2021 Football Players of the Week

  • Tramell Anthony, Shenandoah, Sr., Defensive Back
    November 14, 2021
    Anthony, a senior from Winchester, Va., posted a strong day to help Shenandoah upset ODAC champion Washington and Lee, 14-6, on Saturday in front of his hometown fans. Anthony made 11 tackles including eight solo stops. His biggest play was the second to last of the game. On third down from the SU 11-yard line, W&L's quarterback tried to find a receiver on a corner route at the back of the end zone. Anthony stepped up and high-pointed the ball, intercepting the pass with 0:37 on the clock to clinch the Hornets victory with only a kneel down left before the final horn. That was the first interception of the year for Anthony and the second of his career. For the season, Anthony registered 40 tackles (31 solo) with 1.5 tackles for a loss and three passes broken up.
  • Brecht Heuchan, Randolph-Macon, So., Quarterback
    November 14, 2021
    Heuchan, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., put together a three touchdown day in helping Randolph-Macon top Hampden-Sydney, 37-14, in the 126th playing of "The Game" as the oldest small college football rivalry in the South. Heuchan was 15-of-21 through the air for 265 yards and three scores without an interception. He completed passes to six different receivers and connected twice with David Wallis on touchdown passes of 81 and 14 yards, the latter of which came just before halftime to spot R-MC to a 27-7 lead at the break. Heuchan also found Joey Hunt with a 31-yard passing play for a score at the close of the third quarter. For the season, Heuchan has completed 70.2-percent (66-of-94) of his passes for 1,287 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has thrown just one interception and been sacked just three times. His passer efficiency rating sits at 218.2.
  • David Agyei, Shenandoah, Sr., Defensive Back
    November 07, 2021
    Agyei, a senior from Manassas, Va., picks up his first weekly award after leading Shenandoah's defense in a 35-16 triumph over Apprentice School. Agyei posted a game-high 12 tackles including six solo stops. This is the third straight week he has finished with 10 or more tackles in a game. Agyei made one tackle behind the line of scrimmage that cost the Builders three yards of offense. He broke up two passes and also intercepted a pass that led to a game-sealing touchdown. He registered his second pick of the season at the Hornets 35-yard line. Seven plays later, Brant Butler caught his second TD pass of the game midway through the fourth quarter. For the season, Agyei is seventh in the ODAC with 69 tackles and sixth with 39 solo stops. He has made 7.5 tackles for a loss, which is tied for 10th in the league. In addition to the two interceptions, he has broken up four passes.
  • Brant Butler, Shenandoah, Sr., Receiver
    November 07, 2021
    Butler, a senior from La Plata, Md., picks up his second weekly award of the season after helping Shenandoah to a 35-16 victory over Apprentice School on Saturday. Butler racked up 134 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. He caught nine passes for 93 yards and both of his scores. He also returned a pair of kickoffs, taking each back 21 yards. His first touchdown reception was a two-yard toss from Steve Hugney to open the game's scoring just 3:23 in the contest. He then put the final points on the scoreboard with a 13-yard TD catch from Zack Mathis following defensive back David Agyei's interception on the Builders preceding possession. For the season, Butler leads the ODAC with 54 catches, 882 receiving yards, and 98.0 receiving yards per game. His seven TD catches rank third in the league, while his 16.3 yards per catch sits fourth.
  • Brendan Weinberg, Hampden-Sydney, Sr., Linebacker
    October 31, 2021
    Weinberg, a senior from Apex, N.C., was all over the field for Hampden-Sydney's defense in the Tigers 38-21 victory at Apprentice School. Weinberg registered a team-high 13 tackles and made a pair of plays that led to H-SC touchdowns during the Tigers period of 28 unanswered points in the second half. Weinberg, who had 3.0 tackles for a loss including a quarterback sack, intercepted two passes and blocked a punt to go with a pass breakup. His blocked punt setup H-SC's third touchdown, giving the Tigers the lead for good at 24-14 with 8:43 to go in the third quarter. Weinberg's second interception led the Tigers' final touchdown with 3:15 to play. For the season, Weinberg has registered 44 tackles with 13.5 TFLs and three sacks. The interceptions were his first two of the season. He has collected 10 or more tackles in 6-of-8 games played this season.
