HADLEY, Mass. — The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its weekly football award winners today with Williams quarterback Drew Weiler and defensive back Andrew Kreakie selected as the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, following the Ephs' 20-10 road victory at Middlebury on Saturday.
A first-year from Lake Oswego, Oregon, Weiler shined in just his second collegiate start, completing 23-of-33 passes for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns from 5 and 28 yards out, without an interception. His first big play came on Williams's second drive that began at its own 1-yard line, tossing a 39-yard bomb to escape the shadow of the Ephs' own end zone. That led to a 93-yard drive that culminated with a 23-yard field goal for the game's first points. He then connected on his scoring strikes in the second quarter to give Williams a 17-10 lead at the half, and it was his 3-yard dive on 4th-and-1 late in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory.
On the other side of the ball, Kreakie was an instrumental player that not only stymied the Middlebury offense, but also led to a pair of Eph scores. The junior from Westerville, Ohio, matched a career high with nine tackles in the contest, plus forced a fumble late in the first quarter that led to the first Williams trip to the end zone five plays later for a 10-0 advantage. In the fourth quarter, he pounced on another fumble in Panther territory, and the Ephs capitalized by booting a 34-yard field goal for some breathing room with a 10-point lead. Kreakie is the first Williams player to win the defensive weekly honor since Ethan Scott four years ago.
These are the second and third weekly awards given to an Eph football player this fall. Senior Leonardo Maiuolo was the Special Teams Player of the Week after the season opener.
Maiuolo also earned a place on the NESCAC Honor Roll this week for successfully converting both of his field goal attempts and punting five times for a 37.8-yard average, twice pinning the Panthers inside their own 20. Maiuolo is the NESCAC's leading punter for the season at 41.7 yards per punt.Â
Williams (4-1) will next play host to Tufts (3-2) at Farley-Lamb Field this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. While the Ephs have a 56-31-7 lead all-time in the series that dates back to 1885, the Jumbos have won the last four meetings and nine of the last 11. The game will be streamed live courtesy of Northeast Sports Network.
