Vote for The Observer’s high school football defensive player of the week

Here are the nominees for The Observer’s boys’ high school football defensive player of the week after Week 2 of the season. Nominees come from games played the week of Aug. 29.

The poll will close Friday at noon.

Daniel Carter, Harding: The 6-4, 195-pound junior helped spark Friday’s 47-21 win at Garinger. He ran 6 times for 91 yards. He caught 2 passes for 12 yards. He also had 7 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and 3 tackles for a loss.

Liam Drayton, Providence: The Panthers lost 26-24 to East Lincoln, but Drayton had 9 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 QB hurries, a deflection and 4 tackles for losses.

Charles Ibe, Providence Day: In a 34-0 win over Rolesville, Ibe had 8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.

TJ Kieffer, Pine Lake Prep: In a 28-7 loss to unbeaten East Rowan last week, Kieffer finished with 23 total tackles, including 17 solos. He also had one forced fumble.

Elijah King, Marvin Ridge: In a 43-0 win over Ballantyne Ridge, King had 16 total tackles, including 9 solos, plus 4 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 QB hurries and a pass breakup.

Santana Leach, Ashbrook: In a 35-7 win over Berry, Leach had 15 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Devonar Muskelly, AL Brown: In a 44-6 win over Concord, his school’s arch rival, Muskelly had 10 tackles, including 3 tackles for a loss.

Ryan Peterson, Hough: Peterson had 12 tackles and a tackle for a loss in a 35-10 win over Cardinal Gibbons at Bank of America Stadium.

Kenan Stewart, West Lincoln: In a 41-6 win over Lincoln Charter, Steward had 10 tackles, including six solos and 2 tackles for a loss.

Tyson Stancil, Chambers: In a 48-8 win over Hopewell, Stancil had 13 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.

Cedric Tabb, East Mecklenburg: In a 20-8 win over West Mecklenburg, Tabb had 14 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. He also had a forced fumble.

Eli Voncannon, Mount Pleasant: In a 44-26 win over Carson, the senior linebacker had 12 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Bobby Wakefield, Charlotte Country Day: Wakefield had a team-high 11 tackles in a 15-7 upset win over Charlotte Catholic for the John Cook Cup. Country Day beat Catholic for the first time since 2012.

Davis Weycker, Piedmont: Weycker had 13 total tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, plus a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in a 41-6 win over South Stanly.

Isaiah Woodburn, JM Robinson: In a 37-0 win over West Cabarrus, Woodburn had 15 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and an interception.

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This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 8:05 PM with the headline “Vote for The Observer’s high school football defensive player of the week.”