Vote: Who is the Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week?

Here are the candidates for our seventh Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week honoree of 2025. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Congratulations to last week's winner: Rondell Fauntleroy of Frederick.

Voting ends Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Here are this week's nominees:

Eli Best, Guilford Park

Best, a 6-1, 165-pound defensive back, had 14 tackles and a sack in Guilford Park’s 28-16 victory over Glenelg.

Xavier Bowie, Williamsport

Bowie, a 5-11, 215-pound junior defensive linemen, had 13 tackles and a sack in Williamsport’s 21-12 victory over South Hagerstown.

Isaiah Johnson, Northwest

Johnson, a senior, finished with 11 tackles and a sack in Northwest’s 41-6 victory over Walter Johnson.

Zach Loewe, Fallston

Loewe, a 6-1, 180-pound senior defensive back, had 16 tackles in Fallston’s 35-22 victory over Joppatowne.

Bryce Milne, Northern-Calvert

Milne, a 5-10, 185-pound linebacker, had eight tackles and two sacks in Northern-Calvert’s 63-0 victory over Thomas Stone.

Zahir Myrick-Brown, Atholton

Myrick-Brown, a 6-1, 170-pound senior defensive back, finished with 11 tackles in Atholton’s 37-28 victory over Howard.

Sai’Quan Olfus, Suitland

Olfus, a 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker, had 13 tackles and an interception in Suitland’s 47-0 victory over DuVal.

Deleon Otero-Gray, Saint Charles

Otero-Gray, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior linebacker, had 14 tackles in Saint Charles’ 14-6 victory over Westlake.

Jhysier Purnell, Stephen Decatur

Purnell, a 5-9, 170-pound junior defensive back, had 15 tackles and a sack in Decatur’s 28-25 victory over Easton.

Jayden Rose, Milford Mill Academy

Rose, a 6-1, 220-pound senior defensive linemen, had six tackles and two sacks in Milford Mill’s 55-6 victory over Woodlawn.

David Skopec, Winston Churchill

Skopec, a 6-1, 190-pound junior linebacker finished with nine tackles and two sacks in Churchill’s 35-0 victory over Seneca Valley.

Jayden Wantland, Archbishop Curley

Wantland, a senior linebacker, finished with 14 tackles in Curley’s 20-13 victory over Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Breon Wells, Annapolis

Wells, a 6-2, 280-pound defensive linemen, finished with seven tackles and two sacks in Annapolis’ 57-14 victory over North County.

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.