  • Titus Jones, Ferrum, Sr., Quarterback
    October 31, 2021
    Jones, a senior from Reidsville, N.C., picks up his second ODAC weekly award after leading Ferrum to a 57-35 victory over Guilford in a shootout that saw the teams combine for 898 yards of offense. Jones set a Panthers' single-game record with six touchdown passes as he went 16-of-23 for 239 yards through the air. He is now the single-season record holder in passing touchdowns (20) and passing yards (2,000). He also ran for 89 yards on nine carries with a long run of 33 yards. Jones completed his six TD passes to six different receivers. Those touchdowns covered 11 yards to Kai Bowers, 51 yards to Christian Caldwell, 39 yards to Joe Burris III, 13 yards to Daniel Lamb, 42 yards to Tmahdae Penn, and 19 yards to Nic Cook. For the season, Jones leads the ODAC with 20 touchdown passes, a 164.3 passing efficiency rating, and a 63.4 completion percentage (142-of-224). He has thrown for 2,000 yards, second-best in the league.
  • Ben Burgan, Shenandoah, Sr., Linebacker
    October 24, 2021
    Burgan, a senior from Boonsboro, Md., led a Shenandoah defensive unit that limited Emory & Henry to just seven points in the Hornets 9-7 last-second victory over the Wasps. The seven points are the fewest SU has allowed to an opponent since defeating Guilford, 26-7, on September 28, 2019. Burgan posted a game-best 16 tackles with seven solo stops and 4.0 coming behind the line of scrimmage. He cost E&H 12 yards of offense on those plays. Three of those tackles for a loss came in the fourth quarter as Shenandoah was mounting its comeback. That included a fourth-down stop for a loss of four yards with Emory & Henry deep in SU territory. Burgan currently leads the ODAC in tackles (89), tackles per game (12.7), and solo stops (51). He is tied atop the ODAC lists at 10.5 TFLs with teammate Mason Caldwell and Hampden-Sydney's Brendan Weinberg. Burgan has registered 11 or more tackles in six of seven games played this season.
  • Kaleb Smith, Hampden-Sydney, Sr., Running Back
    October 24, 2021
    Smith a senior from Rocky Mount, Va., led the Hampden-Sydney offense with 165 all-purpose yards and three downs in the Tigers 42-28 victory at home against Ferrum. Smith, who ran for 138 yards on 21 carries and added 27 yards on four receptions, opened the game's scoring with a one-yard TD run early in the first quarter. He added a six-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to give H-SC a 28-21 halftime advantage. Smith put the game out of reach with 1:14 to play as he capped the game's scoring with a 52-yard touchdown run, his longest rush of the season. Smith is currently fourth in the ODAC in rushing yards (434) and yards per game (72.3). He has scored six rushing touchdowns. Saturday's effort marked his second game with 100 or more rushing yards this season. The 165 all-purpose yards are the most he registered this year and his fourth game with at least 123 all-purpose yards.
  • Billy Higgins, Ferrum., Sr., Linebacker
    October 17, 2021
    Higgins, a senior from Virginia Beach, Va., helped a lead a Panthers defense that played a big part in Ferrum's 24-23 last-second comeback victory over Shenandoah on homecoming in Ferrum. Higgins posted 10 tackles for the game with a team-best eight solo tackles. He also did well in pass defense, breaking up two passes including the final throw of the game. This marked his fourth straight game with 10 or more tackles in a contest as he ranks fifth in the ODAC with 62 total stops. He is second with 37 solo tackles. Ferrum's defense provided the platform for its comeback effort as it stiffened to allow just 10 points and took the ball away twice including an interception that setup a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
  • Tmahdae Penn, Ferrum, So., Receiver
    October 17, 2021
    Penn, a sophomore from Martinsville, Va., broke the Ferrum single-season record for receiving touchdowns with two of the biggest plays of the game on Saturday as Ferrum completed a 24-23 comeback victory during homecoming festivities in Ferrum. Penn caught three passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, each of which went for better than 45 yards. His first touchdown catch-and-run came just before halftime as he put the Panthers on the board with a 71-yard dash to paydirt. He caught a 19 pass over the middle from Titus Jones, bounced off one would-be tackler, and sprinted for the end zone and turning away from four defenders. Penn's second TD reception put Ferrum ahead, 21-20, with 6:03 to play. After an interception returned possession to FC, Penn ran on to a deep post-pass by Jones at the 10-yard line as he beat his primary defender and got beyond the safety for a 48-yard touchdown catch. Those two touchdowns gave him nine for the season, setting a new Panthers' single-season record. The nine TD receptions are three more than any other ODAC receiver this year. Penn is currently #1 in yards per reception (23.1), second in receiving yards (600) and receiving yards per game (100.0), and fourth in receptions (26).
  • Jace DePriest, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Defensive Tackle
    October 10, 2021
    DePriest, a senior from Sandston, Va., shed blocks from the interior of Randolph-Macon's defensive line repeatedly in helping lead the Yellow Jackets to a 34-31 victory over Emory & Henry on Saturday. DePriest, who mans one of the defensive tackle spots for R-MC, led the unit with a career-best eight tackles, all solo stops. He got behind the line of scrimmage twice to make tackles that cost E&H six yards of offense. He also forced a fumble that led to one of running back Justin DeLeon's rushing touchdowns for a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. For the season, DePriest has registered 24 tackles with 6.0 TFLs and 2.5 quarterback sacks. He has forced two fumbles and recovered one.
