Vote for The Observer’s high school football player of the week (Nov. 21, 2025)
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Observer runs weekly poll to select high school football player of the week.
- Nominees span positions and schools with stats: sacks, rushing, passing, kicks.
- Readers vote online; type "yes" to reveal poll, refresh to vote again as often.
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 at noon Thursday. You may vote as often as you like.
The Talking Preps’ NC player of the week show
This week’s nominees
AIDAN BLACK, JAY M ROBINSON: In a 42-0 win over North Davidson, Black had six tackles and two sacks.
PATRICK BLEE, SOUTH POINT: In a 48-13 win over Erwin, Blee completed 2 of 3 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He ran eight times for 98 yards and four touchdowns.
KAYDEN CLARK, MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHARTER: In a 7-6 win over Alleghany, Clark caught four passes for 46 yards, had a fumble recovery on defense plus a game-sealing interception.
ZACH CULLEN, SUN VALLEY: IN a 42-6 win over Olympic, Cullen ran seven times for 124 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per carry.
JOSH FALZARANO, MYERS PARK: In a 42-0 win over Chambers, Falzarano ran 11 times for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
JACE GOODWIN, PROVIDENCE DAY: In a 41-7 over Cannon in the NCISAA state semifinals, Goodwin had seven tackles, five sacks and two QB hurries.
BRAYDEN GRACEFFA, MONROE: In a 49-14 win over West Rowan, the junior quarterback completed 16 of 19 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
ELLIOTT NEWCOMB, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN: In a 55-48 win at Rabun Gap (GA) in the NCISAA semifinals, Newcomb completed 20 of 25 passes for 277 yards and five touchdowns.
COOPER PETERSON, CORVIAN COMMUNITY: In a 45-7 win over North Rowan, Peterson knocked seven of eight kickoffs for touchbacks, had a 35-yard punt and was 6 of 6 on PATs, and made a 43-yard field goal.
CLEE PHILLIPS, STUART CRAMER: In a 60-49 win over Bandys, Phillips, a senior, completed 9 of 10 passes for 139 yards. He ran 14 times for 172 yards and four touchdowns.
KING RHODES, INDEPENDENCE: In a 45-6 win over Page, Rhodes had four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
KEANEN TEETER, CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC: In a 27-0 win over AC Reynolds, Teeter had 14 tackles, including five solos, plus 2.5 tackles for a loss.
MESSIAH THOMPSON, LINCOLNTON: In a 28-27 win over Hendersonville, Thompson had eight tackles, including six solos, and successfully defended three passes.
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
Week 11: Jayden Jones, Independence
Week 12: Damonte James, Central 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 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Vote for The Observer’s high school football player of the week (Nov. 21, 2025)."
