Game Balls: Week 2 Skill Positions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're still reviewing film and stats from last Friday, but there are plenty of players worthy of recognizing from Week 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've already given <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/game-balls-week-2-quarterbacks/">game balls to some of the state's top-performing quarterbacks</a>, so now it's time to look at the skill positions. Here are a few skill position game balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 2 Game Balls: Skill Positions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604514' first='JJ' last='Gulat']</strong>, RB, Dixon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gulat was only an honorable mention last week in a 286-yard outburst. This week, he outdid himself, going for 288 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Gulat is a compact runner with excellent vision and contract balance. He leads the state in rushing after two weeks by a wide margin, and Dixon is 2-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1709591' first='Yoshua' last='McBryde']</strong>, RB, St. Pauls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McBryde has had huge first halves in each of his first two games, and he finished a 35-0 win over Lumberton with three touchdowns and over 200 rushing yards. The St. Pauls workhorse has elevated his game as a senior, both in terms of volume and efficiency. He's on pace for a 2000-yard regular season and is putting the entire state on notice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1650579' first='Anthony' last='Jimenez']</strong>, RB, American Leadership Academy- Johnston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You probably won't find a more explosive runner in North Carolina through two games. After ALA-Johnston had some backfield injuries last season, they're healthy and rotating backs this year. Jimenez went for 218 yards and five touchdowns on just 14 carries, an insane 15.6 yards per touch. ALA needed every one of those as well, as they squeaked by Bartlett-Yancey, 54-46.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alijah Clarke</strong>, RB, South Garner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Where did Clarke come from? I have to admit, he wasn't on my radar three weeks ago, but he's turning South Garner's offense into a dangerous unit. He, too, had five touchdowns and over 200 yards on 14 carries last week as South Garner won in a rout, 69-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1722985' first='Jamaal' last='Epps'], </strong>WR, Franklinton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Epps' progression from sophomore to junior year is remarkable. Unlike other breakouts, it's not like he didn't have opportunities last season, as Epps was second on the team in catches and yards. He caught 25 passes on an offense that struggled all season. The names are the same, but Franklinton is flying through two games. Epps has easily eclipsed last year's yardage and touchdown totals after an eight-catch, 212-yard, two-touchdown game in a win over Bunn. He's nearly reached 400 yards on just 16 catches this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594310' first='Jasiah' last='Holt']</strong>, WR, South Stanly</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holt and South Stanly fell just short on Friday, but he had such a big game that we had to include him in this piece. Holy had nine catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns, including a monster 80-yard touchdown catch. Oh, and he played on defense, picking off two passes and racking up eight tackles. He was on our preseason shortlist for the 2A Player of the Year award, and he made a strong case on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>We can't recognize players we can't see. Send us stats and film, so we can evaluate you/your players. Want to send this to a friend? Discount code Helms30 will get you 30% off your first billing cycle.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->