AA Player of the Week: Week 2
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Player of the Week: Week Two
Each week, we'll
take a look at the top performances from the weekend in AA football, headlined
by VirginiaPreps.com's AA Player of the Week. Nominations are open on each
region's message board, starting Saturday mornings, so if we miss somebody, make
sure you put deserving players in the mix on the message boards.
Week Two Player
of the Week
Coming into the
season, the week two player of the week was one of the few returning skill
position starters for his team. Many expected him to carry the offense at times
this season, especially early in the year, and his week two performance showed
that he was ready for the responsibility. Cave Spring's Sam Wright ran
33 times for 247 yards and four touchdowns in the Knights' 50-29 win over
Martinsville that put the Knights firmly ahead of the Bulldogs in the race to
challenge Richlands in region IV, division 3. Wright had touchdown runs of 10,
32, 9 and 11 yards on the night and ran behind the right side of the line (Dylan
Brucki and Daniel Cloeter) most of the night. Wright's effort put Cave Spring
at 2-0 on the young season and earned him the week two AA Player of the Week
award.
Other Notable
Performances
Jefferson
Forest's Marcus Jones had a huge night after two early interceptions put
his team in a 14-0 hole. Jones rebounded from the early miscues to run for four
touchdowns and 189 yards and throw for an additional touchdown and 119 yards in
the Cavaliers' 42-24 win over Staunton River.
Alex Johnston
of York also went for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in the
Falcons' 49-6 win over Greensville on Thursday. Not to be outdone in the Bay
Rivers, Grafton's Robbie Hiser threw for four touchdowns of his own as
the Clippers got a big early win, 31-13 over Powhatan.
Quarterback
Mac Graham from Kettle Run lit up the scoreboard against Potomac Falls,
running for two scores and 132 yards and passing for three touchdowns and 172
yards in a 45-0 win.
In the Southwest
District, Marion's Ethan Richardson ran for five touchdowns and 138 yards
in a 51-0 win over Northwood, while Abingdon's Caleb Widner scored four
times and ran for 211 yards on the ground in the Falcons' 51-13 win over Patrick
Henry (Glade Spring).
Through two
games, Harrisonburg looks like they'll put a player (or two or three) on this
list every week. Jake Durden threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns
against Handley, with receiver Weylin Holmes catching 121 yards and two
touchdowns and returning an interception for a score. Fellow wideout Issiah
Smith also caught two touchdowns and was over 100 yards receiving, while
Handley's Daquanta Pannell returned two punts for touchdowns to go along
with double-digit tackles in the game.
Ethan Preston
from James Monroe ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the Jackets' win
over Stafford. His offensive line (Nelson King, Troy Thomas,
Jeff Schmitz, Marcus Bell, and Judson Willard) also deserve
plenty of the credit.
Jahlil
Mosley led Monticello to a 42-14 win over Albemarle with 156 passing
yards and three scores and 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. All
three passing scores went to receiver Denzel Terry, while Isaac
Robinson ran for 152 yards and two scores, as well.
In just one half
of play, Eastern View's Simon Pendleton threw for four scores in the
Cyclones win against Charlottesville.
Richlands'
Reece Strong had a terrific all-around night, throwing for 219 yards and two
scores, running for a touchdown and kicking a 30-yard field goal with a minute
and a half remaining to give the Blue Tornado a 24-22 win over Union.
Three touchdown
nights: Porter Abell, Rockbridge County; Kendall Becraft,
Brookville; Breon Brawley, Liberty (Bedford); Demontaz Brown,
James Monroe; Anthony Budd, Liberty (Bealeton); Colin Diehl,
Fauquier; Ishmel Hairston, Martinsville; Dylan Horne, R.E. Lee
(Staunton); Landon Morrow, Jamestown; Atem Ntangtang, Woodgrove;
Joseph Ojo, Sherando; Harvey Taylor, Magna Vista; Nick Zaluzney,
Courtland
Nick Maiolo
from
Powhatan had a strong defensive game for the Indians in a losing cause: 8
tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a pass defended.
Southampton's
Jaron White ran for two touchdowns and had two sacks as the Indians beat
Smithfield.
Andre Mealy
returned from a season-long injury last year with 176 rushing yards and two
touchdowns as Louisa opened with a big win over Orange.
Broadway's
Quinn Arbogast ran for four touchdowns as the Gobblers beat Millbrook 34-7.
Finally, a
couple of strong special teams' efforts to close the week: Tre Porter of
Sherando ran back a kickoff 94 yards for a score in addition to a receiving
touchdown, while Ling Zheng of Rockbridge County ran for two scores and
had two kickoff returns for 136 yards and one for a touchdown in the Wildcats'
win over Waynesboro.