5A-1 Region II District 5 Top Football Player Performances

5A-1 Region II District 5 Top Player Performances of the Week

Congratulations to this week's top players! We're covering the best performances in games played on Thursday and Friday (using all statistics entered as of the time of writing). Enjoy!

Greg Ard Goes Supernova in Mckinney North Victory

Starting off the list is McKinney North's Greg Ard, who we judged to be the best player in the league this week. Ard rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 62 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.

Ard and McKinney North will venture away from home to take on Reedy at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The game will pit Ard up against the Lions' star running back Triston Airy. Will the match be decided in the trenches? We'll have our answer very soon.

Gamescore: 45.68

Denzel Okekeuche Crosses Big Stat Threshold

Denzel Okekeuche produced his most outstanding game to date while leading Heritage to the win on Thursday. Okekeuche rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also caught a touchdown. The performance once again pushed his average rushing yardage north of 100 yards per game (107.2). He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 74-yard run.

This year, Okekeuche has run in 5 touchdowns while averaging 107.2 rushing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 11.6 rushing yards per game.

Gamescore: 45.58

A Season-Best Performance from Vincent Hooper Leads Heritage over Sherman

Heritage was led to victory by Vincent Hooper, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Thursday. Hooper picked up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. He was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 55 yards.

This season, Hooper has caught those 2 touchdowns while averaging 76.2 receiving yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 42.8 receiving yards per game.

Gamescore: 39.37

Hudson Eidem Delivers Best Performance of Season

On Friday, Lebanon Trail had to settle for second even though Hudson Eidem put up the best numbers he has all season. Eidem rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 63 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Lebanon Trail is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-3. Eidem and Lebanon Trail will face off against Centennial at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Gamescore: 34.00

Jackson Hand Turns in Season-Best Effort

Centennial came up short on Friday despite Jackson Hand delivering his best game to date. Hand picked up three sacks and made nine total tackles (5.0 for loss).

Hand might have his next game, a road matchup with Lebanon Trail, circled on his calendar. Hand picked up 2.5 sacks and made 12 total tackles (4.0 for loss) the last time he and the Trail Blazers duked it out back in November of 2023.