Tapia breaks school record, earns SCIAC Specialist of the Week

ORANGE, Calif. – Freshman Owen Tapia helped lead the Chapman University football team to a huge win over No. 10 Whitworth University on Saturday evening, earning the SCIAC Specialist of the Week.

Tapia tallied seven punts for a total of 351 yards, averaging 50.1 yards per punt. He pinned the Pirates inside their own 20-yard line three times, including a punt that put Whitworth on its own 1-yard line to start the drive.

Tapia capped off a big night with a historic punt. The Eastvale, Calif. native broke the school record for longest punt with a 73-yard kick in the 4th quarter. The boot topped the previous record by just one yard, set by former All-American Elias Deeb in the 2016 season.

On top of his seven punts, Tapia also kicked seven kickoffs for the Panthers. He totaled 340 yards, averaging 48.6 yards per kick while placing the ball out of bounds once.

The Panthers take this weekend off for a bye week but return to Wilson Field on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. for their Homecoming Game.  

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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