September 2, 2022 - Tenaha's junior quarterback Ja’Tyrian Moore was selected as the Class 2A, week 1, 2022 Built Ford Tough High School Football Player of the Week! Read the press release below where Moore's playing accomplishments are highlighted from Tenaha's game against West Sabine.
Plano, Texas – Once again, Ford and Texas Ford Dealers are recognizing the very best high school football stars in Texas in week one of the 2022 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 17 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.
Week 1 winners:
Class 6A: Nash Rankin, Senior, QB, Stratford High School
Mascot: Spartans
Opponent: Tomball High School
As the son of Stratford coach Todd Rankin, Nash has had all eyes on him since he was an eighth-grader. He has made his own way, establishing himself as a starter and twice earning District 17-6A all-academic honors. In a 46-28 season-opening win over Tomball, Nash completed 17 of 20 with no interceptions for 390 yards and six touchdowns.
“He is a tremendous leader with a work ethic that carries over into practice and game preparation. He’s a cool character who gets the ball to the right people. He has done a good job handling the pressure.” Stratford Head Coach Todd Rankin
Class 5A: Demonte Green, Senior, WR/DB, Newman Smith High School
Mascot: Trojans
Opponent: Denton High School
Demonte Greene was simply the best player on the field in Carrollton Newman Smith’s season-opening 43-42 win over Denton. Fortunately for the Trojans, Greene never left the field. As receiver, the senior racked up 10 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 63-yard score early in the 4th quarter. On defense, Greene came down with three interceptions, including a pick-six.
“The thing that stood out the most was his willingness to help the team in any way we needed him. He is obviously our number one Wide Receiver, and he did an outstanding job. Defensively, we needed him, and he jumped in and took over the game. He was a part of all special teams play. He makes a significant difference any time he is on the field.” Newman Smith Head Coach Robert Boone
Class 4A: Luke Law, Junior, QB, Salado High School
Mascot: Eagles
Opponent: Fredericksburg High School
Salado's Luke Law opened the Tom Westerberg Era with an outstanding performance in a 53-17 victory against Fredericksburg. It is even more impressive considering dramatic change in the offensive philosophy from the well-oiled Slot-T under former head coach Alan Haire who is now at Chaparral High School in Killeen. Law finished the season-opening win completing 15-25 passes for 380-yards and 5-TD's.
"Luke has done an outstanding job in learning the offense and leading our team. He has all the qualities that you look for in playing the QB position, leadership, character and work ethic!" Salado Head Coach Tom Westerberg
Class 3A: JJ Acosta, Sophomore, QB, Taft High School
Mascot: Greyhounds
Opponent: Skidmore-Tynan High School
J.J. Acosta entered the 2022 season as a key component for Taft, but his performance against Skidmore-Tynan helped to cement him into the school’s football program lore. Acosta, who was the Corpus Christi Caller-Times All-South Texas Newcomer of the Year in 2021, threw for a school record 515 yards and was highly accurate doing it in a 47-13 victory against the Bobcats. Acosta completed 30 of 38 passes and connected for five touchdowns, including four to receiver Josh Suarez.
Acosta’s start to the season was an encore to throwing for 2,396 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore for the Greyhounds. Plus, Acosta is ranked in the top 10 percent overall in his class and is a team captain.
“I think it is just the experience overall coming in from last year. Being that newcomer of the year in South Texas and the overall experience in his composure was a lot different than it was last year. He seemed more relaxed in the position. When you throw for that many yards there is a lot of players, especially the offensive line and some of the receivers. It was a combination of receivers catching the ball and line being able to protect. He does everything right in the classroom. He is the first guy here for workouts and the last guy to leave. JJ is really involved with the community and involved with the church he attends. He is an A-plus elite status student-athlete overall.” Taft Head Coach Joe Castellano
Class 2A: Ja’Tyrian Moore, Junior QB, Tenaha School
Mascot: Tigers
Opponent: West Sabine High School
Tenaha QB Ja’Tyrian Moore scored on a 65-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and did major damage on offense and defense the rest of the game to help lead his team to a 50-38 win over West Sabine. Moore finished the night with 16 carries for 402 yards and six touchdowns while completing 4 of 8 passes for 44 yards and a TD. Defensively, he finished with eight tackles, an interception and a pass breakup and he also returned a pair of kicks for 45 yards.
“Ja’Tyrian had been a starting receiver the previous two seasons, so for him to put up numbers in his first varsity start at quarterback was pretty incredible. We did not realize he had so many yards until after the game, but that run to open the game set the tempo.” Tenaha Head Coach Terry Ward
Private Schools: Daniel Demery, Senior, Safety, Dallas Parish Episcopal School
Mascot: Panthers
Opponent: Aledo High School
Dallas Parish Episcopal kicked off their season with one of their biggest wins as the Panthers defeated the state ranked Aledo Bearcats 24-17. The game came down to a handful of crucial plays made by senior safety Daniel Demery who was instrumental in stopping several key drives and ensuring a victory for the Panthers. Demery finished with 7 tackles, 2 interceptions, one forced fumble and a key pass break-up. However, the stats do not tell the real story as Demery was in on every key play. He forced a fumble on 4th and 1 from the 1. He ended 2 potential scoring drives with interceptions. He had a key pass break up towards the end of the game that protected the 7-point win.
“He has been a starter for four years and a caption for two. In the biggest game of our time together vs. perennial power Aledo. He came up huge. I like to think when we needed him the most, he gave us his best! Without him we would not have beat Aledo, I know that for sure.” Dallas Parish Episcopal Head Coach Daniel Novakov
Nominate your elite student-athlete at FordPlayeroftheWeek.com
During each week of the 2022 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 8:00AM.
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.
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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.
