Peters, Firenze, & Salazar Claim PFL’s Individual Week 9 Honors

10/26/2025 3:58:49 PM

By: Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations Director

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – University of St. Thomas quarterback Andy Peters, University of Dayton safety Vincent Firenze, and University of San Diego kicker/punter Emiliano Salazar are the Pioneer Football League’s Week 9 Players of the Week, announced Sunday.

Peters amassed 372 yards and four touchdowns of total offense in the Tommies’ win at Stetson. Firenze led all tacklers with 14 stops and added a third-quarter pick-six as the Flyers upset nationally-ranked Presbyterian. Salazar scored eight points in San Diego’s victory at Davidson.

Drake is all alone at the top of the PFL after Week 9’s action, picking up a road win to improve to 4-0. Dayton’s victory moved it to 4-1 and dropped Presbyterian to 3-1, where the Blue Hose are tied with Butler. St. Thomas is now 3-2 after its Week 9 road win.  

Offensive

Andy Peters, St. Thomas (Graduate, Quarterback, Boise, Idaho)
After missing the Tommies Week 8 game, Peters returned to post a career-best 292 passing yards in a 52-10 PFL victory at Stetson. He completed 22-of-28 passes, averaging 10.4 yards per completion, for three touchdowns along with a career-high in passing yards. Peters tossed a 63-yard touchdown pass to Stefano Giovannelli in the first quarter, a 30-yard scoring throw to Luke Schuler in the second quarter, scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter, before capping his day with a 19-yard touchdown pass to JaShawn Todd just before the end of the third quarter. Peters had 80 yards on 10 carries without being stopped for a loss and finished the day with 372 yards of total offense. It was the most passing yards by a quarterback in St. Thomas’ Division I era.

Others Nominated

  • Dayton all-purpose back Gavin Lochow finished with 174 all-purpose yards in a 35-19 victory against Presbyterian, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, and catching four passes for 41 yards.
  • Drake quarterback Logan Inagawa completed 10-of-13 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a game-best 81 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in a 31-17 victory at Marist.
  • Morehead State running back Isaac Stopke ran for 118 yards on 17 carries in a 17-13 victory at Valparaiso.
  • San Diego wide receiver Cole Monach caught six passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-28 victory at Davidson.

Defensive

Vincent Firenze, Dayton (Sophomore (RS), Safety, Syracuse, New York)
Firenze’s 20-yard pick-six in the third quarter capped Dayton’s 28-point outburst in a 35-19 PFL victory against nationally-ranked Presbyterian. On Presbyterian’s first drive of the second half, he intercepted a pass on 3rd-and-5 from the Blue Hose 17-yard line and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown that proved to be Dayton’s final score of the game. Firenze also recorded a career-high and game-best 14 tackles (seven solo).

Others Nominated

  • Drake linebacker Sean Allison had 14 tackles (seven solo), including 3.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks, in a 31-17 victory at Marist.
  • Morehead State defensive back Mateo Reyes recorded 10 tackles (six solo), including 2.5 for loss, in a 17-13 victory at Valparaiso.

Special Teams

Emiliano Salazar, San Diego (Sophomore, Punter/Kicker, Orange, California)
Salazar was responsible for eight points in San Diego’s 40-28 PFL victory at Davidson. He split the uprights for a 23-yard field goal and five PATs. Salazar also averaged 51.0 yards on his two punts, with one of 58 yards and one downed at the Davidson five-yard line. He also handled kickoff duties, with three of his seven kicks going for touchbacks and a net of 40.4 yards per kickoff.

Others Nominated

  • St. Thomas sophomore kicker/punter Ben Holland scored seven points in St. Thomas’s 52-10 victory at Stetson, making a 21-yard field goal and four PATs.

About the Pioneer Football League

The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation’s heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league’s founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist College, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.