Jayden Peevy reacts after receiving his Army All-American Bowl jersey (Photo: Army All-American Bowl)

Jayden Peevy’s journey is keeping him in Texas.

A defensive tackle at Bellaire High, he has committed to Texas A&M and will finish high school career in San Antonio at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7.

Peevy received his honorary jersey for the Army Bowl on Wednesday when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to his school.

Jayden Peevy presents his Dream Champion award to Lester Howard, Brandon Joseph, Jackie Hunter and Jackie Peevy (Photo: Army All-American Bowl)

In eight games, Peevy has 57 tackles, nine sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Two of those sacks came in last Friday’s 48-14  victory against Westbury (Houston), which clinched a playoff spot for Bellaire (5-3).

A three-star recruit, Peevy is ranked as the No. 23 defensive tackle prospect by 247Sports.

Auburn commit Austin Troxell is an Under Armour All-American, but he will have to watch the annual showcase from the sideline.

Troxell from Madison Academy (Madison, Ala.) tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee during a mid-September game against Westminster Christian. It is the same knee that he injured in the first round of the playoffs last fall, also tearing an ACL. That meant another nine months of rehab.

Ranked as the No. 20 offensive tackle by ESPN, Troxell still got to enjoy the festivities of being chosen when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to high school Wednesday.

Austin Troxell presents his Dream Champion award to his parents, Matt and Christy (Photo: Intersport)

He was presented with an honorary jersey in front of family, friends and teammates. He called the invitation a “high honor.”

“I can’t really try to keep my mind off it. It’s always going to be there,” Troxell told SEC Country. “Football is one of the biggest things in my life, and for that to be taken away from me two years in a row, that’s tough. But I’m trying to stay involved with the team still. I want to be a leader still, like I was before, maintain the role I’ve had playing.”

Troxell has served as a player-coach, supporting his teammates every game. Expect the same role in Orlando on Jan. 1 for the Under Armour game and him to continue looking ahead.

“My dream is to max out my potential, be the best player I can be and make it to the NFL,” he said.

Each week USA TODAY High School Sports and the American Volleyball Coaches Association will release Super 25 Regional Girls Volleyball Rankings. Rankings are based on results from the 2016-17 season, quality of players and strength of schedule. Regions are determined by the AVCA.

Records through Oct. 25

REGION 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI)

REGION 2 (DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

REGION 3 (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN)

REGION 4 (AR, LA, MS, OK, TX)

REGION 5 (IN, KY, MI, OH, WV)

REGION 6 (IA, IL, MO, WI)

REGION 7 (MN, ND, NE, SD)

REGION 8 (CO, KS, NM, UT, WY)

REGION 9 (AK, NV, CA, AZ)

REGION 10 (HI, ID, MT, OR, WA)

Thomas Fletcher being presented his Army All-American jersey. (Photo: Army All-American Bowl)

For IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) longsnapper Thomas Fletcher, the dream of playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl dated to his childhood as the son of a former accomplished snapper.

“My dad snapped in college and in the NFL a bit, so I grew up like any other kid—wanting to be quarterback, wanting to be running back,” Fletcher said. “I was actually watching the Army Bowl on TV and I said to my dad, ‘do you think I’m ever going to play in that?’ And he said, ‘not if you’re playing quarterback, buddy.’

“So I tried long-snapping, and I have really enjoyed it ever since I started doing it.”

His dream will be realized Jan. 7, when he takes the field in San Antonio to play in the Army Bowl.

Fletcher was presented with his honorary jersey Wednesday at his school as part of the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance.

“It was cool,” he said. “We had probably 50 people here, but the 50 people that were here were the people I’m with everyday and the people that mean the most to me out here. To be able to be honored and to be able to wear the red, white, and blue playing football is pretty cool. I could not be more excited than I am.”

