Newton County is teeming with talent at the high school level. Though much of our football coverage is dedicated to those guys, we also want to shine a light on some guys at the middleschool level who will be the next Newton County football stars. After all, today’s high schoolstars were once were the middle schoolers are. 

Here is our list of some of the county’s top middle school talent with a little taste of what their coaches have to say about them. 

VETERANS MEMORIAL

Kyle Veasley – 8th grader – CB/WR: “Kyle has been just an outstanding leader for us all summer. He’s the kind of player who’s really going to turn some heads and make whatever high school coach who gets him happy.” – Veterans head football coach Dante English

Bryson Virgle – 8th grader – CB/RB: “Bryson is very athletic. He has a lot of potential, and he’s another one of those leaders who’s going to stand out.” – Coach English

Justin Benton – 8th grader – LB/DE: “Justin is a great leader and a hard worker. He puts you in the mind of a player like Willis Shepherd, III who’s probably going to see playing time as a freshman at Salem this year. Justin’s already getting national recruiting attention. He shows up every day and puts in work.” – Coach English

COUSINS

Austin Brown – 8th grader – OL/DL: “He is the leader of our line and our most aggressive lineman. He has a lot of potential.” – Cousins head football coach Kenneth Whetstone

DJ Henderson – 8th grader – RB: “He played at the recreation department last year. He’s a good one coming in. He is a real polished running back.” – Coach Whetstone

Jatavius Weaver – 8th grader – QB/Safety: “Jatavius is the leader of our offense. With the formations we run we really don’t have a quarterback but he calls the signals in our single wing formations.” – Coach Whetstone 

Ty Cooper – 8th Grader – RB: “I can tell they were loaded at running back if he wasn’t a starter last year. He is going to be a real big part of our team this year.” – Coach Whetstone 

INDIAN CREEK

Levi Chaffin – 8th grader – OL: “Well he’s 6’2”, 300 pounds. He’s got a ton of potential. With that kind of size, he will be able to go as far as he can push himself.” – Indian Creek head football coach Nate Stephens

Matthew Jolly – 8th grader – WR: “I could instantly see that he’s a leader. He’s a very good route runner. He will be a big part of our passing game.” – Coach Stephens

Treavis Jones – 8th grader – RB: “He transferred in from Tallahassee. He’s built like a man: he’s fast, athletic, agile, quick. I completely believe our offense can go as far as he can take us.” – Coach Stephens 

Devon Duplessis – 8th grader – FB/LB: “He’s going to be a big part of our offense as a lead blocker. Defensively, he will help us out too. Mentally, he’s mature, and he’s the kind of guy you can lean on to keep other guys accountable.” – Coach Stephens

LIBERTY

Dion Lewis — 8th grader — QB/WR: “He was a stellar wide receiver for us last year, but we believe he’s going to be an even more stellar quarterback this year. We’re expecting him to lead us to a championship. That’s no secret.” — Liberty coach Lorenzo Robinson

Marquavious Brown — 8th grader — WR: “He’s a 6-foot-3 kid who not only plays above the rim on the basketball court, but he plays like that on the football field. He might be one of the toughest weapons in county to stop.” — Coach Robinson

Christian Lewis — 8th grader — DT: “Christian’s already a big body who plays like he’s ready for the high school level. He’s going to definitely anchor our line on both sides this year. — Coach Robinson

CLEMENTS

Marcus Calwise — 7th grader — RB/WR: “From what I’ve heard and been told, there are people who would wait around to watch this young man run. He’s just been that kind of an electrifying player. He’s little, but he’s got excellent footwork, speed and power. Just a great combination.”

Jaehden Robinson — 7th grader — ATH: “He’s just the ‘everything’ player for us. He can do it all. He’ll line up at wide receiver, running back, linebacker, just anywhere he can make an impact for us.” 

Elisha Holloway — 8th grader — WR: “He’s just another one of those athletes we believe can help us establish the kind of winning tradition we want here. He’ll make plays for us from many places.”