September 5
Wes Roodhouse - Defensive Back - Knox College
Senior - Macomb, Ill./Macomb
Roodhouse finished second on the Prairie Fire defense in tackles and had a hand in two turnovers during Knox’s 23-0 victory over Eureka. The senior defensive back tallied nine total tackles, including seven solo stops and one tackle-for loss. Roodhouse forced a second quarter fumble that was recovered by the Prairie Fire and led to the offense’s second touchdown of the contest. He also intercepted a pass in the endzone that led to another Prairie Fire score and helped preserve the team’s shutout.
September 11
Jotham Darrin - Defensive End - Ripon College
Senior - Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West
Darrin made a pair of key second half defensive plays that directly resulted in two scores for the Red Hawks during Ripon’s 35-27 win over Lake Forest. Darrin increased Ripon’s advantage to 20-7 when he intercepted a Forester pass in the third quarter and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The senior defensive end then fell on a fourth quarter fumble in Lake Forest territory that led to a Ripon touchdown six plays later. Darrin finished the game with one solo tackle.
September 18
Brendan O’Malley - Linebacker - St. Norbert College
Senior - Chicago, Ill./Niles Notre Dame
O’Malley led the St. Norbert defense in Saturday’s 42-14 win over Lawrence with a game-high 11 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and a pair of passes defended. Anchored by the senior linebacker, the Green Knights defense ranks in the top half of the conference in nearly every defensive team category.
September 25
Brad Fehly - Cornerback - Ripon College
Sophomore - Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago
Fehly stepped in front of a first quarter Illinois College pass and returned the interception 60 yards for a touchdown in the Red Hawk’s 31-21 victory over the Blueboys on Saturday. Fehly’s score put Ripon on top 14-0, as the Red Hawks persevered in battle of unbeaten conference teams. The junior cornerback defended another pass in the contest and also returned three kickoffs for 40 yards.
October 2
Keith Hanson - Cornerback - Lake Forest College
Senior - Fairfax, Va./Vermont Academy
Hanson helped preserve Lake Forest’s 23-0 shutout over Beloit on Saturday with a pair of second half interceptions. The first came at the Forester 17-yard line near the end of the third quarter and the second occurred at the Lake Forest 10 with a minute-and-a-half remaining. Hanson, who registered one tackle and had 36 yards in punt returns, now has three interceptions this season and nine in his last 14 games.
October 9
Nick Breisch - Defensive Back - St. Norbert College
Senior - River Grove, Ill./East Leyden
Breisch posted a full stat line during a career afternoon, as St. Norbert’s defense forced eight turnovers and held defending MWC champ Monmouth to 181 yards of offense in a 48-0 Green Knight victory. Breisch had a team-high seven tackles, two tackles-for-losses, one sack, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one pass breakup in the contest.
October 16
Steve Kraft - Defensive Back - St. Norbert College
Junior - Wittenberg, Wis./Birnamwood
Kraft had just four tackles in St. Norbert’s 41-0 win over Carroll, but the junior defensive back did manage to score a defensive touchdown for the third straight week after taking an interception back 35 yards for a score. Kraft returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown against Monmouth on October 7 and returned a blocked punt 20 yards to paydirt against Knox on September 30. Kraft has 26 tackles and four interceptions on the season.
October 23
Kevin Carter - Linebacker - Lake Forest College
Senior - Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator
Carter led the Foresters with eight tackles and made a pair of key interceptions in the Foresters 12-8 victory at Monmouth on Saturday. Carter’s first interception occurred at the Monmouth 23-yard line and set up Lake Forest’s first score of the game. The senior linebackers second pick occurred at the Lake Forest six-yard line to thwart a Fighting Scot drive late in the opening half. Lake Forest limited the nation’s leading rusher to just 67 yards on 20 carries in the contest.
October 30
Jeremy Winter - Linebacker - Carroll College
Sophomore - Madison, Wis./East
Winter recorded the first points of the day for the Pioneers in a 37-6 victory over Lawrence, as the sophomore linebacker sacked the Vikings quarterback in the endzone for a 2-0 advantage. Winter recorded a game-high 15 tackles, two tackles for losses and one sack to help the Carroll defensive unit limit Lawrence to 36 yards rushing on 35 carries.
November 6
Jay Arndt - Defensive Line - St. Norbert College
Junior - Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon
Arndt made just four tackles in the Green Knights’ 49-0 win over Illinois College, but three of them went for losses, including a quarterback sack. The junior defensive tackle forced a pair of fumbles in the game, with the first being recovered by the Green Knights and turned into a touchdown on the ensuing drive. The Green Knights enter the playoffs with a 10-0 record and have recorded three consecutive shutouts at home.
November 13
Justin Zigler - Linebacker - Monmouth
Senior - Tampico, Ill./Prophetstown
Zigler proved to be the catalyst during the Fighting Scots 34-0 win over Lake Forest. After a scoreless first quarter, the senior linebacker intercepted a Forester pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 Monmouth lead. Zigler also recorded 10 tackles, three tackles for losses, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass defended in the contest.