Awards
Player of the Week
Playoff games between highly ranked opponents often come down to a few critical plays. Gainesville’s Darryn Williams was in many of them last week in his team’s 40-32 victory over No. 1-ranked Hughes in the Class 5A quarterfinals. The junior linebacker made 10 solo tackles, forced two fumbles and returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown.
Kell was already one of the Georgia's best teams, and Brayden Rouse one of the nation's best players. Now, there's just no hiding those facts. Kell beat No. 2 Cartersville 48-21 in the Class 4A quarterfinals Friday. Rouse, a top-100 national senior recruit committed to Tennessee, made a team-leading 12 tackles, intercepted a pass, caught four passes for 78 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Rome put the game in the hands of Aidan McPherson last week, and he took care of it. Playing in a downpour most of the game, the junior quarterback was 19-of-31 passing for 316 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 113 yards on 25 carries. Rome beat Houston County 38-28 in a Class 5A game between top-10 teams.
Harrison knows about dual-threat quarterbacks. Justin Fields is a former Hoya. And while the New York Jets’ quarterback had multiple games of 200 yards rushing or 200 yards passing in high school, he never produced more than 400 total yards in a single game. So, Aiden Watson can feel pretty good about what he did Friday night.
Sandy Creek’s Amari Latimer is a four-star prospect committed to Wisconsin but only the fourth-highest senior running back prospect in Georgia. His production, especially in big games, is challenging that modest assessment. Latimer rushed for 228 yards and scored his team’s six touchdowns, one a 25-yard reception, in a 42-17 victory over Troup last week.
It was the third time this season that Keyon Standifer scored five touchdowns in a game. The previous two came in one half, as Athens Academy won easily with backup players and running clocks in the second half. On Friday night against Rabun County, the Spartans needed all five.
Jack Rhodes was leading the GHSA in receiving yards earlier this month. Then Aquinas’ starting quarterback was injured. So, Aquinas coach James Leonard found another way to get the ball to his best athlete, a three-star senior prospect committed to Virginia. The coach put Rhodes behind center. The decision won Aquinas a game Friday night.
In a scoreless game, a 33-yard field goal attempt with 2:12 left is a priceless opportunity. Sometimes for the other team. On Friday night, Clinch County’s Fred Causey blocked the field goal, and Jakyri Posley returned it 80 yards for a touchdown in a 6-0 victory over Brooks County in a game that decided first place in Region 2-A Division II.
Hudson Hulett is 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds. He's an exceptional athlete who is a 1,000-yard rusher and starting quarterback and safety. Players with those qualities who attend North Murray High School will get the obvious comparison. “Reminds me a lot of Ladd,” North Murray coach Preston Poag said, referencing Ladd McConkey, the former Mountaineers quarterback who starred at Georgia and now plays wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers.
West Laurens senior running back Ty Cummings rushed for a state-record 615 yards and eight touchdowns on 19 carries in a 70-55 victory over Baldwin on Friday. He set another record this week – the first player to win GHSF Daily’s Player of the Week award twice in the same season. Cummings, a senior who committed to Georgia Southern, scored on runs of 59, 91, 75, 53, 59, 59, 86 and 78 yards.
It wasn’t necessarily the best game he’s ever played. As a sophomore last season, Ty Cummings rushed for 280 yards against Aquinas in a region victory and 318 against Baldwin in a playoff loss. He had 222 yards rushing earlier this season against North Clayton. But this was just a game that West Laurens really needed if it fancies a Region 4-3A championship, and Cummings showed the way.
Sequoyah running back Will Rajecki scored at least one touchdown in every game last season except one. That was against Sprayberry, a 31-17 loss during an 11-2 season. “Last year, I didn’t play my best, and I don’t think the team did either,” he told GHSF Daily before Friday’s rematch. “But this year, we’re stronger, more experienced and more prepared for the moment.”
