Michael Cox, a senior running back at Holy Innocents', is the GHSF Daily State Player of the Week for his performance in his team's 42-41 overtime victory over No. 1-ranked Eagle's Landing Christian in a Class A game.
Cox — a powerful runner at 6 feet, 3 inches and 231 pounds — rushed for 214 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries. Cox has rushed for 636 yards on the season, and Holy Innocents’ is 4-0 and ranked No. 2 in the Class A private-school division. Cox has rushed for a school-record 3,501 career yards. He hasn’t fumbled since he was a sophomore and has only two fumbles in 493 career carries.
“He is a leader on and off the field,” Holy Innocents’ coach Todd Winter said. “Tremendous work ethic. Never complains. Blue-collar attitude.”
Cox has football offers from Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell and Columbia.
Top five
• Carrollton LB Chaz Chambliss had nine solo tackles, 4.5 for losses, and 2.5 sacks in a 24-20 victory over Rome.
• Dalton RB Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 315 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-19 victory over Creekview. Gibbs has 1,144 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns in four games.
• Denmark WR Ze'Vian Capers had nine receptions for 282 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-24 victory over Dawson County. The 282 yards are the fifth-most in a game in state history, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
• Holy Innocents' RB Michael Cox rushed for 214 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries in a 42-41 victory over Eagle's Landing Christian.
• Union County QB Pierson Allison was 26-of-36 passing for 490 yards and four touchdowns in a 53-21 victory over Monticello. The 490 yards rank in the top 25 all-time for a game, according to the GHSFHA.
Best of the rest
• Apalachee RB/CB Shaan Cook had 205 all-purpose yards, three tackles for losses and three pass breakups in a 20-3 victory over Walnut Grove. Cook had 115 yards rushing and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
• Calvary Day RB Greg Daniel rushed for 180 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries in a 42-6 victory over Treutlen.
• Camden County LB Desmond Fogle had 12 tackles, two for losses, a sack, and two pass breakups in a 48-20 victory over Brunswick.
• Carver (Atlanta) freshman DL Aquantis Clemmons had five tackles behind the line in an 18-7 victory over Maynard Jackson.
• Central Gwinnett QB Skylar Adams was 19-of-33 passing for 408 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-28 loss to Dacula. His top receivers were Daejon Reynolds (8-179-1) and Tyan Milton (4-152-3).
• Central of Carrollton WR/DB Nick Martin caught two TD passes, had five tackles, one for a loss, intercepted a pass and broke up a pass in a 33-14 victory over Heard County.
• Christian Heritage linebacker Ben Hermann had 18 tackles in a 42-0 victory over Mount Zion of Carroll County.
• Colquitt County QB Jaycee Harden was 22-of-36 passing for 333 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-14 victory over Warner Robins.
• Dacula RB Trenton Jones rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over Central Gwinnett.
• Dublin RB/LB JaQues Evans rushed for 181 yards on 20 carries, and his 49-yard TD run with 1:29 left put the game away in a 49-35 victory over Brooks County. He also had four tackles.
• Eagle's Landing Christian RB Keaton Mitchell had 354 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns in a 42-41 loss to Holy Innocents'. Mitchell rushed for 195 yards and caught a 73-yard TD pass.
• Fannin County MLB Micah O'Neal had 13 tackles, two for losses, and one sack in a 34-30 victory over Chestatee.
• Forsyth Central LB Mitch Weber recovered three fumbles and returned two 36 and 22 yards for touchdowns in a 49-6 victory over Lakeside of Atlanta.
• Greenville ATH Demarcus Alford had 79 yards rushing, scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion, made two tackles, forced a fumble and returned a kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown in a 21-14 victory over Jordan last week.
• Grayson Lafayette Gurvin rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns and had a fourth TD receiving in a 35-21 victory over Westlake.
• Howard FS Jason Parham had six solo tackles, five assists, an interception and a pass breakup in a 25-20 victory over Jackson.
• Jones County WR Jontavis Robertson had four receptions for 179 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-6 victory over Woodland of Stockbridge.
• Kell LB Branson Hall had 14 tackles, three for losses, in a 45-0 victory over East Paulding. Kell held East Paulding to 0 rushing yards.
• Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe RB Jacob Brown rushed for 134 yards on eight carries and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in a 35-17 victory over Ringgold.
• Lamar County freshman LB C.J. Allen had 11 tackles, one for a loss, and recovered a fumble in a 31-20 victory over Pike County.
• Lincoln County RB Kolbi Ferguson rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and had eight solo tackles, two for losses, in a 10-7 loss to Aquinas.
• Lowndes DE Davis Thomas had three tackles for losses in a 35-7 victory over nationally ranked Miami Northwestern.
• Marist LB Tyler Hare had nine of his team's 32 solo tackles in a 30-0 victory over St. Pius.
• Milton DB Jack Rhodes had 12 tackles and returned an interception 35 yards in a 16-12 victory over Roswell.
• Mount de Sales LB/RB Josiah Cotton had 17 tackles and one sack and rushed for 153 yards on nine carries in a 33-8 win over Greene County.
• Mount Paran QB Niko Vangarelli was 7-of-10 passing for 191 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in a 55-6 victory over King's Ridge Christian.
• North Forsyth RB Jared Lucero rushed for 231 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries in a 35-3 victory over Kennesaw Mountain. Lucero also caught two passes for 18 yards.
• North Murray DB/WR Hayden Hulett had 15 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception in a 31-7 victory over Calhoun. Hulett also had six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.
• North Oconee WR Eli Warrington caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in a 35-14 victory over Franklin County.
