CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville Now’s Player of the Week is back, and Friday’s opening games provided plenty of great performances to choose from. Still, there was one obvious answer.

Malosi Laban ran for 213 yards and five touchdowns, leading Montgomery Central to a 35-7 victory over Sycamore.

You wouldn’t know it from his Week 1 performance, but Laban had a shaky offseason. He was held out due to injury in July and then got dinged up again in the Indians’ first scrimmage against Kenwood. Still, he was able to return to 100% for Week 1, something Indians head coach Wyatt Page wasn’t surprised about.

“We rested him up a little bit, and he came off that injury, and he’s feeling good now,” Page told Clarksville Now. “It doesn’t surprise me at all, just the type of young man he is. He’s a hard worker, and his offensive line loves him. They block their tails off for him.”

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It was a statement win for Montgomery Central in what has been an under-the-radar rivalry against Sycamore. While Laban will get and deserves plenty of the credit for the victory, his chemistry with his teammates is just as important to the Indians’ success.

“He’s a special talent, man, and like I said, he’s an even better human being. He’s a great kid and he plays hard for his teammates, but it’s never really about him. It’s about the team and teammates,” Page said.

Now, Laban will look to help Montgomery Central continue its success this season. While replicating his Week 1 performance Friday against East Hickman County will be a tall task, the Indians’ offense will undoubtedly continue to run through him.

With another win, it may officially be fair to say the Indians are back.

“We’re 0-0 now, so we’ve got to take it one day at a time and continue to improve and take coaching. Our sights are set on East Hickman, so last week is behind us, and now we’ve got to go out and play a good, physical football team on Friday and execute on both sides of the ball,” Page said.

| SCOREBOARD: Check out scores, schedules for every Clarksville-area football team