PSAC Football Athletes of the Week - 4
Football: Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
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A.J. Long
West Chester (R-So. / QB)
Bethlehem, Pa. / Friendship Christian (Tenn.)
Long threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a pair of touchdowns in his first start of the season to lead West Chester to a 35-14 victory over Lock Haven on the road. Long was responsible for four of the team's five TDs on the afternoon. He rushed 15 times for 181 yards and two TDs while also going 12-for-26 for 198 yards and a pair of TDs. |
Football: Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
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Chris Gary
Bloomsburg (R-So. / DL)
Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Wood
Gary, the PSAC leader in sacks a season ago, was up to his old tricks during Saturday's 48-19 PSAC Eastern Division opening win over Cheyney. Gary finished the day with five total tackles, four tackles for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hurry. Gary's three sacks tied a career high and his four tackles for a loss established a new career best. His second sack of the game also proved to be his second forced fumble of the season and led to a 51-yard fumble return for a touchdown by freshman Aaron Trumino. With his three sacks, Gary now has four on the season (all in the last two games) and has moved into second in the PSAC in that department. He is also tied for third in the league with 5.5 tackles for a loss and is tied for second with two forced fumbles. |
Football: Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
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Craig Reynolds
Kutztown (R-Jr. / RB)
Willow Grove, Pa. / Abington
Reynolds scored one of his three touchdowns Saturday by way of a punt return touchdown. He ran one 53 yards for a touchdown to end the first half, Kutztown's first punt return touchdown since 2010. Reynolds now has 9 punt returns for 153 yards and one score. He also rushed for 56 yards on 15 carries and caught three passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns against Millersville. |
Football: Western Division Co-Offensive Athlete of the Week
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Marc Jones
Gannon (Jr. / RB)
Painesville, Ohio / Riverside
Entering the day as the leading rusher in NCAA Division II, Jones broke the PSAC record for rushing yards in a game with 354 last Saturday against No. 21 Slippery Rock, finishing 64 yards shy of the NCAA Division II record. He broke the school record for rushing yards and all-purpose yards (449) and tied program records for rushing touchdowns (4) and total touchdowns (5). Finished with 354 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 4 receptions, 95 receiving yards, one receiving TD, 449 all-purpose yards and five total TDs. Recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and fifth in 15 games as a Golden Knight and is the second Gannon player in program history to open a season with four consecutive 100-yard games. Jones has 878 rushing yards this season, equaling the most by a Golden Knight during the first four games of a season since at least 1998 … needs only 36 more yards to enter Gannon's all-time top-10 in single-season yards despite not being at the season's halfway point yet. |
Football: Western Division Co-Offensive Athlete of the Week
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Tanner Garry
Slippery Rock (R-Sr. / QB)
McDonald, Pa. / Fort Cherry
Garry completed 33-of-51 passes for 518 yards with five TD and no INT in leading No. 21 Slippery Rock to a 49-45 road win at Gannon. That effort is the second most passing yards in SRU program history and is more than 100 yards better than the second best effort by a PSAC QB this year, which was his own 390 yard effort in the opener at Kentucky State. No other QB in the league has thrown for more than 370 yards in a game this year. Gannon took a 45-42 lead with less than 3 minutes to play, but Garry connected on a 73-yard TD pass on the next SRU possession to seal the win. He leads the PSAC in yards with 1,425 and TD passes with 16 through just four games. |
Football: Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
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Kaz Struna
Mercyhurst (R-Jr. / LB)
Mentor, Ohio / Lake Catholic
Struna recorded his first sack, TFL, and QBH of the season in Mercyhurst's 21-18 win over Clarion. The Lake Catholic product had season-high's in total and solo tackles, TFL's, sacks plus quarterback hits. Struna had 10 total tackles with 8 of those being solo vs Clarion. He recorded 3 TFL and 2 sacks totaling -38 yards for the Golden Eagle offense.
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Football: Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
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Will Brazill
California (Sr. / K)
Kansas City, Mo. / Park Hill
Brazill converted three crucial field goals (47, 26, 41), including two from over 40 yards, on Saturday, as the Vulcans opened PSAC West play with a 44-41 victory over Seton Hill. He is the first kicker in recent program history (since 2003) to make multiple 40-plus yard field goals and became the first kicker to make three field goals in a game since the 2014 season-opener. Brazill set a career long with a 47-yard field goal with 38 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Vulcans a 24-14 lead at halftime. He then made a 26-yard field goal midway through the third quarter before converting a 41-yard field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Brazill, who converted all five of his PAT attempts, also recorded four touchbacks and averaged 61.0 yards per kickoff. Brazil scored 14 points for the Vulcans. |
Game Notes:
Bloomsburg: Bloomsburg won its third consecutive game on Saturday with a 48-19 victory over Cheyney in the PSAC Eastern Division opener. The Huskies scored four rushing touchdowns and had two defensive scores en route to the 28
th consecutive victory over Cheyney in the all-time series. The Huskies have not lost to the Wolves since a 31-28 setback on October 14, 1989 and improved to 48-9-1 lifetime against Cheyney. Redshirt junior Marquis Seamon collegiate his first collegiate touchdown with a 37-yard interception return for a score late in the first quarter while freshman Aaron Trumino also added his first collegiate score with a 51-yard fumble return early in the fourth quarter. The defense added five sacks – three from redshirt junior Chris Gary. Cheyney entered the contest allowing only four sacks through the first three games. Offensively, the Huskies rushed for a season-high 277 yards on only 36 carries. Redshirt sophomore Qmac Quiteh had 108 yards on 17 carries and tied a career-high with two scores. Redshirt sophomore Alex Gooden had nine carries for 91 yards and a touchdown while redshirt sophomore Tre Green posted a career-high 72 yards on six carries. His total included a 49-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter – the longest Bloomsburg rush of the season. The Huskies will head to Millersville on Saturday, September 30 for a 1:00 p.m. start. Bloomsburg has won 17 straight meetings between the two schools.
