Awards Night a Roaring Success for the Cats

Posted in: BAFL 1, Cambridgeshire Cats    By Mike Revell Nov 9, 2009 - 1:26:46 PM

Awards Night a Roaring Success for the Cats

 

 

Last Friday, the Cambridgeshire Cats celebrated a highly successful season with their annual end of year awards night. The ’09 season was their first in BAFL’s Division 1 after earning promotion the previous year, and they finished the regular season 7-3 before being knocked out in the semi-finals of the playoffs at the hands of the London Cobras.

 

It was a historic year for the Cats, whose high-octane offense led the league in points scored. Running back Josh Gilreath, coming within touching distance of both 1,000 yards rushing and receiving, earned the Paul Wheal MVP award. Gilreath finished the campaign with a staggering 26 total touchdowns, adding an entirely new gear to an already potent attack.

 

Elsewhere, there were no surprises with the Offensive MVP. Quarterback Tommy Durkin amassed 27 touchdowns through the air, and tacked on another five on the ground in a sizzling year that saw him break the Cats record for single game touchdown passes (seven).

 

James Watson picked up Lineman of the Year for his contributions to Division 1’s top offense, whilst Greg Ashman earned Special Teams MVP honours. Meanwhile, defensive standout Louis Cooke, the team’s bone-crunching leading tackler, was voted Players’ Player of the Year.

 

Former defensive captain and first year Defensive Co-ordinator Ray Palmer was on hand to present James “ Coco” Kocherhans his Defensive MVP award. Coco, a product of the Cats’ youth team, had 88 tackles on the year, as well as two sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries, four of which he ran back for touchdowns.  

 

A number of first year players posted impressive numbers, including running back Casey Campbell, who had eight touchdowns. But it was Steven Bright who took home the Rookie of the Year award. Bright impressed with both his feet and his hands, shouldering the dual role of kicker and wide receiver for the Cats without any prior experience of the game.

 

And it was a year of firsts for the Cambridge side in many ways. Perhaps most impressively, this was seen with the coaching staff. It was the first year in charge for Head Coach Bob Shaw, Offensive Co-Ordinator Kimo Kuheana, as well as Coach Palmer. But the 2009 season also saw Joe Slaughter step up into a coaching role, assisting with the offense after a year of being one of its most dominant players. Not only did he excel in this new role, but he demonstrated his love and passion for football and the Cats on a number of occasions, and he was rewarded with the Glen Paveley: Heart of the Cats Award. With work forcing Coach Kuheana away from the game next year, the offense is left in safe and more than capable hands.

 

It was after this that Tony Walsh, who had been taking photos of the winners as they received their awards, was surprised to find himself the recipient of the John Harlow Award for dedication to the club. Tony has been photographing the Cats for a number of years now, travelling with the team to every fixture, and his excellent work is always appreciated.

 

The event, held at Linton Village College, was a huge success, with the sale of jerseys, team photos, and a fantastic raffle rounding out the night. The Cats are now looking ahead to next season, and will begin training in the New Year. For more information on how you can be involved with the team, visit www.cambridgeshirecats.com

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