Check out the Gridiron Football Player of the Week (Week 11 Edition) Show hosted by Jace LeJeune below!
Check out the Gridiron Football Player of the Week Interview With Bryce Restovich:
#1 Loyola Prep (LA) 2027 QB Bryce Restovich: 11,411 votes
Coming in at our number one spot with over 10,000 votes, we have QB Bryce Restovich who showed up huge in the first playoff game of his high school career. The 6-foot-2 sophomore would complete 18 out of his 22 pass attempts for 287 yards and poured on 5 passing touchdowns against the Sophie B. Wright defense. He also would have 5 rushes for 19 yards in their 63-44 victory. They head on the road as the 10-seed this week to face off against the 7-seed Leesville.
#2 Madison Central (MS) 2025 QB Jaiden Johnson: 6,968 votes
For the number 2 spot on the list, we head out of state to Mississippi and we have Jaiden Johnson. The senior QB has lead the team to be one of the best teams across the state this year and he would step up in the first round of their playoffs. He would throw 15/19 for 286 yards. He had only 4 incompletions and would toss 4 passing TDs by the end of the night. Talk about precision. He also got the job done with his legs running for another 20 and a TD in their victory, 42-14 over DeSoto Central.
#3 West St. John (LA) 2026 QB/CB Jayce Farnell: 6,853 votes
Junior QB Jayce Farnell played an almost perfect game last Friday in their first-round matchup, defending their home turf. He would complete 13/14 of his passes, only throwing one incompletion the whole night. But he was far from unproductive as he would account for 223 yards and 3 total TDs on West St. John’s way to a 40-6 win over Arcadia. This week they head on the road to face off against the number 7-seed Mangham for what should be a great second round matchup for both of these teams.
#4 Archbishop Hannan (LA) 2026 LB Greyson Dupre: 5,251 votes
Archbishop Hannan produced two player of the week nominations from two deserving players. This time we have a linebacker, Greyson Dupre, who led the defensive charge in their 29-20 upset win over St. Michael. Dupre would end the night with 13 total tackles, 2 TFLs, and most importantly, 2 forced fumbles to hold the Warriors offense in check and give the offense an opportunity to steal this game. Dupre and Hannan head on the road again this week to play against Vandebilt Catholic, but with a little extra confidence after the huge win in round 1.
#5 Denham Springs (LA) 2025 QB Jerry Horne: 1,463 votes
Coming in at 5, we have Gridiron All-American Bowl Game commit, Jerry Horne from Denham Springs. In their first-round matchup, he would complete 22 of 38 pass attempts for 326 yards and 2 TDs. Not only would he show off his arm, but also his mobility with 20 carries for 101 yards for 4 TDs. In total, he would account for 427 yards and 6 TDs. He laid it all out on the field with a 99-yard drive with under a minute left in the 4th Quarter to go to overtime. Despite Horne’s exemplary efforts, the Yellow Jackets would come up just short in a heartbreaking 42-41 loss in overtime.
#6 Archbishop Hannan (LA) 2025 WR Hayden Alonzo: 177 votes
Hayden Alonzo joins us once again. Although Archbishop Hannan had only 1 regular-season win, they had a chance to do something special on the road with a matchup against St. Michael. As he has done for his team all season, Alonzo left it all out on the field in what could be the last game of his high school career. He would have 6 catches for 197 yards and 1 TD to help push his team to a huge 29-20 upset to move on to the second round. He would also surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the season in this game. Hannan will have another road game this week vs. the number 6-seed Vandebilt Catholic.
#7 Hahnville (LA) 2025 RB Calvin Smith Jr: 130 votes
Our POTW lists are usually packed with running backs that put together monster games to put the team on their back and cary them to victory. That is exactly what Calvin Smith did for Hahnville last week in their 49-39 win over H.L. Bourgeois. He would have 20 carries for 264 yards, averaging 13.2 yards per carry, and also finding the endzone on 4 separate occasions. He would also add 2 catches for 18 yards to put him just under 300 all-purpose yards, at 282. They will host the number 24-seed Chalmette this week who is coming off of a huge upset over the 9-seed Terrebonne in a 20-17, hard-fought victory.
#8 Allen (TX) 2025 S Don Quist: 107 votes
Everyone has heard the stigma about Texas Football and we have a player from one of the top-10 teams across the state. Safety Don Quist played a vital role for Allen High School last Friday night in their victory over Lewisville. He would be all over the field with 10 Tackles and 2 PBU’s. But his best stat was the 3 fumbles that he forced to get his team off the field in some of the game’s biggest moments. Quist and the defense would hold their opponents out of the endzone for the length of the game, winning with a dominant defensive performance, 17-3. This puts them at 11-0 on the season and they look to continue the streak all the way through the state championship, with a matchup against 7-4 Richardson this week.
#9 Destrehan (LA) 2025 WR Jabari Mack: 32 votes
Destrehan faced off at home for their first round playoff game. The offense would be firing on all cylinders with many players having great stat lines but Jabari Mack was the name that the announcer kept calling all night. He would rack up 10 catches for 93 yards and 2 TDs receiving. He also would have a 58 yard perfect pass on a trick play that went all the way down to the 1-yard-line and set the offense up to score. He also mixed it up in the backfield as well with 3 carries for 16 yards in their 30-13 win over Ouachita Parish. Destrehan faces off against Northwood- Shreveport this Friday night on the road in a 7-10 seed matchup.
