Walters and Kostyniuk named Tier 1 MVPs
Noah Walters of A.N. Myer (7) was named offensive MVP of the NRHSAA Tier 1 football league. Photo by SCOTT WATSON.
A.N. Myer’s Noah Walters and Sir Winston Churchill’s Ty Kostyniuk have been selected as the offensive and defensive MVPs of the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association’s Tier 1 football league.
Walters, Myer’s quarterback, is the first unanimous winner of the award since BP Sports Niagara began announcing the winners in 2021. He received all five first-place votes from the league’s coaches.
Kostyniuk was the winner of the closest race ever for league defensive MVP honours. Three players received first-place votes and in a system that awards three points for a first-place vote, two for a second and one for a third, the top four vote getters were separated by only three votes.
Walters led the Marauders to an unbeaten regular season and after the team was shocked by Churchill in the championship game, Myer rebounded to knock off Notre Dame and Westmount in Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association play before it lost a close 13-10 decision in Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association Bowl play against Corpus Christi, the fourth-ranked team in Canada.
The Grade 12 player finished the year 119-176 passing for a 68 per cent completion rate. He threw for 1,939 yards, 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He also rushed for 361 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Noah’s a future U SPORTS QB with elite arm talent and athleticism. He’s a strong leader and has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. Noah’s a fierce competitor that wants to be challenged. This was his first year starting at senior and we saw a lot of growth,” Myer offensive coordinator Dan Pepe said. “We all seen Noah consistently making highlight plays, but his ability to overcome adversity may have been his greatest trait. After our loss in the finals, he remained confident and rallied the team to a SOSSA championship. We’re proud of the way he has developed on and off the field.”
Also nominated for the award were: Centennial’s Noah Wellard; Sir Winston Churchill’s Cory Witter; Greater Fort Erie’s Brayden Stoddard; and, West Niagara’s Alex Suntz.
Kostyniuk, a 12B player, helped lead the Bulldogs to a 3-1 regular season and had a strong game as Churchill knocked off A.N. Myer in the championship game.
“We knew Ty was a gifted athlete when he first joined our program but he really started to excel on defence when he earned the middle linebacker position last season. He’s the heart and soul of our D,” Churchill defensive coordinator Scott Hill said. “He loves the game and it shows. He has a great football IQ and is one heck of a competitor. He makes everyone around him a better player. He’s a big personality and he motivated this year’s team to a championship season they will never forget.”
Also nominated for the award were: Centennial’s Brody Marton; A.N. Myer’s Travis Boland; Greater Fort Erie’s Michael Bielich; and, West Niagara’s Adam Skeldon.
Below are the all-stars and MVPs from each of the league’s member teams:
A.N. Myer Marauders: All-stars: Cade Ivanchuk, Deniz Gungor, Thomas Alexander, Deniz Duzgun, Fran DellaVallentina, Thomas Somerville, Marco Angelini, Travis Boland and Noah Walters. Offensive MVP: Walters. Defensive MVP: Boland.
Centennial Cougars: All-stars: Noah Wellard, Brody Marton, Sawyer Samms, Kyle Buchanan and Kane Hoad. Offensive MVP: Wellard. Defensive MVP: Marton.
Greater Fort Erie Gryphons: All-stars: Brayden Stoddard, Michael Bielich, Cole Hilmayer, Chad Phillips, Jack Lunn and Josh Cuizon. Offensive MVP: Stoddard. Defensive MVP: Bielich.
Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: All-stars: Cory Witter, Ty Kostyniuk, Lukas Goodbrand, Ethan Velasquez, Owen Meloche, Cole Lewis and Jack McNeil. Offensive MVP: Witter. Defensive MVP: Kostyniuk.
West Niagara Wolfpack: All-stars: Adam Skeldon, Sean Northcott, Alex Suntz, Hayden Howard, Jacob Shaver and Kieran McDonald. Offensive MVP: Suntz. Defensive MVP: Skeldon.
