Who had the area’s top prep football performances in Week 9?
As we bid farewell to the regular season, we also bid farewell to our many local prep football teams who failed to make the playoffs.
A bunch of those teams went out with a bang, snagging victories to build momentum heading into the offseason.
This edition of the High Five looks at the area’s top prep football performances from Week 9, highlighted by two players who finished the season on a high note.
5. Moises Velazquez, K, Glenbard East
Mr. Consistency came through in the biggest moment of the season, booting a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rams a 45-43 victory over Riverside-Brookfield.
The win gave Glenbard East an 8-1 record heading into the playoffs and a second straight title in the Upstate Eight East.
Velazquez, a junior, knocked through all six of his extra-point attempts on Friday, putting him at 47 of 48 on the season. He’s also made all three of his field-goal attempts.
4. Bennett Konkey, WR, Geneva
The Vikings ended their season strong with a 45-20 DuKane Conference win over St. Charles East, powered by the steady hands of their 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior receiver.
Konkey snared 4 touchdowns from quarterback Ben Peterson, a fellow junior, while scoring the first three times he touched the ball in the first half. Konkey finished with 8 catches for 152 yards and Peterson was 20 of 31 for 282 yards.
3. Brady Buhl, OL, Cary-Grove
The 5-10, 255-pound senior left guard was relentless with his run blocking during the Trojans’ 44-29 Fox Valley Conference victory over Jacobs, their seventh straight win heading into the postseason.
Logan Abrams, Jackson Berndt and Ty Tenopir all ran for at least 100 yards while combining for 5 of the team’s 6 rushing touchdowns. As a team, Cary-Grove rushed for 471 yards in another dominant performance by the offensive line.
2. Johnny O’Brien, QB, Fremd
It was just a matter of time before the 6-2, 190-pound senior, a Northwestern commit, appeared in this season’s High Five.
In less than three quarters of action, O’Brien completed 23 of 38 passes for 383 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 41-7 Mid-Suburban East win over Schaumburg.
O’Brien spread the ball to seven different receivers as Marquan Brewster, Ben Riddle and Jayden Faulkner had touchdown catches.
1. Ishmaiah Elliott, RB, Waubonsie Valley
Elliott ended his high-school career with a brilliant effort in the Warriors’ 49-28 Southwest Valley Red win over DeKalb.
The 6-foot, 200-pound senior rushed for 356 yards and 6 touchdowns while rallying his team from a 20-14 halftime deficit. Elliott scored on runs of 81, 76, 59, 47, 30 and 11 yards.