Fletcher presents his Dream Champion award to coaches Ryan Longwell and Billy Miller. (Photo: U.S. Army All-American Bowl)

For Fletcher, the experience is more than just an appearance in an all-star game. As a member of the No. 2 team in the country, he gets a chance to play against the best players in the country on a daily basis. In San Antonio, though, the experience is what Fletcher is most looking forward to.

“I’ve had several friends who are snappers who have played in the Army Bowl in recent years, and they said that the community service and the stuff that you do in the week leading up to the game is really what makes the memories,” he said. “You’re going to play a lot of football games in your life, but you aren’t going to have a lot of experiences like the Army Bowl.”

And, for Fletcher, those other football games, starting next year, will come at Alabama, who just so happens to be in need of a longsnapper, as four-year starter Cole Mazza is in his last season. So does Fletcher expect to go in and play right away? Not exactly, but he’s certainly open to the idea.

“If I do get the opportunity to play as a freshman, it will certainly be something I have to earn, but I’m looking forward to competing for the job and it’s an incredible honor to go there on scholarship—not a lot of snappers get an opportunity like that,” he said.

“I’m very much looking forward to that experience. Tuscaloosa is an incredible town, and you get to play for the greatest coach in the history of college football. So I could not be more excited for that.”

Jordan Williams receives his Army All-American jersey (Photo: Army All-American Bowl)

Once a lanky freshman, Jordan Williams has grown to nearly 6-5, 260 pounds and a U.S. Army All-American.

The Clemson defensive line commit received his honorary jersey Wednesday when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to his school, Frank W. Cox in Virginia Beach, Va.

Williams is ranked as the No. 6 weakside defensive end and No. 4 player overall in the state of Virginia.

He had more than 30 scholarship offers before picking the Tigers in August.

He also has been part of a Cox program that has made the playoffs the last three years and is 7-1 entering Friday’s game against perennial power Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach). Cox has allowed a total of 57 points in eight games and no opponent has scored more than 14.

“Jordan always has a great attitude, a positive attitude, and he has portrayed that throughout his career,” coach Bill Stachelski told the Virginian Pilot. “He has always stayed grounded. He is humble and mature beyond his years. He has always shown respect, dignity, hard work and toughness.”

Carte’Are Gordon (Photo: 247Sports)

Carte’Are Gordon, a top 10 prospect in the Class of 2018, has decided to remain home and committed to play basketball at Saint Louis, he announced on Twitter.

https://t.co/a61G3shOrF—
Carteare Gordon (@CarteareGordon) October 26, 2016

Gordon, a 6-9 power forward from Webster Groves, is believed to be the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Saint Louis since Larry Hughes, who was the national freshman of the year in 1998 and then was drafted No. 8 after that season by the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I talked to him the other day, and it’s been a long, long time since the top guys in the city stayed home,” Gordon told ESPN. “I’m hoping this starts a trend.”

Gordon averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds a game early last season before he transferred to Webster Groves. He averaged 10.5 points and six rebounds per game for Mokan Elite on the EYBL circuit.

He chose St. Louis over Kansas and Missouri.

His addition is another substantial get for Travis Ford, who also has a commitment from Jordan Goodwin, a 6-4 guard in the Class of 2017 from Belleville, Ill.

Ellis Brooks received his Under Armour All-America Game jersey (Photo: Intersport)

Ellis Brooks has ideal size for an inside linebacker at 6-2 and 235 and has 20 reported college offers, but his focus now is leading Benedictine College Prep (Richmond, Va.) to a third consecutive state title.

Brooks will end his high school career with the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 1 in Orlando. He received his honorary jersey Wednesday when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to his school.

Brooks said he hasn’t set any official visits and is not planning any until after his high school season is over, although he took a number of unofficial visits over the summer.

Benedictine is 5-2 entering Friday’s game against Fork Union Military Academy.

He had committed to Duke in March and then decommitted about two months later, coming off a junior season in which he had 117 tackles and six sacks. He has said Duke remains under consideration.

