INDIANAPOLIS – The race for a new league championship this season is in full force as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week awards were announced on Monday morning.
Week 3 featured three conference matchups as Ohio Dominican (2-1, 1-0) toppled Findlay (1-2, 0-1) in front of a national audience on ESPN3 as part of the DII Showcase Game. The Panthers and Oilers waited out some heavy morning rainfall before a crowd of nearly 2,000 filled Panther Stadium on ODU’s Homecoming Weekend in Columbus.
Between ODU and UF, both programs played against the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the country in Valdosta State (ODU – Week 2) and Ferris State (UF – Week 1). The conference opener was a big one for both squads as they contend for a Great Midwest title.
Defending conference champion Hillsdale (1-2, 1-0) solved a stingy Lake Erie (0-3, 0-1) defense for its first win of the season and Tiffin (2-1, 1-0) ran roughshod over Walsh (0-3, 0-1) on the road.
All three winners have started out 1-0 in the conference standings while Alderson Broaddus (0-3, 0-0) and Kentucky Wesleyan (0-3, 0-0) await their first opportunity to play a league contest this year.
The Battlers and Panthers were still on a quest to get into the win column as AB fell to No. 25 ranked Bowie State and KWC dropped a close one at home against Southwest Baptist.
Offensive Player of the Week
David Graham
Hillsdale
Running Back
Senior
St. John, IN (Andrean HS)
Against a defense that hasn’t conceded much of anything, Graham rumbled his way to a career day in Hillsdale’s conference opening victory against Lake Erie.
The senior tailback was explosive in a small sample size, blowing up for 232 yards on the ground on just 15 carries. He scored three touchdowns and averaged nearly 16 yards per carry.
Graham tied a 232-yard output from former Alderson Broaddus tailback Brandon Jones for the third best single game yardage total in conference history. He was just five yards away from matching the all-time record of 237 by Kentucky Wesleyan’s Josiah Israel in 2016.
Graham gashed the defense for long runs in the first half to give the Chargers a 14-0 lead on their Homecoming Weekend. He burst free for a 76-yard score in the first quarter before capitalizing on the only play from scrimmage on a 55-yard scamper.
It was only a 6-point game going into the fourth quarter as Lake Erie stayed resilient. Graham took the wind out of the Storm’s sails in the final seven minutes with a 15-yard red zone run to make the score final.
He is also one of a handful of players to score 3 touchdowns on the ground in a single game since the sport started in the league in 2016.
Graham entered this season with 34 rushing touchdowns in just 2 seasons, easily the most in conference career history. He also began his senior year just 11 yards of 2,000 in his career, totaling 1,989 in 2017 and 2018. This is his first conference career weekly award for the Chargers.
Defensive Player of the Week
Ashton Gilkey
Ohio Dominican
Defensive Back
Sophomore
Westerville, OH (Westerville Central HS)
Gilkey and co. in the secondary helped slow down the league’s reigning offensive player of the week on a big stage, helping the Panthers force a total of four turnovers against rival Findlay.
Gilkey matched his career high total in tackles with five and intercepted UF QB Matt Winzeler twice, including one late in the fourth quarter to halt the Oilers’ comeback bid.
Gilkey was also credited with two pass breakups in coverage as the Panthers held UF’s offense to 17 points below its season average coming in.
Ohio Dominican now has four takeaways in three of its last four outings dating back to last season.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Logen Neidhardt
Ohio Dominican
Punter
Junior
Hicksville, OH (Hicksville HS)
Neidhardt’s booming leg was on display for his fifth conference career weekly honor as he aided Ohio Dominican in the crucial field position swing over Findlay in the league opener.
Neidhardt punted seven times in a defensive struggle for a total of 324 yards.
He pinned the Oilers inside their 20 four different times – none of them touchbacks. Neidhardt also gave Findlay tough field position to start their drives inside the 5-yard line twice, including a key one late in the fourth quarter.
Two of his punts were over 50 yards as well.
Neidhardt’s average of 46.3 yards per punt is a top-five mark in the conference in single game history. The 2017 Great Midwest Special Teams Player of the Year came into the year averaging just under 42 yards per boot in his career, tops in the league.
Neidhardt also re-established the single-season punting record in the Great Midwest last year averaging 43 yards per attempt while breaking his own previous league record.