HUNTINGDON RUNNING BACK TREVOR MANUEL NAMED TO D3FOOTBALL.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon running back Trevor Manuel is no stranger to success and accolades.
Through six games, Manuel ranks ninth in Division III with 187 all-purpose yards per game, is in the Top-20 in scoring with 11 total touchdowns and ranks 31st with 110.5 rushing yards per game. The junior is a key reason the Huntingdon offense is ranked fifth in Division III, averaging 503.5 yards per game.
When Manuel learned he had been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Tuesday for his performance against Wittenberg, he took it in stride. Manuel's first question after hearing the news said a lot about his priorities and team attitude.
"Did the offensive line or the defensive line get recognized," Manuel asked. "Those guys played a great game."
Manuel was disappointed when he heard the answer was no.
Sure, he rushed for 152 yards, accounted for 236 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns. But Manuel's point is he couldn't have done it without his lineman and the rest of the Huntingdon offense. And Manuel knows the 38-20 win over then-11th-ranked Wittenberg wouldn't have been possible without the dominance of the Hawks' defense. The unit held the Tigers, a team that was averaging a little more than 427 yards per game, to 223 yards of offense.
"Being named to the Team of the Week is a big honor," Manuel said. "I might be the one receiving the recognition, but everyone on this team contributed to it. Everything we do is as a team. We've all put in a lot of hard work to try and be successful. We've got coaches that make sure we're all doing the things we need to do to improve.
"Right now, we're just working to get ready for the next game."
The Hawks travel to San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. game with Trinity University. The 18th-ranked Tigers will be the third ranked opponent Huntingdon has played in four games.
Against Wittenberg, Manuel rushed for 152 yards, one yard short of his career best, on 34 carries. The Monroeville native also had two receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The two receptions helped Huntingdon take control of the game.
Leading 14-13 late in the first half, Manuel scored twice in less than two minutes. He took one Neal Posey pass 68 yard for a touchdown and another Posey pass resulted in a 10-yard score to make it 28-13 at the half.
Manuel also scored on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and a 24-yard run in the third quarter. The 24-yard TD run tied Alex Baronich's Huntingdon record of 20 career touchdowns. Manuel needs 28 rushing yards to break Jamal Gardner's career mark of 1,792 yards.
"He has been playing well all year," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "The best part about him is, in addition to having talent, he's motivated to get better. He's very critical of himself and always looking to improve. He comes to work each day determined to make himself better.
"When you have a guy with his talent, his work ethic and his attitude, you've got something special. We're lucky to have him."
Manuel is the third Huntingdon player to be named to the D3football.com Team of the Week this season. Quarterback Neal Posey was selected for his performance against Faulkner University and safety Justin Brown was chosen after the win over Hampden-Sydney.