Two repeat winners plus a sack artist who is quickly moving up his school’s record book headline our North Carolina College Football Player of the Week honor roll for this past weekend of games (Oct. 16-18).
Welcome back to Barton running back Jackson Parrish and Johnson C. Smith kicker/punter Lukasz Smolen. Elon defensive lineman Kahmari Brown, who has been honorable mention in the past, claims his first statewide defensive honor of 2025.
Here are more details, plus this week honorable mention picks:
💥 Team of the Week: The Wingate Bulldogs upset No. 22 Emory & Henry 27-20 to jump back into the playoff and conference title conversation. Read the full story →
🏈 Former Hickory High quarterback Brady Stober just earned FCS National Freshman of the Week after a huge debut for Samford! Read More →
🏈 Offensive Player of the Week: Jackson Parrish, Barton
For the second week in a row, Barton running back Jackson Parrish was nearly unstoppable — and for the second straight week, he’s the NC Football News Offensive Player of the Week. The sophomore from Graham (Southern Alamance HS) carried the Bulldogs to a 28-21 win over Chowan, rushing 39 times for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Parrish, who was again named the Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Week, continues to rewrite the league record book. One week after setting the single-game rushing mark, he broke his own record in leading Barton to its fourth straight victory. He had a 46-yard burst in the game, and his third touchdown in the final minutes put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
Over the past two games, Parrish has totaled 439 rushing yards and four touchdowns — a pace few running backs anywhere in Division II can match. He has four 100+ yard games this season. Barton improved to 2-1 in the Conference Carolinas standings with its latest win.
🏆 Other Top Performers
Taron Dickens, Western Carolina: Are we starting to take the sophomore gunslinger for granted? After breaking national records and earning multiple awards in recent weeks, Dickens delivered another monster performance against The Citadel — completing 28 of 33 passes for 369 yards and five touchdowns. His only blemish: the first interception of his season.
Elijah Holmes, Wingate (SAC Offensive Player of the Week): The Charlotte native delivered a clutch road performance in a 27-20 win over No. 22 Emory & Henry, completing 17 of 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing).
Katin Houser, East Carolina: The junior quarterback accounted for 3 TDs — two passing, one rushing — while throwing for 300 yards in a 41-27 win over Tulsa, earning American Athletic Conference Honorable Mention honors.
Darian Mensah, Duke: The Blue Devils signal caller threw for 373 yards – tops in the state this past weekend – and two touchdowns against the No. 12 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Kelvin Durham, Johnson C. Smith (CIAA Offensive Player of the Week): Directed a 52-0 rout of Shaw with 281 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns, showing off his dual-threat ability.
Cooper Barkate, Duke: Named to the PFF National Team of the Week after hauling in 13 receptions for 172 yards against No. 12 Georgia Tech, setting career highs in both categories.
Sean Cartwright, North Carolina Wesleyan (USA South Offensive Rookie of the Week): The freshman wideout from Newport caught two passes for 50 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown that proved decisive in the Battling Bishops’ 21-20 win over Huntingdon, the defending conference champs.
🛡️ Defensive Player of the Week: Kahmari Brown, Elon
Even in defeat, Elon’s Kahmari Brown was nearly unstoppable. The sophomore defensive end from Jacksonville (White Oak HS) produced one of the top defensive performances of the FCS weekend, earning CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Brown racked up 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in a narrow 26–21 loss to William & Mary, setting career highs in every category. Two of his sacks came on the Tribe’s second-to-last drive as Elon fought to get the ball back late in the game. His relentless pressure helped the Phoenix hold William & Mary scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The performance vaulted Brown into Elon’s top 10 all-time for career sacks (10.5) and moved him within striking distance of the program’s single-season record (8.5). His emergence has solidified the Phoenix defensive front as one of the CAA’s most dangerous units.
💪 Other Top Performers
Kevin Haynes Jr., Johnson C. Smith (CIAA Defensive Lineman of the Week): A disruptive force in a 52-0 win over Shaw, Haynes tallied 5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a 15-yard fumble return touchdown.
Daniel Williams, Winston-Salem State (CIAA Linebacker of the Week): Led the Rams with 11 total tackles and a key six-yard sack in a 42-10 win over Livingstone.
Jackson Marshall, Gardner-Webb: Logged 11 tackles (7 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss against UT Martin, earning OVC/Big South Honorable Mention.
Dominique Leonard, Louisburg: Posted 13 tackles, 2 sacks and a pass breakup in an overtime win over Central Georgia Tech.
Ja’Correy Bible, Barton: Anchored Barton’s defense with 12 total tackles (10 solo) in the Bulldogs’ victory over Chowan.
⚡ Special Teams Player of the Week: Lukasz Smolen, Johnson C. Smith
Lukasz Smolen did it all for Johnson C. Smith in the Golden Bulls’ 52-0 rout of Shaw, earning CIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors and the NC Football News nod as well.
The freshman specialist handled every kicking duty with precision — booting nine kickoffs for 569 yards with seven touchbacks, three punts for 111 yards (one inside the 20), and adding a 40-yard field goal along with a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points. His 10 total points matched his season high and highlighted his all-around reliability on a day when JCSU dominated in all three phases.
Smolen’s consistency has anchored the Golden Bulls’ special-teams unit all season, and this week’s performance was one of his most complete to date. He could be an X-factor for JCSU in its pursuit of a CIAA title and D2 playoff berth.
✈️ Other Top Performers
Nick Mazzie, East Carolina (AAC Special Teams Player of the Week): Scored 11 points in a 41-27 win over Tulsa, hitting both field-goal attempts (37 & 32 yards) and going 5-for-5 on PATs.
Caleb Bonesteel, Wingate (SAC Special Teams Player of the Week): Connected on all five kicks — two field goals and three PATs — in the Bulldogs’ 27-20 road win at No. 22 Emory & Henry.
Jaden Barnes, Appalachian State: Broke free for a 77-yard punt-return touchdown against Coastal Carolina.
Isaiah Perry, Johnson C. Smith: Returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the win over Shaw, adding to JCSU’s explosive day.Wilson McMinn, North Carolina Wesleyan (USA South Special Teams Player of the Week): A linebacker turned kicker, McMinn went 3-for-3 on PATs, including what proved to be the game-winning point in a 21-20 victory over Huntingdon.
🏁 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
Each week, NC Football News highlights top performances from all 33 college football teams across the state — from the FBS powers to FCS, Division II, Division III and NJCAA programs. Take a tour of our site and check out the latest features, team pages and game previews/recaps to stay caught up on who’s shining across North Carolina college football.
🔥 Week 9 in North Carolina: From FBS showdowns to D3 rivalries, here’s the full list of NC college football games happening this weekend. See every matchup →
