Taylor Trio Sweeps MSFA Weekly Awards
UPLAND, Ind. – Following its 27-12 win at Lawrence Tech in Saturday night's season and MSFA opener, Taylor swept the Mid-States Football Association Mideast League Player-of-the-Week awards, with Brendan Lamb, Aven Jones and Zane Shilts each being recognized.
Lamb was heralded as the MSFA Mideast League Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career after rushing for 155 yards on 15 carries. Lamb averaged 10.3 yards a pop against last year's No. 14-ranked rush defense in the NAIA and set up multiple Taylor scores with long runs of 64 and 48 yards.
Jones earned his first MSFA Mideast League Defensive Player-of-the-Week award, and TU's first such-honor since Adam Sauder in 2015, after leading a Trojan defense that limited Lawrence Tech to negative-six yards on the ground. Jones ended the night with nine tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
Shilts collected the second MSFA Mideast League Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honor of his career after posting nine points without a miss in the victory. Shilts split the uprights on Taylor's final first-half drive and first second-half drive to draw TU even at 6-6 and then added three-straight successful point-after tries as the Trojans pulled away.
The weekly sweep of MSFA Mideast League Player-of-the-Week awards is the first for the Taylor football program in over a decade and gives Taylor Athletics a total of six weekly awards already for the 2022-2023 year.
Lamb, Jones, Shilts and the rest of the Trojans (1-0, 1-0 MSFA) will return to action on Saturday, September 3, when they host Judson (0-0) in a 6:00 pm start inside Turner Stadium.