Game Balls From Around the State: Week 9

Week 9 of the '22 campaign was not kind to the underdogs, as nearly every top-seeded team in the state advanced to the Regional Round. While the Opening Round produced some lopsided scores, there were still plenty of entertaining games in each classification level, and there were a number of outstanding performances as well. This ninth Game Ball piece features eight prospects that put on a show during the first week of the postseason.    Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id='316990' first='Bobby' last='Trujillo'] – Emporia, 6'2”, 210, LB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='316990' first='Bobby' last='Trujillo'] was a scoring machine during the Opening Round! He helped the fourteenth-seeded Spartans upset the No. 3 seed on the East side of the 5A bracket, as Emporia outlasted Highland Park in a 83-64 shootout. Trujillo was responsible for nine of the Spartans' 12 touchdowns in the game. He'd carry the ball 28 times for 301 yards, and also had 12 total tackles and one sack on defense. It will be interesting to see if Trujillo and the Spartans can stay hot against eleventh-seeded Blue Valley Southwest during Regionals.   [player_tooltip player_id='259786' first='Omari' last='Elias'] – Kapaun Mt. Kamel, 5'10”, 195, RB, Class of '24   The top-ranked running back in the Class of '24 earns his second Game Ball of the season after another ridiculous night on the ground. With the Crusaders in a close game against Goddard, Kapaun would look to the junior to help lead them to the promise land. Elias turned in yet another 300-yard rushing performance, as his 383 yards and four touchdowns helped Kapaun take down the Lions in a final score of 31-17.   [player_tooltip player_id='122549' first='Mario' last='Menghini'] – Frontenac, 6'2”, 190, ATH, Class of '23   The all-around play of [player_tooltip player_id='122549' first='Mario' last='Menghini'] not only earned him his first Game Ball of the '22 campaign, but it helped the Frontenac Raiders advance to the Regional Round as well. Menghini would find the end zone five times in Frontenac's 35-15 victory over Iola, and he also went on to account for 292 yards of total offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='35681' first='Tre' last='Richardson'] – Highland Park, 5'10”, 165, ATH, Class of '23   Trujillo wasn't the only prospect that went off in the matchup between Emporia and Highland Park. Despite the tough loss, [player_tooltip player_id='35681' first='Tre' last='Richardson'] once again proved that he is one of the top prospects in this senior class. He's recently gained a bit of national attention for the amount of points he's accounted for this season, and he added even more to his season totals during Week 9. Richardson was responsible for six total touchdowns and over 440 all-purpose yards. The dynamic senior has been a walking highlight reel throughout his high school career, and he should be an exciting player at the collegiate level as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='246085' first='Dalton' last='Whitworth'] & [player_tooltip player_id='246087' first='Ethan' last='Burgess'] – Rock Creek   This senior to senior connection has not only been the best quarterback-receiver duo in Class 3A this season, but quite possibly in the entire state. Whitworth and Burgess have put up monster numbers this season, and their performance against Clearwater during Week 9 was much of the same. The seniors would connect 16 times for 158 yards and four touchdowns in Rock Creeks' big win. However, Burgess only accounted for a fraction of the yards Whitworth threw for. Whitworth completed 41-of-50 passes for 550 yards and seven touchdowns! The signal caller is playing on another level right now, which is why he picked up his third Game Ball of the season.   Defense:   <a href="https://twitter.com/brenmart18?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/brenmart18?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w">Brenden Martin</a> – Atchison, 6'0”, 190, ATH, Class of '23   The Atchison Phoenix remain unbeaten and keep their state title hopes alive after an impressive showing from Martin and Atchison's defense. Martin was a key contributor to a defense that held Fort Scott to just 12 points. The senior was one of Atchison's top tacklers in the contest, as Martin racked up 20 total on the night.   <a href="https://twitter.com/christensonp23?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/christensonp23?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w">Preston Christenson</a> – Troy, 6'0”, 170, ATH, Class of '23   <a href="https://twitter.com/christensonp23?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/christensonp23?s=21&t=EOAgaEKK4k5I9M8WAbE33w">Preston Christenson</a> is another defender that helped his team dominate the opposition. The Trojans' defense limited Mission Valley's offense and only surrendered 14 points in the contest thanks to Christenson's big night. Christenson made multiple trips to the Vikings' backfield, as the senior piled up four sacks in Troy's lopsided victory. The most impressive thing about his performance was that he did his damage in only two quarters of play.

Week 9 of the '22 campaign was not kind to the underdogs, as nearly every top-seeded team in the state advanced to the Regional Round. While the Opening Round produced some lopsided scores, there were still plenty of entertaining games in each classification level, and there were a number of outstanding performances as well. This ninth Game Ball piece features eight prospects that put on a show during the first week of the postseason.