MEDIA CONTACT: STEPHANIE SCARPATO
www.easterncollegiatefootball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 9TH, 2017
MARSHFIELD, Mass. – The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) weekly awards were announced for games through Sunday, October 8th. Castleton University teammates Mitchell Caron (Augusta, Maine) and Mike Morgan (Wallingford, Vt.) were named Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively. Gallaudet University’s Louie Akuffo (Bowie, Md.) earned Defensive Player of the Week, while Alfred State’s Kiegan Brown (Cortland, N.Y.) was tabbed Rookie of the Week for his performance over the weekend.
Offensive Player of the Week
Mitchell Caron - Castleton University
(Junior, QB – Augusta, Maine)
Caron enjoyed his best game of the season in leading Castleton to a 35-31 victory over Mount Ida Saturday. Caron finished the game 12-of-16 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, his best completion percentage (75%), passing yardage total, and passing touchdown total of the season. In fact, it was the best completion percentage of his collegiate career. He successfully executed a fleaflicker at the start of the second half, finding Adnane Adossama for a 61-yard TD pass. In addition, right after Mount Ida took a 25-21 lead, Caron completed passes of 28 yards to Adossama and 12 yards to Tyler Hall to set up the go-ahead touchdown run. Besides the two touchdown passes, Caron also ran for a touchdown from five yards out on third-and-goal early in the second quarter to give the Spartans a 14-7 lead.
Defensive Player of the Week
Louie Akuffo – Gallaudet University
(Junior, LB – Bowie, Md.)
Akuffo led the team with nine tackles, made one interception and returned it 14 yards, forced one fumble and had one pass break-up in Gallaudet’s 73-23 win over Anna Maria on Saturday. Akuffo's interception took place at the start of the second half and set up GU's first touchdown in the third quarter. He was also part of a huge defensive stand for the Bison in the first half. The highlight for the Bison defense was denying the AMCATS the end zone after they got 1st and goal from the Gallaudet 1 late in the first quarter. Four straight rushes, up the middle, were stuffed by the Bison defense. The Bison scored four plays later to completely sway the momentum in GU's favor up 27-10.
Rookie of the Week
Kiegan Brown – Alfred State
(Freshman, RB – Cortland, N.Y.)
Brown recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of his career, racking up 118 yards on 24 carries in Saturday’s game against Dean College. The freshman running back also scored his first career rushing touchdown, a 30-yard dash in the 3rd quarter.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Mike Morgan – Castleton University
(Freshman, K/P – Wallingford, Vt.)
Morgan continues to make an impact for the Spartans in the kicking game. He achieved his best punting average of the season at 40.3 yards per punt, including a season-long effort of 44 yards. He pinned Mount Ida inside the 20 on the 44-yard punt, helping turn field possession towards Castleton's advantage and eventually leading to the Spartans' first touchdown of the game. In addition, he averaged 44.7 yards per kick on three kickoffs during the game, the first time this season he has been used for kickoffs. Morgan has moved up to fourth in the ECFC in punting at 33.6 yards per punt and is second in the league with nine punts inside the 20-yard line.