Here are the Week 12 standouts from our weekend research. We have a quick write-up on each of the 10 athletes we selected with individual game film included, if possible.
We also have a poll for our Player of the Week directly underneath that will end Tuesday at 10 p.m. You can only vote once per hour! The winner will get a featured story on the website and a custom highlight video.
Dominique Ball
2027 Westover
Running Back
Westover finishes the regular season with a 9-1 record and the final game was a 29-10 win over Cairo, giving the Pats the #2 spot in the region. Sophomore running Dominique Ball was great against rushing for 302 yards on 33 carries and 3 touchdowns. Ball is a great rusher who drives his legs through the tacklers and just won’t go down on contact, which led to several explosive plays. You cannot arm tackle him. Westover is the #8 team in our 3A rankings and with playmakers like Ball, they could push far into the playoffs.
Caleb Hill
2027 Sandy Creek
Quarterback
Sandy Creek was in a barn-burner of a game against Troup last week. They pulled it out with a 55-48 win, and it was sophomore passer Caleb Hill who shined completing 21-of-36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Sandy Creek finishes the year 9-1 and is a consensus top 5 team across all media outlets in 3A. How they will fare in the GHSA playoffs will largely lay across the shoulders of the sophomore passer, whose career and potential at Sandy Creek is exciting. No film from the game, but he’s a 2027 dual threat to know.
Zayden Cook
2025 Chattooga
Running Back
We missed Cook’s great performance last week, but he didn’t let off the gas too much with 35 carries for 312 yards and 4 TDs plus a 36-yard reception, giving him a total of 348 yards on the night. Cook has rushed for 776 yards in the last two games. He finishes with 2755 rushing yards surpassed Nick Chubb for #2 all-time in the regular season, and only behind Haralson County’s Treylon Sheppard with 2874. Amazingly they lost 34-27 to Coosa, but Chattooga will march into the playoffs with one of the best offensive weapons in the state. Here are his highlights from the last 5 games.
Jordan Allen
2025 Buford
Wide Receiver
Buford dominated Mill Creek 32-7 and solidified themselves as the #2 team in 6A. Senior receiver Jordan Allen efficiently scored three touchdowns on five receptions for 172 yards plus several good returns on kickoffs. The final touchdown happened in the 3rd quarter, where Allen went 71 yards on a tunnel screen where he just burned the entire pursuit, and put the game to rest. The Louisville commit has been balling out this season, proving to be among the top playmakers in the state, and has seen an uptick in recruiting interest in recent weeks.
Tyren Buggs
2025 Callaway
Running Back
Callaway cements themselves as a top team in 2A with their upset win over previously #2 Morgan County and senior Tyren Buggs was once against imprinting his will onto the field. He rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Since returning from his ACL surgery, Buggs has played 5 games and has 820 yards and 13 touchdowns on 94 touches. The 33-26 win over Morgan County shows the Cavs can once again compete for a state title, and like Charlie Dixon of yesteryear, Buggs might be the physical rushing force that gives them the edge.
Marcus Andrews
2025 Stephenson
Lineman
Stephenson wins the region title by beating Douglass 15 to 9 and jumps into the 3A rankings. Senior lineman Marcus Andrews had three tackles for losses, a sack, and a forced fumble. The ladder-mentioned fumble happened with Douglass driving to the 15-yard line with only seconds remaining and secured the win for Stephenson. On top of dominating the line of scrimmage on defense, Andrews is one of the top blockers in 3A. In all honesty, Andrews is one of the best two-way players in his classification. Earlier this season Andrews earned an offer from Tulane.
Ethan Tisdale
2027 Heard Co.
Quarterback
Sophomore passer Ethan Tisdale was 7-of-11 passing for 174 yards and rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns 42-15 over Pepperell. Heard County, who was our underdogs in Class A Div I, won the region championship. Tisdale has been an impressive dual-threat QB whose explosive playmaking and open-field speed poise an interesting threat come playoff time. Heard County has its fair share of physical runners and couple Tisdale’s dual-threat nature, and you have a dangerous team. Who knows, maybe they will repeat what our underdog pick did last year in Bryan County and make it to the state semifinals. They have the talent and Tisdale is the straw that stirs the drink.
DJ Huggins
2027 North Cobb Christian
Wide Receiver
North Cobb Christian trounced Union County 44-24 with sophomore receiver DJ Huggins going for 216 total yards on the night. He finished with 7 catches for 141 yards and two TDs and then added 75 yards in return yardage. The speedy sophomore’s explosive playmaking could be an X-factor during the first-ever Private playoffs. The 5’11” receiver is really fast and will be a matchup problem.
RL Ward
2025 Luella
Running Back
Luella beat Cedar Grove 35-25 and clinches a spot in the GHSA playoffs with senior RL Ward going for 130 yards and three touchdowns. The senior is tough as nails, running behind his pads, and blowing through would-be tacklers. His brother Kam Ward has been at Kennesaw State. Ward is the type of senior who can make a difference, and his physicality will earn him playing on special teams fast. The senior has been a part of several big wins now for Luella, even playing QB as a junior to beat Pace Acd., and is the type of player who puts the team first. Who would have guessed a year ago that Luella would be taking down Cedar Grove to make the playoffs? RL Ward and Luella will be a tough group come playoff time.
Breyden Johnson
2026 Evans
Running Back
Evans junior Breyden Johnson rushed for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a thrilling 35-31 over Bradwell Institute. The junior rushed for the most yards of any Evans player over the last 10 years. The 5’5″ back had several long runs where he found the whole, accelerated into the 2nd level, and was gone. Johnson plays with a lot of confidence, it shows in his film, and he will be a fun 2026 prospect to follow over the next year.
