Derrick Henry continues to maintain his hold as the favorite in the MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch, but a big game in California could tilt votes toward the West Coast this week.
Henry closed to
within 542 yards of all-time national leader Ken Hall (11,232 yards), but Henry's team has a bye this week and he likely won't pass the record until the first game of the postseason.
Meanwhile in California, El Toro quarterback Conner Manning has put together a spectacular regular season that he could cap with an exclamation point if his team were to defeat unbeaten Mission Viejo. A strong performance by Manning in that game could vault Manning past Henry.
MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch
Thomas Tyner jumped back into the National Player of the Year race with a 372-yard, four-touchdown performance last week.
File photo by Jeff Napier
Derrick Henry, Yulee (Fla.)
Henry's team fell to Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.) 42-22 as Henry was held to his lowest yards-per-carry average of the season. He ran the ball 45 times for 242 yards for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Henry still managed to add three touchdowns in the loss and has 38 touchdowns on the season. He has rushed 298 times for 2,866 yards. He has 10,700 yards and trails all-time leader Ken Hall (11,232) by 532 yards. Yulee is off this week but it concludes the regular season next week.
Top ContendersMax Browne, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)Browne threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns all in the first half of a 34-7 win over Bothell, marking the second time this year the Spartans have defeated their KingCo 4A rival. Browne finished with 259 yards on 20 of 25 passes and the four scores. He also ran for a touchdown. Browne has 177 completions in 243 attempts for 2,695 yards and 29 touchdowns in leading Skyline to a 9-0 regular season record.
Thomas Tyner, Aloha (Beaverton, Ore.)Tyner was back to his usual self after being held to 100 yards two weeks ago as he rushed 30 times for 372 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-39 loss to rival Southridge. Tyner has 2,797 yards rushing on the season with 33 touchdowns.
Kelvin Taylor, Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.)Taylor became the
unofficial all-time national rushing leader as he ran for 201 yards on 17 carries with four touchdowns in a 55-20 win over Summit Christian on Monday. Taylor passes Ken Hall of Sugarland, Texas, with 11,418 yards. Hall finished his career with 11,232 yards. Hall is still recognized by the National Federation of High Schools as the all-time leader since Taylor's totals include over 1,500 yards as an eighth grader. Glades Day has a bye this week and will play its final regular season game next week against South Fork (Stuart, Fla.)
Conner Manning, El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.)Manning and his El Toro team had a bye last week but will face undefeated Mission Viejo this week in a battle for first place in the South Coast League. Manning has completed 268 of 400 passes for 3,525 yards and 38 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Keep an Eye On
Jalen Hurd, Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.)Beech finished the regular season 10-0 for the first time in school history despite getting limited play from Hurd. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, Hurd carried just one time for six yards in the 28-0 win over Gallatin. He has 1,957 yards on the season.
Austin Kafentzis, Jordan (Sandy, Utah)Kafentzis and Jordan opened the postseason with a 56-7 win over Pleasant Grove. Kafentzis had an efficient night, connecting on 10 of 12 passes for a season-best .833 passing percentage. He threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns giving him 2,470 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season. He also rushed for a season-low 34 yards on eight carries with a score. He has 1,528 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing on the year.
Shuler Bentley, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)Byrnes won a shootout with Dorman, 51-41, as Bentley completed 16 of 25 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns. He has 3,585 yards passing and 43 touchdowns while completing 219 of 333 passes.
Cord Sandberg, Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.)Sandberg played sparingly in a 62-0 win over Palmetto as he attempted a season-low five passes, completing four, for 88 yards and no touchdowns. He added 89 yards rushing on 13 carries with two touchdowns. He has completed 109 of 151 passes for 1,517 yards and 20 touchdowns this year.
Tyler Rouse, Baker (Baldwinsville, N.Y.)Rouse had what is becoming a routine game for him as he rushed for 272 yards on 35 carries with four touchdowns in a 38-36 win over Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.) to complete the regular season. Rouse has 2,766 yards on 290 carries with a national best 42 touchdowns.
