Most Valuable Player
Players of the Week
Week 3 Offensive MVP
Nick Linne
The Redhawks’ quarterback accounted for 424 total yards and 5 touchdowns in Naperville Central’s 41-19 DuPage Valley Conference victory over West Aurora. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior completed 20 of 31 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 151 yards and a fifth score on 21 carries.
Runner-up
Jake Kumerow
South Elgin’s 6-foot-4 senior wide receiver had 6 catches for 91 yards and 3 TDs in helping the Storm to a 28-26 come-from-behind win at Neuqua Valley and the first 3-0 start in program history.
Runner-up
Sheldon Magee
Against the Eagles’ top rival the 6-foot, 165-pound junior receiver came up huge all day long in a 20-15 victory over Chicago Christian. Magee caught 9 passes for 268 yards with touchdown receptions of 73 and 61 yards to open and close Aurora Christian’s scoring. Brother John Magee ran for 215 yards with a 78-yard touchdown run.
Runner-up
Greg Kennedy
The Blue Devils found victory lane via the Kennedy. The 5-foot-6, 160-pound senior running back scored 4 touchdowns and rushed for 174 yards on just 12 carries in a 40-24 win over Antioch. Kennedy returned a kickoff 89 yards for a TD — after Antioch took a 3-0 lead — and also scored on runs of 4, 33 and 85 yards.
Runner-up
Tony Taibi
Taibi and Jimmy Garoppolo had an impressive long-distance connection working for Rolling Meadows in a 27-17 Mid-Suburban League crossover victory. Taibi, a senior wide receiver, caught 9 passes for 192 yards with touchdowns of 52 and 33 yards.
Week 3 Defensive MVP
Bryce Barry
Starting with an onside kick nearly recovered to open the game, this 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior free safety was on fire in a 41-6 win over Streamwood. Barry blocked a punt recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and two minutes later forced a fumble that led to another touchdown. He added a diving interception and 3 tackles.
Runner-up
Kai Libby
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior cornerback returned 2 interceptions for touchdowns in the Warriors’ 21-0 win over Guerin. He broke his first pick 50 yards to open the scoring and added a 23-yard return in the third quarter to join a long list of players behind the IHSA record of 3 interceptions returned for touchdown.
Runner-up
John Pfeiffer
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound junior excelled on the defensive line and on special teams “to boot.” Pfeiffer helped spark the Eagles’ come-from-behind, 28-27 win over Grant with a sack that resulted in a safety, a tackle-for-loss, a fumble recovery and 3 pass breakups. As Lakes’ punter, he also dropped 3 punts inside the 20, including two inside the 5.
Runner-up
James Szafranski
Szafranski has been a catalyst for a Fremd defense which has allowed only 14 points and beat Wheeling 42-0 in a Mid-Suburban League crossover last week. For the second straight week the senior and team tackles leader forced and recovered a fumble — returning this one 7 yards for a touchdown against the Wildcats. Szafranski also caught 3 passes for 57 yards.
Runner-up
Nick Underwood
Cary-Grove’s 6-foot-1 senior linebacker had 6 tackles and 1 tip while playing just a half of football in the Trojans’ 60-6 win at Woodstock, a victory that put C-G at 3-0 for the season.
