Ford Motor Company and your Texas Ford Dealers are proud to announce the six winners of the 2023 Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week trophy for week nine! These outstanding Built Ford Tough gridiron heroes are honored for their performance on the field and their leadership off the field. All weekly winners will ultimately be eligible to become Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Year.
Week 9 Winners:
Class 6A: Jarius Williams, Senior, DB, Clear Springs High School
Class 5A: Tyson Deen, Junior, DB/RB, Southwest High School
Class 4A: Jada Andrews, Junior, RB, Bay City High School
Class 3A: Braylon Henry, Senior, RB/LB, Lorena High School
Class 2A: Ja’corey Birmingham, Junior, QB, Linden-Kildare High School
Private School: Nic Angerstein, K/WR, Sacred Heart High School
You will find a summary of each student’s accomplishments, on and off the field, below.
PLANO, TEXAS, October 25, 2023 – Once again, Ford and Texas Ford Dealers are recognizing the very best high school football stars in Texas in week eight of the 2023 Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program. Since 2006, the program has recognized outstanding student-athletes throughout the regular season. For 18 years now, the program has celebrated many future college and professional standouts during their Texas high school football careers.
This week’s winning athletes join a long list of remarkable players recognized for their exceptional efforts.
2023 Built Ford Tough Player of the Week Nine Winners:
Class 6A: Jarius Williams, Senior, DB, Clear Springs High School
Mascot: Chargers
Opponent: Clear Creek High School
Coaches two weeks ago asked Jarius to do double duty at cornerback, and he had three interceptions in his second game at the position, two of which he returned for touchdowns of 47 and 80 yards in a 41-20 win over Clear Creek. His first interception gave the Chargers their first lead of the game, and his second and third picks in the fourth quarter helped secure the win. He also recorded five solo tackles, two assists and two catches for 33 yards.
Jarius leads the district in receiving with 36 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns, and he also has a kickoff return for a score. He is a volunteer coach with the LM Chargers youth football team.
“It is a pleasure to coach young men like Jarius. He is a reflection of our program, school and community. He shows up every day with a smile on his face, ready to go to work. I have really enjoyed seeing his growth and maturity over the past couple of years. I look forward to seeing his continued success in the future.”
- CLEAR SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH ANTHONY RENFRO
Class 5A: Tyson Deen, Junior, DB/RB, Southwest High School
Mascot: Dragons
Opponent: South San Antonio High School
It’s not often that you can say a player scored on offense, defense and special teams, but last week Junior Tyson Deen displayed that anytime he is on the field you can expect something to happen.
Let’s start with his impact on defense as he recorded 13 tackles, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble and a return for a 77-yard touchdown. Offensively he had 2 carries for 25 yards and one touchdown along with 2 receptions. Then on special teams, he really made an impact with 2 punt returns for a total of 82 yards and a kickoff return for a 80 yard touchdown.
That’s 277 all-purpose yards which helped Southwest land a 35-7 victory over South San Antonio and showed fans that Deen may be one of the most versatile players in Texas.
“Tyson doing Tyson things”, that means anytime Tyson is on the field expect great things. Positive plays happen with him and most of them will make you say wow! He also takes pride in playing all three phases of the game. He does all this with a smile and is a great kid to be around.”
– SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH ALEX FRANCO
Class 4A: Jada Andrews, Junior, RB, Bay City High School
Mascot: Blackcats
Opponent: Needville High School
Jada made a case for himself as the latest in a long line of talented players from Bay City with his performance in a 50-17 win over previously unbeaten, state-ranked Needville. He had 31 carries for 306 yards and four touchdowns and caught an eight-yard scoring pass.
Coach Robert Jones, a Bay City alumnus, said Jada had a 58-yard touchdown run against Needville but got most of his yards in 10- to 15-yard chunks, reflecting his patient running style and the quality of his offensive linemen. A junior, he is an academic all-district honoree and a two-time relay qualifier for the state track meet.
“Jada is a standup kid. He’s a volunteer coach for our Little Cats football team. He’s one of the model students for our program.”
- BAY CITY HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH ROBERT JONES
Class 3A: Braylon Henry, Senior, RB/LB, Lorena High School
Mascot: Leopards
Opponent: Franklin High School
Lorena senior running back, and linebacker Braylon Henry has been nominated for the Built Ford Tough Statewide Player of the Week on numerous occasions, and it goes to show you how competitive the selection process can be with so many great performances. But Henry and his Leopards teammates kept getting better-and-better after losing two of their first four games to high-level Class 4-A, Division 1 programs (China Spring and La Vega). The Leopards are unbeaten in District 11-3A, and Henry rushed for over 200-yards in four of those five wins, including 255-yards and 5-touchdowns against two-time defensive Class 3-A Division 1 state champion Franklin. The 52-49 thriller has Lorena on top of one of the most competitive districts in Texas and the win on Friday ended Franklin’s 39-game winning streak.
