Vote: Who is the Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week? - Nov. 25, 2025

We’ve selected nine nominees for your voting consideration
High School on SI

Here are the candidates for our 12th Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week honoree of 2025.


Congratulations to last week's winner: Cameron Stepp of C. Milton Wright.


Voting ends Nov. 30 at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Doug Eakin, Glenelg

Eakin, a senior defensive linemen, finished with eight tackles in Glenelg’s 17-0 victory over Howard in the Maryland Class 4A/3A state quarterfinals.

Carter Hayes, Patuxent

Hayes, a 6-foot, 170-pound junior linebacker recorded 11 tackles in Patuxent’s win over Allegany in the Maryland Class 3A state quarterfinals.

Kylin Holmes, Paul Laurence Dunbar

Holmes, a sophomore, intercepted two passes in Dunbar’s 52-6 victory over Queen Anne’s County in a Maryland Class 2A/1A state quarterfinal.

Breyent Loving-Adkins, Old Mill

Loving-Adkins, a 5-11, 185-pound senior cornerback, had 12 tackles in Old Mill’s 36-0 victory over Urbana in the Maryland Class 4A/3A state quarterfinals.

Travon Pinkney, Old Mill

Pinkney, a 5-11. 195-pound senior linebacker, had 15 tackles (eight solo) and a sack in Old Mill’s win over Urbana in a Maryland Class 4A/3A state quarterfinal contest.

Grant Pope, Milford Mill Academy

Pope, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior linebacker, had 12 tackles (seven solo) and a sack in Milford Mill’s 26-14 win over Edgewood in the Maryland Class 3A state quarterfinals.

Koby Sarkodie, Milford Mill Academy

Sarkodie, a 6-3, 200-pound senior defensive back who’s committed to North Carolina State University, finished with nine tackles in Milford Mill’s win over Edgewood in the Maryland Class 3A state quarterfinals.

David Skopec, Winston Churchill

Skopec, a 6-1, 190-pound junior linebacker, recorded nine tackles in Churchill’s 42-7 win over Montgomery Blair in a Maryland Class 4A state quarterfinal game.

Jaxon Sullivan, Patuxent

Sullivan, a 6-3, 205-pound junior linebacker, had 12 tackles (six solo) in Patuxent’s 42-0 win over Allegany in the Maryland Class 1A state quarterfinals.

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.


Published
Derek Toney
DEREK TONEY

Derek Toney is an award winning sports journalist with nearly four decades of content creation, editing and management experience in the DMV area. He has served as a reporter with the Baltimore Sun, Capital Journal, PG Gazette, Digital Sports and the Baltimore Banner, among others. He also spent 12 years as a Senior Content Editor with Varsity Sports Network. He has been writing for High School on SI since 2023