LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its Football Athletes of the Week for Week 11 of the 2023 season. From the West, a pair of Edinboro student-athletes were honored: Brian Trobel was named Offensive Athlete of the Week and Reed Martin was selected as Special Teams Athlete of the Week, while IUP's Drew DiNunzio-Biss was chosen as Defensive Athlete of the Week. In the East, Kutztown's Darryl Davis-McNeil (Offensive) joins Shippensburg's Mike Brewer (Defensive) and East Stroudsburg's Devin Bartholomew (Special Teams) as the weekly honorees.
Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Brian Trobel
Edinboro
Running Back
Sophomore
Staten Island, N.Y. / Mentor
Trobel scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one receiving, to go with 59 rushing yards and five catches for 52 receiving yards in Edinboro's 36-30 victory over Lock Haven last Saturday. His five touchdowns were the most in a single game for the Fighting Scots since Elbert Cole scored six against Slippery Rock in 1989. With his scoring spree on Saturday, Trobel was the regular season PSAC leader in rushing touchdowns (13) as well as finishing tied for the lead in total touchdowns (15) and scoring (85).
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Drew DiNunzio-Biss
IUP
Linebacker
Redshirt Junior
Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area
Di-Nunzio Biss racked up 10 tackles (five solo) with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack, helping lead the IUP defense to an impressive shutout road win at Bloomsburg to wrap up the 2023 season.
Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Reed Martin
Edinboro
Punter
Junior
Plum, Pa. / Plum
Martin was only asked to punt three times in Edinboro's 36-30 win , but he averaged 41.7 yards per punt with a long of 52. He pinned the Bald Eagles inside the 20 on two of three punts.
Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Darryl Davis-McNeil
Kutztown
Running Back
Graduate Student
Roslyn, Pa. / Abington
Davis-McNeil played the role of punisher in Kutztown's 31-7 PSAC Championship Game victory against Slippery Rock, logging 26 attempts (one off his career-high) for 146 yards (two off his career-high) and two touchdowns on his way to championship game Most Valuable Player honors. It was the fourth 140+ yard rushing performance of his career.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Mike Brewer
Shippensburg
Defensive Back
Graduate Student
Bridgeville, Del. / Woodbridge
Brewer totaled a career-high 15 tackles and two interceptions, including a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown, onSaturday in a 17-10 victory over the Gannon Golden Knights at home. Brewer gave the Raider sideline an important jolt of momentum just before the half, picking off a pass over the middle and racing down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown return to even the score, 10-10. Brewer's second pick helped the Raiders maintain the lead late, as his leaping grab near the endzone pylon stopped the driving Golden Knights with just 2:22 remaining on the clock. Overall, the SU defense held the Golden Knights to just three points (Gannon's only TD came via their defense) and picked up a season-high four turnovers. Those take-aways led to 14 of SU's 17 points in the win. With the help of Saturday's performance, the SU defense wrapped the 2023 campaign as the No. 2-ranked defense in the PSAC, allowing only 287.4 yards per contest. Saturday also marked the fourth time this season the Raiders have held the opposition to 10 points or less.
Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Devin Bartholomew
East Stroudsburg
Kicker/Punter
Graduate Student
Schnecksville, Pa. / Parkland
Bartholomew helped seal ESU's most important win in decades with a 41-yard field goal with just 34 seconds remaining to extend the Warrior lead to 10 points as the team defeated California, 37-30, to book a spot in the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship. Bartholomew averaged 41.3 yards per punt on three attempts, pinning the Vulcans inside their own 20-yard line once.