(Regina) Once again, Zach Collaros is the CFL’s MVP.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback earned the honor for the second straight year Thursday night at the CFL Awards Banquet.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Dalton Schoen was named rookie of the year while BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke was named Most Outstanding Canadian Player.
Collaros and the Blue Bombers will end their season on Sunday against the Toronto Argonauts in the Gray Cup final game.
The Blue Bombers will be looking for a third straight championship.
The vote was taken by members of The Football Chroniclers of Canada and the nine head coaches of the CFL.
Collaros led the CFL in touchdown passes (37) and was second in passing yards (4,183 yards), while completing 305 of 436 throw-ins (70%).
The 34-year-old quarterback led an offense that ranked first in touchdowns (58), touchdown passes (44) and second in points scored ( 28.2 points per game).
He beat Montreal Alouettes receiver Eugene Lewis. The latter caught 91 passes for gains of 1303 yards and obtained 10 majors.
Rourke, the new Canadian star
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nathan Rourke
Rourke finished sixth in yards gained through the air with 3,349 yards, despite appearing in just 10 regular-season games.
The 24-year-old British Columbian won eight of his first nine games before suffering a foot injury in a 28-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 19 that required surgery.
At the time, Rourke led the CFL in passing yards (3,281 yards) and touchdown passes (25).
He made a comeback in the Lions’ final regular season game and then led the club to a 30-16 triumph over the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lions then went down 28-20 against the Blue Bombers in the section final.
Schoen alone at the top
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Dalton Schoen
Schoen, a six-foot-one, 218-pound American wide receiver, led the CFL in passing yards gained (1,441) and touchdowns caught (16).
He caught 70 passes in his first CFL season, averaging 20.6 yards per catch.
He beat his Alouettes counterpart, Tyson Philpot.
Alford at the expense of the Alouettes
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mario Alford
Former Alouettes member Mario Alford of the Saskatchewan Roughriders was named the Special Teams Most Outstanding Player.
Earlier this week, Alford signed a contract extension with the Roughriders. He was expected to become a free agent in February.
This season, Alford has four kickoff return touchdowns, a CFL high in 13 regular-season games.
His four touchdown returns are a record for the Saskatchewan club.
Chandler Worthy of the Montreal Alouettes was the other finalist.
The Roughriders acquired Alford from the Alouettes on July 3 in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick.
Other trophies
Ottawa Redblacks defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin IV, who is six-foot-four and weighs 259 pounds, won Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Mauldin was one of the only good players for the Rouge et Noir (4-14), which finished last in the Eastern Conference.
In his first season with the Capital team, he had 17 quarterback sacks, had 43 tackles and forced two fumbles.
For his part, Mike O’Shea was named head coach of the year for a second consecutive season.
The Blue Bombers driver led his troops to a 15-3 record, the best on the Ambrosie circuit.