Magnaye-Jones, Von Muehldorfer, Garrity named OUA football players of the week

Graphic on predominantly blue background featuring action photos of Western's Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, Max Von Muehldorfer, and Brian Garrity, with the Canadian Football Perspective logo and white text reading, 'Football Players of the Week' included below them
November 14, 2023

Burlington, Ont. – Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, Max Von Muehldorfer, and Brian Garrity have been named Canadian Football Perspective’s OUA Players of the Week for the Yates Cup.

Offensive Player of the Week – Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, Western

Western football player Savaughn Magnaye-Jones running with the ball tucked in his right arm

Savaughn Magnaye-Jones hasn’t just been one of the most reliable receivers on the Mustangs, but across the OUA, and the all-star showed that once again in the Yates Cup.

The dynamic receiver started his afternoon with a pair of 12-yard catches in the opening quarter, before adding another pair of receptions of 10-plus yards late in the half. He would chip in with another two catches on the game-tying drive, in back-to-back fashion for the second time in the game, before reeling in his longest catch of the day – a 23-yarder – to close out his contributions.

These sure-handed grabs brought his totals up to seven receptions for 107 yards, tying for the game-high in the former while easily pacing the championship pack in the latter. The fifth-year receiver from Hamilton, Ont. served up both quantity and quality in his Yates Cup performance, and was a reliable option time and time again to help the Western offence securing scoring drives.

Defensive Player of the Week - Max Von Muehldorfer, Western

Western football player Max Von Muehldorfer trying to get to the quarterback while being blocked by an opposing player

In a game that Western’s defence was able to keep the Golden Hawks grounded in large part, the efforts of Max Von Muehldorfer cannot be ignored.

The defensive lineman from Calgary, Alta. was a force to be reckoned with up front, as his constant pressure and prominent play against the run were keys to the Mustangs point-preventing efforts. While not all of the third-year King’s College student’s efforts are reflected on the stat sheet, he still managed to post a trio of solo tackles and four assisted takedowns for a total of five on the day. He also chipped in with half a sack for a loss of two yards, putting an exclamation point on the team’s Yates Cup victory.

Von Muehldorfer was also an anchor in Western limiting Laurier to well below their season averages offensively.

Special Teams Player of the Week – Brian Garrity, Western

Western football player fist bumping a teammate on the field

It was a standout special teams outing on Saturday, with Dalt White award winner Brian Garrity stepping up over and over again to help guide his team to the championship circle for a third straight season.

Garrity opened the scoring less than five minutes in with a 22-yard field goal. After the Laurier offence brought the Hawks in front, the Western kicker then made sure to take advantage of each of his ensuing opportunities to get his team back and, ultimately, ahead. An 18-yard make brought his team to within one possession at the break, while back-to-back kicks (15, 27) tied things up early in the second half.

With the game still within striking distance for the Hawks, Garrity opened the fourth-quarter with another 15-yard field goal to push the lead to 12, before capping off the game’s scoring with a lengthy 45-yarder to not only ice the game, but earn him his sixth make of the day.

A successful extra point brought Garrity’s total to 19 points on the day, with the game’s MVP also chipping in with an average of 57.7 yards on three kickoffs.