Mallard Creek's Marquise Williams was responsible for four TDs in a win last week.
Tom Lemming photo
This week's look at MaxPreps.com's National Player of the Year candidates;
Mike Blakely, RB, Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.): Blakely came up huge for the Hurricanes in a come-from-behind win over rival Southeast. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior ran for 154 yards and four touchdowns – including three in the second half – as the nationally-ranked Florida power overcame a 17-point deficit. Unofficially, Blakely has 425 rushing yards and nine TDs through three games.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Steele (Cibolo, Texas): Steele was able to even its record at 2-2 comfortably without having to tax the future Texas Longhorn too much in a 31-14 win over San Antonio Southwest. Brown carried 13 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, bringing his season totals to 835 yards and nine scores.
Jeff Driskel, QB, Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.): Driskel's POY hopes took a hit in a 28-14 loss to Seminole (Sanford). The future Florida Gator struggled to get into a rhythm against the 2008 state champs, connecting on just 9 of 21 pass attempts for 145 yards and a score. He also rushed for 45 yards.
Aaron Green, RB, Madison (San Antonio, Texas): Green and Madison (2-1) had the week off. The uncommitted senior has rushed for 516 yards and five touchdowns in three games this season.
Qyendairs Griffin, RB, South Panola (Batesville, Miss.): Like Green, Griffin had the week off as South Panola had a bye before meeting Horn Lake on Friday. The 6-foot, 215-pound senior has piled up 933 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 78 carries (11.9 yards per carry) for the 4-0 Tigers.
Jeremy Hill, RB, Redemptorist (Baton Rouge, La.): Hill topped 250 yards on the ground for the second week in a row in a 35-24 win over Woodlawn (Baton Rouge). The LSU commitment carried 23 times for 272 yards and three long touchdown runs of 60, 42 and 75 yards. Unofficially, Hill has 731 yards and 10 TDs on the season for the 3-0 Wolves.
Johnny Manziel, QB, Tivy (Kerrville, Texas): Three-time defending Class 4A state champion Lake Travis got the best of Tivy, 37-33, despite another monster statistical performance from Manziel. The Texas A&M commitment ran 37 times for 272 yards and four touchdowns while hitting on 18 of 26 pass attempts for 195 yards. In just four games this fall, Manziel has accounted for 2,004 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Maty Mauk, QB, Kenton (Ohio): Mauk and his Wildcat teammates are coming off their first loss of the season, but the 6-2 junior is putting up numbers impossible to ignore. Through four games, the younger brother of former Wake Forest and Cincinnati signal caller Ben Mauk has thrown for 1,823 yards and 20 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He has added nearly 200 more yards on the ground with five scores.
Shaq Thompson, RB, Grant (Sacramento, Calif.): After looking unstoppable in his first two games, Thompson was slowed down a bit against Lincoln (Stockton) in a 56-20 Grant win. The junior totaled 129 rushing and receiving yards with two touchdowns and even completed two passes, but averaged under five yards per carry after tallying 370 in the first two games of the season. Thompson is the younger brother of former California Golden Bear cornerback and 2010 Denver Bronco draft pick Syd'Quan Thompson.
Marquise Williams, QB, Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.): After a bye week, Williams got back on track with 250 total yards and was responsible for four touchdowns in a 48-24 win over Chester of South Carolina. The North Carolina verbal commitment reached the end zone on the ground three times – including an 83-yard scamper in the first quarter. He also hit a teammate for a 4-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
Justin Worley, QB, Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.): Northwestern, ranked No. 20 in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard, improved to 4-0 with a 36-24 win over Blythewood behind 376 yards through the air and five touchdown passes from Worley. The Tennessee verbal commitment has connected on 67 percent of his pass attempts this season en route to 935 yards and 19 TD passes.
