Gary Osby, a senior linebacker and running back at Lowndes, is the GHSF Daily State Player of the Week for his performance Friday in a 28-17 victory over Colquitt County.
Osby rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns as a ball-control running back and had a sack and another tackle for a loss as an inside linebacker, his main position. Osby has 11.5 tackles for losses on the season for a No. 1-ranked team that leads Class AAAAAAA in scoring defense, allowing 8.8 points per game.
Osby is 5 feet, 11 inches and 218 pounds, and has been clocked over 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, said coach Randy McPherson. Osby's height has discouraged Division I programs from recruiting, but McPherson believes that's a mistake and compared him to former Brookwood, Georgia and NFL linebacker Rennie Curran.
"He's sideline to sideline, athletic, good in pass coverage and good downhill against the run," McPherson said. "He's absolutely one of the top players in the state. I'm 100 percent sure of that."
Top five
*Athens Christian RB Johne'ss Davis rushed for 369 yards and six touchdowns on 29 carries in a 47-26 victory over Providence Christian.
*Beach RB Antario Brown rushed for 280 yards on 22 carries, had four receptions for 119 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 50-43 loss to Benedictine, which had beaten the Bulldogs 55-0 the year before. Brown was tackled at the Benedictine 1-yard line by a scrum of defenders on the game's final play.
*Lowndes RB/LB Gary Osby rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and had four solo tackles (one for a loss, another a sack) in a 28-17 victory over Colquitt County.
*Pickens QB C.J. Streicher rushed for 238 yards and six touchdowns and was 8-of-14 passing for 167 yards and one touchdown in a 49-45 victory over LaFayette.
*Savannah Country Day sophomore QB/DB Barry Kleinpeter was 14-of-20 passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for two touchdowns, had four solo tackles, one for a loss, and intercepted a pass in a 49-14 victory over Calvary Day.
Best of the rest
*Bainbridge LB Tahari Tate blocked a punt, returned it for a touchdown, forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in a 68-14 victory over Harris County. Tate has blocked five kicks this season.
*Bowdon RB Gage Stephens rushed for 217 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries in a 35-19 victory over Trion.
*Christian Heritage WR Evan Lester had four receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-0 victory over Gordon Lee.
*Creekside's secondary of Rashad Battle, Terrell Miller, Rory Weems, Danisus Miller and Jalen Delaney surrendered minus-17 passing yards on 15 attempts in a 22-14 victory over Douglas County.
*Crisp County QB/DB A.J. Lofton rushed for 114 yards, passed for 54 yards and returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown in a region-clinching 35-7 victory over Cook.
*Dacula LB T.J. Young had 14 tackles and a sack in a 34-10 victory over Lanier that clinched Dacula's fourth consecutive Region 8-AAAAAA title.
*Dalton RB Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 180 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in a 17-14 loss to Allatoona. Gibbs became the state's first 2,000-yard rusher (2,144) this season.
*Darlington QB Griffin Brewster was 24-of-36 passing for 238 yards in a 21-6 victory over North Cobb Christian. Brewster committed to Colorado State on Sunday.
*Dodge County RB Daylon Gordon rushed for 239 yards in a 41-34 loss to Bleckley County.
*Eagle's Landing DB David Wingfield had three tackles for losses, two sacks and one forced fumble in a 56-3 victory over Mount Vernon Presbyterian.
*Emanuel County Institute RB Ja'Rell Jordan rushed for 237 yards in a 48-35 victory over Montgomery County. Jordan surpassed 1,000 yards rushing (1,195) on the season.
*Fannin County RB Treylyn Owensby rushed for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-14 victory over Lumpkin County.
*Forsyth Central DB Jake Bretz had 12 solo tackles and broke up a pass in a 21-14 loss to South Forsyth.
*Habersham Central QB Ryte Woodruff rushed for 189 yards and four touchdowns while RB Jackson Clouatre rushed for 176 yards and one score in a 41-40 loss to Winder-Barrow.
*Harrison RB David Roberts rushed for 184 yards on 16 carries in a 42-7 victory over Sequoyah that clinched Region 6-AAAAAA.
*Hawkinsville RB Casson Clark rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in a 33-24 victory over Central of Talbotton.
*Heard County RB Alex Boyd rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in a 35-20 victory over Lamar County. Boyd went over 1,000 yards (1,075) on the season.
*Jeff Davis RB Jashaun Kirby rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 victory over Swainsboro. It was Jeff Davis's first victory over a ranked opponent since 2001, breaking an 0-21 drought against the top 10.
*Jefferson LB Rem Maxwell graded out at 94 percent with six tackles, one sack, one pass broken up and an interception in a 55-0 victory over Jackson County.
*Kell DB Miykayah Vinson intercepted three passes and broke up two in defending the only five balls thrown his way in a 27-7 victory over Hiram.
*LaFayette QB Jaylon Ramsey rushed for 293 yards while RB Jamario Clements rushed for 250 in a 49-45 loss to Pickens. Each had 20 carries and two touchdowns.
*Lincoln County RB Kolbi Ferguson rushed for 228 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries in a 49-14 victory over Hancock Central.
*Lithia Springs QB Kevin Mfortow passed for 212 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 72 yards in 15-14 upset victory over Carver of Atlanta, which entered as a 26-point favorite.
*Lovett RB Henry Beery rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in a 48-20 victory over Redan.
*M.L. King LB Tyshawn Hamm had five tackles behind the line in a 32-0 victory over Drew.
*Madison County QB Colby Smith rushed for 180 yards and passed for 102 in a 35-33 victory over Stephens County. His 20-yard TD pass to Martavian Cooper was the game-winner and kept the Red Raiders in playoff contention in Region 8-AAAA.
*Marietta WR Ricky White had 12 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-17 victory over Hillgrove.
*Marion County QB Trice McKinnon passed for 102 yards, rushed for 111 yards, returned three punts for 56 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 43-7 victory over Taylor County.
*Monticello RB Mario Greene rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-0 victory over Banks County. Greene went over 1,000 yards (1,080) on the season.
*Mount Paran Christian QB Niko Vangarelli rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 118 yards and made seven tackles in a 21-14 victory over Pinecrest Academy.
*Norcross LB Jalen Garner had 16 first hits, one behind the line, an assisted sack, caused a fumble and blocked an extra point in a 27-22 victory over Brookwood.
*North Atlanta RB T.K. Mack rushed for 385 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries in a 44-0 victory over Centennial. The win assured North Atlanta of its first winning season since 2010.
*North Murray QB Ladd McConkey was 12-of-16 passing for 165 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 156 yards in a 31-0 victory over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe.
*Oconee County LB West Weeks intercepted two passes and had four tackles on a defense that allowed just eight first downs and 165 total yards in a 35-7 victory over North Oconee. The win clinched Region 8-AAAA for the Warriors.
*Ola DB Legend Doggett had two solo tackles, broke up two passes and intercepted a pass in a 23-14 loss to Jones County. Ola's defense allowed only one touchdown.
*Pierce County's DL starters Jorge Perez, Haden Smith and Seth Foster held the Appling County offense to 55 total yards, giving up no points against the defense, with seven tackles for losses and four sacks in a 23-14 victory that put Pierce in first place in Region 2-AA.
*Rabun County WR Braxton Hicks had six receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-0 victory over Oglethorpe County. Hicks went over 3,000 receiving yards for his career (3,054).
*Sonoraville QB Brady Lackey was 11-of-12 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns and scored on a 27-yard run, almost all in the first half of a 54-17 victory over Coahulla Creek.
*South Paulding RB Julian Beris rushed 165 yards and Thomas Marshall ran for 104 in a 34-20 victory over Tri-Cities.
*Southwest DeKalb OLB John Grant had seven solo tackles, four assists, three tackles for losses, two sacks and a forced fumble in a 34-7 victory over Arabia Mountain.
*Stephenson RB Ryan Ingram rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and caught a 33-yard TD pass in a 26-14 victory over Lovejoy.
*Tattnall Square RB/DB Wes Allen had two touchdowns, the last an 85-yard kickoff return to defeat crosstown rival First Presbyterian 14-7. On defense, Allen recorded six tackles, including a sack, intercepted a pass and blocked a punt. He rushed for 42 yards on 10 carries.
