HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — The 757 is so rich with talented high school players that it’s sometimes impossible to choose just one Athlete of the Week. As we cross the halfway point and head into Week 8 of the high school football season, we highlight two players from both sides of the water — Bruton junior running back Darrin Banks-Harrold and Granby senior quarterback J’Shaun Reddin.
Starting with Reddin, who threw seven, yes, seven passing touchdowns in the Comets’ dominant win over Lake Taylor.
“I was just going with the flow,” Reddin said. “I wasn’t even thinking about touchdowns. I was just trying to win the game.”
Reddin is enjoying the benefits of his work during his first year under center for the Comets. According to MaxPreps, Reddin leads all quarterbacks in Virginia in passing touchdowns with 27, and comes in at fourth in passing yards with 1,364.
“It’s good, coming from 0-10, [and] now to see the turnaround is good,” said Reddin, who’s led the Comets to a 6-0 record to open the season.
“It feels great,” said Granby head coach Kendal Jefferson. “Me and my coaches don’t really realize the type of success we’ve had here. I love what we’re doing here. We’re creating our own legacy.”
Reddin and the Comets will go up against Churchland in Portsmouth at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Bruton’s Darrin Banks-Harrold
Up in Williamsburg, Bruton is off to one of its best starts since Bryan Randall was lighting it up for the Panthers in the late 90s before heading to Virginia Tech.
“We talk about Bruton’s past and how we haven’t won Bay Rivers games, but we keep going,” said Banks-Harrold, who rushed for 142 yards and scored both of Bruton’s touchdowns in a thrilling win over Tabb. “We’re creating our own history.”
“It’s motivation for us. We always have that goal to get to that level,” Banks-Harrold said.
Banks-Harrold was actually thrown into a situation where he had to play because the starting running back was injured. On the depth chart, he’s RB2. It’s a testament to the Panthers depth, who are now across the six-win mark for the first time since 2013.
“He’s been here for two, three years,” said Bruton head coach Barrington Morrison. “He’s been in the weight room everyday, and he’s truly one of the leaders on the team.”
Banks-Harrold and the Panthers take on Arcadia on the road at 7 p.m. Friday.