Deommodore Lenoir (Photo: 247Sports)

Four-star Oregon commit Deommodore Lenoir is ranked as the No. 10 cornerback in the nation and has amazing athletic ability.

He shows some of it off in a Salesian’s heartbreaking 37-36 loss to Cathedral in Los Angeles in the highlights below from #D1Bound. Along with his defensive contributions, Lenoir had 136 yards and three rushing touchdowns along with 85 receiving yards and a TD.

Lavon Card of Dorsey High (Los Angeles) is a strong guy who can bench 335 pounds.

Watch as he strips a Crenshaw player and provides the stiff arm on his way to the end zone at the LA Coliseum.

Dorsey won the game 42-14 in the LA City Section battle.

See the highlight courtesy of #D1Bound.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks to the media during ACC Operation Basketball (Photo: Jim Dedmon, USA TODAY Sports)

During Atlantic Coast Conference media day this week, Duke’s Amile Jefferson talked about his evolution from decorated high school player to team leader for the top-ranked Blue Devils. Jefferson was an American Family Insurance ALL-USA second team selection in 2012 at Friends’ Central in suburban Philadelphia.

Jefferson returns this year as a graduate student after missing the last 27 games with a broken right foot.

“I think it’s about being confident. Really, truly being confident in your skin as a player and understanding your value to the team,” he said. “We have so many different guys, different players, different talents on the team. Everyone has to accept their role. And for us to be really good and for us to reach our true potential, it’s about understanding your role, and understanding the things you can do to make our team better. I think once we get to a point where everyone is buying in and understanding that we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves, then that’s when we’re truly good.”

Asked about Jefferson’s comment, coach Mike Krzyzewski said that confidence in something he wants in recruits.

“It’s something that we hope we recruit, too, that you recruit kids that will be confident in the skin that they have and hopefully their skin will grow, so there will be more talent and that,” he said.

“But I think there are a couple things he means in that. One is that no matter what decisions are made, how much time you’re playing or whatever, to be you. Don’t be a number, don’t get caught up in numbers. The other thing is to be — like for him, he’s our — he and Matt (Jones) are our two main leaders in real time, but Amile has the personality to show it even more. He’s got to be comfortable in his skin so that he can impart the knowledge in real time, not at a time-out but while it’s actually happening to our guys, and he can do that. He can do that.

Calabasas (Calif.) WR/DB Darnay Holmes is a five-star recruit and Army All-American—and it’s not hard to see why.

Holmes, who transferred out of Newbury Park following his sophomore year, caught a touchdown pass and had a big hit on the defensive side in the Coyotes’ 40-7 victory.

See Holmes’ highlights below courtesy of #D1Bound.

Brian Delaney punted his way into the Under Armour All-America Game with his performance at the Kohl’s Kicking Camp and now he has the jersey to prove it.

Delaney, a Virginia commit, was honored in front of friends, family and teammates when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to Westfield High in Chantilly, Va., on Thursday.

Delaney is ranked as the No. 1 punter and drives the ball farther than anyone in the class, according to the Kohl’s evaluation. He made that clear at the National Scholarship Camp in July. The evaluation also cites his consistency, a key for any specialist, and says he can make an impact in college as a freshman.

Brian Delaney presented his dad, Kevin Delaney, with the Dream Champion Award. (Photo: Intersport)

He also is noted for his work on kickoffs, which averaged almost seven yards more than the competition at the Underclassmen Challenge in January.

Joseph Doyle from Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tenn., also has been selected as a punter.

Summit (Fontana, Calif.) RB Stephen Carr, a five-star recruit, has already committed to play his football next season at Southern Cal. But for now he’ll settle for leading his high school team.

The Skyhawks took down Bloomington 56-6 last week, with Carr finding the endzone twice.

Check out the highlights from #D1Bound.

Devon Hunter (Photo: Intersport)

Safety Devon Hunter has watched the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and seen his friends play in the annual showcase.

