KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new Football Athlete of the Week awards, presented by FieldTurf, for week nine of the 2026 season. Emporia State swept all three of this week’s honors with quarterback Jamison Sarver named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, safety Clem McCullough named the Defensive Athlete of the Week, and kick returner Corey Turner II named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week. It’s the first time since the 2019 season an MIAA football team claimed all three of the league’s weekly awards.

 OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Jamison Sarver, QB, Emporia State
Jamison Sarver tied his career high single-game touchdown passes with four touchdown throws and over 300 passing yards while leading then No. 8-ranked Hornets to a 58-38 win over Central Missouri this past Saturday in Emporia. The sophomore quarterback finished the game 28-of-40 for 304 yards with four touchdowns as the Hornets posted their most points in a game since scoring 63 against Missouri Southern in 2023. Sarver has now thrown for over 300 yards three times in Emporia’s last four games. He also added 16 rushing yards on three carries.   
 
 DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Clem McCullough, S, Emporia State
Clem McCullough is the third Hornet to earn the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week honor this season. In addition to leading Emporia State in tackles, McCullough delivered a game-changing defensive play in the No. 8 Hornets’ 58-38 home win over Central Missouri. Trailing 21-17 with the Mules threatening to take a double-digit lead, McCullough intercepted a pass from UCM quarterback Jordan Pachot two yards deep in the endzone and returned it 100 yards to put the Hornets ahead with 47 seconds left in the first half. Then in the fourth quarter, the senior safety picked off Pachot again, effectively sealing the game. McCullough finished with a game-high nine tackles, seven of them solo, and a career-best two interceptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. He became just the fifth MIAA player with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown and the first since Missouri Western’s Brayden Wright against Fort Hays State in 2023. McCullough is also the first Hornet with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown since Emporia’s Travis Lead did it against Central Oklahoma in 2007. Emporia State is the only school in the MIAA with multiple players having 100-yard interception returns.

 SPECIAL TEAMS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Corey Turner II, KR, Emporia State       
Corey Turner became the first Hornet since 2014 to return a kickoff for a touchdown and, in the process, gave Emporia State a double-digit lead in Hornets’ 58-38 win over the Mules. With Emporia State leading 24-21, Turner caught the opening kickoff of the second half at his own nine-yard line and took it up the left sideline 91 yards, pushing the Hornets’ lead to 31-21 just 11 seconds into the second half. Turner would end up with four kickoff returns for 151 total yards, ending the game with 162 all-purpose yards. He became the first Hornet to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Austin Willis did so against Nebraska Kearney in 2014. It’s also the longest kick return for a touchdown by a Hornet since Ryan Hulings had a 92-yard return against Missouri Western in 2005. It’s only the fourth kick return for a touchdown in the MIAA this season and the third longest of the year.
 
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Joshua Flash, DB, Washburn
Joshua Flash’s combination of takeaways, scoring plays, and game-changing moments directly led to 17 Ichabod points, while recording a career-high nine tackles with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one interception return for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Both of Flash’s forced fumbles led to Ichabod scores as Washburn topped Fort Hays State 31-22 in Hays. With the Tigers trailing by two points late in the fourth quarter, Flash stepped in front of a pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. The interception stretched Washburn's lead to 31-22 with 91 seconds to play. On Fort Hays State's next possession, he recorded another interception, this time in the Tigers’ endzone with 45 seconds remaining to seal the Washburn victory. His two forced fumbles led directly to 10 Ichabod points, including a 60-yard scoop-and-score touchdown by Melvin Laster, turning a defensive stop into seven points and helping Washburn build an early advantage at 14-3 with 6:32 to go in the opening half. Another forced fumble later in the game helped Washburn add three more points with a field goal that pushed the Ichabods’ advantage to 24-15 with 14:17 to go in the game.
 
