3A - South 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!
Maison Starkweather's Big Game Leads Manti over North Sanpete
Starting off the list is Manti's Maison Starkweather, who we judged to be the best player in the league this week. Starkweather threw for 318 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August.
Starkweather must have North Sanpete's number; he was a force to be reckoned with the last time he faced them too. Back in October of 2023 (the last time Starkweather saw the Hawks), he threw for 466 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 71.9% of his passes.
Gamescore: 60.70
Griffin Wayman and Co. Win 22nd in a Row
Richfield picked up their 22nd consecutive win on Friday thanks in part to Griffin Wayman. Wayman turned in his biggest game of the season, throwing for 185 yards and four touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes, and also rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown. He didn't just play on offense: he also made three total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defended a pass.
Richfield pushed their record up to 9-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. Wayman and Richfield will head out to challenge North Sanpete at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Gamescore: 49.33
Carter Mason Turns in Season-Best Performance
On Friday, Manti got the W thanks in part to Carter Mason playing the best football he has all season. Mason picked up 139 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. He was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 50 yards.
On the season, Mason has averaged 7.8 passing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 1.78 passing yards per game.
Gamescore: 47.78
Richfield Gets a Boost from Fautin in 42-10 Victory
Malik Fautin was instrumental in extending Richfield's winning streak to 22 on Friday. Fautin was dynamite, picking up 105 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making six total tackles and defending a pass.
On the season, Fautin has caught 10 touchdowns while averaging 57.9 receiving yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he had three receiving touchdowns.
Gamescore: 43.10
Brock Richards Rounds Out Top Five
Rounding off our Top Five is Brock Richards of Juab. Richards' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 115 rushing yards. He also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Juab is 5-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise.
The win was the third in a row for Juab, bringing their record for this year to 5-4. Richards and Juab will take on Manti at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Gamescore: 36.17
Other Notable Players
- Jaden Heap: 55 yards receiving, 2 TDs ; 39 yards rushing (Gamescore: 33.45)
- Lincoln Alder: 2 sacks and 9 total tackles (3.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 25.25)
- Tala Taulapapa: 36 yards rushing; 46 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 24.38)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
