BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - After going a collective 7-3 in non-conference games to start the season, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football teams will begin league play this weekend.

STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Football Stat Pack as of Thursday, September 18, can be viewed here.

IN THE POLLS
Saint John's is ranked No. 5 while Bethel is No. 13 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 Poll, released on September 14. The Johnnies are No. 4 and the Royals are No. 12 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll this week.

The next D3football.com Poll is slated to be released on Sunday, September 21, while the AFCA Poll is expected on Monday, September 22.

NATIONAL NOTABLES
Two of the 22 players from all levels of college football selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team this year hail from the MIAC, as Bethel senior cornerback Devin Williams (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) and Saint John’s senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn. / Mounds View) were both named to the prestigious community service team. The MIAC has had 45 players selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team since its inception in 1992, the third-most among any college athletic conference in the nation, behind only the SEC (91) and ACC (58). The 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a special community service project ahead of the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl, where the entire team will also be recognized on the field at halftime on New Year's Day.
 
The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame honored former Saint John’s wide receiver Blake Elliott with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®, at halftime of the Johnnies’ season opener on 9/13. Elliott will be formally inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, making him the first inductee from NCAA Division III since former John Carroll linebacker and 16-year NFL veteran London Fletcher earned the honor in 2019.
 
St. Scholastica senior cornerback Ian Strusz (Albertville, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville) was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for his performance in Week 1 of the 2025 season, while Saint John’s senior tight end Joey Gendreau (Shorewood, Minn. / Minnetonka) received the honor in Week 2. Strusz came away with three interceptions in the Saints' 41-27 season-opening victory against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6. He is the only defensive player in any NCAA division with three interceptions in a single game so far this season. His three picks also match the single-game program record. He added three tackles in the win. Gendreau caught eight passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the Johnnies' 49-0 win against Minnesota Morris on 9/12. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of Gendreau's collegiate career.
 
Bethel junior wide receiver Tyler Terry (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) leads all levels of NCAA Football with an average of 15.0 receptions per game this season. His 15 receptions against Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/13 are tied for the most in any NCAA Division III game this season. His 177.0 receiving yards per game rank second in NCAA Division III.
 
Bethel senior cornerback Devin Williams (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) is averaging 16.3 yards per punt return in 2025, the sixth-highest average in NCAA Division III.
 
Carleton senior tight end Rye Storrs (Portland, Ore. / Franklin) is tied for sixth in NCAA Division III with an average of 10.0 receptions per game this season.
 
Carleton senior punter Marcus Merkelbach (Seattle, Wash. / Garfield) has punted five times for 225 yards this season, good for 45.0 yards per kick and the eighth-highest clip in D-III.
 
Hamline senior linebacker Croix Zecharias (Green Bay, Wis. / Southwest) is averaging 9.0 solo tackles per game this season, tied for the second-best average in D-III.
 
Macalester first-year wide receiver Kelly Storms (San Anselmo, Calif. / Marin Catholic) is tied for sixth in NCAA Division III with an average of 10.0 receptions per game this season.
 
Saint John’s junior wide receiver Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn. / East Ridge) is averaging 31.0 yards per reception this season, good for the tenth-highest average in D-III.
 
St. Scholastica senior quarterback Donald West (St. Paul, Minn. / Woodbury) is averaging 20.58 yards per completion this season, the second-highest clip in NCAA Division III.
 
St. Scholastica sophomore running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) leads all divisions of NCAA Football with an average of 322.0 all-purpose yards per game this season. His 227 rushing yards against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6 are the sixth-most in any D-III game this season. His 31 carries in the game are tied for the eighth-most in D-III, while his four rushing scores in the contest are tied for the second-most in any NCAA Football game this year.
 
St. Scholastica senior linebacker Austin Mundt (Deer River, Minn. / Deer River) leads all NCAA defenders with an average of 13.0 solo tackles per game this season. His 13 solo tackles against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6 are the most by any defender in a Division III game this season.
 
St. Scholastica senior cornerback Ian Strusz (Albertville, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville) came away with three interceptions against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the most in any NCAA Football game this season.
 
St. Scholastica senior punter Jacob Andrews (Owatonna, Minn. / Medford) averaged 53.5 yards per punt (2-107) against Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6, tied for the fourth-best single-game average in D-III this season.

AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior linebacker RJ Chakolis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Hopkins) collected a game-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, in his Auggie debut against Valley City State on 9/4. Chakolis played his first two seasons of college football at New Mexico State before transferring to Tarleton State in 2024 and returning home to Minnesota this year.

Bethel junior wide receiver Tyler Terry (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) led the Royals with 15 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns in a 50-3, season-opening victory against Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/13. Both of Terry's touchdowns - a 12-yard score and a 40-yard strike - came in the first quarter. Terry entered the game with ten catches for 86 yards and one touchdown for his collegiate career.
 
Carleton senior safety Owen Detmer (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest) tallied a game-high and career-best 12 tackles in the Knights’ loss to UW-Whitewater on 9/6. Detmer’s previous single-game high was 10 tackles, recorded against St. Olaf in 2023.

Concordia senior linebacker Jaiden Musse (Naples, Fla. / Lely) collected a team-high ten tackles, including six solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss, in the Cobbers’ 17-6 season-opening win versus Mayville State on 9/6. Musse led a Concordia defense that held the Comets to 162 yards of total offense, 47 passing yards, and just two pass completions in the game.

Gustavus sophomore quarterback Jacob Ginskey (Owatonna, Minn. / Owatonna) crossed the century mark through the air and on the ground in the Gusties’ 23-10 loss to Whitworth on 9/6. Ginskey passed for 158 yards and ran for 109 and a touchdown, with 52 yards coming on a single second-quarter carry.

Hamline first-year quarterback Zayden Stevens (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Vista Ridge) became the first first-year quarterback to start a season opener for the Pipers since 1979 when he did so against Crown on 9/6. Stevens passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions in a 28-21 win.
 
Macalester first-year punter Andrew Wetherill (Langhorne, Pa. / The Hun School of Princeton) averaged 49.0 yards per punt and landed both of his kicks inside the 20-yard line in the Scots’ 20-15 win over Grinnell on 9/6. That average would rank third-highest in NCAA D-III; however, the NCAA leaderboard minimum is an average of 3.6 punts per game, while Wetherill is currently averaging 2.0. Wetherill also averaged 47.0 yards per kickoff on five boots.
 
Saint John's senior safety Jack St. Fleur (San Diego, Calif. / Christian Unified) was one of four Johnnies with five tackles, and returned a third-quarter interception 40 yards for a touchdown in the team's 49-0, season-opening win against Minnesota Morris on 9/13. The interception return for a touchdown was SJU's first by a safety since the 2017 campaign. St. Fleur and the Johnnies held the Cougars to 124 yards and nine first downs in the victory.
 
St. Olaf senior linebacker Noah Barrett (Stratford, Wis. / Stratford) scored the Oles’ first points of the season by falling on a fumbled snap in the end zone for a touchdown in the team’s 32-7 win over Northwestern-St. Paul on 9/6. Barrett logged three tackles and a half-tackle for loss in the win.

St. Scholastica sophomore running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) had 31 carries for 227 yards and four touchdowns in the Saints' 41-27 road win over Wisconsin Lutheran on 9/6. Williams' four rushing scores are the most by a MIAC player since 2022, and the most by a St. Scholastica back since the 2014 campaign. Williams also caught a pair of passes for 57 yards and returned two kickoffs for 38 yards, giving him a total of 322 all-purpose yards in the game.

IN MEMORIAM
The entire MIAC community joins St. Olaf College in mourning the loss of football student-athlete Matt Lee, who passed away on September 12.

LEAGUE LEADERS