MVPS Race and Fusek headline Tier 2 football all-stars
Thorold running back Julian Race was named offensive MVP of the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 2 football league.
Thorold’s Julian Race and Governor Simcoe’s Joe Fusek have been named the offensive and defensive MVPs of the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Tier 2 football league.
Race, a Grade 10 student, helped his team to an unbeaten season, capped by scoring a pair of touchdowns to lead the Thorold Golden Eagles to a 44-7 victory over the Governor Simcoe Redcoats 44-7 in the championship game.
“Julian is a great teammate and a natural athlete who is elusive, has good instincts, and reads and reacts, especially in the second level (of the defence),” Thorold head coach Duane Kemp said. “He is a complete back who is willing to block, follows his blocks well and use his speed.”
His performance on the field is no accident.
“He is a dedicated and hard worker at practice and wants to be the best,” Kemp said. “He is only in Grade 10 and had huge upside. Thank goodness volleyball was too slow and he wanted to return to football.”
Race started out this fall trying out for Thorold’s volleyball team but on the night of final cuts, he decided to play football.
Other players receiving offensive MVP votes from the league’s coaches were Governor Simcoe quarterback Andrew Scott and Thorold returner/receiver Tyler Broderick.
Fusek earned defensive MVP honours with his strong play from the linebacker position. The Grade 11 student has played three years of senior football.
“He is a leader in every sense of the word,” Simcoe head coach Jamie Brophy said. “He never misses practice, he is a vocal leader on the field and he has a very high level of football intelligence.”
Fusek does an excellent job of reading the other teams’ offences and he is able to get all his teammates on the same page.
“He is also very supportive of young players and works to make them feel valued,” Brophy said. “We are very lucky to have such a great player and person representing Simcoe.”
Other plays receiving votes for defensive MVP were Jason Daniel and Stuart Huebert.
Below are the league’s all-stars as chosen by the head coaches:
Quarterback (chosen by league): 1. Andrew Scott, Simcoe; 2. John Emmorey, Collegiate.
Running back: Will Bonner, Eden; Remy Gavanac, Simcoe; Julian Race, Thorold; Tykree Llewellyn, Collegiate.
Wide receiver: Andrew Tucker, Eden; Danny Lewis, Simcoe; Andrew Dailey, Thorold; Sheldon Brown, Collegiate.
Offensive lineman: Ben Meier, Eden; Mitch Miotto, Simcoe; Tyler Reid, Thorold; Noah Penner, Collegiate.
Special teams: Evan Langendoen, Eden; Maddie Roberts, Simcoe; Tyler Broderick, Victor Garcia (kicker) and Evan Ferguson (punter), Thorold;
Defensive lineman: Austin Belanger, Eden; Eric Wilson, Simcoe; Adam St. Hilaire, Thorold; Noah Penner, Collegiate;
Linebacker: Jason Daniel, Eden; Joe Fusek, Simcoe; Jacob Turner, Thorold; Trevor Saunders, Collegiate.
Defensive back: Colton Leslie, Eden; Cort Day, Simcoe; Caleb Turner, Thorold; Davon Jones, Collegiate.
