While he first caught my attention as his team’s starting quarterback, Cayden Grigsby Cayden Grigsby 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Middlesboro | 2024 State KY made a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball this season. Grigsby lined up at corner where he showed tremendous ball skills, showing the ability to turn and make a play on the ball at its highest point, coming away with six interceptions in 12 games and returning one for a touchdown. He also finished the season with 44 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. Grigsby also returned one punt and two kickoffs for touchdowns and continued to impress at quarterback. He threw for 2,023 yards and 26 touchdowns with  seven interceptions while also leading the team in rushing with 135 carries for 898 yards and nine touchdowns. Cayden currently holds an offer from Union College and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more come his way as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.

To wrap up my top offensive performers from Week 11, I have a Cayden Grigsby Cayden Grigsby 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Middlesboro | 2024 State KY . Grigsby did a little bit of everything in Middlesboro’s win over Knox Central. As a passer, Grigsby completed 15/19 passes for 211 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Cayden showed an impressive ability to escape the pocket when under pressure while keeping his eyes down the field to make throws on the run. He also showed the ability to tuck the ball and make plays as a ball carrier, running the ball six times for 67 yards and a touchdown. Grigsby played a key role in all three phases of the game as he also returned one kickoff for a touchdown and finished the game with five tackles on defense. Cayden currently holds an offer from Union College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play multiple positions at the next level.

Cayden Grigsby Cayden Grigsby 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Middlesboro | 2024 State KY is another dual-threat quarterback that stood out to me last week. Grigsby led his team to a victory over Williamsburg, completing 11/15 passes for 253 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. As a passer, Grigsby showed tremendous arm strength which he used to lead his receivers down the field in the deep passing game. He was also very impressive as a ball carrier, showing the elusiveness to make defenders miss and the speed to run away from the defense. Cayden led his team with 14 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also finished the game with four tackles on defense. Cayden doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way eventually as he has received some college interest and has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.

To wrap up my mid-season defensive top performers in 1A, I have Cayden Grigsby Cayden Grigsby 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Middlesboro | 2024 State KY from Middlesboro. While he is mainly known as his team’s starting quarterback, Grigsby has made a huge impact as a defensive back this season. In pass coverage, Grigsby has shown tremendous ball skills, coming with a 1A leading six interceptions through his first seven games. He has also shown the ability to come downhill and defend the run, accounting for 27 tackles and one tackle for loss so far. Grigsby has also come away with one sack this season. Cayden doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received some college interest and has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.

Historically, Grigsby has been such a consistently, quietly productive signal caller for the Yellow Jackets that it can be easy to forget the myriad other ways that he can quickly and profoundly impact games without taking the snap from center. In his team’s 40-24 road win at Harlan, sure, he turned in his typically outstanding offensive game, completing 5 of 6 pass attempts for 103 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 71 yards on 11 carries. However, even before the first offensive snap, he had returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and–coupled with his 2 successful two-point conversions–he exceeded his points-per-game average for the night. He also excelled defensively from his cornerback position, collecting 6 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack and 1 interception while demonstrating the speed, physicality and ball skills to be an excellent defender at the next level. Currently averaging 208.0 yards of total offense per game, he also leads all Class A defenders with 5 interceptions (tied for 3rd statewide), one of which he returned for a touchdown.