Now he gets to play in the game and salute his father, who served in the Army and sat next to him on the podium Thursday when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to high school, Indian River in Chesapeake, Va.

He was honored in front of his family, teammates and classmates.

“It was very emotional for me,” Hunter  told 247Sports.com of the ceremony. “This meant a lot to him, too.”

The Army Bowl is Jan. 7 in San Antonio.

Hunter is ranked as the No. 4 safety overall and No. 1 player in the state of Virginia by 247Sports. He has 34 reported offers and is being heavily pursued by Virginia Tech. He also took an unofficial visit to Auburn last weekend.

Hunter particularly excited the Hokies fan base when an image of him was used to unveil the team’s uniforms for the Battle at Bristol against Tennessee early this season. The social media reaction was huge.

“I said that’s what you’re wearing at Bristol, let me take a pic,” Hunter told 247. “They said you can take a pic with it on and present it to the world on Twitter. To put me in that position, I gave my thumbs up to Virginia Tech and I loved them for that.”

Osiris St. Brown (Photo: 247Sports)

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) is ranked No. 3 in the Super 25 and is a contender for the national championship.

A big reason is an offense filled with highlight-reel players that has posted 422 points and eclipsed 60 in four of its eight games (although don’t discount a defense that has allowed only 70 points total).

Among the stars on offense is quarterback JT Daniels, who has thrown more touchdowns than incompletions, and wide receiver Osiris St. Brown, a four-star Stanford commit who is ranked among the top players in California regardless of position.

St. Brown is the middle of three wide receiving brothers. Older brother Equanimeous is at Notre Dame and younger brother Amon-ra is a sophomore star at Mater Dei who has offers from Stanford and many others. Their father, John, was Mr. Universe in 1981 and 1982 and stressed weightlifting and physical conditioning with his sons since they were young.

Osiris St. Brown in his second year at Mater Dei after transferring from Servite (Anaheim) after his sophomore year.

The 6-2, 185-pounder caught 43 passes and 12 touchdowns as a junior. In seven games, he has equaled the 12 receiving touchdowns and has 34 receptions for 694 yards, an average of 20.4 per catch.

Coming off a 26-21 victory against St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Mater Dei faces Servite – St. Brown’s former school.

USA TODAY High School Sports caught up with him for a Twitter conversation about the Monarchs’ season, Daniels recruiting and his brothers.

Q: What has been the key to the team’s success thus far?

A: I think our success comes from our offense’s and defense’s physicality. We pride ourselves on being tough and conditioned.

Q: JT has been getting a lot of attention for obvious reasons. What have you seen in him that has made him so good this season and where do you see him getting better given his age?

A: His knowledge for the game is amazing. He can read coverages and study defenses to help call the best routes so the receivers are in the best positions possible. He is still young and will become more of a leader when he grows, although he does a great job of leading some of our less knowledgeable players right now.

Q: How do you feel about your season individually as a guy making a lot of big plays?

A: I’m loving the season so far. It’s fun being able to make big plays and then have your other teammates doing the same thing.

Q: Has it been a relief to have the college decision out of the way or has it not changed much in terms of still getting calls, etc.?

A: Making the college decision was great for me. I don’t get as many calls from reporters or other coaches anymore which helps me stay focused on my senior season.

Q: How would you describe the relationship with your brothers? Has it been different playing with Amon because you are the older brother vs. playing with Equanimeous when you were the younger brother?

A: Me and my brothers have a great relationship. We’re just like every other group of siblings, we always compete with each other which, I think, helps us get better and better. It has been different playing with Amon because now I’m the one sort of guiding him and helping him, as opposed to when I was a sophomore and my older brother was my mentor.

Kekaula Kaniho (Photo: 247Sports)

Kekaula Kaniho of  No. 22 Kahuku (Hawaii) has been voted the Super 25 Top Star for games of Oct. 20-22 by readers of USA TODAY High School Sports.

