Football | 12/17/2024 5:57:00 PM

WASHINGTON (December 17, 2024) – United States Naval Academy quarterback Blake Horvath has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Player of the Week for the third time this season after returning from an injury with a dominant performance to lead the Midshipmen to a 31-13 victory over rival Army this past Saturday at Northwest Stadium in Landover.


Horvath, injured early in Navy's 35-0 loss to Tulane on Nov. 16, completed 4 of 9 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 25 times for 204 yards and two more scores as the Midshipmen claimed the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2019.


"Blake Horvath is a special young man, one of the toughest kids that I know," Navy Coach Brian Newberry said. "He's been through some really difficult injuries this year. We weren't sure if he was going to be able to play this game. Really, this past week was his first week of going full in practice. We cut him loose and I thought he played extremely well today. … He makes the engine go for sure."


Horvath started the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run to cap the game's opening possession. He threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Chatman in the second quarter that made it 14-0.


After Army pulled within 14-10 in the third quarter, Horvath responded with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Eli Heidenreich and his second one-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter sealed the win, finishing off quite a performance in his first action in an Army-Navy game.


"It was frustrating to watch on the sideline the past two years," Horvath said. "You want to be in control and leave your mark on the game. … You can go back to February 27 when we walked into our winter workouts and photos of the CIC Trophy are plastered on every locker and every wall. It's been since then that we've put this game into our heads. … There is a pain that comes with singing first. We didn't want to do it again. The Brigade didn't want to sing first and none of the fans wanted to sing first."

ABOUT THE MILITARY BOWL FOUNDATION
The Military Bowl Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates premier events in the National Capital Region to benefit our nation's service members. Originally formed to create the region's first-ever college football postseason bowl game, the Foundation now not only runs the Go Bowling Military Bowl but additionally operates the DC Touchdown Club and Patriot Point, a retreat for recovering service members, their families and caregivers on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The Foundation hosts engaging events throughout the year to raise money and awareness for military service members, directly impacting those who give so much of themselves for the country.

ABOUT THE DC TOUCHDOWN CLUB
The DC Touchdown Club honors the best in Washington Metro football, with year-round events highlighted by an annual awards dinner. Operated by the Military Bowl Foundation, the Club promotes the game of football, hosts entertaining social events and generates a significant philanthropic impact for Patriot Point. To learn more about the Touchdown Club, visit dctouchdownclub.com or follow Touchdown Club on Twitter and Instagram @DCTouchdownClub and like Touchdown Club on Facebook.