Two area football players landed on the statewide poll for Oregon's top weekly performer.
Aloha senior running back Alexis Hernandez Diaz Leal and Westview junior receiver Tahkai Smith are both nominated for The Oregonian's Football Player of the Week after Oct. 9 games. Fans can vote online through Sunday at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced Monday.
Hernandez Diaz Leal rushes for 155 yards, three scores
Hernandez Diaz Leal carried 28 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the Warriors' 51-32 road win at Liberty, according to The Oregonian's nomination listing. The victory pushed Aloha to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play, per MaxPreps.
The performance continued a breakout stretch for the 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior. In Aloha's Oct. 2 conference opener against Forest Grove, he ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns, according to The Oregonian's Week 5 report.
Aloha coach James Mitcham praised Hernandez Diaz Leal after that Forest Grove game, saying he "ran his heart out tonight."
The Warriors emerged from a 27-game losing streak three years ago and have not made the playoffs in seven years, The Oregonian reported in its Week 5 coverage. Aloha sits at 5-1 with three league games remaining.
Smith scores three ways against Beaverton
Smith scored three ways in Westview's 38-7 Metro League win over Beaverton. The junior had three carries for 136 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. He added eight catches for 126 yards and a receiving touchdown.
He also returned a punt 56 yards for a score.
The three-touchdown outing helped the Wildcats improve to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in 6A Metro play, according to MaxPreps. Westview has won four straight.
Smith has been a playmaker all season. In a Sept. 18 win over Glencoe, he caught six passes for 172 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown on third-and-17 in the fourth quarter, according to the Beaverton Valley Times.
Westview head coach Dan Weaver said after that Glencoe game that Smith "is about as explosive as any player out here for sure."
What's next
Both teams face league opponents Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Aloha hosts Canby, and Westview travels to Sunset for a Metro League matchup.
