KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new football athletes of the week from the seventh week of the 2025 season, presented by FieldTurf. Northwest Missouri’s quarterback Zechariah Owens was named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, Emporia State’s Landon Boss was named the Defensive Athlete of the Week, and Pittsburg State’s Austin Schmitt was named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Zechariah Owens, QB, Northwest Missouri
Redshirt freshman quarterback Zechariah Owens accounted for six touchdowns in Northwest Missouri’s 49-32 win at Central Missouri last Saturday. Owens rushed for four touchdowns and threw for two more. The six total touchdowns tied for the second-most touchdowns by a Northwest player in a single game in program history and is the single-game high in the MIAA this season. Owens surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with a 124-yard effort against the Mules. He rushed the ball 11 times and scored four rushing touchdowns (1, 2, 8, 44) to average 11.3 yards per carry. Owens is one of just two NCAA Division II quarterbacks this season to have rushed for four touchdowns in a game, joining Minnesota-Duluth's Kyle Walljasper (Sept. 20 vs. Sioux Falls). He is also one of only two MIAA players overall to have rushed for four scores this season, joining Nebraska Kearney's Isaiah Harris (Sept. 20 vs. Emporia State).

DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Landon Boss turned in one of the most dominating games of the season in the Hornets 31-24 home win over Missouri Southern. The junior linebacker totaled 11 tackles, four sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in the victory. His four sacks tied an Emporia State NCAA Division II era record that was first set by Patrick Cook in 1995 against Truman and tied by Gerard Clemons against Northwest Missouri in 1997. His first sack came at the end of the first half on third down and forced the Lions into a missed 54-yard field goal attempt. Boss’s interception came midway through the third quarter and led to a Hornet touchdown to go up 28-7. He is currently leading the MIAA in sacks, tackles for loss and solo tackles, and ranks in the top ten of the nation in all three categories. Boss was also honored by NCAA Division II's Wayne Cavadi as the Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Lions. 

SPECIAL TEAMS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Austin Schmitt, K, Pittsburg State  
Austin Schmitt scored a game-high 16 points in No. 15 Pittsburg State's 34-10 home win over Washburn this past Saturday (Oct. 11). The junior from Grain Valley, Mo., booted field goals of 42 and 33 yards in the contest as well as all four of his extra point tries. He also scored his first career touchdown when he rushed the ball eight yards on a successful fake field goal attempt with 5:00 to play in the game. He’s now made an MIAA-leading nine field goals on the season.

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Jackson Berry, QB, Pittsburg State
Jackson Berry had a hand in three scores to help spark No. 15-ranked Pittsburg State to a 34-10 home win over Washburn last Saturday (Oct. 11). The redshirt senior transfer from Prosper, Texas, completed 14-of-22 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a pair of scores against the Ichabods. Berry scored on runs of 17 and 19 yards in the first half, and he added a 73-yard touchdown connection to wide receiver Jaelon Travis with six seconds remaining before halftime. Berry helped Pitt State pile up 481 yards of total offense in the game as the Gorillas posted their fifth straight win.

Dev Matthews, RB, Central Oklahoma
Dev Matthews put together his first career 100-yard game in a big 21-14 road win at Fort Hays State. The sophomore running back posted 105 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown, with his one score erasing the momentum from the host Tigers. After FHSU took a fumble recovery 69 yards for a touchdown to go up 14-7, Matthews darted 62 yards for a career-long rush two plays later that tied the game 14-14 in the third quarter. Matthews accounted for almost half of the Bronchos’ 223 rushing yards in the game, with teammate William Mason posting a game-high 123 yards out of the Broncho backfield. 
 
Blake Carr, LB, Pittsburg State
Blake Carr logged a career best 10 tackles, including a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage, as No. 15 Pittsburg State turned in another dominant defensive performance in a 34-10 home win over Washburn this past Saturday (Oct. 11). The redshirt freshman from Clyde, Texas, helped the Gorillas limit the Ichabods to 170 total yards in the game, including a scant 26 net rushing yards on 22 carries. Carr also recorded one of Pitt State's six pass breakups in the contest.

Ja’Mareion Gipson, CB, Nebraska Kearney
Ja’Mareion Gipson had five tackles (two solo), two pass breakups and two interceptions for 34 yards and a touchdown in Nebraska Kearney’s 27-7 win over Missouri Western. His second pick was a 34-yarder for six points to finish the game's scoring. This year, Gipson now has three interceptions and seven pass breakups.

Dylan Davidson, P, Emporia State
Dylan Davidson averaged 49.8 yards per punt on five punts for the Hornets in their 31-24 win over Missouri Southern. He had two punts that went for 66 yards, and is the only player in the MIAA with multiple punts of over 60 yards in a game this season. The redshirt freshman has four of the six punts in the MIAA that have gone at least 60 yards this season, and his 47.0 yards per punt average currently leads all of Division II.

ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Ben Harris [Emporia State], Jaden Jude [Nebraska Kearney], Cale Cormaney [Fort Hays State]
DEFENSE – Carter Edwards [Northwest Missouri], John Johnson [Fort Hays State], Jack Puckett [Central Oklahoma], Brecken Manus [Missouri Western]
SPECIAL TEAMS – Davis Barr [Central Oklahoma]

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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Justin Lewis, QB, Washburn
Defensive – Zach Bergmann, LB, Missouri Southern
Special Teams – Aidan Battle, K, Washburn   

WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Martin Tillman, QB, Missouri Southern
Defensive – John Johnson, LB, Fort Hays State
Special Teams – Taderian Partee, DL, Fort Hays State 

WEEK THREE:
Offensive – Jack Pospisil, WR, Central Missouri
Defensive – Reginald King Jr., S, Pittsburg State
Special Teams – David Arriaga, K, Fort Hays State 

WEEK FOUR:
Co-Offensive – Isaiah Harris, RB, Nebraska Kearney
Co-Offensive – Jordan Pachot, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Clayton Power, DL, Northwest Missouri
Special Teams – Joseph Kim, K, Central Oklahoma  

WEEK FIVE:
Offensive – Cleo Chandler Jr., RB, Pittsburg State
Defensive – John Johnson, LB, Fort Hays State
Special Teams – Jaylen Fuksa, CB, Pittsburg State

WEEK SIX:
Offensive – Donovyn Omolo, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Michael Chavez, DB, Fort Hays State
Special Teams – Divante Herrig-Brittain, WR, Emporia State
 
WEEK SEVEN:
Offensive – Zechariah Owens, QB, Northwest Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Austin Schmitt, K, Pittsburg State