• North Paulding LB Jacob Amos had 14 tackles, 3.5 for losses, a sack, two QB hits and one pass breakup in a 35-21 victory over Woodstock.
• Ola SR QB Hunter Kautz rushed for 162 yards on 25 carries and was 6-of-9 passing for 140 yards in a 28-14 victory over Locust Grove.
• Parkview LB Kobe Wilson had 13 solo tackles, four for losses, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in a 20-7 victory over Tift County.
• Paulding County QB Brayden Mauldin was 11-of-13 passing for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-21 victory over Woodland of Cartersville.
• Peach County LB Sergio Allen had 11 tackles, two for losses, a QB hurry, a pass breakup and a touchdown on a 63-yard reception at tight end in a 44-13 victory over Mary Persons.
• Rockmart freshman JoJo Haynes returned a fumble, interception and punt for touchdowns in a 61-0 victory over Armuchee. Haynes also had three tackles and broke up a pass.
• Savannah Christian RB Marquell Brown rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries in a 52-6 victory over Wheeler County.
• Screven County RB Gary Hawkins rushed 23 times for 167 yards, two scores and a two-point conversion in a 15-9 victory over Westside of Augusta.
• South Atlanta MLB Davion Williams had nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions, the final one to seal the win, in a 22-19 victory over Washington at the Great Atlanta Bash.
• South Cobb RB Jonathon Simmons rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 41-20 loss to Allatoona.
• Southeast Bulloch sophomore Tradon McBride returned a kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown in a 40-7 victory over Savannah. McBride has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns this season.
• Stephens County RB Hudson Spurlock rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns and added 81 other all-purpose yards in a 27-21 loss to Habersham Central.
• Thomas County Central RB Tykeem Wallace rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns on six carries in a 35-22 victory over Monroe.
• Valdosta QB Tate Rodemaker was 17-of-25 passing for 378 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-7 victory over Beaufort, S.C.
• Wesleyan QB J.C. French was 13-of-16 passing for 214 yards and six touchdowns to six receivers in a 51-7 victory over Our Lady of Mercy.
• Westlake WR Dereck Britt had six receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 loss to Grayson.
• Westover WR Jordyn Williams had 11 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown in a 42-21 victory over Northside of Columbus.
• White County WR Cooper Turner had 10 receptions for 155 yards in a 34-31 victory over North Hall.
• Wilcox County QB Noah Hollingsworth was 9-of-11 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 153 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries in a 41-0 victory over Lanier County.
Lines of distinction
• Holy Innocents' offensive line of tackles Blake Dobbs and Mac Mitchell, guards Charlie Hawk, Hall O'Neal and Jacobe Harmon, center Conor Swennumson and tight end James Glesson opened holes for 424 yards rushing on 75 attempts in a 42-41 overtime victory over Eagle's Landing Christian. Holy Innocents' ran the ball on every play but one against the four-time defending Class A private-school champion and was 3-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.
• Jefferson's offensive line of Gage Swilling, Colton Steele, Mason Ware, Dylan Ryoul and Colton Dufrense paved the way for 317 yards rushing on 46 attempts in a 41-7 victory over Gainesville. The Dragons have gone over 300 yards rushing in each of their past two games.
• Jenkins' offensive line of Aristotle Cummings, Jordan Everrette, Amon Oliver, Ashton Jackson and Ashten Cheatham led the way to 378 yards and seven touchdowns in just 23 offensive plays in a 59-8 victory over Johnson of Savannah.
• North Forsyth's offensive line of Mason Butcher, Haris Mahmutovic, Will Barton, Noah Macias, Zach Allison, Lukas Swygman and J.T. Francis won the trenches as the Raiders rushed for 364 yards and allowed no sacks in 24 passing attempts in a 35-3 victory over Kennesaw Mountain. North Forsyth had 514 yards of total offense.
• North Gwinnett's offensive line of Wright Deas, Ari Kamau, Eugene Kim, Spencer Moore and Malik Kimble was the key to two victories last week. In a 51-21 victory over Norcross on Monday, the Bulldogs rushed for 259 yards and passed for 329. In a 35-0 victory over Walton on Friday, the Bulldogs rushed for 287 and passed for 119. The line allowed no sacks in the two wins.
• North Paulding's offensive line of Andrew Smith, Carson Carpenter, Bryan Nyangi, Cal Bentley, D.J. Jacobs, Brendan Bechtal and Noah Crabb helped the Wolfpack rush for 300 yards and pass for 180 in a 35-21 victory over Woodstock. The line has allowed only three sacks on the season and led North Paulding to a 4-0 record while averaging 278 yards per game.
• Ola's offensive line of Chandler Durham, Cameron Bryan, Hector Gutierrez, Nelson Kinsey, Otis Coleman, Jacob Cortez and Chandler Fowler cleared the way for 292 yards rushing and 434 total yards in a 28-14 victory over Locust Grove. QB Hunter Kautz rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Ola is 4-1 for the first time.
• Statesboro's offensive line of Adrain Cunningham, Jerremy Reese, Kenton Riley, Drew Yawn, Taylor Moon, Rusty Hoffman and Jack Avery Thompson were behind 446 rushing yards in a 35-0 win over Effingham County. Jaylin Roberson rushed for 265 yards and three touchdowns on 14 attempts, and Aundrell Grace ran for 119 yards on 17 carries.
• Winder-Barrow's offensive line of Jacob Atkinson, Levi Vertrees, Reese Maxwell, Logan Cropper, Jacob Merrifield, Aiden Thompson and Zach Bramlett cleared space for 300 rushing yards in a 34-21 victory over Loganville. QB Jhaydon Sullivan rushed for 128 yards and three TDs.
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