Game Balls From Around the State: Week 5

The second half of the regular season started off with a bang. Several teams across the state lit up the scoreboard during Week 5, and there was even a team that eclipsed 100 points! Scores should start to tighten up in the coming weeks though, as defense will play a major role late in the regular season.   With all the offensive fireworks that went off this past week, it was a given that there were going to be multiple Game Ball worthy performances. While the offensive side of the ball made headlines in Week 5, there were still plenty of prospects that shined on defense. Here are the seven players that earned Game Balls during all the Week 5 action.    Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id='237214' first='Malik' last='O'Atis'] – Shawnee Mission NW, 5'10”, 170, RB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='237214' first='Malik' last='O'Atis'] was absolutely phenomenal during Week 5. Despite a tough loss to Olathe West, the dynamic senior put together one of the best offensive performances of the season so far. O'Atis went on to have a 400-yard rushing night with four touchdowns. The young man is on track for another 1st Team All-State selection with the way he's played this season.     <a href="https://twitter.com/bryson_turner10?s=21&t=zl2ellNAI8CO05Rl1gtMYw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/bryson_turner10?s=21&t=zl2ellNAI8CO05Rl1gtMYw">Bryson Turner</a> – Madison, 5'9”, 160, ATH, Class of '23   The 8-Man ranks always produce some wild stat lines, and <a href="https://twitter.com/bryson_turner10?s=21&t=zl2ellNAI8CO05Rl1gtMYw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/bryson_turner10?s=21&t=zl2ellNAI8CO05Rl1gtMYw">Bryson Turner's</a> game against Lyndon is a perfect example of this. Turner went off on the ground against the Tigers, as he'd carry the ball 43 times for 325 yards and six touchdowns. The senior also added 80 yards through the air to put him over 400 yards of total offense for the game.    <a href="https://twitter.com/daimontmucker05?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/daimontmucker05?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw">Daimont Mucker</a> – Valley Center, 5'10”, 185, RB, Class of '24    We've seen some impressive performances from the running back position through five weeks of the '22 campaign. But it could be argued that no back in the state has had a better two-game stretch than <a href="https://twitter.com/daimontmucker05?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/daimontmucker05?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw">Daimont Mucker</a> of Valley Center. The junior turned in his second 300-yard game of the season with 340 yards against Salina Central during Week 5, and he also hit pay dirt three times. That's now 658 yards the past two weeks. It will be interesting to see if Mucker can stay hot against Andover in Week 6.    <a href="https://twitter.com/najeramav5?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/najeramav5?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw">Maverick Najera</a> – Deerfield, 5'5”, 140, ATH, Class of '25   Much like the 8-Man ranks, the 6-Man Division is also capable of producing unreal numbers. Sophomore quarterback, <a href="https://twitter.com/najeramav5?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/najeramav5?s=21&t=uMpCCmxSxWWQTKvlDMvAOw">Maverick Najera</a>, put together his best performance of the season thus far in Deerfield's third win on the year. Najera was responsible for 457 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns. This breakout game could lead to more standout performances for the sophomore.   Defense:   <a href="https://twitter.com/canmccormack?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/canmccormack?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w">Cannon McCormack</a> – Circle, 5'11”, 215, LB, Class of '24   <a href="https://twitter.com/canmccormack?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/canmccormack?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w">Cannon McCormack</a> has been having an unbelievable junior campaign. He's been a tackling machine so far this season, and he was at it again during Week 5. The junior racked up 22 total tackles against Augusta, and also came up with two forced fumbles and one blocked punt. McCormack will be a linebacker to keep track of the rest of the season.    <a href="https://twitter.com/gage_ilges?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/gage_ilges?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w">Gage Ilges</a> – Blue Valley SW, 6'0” 180, DB, Class of '24   Coming into Week 5, <a href="https://twitter.com/gage_ilges?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/gage_ilges?s=21&t=yDl96gyRtlW3VEDy8Jlz2w">Gage Ilges</a> had zero interceptions on the season. He changed that quickly in the Timberwolves' matchup against Blue Valley North. The junior's big night in the secondary helped BVSW take down the Mustangs, as he came up with a four interception performance.    [player_tooltip player_id='259756' first='Michael' last='Boganowski'] – Junction City, 6'2”, 195, ATH, Class of '24   One of the best defensive performances of Week 5 came from one of the biggest games of the week. [player_tooltip player_id='259756' first='Michael' last='Boganowski']'s performance helped Junction City take down one of the top teams in Class 6A. The junior came up with three turnovers against Washburn Rural, as he intercepted two passes and forced one fumble. Boganowski has been a prospect on the rise this season, and he is now on the D-I radar, as he picked up an offer from Kansas State over the weekend.

The second half of the regular season started off with a bang. Several teams across the state lit up the scoreboard during Week 5, and there was even a team that eclipsed 100 points! Scores should start to tighten up in the coming weeks though, as defense will play a major role late in the regular season.