INDIANAPOLIS – Alderson Broaddus, Ohio Dominican and Walsh, were the three institutions featured for Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week honors on Monday morning.
The league crossed past the halfway point of the regular season as four competitive Great Midwest games were completed on Saturday with Homecoming festivities a big part of the Week 6 highlights.
Ohio Dominican (3-3, 3-0 G-MAC) remained unbeaten at the top of the conference standings with an impressive win against Hillsdale (3-3, 1-1 G-MAC) in Columbus. In a battle of talented quarterbacks who have each won conference offensive weekly honors this season, ODU’s Grant Russell prevailed over HC’s Chance Stewart in a 41-27 final.
In a game that went down to the wire, Malone (0-5, 0-2 G-MAC) backup quarterback Zane Bunnell led a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter against Alderson Broaddus (2-4, 1-1 G-MAC) before the Battlers iced it with just seconds remaining to break a 24-24 tie.
Offensive fireworks were flying at home for Findlay (5-1, 2-0 G-MAC) as the Oilers won their fourth straight with a rout against Lake Erie (1-5, 1-2 G-MAC). UF broke the conference single-game scoring record again with 63 points, two more than their showcase against Tuskegee in Week 4.
Walsh (1-5, 1-1 G-MAC) emerged with a 56-29 win against Kentucky Wesleyan (1-4, 0-2 G-MAC), playing the role of spoiler for the Panthers’ homecoming contest and giving Dan Pifer his first win as head coach of the Cavaliers.
Hillsdale, Alderson Broaddus and Walsh, are now locked into a three-way tie for third in the conference standings while Findlay is second to Ohio Dominican.
The Great Midwest now looks forward to Week 7 with Findlay and Hillsdale featured as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase on ESPN3 through the WatchESPN app. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium in Hillsdale.
Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Week
Zach Chandler
Alderson Broaddus
Quarterback
RS Freshman
Pittsburgh, PA (Avonworth HS)
Chandler seized the opportunity with a shakeup in the depth chart for his first career start against Malone, accounting for over 350 yards of total offensive and four passing touchdowns.
Chandler completed 25 of his 32 pass attempts on the day and calmly controlled the huddle to lead his team on a 10-play, 75-yard drive to end the game. His game-winning touchdown pass to Zack Lake from nine yards out was made with 11 seconds left in regulation.
The redshirt freshman also connected with Lake in the first quarter before linking up with Maurice Thomas and Jermaine Wynn on big plays of 52 and 47 yards, both before halftime.
Chandler was responsible for 319 yards through the air and gained 37 more on the ground.
Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Week
Shyoun Petteway
Ohio Dominican
Defensive Back
Freshman
Steubenville, OH (Steubenville HS)
Whether in run support or in pass coverage, Petteway has blanketed the field with ballhawking ability in the secondary. For the third straight week, the rookie recorded an interception, this time against Hillsdale.
Against the Chargers, Petteway was credited with a team-high 15 tackles, was credited with an additional pass breakup and had a fumble recovery.
Both turnovers led to touchdowns for the Ohio Dominican offense, proving critical in a 14-point final margin of victory. His interception of Chance Stewart in the second quarter eventually led to a Grant Russell two-yard scoring plunge that broke a 20-20 tie.
In six games played, Petteway now leads the Great Midwest in interceptions with three and is tied for eighth in the league in tackles with 40.
Great Midwest Special Teams Player of the Week
Leondre Crosby
Walsh
Linebacker
RS Freshman
Zanesville, OH (Zanesville HS)
Crosby put the exclamation point on a 28-point second quarter as Walsh pulled away from Kentucky Wesleyan for its first win of the season.
Crosby flew in to block an Eman Westmoreland punt as teammate Daizon Earl scooped it up and returned 37 yards for a special teams score in the final seconds of the first half.
Crosby also made his presence felt on the field with a quarterback sack and a 71-yard fumble return to KWC’s 4-yard line that was punched in by Paris Salas for a Walsh TD on the ensuing play.
In five games played, Crosby has 23 tackles, including three for a loss.