Nov 9, 2021

Ryan Schwartz and Jalen Shaffer named to the D3football.com Team of the Week

Wheaton, Ill. - A pair of Wheaton football players have been named to this week's D3football.com Team of the Week. Ryan Schwartz was honored at linebacker and Jalen Shaffer was honored for his work on special teams. The pair played an integral part in Wheaton's 72-7 victory against Illinois Wesleyan last Saturday.

Schwartz was the leading tackler for the Thunder defense that held the Titans to negative-34 yards rushing last Saturday. He tallied a team-high 10 tackles including eight solo stops, and two tackles for loss. Schwartz recorded two of Wheaton's four interceptions on the day, recording returns of 21 yards and 14 yards.Schwartz is fifth in the CCIW this season in both solo tackles (5.3 STPG) and total tackles (7.6 TTPG). His 5.3 solo tackles per game average ranks 27th in Division III.

Shaffer blocked two Illinois Wesleyan punts last Saturday as he now has a school single-season record five blocked punts this season, a mark that ranks second in Division III this season. His first blocked punt against the Titans was at the conclusion of the first Illinois Wesleyan offensive drive of the game and allowed Wheaton to start its first offensive drive of the game at the Titans' eight-yard line. His second punt block came early in the second quarter and allowed Wheaton to start its next offensive drive at the Titans' 25-yard line and setup a 26-yard field goal for the Thunder six plays later. He also made three tackles on kickoff returns in the first half on Saturday.

Wheaton concludes the regular season this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with a CCIW matchup in Decatur, Illinois against Millikin UniversityPrint Friendly Version