| MIDWEST
CONFERENCE FOOTBALL |
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Players of the Week
Nov. 11
Offensive
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Justin Berrens |
A first-year halfback from Waupaca, WI (Waupaca HS), Berrens logged 44 rushes for 250 yards and three touchdowns in LU's 25-13 win over Grinnell. He had a long run of 56 yards and had all 33 yards of a short, Lawrence scoring drive on four runs. |
Defensive
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Kok, a senior defensive back from Rosendale, WI (Laconia HS) finished with three interceptions Saturday during Ripon's 44-7 victory over Beloit. He returned his three picks for 66 yards and added five tackles on the afternoon. With the three interceptions, Kok sets a new Ripon College single-season record with 13. He came into the week second in the nation in interceptions. |
Special Teams
 Brandon Orr Knox |
Orr, a native of Springfield, MO (Kickapoo H.S.), blocked Jeff Sidell's 26-yard field goal attempt, scooped up the ball and rambled 80 yards to give Knox a 7-0 advantage during a 31-17 loss to Monmouth. |
Nov. 4
Offensive
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Brester, sophomore running back, from New Berlin, Wis., (Eisenhower HS) helped lead the Pioneers to a 26-0 victory over visiting Illinois College on Saturday. Brester accounted for 20 of Carroll's 26 points. He had two rushing TDs (15 and 3 yards), kicked two extra points and booted two field goals (36 and 35 yards) on the day. He rushed for 242 yards on the afternoon in 26 carries for a 9-yards-per-carry average. His longest rush was 51 yards. |
Defensive
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Vento, a 5-9, 165-pound junior defensive back from Sussex, WI, led Carroll to a shutout victory (26-0) over visiting Illinois College on Saturday. Vento intercepted a pass on IC's first possession that led to Carroll's first touchdown. He returned the pick 41 yards to the IC 15-yard line. Vento also added seven tackles (five solos, 2 assists), two sacks for a combined loss of 18 yards, and one pass deflection on the day. |
Special Teams
 Mason Winebarger Knox |
A first-year kicker from Prineville, OR (Crook County H.S.), Winebarger made a critical PAT kick in the first quarter to give Knox a 7-0 lead. The kick proved pivotal as a Lake Forest PAT attempt in the second quarter missed and Knox held a 7-6 advantage at the half. He made his only other kick attempt of the game in the fourth quarter, booting a 41-yard field goal with 14:54 remaining to give Knox some much-needed breathing room. The kick was Winebarger’s longest attempt of the season. Winebarger has now made 5 of his 9 field goal attempts and 15 of 18 PATs. |
Players of the Week
Oct. 28
Offensive
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Matt O'Grady |
O'Grady, a senior running back from Chicago, Ill., (Niles Notre Dame HS) rushed for 217 yards on 26 carries and scored 2 touchdowns in the Green Knights' 34-13 victory over Lake Forest. O'Grady went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season during the game and now has 1,139 yards this season. He has rushed for 692 yards in his last three games. This is his second offensive POW honor this season. |
Defensive
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Gaulke, a junior defensive back from New Berlin, WI (New Berlin HS) recorded two interceptions in the Pioneers 42-6 win over Beloit on Saturday. He also had six total tackles (one solo and five assisted) on the afternoon as Carroll improved to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in the league. |
Special Teams
| Chad Blahnik
St. Norbert |
Blahnik, a sophomore defensive end/punter from Abrams, Wis., (Oconto Falls HS) is the MWC's leading punter. Saturday in a 34-13 Green Knight win over Lake Forest, Blahnik had six punts for a 39.2 average. His spirals limited Lake Forest to 11 return yards and a solid net punting average of 37.3 yards. |
Players of the Week
Oct. 21
Co-Offensive
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Derek Leonard |
Heikes a junior quarterback from Palos Heights, Ill., (Stagg HS), totaled 323 yards of total offense including 242 yards passing on 9-of-16 (no interceptions) and 81 rushing. Heikes scored a MWC season-high five rushing TDs on runs of 2, 26, 1, 15 and 2 yards as Lake Forest lost to Illinois College 40-39. Derek Leonard a junior quarterback from Springfield, Ill., (Sacred Heart HS) completed 25-of-47 passes for 291 yards for three TDs and engineered the game-winning, 11-play, 63-yard drive in the final 1:09 that lifted the Blue Boys to a 40-39 victory over Lake Forest. The drive was capped with an 8-yard TD pass to Dan Klendworth with 2 seconds left in the game. Then, still trailing by one point at 39-38, Leonard converted the two-point conversion on a pass to Dan Holden to lift the Blue Boys to the 40-39 triumph. Leonard also rushed for 12 yards and a first down on a 4th and 12 situation just prior to the TD strike. |
Defensive
