CF QB Martavius Thomas and DE Jacovey Barker named Camden News Players of the Week – Camden News

Last Friday night was a special night for the Camden Fairview Cardinals, who are now 7-1 for the season. The Cardinals crushed the De Queen Leopards 62-3 in De Queen, and they are now one game away from clinching their first conference title since the 2013 season.

In the first half of last week's game, star quarterback Martavius Thomas broke the program's single-game passing record of 420 yards, by passing for 520 yards before the third quarter.

The defense for the Cardinals was equally dominant, bringing the team close to their third shutout of the season. Camden Fairview's defense accounted for 11 tackles for loss and four sacks against the Leopards. Cardinals defensive end Jacovey Barker had another monster performance by consistently making plays in the backfield and stalling De Queen's drives.

Martavius Thomas and Jacovey Barker are once again the Camden News Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.

This is Thomas' fifth-time to be named the offensive player of the week, as he seems to perform better and better in every game he plays in. He was confident last week that he could beat the program's single game passing record of 420 yards, but he didn't expect to break it with 520 passing yards, but he has coaches behind him creating solid game plans and teammates to block and allow him to make open plays.

Thomas threw 23-for-29 for 520 yards, seven touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 144.3. He was highly efficient in his passing by spreading the ball throughout the field, consistently completing deep passes and exploiting coverage schemes. He had three receivers who accounted for at least 100 receiving yards and three receivers who caught two receiving touchdowns. Thomas has a great arsenal of weapons to dismantle opposing defenses, but his determination to get each of them the ball evenly is something that makes him dangerous as a passer. If an opposing defense locks down one key receiver, Thomas finds another one.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals once again had several dominant performances from their star players. Senior defensive end Jacovey Barker led the defense to another nearly shutout performance. Barker finished the game with seven solo tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and two quarterback hurries. Barker was constantly pressuring the backfield of the Leopards for the drives he was in. He made it difficult for the offense of De Queen to extend their drives.

Barker has accounted for 12 sacks in eight games this season, the most of any defender in the state of Arkansas. He is five sacks away to breaking the school record of most sacks in a season (16). He has a chance to break this record in the final two games of the season, as he is hungry and determined to not only break the record, but also dominate opposing offenses in the backfield. Barker has also accounted for 42 total tackles and 17 tackles for loss in the season.

Read more from the original source:

CF QB Martavius Thomas and DE Jacovey Barker named Camden News Players of the Week - Camden News