FNV Week 7 Player of the Week Nominees

Here are the nominees for the Michigan High School Football Week 7 games for teams covered by Friday Night Victors. Please vote @FNVictors on Twitter.

Owen Sampson, RB, Ida. Sampson is throwing his hat into the ring for Offensive Player of the Year. The senior followed up his showing last week with a 30-carry, 232 rushing yards, and a touchdown showing as Ida defeated Onsted 37-14 in a contest that was postponed due to lightning. Sampson also eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the season.

Cole Giesege, RB, Whiteford. Like Sampson, Giesege is making sure that he is in the conversation for Offensive Player of the Year. He ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, and also caught two passes for 42 yards and a score as the Bobcats tied a school record for points with a 76-40 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.

Billy Gaskell, RB, Milan. Earlier in the season, I had a conversation with Milan QB Cole McElvaney, and he told me to keep an eye on Gaskell for a big performance. In a 43-15 win over Jefferson, Gaskell did just that with 108 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. He also hauled in two receptions for 30 yards and a score.

SMCC Falcon Defense. There were quite a few comments on the blog about how SMCC couldn’t handle the speed of New Boston Huron on offense. Well, it’s clear that the Falcons have plenty of speed on their defense after defeating the Chiefs 20-12, and holding them to 168 total yards, including minus-14 on the ground. Notable performances were DEs Riley DeSarbo (three sacks) and Noah Smith (two sacks), and LB Blake Birkenhier (sack, interception).