*Wesleyan DB Trent Bartlett had four tackles and an interception - setting a school record with 14 for his career - in a 45-13 victory over Strong Rock Christian.
*West Forsyth DB Dalton Tjong had 10 primary tackles and seven assists, forced a fumble, broke up a pass and intercepted a pass with 28 seconds left to clinch a 22-21 victory over North Forsyth.
*West Laurens LB D'Eryk Jackson had 10 tackles, two for losses, and helped hold Upson-Lee to 24 rushing yards in a 30-0 victory over Upson-Lee.
*Wilcox County RB/LB/P Desmond Tisdol rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown, had two sacks and put three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line in a 22-7 victory over Turner County.
*Winder-Barrow OL/DL Jacob Merrifield had 11 tackles, three for losses, one a sack, and blocked three extra points in a 41-40 victory over Habersham Central.
*Woodward Academy TE/LB Jacorei Turner had seven tackles, four for losses, and caught two TD passes in a 42-8 victory over North Clayton.
Lines of distinction
*Americus-Sumter's offensive line of tackles Kason Hodges and Eric Aldridge, guards Aston Fletcher, Jamal Asberry and Q.D. Walker and center Kam Dunnings supported a balanced offense of 263 yards passing with four TDs and 232 yards rushing with three TDs in a playoff-clinching 58-45 victory over Westover.
*Dublin’s offensive line of tight end Arshon James, tackles Ahmad Lattimore and Berrick Wadley, guards Ty McRae and Jalen Carter and center Jeremy Stuckey helped the Fighting Irish rush for a staggering 758 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 carries and ground out 30 first downs in a 77-48 victory over Suwannee (Fla.). Leading rushers were JaQues Evans (375 yards), Zion Kemp (252) and Marcus Adams (88). Dublin has rushed for 3,806 yards on 362 carries, or 422.9 per game at 10.5 yards per carry.
*Eastside's offensive line of tackles Bryant Byrd and Garrison King, guards Jaylen Farmer and James Amos, center Pierce Downs, H-back Sambo Button and tight end Grayson Malcom helped the Eagles put up 544 yards of total offense with no sacks on 25 passing attempts in a 55-20 victory over McDonough.
*Elbert County's offensive line of Caleb Hale, Corbin Mattox, Clayton Donald, Seth Capps and A.J. German with tight ends Bryce Dickerson, Qwen Moss and Tamar Burton opened holes for 635 yards of rushing in a 56-7 victory over Putnam County.
*Oconee County's offensive line of tackles Carsen Stocklinski and Kole Page, guards Thomas Waters and Nick Saunders and center Rob Boswell with tight end Seth Caldwell won the trenches in a region-clinching 35-7 victory over North Oconee while making things easier on QB Max Johnson (149 yards passing), RB Jimmy Boswell (189 rushing) and Ben Noland (112 receiving).
*Roswell's offensive line of tackles Trey Zimmerman, Anietie Ntekop and Corey Robinson, guards Matthew Copeland, Trey Lednick and Jacoby Thames and center Matthew Ford led the way in a 395-yard rushing performance (7.5 yards per carry) in a 42-16 victory over Woodstock. Sophomore Ryan Hill was able to rush for a career-high 134 yards.
*Telfair County's offensive line of Jonathan Rodgers, C.T. McMillian, Andrew Yawn, Hayward Eady and Dekevious Ellis were indispensable to Trey Bess's 291-yard rushing effort in a 20-13 victory over Lanier County. Bess scored all three of his team's touchdowns.
*Troup's offensive line of Royce White, Tyler Kitchens, Will Cooley, Braxton Truitt, Michael Irvin and Luke Purnell opened space for 465 rushing yards in a 37-14 victory over Central of Carrollton. Trey Williams rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns.
*Union Grove's offensive line of Buck Barrett, Josh Webb, Tyler Southern, Mitchell Smith, Godley Adrien and Quinton Peterson paved the way for 362 yards of rushing in a 38-22 victory over Locust Grove. K.J. Green (125) and DeChavion Williams (154) each had more than 100 rushing yards.
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