Week 7: Schaumburg's Trotter, Lake Park's Khwaja earn MVP honor

Schaumburg junior receiver Heze Trotter and Lake Park senior defensive back Rashad Khwaja have earned Daily Herald MVP honors for their performances in Week 7 of the high school football season.

OFFENSE

Heze Trotter, Schaumburg: The junior all-around standout was the key as Schaumburg rallied for a 24-21 overtime win at Conant. He finished with 98 yards rushing and caught 5 passes for 121 yards, including a pair of fourth-quarter TD receptions to force OT. Trotter was also a force in the return game and finished with 350 all-purpose yards.

Branden Gallimore, Antioch: The senior quarterback, who wears jersey No. 1, made sure his team maintained its No. 1 spot in the Northern Lake County Conference. He engineered 3 touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, scoring on runs of 1 and 4 yards and throwing the winning TD pass from 8 yards out with 16 seconds left, as the Sequoits rallied for a 34-31 win at Lakes, improving their record to 7-0 and 5-0 in the NLCC.

Josh Marczuk, Kaneland: This 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver helped the Knights improve to 4-3 with a 20-14 win at previously undefeated Morris, the Northern Illinois Big 12 East leader. The senior made 8 catches for 175 yards - highlighted by touchdown receptions of 65 and 28 yards - to keep Kaneland in the playoff picture.

Destin Talbert, Hinsdale South: The Hornets stayed hot with their passing game in a 23-15 West Suburban Gold victory over Addison Trail. Talbert had 11 catches for 193 yards. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior receiver snared touchdowns of 46, 45 and 44 yards.

DEFENSE

Rashad Khwaja, Lake Park: The entire Lancers defense impressed in a 28-7 DuPage Valley Conference win over Glenbard North, but Khwaja led the way. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior defensive back returned 2 interceptions for 88 yards. Khwaja recovered a fumble, broke up three passes and had 3 tackles.

Willis Goodwin, Rolling Meadows: Goodwin, a senior cornerback delivered his most productive game yet, returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns as the Mustangs rolled at Elk Grove 48-6. They were the first two picks of career, and the returns covered distances of 84 and 25 yards as Rolling Meadows won its sixth straight game. Goodwin also contributed 3 solo tackles and an assist.

Brian Mohry, Warren: A high-scoring offense has helped the Blue Devils rebound after a rare playoff miss last year. Against Waukegan on homecoming, the defense got into the act thanks to the junior defensive back. He had 2 interceptions in a 34-0 shutout, as the Blue Devils (5-2, 4-1) became playoff-eligible and stayed a game back of first place Lake Zurich in the North Suburban Conference.

Luke Weerts, Batavia: This inside linebacker was a big reason why Batavia improved to 7-0 with a 10-7 victory over previously undefeated South Elgin. Storm quarterback Nate Gomez entered the battle of Upstate Eight division leaders with 979 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns and 655 passing yards, but Weerts, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound junior, helped limit him to 30 rushing yards on 20 carries and 120 passing yards. Weerts finished with 7 solo tackles, an assist, 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.