It was another great week of performances in Georgia High School football. Here is who stood out the most this past week.
Peach County QB DJ Hudson – Peach County is a true contender in 3A and it starts with their head coach Marquis Westbrook and an outstanding coaching staff. Their players have also been phenomenal this season including DJ Hudson. For the second time this year, Hudson has made an appearance on the top performers. He didn’t disappoint in the game this past Friday against Bainbridge. He was 23-29 for 338 passing yards and three touchdowns. Hudson has been reliable at the quarterback position and defenses haven’t had answers for him through the air or on the ground.
Central-Carrollton QB JR Harris – Harris had another great performance this past Friday against Harris County and only had four incompletions. He finished 15-19 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. At one point this season he had a five-game stretch where he threw for 200 yards in a game and had a touchdown in each of those contests. His most impressive game came against Mundy’s Mill where he was 9-10 for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Harris has led his team to a 6-2 record this season and is in contention for a playoff spot. Week in and week out he continues to show he is one of the best quarterbacks in the 2027 class.
Thomas County Central QB Jaylen Johnson - Thomas County Central surpassed 60 points two weeks in a row, this time in a blowout win against Northside-Warner Robins. Johnson helped hand Northside-Warner Robins its most lopsided loss in program history. Johnson was 12-19 for 231 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. This season he has continued to be an accurate passer completing 64% of his passes and is approaching the 2,000-yard mark. Johnson has 25 total touchdowns for Thomas County Central with 19 through the air and six on the ground. Johnson has been impressive this season leading the defending state champions to a 7-1 record and back in contention for a playoff spot.
Gainesville QB Kharim Hughley - Hughley continues to produce this season for the Red Elephants. In a victory against Chattahoochee, Hughley was 14-21 for 227 yards with two passing touchdowns. He had a standout performance early in the season against Westlake throwing for five touchdowns in the win. He’s been a consistent player for the Red Elephants and continues to improve his craft game after game. He’s led Gainesville to a 7-2 record and they will close out the regular season this Friday against the Roswell Hornets. Expect Hughley to have a big game for Gainesville.
Hapeville Charter ATH Robert Henderson - In an upset win against previously undefeated Lovett, Henderson rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns against a tough Lovett defense. Coming into the game, Lovett had held opponents to under ten points in four consecutive games. Henderson gave the Lions’ defense fits and averaged nearly seven yards per rush. He is an underrated recruit who is having a great season for Hapeville Charter. With a 3-0 record, the Hornets control their own destiny in pursuit of a region championship. With Henderson being a versatile offensive weapon, the Hornets have a good chance of accomplishing it.
LaGrange RB Malachi Render-Fannin - LaGrange has rattled off six consecutive victories and has leaned on their stud running back. Render-Fannin has come up big and is putting together quite a season for the Grangers. In their win against rival Troup County, Render-Fannin rushed for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Render-Fannin is already over 1,000 yards this season and looks to be in line for an all-region nod and even possibly all-state.
Lanier RB Tojuan Payton Jr - Tojuan Payton Jr. has put together back-to-back standout performances and did all he could to lead his team to a victory. He rushed for a Gwinnett County record 402 yards and six touchdowns in a shootout loss to the Roswell Hornets. Payton had 1,068 yards rushing this season and 13 touchdowns prior to another breakout performance. He is also averaging 133.5 yards per game. Payton has had a number of memorable games this season for the Longhorns and continues to churn out big games against top opponents. One thing is for sure when playing Lanier, you better game plan for Payton Jr or he will burn you.
Hughes WR Maurice Gleaton - The standout receiver scored in different ways for the Panthers in their shutout victory over Northgate. Gleaton had a 90-yard touchdown pass (the longest of his career) and was also key on special teams. He had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and showcased his dynamic speed. Gleaton leads the team in receiving yards this season (323) and is averaging the most yards per catch on the team at an astounding 40 yards per catch.
Perry WR Kory Pettigrew – If you haven’t seen it already go to Recruit Georgia and rewatch the top 10 plays this week. Pettigrew had a highlight-reel head-top catch over two defenders in the endzone. The body control he showed to sky for the ball and come down with it over multiple guys was exceptional. The USF commit finished with 13 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into the game, Pettigrew had 31 catches for 399 yards and two touchdowns and had the second-highest yard-per-catch on the team. College teams are taking notice and Pettigrew was recently offered by Georgia Tech in early October.
Cartersville WR Brady Marchese – It was my first time seeing Marchese in person and he put on an absolute show against Cedartown. He had two outstanding plays in the game. One was a jump ball over the middle of the field he caught over Kentucky commit Demarcus Gardner late in the first half. On the other, he lined up one-on-one with Gardner and ran a go route to the back of the endzone and gave Cartersville a go-ahead touchdown. He finished with five catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. I think Marchese proved he is more than just straight-line speed (clocked at 20+ MPH this season), but that he can be a P4 receiver for a program. Yes, he is that good and is a big reason why the Purple Hurricanes are undefeated and can clinch a region championship against Hiram next Friday.
Richmond Hill LB Gabe Bauman - It doesn’t get much bigger than defending your home turf against an elite opponent. Richmond Hill did just that in an upset win over Valdosta. Bauman was all over the field for the Wildcats and finished with 18 tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss. Friday night was his best performance of the season. Bauman made his living in the box and slowed a usually dominant rushing attack for Valdosta. Granted they were without star QB Todd Robinson, but Valdosta still has a plethora of weapons in the running game. Bauman is the second-leading tackler on the team this season with 72 and has six tackles for a loss. He is on pace to finish with 100 tackles this season and it would be the second time in his career he finished with 100+ tackles.
Flowery Branch LB Ryland Garrison – Flowery Branch pulled out an overtime victory against Walnut Grove 20-17 this past week and got a great performance out of their freshman linebacker. Garrison finished with 11 tackles, four tackles for loss, four quarterback pressures, two sacks, and a PBU. Garrison is having a breakout season for the Flowery Branch and has over 50 tackles this season. The Falcons are in contention for a playoff spot but will have to win their final two games.
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