CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) football teams competed in week 1 of the 2026 season.

Around the League:
HCAC Football Schedule | HCAC Football Standings

Athletes of the Week: 

Offensive Player of the Week:
Owen Wright (Greenwood, Ind.) Franklin College | Wide Receiver | Senior - Owen Wright delivered a loud re-entry after missing most of 2025 due to injury, making seven catches — including a couple of the highlight-reel variety — for 109 yards and three touchdowns in Franklin's season-opening 34-31 win over North Park. His final touchdown capped off a 99-yard drive with what proved to be the winning points.

Defensive Player of the Week:
Luke Paff (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Linebacker | Senior - Luke Paff helped Mount St. Joseph to season-opening shutout win over Muskingum on Saturday. Paff led the Lions with 10 total tackles (four solo), a half tackle-for-loss and forced a fumble as the Lions held Muskingum under 200 yards of total offense in a 34-0 win.

Special Teams Player of the Week:
Eli Aston (Lawrenceburg, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Returner | Senior - Eli Aston wasted no time making his mark on special teams this season. After the defense forced a three-and-out to open the season, Aston took the first punt of the season 69-yards for a touchdown. It was his only return of the day as Muskingum did not give him the opportunity to return another punt.

Notable Performances:
Offense:

• Jack Pennington (Seymour, Ind.) Hanover College | Wide Receiver | Junior - Jack Pennington led Hanover with three receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. He claimed the game’s first score on a 76-yard reception. He helped lead the Panthers to a 17-0 shutout win over Centre. 
• Steaver Moore (Clewiston, Fla.) Manchester University | Wide Receiver | Freshman - Steaver Moore recorded four receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns in a home win against Westminster College (Mo.).
• Dallas De La Cruz (Findlay, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Running Back | Senior - Dallas De La Cruz helped the team to a 34-0 win over Muskingum. In the game he carried the ball 21 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. De La Cruz has zero negative runs on the day. He added four catches for 34 yards. 
• Brock Zanetell (Evergreen, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Quarterback | Junior - Brock Zanetell was exceptional in his Rose-Hulman debut against No. 13 DePauw. Zanetell almost led the Fightin' Engineers to a huge upset over the Tigers, falling just short with a final score of 31-23. He finished the game going 27-for-47 with 259 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He also led the team with 53 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Defense:

• Cole Shively (South Bend, Ind.) Hanover College | Defensive Back | Sophomore - Cole Shively led Hanover to a 17-0 victory over Centre. The sophomore had six total tackles, including five solo stops. He also had two tackles for loss, an interception, and a pass breakup. Shively was a key member of the defense that held Centre to just 166 total yards and forced 10 total punts and three four-an-outs.
• Kameron Landrum (Huntington, Ind.) Manchester University | Linebacker | Junior - Kameron Landrum recorded two tackles in a home win against Westminster College. Both stops were unassisted tackles for loss as he recorded two sacks.
• Joseph Coveliers (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defensive Back | Junior - Joseph Coveliers was a standout defensively in the Fightin' Engineers' narrow loss to #13 DePauw with a score of 31-23. Coveliers led the team with 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.

Special Teams:

• Nick Stoner (Providence, Ind.) Hanover College | Kicker | Sophomore - Nick Stoner was key in helping the Panthers flip field position defeating Centre 17-0. He tallied seven punts for a total of 289 yards, including one of 47 yards. He averaged 41.3 yards per punt.
• Angel Estrada (Bremen, Ind.) Manchester University | Punter | Senior - Angel Estrada punted 6 times for a total of 313 yards, including a game-long of 69 yards. Four of his punts went for more than 50 yards with two of those landing inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He averaged 52.2 yards per punt, with one touchback.
• Cohen Peters (Bakersfield, Calif.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Kicker/Punter | Freshman - Cohen Peters had a great performance in his first college start against the No. 13 DePauw Tigers. Peters went 2-for-3 on extra points and 1-1 on field goals. His one field goal was a huge 47-yarder that gave Rose-Hulman the lead 10-7 in the first quarter.

2026 Athlete of the Week Reports:
Week 1 (Week ending Sept. 6)