Having a career night is a tough ask for a player with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards and 200 tackles in his four seasons to date. When his team couldn’t do without it, Reid Giles delivered. The Rabun County senior running back and free safety topped 100 yards rushing and 200 receiving, returned a kickoff 99 yards and scored four touchdowns in his team’s 49-42 victory over Dalton.
North Hall senior Ty Kemp isn’t the best known wide receiver on his own team, but he proved last week that opponents had better know who and where he is at all times. Kemp had eight receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-31 victory over Cherokee Bluff in a game between top-10 Class 3A teams.
Devon Caldwell’s path to football stardom has been a steady climb, and what he did Friday night was the peak so far. The Hebron Christian senior running back rushed for a career-high 328 yards in a 45-29 victory against Fellowship Christian in a rematch of a 2024 Class 3A-A Private semifinal.
Casey Barner is the consensus No. 1 sophomore prospect in Georgia, but he wasn’t a household name in the GHSA before the season. That’s beginning to change. Playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, the McEachern 10th grader scored on a 98-yard kickoff return, a 39-yard reception and a 69-yard run and finished with 353 all-purpose yards in a 50-17 victory over Walton.
Team of the Week
Hapeville Charter, projected to lose by 17 points last week, was the biggest underdog winner in the semifinals as the Hornets defeated No. 5 Sumter County 24-18 in overtime in Class 2A. The Maxwell Ratings don’t consider a team’s history against top-10 teams, though. Hapeville has beaten 10 top-10 opponents over the past 10 seasons, three in the 2025 playoffs.
Dominating good teams such as Rabun County and making deep playoff runs were parts of the plan when Brandon Haywood became Pepperell's coach in 2024. He just didn't know it would be so soon. So last week’s 34-0 victory in the quarterfinals and the resulting advancement to the semifinals – the Dragons' first final four since 1998 – almost caught him by surprise.
Jackson County has made history in a number of ways this season – first region title, first 10-win season, first playoff victory. But last week's accomplishments – a 24-19 victory over Milton and a first trip to the quarterfinals – made Jackson County something bigger than just a good regional story. Milton was a two-time reigning state champion.
It’s not how you start, or Walton would be at home this week. The Raiders – 5-5 in the regular season and facing their first losing season since 2016 – upset fourth-ranked and previously unbeaten McEachern 28-24 last week, coming from 21-9 down starting late in the third quarter. Walton had lost to McEachern 50-17 in the opener in August.
Roswell beat its archrival and won a region championship on a last-minute field goal last week. It's not clear which of those details was the most exciting in the moment. “The most memorable big part was watching the refs put the sign up saying it’s good and hearing the crowd go crazy and everyone cheering,” said Roswell kicker Balint Vorosmarty
Win or lose, Cairo was going for it last week against No. 2 Peach County in a game for first place in Region 1-3A. The Syrupmakers started the game by recovering an onside kick. Then on fourth-and-2 from the 5-yard line, Cairo went for it again, and Bryian Duncan scored the first of his five touchdowns in a 38-31 victory.
Powder Springs isn’t called Winnersville. That’s Valdosta’s title. But it was a city with two undefeated top-10 teams last week, and only one could remain that way. That turned out to be McEachern, a 35-14 winner over Hillgrove. “We understood what we wanted to get done, what the mission was, and we came over here and executed,” McEachern coach Kareem Reid said after the game.
Statesboro hasn’t won a region title since 2011, and capturing one this season is still three victories away But without last week’s 28-21 victory over Brunswick – a 23-point favorite – the elusive championship would be out of the Blue Devils’ control. Now, Statesboro can win Region 1-5A with victories over Evans, South Effingham and Effingham County.
Worth County beat Thomasville by one point last season as a 21-point underdog. This season, Worth County was something worse – actually trailing by 20 points late in the third quarter, down 34-14. “Players were saying that we’ve just got to go play football, and coaches were just saying to trust our stuff and everything was going to play out in the end,” quarterback Lyndon Worthy said.
