Canton's Brazos Hesskew Wins ETSN.fm + Dairy Queen Defensive Player of the Week

It's been an uphill battle for Canton since losing quarterback and Louisiana-Monroe commitment Chandler Eiland to an ankle injury, but Eagles linebacker Brazos Hesskew simply willed the squad to an important District 5-4A Division II win Friday.

The junior recorded 25 tackles, including five tackles for loss, last week. Canton needed every single play from Hesskew as it edged Emory Rains, 27-25, for its first district win of the season.

Hesskew's eye-popping numbers in the midst of a rough season made him an easy choice for the ETSN.fm/Dairy Queen Defensive Player of the Week honor.

The win helped the Eagles stay mathematically alive in the playoff race with one game to play. The team would have been eliminated for sure if Rains had won.

Canton (5-4, 1-3) will need to blow out Bullard on the road this week and needs either Nevada Community or Melissa to win in big fashion in their head-to-head meeting this week.

The team also needs Rains to lose to Gilmer. That's likely considering the Buckeyes are undefeated and have outscored district opponents, 267-21.

If all of that happens, the Eagles could squeak into the playoffs on point differential.

The Eagles will turn to Hesskew, already a two-year starter on both sides of the ball, for a third consecutive season regardless of this week's outcome. Hesskew will anchor the 2015 Canton defense and be used as a receiver on an offensive unit that retains multiple underclassmen skill players and offensive linemen.