South Central Top Player Performances of the Week
Congratulations to this week's top players! We're covering the best performances across Friday and Saturday's football action (using all statistics entered as of the time of writing). Enjoy!
A Season-Best Effort from Matthew Bywater Leads Litchfield/Mt. Olive over Gillespie
Litchfield/Mt. Olive was led to victory by Matthew Bywater, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Saturday. Bywater picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 77 yards.
Bywater and Litchfield/Mt. Olive will take on Staunton/Bunker Hill at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The match will pit Bywater up against Staunton/Bunker Hill's star pass catcher Nate Oller. The only thing left to do is find out who's the greater deep ball threat. You'll have to watch the game to know for sure.
Gamescore: 46.58
Nate Dyer Goes Supernova in Carlinville Defeat
Nate Dyer put up the most rushing yards he's had since back in September of 2023 on Friday. He rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately for North Mac, this isn't the first big game they've seen from Dyer. Back in September of 2023 (the last time Dyer saw the Panthers), he rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Gamescore: 41.38
Ethan Saathoff Delivers Best Performance of Season
On Saturday, Litchfield/Mt. Olive got the W thanks in part to Ethan Saathoff playing the best football he has all season. Saathoff threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns on only 16 passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground.
For the season, Saathoff has thrown 9 touchdowns while averaging 130.5 passing yards per game. He's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging three passing yards per game.
Gamescore: 39.80
Wyatt Kile Turns in Season-Best Effort
Pana was led to victory by Wyatt Kile, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Friday. Kile rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns on perfect 6-for-6 passing.
If the past is any indication, Kile could be in store for another big game when he takes on Gillespie on Friday. Kile threw for 133 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 103 yards on only seven carries the last time he and the Miners duked it out back in October of 2023.
Gamescore: 38.87
A Season-Best Performance from Tyler Rench Leads Pana over Hillsboro
On Friday, Pana got the W thanks in part to Tyler Rench playing the best football he has all season. Rench picked up two sacks and made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
On the season, Rench has averaged 5.8 total tackles per game and for the season has 5 sacks. That doesn't tell the whole story though: at this point last year, he was only averaging eight receiving yards per game. This year he is averaging 33 receiving yards.
Gamescore: 35.53
Other Notable Players
- Khiry Taylor: 82 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 35.10)
- Jesse Baker: 116 yards rushing, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 29.20)
- Parker Moore: 37 yards receiving, 1 TD ; 34 yards rushing (Gamescore: 20.77)
- Amony Anderson: 102 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 20.40)
- Greyson Brewer: 62 yards rushing, 1 TD (Gamescore: 19.70)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
