KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior linebacker John Johnson was named the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week, presented by FieldTurf, on Monday, September 29 for his performance in a win over Missouri Western this past Saturday. This is the second time Johnson has earned the honor this year, after being named Defensive Athlete of the Week on September 8 following a win at CSU Pueblo.
 
Johnson recorded a career-high 16 tackles and also had a forced fumble in the 31-23 win over Missouri Western in Hays. In the third quarter with Missouri Western leading 20-14, he made a solo stop on 4th-and-1 at the FHSU 30 for a turnover on downs, which led into a field-goal scoring drive for FHSU to make it 20-17. He had three stops in the fourth quarter, helping FHSU force punts on two straight drives after taking a 24-23 lead in the game.
 
Johnson joined Cleo Chandler, Jr. of Pittsburg State (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Jaylen Fuksa of Pittsburg State (Special Teams Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.