ST. LOUIS, Mo. – University of Dayton wide receiver Gavin Lochow and kick returner LeRoy Lewis IV, Valparaiso University defensive lineman Alex Goworowski, and Morehead State University running back Blake Fisher are the Pioneer Football League’s Week 8 Players of the Week, announced Sunday.

Lochow scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 57 seconds remaining, and Lewis IV opened the Flyers scoring with a 97-yard kick return touchdown as Dayton defeated San Diego. Goworowski had 11 tackles and blocked a punt to help Valparaiso beat Presbyterian. Fisher scored three touchdowns as Morehead State defeated Stetson.

Offensive

Gavin Lochow, Dayton (Senior, Wide Receiver, Proctorville, Ohio)

Lochow scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 57 seconds remaining, to lift Dayton to a 37-32 victory over San Diego. He finished with 11 receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns, a 56-yard touchdown run, and a six-yard kick return for 146 all-purpose yards. Lochow closed the first half’s scoring with a 10-yard touchdown reception that gave Dayton a 21-10 lead. He opened the second half’s scoring with a career-long 56-yard touchdown run, extending the Flyers' lead to 28-10. After San Diego took the lead 32-31 with 1:32 left, he capped a game-winning drive with a 14-yard touchdown reception.

Others Nominated

• Butler running back Michael Dellumo ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and completed a 31-yard pass in the Bulldogs’ 33-21 victory at Drake.
• Morehead State quarterback Bryce Patterson completed 14-of-25 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 53 yards on 15 carries in the Eagles’ 38-31 win against Stetson.
• San Diego quarterback Dom Nankil completed 37-of-56 passes for 471 yards and a touchdown in the Toreros’ loss at Dayton.
• St. Thomas running back Gabriel Abel ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in the Tommies’ 35-13 win at Marist.
• Stetson quarterback Thomas von Grote completed 29-of-44 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns in the Hatters’ loss at Morehead State.
• Valparaiso quarterback Rowan Keefe completed 21-of-29 passes for 275 yards in the Beacons’ 24-7 win against Presbyterian.

Defensive

Alex Goworowski, Valparaiso (Senior (RS), Defensive Lineman, Chicago, Illinois)

Goworowski recorded a game-high 11 tackles (four solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a blocked punt as Valparaiso downed Presbyterian, 24-7. He set the tone on the game’s first drive by blocking a punt deep in Presbyterian territory, setting up Valparaiso’s first touchdown drive. Goworowski’s sack came on a 3rd-and-10 play in the second quarter with the Beacons leading 14-0 and led to a long fourth-down that the Blue Hose did not convert, turning the ball over on downs.

Others Nominated

• Butler defensive lineman Luke Green scored five tackles, two for loss, a sack, and a pass breakup in the Bulldogs’ 33-21 win at Drake.
• San Diego safety Ruben Lopez had 11 tackles (eight solo), one for loss, in the Toreros’ 37-32 loss at Dayton.
• St. Thomas linebacker Nash Tichy had five tackles (three solo), two for loss, and a sack in the Tommies’ 35-13 win at Marist.

Special Teams

LeRoy Lewis IV, Dayton (Sophomore, Kick Returner, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Lewis IV scored the PFL’s kick return for a touchdown this season – a 97-yard scoring dash that provided Dayton’s first points in a 37-32 victory against San Diego. He finished the day with 160 yards on four kick returns. San Diego had just built a 10-0 lead on a touchdown-scoring drive before Lewis IV got the Flyers on the board with his return, stalling the Toreros’ momentum and jump-starting the Flyers' run of 28 unanswered points.

Others Nominated

• San Diego linebacker Henry Sadiq had four special teams tackles and forced a fumble on a punt return in the Toreros’ loss at Dayton.
• Stetson wide receiver Landon Farco had two punt returns for 63 yards and a kick return of 38 yards in the Hatters’ loss at Morehead State.
• Valparaiso linebacker Max Samuel blocked a punt, one of two Beacons’ punt blocks in the game, to help secure the Beacons’ 24-7 victory against Presbyterian.

Freshman

Blake Fisher, Morehead State (Freshman, Running Back, Elkview, West Virginia)

Fisher scored three touchdowns and recorded 128 all-purpose yards to power Morehead State past Stetson 38-31. He ran for a game and career-high 98 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and added two touchdowns on a five-reception, 30-yard effort. Fisher’s first touchdown was an 11-yard carry in the first quarter that put the Eagles ahead 14-7. He then caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to tie the game 24-24. Fisher put the Eagles ahead for good, 31-24, with his 11-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Others Nominated

• Butler defensive back Kian Kelly had three tackles and an interception with a 36-yard return in the Bulldogs’ 33-21 win at Drake.
• San Diego linebacker Joe Bolder had four tackles, including a sack, in the Toreros’ loss at Dayton.
• St. Thomas quarterback Nicholas Peipert completed 17-of-25 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown and ran 85 yards and a touchdown in the Tommies’ win against Marist.
• Valparaiso defensive lineman Emmanuel Olojo recorded eight tackles (four solo), including one for loss, in the Beacons’ 24-7 win against Presbyterian.

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.