We’re close to the halfway point of the high school football season, and so far it has been one to remember. It’s hard to believe that the incredible performances we’ve seen up to this point can keep occurring, but so far, they’ve been happening on a weekly basis. This week KDMC honors two more young men that had fantastic games in their respective contests this past Friday.

Offensive Player of the Week

This week’s Offensive Player of the Week hails from Wesson High School. Austin Graham showed his senior leadership this past Friday as the Cobras topped Amite County 24-20 in a closely fought battle. The senior running back rushed the ball 20 times for 161 yards and all 3 Cobra TDs. Graham also plays in the secondary on the defensive side of the ball. This was the first region game for Wesson, and the win boosted their record to 2-4 overall. The Cobras look to take another step towards getting back to .500 this Friday as they host Loyd Star (1-5) in another region matchup. Will the Hornets earn their second win of the season? Or will Graham and the Cobras continue their win  streak? Only time will tell.

 Defensive Player of the Week

Despite several fine defensive performances, this week’s Defensive Player of the Week was a no-brainer. Coach McCarty’s Cougars found themselves facing a steep first-half deficit against the Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets Friday night. BA trailed 19-0 in the first half, only to be led back by their senior lineman, Hunter Franklin. Franklin was moved from the line to middle linebacker and excelled greatly at the “Mike” position. He registered 15 tackles in the contest, and played a vital role in four game-changing goal line stands. These four big stops not only helped keep the Yellowjackets from scoring again, but also gave a lot of momentum to the offense as they put up 31 unanswered points. The non-regional victory over Oak Forest gives the Cougars a 5-2 record heading into their non-league matchup with Louisiana’s Bowling Green Buccaneers this Friday. On paper, the Cougars should defeat their upcoming opponent as they did the Yellowjackets. However, as we have come to learn this season, any team can beat any team on any given day. But if Franklin and the rest of the defense play like they did in the second half this past weekend, I think they’ll be just fine.

Congratulations from KDMC on two great performances this past weekend. Both young men showed the leadership that is expected from seniors. We look forward to seeing which playmakers in the Southwest Mississippi area will step up through out the rest of the season. Will we see more repeat award winners next week? Or will we see fresh faces? Be sure to check www.kdmc.org next Monday to find out!