Once again, Ford and Texas Ford Dealers are recognizing the very best high school football stars in Texas in week two of the 2023 Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program. Since 2006, the program has recognized outstanding student-athletes throughout the regular season. For 18 years now, the program has celebrated many future college and professional standouts during their Texas high school football careers.
This week’s winning athletes join a long list of remarkable players recognized for their exceptional efforts.
2023 Built Ford Tough Player of the Week Two Winners:
Class 6A: Charlie Peters, Junior, QB, Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
Mascot: Rangers
Opponent: Rockwall High School
After throwing a touchdown pass to pull Jesuit to within a point of Rockwall in the final minute, quarterback Charlie Peters knew exactly what had to be done, and coach Brandon Hickman agreed. Go for two and the win. Peters hit Cooper Cutler for the conversion, and Jesuit completed its second half uphill climb to win, 60-59. Peters was masterful – 37-of-48 for 370 yards and six touchdowns, five of them after halftime as Jesuit rallied from a 16-point deficit for its first win of the season.
“I thought Charlie played really well Friday. He was in command of the offense, he made plays with his feet and his arm, and he really had a big night for us. I thought it was a really gutsy performance by him and showed what kind of leader that he can be for our football team.”
- JESUIT HEAD COACH BRANDON HICKMAN
Class 5A: Ben Carter, Senior, FB, Liberty Hill High School
Mascot: Panthers
Opponent: Hutto High School
In a game that saw 162 total points scored and many incredible performances, standout Senior Fullback Ben Carter made the biggest impact, not only because of his stats, but his overall contributions away from the ball.
Carter carried the ball 25 times for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns, but his blocking made a difference and of course his 2-point conversion which just happened to be the scoring difference in the game as Liberty Hill beat Hutto 82-80.
“Ben is a great young man that works extremely hard! Ben had a fantastic night last Friday. He not only had a great night running the ball, but he carried out his fakes and blocked extremely well for his teammates.”
- LIBERTY HILL HEAD COACH KENT WALKER
Class 4A: Kiefer Sibley, Senior, RB/S, Connally High School
Mascot: Cadets
Opponent: La Vega High School
Connally High School in Waco has produced great talent over the years and great leadership including Kavian Gaither who is now at Sam Houston State or Jay’Veon Sunday, now at Abilene Christian University after originally signing with Washington out of high school.
Enter senior running back Kiefer Sibley who is known as the hardest worker in the Cadets program, a quiet young man who leads by example. And what an example Sibley set against arch-rival La Vega as he exploded on offense in a 48-40 victory against arch-rival La Vega, two schools separated by I-35 in Waco.
Sibley ran for 356-yards on 27-carries and scored six touchdowns while adding four tackles on defense as the Cadets started the season with their second consecutive win.
“One of the most important things is how Kiefer gets excited when his teammates have a great game or do something great. As a person you will never see him be disrespectful towards anyone at the school. He never thinks he’s all that…and we knew he was special when as a freshman he went 50-yards during a varsity scrimmage against Lorena and it validated what we thought of him coming out of 8th grade. Kiefer is a great kid; great person and we are all lucky he is a Connally Cadet.“
- CONNALLY HEAD COACH TERRY GERIK
Class 3A: Ricky Rubio, Senior, LB, Tidehaven High School
Mascot: Tigers
Opponent: Odem High School
Ricky Rubio took on some additional responsibilities when Bobby Gonzalez became the defensive coordinator at Tidehaven this season. But Rubio, a senior, has not let any of the changes deter his performance.
Rubio and the No. 3 Tigers posted their second shutout of the season in a 58-0 win over Odem.
Rubio had 13 tackles, one forced fumble, recovered a fumble and two interceptions to spark the Tidehaven defense.
“Bobby’s (Gonzalez) added some different coverages. There was some learning going on with that. They started installing it in 7on7 so that helped. He’s a safety, but he’s one of those downhill safeties. He sits in the middle of the field and is a ballhawk for us. The stats were great. He hits so hard, but it’s clean. He had probably two or three hits that helped win the game. He does it every game, that had probably just as big an impact as him making interceptions and getting tackles.”
- TIDEHAVEN HEAD COACH DAVID LUCIO
Class 2A: Chance Parker, Junior, QB, Thrall High School
Mascot: Tigers
Opponent: Johnson City High School
Chance Parker has stepped into the starting quarterback spot at Thrall this year and is running away with the job. Literally.
In two games, Parker has sparked the Tigers to wins by scoring 42 and 56 points, including a 309-yard passing performance combined with 214 rushing yards and a total of eight touchdowns in a 56-42 win over Johnson City.
“Chance has done a great job growing into the starting QB position. He’s worked hard, been highly coachable, and trusted the process. The fruits of his labor are starting to pay off, and Friday night’s game was a perfect example of what he’s capable of. He’d be the first to tell you how proud we were of his teammates for producing and making plays around him. This award goes to Chance and his incredible performance, but it was truly a team effort. We are proud of Chance and his teammates for their efforts.”
- THRALL HEAD COACH AARON VANECEK
Private Schools: Larry Benton III, Senior, WR, St. Thomas High School
Mascot: Eagles
Opponent: Lumberton
Offensive coaches instruct their players to take advantage of what the defense allows, and Lumberton last week got a full dose of wide receiver Larry Benton III, who accounted for all five St. Thomas touchdowns in a 35-21 victory.
Benton, a TAPPS academic all-state honoree who is considering Air Force and Ivy League schools, caught eight passes from quarterback Donte Lewis for 221 yards and five scores, the longest a 75-yarder, against UIL Class 4A Division I Lumberton. He is a returning TAPPS all-district performer and the defending state champion in the shot put, an event more suited for big linemen than fleet receivers, which attests to his technique and attention to detail.
“Larry is a technician in everything he does. He is one of the hardest-working kids I’ve been around. To have the discipline it takes to do the academic and academic work at this level … I don’t think I have the discipline he does.”
- THOMAS HEAD COACH RICH MCGUIRE
During each week of the 2023 regular season, fans, coaches, and media are asked to nominate players at FordPlayeroftheWeek.com, as well as catch up with winners, view video clips of players in action and get the latest program details. Fans will be able to follow the conversation on social media by using #FordPOTW and share the recognition of these outstanding individuals each week.
Additionally, fans are encouraged to catch all the action on Bally Sports Southwest. The network is teaming with Ford and Texas Ford dealers to keep honor award winners through its weekly television show. Each week, television crews will travel to communities across Texas, spotlighting players who excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. The half-hour Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program will air on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m.
How the program works
The Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program recognizes one high school student-athlete in six of the state’s athletic classifications each week of the regular season.
Nominees must excel in three categories:
- Individual performance on the field, including significant statistics from that week’s game
- Contribution to the team’s success through individual leadership abilities
- Performance off the field, including academic success and good community citizenship
At the end of the regular season, Ford and its advisory board will select one student-athlete from the 11 weekly winners to be the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Year in each classification. Following the championship games, honorees will be recognized at a banquet next year.
Ford F-Series: The best-selling truck for 46 years
Ford is the undisputed truck leader in Texas. Ford F-Series sets the standard for full-size pickups with leading payload, towing, interior roominess, strength, and reliability. Ford is proud to recognize the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Week.