Game Balls: Week 7
After watching the film and going through the stats, we would like to recognize standouts by awarding them “Game Balls” for their performance. Here is a group of players that earned the PrepRedzone IN Game Balls for week 7… QB…
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Continue ReadingAfter watching the film and going through the stats, we would like to recognize standouts by awarding them “Game Balls” for their performance. Here is a group of players that earned the PrepRedzone IN Game Balls for week 7…
- QB Lucas Prewitt & TE/WR Jeffrey Simmons, Fishers
I couldn’t give a Game Ball to one and not the other, because this combo was close to unstoppable on Friday night. In Fishers 33-14 victory over Franklin Central, Prewitt was 29/39 for 345 yards and 4 TD’s. His favorite target on the night was 2022 6’5″ 220 hybrid WR Jeffrey Simmons, who caught 15 balls for 219 yards and a TD. When you have an extremely accurate QB (74% on Friday & 62% on season) and a WR with a serious size advantage, it can be a hard for just about any defense to slow a combination of players like this. Prewitt is having a heck of a Sr campaign, and is sure to open college coaches eyes with his play this season. Simmons is only a Jr right now, but he has already picked up multiple D1 offers. Looking at Simmons productivity and physical skills… It is only a matter of time before national recruiting D1 teams come calling.
- RB Carson Steele Carson Steele 6'0" | 202 lbs | RB Center Grove | 2021 State IN , Center Grove
Steele is a heck of a player, on a loaded team, and could have been awarded “Game Balls” multiple times this year. I am choosing him for a game ball this week, because this performance was a great display of his skill-set, and he had the stats to match the award as well. Steele had 21 carries for 169 yards / 3 TD’s on the ground, and also added 1 catch for 27 yards and another TD through the air. When you turn on the film, you see a player that can do it all out of the backfield. Listed at 6’2″ 210 he is a big back, but he is unique in his skill-set in the sense that he has the athleticism of a smaller all-purpose back. Steele is coming off an ankle Injury last year, so to see him play at full strength this season is impressive. His size, burst, cutting ability, pass blocking, physical running style, speed, and ability as a threat in the pass game, are all traits that make Carson Steele Carson Steele 6'0" | 202 lbs | RB Center Grove | 2021 State IN a special player. He sits with 1 FBS and 2 FCS offers currently, but in my opinion he is capable of many more. This is a player that would have had a lot more going on if an injury didn’t limit his production as a Jr, and if we had a typical spring recruiting/camp cycle. There is no question in my mind that someone will get a steal with Carson.
- RB Chase Valentine- Whiteland
This is a game that I highlighted in “Week 7 Impact Players to Watch”. In that preview, I predicted that in order for Whiteland to come out on top, they would need to have a big game on defense. Although they held their own on D, it was the running game led by, Sr RB Chase Valentine, that propelled them to a 41-35 OT victory on Friday night. Valentine was lights out while rushing for 203 yards on 28 carries and scoring 3 TD’s. Those numbers become even more impressive when you factor in: Whiteland only completed 2 passes on the night for 30 yards, Valentine had the ball in this hands during 28 of their 50 total offensive plays, and he accounted for 203 of their 332 total offensive yards. They literally rode him to victory on the night. When you turn on the film from the game, you will also be impressed with the Whiteland OL play. They did a great job of opening holes all night and deserve a shoutout as well!
- WR Omar Cooper Omar Cooper 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Lawrence North | 2022 State IN , Lawrence North
When highlighting this game in “Week 7 Impact Players to Watch,” I chose Lawrence North WR Jordan Jackson as the impact player. Jackson had a heck of a game and was the first player to score a TD in this matchup, but it was the big play of Omar Cooper Omar Cooper 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Lawrence North | 2022 State IN that led the way for Lawrence North. The Jr WR is known for his big play ability, and he did not disappoint if that is what you were looking for out of him here. With 5 catches for 208 yards and 3 TD’s, Cooper was an absolute beast during Lawrence North’s 34-13 win over Warren Central. That is 41.6 yards per catch, and a TD 60% of the time the ball was in his hands. His 3 TD receptions alone went for 156 yards, and were for 74, 32, and 50 yards respectively. Not only are those stats video game like, he made hard catches look easy, and did it with some flair. This was also a huge hurdle for Lawrence North to clear, as it was the first time they beat Warren Central since 2005, and they are guaranteed a winning regular season. Hats off to Omar Cooper Omar Cooper 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Lawrence North | 2022 State IN and Lawrence North.