4A South Metro 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!
Jett Balika Earns League's Top Spot
Starting off the list is Heritage's Jett Balika, who we judged to be the best player in the league this week. Balika rushed for 191 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.2 yards per carry, and also picked up 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 85-yard run.
On the year, Balika has caught 4 touchdowns while averaging 54.1 receiving yards per game. That doesn't tell the whole story though: at this point last year, he had eight rushing touchdowns. This year he is already up to 15.
Gamescore: 85.45
Luke Bakken Delivers Best Effort of Season
Sadly, Luke Bakken posting his best game of the season wasn't enough to lead Highlands Ranch over Heritage on Thursday. Bakken rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 77 receiving yards and a touchdown, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble, and making 17 total tackles.
Highlands Ranch is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-4. Bakken will have a chance to log another big game when he takes on Golden on Friday.
Gamescore: 78.75
Crew Gerig Turns in Season-Best Effort
Highlands Ranch came up short on Thursday despite Crew Gerig delivering his best game to date. Gerig threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. He has become a key player for Highlands Ranch: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least 250 passing yards, but 1-3 otherwise.
For the season, Gerig has thrown 25 touchdowns while averaging 203.6 passing yards per game. It gets even more impressive: after nine games last season, he had three rushing touchdowns. This year he is already up to eight.
Gamescore: 54.50
A Season-Best Effort from Landon Kalsbeck Leads Dakota Ridge over Golden
On Friday, Dakota Ridge got the W thanks in part to Landon Kalsbeck playing the best football he has all season. Kalsbeck rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
The victory was the eighth in a row for Dakota Ridge, bringing their record for this year to 8-1. Kalsbeck and Dakota Ridge will be playing in front of their home fans against Bear Creek at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Gamescore: 50.63
Jamison Seese Dazzles in Heritage Victory
The second Heritage player making an appearance here is Jamison Seese, and for good reason. He threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.8 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 67 yards. He is becoming a predictor of Heritage's success: when he posts at least three passing touchdowns the team is 3-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
This year, Seese has thrown 21 touchdowns while averaging 234.3 passing yards per game. He is looking even better than he did last year: after nine games last season, he had one passing touchdown.
Gamescore: 43.37
Other Notable Players
- Jaden Pujia: 215 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 41.67)
- Thatcher Matthews: 177 yards passing; 146 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 39.50)
- De'Alcapon Veazy: 112 yards rushing, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 30.00)
- Max Mervin: 105 yards receiving, 1 TD (Gamescore: 28.93)
- Tanner Terch: 156 yards receiving, 1 TD (Gamescore: 27.43)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
