INDIANAPOLIS – Inclement weekend weather threw a wrench into playing conditions across the league as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week awards were announced on Monday afternoon.
 
Ohio Dominican had some key defensive stops at critical moments to take down Findlay on the road. The Panthers and Oilers were grinding it out in the muddy trenches of a 14-10 final as one of those programs would get their first loss in the conference standings.
 
Ohio Dominican improved to 4-0 in the Great Midwest schedule and awaits another league unbeaten this weekend in Tiffin. The spring preseason favorite Dragons maintained pace at the top with a 21-0 shutout pitched against Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
Hillsdale also secured a win against Walsh and came back from a minor halftime deficit to score its first win of the spring.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
Nick Watson
Tiffin
Quarterback
RS Senior
Cincinnati, OH (La Salle HS)
 
The combination of rain and wind tempered offensive expectations in the most recent week of competition around the league, but Watson found ways to get it done on three scoring drives to help Tiffin beat Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
The senior went back-to-back for weekly offensive honors after rushing for a pair of touchdowns and throwing for one in the 21-0 victory.
 
Watson accounted for a share in all of the Dragons scoring as he finished 15-for-28 passing and connected with Devin Butler for a 25-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
 
Watson’s 1-yard run resulted in the only first-half points by either side to cap a short six-play scoring drive.
 
He rushed in from 13 yards out for the first points after halftime midway through the third quarter. Watson then guided the Dragons on an 11-play scoring drive that finished with Butler on the receiving end for the score.
 
Watson finished the game with nine carries fo 29 yards.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Godwin Joe
Ohio Dominican
Defensive Back
Junior
Cleveland, OH (Brush HS)
 
Ohio Dominican beat Kentucky Wesleyan by four points while Findlay beat Kentucky Wesleyan by a 48-point spread. Conventional wisdom would suggest Findlay would take a matchup between the two top-tier programs with ease, correct? The Panthers proved otherwise with an impressive defensive showcase against the Oilers led by Joe.
 
The junior lockdown CB was credited with three pass breakups and a fumble recovery as the defense forced three different turnovers inside the red zone to halt promising Findlay scoring drives
 
ODU limited Findlay to 10 points on the scoreboard, well below a 44 ppg average coming in.
 
Joe killed a potential game-tying drive with 1:30 left in regulation by breaking up a pass on 4th and 4 near Ohio Dominican’s 30-yard line. The Panthers have held their opponents to 10 or less points in 10 of the last 12 games played.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week
Jed Quackenbush
Ohio Dominican
Kicker/Punter
Senior
Newark, OH (Newark HS)
 
Quackenbush put Findlay in awkward starting field position all game long as Ohio Dominican grabbed sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
 
The senior averaged a season-best 42.1 yards per punt on seven attempts in adverse weather conditions. He pinned the Oilers three times inside their own 20-yard line and had a long of 50.
 
Quackenbush also connected on both PAT tries following ODU touchdowns and has now placed 13 of his 22 punts inside the opponent’s 20 this year.
 
This is Quackenbush’s second special teams player of the week nod of the current spring season.