CFL: Simoni Lawrence, Cody Fajardo, Dane Evans top performers in Week 16
Simoni Lawrence, Cody Fajardo and Dane Evans were named the Shaw CFL Top Performers of the Week for Week 16 of the CFL’s 2019 season.
The three players were chosen by a panel of judges who independently send their selections to the CFL head office. The panel includes former Canadian Football League players Matt Dunigan and Duane Ford of TSN and Pierre Vercheval of RDS.
LB | SIMONI LAWRENCE | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Hamilton’s star linebacker Simoni Lawrence re-wrote the CFL history books in the Tiger-Cats’ 33-13 victory in Winnipeg on Friday night. Lawrence recorded a CFL-record 17 defensive tackles to surpass former Roughrider Reggie Hunt’s 16 set in 2003.
Lawrence notched five tackles included a tackle for a loss in the first half, before he exploded with a dozen more and a pass knockdown while smothering the Winnipeg offence. His record-setting tackle came with 46 seconds remaining and Kenny Lawler falling victim to his defensive prowess.
With his historic outing, Lawrence now sits second in the league with 78 tackles – one shy of Cory Greenwood. The native of Upper Darby, Pa., also has four sacks and two interceptions on the season.
QB | CODY FAJARDO | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo led the way in a 41-16 road victory in Toronto as the team booked its ticket into the 107th Grey Cup playoffs. The Nevada alum completed 23-of-27 passes (85%) for 278 yards and a trio of touchdowns, while adding 80 yards on the ground and a rushing major.
Midway through the second, Fajardo found Kyran Moore who dodged several tackles before reaching the endzone for a 28-yard major. A stellar second half saw the Brea, Calif., native connect with Shaq Evans for another touchdown before he called his own number and scampered in from eight yards out to make it 23 straight points for the visitors. Fajardo ended his day by finding Emmanuel Arceneaux in stride for a 55-yard touchdown.
This season, Fajardo has accumulated 3,140 passing yards with a 72% completion rate and 23 touchdowns (13 pass, 10 rush). He has now been recognized as a Shaw CFL Top Performer on three occasions, including nods in Weeks 3 and 8.
QB | DANE EVANS | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans (9) throws against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of CFL action in Winnipeg on Friday, September 27, 2019. (John Woods / CP)
Tiger-Cats pivot Dane Evans was 25-for-32 (78%) while passing for 359 yards and three touchdowns as Hamilton registered a 33-13 victory in Winnipeg. It was the Tulsa product’s fourth consecutive game passing for 300+ yards, and his fifth of the 2019 campaign.
After falling behind 7-0 early in the contest, Evans connected with Bralon Addison for an 8-yard score to kickstart the Hamilton offence – it would be the first of 24 straight points for the visiting side, including a 10-yard strike to Brandon Banks midway through the second frame. Evans went on to total 308 passing yards in the first half.
The native of Sanger, Texas, wrapped up Hamilton’s 11th victory of the year by finding Tyrell Sutton for an 8-yard TD in the fourth quarter – his first as a member of the Tiger-Cats. It also marked Evans’ second game-in-a-row with a trio of passing majors.
Evans’ breakout season now includes 2,646 yards through the air on 70% passing. He has 14 touchdown passes, while rushing for three more. This is his second weekly honour in addition to a Week 12 selection.
Shaw Fans’ Choice of the Week!
Andrew Harris won Week 15 of Shaw Fans’ Choice of the Week and collected 10 bonus points.
| RANK | PLAYER | 2019 TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | Trevor Harris | 450 |
| 2 | Willie Jefferson | 335 |
| T-3 | Brandon Banks | 250 |
| T-3 | Vernon Adams Jr. | 250 |
| T-5 | Winston Rose | 200 |
| T-5 | William Stanback | 200 |
| 7 | Cody Fajardo | 195 |
| T-8 | Charleston Hughes | 150 |
| T-8 | Tre Roberson | 150 |
| 10 | William Powell | 145 |
| 11 | Dane Evans | 135 |
| T-12 | Janarion Grant | 110 |
| T-12 | Chris Streveler | 110 |
| 14 | Andrew Harris | 105 |
| T-15 | Greg Ellingson | 100 |
| T-15 | Dylan Wynn | 100 |
| T-15 | Eric Rogers | 100 |
| T-15 | McLeod Bethel-Thompson | 100 |
| T-15 | Simoni Lawrence | 100 |
| 20 | Sean Thomas Erlington | 85 |
| 21 | C.J. Gable | 75 |
| 22 | Matt Nichols | 60 |
| T-23 | Bralon Addison | 50 |
| T-23 | DeVone Dedmon | 50 |
| T-23 | Dominique Davis | 50 |
| T-23 | John Bowman | 50 |
| T-23 | Jumal Rolle | 50 |
| T-23 | Jake Wieneke | 50 |
| T-29 | Mike Miller | 35 |
| T-29 | Reggie Begelton | 35 |
| T-31 | Ja’Gared Davis | 25 |
| T-31 | Shaq Evans | 25 |
| T-31 | Ryan Lankford | 25 |
| T-31 | DaVaris Daniels | 25 |
| T-31 | Derel Walker | 25 |
Read the rest of the article from CFL.ca here.
