Kirby Baynes, Justin Edwards Earn Spots on D3football.com National Team of the Week

CLAREMONT, Calif. - A day after earning SCIAC weekly honors, Kirby Baynes and Justin Edwards added national accolades as they were both chosen to the D3football.com National Team of the Week, which was released this morning.

The duo earned the honors after helping CMS defeat nationally ranked Chapman on Saturday, jumping out to a 15-0 halftime lead and holding off a second-half challenge for a 29-21 win. Chapman came in ranked No. 17 in the D3football.com poll and No. 18 in the American Football Coaches Association poll, before suffering its first defeat at the hands of the Stags. 

Baynes was named the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week yesterday and earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week at cornerback. He had nine tackles on the day, eight of them solo, and had an interception on the first Chapman drive to help set the tone early as the Stags took a 9-0 lead following their first two possessions. He also had a key tackle for a loss on the final Chapman drive, when the Panthers turned it over on downs on the CMS 15-yard line, and broke up two passes, one in the CMS end zone. 

Edwards, meanwhile, was the CMS workhorse on offense, carrying 32 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns to account for almost all of the Stag scoring on the day, other than an Alessandro Maiuolo field goal and two extra points. He scored on runs of one, one, three and five yards, while having a long run of 55 yards which helped set up his third touchdown on the first CMS possession of the second half, immediately after the Panthers closed to within 15-7. He was also remarkably consistent, totaling 102 yards and two touchdowns in each half. 

CMS improved to 3-1 with the win and will next be in action when it concludes a four-game homestand against Redlands on Saturday at 1 p.m. in its SCIAC opener. The Stags defeated Chapman, as well as Pomona-Pitzer on Sept. 4, in non-league games prior to the start of conference play on Oct. 2.