High School

Vote: Who was top defensive Texas high school football player of Week 7?

Make your pick for the top defensive player in Texas last weekend

Andy Buhler

DeSoto's Keylan Abrams was named UIL 6A Division II state championship Defensive MVP after a 2023 rout of Summer Creek.
DeSoto's Keylan Abrams was named UIL 6A Division II state championship Defensive MVP after a 2023 rout of Summer Creek. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

Week 7 of the 2024 Texas high school footballseason brought compelling rivalries and matchups across the Lone Star State, as well as many standout individual performances.

SBLive is taking a closer look at the top performances across the state on offense from Oct. 10-12. We started with offensive players and now move to defense.

Who was the best defensive player in Week 7? We want to hear from you. Submit all future nominees to andy@scorebooklive.com

Scroll down and cast your vote for the top defensive player in Week 3. Voting stays open through Sunday, Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

TEXAS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES

Names are in alphabetical order.

Keylan Abrams, DeSoto edge rusher

Sacked 5-star Alabama-bound QB Keelon Russell twice and finished with seven total tackles in a loss to nationally ranked Duncanville.

Patrick Arriaga, Alamo Heights

Finished with an interception, a sack and 15 total tackles (three for loss) in a 56-28 win over Victoria West.

Bryce Braden, Stratford

Posted 14 tackles in addition to a two-rushing touchdown night in a win over Childress.

Maxwell Blank, Argyle linebacker

Hauled back a scoop-and-score fumble in a 36-7 win over Arlington Seguin.

Nehemiah Borner, Duncanville linebacker

Had 20 total tackles (two for loss) and a sack in the Panthers' 42-20 win over DeSoto.

Tristan Butler, Stony Point D-end/linebacker

Helped Stony Point win its second game of the season, logging two sacks and 15 total tackles (three for loss).

William Chen, Southlake Carroll

The junior had an interception, a sack and five total tackles in a 60-14 win over Eaton.

Patrick Ortiz, San Antonio Holy Cross

Recorded three interceptions in a 62-0 win over John Paul II.

Riley Pettiojohn, McKinney linebacker

Four of the senior 5-star Ohio State-committed linebacker's 10 tackles were for loss in a 31-7 win over Plano West.

Ayden Stauffer, McAllen Memorial

Picked off a pass with 14 seconds left to solidify a 32-29 win over cross-town rival McAllen.

Damon Vinson, Wylie East

Had three interceptions and five total tackles in a loss to Sachse.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll are intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

Published
Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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