Vote: Who should be the Polk County player of the week (10/30/2023)?

We've selected 7 candidates; take a look

Bill Kemp | Oct 30, 2023

Vote: Who should be the Polk County player of the week (10/30/2023)? /

The Florida football season is moving into the pivotal part of the season with teams hoping to clinch a postseason berth, or players trying to impress college scouts. We've selected seven players from Polk County that posted top numbers this past week.

Take a look at our nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Saturday, November 4 at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Lakeland's Joshua Smith celebrates a fumble recovery during a game against Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep this year / Photo by Bill Kemp

Congratulations to last week's winner: Carson Montsdeoca of Fort Meade.

Here are this week's nominees:

Deonte Fielder, Haines City, Quarterback

The freshman was 10 of 16 passing for 130 yards with two touchdowns during a 22-7 win over Springstead. For the season, he is 15 of 34 for 262 yards.

Zander Smith, Lakeland, Quarterback

The junior was 10 of 13 passing for 155 yards with two touchdown strikes during a 37-0 win over arch-rival Kathleen. He also picked up a 18 yards rushing. He has thrown for 1,367 yards with 17 touchdowns this season.

Dawon Reid, Lake Region, Tight End, Middle Linebacker

The senior caught 10 passes for 109 yards with one touchdown. Defensively, he recorded seven tackles -- two for loss -- during a 16-12 win over Kissimmee Liberty.

Brycen Levidiotis, Lake Wales, Quarterback

The junior was 12 of 15 for 169 yards with three touchdowns and one interception during a 42-7 win over Auburndale. He also rushed three times for 54 yards. He has thrown for 1,211 yards with 15 touchdowns on the season.

RaShad Orr, Lake Wales, Running Back

The senior rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. He has gained 1,039 yards with nine touchdowns on 116 carries this season.

Jackson Benton, Victory Christian, Quarterback

The senior was 21 of 38 for 300 yards passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions during a 41-31 loss to Fort Pierce John Carroll Catholic. He also rushed for 25 yards. He has thrown for 1.033 yards with 13 touchdowns this season.

John Kostuch, Winter Haven, Quarterback

The junior was 17 of 19 passing for 212 yards with three touchdowns. He also rushed for 25 yards. He has thrown for 1,007 yards on the season with seven touchdowns.

Published Oct 30, 2023

BILL KEMP

Bill Kemp is an award-winning sports journalist at the state and national levels. Over the course of 25 years, he’s covered more than 4,000 sporting events including the NFL regular season, playoffs and Super Bowls, Major League Baseball regular season and spring training, NASCAR racing at Daytona and Talladega International Speedways and major college football regular seasons and bowl games. He was named by the Associated Press Sports Editors as a Top 10 sports columnist and Top 3 by the Alabama Press Association for best sports column and sports page design. He has served as preps editor at the Lakeland Ledger as well as sports editor at five different newspapers in Florida and Alabama. He has been published in dozens of newspapers including USA Today, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the Jacksonville Times Union and the Tampa Bay Times. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida. He has been writing for SBLive Sports since 2022.