NEWS: Cimankinda and Pelehos are OUA All-Stars, Perron wins Russ Jackson Award

Ontario University Athletics released its end of season football honours this week and four members of the Garnet and Grey were recognized.

Rodney Estimé was announced as an All-Rookie team member on Tuesday, and Zack Pelehos and J-P Cimankinda were named First and Second Team All-Stars, respectively, on Wednesday. Finally, on Thursday the conference announced Francis Perron as the 2021 winner of the Russ Jackson Award.

Estimé had a breakout first game and continued his strong play throughout the season to be named uOttawa's All-Rookie team representative. He led the Gee-Gees receiving corps in both yards, 359, and receptions, 26, in the six-game regular season.  A social sciences student from Montreal, Estimé provided some highlight reel catches up in the air and along the sidelines for the Gee-Gees this year, with his longest catch a 44-yard grab in week one.

J-P Cimankinda is an OUA All-Star for the first time in his career. The powerful running back recorded a total of 437 yards in the regular season on 76 rushes; both figures ranked fourth in the conference. The Ottawa local recorded three games with over one hundred yards rushing and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. 

Zack Pelehos was an OUA All-Star in his 2018 rookie campaign and returns to the All-Star list for 2021 as a Frist Team member. The six-foot-six inch, three hundred pound right tackle from Ganonoque, Ont., provided excellent protection on the edge while also helping to establish the Gee-Gees running game. Pelehos has all the tools for a complete offensive lineman and is a key part of the Gee-Gees offence overall.

Francis Perron was named the OUA's Russ Jackson Award winner for 2021, recognizing his career of excellence in the classroom and on the field. The Russ Jackson Award is presented to the player who best exhibits athletic ability, academic achievement, and devoted citizenship. Perron was a three-time Academic All-Canadian and was posthumously granted his undergraduate degree in mechanichal engineering (co-op). 

A native of Sherbrooke, Que., Perron first joined the Gee-Gees football team in 2017, and while his love for the game was present in his play, it was even more so in the relationships he built with his teammates. Perron's memory will live on through these relationships and the vast network of loving family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched. Francis's parents, Annie and Michel, accepted the award as part of the OUA's live awards broadcast.