Four football players who have worn the maroon and gold were selected in the CFL draft this afternoon, including Concordia defensive tackle Maurice Forbes and offensive tackle Anthony Barrette who were both second round selections.
Forbes, a fourth-year Stinger from Mississauga, Ont., was selected in the second round, 13th overall, by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 2010, he dominated the line of scrimmage in the Quebec conference picking up 20.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks in nine games.
Barrette, a native of Verdun, Que., fulfilled a childhood dream when the Montreal Alouettes selected him in the second round, 16th overall. The second team CIS all-Canadian joins lineman Kristian Matte, a close friend and former Concordia teammate, who was picked by the Als in the first round of the 2010 draft.
“It’s unreal,” said an exuberant Barrette from his home where he followed the draft with his family. “I’m so happy.”
Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath was also pleased with the results of the draft.
“I felt confident they would both go in the first or second round,” said McGrath. “Though I did think Maurice would go out West. That Hamilton selected him was a surprise. I’m not surprised that Montreal took Anthony. They got a hometown kid, a real quality kid.”
Liam Mahoney, a slotback from Lachine, Que., was picked in the sixth round, 41st overall, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There will be a number of familiar faces when he gets to training camp. Several Stingers alumni suit up for Winnipeg, including punter Mike Renaud, long snap Chris Cvetkovic and slotback Cory Watson, who was the Blue Bombers’ top pick in the 2010 draft.
Mahoney, a second team CIS all-Canadian, caught 49 passes for 609 yards and six touchdowns in 2010. After two seasons as the Stingers’ quarterback, the versatile athlete made the transition to receiver in 2009.
Finally Jared Manchelenko, a tight end who was with the Concordia football program in 2007, was picked by the Calgary Stampeders in the sixth round, 45th overall. In his only season, he played six games and caught seven passes for 145 yards.
With five picks, only the Calgary Dinos had more players selected than Concordia. The Stingers, along with the Laval Rouge et Or, had four selections each.
“At Concordia we are producing good players,” said McGrath. “I think a lot of credit goes to the coaching staff for getting the players ready to play at the next level.”
Overall, 14 of the 47 players picked in the draft were from the Quebec university football conference.
