KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new football athletes of the week from the fifth week of the 2025 season, presented by FieldTurf. Fort Hays State’s John Johnson was named the Defensive Athlete of the Week, and Pittsburg State’s Cleo Chandler Jr. and Jaylen Fuksa were named the Offensive Athlete of the Week and the Special Teams Athlete of the Week.
OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Cleo Chandler Jr., RB, Pittsburg State
Cleo Chandler Jr. rushed for a career best 169 yards and two touchdowns to help power No. 18 ranked Pittsburg State University to a 42-29 road win over Emporia State University Saturday (Sept. 27) at Welch Stadium. The Cleburne, Texas native scored on a 68-yard burst on the second play from scrimmage to stake the Gorillas to an early 7-0 lead and he added a seven-yard third quarter scoring jaunt. As a team, Pitt State piled up a season best 388 rushing yards on 49 carries on the afternoon, the highest single-game rushing output of the season by an MIAA squad.
DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: John Johnson, LB, Fort Hays State
John Johnson recorded a career-high 16 tackles and also had a forced fumble in the 31-23 win over Missouri Western in Hays. In the third quarter with Missouri Western leading 20-14, he made a solo stop on 4th-and-1 at the FHSU 30 for a turnover on downs, which led into a field-goal scoring drive for FHSU to make it 20-17. He had three stops in the fourth quarter, helping FHSU force punts on two straight drives after taking a 24-23 lead in the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jaylen Fuksa, CB, Pittsburg State
Jaylen Fuksa returned three kickoffs for a 41.7 yard average to play a key role on special teams in No. 18 Pittsburg State University's 42-29 road win over Emporia State University Saturday (Sept. 27) at Welch Stadium. The Frisco, Texas native popped a 57-yard return and a 43-yard return among his key plays. Fuksa currently leads the MIAA in kickoff return average (24.3 ypr) on the season.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Chris Ruhnke, QB, Northwest Missouri
Ruhnke accounted for three touchdowns as the Bearcats took down No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma, 38-16. Ruhnke's feet handled the first score of the game as he took to the ground with a career-long 54-yard touchdown run to give Northwest a 7-0 lead with 6:04 left in the opening quarter. Ruhnke connected with Erwin Nash for a 25-yard touchdown pass in the closing minute of the first half to give Northwest a 14-7 advantage at the break. Ruhnke hit running back Jackson Miller for a 68-yard touchdown pass with 14:10 left in the fourth quarter to give Northwest a commanding 35-10 lead over the visitors. Ruhnke rushed for a team-high 58 yards and threw for a team-best 194 yards on 9-of-17 passing.
Trey Patrick, DB, Central Missouri
Trey Patrick helped Mules Football roll to a 62-10 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field in Warrensburg. He tallied a pair of interceptions, including a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown with 39 seconds to go in the second quarter. Patrick also recorded two pass breakups and one solo tackle in the victory.
Mo Alwaely, K, Northwest Missouri
Mo Alwaely went 5-for-5 on extra points and made his only field goal attempt (40 yards) in a 38-16 victory over the No. 15-ranked Bronchos at Bearcat Stadium. Alwaely kicked off five times that resulted in two touchbacks and averaged 63.0 yards per kickoff.
ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Donovyn Omolo [Central Missouri], Ben Harris [Emporia State], Curtis Douglas [Fort Hays State], Daron Bryden [Nebraska Kearney],
DEFENSE – Parker Bowen [Northwest Missouri], Parker Wise [Nebraska Kearney]
SPECIAL TEAMS – David Arriaga [Fort Hays State], Kyle Failing [Nebraska Kearney]
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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