KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced its Oct. 13 Players of the Week, including Midland (Neb.) quarterback Brodey Johnson, Bethel (Tenn.) linebacker Darrien Lewis, and Texas Wesleyan kicker Freddy Joya.
Brodey Johnson led Midland (Neb.) to a 60-52 win over Concordia (Neb.), earning NAIA Offensive Player of the Week after throwing seven touchdown passes to upset the nationally ranked Bulldogs.
A junior from North Bend, Neb., Johnson was 37-of-60 for the Warriors, piling up 424 passing yards.
His performance helped lead Midland on a 31-point second-half comeback, trailing 31-7 at the half and 38-7 with 11:20 left in the third quarter. Johnson responded with all seven touchdown passes in the second half, throwing three in the third quarter, two more in the fourth, and one in each overtime to secure the win.
Midland looks to maintain momentum Saturday in Iowa, traveling to Briar Cliff (Iowa), at 1 p.m. CT.
Darrien Lewis had 16 tackles and a game-changing second-half interception in a 28-24 Bethel (Tenn.) win over Cumberland (Tenn.), earning NAIA Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 13.
Lewis, a senior from Brighton, Tenn., was also pivotal in the Wildcats’ game-ending goal-line stand.
Included in his 16 tackles were six solo stops and a tackle-for-loss. His pick came on Cumberland’s first drive in the third quarter, with Bethel down 14-7, leading to a 37-yard scoring drive to pull the Wildcats even at 14. Bethel didn’t lead until the fourth quarter, falling behind 24-14 with 14:07 to play before scoring 14 unanswered points, followed by the goal-line stop with 4:44 left in the game.
The Wildcats get a free Saturday, Oct. 18, before returning to the road on Oct. 25, at Cumberlands (Ky.).
Joya, this week’s NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week, broke a Texas Wesleyan record for single-game points by a kicker, knocking through 4-of-4 field-goal attempts with a long of 34. He also supported seven Texas Wesleyan touchdowns by going 7-for-7 on point-after attempts, totaling 19 points for the Rams, who beat Louisiana Christian 61-28.
NAIA Football Players of the Week are announced Monday afternoons at NAIA.org.