Vote: Who should be the South Florida Offensive Player of the Week (10/23/2023)?
What a week of exciting and entertaining football in South Florida.
In Miami-Dade County, the annual GMAC (Greater Miami Athletic Conference) conducted its week of marquee matchups. In the championship game, Miami Norland held off Columbus, 16-3, in a tough, defensive tussle.
And in Broward County, St. Thomas Aquinas made a statement with a 35-19 victory over a strong Monarch team. National power, Chaminade-Madonna, was able to rest many of its regulars in a 64-0 shutout over Avant Garde Academy.
Those were just some snapshots of the week filled with impressive performances.
Now it’s time to recognize who stood out the most.
SBLive Sports Florida lets you decide in our South Florida Offensive Player of the Week poll. You can vote as often as you’d like. Spread the word! Voting ends Saturday, October 28th at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced in next week's poll.
(Reminder: Players, coaches and schools are encouraged to submit their nominees to @JoeFrisaro on X).
Congratulations to last week's winner: Noah Sidan of Miami Norland.
This week’s candidates are below:
Jake Aller, K, Miami Northwestern: Don’t be deceived by Northwestern’s 3-6 record. The Bulls have a young and improving team. Aller is one of the top placekickers in South Florida. In the Bulls’ 42-0 rout of Coral Gables, the senior converted six extra point attempts and had three of his kickoffs go for touchbacks. It’s easy to see why he’s being heavily recruited.
Patrick Anderson Jr., RB, Cardinal Gibbons: The Chiefs have been on a roll, beating Boca Raton, 31-19. Anderson rushed for 119 yards on 18 carries, and he scored a TD in the victory.
Edward “Speedy” Bandy, RB, Columbus: There wasn’t much offense by either team in the Explorers’ 16-3 loss to Norland. But the skillset and talents of Bandy were obvious, especially in the second half, as he rolled off several big runs, and put Columbus in position to score.
Anjuan Coleman, ATH, Miami Central: With JC Evans dealing with an injury, the Rockets asked one of their top receivers to play quarterback. Coleman answered the call and led Central to a 41-0 win over Southridge. Coleman threw for two touchdowns, while leading the offense.
Elijah DeWoskin, RB, West Broward: The Bobcats blanked Flanagan, 51-0. DeWoskin carried 13 times for 125 yards and two TDs.
Jaylon Edmond, WR, Western: There wasn’t much scoring in Western’s 14-6 win against Miramar. Edmond, in fact, had the Wildcats’ lone offensive touchdown. Special teams accounted for the other. Edmond caught a 14-yard scoring pass from Davi Belfort for the Wildcats’ first points.
Davion Gause, RB, Chaminade-Madonna: The Lions played mostly reserves against Avant Garde Academy. Gause, who has dealt with some injuries this year, made the most of his limited opportunities. The North Carolina commit rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on just three carries.
Jayden Gonzalez, QB, Pembroke Pines Charter: The Jaguars got back in the win column, beating Nova, 27-8. Gonzalez had a huge night, completing 27 of 34 attempts for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Robert Kerns, QB, Archbishop McCarthy: The Mavericks improved to 7-0 with a resounding 31-0 win against Glades Day. Kerns, a sophomore, has been leading the high-powered offense all season. McCarthy has scored at least 30 points in four straight games.
Byron Louis, RB, American Heritage: On a big play making team, Louis had a standout performance in a 38-17 win against Naples. On 14 carries, the junior rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Jordan Lyle, RB, St. Thomas Aquinas: Committed to Ohio State, Lyle had a huge night, scoring four touchdowns against Monarch.
Eric Nelson, WR, Miramar: The Patriots suffered a tough loss to Western. The big play of the game for Miramar was Nelson’s 87-yard touchdown reception. Nelson sped past the defense and collected Kael Alexander’s scoring pass.
Santiago Villaman, QB, Hialeah American: In a 34-12 win against Miami Springs, Villaman was 7-for-12 for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Ennio Yapoor Jr., QB, Miami Norland: All the junior does is win. It’s not always pretty, but the Vikings are in the drivers’ seat in Class 2M, and remained undefeated at 8-0 by beating Columbus. Yapoor was 19-for-28 for 375 yards passing, and he rushed for the clinching touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The junior signal caller set up the score with a 52-yard completion to Ivory Aikens.
