Week One Standout Performers: Class AA

We finally made it to the high school football season and week one saw some monster performances around the state! There were plenty of standout performances to choose from but here are 15 athletes that caught our eye from the opening week of football.   [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody'] - Nitro '25 QB   Nitro fans had flashbacks of former record-setting QB JR House while watching 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody'] against Poca on Friday night. The junior gunslinger was 24/31 for 417 yards and an astounding 8 touchdowns in a 56-6 victory over rival Poca. Moody and the revamped Nitro Wildcats are going to be a problem this season in Class AA and clearly Moody has handled the jump up in classes well after a phenomenal week one performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='370367' first='Trey' last='Bowers'] - Independence '24 ATH   Independence QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='370367' first='Trey' last='Bowers'] only needed to complete 6/9 passes against rival Liberty-Raleigh to reach 200 yards and 3 touchdowns in a dominant 68-0 win. The reigning Class AA state champions appear to have started right where they left off last season even with quite a few new faces stepping up this year. Bowers returns as the starting QB from last season but is also deadly with his legs rushing for 73 more yards and another three touchdowns on the ground raising his total to 6 on the night. Bowers will be in the running for Class AA Player of the Year all season long.   [player_tooltip player_id='883592' first='Dillan' last='America'] - Grafton '25 WR   Although the Grafton Bearcats were defeated in week one by Philip Barbour, 2025 receiver [player_tooltip player_id='883592' first='Dillan' last='America'] did all he could to try to earn a week one victory. America caught 11 balls for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns and looks to be one of the leading receivers in Class AA this season. He and fellow 2025 teammate [player_tooltip player_id='865702' first='Cam' last='Foley'] will be connecting all season long and should put up some huge numbers together this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='907659' first='Kaden' last='Humphreys'] - Philip Barbour '24 ATH   Speaking of Philip Barbour, 2024 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='907659' first='Kaden' last='Humphreys'] had a monster game for the Colts in their opening game of the 2023 season against the aforementioned Bearcats of Grafton. Humphreys is a dynamic little athlete who plays quarterback for the Colts and is very good in the running game as well. He was 7/10 for 215 passing yards and 4 touchdowns through the air on Friday night. Humphreys also carried the ball 11 times for 96 yards making his total all-purpose yards for the game at 311 yards. I am expecting big things for Humphreys and his Colts this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='370356' first='Casey' last='Minor'] - North Marion '24 ATH   The North Marion Huskies had a big win over a talented East Fairmont team Thursday night and senior QB/ATH was a big reason for their 55-24 week one victory. Minor was 9/13 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air but also had an impressive night on the ground. He rushed 11 times for 95 yards and another touchdown and showed that he's one of the top overall athletes in Class AA. To prove even more how athletic he is, Minor made our Preseason Class AA First Team All-State as a defensive player and is also a very good linebacker where he may play in college.   [player_tooltip player_id='370355' first='Dylan' last='Ours'] - Fairmont Senior '24 LB   Our Preseason Class AA Defensive Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='370355' first='Dylan' last='Ours'] of Fairmont Senior had a big game in week one of their season. Ours is known as a defensive standout but scored three times in the contest on offense and special teams. Lewis County was able to hold him in check most of the night in the rushing game but Ours was able to punch in two touchdowns on the ground. He would also add a 65-yard punt return touchdown. Ours is arguably the top athlete in Class AA and is a very versatile player for the Polar Bears.   Silas Nelson - Independence '26 WR   One of the previously mentioned new faces for the Independence Patriots is sophomore receiver Silas Nelson. Nelson is new to our radar but quickly jumped on it with a huge week one performance against rival Liberty-Raleigh. Nelson caught all 6 passes for senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='370367' first='Trey' last='Bowers'] totaling 200 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. The 6'1 175 2026 prospect appears to be Bowers' favorite target early on and those two will be putting up video game numbers all season long.   [player_tooltip player_id='866500' first='Tyler' last='Linksweiler'] - Independence '24 RB   Another Independence Patriot that had a big game in week one was 2024 RB [player_tooltip player_id='866500' first='Tyler' last='Linksweiler']. He'll be replacing the dynamic Judah Price won the Kennedy Award in 2023 as the state's best athlete and it appears Linksweiler is very capable of doing so. He rushed 14 times for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns against rival Liberty-Raleigh. Linksweiler saw his share of carries last season but has been waiting patiently to be the bell cow for the Patriots and the wait is going to pay off for him this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] - Scott '24 QB   The Scott Skyhawks had a huge 50-19 win over previously #3 ranked Herbert Hoover and senior signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] led the way with an impressive performance. Frye went 13/18 for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns in the lethal SKyhawk Spread offense. He also added a rushing touchdown to his night and had 289 total yards of offense and 4 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Frye has some great weapons on offense but he commands and runs that offense very well for his team. Look for him to have plenty of big games this season for Scott who appears to be in the running for a Class AA state championship this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='909079' first='Carson' last='Brinegar'] - Scott '25 WR   [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye']'s #1 playmaker from week one was 2025 receiver [player_tooltip player_id='909079' first='Carson' last='Brinegar'] who also put up some silly numbers against a very talented Herbert Hoover team. Brinegar accounted for 4 total touchdowns Saturday night with three through the air and one on the ground. The 5'10 175 athlete has track speed and flew by defenders all night. Scott had some creative wrinkles to get him the ball in the run game when they went under center and Brinegar has the versatility to play running back and receiver.   [player_tooltip player_id='893388' first='Brandon' last='Richardson'] - Roane County '24 DB   One of the top defensive backs in Class AA had a huge night on the ground for Roane County in their 35-20 win over Shady Spring. Richardson isn't the biggest athlete but he tore up the Shady Spring defense all night in the run game. He rushed 22 times for 200 yards and a touchdown averaging just over 9 yards per carry on the night. Richardson wasn't done there and also showed why we like him on defense leading his team in solo tackles with 6.   [player_tooltip player_id='907165' first='Eli' last='Littlejohn'] - Nitro '25 RB   There were plenty of big performers for Nitro in their week one game against Poca and 2025 RB [player_tooltip player_id='907165' first='Eli' last='Littlejohn'] is our second Wildcat making our Week One Standouts list. Littlejohn caught 6 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown while running in a two-point conversion to reach 20 total points. He also added a forced fumble and two tackles on defense capping a great week one performance. Littlejohn totaled 175 all-purpose yards in the game and three touchdowns with two through the air and one on the ground.   [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'] - Nitro '26 WR   Our third Nitro Wildcat standout from week one is 2026, WR [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson']. Thompson is someone we are really high on who currently ranks as the #1 WR in the 2026 class and he backed that ranking up in week one. Thompson was the leading receiver for Nitro in the game with 4 catches for 155 yards and caught 3 of [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody']'s 8 touchdown passes. The Moody to Thompson connection will be deadly all year with his combination of size and speed and still only a sophomore.   [player_tooltip player_id='907153' first='Kadien' last='Vance'] - Westside '25 QB   The Westside Renegades had a dominant 60-6 win over rival Wyoming East and junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='907153' first='Kadien' last='Vance'] carried the load for his team. Vance was 10/20 for 158 yards and 1 touchdown but it was on the ground where he did the most damage. He rushed 19 times for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns bringing his total to 4. Westside may make some noise this season in Class AA behind the leadership of Vance among others.   [player_tooltip player_id='1125438' first='Fisher' last='Fry'] - Wayne '25 QB   Wayne 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1125438' first='Fisher' last='Fry'] needed just one half to score 4 touchdowns in their 41-0 win over Class A Tolsia which saw a running clock in the second half. Fry threw 3 first-half touchdowns and added another on the ground in a dominating performance. Fry was not on our radar before that game but he sure is now if he continues to play the way he did in week one.

We finally made it to the high school football season and week one saw some monster performances around the state! There were plenty of standout performances to choose from but here are 15 athletes that caught our eye from the opening week of football.