California: The Vulcans opened PSAC West play on Saturday with a 44-41 victory against Seton Hill. Cal U rushed for nearly 200 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning 2-yard score by senior QB Michael Keir with 18.8 seconds left to play. Senior RB Nick Grissom recorded the eighth 100-yard game of his career, setting a season high with 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Cal U last rushed for at least five touchdowns in a game during Week 3 of the 2014 season (six). Keir finished the game with 273 passing yards on 22-of-35 attempts with no interceptions. Senior WR Tom Greene posted 127 receiving yards on seven catches for his second 100-yard game of the season. Senior K Will Brazill became the first kicker in recent program history with multiple 40-yard field goals in a game, including a career-long 47-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half. Sophomore DB Lamont McPhatter II recorded an interception for the third-straight game, as he intercepted Seton Hill on the final play of the game to seal the victory. The Vulcans have opened the year with a 4-0 record for the fifth time since 2007 with three of the victories coming at Adamson Stadium.
Clarion: Clarion is now 0-4 on the season, 0-1 in PSAC West play… the Golden Eagles will play their first road game in nearly a month on Saturday when they go on the road to face Edinboro… Asiantii Woulard ran for a touchdown, threw a touchdown pass, and caught a two-point conversion in last week’s game against Mercyhurst… receiver Mason Standard threw the two-point conversion toss… Woulard pulled the ball out and ran it six times for 50 yards, both career highs… Woulard had three runs of 10+ yards, and five of his six runs went for either a first down or a touchdown… receiver Greg Leonard caught his second touchdown of the season, a 39-yard strike from Woulard in the second half on Saturday… Leonard leads the team with 12 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns… he is averaging 22.8 yards per reception… Clarion totaled 6.0 tackles for loss against the Lakers on Saturday… Mylique McGriff averaged 5.1 yards per carry on Saturday, rushing 13 times for 66 yards… Kyle Evans rushed 14 times for 50 yards as Clarion totaled 141 yards on the ground against the Lakers.
Gannon: Gannon suffered its third consecutive loss with a last-minute 49-45 setback against No. 21 Slippery Rock … entering the day as the leading rusher in NCAA Division II, junior Marc Jones broke the PSAC record for rushing yards in a game with 354 and finished 64 yards shy of the NCAA Division II record … Jones broke the school record for rushing yards and all-purpose yards (449) while tying program records for rushing touchdowns (4) and total touchdowns (5) … Jones finished with 354 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 4 receptions, 95 receiving yards, one receiving TD, 449 all-purpose yards and five total TDs … Gannon's 399 rushing yards as a team represented the fourth-highest single-game total in program history … the Golden Knights' 585 yards of total offense were the 10th-highest single-game total in school history … Jones produced his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance and fifth in 15 games as a Golden Knight … Jones is the second Gannon player in program history to open a season with four consecutive 100-yard games … Brock Jones performed the feat in 2014 … the 1,182 combined yards of total offense by the two teams were the most in a game involving the Golden Knights since September 19, 2015 when Gannon (712 yards) and Kutztown (505 yards) combined to produce 1,217 yards of total offense … junior Anthony Howard has reached double digits in tackles during all four contests this season after making a team-best 12 against the Rock … Jones has 878 rushing yards this season, equaling the most by a Golden Knight during the first four games of a season since at least 1998 … Jones only needs 36 more yards to enter Gannon's all-time top-10 in single-season yards despite not being at the season's halfway point yet … redshirt junior James Simms reached double digits in tackles for the second time in four contests with 11.
Lock Haven: After starting the 2017 season with three straight road games, the Bald Eagles finally played a home game and hosted PSAC East preseason favorite West Chester in Week 4 action … The game – the PSAC East opener for both teams – was a fitting return home as it marked LHU’s 2017 Homecoming game … The Golden Rams however spoiled the party with a 35-14 victory at Hubert Jack Stadium … With the loss, Lock Haven fell to 0-4, 0-1 PSAC East … Prior to Saturday, LHU had won three straight Homecoming games and the Bald Eagles were looking for their first win in a home-opener since 2013 when they beat West Virginia State, 31-13 … Of note, Lock Haven continued to use a two-quarterback system … It marked the second week in a row where both true-freshman Kyle Knight and redshirt-junior Jimmy Strickland split snaps at QB … Knight officially made his first career start, but Strickland threw for a career-high 196 yards and a TD (LHU’s first passing TD of the season) … All-American Trent Fielding (OL, RG/C) made his 36
th career start which ranks among the top-three players in the PSAC … All-American tight end Del’Vaughn Dennis (’16 AA, ’17 preseason AA) figured back into the mix in Week 4, making four catches for 45 yards … DB Isaiah Flamer has a team-high 45 tackles (3
rd PSAC, 3
rd in tackles/game in PSAC with 11.3) on the season … Lock Haven ranks fourth in the PSAC in team INTs with seven.
