See which Stanislaus District football player fans voted the best of Week 5
Hilmar head coach Frank Marques says Nathan Ayala’s jump from sophomore to junior year has been impressive.
He spent time in the weight room, thinks through the game better and has benefited from having a year of varsity football already under his belt. Last season, he made plays in spurts; this year, he is consistently one of the Yellowjackets’ top playmakers on offense and defense.
That has translated to wins as Hilmar has started the season 4-1 overall with a 3-0 home record and a 1-0 record in Trans-Valley League play. Week 5 marked the first week of league play and Ayala’s versatility was on full display against Ripon Christian.
Ayala caught four passes for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, rushed for 23 yards and a score and had five tackles with a tackle for loss in the 35-21 win. He finished with a game-high 155 all-purpose yards.
The fans noticed his performance, voting him The Bee’s Week 5 football Player of the Week.
Ayala finished first, collecting 36% of the more than 14,000 votes in the weekly poll. He finished ahead of fellow TVL players Andrew Shaw of Ripon and Michael Maier of Orestimba, who came in second and third, respectively.
