Sinotte on pace to break CIS receptions record this week
OTTAWA (CIS) - Queen's quarterback Dan Brannagan will play the
final regular season game of his stellar university career on
Saturday and, if all goes according to plan, he'll then go into the
OUA playoffs as CIS' all-time leading passer.
Brannagan of Burlington, Ont., has amassed 10,425 yards through the air since joining the Gaels in 2005 and needs 31 more this weekend against Wilfrid Laurier to break the CIS career mark of 10,455 set a year ago by former McGill pivot Matt Connell.
Brannagan could also set an OUA record for career touchdown passes Saturday. He enters the duel in third place on the CIS all-time list with 77 TD strikes, two back of OUA record-holder Josh Sacobie of Ottawa and 10 shy of the national mark established from 1987 to 1990 by Saint Mary's three-time Hec Crighton trophy winner Chris Flynn.
No. 2-ranked Queen's (7-0), which has already secured first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the playoffs, visits Laurier (5-2) at 1 p.m.
Western's own fifth-year senior, Michael Faulds of Eden Mills, Ont., will also end his varsity career near the top of a number of CIS quarterback categories. He even has an outside shot at overtaking Brannagan for the passing yards lead.
Going into the No. 6-Mustangs' (5-2) finale Saturday against Toronto (1-6), Faulds sits in third place on the CIS list with 10,261 yards, is second with 722 career completions (94 behind Connell) and fourth with 1,189 attempts, only 11 back of second place.
Other players to keep an eye on this weekend include McGill receiver Charles-Antoine Sinotte of Trois-Rivières, Que., Queen's receiver Scott Valberg of Kingston, Ont., Saint Mary's kicker Justin Palardy of Truro, N.S., and Guelph kicker Rob Maver of Guelph, Ont.
Both Sinotte and Palardy still have two games to play in the regular season, while Valberg and Maver have one apiece.
Sinotte, whose Redmen (3-3) battle Concordia Saturday, is currently tied for fourth place on the CIS career list with 185 receptions, nine back of the Canadian record set last year by former McGill teammate Erik Galas. Sinotte, a fourth-year veteran, already holds the CIS single-season mark of 72 catches since 2007.
Valberg ranks ninth with 2,758 career receiving yards, only 23 out of eighth position and 111 shy of seventh place. He is also tied for 13th with 154 receptions and tied for 15th with 21 TD catches.
Palardy and Maver, both in their fourth university season, are already among CIS career leaders for most field goals and points.
Palardy, whose No. 7-Huskies (5-1) face No. 9-StFX (5-1) Friday night, is currently tied for fifth all-time with an AUS-record 59 field goals (11 back of CIS record-holder Frank Jagas of Western) and is tied for sixth place with 296 career points.
Maver, whose Gryphons (3-4) end the campaign Saturday at McMaster, is not far behind with 57 field goals and 287 points.
As the regular schedule comes to an end this weekend in Ontario and wraps up next week in the three other conferences, a number of players are also making their way up CIS single-season lists.
Faulds leads the nation this fall with 2,483 passing yards, which is already good for 11th place all-time. Former Queen's two-time Hec Crighton winner Tommy Denison set the CIS and OUA marks of 3,001 yards in 2002, while Chris Hessel set the Western record of 2,806 (fourth all-time) that same year.
Mustang teammate Nathan Riva of LaSalle, Ont., leads CIS on the season with 14 all-purpose touchdowns. While he has no shot at the CIS record of 25 set way back in 1967 by StFX's Paul Brule, Riva could make his way all the way up to sixth place with a three-touchdown performance against Toronto.
Sherbrooke running back Pascal Fils of Montreal is the 2009 CIS rushing yards leader with 1,121, with two games remaining on the Vert & Or schedule. The CIS mark of 1,816 yards set in 2004 by former McMaster Hec Crighton recipient Jesse Lumsden seems safe, but Fils could make his way into the single-season Top 5 (current No. 5: 1,464 - Jamall Lee, Bishop's, 2007).
Alberta defensive back Jason Hetherington of Moose Jaw, Sask., has a CIS-leading eight interceptions with two games left on the Golden Bears schedule. Only 10 players in CIS history had more picks in a single season, with UBC's Mark Norman holding the national record of 12 since 1986.
Laurier's Dillon Heap of Waterloo, Ont., already has a CIS season record of 827 punt return yards going into the Hawks finale against Queen's.
Finally, Palardy and Ottawa's Matthew Falvo of Welland, Ont., are tied for the CIS lead this fall with 17 field goals. While Falvo only has a single game - Saturday vs. Windsor - to add to his total, Palardy has two outings left and has an outside shot at the CIS mark of 25 set a year ago by Laval's Christopher Milo.
