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Week 4: Metea Valley's Thorne, Palatine's Moertl gain MVP acclaim

Metea Valley sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne and Palatine junior defensive back Jake Moertl have earned Daily Herald MVP status after their performances in Week 4 of the high school football season.

OFFENSE

Payton Thorne, Metea Valley: The 6-foot-1, 170-pound sophomore quarterback gained his command in a 36-7 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Wheaton North. After completing 3 of 7 first-quarter passes, he finished a perfect 11 of 11. Overall, Thorne was 14 of 18 for 260 yards with touchdown passes of 68, 52 and 61 yards.

Owen Goldsberry, Hersey: Always a threat to run, the junior signal-caller came up with a terrific passing performance as well in Hersey's 24-21 victory at Niles North. He finished 12-for-22 passing for 235 yards and provided all three of the Huskies' touchdowns on passes of 64, 27 and 16 yards as Hersey picked up its first win of the season. Goldsberry also picked up 94 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Kindrel Morris, Larkin: This junior continues to make an impact in his second varsity season. The 5-foot-7, 150-pound running back enjoyed a breakout game last week in a 46-12 victory against West Chicago at Memorial Field. Morris gained 209 of Larkin's 253 rushing yards on 23 carries and scored on touchdowns runs of 57 and 5 yards. He also caught a 15-yard scoring pass, one of 3 receptions for 24 yards in a victory that evened Larkin's record at 2-2.

Melvin Pettis, Warren: In a must-win game for the Blue Devils, the senior's performance was much-needed. He rushed for a 225 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries. He also returned a kickoff 75 yards for a TD and caught a 34-yard pass, as the Blue Devils beat Lake Forest 46-10 for their first win.

DEFENSE

Jake Moertl, Palatine: The junior defensive back added to his ball-hawking reputation in the Pirates' 41-21 victory at New Trier. Moertl finished with 2 interceptions, returning one of them 18 yards for a touchdown as Palatine improved to 4-0 entering Mid-Suburban West play. He's made a total of 4 interceptions this season, 2 of which have gone for TDs.

D.J. Anderson, Hinsdale South: The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior defensive back came up with the biggest plays in the Hornets' 30-27 win over Willowbrook. He returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown and returned a blocked field goal 70 yards for another score. Anderson also made 5 tackles and broke up 2 passes.

Matt Lawson, Lake Zurich: The senior defensive back has been showing since his sophomore year that he can make plays at the varsity level. He did so again in the Bears' 43-21 win at Zion-Benton. He collected 2 interceptions, as Lake Zurich improved to 3-1 and 2-0 in the North Suburban Conference.

Charlie Zornow, Huntley: This 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior was part middle linebacker, part fortuneteller in Huntley's 49-7 Fox Valley Conference win at Hampshire. After spotting a tendency, Zornow told Huntley's linebackers coach he would soon pick off a pass On the next series, he jumped a quick slant route for an interception and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown that gave the Red Raiders a 13-0 lead. Zornow also contributed 3 solo tackles and 3 assists for Huntley (3-1).

Owen Goldsberry
Kindrel Morris
Melvin Pettis
Jake Moertl
D.J. Anderson
Matt Lawson
Charlie Zornow
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