Vote: Who is the Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week? - Oct. 27, 2025

We’ve selected 13 nominees for your voting consideration.

SBLive

Here are the candidates for our eighth honoree of 2025. Voting ends Nov. 2 at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

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Congratulations to last week's winner: Zahir Myrick-Brown of Atholton.

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Here are this week's nominees. Voting ends Nov. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Linden Barganski, St. Paul’s School

Barganski, a 6-foot, 170-pound sophomore linebacker finished with 16 tackles (nine solo) in the Crusaders’ 21-14 victory over John Carroll School.

Max Beares, Glenelg

Beares, a junior linebacker, finished with 11 tackles in Glenelg’s 40-3 victory over Long Reach.

Jordyn Gaines, Gwynn Park

Gaines, a 6-1, 200-pound junior defensive end, had nine tackles in Gwynn Park’s 38-0 victory over Friendly.

Liam Hall, Saint James Academy

Hall, a 5-10, 210-pound senior linebacker, finished with 10 tackles in Saint James’ 59-21 victory over Potomac School (Va.).

Kevontae Howard, Largo

Howard, a 5-8, 230-pound defensive end, had 10 tackles and two sacks in Largo’s 46-6 victory over Surrattsville.

Messiah Jews, Gilman School

Jews, a 5-10, 220-pound senior linebacker, had 11 tackles in Gilman’s 13-7 victory over Calvert Hall College. 

Kaden Moye, Great Mills

Moye, a 5-10, 175-pound senior linebacker, had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery in Great Mills’ 28-14 victory over Henry E. Lackey.

Evan Paximadas, South River

Paximadas, a 6-1, 185-pound senior linebacker, had 13 tackles in South River’s 42-13 victory over Chesapeake-Anne Arundel.

Eric Reeves, Loch Raven

Reeves, a junior defensive linemen, had 23 tackles in Loch Raven’s 22-12 victory over Lansdowne.

Tayshaun Roberts, Easton

Roberts, a 5-5, 155-pound defensive back, had five tackles and three sacks in Easton’s 28-21 victory over Wicomico.

Brett Schulz, Stephen Decatur

Schulz, a 6-3, 200-pound senior defensive end, finished with seven tackles and two sacks in Stephen Decatur’s 35-0 victory over Kent Island.

Jaxson Sullivan, Patuxent

Sullivan, a 6-3, 205-pound junior linebacker, finished with 11 tackles in Patuxent’s 21-14 victory over Calvert.

Derron Turner, Huntingtown

Turner, a 5-11, 180-pound sophomore linebacker, had 11 tackles and an interception in Huntingtown’s 35-14 victory over Northern-Calvert.

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.