Yorktown's Kolton Nanko is 2022's first back-to-back ECI football Player of the Week
MUNCIE, Ind. — Kolton Nanko is one of East Central Indiana's most talented football players, so it's no surprise he became the The Star Press' first back-to-back Player of the Week winner of the 2022 season.
It's also the Yorktown senior's third time receiving the honor, doing so after a being a significant reason why the Tigers led at halftime before falling 63-45 to Mt. Vernon last Friday. Nanko caught eight passes for 128 yards and two TD's, tallied 133 yards and a score from kick returns and made all six of his PAT attempts and a field goal.
Nanko has done almost everything on the football field this year, finishing the regular season with 732 receiving yards (seventh in Class 3A, first in Hoosier Heritage Conference), 11 total touchdowns, four made field goals, 56 tackles, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries. He gives the Tigers (6-3) a chance to win every Friday night.
IHSAA sectional matchup:'Records don't matter' in Yorktown v. Delta football rematch
Coming in second place in the voting was Muncie Central junior Leo Boyd, who helped his team earn its fourth consecutive victory last Friday, 54-34 at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech, by catching two passes for 78 yards and two scores and rushing five times for 22 yards.
Boyd has developed into one of the area's top two-way players, leading the North Central Conference with four interceptions while also ranking second on the Bearcats in rushing with 315 yards, two TD's and an 8.5 yards per carry average. He's a receiving threat as well, catching seven passes for 271 yards and four scores with a 38.7 yards per catch average.
ECI football:East Central Indiana football: 14 breakout players from the 2022 season
Continuing the change to the voting rules, Nanko came in first with 29.54% (293 votes) of the 992 total votes cast. Boyd garnered 19.76% (196), closely followed by Winchester's Aidan Weatherhead (19.05%, 189), Delta's Dylan Manor (18.45%, 183) and finally Shenandoah's Mayson Lewis (13.21%, 131).
Disclaimer: The football Player of the Week poll conducted by The Star Press is an unscientific poll intended for fun, to give readers a voice and to recognize outstanding athletic achievement among local athletes.
Previous ECI Player of the Week Winners
Week 8:Yorktown's Kolton Nanko
Week 7: Yorktown's Mason Moulton
Week 6: Yorktown's Jalen Thomas
Week 5: Yorktown's Kolton Nanko
Week 4: Yorktown's Jalen Thomas
Week 3: Shenandoah's Dylan "Bob" Ayres
Week 2: Delta's Palmer Samuels
Week 1: Yorktown's Jalen Thomas
Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA football: Yorktown's Kolton Nanko wins ECI Player of the Week
