Here are this week's candidates for the Antonio's Pizza Prime Time Performer. You can vote once every 12 hours until the polls close on Friday at 5pm. The winner will receive a $20 gift card to Antonio's Pizza!
Annie Urbance (SHG Outside Hitter) – The junior Cyclone led her team to a City volleyball title with seven kills, six assists, five digs and a game winning ace against the Senators on Thursday. Against Lanphier earlier in the week, Urbance put up a team high five kills, eight assists and four aces.
North Mac’s Defense – The Panther defense picked up six sacks and an interception and were able to hold the Pleasant Plains Cardinals to just 14 points and 202 yards of offense. North Mac is 5-0 and a big reason why is their stout defense that Sangamo offenses are scared of.
Steven Cowles (Lutheran High Sweeper) – It’s hard to exactly calculate what defenders are worth on a soccer team because the numbers that people want to see are goals scored. Cowles did score a few goals this week, but his contributions to the Crusaders’ wins are more than that. He’s the last line of defense before the sensational keeper in Nate Bahr and Lutheran posted five shutouts last week while winning the Crusader Classic title. Cowles also added at least five assists in big wins over Athens, Lanphier, Williamsville and Calvary.
Tyler Gist (Taylorville Running Back) – The Tornadoes ground game pounded their way past the Braves on Friday night, led by senior running back Tyler Gist who runs with authority. Gist put up 155 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Taylorville to a huge 31-6 homecoming win over their rivals.
SHG’s Defense – The Cyclone offense put up a historic margin of victory over Lincoln on Friday night, but the Sacred Heart-Griffin defense made that happen. SHG’s defense limited the Railsplitters to just 11 total yards of offense and came up with three turnovers.
Cam Cummings (New Berlin Quarterback) – The only thing Cam Cummings didn’t do for the Pretzels' offense on Friday night was catch the ball. The New Berlin quarterback threw for 234 yards and a touchdown but also powered the run game with 136 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. Cummings controlled the clock and the Pretzels got their revenge on Williamsville.
Vince Vignali & Jace Franklin (Williamsville’s QB & RB) – Before he left us, Bryan Boes nicknamed Vignali and Franklin: Speed Inc. Well, the company put up impressive numbers on Friday despite a three point loss. Vignali ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns while Franklin put up 193 yards on the ground.
Tony Williams (Springfield High Running Back) – The Senators put up the most points they’ve scored in four years. The big reason for that was senior running back Tony Williams. He ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Springfield’s huge win over MacArthur.
Ryan McLaughlin (Auburn Running Back) – Three touchdowns and 132 yards in a big win puts Auburn Trojans running back Ryan McLaughlin on this week’s list. Auburn only led by eight points at the half but two of his touchdowns came after the break and the Trojans got a much needed victory over Riverton.
Dan Zeigler & Collin Stallworth (Rochester QB & WR) – The Rochester quarterback and wide receiver combination connected on four scores against Southeast. Stallworth caught ten total passes for 206 yards which was well over half of Zeigler’s total passing yards for the Rockets. This quarterback-wide receiver connection is a big reason why Coach Derek Leonard and company will be the favorite to win the 4A state title yet again.
Joe Varela (Lanphier Quarterback) – Typically players from teams that posted a loss on the gridiron don’t make the Prime Time Performer list but Joe Varela is an exception this week. The Lion quarterback showed so much heart and toughness on Saturday. After being carried off the field to start the second half, he somehow found the strength to get back out there and almost will his team to a win over Glenwood. Varela threw for 184 yards and also ran for a touchdown but the numbers don’t describe what Varela means to this Lanphier team.
Kameron Corner (Glenwood Defensive Back) – The Titan defender may have saved Glenwood’s season with his second interception of the game with less than a minute to play as Lanphier was driving down the field. Corner was able to make the pick and get his feet down on the sideline to stop the Lion drive and Glenwood kneeled the ball to win 35-32. Corner also picked off a pass on Lanphier’s first play from scrimmage to set up Chatham’s second score in the first few minutes of the game.
Sam Wenda (Porta Quarterback) – Another quarterback from a team that didn’t get the win, but when you throw for four touchdowns and 265 yards you deserve some recognition. The Bluejay play caller was responsible for Porta putting up 29 points against Pittsfield.
