Jeremiah Fortenberry, Lawrence County

Sophomore, Linebacker

The Lawrence County football team is in a transitional season, as coach Jesse Anderson and his staff are looking for the next group of young playmakers to reload their roster. One guy who’s shown he’s ready for that increased workload is sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Fortenberry.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Fortenberry was all over the field last week in a 36-18 win over Tylertown. Fortenberry led the Cougar defense with 15 total tackles and two fumble recoveries in the victory. For his play, Fortenberry has been named The Daily Leader Defensive Player of the Week.

Of those 15 tackles, 13 were of the solo variety and Fortenberry caused one of the fumbles that he then recovered. That caused and recovered fumble was an example of what Fortenberry can do, as the ball carrier ran towards him with a lead blocker. The sophomore sidestepped the blocker, reached out and stripped the ball with one arm, and then dove on the football after it was kicked around for a moment by players from both teams. The Cougars begin region play against Sumrall this Friday in Monticello.