Week 6 Connolly Cup Players of the Week

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 6 Players of the Game selected by the Conolly Cup committee.   WR [player_tooltip player_id='1467402' first='Mason' last='Anderson'] (St. Francis) - 5 receptions for 79 yards and 3 TDs. Anderson used his height and solid body control to help St. Francis win their 5th game this season. Mason has made a smooth transition to the Monsignor Martin league, leading the Red Raiders in every receiving category in their first 6 games.   RB Jordan Brown (Williamsville North) - 25 carries for 265 yards and 3 TDs. Brown is having a breakout junior season and has helped the Spartans get a 4-0 Class A start in 2025. Jordan is a quick, shifty back with breakaway speed.   WR Tommy Collins (Williamsville South) - Made 2 acrobatic touchdown catches in their blowout win over Lake Shore. In his varsity rookie season, Collins is emerging as one of the Billies top playmakers.   RB/LB Naseem Dhali (Lackawanna) - 24 carries 151 yards and a TD. Defensively had 6 tackles, an INT and a forced fumble. Dhali was a one-man wrecking crew as he accounted for over 95% of the Steelers offense and is a stout defender.   ATH Gavin DeLong (Silver Creek-Forestville) - Scored 2 receiving TDs and registered 8 tackles and a fumble recovery on defense. An overall fantastic athlete, DeLong can do a little bit of everything.   WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1624558' first='Patrick' last='Horsmon'] (Williamsville East) - 7 receptions for 94 yards while adding 10 tackles and an INT in a 17-14 win. Horsmon is continuing his monster senior campaign with another solid outing. Patrick has led the Flames and their defense to a remarkable 5-1 start this year.   RB [player_tooltip player_id='778700' first='Elijah' last='Kimble'] (Canisius) - 18 carries for 272 yards and 4 TDs. Added 12 tackles on defense. Last week, Kimble became Canisius' all time leading rusher and his numbers continue to grow. With still a year and a half left in his high school career, his records will seem unbreakable.   ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1743184' first='Winter' last='Mentley-Peters'] (Gowanda-Pine Valley) - 24 carries for 206 yards while leading the Panthers in tackles with 13. Mentley-Peters is making a name for himself in Class D. He is one of the top athletes in the division as their second leading rusher and premiere defensive player.   ATH Roger Markham (Southwestern-Frewsburg) - 96 yards receiving and 2 scores. He also registered an INT on defense. A transfer from Falconer, Markham is making his presence felt as a senior. As a ball hawking athlete, he is leading Southwestern in receiving and INTs this season and the Trojans are currently unbeaten.   RB [player_tooltip player_id='1733083' first='Anthony' last='Moore'] III (McKinley) - 174 yards rushing on just 8 carries while scoring a TD. Also added 56 yards on a punt return. "Revenge games" often favor the former player over the team as was the case this week when Moore faced his former school, Kenmore East. McKinley is running roughshod through Class A and Anthony is leading the charge.   RB Aidan Phillips (Alden) - Registered 368 All-Purpose yards; 191 rushing, 77 receiving and 100 on returns. He also found the endzone 5 times. Defensively, he had 2 INTs, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In his first varsity season, Phillips has been the most versatile players on the Bulldogs roster. He has a great combination of size and speed that has been tough for other Class C schools to defend.   RB [player_tooltip player_id='1371662' first='Isaac' last='Platt'] (Pioneer) - 16 carries for 190 yards and 2 TDs. As a LB, Platt also had 5 tackles, 2 INTs and another score. Platt continues to make his case for Connolly Cup consideration. A three year varsity player and just a junior, Isaac has been a player Class B has had to keep their eye on. He is only getting better with each passing week.   WR [player_tooltip player_id='735840' first='Nick' last='Skutnik'] (Iroquois) - 11 receptions for 160 yards and 3 TDs. Skutnik scored another TD on a 71-yard punt return. He also went 3/4 on extra points. Skutnik is another player that will be in the finalist conversation by years end. He is the top WR prospect in all of Section VI and is currently leading in all receiving categories with a 60-831-12 stat line.   RB Blake Smith (Franklinville-Ellicottville) - 17 carries for 230 yards and 3 scores. Added 72 yards receiving on 4 catches. The Titans are having a rough go of it after reaching the Class D finals in 2024. But they received a major boost as Smith made his 2025 debut against Gowanda this week. Blake led Franklinville-Ellicottville in both rushing and receiving against the Panthers.   WR Arnette Williams (Health Sciences-BASC-Charter) 3 receptions for 150 yards and 2 TDs. Since their conception less than 10 years ago, the Falcons offensive gameplan has always been run oriented. While they still put over 200 yards on the ground, Williams stole the show with his incredible athletic catches. He is a big, physical player with strong hands. His numbers won't be high on a weekly basis but he is someone college recruiters will want to be aware of.

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 6 Players of the Game selected by the Conolly Cup committee.