FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 9, 2023) – Montana's Aaron Fontes, along with Northern Arizona's Alex McLaughlin and Coleman Owen, were awarded Big Sky Football Player of the Week honors after their performances this past Saturday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Aaron Fontes (Montana)
Montana's Aaron Fontes was a human highlight reel for the Grizzlies, scoring
two eye-popping touchdowns in Montana’s 31-23 win over No. 20 UC Davis. The junior from Oxnard, California, put up a game and career-high 99 receiving yards on seven catches with two scores, with a long reception of 41-yards. The weekly honor is the first for Fontes.
Defensive Player of the Week: Alex McLaughlin (NAU)
Freshman Alex McLaughlin racked up eight tackles, six of which were solo, while
grabbing an interception in the final minutes of Northern Arizona's 27-10 win at No. 13 Weber State. The Lumberjacks shut out the Wildcats in the second half, while holding Weber State to just 61 yards rushing on the day. The win for NAU was its second ranked victory of the year and its first on the road since 2015.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Coleman Owen (NAU)
Northern Arizona's Coleman Owen sparked the Lumberjack offense with his electric
85-yard punt return for a touchdown. The score, which was NAU's first punt return touchdown since 2014, gave the Lumberjacks their first lead of the game at 13-7 that they never relinquished. Owen also caught 10 passes for 60 yards on offense, which gave him 2,000 career receiving yards as a Lumberjack.
Follow all things #BigSkyFB on Twitter and Instagram at @BigSkyFB. Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
Others Nominated
Off: Jordan Dwyer (Idaho)
Def: Braxton Hill (Montana), Winston Reid (Weber State), Rex Connors (UC Davis), Elijah Ponder (Cal Poly)
ST: Junior Bergen (Montana)
2023 Big Sky Football Players of the Week
9/4: Hayden Hatten, Idaho (Offensive); Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly (Defensive); Abraham Williams, Weber State (Special Teams)
9/11: Damon Bankston, Weber State (Offensive); Jack Kelly, Weber State (Defensive); Ricardo Chavez, Idaho (Special Teams)
9/18: Kaiden Bennett, Sac State (Offensive); Jett Stanley, Sac State (Defensive); Zach Schreiner, Sac State (Special Teams)
9/25: Sean Chambers, Montana State (Offensive); Eloi Kwete, NAU (Defensive); Ricardo Chavez, Idaho (Special Teams)
10/2: Anthony Woods, Idaho (Offensive); Winston Reid, Weber State (Defensive); Jermaine Jackson, Idaho (Special Teams)
10/9: Aaron Fontes, Montana (Offensive); Alex McLaughlin, NAU (Defensive); Coleman Owen, NAU (Special Teams)