CAA Football Weekly Awards - April 19
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (April 19, 2021) – CAA Football has announced its weekly award winners for Week 9 of the spring 2021 season. Delaware junior quarterback Nolan Henderson earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while senior defensive Nijuel Hill was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week. James Madison senior kicker Ethan Ratke was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week
Nolan Henderson, Jr., QB, Delaware (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna)
Henderson completed 20-of-24 passes for a career-high 270 yards and two touchdowns in Delaware’s 27-20 victory over rival Villanova. The junior quarterback hit Jourdan Townsend with 38-yard scoring pass late in the second quarter to give the Blue Hens a 13-7 halftime advantage and added an 18-yard TD strike to Bryce DeMaille in the third period to push UD’s lead to 10. Henderson’s 83.3% completion percentage in the victory was the best by a CAA quarterback this season.
CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week
Nijuel Hill, Sr., DB, Delaware (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall)
Hill recorded four tackles, two pass breakups and a critical interception to help Delaware post a 27-20 win over Villanova. With the Blue Hens leading by seven with just over a minute remaining, the senior defensive back picked off a pass at the VU 31-yard line and returned it 16 yards to clinch the victory. It was the second straight game with an interception for Hill, whose four tackles were his second-most this season.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Ethan Ratke, Sr., PK, James Madison (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee)
Ratke became the CAA’s career leader in field goals made after going 3-for-3 in James Madison’s 23-6 victory over Richmond. The senior converted field goals of 27, 37 and 38 yards against the Spiders and also hit both extra point tries. Ratke now has 67 career field goals, breaking the CAA mark of 64 set by Towson’s Aidan O’Neill, and he’s currently tied for 7
th on the FCS all-time list. This season, he is 9-for-9 on field goals, 20-for-20 on PAT’s and leads the CAA in scoring (9.4 ppg).