INDIANAPOLIS – For Week 2 of the season, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week were announced on Monday morning.
Seven non-conference games and one league contest were completed throughout Saturday as steady rains hammered most of the region to affect playing conditions.
Several teams improved to 2-0 on the young season including No. 17 Ohio Dominican (2-0, 0-0 Great Midwest) and Tiffin (2-0, 0-0 Great Midwest). The Panthers toppled nationally-ranked No. 18 Ashland at home in Columbus while Tiffin edged out Mercyhurst on the road in Erie, Pa.
No. 19 Findlay (1-1, 1-0 Great Midwest) ran into a buzz saw up at No. 9 Ferris State as the Oilers were handed a tough loss, its first of the season. It was a heartbreaking end in Houghton, Mich., as Hillsdale (1-1, 0-0 Great Midwest) couldn’t capitalize in overtime against Michigan Tech.
Alderson Broaddus (0-2, 0-0 Great Midwest) mustered a furious second-half rally against Bowie State and the Battlers turned a 31-10 deficit into a game that boiled down to the final possession with the ball in AB’s hands.
Another close finish went down to the wire at Quincy, Ill., but just not quite in favor of Kentucky Wesleyan (0-2, 0-0 Great Midwest) in the Panthers’ bid for their first victory of the fall.
Malone (1-1, 1-0 Great Midwest) rolled past Lake Erie (0-2, 0-1 Great Midwest) to move into a tie for first with Findlay in the league standings. The Pioneers posted over 40 points on the Storm at the Hall of Fame Stadium as an emerging QB/WR tandem shined.
Walsh (0-2, 0-0 Great Midwest) went up against a GLIAC opponent for the second week in a row and the Cavaliers are still trying to get their offense tracked after being downed by Saginaw Valley State.
Offensive Player of the Week
Deandre Clayton
Malone
Quarterback
Redshirt Sophomore
Lorton, VA
South County (South County HS/Clarion)
Another first-year transfer starting quarterback is making his mark in the Great Midwest. This time, it was the dual-threat Clayton, who beat Lake Erie with his arm and legs in a 42-12 final during his first conference game for the Pioneers.
Clayton rolled up 317 yards of total offense, including a single-game conference rushing record (by a QB) with 106 net and threw for over 200 yards in the air on 11 completions.
The 6-2, 210 lb. signal caller connected with star wideout Ashton Dulin for both passing touchdowns.
Clayton tossed a 14-yard pass in the red zone in the first quarter and later hooked up from 43 yards out at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He rushed 17 times and bested the previous record for a quarterback, which was 78 yards gained on the ground by teammate Zane Bunnell (last year vs. Kentucky Wesleyan).
Clayton came to Malone by way of Clarion University, a PSAC school also in Super Region 1.
On the season, Clayton has completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns in two games.
Defensive Player of the Week
Tristan Kehres
No. 17 Ohio Dominican
Defensive Lineman
Redshirt Senior
Shelby, OH (Shelby HS)
Kehres was a force to be reckoned with on the interior as the Panthers carved out a signature win against 18th-ranked Ashland.
Ohio Dominican’s resume was enhanced for the selection committee against Ashland as the defensive unit held strong with 354 yards yielded against the Eagles.
Kehres racked up 12 tackles, two for a loss in the backfield and recorded 1.5 sacks. He harassed AU quarterback Austin Brenner with a pivotal strip sack fumble at the start of the second half.
The ball was returned 35 yards to the Ashland 5-yard line and on the ensuing play, ODU grabbed the lead for good on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Shane Bucenell to Cory Contini.
Kehres is no stranger to the conference archives as he holds the single-game conference record for assisted tackles (12 vs. Walsh in 2017). He is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 21, locked in a tie for fifth among all Great Midwest players.
This is the second straight weekly conference honor for an Ohio Dominican defensive player following linebacker Ross Thompson’s selection for a win against California (PA).
Special Teams Player of the Week
Logen Neidhardt
No. 17 Ohio Dominican
Punter
Sophomore
Hicksville, OH (Hicksville HS)
For the second consecutive week and fourth time in his young career, the booming leg of Neidhardt was selected for special teams weekly honors by the league.
As if his Week 1 numbers weren’t impressive enough with a single-game net punting record with a minimum amount of attempts, the reigning Great Midwest Special Teams Player of the Year was just as good, if not better, vs. No. 18 Ashland.
He matched his Week 1 output with six punts. This time, he averaged 47.5 yards per boot with a career-best distance of 62 yards, a top-10 distance in the conference records for a single game.
His 47.5 yards average per punt was just shy of his 47.7 avg in Week 1 against California (PA). Five of his six punts netted a gain of at least 46 yards and also had a 67-yard kick that was called back due to penalty.
Neidhardt is now averaging a league-best 47.6 yards per punt on 12 attempts this season.