Here are 10 breakout players (so far) for Polk County high school football in 2023

Even though there were many top players who graduated last year, many returning players who had big yards last season have picked up where they left off. However, there have been quite a few new players who have emerged.

Here are the top 10 breakout players in 2023:

WR Jamar Taylor, Lakeland

After finishing with just six receptions in limited action as part of a deep receiving corps for the Dreadnaughts, Taylor has emerged as the go-to receiver on another deep group at Lakeland. In four games, the senior has a team-leading 25 receptions, more than twice as many as No. 2 Rick Penick, for a team-leading 294 yards and two touchdowns.

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QB Joel Morris, Lake Gibson

Morris came into the season as a highly touted up-and-coming quarterback, and the sophomore hasn't let people down. In just four games, Morris has thrown for 602 yards on 45-of-78 passing with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

RB Jaysean Pritchard, Auburndale

The Bloodhounds lost their top returning rusher, Day'rel Glover, to Bartow just prior to the start of fall practice but found a go-to back in Pritchard. After rushing just five times for 50 yards in one game as a sophomore, he has 377 yards  on 43 carries in four games. He has two 100-yard games and has rushed for 70 and 73 yards in the other two games. He also has nine catches for 142 yards, giving him 519 yards from scrimmage.

QB Cam Turner, George Jenkins

In his first year as the starting quarterback for Jenkins, Turner has made an immediate impact. He has completed more than 70 percent of his passes in all three games he's played this season, including a 300-yard game against DeSoto County. For the season, the junior has completed 38 of 52 passes for 634 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

RB DJ Duvalt, Mulberry

The senior running back had emerged as the go-to back for the Panthers, rushing for 136 yards in his first game and improving in each of the next two games with 150 yards last week against Santa Fe Catholic. In three games, he has rushed for 426 yards and six touchdowns on just 40 carries as he's averaging 14.2 yards per carry.

ATH Albert Plain, Frostproof

The sophomore multipurpose player contributed as a freshman and showed his potential. Through five games this season, he has been one of the Bulldogs' most productive players. As a runner, he has rushed for 229 yards on 14 carries and he has caught 10 passes for 209 yards, giving him 438 yards from scrimmage. On defense, he has intercepted two passes.

QB KJ Valentine, Bartow

Valentine has become a playmaker for the Yellow Jackets in the senior's second year as a starter. He has 788 yards of total offense through five games. He has 507 yards on 31 of 60 passing with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, and he has rushed for 281 yards on 42 carries with two touchdowns.

WR Ryan Screen, Fort Meade

Josh Porter remains as the No. 1 option for quarterback Carson Montsdeoca, but Screen has emerged as a big-play No. 2 receiver. As a junior, Screen caught just four passes. This season in four games, he already has 11 catches for 294 yards and four touchdowns as he's averaging 26.7 yards per catch. He had just one catch for 7 yards in the season opener buy had 104 receiving yards in each of his last two games.

WR Kaneilius Purdy, Lake Wales

The Highlanders are depending on a lot of young players, mostly sophomores, to be playmakers for them this year, but the player making the biggest impact has been Purdy, a freshman. Although he has a modest seven receptions, tied for third on the team, Purdy leads Lake Wales with 267 receiving yards. He is averaging 38.1 yards per catch and had caught four of Brycen Levidiotis' five touchdown passes.

RB Josh Bellamy, Lakeland Christian

A midseason player of the year candidate, Bellamy showed flashes in his first two seasons at Mulberry but was behind older players and had limited opportunities, rushing for 610 yards on 82 rushes in 12 games over two seasons. This year, the junior has established himself as the centerpiece of the Vikings' offense with 683 yards on 71 carries in five games.

Roy Fuoco can be reached at roy.fuoco@theledger.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @RoyFuoco.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Here are 10 breakout players for high school football in 2023