Football

Sykes, Yinger, and Lopez Earn KCAC Football Weekly Honors

KANSAS — E'derian Sykes of No. 7 Friends University, Ethan Yinger of (RV) Ottawa University, and Michael Lopez, also of Friends University, have earned this week's KCAC Football Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Player of the Week honors, respectively, the conference office announced Monday. The three student-athletes were selected for their performances from Oct. 12-18 by a vote of conference sports information directors. All KCAC Player of the Week honors are presented by Athletic Solutions.
 
 

Offensive Player of the Week

E'derian Sykes - #7 Friends University

5-11 | 225 lbs. | Sr. | RB | Lake Village, Ark.

 
Sykes picked a fine time to enter the end zone a career-high four times, leading the No. 7-ranked Friends University Falcons to a convincing 48-24 victory at the No. 12-ranked McPherson College Bulldogs Saturday (Oct. 17) in a battle of unbeatens to open KCAC Bissell Division play. Sykes ran for a season-best 140 yards in the win, with a long scoring run of 74 yards that brought the Falcons within 17-14 and began a run of 28 unanswered points. Sykes is now second on the Falcons' NAIA-leading rushing unit with 465 yards on the ground and is also second in the KCAC and tied for fifth in the NAIA with 12 rushing touchdowns.
 
Rushing gp rush yds y/g avg td lg fum lost
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 1 18 140 140.0 7.8 4 74 0 0
Conference 1 18 140 140.0 7.8 4 74 0 0
Overall 1 18 140 140.0 7.8 4 74 0 0
 
All-Purpose gp rush rcv pr kr yds ypg
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 1 140 0 0 0 140 140.0
Conference 1 140 0 0 0 140 140.0
Overall 1 140 0 0 0 140 140.0
 
Scoring pts pts/g rush rec kr pr int fum xpm fgm 2pt misc
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 24 24.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Conference 24 24.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Overall 24 24.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

Defensive Player of the Week

Ethan Yinger - (RV) Ottawa University

5-10 | 180 lbs. | Sr. | DB | Belton, Mo.

 

In OU's 38-35 overtime victory over No. 24 Evangel, Yinger had 14 tackles and three pass breakups. He helped the Braves earn their first victory over a NAIA Top 25 team since 2023.

 
Defense gp tkl ast tot tkl/g sck yds tfl yds ff fr yds int yds brup blk
Oct 17 vs. Evangel (MO) W, 38-35 * 1 4 10 14.0 14.0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Conference 1 4 10 14.0 14.0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Overall 1 4 10 14.0 14.0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

 

Special Teams Player of the Week

Michael Lopez - #7 Friends University

5-7 | 155 lbs. | Jr. | RB | Wichita, Kan.

 

With the No. 7-ranked Friends University Falcons down 10-0 and on the ropes at No. 12-ranked McPherson College, Lopez flipped the script and returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to put the Falcons right back into a game they went on to win 48-24. Lopez now has two kickoff return touchdowns on the season and has averaged 44.3 yards on 12 kickoff returns. This marks the second time this season Lopez has been named the KCAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week.
 

Rushing gp rush yds y/g avg td lg fum lost
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 1 3 78 78.0 26.0 1 78 0 0
Conference 1 3 78 78.0 26.0 1 78 0 0
Overall 1 3 78 78.0 26.0 1 78 0 0
 
Returns kr yds avg td lg pr yds avg td lg
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 4 174 43.5 1 99 1 8 8.0 0 8
Conference 4 174 43.5 1 99 1 8 8.0 0 8
Overall 4 174 43.5 1 99 1 8 8.0 0 8
 
All-Purpose gp rush rcv pr kr yds ypg
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 1 78 0 8 174 260 260.0
Conference 1 78 0 8 174 260 260.0
Overall 1 78 0 8 174 260 260.0
 
Scoring pts pts/g rush rec kr pr int fum xpm fgm 2pt misc
Oct 17 at McPherson W, 48-24 * 12 12.0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Conference 12 12.0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Overall 12 12.0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


2026 KCAC FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIOUS WEEKLY HONOREES:

  • Week 1 (Sept. 7): Caleb Deal, Kansas Wesleyan (Offensive) | Ibrahimi Mahdi, Ottawa (Defensive) | AJ Woods, Kansas Wesleyan (Special Teams)
  • Week 2 (Sept. 14): Jalil Brown, McPherson (Offensive) | Brandon King, Tabor (Defensive) | Michael Lopez, Friends (Special Teams)
  • Week 3 (Sept. 22): Stephenson Kennard, Sterling (Offensive) | Joshua Ferguson, McPherson (Defensive) | Jeremiah Schaefer, Southwestern (Special Teams)
  • Week 4 (Sept. 28): Christian Steward, Southwestern (Offensive) | Jaylan Davis, McPherson (Defensive) | Jonathon Scheffler, Tabor (Special Teams)
  • Week 5 (Oct. 6): Walker Overman, Friends (Offensive) | Zamarion Manuel, Friends (Defensive) | Jonathon Scheffler, Tabor (Special Teams)
 
 

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ABOUT THE KANSAS COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and sponsors 29 varsity sports. Founded in 1890, the KCAC is the second oldest intercollegiate athletic conference in the country. As the conference home to 14 member institutions, the KCAC emphasizes commitment, cooperation, high achievement, and working towards a common goal in the act of competition. To keep up with the latest conference news, follow the KCAC on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram using the handle @kcacsports.
 

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