Mid-Season Look: DeKalb County (GA) Offensive Stat Sheet Stuffers

DeKalb County is home to some of the top prep football players, and programs, in the state of Georgia. For proof of that, look no further than Cedar Grove High School, which has won four of the last eight Georgia High School state championships. While these athletes below still have at least a year until they take the field on the high school level, there is undeniable talent already shining through this year as middle school prospects.    Bell has scored multiple TDs in every game this season for Cedar Grove. He's lining up as a Quarterback for the Saints this season, but in my opinion he's certainly more of an Athlete at this point in his career. Through the first three weeks of the season, he has accounted for nine total touchdowns. Whether throwing for TDs with his right arm, using speed and dual-threat ability, or even with his defensive play notching a pick-six, he's getting it done all over the field. He has to be an early favorite for the DeKalb County MVP.     The dual-threat Quarterback has used his arms and legs to make Columbia competitive in every game this season. In the first game of the season, he used his dual-threat ability to create some late-game heroics, as he threw a game-winning TD pass late in the fourth quarter. He followed that up with a pair of rushing TD's in the Eagles' week two victory over stone Mountain. In week three Columbia lost a tough game in OT, but Cody again found the end zone with his legs. He also added an INT in the game.     Without question he's one of the top class of 2029 Quarterbacks in the state of Georgia, as of this September 2024 writeup. On top of the physical attributes and the way he plays the position, he's also has the ability to put up fantasy football numbers in the stat line. The writing was on the wall early this season, as Booker tossed a trio of TD passes in the season-opener to set the tone. The Panthers have a lot of talent at the skill positions and the rock gets spread around, but the big man is clearly the straw the stirs the drink.     The Champion Chargers are sitting pretty as they reach the half way mark of the season in DeKalb County. While the team is balanced and is getting major contributions from several players, it all starts with Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1453850' first='Marcus' last='Green']. The field general has gotten it done with his arms and his legs--both are equally dangerous. He's a very buttoned up QB in the pocket and looks mature beyond his years, doing things like holding a DB with his eyes before quickly firing over to open receivers. His week two performance of 137 total yards and two touchdowns helped him earn the team's co-Offensive MVP.     After a shut out loss and a not-so-hot start to the season for the Henderson Cougars, Jaiden Jackson was pivotal in an offensive resurgence that helped them rebound to win the next two games. In week two, JJ scored all three touchdowns for Henderson in week two, 21-6 victory over Tucker. He followed that up a week later, in week three with a pair of touchdowns to help erase a 14-0 deficit, as the Cougs downed Salem 19-14.     Jackson has been an integral part of a resurgence for the Raiders football program. Redan is currently undefeated on the season and has been a standout player on both sides of the ball. Focusing offensively, the Running Back has scored at least once in each of the first four games of the season. In week two, a 12-0 shutout victory over Miller Grove, Jackson scored both touchdowns on the day. Most recently, in what I consider to be the most impressive single-game performance in DeKalb County this season, Jackson scored four total touchdowns (one was a pick-six), a pair of two-point conversions and 12 tackles in a 40-0 blanking of McNair.     Coming off an All-Region selection last year as a seventh-grader, Fitzgerald has seemingly picked up right where he left off for this eighth-grade season. With an abundance of talent at the other skill positions, Fitzgerald has made the most of his opportunities at the Running Back position. His best game in the first of half of this season came on the opening weekend, when Champion downed Henderson 22-0. In that tilt, Fitzgerald racked up 160 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, in addition to a reception for 10 yards, en route to an Offensive MVP.     After gathering all the info and watching film, I'm leaning towards listing [player_tooltip player_id='1431588' first='Makai' last='King'] as an Athlete before it's all said and done. For this writeup's sake, I think he's a fun player to watch because of he can impact all three phases of the game. With his speed and ability to create/find space, it's no wonder he's become the favorite target of QB [player_tooltip player_id='1431574' first='Latevious' last='Booker']. Through four games, he has four TD receptions, a pair of rushing TDs and two INTs--one of which was a pick-six as a Cornerback and has caused or secured two turnovers. He's all over the place and always doing something positive for the Panthers.     The Running Back play of Harrell has been worth the price of admission alone--not to mention his contributions on the defensive side of the ball as well. Coming off an All-Region season a year ago as a seventh-grader, he's been the engine for the Rams offensively this season. His two second half touchdowns and nearly 70 yards on the ground helped Freedom pick up a win the opening week. The Rams came up short in weeks two and three but Harrell still did his thing. In week two he carried the ball eight times for 72 yards and a TD, while week three saw him make an impact on special teams.     