Millersville: Outside of the final nine minutes of the second quarter, Millersville outscored Kutztown 21-6 and held the Golden Bears to just 52 yards in the entire second half. Millersville also limited Craig Reynolds to 44 yards under his rushing average, holding him to 3.7 yards per carry. Kevin Wiggins caught a pass for the 36th consecutive game and his sixth catch of the game put him at 2,000 yards for his career--a milestone only five other Marauders have ever reached. Tyler Zilen caught his fifth career TD and Xavier Jenkins made his first career touchdown catch. Tyrone Gibson's previous career high in rushes was four but he totaled 16 Saturday. Brendan Sherman broke up a career-high three passes. Drew Seaburg matched a career-high with eight tackles and did so in his 37th career start. Stephen Flanagan became the third different starting quarterback of the season for Millersville. He threw two touchdown passes. Tommy Halloway recorded a sack, giving him three in the last two games.
Shippensburg: SHIP improved to 4-0 with a 40-0 shutout at East Stroudsburg…SU posted its fifth best single-game output for total offense in school history – the 704 yards are its most since a 713-yard performance against Seton Hill in 2014…SU handed East Stroudsburg its first shutout in 17 years (183 games, dating back to Oct. 14, 2000)…Saturday's victory marks No. 50 all-time for Mark Maciejewski -- now in his seventh season as head coach of Red Raider Football…Maciejewski is already No. 2 all-time in head coaching victories at Shippensburg, and he is the only SU head coach to begin his tenure with six straight winning seasons…graduate running back Colin McDermott earned his second straight start at running back and finished with a career day – rushing for 121 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries…all three of those feats are new single-game career bests for McDermott, who averaged 6.7 yards per carry…McDermott is the first Red Raider with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Ryan Zapoticky in the 2015 finale, and the first Red Raider running back to do so since Justin Pyle in the 2015 meeting with ESU that lasted five overtimes…the last time Shippensburg posted back-to-back shutouts was the final game of the 2003 season (35-0 over California) and the first game of the 2004 season (35-0 over Kutztown)…the 2004 campaign is the last time SU had more than one shutout in a season, while the 2003 campaign is the last time that SU had three shutouts in the same season…this is the first time that SU has posted back-to-back shutouts in the same season since 1981…the Red Raider defense has allowed just 40 points through four games – this is the fewest points allowed by Shippensburg through the first four games of the season since yielding just 23 points through the first four games of the 1989 season.
Slippery Rock: Shawn Lutz improves to 11-4 as SRU's head coach … SRU won its fourth straight game over Gannon to improve to 7-6 in the all-time series … Tanner Garry's 518 passing yards are the second most in a game in SRU history, trailing only the 527 yards for Don King III last year against East Stroudsburg on Nov. 12, 2016 … the four receiving TD for Marcus Johnson ties his own school record for a single game after he also had four against ESU last year … that record is also a tie with Devin Goda, who had four TD against Lock Haven in 2011 … the 25 passing first downs for SRU against Gannon is a new single-game school record, topping the 22 against Lock Haven last season … SRU had three receivers (Marcus Johnson, Milly Raye, Andrew Bridgeforth) with more than 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time since Sept. 7, 2013 at Northwood (Ken Amos, Jaimire Dutrieuille, John Schademan) … Marcus Johnson's two kickoff return TDs this season are the first time an SRU player has had more than one in a season since DJ Flick had three in 2000 … Marcus Martin had a half-tackle for loss to bring his Division II career record up to 80.0 TFL … he was held without a sack for the first time in a game this season and remains 6.5 sacks off the NCAA all-division record of 53.5 … The six catches for 115 yards are both career-highs for Andrew Bridgeforth … Tanner Garry is up to 10th on the SRU single-season TD ledger with 16 TD passes after just four games … Marcus Johnson's 8 receiving TDs are tied for 8th on the single-season ledger at SRU … Milly Raye now has 141 catches for 1,918 yards and 20 TD in his career … he ranks fourth all-time at SRU in catches, seventh in yards and tied for fourth in TDs … Johnson now has 1,556 yards and 22 TD catches in his career to rank 11th in yardage and second in TD catches on the career ledger … Jake Chapla made his 14th career field goal (13th all-time at SRU) and has now made 60 career PAT kicks (10th all-time at SRU) … The 399 rushing yards allowed by SRU are the most allowed by an SRU defense in a game since IUP ran for 388 in 2012 … the SRU defense allowed just 907 rushing yards in 11 total games last year … Gannon rushed for 44 percent of that total Saturday.