Team success at Trinity has helped put Travis Wright into the National Player of the Year discussion.
Photo by Jim Owens
Here's a glance at candidates on the radar for MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors (listed alphabetically):
Joey Copeland, QB, Gaffney (S.C.): The Indians continue to rise in the national rankings thanks in part to the play of Copeland. Gaffney is No. 8 in this week's
Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings following a 73-0 win over Greenville and has won every game this season (6-0) by 21 points or more. Copeland, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, has thrown for 1,675 yards, run for 237 more and combined for 29 touchdowns through the air and on the ground.
Johnathan Gray is already past the1,000-yard milestone this year.
Photo by Kyle Dantzler
The future Texas Longhorn needed just four games to top 1,000 yards after going for 209 yards and four scores – on eight rushing attempts – in a 62-17 win over Timber Creek (Fort Worth, Texas). Gray has 1,037 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground on 77 carries. He also has more than 100 yards and a score through the air.
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.): After an up-and-down 2010 campaign and Week 2 loss this season, Green-Beckham and Hillcrest finally seem to be on a roll. The Hornets have won three straight games with DGB catching 28 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns during that span. Widely regarded as the nation's No. 1 overall recruit, Green-Beckham has 53 receptions for 865 yards and nine scores through five games.
Brian Kimbrow, RB, Memphis East (Tenn.): Kimbrow and the Mustangs were humbled last week in a 41-0 loss to Memphis University. Still, the Vanderbilt commit is having a huge season with 1,532 yards and 15 touchdowns through six contests. Thanks to single-game rushing efforts by Kimbrow of 441, 367 and 319 yards, Memphis East is 5-1.
Maty Mauk, QB, Kenton (Ohio): Mauk threw for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 36-20 win over Ottawa-Glandorf last week. While that wasn't one of the more prolific efforts of the Missouri verbal commitment's career, he is already over 1,700 yards through the air with 20 scoring strikes in just five games – all wins for the Kenton Wildcats.
Alec Morris, QB, Allen (Texas): The Eagles are averaging 43.2 points per game through four games with Morris under center. The 6-3, 240-pound Alabama commitment has piled up 1,241 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air without throwing an interception. Allen is ranked No. 4 in this week's Xcellent 25.
Travis Wright, QB, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.): Wright continues to pilot the offense masterfully for the Shamrocks, ranked No. 3 in this week's Xcellent 25 and 5-0 with wins over teams from Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. The 6-1 junior is connecting on 69 percent of his pass attempts for 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
