Nov 14, 2017

DJ Warkenthien helped North Central wrap up its conference title and moved into the top five in tackles for loss in the program's history as a junior.
North Central athletics photo by Steve Woltmann

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Games of Nov. 10-11, 2017

Offense

QB Zach Taylor, So., Oberlin

Taylor accounted for seven touchdowns in the Yeomen's 63-37 win vs. Allegheny. He threw for a career-high 434 yards and six touchdowns which ties a single-game school record, completing 20 of 31 passes. Taylor added 116 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

OL Jake Murphy, Kyle Carmody, Joe Castellano, Bob Heyward, William Marino, Merchant Marine

The Merchant Marine offensive line blocked for 456 yards of total offense and allowed just two plays for negative yardage (other than kneeldowns) in 85 snaps. There was only one penalty on the offensive line. The quarterback ran for more than 200 yards and three of the nine ballcarriers went for 40 or more in the Mariners' 48-23 win vs. archrival Coast Guard in the Secretaries' Cup game.

RB Maleke Fuentes
Sr., Alfred

Fuentes set a school record in single-game rushing yards (295) and tied the school record for rushing touchdowns (five) in a 63-21 win vs. Hartwick. His performance was part of a 627-rushing-yard day for the Saxons. Fuentes averaged 11.8 yards per carry.

RB Jordan Wilcox
Sr., Springfield

Wilcox churned up 221 yards on 18 carries, averaging 12.3 yards per carry, in a win vs. MIT. He found the end zone three times, scoring touchdowns from 62 yards, 44 yards, and 39 yards and was a key part of the Pride's 390 rushing yards which helped the team set a program record for most rushing yards in a season.

WR Mark Johnson
Jr., UW-Platteville

Johnson caught 16 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-16 win over UW-Stevens Point. His 275 receiving yards are the second most in UW-Platteville history, and third most in WIAC history. Five of Johnson's 16 receptions went for over 30 yards including touchdown receptions of 66 and 43 yards.

WR Nick Holcomb
Sr., UW-La Crosse

Holcomb caught 11 passes for 253 yards and five touchdowns in UWL's 56-7 win at UW-River Falls. He caught touchdown passes of 75, 19 and 8 yards in the second quarter and from 35 and 24 yards in the fourth quarter. Holcomb's five touchdown catches set a single-game school record and tied the WIAC record.

H-back Kyle Gritsch
Sr., Central

Gritsch had a career-high nine catches coming from attached as a tight end, out of the back field and in the slot. He also had a career-high 115 receiving yards, taking one for a 31-yard score. On his first and only carry of the season, he added a 1-yard TD run.

Defense

DE Kor'Darius Melton
Fr., Ohio Wesleyan

Melton forced fumbles on both of his solo sacks and assisted on four other sacks for total of 4.0 sacks in a 24-3 win vs. Hiram. He compiled 5 TFL for 26 yard. He ended Hiram's last possession of the first half with a sack on third down and had a sack/forced fumble on opening Hiram possession of third quarter (fumble was returned for OWU touchdown).

DT Matt Girting
Sr., Washington & Jefferson

Girting registered a total of six tackles, including three for loss and two sacks as W&J clinched the PAC crown and league's automatic bid for its 25th trip to the playoffs. One of Girting's sacks came in the first quarter for a safety to put W&J ahead 9-0 en route to a 42-0 win over Waynesburg.

DE Chase Greenlee
Sr., Wheaton

Greebnlee set a career-high with five sacks in a 71-0 win vs. Carroll, the third-highest single-game effort in Division III this season. In the second quarter he registered a strip sack and the fumble was recovered for a touchdown. He recorded eight tackles, all solo, in the win.

LB Isaiah Watkins
Sr., Pacific Lutheran

Watkins made a living in the Lewis & Clark backfield, registering five sacks and a forced fumble on the afternoon. He also collected 14 tackles, six solo, including five and a half tackles for loss totaling 34 yards.

LB Tyler Robbins
Sr., Westfield State

Robbins came up with three turnovers to power Westfield State's 18-0 win over Western Connecticut. He came up with two interceptions, one of which set the Owls up inside the Colonials 10 and led to a touchdown. He also broke up another pass, recovered a fumble and rushed for a first down on a fake punt play.

LB DJ Warkenthien
Jr., North Central

Warkenthien established a career high in tackles and recorded six of North Central's season-high 18 tackles for loss in a 49-7 win vs. Elmhurst, one short of matching the Cardinals' individual single-game record of seven. Warkenthien had two sacks.

LB Samer Manna
Sr., Wesley

In the senior's final regular season game, Manna produced 13 tackles, including seven solo, one and a half tackles for a loss, and a sack in a 31-14 win vs. Christopher Newport. He also forced two fumbles while also registering a quarterback hurry and a pass defended.

CB Sean Egan
Sr., RPI

Egan made six tackles with a pair of interceptions in a 20-14 win over Union for the Dutchman Shoes. His first interception came midway through the second quarter and his second was on the final play of the game. Both took place around midfield. Egan also deflected a long pass deep in RPI's territory that ended up being intercepted by a teammate.

S Shawn Miller
Sr., Delaware Valley

Miller had two interceptions, the second of which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown in the Aggies' 47-13 win vs. Widener to clinch the MAC title and NCAA berth. He also had four tackles and a pass breakup.

