BRANCH COUNTY – It is time once again, oh ye good people of Branch County, to take a look back at the week that was and determine who you think was the absolute best of the best with a pair of polls, leaving the tough decision to you, the readers of The Daily Reporter.
Now this year the polling will be a tad different, as two different polls will be promoted at the same time, one asking who you believe is the Best Football Player of the Week and one delving into all the other sports, asking you who was the Best non-football Athlete of Branch County this past week.
So, with this piece we get to start with the big one, so, who do you think was Week 4 The Daily Reporter Football Player of the Week?
Voting begins right away and runs until 3 p.m. on Friday. There is no limit to the number of times you can vote so vote, refresh, and vote again. Vote until your favorite athlete wins the honor. So, without further ado, here are the nominees for the Week 4 The Daily Reporter Football Player of the Week.
Top Performances
Ben Stevens, WR/DB, Bronson Vikings – Stevens had 10 carries for an even 100 yards rushing in Bronson’s win over Cassopolis to go along with two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown, a strike to Stevie Wilson.
Braxton Miller, QB/DB, Union City – Miller finished the heartbreaking loss versus Stockbridge completing 6 of 16 passes for 62 yards and one touchdown. Miller also added nine carries for 71 yards and a touchdown to help out the offense.
Dalton Hoard, RB/LB, Bronson Vikings – Hoard had a big overall game for the Vikings in their victory, finishing second on the team in rushing with five carries for 97 yards and one touchdown. Hoard also finished the night with two receiving touchdowns, one from 20 yards and the other from 45-yards. Hoard was also a monster on defense for the Vikings with five tackles and three big sacks.
Dracyn Foster, QB, Coldwater Cardinals – Foster has quickly grown into one of the most dynamic signal callers in the game today, especially in the Branch County area. Whether with his arms or legs Foster can do it all. In Coldwater’s Homecoming win over Northwest on Friday the junior signal caller finished the day completing 14 of 18 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Foster also added 59 yards on 11 carries to help the offense roll on the ground.
Grant Longardner, OL/DL, Quincy Orioles- Longardner led the Quincy defense with 13 tackles on the night, five solo tackles, and one forced fumble.
Jace Hoard, RB/LB, Bronson Vikings – Hoard finished the night with 11 carries for 114 yards and one touchdown, a 64-yard scoring run.
Jack Delaney, QB/CB, Tekonsha Indians – Delaney had a solid day for Tekonsha this past Friday, both in the air and on the ground. Through the air Delaney completed 10 of 27 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown while leading all rushers with 26 carries for 142 yards. Delaney also added five tackles on defense for a solid overall night in a tough loss.
Kyrell King, WR/DB, Tekonsha Indians – King finished Tekonsha’s tough loss to Burr Oak with an impressive stat line of six catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. King also added three tackles on defense.
Luke Rufenacht, WR/DB, Quincy Orioles – Rufenacht had yet another big game for the undefeated Orioles, pulling in seven catches for 60 yards while adding one carry for 4 yards. On the day Rufenacht finished with one touchdown reception and a 2-point conversion catch to help the Orioles to the win.
Noah Kelley, RB/DB, Quincy Orioles – Kelley is a playmaker in every sense of the word and showed it Friday night in the Orioles win over Comstock. Kelley ran the ball 27 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns while also adding two catches for 28 yards. Kelley also added 34 yards on a kick return as the sophomore showed a great deal of heart.
Royale Fleming, RB/DB, Coldwater Cardinals – Fleming had perhaps his best game at the varsity level, scoring his first varsity touchdown on an 8-yard reception from Dracyn Foster. Fleming also chipped in big yards on the ground, rushing the ball 11 times for 125 yards to go along with a 10-yard kickoff return, giving Fleming an impressive 143-all-purpose yards on the night.
Trey “Tray” MacDonald, RB, Union City Chargers – MacDonald finished the game just shy of 200 yards rushing, running the ball 32 times for 189 yards and a single touchdown as Union City dropped their first game of the season to Stockbridge.
Just a reminder, the voting begins immediately and runs through 3 p.m. on Friday. There is no limit to your votes, so vote as often as you want.
For more information on the Branch County Athlete of the Week poll or to nominate a player please contact The Daily Telegram sports editor Troy Tennyson, who is in charge of celebrating Branch County’s top performers, via email at ttennyson@thedailyreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Who will be voted as the week 4 The Daily Reporter Football Player of the Week?
Reporting by Troy Tennyson, Coldwater Daily Reporter / The Daily Telegram
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
