Week 8: Underrated MVP’s

Just like we have in past weeks, we always find it very appropriate to take some time to recognize some of the underrated MVP’s of the previous week of high school football. In doing so, there happen to be hidden gems at times, and other player’s performances can finally be highlighted, even if it was a bit overshadowed due to their program being less popular, or due to the fact that their team defeated a bad program. Below, we hope that you’ll get to enjoy some of our favorite underrated performances from week 8’s match up’s across Georgia. <strong>Nykahi Davenport (RB)-</strong> Roswell Due to other high level performances at the RB position, Davenport’s 181 yard game against Cherokee was not given the attention that it deserved. While some may not view this performance as being as strong as others in the state, his contributions also included 2 TD’s, and all of his success came in only 28 carries. This kind of effort not only helped his team this past week, but will continue to do so throughout the rest of the season if he is able to play with the same energy. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33998" first="Thomas" last="Castellanos"] (QB)-</strong> Ware County Due to the fact that Ware County out-muscled a struggling Coffee High School, 35-3, Castellano’s stellar performance was a bit overlooked. Regardless, in the game, he passed  the ball at a high level as he went 13 for 19 in the air for 234 yards. In addition to this, he also threw for 2 TD’s, helping to lead his team to a big win. <strong>Marlon Mitchell (RB)-</strong> Macon County In last week’s 54-38 win over Schley County, Mitchell may not have scored any points, but his contributions certainly helped to tire out the opposing defense. On 28 touches, Mitchell ran for 273 yards, only further helping Macon to dominate their competition, and add on to their win column. <strong>Austin Taylor (LB)-</strong> St. Pius While is is not as common for defensive players to be viewed as underrated MVP’s, Taylor’s performance last week was certainly worth noting as such. Last Friday, Taylor had 6 solo tackles, and had an interception return for a TD. Even though this did not single-handedly cause St. Pius to get the win, his consistency on the defensive side of the ball has been viewed as a big part of his defense’s success, and we fully expect him to be able to add on to this as the season goes by. <strong>Zach Holtzclaw (QB)-</strong> Dawson County Many QB’s in the state of GA tend to get attention before Holtzclaw, mainly due to the level of competition in which he plays at times, as well as the fact that the state is so top heavy at the position. Despite this, Holtzclaw manages to contribute as only he can, as he went 15-20 this past Friday, and managed to pass for over 230 yards when doing so. In addition to this, he also threw for 3 TD’s proving that he can win games with his arm, and that he is worth more attention than he has been getting. <strong>Dwight Phillips (RB)-</strong> Pebblebrook Just as the QB position is a bit top heavy in the state of GA, the RB position can also be viewed as such. Despite this, Phillips manages to do his part on a weekly basis for Pebblebrook High School, and this was proved last night due to the 239 yards and 2 TD’s he managed to accumulate on the ground. All of this was accomplished on only 13 carries, proving that he can achieve more, with less if need be. <strong>Duke Johnson (QB)-</strong> Dodge County Perhaps the reason Johnson also does not get the love that he deserves is due to the level that he plays against, as well as his state wide competition at the QB position. Nevertheless, against Jasper High this past week, Johnson showed out in the air, as well as on the ground. While he was 11-14, he also threw for about 160 yards. This came with 3 TD’s in the air, which is more than a large amount of QB’s passed for this past week. Not to mention, Johnson also ran for over 70 yards, while scoring a TD on the ground too.