Concordia Stinger wide receiver Yanic Lessard was named the outstanding rookie on offence in the RSEQ football conference this morning in Quebec City.
Right from the start, there were high expectations for this young football player out of Champlain College, Lennoxville.
"I always knew he was going to be a star for us," said Concordia offensive co-ordinator Matt Connell. "When we were recruiting him, I kept telling him how much we were going to throw to him.
And the Stingers threw to him a lot. He caught 50 passes for 728 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Ste. Julie, Que. native led the RSEQ in several receiving categories including touchdowns scored, total receiving yards and average yards per game.
He was in the CIS Top 10 in all receiving categories and was the most accomplished rookie in four of the five.
"He runs great routes and he's a very smart player, said Connell. "We knew if we needed a clutch play, we just had to throw in his vicinity and he was going to come down with it. He is a big game receiver.
Head coach Mickey Donovan has high praise for Lessard's commitment to the team.
"He's one of the toughest and hardest working guys I've ever seen, Donovan said. "He had to deal with some injuries this season, and he never complained. He refused to take one rep off even though he was hurting.
Lessard was one of quarterback Trenton Miller's favorite targets and they will have two more years together.
"It's scary to think about what those two can do together over the next couple of years, said Connell.
