These are the best high school football performances from Week 1 across Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Game balls go out to the following players for their performances from Week 1 of the high school football season.Coaches are encouraged to send statistics and nominations to Matt Goul (mgoul@cleveland.com) by Sunday evening. This post will be updated through Monday morning with additions, so be sure to check back and vote in the poll below for who you think is the player of the week:Collin Atha, Nordonia: Quarterback Steven Fakult had a big night in Nordonia’s 49-7 win vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary, and Atha was a big reason why. He had 151 yards and two TDs on five receptions.Logan Berwald, Mentor: Berwald’s 64-yard touchdown reception Friday night on a pass from Brogan Jones gave Mentor the lead for good in the Cardinals’ 38-17 win against Olmsted Falls. Berwald hauled in 12 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. Jones completed 20 of 31 passes for 285 yards.291/29Olmsted Falls at Mentor, August 21, 2026He woke up sick, but nothing was going to stop this Tristin Hughes from taking over the gameAug. 23, 2026, 6:00a.m.Doctors told this Euclid sophomore his season was over. He played anyway — and scored twiceAug. 23, 2026, 6:00a.m.Ohio high school football scores for Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026Aug. 22, 2026, 10:48p.m.Eric Bolden III, Shaw: A senior back, Bolden rushed for 115 yards with three TDs to kickstart Shaw’s 40-30 win at Clearview.Marlon Brown, Maple Heights: The Mustangs’ electric senior receiver scored three times with 157 yards on nine receptions in Maple’s 48-28 win vs. Lorain.Cameron Elston, Euclid: A sophomore, Elston rushed for two TDs to help Euclid beat Brush, 14-6. He rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries and had more than 100 yards from scrimmage when adding his production as a receiver.Steven Fakult, Nordonia: Fakult picked up where he left off last season with 3,000 yards by throwing for 346 yards and five TDs to lead the Knights past St. Vincent-St. Mary. Elijah Fitch, Willoughby South: The sophomore rushed for 121 yards and two TDs on 17 carries in his debut for South, leading the Rebels’ offense in a 34-0 win at Cuyahoga Falls.Kayden Forte, Benedictine: Forte scored twice and rushed for 141 yards on 17 carries in the Bengals’ 32-14 win vs. Gilmour Academy.Elijah Harris, Garfield Heights: The junior running back scored two TDs and rushed for 146 yards on 10 attempts in his debut with the Bulldogs, as they held off Canfield for a 27-24 road win. Garfield Heights rushed for 235 yards as a team, as Terrence Byrd and quarterback Jariah Morgan all scored touchdowns.Xavier Hendon, Columbia: A junior, Hendon rushed for 185 yards and three TDs on 17 carries in the Raiders’ 56-7 romp of Independence. Hendon added 14 yards on a reception.Tristin Hughes, Rocky River: The flu couldn’t stop Hughes, who ran for two TDs, including a 66-yard score in the Pirates’ 28-7 win at Manchester. He made an early case for Mr. Football with 12 touches for 265 yards, including 186 yards on nine carries and 79 yards on three receptions. The Kentucky commit even had to throw up in the second quarter. Despite that, he also played safety. Hughes totaled 11 tackles and forced a fumble on that side of the ball. He also forced a fumble and recovered it.Earl Jackson Jr., Benedictine: Jackson complemented Forte with 154 yards and a score on 17 rushes against Gilmour.Brayton Feister, Massillon: The Oregon commit made his Massillon debut with brother Brydon Feister, and the two combined for 27 total tackles, 13 TFL and six sacks. Brayton paced the defense at inside linebacker, while Brydon brought the pass rush from defensive end. The Tigers limited Glenville to 146 total yards and just 54 yards in the first half of a 31-18 victory.Connor Jamison, Brunswick: The senior quarterback celebrated an early homecoming in his return to Brunswick after transferring from Holy Name. Jamison threw the winning TD pass with 33 seconds left to beat Berea-Midpark on the road, 47-42, as he found Jake Tamosiunas to cap a fourth-quarter comeback. The Blue Devils scored 20 unanswered points, and Jamison finished with 414 yards with five TDs (six scores counting one rushing) on 30-of-46 passing. Adin Evert was his top target with 165 yards on nine receptions.Jay’len King, Wadsworth: A junior, King had 125 yards and two TDs on five receptions in the first half of a 28-6 road win at Cleveland Heights. King finished with 143 yards on seven receptions from quarterback Brysen Hall, who threw for 271 yards and three TDs.Ethan Layne, Amherst: The Comets sophomore made a splash in their 42-16 win at Sandusky with 29 carries for 200 yards and three TDs.Munir Lewis, Brush: In a loss to Euclid, the Louisville commit had 10 tackles off the edge with three TFL and six quarterback pressures.Langston Lucas, St. Edward: A senior quarterback, Lucas led the Eagles’ winning drive in a 15-12 comeback against Olentangy Liberty. He scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown in the final two minutes and threw a 2-point conversion pass for good measure. Lucas completed all 14 of his passes for 116 yards. He rushed for 32 yards and two TDs.Duane Lumpkin, Shaw: A junior, Lumpkin came into this season known more as a receiver. He had a 72-yard score in the Cardinals’ win at Clearview, but also rushed for 149 yards with a score.George Majernik, Strongsville: The senior linebacker had a sack to force a turnover and added a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown, as Strongsville held off Avon Lake for a 24-22 road win. The Mustangs built a 24-0 lead before Avon Lake rallied but could not convert a 2-point conversion in the clutch for a second straight year vs. Strongsville, albeit late in the third quarter. The defenses held strong in the fourth, and Will Tilocco intercepted a fourth-down pass with eight seconds left to clinch the