Bullet Shot: Athlete of the Week
Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College website. Sophomore Joey DeCristofaro earned a spot on the D3Football.com Team of the Week.
By Meredith Tombs, Staff Writer
Sophomore linebacker Joey DeCristofaro was recently awarded the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week title, and was named to the D3 Football Team of the Week.
As a first-year, DeCristofaro recorded 62 total tackles. He has only improved as a defensive lineman in his sophomore season for the Bullets. DeCristofaro has 18 career sacks and 18 career interceptions
“I started to feel progressively more and more comfortable on the field, which opened up my play,” said DeCristofaro. “The biggest thing I worked on [through this season] is consistency.”
In the final game at Franklin & Marshall, where the Bullets emerged victorious 21-7, DeCristofaro recorded a career-high 14 tackles against Franklin & Marshall College, supplemented by his 3 interceptions. The interceptions tied for the program’s single-game record, marking DeCristofaro the first Gettysburg Bullet in 25 years to snag three interceptions in a single game, posting 31 return yards off the interceptions.
DeCristofaro is proud of the way his team worked through the season. “We never quit any game,” he said. “We had a couple games this year where we battled back from being down and came out on top.”
Gettysburg finished the 2015 season 7-3 with crucial rival victories towards the end.
“We went two years in a row beating both Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall, keeping the bucket and the hat,” said DeCristofaro. “To go out the way we did was just awesome.”
DeCristofaro acknowledged the impending loss of the senior players, saying “That [loss] will be tough to fill. However, knowing this team, we have the guys willing to step up and fill those roles.”
Congratulations to the Bullets on their fantastic season and to DeChristofaro for being this week’s “Bullet of the Week!”
