Here are the Week 9 standouts from our weekend research. We have a quick write-up on each of the 10 athletes that we have selected with their highlight film included if possible.
We also have a poll for our Player of the Week directly underneath that will end Tuesday night 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.
Kyler McGrinn
SR Bowdon
Quarterback
Perhaps no player in Class A DII has broken out like the Bowdon senior. Helping his team to another win, McGrinn was able to total 298 passing yards and 196 rushing with a total of 5 scores. An amazing 494 total yards for the win against Christian Heritage. When you watch the senior’s film, your first thought has to be explosiveness. He is a vertical running threat with great open-field speed on top of a powerful arm to stretch the defense. McGrinn seems to be getting better each week, which is good news for Bowdon as they look to repeat as state champs.
CJ Givers
SOPH Fellowship Christian
Running Back
Fellowship’s Givers led his team to a 52-28 win over Athens Academy, taking the inside edge as region champs. The sophomore standout had a total of 306 yards and 3 touchdowns to help his team to the win. Givers continues to look like one of the smoothest runners in the class of ’26. He reads his blocks well, has good patience, and has the explosiveness to get to the 2nd level and burn the defense. He is a no-doubt P5 prospect and quickly becoming one of the top backs regardless of classification in the state.
Anthony Paulk
SR Coffee
Athlete
Paulk is a defensive back at the next level, but his impact on Coffee during his senior year is quite diverse. Playing all over the field, Paulk showed the full display of skills in their win over Statesboro with 150 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on top of an interception and forced fumble on defense too. Coffee is humming on the year sitting at the top of 5A and their senior leader in Paulk has proven to be one of the best players in the classification this fall.
Max Wilson
SR North Oconee
Quarterback
One of the toughest QBs in the state of Georgia is North Oconee senior Max Wilson. The savvy dual-threat passer put together an excellent game against East Forsyth throwing 6/8 passes for 88 yards and 2 scores while also rushing for another 147 yards and 2 more touchdowns on the ground. Wilson is an excellent dual-threat QB who can make cuts on a dime and sees the field really well. North Oconee is undefeated on the year and sits at the top of the 4A polls.
Caden McGatha
JR Pierce Co.
Quarterback
Pierce County beat Toombs County 17-14 in an important top-5 matchup in 2A last Friday. Junior QB Caden McGatha played great throwing for 119 yards while also rushing 204 yards on the ground too. He was a workhorse, in fact, carrying the ball 33 times. The junior athlete was able to get the defense to bite for several long plays including this 63-yard pass down below. McGatha has been reliable this year helping his team to the #3 spot in 2A. He is a prospect to watch over the course of the next year.
Matthew Fuller
SR Wayne Co.
Running Back
Fuller went off in last week’s huge region win over New Hampstead. The senior had 272 rushing yards and 26 carries in the game. He reportedly had all but 69 of Wayne County’s total yards for the game. Perhaps no players pound for pound shows the sheer strength and determination that Fuller shows each game. The South Carolina commit was a finalist for our Player of the Year in 2022 and looks to be a strong candidate again in 2023. Unfortunately, no film is up from this great game.
William Wallace
SR Archer
Wide Receiver
William Wallace the top 10 plays this week, but that was just scratching at the surface of his great game that helped Archer upset top 10 ranked Parkview. Catching two touchdowns in the first half, Wallace was thrust into QB duty after an injury and helped his team to an additional two scores. The aforementioned top play is one of them, where Wallace hurdled over defenders and then somehow spun in the air resembling Spiderman more than a football player. His heroic efforts helped his team to a big 28-27 win, and Wallace once again shows a penchant for big plays.
Quinton Slaughter
SR Providence Christian
Running Back
Slaughter sent Union County packing in a 55-35 win last Friday. The senior running back had a total of 389 rushing yards on a total of 48 carries. An absolute workhorse rushing for 8.1 yards per carry. The senior back also had two touchdowns on the night. Providence Christian bounces back with a big region win and is in a great position to make the playoffs for 2A now. Slaughter continues his excellent senior year with the top rushing game of the state by anyone in the GHSA this season.
Bray Williamson
JR Montgomery Co.
Defensive End
It’s not easy getting 15 tackles in a game on the defensive line, but somehow junior Bray Williamson did just that. The junior lived in the backfield with 3 tackles for a loss, and a lot more just around the line of scrimmage too. Williamson is a run-stopping beast with a huge motor and very active hands getting off his blocks. The junior has consistently been one of the top tacklers we have seen at the DL position in the lower classifications this fall.
Ahmad Gordon
Junior Perry
Running Back
After a tight first half where Perry was actually losing 14-9, Perry put their foot down and won 33-16. Junior running back Ahmad Gordon picked up 201 yards rushing and two scores on the night. Gordon is having a great season and he just broke the Perry single-season touchdown rushing record with 20 in just the 8th game of the season. The Panthers are once again a top 5 team in 4A and Gordon adds a physical dynamic that should prove to be beneficial come playoff time. On the recruiting front, the junior is absolutely one to keep an eye on.
