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NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Steven Krajewski, Wagner
NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Junior Wily, Wagner
NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Sam Renzi, Sacred Heart
NEC Rookie of the Week: Jaylen Bonelli, Wagner
Previous NEC Releases: September 18 | September 11 | September 4 | Preseason Poll Release | TV Package Release

NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Steven Krajewski, Wagner
Quarterback, Gr., 6-4, 215 lbs., Macomb, MI/Colquitt County (UConn)
Week 4 Stats: 118 passing yards, 2 TD passes, 0 INT, 42 rushing yards, 11 carries, 2 rushing TDs
Krajewski’s arm coupled with his running game helped lead Wagner to the program’s first 2-0 start in NEC play since 2016 by way of a dramatic 30-27 win over Merrimack on Saturday. The graduate student who arrived at Grimes Hill by way of UConn was responsible for each of the Seahawks’ touchdowns in the win after he threw for pair of scores and rushed for two more. His final score – a 21-yarder to NEC Rookie of the Week Jaylen Bonelli — proved to be the final blow of a back-and-forth slugfest that featured six lead changes as it put the Seahawks up by three with 4:35 remaining. A goal line stand by the Wagner defense followed by a botched snap by Merrimack on the potential game-tying field goal in the final seconds sealed the win and preserved the Seahawks’ undefeated record against league opponents. Krajewski, who registered 42 yards on the ground and 118 yards in the air, is currently third in the circuit in total yards (164.0 per game). This is his first NEC weekly award, and the first Offensive Player of the Week honor for a Wagner player this season.
 
NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Wily, Wagner
Defensive Back, Sr., 5-11, 210 lbs., Honolulu, HI/Saint Louis School (Fullerton College)
Week 4 Stats: 12 tackles (9 solo), INT, 0.5 TFL, pass break-up
Wily delivered another pivotal stop to lead Wagner to a dramatic 30-27 win over visiting Merrimack in NEC action on Saturday and garner NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. Just one week after the Hawaii native took an interception on a Pioneers’ first down and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown, he rose to the challenge once again, this time picking off Warriors’ quarterback Gavin McCusker for the first time this season. That interception, which came in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, led to a drive that resulted in a Steven Krajewski touchdown run that put Wagner in front, 23-21. Wily also added a game- and season-high 12 tackles, including nine solo stops, one pass breakup and 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the win, which moved Wagner’s record to 2-0 in NEC play for the first time since 2016. This is Wily’s third career NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor.   
   
NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sam Renzi, Sacred Heart
Kicker, Sr., 6-0, 180 lbs., Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon
Week 4 Stats: 3-3 FG (44, 40, 40 yards), 4-4 PAT, 13 points, walk-off FG in final seconds, 
Behind the heroics of Renzi’s right foot, Sacred Heart handed defending NEC champion Saint Francis U its first loss in conference play since 2021 in walk-off fashion in Loretto, PA on Saturday. The veteran kicker, who previously converted from 44 yards and 40 yards earlier in the contest, capped off a perfect day with a 40-yard boot with no time left on the clock to break open a tied game and propel the Pioneers to their first conference win of the season. The field goal was the final blow in a back-and-forth slugfest that saw Sacred Heart claw back from a pair of 10-point deficits in the second and third quarters. Renzi, a native of Alexandria, VA, also achieved perfection in PATs, where he went 4-of-4. He racked up a season-best 13 points in the contest, marking the second-most by an NEC kicker behind Jack Barnum’s 14-point effort for CCSU against AIC earlier this month. Averaging 1.25 field goals per game, Renzi is 5-of-7 this season for a .714 conversion rate, which is good for second in the circuit. He is also perfect in each of his eight PATs. This is his first career weekly honor, and the first weekly award for a Sacred Heart player this season.
 
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jaylen Bonelli, Wagner
Wide Receiver, Fr., 5-10, 160 lbs., Cooper City, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
Week 4 Stats: 5 receptions, 48 receiving yards, rec TD, 2 rushes, 45 rushing yards
Bonelli’s first career touchdown could not have come at a better time for Wagner, as it proved to be the go-ahead score in a dramatic 30-27 win over Merrimack on Saturday. The rookie wide receiver capped off an 8-play, 71-yard drive late in the final quarter by hauling in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Steven Krajewski to put Wagner ahead by three in its home opener. That score proved to be the final blow of a contest that featured six lead changes, as the Warriors botched the snap on the potential game-tying field goal in the final seconds to secure the win for the Seahawks. A native of Cooper City, FL, Bonelli, who was targeted a season-best five times for 48 yards, racked up a career-high 126 all-purpose yards with 45 rushing yards (two carries) and 33 kickoff return yards (two attempts).


#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week 4)

Tyvon Edmonds Jr., MC (RB, Jr.)
Edmonds, a junior running back, gave Merrimack a pair of leads Saturday at Wagner, opening the scoring on a one-yard rush in the first quarter before he put the Warriors back in front, 27-23, with another one-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left to play. The NEC’s rushing leader finished with 102 yards on 30 carries in the NEC opener, a 30-27 defeat.
 
