Football players of the week: Picton etches name in national history
Canada West Communications
NEW WESTMINSTER – Following his record-breaking weekend, Regina Rams quarterback Noah Picton is the Canada West Offensive Player of the Week after finishing the season with 3,174 passing yards.
The third-year pivot tossed 447 passing yards against the Manitoba Bisons to break the Canada West and U Sports single-season passing yards record of 3,162, set only last season by former Calgary Dinos quarterback and current Calgary Stampeders pivot Andrew Buckley.
Picton, who went 27-for-39 in the regular season finale against Manitoba, helped lead the Rams to a 55-21 win over the Bisons and a 6-2 regular season record, as Regina topped the Canada West regular season standings for the first time in program history.
The Regina native set the single-season passing mark in fitting fashion, tossing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Atlee Simon midway through the third quarter on his final pass of the regular season, before getting the remainder of the game off.
Also earning player of the week honours from the Rams was defensive tackle Nicholas Dheilly, who takes home the defensive award following an interception and a pair of tackles for loss.
Dheilly, who took over as a starter for Regina midway through the season, finished the 2016 regular season tied for second in the conference in sacks and tackles for loss with four and 7.5 respectively.
Regina will now host the UBC Thunderbirds in a Hardy Cup semifinal on Saturday, November 5 at Mosaic Stadium (3:30 p.m. SK).
On the special teams side of the ball, Saskatchewan’s Sean Stenger finished the season in fine form with a 6-for-6 field goal performance in the Huskies’ 48-9 win over the Alberta Golden Bears. Stenger’s 22 field goals on the season set a new single-season mark for the Huskies.
Saskatchewan, who finished 5-3 on the season, head to Calgary this weekend to take on the Dinos in the Hardy Cup semis (12 p.m. MT / McMahon Stadium).
Both Hardy Cup semifinal games on November 5 will be televised, as Access Communications out of Regina will produce the Regina Rams game, while Shaw TV will produce the other semifinal.
The 80th Hardy Cup is slated for Saturday, November 12th.
All conference playoff games will be available on local Shaw TV, Shaw Direct 299, Shaw HD where available, Access Communications' channel 7/70 and CanadaWest.tv.
OFFENCE: Noah Picton
Regina Rams
Quarterback
3rd-year
Regina, Sask.
Business Administration
Game log: Saturday, Oct. 29 – 27-for-39, 447 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, one rushing TD in 55-21W @ Manitoba.
University of Regina third-year quarterback Noah Picton capped off a spectacular regular seasons by leading the Rams to a 55-21 win over Manitoba, a victory that locked up a first-place finish in the Canada West standings for the first time in school history.
And Picton did so in record-setting fashion. His last completion of the game – a 22-yard touchdown pass to Atlee Simon midway through the third quarter – gave him 3174 passing yards for the season, breaking the old U Sports single-season record of 3162 set just last season by Calgary’s Andrew Buckley.
For the game, Picton completed 27 of his 39 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns and also had a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Besides his record-setting passing yards total, Picton also finishes the 2016 season first in the nation in completion percentage (69.3) and touchdown passes (25) and second with 224 completions.
Picton and the Rams will host the UBC Thunderbirds in a Hardy Cup semifinal game on Saturday afternoon (3:30) at Mosaic Stadium.
DEFENCE: Nicholas Dheilly
Regina Rams
Defensive tackle
1st-year
Regina, Sask.
Arts
Game log: Saturday, Oct. 29 – interception and two tackles for loss in 55-21W @ Manitoba.
University of Regina rookie defensive tackle Nicholas Dheilly had two tackles for loss and registered his first career interception in the Rams’ convincing 55-21 road win over Manitoba on Saturday night.
Dheilly got into the backfield to bring down Manitoba receiver Kyle Patchell for a six-yard loss on a sweep late in the first quarter, and on the very next Bisons possession took down their running back for a three-yard loss that forced a Manitoba punt. He added an interception later in the game after tipping a Theo Deezar pass, becoming the first Rams defensive lineman to score a pick since 2012.
Dheilly, who took over as a starter midway through the year, finishes the season tied for second in Canada West in both sacks (4) and tackles for loss (7.5).
The Rams will host the UBC Thunderbirds in a Hardy Cup semifinal game on Saturday afternoon (3:30) at Mosaic Stadium.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sean Stenger
Saskatchewan Huskies
Kicker
3rd-year
Saskatoon, Sask.
Engineering
Game log: Friday, Oct. 28 – 6-for-6 field goals, 122 punt yards, 298 kickoff yards in 48-9W vs. Alberta.
The Engineering student connected on field goals of 33, 26, 37, 24, 16 and 22 yards on the night. Stenger set a new Huskie single-season record with 22 made field goals in 2016, needing just 26 attempts to accomplish the feat.
It was the second time this season that the Saskatoon, Sask. product has been successful on six field goals. Stenger opened the season with a six field goal performance in a win over the Regina Rams.
Stenger also recorded 122 yards on four punts, while also recording 298 yards on kickoffs in the game.
The Huskies finished the regular season 5-3 and will travel to Calgary to take on the Dinos in a Hardy Cup semifinal on Saturday.
Photo credit: Piper Sports Photography