Mitchell, Jackson, Petit-Frere Voted Football Players of the Week
FRISCO, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana’s Austin Mitchell and Juwan Petit-Frere earned weekly football honors along with Central Arkansas’ Juan Jackson, the league announced Monday. Southland Players of the Week are presented by
UniversalCoin.com.
Mitchell, a freshman wide receiver earned Offensive Player of the Week for Southeastern while fellow Lion, sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Juwan Petit-Frere, earned his second special teams weekly award of the season. Central Arkansas sophomore defensive back Juan Jackson was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week. This marks UCA’s third weekly defensive award of the 2017 season and fourth weekly overall as a team.
Central Arkansas (4-1, 3-0 SLC) remains alone in first place in the league standings and next hosts Stephen F. Austin (2-4, 2-2 SLC) while Southeastern Louisiana (3-3, 3-1 SLC) hits the road to take on Houston Baptist (1-4, 0-3 SLC). Both matchups are slated for 6 p.m. CT kickoffs Saturday and will broadcast on ESPN3.
Offensive Player of the Week: Austin Mitchell, Southeastern Louisiana – Fr. – Wide Receiver – Plaquemine, La.
Mitchell led Southeastern Louisiana with four catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-30 victory over UIW. The freshman wideout is the first Lion to catch three touchdowns in a game since Simmie Yarbrough accomplished the feat in a 49-28 win over Texas State on Oct. 9, 2010. Southeastern ranks second in the conference with 494.5 yards per game against Southland opponents.
Honorable Mention: Davion Davis, Sam Houston State; Hayden Hildebrand, Central Arkansas; Tamrick Pace, Stephen F. Austin.
Defensive Player of the Week: Juan Jackson, Central Arkansas – So. – Defensive Back – Gardendale, Ala.
Jackson tied his career high with 10 tackles (eight solo), including two of the Bears’ 10 tackles for losses. He also had one of the Bears’ three interceptions and broke up two passes as UCA held HBU to 281 total yards and just 7 points in a 27-7 victory.
Honorable Mention: P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State; Sione Teuhema, Southeastern Louisiana; Alize Ward, Stephen F. Austin.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Juwan Petit-Frere, Southeastern Louisiana – So. – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – Orlando, Fla.
Petit-Frere put Southeastern on the board with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown – the second-longest kickoff return in program history – in the first quarter of the Lions’ victory. He also added a 34-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. The kickoff return for a touchdown was his second of the season, making him the third player in school history with multiple kickoff return touchdowns in a season. In his first season with the Lions, Petit-Frere is averaging 39.8 yards per kickoff return.
Honorable Mention: Desmond Hite, UIW; Storm Ruiz, Stephen F. Austin; Tyler St. Germain, Nicholls.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.