Felder earns NE10 Offensive Player of the Week honors for fourth time
Lewis earns first NE10 Defensive Player of the Week award
Lewis earns NE10 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix) |
EASTON, Mass. (November 11, 2019) – Two members of the Northeast-10 Conference football program have received weekly honors from the Northeast-10 Conference for their efforts in Saturday's 34-22 victory over Pace University on Saturday.
Sophomore running back Justin Felder, who was named the recipient of the New England Football Writers Division II/III Gold Helmet on Sunday, has earned NE10 Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second-straight week and fourth time this season overall. Senior linebacker Michael Lewis was selected as the NE10's Defensive Player of the Week for the first time.
Lewis led a Stonehill defense that buckled down after the opening quarter of play to allow just 13 points after Pace had staked out a 9-0 lead after its first two possessions of the game. He totaled seven tackles (five solo), including a half sack and a forced fumble in the victory. Lewis' forced fumble in the fourth quarter led to Stonehill's final touchdown of the day and a 34-16 lead that sealed the win. The Skyhawks defense limited Pace to 4-for-13 on third down (31-percent), including 2-for-9 after the opening quarter, and just 88 passing yards for the day. After Pace controlled time of possession in the first half at 19:47, the Skyhawks defense limited the Setters to 10:26 in the second.
Felder |
Lewis |
Lewis appeared in all nine games, starting the last six, at linebacker for Stonehill this fall, totaling 34 tackles (22 solo), including 1.0 tackles for a loss of five yards, a half sack, forced fumble and blocked kick. He registered a season-high nine solo stops at Assumption College on October 26. Lewis is a key cog in a Skyhawks defense that is second in the NE10 and 25th nationally in Division II for total defense (292.1 yds allowed/gm), leading the Conference and ranking 11th in Division II in passing defense (153.9), and third in the NE10 for rushing defense (138.2). The Skyhawks lead the NE10 and rank sixth nationally for third down defense (27%), ranking 21st nationally with an NE10-best pass efficiency defense (104.28) and second in the Conference and fourth nationally for first down defense (15.1 per game).
Lewis has appeared in 25 games over his Stonehill career and totaled 76 tackles, 37 solo, including 5.0 tackles for a loss of 15 yards, with a half sack, forced fumble and blocked kick. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll four semesters, receiving Academic Distinction status both semesters as a junior for receiving a semester grade point average between 3.50 and 3.99, while also being named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll both semesters last year.
Felder, the first Stonehill football student-athlete to receive NE10 Offensive Player of the Week accolades three times in a season, earns the honor for the fourth time this week after posting back-to-back 300-yard rushing games for the first time in NE10 history. He rushed the ball a career-high 40 times for 311 yards and a career-best four touchdowns, with three rushing and one receiving, on Saturday, finishing the game with 320 all-purpose yards. He is just the second running back in NE10 history to record two 300-yard games in a season, joining 1999 Harlon Hill Trophy runner up Kavin Galliard from American International College, who did so during the 1999 season. Felder's 40 rushing attempts are the third-highest single game total in program history and the most by a Stonehill player at W.B. Mason Stadium – just one shy of the facility record by AIC's Marlon Beckles in 2005.
Felder is the NE10's Offensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week and fourth time this season overall (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Felder finished three yards shy of his program record 314 yards in Stonehill's 41-20 win over Southern Connecticut State University last week, in which he shattered the previous mark of 250 yards by Stonehill Hall of Famer Michael McLucas, '95 against Nichols College in 1994. Felder opened the Skyhawks scoring on Saturday after Pace had staked out a 9-0 lead after a quarter with a 15-yard touchdown reception from junior Anton Stoneking with 8:10 remaining in the first half. Felder followed that with a 36-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half that gave Stonehill a 21-9 lead. He capped the day with a pair of one-yard touchdown runs in the fourth as the Skyhawks claimed a 34-16 lead to seal the win.
Felder, who has posted the first 1,000-yard rushing season at Stonehill since 2019, broke four single-season program records during his performance on Saturday. His NE10 leading 1,349 rushing yards ranks seventh nationally in Division II and breaks the previous school mark of 1,267 yards by Tyrone Jefferson, '01 in 2000, while also surpassing Eddie Vachon's, '11 single-season records for rushing (13) and total (14) touchdowns and points scored (84) on Saturday. Felder leads the NE10 with 14 rushing (9th nationally) and 16 total (10th) touchdowns, and is tops in scoring with 96 points (11th) and 149.9 rushing yards per game (5th), while ranking second with his program-record 1,442 all-purpose yards (13th).
Felder, who has posted six 100-yard games this fall, has moved into seventh all-time in Stonehill history with his 1,778 rushing yards in just 17 career games. His 16 career rushing touchdowns are tied for fourth all-time at Stonehill, while his 19 total touchdowns are one shy of cracking the program's career top ten.
Stonehill (6-3, 5-2 NE10) can clinch at least a share of its second NE10 regular season title, and first since 2013, with a win in its season finale at the University of New Haven (6-3, 5-2 NE10) on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both teams will be playing for a share of the title, along with Assumption College (6-3, 5-2 NE10) and Bentley University (5-4, 5-2 NE10), and the winner can claim the title outright should Assumption (at Saint Anselm College) and Bentley (vs. American International) lose.
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