HCCSports Information
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Three Hutchinson Community College football players were tapped as Verizon Wireless/Jayhawk Conference Players of the Week after the No. 6 Blue Dragons’ 70-0 victory over No. 23 Independence on Saturday night at Gowans Stadium.
Sophomore defensive end Tyler Rayl was named the conference’s defensive player of the week. Freshman kicker Michael Mesh was the special teams’ player of the week and redshirt freshman running back Deveon Dinwiddie was named the conference’s co-offensive player of the week.
Rayl, a 6-foot-5, 278-pound defensive end from Wellington, had a career high in tackles against the Pirates on Saturday. Rayl had a team-high 11 total tackles, seven were solo stops. He had a team-high three tackles for loss, totaling six yards. Rayl helped the Blue Dragon post their first shutout of the season, holding Independenceto 201 total yards and only 33 yards through the air.
This is the first weekly conference award for Rayl and the first for a Blue Dragon defensive player this season.
Mesh, a 5-8, 174-pound kicker from Hutchinson Trinity Catholic, had a busy night in the Blue Dragons’ blowout victory. Mesh became only the second Blue Dragon kicker in team history to boot 10 point-after touchdowns in a single game. HCC scored the second-most points ever in a game on Saturday. Mesh was 10 for 10 on extra-point tries. He also had five touchbacks on 11 kickoffs.
Mesh is the second-straight Blue Dragon to capture conference special teams honors. Last week, Cordarrelle Patterson won the honor.
Dinwiddie, a 5-8, 179-pound running back from Hutchinson High, did a lot with the few touches he had against Independence. Dinwiddie rushed the ball only six times for 135 yards and two touchdowns. His 90-yard touchdown run tied for the second-longest run from scrimmage in team history. Dinwiddie also scored on a 1-yard run and had another 35-yard run mixed in.
Dinwiddie shared the conference honor with Butlerquarterback Chandler Whitmer, who threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ victory over FortScott.
Dinwiddie is the second Blue Dragon in as many weeks to earn KJCCC offensive weekly honors. Last week, quarterback Elliott Alford was the recipient of the offensive award.
For the second-straight year, Verizon Wireless is the title sponsor of the Jayhawk Conference Football Players of the Week. All three players are eligible for NJCAA national player of the week honors. Those winners will be announced later this week.