Zajac and Allen awarded HCAC Player of the Week honors

DEFIANCE, Ohio—Defiance College’s Kris Zajac and Gary Allen have been named Heartland Conference Players of the Week by the conference office in Greenwood, Indiana.

Zajac (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile) was instrumental in the Yellow Jackets’ victory over visiting Bethany College, 29-26, on Sept. 17. The senior strong safety recorded 18 tackles, including 12 solo tackles. Zajac also established a conference season-high with four sacks and five tackles for a loss on the afternoon. He is second on the team with 23 tackles this season and the four sacks were his first of the year. Defiance moved to 1-2 on the season with the win.

Allen (Richland, Mich./Gull Lake) returned a fourth quarter kickoff 80 yards for a game-winning score in the Yellow Jackets’ win over Bethany. The sophomore kick returner made the game-changing play with less than one minute remaining in the contest. He finished with two kick returns for 118 yards and two punt returns for 23 yards. On the season, Allen is leading the conference with a 34.6 yard kick return average.

The DC Football squad is idle this Saturday before traveling to Case Western Reserve on Oct. 1 for a 6:00 p.m. kick-off.