Football POWs: Savoni, Cassar, and Ford take home Week 1 honours on the gridiron
Burlington, Ont. – Jacob Savoni, Jack Cassar, and Tyrell Ford have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Football Players of the Week for the period ending August 25, 2019.
Offensive Player of the Week – Jacob Savoni, Windsor Lancers
The Windsor Lancers came away with the 34-17 win against York in their Week 1 tilt, and while the Lions earned the edge in the passing game, it was Windsor's ground attack, led by an explosive effort from Jacob Savoni, that ultimately earned them the season opening victory.
Savoni tormented the opposing defence all night long, refusing to settle for short runs. In fact, the second-year back scampered for an average of 12.9 yards per carry on the day, racking up 179 yards on just 14 carries. Not only was the quantity there, but the quality as well, as Savoni turned three of his runs into points for the blue and gold.
The first major of the night came with just one minute to play in the opening quarter, when he rumbled in for a six-yard score to give Windsor their first lead of the game. His encore came in the third quarter, wherein he opened the second half scoring with a two-yard tally. He rounded out his three-touchdown day with his longest run of the night, as his 86-yard touchdown all but put the game out of reach and secured the Lancers the early season win.
Defensive Player of the Week – Jack Cassar, Carleton Ravens
After finishing second in the conference in total tackles (62.5) and tackles per game (7.8) last year, Carleton Ravens' linebacker Jack Cassar was up to his old ways to open up the 2019 season.
In what was a defensive battle from start to finish, Cassar ensured that the Queen's Gaels' offence felt his presence every chance he could. He was anywhere and everywhere on the gridiron to disrupt the Tricolour's offensive opportunities, shutting down the opposition with 10.5 tackles on the game. 10 of these takedowns were of the solo variety, to go along with one assisted effort, while also securing a tackle for a loss.
The first-team all-star defender from Mississauga, Ont. was a driving force in limiting Queen's to just 266 yards of offence on the evening, and his totals from Week 1 already matched his highest single-game output from a year ago – a mark he also tallied in Carleton's 2018 debut.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Tyrell Ford, Waterloo Warriors
The Waterloo Warriors started their 2019 campaign with their foot on the gas right from the opening kickoff, and a large part of that early game success was due to the explosive player of Tyrell Ford.
The twin brother of Tre Ford, the reigning OUA MVP, made sure that both brothers impacted the outcome of the Warriors season opener; excelling in multiple facets of the game. Where he thrived most, however, was on Special Teams, taking advantage of his first punt return attempt by taking the Ethan Shafer kick all the way back for the touchdown. The 80-yard return came just over two minutes into the game and doubled his team's lead at the time over the Toronto Varsity Blues.
Ford rounded out his Special Teams efforts with another 24 yards on three more punt returns and a 26-yard kickoff return for good measure. The second team OUA all-star also made sure he lived up to that billing on defence, picking up an interception on the night as well.