Donovan Wadley, MC (WR, So.)
With the Warriors trailing, 17-7, Wadley returned a kickoff for 94 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter to slash the Seahawks’ deficit and help pilot them to an eventual 30-27 victory. Fueled by that kick return, which is the longest in the circuit this season and the only one to be brought back for a touchdown, the sophomore wide receiver finished with a game-high 118 kickoff return yards.
 
Malik Grant, SHU (RB, Gr.)
Grant’s second-straight 100-yard rushing game — a 118 yard performance on 20 carries — piloted Sacred Heart to a thrilling, 37-34 win at defending league champion Saint Francis U on Saturday. The graduate student’s first touchdown of the season — a four-yard run — put the Pioneers in front by a 34-27 count with 5:37 left to play.
 
Rob McCoy, SHU (QB, Gr.)
McCoy was on point in his first start of the season, completing 60.9 percent of his passes after going 14-of-23 at Saint Francis U on Saturday. Recording 185 yards in the air and 64 rushing yards on 14 carries, the graduate student gave Sacred Heart a 10-point advantage in the third quarter with his second touchdown pass of the day.
 
Sam Renzi, SHU (K, Sr.)
Renzi walked it off for the Pioneers at defending league champion Saint Francis U after he booted a 40-yard field goal with no time left on the clock. Also converting from 40 and 44 yards earlier in the game, the senior kicker went 4-of-4 on PATs to finish with 13 points in the 37-34 victory. Renzi was also named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Carter Glassmyer, SFU (LB, R-Fr.)
Glassmyer put together the best single-game performance in the NEC this season after he registered 16 tackles in Saint Francis U’s last-second defeat to Sacred Heart on Saturday. The redshirt freshman posted the most tackles in a game by a Red Flash player since Austin Miele had 18 against Bryant on Nov. 12, 2011. 
 
Damon Horton, SFU (RB, R-Jr.)
Horton provided an offensive spark for Saint Francis U on Saturday after he delivered a pair of touchdowns in a hard-fought, 37-34 defeat to NEC rival Sacred Heart. Combining for 113 yards, including 80 rushing yards and a first-quarter touchdown run on 12 carries, the redshirt junior running back gave the Red Flash their final lead of the game at 27-24 on the opening drive of the second half after catching a 21-yard pass from classmate Cole Doyle.
 
Steven Krajewski, WC (QB, Gr.)
Krajewski was responsible for each of Wagner’s four touchdowns with two passing scores and a pair of touchdown rushes to lead the Seahawks past NEC foe Merrimack on Saturday. The graduate student compiled 160 total yards of offense with 118 in the air and 42 more on the ground to lead the Seahawks to their first 2-0 start in conference play since 2016. Krajewski was also pegged the NEC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
 
Junior Wily, WC (LB, Sr.)
Wily put together another stellar outing that earned him NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. Registering a career-best 12 tackles — including nine solo stops— the senior linebacker came away with his second pick in as many weeks to help swing the momentum back in favor of Wagner in an eventual 30-27 Seahawks’ victory. Wily also added a pass breakup and 0.5 tackles-for-loss.
  
  
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT, which is just one of two teams in the nation to have not allowed a sack this season, leads the NEC in offense (28.0 points per game), total yards per game (367.0) and passing yards per game (201.0). 

DUQUESNE has recovered five fumbles in three games this season to rank sixth in the FCS in the category. 

LIU has three defensive players ranked in the NEC’s top five in tackles per game: Antwan Spencer (3rd), Daylen Fuller (4th) and Leisaan Hibbert (5th).

MERRIMACK’s defense has stood tall on third downs this season, as the Warriors have held opponents to just a .167 conversion rate for the third-best mark in the nation. 

SACRED HEART senior Sam Renzi, the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, racked up 13 points (3 FG, 4 PAT) against Saint Francis U, marking the most by a Pioneer place kicker since Chris Rogers had 14 (3 FG, 5 PAT) on Sept. 13, 2014 against Assumption.

SAINT FRANCIS U looks to rebound after falling to Sacred Heart on Saturday, which marked the Red Flash’s first NEC loss in 672 days, a 24-21 defeat to Central Connecticut on Nov. 20, 2021.  

STONEHILL looks to go 2-0 in NEC play for the first time in program history when it hosts defending league champ Saint Francis U on Saturday.

WAGNER, which is off to a 2-0 start to NEC play for the first time since 2016, has strung together consecutive wins for the first time since 2018, when the Seahawks ended the season by knocking off Bryant and Robert Morris.


2023 NEC FOOTBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 4: Cole Doyle, Saint Francis U
Sept. 11: Jermaine Corbett, Stonehill
Sept. 18: Jermaine Corbett, Stonehill
Sept. 25: Steven Krajewski, Wagner
Oct. 2: 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 4: Eric O'Neill, LIU
Sept. 11: Micah Brown, Stonehill
Sept. 18: Junior Wily, Wagner
Sept. 25: Junior Wily, Wagner
Oct. 2: 

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 4: Jack Barnum, Central Connecticut
Sept. 11: Perry Shelbred, Stonehill
Sept. 18: Ryan Liszner, Wagner
Sept. 25: Sam Renzi, Sacred Heart
Oct. 2: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 4: Makhai Workman, Saint Francis U
Sept. 11: Trey Howe, Central Connecticut
Sept. 18: Nigel Henderson, Stonehill
Sept. 25: Jaylen Bonelli, Wagner
Oct. 2: