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NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Luca Stanzani, LIU
NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Trey Watkins, LIU
NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Domenic Scalese, Stonehill
NEC Rookie of the Week: Jayden Simpson, LIU

Previous NEC Releases: Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason Poll Release 

NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luca Stanzani, LIU
Quarterback, Redshirt Junior, 5-11, 185 lbs., Clearwater, FL/Clearwater Academy International
Week 9 Stats: 15-of-26 completions, 152 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, 98 rushing yards, 20 rushes, 4 rushing touchdowns
In his second game back at quarterback since suffering an injury against Sacred Heart, Stanzani looked like he did not miss a beat for LIU on Saturday. The Sharks’ signal caller sliced New Haven’s offense through the air and on the ground as he accounted for each of his team’s five touchdowns in a commanding 38-16 triumph in Brookville on Saturday. A native of Clearwater, FL, Stanzani threw for one score and ran for four more to propel the Sharks to their highest point total in a game against an NEC squad since 2023. In addition, the redshirt junior, who completed 15-of-26 passes for 152 passing yards, tacked on 98 rushing yards to his outstanding stat line. Stanzani’s four rushing touchdowns, which were the most by a player in the entire nation in Week 9, are tied for the most by an FCS player this season, while his 24 points are tied for second-most in the nation. On the year, Stanzani is tied for first in the NEC with seven rushing scores. Those seven rushing touchdowns are tied for seventh-most among FCS quarterbacks. With two NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Year nods this season, Stanzani has earned five weekly awards from the NEC during his career.

NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Trey Watkins, LIU
Defensive Back, Redshirt Junior, 6-0, 185 lbs., Rahway, NJ/St. Joseph Regional (Lafayette)
Week 9 Stats: 5 tackles (3 solo), 0.5 tackles-for-loss (3 yards), 1 forced fumble, 1 interception (7 yards)
A transfer from Lafayette, Watkins became the second LIU player this season to take home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Defensive Player of the Week distinction. The redshirt junior defensive back joined linebacker Rafael Fasolino in earning the award after he enjoyed a stat-sheet-stuffing outing against New Haven with five tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and an interception. Each of the Garden State native’s two turnovers — the forced fumble with 2:12 left in the opening quarter and the pick with 3:44 to go in the second quarter — resulted in Sharks’ touchdowns. In addition, Watkins anchored a defense that held the Chargers to just 61 rushing yards in the 38-16 triumph. On the season, Watkins has recorded 33 tackles, 1.0 tackles-for-loss and a team-leading three interceptions.

NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Domenic Scalese, Stonehill
Kicker, Sophomore, 6-0, 185 lbs., Peabody, MA/Peabody Veterans Memorial 
Week 9 Stats: 10 points, 3-for-3 field goals (19, 44, 26 yards)
Scalese racked up a career-high 10 points to help Stonehill down Mercyhurst by a 22-15 final in Erie on Saturday afternoon. In a personal-best three attempts, the sophomore was perfect after converting from 19, 26 and 44 yards. His season-best 44-yarder, which extended the Skyhawks’ advantage to 19-7 with 11 ticks left on the clock before halftime, was the second-longest field goal by an NEC kicker this season. On the year, Scalese, who hails from nearby Peabody, MA, is 6-of-7 on field goal attempts for an .857 conversion rate. He is the second Skyhawk to garner NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Special Teams Player of the Week accolades this season. 

NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jayden Simpson, LIU
Wide Receiver, Freshman, 5-9, 175 lbs., Brooklyn, NY/Holy Trinity
Week 9 Stats: 42 receiving yards, 4 receptions, 1 touchdown reception
Hauling in four catches, Simpson contributed 42 receiving yards to an LIU offense that outgained visiting New Haven by a 424-201 margin in a 38-16 victory in Brookville on Saturday. In addition, the hometown product from Brooklyn fueled a 14-point offensive outburst that spanned the final 1:21 of the second quarter with a 33-yard touchdown catch from redshirt-junior Luca Stanzani to put the Sharks up by a 28-16 count at the break. That score, which erased a 16-14 deficit and gave LIU a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game, was Simpson’s first of his career, while his 42-yard outing marked a career-best performance. With the win, LIU moved to 2-1 in NEC play. Simpson is the second player from LIU to garner NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Rookie of the Week honors, as he joins Naquan Johnson (Sept. 15).


#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week 9)

Tyson Meiguez, DUQ (LB, Gr)
Meiguez had an impressive stat line on Saturday at Wagner with five solo tackles, four assisted stops, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack. The graduate linebacker pushed the Seahawks back a total of 14 yards, including 13 on a drive that ultimately ended in a Wagner three-and-out in the third quarter.
 
O’Shawn Ross, Jr., LIU (RB, R-Jr)
Ross led all FCS running backs in Week 9 after he covered a season-high 172 yards on 17 carries in LIU’s 38-16 win over New Haven. Eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the third time this season, the redshirt junior ranks second in the league and 38th in the nation with 74.1 rushing yards per game.
 
Luca Stanzani, LIU (QB, R-Jr)
Stanzani, who threw for 152 yards and ran for 98 more, accounted for each of the Sharks’ five touchdowns in Saturday’s 38-16 win over visiting New Haven. The redshirt junior’s four rushing scores were tied for the most by an FCS player in a game this season. Stanzani was also pegged the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Trey Watkins, LIU (DB, R-Jr)
Watkins anchored a defensive effort that limited New Haven to 61 yards on the ground in LIU’s 38-16 home win on Saturday. The redshirt junior had five tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss and one interception to pace the Sharks. Watkins also garnered NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
 
Brodie Williams, NHVN (DB, Gr)
Finishing with six tackles, including five solo stops, Williams, who leads the Chargers with 52 tackles, registered 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a pick-six in New Haven’s setback to LIU on Saturday. The interception was the defensive back’s second of the season. 
 
Thomas Lee, RMU (WR, Sr)
Lee racked up a career-high 115 receiving yards on five catches at Saint Francis on Saturday to lead all NEC players in Week 9. The senior capped a five-play, 55-yard drive in the third quarter with a 42-yard touchdown catch to put the Colonials up by a 17-7 count in the eventual 24-14 triumph.

Mitchell Robinson Jr., RMU (LB, Sr)
Robinson posted a career-high nine tackles behind six solo stops in Robert Morris’ 24-14 road triumph over Saint Francis on Saturday. In addition, the senior linebacker finished with 1.5 tackles-for-loss on the afternoon.
 
Ethan Shine, RMU (RB, Jr)
Shine delivered the final blow in Robert Morris’ 24-17 win at Saint Francis when he made it a 10-point game on a three-yard touchdown run with 6:59 left to play in the fourth quarter. The junior running back carried the ball 23 times for a game-high 123 yards for his second 100-plus rushing yard performance of the year.
 
Geno Calgaro, SFU (LB, So)
Calgaro led all NEC players once again after he posted 13 tackles, including six solo stops, in a defeat to fellow Keystone State member Robert Morris on Saturday. Adding 0.5 tackles-for-loss and one pass breakup, the sophomore linebacker is 10th in the FCS with 10.4 tackles per contest.
 
Jack O’Connell, STO (QB, Sr)
O’Connell threw for multiple scores for the second time this season on Saturday after he registered a pair of touchdown throws to lead Stonehill past Mercyhurst by a 22-15 final. The senior quarterback completed 12-of-19 passes for 188 yards in the wire-to-wire victory. 
 
Andre Hines Jr, WC (RB, Gr)
Hines racked up a game-leading 90 rushing yards on 17 carries to propel Wagner past then-undefeated Duquesne by a 24-13 final on Saturday. The graduate running back’s 24-yard rushing score with 1:55 remaining in the fourth was the icing on the cake in the Seahawks’ first win over the Dukes since 2014.
 
Sam Martin, WC (DB, Sr)
Martin racked up a game-high 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, to help Wagner hand Duquesne its first league loss of the season on Saturday. The veteran defensive back anchored the Seahawks’ defense, which held the league’s top offense and rushing unit well below its season averages of 32.4 points per game and 179.3 yards per game after allowing just 13 points and 77 yards on the ground.

  
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Central Connecticut was idle in Week 9, but the Blue Devils took sole possession of first place in the NEC standings thanks to Duquesne’s loss at Wagner on Saturday.
 
DUQUESNE: Graduate quarterback Tyler Riddell’s league-best 20 touchdown passes this year rank him sixth in the nation.

LIU: LIU, which has not faced a deficit in its past two outings, scored 38 points in Saturday's win over New Haven for the team's highest offensive outing against a conference team since a 49-14 win over Wagner on Nov. 11, 2023.

MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst's conversion rate on third downs (49-of-122; .402) is tops in the league.

NEW HAVEN: Combining for seven touchdown catches, senior Kevonne Wilder (70.1 receiving yards per game) and classmate Joshua Tracey (65.2) are two-three, respectively, in receiving yards per game.

ROBERT MORRIS: Robert Morris’ defense held the Red Flash to 14 points, the fewest they have allowed against a Division I squad this season.

SAINT FRANCIS: Redshirt junior quarterback Nick Whitfield Jr. threw for multiple scores for the first time this season after he registered a pair of touchdown passes against the Colonials.

STONEHILL: Senior Jack O’Connell sports the league’s best completion percentage against NEC competitors this season, going 48-of-73 for 65.8 percent.

WAGNER: Leading wire-to-wire, Wagner defeated Duquesne for the first time since a 23-13 triumph 11 years ago in 2014.


2025 NEC FOOTBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 1: AJ Duffy (New Haven)
Sept. 8: Luca Stanzani (LIU)
Sept. 15: AJ Duffy (New Haven)
Sept. 22: Elijah Howard (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 29: Tyler Riddell (Duquesne)
Oct. 6: Brady Olson (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 13: Brian Trobel (Mercyhurst)
Oct. 20: Ness Davis (Duquesne)
Oct. 27: Luca Stanzani (LIU)
Nov. 3: 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 1: Geno Calgaro (Saint Francis)
Sept. 8: Rafael Fasolino (LIU)
Sept. 15: Christopher Jean (Central Connecticut) & Liam Godwin (New Haven)
Sept. 22: Christopher Jean (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 29: Charles Battaglia (Stonehill)
Oct. 6: Tyson Meiguez (Duquesne)
Oct. 13: Malachi Wright (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 20: Avery Morris (Duquesne)
Oct. 27: Trey Watkins (LIU)
Nov. 3: 

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 1: Will Lynch (LIU) & Jayson Jenkins (Robert Morris)
Sept. 8: Jayson Jenkins (Robert Morris)
Sept. 15: Brayden Hall (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 22: Logan Chenette (Stonehill)
Sept. 29: Jadon Turner (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 6: Jack Hennessey (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 13: Joel Kpassou (Duquesne)
Oct. 20: Matt Clark (Duquesne)
Oct. 27: Domenic Scalese (Stonehill)
Nov. 3: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 1: Jack Hennessey (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 8: Jameir Gamble (Mercyhurst)
Sept. 15: Naquan Johnson (LIU)
Sept. 22: Alim Parks, Jr. (Wagner)
Sept. 29: DJ Maultsby (Saint Francis)
Oct. 6: Ryan Petras (Duquesne)
Oct. 13: Ryan Petras (Duquesne)
Oct. 20: Zach Bonini (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 27: Jayden Simpson (LIU)
Nov. 3: