Nov. 12, 2024 – In addition to last weekend’s 33-31 playoff victory against Mississippi Gulf Coast, Northwest picked up a clean sweep for MACCC Player of the Week honors.
Quarterback Zach Wilcke was chosen for MACCC Offensive Player of the Week accolades, while linebacker Caulen Dunn earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award. Additionally, receiver M.J. Johnson earned MACCC Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
Wilcke posted one of the best performances of his Northwest career, finishing 15-for-25 with 287 passing yards and four touchdowns. The Hernando native and Southern Miss transfer has passed for 200 or more yards in four games this season, but his 287 passing yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi Gulf Coast were good for his highest totals of the season.
Dunn was an unstoppable force on the defensive side of the ball, racking up a whopping 23 total tackles and one tackle-for-loss. The Olive Branch native and Alabama State transfer recorded the most tackles in a single game since Oct. 12, 1995, when Melton Glover totaled 24 tackles against Mississippi Delta. Glover and Cassius Ware share the single-game tackles record with 24 apiece.
Meanwhile, Johnson made a difference in his five kickoff returns. The Enterprise, Ala. native and Troy University transfer racked up 152 kick return yards, including a 47-yard return. Though he did not score a special teams touchdown, Johnson’s big returns helped set up two scoring drives for the Rangers, including the team’s final scoring possession midway through the fourth quarter.
Johnson is the third Northwest player to earn MACCC Special Teams Player of the Week, while Dunn is the Rangers’ second Defensive Player of the Week recipient, after Fredd Adams earned the same honor on September 17. Wilcke is the first Offensive Player of the Week winner for Northwest, since former quarterback Ren Hefley earned the same honor on Oct. 18, 2022.
