Western Top Player Performances of the Week
Congratulations to this week's top players! We're covering the best performances from Friday's football action (using all statistics entered as of the time of writing). Enjoy!
A Season-Best Effort from Justen Key Leads Westchester over Fairfax
Justen Key produced his most outstanding game to date while leading Westchester to the win on Friday. Key rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: he has now rushed for 107 or more in the last three games he's played.
Westchester pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Key and Westchester will take on Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 61.95
Jack Thomas Delivers Best Performance of Season
Palisades came up short on Friday despite Jack Thomas delivering his best game to date. Thomas threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. He has become a key player for Palisades: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 250 passing yards, but 1-2 otherwise.
Palisades moved to 6-2 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. Thomas and Palisades will venture away from home to take on University at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 54.58
Venice Gets a Boost from Aaron in 45-44 Victory
Joshua Aaron posted a new career-high in rushing yards on Friday. He rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. He didn't just play on offense: he also made four total tackles and defended a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
The victory (which was Venice's third in a row) raised their record to 4-4. Aaron and Venice are taking a road trip to square off against Fairfax at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 41.45
Jaiden Noel Turns in Season-Best Effort
Venice was led to victory by Jaiden Noel, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Friday. Noel threw for 314 yards and five touchdowns while completing 74.3% of his passes.
On the season, Noel has thrown 18 touchdowns while averaging 201.8 passing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 108.5 passing yards per game.
Gamescore: 40.63
Harrison Carter Sets Career High in Rushing Yards
Sadly, Harrison Carter posting his best game of the season wasn't enough to lead Palisades over Venice on Friday. Carter rushed for 138 yards while picking up 8.6 yards per carry, and also picked up 62 receiving yards and a touchdown, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. He showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 54 yards.
For the year, Carter has caught 3 touchdowns while averaging 26.2 receiving yards per game. That doesn't tell the whole story though: at this point last year, he was only averaging 20.5 rushing yards per game. This year he is averaging 73.25 rushing yards.
Gamescore: 33.57
Other Notable Players
- Isaiah Crossley: 1.5 sacks, 10 total tackles (1.5 for loss), and 1 forced fumble (Gamescore: 24.25)
- Nathan Santacruz: 96 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 22.10)
- Elijah Smith: 1 sack and 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 19.25)
- Jake Treibatch: 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 19.00)
- Miles Nico Manilay: 1 sack and 9 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 17.33)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
