Weekly Honors
Presented on Down East Prep Report
Every Wednesday at 12 pm, Steve Goodson and Chris Miller sit down on Down East Prep Report — live on the Man Cave Media Facebook page and YouTube channel — to hand out three weekly honors to the athletes, students, and moments that defined the week in area high school sports. Check back here every week to see who earned the recognition, then catch the full breakdown live on Wednesdays.
Player of the Week
The athlete who stood out above the rest — the performance everybody was talking about by Monday morning.
Rahlai Anderson — Northside High School
Northside senior Rahlai Anderson delivered a career-defining performance in the biggest game of the 2026 season so far, rushing for 218 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries in a 46-11 dismantling of previously undefeated Croatan on October 2.
The 6'1", 215-pound workhorse scored on runs of 4, 40, 10 and 14 yards, putting on a clinic against one of eastern North Carolina’s hottest teams and sending a clear message about where the Monarchs stand.
The win pushed Northside to the top of the Coastal Conference — a far cry from the 1-9 and 2-8 seasons Anderson endured as a freshman and sophomore. Nobody is overlooking the Monarchs anymore, and Anderson knows it. “We’re the hunted now,” he has said — and his play backs up every word of it.
The senior carries a 3.6 GPA into the classroom, a 1,005-yard, 13-touchdown junior season into his résumé, and a business-like mentality onto the field. The team’s 2026 rallying cry — “What’s That Date?” — is a reference to December 11th, the day of the State Championship, and the Monarchs literally carry a briefcase to games as a symbol of their accountability and focus.
Through seven weeks, Anderson is averaging 100.6 rushing yards per game and leads the team with eight rushing touchdowns. A three-sport athlete who also competes in wrestling and track and field, Anderson brings the kind of physicality and toughness that wears defenses down in the fourth quarter.
Northside has championship aspirations, and Rahlai Anderson is leading the charge.
Congratulations to Rahlai Anderson of Northside High School, our Player of the Week, presented by Down East Heating & Air.
Scholar Athlete of the Week
Recognizing the student-athletes who show up just as strong in the classroom as they do on the field or court.
Anastan Holley — East Duplin High School
Anastan Holley is a multi-sport leader for the East Duplin Panthers, stepping into the No. 1 singles spot after the team graduated four of its top six players and going 11-0 in singles play.
Alongside her twin sister, Tabor, she went 10-0 at No. 1 doubles and captured the East Central Conference doubles title. Her play helped the Panthers finish the regular season 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference, extending a run of five straight conference championships and an “Elite 8” state playoff finish. Her dominant senior season earned her East Central Conference Tennis Player of the Year honors, and she also competes in soccer and track and field.
In the classroom, Anastan carries a 4.66 GPA and a schedule that blends AP English Literature and Composition, AP Journalism, and college-level Math 171 and PSY 150, along with weightlifting. She continues to pair conference-champion performance with a demanding academic load as she wraps up her senior year.
Anastan Holley represents the complete Scholar Athlete: undefeated on the court, accomplished across three sports, and driven in the classroom. That’s what makes her an outstanding honoree in this Scholar Athlete Spotlight, proudly sponsored by Southern Touch Painting.
Play of the Week
The single moment worth watching again — and again.
Jack Skordoulis — Northside High School
Northside's Jack Skordoulis delivered the Play of the Week with a left-footed bomb into the upper 90 in a 3-2 overtime loss to Richlands High School.
The Monarchs fell to 4-7-1 overall and sit 2-2 in the Coastal 5A/6A conference, ranked 4th, but Skordoulis's strike was a highlight-reel moment in a hard-fought contest.
This Season's Honorees
Every Player, Play, and Scholar Athlete of the Week we've handed out on the Down East Prep Report this season, all in one place. Scroll through the archive below to relive the moments and shoutouts from earlier in the season.