Game Balls: top high school sports performers of the week

QUANTAVIUS ALEXANDER and ISAIAH KING

East’s wide receivers were among the many offensive stars who helped light up the scoreboard in the Lancers’ 55-48 double-overtime barn-burner at Normal West Saturday. King caught 10 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Alexander contributed seven grabs for 107 yards and another score.

RONALD ALLEN

The Warriors improved to 2-0 with a 29-28 win over Riverview Gardens by utilizing a potent offensive attack that included 220 yards of rushing and just enough passing to keep the running lanes open. Allen led the charge with 112 yards on 19 carries.

JORDAN AUGUSTINE

It was another big night for the Crusaders’ senior quarterback, who led Althoff to a statement-making 54-38 win over traditional Jefferson City, Mo. power Helias Catholic. Augustine was 19-of-23 passing for 387 yards in the win. He’s the metro-east’s top passer through the season’s first two weeks, having thrown for 618 yards and six touchdowns.

CAITLYN CLINTON

Taking of the leadership reigns — both on and off the course — of the premier girls program in southern Illinois, Clinton got her season off to a solid start on Saturday with a second place finish at the Granite City Invitational. Clinton covered the three mile Wilson Park course in 18 minute 38 seconds.

KRISTON DAVIS

The Maroons’ sophomore tailback was a bright spot in a disappointing 26-14 loss at Normal Community High School. Game-time lightning pushed Friday’s scheduled start back 24 hours, forcing Davis and his teammates to make the long bus ride to-and-from on consecutive days. Neither bus lag or Saturday’s oppressive humidity deterred Davis, who carried 35 times for 272 yards and both Maroons’ touchdowns.

MALIK EASLEY and JAYLON BESTER

It was a balanced attack that helped the Crusaders pile on more than 700 yards of total offense in a win at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Mo., Friday night. Easley averaged nearly 13 yards per carry, finishing with 207 yards rushing on 16 attempts. Jaylon Bester was good in support, too. He had 127 yards on 16 rushes for an average of 7.8 yards per carry.

DREW HUEBNER and CHRIS WAGNER

With an overflow crowd in Waterloo for the annual Monroe County showdown, Huebner was given a big stage on which to perform. He didn’t disappoint Eagles fans, passing for 250 yards with three touchdowns in a 31-12 victory over the Bulldogs. The senior also ran for another touchdown to help Columbia advance to 2-0. Among Wagner’s three catches were two touchdown receptions and e also had an interception in the first half.

MAX JENNINGS

The Bulldogs had little problem moving the football, even in a 31-12 loss to Columbia Friday. Jennings led a solid Waterloo ground attack with 126 yards on 26 carries, including one touchdown. As a team, Waterloo had 226 yards rushing.

KAYLA JUENGER and ALI HANGER

Juenger earned Most Valuable Player honors and Hanger was named to the All-Tournament team as Belleville West won its third straight Quincy Tournament championship . The two seniors have helped the Maroons blaze their way to a 6-0 start after going 5-0 at Quincy.

DREW MILLAS

The senior quarterback engineered a Lancer offense during a game that produced nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and more than 100 points. For his part, Millas completed 26 of 47 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns to lead East to the double overtime win at Normal West. His 5-yard touchdown run forced the second overtime.

ADAM NELSON

Nelson is quickly emerging as one of the metro-east’s top backs. A week after shredding Mattoon with 234 yards rushing and four TDs, he amassed another 200 yards in the 2-0 Knights’ 21-20 win Friday over Collinsville. His 81-yard touchdown run with 2:51 left in the game proved to be the game winner. For the season, Nelson has rushed for 434 yards and seven touchdowns.

DONTE NETTLES

The junior running back came up big in the Indians’ stunning 40-14 upset win over Freeburg Friday. Nettles racked up 146 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the victory. He also had a 15-yard touchdown reception.

WILL O’KEEFE

Taking aim as the top runner in the Southwestern Conference, O’Keefe started his ‘15 season out strong on Saturday as he placed second in the Granite City Invitational at Wilson Park. A two-time Class 3A state qualifier, O’Keefe placed second to Ben Flowers of Jerseyville.

OWEN SUEDKAMP

Suedkamp, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior linebacker, patrolled the field Friday from his middle linebacker spot for the Eagles and hit everything in sight in a 31-12 victory over Waterloo. He finished the night with 22 tackles, including 17 solo stops.

ANDREW WINNING

Last week’s BND Athlete of the Week was back at it Friday night in Salem. His 143 yards on 14 carries led the 2-0 Bulldogs to a 48-6 win over the Wildcats. He also caught a pass for 19 yards. His 374 yards and nine rushing touchdowns through two games rank among area leaders.

KEENEN YOUNG

Young, a senior receiver, played a huge role in Althoff’s impressive road win over Helias that included more than 700 yards of offense. He hauled 13 passes from Jordan Augustine for 233 yards and two TDs as the Crusaders moved to 2-0.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Game Balls: top high school sports performers of the week."