Is there an O-A News Player of the Week curse?

It’s a question that’s been on everybody’s mind, I know.

Looking at the stats of our reigning players of the week from the game that came after we anointed them got me wondering if there’s some sort of curse associated with this new, entirely made-up honor.

Like the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Or the lesser-known Madden cover jinx. Or the curse that overtakes me on first dates (a faint, unpleasant odor? too much nervous mumbling? general awkwardness?) and makes sure that there will not be a second.

What are we doing to our young men?!?!?!? Can we put a stop to it?!?!!?

Pump the brakes.

Let’s do a statistical analysis and see if there’s any merit to my paranoia before I call in the National Guard.

Week 1: Corey Grant, RB, Opelika
What he did: 24 rushes for 160 and three touchdowns in a 28-0 win over Sidney Lanier.
What he did next: 16 rushes for 105 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-6 win over Russell County.
Cursed?: Grant did suffer a 34 percent drop in yardage, but he had fewer carries, the same amount of touchdowns and the Bulldogs won in a blowout. No curse.

Week 2: Kyle Caldwell, QB, Dadeville
What he did: 15-of-29 for 245 yards and four touchdowns—also was 3-of-4 on field goals and extra points—in a 44-27 win over Montevallo.
What he did next: 14-of-21 for 152 yards and two interceptions—also 5-of-5 on extra points—in a 35-21 win over Marbury.
Cursed?: The completion percentage is up, but the yardage is down 38 percent and those two interceptions don’t look good. CURSED!

Week 3: Von Gibson, S, Beauregard
What he did: nine tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a block on a field goal that could have been the game-winner in a 22-20 win over Rehobeth.
What he did next: seven tackles and a fumble caused in a 13-7 loss to Eufaula.
Cursed?: His tackles went down 22 percent and his team lost. CURSED!

Week 4: Deon Hill, RB, Central
What he did: 26 carries for 227 yards and both of Central’s touchdowns in a 16-12 win over Russell County.
What he did next: 20 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown in a 32-29 win over Stanhope Elmore.
Cursed?: His yardage went down 46 percent and his touchdowns halved, but his team won. Not cursed. But just barely.

Week 5: Trevor McCullough, QB, Springwood
What he did: 6-of-10 for 112 yards and three touchdowns passing—along with four carries for 19 yards and two more scores—all in the first half of a 49-21 win over Sparta Academy.
What he did next: 6-of-15 for 105 yards, a touchdown and two picks—along with 11 rushes for 30 yards and another score—in a 43-28 loss to Edgewood.
Cursed?: Total yardage went up 3 percent, but touchdowns went down, he threw two picks and his team lost. CURSED!

Week 6: Will Garner, RB, Lee-Scott
What he did: seven rushes for 129 yards and three touchdowns in a 54-14 win over Evangel Christian.
What he did next: seven rushes for 14 yards in a 29-21 loss to Pike Liberal Arts.
Cursed?: His yardage went down 89 percent. No touchdowns. Team lost. Oh, most definitely…CURSED!

Week 7: Kris James, RB, Beauregard
What he did: 23 rushes for 191 yards and two scores in a 35-22 loss to Tallassee.
What he did next: 22 rushes for 111 yards and a touchdown in a 20-7 win over Valley.
Cursed?: Well, yardage is down 42 percent and he didn’t score. But he did go for 100 against a stout rush defense, and the team pulled off an improbable and crucial win. Not cursed.

Week 8: Calvin Jenkins, QB, Auburn High
What he did: 11-of-19 passing for 146 yards to go along with 15 rushes for 134 yards and two scores in Auburn’s 26-12 win over Central, clinching the region title and giving the Tigers their first No. 1 ranking in the school’s history in 6A.
What he did next: 5-of-8 passing for 176 yards and a score—but two interceptions—to go along with 59 rushing yards in a 41-15 win over rival Opelika.
Cursed?: Yardage was down 16 percent, touchdowns were halved and those two interceptions tied Jenkins’ mark from the first eight games of the season. But his team did score its most lopsided win over its rival since 1979, and isn’t that what’s most important? Not cursed.

Week 9: Augustus Brooks, RB, Auburn High
What he did: Rushed 18 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-15 win over Opelika, the most lopsided Tigers win in the series since 1979.
What he did next: Went for 43 yards and two scores on seven carries in a 49-14 win over BTW that iced Auburn’s first back-to-back perfect regular seasons in 90 years.
Cursed?: Nah. Yardage went down 66 percent and touchdowns went down one, but he saw very limited action in the blowout. And how can anything curse Auburn this season?

So there you have it: four cursed and five who avoided it. Looks like this was all a man-made panic after all. And by “man-made,“ I mean made by one man.

And that man was me.