  • Steven Hugney, Shenandoah, Fy., Quarterback
    October 10, 2021
    Hugney, a first-year from Fairfax Station, Va., had arguably his best day under center for Shenandoah has he had a hand in five of the first six touchdowns scored by the Hornets in their 52-25 triumph over Guilford. Hugney threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-31 through the air. He also ran for 64 yards on eight carries including a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He connected with eight different receivers on the day with three players catching touchdown throws. Brant Butler was in on passing TDs that covered 38 and 24 yards. Austin Ragan scored via an 18-yard passing play, while Andre Jackson and Hugney hooked up on a 45-yard touchdown. For the season, Hugney has thrown for 795 yards and eight touchdowns against five interceptions on 62-of-115 (53.9%) passing. He has run for 123 yards and a touchdown.
  • David Onyejekwe, Washington and Lee, Jr., Linebacker
    October 03, 2021
    Onyejekwe, a junior from Falls Church, Va., helped lead Washington and Lee to a 32-30 victory at Hampden-Sydney on Saturday in a contest that featured five lead changes. Onyejekwe led the Generals with 10 tackles including a sack and two tackles for a loss. His sack helped stop the Tigers deep in W&L territory just before the half as he got to the quarterback on the Generals' 14-yard line. H-SC was forced to settle for a field goal. The Generals defense made several big plays late, including a stop on a game-tying two-point conversion try with less than 30-seconds to play and forcing four incomplete passes after Hampden-Sydney had recovered an onside kick. For the season, Onyejekwe has racked up 30 tackles with 16 solo stops. He has 3.5 tackles for a loss and two quarterback sacks along with one interception. Saturday marked his second straight game with 10 tackles.
  • Brant Butler, Shenandoah, Gr., Receiver
    October 03, 2021
    Butler, a graduate student from La Plata, Md., posted the biggest receiving day in the ODAC on Saturday in terms of sheer statistics and game-changing plays as Shenandoah recovered from a 24-0 first half hole to a post a 34-27 victory over Bridgewater for the biggest comeback in school history. Butler posted career highs of eight catches and 177 receiving yards to go with a pair of touchdown receptions. His first score came early in the third quarter. He found a space inside the BC five-yard line where quarterback Steven Hugney connected with him for a 31-yard scoring play that brought SU to within 10 points at 24-14 with 11:25 on the clock. Butler's second touchdown proved to be the final score of the game with 0:27 showing on the scoreboard. Hugney lofted a pass towards the corner of the end zone where Butler battled the Eagles' defensive back and pulled in the 13-yard toss with one hand to give SU its first lead of the game at 33-27. For the season, Butler has caught 22 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Kevin Williams, Ferrum, Jr., Cornerback
    September 26, 2021
    Williams, a junior from Suffolk, Va., put points on the board midway through the fourth quarter to help Ferrum hold on for a 30-28 victory over The Apprentice School on Saturday in Ferrum. Williams made two tackles including one behind the line of scrimmage that cost the Builders four yards of offense, but his biggest contribution came in the fourth quarter after Apprentice had all but erased a 20-point deficit to pull within two at 23-21. Williams stepped in front of a Builders receiver and intercepted a pass. He out-paced all would-be tacklers on the way to a 70-yard sprint to the end zone to provide the Panthers with the margin needed to withstand one final Apprentice touchdown with three minutes to play. For the season, Williams has made six tackles to go with Saturday's interception and two broken up passes.
  • Jack Pollard, Washington and Lee, Sr., Quarterback
    September 26, 2021
    Pollard, a senior from Richmond, Va., helped lead Washington and Lee to its first win over a ranked team since 2015 with a 25-24 comeback triumph at #16 Randolph-Macon on Saturday. Pollard threw for 126 yards and a touchdown while also running for 48 yards and another score. He put the Generals on the board early in the second quarter with a five-yard TD run to knot the score at 7-7. Pollard and Alex Vaught caught the Randolph-Macon defense off-guard with a 78-yard catch-and-run passing play down the seam, again tying the score at 14-14 with 1:30 left in the first half. On the game deciding drive where Washington and Lee covered 99 yards over the final 7:38 to score a touchdown and convert a two-point attempt as time expired, Pollard engineered the first 10 plays of the 17-play possession before being forced to leave with injury. Before leaving, he ran for 27 yards on five carries on the drive with his final rush taking W&L to the R-MC 21 yard-line. For the season, Pollard has run for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown for 260 yards and three scores.
