Football: Cooke, Mitchell earn Week 6 web MVP honors

Glenbard South junior running back Sean Cooke and Wauconda senior defensive end Connor Mitchell have earned Daily Herald MVP honors for their performances in Week 6 of the high school football season.

OFFENSE

Sean Cooke, Glenbard South: The 5-foot-9, 185-pound junior running back set records in the Raiders' 55-14 win at Wheaton Academy. He ran 20 times for 314 yards and 7 touchdowns, of 38, 12, 50, 7, 4, 1 and 63 yards. Cooke's yardage and touchdowns set program records, his 7 touchdown runs tied for third all-time in Illinois.

Shawn Griffin, South Elgin: A three-year varsity running back, Griffin set a new career high for the second straight week by rushing 24 times for 257 yards in helping the Storm defeat Glenbard East 61-47 to improve to 5-1. Griffin scored 4 touchdowns on jaunts of 71, 4, 34, and 41 yards.

Charlie Kaye, Fremd: The senior running back was a force in the Vikings' 49-19 victory over Palatine, rushing for 242 yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 carries to help Fremd stay in the thick of the Mid-Suburban West race.

Henry Schmidt, Libertyville: Oh, Henry. The senior wide receiver's breakout season continued as the Wildcats defeated Lake Zurich 41-21 to remain undefeated. He scored 3 touchdowns, catching passes of 16 and 46 yards while also recovering an offensive fumble in the end zone. He finished with 6 receptions for 100 yards.

DEFENSE:

Connor Mitchell, Wauconda: An unbelievable performance was too much for an undefeated team. Mitchell was dominant in the Bulldogs' 12-0 win over Vernon Hills, as the senior defensive end registered 4.5 sacks and 3 tipped passes, one of which was intercepted. He also had a touchdown reception to help keep the Bulldogs' playoff hopes alive.

Sean Barnes, Jacobs: This senior outside linebacker made the biggest defensive play in a showdown between unbeaten rivals when he picked off a Huntley pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown, drawing his team within a field goal of the lead with under 10 minutes to play. Though Jacobs eventually dropped a 22-19 decision, Barnes led a defensive effort by the Golden Eagles that included 5 interceptions and 4 tackles for loss.

Dylan Draka, Wheeling: The 6-foot, 205-pound senior linebacker helped the Wildcats get what they were looking for in a 33-21 victory against Prospect. Draka helped cause 2 turnovers, led a stingy defense and played every last snap of the game, including special teams.

Matt Sutton, IC Catholic Prep: A Knights starting receiver and safety, the 5-foot-8, 152-pound junior locked down a big 15-7 Metro Suburban West win at Riverside-Brookfield. In addition to a touchdown catch, a fumble recovery and 3 tackles, Sutton intercepted 2 passes in the last two minutes, the second on IC's own 2-yard line with 1:41 left.