Vote: Who is the Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week - Sept. 15, 2025

Here a nine nominees for your voting consideration

SBLive Sports

Here are the candidates for this week's Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week.

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Congratulations to last week's winner: Marcelles Wade of Seneca Valley.

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Voting ends Sept. 21 at 11:59 p.m PT. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Donteze Branch, Paul Laurence Dunbar

Branch, a sophomore linebacker, finished with 10 tackles in Dunbar’s 30-0 victory over Fort Hill.

Jules Floyd, Severn School

Floyd, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound linebacker, finished with 10 tackles and a sack in Severn’s 56-20 victory over Saint John’s Catholic Prep

Landry Hardnett, Severn School

Hardnett, a 6-2, 170-pound defensive back, had 11 tackles and a forced fumble in Severn’s win over Saint John’s Catholic Prep.

Gavin Jones, Northern-Calvert

Jones, a 5-10, 175-pound defensive back, had five sacks in Northern’s 40-0 victory over McDonough.

Hunter Kelly, Queen Anne’s

Kelly, a 5-9, 190-pound junior defensive back, finished with seven tackles and a forced fumble as Queen Anne’s defeated North Caroline, 18-12.

Antonio Lyde, Paul Laurence Dunbar

Lyde, a senior linebacker, had 10 tackles and a forced fumble in Dunbar’s win over Fort Hill.

Aiden Murphy, Saint James School

Murray, a 5-10, 165-pound sophomore linebacker, had 12 tackles and a sack in St. James’ 10-7 victory over Kiski School (Pa.).

Deleon Otero-Gray, Saint Charles

Otero-Gray, a 6-foot senior linebacker, finished with eight tackles in Saint Charles’ 42-3 victory over Chopticon.

Noah Zhang, Winston Churchill

Zhang, a 5-7 senior linebacker, posted nine tackles in Churchill’s 28-21 victory over Northwest.

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.