Week 8 of the high school football season gave us some pretty incredible plays and storylines as a handful of teams ranked inside USA TODAY Sports latest Super 25 rankings found themselves on the wrong side of upsets.
Now, we take a look at the top performances that gave us those results.
Below are five players from teams ranked inside last week's Super 25 rankings who put together impressive showings in Week 8, in addition to an opportunity to vote for who should be named USA TODAY Sports Super 25 Playmaker of the Week for Week 8.
How the Super 25 Playmaker voting works
Fans can vote each hour for their top pick, with the poll closing at noon ET on Friday, October 16.
Nick Archer, No. 10 Carrollton (GA)
Carrollton (GA) sophomore Nick Archer was asked to step into a bigger role on Friday night as the Trojans' star running
back Zach Watts was sidelined with an injury. And while the Trojans got off to a slower start against Douglas County (GA) on Friday, Carrollton ultimately cruised to a lopsided, 62-24 win to keep its perfect season alive. And Archer played a huge — and record-breaking — role in the win. Tallying 31 carries on a rainy night, Archer rushed for program single-game record 325 yards and four touchdowns. How's that for a debut as a starter?
Kiante Ingram, No. 16 North Crowley (TX)
Kiante Ingram, a senior running back for the 16th-ranked North Crowley Panthers, helped his team pull off the upset over fellow Texas powerhouse, 13th-ranked Waxahachie. In the 42-17 win, Ingram rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, edging out fellow senior Gy'Rell Smith (11 carries) for a majority of the load in the upset win. Ingram's performance vs. Waxahachie was his second-best of the season behind his 168-yard, three-touchdown night vs. Summer Creek on Sept. 11.
Aidan McPherson, No. 18 Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA)
Aidan McPherson, Thomas County Central's senior quarterback, put together a near-flawless night against Houston County on Friday. The Duke football commit completed 12 of his 13 pass attempts, good for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Showing his dual threat-ability, McPherson also rushed 60 yards and two more scores on 10 carries as the Yellow Jackets beat the Bears 43-3.
Cam Pritchett, No. 8 Thompson (AL)
The Thompson Warriors improved to 7-0 in a 47-17 win over Hewitt-Trussville on Thursday night and while Thompson quarterback and Alabama commit Trent Seaborn had another impressive outing, it was fellow senior Cam Pritchett whose stats jumped off the page. Pritchett, a four-star edge rusher committed to Oregon, notched a team-high 15 tackles in the win, including three tackles for a loss.
Ashton Taylor, No. 23 Trinity (Louisville, KY)
The Trinity Shamrocks had no trouble with Ballard, also out of Louisville, on Friday night as they cruised to a 73-0 win. And in the win, it was junior running back and return man Ashton Taylor who turned in the performance of the night. Taylor finished the night with a pair of punt returns for touchdowns — both of which came during the same quarter — and a 41-yard rushing touchdown.
Vote for USA TODAY Sports Super 25 Playmaker for Week 8
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vote for high school football Super 25 Playmaker of Week 8
