National Player of the Year Watch List

A pair of Floridians made big jumps in this week’s Player of the Year Watch List. Lamarcus Joyner of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Jeff Godfrey of Central (Miami, Fla.) both emerged leading candidates for individual honors in guiding their respective teams to the top two spots in this week’s MaxPreps.com Xcellent 25.

Joyner propelled Aquinas to a 42-34 win over then-No. 2 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) with a pair of electrifying scoring plays. The highly-coveted recruit started with a 52-yard pass reception for a touchdown in the first half, then a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He is averaging nearly 30 yards per touch this fall.

Godfrey has been spectacular in leading Central to the No. 2 spot in the Xcellent 25, throwing for 1,157 yards and 18 touchdowns against just two interceptions in the Rockets’ 5-0 start. He is completing 65 percent of his attempts and has also run for 233 yards and three scores. Central is averaging 47 points per game.

Leaders

Marcus Coker, Sr., RB, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Update: DeMatha is averaging 46 points per game in starting 5-0 thanks to a big offensive line and the running of Coker. This week, the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder piled up 186 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in a 49-24 win over Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Coker surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the game. The Iowa verbal has 1,030 yards and 14 touchdowns entering DeMatha’s showdown with Good Counsel.

Chas Dodd, Sr., QB, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Update: Despite a huge game from Dodd, Byrnes fell to St. Thomas Aquinas in high school football’s regular season game of the year Friday night. Dodd completed 26 of 44 pass attempts for 416 yards and three touchdowns against a secondary touted as the nation’s best. For the season, the Rutgers verbal commitment has completed 103 of 154 attempts for 1,688 yards and 20 touchdowns. Perhaps most incredibly, he has played his way out of the shadow of teammate Marcus Lattimore – MaxPreps.com’s National Junior of the Year last fall.

Jeff Godfrey, Sr., QB, Central (Miami, Fla.)
Update: Godfrey's season totals are detailed above, but his performance in a 36-0 thrashing of Carol City is not to be overlooked. The 5-11 senior signal caller completed 14 of 20 attempts for 251 yards and four touchdowns, running for 75 more on seven attempts with another score. 

Malcolm Jones, Sr., RB, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Update: In a 33-13 win over Venice, Jones racked up a school-record 329 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Still undecided on his college future (Stanford and UCLA are reportedly the leaders), Jones has 867 rushing yards and nine touchdowns through four games – all Oaks Christian wins.

Lamarcus Joyner, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Update: It’s not about quantity, but quality for Joyner as there is no need for him to do a lot of any one thing for the immensely talented Raiders. In the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown against Byrnes, Joyner caught a pass for 52 yards and a touchdown, returned a kick 93 yards for a key, fourth-quarter touchdown and made four tackles defensively. On fewer than 15 touches this season, Joyner has amassed 431 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns.

Contenders

Michael Brewer, Jr., QB, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
Update: Brewer’s exploits are becoming more impressive by the week. In a 57-16 win over Hutto on Friday, the junior signal caller hit on 18 of 21 attempts for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Brewer’s season totals in Lake Travis’ 6-0 start are ridiculous: 110 of 147 (nearly 75 percent), 1,966 yards, 19 touchdowns and ONE interception.

Ka’Deem Carey, Jr., RB, Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.)
Update: Huge week for Carey and Canyon del Oro as they snapped Saguaro’s 37-game win streak in impressive fashion with a 44-0 stomping. Carey was unstoppable, tallying 299 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. Averaging nearly 13 yards per carry, the junior back has 1,284 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in the Dorados’ 6-0 start.

Anthony Carrothers, Sr., QB, Independence (Charlotte, N.C.)
Update: Due to an injury suffered against East Mecklenburg last week, Carrothers did not play in Independence’s 38-12 win over Ardrey Kell. No word yet on when he is expected to return.

