Week 1 Connolly Cup Players of the Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Connolly Cup is one of the most prestigious awards among Western New York High School Football, given to the area's best skill player annually at the end of the season. Each week the Connolly Cup committee presents a list of players that showcased excellent athletic ability over the previous weekend. Here are the Week 1 Players of the Game selected by the Conolly Cup committee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1241972' first='Chase' last='Bonta'] (Jamestown) | vs Williamsville North | 22 carries 142 yards and 3 TDs. 11 Tackles on defense. Bonta was a Connolly Cup Finalist last year and he is considered one of the favorites to win the award this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1742088' first='Harlem' last='Brannon'] (Kenmore West) | vs Lockport | 11 carries for 246 yards and 4 TDs. He added an 86 yard TD pass. 7 tackles and an INT on defense. Had a breakout season last year and should make the All State team as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB/S [player_tooltip player_id='501394' first='Trent' last='Buttles'] (St. Francis) | vs Jackson (PA) | 15/30 for 284 yards and two scores. Ran for 57 yards and 2 more TDs. Played defense as well where he had 10 tackles and an INT. He is brand new to the WNY area and already making his presence known.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1624567' first='Mac' last='Capen'] (Newfane) | vs Royhart/Barker | 12/19 for 141 yards but carried the ball 14 times for another 206 and 4 TDs. An all around fantastic athlete that will give Newfane the opportunity to win on a weekly basis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1742268' first='Kalaugn' last='Ford'] (McKinley) | vs Lancaster | A scrambling QB that carried the ball 24 times for 299 yards while scoring four touchdowns. He also completed 9 of 18 passes for 184 yards and another touchdown. He is taking a major step forward from his impressive junior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1743178' first='Ryan' last='Hough'] (Wilson) | vs Alden | 5 receptions for 122 yards and 2 TDs. Also, returned a kick 86 yards for a score. Recorded 2 INTs on defense. Hough is a lesser known player playing in Class D but is an exceptional athlete and the Lakemen will count on him a lot this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='778700' first='Elijah' last='Kimble'] (Canisius) | vs Scranton Prep (PA) | 13 carries for 315 yards and 4 TDs. No surpirise here as Kimble is the best RB in NYS and will be a Connolly Cup Finalist for the third year in a row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1743184' first='Winter' last='Mentley-Peters'] (Gowanda-Pine Valley) | vs Akron | 19 carries for 142 yards and 2 TDs. 11 tackles and 2 sacks on defense. Small, shifty player that has had his ups and downs but can be a premiere playmaker in Class D.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1212776' first='Christian' last='Moss'] (Medina) | vs Silver Creek/Forestville | 12 carries for 171 yards and 2 TDs. Added 48 yards receiving as well as 9 tackles and a sack on defense. One of my favorite RB prospects in the area, Moss has won the Player of the Week honors several times in his previous two seasons but I think this year he should be considered a finalist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='806966' first='Dominic' last='Nucci'] (Grand Island) | vs Iroquois | 14 carries for 107 yards and 2 TDs as well as converting three 2-point conversions. 4 tackles and an INT on defense. I originally pegged Nucci as a top Class of '26 LB but last season and already early on here, he is becoming a bruising RB that can get some collegiate looks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1212763' first='Kaivohn' last='Pitts'] (Health Sciences) | vs Orchard Park | 11 carries for 103 yards and 2 TDs. Also had a KIck Return for a TD from 80 yards out. Pitts has the talent and all the intangibles to be one of the top RB prospects in WNY but Health Sciences runs a RB by committee so the touches won't always be there week in/week out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1811559' first='Scott' last='Stowe'] (Lockport) | vs Kenmore West | 19/34 for 211 yards and 2 TDs. Ran for 64 yards and 2 more scores. Converted two 2-point conversions. Breakout season as a sophomore in 2024 but wins won't come easy for Lockport so games like this may be few and far between.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH Dylan Swanson (Cattaraugus Little Valley) | vs JFK | 18 carries for 151 yards and 3 TDs. 6 tackles as a LB. Swanson is a new name to me but not surprising as this was the Timberwolves first win in 5 seasons and it was against a team that did not have a varsity squad last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='747255' first='Brady' last='Waring'] (Eden-North Collins) | vs Lake Shore | 15/25 for 179 yards and a game winning TD with 23 seconds left in the game. One of the top passing leaders in Section VI last season, Waring should continue his success as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1367174' first='Sawyer' last='Whitney'] (Clymer-Sherman-Panama) | vs Franklinville/Ellicottville | 38 carries for 208 yards and 3 TDs. Whitney is the youngest player on this list in just his sophomore season and he proved he can be a workhorse RB. CSP lost several key players to graduation so we will have to see if he can continue this kind of workload.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->