Vote: Who is the Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week - Nov. 11, 2025

We’ve selected 12 nominees for your voting consideration

High School on SI

Here are the candidates for our 10th honoree of 2025 Maryland High School Football Season.

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Congratulations to last week's winner: Justin Kelly of Chopticon.

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Voting ends Nov. 16 at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Antwan Allison, Frederick Douglass-Prince George’s

Allison, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound  junior linebacker, had eight tackles and four sacks in Douglass’ 62-0 victory over North Caroline in a Maryland Class 2A East Region opening round match.

Acque Ashewood, Winston Churchill

Ashewood, a 5-7, 145-pound senior, finished with 11 tackles in Churchill’s 36-6 victory over Clarksburg in a Maryland Class 4A West Region first round contest.

Elijah Jones, George Washington Carver Vocational-Technical

Jones, a 5-9, 180-pound senior cornerback, finished with eight tackles and two sacks in Carver’s 26-12 victory over Lansdowne in a Maryland Class 2A North Region first round game.

Jason Jones, Oxon Hill 

Jones, a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore, had 10 tackles and a sack in Oxon Hill’s 72-6 victory over Parkside in a Maryland Class 2A East Region first round match.

James Lee, Washington

Lee, a 5-10, 220-pound linebacker, had 10 tackles in Washington’s 22-8 victory over Snow Hill in the Maryland Class 1A East Region opening round game.

Brandon Marshall, Largo

Marshall, a 5-8, 160-pound linebacker, finished with 11 tackles in Largo’s 44-15 victory over Crossland in a Maryland Class 2A East Region first round game.

Kayden McDuffie, Meade

McDuffie, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior linebacker, had 10 tackles and an interception in Meade’s 35-12 victory over Dundalk in a Maryland Class 4A East Region opening round match.

Jack O’Neal, Saint James Academy

O’Neal, a 5-11, 275-pound sophomore defensive linemen, had seven tackles and 4.5 sacks in Saint James’ 41-12 victory over Flint Hill School (Va.).

Alex Rhodes, Easton

Rhodes, a 5-10, 180-pound senior linebacker, finished with 12 tackles in Easton’s 42-0 victory over Hammond in a Maryland Class 2A/1A East Region opening round game.

Tristan Saunders, Charles H. Flowers

Saunders, a 6-1, 180-pound senior linebacker, had 13 tackles (nine solo) and a sack in Flowers’ 34-6 victory over Suitland in a Maryland Class 4A South Region first round match.

Mekhi Sutton, Gwynn Park

Sutton, a 5-11, 210-pound junior linebacker, had 13 tackles in Gwynn Park’s 44-18 victory over Parkside in a Maryland Class 2A East Region first round match.

Damean Thomas, North Hagerstown 

Thomas, a 6-2, 190-pound senior linebacker, recorded 14 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in North Hagerstown’s 43-7 win over Northwood in a Maryland Class 3A West Region opening round contest.

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.