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.
Caden Spence, Zimmerman. The Thunder needed all the offense they could get on Sept. 10, and Spence came through. In addition to one reception for 35 yards and a 14-yard kick return, the junior racked up 261 rushing yards, averaging over 17 yards on 15 carries. He recorded four rushing touchdowns, leading the Thunder to a 49-40 victory against Princeton.
George Bjellos, Woodbury. The Royals and Eastview traded off scoring plays through the first half of their Sept. 10 contest, with the Royals only leading by five points going into the second half. The Royals then scored three touchdowns before Eastview got back on the board in the second half. Bjellos, a sophomore quarterback, completed 12 passes, threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Royals to a 41-27 win.
Connor Develice, Andover. The senior quarterback completed 16 passes for 215 yards, including his first touchdown pass less than four minutes into the game. Develice followed up with his second passing TD and a two-point conversion later in the second quarter to give the Huskies a 14-point lead at halftime. After Elk River tied the game in the third quarter, Develice gave the Huskies another lead with a 76-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. The Huskies defeated Elk River 28-13.
Bennett Ellsworth, Rochester Mayo. The senior quarterback led the Spartans to their second consecutive 27-point win with a 49-22 victory at Northfield on Sept. 11. Ellsworth completed 20 passes for an impressive 390 yards and three touchdowns, including 68- and 62-yard passing touchdowns in the first half.
Mitchell January, Richfield. After being held to a single touchdown in the Spartans’ season opener, the senior quarterback brought the offense last week. After the Spartans and St. Paul Central each recorded one touchdown in the first quarter, January and the Spartans completed two in the second quarter, jumping out to a lead they held the rest of the game. January completed 12 passes for 290 yards and four passing touchdowns. He added 12 carries and one rushing touchdown in the Spartans’ 35-14 win.
Jamen Malone, Robbinsdale Armstrong. The junior quarterback was integral to the Falcons’ 37-19 victory at Irondale on Sept. 10. Malone threw for three long touchdowns early — for 36 , 39, and 64 yards — to give the Falcons a 19-point lead early in the second quarter. Malone converted on his fourth touchdown pass in the fourth quarter before carrying his final TD on the ground 26 yards. He finished the game with 311 passing yards and 109 rushing yards.
Dominic Mathies, Sauk Rapids-Rice. The senior quarterback led the Storm to 36-0 lead by halftime — a lead that was too much for St. Cloud Tech to overcome. Mathies created excitement early in the game, completing a 70-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion less than one minute into the game. He completed four more touchdown passes that half and racked up 269 total passing yards in the game. The Storm defeated St. Cloud Tech 42-21.
MJ Newton, Fridley. The junior quarterback put his running skills on display on Sept. 10, helping the Tigers complete a comeback to earn a 28-21 victory at Minneapolis North. Trailing by 14 points late in the third quarter, Newton brought three carries into the end zone in the game’s final 14 minutes. Newton amassed 240 rushing yards on 18 carries, averaging over 13 yards per carry.
Caden Spence, Zimmerman. The Thunder needed all the offense they could get on Sept. 10, and Spence came through. In addition to one reception for 35 yards and a 14-yard kick return, the junior racked up 261 rushing yards, averaging over 17 yards on 15 carries. He recorded four rushing touchdowns, leading the Thunder to a 49-40 victory against Princeton.
Carter Steffensmeier, Alexandria. Following up a season-opening loss, the senior quarterback came back strong to lead the Cardinals to a 38-20 defeat of Bemidji on Sept. 10. Steffensmeier recorded a 71.4% pass completion rate, going 20-for-28. He threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter and added two rushing TDs in the third quarter on 35 total rushing yards.
Jacob Weckop, Randolph. The Rockets followed a season-opening rout with an even bigger win on Sept. 10, shutting out Wabasha-Kellogg while recording seven touchdowns. Weckop threw for 233 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Rockets' 54-0 win.
*Stats and records as of Sept. 12*
MN Football Hub polls are for entertainment purposes only.