Football POWs: Pellerin, Brodie, Arhen take home Week 6 honours on the gridiron
Burlington, Ont. – Dion Pellerin, Graham Brodie, and Ben Arhen have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Football Players of the Week for the period ending September 29, 2019.
Offensive Player of the Week – Dion Pellerin, Waterloo Warriors
For the second time this season, the Warriors running back stole the show for the black and gold, and Dion Pellerin’s potent performance on the ground led his Waterloo squad to victory on the weekend.
Pellerin was instrumental in his team’s offensive attack on Saturday, playing a leading role in Waterloo’s 57-19 win over the York Lions. Pellerin’s first scoring play came in the second quarter, when he punched in a one-yard run to give his time the three-touchdown lead. He would follow that up late in the third quarter with a 22-yard scamper to the end zone before saving his best for last less than a minute into the final frame. The fourth-year back ripped a 49-yard run all the way to the house for Waterloo to all but put the game out of reach for the now 4-1 Warriors.
Pellerin’s total of 155 yards on 18 carries have him second in the conference in rushing (129 YPG), while he doubled his touchdown totals to now rank first in rushing majors on the year (6). For good measure, Pellerin rounded out his day with another 24 yards on three catches.
Defensive Player of the Week – Graham Brodie, Guelph Gryphons
Defensively, the Guelph Gryphons have been lights out in 2019. The most recent performance was no different, and this time, it was veteran defensive back Graham Brodie stealing the spotlight.
The fourth-year cornerback recorded a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six, to help lead the Gryphons to a convincing 33-6 homecoming win over the No. 8-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Guelph, Ont. product generated the team’s OUA-leading fourth defensive touchdown of the season, jumping in front of a pass from Gee-Gees rookie quarterback Ben Maracle and heading 65-yards the other way for a score to put Guelph up 31-6.
Brodie accounted for two of the three Gryphon interceptions, to go along with two tackles, on a day in which the Gryphons held Ottawa to just 70 yards passing. Saturday’s performance versus the Gee-Gees also marked the second consecutive game in which the Gryphon defence kept their opponent out of the endzone.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Ben Arhen, Queen’s Gaels
In a game that didn’t go the Gaels’ way on the scoreboard, Queen’s did receive a bright spot from Ben Arhen, who continued to highlight the special teams skill across the OUA with a highlight reel return of his own.
With the Gaels down big not long before the half, Arhen broke free against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks with a highlight 100-yard kick return touchdown before the break. The third-year receiver went untouched on the play, making a quick cutback at the Gaels 25-yard line before sprinting down the sideline and into the end zone for the touchdown. The lengthy run back was one of his six returns on the day, which amassed to 183 yards.
Arhen’s return was tied for the sixth-longest in Queen's history, matching the marks of Paul Correale ('97), Bob O'Doherty ('75) and Randy Zaricny ('87) in the process.
