Foos, Longsdorf Earn Weekly HCAC Recognition

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Tom Foos and Kyle Longsdorf each played vital roles in DC's, 31-28, overtime victory at Hanover and have both garnered Player-of-the-Week honors from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Yellow Jackets faced a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter before rallying for 21-straight points and forcing the overtime session. Foos then hit the eventual game-winning field goal from 38 yards in the first overtime period.

The boot was the longest career make for Foos and capped an all-around performance by DC's special teams' ace. The sophomore kicker averaged 55.6 yards per kickoff and stuck two-of-six punts inside the Hanover 20-yard line, en route to being named the HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Longsdorf also turned in a career effort to lead the Purple and Gold to the thrilling overtime win. The sophomore strong safety was named the HCAC's Defensive Player of the Week after piling up a career-best eight solo tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown.

Longsdorf's key return came in the midst of DC's furious comeback in the fourth quarter and capped the 21-0 run. Longsdorf picked off the pass and ran it back 20 yards to the end zone for the score and the 28-17 lead with just over three minutes remaining.

The HCAC honor is the second such award for Foos and the first for Longsdorf. Defiance football has now garnered three HCAC Player-of-the-Week honors this season, with all three coming in the past two weeks.

The Yellow Jackets will try to extend their two-game win streak this Saturday when they host Mount St. Joseph at 1:00 pm. The game will be DC's final home contest and will mark the final time that its nine-man senior class will take the field at Coressel Stadium.