Charlotte Area + Beyond Week 10 Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All across the Charlotte Metro Area &amp; beyond in Week 10, there were big-time performances, and we're going to highlight them here with a bit of commentary tacked on as well for select players. Please make sure you are sharing your performances with me via Twitter/X @pepman704, especially if you are in the Charlotte Metro Area, to be considered for inclusion! We will have this series all year long on Prep Redzone North Carolina, and we will recognize everyone – including linemen! Stats and film will help a TON when being evaluated for inclusion! All right, let's get started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467712' first='Tyler' last='Johnson']</strong> - Comm. School of Davidson - 101 Rushing Yards on 3 Carries! 3 Rushing Touchdowns, &amp; Receiving Touchdown - This is some incredible production on limited touches in a game that was a runaway victory. It is impressive to see how good of an athlete Tyler is after having been a quarterback exclusively last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616138' first='Xavier' last='Hutchens']</strong> - Kings Mountain - 115 Receiving Yards and 2 Touchdown Catches on 10 Catches! - Xavier is becoming the player we all knew he could be very quickly, and he's got a bright future ahead of himself with the Mountaineers. Strong hands and nice separation on his routes in this game in particular. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1654531' first='Jalen' last='Rhyne']</strong> - Olympic - No completions allowed and four pass breakups - Jalen has been a steady performer at his cornerback position all season for the Trojans. He's been reliable at both man and zone coverage concepts, and has shown he's not afraid to come up in run support and tackle on the outside as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TJ Kieffer</strong> - Pine Lake - 13 Tackles, 7 Solo Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss - Pine Lake has had a tough season overall from a won/loss perspective, but they probably played their best game of the season this past Friday and got into the win column agains a potent offensive opponent. TJ's performance was a big reason for that success. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1239187' first='Caleb' last='Cooper']</strong> - Providence Day - 14 Tackles, 5 Solo Tackles, Forced Fumble</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751631' first='Callaway' last='Williams']</strong> - South Mecklenburg - 151 Receiving Yards, Touchdown Catch, and Interception - Callaway was selected to the Queen City Senior Bowl as a defensive back, but he had a really impressive game at receiver with a couple of deep pass receptions. He's been a playmaker all season on both sides of the ball for the Sabres, and a big reason why they're having a good season this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483642' first='Immanuel' last='Collins']</strong> - Shelby - 2 Receiving Touchdowns and a Kickoff Return Touchdown - Collins has been a consistent big play threat in the potent Golden Lions attack, and will be a key player going into the playoffs where they are a state championship contender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672008' first='Johnta' last='Harrison']</strong> - West Cabarrus - 3 Passing Touchdowns &amp; 3 Rushing Touchdowns - 293 Total Yards of Offense - The past couple of weeks, Johnta has become the unquestioned main threat on offense for the Wolverines, and they've been putting up a lot of points as a result. He's got a big frame and athleticism to go with it, and stopping him has to be plan #1 for opposing defenses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1277000' first='Damonte' last='James']</strong> - Central Cabarrus - 173 Rushing Yards and 3 Rushing Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687743' first='Rhett' last='Decker']</strong> - Ambassador Christian - 10 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, Interception &amp; 2 Pass Breakups - Decker had a nice game here for an Ambassador Christian program having a good season in their first full year of varsity football. I like Decker's fundamental tackling ability and football intelligence diagnosing plays first and foremost. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702088' first='Faison' last='Manning']</strong> - AL Brown - 9 Tackles, Sack, Interception, 2 Quarterback Hurries - Faison had a nice game here for the Wonders, and did it both defending the run well, showing his speed and athleticism in space, along with getting good upfield pressure in his pass rush. His interception showed good discipline in zone coverage and breaking on the ball well, trusting his eyes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Xavier Edmond</strong> - Mallard Creek - 9 Carries For 163 Rushing Yards and 2 Touchdowns - Xavier had another nice game, with multiple explosive runs. He will be needed at his peak for the Mavericks to make a run they are capable of in the state playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AJ Davis</strong> - Concord - 3 Touchdown Catches, 188 Receiving Yards, 4 Tackles &amp; Pass Breakup - AJ had an impressive performance in this victory - his three touchdowns showcased some blazing speed and excellent footwork. Two of them came off of quick screens where AJ shook a couple of defenders and took it the distance. Impressive stuff. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyson Douglas-Brown</strong> - Corvian - 138 Passing Yards, 71 Rushing Yards, 2 Total Touchdowns - Freshman! - Corvian is a title contender once again at the 2A level and a big reason why is the performance of Tyson, which year to date has thrown for 1309 yards and 14 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. He's also ran for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns. He's performed well at some offseason competitions already, and he'll be one to watch going forward for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284097' first='Samari' last='Matthews']</strong> - Hough - Game-Changing Interception and Excellent Pass Coverage - Samari made another game-changing play for the Huskies in a showcase game against Myers Park for the conference title essentially last week. Samari did a great job in baiting the quarterback on a go route, made a nice catch on the play, and had a good