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AC honors Blakowski, Statesmen move up in polls
October 14, 2006
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ECAC Northwest Offensive Player of |
GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart senior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) was named the ECAC Northwest Offensive Player of the Week for the second game in a row, while the Statesmen’s 30-19 win at Merchant Marine moved Hobart up in all three Division III polls.
The Statesmen (5-0, 3-0 Liberty League) are ranked 13th by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and 18th by both D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association, up from No. 15, No. 20, and No. 21, respectively, last week.
Blakowski rushed for a career-high 214 yards and a touchdown against the Mariners. He ran the ball 28 times for a 7.4 yards-per-carry average. Blakowski had nine carries for 10 yards or more, including a season-long 50-yarder.
As a team, the Statesmen rushed for a season-high 326 yards against a Merchant Marine defense that came into the game allowing just 135.0 rushing yards per game. Hobart, which has increased its rushing output every game this season, produced more yards on the ground against the Mariners than the team had in its previous two games combined (308).
Blakowski is 13th in the nation in scoring (10.8 ppg), 15th in rushing (120.4 yds/g), and 16th in all purpose yards (157.2 yds/g).
Several of Blakowski’s teammates also have a spot among the Division III statistical leaders. Senior linebacker Evan Hoffman (Fairfield Prep/Fairfield, Conn.) leads the nation in forced fumbles (0.8/g). Junior Dominick Ancona (Chaminade/Garden City, N.Y.) is 15th in punting (39.3 yds/p), while return men junior Steve Sorhaindo (Yorktown/Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and sophomore Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, Calif.) are 16th and 17th, respectively, in kickoff returns (28.2 & 28.0 yds/ret).
The Statesmen return to action on Oct. 21, when they travel to St. Lawrence for a Liberty League showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Fans unable to make the trip to Canton can listen to all of the action on WEOS-FM (89.7/90.3 in Geneva, 88.1 in Ithaca) and online by clicking on the live coverage link on the Hobart football schedule page.