Football POWs: Dueck, Odoom, Liegghio take home semifinal honours on the gridiron
Burlington, Ont. – Andreas Dueck, Kojo Odoom, and March Liegghio have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Football Players of the Week for the period ending November 3, 2019.
Offensive Player of the Week – Andreas Dueck, McMaster Marauders
In a battle between two of the more prominent defensive teams in the province, offence wasn’t exactly front and centre in McMaster’s semifinal bout with Guelph, but a determined effort from Andreas Dueck made sure the points were produced when needed for the Marauders to move on.
After a frustrating first half that saw several Marauders drives snuffed out by errors in the red zone, Dueck forced his way to pay dirt to begin the second. He dramatically earned McMaster the lead by scampering 55 yards for what turned out to be the game’s winning touchdown at the 12-minute mark of the third quarter, before finding Blake Reason for some insurance later in the frame.
A gutsy effort against an intimidating defence, the third-year pivot finished with 216 yards in the air on 17-of-32 passing, while adding on another 89 yards on the ground on just five carries. A touchdown courtesy of his arm and his legs were what the doctor ordered for McMaster to overcome rival Guelph and punch their ticket to the Yates Cup championship.
Defensive Player of the Week – Kojo Odoom, Western Mustangs
A Western Mustangs rookie made a monstrous impact in his first taste of OUA playoff football, as Kojo Odoom sought out a pair of dynamic defensive plays to help lead his team to an appearance in the 112th Yates Cup.
After Waterloo took the lead over Western to start the second half, the first-year defensive back made sure their offensive prowess didn’t continue into their next drive. Odoom sniffed out a Tre Ford pass for his first interception of the day, taking it back 16 yards and setting the Mustangs up for a touchdown on the ensuing drive. In the fourth quarter then, Odoom doubled down on his pick-happy play to secure his second interception of the day, not only helping ensure his team stayed in front, but actually extending their lead in the process. After reeling in the Ford pass, the Surrey, B.C. native took it back 65 yards to the end zone to extend Western’s lead to 13 and all but seal the deal on their semifinal victory.
For good measure, Odoom continued his rampant activity on the field by racking up 7.5 tackles in the game, including six of the solo variety, to go along with his two interceptions for a combined 81 yards.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Marc Liegghio, Western Mustangs
In a game where touchdowns weren’t easy for the Mustangs to come by on offence, Western needed to rely on their special teams to produce the points, something that Marc Liegghio had no problem doing from his familiar kicking post.
The lone scoring in the opening quarter came off the foot of Liegghio, who connected on a 30-yard field goal to give his side the 3-0 lead. His next connection came three yards farther back to double Western’s early cushion, but he wasn’t done there. With his team down by one, he closed out the opening half with his third make of the day – this time from 36 yards out – taking care of all of Western’s scoring in the opening 30 minutes. Liegghio went another three yards back for his fourth make before stepping in to a 21-yarder early in the fourth quarter for his fifth and final make.
All told, the fourth-year kicker and decorated record holder accounted for 18 of his team’s 30 points on the day, helping Western secure another trip to the conference’s football finale.
