Dartmouth’s Q Jones, UNE’s Damien Jones Named 2024 Week 8 Recipients of NEFW/Grinold Chapter Gold Helmet Awards
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Dartmouth College senior running back Q Jones and University of New England sophomore running back/return specialist Damien Jones are this week’s recipients of the New England Football Writers Association Gold Helmet Awards presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Q Jones, a native of Fountain, Colo., and a graduate of Fountain-Fort Carson High School, rushed for a career-high 182 yards on 19 carries (9.6 ypc) with a 35-yard touchdown in Dartmouth’s 24-21 victory at Columbia. Jones rushed for 123 yards in the third quarter alone to give the Big Green a 17-0 advantage. Jones’ individual rushing total was the best for a Dartmouth player since the 2018 season.
Damien Jones, from Fitchburg, Mass., and a St. Bernard’s High School graduate, racked up 222 all-purpose yards in the Nor’Easter’s 51-30 win at Nichols. Jones scored touchdowns on an 8-yard rush, a 62-yard punt return and an 84-yard kickoff return while adding 71 rushing yards on 11 carries (6.5 ypc). Jones is the only player in the nation at any collegiate level this season to have a punt return, kickoff return and rushing touchdown.
For the tenth straight year, the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation is the presenting sponsor for both the weekly and end-of-year Gold Helmet Awards presented to student-athletes from FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III institutions throughout New England.
Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter
National Football Foundation
2024 GRINOLD CHAPTER NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III FOOTBALL WEEKLY RANKINGS RELEASED
The October 28th Grinold Chapter New England Division III Football Coaches poll of the 2024 season has been released, and undefeated Springfield College remains in the top spot in the poll for the fourth straight week. The New England Small College Athletic Conference has the most teams in the poll with four, led by Trinity College in fourth place.
The Pride received 8 of 11 first place votes to top Endicott College, which received the other three first-place votes, by 11 points in the poll. UMass Dartmouth sits in third place. Trinity follows and Western Connecticut is fifth in this week’s rankings. The poll is rounded out by Wesleyan, Tufts, Middlebury, Husson and Western New England.
The New England Division III Football Poll is presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation, which also serves as the title sponsor of the weekly Gold Helmet Awards presented by the New England Football Writers Association throughout the season.
The New England Division III Football Poll is presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation, which also serves as the title sponsor of the weekly Gold Helmet Awards presented by the New England Football Writers Association throughout the season.
A panel representing four New England Division III playing conferences will serve as voters in this year’s poll, and rankings will be released each Monday afternoon through November 18th. Members of this year’s voting panel are Nat Clark (Husson), Jason Lebeau (Western New England), Mike Lichten (University of New England), Jeremy Cameron (Massachusetts Maritime), Tom Kelley (Framingham), and Joe Loth (Western Connecticut), Jack Cosgrove (Colby), Jeff Devanney (Trinity), Jay Civetti (Tufts), Kevin Gilmartin (Salve Regina), C.C. Grant (Coast Guard) and Chris Robertson (WPI).
For more information on the New England Football Writers Association, please visit www.newenglandfootballwriters.com.
GRINOLD CHAPTER NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III FOOTBALL POLL
Week #5 – October 28, 2024
Rank School (First Place Votes), Record, Points, Previous Rank
1 Springfield (8), 7-0, 107, 1
2 Endicott (3), 6-1, 98, 2
3 UMass Dartmouth, 7-0, 90, 3
4 Trinity, 6-1, 73, 6
5 Western Connecticut, 6-1, 67, 5
6 Wesleyan, 6-1, 57, 8
7 Tufts, 5-2, 29, receiving votes
8 Middlebury, 5-2, 26, 4
9 Husson, 5-2, 21, receiving votes
10 Western New England, 4-3, 18, 7
Also Receiving Votes: Salve Regina (10), WPI (5), Coast Guard (3), Williams (1