The DC Touchdown Club and WTOP are partnering all high school football season to honor a Player of the Week and help choose a DMV Game of the Week, presented by The St. James. Read about this week’s Player of the Week below and vote in our Game of the Week poll at the bottom of the article.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tre Vasiliadis, Langley High School, McLean, Virginia
Langley head coach Brian Lamb is aware his star player does not appear terribly imposing. But then, Tre Vasiliadis steps between the lines on the football field and just keeps racking up the yards and touchdowns.
A three-year starter at running back, Vasiliadis enjoyed a career night last Friday. In addition to making his first start ever at quarterback, Vasiliadis rushed 40 times for a career-high 277 yards and three touchdowns as Langley edged Robinson in a thriller, 41-40.
“He’s tough and he runs a lot harder than he looks,” Lamb said. “When you look at him, he probably doesn’t pass a lot of people’s eye test. But he’s strong and worked his butt off this offseason. One thing he has that you really can’t coach is his vision. That makes it a lot easier when we are scheming. He runs hard, finishes hard and probably has the best hands on the team.”
Langley had not worked on its version of the wildcat offense until this past Thursday at its day-before-game walkthrough, when circumstances required a backup quarterback. In stepped Vasiliadis, who did have some experience calling plays — on the hardwood, where he is the starting point guard for Langley’s basketball team.
“There is a little bit of leadership overlap,” Vasiliadis said.
Vasiliadis didn’t anticipate throwing any passes, but the opportunity arose and he completed a 29-yarder.
“In practice, I never throw and I never work at quarterback,” Vasiliadis said. “But it was third and long. The play was designed to be a quick arrow, but it was covered and the go was open. So I said I guess I’m going to have to throw and go. And it worked out well and [we] got the first down and ended up scoring on the drive.”
“He’s a student of the game and understands our offense,” Lamb said, noting that Vasiliadis is being recruited by several Ivy League teams. “So it wasn’t too hard for him to pick up.”
After the series, Vasiliadis, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards last season, went back to his customary running back position. He also caught three passes in the game, gaining 46 yards.
Other players considered for Player of the Week:
ANNE ARUNDEL
North County QB John Hardcastle threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores as the Knights beat Northeast, 42-19.
FREDERICK
Urbana RB Eric Kolar rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns as the Hawks beat Middletown, 20-13.
HOWARD
Long Reach QB Jose Ribalta completed 9 of 18 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns as the Lightning beat Reservoir, 13-0.
LOUDOUN
Broad Run QB Mitch Griffis completed 16 of 23 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score as the Spartans beat Dominion, 58-0.
MONTGOMERY
Quince Orchard RB Marquez Cooper rushed 31 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars beat Damascus, 21-7. Cooper, a Kent State recruit, broke the school career rushing record with 3,480 yards.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Parkdale WR Carlvainsky Decius caught nine passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns and returned a kickoff for another score as the Panthers beat DuVal, 60-26.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Freedom-Woodbridge QB Quest Powell completed 11 of 20 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 60 yards as the Eagles snapped Colonial Forge’s 21-game winning streak with a 30-27 victory.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
St. Charles QB-DB Klayton Batten had an eight-yard touchdown run and returned an interception 90 yards for another score as the Spartans beat McDonough, 24-0.
WCAC
Carroll QB Jordan Harris threw three touchdown passes as the Lions beat Wilson, 48-12.
VOTE FOR THE GAME OF THE WEEK
Thanks for voting for this week’s WTOP DMV High School Football Game of the Week, presented by The St. James. See you in Ijamsville, Md. Friday night!
