By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After an exciting opening weekend of league play, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference named its Week 3 Players of the Week on Monday.
CSU Pueblo saw one of its student-athletes earn the league’s offensive award for the third time in four weeks, with running back Howard Russell’s three-touchdown day earning the Week 3 award. Chadron State defensive back Dax Yeradi led a unit that caused no end of trouble for visiting Colorado School of Mines to pick up the defensive honor. South Dakota Mines kicker Connor Taylor scored 10 points in a win against New Mexico Highlands to nab the special teams citation.
Offensive Player of the Week:
Howard Russell, CSU Pueblo (Senior, Running Back, Phoenix, Arizona)
Russell scored three of CSU Pueblo’s four touchdowns in a 38-14 RMAC victory against Colorado Mesa. After starting the day with a 57-yard run to set the tone, he finished the day with 18 carries for 142 yards, averaging 7.98 yards per carry. Russell is the first ThunderWolves running back to score three or more rushing touchdowns since 2018.
Honorable Mention: Navarre Dixon III, Black Hills State; Wyatt Sprague, Chadron State; Trevin Edwards, Colorado Mesa; Jake Martinelli, South Dakota Mines; Braeden Hogan, Western Colorado.
Defensive Player of the Week:
Dax Yeradi, Chadron State (Junior, Defensive Back, Wright, Wyoming)
Yeradi led a Chadron State defense that held Colorado School of Mines to one touchdown and 332 offensive yards in a 13-12 RMAC loss. He was tied for the team lead with seven tackles (six solo) and nabbed his season’s first interception midway through the second quarter. The Eagles held the Orediggers to zero offensive yards in the first quarter and below their season averages in points, rushing yards, and passing yards.
Honorable Mention: Kellen Collier, Black Hills State; Daniel Bone III, CSU Pueblo; Liban Shongolo, Colorado Mesa; Thomas Fields, South Dakota Mines; Cameron Cooper, Western Colorado.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Connor Taylor, South Dakota Mines (Senior, Kicker, Longmont, Colorado)
Taylor scored 10 points, including two field goals, in South Dakota Mines’ 40-19 RMAC victory against New Mexico Highlands. He connected on field goals of 42 and 20 yards in the win and was 4-of-5 on PATs. In addition, Taylor averaged 47.0 yards on his two punts, including a 49-yarder, and had one of the two punts downed inside the 20-yard line. On kickoffs, he saw six of his eight kicks go for touchbacks.
Honorable Mention: Derek Webster, Black Hills State; Shallum Peter, CSU Pueblo; Rollin George III, Chadron State; Sullivan Moon, Colorado Mesa; Matthew Eich, Colorado School of Mines.
RMAC Football Week 2 Results
CSU Pueblo 38, Colorado Mesa 14
Colorado School of Mines 13, Chadron State 12
South Dakota Mines 40, New Mexico Highlands 19
Black Hills State 33, Fort Lewis 7
Western Colorado 38, Adams State 0
RMAC Football Week 3 Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 28
Western Colorado at New Mexico Highlands
Chadron State at Colorado Mesa
Black Hills State at Colorado School of Mines
CSU Pueblo at Adams State
South Dakota Mines at Fort Lewis
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.
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