#10 Hamilton Christian (LA) 2027 QB Javon Vital: 27 votes
Hamilton Christian sophomore QB Javon Vital is a special talent who will only continue to get better over these next 2 seasons. Dual-threat QBs are so dangerous in the game that we play in today’s age and Vital takes the term to a different level. On the ground, he would have 25 rushes for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. But don’t mistake him for a running back, because he would throw for 127 yards and 2 passing touchdowns, completing 5 of 7 pass attempts. He somehow had the energy to play defense as well, making the game-sealing interception in the 4th Quarter that put this game to bed and sent St. John home. He would lead his team to a 41-30 victory and show the grit and will to win that he has already, even as an underclassman. They head on the road this week to a rested Riverside Academy team, featuring previous Gridiron Football POTW, Dedric Lastie.
#11 Evangel Christian (LA) 2026 RB/LB Damari “Day Day” Drake: 15 votes
If you are a person that loves all-purpose athletes, that impact the game on all three levels, Damari Drake should have made you a fan with his performance in last Thursday night’s game. Joining his teammate on this list, Evangel was facing off against Captain Shreve in a regular-season rematch that caught everyone’s attention across the state. On defense, he would have 17 total tackles (12 Solo), 2 Tackles for Loss, 1 Sack, 1 Pass Deflection, and 1 Interception, that he would also return for a touchdown. In the backfield, he would total 13 carries for 79 yards and added on 2 rushing TDs. He would also have a 2-pt conversion reception as well. On special teams, Drake had 2 kick returns for 115 yards. In the end, he would be responsible for 22 of the teams points in their 58-48 win to advance to a round 2 matchup against undefeated Alexandria.
#12 Zachary (LA) 2025 RB Davekio Ruffin: 10 votes
Davekio Ruffin has put together some of his biggest performances of the entire season to end the regular season and to start the playoffs. After last week’s 6-touchdown performance against Catholic, it would be no surprise to fans if he had a nice game to follow it up. But he would blow a nice game out of the water and have another monster game to kick off the playoffs for his team. While not even having more than 20 touches, his impact on this game was undeniable as on his 17 carries, he would run for 317 yards, and once again find the endzone 6 times. With back-to-back 6 touchdown games, he would push them to a 54-35 win over Sam Houston. Zachary has their biggest game of the season in round 2 on the road up in North Louisiana against the number 3-seed Ruston.
#13 Evangel Christian (LA) 2027 QB Peyton Houston: 10 votes
Peyton Houston has seem to become a regular on this list, but his performance week after week has deserved a nomination. This week in round 1 of the playoffs, they faced off against Captain Shreve in a regular season matchup rematch. Last time, they faced off Houston threw 10 touchdowns in a 77-76 loss. This time he did not put up a record-breaking stat line but they got the win which was even more important. He would throw for 385 passing yards and 4 Pass TDs. On the ground, he had 89 rushing yards and added a rushing TD. he would score 5 of the team’s 8 touchdowns on their way to a 58-48 victory. Looking ahead to round 2, they head on the road to face off against undefeated Alexandria.
#14 Cecilia (LA) 2025 QB/CB Diesel Solari: 8 votes
Cecilia has been a very fun and explosive offense to watch all season and Diesel Solari seems to be back where he is arguably best at, the QB position. Under center, he would complete 10 of 13 attempts for 146 yards and a TD with no INTs. If you know Solari, you know his dual-threat ability is what makes him so special and on the ground he would make his presence felt with 10 rushes for 43 yards and 2 rushing TDs. As he has done all season, he fills whatever role the team needs him at and on defense he would have 1 Solo Tackle and 2 INTs In their 50-29 win over Pearl River. They head on the road this week to one of the favorites in this bracket, the number 2-seeded undefeated Lutcher Bulldogs.
#15 Welsh (LA) 2027 WR/S Jordan Strong: 6 votes
Jordan Strong and the Greyhounds entered the playoffs as the 9-seed and Strong made some big plays defensively in this game. On offense, he would only have 1 catch for 8 yards, but on defense he would end the night with 8 Solo Tackles and 2 Pass Break Ups. He also would intercept 2 passes, returning one 43 yards for a TD in the 59-24 win over West St. Mary. Welsh actually has some unforeseen circumstances with their potential opponent’s whole team being suspended for an altercation during their first round matchup. Consequently, Welsh receives a bye in the second round, sending them to the quarterfinals in a potential matchup versus the 1-seed Haynesville or 16-seed Montgomery.
Honorable Mentions: (No Particular Order)
- Southern Lab RB Trevoris Norman: 10 carries for 152 yards and 2 TD
- C.E. Byrd RB Desmond Simmons: 30 carries for 197 yards and 1 TD
- D’Arbonne Woods S Ethan Thrash: 3 Tackles, 2 Interceptions, 1 Onside Kick Recovery (helped secure 1st playoff win in school history)
- Amite WR/CB Brandon Coleman: 1 Receiving TD, A Pick 6 and 6 Tackles
- Destrehan QB Jackson Fields: 19/25 for 262 yards and 3 TDs
- Donaldsonville 2027 RB Khy Jones: 2 punt returns for TDs
2024 Gridiron Football Player of the Week Winners:
Week 1: STM 2025 DB Brian Broussard
Week 2: Liberty Magnet 2026 RB Zaiden Foster
Week 3: Iowa 2025 RB/WR Jonathan Walker Jr.
Week 4: Southern Lab 2026 QB Jerry Bottley
Week 5: Assumption 2025 QB Landen Sanchez
Week 6: Riverside 2025 RB Dedric Lastie
Week 7: Episcopal 2025 RB Reid Chauvin
Week 8: Delta Charter 2025 RB Tyrin Singleton
Week 9: Fisher 2025 S Jaiven Lewis
Week 10: Abbeville 2027 QB Kobe Vital
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