INDIANAPOLIS – After four different contests were completed in Week 6, Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week honors continued as announced on Monday morning.
Coming away with league victories was Lake Erie, Findlay and Tiffin, while Hillsdale emerged victorious in overtime against Northwood on the road.
Tiffin and Hillsdale are both undefeated in the conference standings with Findlay and Ohio Dominican each with one league loss. The playoff picture will continue to emerge as the conference looks to break into the NCAA Super Region I rankings and the DII AFCA Poll.
Offensive Player of the Week
Luke Keller
Hillsdale
Quarterback
RS Freshman
Zionsville, IN (Guerin Catholic HS)
Taking over under center from the 2018 conference player of the year Chance Stewart, Keller has grown incrementally throughout the season as the new signal caller for the defending league champion Chargers.
In Week 6, Keller’s development hit a new level as he engineered a 13-point halftime deficit turned into an overtime victory on the road at Northwood.
The redshirt freshman was calm and collected as he completed 15 of his 25 attempts for 225 yards and a pair of scores. He also ran for 40 yards and scored the eventual game winner, a 1-yard plunge taken in by himself.
The Chargers outscored the Timberwolves, 16-0, to set up overtime. Keller delivered a 29-yard scoring strike to Alec Foos on the first play of the final quarter.
He then guided Hillsdale on a clock-chewing 18-play drive spanning 75 yards that took up over nine minutes. The game-tying score came with 4:45 left in regulation.
Keller has now completed over 52 percent of his passes this season with nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Defensive Player of the Week
Christopher Jefferson
Findlay
Defensive Back
Sophomore
Euclid, OH (Benedictine HS)
In Week 5, if it was any other week of the season, Jefferson would have been a shoo-in for defensive honors if it wasn’t for D2Football.com National Player of the Week Alessio Amato (Ohio Dominican).
Both players had three interceptions in a single game against their respective opponents, which set a new conference record.
In Week 6 at the Hall of Fame Stadium, Jefferson refused to share the spotlight as he plucked two more passes out of the air to become the NCAA’s national leader, regardless of division.
Defense was critical in a low-scoring affair as the Oilers held off Walsh. Jefferson now has seven interceptions on the season, one more than Glenville State’s Delonte Hood and Texas Tech’s Douglas Coleman.
Jefferson now has five of his seven interceptions in the last two games alone. The ballhawking DB was second on the team against the Cavaliers with six tackles, including three solo stops.
With at least five games left in the season for the Oilers, Jefferson already has broken the single-season league record in interceptions (6 – Alijah McGhee, KWC).
The Oilers are ranked second in the conference in scoring defense, giving up still just under 20 points per game.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Chris Demler
Findlay
Kicker
Junior
Clarksville, OH (Clinton-Massie HS)
Demler played a part in re-writing the history books for the Oilers as well, accounting for two different conference records as Findlay carved out its fourth win of the season.
Demler’s booming leg accounted for 13 of his team’s 19 points as he earned his second player of the week honor for the current season.
He became the first player in conference history to make four field goals in a game, converting from 27, 39, 26 an 20 yards out, in order.
Demler’s 13 points in the kicking game also matched the Great Midwest single-game record now shared with AB’s Austin Hampton (13 vs. Lake Erie in 2018).
Demler is now 7-for-9 on the season in field goal attempts with a long of 44. He is the current league leader in FG made.