Brauny's Best: Highlighting top high school performances from Week 9
Another week of surveying the top performances on the high school gridiron this week, as we are rapidly approaching the end of the regular season in the Lone Star State, which means dreams of lifting a trophy at AT&T Stadium get a little more real. I'd have to go back and research this, but it feels like I have seen more points scored in person this year than ever before. I'm getting home from these games remarkably late this season.
Texas A&M's Class
Carthage RB KJ Edwards
- 6 carries, 145 yards, 3 touchdowns
I don't know that I've ever selected a player who only featured in the first half of a game, but special considerations must be made when the kid averages a whopping 24.2 yards per carry and scores every other time he touches the football. Edwards had been hampered for the better part of three weeks with an injury and only returned to the starting lineup last week for Carthage. It didn't take him long to get his legs underneath him. The burst and suddenness in tight areas that make him special were back in a big way, and he finished runs with intent and violence, exactly like we've seen the Texas A&M backs do recently. With Carthage looking once again poised for a deep playoff run, Edwards should have plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time.
State of Texas
2027 Frisco Reedy QB Lincoln Harn
- 14/19 passing, 218 yards, 3 touchdowns
- 7 rushes, 141 yards, 2 touchdowns
The emergence of more quarterbacks in the 2027 class across the state has been one of my favorite developments so far this football season. To me, the crop was a little light heading into the fall compared to what we typically see in Texas. Harn has made his mark within the group of rising signal callers due to his dual-threat capabilities and overall athletic profile. He displays a quality feel for the offense in both the read game as well as in their passing attack. The arm swing and mechanics look efficient, and his baseball background translates into some of the off-platform throws he makes. I'd never heard of the kid until this weekend, but the more I watch the tape, the more I like him.
My Coverage
2027 Klein Oak QB Andre Phillip
- 376 total yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 3 rushing touchdowns
This kid has started to turn heads in greater Houston as he has stacked impressive stat lines with head-turning athleticism at the quarterback position. He has an outstanding physical frame and structure. He's built like a sprinter, and those similarities carry on once he gets into the open field, which he did often on Friday night as he propelled his team to a 61-54 victory over rival Klein. He consistently made the correct decision on the seemingly innumerable number of zone read variations they dialed up, and the opposition just had no answer for it defensively. After amassing nearly 400 yards of total offense, Phillip was rewarded with his first FBS offer as Rice made the move to try and keep the local product in greater Houston. I suspect he'll have more suitors going forward, especially if he keeps compiling highlight reels like the one from last week.
