Vote: Who should be the South Florida Offensive Player of the Week (11/6/2023)?
It’s a wrap for the regular season in South Florida football, with the playoffs getting underway later this week.
For many heading to the postseason, the final week was a chance to fine tune before the elimination games start up.
In terms of offensive production, we saw many players step up in their respect season finales.
Now it’s time to decide who was the best of the best in our SBLive Sports Florida South Florida Offensive Player of the Week poll.
As always, these polls are intended to be fun, while providing recognition to players. Vote as often as you’d like, and spread the word.
(Reminder: Players, coaches, schools are encouraged to send their nominees to @JoeFrisaro on X)
Congratulations to last week's winner: Christian Mata of Piper.
Here are this week's nominees:
Anthony Carey, RB, Dillard: After falling behind by 12 points at halftime, Dillard made a strong comeback attempt, but fell just short, 33-28, to Blanche Ely. Carey made things interesting with just over 5 minutes remaining, scoring on a 50-yard touchdown run. In the first half, the sophomore added another scoring run.
Elijah DeWoskins, RB, West Broward: The Bobcats closed out their regular season with a 23-14 win against Everglades. DeWoskins had a terrific all-around game, rushing for 88 yards on 14 carries, and adding 42 yards receiving for 130 all-purpose yards.
Gary Hadley Jr., QB, Blanche Ely: In a thrilling rivalry game against Dillard, Ely held on for a 33-28 victory. Hadley scored a TD on a quarterback sneak, and he threw two touchdown passes to Richard Hollis to help build a 26-14 halftime lead.
Branden Hoch, WR, West Boca Raton: The junior had three catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-0 shutout against Olympic Heights.
Jordan Jones, RB, Miramar: Miramar went on the road and had a breakout game offensively in a 53-28 non-district game against South Broward. The Patriots had a balanced attack, with quarterback Kael Alexander throwing three touchdown passes. On the ground, Jones made his mark, rushing for 112 yards on 18 carries with a TD.
Carlos Avila-Lopez, WR, NSU University: Beating the same team twice in the same season is never easy, even if your team dominated the first meeting. NSU University discovered that, falling 41-20 to Westminster Academy, three weeks after being dominated, 42-7. Still, Avila-Lopez was a big performer for the Sharks, catching nine passes for 109 yards.
Deron Latson, WR, Cypress Bay: Latson made the most of his four catches. That’s because three of them were for touchdowns in a 44-0 victory against South Plantation.
Alonso Collins, RB, Westminster Academy: The Lions gained revenge on University School three weeks after suffering a 42-7 beatdown. It was a different story in the rematch last Thursday, with Westminster Academy pulling off a convincing 41-20 victory. Collins played a major factor, rushing for 139 yards on 30 carries, including a touchdown. Collins didn’t play in the first meeting with University School due to injury.
Alberto Mendoza, QB, Columbus: Good news for the Explorers. Mendoza returned to the lineup after missing a few games with a finger injury. In Columbus’ 24-6 win over Goleman, Mendoza was 8-for-9 passing for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Chaminade-Madonna: The Lions closed out an undefeated season with a resounding 57-0 win at Lakewood (St. Petersburg). Smith, the Ohio State commit, posted another dominating performance with seven catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Sylus Villanueva, RB, Archbishop Carroll: The Bulldogs are unconventional, running a Wing-T offense, which amassed 464 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Miami Palmer Trinity. Villanueva rushed for 134 yards and three TDs. Worth noting, Ryan Gonzalez had 125 yards rushing on six carries, with two touchdowns.
Ennio Yapoor, QB, Miami Norland: There’s not much more you can say about the junior quarterback, who has been a regular in our week polls. One of the top players in South Florida, Yapoor has led Norland to a 10-0 season after a 54-0 rout of Killian. Yapoor was 12-for-15 for 340 yards and two touchdown passes. For good measure, he ran for another score.
