UIW duo, Nicholls’ Lasseigne earn Southland Football Player of the Week honors

FRISCO, Texas – UIW’s Zach Calzada and Steven Parker and Nicholls’ Gavin Lasseigne are the winners of the Southland Conference’s football weekly awards for the second week of the season, as announced by the conference office Monday.

Offensive Player of the Week: Zach Calzada – QB – Gr. – Buford, Ga. (Lanier HS)
Quarterback Zach Calzada put together a masterful week in leading No. 10/10 UIW to their first victory of the season on the road. Calzada finished 30 of 41 on the day for 395 yards and 3 TDs, while also adding an 11-yard rushing TD of his own in the Cardinals’ victory over Northern Colorado. His passing yards eclipsed a new career high and was the first time in his career with 300 or more passing yards. Calzada led UIW to over 600 total yards of offense in the dominant 42-7 road win.

Defensive Player of the Week: Steven Parker, UIW – DL – Jr. – Dallas, Texas (South Oak Cliff HS)
Steven Parker led a dominant defensive effort as No. 10/10 UIW earned a road win over Northern Colorado last Saturday. Parker was a problem for the Bears all afternoon, finishing the game with four TFL and 1.5 sacks for 15 yards lost. He tallied six total tackles, including three solo stops in the 42-7 victory and even had a pass breakup. With Northern Colorado driving late in the third quarter, Parker forced a fumble on a TFL that was recovered by the Cardinals to preserve the shutout at the time.
Honorable Mention: Devonte Mathews, Nicholls

Special Teams Player of the Week: Gavin Lasseigne, Nicholls – K – Sr. – Raceland, La. (Central Lafourche HS)
Kicker Gavin Lasseigne accounted for the only Colonel points in their Saturday evening match-up at TCU, kicking 40- and 47-yard field goals. Lasseigne connected on his first field goal with 31 seconds remaining in the half and his second field goal late in the third quarter. He became the school’s all-time leading scorer last week in the opener against Sacramento State and added six more points to his record.
Honorable Mention: Alfonso Deleon, Lamar

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.