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Ty Molitor |
Molitor, a senior cornerback from Appleton, Wis., (North H.S.), intercepted three passes during Lawrence's 14-13 win at Carroll on Saturday. All three of Molitor's picks halted Carroll drives in LU territory, including an interception in the end zone in the second quarter and another with 2:27 left in the game. The win was the Vikings first of the season. |
Special Teams
 Joe Kostiha |
Kostiha, a sophomore linebacker from Gordon, Texas, blocked a punt that led to Beloit's final score in a 32-20 victory over Knox on Saturday. The Bucs were up 26-20 near the end of the third quarter when Kostiha blocked the punt at the Knox 10 with seconds remaining in the quarter. Beloit ended up with the ball on the Knox 5 and scored in two plays with 14:56 left in the game. The blocked punt and TD that followed gave Beloit breathing room. |
Oct. 14
Offensive
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Matt O'Grady |
O'Grady, a senior running back from Chicago, Ill. (Niles Notre Dame HS) established a school record with 282 rushing yards on 27 carries (10.4 ypc) as the Green Knights remained undefeated on Saturday with a 45-0 victory over Monmouth. He also scored one touchdown. The previous school standard was 268 yards set by Norm Jarock in 1957. The 282 rushing yards also is a high in the MWC this fall. |
Defensive
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Eddie Obermueller |
Obermueller, a senior defensive back from Glenwood City, WI, recorded two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, during St. Norbert's 45-0 win over Monmouth on Saturday. He also had seven tackles, the second-highest total on the team. Obermueller scored on a 27-yard interception return to give St. Norbert a 14-0 lead. |
Special Teams
 Pat Dunne |
A junior punter/kicker from Chicago, IL (Marist High School), Dunne connected on two-of-two field goal attempts and five-of-five extra point kicks, scoring 11 points in a 41-6 win over Lawrence. Dunne made field goals of 25 and 42 yards and punted twice for a average of 42.0 yards. Dunne's punts helped limit Lawrence to zero return yards and his kicks helped hold the Vikings to 14.3 yards per kick-off return. |
Oct. 7
Offensive
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Troy DeVoe |
DeVoe, a junior running back, put up some impressive numbers, rushing for 215 yards in 31 carries (6.9 yards per carry) as the Red Hawks defeated Lake Forest 40-7 on Saturday. DeVoe, an Oshkosh North graduate, scored three touchdowns, including a 68-yard romp in the third quarter and a one-yard scamper with one second left in the first half. |
Defensive
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Jerimiah Janssen |
Janssen, a junior linebacker from De Pere, Wis. (West De Pere), led St. Norbert to a 21-0 shutout of Knox by recording 14 tackles (6 solo, 8 assisted). He also notched four tackles for loss, one sack, and forced a fumble. It was the Green Knights second shutout in their last three games, the first time since 1952 that SNC has accomplished such a feat. |
Special Teams
Ryan Reader |
Reader, a junior linebacker from Little Chute, Wis., was the Green Knights "wedge buster" on kickoffs, which limited Knox to 16.3 yards per return. Head coach Jim Purtill was pleased with Reader's play, noting, "He just wreaked havoc on the kickoffs." Reader finished the game with nine tackles overall. |
Sept. 30
Offensive
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Jesse Abbott |
Knox's Jesse Abbott, a first-year wide receiver from Fulton, Ill., (Fulton HS) caught five passes for 138 yards (27.6 ypc) and snagged touchdown passes of 31 and 42 yards in the Prairie Fire’s 30-12 victory over Lawrence Saturday in Appleton, Wis. Abbott also returned five punts for 74 yards. |
Defensive
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Brad Ruhoff |
Grinnell's Brad Ruhoff, a senior linebacker, registered twelve tackles (7 solo) and returned an interception 21 yards for a touchdown in Grinnell’s 44-21 victory over Carroll Saturday in Grinnell. Four of Ruhoff’s tackles were for a loss of 24 yards and the Altura, Minn., native also racked up two sacks for a loss of 20 yards. Ruhoff leads Grinnell’s defense with 48 tackles and three sacks on the season. |
Special Teams
 Matt Beverly |
Monmouth junior defensive backs Matt Beverly and Scott Stanton, former teammates at Monmouth High School, combined to deliver the game-winning play in Saturday’s 24-14 victory over Illinois College. Beverly blocked Illinois College’s potential game-tying 40-yard field goal attempt, then delivered a key block as Stanton scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 75 yards for the game-clinching score. |
Sept. 24
Offensive
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Derek Leonard |
