Mid-Continent 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 Tyler Backman Leads Norton over Russell
Norton was led to victory by Tyler Backman, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Friday. Backman rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. His longest rush was for an impressive 69 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
If the past is any indication, Backman could be in store for another big game when he takes on Phillipsburg on Friday. Backman rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries the last time he and the Panthers duked it out back in September of 2023.
Gamescore: 57.85
Thomas More Prep-Marian Gets a Boost from Liles in 28-20 Victory
Carson Liles was a major factor in Thomas More Prep-Marian's victory over Oakley on Friday. Oakley had no answer to Liles as he rushed for seven yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 182 yards and a touchdown.
Thomas More Prep-Marian's win was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Liles and Thomas More Prep-Marian will welcome Syracuse at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 38.38
Eli Jones and Co. Win Sixth in a Row
Eli Jones's big game helped extend Norton's winning streak to six on Friday. Jones turned in nothing short of a gem, rushing for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 116 yards on ten of 17 attempts.
Unfortunately for Russell, this isn't the first big game they've seen from Jones. Back in October of 2023 (the last time Jones saw the Broncos), he rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.2 yards per carry, and also threw for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Gamescore: 35.73
Carsen Beal Sets Career High in Rushing Yards
Carsen Beal posted a new career-high in rushing yards on Friday. He rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
For the season, Beal has run in 6 touchdowns while averaging 65.8 rushing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 23.83 rushing yards per game.
Gamescore: 30.72
Walker Middleton Crosses Big Stat Threshold
Rounding off our Top Five is Walker Middleton of Russell. Middleton picked up 182 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. He's now once again averaging 100+ receiving yards (102.5) per game. He was no stranger to the big play, connecting on a big catch that went for 66 yards.
For the year, Middleton has caught 5 touchdowns while averaging 102.5 receiving yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he had two receiving touchdowns.
Gamescore: 30.15
Other Notable Players
- Jacob Seib: 88 yards receiving, 1 TD (Gamescore: 19.05)
- Mason Rohr: 287 yards passing (Gamescore: 16.63)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
