Vote Now: Who should be SBLive’s Tampa Bay Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31-Sept. 2)?
High school football is back in the Sunshine State and so begins our Player of the Week polls for areas all around the state. Teams started off the regular season with some great individual performances in Week 2.
As such, we have nine athletes nominated this week for the SBLive’s Tampa Bay Defensive Football Player of the Week award from August 31-September 2, and we ask you, the fans, to help decide who should indeed be the top athlete selected. Voting will conclude on Saturday, September 9 at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.
Congratulations to last week's winner: Javion Collins, LB, Blake.
Here are this week's nominations:
Donny Ayala, LB, Leto: The Falcons picked up win No. 1 behind a strong defensive effort. Ayala led the way with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.
Gregory Thomas, DE, Pinellas Park: One of the top sack leaders in the state had himself another big game last week. Thomas in Pinellas Park's 34-14 win over Boca Ciega notched four sacks.
Tristan Mitchum, DB, Newsome: In one of the most exciting games that took place on Saturday night, Mitchum led the Wolves with seven tackles and a pass defended in their 32-30 win over Sickles.
Noel Brown, DT, Clearwater: The defensive tackle played a major role in the Tornadoes 21-18 win over Northeast. Brown had three tackles for loss and two sacks.
Ja'Quez Estera, LB, Tampa Bay Tech: Back to back weeks making the list? Why not. Estera has been the Titans arguably top defensive player and he was again in their 45-0 win over Steinbrenner. The linebacker had seven tackles, two for loss and a sack.
Artrevian McClellan, Clearwater Central Catholic: On both sides of the ball, McClellan made an impact for the Marauders. On defense, he had three tackles and an interception and on offense, rushed for 121 yards.
Michael Dempsey, LB, Tampa Catholic: Dempsey was everywhere on the field in the Crusaders' 46-0 win over Tru Prep Academy. The linebacker had six tackles and three sacks.
Christian Feliciano, LB, Riverview: The linebacker is a part of a unit that hasn't allowed a single point this season. Feliciano had six tackles, three for loss and 1.5 sack in the Sharks' 35-0 win over Freedom.
Abe Craig, LB, Strawberry Crest: Off to a 2-0 start and you've got to give some credit to this Chargers' defense. Leading the way is linebacker Abe Craig, who had nine tackles and a sack in the Chargers' 35-31 win over Spoto.
Brant Bovee, LB, Durant: Another team on the eastern side of Hillsborough County that's off to a hot start is the Cougars. At 2-0, the defense has yielded just six points and Bovee has been a big contributor. In a 31-0 win over Middleton, Bovee notched seven tackles and three went for loss.
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
