Comebacks and upsets were the story of the weekend when it came to the Alabama Sports Writers’ Association players of the week.

The comeback came from Houston County’s 52-50 win over Cottonwood in a game that saw the Lions trail 44-8 in the third quarter. And the offensive player of the week was Houston County quarterback Desmond Warren, who threw for 372 yards off 13-of-21 passes and three touchdowns, including a 95-yarder with less than two minutes to go, and rushed for 27 yards on just four carries and a touchdown.

Warren directed an offense that rolled up 380 yards and 44 points in the second half, including 36 points in the fourth quarter, setting a record for the final quarter. Teammate Jazeric Peterson caught five passes for 183 yards, including a game-winning 95 yarder on 3rd-and-48 for the margin of victory.

The other finalists were Chris Dukes of UMS-Wright and Drew Phillips of Boaz. Dukes had 355 all-purpose yards – including 234 rushing and 112 in returns – with touchdowns runs of 79, 49 and 13 yards - in a 35-12 victory over Hillcrest-Evergreen. Phillips broke the school record of 266 yards with 283 yards rushing on 30 carries in a 14-7 win over rival Albertville. Phillips scored two touchdowns, including a game-winning 15-yarder with 13 seconds left in the game.

Despite gaining 267 yards worth of offense in a 49-8 win over Skyline, Cedar Bluff quarterback Kyle Crane wasn't among the offensive honorees.

Crane, a junior, completed 13-of-19 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 38 yards on six carries with three more scores.

On special teams/defense, Tallassee’s Hunter Mullins earned the award thanks to a chance at redemption. After missing two field goals earlier in the fourth quarter, Mullins hit two clutch field goals in the final three minutes, including a 33-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Tigers a 20-17 win over Class 5A's No. 1 team, Eufaula Tigers. In that game, teammate Brian Simpson had a 99-yard interception return for touchdown.

The other two finalists were Stanhope Elmore defensive lineman Charlie Long, who recovered two fumbles in the end zone for a pair of touchdowns in a 42-14 win over Jeff Davis, and Hackleburg’s Joel Ingle who returned two kickoffs for 77 and 85-yard touchdowns and returned an interception 47 yards for another score as Hackleburg beat Parrish 47-20.

Spring Garden's Bryant Law, who posted 13 total tackles and a sack in a 24-21 win over Valley Head, is also among the defensive honorees.

Some 73 players from around the state were nominated by ASWA newspapers in Birmingham, Centre, Dothan, Florence, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Gardendale, Grove Hill, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Oneonta, Opelika-Auburn, Russellville and Talladega, with the winners selected by an ASWA panel. The other finalists were:

OFFENSE

Brian Park, Westminster: One week after setting a state record with 38 completions, he had 37 in a 40-19 loss to Cherokee. He was 36-of-57 for 304 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. His top receiver was Cody Dixon, who hauled in 14 catches for 81 yards.

Anthony Bowie, Erwin: The quarterback led the Eagles to a win over Mortimer Jordan with 428 yards in total offense. He was 13-of-26 passing for 294 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns. He also had two more touchdowns among his 13 carries rushing and 134 yards.

Jamarques Davis, Calhoun: Caught seven passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-14 win over Central-Hayneville.

Jeremiah Tullidge, Tuscaloosa Academy: Passed for 340 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-16 win over East Memorial. Tullidge's touchdown passes covered 17, 8, 31, 85 and 17 yards.

Jermaine "Juicy" Williams, Slocomb: Rushed only 13 times, but made them count for 228 yards and six touchdowns in a 41-22 win over Wicksburg. Williams scored on runs of 5, 24, 64, 7, 3 and 9 yards.

Brandon Sanderfer, Clements: Rushed for 258 yards and scored on runs of 5, 53 and 6 yards in a 35-28 win over Phil Campbell .

Cody Armstrong, Red Bay: Rushed for 275 yards on 45 carries, scoring three touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the Tigers' 26-12 win over Hatton.

Ameriol Finley, Beauregard: The quarterback racked up 342 all-purpose yards Friday in Beauregard's 33-14 win over Rehobeth. Finley completed 5-of-7 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, and added 149 yards on 20 carries with two scores on the ground.

Craig Granger, Talladega: The junior quarterback threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for the game-winner as the Tigers defeated Sylacauga, 30-29.

Tony Ellis, Flomaton: Rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns in the Hurricanes' 50-27 victory over Southern Choctaw.

Ryne Taylor, Straughn: Completed 13-of-26 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-30 victory over Cottage Hill Christian.

Keenan Porter, Hazlewood: Rushed for 270 yards and two TDs in 45-0 win over Vina.

Dominique Croom, Cherokee: Had 168 receiving yards and scored three touchdowns as Cherokee beat Westminster Christian 40-19. Croom caught TD passes of 44, 84, added a 4-yard TD run and threw a 37-yard TD pass.

Kevin Callender, Montevallo: The quarterback rushed for 192 yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns in a 48-20 win over Montevallo, while throwing for 119 on 8-of-11 passing.

SPECIAL TEAMS/DEFENSE

T.J. Gurley, Madison County: Intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:22 remaining in the game to preserve a 14-12 win over Etowah. He also rushed for 86 yards and threw two TD passes as the Tigers remainined unbeaten.

Jay Emerson, Huntsville: The defensive back had two interceptions and returned one for an 18-yard touchdown as the Panthers remained unbeaten with a 23-13 win over Decatur.

Brandon Smith, Williamson: Had two sacks, a batted pass at the line of scrimmage and a blocked punt in a 30-13 loss to Murphy.

Justin Harper, Lauderdale County: Scored on a 17-yard interception return, returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score and had a 25-yard touchdown run to spark the Tigers to a 34-14 victory over Colbert Heights.

Bryant Law, Spring Garden: The defensive lineman posted 13 tackles, four for loss and had a sack in the Panthers' 24-21 win over Valley Head.

Caleb Hullett, Oneonta: The junior defensive tackle had six tackles, including four for loss, in Oneonta's 68-24 victory over Locust Fork. On offense, he played guard on a line that paved the way for 607 yards, including 419 on the ground.

Jhamal Turner, Moody: Turner performed on both sides of the ball in a 29-22 win over Chelsea -- coming away with 11 tackles on defense and 154 yards rushing on 17 carries with a touchdown on offense.

Leland Baker, Erwin: The defensive end had 14 tackles, four assists, a sack, forced a fumble and recovered one in a win over Mortimer Jordan.

Sean Davis, Hayden: Davis had 11 tackles, two fumble recoveries and was credited with 1.5 sacks in a 24-0 win over Brewer.

Jeremy Williams, Woodlawn: The defensive back had two interceptions on Thursday night in a win over Parker for the Colonels’ second win on the field in the last 31 games.

Seth McGowan, Houston Academy: Defensively, he was the Raiders' top tackler with 10 tackles, one for a loss, and helped spark a 21-7 win over previously unbeaten New Brockton. McGowan was a workhorse on offense, carrying 25 times for 175 yards with two touchdowns.