Week 11 Player of the Week: Gainesville’s Darius Cannon

Gainesville’s hopes for its first region title since 2013 were looking bleak Friday night until destiny met Darius Cannon. With his team down 21-7 in the third quarter, the senior wide receiver returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.

Gainesville wide receiver Darius Cannon (5) is joined by several of his teammates as he accepts the state Player of the Week plaque from Georgia High School Football Daily at his school on Nov. 2, 2022.

Gainesville still trailed 21-19 with 4:18 left when Cannon caught the game-winning touchdown on a 69-yard tunnel screen. Cannon caught the ball five yards down field and ran the final 64, making two defenders miss and out-racing three others to the end zone.

Cannon finished with six receptions for a career-high 140 yards. The game decided the Region 8-6A title and avenged a 38-13 defeat from 2021.

Cannon is GHSF Daily’s state Player of the Week. The award is sponsored by Sports Turf.