QUEBEC CITY -- McGill receiver Shaquille Johnson was named rookie of the year at a university football awards ceremony announced Friday by the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec. The RSEQ league awards were part of the annual Commissioner's Cocktail, which serves as a lead-in to Saturday's Dunsmore Cup Game, presented by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, in collaboration with Subway.
Sherbrooke plays at Laval in the league championship game, slated for Saturday (SRC-TV, TSN 990) at 1 p.m.
Other major awards went to running back Rotrand Sené (player of the year) and offensive lineman Jean-Sameul Blanc (most outstanding lineman), both teammates with the Montreal Carabins. Also honoured was Laval linebacker Frédéric Plesius (most outstanding defensive player), Bishop's receiver David Haddrall (academics, leadership and citizenship) and Laval bench boss Glen Constantin (coach of the year).
Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of Toronto, is the sixth McGill player to win the Quebec league's rookie-of-the-year honours and is now in the running to become the second member of the Redmen ever to capture the CIS Peter Gorman Trophy, which was previously won by Michael Soles in 1986.
The 19-year-old freshman with an undeclared major, led the league in both receptions (61) and reception yardage (792), achieving the fourth-highest single-season catch total in Quebec university history. His 61 receptions was the highest total ever by a CIS rookie, eclipsing the previous mark of 57, set in 2002 by Western's Andy Fantuz.
Johnson also had five touchdown receptions and was voted to the league all-star team. His longest catch-and-run play was an 81-yard effort at Bishop's on Sept. 29. In the final week of the regular season, Johnson tied a single-game league record with 18 receptions against Sherbrooke, equaling the mark held by former McGill star Charles-Antoine Sinotte and falling one short of the CIS national record.
Sené, a 23-year-old industrial relations senior from Montreal, Que., is the first member of the Carabins to win the coveted Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy. He becomes the conference nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy presented annually to the most outstanding football player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound dynamo rushed for 813 yards and set a single-season league record for the most rushing touchdowns with nine. He also established a new benchmark for most career carrier carries with 653. His 166 rushes this season were the most in the Quebec conference since 2002. The three-time all-star has amassed 4,154 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in his four-year career.
Blanc, a native of Montreal, is the league's most outstanding down lineman and becomes the third member of the Carabins to be nominated for the CIS Presidents' Trophy. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound rush end set a single-season conference record and tied the CIS benchmark with 12.5 quarterback sacks. His season high was four in the Carabins' home opener on Sept. 7, when he racked up four sacks against Concordia. A 21-year-old Arts and Science sophomore, he finished his all-star campaign with 33 total tackles in nine games, including 18.5 for losses totaling 114 yards. He was also credited with one fumble recovery.
Plesius, a 24-year-old from Laval, Que., has been named as the most outstanding defensive player for the second time. It marks the fourth occasion that a member of the Rouge et Or has won the league's nomination for the CIS Presidents' Trophy. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound linebacker previously won the award in 2010. A conference all-star, Plesius racked up 34.5 total tackles, tackles including 27 solos, in nine games. The third-year consumer science major also recorded a pair of quarterback sacks and two knockdowns. His single-game high was 10.5 tackles against the Carabins on Oct. 13.
Haddrall, who hails from Kingston, Ont., is the first Bishop's player to win the conference nomination for the prestigious Russ Jackson Award, presented annually to the CIS football player who best combines academic and football success with community service. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder scored 43 points as both a receiver and kicker for the Gaiters this season. He hauled in 39 catches for 615 yards and five touchdowns. With his foot, he went 2-for-2 in field goals, 3-for-3 on his conversion attempts and also registered four singles on kickoffs.
In the classroom, the 22-year-old has achieved a cumulative 80.2 per cent academic average in natural sciences. Since 2008, he has volunteered with Big Buddies, a program that pairs a Bishop's student with a child from the local elementary school. He also participates in the Lennoxville Pumpkin Patrol during Halloween, patrolling the streets with teammates to keep children safe while trick-or-treating. In 2009-10 he was a member of a student patrol that helped ensure the safety of the Lennoxville and Bishop's communities after dark. In the spring of 2012, he and other teammates ran a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. This fall, he was able to make it back to his hometown where he volunteered at a volleyball tournament that was raising funds for childhood cancers. He has previously assisted the Lennoxville Elementary School with their winter carnival and in 2011 taught the fundamentals of the game to aspiring young players at the Gaiter Football School.
Constantin has been named the coach of the year for the fifth time in eight years and is the conference nominee for the CIS Frank Tindall Trophy, which he has captured on two previous occasions (2005 and 2010). In his 12th season with Laval, Constantin led his squad to an 8-1 first-place record, outscoring opponents by a 348-114 margin. This season, a school record 10 members of the Rouge et Or were named to the RSEQ all-star team.
2012 RSEQ University Football Major Award Winners
Player of the year - Jeff Russel Trophy
(Hec Crighton Trophy nominee)
Rotrand Sené, University of Montréal
Most Outstanding Down Lineman Award
(J.P. Metras Trophy nominee)
Jean-Samuel Blanc, University of Montréal
Rookie of the Year Award
(Peter Gorman Trophy nominee)
Shaquille Johnson, McGill University
Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award
(Presidents' Trophy nominee)
Frédéric Plesius, Laval University
Academics, Leadership & Citizenship Award
(Russ Jackson Trophy Nominee)
David Haddrall, Bishop's University
Coach of the Year Award
(Frank Tindall Trophy Nominee)
Glen Constantin, Laval University
