INDIANAPOLIS – Only one more game is on the regular-season schedule for all eight teams as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week honors were handed out on Monday morning.
The stage is set for a showdown between No. 22 (AFCA)/25 (D2Football.com) Findlay and Ohio Dominican to determine the 2017 Great Midwest champion in Columbus.
Both programs remain undefeated at the top of the league standings after storming to impressive Week 10 victories against Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan, respectively.
Big plays will make the highlight reels as the Oilers (9-1, 6-0 G-MAC) won their eighth straight and put up another conference-record scoring total with 70 points against the defending league champ Battlers (2-8, 1-5 G-MAC).
Each team traded long kickoff returns for touchdowns for distances of 100 and 95 yards and Findlay erupted for 28 points before the end of the first quarter.
In a clash of the Panthers, Ohio Dominican (6-3, 6-0 G-MAC) launched an aerial assault through the golden arm of quarterback Grant Russell, who accounted for five passing touchdowns. The Panthers of ODU also threatened the single-game conference scoring record in a 63-7 rout against Kentucky Wesleyan (2-7, 1-5 G-MAC).
Ohio Dominican rolled up 638 yards of total offense while Findlay accumulated 581 yards of total offense. The suspense will keep building up for the Week 11 matchup with the conference championship trophy at stake.
The G-MAC Founders Cup Game trophy is on the line this weekend as Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan go head-to-head to finish out the regular season. AB has held the possession of the 60-pound mining cart in Philippi for back-to-back years.
At home, Hillsdale (6-4, 4-2 G-MAC) rolled against Malone (1-8, 1-5 G-MAC) as David Graham ran for 130 yards with a pair of scores. Graham is now 117 yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark on the season. Chance Stewart threw his 16th touchdown of the year, a one-yard connection with lineman Jake Bull, who lined up as an eligible receiver.
Walsh improved to. 500 (3-6, 3-3 G-MAC) in the league standings with a 31-7 win against Lake Erie in Painesville, Ohio. The Cavaliers churned out 355 yards of rushing on the ground, including 170 with Kalvin Gordon. Koby Adu-Poku also topped the century mark in rushing yards with 114.
Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Week
Cory Contini
Ohio Dominican
Wide Receiver
Junior
Dover, OH (Dover HS)
Contini eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving single-season milestone with a stellar effort in Ohio Dominican’s win against Kentucky Wesleyan.
The junior corralled five catches for 142 yards and four touchdowns against the Panthers’ secondary, single-game record for TD’s at the position in the league’s young history. Three touchdowns have been hauled in five different times.
His first scoring reception came with 12 seconds left in the first quarter, a 49-yard connection with Russell. On ODU’s ensuing possession, he grabbed a 12-yard score and brought in his third TD of the first half right before the break.
Contini then capped off a five-play 69-yard drive early in the third quarter with a 28-yard receiving TD, his fourth of the game.
Contini ranks second in the conference in receptions (66), receiving yards (1,006) and touchdowns (11).
Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Week
Tyler Lee
Findlay
Defensive Back
Xenia, OH (Xenia HS / Indiana State)
Lee is another member of a talented ballhawking secondary that can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. The Oilers recorded three interceptions against Alderson Broaddus, including two by the sophomore Lee, to run the unit’s takeaway total to 15 on the year.
Findlay permits under 156 yards of passing to lead the league and has allowed just seven TD’s by opponents, another Great Midwest-leading total.
Lee intercepted Alderson Broaddus quarterback Patrick Bentley twice, including a 65-yard pick six less than a minute following a Michael Campbell rushing score.
With Findlay already in control up 21-7 in the first quarter, Lee thwarted the first play of a Battlers’ possession with a 15-yard return following another pick.
Lee and former Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Week Aaron Ivory each have four interceptions to lead Findlay.
Great Midwest Special Teams Player of the Week
Kasey Tingler
Walsh
Kicker
Sophomore
Brookefield, OH (Brookefield HS)
Tingler converted the longest field goal in conference history with a made 49-yard kick to help Walsh topple Lake Erie on Saturday.
Tingler’s long field goal was five yards longer than 44-yard makes from his own kick (vs. Jacksonville) and Malone’s Marcus Moeller (2016 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan).
Tingler also made all four PAT’s as the Cavaliers scored 31 points on the road. He is now 7-for-9 on all field goal tries on the season, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the 40-49 range.