Mansaray, Hawk Honored as Valpo Captures Pair of PFL Weekly Awards
The Valparaiso University football program earned a pair of Pioneer Football League weekly awards as the PFL revealed its honors for Week 4 on Sunday following Saturday’s 31-23, double-overtime win over Roosevelt at Brown Field. Redshirt senior running back Michael Mansaray (Columbus, Ohio / Westerville South [South Dakota]) was named the PFL Offensive Player of the Week, while redshirt junior kicker Ryan Hawk (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) was tabbed the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week.
This marks the first time two Valpo players were honored in the same week since Oct. 23, 2022, when Aaron Dawson (offensive) and Brian Bartholomew (special teams) were recognized following the team’s victory at Morehead State. Valpo won the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week Award for the second consecutive week, while Mansaray became the first Valpo player to earn the award on the offensive side of the ball since Dawson on Nov. 13, 2022.
Mansaray went for a season-high 123 rushing yards while scoring two touchdowns in Valpo’s 31-23 victory over Roosevelt. He had a 51-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that broke a 10-10 tie, then scored on an 18-yard run on Valpo’s possession of the second overtime, a play that held up as the game-winning score.
Hawk went 3-for-4 on field-goal tries including a career-long 51 yarder. His 51 yarder was the longest by a Valpo player since November 2003 and he became one of 19 FCS kickers this season with a field goal of longer than 50 yards. He became the first Valpo player with three made field goals in a game since October 2019. After Roosevelt made a field goal in the first overtime, Hawk came through under pressure during Valpo’s first overtime possession, making a 39-yarder to extend the game. In addition, four of Hawk’s five kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Valpo will be back in action on Saturday at noon at Morehead State on ESPN+.
