Week 12 - Football Players of the Week
Football Players of the Week – Week 12 (Yates Cup)
Offence – Cedric Joseph, Western
In his second straight standout playoff performance to once again earn him OUA Offensive Player of the Week honours, Western’s Cedric Joseph continued his offensive onslaught in the 110th Yates Cup against the Laurier Golden Hawks.
The Mustangs running back racked up 250 yards rushing on 21 carries, to go along with three touchdowns. His three majors on the day gave the Montreal, Que. native an astounding seven touchdowns over Western's two playoff games after scoring four times in the team’s semifinal win over Guelph.
Joseph’s first score, a 12-yard run in the first quarter, put the Mustangs up 10-0 early on. His second major, an impressive 31-yard rush, came in the midst of an offensively charged second quarter, while his third and final score pushed Western’s lead to 34 in the third quarter.
Joseph, for his efforts, was named the winner of the Dalt White Trophy as Yates Cup MVP
Defence – Fraser Sopik, Western
While the offence grabbed most of the headlines in Western’s Yates Cup win, the defence also stood tall against an imposing Laurier attack, led by OUA Defensive Player of the Week Fraser Sopik.
A twice-named 2017 OUA All-Star on defence and special teams, Sopik was instrumental in the team’s win, collecting 7.5 total tackles on the day. Six of these tackles were of the solo variety, but if that wasn’t enough to showcase his ability to be all over the field, he managed a pass break-up as well.
Special Teams – Mike Sananes, Western
In what was an offensively charged first quarter of the 110th Yates Cup, one of the biggest moments came from Mustangs returner Mike Sananes, helping him secure Special Teams Player of the Week honours in the OUA.
After Laurier had trimmed the Mustangs’ early 10 point lead down to just one, Sananes brought the momentum back on Western’s side immediately after the Golden Hawks found the endzone. Sananes took the ensuing Nathan Mesher kickoff for a touchdown, going 95 yards to the endzone to put his team back up by eight.
Sananes would finish the day with 109 yards on three kickoff returns, to go along with 39 yards on three punt returns.