Vote: Arkansas high school football player of the year (12/17/2024)

We have chosen 16 players as nominees for the Arkansas high school football player of the year

Rivercrest's Cavonta Washington. / Photo by Tommy Land.

After another exciting season of football here in the state of Arkansas, it is time to see who was the best high school football player this season. These phenomenal players led their teams to great seasons, and many will look to continue their career at the collegiate ranks. With that being said, we have nominated 16 players to be voted on for the player of the year. We ask you, the fans, to vote on who you think is the high school football player of the year in Arkansas.

Here are the nominees. Voting ends Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m.

Keagan Sanderson, Salem

The junior defensive lineman had a fantastic season helping lead his team to 11 wins. He recorded 49 solo tackles and 72 total tackles with 23 tackles for a loss. He got to the quarterback a lot by recording 17 sacks on the season along with 16 quarterback hurries. Sanderson also recovered a fumble for a 54-yard touchdown.

Jackson Redman, Pulaski Academy

Redman was everywhere on defense this season. He recorded 52 solo tackles, 90 total tackles and had 34 tackles for a loss. He had ridiculous sack numbers for a linebacker. He sacked the quarterback 16 times this season. Lastly, he recovered four fumbles throughout the year.

Cash Archer, Greenwood

Archer also had impressive sack numbers from the linebacker position. He managed to get to the quarterback for 13.5 sacks and 28 hurries. On top of that, he recorded 79 tackles and 35.5 tackles for a loss. He also had a nose for the football. He picked off the quarterback twice, forced seven fumbles, recovered three fumbles and blocked two kicks.

Zion Smith, Mills University Studies

Smith did everything you would want out of a defensive end this season. He recorded 48 solo tackles, 93 total tackles and 38 tackles for a loss. He got to the quarterback 13 times this season, and he forced one fumble and blocked one punt.

Ronnie Brewer, Highland

Brewer was excellent at forcing turnovers this season. He recorded 10 interceptions and forced two fumbles. He recorded 49 solo tackles and 59 tackles overall, and he also scored two touchdowns on offense from the receiver position.

Kaleb Roach, Magnolia

The junior defensive back recorded 18 tackles with one tackle for a loss, but he was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. His play as a defender was stellar this season. He intercepted nine passes and deflected 11 passes on the year.

Rj Estrich, Valley View

The sophomore defensive back made his presence know this season. He recorded 38 tackles which is impressive in itself for a defensive back. He intercepted eight passes and recorded eight pass deflections as well. Two of his interceptions went back for a touchdown, and he also took back a punt for a touchdown.

Dwayne White, Prescott

White did a little bit of everything this year for the Wolves. He rushed for 315 yards six touchdowns on 43 carries this season. White caught 30 passes for 499 yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 26 solo tackles, 32 total tackles and 13.5 tackles for a loss. He also recorded 12.5 sacks on the year. He has shown to be a jack-of-all-trades this year.

Ben Woodfield, Mount Ida

The state of Arkansas featured some great high school running backs this season, and Woodfield is the first nominee for the best running back of the year. He rushed for 2,486 yards and 36 touchdowns this season on 271 attempts. That comes out to 9.6 yards per rush, and he had 11 games where he rushed for at least 100 yards. On top of that, he had at least five games where he rushed for 200 yards, and his season high was 418 rushing yards.

Grady Ohman, Lakeside

The senior rushed for 2,444 yards and 30 touchdowns on 295 carries this season. He averaged 8.3 yards per carry, and he rushed for at least 100 yards in every game this season. In six games, he averaged at least 10 yards per rush which shows how difficult he was to bring down. He also caught 10 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown on the year.

Owen McLaughlin, Southside

After a stellar junior season, McLaughlin will be one of the top running backs in the state to watch for next season. He rushed for 2,129 and 27 touchdowns on 278 carries this season. He averaged 7.7 yards per rush, and he rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 games. Lastly, he caught eight passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns.

Grant Karnes, Greenwood

Karnes was a part of the electric passing attack that the Bulldogs showcased this season. He caught 80 passes for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He averaged 16 yards per reception, and Karnes had seven games where he had at least 100 receiving yards.

Champ Davis, Greenwood

Davis was the other receiver for the Bulldogs who had a stellar year at the wideout position. He caught 85 passes for 1,269 yards and 21 touchdowns. He had six games where he recorded at least 100 receiving yards, and he averaged just shy of 15 yards per reception.

Brandon Cobb, Pulaski Academy

Just like the running back play in the state, Arkansas produced some outstanding high school quarterbacks this season. Cobb was 357/564 passing for 4,245 yards and 48 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions this season. He completed 63 percent of his passes and averaged almost 12 yards per completion. He is also a threat running the ball. He rushed the ball 165 times for 898 yards and 15 touchdowns. He averaged 5.4 yards per rush, and rushed over 100 yards in four games this season.

Kane Archer, Greenwood

Archer, who is a composite three-star recruit, completed 247 passes on 303 attempts this season. That comes out to an 81.5 percent completion percentage, and he passed for 3,880 yards and 57 touchdowns this season with only two interceptions. He also averaged almost 16 yards per completion which shows how accurate of a passer he is. Lastly, he rushed for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns on 81 carries.

Cavonta Washington, Rivercrest

The senior quarterback completed 152 passes on 235 attempts for 2,529 yards with 34 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also completed just under 65 percent of his passes this season. His running game was also superb this season. Washington rushed for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry.