Published Sep 19, 2007
DEPreps players and plays of the week - week two
Richard Long
DEPreps.com Senior Writer
DEPREPS PLAYERS AND PLAYS OF THE WEEK – WEEK TWO
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PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Archmere senior QB Frank Kurek and sophomore TB/LB Tyron Davis. Kurek played well in the Auks' (0-2) 34-23 loss to Hodgson (2-0, 0-0 Flight B) on Saturday, completing 14-of-26 passes for 182 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Davis led the Auks' defense with a staggering 20 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. On offense, he added 13 carries for 61 yards and four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Caravel senior FB/LB Vinnie Ranauto. The state's premier fullback was at his best in the Buccaneers' (2-0) 33-0 romp over Brandywine (1-1, 0-0 Flight B) on Saturday morning, rushing for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Ranauto also shined on defense, making several big hits and intercepting a Brandywine pass.
Concord senior TB Josh Morris, senior FB Paul Worrilow and junior WR Justin Brown. Morris followed up his 248-yard week-one rushing performance by carrying the ball 26 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders' (2-0, 0-0 Flight B) 26-12 win over Newark (0-2, 0-0 Flight A) on Saturday night. Worrilow, a converted first team All-State guard, added 93 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries. Brown chipped in with two acrobatic catches for 53 yards, including a diving 23-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter that gave the Raiders the lead for good.
Delmar senior FB Justin Thomas and junior TB Tevin Jackson. Thomas rushed for a team-high 129 yards and two touchdowns, adding one reception for 28 yards, to help lead the Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Henlopen South) to a 54-20 home win over Cape Henlopen (0-2, 0-0 Henlopen North) on Friday night. Jackson chipped in with 11 carries for 82 yards and three touchdowns, and he added a fourth score on a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Campbell. Through two games, Jackson has scored a state-high seven touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving and one on a kickoff return).
Friends junior QB James Baczkowski, junior TE Grant Walczak, senior FB/LB Matt Lang and junior HB/S Ryan Procaccini. Baczkowski completed 6-of-10 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown in the Quakers' 36-6 victory over Seaford on Saturday afternoon in Alapocas. His favorite targets were Walczak, who had three catches for 103 yards, and Procaccini, who caught three passes for 100 yards, including a 54-yard bomb for a touchdown with just nine seconds left in the half. Lang provided the bulk of the Quakers' rushing production by piling up 117 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. Lang, who has scored 25 career touchdowns, also sacked Seaford quarterback Spencer Coulbourn in the end zone for a safety and Procaccini picked off a pass that led to his 54-yard touchdown catch.
Glasgow senior TB Barren Griffin. Griffin topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the second straight week, picking up 108 yards on 15 carries in the Dragons' (2-0, 0-0 Flight A) 24-3 win over the Dover Senators (1-1, 0-0 Henlopen North) on Friday night. Griffin put Glasgow ahead for good with 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and he capped the scoring with a 65-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter.
Hodgson sophomore TB Jamaal Jackson. Jackson amassed 400 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the Silver Eagles (2-0, 0-0 Flight B) to a come-from-behind 34-23 win over Archmere (0-2) on Saturday morning in Claymont. On offense, Jackson had one catch for seven yards and he carried the ball 25 times for a career-high 225 yards, scoring on runs of 48 and 26 yards. He also racked up 168 yards on returns, including a spectacular 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half. On top of all of that, he added three tackles and an interception on defense.
Indian River senior QB Nick Kmetz, senior TE Trevor Abbott and junior WR/DB Zach Kmetz. Through two games, quarterback Nick Kmetz has racked up 639 yards of total offense (427 passing, 212 rushing) and he's had a hand in five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing). In last Friday's 42-16 win over Stepen Decatur (Md), Nick rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, and he completed 16-of-21 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. Abbott caught a team-high six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. Zach Kmetz also made a big impact, catching four passes for 55 yards, while adding a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense.
Middletown senior QB/kicker Ryan Gerlitz. The senior continued to shine at quarterback while filling in for injured starter Kenny Anderson, throwing two touchdown passes and kicking two field goals in the Cavaliers' (2-0, 0-0 Flight A) 22-12 win over Caesar Rodney (1-1, 0-0 Henlopen North) on Friday night at Bill Billings Stadium. Gerlitz's field goals came on kicks of 40 and 47 yards and he had what would have been a career-long 51 yarder wiped out when C.R. was called for a penalty, giving the Cavaliers a first down (moments later, Gerlitz threw a touchdown pass to Cameron Thomas). Middletown coach Mark DelPercio praised Gerlitz's performance as both a quarterback and a kicker in a telephone interview on Tuesday night. "As a quarterback, Ryan has a great arm and he's a threat running the football," DelPercio said. "He's played the position to the fullest. I'm so proud of how unselfish he's been. There has never been any hesitation on his part and he's been a true leader. As a kicker, it's like having an N.F.L. guy in there. He hit one from sixty-yards in the pregame warmup and he was jacked up and ready to go. Between him kicking and Weston Varnes punting, our special teams have been absolutely outstanding."
