Smyrna High football player Wayne Knight was voted this week’s Athlete of the Week for the second week in a row. The senior running back totaled 331 yards from the line of scrimmage in the Eagles’ 46-21 win over Dover in the DIAA Class 3A state semifinals. That included 288 rushing yards on 28 carries plus two receptions for 43 yards.

Knight scored three touchdowns, three two-point conversions and threw for a two-pointer. He picked up 32 yards or more on four of his last six carries of the night. The victory in the Smyrna seniors’ final home game puts the Eagles in Saturday’s state championship game, where they will face Middletown at 3:30 p.m. in Delaware Stadium.

“Oh man, this is actually my first time making it all the way,” said Knight, who was in eighth grad the last time Smyrna played for the title. “I can’t express the feeling right now but the job isn’t done. We’ve got to get to work on Monday and finish this thing out.

“This is really emotional,” he said about playing his last home game. “I’m glad I ended it this way and got the ‘W.’”

The Athlete of the Week is nominated and chosen by our readers. The nominating period starts at 2 p.m. on Friday and ends at noon on Monday. A voting period follows from 5 p.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Wednesday.

This process is performed exclusively online. When nominating an athlete, please include name, school and sport as well as a photo and brief description of why he or she deserves that week’s honor.

All nominations must be high school varsity athletes and come from high schools within Kent or Sussex counties. The winner appears in print and online each Friday.