Ford is the OUA MVP, Hinsperger is top rookie
Warriors quarterback will be a finalist for Hec Crighton Trophy
BURLINGTON — He was the Ontario’s top rookie in his first season and most valuable player in his second.
So, what’s next for Waterloo Warriors quarterback Tre Ford?
“A championship, a Yates Cup championship,” he said. “I feel like we’ve taken big steps to get there and I think next year we definitely have a shot.”
Ford, the Warriors’ dual-threat speedster from Niagara Falls, was named MVP of the Ontario University Athletics football league during Thursday’s Yates Cup luncheon at the Holiday Inn.
Waterloo linebacker Jack Hinsperger was also honoured, winning the Norm Marshall Trophy as the conference’s top rookie. Other awards went to Fraser Sopik (Western, outstanding stand-up defensive player), Kene Onyeka (Carleton, top lineman), Greg Marshall (Western, coach of the year), Mackenzie Ferguson (Western, Russ Jackson award nominee), Mike White (Ottawa, volunteer coach of the year), and Ken Green (OUA football officials award of merit).
Ford finished the season with 2,822 passing yards, 27 TD passes and two interceptions, best in the OUA in all three categories. His 74.1 per cent completion rate was the best in OUA history and he collected 641 rushing yards on the year, sixth in the conference.
His contributions helped the Warriors finish with a 4-4 regular-season record and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Warriors’ campaign ended in a 45-34 playoff loss to the Guelph Gryphons, a game in which Ford completed 23 of 32 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed 11 times for 150 yards and two TDs.
Warriors head coach Chris Bertoia said Ford would be the first one to call his MVP nod a team award — which, he did — and said his quarterback’s contributions weren’t limited to his
on-field heroics.
“He’s brought athleticism, leadership, talent, charisma, character and confidence that’s helped boost our locker room in terms of confidence and expectations,” said Bertoia. “Tre had a fantastic season and he’s very deserving of this award.”
Ford’s MVP campaign is the fifth in Waterloo history, following in the footsteps of Tom Chartier (1990), Jarrett Smith (1996, 1997) and Mike Bradley (1999).
Hinsperger is a hard-hitting, six-foot tall, 210-pounder who played at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania before joining the Warriors. He became an instant leader on the team and started six regularseason games before sitting out the final two with an injury. He finished the season with 27.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and one fumble recovery.
He credits his teammates for helping make a smooth transition to the university game and, like Ford, has high hopes for the future.
“In university football, everyone is big and fast, not big or fast, but I got to play alongside my brother Devon as well as Kurtis Gray, who I played with in high school, and Mike Reid, who I became good friends with over the season. The three of them really helped me learn the playbook and helped me get up to speed with the speed of the game,” he said.
Hinsperger is the third Warrior to claim the Norm Marshall Trophy, joining Ford and Jordan Verdone (2008).
Next up for Ford and Hinsperger are the U Sports national awards that will be handed out in the week of the Nov. 24 Vanier Cup. Ford is the OUA nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy as Canada’s most outstanding player, while Hinsperger will try to win the Peter Gorman Trophy as the nation’s top rookie.
Bertoia, meanwhile, will try to land a player who might turn into Waterloo’s third consecutive rookie of the year winner.
“I’m going to leave here and go to London to recruit and there’s the District 8 championship tonight (Thursday) at Warrior Field,” he said. “No rest for the wicked.”
The Guelph Gryphons face the Western Mustangs in the Yates Cup final on Saturday at TD Stadium in London.