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November 7, 2018

West All-stars

Photo by Johany Jutras

Six members of the Calgary Stampeders have been voted to the Canadian Football League’s 2018 West Division all-star team.

QB Bo Levi Mitchell
REC Kamar Jorden
OT Derek Dennis
DT Micah Johnson
LB Alex Singleton
CB Ciante Evans

This is the third time Mitchell, Johnson and Evans have been recognized as division all-stars while Dennis and Singleton have been honoured twice. Jorden is a first-time all-star.

The division all-stars are determined by voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) as well as one ballot from each team’s coaching staff.

Here is a closer look at the Stampeders’ division all-stars:

Bo Levi Mitchell (quarterback): Mitchell led the CFL with 35 touchdown passes and cracked the 5,000-yard plateau for the second time in his career. He started all 18 games and completed 356 of 585 passes for 5,124 yards and 35 touchdowns compared to just 14 interceptions. He was also tops in the CFL with 42 completions of at least 30 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2.5. Mitchell had five 300-yard games including a 491-yard performance that represented a single-game high for all CFL quarterbacks in 2018. Mitchell passed 14 players on the CFL’s all-time passing yards list this season and now ranks 21st all-time. The Katy, Tex., native was previously a West all-star in 2015 and 2016.

Derek Dennis (offensive tackle): Dennis started all 18 games at the critical left tackle position as he helped protect quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s blind side. He was part of an offensive line that was tied for the fewest sacks allowed in the CFL this season with 27 and provided blocking for tailback Don Jackson, who was among the league leaders with 924 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry. Dennis was previously a division all-star in 2016.

Kamar Jorden (receiver): Jorden gets his first all-star nod despite playing just nine full games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Edmonton in the Labour Day Classic. Though he played barely half the season, Jorden ranked fourth in the West with 944 receiving yards and he was sixth in the division with six touchdown catches. He established a franchise single-game record with a 249-yard performance against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Aug. 25. Eleven of Jorden’s 55 receptions went for at least 30 yards – which was tied for the second-best total in the league – and he recorded 330 yards after the catch.

Micah Johnson (defensive tackle): Johnson is a West all-star for a third consecutive season. He started 17 games and led all defensive tackles in the league with 14 sacks and added 28 defensive tackles including two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two knockdowns and one interception. Johnson was part of a Stamps defence that yielded league lows in numerous categories including points (321), touchdowns (27) and rushing yards (86.5 per game).

Alex Singleton (linebacker): Singleton won the CFL tackles title this season with 123 takedowns. That total tied his own team single-season record as well as his league record for most tackles by a Canadian player. He’s just the second Canadian player in CFL history to record multiple 100-tackle seasons. Singleton also had six special-teams tackles, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one knockdown. As the middle linebacker, the Montana State alum played an integral role in a defence that allowed the fewest points in the CFL. Singleton was also a West all-star in 2017.

Ciante Evans (cornerback): Evans earned a third consecutive West Division all-star nod. He started 14 games at cornerback in 2018 and recorded 29 tackles including one tackle for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one knockdown. The four-year veteran was part of a Stamps secondary that allowed a league-low 12 touchdown passes and a Calgary defence that forced opponents into the lowest quarterback rating.