Vote: Who has been the best senior football player in 2024 in the Florida Panhandle?

We've selected eight senior football players in the Florida panhandle that have stood out this season

Quarterback Wells Bettenhausen (1) gets off the pass under pressure during the Catholic vs Walton high school playoff football game at Walton HIgh School in DeFuniak Springs on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. / Gregg Pachkowski / gregg@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Senior leadership has always been the key ingredient for championship high school football teams. In 2024, outstanding seniors have made a huge impact all across the Florida Panhandle. Before the playoffs start, we have highlighted eight senior on the Panhandle who have had outstanding seasons. We ask you, the fans, to cast your vote for who has had the best season in the 2024 season.

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High School on SI voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. 

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Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2024. Here are this week's nominees:

Johnny Lewis Jr, Niceville

Lewis has added a nice wrinkle to the Eagles' rushing and passing attack this season. He has 272 yards passing and two touchdowns. He has been most effective on the ground with 796 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns, and he is averaging just over seven yards per rush.

Connor Mathews, Niceville

After a stellar season at Navarre last season, Mathews has continued his excellent play this year. So far this season he has 107 carries, 921 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He also has 163 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Maddox Hayles, Niceville

Hayles has been one of the leaders for the Eagles' defense with 40 solo tackles, 92 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and two sacks on the season.

Lokavion Jackson, Mosley

The Mississippi State commit has 607 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns this season. He has also been everywhere on defense. He has 30 tackles, 49 total tackles and four tackles for a loss. Jackson also has recorded four sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

RJ Mayes, Marianna

Mayes outstanding play at quarterback has the Bulldogs right where they want to be entering the playoffs. He has thrown for 1,595 passing yards while completing 62 percent of his passes. He has passed for 20 touchdowns and he has carried the ball 40 times for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Wells Bettenhausen, Walton

Bettenhausen has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,953 yards and 24 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also has 129 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to add to his stats.

Evan Pickford, Arnold

Pickford has been a tackling machine recording 61 solo tackles, 96 total tackles and10 tackles for a loss. He also has two interceptions and 10 pass deflections this season.

Makael Williams, Pace

Williams has been one of the top running backs in the area with 113 carries for 956 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.