games, leading a team that had gone winless for two consecutive seasons into one that finished with a 3-5 record and just missed qualifying for post-season play on point-differential. McGill ran 550 plays to lead the league, including 298 passing plays, which ranked second in the conference.

Selected as the QUFL offensive player of the week after his first start, Collin ended up leading the league in touchdowns scored with seven in eight games, establishing single-season school records for most TDs scored by a freshman and most by a quarterback.

He completed 145 of 288 pass attempts for 1,529 yards, eight TDs and 10 interceptions, ranking fourth among league leaders with an average of 191.1 passing yards per game.

Charles-Antoine Sinotte (Trois-Rivières, Qué.), a receiver with the McGill Redmen, is the QUFL nominee for the Russ Jackson Award, given annually to the CIS football player who combines academic results, community involvement and football excellence.

A three-time conference all-star, the six-foot, 185-pound wide receiver had 49 receptions for 491 yards and five touchdowns, establishing a CIS record for most receptions in a career with 199 in 30 games at McGill.

Away from the gridiron, Sinotte has served as a volunteer team representative on the Student Athletics Council at McGill and has made annual visits to Montreal's Children's Hospital during Christmas period to bring gift to patients. He initiated a three-day football skills camp for high school student-athletes of the greater Trois-Rivières region. The camp utilizes players from the QUFL to inspire and teach football, nutrition and conditioning skills.

He has also made numerous visits to elementary schools in his hometown, addressing students on the role football has played in his life and how the sport helps shape work ethic, leadership, setting and achieving goals, chasing one’s dreams, time management, confidence and working hard academically.

He has served as a volunteer receivers coach for the past two springs in the Alouettes Classic, an annual Montreal high school all star game. In addition, Sinotte has volunteered as a football instructor with the Montreal police force’s ACES Program, which promotes football participation in the high schools that have the lowest graduation and highest crime rates.

The Coach of the year Award will be announced during the week following the Dunsmore Cup. The CIS award winners will be announced on Thursday, November 26, during the All-Canadian Awards Gala which will be held as part of the Vanier Cup festivities in Quebec city.


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