runback to setup his offense. Moving forward, I don't think throwing his way will happen much in the upcoming playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaxon Lyons</strong> - East Rowan - 27 Carries, 246 Rushing Yards, and Rushing Touchdown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sione Lattimore</strong> - Cox Mill - 14 Catches For 193 Receiving Yards and 3 Receiving Touchdowns - Sione had one of the more impressive receiving games on film in this one, because he ran a wide variety of routes - go balls where he high-pointed against single coverage, curl routes against zone where he found the hole and sat down, crossing routes running away from man coverage - he did it all with strong hands and some good speed. He's a rising star that could have a big offseason leading to offers coming his way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AJ Settles </strong>- AL Brown - 195 Passing Yards, 2 Passing Touchdowns, Plus 122 Rushing Yards and 3 Touchdowns - The dual threat quarterback had a complete performance in this one, and he's a real playmaker and a game changer for the Wonders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grae Ponder</strong> - West Lincoln - 265 Total Yards and Rushing Touchdown, 7 Tackles</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1169882' first='Zach' last='Cullen']</strong> - Sun Valley - 137 Rushing Yards and 2 Total Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1626325' first='Brennen' last='Wallace'] </strong>- Christ The King - 15 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, Sack &amp; Forced Fumble</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348404' first='Landen' last='Agee']</strong> - North Lincoln - 183 Rushing Yards and 3 Rushing Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Greyson Blair</strong> - Bunker Hill - 420 Passing Yards and 5 Touchdowns - A 2028 prospect, Greyson did all he could to keep his team in this one. He had a special connection going with one of his receivers who we'll highlight shortly, but he has nice accuracy and timing on his throws. I'm interested to see more of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Datavian Gaither</strong> - Bunker Hill - 9 Catches, 285 Receiving Yards, and 4 Receiving Touchdowns - Datavian, or "Tae" as he goes by, had a really productive game here, and he's made some plays for Bunker Hill all throughout the season. He's got some good speed and shiftiness with the ball in his hands, and he's also a defensive back. He's an athlete prospect we'll keep an eye on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brayden Fortenberry</strong> - Stuart Cramer - 9 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, and 2 Sacks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607782' first='Aury' last='Greenfield']</strong> - JM Robinson - 185 Passing Yards, 130 Rushing Yards, 2 Total Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='651159' first='Braylon' last='Clark']</strong> - Country Day - 6 Catches, 167 Receiving Yards, Game-Winning TD Catch - Playing against rival Charlotte Latin, Braylon made a game-winning touchdown catch in the 4th quarter on a post route from talented QB [player_tooltip player_id='1970637' first='Achilles' last='Morales']. Braylon has been on an absolute tear as his Buccaneers are having their best season in a few years. Our #1 player in the 2028 class continues to show week in and week out why college football programs all over the country for his services. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='915835' first='Jared' last='Street'] </strong>- Independence - 315 Passing Yards, 3 Passing Touchdowns, 1 Rushing Touchdown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678619' first='Dominik' last='Danzy'] </strong>- West Stanly - 3 Total Touchdowns - 1 Passing, 1 Receiving, and 1 Kickoff Return TD - Danzy has been one of the main playmakers for a West Stanly program still in a bit of a building mode with younger players. He's got some nice speed in the open field and has been playing a variety of positions this season, but had an especially productive game in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149032' first='Marcus' last='Sales']</strong> - Cannon - 7 Catches, 180 Receiving Yards, 3 Receiving Touchdowns - Marcus has really shown well as a receiver this season for Cannon, and he accounted for all of their points against a talented Rabun Gap team last week. He was absolutely torching man coverage and showing some impressive speed and route running ability. If he keeps this up, he will see colleges showing more recruiting interest for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex Williams </strong>- Concord - 9 Tackles, 2 Sacks, Fumble Recovery, Plus Strong Run Blocking</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='738731' first='AJ' last='McClain'] </strong>- Ashbrook - 207 Passing Yards, 3 Passing Touchdowns, Excellent Game Management - I watched some of this game and I was really impressed with what AJ did, not only throwing the 3 touchdown passes, but his decision making in the read option game, along with not forcing anything and letting the game come to him. Ashbrook is a run first offense, but if AJ is going to play this efficiently, they're a legitimate contender in 6A for the state playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254553' first='Jonathan' last='Moore']</strong> - Ashbrook - Excellent overall run and pass blocking in a big victory</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678655' first='Jahmere' last='Anderson']</strong> - Hough - 2 Receiving Touchdowns - First Two This Season! - Jahmere is a player with a lot of talent for the Huskies, and with [player_tooltip player_id='945238' first='Tyran' last='Evans'] out for this one nursing an injury, he had a chance to step up and show what he could do. Jahmere won down the field against man coverage from a good Myers Park team on two occassions, showing his speed and ability to high-point the football as well. If he is clicking come playoff time, that just makes the Huskies that much more difficult to defend in their offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='800901' first='Gordon' last='Sellars'] </strong>- Providence Day - 5 Catches 113 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Smith Barlowe</strong> - Parkwood - 285 Passing Yards and 5 Passing Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->