PSAC Football Athletes of the Week – 11
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selected this week’s football athletes of the week for week 11. From the PSAC East, Kutztown University’s Jeremiah Nelson and Justin Harris were selected for offense and defense, respectively, while Hayden August-Scriven of Shepherd University was picked for special teams. Over in the PSAC West, Gannon University’s Melvin Blanks was picked on offense, Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Tyrone Fowler Jr. was picked for defense and Seton Hill University’s Teegan Hahn was selected for special teams.
EAST
Offensive Athlete of the Week
Kutztown
Jeremiah Nelson
Redshirt Senior
Running Back
Jamaica, N.Y. / Holy Cross
Kutztown’s Jeremiah Nelson rushed for a career-high 223 yards and two touchdowns en route to earning the PSAC Championship Game’s MVP award in Kutztown’s 38-32 victory over Slippery Rock. Nelson was outstanding averaging 9.7 yards per carry and broke free a couple of times for a few long runs. Perhaps one of his best carries of the game was his 68-yard gainer in which he dragged a Rock defender into the endzone from five yards out.
Defensive Athlete of the Week
Kutztown
Justin Harris
Redshirt Junior
Defensive Back
Deptford, N.J. / Salem
Justin Harris was equally impressive in Kutztown’s 38-32 PSAC Championship win coming up huge for the Golden Bears defense when they needed it most. Harris finished the game with a season-high five total tackles and two big interceptions including one with 6:50 left to play in the first half in the endzdone to end a possible scoring drive for Slippery Rock.
Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Shepherd
Hayden August-Scriven
Senior
Kicker
North Potomac, Md. / Quince Orchard
Hayden August-Scriven helped Shepherd close out its 2021 regular season with a 55-0 victory over Shepherd on Senior Day. The Quince Orchard product was perfect on PATs (7-for-7) and also tallied a 20-yard field goal in the victory.
WEST
Offensive Athlete of the Week
Gannon
Melvin Blanks
Junior
Running Back
Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills
Led Gannon to come-from-0behind 13-10 win at East Stroudsburg as GU finished at 5-6, the most wins since 2017. Blanks posted his fifth 100-yard effort of the season and sixth of his career. He gained 176 yards on a career-high 34 carries, adding a reception for 7 yards. Blanks finishes the year with 1,191 yards on 192 carries with 8 TDs. The 1,191 yards ranks fifth in a season. He came into the game ranked second in the PSAC and 15th in Division II in rushing. He spurred the game-winning 12-play, 53-yard drive that resulted in game-winning 27-yard field goal, carrying 8 times for 37 yards.
Defensive Athlete of the Week
IUP
Tyrone Fowler Jr.
Freshman
Defensive End
Philadelphia, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt
Tyrone Fowler had four tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in Saturday's 31-24 comeback win at West Chester. Fowler's biggest play came with just over a minute to play, getting a strip sack of QB Shane Dooley to give IUP the ball at the WCU 14-yard line. Three plays later IUP scored the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left. Fowler also had sacks in the first and third quarters and made a key TFL on a third down play in the third. Fowler's big day was part of an 8-sack afternoon for the IUP defense, the most sacks in a game by the Crimson Hawks since 2014.
Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Seton Hill
Teegan Hahn
Senior
Linebacker
Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg Salem
Teegan had a special day on special teams. Hahn blocked a punt near the end of the first quarter that was recovered in the end zone for a SHU touchdown. In the second quarter, Hahn picked up a fumbled punt snap at the two yard line and took it two yards for a touchdown.
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.