Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule began with a win for the Wheeling University Football team on Saturday when they defeated Fairmont State 35-28. On Monday, the MEC released their weekly Players of the Week awards, presented by The Healthplan, and the Cardinals completed a near-sweep of the weekly football honors. Quarterback Ade Olanegan earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week, Leonard Sherrod III earned Defensive Player of the Week, and Day Day Bates earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors for their efforts in the conference-opening win.
Olanegan helped captain the Cardinal offense to their conference-opening win, going 14-24 while throwing for 159 yards and three touchdowns on the day. After the Cardinals fell behind 14-7 at halftime, the redshirt sophomore would lead the Cardinals on a 20-point third quarter that helped them seal the victory. It began with a 38-yard strike to Jordan Kaiser that made it a 14-14 game and he helped tie things up once again on the next drive with an eight-yard pass to Colin Oberdick. The effort continued a string of success for Olanegan, that has seen him complete at least 50% of his passes in back-to-back games. His completion percentage for the season sits at 52.73%, ranking his sixth in the conference. He looks to continue leading the Cardinals as they continue through their MEC stretch.
Sherrod III made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with eight total tackles, five solo and three assisted, to sit third on the team. He also played a part in all three defensive turnovers on the day, finishing with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the effort, while adding two pass break-ups to round out his big day on the field. It would be the second of those two interceptions that would end up icing the game as he picked off a pass at the Wheeling 29-yard line that stopped the Falcons in their tracks. Sherrod currently ranks as the conference's leading tackler with 39 total tackles while also leading the team with 23 assisted tackles. He also sits tied for the team lead with two interceptions as he continues his strong season in the defensive secondary.
Bates rounds out the list of Cardinal honorees, after playing a big role in the Cardinal's special teams effort in the win. His efforts would directly lead to the Cardinal's game-winning score as the Falcons set up for a punt on their own 39-yard line. Bates would rush into the backfield and got his hands on the ball to block the punt. It was recovered by teammate Nate Coleman, who took it down to the Fairmont State six-yard line. The Cardinals would take over and score the game-winning touchdown as they went on to win by the final score of 35-28. He also contributed on the defensive side of the ball as well, finishing with five tackles, three solo and two assisted, while adding a pass break-up on the day. He has been a strong role player for the Cardinals and takes home his first conference honors of the season.
With the three awards for Wheeling Football, the Wheeling Athletics Department has now had eight different players earn conference player of the week honors. Olanegan, Sherrod, and Bates join teammates Carter Blake and Brett Jackson in winning the weekly awards this season. Last week, the Cardinals had three honorees with Wheeling Football player Brett Jackson, Men's Golfer Sean Dobson, and Women's Golfer Ella Keffer winning the awards.
The Wheeling University Football team returns to action on Saturday, October 4th, when they host West Virginia Wesleyan with kick-off at 3:30 PM.
