FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior defensive back Benyon Williams was named MIAA Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for his efforts in the season-opening 21-7 win over Angelo State. Williams shared the honor this week with Thomas Cook of Pittsburg State. Both FHSU and PSU picked up wins over nationally ranked teams last week.
Williams, a native of Tampa, Fla., finished with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in the 21-7 win over No. 24 ranked Angelo State. He matched his career high for tackles in a game, which he also accomplished against Averett in 2021 at his former school of North Carolina Wesleyan. Williams had a team-high seven solo tackles, including one on special teams. Five of his 11 tackles were on plays resulting in one yard or less gained by the Rams. Four of his stops were on third downs, with three forcing the Rams to punt and the fourth coming just before a turnover on downs late in the game. Williams helped the Tiger defense limit Angelo State to just 203 total yards.
Cook enjoyed a career day in helping No. 6 ranked Pitt State to a 19-3 season-opening win over No. 3 ranked Ferris State. The senior from Overland Park, Kan., made five tackles, including a quarterback sack. He also forced a fumble and recovered another as the Gorillas created four takeaways in the contest while limiting the Bulldogs to 38 net rushing yards and 171 total yards. Cook's forced fumble came with 7:18 to play in the third quarter and the Gorillas leading 9-3. Pitt State cashed in with the game's only touchdown five plays later to expand the margin to 16-3.Williams and Cook joined Gunnar Gundy of Emporia State (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Austin Schmitt (Special Teams Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the MIAA office.