Mustangs’ win.Charlie Mallett, Hawken: Mallett had 10 receptions for 93 yards and a score in Hawken’s 29-24 win vs. Cleveland Central Catholic. His play helped Tanner Brandt in his first start at quarterback. Brandt threw for 119 yards.Zack Mangini, Hawken: Mangini led the Hawks’ defense with seven tackles, tied for the team lead with Miles Hamilton, and had three sacks.Deontay Malone, Massillon: The Ohio State commit shined on both sides of the ball in Massillon’s 31-18 win against Glenville. His 82-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Rasmus Haines pushed the Tigers in the first quarter. Malone finished with 149 yards (most of Haines’ 186 yards passing) on five receptions. Add in Malone’s special teams, and he compiled 217 all-purpose yards. Oh, and he helped shut down Glenville’s passing game at cornerback. Malone is going to Ohio State for his defense, after all.Luke McGovern, Aurora: Two special teams scores spurred the Greenmen in a 36-34 win vs. Stow-Munroe Falls. McGovern had a 90-yard kickoff return and 60-yard punt return, both for TDs. He totaled 202 all-purpose yards on seven touches.Wyatt McKee, Keystone: McKee totaled 220 yards with three TDs in Brian Fox’s debut as Keystone coach. The Wildcats beat Norwayne, 36-21, as McKee rushed for 116 yards. He added 104 yards on six receptions from Colt Cowling. The quarterback threw for 168 yards with three scores, one to McKee.Jariah Morgan, Garfield Heights: In his first game at quarterback, Morgan steered the Bulldogs’ win at Canfield with 105 yards rushing on nine carries and a touchdown. He also completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards.Patrick Murphy, Hawken: Murphy paced the Hawks’ run game against Central Catholic with 147 yards and a score on 12 carries.Brennen Newton, Midview: Newton rushed for three TDs to pace the Middies’ 34-14 win vs. Westlake. He rushed for 99 yards and threw for 198 yards on 15-of-18 passing. Sophomore Kellen DeSimone added 120 yards on eight receptions.Savior Owens, Massillon: The Michigan State commit paced the Tigers’ ground game with 180 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 26 carries, including a clincher on fourth-and-1 that Owens took for 40 yards with 4:31 left in the game.Tony Passerrello, Amherst: A sophomore quarterback, Passerrello made his debut a big one with 135 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. He also completed 7 of 11 passes for 80 yards to beat Sandusky.Zander Perko, Kirtland: A third-year starting linebacker, Perko made his debut at running back Saturday night for Kirtland during the Hornets’ 51-6 win vs. Cincinnati Taft. Perko scored the first two touchdowns on short-yardage rushes. He finished with 98 yards and those two TDs on six carries. The Kirtland defense limited Taft to 53 total yards and didn’t give up a score until the Hornets already had a 51-point lead in the third quarter.Dominic Porcello, Wickliffe: Porcello scored four TDs in the Blue Devils’ 41-7 win at Bradford. He threw for 108 yards and three TDs, finishing 7-of-7 passing, and ran for 63 yards with another score.Blake Pumper, Woodridge: Pumper threw for 275 yards and three TDs on 18-of-30 passing to pace the Bulldogs on Friday in their 25-14 win at Revere.Elijah Robinson, Euclid: A Youngstown State commit up front, Robinson made his presence known against Brush with two sacks in a road win. Robinson totaled four tackles and had a quarterback pressure while playing both ways.Aidan Samelko, Aurora: Samelko pushed the Greenmen on both sides of the ball against Stow-Munroe Falls. He rushed for 116 yards and a score, but also totaled 12 tackles at linebacker. Five were solo hits with one interception, a TFL and quarterback hurry.Donovan Shumpert, Elyria Catholic: Shumpert scored four times in a variety of ways to lead EC past Lutheran West, 47-13. The senior had three TDs in the passing game with 95 yards on four receptions. He added a 28-yard fumble return for another score and rushed for 63 yards on just three carries.Kentsten Staten, Maple Heights: Staten made his Maple debut with a big dual threat game. Staten rushed for 122 yards and two TDs, but also threw for 188 yards and three scores — all to Marlon Brown — on 13-of-22 passing to beat Lorain.Trevor Sykora, Avon: In his first start, Sykora engineered a 14-play winning drive that spanned 77 yards. It included his fourth-and-8 pass to Jackson Palmer to keep it going. The drive ended with Michael Colburn’s 2-yard touchdown run and Sykora’s two-point conversion pass to Palmer with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Avon beat St. Ignatius, 22-21, on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Field. Sykora threw for 177 yards on 15-of-24 passing.Kade Thomas, Mogadore: Thomas did a little bit of everything in Mogadore’s 31-8 Friday win vs. Crestwood. He rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries and added 53 yards on four receptions. He scored three TDs, including two in the second quarter, and had an interception on defense.341/34High school football; Walsh Jesuit at Highland, August 21, 2026Emmett Tobin, Walsh Jesuit: A senior linebacker and captain, Tobin had two sacks to pace Walsh’s defense in a 34-0 shutout at Highland. The Warriors allowed only 69 yards.Nate Trefzger, Perry: The senior threw for 318 yards and four TDs on 15-of-18 passing in Perry’s 39-7 win at Madison. Brody Krantz paced the receivers with 107 yards and two TDs on three catches.Thomas Van Meter, Rocky River: A big game on the defensive line from Van Meter included three TFL, a sack, two quarterback hurries, three solo tackles and three assists at Manchester.De’Onta Worthhams, Mayfield: The Wildcats scored three times on defense and special teams, starting with Worthhams’ punt block in the end zone to send the Wildcats to a 55-10 victory vs. Elyria. Linebacker Gavin Heikkila added a 25-yard interception return and Ben Koret ran back a fumble 54 yards to score.This poll will remain open until Thursday evening.