Meet the nominees for The Observer’s high school football player of the week

Here are the nominees for The Observer’s high school football player of the week for Week 2 of the high school football season.

The poll ends at noon Thursday. You can vote as often as you like.

The winner will have a feature story appear in The Observer.

This week’s nominees

Micah Bright, Hough: Bright had two interceptions in Friday’s 35-0 win at Independence, including one that he returned for a touchdown.

Paul Cauthen, Statesville: In a 26-6 win over West Mecklenburg, Cauthen had seven tackles, 44 yards in punt and kick returns, and caught six passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore QB Jaikoda Harrington (13 of 18, 171 yards, 3 TDs; 59 yards rushing) also had a big game.

Aidan Flynn, Charlotte Catholic: In a 16-7 upset of Charlotte Christian, Flynn made three field goals, including one with three minutes left that put the game away. He also had a successful PAT. Four of his five kickoffs went more than 60 yards for touchbacks. He made kicks of 45, 37 and 36 yards.

Mark Franco, Providence Day: In Friday’s 38-10 win over Rolesville, Franco didn’t allow a sack and had six pancake blocks facing multiple D1 recruits. Franco is a 6-1, 300-pound Denison commit.

Lemar Grier, Al Brown: In a 38-3 win over rival Concord, Grier rushed 12 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns. The Wonders beat their archrivals for the 11th time in a row.

Zyon Hailey, Chambers: In a 34-17 win over Hopewell, Hailey completed 10 of 19 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. He ran five times for 46 yards and another score. Chambers, under new coach Captain Munnerlyn, is off to its best start since the 2020 season. Chambers plays at Harding on Friday.

Allen Jones, Lake Norman: In a 48-28 win over Mount Tabor, Jones ran nine times for 139 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a 26-yard pass reception.

Savion Lindsay, Ashbrook: In a 54-7 win over Berry, the junior running back had 11 carries for 152 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 14 yards per attempt.

Xavier Lopez-Cruz, South Mecklenburg: In a 16-13 win over Community School of Davidson, the sophomore cornerback had two interceptions and blocked two field goals. His second block, late in the fourth quarter, prevented a potential tying score.

JJ McElhaney, Cherryville: In a 28-27 win over Owen, McElhaney ran seven times for 71 yards and three touchdowns. He caught three passes for 79 yards and another score.

Jalaythan Mayfield, Lincolnton: In a 48-35 win over North Lincoln, Mayfield ran 10 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he had 14 tackles, including 11 solos, plus a sack.

Weston Michalak, Ambassador Christian: The freshman QB threw five touchdown passes in a 49-20 win over North Raleigh Christian as the Knights improved to 2-0 in their first season of varsity football. Ambassador Christian also scored on a pick six as it broke a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter.

Jamouri Nichols, West Charlotte: In Friday’s 47-0 win over Monroe, Nichols completed 14 of 16 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns in about a half of work.

Grae Ponder, West Lincoln: In a 72-49 win over Lincoln Charter, Ponder ran 26 times for 236 yards and seven touchdowns. West Lincoln had 613 yards rushing as a team, tied for 24th most in NCHSAA history. Ponder, who had one catch and six tackles, had six successful two-point conversion runs and totaled 54 total points. That’s the second-most points ever scored in an NCHSAA game by a single player, trailing only Savone Tutt of Pamlico County (60 in 2019). His seven touchdowns are a Lincoln County record and ties for the third most ever scored by an NCHSAA player.

Carter Stevens, Christ The King: In a 27-15 win over SouthLake Christian, Stevens guarded SouthLake’s top receiver and limited him to one catch. On offense, Stevens had five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He ran four times for 11 yards. He also had three tackles, two interceptions and returned a punt 15 yards.

Demaurion Thomas-Wright, Butler: The Bulldogs beat Corvian Community 14-9 Friday, handing the 2024 1A state finalist its first regular-season loss since the 2023 season. Wright, a junior running back, played a big role. He ran 12 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. He caught six passes for 57 yards.

Ramir Watson, Myers Park: In a 28-18 upset win over Weddington, Watson completed 9 of 22 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. He ran nine times for 37 yards and another score. Teammate Camden Portis had two interceptions.

Previous winners

Week 1: Jad Aljakhbeer, Ardrey Kell

How to vote

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This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM.