BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross claimed two of the four Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced honors on Monday. Colgate and Lafayette each earned one accolade.
Holy Cross senior wide receiver Justin Shorter captured Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week. He matched a Patriot League single-game record with four touchdown receptions on career-highs of 11 catches and 140 yards in the Crusaders’ 38-7 win against Colgate.
Lafayette senior cornerback Gabe DuBois received Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles and five pass breakups in the Leopards’ 28-23 victory over Fordham.
Colgate senior punter Shelby Pruett collected Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 45.3 yards per punt with a long of 50 yards in a loss against Holy Cross.
Holy Cross freshman wide receiver Alijah Cason was voted Patriot League Football Rookie of the Week. He finished with 42 yards on two receptions in the Crusaders victory over Colgate.
Colgate junior linebacker Cole Kozlowski, Fordham freshman placekicker Bennett Henderson, Holy Cross senior linebacker Frankie Monte and Lafayette placekicker/punter Jakob Trestik all received honorable mentions for their performances last week.
The Patriot League football players of the week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s football athletics communications contacts, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
2024 Patriot League Football Standings (as of October 7)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Bucknell |
1-0 |
1.000 |
3-2 |
.600 |
| Holy Cross |
1-0 |
1.000 |
2-4 |
.333 |
| Lafayette |
1-0 |
1.000 |
3-2 |
.600 |
| Georgetown |
0-0 |
.000 |
3-2 |
.600 |
| Colgate |
0-1 |
.000 |
1-5 |
.167 |
| Fordham |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-6 |
.000 |
| Lehigh |
0-1 |
.000 |
3-2 |
.600 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Shorter, Holy Cross, Sr., WR, Swedesboro, N.J./Blair Academy
*Shorter tied a Patriot League single-game record with four touchdown receptions in Holy Cross’s 38-7 victory over Colgate in their League opener.
*He posted career-bests of 11 receptions and 140 yards, while his two second-quarter touchdowns gave Holy Cross a 16-7 lead.
*The senior wide receiver is the 11th player in League history and fourth in Crusaders history with a four-touchdown reception game.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gabe DuBois, Lafayette, Sr., CB, Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier
*DuBois finished with nine tackles and five pass breakups in Lafayette’s 28-23 victory over Fordham in their League opener.
*The senior cornerback recorded pass breakups on first, second and third downs on the Rams’ final drive to help seal the Leopards’ win. He leads the League and is 13th in NCAA DI FCS with seven passes defended.
*He helped Lafayette’s defense hold Fordham to 157 passing yards.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Sr., P, Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest
*Pruett punted three times for 136 yards for an average of 45.3 yards per punt with a long of 50 yards.
*His 44.7 yards per punt average leads the Patriot League and ranks 13th in the FCS.
*The senior punter improved his career punting average to 40.3, less than a yard shy of Colgate’s program record of 40.9 yards per punt.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alijah Cason, Holy Cross, Fr., WR, Mansfield, Texas/First Baptist Academy
*Cason caught two passes for 42 yards and had a five-yard rush in the Crusaders’ 38-7 victory over Colgate in their League opener.
*The freshman wide receiver’s 42 receiving yards was a season high.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, Jr., LB, Spring Lake, N.J./Manasquan
*Kozlowski finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including a career-high 10 solo stops, in the Raiders’ loss against Holy Cross. The junior linebacker leads the Patriot League with 10.8 tackles per game.
Bennett Henderson, Fordham, Fr., PK, Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
*Henderson connected on a 38-yard field goal in Fordham’s loss against Lafayette in their League opener. The freshman placekicker also converted both extra-point attempts.
Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr., LB, Ramsey, N.J./St. Joseph Regional
*Monte registered eight tackles and recovered a fumble in Holy Cross’s 38-7 victory over Colgate in the Crusaduers’ League opener. He led a Holy Cross defensive effort that held the Raiders to seven points, including zero in the second half.
Jakob Trestik, Lafayette, Sr., P/K, Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge
*Trestik handled punting and kickoff duties for the Leopards in their 28-23 victory over Fordham. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt on three attempts with a long of 49 yards. The Irvine, Calif. native also registered touchbacks on all four of his kickoff attempts.
Offensive Player of the Week
9.2 – Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Sr., RB
9.9 – Elijah Steward, Lafayette, Jr., WR
9.16 – Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, Jr., QB
9.23 – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr., QB
9.30 - Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Jr., WR
10.7 – Justin Shorter, Holy Cross, Sr., WR
Defensive Player of the Week
9.2 – Cooper Blomstrom, Georgetown, So., DL
9.9 – Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr., DB
9.16 – Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, Jr., LB
9.23 – Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
9.30 – Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So., LB
10.7 – Gabe DuBois, Lafayette, Sr., CB
Special Teams Players of the Week
9.2 – Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr., P/K
9.9 – TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So., RS/WR
9.16- Curtis Harris-Lopez, Holy Cross, Sr., S
9.23 - TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So., RS/WR
9.30 - TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So., RS/WR
10.7 – Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Sr., P
Rookie of the Week
9.2 – Jaylen Dawson, Fordham, Fr., LB
9.9 – Brandon Biagiarelli, Bucknell, Fr., LB
9.16 – Xavier Johnson, Lafayette, Fr., CB
9.23 – Jaden Green, Lehigh, Fy., RB
9.30 – Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr., RB
10.7 – Alijah Cason, Holy Cross, Fr., WR
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.