These week 1 top performers made an impact for their Hillsdale County football teams
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Every week, we will recap the top performers for week one of the high school football season. Nominations for the top performers list can be sent in by fans, coaches and athletic directors by Saturday evening each week.
These football players had standout efforts for their teams in week one of the high school football season. Additional top performers from each team may be included in the final list but not for the athlete of the week nominations for each team.
Brayden Miller has standout defensive effort for Camden-Frontier
Camden-Frontier four-year varsity starter Brayden Miller once-again anchored the linebacker position for his team in their opening season game against Bellevue. His 13.5 tackles, one sack and three TFL helped keep CF in front 16-14 at the half.
CF would end up giving up the lead and the game in the second half, but Miller was able to earn 68 yards offensively and score a two-point conversion. Other standouts included Logan Leggett with 44 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Senior Worm Wickham had five tackles and an interception.
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Jace Lennox leads big-play offense for Hillsdale football
Hillsdale junior Jace Lennox had his breakout game against the Jonesville Comets, helping his team win 40-8 in the week one Game of the Week. He had 146 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. He had a long of 63. He had a strip fumble to stop a final-second touchdown run from Jonesville.
Other major contributors for Hillsdale included senior Stephen Petersen. Petersen broke out two big touchdown runs and eclipsed 100 rushing yards on the day. Senior quarterback Jack Bowles had five completions for 69 yards and a touchdown to Hunter Wilson.
Freshman John Milks leads Jonesville football rushing attack against Hillsdale
Freshman John Milks was called upon to contribute at a high level in Jonesville football's opening season game against Hillsdale. The freshman carried the ball 20 times for 110 yards. He had a long of 23 yards.
Other standout performers for the Comets included senior Jordan VanSickle, who hauled in the Comets' two passes of the night for 40 yards and a touchdown. Carson Playford had 58 rushing yards on 14 carries. Jayden Duque had a long run of 58 yards.
Watch: Jonesville scores their lone touchdown of the night in week 1
Tyler Bills leads passing and rushing attack for Litchfield football
Senior quarterback Tyler Bills broke records in 2022. He looks poised to do so again this season. He had 243 passing yards, 114 rushing yards and six total touchdowns.
More: Litchfield QB Tyler Bills erupts once again, leads Terriers over Burr Oak
Other standout efforts for the Terriers included senior Junior Alvarez, who hauled in four receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 11.5 tackles. Miguel Pedroza had two receptions for 78 yards. Each reception resulted in a touchdown. He also had a kickoff return for a 75-yard touchdown.
More: Checking in on the status of each 8-player prep football team after week 1
Gavyn Carden has perfect 2023 debut for Pittsford football
Senior signal Caller Gavyn Carden worked with head coach Mike Burger and Hillsdale College QB Jake Burger before the season on elevating his passing game to the next level. He did that and more in the team's 44-16 victory over Athens in week one.
Carden was a perfect 6-for-6 passing with 111 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 38 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He also contributed eight tackles on defense for the Wildcats.
More: Pittsford football sends statement with victory over Athens
Other standout efforts for the Wildcats included Anthony Governo, who had two rushing touchdowns for Pittsford. Senior Bryce Williams caught five of Carden's passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Lane Lewis had seven tackles and one sack.
Tayshawn Bester leads Reading football rushing attack against Whtie Pigeon
The Ranger led 14-14 heading into halftime against White Pigeon in their 2023 season opener. Despite only having seven plays in the second half, Reading senior Tayshawn Bester was able to put together an impressive debut for his final season. The senior had seven carries for 67 yards and scored two touchdowns.
On defense, the returning dream team honoree had seven tackles for the Rangers. The Rangers also had standout efforts from junior Lukas Strine, who had five carries for 44 yards, one two-point conversion and 11 tackles. Brady Kling got the start at QB for the Rangers and had five completions for 47 yards. Skylar Charters had two interceptions.
Quarterback Seth Williams starts his sophomore season for Waldron football with impressive numbers
The freshman season for Seth Williams saw the quarterback thrown into choppy waters to start his career. With another offseason of work put in, Williams debuted in the 2023 season with an impressive outing that helped his team get a week one victory over Lakeside Danbury.
The Spartan quarterback completed 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Seven of those catches went to his senior older brother Sam Williams. Sam had 107 receiving yards and 14 tackles on defense. Defensively, Collin Williams had a standout game with 17 tackles.
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This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: These week 1 top performers made an impact for their Hillsdale County football teams
