MILLTOWN, N.J.-- The Trine offensive line has received national recognition from the Dream Bowl and D3Football.com for its performance in last Thursday's season-opening victory over Manchester.
The Thunder offensive line was named an NCAA Division III Player of the Week by the Dream Bowl and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week. The performance of the offensive line was instrumental in helping Trine set a school-record with 403 rushing yards in Thursday's 38-14 season-opening victory over Manchester. The team's 7.9 yards per carry average was also a program-best. Dalton Raper (Richmond, Ind./Richmond), Thor Daley (San Francisco, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral), Zachary Schiller (Rives Junction, Mich./Leslie), Derek Scott (Niles, Mich./Niles) and Mitchell Watts (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) opened up holes for seven ball carriers to contribute to that total.
The Dream Bowl release praised the chemistry of the five members of the offensive line and called Watts a player to watch in the coming years.
Click Here to read the Dream Bowl release.
Lamar Carswell (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) had an electrifying debut behind the performance of the Thunder men up front, rushing for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. The effort was the fifth-best rushing total in a single game in team history and the most ever for a Trine player making his debut.
The offensive line also gave dual-threat quarterback Taylor Masiewicz (Belmont, Mich./Rockford) plenty of time and space to operate. The reigning-MIAA Offensive Player of the Year threw for 152 yards, ran for 118 more and was sacked just once.
The Dream Bowl is a College Football All-Star Showcase of the best FCS, D-II and D-III players from across the country. The game and the series of events held over Martin Luther King Weekend are a celebration of the excellence, commitment, and sacrifice made by the players and their families.
D3football.com is the home for all news about NCAA Division III football, including scores, stats, game stories, analysis, highlights and opinion columns. This is the 17th season that D3football.com has selected the Team of the Week, which honors the top player nationally at each position from the previous week.
Trine hits the road for a showdown at no. 13 North Central this Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. local). The Thunder carry a 1-0 record into the matchup, while the Cardinals will be playing their season-opener.