Week 9: Underrated MVP’s

As always, it would not be a typical week of reporting in the state of Georgia if we did not take the time to recognize some of the underrated MVP’s of last week’s gridiron match-ups. In a state where players can easily fly under the radar due to it’s high level of talent, we at PrepRedzone always find it appropriate to take some time to recognize underrated prospects, and performances. The crazy part of our underrated MVP’s series is the fact that at times, these underrated performances can come from top prospects, who may have been out-shined during some weeks due to the gaudy performances, and statistics of others. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33889" first="Jacurri" last="Brown"] (QB)- </strong>Lowndes Even though Brown is a fairly reputable prospect, his performance last week went a bit unnoticed due to the 6 TD performances of rival QB’s throughout the state. Regardless of this, Brown led the Vikings as well as he always does, and by the end of the game, he went 14 for 19 in the air, for over 260 yards. These passing numbers came with 3 TD’s, as well as a win over Tift County that helped to advance his squad to a 6-2 record. <strong>Dennis Mims (DL)- </strong>Appling County Because plenty of DL throughout the state of Georgia saw themselves end last Friday with multiple sacks, forced fumbles, and more, Dennis Mims, out of Appling County, had his performance overlooked. In his team’s dominating win, Mims recorded 14 total tackles, further contributing to his team’s 8-0 record this year. This win over Tattnall County was Appling County’s second regional win of the year, and we fully expect them to continue to keep things rolling in the coming weeks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33918" first="Donovan" last="Johnson"] (RB)- </strong>Calvary Day In their win against Mountain View, Johnson continued to prove why he is a huge asset for his team’s offense, as he managed to accumulate 3 TD’s on the ground last Friday. This came on 8 carries, for 160 plus yards, only further adding to his impressive statistics this season. At this point of the season, after 8 wins, Johnson has averaged over 100 yards a game, and has totaled around 885 yards on the ground this season. This will likely increase as the year continues. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95473" first="E.J." last="Lightsey"] (LB/ RB)- </strong>Fitzgerald How Lightsey’s performance went under the radar this past week is still a surprise. Not only does he show out for Fitzgerald on a weekly basis, but he makes plays on both sides of the ball. Last week, on the defensive side of the ball alone, he managed to rack up 10 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a sack. To add to this, when on the offensive side of the ball, he was just as versatile, as he scored 2 TD’s for his team- 1 in the air, and 1 on the ground. <strong>Charlie Gilliam (QB)- </strong>ELCA Perhaps, the only reason Gilliam’s performance last week can be viewed to be underrated is due to the fact that his big performance was against Pacelli High School, rather than a powerhouse program. Regardless, Gilliam was very efficient in the air as he completed 15 of his 18 passes, and he also accumulated about 360 yards. This yardage came with 3 total TD’s, which brought his season total up to 7 TD’s to this point. Along with this, his 360 yards were huge for his statistics, as he has now thrown for around 1,200 yards this season. <strong>Brandon Mathis (RB)- </strong>Starr’s Mill To us, Mathis can be seen as an underrated MVP this past week for Starr’s Mill due to his consistent performance when toting the football in the close win against Griffin High School. In this game, he toted the ball 11 times for 148 yards, and helped his team get the win in a 28-20 win. Going forward, we fully expect Mathis to be able to carry a big load for his team’s offense, helping them to more wins as the season comes to an end. <strong>Miles Thornton (WR)- </strong>Sandy Creek Thornton, who plays for Calvin Johnson’s alma mater, Sandy Creek High, had a great performance for his team’s offense last week. While he did not record 3-4 TD’s like many receivers did this past week, his performance was big for his team, and as a role player, his 9 catches helped lead his team to a 37-3 win. In total, these 9 receptions totaled about 135 yards, and further added to his receiving total this season.