Football
Deacon Sterna named Canada West Football Rookie of the Year – University of British Columbia Athletics
Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds
Football
Jeff Sargeant (UBC Communications)
VANCOUVER – Showcasing his special talents from day one with the Thunderbirds, defensive lineman Deacon Sterna has been named the 2024 Canada West Rookie of the Year.
Earning a playing spot in week one as a 17-year old for the defending Hardy Cup and Mitchell Bowl Champion Thunderbirds, the Calgary native finished the regular season tied for the Canada West sacks lead with four while putting up 15 solo tackles and 20 total, his seven tackles for a loss leading all Thunderbirds and just 0.5 off the conference lead.
“Deacon’s a tremendous young man, obviously very athletic and genetically gifted,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill. “What people don’t realize until you get to know him is how committed he is academically. He has such high character, he’s an incredible kid. He could be a force for a long time here at UBC.”
?? FB | @ubcfbl defensive lineman Deacon Sterna has been named @CanadaWest Rookie of the Year!https://t.co/et6CPXxE06
— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 7, 2024
The graduate of E.P. Scarlett High School, Sterna continued his stellar play in the post-season with 3.5 total tackles, a forced fumble and 1.5 sacks in UBC’s Hardy Cup semifinal game against the Huskies.
Quickly proving himself to be a key cog on UBC’s front line, the 6-foot-2, 220 pound Sterna really came into his own in UBC’s week three win at Regina. With two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal, he was a major factor in a game which turned around the T-Birds’ fortunes after an 0-2 start to the season.
“He’s going to be counted on to be a leader earlier than most,” said Nill of his burgeoning defensive star. “I think he’s going to adapt well to that role. He turned 18 during the season, I remember his first game against the University of Alberta, he was still 17 years old and he got thrown into their power-run game and had difficulty. But, what you saw over the course of the season was a resiliency, a work ethic that is fairly established for such a young kid. But more importantly, just raw athletic skill. Coach (Noah) Cantor did a great job working with him on fundamentals of football because his football experience is limited. Even with just minimal coaching, you saw improvements each and every week and again, it looks very bright for his future.”
Sterna is UBC’s first Canada West Rookie of the Year winner since quarterback Garrett Rooker earned the honour in 2021. He’s also the first defensive lineman to become the Peter Gorman nominee as U SPORTS Rookie of the Year since Regina’s Nicholas Dheilly in 2016.
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