Following are the CIS career leaders in major passing categories, as well as in various other categories.
CIS CAREER LEADERS (regular season only)
Passing yards
1. 10455 Matt Connell, McGill 2003-08 **
2. 10425 Dan Brannagan, Queen's 2005-present
3. 10261 Michael Faulds, Western 2005-present
4. 9974 Ben Chapdelaine, McMaster 1997-01
5. 9885 Josh Sacobie, Ottawa 2004-08
6. 9449 Teale Orban, Regina 2004-08
7. 9287 Justin Dunk, Guelph 2005-present
8. 8800 Darryl Leason, Calgary - Regina 1996-98 / 2000-01
9. 8766 Larry Jusdanis, Acadia 1991-95
10. 8637 Chris Hessel, Western 1998 / 2001-04
11. 8424 Bill Kubas, Laurier 1990-94
12. 8407 Greg Vavra, Calgary 1979-83
13. 8294 Brent Schneider, Saskatchewan 1992-96
14. 8288 Mathieu Bertrand, Laval 1998-99 / 2001-03
15. 8158 Blake Smelser, UBC 2002-06
16. 8073 Benoit Groulx, Laval 2005-present
** Connell only dressed for 1 game in 2003 (3-3, 42 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT) which did not count towards his eligibility, as per CIS regulations.
Touchdown passes
1. 87 Chris Flynn, Saint Mary's 1987-90
2. 79 Josh Sacobie, Ottawa 2004-08
3. 77 Dan Brannagan, Queen's 2005-present
4. 76 Teale Orban, Regina 2004-08
5. 73 Bill Robinson Sr., St. Mary's - Western 1970-73 / 1974
6. 65 Bill Kubas, Laurier 1990-94
7. 64 Larry Jusdanis, Acadia 1991-95
T8. 63 Greg Vavra, Calgary 1979-83
T8. 63 Matt Connell, McGill 2003-08 **
T10. 62 Chris Hessel, Western 1998 / 2001-04
T10. 62 Shane Munson, Manitoba 1999-03
T10. 62 Ryan Pyear, Laurier 2001-05
T10. 62 Benoit Groulx, Laval 2005-present
14. 61 Justin Dunk, Guelph 2005-present
15. 60 Darryl Leason, Calgary - Regina 1996-98 / 2000-01
16. 59 Ben Chapdelaine, McMaster 1997-01
T17. 58 Mathieu Bertrand, Laval 1998-99 / 2001-03
T17. 58 Michael Faulds, Western 2005-present
Passing attempts
1. 1364 Matt Connell, McGill 2003-08 **
2. 1200 Greg Vavra, Calgary 1979-83
3. 1198 Teale Orban, Regina 2004-08
4. 1189 Michael Faulds, Western 2005-present
5. 1166 Dan Brannagan, Queen's 2005-present
6. 1111 Josh Sacobie, Ottawa 2004-08
7. 1107 Ben Chapdelaine, McMaster 1997-01
8. 1095 Larry Jusdanis, Acadia 1991-95
9. 1089 Justin Dunk, Guelph 2005-present
Passing completions
1. 816 Matt Connell, McGill 2003-08 **
2. 722 Michael Faulds, Western 2005-present
3. 685 Teale Orban, Regina 2004-08
4. 642 Dan Brannagan, Queen's 2005-present
5. 637 Josh Sacobie, Ottawa 2004-08
6. 611 Greg Vavra, Calgary 1979-83
7. 609 Ben Chapdelaine, McMaster 1997-01
8. 593 Justin Dunk, Guelph 2005-present
9. 592 Larry Jusdanis, Acadia 1991-95
10. 581 Benoit Groulx, Laval 2005-present
Receptions
1. 194 Erik Galas, McGill 2004-08
2. 189 Andy Fantuz, Western 2002-05
3. 186 Stefan Ptaszek, Laurier 1990-94
T4. 185 Chris Evraire, Ottawa 1994-98
T4. 185 Charles-Antoine Sinotte, McGill 2006-present
6. 178 Arjei Franklin, Windsor 2001-05
T7. 173 James MacLean, Queen's 1998-01
T7. 173 Chad Goldie, Regina 2004-08
9. 168 Grant Davy, Acadia 1991-95
10. 166 Steve Sarty, Saint Mary's 1991-95
11. 163 Bill McIntyre, StFX 1983-87
12. 162 Brad Coutts UBC 1996-00
T13. 154 Glenn Miller, McGill 1982-86
T13. 154 Scott Valberg, Queen's 2004-present **
15. 153 Cory Kennedy, Toronto 2004-08
16. 152 Terry Firr, Manitoba 2004-08
17. 151 Gary Ross, Mount Allison 2006-present
** Valberg only dressed for 2 games in 2004 (3 rec, 64 yds, 0 TD) which did not count towards his eligibility, as per CIS regulations.
