EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial
Parker Mullen, So., RB/DB, Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg football
BENTON — Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg running back Parker Mullen did a little bit of everything to lead the Knights to their first victory of the season last Friday night, a 36–20 win over previously unbeaten Fennimore.
Mullen rushed for 175 yards on 20 carries and a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to give his team a 28–14. He also caught a team-high four passes for 74 yards, including an incredible game-tying 43-yard touchdown catch and run in the final minute of the first half.
After Knight timeout with 22.1 seconds in the first half and 4th-and-22 to go, Kaden Duerr threw a high pass to Mullen, contested heavily by Miles. Mullen came down with the ball, and stayed on his feet with just 26 yards between him and a touchdown. He slipped out of Blaschke’s diving tackle and burst the final few yards to bring his squad within two points. Duerr found his other favorite target on Friday, Max Wienen, for the successful 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14 points apiece as the squads headed in for the half in a stunning turn of events.
For good measure, Mullen also intercepted two passes on defense and was in on eight tackles. Mullen and the Knights (1–2) will look to keep the momentum going Friday night at winless Belleville (0–3) in a second-straight Six Rivers Conference–SWAL crossover game.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order)
Peyton Alvarado, Sr., RB/DB, Lancater football
Alvarado rushed for a team-high 110 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns — both in the fourth quarter — as well as the game-winning two-point conversion with 5:31 left to lift the undefeated Flying Arrows (3–0, 1–0 SWC) to a 28–27 victory at D5 #2 Prairie du Chien (2–1, 0–1) last Friday night. Alvarado scored on a 23 yard run with 7:47 left in the game and added the two-point conversion to pull Lancaster within seven points at 27–20. After the Lancaster defense forced its first punt of the game and blocked it, Alvarado reeled off a 20-yard run down to the three, then scored from there on the very next play to set-up the go-ahead two-point conversion run.
Brandon Davis, So., QB/DB, River Ridge football
Davis rushed for a pair of long first-quarter touchdowns to lead the undefeated Timberwolves (3–0) to a dominating 24–0 shutout of Belleville last Friday night. Davis scored on runs of47 and 66 yards in the first seven minutes of the game to set the tone for the night. He finished with a game- and career-high 173 yards on 17 carries, and completed 5 of 12 passes for 48 yards, and a two-point conversion. Defensively, he made six stops and had an interception to spur the T'wolves to their second-straight shutout of the season. The River Ridge defense has only allowed seven points in three games this year.
Breylin Goebel, Sr., QB/LB, Darlington football
Goebel completed 13 of 15 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in a dominating 41–8 Darlington victory at Potosi/Cassville last Friday night. He also rushed for 32 yards in the game.
Cyle Stefll, Sr., QB/S, Iowa–Grant football
Steffl tallied 260 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns, and made a team-high 11 tackles in Iowa–Grant's 44–24 win at Boscobel last Friday night. Steffl rushed for 151 yards and two scores, and completed 6 of 10 passes for 109 yards and another touchdown in the game.