Leonard, a junior quarterback from Springfield, Ill. (Sacred Heart) rallied Illinois C. from a 27-7 early third-quarter deficit against Knox on Saturday by throwing four touchdown passes in the second half to win 43-34. For the game, Leonard completed 28-of-49 passes for 273 yards and the four TDs. Leonard hooked up with seven different Blueboy receivers. In the second half alone, Leonard was 22-of-33 for 239 yards. His scoring passes covered 32, 14, 3 and 5 yards. The fourth TD pass came with 4:39 left in the game and put IC ahead for the first time in the contest at 37-34. In addition to his quartet of TD passes, Leonard also successfully converted three of four PAT pass attempts. |
Defensive
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Mike Watson |
Illinois College's Mike Watson, a 5-10, 215-pound senior cornerback from Harvey, IL (Thornton High School), returned two interceptions for touchdowns, recovered a fumble, broke up a pass attempt, and registered eight tackles, including five solo stops in a 43-34 win at Knox. With IC trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Watson stepped in front of a Adam Buckley pass and returned it 23 yards for the score. After the Blueboys forged their first lead of the game at 37-34, Watson ended any hope of a Knox rally when he scored on a 33-yard interception return. His second pick came with 20 seconds remaining and was the first time in the 103-year history of Illinois College football that an IC player has recorded two interception returns for touchdowns in a game. Watson's fumble recovery stopped a Knox drive midway through the fourth quarter after the Blueboys had closed to within 34-29. |
Special Teams
 Grinnell |
Grinnell first-year kicker John Godish (St. Charles, IL) kicked a 22-yard game-winning field goal on a muddy surface at Lake Forest to give Grinnell a 10-7 victory in overtime Saturday. He also added an extra point after the Pioneers' lone touchdown late in the third quarter. Godish is a perfect 3-3 on the season. His longest field goal thus far, 49 yards, came against Beloit Sept. 16. |
Sept. 17
Offensive
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Adam Wallace |
Grinnell sophomore running back Adam Wallace rushed 39 times for a school-record 245 yards Saturday as the Pioneers defeated Beloit College 30-20. The 6-1, 195-pound Grinnell native rushed for two touchdowns, including a 56-yarder, and also caught a 25-yard TD pass as Grinnell improved to 1-1 overall and to 1-0 in the MWC. In all, Wallace had 298 yards of total offense as he had three receptions for 53 yards to compliment his 245 rushing yards. The 245 yards on the ground eclipsed a 14-year-old school record of 231 yards set in 1986. |
Defensive
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Glenn Weatherford |
Glenn Weatherford, Illinois College Weatherford, a 6-0 sophomore safety from Sherman, IL (Williamsville High School), almost single-handedly stopped two Lawrence scoring drives deep in IC territory to help preserve IC's 13-6 win over Lawrence on Saturday (September 16th). In the third quarter, Weatherford halted a Lawrence drive when he intercepted a Viking pass in the end zone. With 7:18 to play in the final quarter, Weatherford fell on a Viking fumble at the IC one-yard line to stop a potential game-tying score. Weatherford led all Blueboy tacklers with 11 total tackles, including seven solo stops. |
Special Teams
 Knox |
Knox College’s Lee Henderson was selected as the Midwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 17. Henderson, a sophomore from Grinnell, Iowa (Grinnell HS), punted 10 times for 403 yards, a 40.3-yard average, in the Prairie Fire’s 26-16 loss at Ripon this past Saturday. Three of Henderson’s boots were inside the Ripon 20 and his longest punt went for 52 yards. Knox, 0-2, hosts 2-0 Illinois College at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday. |
Sept. 10
Offensive
St. Norbert |
St. Norbert's Luke Ott, a junior quarterback
from Forest Junction, Wis. (Brillion), has been named Midwest Conference
Offensive Player of the Week for week ending Sept. 10.
In a 34-22 non-conference victory at Hamline University last Saturday, Ott finished 22 of 28 for 337 yards and one touchdown. In the second half alone, Ott was 12 for 15 for 209 yards and the one touchdown. Ott's efficiency rating for the game was 191.46. |
Defensive
 Josh Heisler Ripon |
Ripon's Josh Heisler has been selected
Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept.
10. Heisler is a junior from Campbellsport, Wis.
In a 28-14 non-conference victory over Elmhurst College at home last Saturday, Heisler recorded a game-high 19 tackles (15 assisted and 4 unassisted), one sack for eight yards and one fumble recovery. |
Special Teams
St. Norbert |
St. Norbert's Jesse Augustine was selected as
Midwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the week ending
Sept. 10.
Augustine, a first-year wide receiver from St. Nazianz, Wis. (Valders HS), returned four kickoffs for 122 yards, a 30.5 average, to give the Green Knights an average starting field position at their own 43-yard line. Augustine also returned one punt for six yards and blocked a punt in the first half which led to a St. Norbert touchdown. Augustine did all this in just his first collegiate game. |