Receiving yards
1. 4123 Andy Fantuz, Western 2002-05
2. 3184 Ryan Janzen, McMaster 1996-00
3. 3138 James MacLean, Queen's 1998-01
4. 3126 Stefan Ptaszek, Laurier 1990-94
5. 3031 Chris Evraire, Ottawa 1994-98
6. 2913 Arjei Franklin, Windsor 2001-05
7. 2869 Vaughan Swart, McMaster 2001-05
8. 2781 Brad Coutts, UBC 1996-01
9. 2758 Scott Valberg, Queen's 2004-present **
21. 2304 Charles-Antoine Sinotte, McGill 2006-present
22. 2302 Gary Ross, Mount Allison 2006-present
Field goals
1. 70 Frank Jagas, Western 1990-94
2. 68 Jamie Boreham, UBC-Sask.-Man. 1996 / 1999 / 2001-03
3. 63 Shawn McIsaac, UBC 2004-08
4. 61 Anand Pillai, McGill 1999-2003
T5. 59 Michael Ray, McMaster 2001-04
T5. 59 Justin Palardy, Saint Mary's 2006-present
7. 57 Rob Maver, Guelph 2006-present
T18. 51 Perri Scarcelli, Regina 2005-present
25. 48 Aaron Ifield, Calgary 2006-present
T32. 45 Christopher Milo, Laval 2007-present
All-purpose touchdowns
1. 51 Paul Brule, StFX 1964-67
2. 48 Dominic Zagari, Manitoba 1991-95
3. 47 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster 2001-04
4. 43 Randy McAuley, Western 2003-07
T5. 41 Mike Bradley, Waterloo 1997-01
T5. 41 Andy Fantuz, Western 2002-05
7. 40 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster 1998-02
8. 39 Daryl Stephenson, Windsor 2004-08
9. 37 Luis Perez, Saint Mary's 1997-01
10. 37 Mike Giffin, Queen's 2005-08
T11. 36 Tim Tindale, Western 1990-93
T11. 36 Pierre-Luc Yao, Laval 2003-07
13. 35 Jamall Lee, Bishop's 2005-08
T14. 34 Brian Fryer, Alberta 1972-75
T14. 34 Sean Reade, Western 1992-96
T14. 34 Kyle Pyear, McMaster 1999-03
T17. 33 Eric Walter, McGill - Toronto 1961-62 - 64-65 / 1968-70
T17. 33 Jim Reid, Laurier 1976-78
T17. 33 Chris Ciezki, UBC 2000 / 2004-07
T17. 33 Ivan Birungi, Acadia - Ottawa 2003-06 / 2008
T17. 33 Nick Fitzgibbon, Guelph 2006-present
Scoring (points)
1. 410 Neil Lumsden, Ottawa 1972-75
2. 392 Frank Jagas, Western 1990-94
3. 357 Jamie Boreham, UBC-Sask.-Man. 1996 / 1999 / 2001-03
4. 346 Michael Ray, McMaster 2000-04
5. 306 Paul Brule, StFX 1964-67
T6. 296 Dominic Zagari, Manitoba 1991-95
T6. 296 Justin Palardy, Saint Mary's 2006-present
8. 294 Kevin Reider, Windsor 2003-07
9. 293 Bob Stracina, Acadia 1975-79
10. 293 Anand Pillai, McGill 1999-2003
11. 287 Rob Maver, Guelph 2006-present
12. 282 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster 2001-04
13. 279 Perri Scarcelli, Regina 2005-present
25. 256 Christopher Milo, Laval 2007-present
Punt return yards
1. 2517 Chris Evraire, Ottawa 1994-98
2. 2279 Eric Duchene, Saskatchewan 1999-03
3. 1964 Derek Townsend, UBC 2003-07
4. 1918 Chuck Wust, Acadia 1982-83 / 1985-87
5. 1886 Don Hollerhead, Windsor 1971-75
6. 1766 Mike Plante, Manitoba 1997-00
7. 1736 Kendall Jeske, Alberta 2002-06
8. 1632 Arjei Franklin, Windsor 2001-05
9. 1607 Gary Ross, Mount Allison 2006-present
10. 1520 Brad Black, Manitoba 2004-07
11. 1472 Jimmy Allin, Queen's 2005-present
28. 1178 Dillon Heap, Laurier 2005 / 2008-present
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