Jr RB Craig Needhammer |
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – After leading the Lycoming College football team to a 19-16 win over 16th-ranked Delaware Valley on Saturday, Oct. 5, juniors Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) and Tanner Troutman (Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) have earned the Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards, respectively, the conference office in Annville, Pa., announced on Sunday, Oct. 6.
Needhammer led Warriors to their second straight upset of a top-25 team with 32 carries, 144 yards and two touchdowns against the Aggies. He scored the go-ahead touchdown with a four-yard carry on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter and also scored on the first drive of the game with a six-yard run. Along the way, he crossed 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight week, moving just one shy of the school record set by Josh Kleinfelter in 2010 and he also moved into a tie for sixth with 21 career rushing touchdowns, eight from the school record also held by Kleinfelter.
Needhammer picks up the MAC’s Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time, as he also earned it on Nov. 4, 2012 for a 127-yard effort against Stevenson.
Troutman shared the Defensive Player of the Week nod with Lebanon Valley’s Frank Gaffney, who had 12 tackles and four sacks in LVC’s 17-6 win over Wilkes. For his part, Troutman notched eight tackles and two interceptions to lead the Warrior defense past the Aggies. Troutman picked off one pass in the Lycoming endzone in the first quarter to halt an Aggie drive and added a pickoff with 91 seconds left that sealed the win for the Warriors.
Troutman is the first Warrior defensive back to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Week award since Kabongo Bukasa earned the award as a safety during his freshman year in 2010. He is the second consecutive Warrior to earn the player of the week award, as senior Dwight Hentz (Halifax, Pa./Halifax Area) earned it for a 3.5 sack performance against Widener on Sept. 28.
The road to Lycoming's 15th MAC title is not even half over, though, and will include another tough test on Saturday, Oct. 12, when the Warriors head to Lebanon Valley for a 1 p.m. tilt. It will also serve as Homecoming for the Dutchmen, who enter the game with a 4-1 overall mark and a 3-1 league mark.