Game Balls: Week 1 Quarterbacks

It’s Saturday and you are looking for high school football scores from across the state. While there are many sources who bring you these results, there is NOBODY who gives you scores in alphabetical order, so you are sure to catch each one. We will list every week’s scoreboard, so you can reference games played.

Will Helms August 26, 2025 @ 02:40 PM

There was real, meaningful football last week, and there were plenty of highlight performances to write about. Here, we're breaking down a few of the best. We're giving out game balls to players around the state. These could go to stat monsters, clutch performers, or even guys who simply broke out and helped their team to a win.   Here we go. Take a look as we hand out game balls to the best quarterbacks of the week.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 1 Game Balls: Quarterbacks</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='1671861' first='Grant' last='Lawless']: East Lincoln (2026)   The Wake Forest commit had a huge game Friday, throwing for 450 yards and four touchdowns in a 60-35 win over South Iredell. Oh, did I mention he added 65 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as well? Yeah, it was that kind of night for the senior.   Even by his standards, it was a historic night. Just how unprecedented was it? Lawless is entering his third year as a starter, and he's never even reached 400 yards passing. Not only had he never run for multiple touchdowns in a game, but he had four career rushing touchdowns in his 22 previous starts combined.   [player_tooltip player_id='1854319' first='Zak' last='Ishman'], QB, Northeastern (2027)   How about a guy who has been waiting patiently to make his first start? Ishman flashed last year in mop-up duty, but Friday was his first career start. The result? Six touchdown passes and 383 yards on just 22 attempts. He showed high-level accuracy and arm strength to the entire field, and his continuation of the type of high-level quarterback play the Eagles have grown accustomed to is a huge development as it pertains to their state title hopes.   Ethan Dykes, Willow Spring (2026)   Dykes had a magnificent game for Willow Spring, and that is a promising sign for the Storm. The numbers are good--383 yards and four touchdowns, plus a rushing score--but they don't tell the whole story. The story of the Storm last year was that the offense had some playmakers, but very little downfield passing game. Dykes hit multiple throws over 30 air yards. If he can stretch the defense with his arm, there will be more room underneath for the running game and short routes.   Chase Boone, Red Springs (2026)   It was a huge passing day for the Red Springs quarterback, as he threw for over 330 yards and five touchdowns. Most importantly, a player who threw 13 picks last year had no turnovers in a close two-point win. That's hard to overstate, and the improved efficiency and accuracy improve Red Springs' outlook in 2025, if each continues.   Keith James, Franklinton (2026)   Let's not overemphasize one game, but we also need to put James' 292-yard, four-touchdown performance in perspective. Last year, Franklinton scored 20 points just twice last season, throwing for a total of just over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games. James threw for nearly 30% of that yardage in one game and is halfway to last year's eight-touchdown mark. The offense doesn't need to be 2019 LSU for Franklinton to improve in 2025, it just needs to be a bit better than last season.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mentions</h3>   Darin Tipton, Chase   [player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols'], West Charlotte   [player_tooltip player_id='915835' first='Jared' last='Street'], Independence   [player_tooltip player_id='1678610' first='Rashad' last='Lynch'], Lincolnton   Luke Strittmatter, Rockingham County   [player_tooltip player_id='1776529' first='Ferrell' last='Price'], Northwest Guilford   We can't recognize players we can't see. Send us stats and film, so we can evaluate you/your players. Want to send this to a friend? Discount code Helms30 will get you 30% off your first billing cycle.

There was real, meaningful football last week, and there were plenty of highlight performances to write about. Here, we're breaking down a few of the best. We're giving out game balls to players around the state. These could go to stat monsters, clutch performers, or even guys who simply broke out and helped their team to a win.