TOWSON, Md. -
John Whelan had the game of a lifetime on Saturday in a 56-22 victory at Juniata, accounting for six touchdowns in just over two full quarters of action. For his contributions, he was named Landmark Conference Offensive Athlete of the Week.
Whelan, a senior quarterback from Huntersville, N.C., made his third start of the season and made it count, throwing for 377 yards and five touchdowns while also sneaking his way into the end zone for a sixth score.
The senior signal caller completed 80.8 percent of his throws, the fourth-best single-game mark in program history while becoming just the second Catholic QB to account for six scores in a game, joining
Kevin Ricca. He became the eight player in program history to throw for five touchdowns in a contest.
In the second quarter, Whelan rolled out to his right and connected with
Anthony Giordano on a deep ball that resulted in a 97-yard touchdown. The play surpasses a 96-yard touchdown pass from Keith Ricca to Ryan Bowman in 2005 as the longest play from scrimmage in program history.
Whelan is the second offensive player and the third overall player to be honored by the Landmark in its weekly awards this season. Whelan finishes his senior season with 11 total touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 63 percent of his throws for 874 yards.