Who had the area’s top prep football performances in Week 6?

Every week in the High Five, we try to present a mix of prep football players to honor for their performances.

We throw in linemen, defensive players and even kickers.

But this edition is different. There were simply too many explosive offensive gems on Friday to look elsewhere.

Let’s take a look at five of the area’s top efforts from Week 6, with regrets for having to leave out a bunch more.

5. Jacob Rufino, QB, Elgin

The Maroons scored six touchdowns in a 43-21 Upstate Eight Conference win over Larkin, a win that secured the Little Brown Jug rivalry reward for another year. All six scores came on Rufino passes.

The junior quarterback completed 15 of 22 passes for 204 yards, including touchdown tosses to five receivers. Ja’Miere Moore snared two of them.

At 4-2, Elgin sits on the verge of playoff eligibility and its first postseason berth since 2019.

4. Joe Brigham, QB, Rolling Meadows

Another six-touchdown performance, this time in the Mid-Suburban East as Rolling Meadows pushed past Buffalo Grove 59-27.

The senior led the Mustangs to their fifth straight win by helping pile up 460 total yards, including 232 rushing yards by Luke Harvey. Brigham completed 19 of 25 passes for 221 yards and three scores. He added touchdown runs of 1, 11 and 4 yards.

3. Donato Gatses, RB, Glenbard North

The Panthers did what they do best — pound the running game — in a 41-23 DuKane Conference win over Lake Park.

Gatses, a senior, carried the ball a whopping 35 times while grinding for 296 rushing yards. He scored on runs of 6, 2 and 30 yards in addition to another short one set up by a 48-yard gain.

Glenbard North is also within a win of playoff eligibility and its first postseason appearance since 2021.

2. Trae Taylor, QB, Carmel

The High Five normally focuses on winning teams, but Taylor was too brilliant to ignore.

Carmel fell 55-54 to Montini in a stunning game featuring more than 1,000 yards of offense. Taylor — a junior verbally committed to Nebraska — accounted for eight touchdowns, five through the air and three on the ground.

Taylor completed 25 of 37 passes for 437 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown toss to Kyron Hart with 27.1 seconds left to pull the Corsairs within a point. The 2-point pass, however, was broken up.

1. Israel Abrams, QB, Montini

Video game players envy Abrams’ numbers from Friday’s win over Carmel.

The junior, who holds numerous high-level scholarship offers, completed 22 of 33 passes for 572 yards, including 90-yarders for touchdowns to Luca Florio and Damacio Ortegon. The one to Ortegon with 1:26 left wound up being the game-winner.

Unofficially, the 572 yards place Abrams ninth on the IHSA record list for passing yards in a game. It’s the state’s highest total since 2014.