Who should be the Longplex Athlete of the Week for the Football Semifinals? Vote now!
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With trips to the Super Bowls on the line, you knew every player would leave every ounce of themselves on the field. Big performances weren’t a surprise – they were an expectation.
Ten semifinal games took place from Thursday to Saturday and an uncountable number of players stepped up huge to help get their team to their respective Super Bowl. It’s always great to see – unless you’re trying to narrow down a list to five players for the Longplex Athlete of the Week for the Football Semifinals.
We ran through each of the games and took into consideration the impact individuals made and the competition they were playing against and came up with our five nominees. Are there others who could be here? Absolutely. But we feel these five had the biggest impact in getting their team to their respective Super Bowl, so they made the cut. We’re just happy we don’t have to pick a winner.
As always, we’ll leave that up to you, the reader. To cast your vote, check out the bios of this week’s five nominees and then scroll to the bottom of the page and pick who you think should be honored in this week’s poll.. Voting opens Monday morning and runs until Friday at 11:59 p.m., and a winner will be announced in this space next week. Remember – you can vote as many times as you’d like from now until the ballot closes.
Who was the Quarterfinals Athlete of the Week?
Hendricken fans showed up to support one of their own and their voting earned Ryan Santo Athlete of the Week honors.
The Hawks have had plenty of nominees in the past, but fans never came close to one winning the title. That changed in a big way with Santo, who received over 15,000 votes to crush the competition, much like his effort helped Hendricken crush St. Raphael in the quarterfinals.
West Warwick’s Nick Andruchow finished second in voting with nearly 30 percent of the total ballots, but Santo could not be stopped.
Congratulations to Santo and the Hendricken faithful!
What does the winner receive?
The big prize for winning the Longplex Athlete of the Week? Internet clout.
Our award is designed to be an interactive way for the state’s most passionate football communities to show support for their local players. We want schools, teams and players to create social media campaigns to garner support and try and earn as many votes as possible. When a player wins, the whole communities does as well – and we learn which communities truly support high school football.
How does a player get nominated for Athlete of the Week?
By now you already know – ball out on the field. With playoffs here, there’s really no other choice.
With the Super Bowls up next, that’s the only requirement. The Providence Journal will staff next weekend’s Super Bowls and will pick five players from the five games to be next week’s nominees.
Who will be the Longplex Athlete of the Week for football? Take a look at this week’s nominees, then vote at the ballot at the bottom of the page. Get those social media campaigns going now!
Longplex Athlete of the Week for Football Nominees
Alec Hayes, Narragansett
Hayes did a little big of everything for the Mariners in their 27-7 win over Scituate on Thursday night. On offense, the senior quarterback ran the show. Hayes completed 12 of 18 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 77 yards while scoring one on the ground and also kicked three extra points. On defensive, Hayes also made plays and came up with two first-half interceptions that helped get Narragansett rolling to its second straight Division IV Super Bowl.
Jabari Jackson, Hendricken
In the biggest games the Hawks normally run the football, but with a weapon like Jackson it was clear why they’d choose to go to the air in their 38-34 win over North Kingstown on Friday night. Jackson had a 40-yard catch on the opening drive that set up a score, then caught a 58-yard touchdown pass and a 40-yard TD in the second quarter en route to his four catch, 156-yard performance that helped earn Hendricken a spot in the State Championship Super Bowl.
Dante Peno, South Kingstown
The Rebels know what it takes to win a Super Bowl and they showed they have the player who can help them win another. Coming off a 226-yard performance in the quarterfinals, Peno was just as impressive in Friday’s 21-13 win over East Providence. The senior – who also leads the SK defense at linebacker – scored on a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and added two more in his 149-yard night, giving the Rebels a chance to repeat as Division II champions.
Sam Perry, La Salle
The Rams lost to Cranston West in Providence in their regular-season finale and after a bye, Perry made sure history didn’t repeat itself. Trailing by a touchdown early, Perry used his plethora of talented skill players to take the Falcons’ secondary apart. The junior quarterback completed 14 of 22 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yarder, in La Salle’s 28-14 win that sends it to the Super Bowl against rival Hendricken on Friday.
Jayden Rabbitt, Cumberland
The Clippers are trying to make the most out of the Division I Consolation Playoffs and Rabbitt gave them a chance to play at Cranston Stadium. Rabbitt showed off his speed early with two first-quarter touchdowns – one going for 30 yards – and suddenly trailing at halftime, Rabbitt jump-started the offense in the second half and scored two more, finishing the game with 226 yards and four touchdowns in the 43-26 win over Burrillville.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Longplex Athlete of the Week for RI Football Semifinals poll
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