ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Zack Kern and Gavin Claud have earned MSFA Midwest weekly awards for the part they played in a dominant 31-14 win over Lyon College in the season opener on Saturday. Both athletes take home weekly awards for the first time in their careers.
Kern, a graduate student linebacker from St. Louis, Missouri, picked up the MSFA Midwest Defensive Player of the Week award after leading the Spartans with five tackles and a quarterback hurry against the Scots. He and his teammates were up to the task in front of a record crowd at Spartan Field, holding the opposing offense to a mere seven points and 194 total yards.
Freshman Gavin Claud also made his impact felt as the MSFA Midwest Special Teams Player of the Week. The Carrolton High School alum downed his first career punt at the five-yard line, boomed a 56-yard punt, and downed two of his four tries inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Kern, Claud, and the Spartans hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday. They will take on the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers in Mount Pleasant, Iowa beginning at 3 p.m.
