Liberty's McMillan, Cedartown's Chubb, Gainesville's Watson No. 1,2,3 in Player of Year watch

ATLANTA — Peachtree Ridge running back Jordan Ellis and McEachern quarterback Ty Clemons – two offensive forces on undefeated teams in the top five of Class AAAAAA – joined GHSF Daily’s Player of the Year Watch this week.

Ellis, who has committed to Virginia, is on pace for 1,300 yards rushing in the regular season. Clemons is on pace to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in 10 games.

They replace George Walton Academy’s Stanley Williams and Allatoona’s Joshua Bettistea, whose teams lost last week.

The POY Watch is a projection of which players would be in the best shape to win the all-classification player-of-the-year award after the season.

1. LB/RB Raekwon McMillan, Liberty County: McMillan had 15 tackles, six for losses, and rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on six carries in a 31-0 victory over Hephzibah. On the season, McMillan has 73 tackles, 15 for losses, six sacks and two forced fumbles. He has scored nine touchdowns on offense, rushed for 341 yards on 34 carries and caught three passes for 74 yards. Liberty County is 5-0 but unranked. The consensus No. 2 college prospect in Georgia made the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Super 11 team.

2. RB Nick Chubb, Cedartown: Chubb rushed for 369 yards on 28 carries and scored five touchdowns in a 42-28 victory over Southeast Whitfield. For the season, Chubb has rushed for 1,356 yards on 123 carries (11.0 yards per carry) and scored 21 touchdowns in five games, all victories. Chubb, the No. 1-rated running back prospect in Georgia, finished with 2,721 yards rushing in 2012, a state record for the regular season. Chubb is committed to Georgia.

3. QB Deshaun Watson, Gainesville: Watson was 27-of-30 passing for 315 yards and six touchdowns in a 48-7 victory over Heritage of Conyers. For the season, Watson is 118-of-168 passing (70.2 percent) for 1,570 yards and 19 touchdowns with two interceptions in five games. He has rushed for 226 yards on 36 carries and three touchdowns. Watson, who is committed to Clemson, is the all-time Georgia leader in career passing yards with 10,616.

4. Kawon Bryant, North Oconee: Bryant scored eight touchdowns in a 62-27 victory over Jackson County. Bryant rushed for 371 yards on 34 carries. In four games, Bryant has rushed for 1,107 yards and 21 touchdowns on 110 carries (10.0 ypc) and has eight catches for 95 yards. His rushing-yard average (276.8 per game) leads the state. Bryant is a junior.

5. QB Adam Choice, Thomas County Central: Did not play last week. For the season, Choice has rushed for 837 yards on 113 carries (7.4 ypc) and scored six touchdowns in five games. He is 22-of-38 passing for 390 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Choice also plays in Central’s secondary. Central is 4-1 and ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA. A member of the AJC’s Super 11 team, Choice rushed for more than 1,500 yards each of the past two seasons.

6. DE Dante Sawyer, North Gwinnett: Did not play last week. For the season, Sawyer has 25 tackles, a team-leading seven for losses, for the No. 1-ranked team in AAAAAA. Sawyer is rated among the top 10 defensive end prospects in the country.

7. LB Korie Rogers, Buford: Rogers had four tackles and a sack in a 63-0 victory over Banks County. Rogers played only the first half. For the season, Rogers has 22 tackles and two sacks in Buford’s 4-0 start. He also has caught a 19-yard pass. Rogers, who is committed to Clemson, is the leader of the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAA. He was the AAA defensive player of the year in 2012.

8. Stanton Truitt, Monroe Area: Truitt rushed for 258 yards and scored five touchdowns on 19 carries in a 56-28 victory over previously unbeaten Lanier. Truitt was 6-of-10 passing for 112 yards. For the season, Truitt has rushed for 817 yards on 63 carries (13.0 ypc) and is 19-of-33 passing for 451 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions. Truitt has scored 12 touchdowns. Monroe Area is 5-0 and ranked No. 4 in AAAA. Truitt is committed to Auburn.

9. QB Ty Clemons, McEachern: Clemons rushed for 97 yards on five carries and scored a touchdown and was 4-of-6 passing for 73 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-7 victory over Kennesaw Mountain. On the season, Clemons has rushed for 548 yards and scored six touchdowns on 44 carries (12.5 ypc) and completed 36 of 62 pass attempts for 561 yards and eight touchdowns for a 5-0 team that is ranked No. 2 in AAAAAA.

10. RB Jordan Ellis, Peachtree Ridge: Ellis rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries in a 49-0 victory over Habersham Central. For the season, Ellis has rushed for 654 yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 carries (7.0 ypc). Ellis has 11 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Peachtree Ridge is 5-0 and ranked No. 5 in AAAAAA. Ellis has committed to Virginia.

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