It has been a successful last two weeks for Brockport football. Although they split the last two games, sitting at a 1-1 record, two Golden Eagles were recognized for their individual performances. Isaiah Simmons was named Empire 8 Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week, announced Sept. 9. The following week, teammate Daniel Manneh was awarded Special Teams Player of the Week.
Following Brockport football’s commanding victory over Buffalo State, Simmons was honored for his performance. The sophomore rushed for a career-high 185 yards and had two touchdowns in Brockport’s 27-0 win Sept. 5.
“I put in a lot of work to be able to go out and compete,” Simmons said. “It’s great to get recognized.”
Simmons attributes his success in the game to his teammates.
“It’s really a credit to my offensive line and receivers,” Simmons said. “Them holding blocks the way they did makes it easy for me.”
The following week, Brockport traveled to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania to take on No. 11 Susquehanna.
The Golden Eagles ended up losing 21-27, but individually, Manneh shined. His performance earned him Special Teams Player of the Week in his first season as a Golden Eagle.
“It’s the first one, so it feels really great,” Manneh said. “It feels great to be recognized by the whole conference. It feels great and I just want to thank my teammates and my coaches for putting me in this position.”
Down 10-0 at the start of the second quarter, the Golden Eagles needed a spark. After the defense forced a punt, Manneh earned his honor as he took the punt 81 yards to the house to put Brockport on the board and give them the momentum that kept them in the game.
“I saw the ball was coming high in the sky,” Manneh said. “I let it bounce once, then once I picked it up. I saw a bunch of defenders coming towards me, so I cut it to the left and after that it was history.”
The new transfer from Hudson Valley Community College has made an instant impact for the Golden Eagles. To go along with his punt return touchdown, he finished with eight receptions for 114 yards. On the season, he leads Brockport in receptions and receiving yards with 12 receptions, 203 yards, 101.5 yards/game and 16.9 yards/catch along with a touchdown.
“I think it’s definitely the team and the staff that made me come into the offense, understand the offense, and really push myself,” Manneh said. “My teammates, the receiving core, the quarterbacks, the defensive backs, everybody. We just push every day in practice, and it makes me want to go harder, it’s competitive every day.”
Simmons and Manneh look to continue their hot start, and the Golden Eagles will be trying to get back in the win column this Saturday for Homecoming as they host the Wilkes Colonels. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
