For Immediate Release
Monday, October 5, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#17 Drew Huebner (QB, 6-4, 245, So., Morris, Minn. / Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta HS) - MSU Moorhead
- Led the NSIC in total offense for the week with 336 total yards in a 31-24 win over Minot State
- Completed 14 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown
- Rushed for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game sealing score with 1:18 left
- Led the conference in scoring with 18 points for the week
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#44 Jack Hawkinson (DL, 6-5, 260, Sr., Frankfort, Ill. / Lincoln-Way East HS) - Minnesota State
- Finished with 5 total tackles, including 2 solo stops, in a 49-7 Homecoming win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Recorded 3.0 tackles for loss and an NSIC high 2.5 sacks
- Helped hold Concordia-St. Paul to negative 27 rushing yardage
- Posted the highest single-game sack total by a Maverick this season
- Helped the Mavericks record 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#25 Jake Pecina (K/P, 5-10, 185, Sr., Forney, Texas / Sunnyvale HS) - Augustana
- Converted all three field goal attempts, with a long of 33 yards in a 37-20 win over Sioux Falls
- Made all four extra point attempts to finish with an NSIC high 13 points from kicks
- Punted twice for 99 yards and averaged 49.5 yards per punt
- Recorded a long punt of 58 yards
- Handled 8 kickoffs, including 1 touchback while recovering a fumble
- Named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/8/26)
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Breylon Blount (Augustana)
- Rushed for 127 yards on 23 carries
- Scored a touchdown in the win over Sioux Falls
- Added 2 receptions for 10 yards
Karsyn Jablonski (UMary)
- Scored 2 touchdowns in a Homecoming win over Jamestown
- Caught 11 passes for a career-high 206 yards and 2 touchdowns
- Tied the game with a 71-yard touchdown reception
- Scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 31-yard catch
Ryder Patterson (Minnesota Duluth)
- Recorded 170 all-purpose yards in a win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Included a 43-yard rushing play and a 57-yard return
Sam Backer (Minnesota State)
- Rushed for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns in a Homecoming win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Added 2 receptions for 12 yards
- Recorded his second game this season with 2 rushing touchdowns and the 10th of his career
- Scored two of Minnesota State’s first 3 touchdowns in the game
Hank Kraft (Northern State)
- Led the NSIC with 191 rushing yards
- Recorded his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game
- Scored on a 52-yard touchdown run
- Averaged 9.6 yards per carry and added nine receiving yards
- Leads the NSIC in rushing yards, all-purpose yards, yards per carry, rushing yards per game, and rushing touchdowns
- Leads NCAA Division II in total rushing yards, rushing yards per game, and yards per carry
- Is the only NCAA Division II player with more than 1,000 rushing yards this season
Bennett Brueck (Sioux Falls)
- Completed 16-of-28 passes for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception against Augustana
- Accounted for 274 yards of total offense
- Added 44 rushing yards
- Threw all 3 Sioux Falls touchdowns
- Helped engineer a 20-point first half and a halftime lead
- Connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass and helped Sioux Falls produce 323 yards of total offense
DEFENSE
Camron Maciejewski (Augustana)
- Recorded 13 tackles in a home win against Sioux Falls
- Added 2 tackles for loss
Christopher Federico (UMary)
- Recorded 3 tackles for loss and a sack in a Homecoming win over Jamestown
- Made a key sack to end Jamestown’s final possession
- Finished with 9 solo tackles
- Helped hold Jamestown to 12 first downs and 250 total yards
Brysen McLeod (Minnesota Duluth)
- Recorded 8 tackles in a win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Added 2.5 tackles for loss
- Recorded 1.5 sacks
- Played a key role in a defense that allowed just 6 points
Adam Kallenbach (MSU Moorhead)
- Recorded 7 total tackles, including 3 solo stops, in a win over Minot State
- Added a tackle for loss
- Secured a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter
Meshach Arthur (Minot State)
- Recorded a career-high 7 tackles against MSU Moorhead
- Added 1.5 tackles for loss
Owen McCloud (Sioux Falls)
- Recorded a game-high 17 tackles against Augustana
- Finished with 7 solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles
- Added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup
- Accounted for nearly one-quarter of Sioux Falls’ total tackles
- Played a major role against an offense that ran 78 plays
Kaden Johnson (Wayne State)
- Recorded a team-high 11 tackles in a win over Winona State
- Helped hold Winona State scoreless in the second half
- Finished with 3 solo tackles and 8 assisted tackles
- Added 1.5 tackles for loss
- Recorded a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry
Kane Donnelly (Winona State)
- Led the team with 12 tackles against Wayne State
- Recorded 6 solo tackles
- Added a tackle for loss
- Forced a fumble
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rodrigo Castaneda (Bemidji State)
- Averaged 43.2 yards per punt against Northern State
- Punted 5 times for 216 total yards
- Pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 3 times
- Recorded a long punt of 53 yards
Tristan Ulmer (MSU Moorhead)
- Punted 4 times for 166 yards in a win over Minot State
- Averaged 41.5 yards per punt
- Recorded a long punt of 60 yards
- Pinned Minot State inside its own 20-yard line once
Drew Henson (Minnesota Duluth)
- Made two field goals and 2 PATs in a win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Scored 8 points
- Punted 3 times, including a long punt of 54 yards
Dylan Duhon (Minot State)
- Connected on a 49-yard field goal, tied for the second-longest field goal in school history
- Went 3-for-3 on PAT attempts
Kale Johnson (Northern State)
- Scored the first special teams touchdown of his career in a win over Bemidji State
- Recovered a blocked punt and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown
- Finished second on the team with 8 tackles
- Added a pass breakup on defense
Last Week's Results
Football Pages
NSIC Football Players of the Week
8/31/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State
D: #98 Travis Biery - University of Mary
SP: #6 Neal May - Augustana
9/8/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State (2)
D: #54 Jake Adams - Northern State
SP: #25 Jake Pecina - Augustana
9/14/26
O: #12 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana
D: #96 Vegas George - University of Mary
SP: #14 Connor Fournier - Minnesota State
9/21/26
O: #12 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana (2)
D: #30 Jude Onuoha - Concordia-St. Paul
SP: #39 Drew Henson - Minnesota Duluth
9/28/26
O: #2 Connor Carver - Bemidji State
D: #7 Beau Giblin - Sioux Falls
SP: #47 Mathias Yaggie - Winona State
10/5/26
O: #17 Drew Huebner - MSU Moorhead
D: #44 Jack Hawkinson - Minnesota State
SP: #25 Jake Pecina - Augustana (2)
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 128 individual national champions. For additional information, visit
NorthernSun.org.
About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.
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