3A Central 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 Performance from Dan Mahan Leads Williams over Western Alamance
On Friday, Williams got the W thanks in part to Dan Mahan playing the best football he has all season. Mahan threw for 236 yards and five touchdowns while completing 91.7% of his passes, and also rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
If the past is any indication, Mahan could be in store for another big game when he takes on Cedar Ridge on Thursday. Back in October of 2023 (the last time Mahan saw the Fighting Red Wolves), he threw for 152 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes, and also punched in a rushing score.
Gamescore: 70.52
Tyrek Samuel Turns in Season-Best Performance
On Friday, Eastern Alamance got the W thanks in part to Tyrek Samuel playing the best football he has all season. Samuel rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 66 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Cedar Ridge's probably not too fond of Samuel given he always seems to get the better of them. Samuel rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns, and also picked up 83 receiving yards and a touchdown the last time he and the Fighting Red Wolves duked it out back in October of 2023.
Gamescore: 41.20
Jayden Russo's Rushing Yards a New Career-High
Eastern Alamance was led to victory by Jayden Russo, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Friday. Russo rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 63 yards.
For the season, Russo has run in 5 touchdowns while averaging 36.7 rushing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he had one rushing touchdown.
Gamescore: 39.80
Leontae Turner Turns in Another Game with at Least One Interceptions
Leontae Turner produced his most outstanding game to date while leading Williams to the win on Friday. Turner wasn't messing around, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble, and making nine total tackles in addition to snagging an interception. The matchup was his third straight with one or more interceptions dating back to last season.
On the season, Turner has averaged 6.9 total tackles per game and for the season has 5 interceptions.
Gamescore: 27.00
Western Alamance Gets a Boost from Newton in 49-21 Defeat
Rounding off our Top Five is James Newton of Western Alamance. Newton rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also picked up 39 receiving yards.
Newton is probably looking forward to his next game, a road matchup against Cedar Ridge on Friday. Back in October of 2023 (the last time Newton saw the Fighting Red Wolves), he rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown.
Gamescore: 24.00
Other Notable Players
- Andrews Cruz: 78 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 23.38)
- Kristopher Rogers: 100 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 21.38)
- Jarrett Newell: 1 interception (1TD) and 5 total tackles (3.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 21.00)
- William Overby: 77 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 20.20)
- Jordan Hall: 100 yards rushing (Gamescore: 15.20)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
