Back in September, Rory previewed the Player of the Year race. He hit the nail on the head with Brady, Chipouras and Puzzo as contenders, but two new candidates have emerged throughout the first six weeks of the season. So now, with two weeks left of football it is time to update our readers on the player of the year race…
Tufts RB Chance Brady ’17:
It is to no surprise that Brady is a finalist for player of the year after the numbers he has put up thus far in his senior campaign. Leading a run-heavy offense, Brady has shown opponents that there is really no way to stop him. He is second in the NESCAC in Rushing Yards (740) and first in Touchdowns (11). If it weren’t for “Mad Max” Chipouras down in Hartford, I’d be pretty confident in saying that Chance has more than locked up his second consecutive player of the year award. Brady faces a favorable Week 7 matchup against a pretty porous Colby rush defense.
Trinity RB Max Chipouras ’19:
Only a sophomore, Chipouras is the other favorite for player of the year. Chipouras has a slight lead in Rushing Yards (746), but has done so in 18 fewer carries than Brady. He has also found the end zone 8 times this season. It would be almost too hard to determine who has the lead in the player of the year race between Chipouras and Brady, and I expect huge numbers from both of them in week 7 and 8. Chipouras faces the two best run defenses in the league to end the season, Week 7 against Amherst and Week 8 at Wesleyan, so it’s a tall task to ask him to maintain his efficiency. That being said, if he has a better finish to the season than Brady, he deserves the award.
Middlebury QB Jared Leibowitz ’18:
Going into week 6 it was hard not to have Lebowitz as a favorite for player of the year. He was averaging 327 YPG with 20 Touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. Then he hit a setback in Week 6 when Trinity’s defense dominated Middlebury the entire day. Given that there are two weeks left Lebowitz, can still make up for this down game, but he will need to have his week 1-5 stuff in order to do so. Regardless of one bad week, 21 touchdowns in 6 games is nothing to sneeze at.
Trinity QB Sonny Puzo ’18:
Through 6 weeks of football, Puzzo has been nearly perfect for the Bantams. Puzzo has the edge over Lebowitz in completion percentage (60%) and his TD:INT ratio is also better (13:2). The junior quarterback is a huge reason why Trinity remains undefeated: he provides a legitimate pass threat in a run dominant offense, and he also has the athleticism to move out of the pocket to make a play. Puzzo has run for over 200 yards, 3 touchdowns, and he even broke off at 69 yard run earlier in the year. Don’t be surprised if Sonny Puzzo sneaks up to grab the player of the year award following week 8.
Wesleyan WR Devon Carrillo ’17:
Some may question this choice, but it’s definitely justified. Simply put, Carrillo is one of the most versatile players in the NESCAC. Wesleyan fans have been calling him the Jabrill Peppers of the NESCAC (minus the defense part). Carrillo has made an impact as a passer, receiver, rusher and returner, accounting for 11 touchdowns (9 rushing, 2 passing) on the season. He leads Wesleyan in points scored with 54, good for third in the league. Carrillo’s Week 8 performance in a potential NESCAC title game against Trinity will likely determine if he has what it takes to be the player of the year.
Stay tuned for the defensive POY race update next week.