FRC - CIS football players of the week (#7): Heather, Ba, Bohan honoured

Photo credit Blair Shier

OTTAWA (CIS) – Bishop’s quarterback Jordan Heather, UBC defensive end Kareem Ba and Mount Allison returner Michael Bohan are the CIS football players of the week for the period ending Oct. 6, 2013.

Heather, a fifth-year history student from Oromocto, N.B., was honoured on offence for a second time this season after he led the nationally eighth-ranked Gaiters (4-2) to their third one-point win in six games, this one a come-from-behind 30-29 road victory over McGill (3-3), last Friday in Montreal. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior, who finished the evening with 438 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 27-of-43 passing, scored himself on a three-yard run with two minutes left in regulation to cap a 12-play, 88-yard drive and tie the affair at 29 all. Heather currently leads CIS with an average of 363.8 passing yards per contest and needs 557 yards over Bishop’s final two games to break the single-season RSEQ conference record of 2,739 set in 2009 by former Concordia pivot Rob Mackay.

St. Francis Xavier quarterback Tivon Cook, Wilfrid Laurier quarterback James Fracas and Calgary running back Mercer Timmis were also up for the award.

Ba, a fourth-year kinesiology student from White Rock, B.C., took home the weekly honour on defence thanks to a dominating performance in a crucial 28-24 road win over then No. 10-ranked Manitoba which allowed the Thunderbirds (3-3) to catch the Bisons in the Canada West standings. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound senior finished the contest with six tackles, including four for losses and 2.5 sacks, while forcing two fumbles and recovering a loose ball. Ba now leads the Canada West conference and ranks third in the country with three forced fumbles on the season.

StFX linebacker Sanmi Adereti, Montreal linebacker Antoine Pruneau and McMaster defensive back Keldyn Ahlstedt were also nominated.

Bohan, a second-year chemistry student from Sackville, N.B., was the choice on special teams after he racked up an impressive 288 return yards, including the Mounties’ lone touchdown of the game on a 78-yard punt return, in a 30-9 loss to AUS-leading StFX, on Saturday. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore, who also plays defensive back, returned 10 punts for 210 yards and four kickoffs for another 78. His punt return tally ranks second in AUS history behind a 220-yard effort by Acadia’s Scott Crichton back in 1972 and is good for seventh on the CIS all-time list.

Laval returner Guillaume Rioux, Carleton returner Tunde Adeleke and Regina kicker Taylor Wandler were the other nominees.

Offensive nominees:
AUS: Tivon Cook, quarterback, StFX
RSEQ: Jordan Heather, quarterback, Bishop’s (recipient)
OUA: James Fracas, quarterback, Wilfrid Laurier
CWUAA: Mercer Timmis, running back, Calgary

Defensive nominees:
AUS: Sanmi Adereti, linebacker, StFX
RSEQ: Antoine Pruneau, linebacker, Montreal
OUA: Keldyn Ahlstedt, defensive back, McMaster
CWUAA: Kareem Ba, defensive end, UBC (recipient)

Special team nominees:
AUS: Michael Bohan, returner, Mount Allison (recipient)
RSEQ: Guillaume Rioux, returner, Laval
OUA: Tunde Adeleke, returner, Carleton
CWUAA: Taylor Wandler, kicker, Regina

WEEK 8 SCHEDULE (all times local)

October 10

19:00 Toronto (2-4) at York (2-4) (Rogers TV Toronto & video webcast)

October 11

19:00 Saint Mary’s (3-2) at Acadia (2-3) (video webcast)

19:00 No. 4 Guelph (6-0) at Carleton (0-6)

19:00 No. 5 Queen’s (5-1) at Waterloo (1-5) (video webcast)

October 12

13:00 No. 9 McMaster (3-3) at Laurier (1-6) (Rogers TV Waterloo – tape delay& video webcast)

14:00 StFX (3-2) at Mount Allison (1-4) (Eastlink TV & video webcast)

About Football Reporters of Canada

Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958, Football Reporters of Canada has been an organization of media members who have covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the league’s outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC) to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with amateur and college football. FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines and working conditions for the men and women who report on the game. Selected members of FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

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