Rose

NEW MARTINSVILLE — What football player comes to mind when you hear this description? A left-handed quarterback who has a cannon for an arm and can out-run any other player on the field with ease.

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick would be a good guess, but that description also fits Monroe Central signal-caller Malachi Rose-Burton. It is an appropriate comparison considering the fact that Rose-Burton models his game after Vick.

“One of my favorite quarterbacks of all time was Michael Vick and I’ve always tried to model my game after him,” Rose-Burton said after leading the Seminoles to a 43-19 win over Magnolia Friday night.

Rose-Burton dazzled against the Blue Eagles, completing 9 of 17 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns, running 13 times for 172 yards and two more scores and intercepting three Magnolia passes on defense.

“I knew I had to be a different type of player this year because we lost a lot of seniors last year and I knew I had to step up and lead by example,” Rose-Burton said. “We have a lot of freshmen and I just want to show them what it’s like to put the team first.”

Friday’s performance was the latest in what has been a standout season for the Monroe senior. He ran for 273 yards and two touchdowns earlier this season against River and followed that up by passing for over 300 yards the next week against Caldwell.

“Since last year I’ve been focused on getting my feet right and making the right throws,” Rose-Burton said.

“I’ve been working on reads to know when I need to run and when I need to pass.

“I think one of my best strengths is I’m able to move around the pocket and still make a good throw with my arm.”

Monroe coach Josh Ischy can only describe his signal-caller as a “special talent”, saying that Rose-Burton could play a star role on any football team in the Ohio Valley.

On the other sideline, Magnolia coach Dave Chapman got a first-hand look at Monroe’s electric playmaker. In preparing for Friday’s game, Chapman knew defending Rose-Burton would be a challenge, but in practice he found it to be nearly impossible.

“(Rose-Burton) is as good as I’ve seen,” said Chapman, a 30-year coaching veteran. “I’m not saying he’s the best, but he’s on the short list of guys that I’ve seen. He’s at another level, he’s in another gear.”

Offensive Player of the Week

Malachi Rose-Burton, Monroe Central

Rose-Burton could have been Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week with his 172 yards rushing, 134 yards passing, five total touchdowns and three interceptions on defense last week.

Defensive Player of the Week

Felix Reitter, Linsly

Reitter amassed 18 tackles and a forced fumble against Steubenville.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Eli Tucker, Wheeling Central

It was quite a weekend for kickers named Tucker. Justin Tucker hit a game-winning, record-breaking field goal and Eli Tucker blasted eight extra points through the uprights and smashed three touchbacks into the end zone.

Ground Gainers

∫ Kaden Johnson, Magnolia: On 19 carries, Johnson ran for 133 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Eagles.

∫ Jacob Jordan, St. Clairsville: Jordan ran for 114 yards and two scores on eight touches.

∫ Wyatt Reiman, Shadyside: The standout tailback ran for 101 yards and a TD.

∫ Spencer Ostovich, Savier Faulks, Gavin Bozica, Steubenville: Ostovich accounted for 172 yards on 18 carries, Faulks amassed 76 yards and a TD and Bozica added 87 yards and a score.

∫ Riley Watkins, Wheeling Central: On 14 carries, Watkins ran for 105 yards and a TD.

∫ Austin Creamer, River: Creamer ran for 112 yards and two TDs.

∫ Michael Marshall, Bridgeport: Two of Marshall’s three carries were for touchdowns and he raced for 96 yards in the process.

∫ Brayden Roth, Bellaire: Roth ran for 127 yards and a TD.

∫ Adden Kuhn, Jeff Derby, Valley: In a victory, Kuhn ran for 109 yards and two TDs, while Derby added 90 yards and a score.

Aerial Attack

∫ Drew Sefsick, St. Clairsville: The St. C. signal-caller completed 10 of 13 attempts for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

∫ Michael Toepfer, Wheeling Central: Toepfer had a monster game of 150 yards and three touchdown passes.

∫ Colin Jackson, Bridgeport: A perfect 6-for-6 showing for 123 yards and two TDs helped get Bridgeport the win.

Mr. Everything

∫ Carson Woodford, St. Clairsville: Woodford recorded eight stops on defense, while catching three passes for 68 yards and a TD on offense.

∫ Jayvon Miller, Wheeling Central: This ball hawk collected two interceptions and deflected two passes on defense and caught a touchdown on offense.

Good Hands Team

∫ Colin Oberdick, St. Clairsville: Oberdick hauled in three passes for 92 yards and two TDs.

∫ Carter Knowlton, Dillon Lincoln, Monroe Central: Knowlton caught three passes for 86 yards and two TDs, while Lincoln hauled in a pair of TDs for 62 yards.

Wrecking Crew

∫ Preston Curry, Union Local: Curry was on a mission last week with seven tackles, two sacks and an interception.

∫ Landon Streets, Magnolia: Streets made his presence felt with seven stops and two TFL.

∫ Raymond Kovalesky, Alex Taylor, Stef Landweir, Linsly: Kovalesky turned in 18 stops, Taylor had 15 tackles and a forced fumble and Landweir added 14 stops.

Big Boot

∫ Lucas Otto, St. Clairsville: In his weekly appearance as a Big Boot performer, Otto connected on five PATs this week.

∫ Lucas Littell, Bellaire: There was nothing Littell about this performance. The Bellaire kicker knocked five extra points through the uprights.