Josh Dorman, Sr., QB, Birdville (North Richland Hills, Texas)
Update: Dorman is one of three Texas QBs putting up unreal numbers this fall and all three are guiding ubeaten teams. Dorman has thrown for 1,996 yards and 28 touchdowns – against just two interceptions – as Birdville has topped the 60-point mark three times in five games. In Friday’s 62-35 win over Saginaw, the uncommitted signal caller completed 25 of 30 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns. With three 400-yard passing games (including a 553-yard effort) on his resume this season, Dorman will try to get back on track (sarcasm alert) next week against Springtown.

Marcus Lattimore, Sr., RB, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Update: Even with 118 yards (two touchdowns) on the ground and 94 more receiving, Friday night’s loss to St. Thomas Aquinas is one that Lattimore will be keen to put behind him. The star back lost three fumbles, including a second quarter snafu that was returned for a touchdown. Lattimore’s track record is way too impressive to let one game bury him. Expect him to climb the list as the season progresses and Byrnes makes its expected run toward another state title.

Christian LeMay, Jr., QB, Butler (Matthews, N.C.)
Update: For the second-straight week, LeMay wasn’t needed after halftime as he connected on 8 of 10 attempts for 231 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-13 win over Myers Park. The junior quarterback has thrown for 1,182 yards yards and 17 touchdown passes in the nationally-ranked Bulldogs’ 5-0 start.

Kevin Parks, Sr., RB, West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.)
Update: With Parks leading the way, West Rowan has outscored its last three opponents 108-9 and is 7-0 on the season. In the Falcons’ latest victory, it was another Parks-esque performance for Kevin, running for 238 yards and four touchdowns. The Virginia commitment has rushed for 1,557 yards and 23 touchdowns this fall.

Rushel Shell, So., RB, Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.)
Update: Hopewell grinded out a 20-7 win over Blackhawk as Shell was kept out of the end zone for the first time this season, but did rush for 132 yards. The Vikings are 5-0 behind 871 yards and 13 scores from the sophomore sensation.

Phillip Sims, Sr., QB, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.)
Update: Sims and the Tigers got it going in a 63-3 win over Hickory one week after struggling to get past Grassfield, 7-3. Sims connected on 14 of 18 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns to help Oscar Smith notch its 26th regular season victory in a row. The Alabama verbal commitment has thrown for 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns in a 5-0 start for the Virginia power.

Robert Woods, Sr., WR/DB, Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Update: Did not play this week.

Scotty Young, Sr., QB, Ryan (Denton, Texas)
Update: Young needed just a half to post 171 yards through the air and five touchdown passes in a 52-0 win over Denton. Young has thrown for 1,659 yards and 28 touchdown passes in Ryan’s 5-0 start.

On the radar

Teddy Bridgewater, Jr., QB, Northwestern (Miami, Fla.)
Update: Bridgewater and the Bulls were stunned by Booker T. Washington, 35-28, Saturday night. Northwestern – widely regarded as Florida’s top 6A team – lost for just the third time in its last 49 games.

Jake Heaps, Sr., QB, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Update: Heaps passed for a pair of scores and ran for another as Washington’s top team buried Garfield of Seattle 55-0.

Tony Jones, Sr., RB, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Update: Jones is finding the end zone with frequency for the national No. 5 Ironmen, scoring on runs of 2, 19 and 31 yards, and recovering a fumble for a touchdown in a 49-8 win over Passaic Saturday. He has 10 touchdowns overall as Don Bosco Prep is out to a 3-0 start.

Nick Montana, Sr., QB, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Update: Quarterbacking arguably California’s top team in 4-0 Oaks Christian, but overshadowed by productive teammate Malcolm Jones. Montana has completed 60 of 106 attempts for 697 yards and eight touchdowns.

Matt Viles, Sr., QB, Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Update: Viles posted big numbers again in a 36-29 win over Mater Dei, completing 26 of 39 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Viles is averaging 324 yards through the air in his last three outings.