Athletes are considered for the weekly top performer poll only if their stats are entered on the MN Football Hub by 10 a.m. on Sundays. If coaches or members of their staffs need access to enter stats, please email mnhubs@sportngin.com.
Cody Pennebaker, St. Francis. The sophomore guided the Fighting Saints’ offense, fueling a 31-28 win against Cambridge-Isanti to finish the regular season. The quarterback opened the game's scoring with a 68-yard TD pass. He completed eight passes for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and added 27 rushing yards. In addition, he completed four extra point attempts and kicked a 21-yard field goal.
Aidan Bouman, Buffalo. The senior quarterback ended the regular season on a high note, matching his season high in passing yards (385) in the Bison’s 30-19 victory over Andover. Bouman threw two touchdowns — including one for 60 yards — on 26 passes. He ended the regular season leading the state in completions (191) and passing yards (2,536), and tied for fourth with 23 passing touchdowns.
Connor Braaten, Cambridge-Isanti. Braaten, a junior quarterback, broke the 1,000 passing yards mark this season (finishing with 1,123 yards) in a big way, completing 23 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns — smashing his previous high this season of 173 passing yards — in the Bluejackets' 31-28 loss to St. Francis. Braaten led the Bluejackets' comeback effort, as they were down 21-0 at halftime. Braaten completed his first TD pass in the third quarter — his furthest of the game, at 26 yards — and broke out with three more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
Nick Drinken, Randolph. The senior quarterback continued producing impressive numbers in the Rockets’ 34-26 defeat of Bethlehem Academy, with 462 passing yards — good for fourth all-time in the state, according to Minnesota State High School League records. Drinken threw four touchdown passes and added a fifth TD on the ground.
Zack Dunbar, Spring Lake Park. Dunbar, a senior quarterback, powered the Panthers’ 56-19 rout of Park Center with 224 total yards and six touchdowns. Dunbar threw for 64 yards, including a 54-yard TD. Dunbar also led Spring Lake Park, ranked No. 10 in the Class 5A statewide Associated Press poll from Oct. 21, with 160 yards on the ground, tallying five more TDs while averaging 16 yards per carry.
Payton Hess, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton. Hess spearheaded the Knights to their fifth consecutive win, accumulating 358 total yards and five touchdowns. He launched a pair of TD passes on a season-high 271 yards, and added three more touchdowns on 87 rushing yards in the Knights' 43-21 defeat of Lac qui Parle Valley 43-21.
Jagger Ignaszewski, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. The senior running back contributed to the Bulldogs’ 40-8 rout of Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons, recording season highs in touchdowns (five) and rushing yards (358), and nearly doubling his rushing yards total from earlier in the season (186). Ignaszewski averaged just over 10 yards per carry, thanks in part to three of his touchdown runs going for over 40 yards each. He ended the regular season with the most carries (227) and seventh most rushing yards (1,321) in the state.
Terrance Kamara, Minneapolis North. Kamara and the No. 3-2A Polars completed their undefeated regular season with a 52-0 pummeling of Richfield, with the junior running back finding the end zone five times, rushing for 239 yards on 18 carries — an average of over 13 yards per carry. Three of the junior's touchdowns were for over 45 yards. Kamara finished the season with the second most rushing yards in the state (1,474) and tied for third in rushing TDs (22).
Eli Mau, Chanhassen. The junior kicker was perfect when it mattered most, accounting for six points in the Storm's 24-22 win against Orono. Mau went 3-for-3 in extra point attempts before kicking the game-winning 34-yard field goal with less than two minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
Cody Pennebaker, St. Francis. The sophomore guided the Fighting Saints’ offense, fueling a 31-28 win against Cambridge-Isanti to finish the regular season. The quarterback opened the game's scoring with a 68-yard TD pass. He completed eight passes for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and added 27 rushing yards. In addition, he completed four extra point attempts and kicked a 21-yard field goal.
Shane Prifrel, Simley. Prifrel led the No. 10-4A Spartans as they edged Mahtomedi 23-21, throwing for 154 yards and a touchdown and he added a 3-yard TD. The versatile senior quarterback also kicked two extra points and a 34-yard field goal.
*Stats and records as of Oct. 20.
MN Football Hub polls are for entertainment purposes only.