It’s been a season full of ups and downs for the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the team prepares for their season finale against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
Although the team will fail to make the post season for the first time since 2016, there have been some bright spots throughout the organization, most notably the team’s nominee for both Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Player of the year award.
For the second consecutive season Darnell Sankey has paced the league in defensive tackles, currently sitting with 115 – ten more than the next closest players with one game remaining on the schedule.
The MOP nominees are regularly dominated by offensive players, more specifically quarterbacks.
Over the last 65 years only one defensive player has claimed the award, B.C. Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian who took home the league’s top individual prize in 2014.
“I guess it’s not often, but it’s something that I kind of expect,” Sankey said. “I’m a competitor, I want to win at everything I do, I want to win every award, and every game and every snap.”
“He’s had a heck of a year,” head coach Craig Dickenson assessed. “He plays really hard, he gets to the football, you can’t get him off of the field. He’s been all we thought he would be and more.”
The two prestigious individual awards aren’t the only things in Sankey’s immediate sight, as the 28-year-old sits only three tackles behind David Albright (1987) for the most single-season defensive tackles in Saskatchewan Roughriders history, a mark he believes is firmly within his grasp.
“I’ve been made aware and it’s something to think about,” he explained. “But, as long as I go out and do my job then I don’t think that should be a problem, hitting it, even getting more. Until they tell me I’m done, that’s my mentality.”
“It’s impressive, there’s no doubt about it and the other thing that’s impressive is that he’s able to stay healthy,” Dickenson said. “A lot of these records have as much to do with durability as anything and he’s been able to stay healthy, play in every game this year and be very productive in all of those games.”
The Riders other nominees include return specialist Mario Alford who leads the league in return touchdowns with four, earning the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player nod.
Most Outstanding Canadian hopeful Kian Schaffer-Baker has hauled in five touchdowns over 63 catches for 935 yards, including 396 yards after the catch.
Rounding out the green and white’s outstanding player candidates are Offensive Lineman Logan Ferland and Rookie Frankie Hickson.
The East and West division finalists will be announced Nov. 3.
Comments