LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its first set of Football Athletes of the Week for the 2023 season. From the East, West Chester’s Cooper Jordan, Millersville’s Garrett Cox, and Shepherd’s Miles Greer were selected. In the West, IUP’s Quinn Zinobile, Slippery Rock’s Munchie Johnson, and Clarion’s Tyler Wilson earned the honor.
Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Cooper Jordan
West Chester
Quarterback
Sophomore
Danville, Pa. / Danville Area
Cooper Jordan completed 19 of 27 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown while engineering the second fourth-quarter comeback of his young career. Trailing by six (19-13) with 1:37 left in the game, Jordan took the Golden Rams 74 yards in four plays and ate up just 44 seconds of the game clock in the process. The go-ahead touchdown gave West Chester the lead for the first time in the game en route to a 20-19 win over Bentley on the road. The Golden Rams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to erase a 19-10 deficit and pull out the win. He completed all five of his pass attempts in the fourth quarter during West Chester's two scoring drives.
On the ground, Jordan was by far the team's leading rusher with 84 yards on 16 carries. A 20-yard scamper on 2nd-and-20 kept alive West Chester's first scoring drive in the second quarter. He finished with 376 total yards of offense in the win.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Garrett Cox
Millersville
Linebacker
Redshirt Junior
Avondale, Pa. / Kennett
After earning All-PSAC East First Team honors in 2022, Garrett Cox opened 2023 by leading the Marauders to their first season-opening victory at home since 2012. He recorded a game-high 13 tackles while also tallying 3 ½ tackles for loss, a sack for a loss of 13 yards, a pass breakup, two QB hurries and a forced fumble that led to a game-clinching touchdown return. Cox's defensive unit held Saint Anselm to just seven points and no points over the final 43 minutes. Millersville held Saint Anselm to 16 yards rushing on 21 carries and 207 yards of total offense. Nine of Cox's 13 tackles were of the solo variety. His forced fumble came in the fourth quarter with Millersville leading 20-7 and Saint Anselm at the Millersville 10. He stripped the ball away from the receiver with a hustle play to the sidelines and his teammate KeShaun Jones recovered and returned it 83 yards, putting the game away for the Marauders.
Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Miles Greer
Shepherd
Defensive Back / Return Specialist
Freshman
Springfield, Va. / South County
Greer had three punt returns for 134 yards, including an 86-yard return for a touchdown to help Shepherd rally past Southern Connecticut State.
He added four tackles (one solo) on the day.
Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Quinn Zinobile
IUP
Wide Receiver
Graduate Student
Alexandria, Pa. / Juniata Valley
Zinobile made seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns in his IUP debut, helping No. 16 IUP to a hard-fought 24-17 victory over No. 12 Ashland in the season opener. His 46-yard catch and run down the left sideline proved to be the go-ahead touchdown, putting IUP ahead for good at 24-17. He also made an acrobatic touchdown grab from two yards out.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Munchie Johnson
Slippery Rock
Defensive Tackle
Junior
District Heights, Md. / Suitland
Johnson tallied 11 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss from the defensive tackle position while leading The Rock defense in a 28-17 win over Wayne State. The 11 tackles marked a career-high for Johnson, who made his 26th straight start Saturday night.
Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Tyler Wilson
Clarion
Punter
Freshman
Albuquerque, N.M. / Albuquerque Academy
Tyler Wilson did everything asked of him and then some on Thursday night, playing a part in the Golden Eagles' season-opening win on the road over Lincoln. The freshman punter booted the ball six times for a 39.7 yards per attempt average, but that number without context gives a misleading description of his night; he placed four of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line without a single touchback. Wilson's best kick of the night also led directly to the Golden Eagles' second touchdown, when he uncorked a 60-yard kick from his own 39-yard line that was downed at the Lincoln one-yard line. On the very next play, Lincoln quarterback Isaiah Freeman fumbled the ball in his own end zone, with linebacker Brady McKee landing on it for a Clarion score.