Gryphon individual award winners are going to use the 2016 season as motivation for the 2017 OUA football campaign.
Both linebacker Luke Korol, winner of the Donald Forster Trophy as the team’s most valuable player, and offensive lineman Andrew Pickett, winner of the Stu Lang Offensive Player of the Year Award, vowed to do everything they can to improve on last year’s performance minutes after receiving their awards at the annual Wildman awards banquet.
“There are so many good things that stand out (about the 2016 season), but no one can deny that our record stands out the most this year,” Korol said. “I know that’s going to be sitting with everyone. People aren’t going to be coming into next year thinking of the good things we did this year. It’s definitely going to be of our record and how we can improve. That’s the thing that’s going to stand out for me and that’s going to be what I work off of in the weight room and with my players. That’s what stands out to me. I want to work on changing that record with whatever I can do.”
After four consecutive 7-1 seasons, the Gryphons finished at 3-5 in 2016. They qualified for the playoffs, but were knocked out of the quarter-finals by the McMaster Marauders.
“I’ve started training and started going through film,” Pickett said. “There’s no off season, especially coming off a season like last year. You can blame the season last year because of being young, new coach and everything, but that’s in the past now. You have to look to next season and we have to hit the ground running and leave that behind us and bring a whole new attitude to next season.”
All individual award winners were surprised to hear their names called as the victors.
“It’s awesome to receive it. I wasn’t expecting it. It means everything to me,” MVP Korol said. “The year was so amazing with all the guys. It’s tough to say. Being a Gryphon means so much. Just the work you put in with all these guys. Just to come here and this dinner means so much. Not so much the award, but just seeing everyone here and seeing how happy everyone is just to be around each other and the alumni. It just means so much to be at this awards dinner.”
“It means the world to me,” Pickett said. "It means a lot because it’s named after Stu Lang, somebody who’s so well respected and somebody who’s one of the big reasons I came here. It means a lot just to be selected and to be honoured with this award, being an offensive lineman. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s something that I’m very proud of. I’m ecstatic right now.
“To be honest, when I saw my name up there, I wasn’t expecting to get it, especially with (quarterback) James Roberts and (running back) Johnny Augustine, two great offensive threats who I see as leaders and who I look up to personally as well. For me to get picked as an offensive lineman, it’s amazing to think. It’s nice to see all the hard work coming and showing and being honoured by all the players.”
Both Korol and Pickett know they have things to work on as they prepare for next season. Winning the awards should spur them on to improve even more this year.
“I think Kmac pointed it out in the speech,” Korol said of head coach Kevin MacNeill’s speech right before announcing Korol as the team’s MVP. “I’m too slow. I’m too short. I’m not fast enough. He’s just a tough guy on me and he knows how to make me work so I’m going to work on those things in the off season to make myself the best player I can be, for sure, and see where that takes me in my next season.”
“Something I’ve got to work on is more consistency in my pass block, I’ve found,” Pickett said. “Last year, sometimes my pass block would be excellent and sometimes my pass block would take a step back. (I need to) work on the consistency with that to give James (Roberts) a little more time in the pocket.”
Tristan Doughlin, winner of the Tom Dimitroff Defensive Player of the Year Award, also plans on putting in the hard work to get better even though he won’t be back with the Gryphons this year. He’s used up his five years of eligibility.
“I’m going to keep lifting and working out until I get an opportunity in the CFL and if I do, hopefully I’ll be ready for it,” he said.
Doughlin credited his teammates for the awards he won as he was also named the recipient of the Captain’s Award. It’s given annually to a senior or graduating player who best exemplifies the qualities of discipline, determination and commitment to the program throughout his career.
“It’s pretty big, but honestly these awards don’t mean anything without the help of my teammates,” Doughlin said. "I couldn’t get defensive player of the year without the linebackers or the linemen up front doing their jobs.
“The captain’s award, that’s just the vote of the teammates. I didn’t expect it, but I appreciate it and I’ll never forget it.”
When he looks back on his time with the Gryphons, he’ll remember all the teammates he had and two games in particular.
“Definitely the Yates Cup (in 2015), but next up there is our Queen’s game in my first year, 2012,” he said. “Watching our fifth years and fourth years battle back from a 30-point deficit and take the W, that’s in my mind forever. That was just amazing to watch.”
With the Gryphons in the thick of recruiting for the 2017 season, all three have advice for any player thinking of joining the team.
“Expect the unexpected and be ready for anything,” Doughlin said.
“The advice I’d give them is the same advice I was given and the thing that made me want to come here,” Pickett said. “The coaches here are going to do everything in their power that when you leave, you’re going to be the best football player. You’re not going to look back and think that, man, if I would’ve done this one thing or we would’ve had this one thing, maybe I could’ve gone a bit farther, maybe I could’ve been a little better or maybe I could’ve been a little faster. The coaches are going to push you to your limits and beyond them. They’re going to push you and they’re going to give you every door, every opportunity and every chance. If there’s something that needs to be done, they’re going to do it and they’re going to go that extra mile to make sure you leave here being a better man and a better football player.”
“Become part of our family. We’re always welcoming,” Korol said. “That’s the thing that stood out the most to me coming in and being recruited, it’s just the family here. You want to be a part of this family. No one has our backs more than we do. Come here. Come to Guelph.”