The Western Mustangs defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies 27-21 in the Vanier Cup championship game Dec. 4, capping off the 2021 U-Sports football season.
Several Chilliwackians played at Canadian universities this year, and here’s how those players and their teams fared.
In his fifth year of U-Sports ball, Jacob Butler was a team captain at Queen’s U in Kingston, ON., playing with younger brother Nick Butler. Their Golden Gaels went unbeaten (6-0) in league play and added a pair of one-sided playoff wins over the Carleton Ravens (41-14) and Ottawa Gee Gees (32-15). Their season came to an end Nov. 20 with a 29-0 loss to Western in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship game.
Jacob Butler anchored the Queen’s offensive line, and stats are hard to come by for the big guys up front. But it’s worth noting that Golden Gaels running back Rasheed Tucker was No. 2 in regular-season rushing yards with 675, a reflection on the people blocking for him.
Nick Butler was a second-year receiver and didn’t see any playing time.
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Both Butlers are Sardis secondary school grads.
Davies Mitchell finished his first season with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo, ON. The Sardis secondary grad didn’t see any playing time at defensive back.
G.W. Graham alum Ethan Mastin enjoyed a solid season with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. The defensive back produced three interceptions and nine solo tackles. Mastin had one great game in early October, earning Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and U-Sports Defensive Player of the Week honours after recording two interceptions, a forced fumble and a blocked kick in a 32-29 win over the Bishop’s Gaiters.
Mastin’s team went 6-0 in regular season play, beat Acadia 27-22 in an AUS semi-final and captured the Loney Bowl as AUS champs with a 25-17 win over Bishop’s.
Former GWG Grizzly Gabe Olivares finished another season with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, though the quarterback didn’t see any action, and another G.W. Graham QB of the past, Grayson Frick, finished his first campaign at Waterloo without throwing a pass.
— South of the border, Sardis secondary grad Carlos Redekopp played in three games for the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars, an NCAA Div III program playing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
The first-year defensive back recorded a tackle in a Sep. 11 game against the Carleton Knights.
Redekopp’s crew finished third in the conference with a 4-2 record.