November 2, 2026

HELENA, Mont. – The Frontier Conference announced its tenth edition of the 2026 Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Football Players of the Week Monday following the latest round of conference action on Oct. 31.  Recipients from Eastern Oregon and Dakota State (S.D.) were listed on this week’s edition.

Offensive Player of the Week
Chase Nelson, Eastern Oregon
Quarterback – Senior – Monmouth, Ore.

Nelson delivered an impressive performance in Eastern Oregon's 31-17 Frontier West Division home victory over Montana Western on Oct. 31, earning their sixth win in the last seven games.

Nelson completed 29 of his 42 pass attempts for 427 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 69 percent completion rate. He averaged 10.2 yards per pass attempt and recorded a passing efficiency rating of 165.4.

Nelson also added eight rushing yards on three carries. His longest pass completion in the game was 46 yards.

This is Nelson’s first career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference weekly award.

Defensive Player of the Week
Nehemiah Medrano, Eastern Oregon
Linebacker – Senior – Prosser, Wash.

Medrano anchored Eastern Oregon's defensive effort in the Mountaineers' 31-17 Frontier West Division victory over Montana Western, collecting their sixth win in the last seven games.

Medrano registered a game-high 11 tackles, including nine solo stops and two assisted tackles. He recorded three tackles for loss totaling 15 yards, including two quarterback sacks for a loss of 14 yards.

He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass, helping the Mountaineers limit the Bulldogs to 17 points.

This is Medrano’s first career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference weekly award.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Maddox Kihne, Dakota State (S.D.)
Wide Receiver – Senior – Sioux Falls, S.D.

Kihne provided one of the highlights of Dakota State's (S.D.) 51-21 home finale victory over Mayville State (N.D.) in Frontier Conference East Division action on Oct. 31.

Kihne returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, providing a spark for the Trojans in their 30-point victory over the Comets.

He also contributed offensively with five receptions for 95 yards, averaging 19 yards per catch. His longest reception covered 36 yards.

Kihne finished the contest with 183 all-purpose yards, combining his 95 receiving yards with 88 kickoff return yards. He scored six points on his kickoff return touchdown, helping Dakota State secure the home finale victory.

This is Kihne’s first career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference weekly award.
 

	Offense	Defense	Special Teams
No. 10 - Nov. 2	Chase Nelson - Eastern Oregon	Nehemiah Medrano - Eastern Oregon	Maddox Kihne - Dakota State (S.D.)
No. 9 - Oct. 26	Rylie Byington - College of Idaho	Jayson Cady - Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	Jordan Legg - Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
No. 8 - Oct. 19	Tray Hettick - Dakota State (S.D.)	Payton Howe - Eastern Oregon	Connor Sullivan - Carroll (Mont.)
No. 7 - Oct. 12	Ya'J Vance - Simpson (Calif.)	Brody Jenness - Dickinson State (N.D.)	Casey Kautzman - Montana Tech
No. 6 - Oct. 5	Javonte King - Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	Ryan Racht - Dickinson State (N.D.)	Eddie Ballanco - Carroll (Mont.)
No. 5 - Sept. 28	Kaden LaPlaunt - Montana Western	Tamareon Foster - Dakota State (S.D.)	Trezell Patterson - College of Idaho
No. 4 - Sept. 21	Caden Young - College of Idaho	Monte Pettichord - Eastern Oregon	Gage Norslien - Carroll (Mont.)
No. 3 - Sept. 14	Kallen Gutridge - Eastern Oregon	Kellan Beller - Montana Tech	Nik Halvorson - Dickinson State (N.D.)
No. 2 - Sept. 7	Eli Nourse - Montana Western	Christian Hansen - Montana Tech	Josh Horn - College of Idaho
No. 1 - Aug. 31	Tray Hettick - Dakota State (S.D.)	Asher Feddes - Montana Tech	Josh Horn - College of Idaho