Game Ball Honors: The Best Texas High School Players Of Week 4

EDITORS NOTE: Every week, Texas HS Football will present their official game ball honors to those that were the most impactful under the Friday Night Lights. Our experts watched numerous games and decided on the very best that Week Six had to offer.

Please post your own game ball honorees below and tag @texashsfootball and use the hashtag #GameBallHonors through our various social media channels. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on all suggestions.

Colby Suits (QB, North Forney)

I don’t think anyone in high school athletics across the country accounted for as many touchdowns as Suits did last week. The University of Louisiana at Monroe commit had 10 total TD’s — four passing, five rushing, and one receiving.

During a 70-65 win against Wylie East, the North Forney senior passed for 400 yards and ran for 200 on the ground. — Kyle Spishock

Spencer Sanders (QB, Denton Ryan)

If Suits was everything for North Forney, the rhetoric is doubly so for Denton Ryan gunslinger Spencer Sanders.

With the Raider running game under the weather, Sanders took the temperature of Associated Press No. 9 Frisco Lone Star’s defense, administered dose after dose of quarterback magic, and nearly cut the Rangers out of the top 10 entirely. Denton Ryan rushed for 63 yards. Fifty-one belonged to Sanders.

Raiders’ gunslinger Spencer Sanders threw four touchdowns against Frisco Lone Star on Thursday (Lauren Landes/Texas HS Football).

In a nutshell, his 302 yards on 19-for-29 passing and four touchdowns was on-field dissection from one of high school football’s most precise surgeons. Per Chritauskie Dove, whose 2-point conversion helped turn out the lights at The Star and keep the Raiders’ record unblemished, Sanders was “really big.”

Whether it was back-to-back scores to Dove and Gabriel Douglas or one of the 61-yard bomb variety to Jamarion Robertson, the No. 3 Raiders proved they have a big-game ability with Sanders at the helm of an explosive offense. If Sanders can continue to put up Herculean performances like he did last Thursday, more than Texas HS Football game balls may await him in the offseason. — Marcus Matthews-Marion

Kesean Carter (WR, The Woodlands)

Kesean Carter had himself a game scoring 5 touchdowns: three offensive and two on special teams. He finished with 313 all-purpose yards highlighted by a 75-yard kickoff return and an 85-yard field goal block. He’s got a breakaway speed that makes it hard for any defensive back to stay with him. If he stays committed, he’ll have a lot of fun in Texas Tech’s Air Raid offense. — Timothy Verghese

Easton Jones (QB, Stephenville)

In doing my pregame research, I noted Stephenville’s powerful run game in their first three outings. But seeing them, I was most impressed with their passing, namely Easton Jones. He threw for 276 yards and five touchdowns on 17 completions (three of those touchdowns in the first half). He was definitely an integral part in the Jackets 41-20 win against Decatur. — Blake Wood

Tanner Mordecai (QB, Waco Midway)

The Oklahoma commit played lights out Friday night in a game with crosstown rival Waco High. Tanner only played three quarters, but was 20 of 32 for 286 yards, five touchdowns passing along with seven rushes for 14 yards and a score. Tanner had a hand in all six of the Panthers touchdowns and made it look easy. — Garrett Ross

Deion Hankins (RB, El Paso Parkland), El Paso Del Valle Defense

One of the best running backs in the state put up his best performance of the season to date, as the Matadors pulled out a crucial 42-20 win over El Paso Bel Air. Hankins rushed 37 times for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Just four games into the season, the junior has already rushed for over 1,000 yards and is second in the state in that category.

In a game that could down the road determine who gets the final playoff spot in District 2-5A, Parkland did what they needed to do come out on top in games like this. Parkland hosts a much-improved Hanks team on Friday that took Canutillo down to the wire last week.

Hankins earned a week four game ball after rushing for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns during a win against El Paso Bel-Air (Photo by Tony Venegas/ Texas HS Football).

A special shout out goes to the El Paso Del Valle defense, who held archrival Ysleta to around 100 total yards of offense in last week’s 41-0 win over the Indians. It is now the third shutout for the Conquistadores in the first four games.

Head coach Jesse Perales told TexasHSFootball after Friday’s win: “The defense has just played really well together. The kids have to play hard for each other and they’re doing that. There’s still a lot of room to grow and improve but we’re awfully proud of them.” At 3-1, Del Valle looks to be one of the best teams in District 2-5A and have a big matchup on the road last week at Canutillo. — Tony Venegas