South Oak Cliff’s Cody Smith (42) is seen in the second half of a high school football game against Duncanville at Duncanville High School, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.
Chitose Suzuki/Staff Photographer
Outside of the players we have nominated for our Boys Athlete of the Week, there were other standout performances on defense this past week of the Texas high school football season.
Here are a few of the standout performances that are worth highlighting.
LBs Baylen Brannon Jr. and Cody Smith Jr, South Oak Cliff:
22 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles vs Richmond Randle
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Despite South Oak Cliff’s 20-14 loss to Richmond Randle at Blackshear Stadium last Friday, the SOC defense generated five turnovers. Linebackers Baylen Brannon Jr. and Cody Smith Jr. were all over the field in trying to help minimize Landen Williams-Callis’ output.
S Gabe Burnett, Irving MacArthur
9 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup vs Carrollton Creekview
Irving MacArthur picked up a massive 32-26 win over Carrollton Creekview this past week. Gabe Burnett’s busy night on defense stretched into the backfield with multiple sacks off blitzes and a pick in the endzone that later proved decisive in the win. Creekview’s offense was one of the best in the Dallas area last year, when it didn’t score less than 40 points in a game until mid-October.
S Nic Montgomery, Bryan Adams
17 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery vs Irving Nimitz
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Bryan Adams picked up a big early-season win over Irving Nimitz thanks in part to Nic Montgomery’s 17 tackles and one forced turnover on defense. To seal the 42-35 win, teammate Lowell Powell-Cumby also had the game-clinching interception.
LB Israel Samuel, Lake Highlands
10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble vs Forney
Emerging junior prospect Israel Samuel had double-digit tackles and was causing havoc in the backfield with five pressures that resulted in two sacks. He’s recently added offers from the likes of USC and Florida State.
LB Hunter Yost, Richland
19 tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 TFLs vs Frisco Wakeland
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Against a Wing-T offense, a team’s linebacker play has to be disciplined and ready to read and react. Richland’s star junior Hunter Yost was exactly that against Frisco Wakeland’s new offense in his team’s 42-7 win. He was sideline-to-sideline in keeping the Wakeland offense in check.
LB Jake Folkerts, Walnut Grove
12 tackles, 4 sacks, 8 TFLs, 1 pass deflection vs Mansfield Lake Ridge.
Prosper Walnut Grove’s debut in Class 6A went about as good as it could have hoped for with a 49-28 win over a playoff team last year in Mansfield Lake Ridge. Jake Folkerts recorded a staggering four sacks and 12 tackles against one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the area, DeShawn Edwards.