In the early 90s the Dallas Cowboys famously had the triplets of Emmitt Smith (RB), Troy Aikman (QB) and Michael Irvin (WR); In 2024, Chapel Hill Middle School has its own triplets with [player_tooltip player_id='1431589' first='Ramello' last='Jackson'] (RB), [player_tooltip player_id='1431574' first='Latevious' last='Booker'] (QB) and [player_tooltip player_id='1431588' first='Makai' last='King'] (WR)...and this trio has the Panthers undefeated, half way through the season. Jackson has been a constant threat to keep the defense honest, as he rumbles for TDs. Through the first four weeks of the season, Jackson has six rushing touchdowns. Strength, balance and unassuming speed make him very tough to bring down.     When looking at DeKalb County there are a bunch of players that have an impact on offense or defense, and some even have an impact on both. However, there are only a handful that have a true impact in all three phases of the game, like Behling does. Looking at his first three games of the season, he's done a little bit of everything. He opened the season with one of seven different Bulldogs to score in a 62-0 massacre of Sequoyah. He followed it up with a three-touchdown performance--which included a touchdown run, a touchdown reception and was highlighted by 77-yard kick-off return to start the game. In their third game he was kept off the scoreboard, but still tallied 119 all-purpose yards and grabbed an INT on defense.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Additional Standouts</h2>   Jayden Sumbry | Redan Raiders - In addition to the big play of Benjamin Jackson, Redan has also benefited from the contributions of Jayden Sumbry. Sumbry has found the endzone a multiple times this season--for both touchdowns and two-point conversions. His biggest touchdown on the season, as of the mid-way point, came in the Raiders' week 3 overtime victory over Columbia, where Sumbry scored the game-winning TD in the extra stanza.   Chaheed Banks | Lithonia Bulldogs - A valuable commodity on the outside for the Bulldogs, Banks has proven to be a popular target for Quarterback Willie Jones Jr. through the halfway point of the season. Banks has a couple touchdowns on the season season, highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown reception en route to a total of 78 receiving yards, in Lithonia's week three victory over Freemdom Middle School.   [player_tooltip player_id='1453877' first='Dralen' last='Hinton'] | Champion Chargers - Very impressive prospect on a deep team, with a ton of skill position players that all want/need the ball. He doesn't have the gaudy stats that some others do, but his presence is obvious on film. Between moving around in motion and running routes he's proven to be a guy that defenses needed to keep in check. In Champion's Week 3 victory over Chamblee six different Chargers found the end zone, but it was Hinton's 62 yards and TD that earned Offensive MVP honors. While it may go unnoticed by some, he has improved his blocking a lot this year and does a good job in that aspect too.   Willie Jones Jr. | Lithonia Bulldogs - As QB1 of a Lithonia Bulldogs squad that could make some noise in DeKalb County as the rest of the season plays out, Jones Jr. is exactly what the doctor ordered in terms of making sure his team puts up the points necessary to win. Following an opening week blowout of Sequoyah, where everybody and their mother scored a TD (seven different Bulldogs scored), Jones Jr. leveld up and accounted for three total touchdowns (2 passing TDs and 1 on the ground) in their week two victory over Chamblee. He continued his hot play in week three with a game-high 168 yards through the air, highlighted by a 65-yard TD strike to Chaheed Banks.   Jaylen Bogues | Tucker Lions - On film he appears to be one of the fastest 2029 prospects in all of DeKalb County and his production follows suit. Tucker dropped its first contest of the season to Tucker 12-0, in game they're going to wish they had back. That loss may have woken up the beast in Bogues, as he returned two kicks to the house (although one was called back due to penalty) in a week two victory over Henderson. He followed that up with a two TD performance out of the backfield in a shellacking of Sequoyah.   Jake Davis | Henderson Cougars - After a quiet opening two weeks to the season, Quarterback Jake Davis has come alive for the surging Henderson Cougars. Aiding in a three-game winning streak, after recording his first touchdown of the season on the ground in week three, Davis exploded in week four. In the 33-0 victory over Sequoyah--a team that hasn't scored a point yet this season--Davis tossed a trio of TD passes to three different receivers in the victory.

DeKalb County is home to some of the top prep football players, and programs, in the state of Georgia. For proof of that, look no further than Cedar Grove High School, which has won four of the last eight Georgia High School state championships. While these athletes below still have at least a year until they take the field on the high school level, there is undeniable talent already shining through this year as middle school prospects.