With the fourth week of high school football in the books, Rich Garven takes a look at some of the top performances for readers to vote on to decide the StormWorks Roofing & Restoration football player of the week
Congratulations to Quaboag’s Tyler Withers, who took the top spot in last week’s poll with 43,198 votes (54.4 percent) to edge Gardner’s Alex Figueroa (32,876 votes) out of 79,367 total votes.
(Players of the Week honorees are compiled from game reports and statistics called in by each school or from in-person, game-day reporting by a T&G sportswriter.)
More:Hometeam Central Mass. high school football standings, leaders
Brayden Belanger, Auburn
The freshman quarterback rushed for a career-high three touchdowns as the Rockets blanked Fitchburg, 35-0, to notch their first win of the season and improve to 1-2-1. Belanger scored on runs of 3, 14 and 15 yards to give him a team-high six rushing TDs, all in the past three games.
Aidan Blood, Uxbridge
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound linebacker anchored a defense that helped the Spartans upset previously undefeated South, 34-18, to raise their record to 4-0. Blood made seven tackles to raise his team-leading total to 29.5 and recorded a sack to give him 2.5 quarterback takedowns on the season.
Miguel Borges, Marlborough
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior running back stepped in and stepped up as the Panthers posted a 34-6 win over Mid-Wach B rival Nashoba to move to 3-1. Borges shifted to quarterback due to an injury and didn’t miss a step, rushing for 112 yards and three touchdowns (5, 24, 22 yards) on 11 carries.
Kaiden Brochu, Bay Path
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior running back topped the 200-yard mark for the third time this season as the Minutemen defeated Monty Tech, 51-20, to improve to 3-1. Brochu rushed for 285 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries, averaging 20.3 yards a tote and scoring on dashes of 29, 60, 70, and 43 yards.
Kellen Clarkson, Oxford
The 6-foot, 172-pound junior quarterback/defensive back made plays on both sides of the ball as the Pirates topped Abby Kelley, 37-8, even their record at 2-2. Clarkson was 9 of 13 passing for 149 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 38 yards and a TD on five carries and intercepted two passes.
Patrick Dowd, Doherty
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior running back/linebacker was a playmaker as the Highlanders improved to 4-0 with a 27-7 win over Tantasqua. Dowd rushed for 15 yards and his first touchdown of the season on three carries and collected six tackles, including one for a loss, a sack and an interception.
Alex Figueroa, Gardner
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior quarterback had his third multiple-touchdown passing game of the season as the Wildcats defeated Burncoat, 46-14, to raise their record to 4-0. Figueroa completed 6 of 11 attempts with scoring strikes of 20, 5, and 35 yards and added a rushing TD.
Bryce Goulet, Tyngsborough
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior quarterback was productive on the ground and through the air as the Tigers topped Blackstone-Millville, 30-20, to improve to 3-1. Goulet rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns (12, 21, 28 yards) on 22 carries and was 3 of 5 passing for 42 yards and a TD.
Jamie McNamara, West Boylston
The senior running back continued to maximize his touches as the Lions topped Blue Hills, 52-14, to raise their record to 4-0. McNamara rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns on five carries, scoring on dashes of 50, 25 and 6 yards in the first half to give him seven TDs on 23 carries this season.
Matt Phillips, Clinton
The senior quarterback was a dual threat as the Gaels defeated Assabet Valley, 35-8, to improve to 3-1. Phillips ran for his first three touchdowns of the season, on keepers of 1, 1 and 3 yards, and tossed a 17-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter to give him three TD passes in the last two games.
Luke Salvadore, Quabbin
The junior running back had a career night as the Panthers rolled to a 37-8 win over Murdock to even their record at 2-2. Salvadore rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, averaging 9.5 yards a touch and reaching the end zone on runs of 1, 3 and 45 yards.
Eric Smith, Lunenburg
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior produced points on offense and special teams as the Blue Knights edged Ayer-Shirley, 11-8 to move to 3-1. Smith kicked a 37-yard field goal with 19 seconds to play to provide the margin of victory, caught three passes for 38 yards and a TD and rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries.
Nick Whitlock, Valley Tech
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior receiver made the most of his touches as the Beavers defeated Worcester Tech, 40-6, to break into the win column. Whitlock caught three passes, all of which were in the first half and went for touchdowns covering 31, 21 and 25 yards.
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