Vote now: Who should be the Polk County Football Player of the Week? (10/25/23)
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Polk County Athlete of the Week for Oct. 16-21 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff. Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday, October 29th at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced in next week's poll.
Lakeland running back Rick Penick turns up field in a game earlier this season. The Dreadnaughts are off to 6-3 start on the season.
Bill Kemp
Congratulations to last week's winner: Zyrell Thomas of Victory Christian.
Here are this week's nominees:
DJ Duvalt, Mulberry, Running Back
The senior rushed 17 times for 243 yards and three touchdowns during a 35-0 win against Ida Baker. His longest run was 65 yards. He has racked up 1,356 yards with 18 touchdowns this season.
Brycen Levidiotis, Lake Wales, Quarterback
The junior was 8-of-15 passing for 118 yards with two touchdowns in a 50-0 win against Kissimmee Liberty. He also rushed five times for 27 yards. He has led the Class 3S defending state champion Highlanders to an 8-0 record this season. Lake Wales is now riding a 23-game winning streak.
Zander Smith, Lakeland, Quarterback
The senior fired three first-half touchdown passes of 18, 55 and 31 yards during a 35-34 loss to Clearwater Academy International at Bryant Stadium on Friday. He has led the Class 4S defending state champion Dreadnaughts to a 6-3 record this year.
Jaysean Pritchard, Auburndale, Running Back
The junior rushed just 10 times but reeled off 166 yards and a touchdown during a 25-3 win against Davenport on Friday. He also caught one pass for 43 yards. Auburndale is now 7-1 and will head to Lake Wales Friday for a huge 3S-District 8 showdown.
Carson Montsdeoca, Fort Meade, Quarterback
The senior was 8-of-8 passing for 165 yards with four touchdown strikes during a 56-0 win over Tenoroc. The flawless performance put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He now has 1,133 yards with 18 touchdowns. Fort Meade hosts rival Frostproof Friday.
Fentrell Graham, Lake Gibson, Running Back
The senior rushed 18 times for 106 yards with one run of 28 yards in a loss to Winter Haven. He has rushed for 813 yards on 138 carries this season with eight touchdowns.
Alfred Smothers, Winter Haven, Running Back
The senior rushed for 113 yards with one touchdown during a 16-12 win against Lake Gibson. His longest run was 69 yards. Winter Haven travels to Lake Nona this week for a non-district matchup.
