Players who have caught our attention halfway thru the season

<p>We are officially across the halfway point of the regular season here for Virginia High School Football and a lot still has to be determined. What has been answered are my standouts below who you may not have been aware of, but are now:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1232682' first='Jayden' last='Bell'] is having a great senior season for the Cardinals, one that should lead him to playing at the next level. A fierce tackler at corner for Gainesville, Bell is 5'1 and 190 lbs., I could see him playing safety in college. Very good range and a physical young man, Bell can come in and make plays on special teams too. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_JaydenBell_/status/1840617482928701770 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">The Woodbridge Vikings have been a nice surprise in the Cardinal District and do not expect them to go away quietly when it comes to playoff positioning. Receiver/defensive Salmanna Massaquoi is having a breakout senior season after transferring in from Alexandra City a year ago. He has been just what star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1206155' first='Denari' last='Hill'] needed as Massaquoi looks like a veteran receiver for an otherwise young Vikings team. </p>   <p>Defensively at corner he is tough too with his 5'10 180 lb. frame, Woodbridge will need with big rivalry matchups waiting in the wings. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SamMassaquoi07/status/1833492246584324354 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">I have been bullish on Gainesville all off-season, I really believe they are one of the top 5 teams in Class 6. A lot of that will be sorted out in the next couple of weeks, what doesn't need confused is the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1516063' first='Surat' last='Gill']. Another senior for Coach Bruton who has saved his best for last, Gill is having an all district type of year. </p>   <p>A menace along the defensive line, he is hard to move with his overall power, he rarely loses one on one matchups. I remember when Coach told me after their victory over Gar-Field that it always starts up front with his squad. He is right Gainesville wins on both sides of the ball with studs like Gill, [player_tooltip player_id='1232682' first='Jayden' last='Bell'], [player_tooltip player_id='1232951' first='Aidan' last='Washington'] and of course [player_tooltip player_id='1231291' first='Jack' last='Smoot']. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Domingo Meade is dominating at receiver for the Virginia Academy Patriots. Week after week he is making highlight reel catches that should boost his collegiate prospects. Meade is a speedster who can get open in any coverage you set against him. Look for VA Academy to really take flight as the season wears on. With the chemistry between Meade and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1310391' first='Bryan' last='Resto'] seeming to be really on point, they are only going to go up from here. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">It does not matter that he is a freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1405199' first='Jayvion' last='Maldon'] is a star already for the Unity Reed Lions. Player an assortment of roles including receiver, tight end and linebacker Maldon is a special football player. </p>   <p>He is fast and a sure fire tackler at linebacker, I can see why they moved him inside to maximize his speed. Already 6'1 and 180 lbs. Maldon has been a reliable target offensively for the Lions. He has good hands and he knows how to box out defenders. When the 2028 rankings come out, do not be surprised to see his name high up on our list.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jayvionmaldon22/status/1841152648843579548 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">The Stallions have been hit by the injury bug bad thru the first half of the season. Missing several starters, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1232067' first='Aaron' last='Bangura'] has stepped up and his having an excellent senior campaign. 29 solo tackles already, Bangura is going to be key for a possible late season South County playoff push. He has been a steady force in an otherwise not ideal situation with so many of his teammates going down to injuries. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/AaronBangura_/status/1840910266260668570 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Colgan has a huge matchup tomorrow against Gar-Field and you can best believe [player_tooltip player_id='1297720' first='Avan' last='Fortner'] is fired up for this game. Fortner typically follows the opposing teams best receiver and he lives for the moment. Facing a number of elite receivers already this fall he will take on any challengers and most likely win. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Avan_Fortner1/status/1835427520596099140 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Junior tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1297879' first='Aidan' last='Reid'] is not being talked about enough, the kid catches everything thrown in his direction. 6'5 and 215 lbs. he can create separation and is an exceptionally route runner. Playing for the Mclean Highlanders Reid nearly has 400 yards receiving thru 5 games. If the Highlanders are serious about the postseason this fall, Reid needs to be priority number 1 moving forward.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/areid_/status/1840460717259886640 </div></figure>

We are officially across the halfway point of the regular season here for Virginia High School Football and a lot still has to be determined. What has been answered are my standouts below who you may not have been aware of, but are now: