Week Five Standout Performers: Class AA

Week five has come and gone and there were plenty of standout performers in the second week of the WV high school football season. Here are 14 athletes that stood out during week five of the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='941607' first='Kaii' last='Kingman'] - Keyser '24 RB   Keyser senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='941607' first='Kaii' last='Kingman'] makes his debut on our weekly standouts after an impressive showing against Class AAA Hampshire. Kingman carried the ball 20 times for 197 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. That's a 9.8 yards per carry average as the Golden Tornado take down the Hampshire Trojans. Kingman is splitting time between fullback and running back in the Keyser Wing-T offense but the 5'9 155 Kingman looked great carrying the ball this week and has a nice combination of twitch and power.   [player_tooltip player_id='1154702' first='Isaiah' last='Heflin'] - Liberty-Harrison '27 QB   Liberty-Harrison freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1154702' first='Isaiah' last='Heflin'] is a name to remember for the future as he has a breakout performance against Grafton in his first varsity start ever. The 2027 prospect rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and also completed 5 of 8 passes for 59 yards and two more touchdowns bringing his total to three on the night. The Mountaineers are quietly now 3-1 on the year with their only loss coming by a point to undefeated Philip Barbour.   [player_tooltip player_id='907659' first='Kaden' last='Humphreys'] - Philip Barbour '24 ATH   Philip Barbour senior QB/ATH was doing his thing again in a 42-0 shutout victory over Elkins. Humphreys had yet another 100-yard passing and rushing feat and scored five touchdowns in the game. He went 5 of 11 for 171 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air and rushed for 101 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. The dynamic 5'8 165 Humphreys is having a phenomenal senior season and has his Philip Barbour Colts at a perfect 4-0 record through the first five weeks of the year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1106018' first='Jeffrey' last='Cowger'] - North Marion '25 DE/LB   Junior North Marion athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1106018' first='Jeffrey' last='Cowger'] had a night to remember in the Huskies' big 35-17 win over previously unbeaten Lincoln. Cowger made a big impact in all three phases of the game with big plays of offense, defense, and special teams. He had one catch for six yards that went for a score on offense, 9 tackles, 3 sacks at defensive end, and one interception at linebacker on defense, and blocked a punt that he recovered for a touchdown on special teams. That's one of the better all-around and complete performances we've seen in all phases in a single game.   [player_tooltip player_id='832676' first='Noah' last='Collins'] - Clay County '25 QB   Clay County junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='832676' first='Noah' last='Collins'] just made our Midseason Quarterback Stock Risers list and the 2025 QB went off against Liberty-Raleigh with six touchdown passes. Collins went 17 of 22 for a cool 77% completion percentage and 311 yards passing. He also added five carries for 59 yards with his legs bringing his total offensive yardage to 370 in the game. Through the first four games of the season, Collins has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns as the Panthers are now 2-2 on the year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1106035' first='Lane' last='Watson'] - Roane County '25 ATH   Roane County junior athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1106035' first='Lane' last='Watson'] makes his second appearance of the season after a big night on the ground against the Poca Dots. Watson carried the ball just three times but they went for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also added two catches for 76 yards and another touchdown through the air. Watson also returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score making it three different ways he scored in the contest. For good measure, Watson had 9 total tackles on defense as well making it an all-around impressive performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] - Scott '24 QB   Scott senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] is just having an unbelievable start to his senior season and may have made all five of our weekly standout selections. Frye had another routine six-touchdown performance against Chapmanville and has also racked up quite a few rushing touchdowns this year to go along with his high-level passing ability. Frye threw for four touchdowns and rushed for two more in just the first half of the game before the reserves were put in. He had scoring strikes of 13, 59, 64, and 11 yards and scored on runs of 7 and 2 yards. Frye and the Skyhawks are now 5-0 on the year with a very tough matchup with fellow undefeated Mingo Central this week with major playoff implications.   [player_tooltip player_id='1015079' first='Dylan' last='Vance'] - Mingo Central '25 RB   We just mentioned junior Mingo Central running back [player_tooltip player_id='1015079' first='Dylan' last='Vance'] as one of our 2023 Midseason Running Back Stock Risers earlier today and his performance against Independence is another prime example as to why. Vance rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown in a big 24-6 win over defending state champion Independence. Vance carried the ball 21 times for a 9.5 yards per carry average and also added a reception for 15 yards. He's a name you need to know in the 2025 class and quickly emerging as one of the top running backs in Class AA this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='145663' first='Ian' last='Crookshanks'] - East Fairmont '24 QB   Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='145663' first='Ian' last='Crookshanks'] completed 13 of 21 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-21 win over Class AAA Preston. The East Fairmont signal caller wasn't done there as he also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards and three more scores on the ground. Crookshanks and the Bees are now 4-1 on the season and currently on a 4-game winning streak as they host undefeated Philip Barbour this week in what should be a real battle.   [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody'] - Nitro '25 QB   Nitro junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody'] has been lethal in the passing game all season and has emerged as the leading passer in yards and touchdowns by far through the first five weeks of the season. Moody had another big performance in the Wildcats' win over the Wayne Pioneers with 321 yards passing and three touchdowns with no interceptions. he completed 19 of 27 passes for a 70% completion percentage with a long of 86 yards. Incredibly, that's only his third-highest passing yard performance of the season but this time against a very solid Wayne squad, and the Wildcats need every bit of it to pull out a victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'] - Nitro '26 WR   The leading receiver in the entire state of West Virginia is sophomore Nitro receiver [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'] who has been putting up video game numbers all season long in the Wildcats' high-powered offense. Thompson had yet another huge game in a 33-21 tough win over Wayne and had 189 yards receiving on seven catches. Thompson averaged 27 yards per catch and scored three times in the game and is now well ahead of every other WV receiver in receiving yards and touchdowns.   [player_tooltip player_id='907799' first='Gavin' last='Davis'] - Shady Spring '24 RB   Senior Shady Spring running back [player_tooltip player_id='907799' first='Gavin' last='Davis'] went off in their win over PikeView. Davis earned his second mention in our weekly standouts this season after another huge performance. He rushed 22 times for 240 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-12 rout of PikeView. Davis averaged 10.9 yards per carry and added a catch for 14 yards. The Tigers topped the Panthers in the battle of big cats with Davis carrying the load for Shady Spring.   [player_tooltip player_id='402801' first='Braden' last='Wade'] - Linsly '26 QB   Sophomore Linsly quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='402801' first='Braden' last='Wade'] saw his first start of the season with the usual starter unavailable and the young 2026 prospect showed why Linsly coaches are excited about his future and potential. I got to see their game with previously unbeaten Fort Frye (OH) in person and Wade was efficient and effective. Wade went 11 of 18 for 227 yards and two touchdowns and placed the ball well flashing his arm talent. He only had a couple of misfires in the game and performed very well for his first start. Wade completed passes at all levels of the passing tree and threw a pretty deep ball hitting his receiver in stride more than once down the sideline. Keep an eye on him for the next two and a half seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='909078' first='Damani' last='Johnson'] - Fairmont Senior '25 DB   Junior running back and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='909078' first='Damani' last='Johnson'] was essential in Fairmont Senior's big win over Class AAA University on Friday night. Johnson had two rushing touchdowns including the go-ahead 27-yard game-winner with 1:33 to go in the contest. He also added a 14-yarder in the third quarter and was named Player of the Game for his efforts. The Polar Bears came out victorious in a very hard-fought battle with the University Hawks and Johnson was a key reason why.

Week five has come and gone and there were plenty of standout performers in the second week of the WV high school football season. Here are 14 athletes that stood out during week five of the season.