First year Lorena head coach Kevin Johnson cannot say enough about his star running back and a player, teammate, student-athlete, and role model.
“He has an unbelievable desire to compete on every snap and loves the game of football. He shows up with a smile, knows his role, puts in the work, and gets the job done every day. Braylon has exceptionally great vision and instincts for the game. Whether it is running the football or making tackles, he knows just when to cut and is one of the best tacklers I have coached. He has been a difference-maker in all three facets of the game. He runs the ball, plays multiple positions on defense, has thrown for a touchdown this year, is a kick returner, and punts for us as well. He is a true asset to our team. Not only is he a great player but he is a coach on the field as well. He sees things that help us as coaches. He takes time to teach the younger players. He is the true definition of a captain.”
- LORENA HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH KEVIN JOHNSON
Class 2A: Ja’corey Birmingham, Junior, QB, Linden-Kildare High School
Mascot: Tigers
Opponent: Cumby High School
Ja’corey Birmingham the athlete became Ja’corey Birmingham the quarterback during a Week 9 win for his team, and his arrival might have salvaged Linden-Kildare’s season.
Birmingham put up video game numbers in an 84-70 win over Cumby – he had a hand in 685 total yards and 10 touchdowns – as the Tigers picked up a key district win.
The junior, who moved from running back to QB five games ago, carried 55 times for 412 yards and eight touchdowns, completed 12 of 21 passes for 273 yards and two scores and recorded three tackles on defense.
“He was originally our starting running back, but he can throw it a country mile,” Tiger coach Jarrick Farmer said. “He has a great football IQ, so we made the move. We rep it out in practice, and he takes it all in like a sponge. He really wants to be a better quarterback, not just an athlete who plays quarterback.”
- LINDEN-KILDARE HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH JARRICK FARMER
Private School: Nic Angerstein, K/WR, Sacred Heart High School
Mascot: Indians
Opponent: New Braunfels Christian Academy
Hallettsville Sacred Heart head coach Alex Seydler knows anytime his team gets inside the opponent’s 40-yard line, it’s in scoring territory. If the drive stalls, Seydler will call on Nic Angerstein to kick a field goal. “I will send him out there if it’s fourth-and-five and we’ve got to attempt a 45 or 46 yarder,” Seydler said, “I don’t even hesitate to send him out there. He’s a real weapon on our special teams.”
Angerstein, a senior, kicked a 36-yard field goal in the Indians’ 45-17 TAPPS Division IV, District 2 win over New Braunfels Christian Academy. He also caught touchdown passes of 34 and 33 yards, intercepted two passes and had one punt for 39 yards.
Angerstein’s performance helped Sacred Heart improve to 9-0 for the first time since 2014, while leading to his selection as the Built Ford Tough Private School High School Player of the Week.
“Defensively, he’s created multiple big plays for us all year-long,” Seydler said. “He’s got several interceptions on the season so he’s definitely a big leader on the defensive side of the ball, generating big plays for us.
“Obviously, he’s an excellent wide receiver as well, making plays in the passing game and the running game when we give him the ball on the jet sweep. He’s just a very dominant player.”
Angerstein has 24 receptions for 434 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and has scored 143 points. He also has seven interceptions and has returned one for a touchdown.
He has offers from Army, Navy, Air Force, Incarnate Word and Southeastern Louisiana.
“He’s a wonderful teammate and a big leader on the team. He’s very high character, goes to work, works hard, leads by example. I sure am going to miss him. He’s the kind of kid you wish would never graduate.”
- SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH ALEX SEYDLER
During each week of the 2023 regular season, fans, coaches, and media are asked to nominate players at FordPlayeroftheWeek.com, as well as catch up with winners, view video clips of players in action and get the latest program details. Fans will be able to follow the conversation on social media by using #FordPOTW and share the recognition of these outstanding individuals each week.
Additionally, fans are encouraged to catch all the action on Bally Sports Southwest. The network is teaming with Ford and Texas Ford dealers to keep honor award winners through its weekly television show. Each week, television crews will travel to communities across Texas, spotlighting players who excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. The half-hour Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program will air on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m.
How the program works
The Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program recognizes one high school student-athlete in six of the state’s athletic classifications each week of the regular season.
Nominees must excel in three categories:
- Individual performance on the field, including significant statistics from that week’s game
- Contribution to the team’s success through individual leadership abilities
- Performance off the field, including academic success and good community citizenship
At the end of the regular season, Ford and its advisory board will select one student-athlete from the 11 weekly winners to be the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Year in each classification. Following the championship games, honorees will be recognized at a banquet next year.
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Ford is the undisputed truck leader in Texas. Ford F-Series sets the standard for full-size pickups with leading payload, towing, interior roominess, strength, and reliability. Ford is proud to recognize the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Week.