Western 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!
Justen Key Turns in Season-Best Effort
On Friday, Westchester got the W thanks in part to Justen Key playing the best football he has all season. Key rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: he has now rushed for 107 or more in the last three games he's played.
Westchester pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Key and Westchester will challenge Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 61.95
Jack Thomas Delivers Best Performance of Season
Sadly, Jack Thomas posting his best game of the season wasn't enough to lead Palisades over Venice on Friday. Thomas threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. He is becoming a predictor of Palisades' success: when he posts at least 250 passing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Palisades moved to 6-2 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. Thomas' next matchup is against University on Friday, where he'll look to repeat that solid performance.
Gamescore: 54.58
Aaron Made His Presence Known in Venice's 45-44 Win
Joshua Aaron posted a new career-high in rushing yards on Friday. He rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. He didn't just play on offense: he also made four total tackles and defended a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
The victory (which was Venice's third in a row) raised their record to 4-4. Aaron and Venice will venture away from home to face off against Fairfax at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 41.45
A Season-Best Performance from Jaiden Noel Leads Venice over Palisades
Jaiden Noel produced his most outstanding game to date while leading Venice to the win on Friday. Noel threw for 314 yards and five touchdowns while completing 74.3% of his passes.
This year, Noel has thrown 18 touchdowns while averaging 201.8 passing yards per game. He is looking even better than he did last year: after eight games last season, he was only averaging 108.5 passing yards per game.
Gamescore: 40.63
Harrison Carter Has Career Rushing Day
Palisades came up short on Friday despite Harrison Carter delivering his best game to date. Carter rushed for 138 yards while picking up 8.6 yards per carry, and also picked up 62 receiving yards and a touchdown, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process. He got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 54 yards.
For the season, Carter has caught 3 touchdowns while averaging 26.2 receiving yards per game. It gets even more impressive: after eight games last season, he was only averaging 20.5 rushing yards per game. This year he is averaging 73.25 rushing yards.
Gamescore: 33.57
Other Notable Players
- Isaiah Crossley: 1.5 sacks, 10 total tackles (1.5 for loss), and 1 forced fumble (Gamescore: 24.25)
- Nathan Santacruz: 96 yards receiving, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 22.10)
- Elijah Smith: 1 sack and 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 19.25)
- Jake Treibatch: 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 19.00)
- Miles Nico Manilay: 1 sack and 9 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 17.33)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
