Charlotte Area + Beyond Week 8 Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All across the Charlotte Metro Area &amp; beyond in Week 8, 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>Mozes Morris</strong> - West Forsyth - 24 Carries For 178 Yards and 4 Touchdowns - Mozes continues to impress with his nice combination of speed, power, and vision behind a talented offensive line for the Titans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771231' first='Dallas' last='Brannon']</strong> - Independence - 14 Tackles, 6 Tackles For Loss, 71 Yard Touchdown Run - Dallas has been playing lights out football for the Patriots - his touchdown run came off of a fake punt where Dallas went virtually untouched into the end zone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jason Bonds</strong> - East Rowan - 7 Catches, 121 Receiving Yards, 3 Touchdowns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Sanders</strong> - West Rowan - Double-Digit Tackles, 50 Yard Interception Return, Blocked PAT - Kaden continues to have a strong season for the Falcons, who have been a bit hot/cold all season, but are still in contention for a playoff spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alexis Rosario</strong> - Concord - Two Field Goals Including 52 Yarder! Also, 3 Touchbacks - Alexis has shown that he's one of the best kickers in the Charlotte Metro Area this season, and nailing a 52-yard field goal is something most high school kickers just don't do. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594310' first='Jasiah' last='Holt']</strong> - South Stanly - 7 Catches 105 Receiving Yards, Touchdown &amp; 2 INT's, Including Pick 6 - Incredible production from Jasiah, who continues to be one of the best overall athletes in Stanly County, and he has been throughout his entire career. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1909731' first='Jayden' last='Woods']</strong> - South Stanly - 5 Tackles, 2 Interceptions, Fumble Return TD &amp; 70 Yards Receiving - Head Coach Terry Shankle of South Stanly shared with me that Jayden broke his record for interceptions in a game earlier this season, and Jayden has continued to play extremely well in the secondary, defending the pass this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1041542' first='Ty' last='Sigler']</strong> - Community School of Davidson - 20-32 328 Passing Yards 4 Touchdowns - Ty has a lot of arm talent, and he's now starting to show it as he gets more comfortable in the Spartans' offensive attack. They will be a dangerous team come playoff time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chris Wurster</strong> - Stuart Cramer - 14 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, &amp; 1 Interception - Just another impressively productive game for the talented Lenoir-Rhyne commit who led his defense to a shutout in this particular game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369640' first='L'Darius' last='Young'] </strong>- Olympic - 6 Pancake Blocks, Setting The Tone Up Front For His Team</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eli Washington</strong> - Lake Norman Charter - 124 Receiving Yards &amp; A 95-Yard Receiving Touchdown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zack Riddle</strong> - Northwest Cabarrus - Double-Digit Tackles Plus A Sack and Fumble Recovery - Zack has been on here a couple of times this season, and he's starting to get some recruiting attention from college football programs as well. He's a 2027 prospect we've got our eyes on now, as his speed and agility allow him to get to places quickly on the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacob Baggett </strong>- Providence Day - 11 Touchbacks! And 6 PATs - Great Kicking Night! - Even the best kickers don't hit the ball perfectly every time on a kickoff, so to have the consistency to drill the ball deep in the end zone 11 times is some impressive consistency and talent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671933' first='Brenan' last='Schauer']</strong> - Weddington - 11 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, Plus A Pass Breakup - Brenan continues to be the steady hand in the Weddington defense, and they are playing extremely well through conference play now and look to make a run in the upcoming playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield']</strong> - Lincolnton - 9 Carries, 4 Rushing Touchdowns, 18 Tackles, 4 Sacks - Incredible Game! - Mayfield showed his entire skill set in a big win for his program over Shelby. He is being recruited by most major Power 4 college football programs because he shows elite traits in getting to the football, an impressive burst in getting to the quarterback, and an excellent competitive spirit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jon Snipes</strong> - Independence - Pick 6 Returned For Over 70 Yards - Impressive Play!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1334109' first='Aamir' last='Gilcreast']</strong> - 20 Carries 158 Rushing Yards, Touchdown Plus Receiving Touchdown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1909800' first='Zahir' last='Smith']</strong> - Olympic - 142 Total Offensive Yards, Touchdown, and 3 Tackles - Zahir continues to show his impressive versatility on the field, contributing both as a runner and receiver on offense, and then showing solid tackling skills defensively as a defensive back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1909734' first='Austin' last='Heath']</strong> - Davie County - 9 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 4 Sacks - Strong Defense! - This was an impressive performance here, as Austin showed relentless effort consistently on film for all of his impact plays. Austin has some good size at 6'1 and 200 pounds, and as a 2026 prospect, he could be a late steal for a college football program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamarcus Hairston</strong> - Harding - 187 Rushing Yards, 2 Touchdowns, Battle of Alleghany Trophy! - Jamarcus literally put the Rams on his back in the 4th quarter, leading them to a comeback victory over rival Berry in the Battle of Alleghany. His power running style eventually wore down the Cardinals' defense and gave the Rams their 2nd win on the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1593034' first='Jadarius' last='McCombs']</strong> - 159 Rushing Yards, 2 Touchdowns, on only 5 Carries! - Incredible production for Jadarius in this big win for the Blue Devils. His speed and vision have become next-level, and he's a true game-breaking back at this point in the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1647594' first='Fernando' last='Zelaya Iglesias']</strong> - Olympic - 2 Field Goals, Including Game Winner, 3 Touchbacks, 2 PATs - Fernando, for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, has become a clutch performer for his Trojans, who sit in first place in the Greater Metro Conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348404' first='Landen' last='Agee']</strong> - North Lincoln - 23 Carries 216 Rushing Yards, 2 Touchdowns - Over 1000 Yards For Season - Landon has been productive despite his team's overall struggles, showing his talent and skills as a running back should be coveted by college football programs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1169882' first='Zach' last='Cullen']</strong> - Sun Valley - 200 All Purpose Yards, 1 Touchdown, and a Pick 6 on defense!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1277000' first='Damonte' last='James'] </strong>- Central Cabarrus - 19 Carries 149 Rushing Yards, 2 Total Touchdowns &amp; Forced Fumble</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600223' first='Bryson' last='Simpkins']</strong> - Monroe - 73 Receiving Yards, 6 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks, Fumble Return TD - Bryson has had an up and down year after the graduation of the vast majority of players who helped lead the Redhawks to a state championship last season. However, he showed here why he can be a major asset to a college football program on either side of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301262' first='Josh' last='Falzarano Jr'] </strong>- Myers Park - 5 Carries<strong>,</strong> 120 Rushing Yards, and a Touchdown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->