North Clayton is chasing its first region title since 2008 and got a historic victory last week by beating Stephenson 42-41. The game ended with a tackle on a Stephenson back at the North Clayton 1-yard line.
Jenkins and Calvary Day might’ve become Savannah’s best football rivalry. The 2024 game went to overtime, with Calvary Day winning 34-31 and claiming the Region 3-3A title as a result. Last week, it was Jenkins’ turn. The Warriors won 41-33 and now stand alone atop the Region 3 standings.
Coweta County Schools has three football teams, and Northgate has been third for most of its history, with no victories over Newnan or East Coweta. In a game between unbeaten county rivals last week, Northgate broke through. beating Newnan 35-21, likely the most satisfying regular-season triumph in the Vikings' 28 seasons of varsity football.
A season after going 1-9, two years removed from 0-10, Lithonia perked up with a 6-4 finish last year, but first-year coach Kevin Barnes wasn’t satisfied. The Bulldogs didn’t make the playoffs. They could’ve tolerated three region losses, but not four. This week, Barnes is feeling better, for now. Lithonia last week avenged one of those region losses – against Tucker, winning 27-20 after losing 41-7.
It wasn’t about revenge, Creekside coach Maurice Dixon said. Just respect. Creekside beat DeSoto, Texas – ranked in the top 25 of four national polls – 70-28 after losing 70-0 to the same team last year in Texas. It was the biggest one-year points turnaround for a GHSA team since the 1940s.
Newnan coach Chip Walker called it a game that “will be talked about for years to come” in Coweta County. Against East Coweta, Newnan's archrival, Newnan trailed 49-24 late in the third quarter and 56-46 late in the fourth but won 60-56 after scoring two late touchdowns and recovering a critical onside kick with 48 seconds left.
As soon as practical, any new football coach should strive to get rid of any losing streak he finds lying around. It’s good for morale. In coach Kevin Saunders’ first game Saturday, his new team, 15-point underdog Apalachee, discarded a 29-game losing streak, defeating Chattahoochee 29-9 and avenging a 47-21 loss from the previous season.
Student-Athlete of the Week
Tucker Rhodes, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior tight end, defensive end and long snapper at Athens Academy, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Rhodes has a weighted GPA of 4.0 and an SAT score of 1430. He is a three-year starter on defense and a two-year starter on offense and helped the 9-1 Spartans win their second consecutive region title.
Rocco Xerogeanes, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior defensive end at Woodward Academy, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Xerogeanes has a 4.2 GPA. Woodward Academy is 7-2 and has clinched the Region 4-5A championship. “Rocco Xerogeanes is a true leader whose impact goes far beyond the field,” said Ryan Davis, Woodward Academy’s co-defensive coordinator.
Wyatt Stewart, a senior offensive lineman at Milton, has been named the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Stewart ranks No. 20 in his class of 492 with a weighted GPA of 101.136 and No. 35 unweighted at 95.409. On the field, he has made an immediate impact as a first-year starter at center.
Myles Twyman, a senior running back/defensive back at Darlington School, has been named the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Twyman, a three-time letterman with a 4.2 GPA, exemplifies excellence on the field, in the classroom and throughout his community. He has rushed for 564 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Ben Corhei, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior offensive lineman at Lowndes, has been named the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Corhei carries a 99.15 GPA. Lowndes is 7-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 1-6A and ranked No. 4 in Class 6A going into Friday night’s game against Camden County.
Drew Hardwick, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior tight end at Cambridge, has been named the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Hardwick holds a 4.0 GPA and is committed to Cornell University. A three-year starter, he played a key role in Cambridge’s 10-3 season last year.
Dickson Petifrere, a senior defensive back and linebacker at Coffee, has been named the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Petifrere carries a 3.95 GPA and, through five games, has recorded 39 total tackles (28 solo, 11 assists) along with five tackles for loss.
Brady Robinson, a senior linebacker and tight end at Landmark Christian, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Robinson leads the team in tackles and added his third and fourth touchdowns of the season last week – one on offense and one on defense – in a 35-0 victory over South Atlanta.
