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 Delivers Best Performance of Season
Westchester was led to victory by Justen Key, who turned in his biggest game of the season on Friday. 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 dating back to last season.
Westchester pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Key and Westchester will face off against Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 61.95
A Season-Best Effort from Jack Thomas Leads Palisades over Venice
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).
With the defeat, Palisades broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 6-2. Thomas and Palisades will square off against University at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 54.58
Joshua Aaron's Big Game Leads Venice over Palisades
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 also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making four total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
The victory was the third in a row for Venice, bringing their record for this year to 4-4. Aaron and Venice will head out on the road to face off against Fairfax at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 41.45
Jaiden Noel Turns in Season-Best Performance
On Friday, Venice got the W thanks in part to Jaiden Noel playing the best football he has all season. 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's made a big improvement compared to last season: at this point last year, he was only averaging 108.5 passing yards per game.
Gamescore: 40.63
Harrison Carter's Rushing Yards a New Career-High
On Friday, Palisades had to settle for second even though Harrison Carter put up the best numbers he has all season. 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 was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 54 yards.
On the year, 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 Manilay: 1 sack and 9 total tackles (2.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 17.33)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
