Nov 7, 2013 3 min read

Four games into the season, Dion Wiegand led the country in touchdowns and scoring.

But someone had to tell him, because he doesn’t pour over statistics in his spare time.

And last week, Wiegand knew he was approaching 1,000 yards rushing, not because he was keeping track, but because someone reminded him.

“Those are nice (accomplishments), but it’s just another stat,” said Wiegand, the 5-7, 180-pound senior tailback on Washington & Jefferson College’s football team.

What matters to him is getting on the field and competing. If that means returning kickoffs, fine. Playing on any special teams unit, that’s fine, too.

“If I told him to play safety, he’d run out there and do it,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “He’s all about winning football games.”

In a 38-6 win over Westminster Oct. 19, Wiegand made a first-down run to the Westminster 17-yard line in the second quarter, then waved Ryan Ruffing in to replace him at tailback. Two plays later, Ruffing scored.

“I thought Dion was out there, but he wasn’t in the game,” Sirianni said. “He wanted Ryan to get it. Dion is just not a stats guy. He has blocked punts, played on our return teams. He just plays football.”

Heading into to Saturday night’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference game against Geneva at Cameron Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff), Wiegand will rank third in scoring in Division III at 15.8 point per game; rank third in touchdowns with 21, rank 15th in all-purpose yards with a 173.63 average, rank 25th in rushing yards per game with 125.4 yards and be ready to add to his 1,003-yard rushing total. And he will be a key special teams player.

“Since I was 6 years old, I was always on the kickoff teams,” said Wiegand. “I returned punts and kicks. I never really lost that. I still love it.”

Arguably Wiegand’s biggest return of the year – and maybe his college career – came in Week 6, when he returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown that drove a stake through the heart of Thomas More in a 45-21 W&J victory. It was notable for two reasons: 1. the victory put W&J in great position to win the PAC title and automatic bid to the playoffs; and 2. it came just after the one-year anniversary of the death of tailback Tim McNerney, who was beaten and later found dead in Washington. Wiegand had to replace McNerney in the lineup for that game.

“That was really tough,” said Wiegand. “I just tried to do my best.”

“If anyone could have done that, carry on after that, it was Dion,” said Sirianni. “Even off the field, he’s shown the leadership by showing respect to Tim’s family.”

A transfer from Robert Morris, Wiegand rushed for 667 yards and averaged 3.4 yards per carry last season. He spent the offseason working on his quickness and speed, shaved time off his 40-yard dash and made himself one of the most effective runners in the league. He is on pace to finish with 1,250 yards, the most for a W&J running back since Ryan Mendel had 1,421 yards in 2006.

“I feel more comfortable,” he said. “In high school, I didn’t start as a junior because I had a senior ahead of me. So when I was a senior, I felt it was my team. That’s the same way I feel now.”