Walton's Jones climbs into No. 1 spot

Tyren Jones, the Walton junior who is Class AAAAA's leading rusher, is the new No. 1 contender in GHSF Daily's Player of the Year Watch after a 35-carry effort last week against Etowah.

Jones will get a chance to solidify that spot when his team faces Lassiter on Friday in a game between undefeated teams in east Cobb. Jones played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lassiter.

Stephenson's Mike Davis, a running back who has committed to Florida, is the big mover this week. Davis rushed for 180 yards on nine carries in a 56-35 victory over Westlake last week and joins the POY Watch at No. 3.

Also new is Harris County DE Jordan Jenkins, perhaps Georgia's top college prospect. Back in the Top 10 is Eagle's Landing Christian junior LB/RB Keyante Green.

Dropping out, but still in the running, are Putnam County RB Marteze Waller, M.L. King QB Jonquel Dawson and North Gwinnett QB Scott Hosch. Each had good games last week.

1. RB Tyren Jones, Walton: Jones, a junior, rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries last week in a 34-17 victory over Etowah. On the season, Jones has rushed for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns on 121 attempts and is the leading rusher in Georgia's highest classification. Walton is 5-0 and ranked No. 9 in AAAAA.

2. RB Kenyan Drake, Hillgrove: Drake, who has committed to Alabama, did not play last week. He has scored 11 touchdowns in Hillgrove's 4-0 start. Drake has rushed for 521 yards on 39 carries (15.5 yards per carry), caught five passes for 159 yards, returned a punt for 44 yards and returned three kickoffs for 122 yards (40.7 average). Hillgrove is ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAA.

3. RB Mike Davis, Stephenson: Davis rushed for 180 yards on nine carries and didn't play the final two quarters after Stephenson took a 42-12 halftime lead. Davis has 611 yards and six touchdowns on 64 carries, an average of 9.5 yards per rush. He's well ahead of the pace of last year, when he rushed for 1,051 yards. Stephenson is 4-0 and ranked No. 4 in AAAAA.

4. RB Miles Jones, Allatoona: Jones did not play last week. He has 671 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. His team is 4-0 and ranked No. 6 in AAA.

5. DE Darius English, McEachern: English did not play last week. In four games, English has 29 tackles, 15 assists, nine sacks, six tackles for losses, a caused fumble, two blocked punts, and a recovery for a touchdown for a team ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA. English has committed to South Carolina.

6. RB/LB Keyante Green, Eagle's Landing Christian: Green scored five touchdowns, rushed for 164 yards, made 14 tackles and ran back a kickoff (90 yards) and a fumble (75 yards) for scores in a 53-14 victory over First Presbyterian. For the season, Green has 46 tackles (nine for losses and 2.5 sacks) on defense and has rushed for 375 yards on 49 carries. He has scored nine touchdowns.

7. DE/LB Jordan Jenkins, Harris County: New to the POY Watch this week, Jenkins had 10 tackles and two sacks on defense and graded 90 percent on offense with three pancake blocks in a 7-6 victory over Fayette County last week. Jenkins has 45 tackles and six sacks on the season. Harris County is 3-2.

8. DT Robert Nkemdiche, Grayson: Nkemdiche did not play last week. For the season, he has only 16 tackles, but his team has played only one meaningful fourth quarter - a 7-0 victory over Kell. He has three sacks. He is used in short-yardage situations on offense and has rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Nkemdiche is considered Georgia's No. 1 junior prospect. Grayson is 4-0 and ranked No. 3 in AAAAA.

9. DB/RB Josh Harvey-Clemons, Lowndes: Clemons, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 pick, had 6.5 tackles and a sack in a 35-17 victory over Ware County. A mild ankle injury limited his time on offense. In six games, Clemons is Lowndes' leading tackler with 50 stops and has intercepted two passes. On offense, he has rushed for 159 yards and caught five passes for 70 yards.

10. RB Shadrach Thornton, Liberty County: Thornton did not play last week, but he did make news Tuesday when he made a commitment to Kentucky. Thornton has 822 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on 90 carries. He has scored eight of his team's 10 touchdowns. Liberty County is 2-2.

Buford enters CNN/SI poll at No. 10

Buford became the first Georgia team to crack CNN/SI's national rankings this season, checking in at No. 10 after a 35-7 victory over Lovett, a top 10 team in Georgia's Class AA.

CNN/SI is the only one of eight national polls that ranks only a top 10. No Georgia team has been ranked in it until now.

Buford, a four-time defending champion in Class AA, was chosen ahead of larger Georgia schools.

"That's thanks, in large part, to linebacker Dillon Lee," said CNN/SI ranker Ben Blicksman. "The 6-4 senior is one of the nation's best pure tacklers, and appears to be Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw's heir apparent at Alabama. He's certainly one to watch."

Lee is an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 pick but merely the fourth-leading tackler on a defense that includes six FBS (formerly Division I-A) prospects who are seniors.

Buford now is the highest-ranked Georgia team in four of the eight national rankings. Grayson and Camden County are the highest Georgia teams ranked in two polls each.

Valdosta got its first national ranking of the season, making the No. 50 spot in the ESPN Rise 50. Valdosta's Shelby Wilkes threw four touchdown passes in a 49-0 victory over Robert E. Lee of Montgomery to give the Wildcats a boost.

This week, we expanded the CalPreps computer rankings to include a top 100 that includes Colquitt County and East Paulding. With those, there are 10 Georgia teams with at least one national ranking.

CNN/SI

10. Buford

CalPreps (MaxPreps Freeman)

24. Buford (20)

68. Colquitt County

100. East Paulding

ESPN Rise 50

14. Grayson (16)

22. Stephenson (24)

21. Camden County (27)

35. McEachern (36)

50. Valdosta (NR)

MaxPreps Xcellent 25

14. Buford (17)

18. Grayson (19)

21. McEachern (22)

22. Camden County (24)

National Prep Poll

11. Camden County (16)

RivalsHigh 100

16. Camden County (17)

17. Buford (18)

18. Sandy Creek (19)

30. McEachern (34)

31. Hillgrove (36)

32. Grayson (37)

75. Stephenson (70)

77. Lowndes (78)

Scout

9. Buford (10)

21. Camden County (21)

40. Sandy Creek (44)

46. Grayson (47)

USA Today

7. Grayson (8)

10. Camden County (12)

List

In a rush

Top 10 single-game rushing totals in 2010:

359 - Brendan Douglas, Aquinas

343 - Denzel Franklin, Pace Academy

317 - Evan Kasian, Walker

283 - Denzel Veale, Lithonia

279 - Tyren Jones, Walton

274 - Chris Beck, South Cobb

274 - Dalviness Greene, Westover

262 - Austin Terrell, River Ridge

259 - Kevin Ellison, Habersham Central

258 - Terry Lewis, Bainbridge

Source: GHSF Daily's Top Performances. We realize this is not a complete list. Please let us know about any single-game rushing totals that exceed these.

Who holds the Georgia record for most rushing yards in a single game? (Answer Thursday)

Answer to Tuesday's question: The most recent Georgia team to win a national championship in high school football was Valdosta in 1992.

No. 1 Tucker rolls

by Douglass 60-8

Top-ranked Tucker remained in a tie with Mays for first place in Region 6-AAAA with a 60-8 victory over Douglass on Tuesday at Grady Stadium in a game that was rescheduled from Saturday to avoid a conflict with Music Midtown.

It was the 16th consecutive regular-season victory for Tucker, which advanced to the Class AAAA semifinals last season. It also was the 18th straight loss for Douglass, which is 0-5 this season.

All 12 of the Region 6-AAAA teams will be off this weekend.