  • Dominic Gray, Randolph-Macon, So., Linebacker
    September 19, 2021
    Gray, a sophomore from Richmond, Va., helped lead the nationally 18th-ranked Yellow Jackets to a 31-13 win over Bridgewater in a clash of the last ODAC football champions on Saturday. Gray posted a game-best 11 tackles with six solo stops as R-MC limited BC to 231 yards of offense. That included 27 yards rushing on 24 carries for a 1.1 per-rush average. Randolph-Macon also shutout Bridgewater in the first and third quarters with Gray posting four tackles in the later frame. R-MC defensive players sacked the BC quarterback four times, helping limit the Eagles to 25:36 of possession time. For the season, Gray has made 22 stops with an ODAC-best 16 solo tackles. R-MC has allowed just 14.7 points per game through three contests. The Yellow Jackets lead the ODAC with an average of 35:56 of possession time per game.
  • Titus Jones, Ferrum, Sr., Quarterback
    September 19, 2021
    Jones, a senior from Reidsville, N.C., put it all together in a strong passing and rushing performance to lead Ferrum to the program's second-ever victory over Christopher Newport, 26-19, in Newport News on Saturday night. Jones accounted for 254 yards of total offense and had a hand in all three Panthers touchdowns. He helped the Ferrum offense recover from an eight-play first quarter in which they fell behind the Captains, 7-0, with a 38-yard touchdown strike to Tmahdae Penn to tie the game 7-7 midway through the second quarter. After both teams traded field goals, Jones went to work with his feet in the third quarter, keeping the ball on a great option-fake and then out-pacing the CNU defense over 33-yards to paydirt for a 17-10 lead. Jones and Penn connected again to make it 23-23 Panthers early in the final frame as Penn pulled in a five-yard pass from Jones for their second scoring play. For the season, Jones is 31-of-46 (67.4%) passing for 421 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He has run for 129 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown.
  • Chase Rosenthal, Bridgewater, Sr., Cornerback
    September 12, 2021
    Rosenthal, a senior from Chesapeake, Va., continues to be a difference maker in the Eagles secondary as helped Bridgewater to a 35-17 road win at Southern Virginia on Saturday. Rosenthal made six stops including three solo tackles on the day to go with a pair of pass break-ups. His biggest contribution was a tone-setter late in the second quarter. With Bridgewater leading 14-7, the two-sport star (track & field) intercepted a pass deep in Eagles territory and returned it 54 yards. One play later, Bridgewater found the end zone with 0:26 to go in the half for a 22-7 advantage heading to the locker room. Rosenthal has now intercepted seven passes and broken up 17 others in his career.
  • Justin DeLeon, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Running Back
    September 12, 2021
    DeLeon, a senior from Powhatan, Va., put his running skills on display as Randolph-Macon racked up 694 yards of offense on the way to a 62-10 win over Catholic on Saturday. DeLeon accrued 176 all-purpose yards as he ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and caught a pair of passes for 68 yards and another score. He opened the game's scoring with a 1-yard run with 8:00 on the first quarter clock. He made it 28-10 R-MC just before halftime with a 10-yard jaunt with 0:53 on the scoreboard. He hit the big play button midway thru the third quarter as covered 59-yards on a catch-and-run off a screen pass for his third touchdown of the game. DeLeon, who has cracked the 100-yard mark in both games this season, leads the ODAC in rushing yards (229) and yards per game (114.5).
  • Da'Sean Davis, Bridgewater, Sr., Defensive Lineman
    September 05, 2021
    Davis, a senior from Stafford, Va., spearheaded a stellar defensive effort by Bridgewater in the Eagles 31-7 triumph over Gettysburg College at Jopson Field on Saturday. Davis set a school-record with 4.5 tackles for a loss as part of a six tackle day. His efforts behind the line of scrimmage, which cost the Bullets 10 yards of offense, including half a sack with teammate Nazeer Jordan. Davis, an All-ODAC Third Team pick in 2019, was also credited with a quarterback hurry. He led a unit that registered 15 TFLs and limited the opposition to 122 yards of total offense over 60 plays (2.0 yards per play).
  • Ethan Bigbee, Shenandoah, Sr., Receiver
    September 05, 2021
    Bigbee, a senior from Gainesville, Va., was both explosive and clutch in helping Shenandoah erase an early 14-7 deficit and post a 28-23 win over Methodist University on Saturday. Bigbee was targeted eight times by Hornet quarterbacks and came thru with five receptions for 176 yards and three touchdowns. His first score covered 86 yards midway thru the third quarter, marking the longest reception of his career (previous long was 63 in 2018). Bigbee's final two TDs came in fourth quarter, including a 38-yard reception to clinch the game with 6:55 to play.