This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox 5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.
This group of high school football standouts got the job done on offense, defense and special teams. Here are five players who excelled in Week 8:
King Antoine, Junior, Linebacker, St. John’s
Antoine shined on defense for the Cadets, who allowed just seven points in a 38-7 win over Good Counsel on Friday in Olney. With the junior linebacker leading the charge, St. John’s nabbed three pick-sixes on a rainy night. Antoine also contributed on offense, coming in to spell senior Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes at running back late in the second half and muscling his way through several Falcons defenders for an impressive rushing score.
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“He made big plays for us on both sides of the ball,” coach Terrence Byrd said. “He was a major spark for the team.”
Jedidiah Cook, Senior, Athlete, Friendship Collegiate
Cook made his mark on special teams for the Knights, who earned a dominant victory over KIPP. Cook took the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to give Friendship Collegiate an immediate jolt in what would be a 54-0 win.
Later in the game, Cook fielded a Panthers punt and sprinted to his right. With no opening in sight, he bounced back left, found a crease and took off for another impressive touchdown. The senior had another long punt return ruled down at the 1-yard line.
Cavare Durandisse, Junior, Athlete, C.H. Flowers
The Jaguars leaned heavily on their defense in a Saturday afternoon slugfest against Prince George’s County rival Oxon Hill. Flowers produced a late defensive stand and held the Clippers to just 12 points in a 14-12 victory. Flowers is now 5-1 under first-year coach Frederick Groves.
Durandisse picked up six solo tackles at safety, including several hard hits that created incompletions. The do-it-all junior, who also plays both running back and slot receiver for the Jaguars, accumulated 126 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on offense.
Collin Henriques, Junior, Wide Receiver, Oakton
Henriques couldn’t be stopped Friday against Westfield. The junior wide receiver scored a touchdown nearly every time he touched the ball in a 35-20 win against the Bulldogs. Henriques pulled in five catches for 180 yards and four touchdowns at wide receiver and added 80 kick return yards on special teams.
With the win, Oakton moved to 7-0 for the first time since 2011 and clinched a Virginia Class 6 playoff berth. The win also snapped the program’s 14-year drought against Westfield.
Caleb Smallwood, Junior, Running Back, Magruder
Smallwood ran for 295 yards and three touchdowns for the Colonels, who needed every yard from their bell-cow back in a thrilling comeback victory over Kennedy on Thursday. In a 50-38 win, Magruder scored 22 points in the fourth quarter. Smallwood also played defense in the second half — he forced and recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.
Between Smallwood and junior Nico Gilliam, the Colonels ran for 400-plus yards and six touchdowns on the evening.
“When we saw on film that Kennedy really liked to blitz, and our offense is a zone RPO scheme, we told our offensive line that they’re going to be bringing six to eight guys every single play,” Magruder coach Ray Fowle said. “Every single play, every single gap, win your assignment. … We’ve got two guys that can go to the house.”
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