Mason Hollingsworth of the Whitefield Academy [Mableton, GA] WolfPack has been named the The Sporting News Midseason Player of the Year in Georgia.
Hollingsworth collected 14,051 votes in our midseason poll that ended at 11:59 p.m. EST Tuesday to take the honor ahead of Ty Kemp of the North Hall [Gainesville, GA] Trojans who finished with 9,110 votes. Mitch Seaman of the Lassiter [Marietta, GA] Trojans (2,438 votes), Alex Schlieman of North Hall (1,695 votes), and Jahkeem Alston of the Salem [Conyers, GA] Seminoles (1,682 votes) rounded out the top five with Zay Prince of the Athens [GA] Academy Spartans (1,589 votes) not far behind.
Hollingsworth, a running back and linebacker for Whitefield Academy, won with a resume that included 1,247 rushing yards on just 116 carries with 17 touchdowns in five games. Those totals increased last weekend to 1,389 yards rushing on 135 carries (10.29 avg. ypc) and 22 touchdowns in the WolfPack's 55-0 win over the Mount Paran Christian [Kennesaw, GA] Eagles last Friday night. Hollingsworth, a senior, has led Whitefield Academy to a 5-1 record to start 2025 after the Wolfpack finished 7-4 a year ago, playing in Georgia's GHSA private school ranks.
Kemp was certainly a worthy runner-up. He is one of the top receivers in Georgia and earned his votes after catching 35 passes for 641 yards with 8 touchdowns in five games. He forms a potent tandem with our fourth-place finisher, quarterback Alex Schlieman, and they've teamed up to lead North Hall to a 6-0 start, including last Friday's 38-0 win over the Pickens [Jasper, GA] Dragons.
MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES
- How the nation's top teams fared last week including the teams ranked in our composite rankings
- Streak Busters Week 7 – double-digit win streaks fall across the country
- National 20-game active win streaks
- Last week's Roadmap to the National Championship