Chris Dobko caught everything but a cold in Saturday's record-breaking performance for the Calgary Dinos. The high school football product of the St.
Chris Dobko caught everything but a cold in Saturday's record-breaking performance for the Calgary Dinos.
The high school football product of the St. Albert High Skyhawks reeled in a University of Calgary single-game record 13 passes in the Dinos' 33-12 victory over the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.
The previous high of 12 catches was co-held by Dobko (142 yards and one touchdown against the UBC Thunderbirds in 2011), ex-CFL star and 1995 Hec Crighton Trophy winner Don Blair (1994) and Josh Borger (1980, 1983).
"It's a pretty special feeling," Dobko said. "Don Blair was pretty much the best receiver to ever play for the Dinos and it's an honour to have a record that is pretty close to what he did before."
The CIS single-game reception record is 19, set by Andre Talbot of Laurier in 2000.
Dobko, a slotback, was unaware of his accomplishment until the post-game interview.
"I knew I caught quite a few but I honestly thought I was going to have like 10 catches, but when the lady from Shaw told me and I was a little stunned," Dobko said. "It's pretty crazy. I was pretty excited."
The fourth-year Dino grabbed more balls against the Bisons than his 2010 total of nine.
"It was a pretty big variety. There were a couple of long ones and quite a few short ones off of that one play we were doing all the way down the field," said Dobko, who finished the game with two touchdowns and a personal-best 182 yards.
The 2011 Canada West all-star teamed up with quarterback Erik Dzwilewski for TDs of 33 yards on the first series in the third quarter and 12 yards in the last quarter as the Dinos outscored the Bisons 24-4 in the second half.
"The first touchdown I scored, we had this play all week planned when they were going to show us a certain defence where they brought their safety down. They showed it and Dzwilewski saw it early so we changed the play and I ran probably the nicest route I ever ran as a CIS football player, right down the middle of the field," Dobko said.
Dzwilewski went 23-for-32 for 329 yards and three TDs in the best passing game of his career for the No. 2-ranked Dinos (3-0).
"Chris is a really good player," Dzwilewski told the Calgary Herald. "He's a patient wide receiver, meaning that he likes to find the zone and he runs really friendly routes. As a quarterback, it's really easy to throw to him. The reads told me to throw to him. I guess it was just his day."
Dobko, 22, is the Dinos' top receiver with 18 catches for 262 yards and three TDs in two games.
Last year Dobko led the conference in receptions with 56 and TD catches with eight. The Paul Kane High School graduate also ranked second in yards with 676 and averaged 12.1 per catch and 84.5 per game.
Dobko is eligible for the 2013 CFL draft in May.
"I just want to catch as many balls as I can and help us get all those wins on the way to the Vanier Cup," said the 2007 Haliburton Trophy winner as the pool B MVP in the metro Edmonton senior division.
Dobko's bid for a third straight trip to the Vanier Cup with the four-time reigning Canada West Hardy Cup champions ended in the 41-10 loss to the Laval University Rouge-et-Or in the 2011 Mitchell Bowl in Calgary.
"I want us to win a Vanier cup. We've been too close too many times and there is nothing more that I want than a ring," said Dobko, the co-MVP on the 2004 Football Alberta Tier II bantam provincial champion St. Albert 49ers.
