Week 7 Wonders: Players who made a difference
Week 7 brought us a number of upsets, including surprising losses by league unbeatens Whitefish Bay and Pewaukee, as well as Oak Creek, and several other teams took strides to affirming their playoff status. Here were the players that made a difference:
Ezekiel Banks, Greenfield. It was a big breakout game for Banks, who ran 20 times for 218 yards and four touchdowns as Greenfield won the Woodland East Division with a blowout win over Messmer/Shorewood.
Bo Bennett, Dominican. Looking for its first playoff berth ever, Dominican is now one win away. The quarterback completed 11 of 19 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns in an uplifting, close victory over Shoreland Lutheran that required two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Bennett also ran for a touchdown, and Sean Dlugopolski caught six passes for 100 yards and one score.
Jaylen Campbell, Catholic Memorial. The Crusaders downed Waukesha West and have secured at least a share of the Classic 8 title with a 24-14 win. Campbell ran 31 times for 207 yards and a score.
Zach Clayton, Oconomowoc. It was another big day for the Cooney receiver as OHS stayed undefeated – this time, they didn’t trail for the first time this season. Clayton caught 13 passes for 210 yards and two scores. Quarterback Ben Nienhuis completed 22 of 42 passes for five scores overall and 358 yards.
Cade Garcia, Whitefish Bay. The quarterback was on point again with 301 yards passing and two scores, but the Blue Dukes were shocked by Milwaukee Lutheran, 35-31. Alex Anthony had 186 yards receiving.
Zach Genrich, Mukwonago. In a game Mukwonago had to have, the senior carried the ball 12 times for 158 yards and two scores as MHS won convincingly over Waukesha North, 42-14. Nate Lesnick also ran for two scores.
Paris Howell, Wauwatosa West. One of the area’s biggest surprises was Tosa West’s 39-10 win over Pewuakee, in which Howell rank the ball 17 times for 178 yards and two scores.
Michael Johnson, West Allis Hale. The Huskies edged Wauwatosa East, 21-20, on a late missed two-point conversion. Johnson completed only 7 of 13 passes but threw for 119 yards and all three touchdowns, and he also ran nine times for 57 yards.
Will Kennedy, University School. Not only did he rack up 131 yards rushing, but he also made 17 tackles and forced a fumble, but it came in a losing effort. Ian Francis of Brookfield Academy threw for 186 yards and ran for 56 as the Blue Knights won, 20-13.
Clay Kujawa, Greendale. In a losing effort, the quarterback (a rare QB wearing No. 99) threw for 271 yards and one score, connecting regularly with Tommy Kujawa (13 catches) and Zach Harrison (120 yards, touchdown). But Eisenhower won the battle, 17-7.
Max Meleski, New Berlin West. In a must-win game against Pius for playoff eligibility, the Vikings won big, and Meleski rushed 18 times for 104 yards and four touchdowns.
Jack Meyer, Cedarburg. Meyer rushed for three touchdowns in a colossal win over Germantown, 35-28, that figures to give the Bulldogs an inside track on a playoff spot.
Nick Mirasola, Sussex Hamilton. He ran 17 times for 112 yards and a score as Hamilton nearly pulled off the upset before falling to Brookfield Central, 28-20. He also caught five passes for 65 yards.
Rusty Murphy, Cudahy. The Packers notched a win over Brown Deer as Murphy completed 10 of 18 passes for 129 yards and a score, and he also ran 24 times for 99 yards and another touchdown.
Spencer Papandrea, Arrowhead. The Warhawks look like they’re headed to the playoffs despite an uncharacteristic two conference losses, as Papandrea raced up 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-12 win over Kettle Moraine.
Jake Simuncak, South Milwaukee. The workhorse quarterback/running back carried the ball 42 times for 309 yards and all five touchdowns, including the tiebreaking score with 5:03 left in the game, as the Rockets downed Whitnall, 33-27, and very much kept their playoff hopes alive.
Ethan Wittenburg, Franklin. The Sabers wideout had another dazzling day, catching 12 passes for 204 yards as Franklin knocked off Kenosha Indian Trail and moved into first place in the Southeast. Quarterback Max Alba completed 24 of 46 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns.