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

With the start of the 2025 Maryland high school football season, we selected 11 nominees, for your voting consideration, for our first Maryland High School Football Defensive Player of the Week award.

Here are the candidates. Voting ends Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m PT. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Jordan Hickman, Elkton

Hickman, a sophomore linebacker, had 14 tackles, a sack and returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown in Elkton’s 53-20 win over Patterson Mill.

Hunter Kelly, Queen Anne’s

Kelly, a 5-9, 180-pound junior defensive back, had nine tackles in Queen Anne’s 35-14 victory over Rising Sun.

Landen McAllister, Williamsport

McAllister, a 5-9, 165-pound linebacker, finished with 12 tackles (six solo) in Williamsport’s 27-10 victory over Brunswick.

Deleon Otero-Gray, Saint Charles

Otero-Gray, a 6-foot senior linebacker, had 13 tackles in Saint Charles’ season-opening 35-12 victory over Henry E. Lackey.

Malachi Robinson, Edgewood

Robinson, a 5-9, 160-pound sophomore linebacker finished with nine tackles (eight solo) in Edgewood’s 36-12 win over Bel Air

Elias Sandoval, Digital Harbor

Sandoval, a 6-foot junior linebacker, finished with nine tackles and two sacks in Digital Harbor’s 15-7 victory over North East.

David Skopec, Winston Churchill

Skopec, a 6-1, 190-pound linebacker, had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in Churchill’s 16-0 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase.

Jonathan Smallwood, Eleanor Roosevelt

Smallwood, a 5-10, 210-pound defensive end/linebacker recorded six sacks (eight total tackles) in Roosevelt’s 7-0 season-opening victory over Digital Pioneers Academy (D.C.)

Jordan Taylor, Patuxent

Tyler, a 6-4, 190-pound defensive end, finished with 10 tackles and a sack in Patuxent’s 34-27 victory over Westlake.

Marcelles Wade, Seneca Valley

Wade, a sophomore, intercepted two passes in Seneca Valley’s 20-6 victory over Clarksburg.

Derrell White, Loch Raven

The 6-4, 211-pound junior defensive end, finished with seven tackles and two sacks in Loch Raven’s 7-0 win over Eastern Tech.