Kurtis Gray, Waterloo, Defence

Burlington, Ont. – Kurtis Gray has been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Defensive Football Player of the Week for the period ending October 27, 2019.

Defensive Player of the Week – Kurtis Gray, Waterloo Warriors

Kurtis Gray was all over the field for the Warriors in their 44-21 quarter-final win over Ottawa on Saturday, giving the team a boost on the defensive side of the ball when they needed it most.

The fourth-year linebacker made his first big play with a sack of Ottawa QB Matt Mahler late in the first half for a loss of six yards. He would get to the Gee-Gees pivot for a second time in the third quarter, this time for a loss of three, but he wasn’t done there. His biggest play of the game came only a few minutes into the final frame, when he picked off a Mahler pass at his own 39-yard line and ran it back all the way for the touchdown – a 75-yard return off the interception.

Gray finished the day with an ambitious line of 3.5 tackles (including three solo), two sacks, and an interception to help lead his Warriors to the postseason victory and set up a semifinal matchup with the two-time defending Yates Cup champion Western Mustangs on Saturday (1:00pm).