Mount Pleasant junior RB Gary Gilmer. Gilmer sparked the Green Knights (1-1, 0-0 Flight B) to a 31-0 win over Delaware Military Academy (0-2) by rushing for 70 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Newark senior kicker Alex Carlton. Carlton scored all of the Yellow Jackets' (0-2, 0-0 Flight A) points in their 26-12 loss to Concord (2-0, 0-0 Flight b) on Saturday night by connecting on 4-of-5 field goal attempts. His four makes came from distances of 28, 31, 33 and what is believed to be an unofficial school-record 47 yards. His lone miss came from 51 yards, but it was close and it was right down the middle. "Alex is special," Newark coach Butch Simpson said. "He was very good last year and he worked hard in the weight room on his legs. Alex is extremely committed to his craft. He's been to numerous camps and Temple (is among several colleges that) thinks very highly of him. There's nothing better than what he did the other day. He makes them from fifty in practice. It's routine for him. That's why I didn't hesitate to try the fifty-one yarder."
St. Elizabeth senior TB Dionta Gillis. The Vikings' (2-0) speedster wears the number three, which is appropriate, because he's scored three touchdowns in each of the team's first two games, both victories. In last Friday's 25-0 win over Dickinson (0-2, 0-0 Flight B) at Baynard Stadium he caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from James Cullin, and he added rushing touchdowns on plays of nine and one yards, respectively. Through two games, Gillis has rushed for a team-high 183 yards on 25 carries.
Salesianum senior TB Sal Viscount. The state's reigning Offensive Player of the Year topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the 13th time in his last 14 games to lead the Sals (2-0) to their 18th straight win, a 21-0 decision over William Penn (0-2, 0-0 Flight A) on Saturday afternoon in New Castle. Viscount finished the day with 116 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per rushing attempt.
Sussex Central junior RB's Jordan Jones and Zeno Williams. Both backs rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Knights' (1-1, 0-0 Henlopen North) 22-0 win over St. Mark's (0-2) on Friday night. Jones opened the scoring with a 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, finishing the night with 102 yards on 10 carries, while Williams piled up 118 yards and a touchdown (nine yards) on 17 carries.
Sussex Tech seniors, RB/LB George Godwin and FB/NT Jamar Beckett. The Ravens are off to a 2-0 start, matching their win total from all of last year (2-8), and this veteran duo is a big reason why. In Friday's 33-0 win over Alexis I. du Pont (1-1, 0-0 Flight A) in Greenville, Godwin rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, adding a third score when he took a short pass from Josh Marshall and turned it into a spectacular, tackle-breaking 65 yard touchdown. The powerful Beckett also broke the 100-yard rushing mark, pounding his way to 114 yads on 11 carries. On defense, Godwin had nine tackles and a sack, while Beckett notched a team-high 11 tackles and one sack. Through eight quarters of football, the Ravens have yet to allow a single point.
Tatnall senior QB Hunter Payne. Payne helped lead the Hornets (1-1, 0-0 Independent Conference) to an 8-0 victory over the McKean Highlanders (0-2, 0-0 Flight B) on Friday night at Randy White Stadium by rushing for 46 yards on eight carries, and completing 6-of-11 passes for 65 yards. His biggest play of the night came when he connected with tight end Justin Perillo for a 16-yard touchdown with six minutes left to play. "Hunter took over the game with his legs in the first half," Tatnall coach Jody Russell said. "Once we started protecting him in the second half, he really came into his own with his passing."
Tower Hill senior QB James Mraz, senior LB Hunter Schubert and junior DL Tyler Hobbs. Mraz racked up 160 yards of total offense to lead the Hillers (2-0, 0-0 Independent Conference) to their sixth straight victory, a 20-6 decision over Perkiomen (Pa). Mraz passed for 56 yards, but he did most of his damage on the ground, carrying the ball 16 times for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Mraz scored on a 47-yard run in the first quarter and he broke open a close 7-6 game by scoring on runs of four and one yards, respectively, in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Hillers held Perkiomen to just 126 yards of total offense, with Schubert and Hobbs each registering a team-high 10 tackles. Hobbs, who also made this list last week, has 19 tackles in two games to lead the team.
PLAYS OF THE WEEK
Hodgson 34 Archmere 23. Trailing 15-6 at the half, Hodgson came out of the locker room looking for a spark and they got it from sophomore Jamaal Jackson on the opening kickoff of the second half. After the kick bounced over his head, Jackson back-tracked to the five, scooped it up and took off running. After making three tacklers miss, he took off up the sideline, following key blocks by Rick Johnson, Rondell Glen and Jamal Merrell as he raced 95-yards for a touchdown. Jackson's return helped ignite a 28-8 second-half run by the Silver Eagles as they improved their record to 2-0. It was the second kickoff return touchdown of Jackson's young career, with both coming against the Auks.
Caravel 33 Brandywine 0. Following a scoreless first quarter, Caravel began to take control. The Buccaneers first score was set up when outside linebacker Deveon Smith came flying off the edge and drilled Brandywine quarterback Jeff Tomasetti, causing a fumble that was recovered by linemen Robert Kennedy and returned to the Bulldogs' two-yard line. Two plays later, Caravel fullback Vinnie Ranauto scored on a run up the middle and the rout was on.