Northern Utah High School Player of the Week – Week 1
Aug 22, 2024, 12:30 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The John Watson Northern Utah High School Player of the Week is celebrating the best high school football player in Northern Utah. Presented by John Watson Chevrolet in Ogden, each week we honor athletes for their exceptional performance on the gridiron. This week features co-winners in a pair of brothers, Tyler & Carter Payne from Weber High School.
Northern Utah Players of the Week – Tyler Payne & Carter Payne (Weber)
Tyler, a senior linebacker who is committed to BYU, led all tacklers in the 24-16 season-opening win over Westlake High School, with 16 total tackles. Carter, a 14-year-old freshman making his first career start at the high school level, passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
The Weber Warriors opened the 2024 season on the road as they took on the Westlake Thunder. Westlake got out of the blocks quickly, taking a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, but then Weber came alive. In the second quarter, Carter Payne connected on a pair of touchdown passes to give the Warriors the lead. Weber added a field goal just before halftime to go up 17-10.
The Warriors relied on their stingy defense led by Tyler Payne in the second half. Westlake added a touchdown late in the third quarter to draw within one score. Carter Payne quickly restored order early in the fourth quarter with his third and final touchdown pass to ensure the Warriors’ drive home would be a celebratory one.
Player of the Week Selection
The selection committee for the John Watson Northern Utah Player of the Week award consists of Matt George from POW! Creative and Jake Hatch. Jake is the Executive Producer for The KSL Sports Zone. He also hosts a daily BYU-centric podcast called Locked On Cougars. Jake attended Brigham Young University and is a proud native of Orem, UT. He is an alumnus of Mountain View High School, where he was part of the Bruins football program as an offensive and defensive lineman from 2001-04.