Bobby Bacon, QB, Pittsburg State   
Bobby Bacon accounted for four touchdowns in Pittsburg State's 52-14 home win over Central Oklahoma this past Saturday (Oct. 24). The redshirt freshman from Iowa City, Iowa, completed 21-of-28 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also added a one-yard scoring plunge for the Gorillas' first touchdown of the game. Bacon, who passed for 384 yards and earned MIAA Offensive Player of the Week against Missouri Western last week, became the first Pitt State quarterback to post back-to-back 300-yard passing games in 10 years.
 
Tillman Martin, QB, Missouri Southern   
Tillman Martin directed Missouri Southern to a dominant 38-14 road victory over Missouri Western this past Saturday (Oct. 24) in St. Joseph, completing 14-of-17 passes (82.4 percent) for 184 yards and one touchdown while connecting with five different receivers. Martin engineered an offense that produced 341 total yards and controlled the football for 36:34. He was particularly effective in critical situations, leading an 88-yard touchdown drive late in the first half to give the Lions a 17-14 halftime lead before helping MSSU pull away with 21 unanswered points after halftime. Martin's 11-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Padello capped the late second-quarter drive and helped shift momentum permanently in the Lions' favor. 
 
Quincy Torry, RB, Northwest Missouri     
Quincy Torry helped the Bearcats to a 27-10 road win over Nebraska Kearney on Saturday (Oct. 24). The sophomore running back rushed for a career-high 160 yards to collect his second 100-yard rushing game of the season and sixth of his career. Torry took the opening handoff of the second half 75 yards for a rushing touchdown to give him 10 rushing scores on the season.
 
Asher Huffman, K, Missouri Southern     
Asher Huffman delivered a perfect performance in Missouri Southern's 38-14 road victory over Missouri Western, accounting for eight points while converting his lone field-goal attempt and all five of his extra-point attempts. Huffman opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter, giving the Lions an early 3-0 lead after an 11-play, 51-yard drive. He then converted five consecutive extra-point attempts as Missouri Southern scored touchdowns on five of its next six scoring possessions. Huffman also handled kickoff duties, recording seven kickoffs for 451 yards (64.4 average) with five touchbacks. His 43-yard field goal and five PATs helped MSSU maintain its lead throughout a game in which the Lions scored 28 unanswered points over the final three quarters.

ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE –  Marlon Lindsey Jr. [Central Missouri], Major Cantrell [Fort Hays State], Eddie Schultz [Nebraska Kearney]
DEFENSE –  Eric Smith III [Northwest Missouri], Gunnar Lym [Nebraska Kearney], Michael Polley [Fort Hays State], Kiros Martin [Pittsburg State], Daimond Casseus [Missouri Southern]
SPECIAL TEAMS –  Everett Grower [Washburn], Logan Russell [Fort Hays State]
 
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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Bradley Thao, K, Central Oklahoma   
 
WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Jordan Pachot, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Asher Huffman, K, Missouri Southern    
 
WEEK THREE:
Offensive – Jordan Pachot, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Will Peacock, K, Central Missouri    
 
WEEK FOUR:
Offensive – AG Floyd, RB, Fort Hays State
Defensive – JC Heim, LB, Washburn
Special Teams – Kaden Kiernan, K, Nebraska Kearney    
 
WEEK FIVE:
Offensive – Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western
Defensive – Chris Fitzpatrick, LB, Central Oklahoma
Special Teams – Bradley Thao, K, Central Oklahoma     
 
WEEK SIX:
Offensive – DJ Brown, RB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Colton Brunke-Brown, K/P, Central Missouri     
 
WEEK SEVEN:
Offensive – Jamison Sarver, QB, Emporia State
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Aidan Battle, K, Washburn     
 
WEEK EIGHT:
Offensive – Bobby Bacon, QB, Pittsburg State
Defensive – Jake Tucker, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Marlon Lindsey Jr., KR/WR, Central Missouri     
 
WEEK NINE:
Offensive – Jamison Sarver, QB, Emporia State
Defensive – Clem McCullough, S, Emporia State
Special Teams – Corey Turner II, KR, Emporia State