The whole nation was talking about Weyburn on Thursday night, after both Brendon LaBatte and Brett Jones won honours at the 2013 CFL awards.
The whole nation was talking about Weyburn on Thursday night, after both Brendon LaBatte and Brett Jones won honours at the 2013 CFL awards.
LaBatte, from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, won Offensive Lineman of the Year; and Jones, from the Calgary Stampeders, won Rookie of the Year.
"It was a historic night for our community on Thursday," said Darren Abel, head coach for the Weyburn Comp Eagles. Abel, Mike Hoffman and Chris Michel all attended the awards night.
Prior to the CFL, both LaBatte and Jones played for the University of Rams, and both men started their football careers at the Weyburn Comp, playing with the Comp Eagles.
"Mike, Chris and myself were very nervous about the first award presented, which was Rookie of the Year," said Abel. "We knew that it was going to be a tight race, but if Brett won we were pretty sure Weyburn would be getting two awards."
"When his name was announced, we jumped to our feet in pride! He is a great young man and he gave a hilarious and thoughtful acceptance speech," said Abel. "When we saw him afterwards, he was his normal smiley self."
Jones was selected by Calgary earlier this year, 16th overall in the CFL Draft. At age 22, he is the first centre in league history to win the CFL's rookie of the year award. He is also just the fifth Canadian in league history, and the first since 2002, to win the award. Jones contributed to an offensive line on a team that lead the league in rushing.
Speaking with the media after winning the award, Jones credited his time in Weyburn for his development as a player.
"For me to be able to play football from peewee all the way to high school, I was definitely able to build those skills," said Jones. Sports are a big deal in Weyburn, he said. There's a great group of volunteer coaches, which has resulted in many scholarships for athletes in several different sports.
Jones graduated from the Weyburn Comprehensive School in 2009, and joined the University of Regina Rams. The efforts of his coaches at the campus played a big role in his development as a player, he said.
He was selected in the second round, 16th overall, by the Stampeders in this year's CFL Draft, and earned the job as the Stampeders' starting centre with his efforts in training camp and during the pre-season.
Jones started all 18 games for the Stampeders this year. With him in the middle of their offensive line, the Stampeders surrendered the fewest quarterback sacks in the league, and they opened up room for running back Jon Cornish to lead the league in rushing.
Cornish was named the league's top Canadian and most outstanding player the same night that Jones won the league's top rookie award.
Jones said that the professional game is much faster than its university counterpart, but it also requires more preparation and a greater attention to detail.
Jones said he is hopeful that other offensive linemen will be selected as the league's top rookie in the future.
"The offensive line is a very important position in football, and you see that with lots of teams that have success in any level, that there is a good offensive line, especially in the Canadian game," said Jones.
Later in the evening, LaBatte received the top offensive lineman award. "Brendan also made a very nice acceptance speech, in which he singled out Brendan Taman for drafting him in Winnipeg and bringing him back to Saskatchewan as a free agent," said Abel.
LaBatte, age 27, is in his sixth year in the CFL. He anchored an offensive line that supported Kory Sheets to become the second-leading rusher in the league with 1,598 yards.
During his speech, LaBatte quipped that he is not expecting a new sign to go up in Weyburn. He joked that he can't compete against the likes of golfer Graham DeLaet and famed politician Tommy Douglas.
LaBatte said it's "crazy" to have two offensive linemen from the same small city win awards on the same night, especially since there have only been a few players from Weyburn who have played in the CFL.
"I'm not sure what the percentages of that happening would be, but they can't be very good," said LaBatte. He admitted that he never considered professional football until he started playing in university for the University of Regina Rams.
"They opened it up, and that's when I started to believe that it could be a good career for myself," said LaBatte. He was selected sixth overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2008 CFL Draft. He was an East Division all-star from 2009 to 2011 for Winnipeg, and a CFL all-star in 2011.
LaBatte signed with the Riders as a free agent in 2012, and was named a West Division all-star in his first year with the club. He was also chosen for both the division and league all-star teams this year. Now he's a Grey Cup champion.
LaBatte and the rest of the offensive line played a pivotal role in the Riders' Grey Cup victory. He lauded the efforts of the other members of the team's offensive line during the game and throughout the year.