Tyson Sanford, a senior cornerback at Peachtree Ridge is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Sanford, a three-year starter, Tyson anchors the Lions’ secondary with consistency and leadership. Off the field, he maintains a 3.62 GPA while taking AP courses. Sanford recently committed to Duke.
Eli Moore, a senior offensive lineman at Lowndes, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. A key contributor to the Vikings’ 3-0 start, Moore anchors a dominant front line at 6 feet, 2 inches and 270 pounds. Off the field, he’s just as impressive – carrying a 99.07 GPA
Sims Antonakos, a sophomore halfback and linebacker at Lincoln County, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Sims (6 feet, 180 pounds) boasts a 98.62 GPA. He leads through service. He participated in a community workday, helping those in need by cutting grass, trimming hedges, moving furniture and spreading mulch. He also volunteered with the River of Life Summer Program, repairing property for local residents.
Colby Smith, a senior running back and linebacker at Southeast Bulloch, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Smith, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, ran for 49 yards on 11 carries in the season opener last week. He had 2,454 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns last season and was a Class 3A preseason all-state selection this year.
Flag Football Player of the Week
North Oconee quarterback Catherine Cooper is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. The senior led North Oconee to playoff victories over Effingham County 39-0 and Trinity Christian 49-6 last week while completing 45 of 53 passes for 424 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games.
Pace Academy senior Kiyah Burrell is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Burrell has been an all-around athlete, playing quarterback, running back, receiver, blocker, rusher, linebacker and cornerback this season for Pace Academy, which will take a 12-6 record into the Division 4 playoffs that begin Thursday.
Harmony Franklin, a junior quarterback and defensive back at Columbus, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Franklin has thrown for 2,251 yards and 43 touchdowns, rushed for 686 yards and five touchdowns and caught 33 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns for a 16-1 team. She has made 25 flag pulls and intercepted 10 passes.
Harmony Franklin, a junior quarterback and defensive back at Columbus, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Franklin has thrown for 2,251 yards and 43 touchdowns, rushed for 686 yards and five touchdowns and caught 33 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns for a 16-1 team. She has made 25 flag pulls and intercepted 10 passes.
Emma Cate Barron, a junior quarterback and safety at Southeast Bulloch, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Barron led Southeast Bulloch, the defending Division 1 champion, to a 5-0 record last week while passing for 628 yards and 10 touchdowns, pulling nine flags and intercepting two passes.
Ava Couzens, a senior at McEachern, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Couzens plays quarterback, wide receiver and safety for an 8-0 team on a 37-game winning streak. For the season, she is 41-of-71 passing for 345 yards and nine touchdowns. She has rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries and caught 28 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
Jada Batten, a senior back on offense and a rusher/linebacker or defense at Telfair County, is GSHF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Batten has run for 495 yards and seven touchdowns, caught 18 passes for 163 yards and made 35 flag pulls and 19 sacks for an 8-0 team that is No. 1 in MaxPreps’ Division I rankings.
Madalynn “Cricket” Cauley, a senior quarterback and safety at Harris County, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Leading a 7-1 team, Cauley has passed for 1,480 yards and 24 touchdowns, completing 70.4% of her attempts. She has rushed for 273 yards and five touchdowns. She has 19 flag pulls and three interceptions.
Nalani Gainey, a senior quarterback and middle linebacker at Seckinger, is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. Gainey has passed for 590 yards and nine touchdowns, rushed for 366 yards and seven touchdowns and intercepted six passes, returning four for touchdowns, while leading her team in flag pulls with 33 through seven games.
Alana Calhoun, a senior wide receiver and safety at Milton, is GHSF Daily’s Flag Football Player of the Week, an award sponsored by Sports Turf. In six games, all Milton victories, Calhoun had 25 receptions for 356 yards and eight touchdowns, nine flag pulls, 15 passes defended and one interception.