Nov. 11, 2013

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Senior Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) was recently named HCAC Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 10, 2013. It was the second straight week the Beavers have had had a player named Defensive Player of the Week. Ryan Aelker (New Bavaria/Holgate) finished with four tackles, two sacks, three tackles-for-loss and a quarterback hurry as the Bluffton defense pitched a 28-0 shutout of Anderson at Salzman Stadium just one week ago. 

Standout linebacker Josh Runda led the Beavers to a stunning 24-17 win over No. 9 Franklin College Saturday and has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Football Player of the Week on defense. The senior paced the Bluffton defense with 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry in the win. Runda leads the Beavers and is currently third in the HCAC with 107 tackles this season. 

The Bluffton defense limited the top scoring offense in the conference to only 17 points on the afternoon, Franklin's lowest scoring output of the season and 10 fewer than the Grizzlies put up at defending NCAA Division III national champion and current #1 ranked Mount Union. 

Bluffton (3-6, 3-4 HCAC) will look to square up its Heartland Conference mark at 4-4 when the Beavers travel to face rival Defiance College on Saturday. It marks the 89th installment in the series with Defiance holding a slim 44-42-2 edge all-time. A win over the Jackets would give Bluffton four straight victories against Defiance.

-BEAVERS-