Football POWs: Pellerin, Lauzon, Zlatinszky take home Week 3 honours on the gridiron
Burlington, Ont. – Dion Pellerin, Justin Lauzon, and Jonah Zlatinszky have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Football Players of the Week for the period ending September 8, 2019.
Offensive Player of the Week – Dion Pellerin, Waterloo Warriors
Offensive Player of the Week – Dion Pellerin, Waterloo Warriors
The Waterloo Warriors needed every bit of offence they could muster in what turned out to be a shoot out with the Windsor Lancers, and Dion Pellerin did all he could and then some to play his part for the black and gold to come out victorious.
Simply put, Pellerin was a beast for the Warriors, as he anchored the ground game in the team's come-from-behind 45-42 win on Saturday. The fourth-year running back amassed 200 yards on the ground, including a 69-yard touchdown that opened the second half scoring and gave the Warriors the three-point edge at the time. The production didn't stop on the ground; however, as Pellerin also made his presence felt in the team's aerial attack. The geography major reeled in a pair of receptions for 16 yards, including an eight-yard major in the final frame that once again gave his team the lead.
With Saturday's performance, Pellerin now leads the OUA in rushing yards per game at 156.5.
Defensive Player of the Week – Justin Lauzon, Guelph Gryphons
Gryphon rookie linebacker Justin Lauzon has impressed since setting foot on University of Guelph campus. The St-Hyacinthe, Quebec native earned a spot in the Gryphon linebacking corps right out of the gates and this past Saturday produced the best game of his young career.
Lauzon recorded a 58-yard interception returned for a touchdown to give Guelph a 26-5 lead during the 3rd quarter of Guelph's Week 3 matchup with York. For Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan, the pick-six from Lauzon was a much-deserved reward for the standout rookie linebacker, "Justin has been an excellent team player and just an excellent teammate overall," says Sheahan. "He's a hard-working guy who is also one of the top performing players on our roster in terms of academics, which is especially impressive considering English is his second language. It was great to see him rewarded for his strong play early in this season with that score."
Lauzon, who starred at Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu prior to arriving Guelph, also recorded the first sack of his U SPORTS career on Saturday and finished the game with 3.5 tackles.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Jonah Zlatinszky, Waterloo Warriors
There wasn't much separation between Waterloo and Windsor on Saturday when the two teams lit up the scoreboard, but when the clock hit zero and the winning team was crowned, it was the leg of Warriors kicker Jonah Zlatinszky that proved to be just enough of a difference.
On the day, Zlatinszky connected on a trio of field goals, but it was his third and final three-pointer that offered up the heroics. Locked in a deadlocked, back-and-forth battle, the score remained tied at 42-apiece in the dying seconds of the game. As the time ticked away, the black and gold called upon their veteran kicker for that final push, and Zlatinszky did what he does best. The 23-yard field goal as time expired not only gave his team the win, but also capped off his perfect day at the office, having also split the uprights from 34 and 31 yards, respectively.
The London, Ont. native rounded out his day with six kickoffs for 359 yards and a pair of punts that went for 73 yards combined. He also hit all five extra-point attempts to bring his total scoring to 14 on the day.
