NSAA Weekly Awards Filled with Warriors
By: Zach Throne
Three Waldorf football players earned NSAA honors last week after the 51-37 win against the Trojans of Dakota State. Hilton Joseph was named the NSAA Offensive Player of the Week; James Jackson Jr. earned NSAA Defensive Player of the Week; Slater Gifford rounded out the pack as the NSAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
This marks Hilton “Bo” Joseph’s third NSAA Offensive Player of the Week award on the season. He threw for a staggering 382 yards and completed 22-of-34 passes. He completed four touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
The highlight of the offensive game came on a 98-yard touchdown to junior receiver Don Jones. Joseph also ran for 40 yards on 8 carries, averaging 5 yards per rush.
James Jackson Jr., a freshman cornerback for the Warriors, also had a game-changing day on the gridiron. He jumped a Trojan out-route for a 58-yard interception and added another touchdown to the scoreboard. He also added 5 total tackles in the defensive effort that led to a Warrior win.
This is the first NSAA honor for Jackson Jr. in his first year with the Waldorf football program. “It is an honor to receive my first ever defensive player of the week for the conference,” said Jackson Jr., “I just need to carry this confidence and momentum into our season finale against Mayville (State).”
Slater Gifford has earned back-to-back all-NSAA weekly honors this season. He completed a 36-yard field goal and put the Warriors on the scoreboard. He added six additional extra point makes.
The freshman kicker averaged 50.6 yards per kickoff on nine kicks.
All three players were huge contributors to the conference win over Dakota State, making it the first time in Coach Littrell’s tenure that Waldorf has swept the weekly conference awards.
“It was nice to come out and get big plays from all facets of the game,” said Joseph, “We did not play a perfect game, but having multiple guys make crucial plays when we needed them was huge for us to get the win.”
The Warriors move to 4-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play. They conclude their season on Nov. 3 against Mayville State on Homecoming and Senior Day.