BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott student-athletes Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.), Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.), and Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.) have all earned Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC Football) weekly awards, as announced by the league office earlier today.
Highlighting the trio was Meropoulos who received Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively.
Meanwhile, Aylward was named the league's Offensive Rookie of the Week (fifth career) and Smith rounded out the group with Special Teams Player of the Week (third career) accolades.
In Endicott's 19-17 win over the University of New England (UNE) last Saturday, Meropoulos broke into the offensive backfield multiple times. Meropoulos set a new school record with 4.5 sacks in the game, which also gave him the single-season record with 11.5 sacks in a season. In total, Meropoulos made eight tackles (five solo, three assisted) with 4.5 tackles for a loss totaling 34 yards. One of his sacks came on the final play of the game, a 16-yarder to punctuate the win for the Gulls.
Today's announcement marks Meropoulos' first career Defensive Player of the Week award and third career Defensive Rookie of the Week honor.
Aylward tied his career-high with nine receptions in the victory over UNE. The nine catches went for 96 yards giving him a 10.7 yards per catch average. He also rushed the ball once for 39 yards, giving him 135 yards of total offense on the day. Aylward's gains were big impact plays that led to scoring drives in the tightly contested matchup.
Lastly, Smith sent home a game-winning 34-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the contest to lift the Gulls. In addition to his game-winning kick, Smith also converted both of his extra point attempts.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (7-2, 4-1 CCC Football) returns to action on Saturday, November 13 on the road against Nichols at 12 PM.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Tatianna Carbonel '23)