Kaniho returned an interception for a TD, his third pick six in four games, in a 38-0 Oahu Interscholastic Association semifinal win Saturday vs. Waianae. Kahuku plays Farrington (Honolulu) in the OIA championship at Halawa this weekend.

RELATED: Meet this week’s 10 finalists

He is a 6-foot, 170-pound three-star cornerback prospect with offers from Colorado, Washington State, Vanderbilt and Hawaii.

He has been part of a defense that has shut down its in-state opposition all season. In its four games since a loss at No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Kahuku has allowed only one score in a 56-6 victory against Kaiser and outscored the opposition by a total of 199-6.

Kaniho is the eighth Super 25 Top Star of the season. Weekly voting did not begin until all states were in action. The weekly winners will be part of voting for Super 25 Top Star of the Season after state championships are decided nationwide.

WEEKLY WINNERS

Sept. 2-3: Stokes Nihipali-Botelho, Kahuku (Hawaii)

Sept. 9-10: Noah Ellison, Trinity (Louisville)

Sept. 15-17: Kenyon Oblad, Henderson (Liberty, Nev.)

Sept. 23-24: Marlon Williams, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.)

Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Spencer Blackburn, Trinity (Louisville)

Oct. 8-9: Bubba Thompson, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.)

Oct. 13-15: Rashie Hodge, Mountain Pointe (Phoenix)

Oct. 20-22: Kekaula Kaniho, Kahuku (Hawaii)

One of the biggest high school games of the season took place last week, when No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) took on No. 10 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

The Monarchs took down Bosco 26-21, on Amon-Ra St. Brown was a big reason why.

See his amazing juggling catch and punt return TD in the below video from #D1Bound.

IMG Academy quarterback Kellen Mond (11), shown earlier this season against Grayson. Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports)

No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) makes another trip out West when it faces Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) on Friday.

The Ascenders’ previous California trip resulted in a 50-49 victory against Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the Honor Bowl.

Poly is 6-2 and one a five-game winning streak after a 1-2 start. The Jackrabbits have hit 70 points in each of their last four games and outscored the opposition 300-12.

RELATED: Super 25 Expert Rankings

According to USA TODAY High School Sports’ score predictor, IMG has the advantage.

Score Predictor uses data from the Super 25 computer to compare two teams and plays multiple simulations to determine the most likely result.

Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, La.) beat John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) twice last season — once in the regular season and again in the Division I state semifinals.

Will the Raiders be able to beat the Patriots again?

No. 19 Curtis is 7-0 behind its stellar rushing attack but has had a few close games along the way. Rummel is 6-1, having lost to Brother Martin (New Orleans), 27-22 last week. It was the first time an opponent had scored more than 14 against the Raiders this season.

According to USA TODAY High School Sports’ score predictor, an upset could be in the making.

Score Predictor uses data from the Super 25 computer to compare two teams and plays multiple simulations to determine the most likely result.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. (Photo: Aaron Doster. USA TODAY Sports)

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer wants to see leadership from the players whom he recruits. And he says leadership comes out in close games in the fourth quarter.

“How does he perform in the fourth quarter? How does he perform on fourth-and-2?” Meyer said on his radio show, according to CoachingSearch.com. “I don’t even watch much high school video when they’re blowing teams out, because that doesn’t take a special person to do that. It takes a special person, when you’re down by 10 points, to go win that game, like you saw at Wisconsin, and follow up and get it down.”

Meyer also noted that he wants to hear from high school coaches about how a player’s leadership ability.

“If a kid’s not a captain in high school, I try to ask, ‘What happened?’ The best player should be the captain, unless there’s something wrong,” Meyer said. “You also check what the high school coach says. The really good high school coaches and programs will tell you exactly what it is. It’s no different than when the pro scouts ask us.”

By the way, Meyer and the Buckeyes have the top-ranked recruiting class for 2017, according to 247Sports. The 17 commits include five five-star players and 11 four-stars.