Most Valuable Player
Players of the Week
Week 6 Offensive MVP
Jacob Brinlee
Brinlee helped the Bears win decisively. The junior, who’s in the midst of a breakout season in his second on varsity, rushed for a career-best 216 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 12 carries, as Lake Zurich upset previously undefeated Warren 38-14. The wingback found the end zone on runs of 83, 5 and 35 yards.
Runner-up
Jordan Dean
The Maroons’ junior playmaker led his team to a rousing 28-21 victory over cross-town rival Larkin by rushing 17 times for 104 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown for his team’s first points. Playing special teams in the fourth quarter, Dean returned a blocked field goal 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Runner-up
Phil Jackson
Jackson made quite an impact in his first varsity game. Promoted to varsity because of backfield injuries, the sophomore running back accounted for the bulk of the offense in the Panthers’ 26-6 win over Glenbard East. Jackson carried the ball 32 times for 206 yards and touchdown runs of 58, 11 and 3 yards. As a team the Panthers had 231 total yards.
Runner-up
Nolan Possley
Not a speck on this senior’s uniform was clean after the Saints’ 21-14 Upstate Eight victory over Waubonsie Valley in overtime. At quarterback Possley ran 19 times for a season-high 143 yards with a 42-yard touchdown run. He added 2 tackles at linebacker and, in overtime, completed the game-winning touchdown pass to Jess Striedl.
Runner-up
Evan Wright
Wright lightning struck again in record-setting fashion as Fremd improved to 6-0 with a 38-13 Mid-Suburban West victory over Schaumburg. The senior broke the 13-year-old single-game school record for rushing yards with 256 and scored three times in 41 carries.
Week 6 Defensive MVP
Robbie Green
With his team leading by 3 points in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, this 5-foot-6 junior cornerback kept Bartlett from getting into field goal range by snaring a leaping interception at his own 9-yard line with 9 seconds left to preserve South Elgin’s 17-14 victory.
Runner-up
E.J. Lannan
The Cougars’ bid was a second-straight shutout was in jeopardy when a fourth-quarter pass spiraled toward the end zone. Lannan intercepted the ball and returned it 51 yards, all but sealing victory. The three-year varsity linebacker and offensive-line starter this season as well, played strong all night as Vernon Hill blanked Antioch 14-0.
Runner-up
Erick Louis-Charles
The senior defensive lineman was up front as Rolling Meadows shut down high-powered Elk Grove 12-3 in the Mid-Suburban East. Louis-Charles had 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 tackles for losses and 2 sacks as the Mustangs allowed 113 total yards.
Runner-up
Luke Thorson
Wheaton Academy applied strong pressure on Chicago Christian’s quarterback, and this 6-foot-3 defensive back made him pay. A junior, Thorson made 3 interceptions in the Warriors’ 34-13 Suburban Christian Conference Gold win, one of them at his own 13-yard line. He added a third-down pass breakup and a pair of tackles.
Runner-up
Marcus Waller
A state-qualifying hurdler, the 6-foot Waller leaped to block a punt and return it 25 yards for a touchdown in the Blackhawks’ 20-7 DuPage Valley win over West Chicago. The junior strong safety nearly blocked 2 other punts, finished with a bounty of 9 solo tackles and 10 assists, and added a 20-yard touchdown catch at receiver.
