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Grayslake North's Martineau, Naperville Central's Jopes earn Week 7 honors

Austin Martineau of Grayslake North and Jack Jopes of Naperville Central are the Daily Herald football MVPs for their performances in Week 7 games.

OFFENSE

Austin Martineau, Grayslake North: The Knights have been in must-win mode since starting the season 0-4. They have responded with three wins in a row, and their three-year varsity starting quarterback has led the way. Martineau completed 19 of 28 passes for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 21-13 win over visiting Wauconda. He also rushed 15 times for 65 yards and completed a PAT pass.

Kevin Polaski, Conant: The Cougars' 5-foot-11 senior QB engineered a game-winning drive that culminated with a 4-yard TD pass to Anthony Wachal with 3 seconds left to play, giving Conant a 17-14 win over Fremd. For the game, Polaski was 8 of 11 for 101 yards as the Cougars took over sole possession of first place in the Mid-Suburban West.

Kyle Cacioppo, Fenton: A three-year starting quarterback, the 6-foot, 180-pound senior paced the Bison's Metro Suburban Red win, 31-21 over Ridgewood. Cacioppo completed 16 of 24 passes for 197 yards and touchdowns of 24 and 4 yards, no interceptions. He ran 5 times for 87 yards with 30- and 31-yard touchdowns.

Quinn Priester, Cary-Grove: Throw Quinn Priester the ball and good things happen. Cary-Grove's sure-handed split end made 3 catches for 56 yards in the Trojans' 49-14 victory over Jacobs last week. All three receptions were touchdowns, highlighted by a leaping catch over a defender for his third scoring reception. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior also snared 2 interceptions on defense for the undefeated Trojans (7-0).

DEFENSE

Jack Jopes, Naperville Central: The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior safety keyed a thrilling 21-14 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Neuqua Valley. Jopes intercepted a pass and returned it 65 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. He also notched 7 solo tackles, 7 assists and had a tackle for loss.

Heze Trotter, Schaumburg: This 6-foot-3 senior saved the day for the Saxons when he blocked Palatine's potential game-winning field goal attempt with 7 seconds left in the game, preserving a 30-29 Schaumburg win in the Mid-Suburban West. Earlier in the game, Trotter scored a touchdown on a 39-yard fake punt.

Tony DeRosa, Bartlett: This 6-foot-2, 160-pound outside linebacker contributed two take-aways in Bartlett's 29-6 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Larkin. The junior not only recovered a fumble, he jumped the route on a swing pass, made the interception and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown that staked the Hawks (5-2) a two-possession lead and helped them become playoff eligible for the first time since 2015.

Josh Turner, Warren: The junior strong safety might have had the interception of the year in the Blue Devils' 34-6 win over visiting Lake Zurich. He made a running, one-handed grab at the goal line and returned the interception 65 yards. He also recovered a fumble and had 7 tackles, including 4 solos, as the Blue Devils won their sixth game in a row to clinch a playoff berth.

Kevin Polaski
Kyle Cacioppo
Quinn Priester
Jack Jopes
Heze Trotter
Tony DeRosa
Josh Turner
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