This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. Every week, we’ll have a volleyball players of the week story on Wednesday, and boys and girls soccer selections Friday. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.
It’s hard to believe that for some DMV football programs, the regular season is nearly halfway complete. In another strong week of local football, here’s who stood out the most to earn All-DMV Player of the Week:
John Lafontant, Senior, Linebacker, Coolidge
Lafontant shined on both sides of the ball for the Colts in Friday’s blowout 43-0 win over Bell. He was a constant disruption at linebacker for coach Kevin Nesbitt’s team, racking up 12 tackles including three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He also rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on offense as Coolidge earned its second-straight victory.
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Saahir Lester, Senior, Defensive End, Churchill
When Lester first started playing football for Churchill, he was a 135-pound underclassman insistent on playing the defensive end position. Now a senior, Lester has blossomed into a 210-pound force along the edge for the undefeated Bulldogs. Last week against Whitman, he accounted for three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble as Churchill downed the Vikings, 35-14.
Dylan Miller, Senior, Quarterback, South County
Miller put together an efficient performance to quarterback the Stallions to an impressive 31-21 victory over district rival West Springfield. Miller threw for 325 yards and three passing touchdowns as South County moved to 3-1 on the season. Miller’s third touchdown was the cherry on top of his dominant day — he fired a 33-yard strike on fourth-and-13 to give his team a comfortable two-score advantage with just minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Sam Rhye, Senior, Running Back, Lake Braddock
Rhye is the heartbeat of a Lake Braddock offense that dropped 35 points in a big win over Robinson. The run-heavy Bruins handed the ball to their star senior 25 times in the 35-21 victory — Rhye rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns. His final carry of the evening, a 49-yard burst on fourth-and-1, iced the game to give Lake Braddock its second-straight win.
Ethan Stanford, Senior, Linebacker, Bishop McNamara
Bishop McNamara’s defense put together a sterling defensive performance on a rainy Saturday afternoon against Washington Catholic Athletic Conference rival Archbishop Carroll. Stanford, the team’s standout linebacker, was at the center of it all. The senior finished with 10 tackles, including one for loss as the Mustangs held the Lions to just six points in a 20-6 victory. Coach Greg Calhoun will continue to rely on Stanford to make plays with conference matchups against Gonzaga, DeMatha, St. John’s and Good Counsel looming in October and November.
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