HCAC Tabs DC's Sierra and Bonilla for Weekly Honors

DEFIANCE, Ohio – For the second week in a row, the Defiance College football team claimed a pair of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Week awards after Anthony Sierra and Alex Bonilla led stout performances from the defense and special teams in DC's 20-7 win at Anderson. [HCAC Release]

The Yellow Jackets led from start to finish and built a 17-0 halftime lead. An Anderson touchdown narrowed the gap to 17-7 in the third quarter but a Bonilla field goal capped the scoring at 20-7 and sealed the 13-point DC victory.

Sierra repeated as the HCAC Defensive Player of the Week after tying a Defiance College single-game record with three interceptions in the Jackets' 20-7 victory. The freshman cornerback racked up 33 return yards on the trio of picks, with the highlight coming via a 27-yard touchdown return that gave Defiance a 10-0 lead at the 5:02 mark of the second quarter. Sierra's efforts helped hold the Ravens to just 188 total yards of offense and 12-of-33 completions through the air. The Warren, Mich., native has five interceptions and two touchdown returns in the last two weeks and ranks second on the squad with seven passes defended this season.

Bonilla was perfect in the kicking game and put eight points on the board for Defiance en route to being named the HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week. The senior kicker and Cleveland, Ohio, native hit each of his point-after attempts and split the uprights from 24 and 32 yards out in the victory, as he provided the first and last scores of the game for the Purple and Gold.

The HCAC recognition was the second for Sierra in as many weeks, while Bonilla earned the league honor for the third time in his DC career.

Sierra, Bonilla and the rest of the Jackets will return home to face Hanover on Saturday, October 31 in a 1:30 pm start. DC will be trying for its third-straight win, while hoping to even its overall record at 4-4.