S Julian Cuthbertson
Sr., Guilford

Cuthbertson matched his season high with 12 stops, nine solo, in the Quakers' comeback win vs. Emory & Henry. That total included a tackle for loss. His second-quarter interception on the Quakers' 5-yard-line thwarted a Wasps' scoring drive.

CB Anthony Sandoval
Sr., Merchant Marine

Sandoval had two big fourth-quarter interceptions in the end zone that helped seal the Mariners' 48-23 road victory at archrival Coast Guard in the annual Secretaries' Cup game. The first pick at 10:55 of the fourth was arguably the turning point of the game. He also had five total tackles (two solo) and one pass breakup.

Special teams

K Cole Westberry, So.
Averett

Westberry connected on field goals of 45 and 28 yards, including his fifth field goal of 43 yards or longer on the season. He also converted six extra points in a 54-0 win vs. Greensboro.

P Naufahu Anitoni, Jr.
St. John's

Anitoni had three punts land inside the 20-yard line, and all three landed inside the 5 in the fourth quarter as St. John's pinned Concordia-Moorhead deep over the final 15 minutes of a 10-3 win. He averaged 42.6 yards on five punts.

RET Michael Canganelli, Fr.
John Carroll

Canganelli returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Mount Union, the first kickoff return for a score the Purple Raiders had surrendered since 2011. He also had a 64-yard return in the first half to set up a touchdown.

ST Ben Wong, Fr.
North Central (Ill.)

Wong blocked two punts and forced a fumble in kickoff coverage. North Central scored a touchdown two plays later on all three occasions. He made two other tackles in kickoff coverage in a 49-7 win vs. Elmhurst.

D3football

d3football.com

D3football.com Team of the Week

Presented by

Offense

QB Zach Taylor, So., Oberlin

OL Jake Murphy, Kyle Carmody, Joe Castellano, Bob Heyward, William Marino, Merchant Marine

RB Maleke Fuentes
Sr., Alfred

RB Jordan Wilcox
Sr., Springfield

WR Mark Johnson
Jr., UW-Platteville

WR Nick Holcomb
Sr., UW-La Crosse

H-back Kyle Gritsch
Sr., Central

Defense

DE Kor'Darius Melton
Fr., Ohio Wesleyan

DT Matt Girting
Sr., Washington & Jefferson

DE Chase Greenlee
Sr., Wheaton

LB Isaiah Watkins
Sr., Pacific Lutheran

LB Tyler Robbins
Sr., Westfield State

LB DJ Warkenthien
Jr., North Central

LB Samer Manna
Sr., Wesley

CB Sean Egan
Sr., RPI

S Shawn Miller
Sr., Delaware Valley

S Julian Cuthbertson
Sr., Guilford

CB Anthony Sandoval
Sr., Merchant Marine

Special teams

K Cole Westberry, So.
Averett

P Naufahu Anitoni, Jr.
St. John's

RET Michael Canganelli, Fr.
John Carroll

ST Ben Wong, Fr.
North Central (Ill.)

D3football.com Team of the Week

Presented by

Offense

QB Zach Taylor, So., Oberlin

OL Jake Murphy, Kyle Carmody, Joe Castellano, Bob Heyward, William Marino, Merchant Marine

RB Maleke Fuentes Sr., Alfred

RB Jordan Wilcox Sr., Springfield

WR Mark Johnson Jr., UW-Platteville

WR Nick Holcomb Sr., UW-La Crosse

H-back Kyle Gritsch Sr., Central

Defense

DE Kor'Darius Melton Fr., Ohio Wesleyan

DT Matt Girting Sr., Washington & Jefferson

DE Chase Greenlee Sr., Wheaton

LB Isaiah Watkins Sr., Pacific Lutheran

LB Tyler Robbins Sr., Westfield State

LB DJ Warkenthien Jr., North Central

LB Samer Manna Sr., Wesley

CB Sean Egan Sr., RPI

S Shawn Miller Sr., Delaware Valley

S Julian Cuthbertson Sr., Guilford

CB Anthony Sandoval Sr., Merchant Marine

Special teams

K Cole Westberry, So. Averett

P Naufahu Anitoni, Jr. St. John's

RET Michael Canganelli, Fr. John Carroll

ST Ben Wong, Fr. North Central (Ill.)

RB Maleke Fuentes
Sr., Alfred

RB Jordan Wilcox
Sr., Springfield

WR Mark Johnson
Jr., UW-Platteville

WR Nick Holcomb
Sr., UW-La Crosse

H-back Kyle Gritsch
Sr., Central

DE Kor'Darius Melton
Fr., Ohio Wesleyan

DT Matt Girting
Sr., Washington & Jefferson

DE Chase Greenlee
Sr., Wheaton

LB Isaiah Watkins
Sr., Pacific Lutheran

LB Tyler Robbins
Sr., Westfield State

LB DJ Warkenthien
Jr., North Central

LB Samer Manna
Sr., Wesley

CB Sean Egan
Sr., RPI

S Shawn Miller
Sr., Delaware Valley

S Julian Cuthbertson
Sr., Guilford

CB Anthony Sandoval
Sr., Merchant Marine

K Cole Westberry, So.
Averett

P Naufahu Anitoni, Jr.
St. John's

RET Michael Canganelli, Fr.
John Carroll

ST Ben Wong, Fr.
North Central (Ill.)