Jones, Ogura Earn Great American Conference Player of the Week Honors
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — East Central University senior wide receiver
Kaden Jones and sophomore kicker
Gabriel Ogura have been named the Great American Conference's Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 6 of the 2026 season, the conference announced Monday.
The honors mark the first career GAC weekly awards for both Tigers, who played pivotal roles in ECU's thrilling 58-56 road victory over Arkansas Tech University. The win improved East Central to 5-1 in GAC play.
Jones delivered a historic performance against the Wonder Boys, recording 289 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His receiving total established new single-game records for both East Central University and the Great American Conference. He surpassed ECU's previous record of 224 yards and the GAC record of 247 yards, both set in 2013. His 289 receiving yards is currently the second most such yards in NCAA Division II this season.
Ogura proved equally instrumental in the high-scoring contest, converting all seven of his point-after attempts while connecting on three field goals. His field goals included a 44-yard make, and his clutch performance culminated in a game-winning 26-yard field goal with just 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Tigers will quickly turn their attention to their next matchup, traveling to Shawnee on Thursday, Oct. 15, to take on Oklahoma Baptist University at 7 p.m.
