CSRA and Midland Week One Players To Watch

We are one week into the 2025 season and we're starting to see players from 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 Classes make plays. That makes it difficult to pick the players to watch each week, but that's what makes this so much fun.   We saw more than enough offensive stars and the defensive stats and film are starting to trickle in. Last week, we looked at Games to Watch for the CSRA and the Midlands area so this week, we will change gears and pick some players we think will make huge impacts this week.   Here are the Week One Players to Watch for the CSRA and Midland area games.   [player_tooltip player_id='644030' first='Xavier' last='Geter'] QB, Midland Valley   All Geter did in the season-opening 46-21 win over JL Mann was throw for 461 yards on 24-of-27 passing and four touchdowns to go along with 78 yards rushing. The junior showed flashes last season but already has over half the passing yards he had 11 games last season. [player_tooltip player_id='1010338' first='Cameron' last='Gleaton'] caught nine passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. This week, Geter gets to test his accuracy against a Blythewood defense that allowed 27 points to Nation Ford.    [player_tooltip player_id='1604012' first='Jamar' last='Grissett'] DB, Irmo   The junior had a solid week in the Yellow Jackets 35-28 win over Oceanside Collegiate. He finished with two interceptions and a pass breakup to go along with five tackles. Irmo travels to Byrnes in what is going to be another challenging early season test. We know the Yellow Jackets are talented on the line and at linebacker so Grissett should be a key performer in the secondary this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1025784' first='Roper' last='Wentzky'] QB, AC Flora   We knew coming into the season that the Falcons would be able to score points and they put 30 on board in the season opener. Roper is expected to have a huge season, and he started by throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He was 18-of-25 and protected the ball even with one interception. The Falcons face a Chapin defense this week that allowed 30 points to Catawba Ridge.   [player_tooltip player_id='1840785' first='Christian' last='Johnson'] DL, Aiken   Facing a run-heavy team last week, Johnson and his 305 pounds clogged up the middle and made it difficult for Aynor to get anything going. Now he faces an Airport team that managed just eight points in the season opener. Johnson could have another huge defensive effort to begin the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1708197' first='Jai' last='Chuniesingh'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1818894' first='Tre' last='Jackson'] RB, Pelion   The Panthers opened the Cory Helms era with a 35-0 win, the duo of Chuniesing and Jackson both scored two touchdowns. Pelion wants to be physical and run the ball and if those two can carry the load, Pelion could be much improved from 2024.   [player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter'] WR, River Bluff   Carter had an impressive debut for the Gators with 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns on seven receptions. He was the top target for QB [player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore'] and caught TD passes from 30 and 25 yards. He also had four kick returns for 81 yards and returned one punt for 18 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1823864' first='Jace' last='Coleman'] LB, Lugoff-Elgin   Coleman stayed in the Lower Richland backfield this past week, but his most impressive play came on an assist from backside pursuit. Coleman came from across the field and striped the ball away and then was able to recover it before most people realized what happened. He's going to be a huge piece of the Demons defense.      [player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts'] QB, Dutch Fork   The Silver Foxes were off last week, and expectations are high again for the three-time defending state champs. The defense is loaded but question marks remain for a revamped offense that will have Knotts under center. Knotts (pictured) was the backup a season ago but the controls have been turned over to the junior and expectations are high. It starts against a Spartanburg team with a game under its belt.   [player_tooltip player_id='1267270' first='Dante' last='Caldwell'] RB/LB, Swansea   Caldwell Is going to be a featured running back while still being expected to play well at linebacker for the Tigers. He ran for 104 yards and two scores in a shortened game against Mid-Carolina.   [player_tooltip player_id='1054176' first='Grayson' last='Gunter'] LB, Gilbert   Gunter was all over the place against Lexington with 16 total tackles, a tackle for loss and quarterback pressure. The Indians now face a good Wilson team that will test the defense to stay disciplined and play under control. Gilbert has a bye after this week but they don't want to be sitting 0-2 after two home games.    [player_tooltip player_id='1821292' first='Gerald' last='Gibson'] QB, Lower Richland   Gibson had a steady first start by going 9-of-17 for 91 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He made good decisions for the most part and found players open despite being under some pressure. His development might be key, and he faces an improved Spring Valley defense this week.   [player_tooltip player_id='477819' first='Dylan' last='Redden'] ATH, Spring Valley   Now that the 24-game losing streak is a thing of the past, the Vikings can look forward to the rest of the season starting this week against Lower Richland. Redden will be a huge part of that. He was the starting quarterback most of last season but played tight end, running back and defensive back on Friday. He scored the first touchdown to begin the comeback from a 19-0 deficit.    [player_tooltip player_id='1820737' first='Cam' last='Morris'] LB and [player_tooltip player_id='1817400' first='Markel' last='Byrd'] RB, Lexington   Both players had fine starts to their senior seasons but with North Augusta coming to town, they will need more of the same. Morris led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win over Gilbert. Byrd ran for 100 yards on 23 carries and helped the offense move the chains early when things weren't working well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822187' first='Hunter' last='O'Neal'] RB, Keenan   We knew O'Neal was going to be a focal point of the Raiders offense, but it turned out to be more than we thought. O'Neal carried the rock on 27 of the 34 rushing attempts in the 30-22 win over Dreher. He accounted for 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns and added one tackle on defense. The Raiders are going to need more offensive stars to step forward but O'Neal will be the workhorse against Pendleton.     [player_tooltip player_id='437772' first='Brayden' last='Boults'] RB, Crestwood   The freshman had an impressive debut in a victory over Manning. He ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries and proved he might be an option in a balanced Knights attack. With QB [player_tooltip player_id='1816441' first='Marek' last='Yates'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1823496' first='Jayden' last='Martin'] connecting on three touchdowns, this Crestwood offense is young but could be extremely explosive.   [player_tooltip player_id='262172' first='Bubba' last='Alexander'] RB/LB, Hammond   We knew what Alexander could do from his linebacker spot, but it was his rushing totals that caught our attention in the 17-0 win over Christ Church. The junior ran for 84 yards on seven carries that included a 37-yard TD run. Alexander added four tackles and a QB pressure on defense. He missed parts of the third and fourth quarters with cramps but he's going to be a two-way player for the Skyhawks all season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821935' first='Michael' last='Traynum'] ATH and [player_tooltip player_id='1821949' first='Stone' last='Porter'] ATH, Ben Lippen   The Falcons opened a week earlier than most so is coming off a bye. Traynum led a ground game that finished with 289 yards by averaging over 15 yards per carry and finished with 126 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. He also returned an interception 25 yards. Porter also scored a rushing touchdown but was the leading tackler with 12 tackles in the 28-7 victory over First Baptist.

We are one week into the 2025 season and we're starting to see players from 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 Classes make plays. That makes it difficult to pick the players to watch each week, but that's what makes this so much fun.