Vote: Who should be SBLive’s Central Florida Offensive Player of the Week (10/16/2023)?
Central Florida athletes lit up the scoreboard all across Central Florida last week.
Athletes from seven counties turned in eye-popping performances during Week 8 games. We looked at teams from Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Volusia, Brevard, and Indian River counties and nominated 25 athletes for this week’s SBLive Central Florida Defensive Football Player of the Week from Oct. 12-14.
We ask you, the fan, to decide who should be the top player selected. Voting will conclude on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced in next week’s poll.
Congratulations to last week’s winner: SBLive congratulates Apopka K Hayden Kosicki for winning the Central Florida Offensive Player of the Week for Oct. 5-7.
Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. The poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.
Here are this week's nominations:
Carson Hinshaw, WR, Lake Mary: Super senior turned in another stellar effort, catching seven passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns to lead the unbeaten Rams (7-0) past Evans (Orlando), 36-6, in a Class 4 Metro, District 2 game.
Ben Bankowitz, OL, Edgewater (Orlando): Dominant sophomore (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) allowed no sacks and no pressures and made five pancake blocks in just one half of play in the Eagles’ 46-0 victory against Ocoee.
Treyvin Clark, RB, Seminole (Sanford): Senior had a big night, rushing 10 times for a whopping 201 yards and three TDs, catching one pass for 33 yards and returning a kickoff for 19 yards in the Seminoles’ wild 49-42 victory against DeLand.
Javon Ross, ATH, DeLand: Superb athlete scored four TDs in the Bulldogs’ close loss to Seminole. He scored on runs of 1, 59 and 8 yards and caught a 25-yard TD pass.
Jackson LaTour, QB, Oviedo: Senior is catching fire for the Lions (5-2), completing 17 of 26 passes for 334 yards and six TDs and rushing three times for 27 yards in a 53-14 romp against Lake Howell (Winter Park). It marked the second time that he threw six TD passes in a game.
Caden Mitchell, QB, Hagerty: Talented junior turned in a highlight-reel performance, completing 9 of 11 passes for 248 yards and four TDs and rushing for a 29-yard score to lead the Huskies to a 54-0 Class 4M-3 rout of Colonial (Orlando).
Bjorn Jurgensen, QB, Bishop Moore: Star junior completed 13 of 17 passes for 181 yards and two TDs, and ran seven times for 49 yards and a score to lead the Hornets (4-3) past previously unbeaten Orlando Christian Prep, 25-15.
Vernell Brown III, WR/ATH, Jones (Orlando): Caught six passes for 110 yards and one TD to lead the Tigers past Boone (Orlando), 51-14.
Romelo Ware, RB, Olympia (Orlando): Senior transfer from Lake Highland Prep rumbled for more than 190 yards on 25 carries to lead the Titans past Dr. Phillips, 31-21, in a key Class 4M-5 game.
Jackson Hughes, QB, Lake Minneola: Senior signal-caller completed 14 of 19 passes for 293 yards and five TDs – all to different receivers – to lift the Hawks to a 62-14 Class 4 Suburban, District 5 victory against South Lake (Groveland).
Will Burke, QB, Lyman (Longwood): Steady senior (6-5, 197) completed 11 of 14 passes for 231 yards and four TDs and rushed for 22 yards to lead the Greyhounds past East River (Orlando), 39-16, in a key Class 3M-2 game.
Troy Saladin, QB/ATH, Eustis: Athletic senior (5-11, 205) completed 7 of 10 passes for 202 yards and four TDs, and ran three times for 17 yards and a score to lift the Panthers past Umatilla, 57-0, in a 2S-10 game.
Logan King, QB, St. Cloud: Junior had a phenomenal game, completing 21 of 33 passes for 365 yards and six TDs and running for 13 yards in a 51-18 victory against TRU Prep Academy (Miami Gardens).
Trey Punter, WR/CB/FS, Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee): Sophomore caught eight passes for 108 yards to lead the Tigers past Gulf Breeze, 18-14.
Khamani Robinson, RB, Mainland (Daytona Beach): Ran for two first-half TDs to lead the unbeaten Buccaneers (7-0) past Deltona, 65-0, in a 3S-9 game.
Kwasie Kwaku, RB, Atlantic (Port Orange): Ran for TDs of 20 and 11 yards to lift the Sharks to a pivotal 27-0 Class 2S-8 victory against Crescent City.
Karl Nelson, QB, Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach): Talented sophomore threw six TD passes, five in the first half, to lift the Knights past Jordan Christian Prep (Auburndale), 46-0.
Malachi Walters, QB, University High (Orange City): Completed 8 of 12 passes for 154 yards and three TDs and ran for 13 yards to lift the unbeaten Titans (7-0) to a 22-12 victory against Spruce Creek (Port Orange).
Armoni Spurlock, RB, New Smyrna Beach: Ran for two TDs and threw for another to lift the Barracudas past Indian Rocks Christian (Largo), 35-14.
Latrison Lane, RB, Cocoa: Sophomore had a huge night, rushing 17 times for 141 yards and one TD to lift the defending Class 2S state champ Tigers past previously unbeaten Titusville, 28-3, in a District 12 showdown.
Tayshawn Benson, RB/FS/WR, Heritage (Palm Bay): Scored two TDs to lead the Panthers past Melbourne, 35-0.
Joseph Allen, QB, Melbourne Central Catholic: Freshman threw two TD passes and ran for another score to lift the Hustlers past Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (Melbourne), 20-7.
Traven Green, QB, Rockledge: Talented athlete threw four TD passes and ran for another score to lift the Raiders past Satellite, 44-0, in a Class 3S-10 game.
Elijah Peters, CB/WR, Astronaut (Titusville): Ran for three TDs to lift the War Eagles past Space Coast (Cocoa), 34-14.
Tyler Aronson, QB, Vero Beach: Senior completed 14 of 17 passes for 183 yards and four TDs to lift the Indians past Centennial (Port St. Lucie), 44-0, in a 4S-12 game.
Brian Oesterle, FS/RB, Melbourne Central Catholic: Two-way athlete turned in a stellar effort with 23 carries for 216 yards, four receptions for 55 yards and a TD, and three tackles in a 20-7 win against Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (Melbourne).
