High School

Vote: Who is the Houston/Southeast Texas High School Football Player of the Week? - November 17, 2025

Vote for who had the best performance during the bi-district playoffs in Texas High School Football action

Cody Thorn

Ganado's Austen Pena had two touchdown catches and went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards last week.
Ganado's Austen Pena had two touchdown catches and went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards last week. / Tommy Hays

Week 12, the first week of the playoffs in Texas high school football, is in the books. There were plenty of standout performers across the Houston and Southeast Texas area.

We focus on some of the top players in this local poll, which is in addition to the statewide High School on SI’s Texas Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week done by Bob Lundeberg.

Scroll down to read about standouts from games held Nov. 6-8 and cast your vote in the poll below. 

Voting remains open until Monday, Nov. 24 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time). The winner will be announced in the following week’s post. Vote as many times as you want and be sure to share it on social media..

The poll is below the write-ups on each athlete.

Congrats to last week's winner Keegan Hicks from Edna, who had 47.24% of the more than 35,000 votes. The Cowboys beat Palacios, 47-14, on Friday. The senior outscored Palacois by himself with 6 catches for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Want to nominate an athlete? Tweet or send me a message @Codythorn

Houston/Southeast Texas Football Player of the Week nominees

Jaylen Addai, Alvin Shadow Creek 

The sophomore had three touchdowns to help the Sharks post a 57-13 win over Fort Bend Bush. The son of a former NFL star, Addai had 3 catches for 87 yards and a pair of 2 scores. He also had a 79-yard kickoff return.

Ja’Maurey Champion, Pearland 

The senior had his sixth game of 100 yards rushing or more in a 59-27 win against Fort Bend Travis. He has 24 carries for 199 yards and his 3 TDs tied a season-high.

Jaxyn Faldyn, Tomball 

The senior quarterback had another big game for the Cougars, matching his season-high with 4 TD passes. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 192 yards. He also had 9 carries for 80 yards and a TD in a 56-42 win against Waller.

Keilan Gause, Spring Grand Oaks

For the second week in a row, the senior running back is on this list. After rushing for a season-high 201 last week, he posted a line of 30 carries for 300 yards in a 38-28 win against Houston Nimitz. Gause scored twice in the victory.

John Hebert, Houston Strake Jesuit

Another week and another big game for the Houston pledge. He had 35 carries for 384 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 36-21 win against Katy Paetow on Friday. He now has 3,182 yards rushing this season. 

Camden Hughes, The Woodlands College Park 

The Cavaliers’ quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in a 45-6 win against Houston Dwight D. Eisenhower on Friday. He completed 14 of 16 passes for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran 7 times for 37 yards and a pair of scores. 

Kane Killough, Sealy 

The senior posted his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 113 yards and 2 scores for the Tigers. The Air Force pledge matched a season-high with 3 touchdowns and completed 11 of 16 passes for 156 yards.

Cardae Mack, Humble Atascocita 

The Eagles' senior quarterback had 6 touchdowns in his final game, a 51-47 loss to Dickinson. He ran 27 times for 225 yards and scored 3 times. He also threw for 290 yards and 3 other touchdowns

Haegyn Morris, Silsbee

He contributed on both sides of the ball as the Tigers beat Sweeny, 48-27. At linebacker, he had 17 tackles and 4 TFL. On offense, he had 3 carries for only 37 yards, but scored 2 touchdowns.

Austen Pena, Ganado 

The defending state champions opened the playoffs with a 55-0 win over Three Rivers. The senior had 5 catches for 129 yards and a pair of scores for the Indians. He went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards in the game.

Kaileb Peterson, Dickinson 

The senior running back had 13 carries and scored three times in a 51-47 win over Humble Atascocita. He finished with 171 yards, an average of 13.2 yards per carry, and had three catches for 50 yards. 

Jayden Warren, Iowa Colony

The Houston pledge had 6 catches for 144 yard and scored 4 times to help the Pioneers throttle Belton, 54-14.

Landen Williams-Callis, Richmond Randle.

The defending Class 5A Division II champions posted a 54-20 win over Killeen Ellison in the bi-district playoffs. The junior running back scored three times, finishing with 204 yards on 28 carries.

As a reminder, fan voting is wide open. You may cast as many votes as you'd like until next Monday for each player, and we encourage you to share this page on all of your social platforms to get exposure for each of these deserving players.

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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