Week 2 Update: State Leaders In Tackles

Often times, defensive players do not get the love, or appreciation that they deserve. Besides, championship teams would not be possible without a solid, or consistent defense. As we approach the 3rd week of the regular season, a few players have already stood out defensively with their high volume of tackles, and overall effort on defense. This effort has not only translated to wins, but within the finer details, it has contributed to key stops, and momentous shifts within games. Below, we have listed the top 4 leaders in tackles to this point of the season. Because the numbers that they have already put up, we certainly feel that they are worth checking out. <strong>J</strong><strong>acquez McGowan / LB-</strong> Valdosta (32 tackles) Out of the powerhouse that is Valdosta High School, McGowan is tied with [player_tooltip player_id="165696" first="Will" last="Hardy"] as the 2 leaders in tackles throughout the entire state of Georgia. He has totaled 32 tackles to this point of the season, and managed to do so based off of strong performances in Valdosta’s loss against Warner Robins in week 1, as well as their blowout win against Madison County in their week 2 game. During week 1, he set the tone for the season with 19 total tackles, with 12 of them being solo tackles. To add to this, he also added a sack to his list of accomplishments. Unfortunately, this was not enough to help his team win, but his efforts the next week would be enough. In their big win against Madison County, McGowan had another sack, along with 13 tackles, with 9 of them being solo tackles. As the season advances, we are looking for him to continue to add to these consistent numbers, as we expect him to have a great season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165696" first="Will" last="Hardy"] / FS-</strong> Greater Atlanta Christian (32 tackles) As mentioned above, Hardy is tied with McGowan with 32 tackles, leading the state of Georgia by 1 tackle. Even more impressive, is the fact that he has managed to do this as a DB, on a team that has an 0-2 record. While he also plays both sides of the ball, he managed to have a decent performance during week 1, as he totaled 9 tackles, with 3 of them being solos. This would be followed up by an even stronger performance, as he had a huge game in the 2nd week of the season against Lovett. In this game alone, he had 23 total tackles, with 13 of them being solo tackles. Sadly, this could not help his team get the win. While we think that Greater Atlanta Christian may continue to struggle this season, we think that Hardy will do his part to contribute, and help put his team in a position to succeed. <strong>Tyler Goddard / LB-</strong> Cherokee (31 tackles) While Goddard is only 1 tackle shy of being tied for the leading tackler in the state, his 31 tackles are still very impressive in themselves. Out of these 31 tackles, 23 of them are solo tackles, which speaks loudly to his single handed production. With this, he averages about 15.5 tackles a game, and has already managed to take credit for a sack in his week 2 performance. His performance this year largely spiked during this game as well, as he had a total of 23 tackles. 18 of these tackles happened to be solo tackles. Look for him to continue to compete for the leading tackler spot in the state when it is all said and done. <strong>Derrell Farrar / LB-</strong> Grayson (31 tackles) Tied with Goodard, Farrar has also accumulated 31 tackles so far this year. Out of these 31 tackles, 16 of them are solo tackles. As a whole, he has averaged 15.5 tackles a game, which is largely due to his performance during week 2 of the season, when he had 19 total tackles in Grayson’s win over McEachern. The week prior, he had 12 tackles in their slim loss against Creekside. Regardless of wins or losses, he has already solidified himself as one of the more reliable players for Grayson, as he also has 2 sacks on the season so far. Moving forward, expect him to slowly gain more attention, especially in the recruiting world.