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In what seems to be an almost weekly occurrence, Athens High, and soon-to-be Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow won the Land-Grant Holy Land Elite '15 MVP of the Week again last week. After accounting for nearly 400 yards of total offense, and three touchdowns in a 65-14 playoff win over Granville last Friday, Burrow's performance was good enough for him to once again claim the award from a list of his classmates.
Racking up an impressive 62% of your votes, the four-star prospect beat out Torrance Gibson (15%), Denzel Ward (12%), Dre'Mont Jones (7%), and Joshua Alabi (4%) to win his 10th Most Valuable Performance of the season.
With most of the future Buckeyes still chasing state titles, many members of the class of 2015 shined under the lights this weekend. Who did enough to walk away as the next MVP? Here are your five nominees:
Joe Burrow
Playing against arguably the toughest defense he has seen all season long, Burrow might not have had his biggest game stat-wise, but played a huge role in the Athens 41-20 Division III Region 9 Semifinal victory over Tri-Valley on Friday.
Through the air, Joe completed 13 of his 19 passing attempts for 178 yards and three touchdowns, while chipping in 70 yards and another score on the ground for the Bulldogs. The senior also picked off a Tri-Valley pass playing in the defensive secondary.
Denzel Ward
Similar to Burrow, Ward was a leader on both sides of the ball for his Nordonia squad. The two-way standout hauled in five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns playing wide receiver. From his cornerback spot, he finished with two total tackles, and a interception to help lead the Knights to a 56-52 Division II Region 4 Semifinal win over Perrysburg.
Jamel Dean
Dean and Cocoa High (FL) kept their title hopes alive by absolutely destroying Avon Park, 67-0, in the Class 4A Regioal Semifinal on Friday. The future Buckeye defensive back played all over the field for the Tigers, but did most of his damage on offense and special teams in the first half.
In the win, Jamel scored every time he snatched a pass from 2017 OSU target Bruce Judson, finishing with three catches for 143 yards. He wasn't done there; he also returned a punt 40 yards for another score to help Cocoa advance to the next round.
Jerome Baker
The 6'2, 210-pound linebacker made quite a few key plays to help lead Cleveland Benedictine past Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. In the 56-16 runaway Division IV Region 11 Semifinal victory, Baker finished with eight total tackles, which included four tackles for a loss and two sacks. On special teams, the one time Florida commit also blocked a Cardinal Mooney extra point.
Joshua Alabi
Once again Alabi, who will likely suit up on the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes, helped anchor the Cass Tech (MI) offensive line against Chippewa Valley. Joshua and the other members of the line led the way for current Michigan commit and OSU target Mike Weber who rushed for a ridiculous 404 yards, and five touchdowns in the 48-35 win.