Another week is in the books in Georgia High School football and the midpoint is already here. Here are some top performers from Week 6 who were pivotal in their team picking up victories.
Grayson QB Deuce Smith- Smith started in his first varsity career game and lit up Grovetown in a 63-0 win. He was 13-of-17 for 238 yards and five touchdowns. He had a 36-yard TD pass to Jonathan Stafford, a 14-yard TD pass to Alexander Sanchez, and two touchdown passes to Aiden Taylor for seven and 53 yards. His last touchdown was an 18-yard TD pass to Ethan Cantres. All five of his touchdowns came in the first half and Smith had Grayson rolling in their second shutout victory of the season. It is not easy to do what Smith did on Friday, especially to step in and play the way he did for a perennial state title contender.
Northeast-Macon RB Nick Woodford- Coming into the game Woodford had rushed for 506 yards and nine touchdowns. He was top 10 in Class A Division 1 in rushing yards and was tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns. On Friday night he added to his total. Woodford rushed for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries in a 46-0 win over Ace Charter. He wasn’t the only rusher with over 200 yards. His teammate Reginald Glover ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Woodford and Glover have a dynamic 1-2 punch. Woodford is on pace to surpass his totals from last year where he rushed for 951 yards and 11 touchdowns. One thing is for sure when you play the Raiders you better be ready to stop the run.
Hughes QB Christian Langford- Langford is probably one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the state. Langford put up another great offensive performance and was 18-of-21 passing for 296 yards and three touchdowns in a 57-14 Region 3-5A win against Dutchtown. Langford has now thrown for 1,066 yards and 13 touchdowns on a 75% completion percentage this season. He continues to put up great performances and has led Hughes to a 4-1 record. Their only loss was to 6A contender Douglas County. Langford makes Hughes a state title contender and a team that can make a deep playoff run in 2024.
LaGrange RB Malachi Render-Fannin- Malachi Render-Fannin is on this list for the second week in a row and has been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Render-Fannin rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. He also caught a 66-yard TD pass and had 18 return yards to give him 322 all-purpose yards in a 44-22 victory against Spalding. Friday was the second week in a row that Render-Fannin rushed for three touchdowns. LaGrange is now 4-2 on the year and 3-1 in Region 2-3A.
Appling County RB Darion Hood- Appling County has won three of their last four games after starting the season 0-1. Hood was pivotal in their win against Suwannee (FL) on Friday night. He rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Hood has been a consistent playmaker for Appling County this season and they are going to need him in their final non-region game against No. 3 ranked Fitzgerald.
Douglass-Atlanta MLB Marquavious Grimes- Douglass-Atlanta has been a pleasant surprise this season and put the state on notice in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic in an 18-3 win against LaGrange. The Astros did it again on Friday night becoming the first team to shut out Cedar Grove since 2014. It was also the first time this season that Douglas-Atlantahad shut out an opponent. Grimes was a large reason why. He had seven tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown. He also had a great Week 1 performance against LaGrange finishing with seven tackles and a tackle for a loss. The senior linebacker has been a leader on defense and a tackling machine this season for the Astros.
Blessed Trinity DB Marcelous Townsend- Townsend has been a key member on the backend for the Titans this year. Coming into the game against Hebron Christian, he had 12 tackles and led the team with two interceptions. He also had a forced fumble for the Titans. The interceptions came in the first few weeks of the season against Holy Innocents and Prince Avenue Christian. Townsend caught another one against Hebron Christian this time returning it for 30 yards and a touchdown. The senior defensive back already has a career-high in interceptions and has been a playmaker on the backend for Blessed Trinity.
North Oconee ATH Khamari Brooks- There are a lot of good things you can say about this young man from North Oconee. One thing that sticks out is his versatility and the ability to affect both sides of the ball at a high level. He is usually catching touchdown passes from QB Harrison Faulkner, but this week he was a force on defense. Brooks finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass interception. North Oconee held East Forsyth to a lone touchdown in their 24-7 victory on Friday. As far as what he will play at the next level, 247Sports has Brooks listed as an edge rusher. His mid-season stats are some of the best in the state. Brooks has 44 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, two defensive touchdowns, a pass breakup, and an interception. He also had 13 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Trion ATH Logan Stokes- Stokes had the game-clinching interception in a 35-28 victory against Robbinsville (NC). On defense, he finished with eight tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. On offense, he couldn’t be stopped and had nine catches for 100 yards. It was an all-around effort for Stokes who made his presence felt on Friday. Trion is looking like a potential contender and is the No. 5 team in Class A Division II in the Score Atlanta poll. With players like Stokes, Trion will be a team to continue to watch as we enter the second half of the season.
Peach County QB D.J. Hudson- The Peach County offense has been explosive this season and tough to contain. The Trojans have scored 35 points in every game this season. QB DJ Hudson is having a stellar season for Peach County. He was good again on Friday and went 17-of-19 passing for 190 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Hudson has led the resurgence of Peach County and is one of the reasons they are 4-1 this season. He is often overlooked but continues to put up strong performances for his team. The Trojans are ranked No. 2 in the Score Atlanta Poll for 3A and are off to their best start since 2020 under head coach Chad Campbell. If Hudson continues his strong play, expect more offers to start rolling in.
Pierce County K Garrett Stevenson-Now we don’t usually put kickers on this list but when you had a strong part in helping your team win and made history in the process, we have no choice but to shout you out. Stevenson kept Pierce County’s undefeated season alive with a 47-yard game-winning field goal on the final play of the game against Brooks County. The 47-yard field goal was the second-longest in program history. Stevenson was clutch when his team needed him the most, and proved he can be a potential weapon for the Bears in the playoffs if they make another deep run.
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