Koch and Kucharski named GLIAC Players of the Week
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HOUGHTON -- This week, the Michigan Tech Huskies football team had two players honored by the GLIAC in senior linebacker Chase Koch and junior kicker Avery Kucharski. They have been honored as GLIAC Football Players of the Week for the second time this season.
Koch is the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, and Avery Kucharski is the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Koch tallied a game-high 14 tackles in the Huskies 33-32 win over Upper Iowa. He had five solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, and one tackle for loss. He also registered a pair of blocked kicks, one on an extra point and the other on the game-tying field goal attempt at the end of regulation. Koch leads the GLIAC in solo tackles (25), assisted tackles (24), and total tackles (49).
"Chase has got a million tackles and is always around the football," said Huskies coach Dan Mettlach. "He’s made some turnovers this year as well. I said at the beginning of the year, I just think he’s taken such a huge step in terms of the leadership role on that side of the football, the voice, and making sure everybody is lined up where they’re supposed to be and everything from that standpoint.
So I can’t say enough good things about what he’s doing right now on that side of the football."
Kucharski hit a pair of field goals in the Huskies’ 33-32 win over Upper Iowa. He hit from 41 in the third quarter and made his second 50-yarder of the season with 50 seconds left in regulation to tie the game.
In overtime, he hit the walk-off game-winning extra point to lift the Black and Gold to victory, his third extra point of the game. Kucharski had three punts in the game for an average of 43 yards per punt and added six kickoffs, averaging 60 yards. Kucharski is 5-for-6 this season on field goals and has 11 extra points. He is averaging 40.6 yards on 14 punts and has 22 kickoffs, averaging 62 yards.
"I’ve said this a bunch, he’s got to be a weapon for us," said Mettlach. "Obviously, he’s got one from 51 and from 50 in crucial times, but we just need to clean up what’s going on with our extra points and whatnot."
Tech is 3-1 after the non-conference portion of the schedule and has a bye this week before traveling to Roosevelt on Oct. 3 to begin GLIAC play.