The Matt Wilhelm Award been narrowed down to 10 semifinalists with after 11 weeks of the season.
The Wilhelm award is given to The Morning Journal’s football player of the year. It is named after the former star of the Elyria Catholic Panthers and Ohio State Buckeyes. He won a BCS national championship in college and the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers during his seven-year NFL career.
RB Jakorion Caffey, Jr., Avon: Has rushed for 1,047 yards and 15 touchdowns. Best performances include rushing for 291 yards against Medina and 275 against Olmsted Falls. Scored three touchdowns in each matchup.
RB Marco Cirigliano, Jr., Columbia: Leads the area with 2,222 rushing yard and 37 rushing touchdowns. Caught 18 passes for two touchdowns. Has rushed for at least three touchdowns in all but one of his games. Will play Hopewell-Loudon on Nov. 4.
RB Rocco Conti, Sr., Olmsted Falls: Rushed for 236 yards and five total touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ first round win over Toledo St. John’s Jesuit. Averages almost 12 yards per carry, which leads the area. Has 32 total touchdowns on the year with 1,674 rushing yards.
QB Sam DeTillio, Sr., Avon: Leads the area in with 2,287 passing yards while playing less than 30 quarters of football. Thrown 26 touchdowns with only four interceptions. His top performance was his 370 passing yards and six touchdowns against Olmsted Falls.
RB Levi Ellis, Sr., Elyria Catholic: Ellis is 58 yards from surpassing 2,000 rushing yards. Became the all-time leading rusher for Elyria Catholic in their first-round win over Bryan. Has a total of 26 touchdowns on the year.
RB Weston Strader, Sr., Firelands: Carried the offensive load all year for the Falcons. In 11 games, he rushed for 2,009 yards and 33 touchdowns. His best performance was rushing for 406 yards and six touchdowns against Keystone. Strader closed his career out with 244 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Clyde.
WR Jared Kelley, Sr., North Olmsted: Has 1,382 rushing yards on the season for 15 touchdowns on the ground. He also has 712 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Also has a punt return for a touchdown.
WR Ryne Shackelford, Keystone: Led his team in touchdown receptions (10) and on the ground (13) as well as yards in both categories. He surpassed 600 yards in receiving and rushing. He was also Keystone’s second leading tackler with an interception and fumble recovery.
RB Lance Glover, Sr., Elyria: Rushed for 1,372 yards in 11 games with 16 touchdowns. The Pioneers identified as a run-first offense and leaned on him and Jaden Gilbert heavily. Scored on almost half of their touchdowns in Elyria’s 2022 season.
QB: Xavier Balson, Sr., North Olmsted: The dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 2,041 yards, 29 touchdowns and three interceptions. As a runner, Balson rushed for over 600 yards for nine touchdowns
