Vote for The Observer’s high school football player of the week (Nov. 7, 2025)
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Observer lists weekly nominees and opens online fan poll through Thursday.
- Nominees showcase rushing, passing, tackling and special teams impact across games.
- Voters must type "yes" to load the poll, may vote repeatedly; winner will be featured.
Here are the nominees for The Observer’s high school football player of the week.
The winner will be featured in an upcoming story.
The poll closes Thursday at noon. You may vote as often as you like.
This week’s nominees
DC Carr, Providence Day: In a 49-0 win over Charlotte Country Day, Carr, an offensive lineman, had six pancake blocks . Two weeks ago, against rival Charlotte Christian, he graded 97% and had four pancakes. In Friday’s win, the Chargers’ offensive line, as a whole, helped lead the team to 349 yards total offense on 41 plays — via seven different rushers and six different wide receivers. The team also set a school-record with 18 pancake blocks, led by Carr’s six.
Trae Clyburn, West Iredell: Clyburn, a sophomore, had a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown, a 78-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and a rushing score in a 70-24 win over Bunker Hill. Clyburn’s team had five interceptions returned for a touchdown, breaking the 16-year-old record of four, set by Roxboro’s Person High School. These five players had the pick 6s: Clyburn, Jaquan Wasson, Gabe Harshman, Avier Peet and Sebastian Bridges.
Josh Falzarano, Myers Park: In a 40-14 win over rival South Meck, the senior running back ran 29 times for 202 yards and four touchdowns.
Brayden Fortenberry, Stuart Cramer: In a 30-7 win over East Gaston, Fortenberry had 10 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks.
Jonah Holloway, Hough: In a 56-0 win over Hopewell, Holloway had a team-high 13 tackles. He also had seven kickoffs cover 331 yards, averaging more than 47 yards. He had two touch backs.
Damonte James, Central Cabarrus: In a 51-8 win over Harding, James ran eight times for 180 yards and a touchdown, averaging 22.5 yards per carry.
Will Johnson, Charlotte Catholic: In a 49-0 win over Piedmont, Johnson, an offensive lineman, had four pancake blocks, no QB pressures and no sacks allowed.
Jayden Jones, Independence: In a 41-7 win over rival Butler, Jones ran 15 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He caught three passes for 68 yards and a fourth score.
Drake Lineberger, West Mecklenburg: In a 24-7 win over Garinger, the freshman QB finished 10 of 15 passing for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He ran four times for 40 yards.
Javarius McElhaney, Cherryville: McElhaney, a junior, ran 28 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-33 win over Bessemer City.
Javian McMullen, Mallard Creek: In a 31-0 win over rival Chambers, the sophomore defensive back had two interceptions.
Jacob Moore, Cox Mill: Moore than a team-high 15 tackles, including one tackle for a loss and a pass defended, in a 28-0 win over Berry.
Elliott Newcomb, Charlotte Christian: In a 38-24 win over rival Charlotte Latin, the senior completed 15 of 23 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. He ran seven times for 21 yards and completed passes to six different receivers.
Keland Shelton, Providence: In a 28-14 win over Ardrey Kell that locked up his school’s first league title in four years, Shelton had more than 100 yards in kick returns and had a team-high 18 tackles. He also had three passes knocked down, three sacks and a forced fumble.
Brennan Wallace, Christ The King: In a 48-6 win over Langtree Charter, the senior running back had 19 carries for 170 yards and three touchdowns. He caught four passes for 39 yards and another touchdown.
LJ Watson, JM Robinson: In a 56-6 win over Northwest Cabarrus that locked up a conference title, Watson ran 10 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Previous winners
Week 1: Jad Aljakhbeer, Ardrey Kell
Week 2: Weston Michalak, Ambassador Christian
Week 3: Cam Johnson, Ambassador Christian
Week 4: Ben Dorsey, Charlotte Country Day
Week 5: Travis Hill, Independence
Week 6: Preston Pruitt, Ambassador Christian
Week 7: Gavin Barber, Mooresville
Week 8: Zach Cullen, Sun Valley
Week 9: Brayden Graceffa, Monroe
Week 10: Johnta Harrison, West Cabarrus
How to vote
To vote in the poll, you must type “yes” into the box below BEFORE the poll will show. After you type yes and hit return, the poll will appear. To vote again, simply refresh the page. You may vote as often as you like.
If you cannot see the box on mobile, click here
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Vote for The Observer’s high school football player of the week (Nov. 7, 2025)."
