Player of Week: Appling County’s 2-way star Knight finishes strong
Given the competition and the stakes, perhaps no player put together two better games to finish the 2026 regular season than Jaiden Knight, Appling County’s senior running back and linebacker.
Knight rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown in the Pirates’ 11-7 victory over then-No. 1 Toombs County on Oct. 30 to move Appling County into first place in Region 3-3A. He also had eight solo tackles and two tackles for loss.
Then last week against archrival Pierce County, the No. 3 team in Class 3A, Knight rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Knight had six tackles, one for a loss on a fourth-and-1 that ‘’flipped the momentum of the game,’’ according to coach JD Sellers. “He blitzed the A gap to hit them in the backfield.”
Appling County took over at its 15 and soon went ahead 14-7 on Knight’s 38-yard run, his second touchdown of the game. Knight scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter, one on a 79-yard run.
The victory clinched Appling County’s first 10-0 regular season since 1999.
Knight is the AJC Varsity Player of the Week.