6A Region II District 11 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!
Keelon Russell Delivers Electric Effort Vs Lancaster
Keelon Russell's big game helped extend Duncanville's winning streak to 13 on Friday. Lancaster had no answer to Russell as he threw for 252 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 44 yards. That's the most rushing yards Russell has posted since back in November of 2023.
Duncanville's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. Russell will try to repeat (or improve) on that dominant performance when he faces off against Horn on Friday.
Gamescore: 46.30
Michael Esparza Jr. Delivers Best Effort of Season
On Friday, Waxahachie got the W thanks in part to Michael Esparza Jr. playing the best football he has all season. Esparza Jr. wasn't messing around, picking up three sacks and making 16 total tackles (4.0 for loss). The contest was his fourth straight with six or more total tackles.
This season, Esparza Jr. has averaged 8.4 total tackles per game and for the season has those 3 sacks. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 0.86 total tackles per game.
Gamescore: 37.25
Deondrae Riden Jr.'s Big Game Leads Desoto over Horn
DeSoto found a leader in Deondrae Riden Jr. as the squad took down Horn on Friday. Riden Jr. was dynamite, rushing for 120 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries.
If the past is any indication, Riden Jr. could be in store for another big game when he takes on Cedar Hill on Friday. Riden Jr. rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, and also picked up 48 receiving yards the last time he and the Longhorns duked it out back in December of 2023.
Gamescore: 36.00
Zach Turner and Co. Win 13th in a Row
Zach Turner's big game helped extend Duncanville's winning streak to 13 on Friday. Turner picked up 169 receiving yards and three touchdowns, good enough for us to rate the performance as the best he's had all season long.
For the season, Turner has caught 11 touchdowns while averaging 98.8 receiving yards per game. He is looking even better than he did last year: after six games last season, he was only averaging 45.67 receiving yards per game.
Gamescore: 35.57
Another Game with at Least Eight Total Tackles from Elijah Barnes
Elijah Barnes continued his hot streak on Friday by dropping his ninth-straight game (dating back to last season) with at least eight total tackles. He picked up a sack, forced a fumble, and made 13 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Barnes is probably looking forward to his next game, a road matchup against Waxahachie on Thursday. Barnes made 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss) the last time he and the Indians duked it out back in November of 2023.
Gamescore: 30.50
Other Notable Players
- Adam Dweh: 1 sack, (1TD), and 10 total tackles (3.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 26.75)
- Myson Johnson-Cook: 80 yards rushing, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 25.78)
- Kamryn Williams: 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 25.35)
- Tyreke Cockroft: 121 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 24.58)
- Kelden Ryan: 198 yards passing; 53 yards rushing (Gamescore: 22.80)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
