Brauny's Best: Highlighting top high school performances from Week 5

Can you believe we are just about halfway through the Texas high school football regular season? I probably say this every year, but it feels like we just got up and rolling. Where does the time go? Anyway, there were some massive stat lines across the state, so making some of these selections was difficult.

Texas A&M's Class

Carthage LB DaQuives Beck‍

• 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown

An active night for the future Aggie linebacker as Carthage rolled to a road win over Jasper. To me, it looks like he's seeing the game much better as a senior than he has at any point in his career. That's a common, natural progression, but it's still good to see. The clearer picture is allowing him to play faster and letting his natural gifts shine. He has always been a thumper that does well to stop ballcarriers dead in their tracks, but I think he's eating up more space this fall. It also appears to me that he's improved in leveraging the football and sharpened his pursuit angles. Overall, he has been rock solid for a Carthage club that once again looks poised to be playing deep into December.

State of Texas

CE King ATH Dionne Sims‍ - Stephen F. Austin commit

• 435 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns
• 1 catch, 34 yards, 1 touchdown

With all due respect to Landen Williams-Callis‍, who ran for over 300 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Iowa Colony, I had to give the nod to Sims here because his monster night propelled CE King to a startling 70 points and an upset win over Atascocita. This kid has been a varsity player for four seasons and has steadily gotten better. The speed has always been legit, but his progression as an overall running back has been noticeable after spending time at quarterback due to roster/team need. He's running between the tackles with authority and clearly has a knack for finding green grass. We'll see if the Lumberjacks have to start sweating to keep a hold of him.

My Coverage

2028 Franklin OL/DL Ryder Klein‍

• 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, 1 PBU
• 7 pancakes

Franklin has made a habit of sending line-of-scrimmage players to the next level over the last five years, and this kid looks like he's going to be next in that line. The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder plays the game like a bulldozer. His strength and physicality stand out even against players two years his senior. The size and frame would indicate his future is more likely on the offensive side of the ball, but his disruptive nature and playstyle are plenty suitable as a defender. He was the best player on the field last Friday night against a Houston Legacy team that has a trio of Power Four commitments. It will be interesting to see how he matures and progresses as a player, but it's pretty evident this kid has a chance to play at the high-major level in college.