Game Balls from Around the State: Week 12

The state semi-finals brought us some amazing performances, as each squad across all classification levels were fighting to advance to <em>Championship Saturday</em>. There were a handful of close games during the <em>Sub-State</em> round, but most teams that advanced won convincingly. Now all the state title matchups are set, and the stakes have never been higher. Don’t miss a minute of the action during the final week of the ’21 season. Here’s a look at some of the top offensive and defensive performances from the <em>Sub-State</em> round. <em>Offense: </em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87649" first="Dylan" last="Edwards"]</strong> – Derby, RB, <em>Class of ’23</em> Edwards just continues to put up video game numbers. His remarkable performance against Lawrence during <em>Sub-State </em>earns him his second game ball of the ’21 campaign. The explosive junior eclipsed 300 yards rushing on 27 carriers with four scores. He’s now on the verge of another state title and possibly eclipsing 2,500 yards rushing on the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="123016" first="Braxton" last="Lafferty"]</strong> – Little River, ATH, <em>Class of ’23</em> Lafferty picks up his second game ball in another classic matchup against Canton-Galva. He hurt the Eagles on the ground back in Week 5, and this time he displayed his dual-threat ability. Lafferty would go on to complete 7 of 8 passes for 184 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 193 yards on 28 carriers with five trips to the end zone. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35590" first="Tyler" last="Claiborne"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="166977" first="Jackson" last="House"]</strong>, SJA, <em>Class of ’22 &amp; ’23</em> This duo went off against Bishop Miege in the state semi-finals. House eclipsed 300 yards passing for the second time this season, going 20 of 25 for 322 yards with four touchdowns and added 56 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Claiborne led the Thunder in receiving and had his best game of the season. He hauled in 12 catches for 259 yards with three scores. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="237216" first="Garrett" last="Maltbie"]</strong> – Canton-Galva, QB, <em>Class of ’23</em> Lafferty wasn’t the only player that had a monster game during the rematch of Little River and Canton-Galva. Maltbie played out of his mind, as he helped the Eagles keep pace in a high-scoring battle. The junior finished the game going 23 of 37 for 419 yards with six touchdown passes and rushed for 128 yards on 13 carriers with two scores. Very impressive performance regardless of the outcome. <em>Defense: </em> <strong>Grant Rutkowski</strong> – Mill Valley, DL, <em>Class of ’23</em> This junior turned in arguably his best game of the year when it mattered the most. Rutkowski elevated his game and racked up six total tackles with two being for losses, one sack, and a pair of forced fumbles. He’s another talented piece to a strong defensive line for Mill Valley. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87678" first="Miles" last="Wash"]</strong> – Derby, LB, <em>Class of ’23</em> If there was a <em>Breakout Player of the Year</em> award, Wash would be a top candidate for it. He’s impressed throughout this season, and his <em>Sub-State</em> performance was another great outing. Wash racked up 10 total tackles and two sacks in a big win over Lawrence. <strong>Aidan Janatello</strong> – SJA, LB, <em>Class of ’22</em> Janatello was featured a few weeks ago as a standout player in the Thunder’s win over Piper, and now he earns his first defensive game ball of the season. The senior had his highest tackle total of the year against Miege with 15 on the night, and he came up with a sack. &nbsp;