NEW WESTMINSTER, BC – The Calgary Dinos dominance of Canada West football continued Thursday, as the top-ranked team in the nation landed 16 of 27 conference all-stars.
The Dinos, who went 8-0 during the regular season, received no shortage of respect from the conference’s coaches, who select the Canada West all-stars and major award winners, and voted unanimously for six Calgary players.
Leading the all-star charge for the Dinos were five unanimous selections on offence: centre Sean McEwen, tackle Braden Schram, wide receiver Rashaun Simonise, running back Mercer Timmis, and quarterback Andrew Buckley.
Buckley’s selection marks the third consecutive season the quarterback and reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner, who set a CIS record for passing yards in a season with 3,162 this year, has been named a conference all-star. It’s also the third straight honour for Timmis and the fourth in a row for McEwen, who was the third overall selection in last spring’s CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts.
The Dinos’ other unanimous all-star selection came on the defensive side of the ball and belonged to halfback Robert Woodson.
Coming in second behind Calgary in the all-star department were the Manitoba Bisons, who had players selected at four positions.
Bisons rookie sensation Jamel Lyles earned an all-star nod at a pair of positions, garnering honours at both running back and kick returner. Lyles finished second in the nation with 1,564 all-purpose yards.
Both Alberta (Justin Lawrence, guard; Jimmy Ralph, inside receiver; Tak Landry, halfback) and Saskatchewan (Mitch Hillis, inside receiver; Donovan Dale, interior lineman; Chris Friesen, halfback) earned three all-stars, while UBC landed a pair (Alex Morrison, wide receiver; Quinn van Gylswyk, punter).
The Hardy Cup Playoffs kick off this Saturday, as Calgary hosts Saskatchewan (1 p.m. MT / Canadawest.tv), while UBC welcomes Manitoba live on Global Television (12 p.m. PT).
Canada West will announce the conference’s major award winners Thursday, November 12 preceding the 79th Hardy Cup, which takes place Saturday, November 14 and will be broadcast nationally on Global (time TBD).
2015 Canada West Football All-Star Team
* denotes unanimous selection
Offence:
Centre – Sean McEwen, Calgary*
Guards – Justin Lawrence, Alberta / Darius Ciraco, Calgary
Tackles – Braden Schram, Calgary* / Jordan Filippelli, Calgary
Inside receivers – Jimmy Ralph, Alberta / Mitch Hillis, Saskatchewan
Wide receivers – Rashaun Simonise, Calgary* / Alex Morrison, UBC
Running back – Mercer Timmis, Calgary* / Jamel Lyles, Manitoba
Quarterback – Andrew Buckley, Calgary*
Defence:
Ends – Cory Robinson, Calgary / Evan Foster, Manitoba
Interior lineman – David Onyemata, Manitoba / Donovan Dale, Saskatchewan
Linebackers – Micah Teitz, Calgary / Tanner Doll, Calgary
Sam linebacker – Doctor Cassama, Calgary
Halfbacks – Robert Woodson, Calgary* / Tak Landry, Alberta & Chris Friesen, Saskatchewan (tie)
Cornerbacks – Adam Laurenesse, Calgary / Hunter Turnbull, Calgary
Safety – Michael Schmidt, Calgary
Special teams:
Punter – Quinn van Gylswyk, UBC
Placekicker – Johnny Mark, Calgary
Kick returner – Jamel Lyles, Manitoba
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