Vote: Who is the Florida Panhandle High School Football Player of the Week? (Aug. 24-29)

The week two of the high school football season in Florida is complete, and there was some tremendous performances in the Florida Panhandle last weekend.

For the first player of the week poll of the 2026 season for the Florida Panhandle, we have narrowed our list of nominees of 10 players that stood out across the region.

Last week was also intriguing based on the performances that we saw as numerous teams across the panhandle had players that put together dominant rushing performances on the ground. If that trend continues for the rest of the season, the Florida Panhandle will have some of the top rushing attacks in the state for 2026.

Voting will close on September 6 at 11:59 PT. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Ethan Crandall, Pensacola Catholic

In the 51-33 win over Pace, Crandall rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. His longest rush went for 47 yards and he averaged 7.1 yards per carry.

Ethan Pittman, Tate

In the 24-21 victory over Milton, Pittman rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He averaged 6.6 yards per rush and his longest run of the game went for 60 yards.

Gionni Lewis, Booker T. Washington

Lewis has been one of the top receivers in the panhandle over the past two seasons, and he has continued to show this in the early stages of his junior season. In the 45-27 win over Navarre, Lewis caught four passes for 85 yards and three touchdowns.

Deagan McCoy, Niceville

McCoy rebounded from the week one loss to Prattville (AL) with an impressive showing versus West Florida. He completed 55% of his passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 53 yards on the ground and one touchdown on five carries.

Samuel Chisolm, Mosley

Chisolm had one of the top rushing performances last week in the panhandle when the Dolphins escaped with a 32-31 win over Godby. He rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries.

Jackson Beasley, Leon

In the 35-7 win over Bozeman, Beasley finished with four solo tackles, six total tackles and four tackles for a loss. He also got after the quarterback as he recorded two sacks and one quarterback hurry.

Rodney Clinch, Walton

In the 41-6 win over Arnold, Clinch carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught two passes out of the backfield for 23 yards.

Za'Carius Collins, Cottondale

In the 62-20 win over Graceville, Collins rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. He averaged 22.3 yards per carry, and this was his second 100-yard performance of the season.

Dylan Louthain, Freeport

Louthain could not be stopped in the 55-27 win over North Bay Haven Academy. He rushed for 210 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries. He also caught two passes for 20 yards in the victory.

Caleb Willoughby, Pensacola

Willoughby had his way rushing the ball in the 32-10 win over Gulf Breeze. He rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also caught one pass for 10 yards.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School On SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals.

Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports.

Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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