W.J. Mouat grad Maleek Irons is going to the Grey Cup.
Irons and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats qualified for the Canadian Football League’s championship game with a 36-16 win over the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday.
First year in the CFL and going to the Grey Cup
Blessed and Highly Favored— Maleek Irons (@maleekirons) November 18, 2019
It’s the first year in the CFL for Irons, who collected 208 yards rushing and one touchdown in 11 games played this season. He also grabbed 59 yards receiving.
His best overall performance came on July 13 against the Calgary Stampeders, when he ran for 61 yards and caught 20 yards in the air. The touchdown came back on June 22 against the Toronto Argonauts.
RELATED: Mouat grad Irons scores first CFL touchdown
Hamilton finished the season in first place in the East Division at 15-3, and square off against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (11-7) at the game in Calgary on Sunday.
Irons was drafted 22nd overall by Hamilton back in May after several strong seasons with the NCAA’s Ohio University Bobcats. He scored eight touchdowns and 831 yards rushing at the Athens, Ohio based school in 2018. The Bobcats finished last season with a record of 9-4, and won the DXL Frisco Bowl with a 27-0 win over San Diego State on Dec. 19.
For his career at Ohio, Irons saw action in 29 games and amassed 1,447 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns on 252 attempts.
He was dominant during his high school career, and left Mouat as B.C.’s all-time leading high school rusher with 6,175 yards and 76 touchdowns. He also established a single-season record in 2012 with 3,204 yards rushing. He earned Provincial Most Valuable Player honours following the 2012 and 2013 campaigns.
RELATED: Running back Maleek Irons signs with NCAA’s Ohio Bobcats
The 107th Grey Cup game kicks off at 3 p.m. Abbotsford time on TSN.