In the lead-up to the 2026 Ohio high school football season, we’re previewing all the Stark County-area teams.
Today we’ll look at the Carrollton Warriors. The Warriors, who will have a new quarterback, return 17 lettermen, including their leading rusher from a year ago.
Here are head coach Storm Hill’s returning lettermen, impact players, top newcomers, schedule and other tidbits for the 2026 season.
Carrollton Warriors
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Carrollton football’s 2026 returning lettermen (17)
Carrollton football’s impact players
Levi Kiko approached 1,000 rushing yards in 2025 and is back for his senior year. “He’s our best offensive weapon,” head coach Storm Hill said. “We’ll probably go according to how well he performs.” … Marcus Brooks brings ability and experience at tight end and defensive end. Jaden Murphy returns after leading the 2025 Warriors in receiving and teams with Johnny Bajornas to form a capable one-two punch at wideout. … These players will be busy on both sides of the ball. “Levi didn’t play a lot of defense last year because he was carrying ball a lot,” Hill said. “He’ll play more defense this year.” Hill wants his best players on the field as much as he can keep them there, while keeping them reasonably fresh. “We want them to go as much as they can go,” he said. “We try to push them.”
What’s new with Carrollton football in 2026
Hunter Allison came back from a knee injury to play his senior year at quarterback in 2025. With Allison graduating, the Warriors went into 2026 scrimmages with a senior, a junior and two sophomores all in the hunt to replace Allison. Coach Hill was looking for a quarterback who can make plays with his arm and his feet. … Hill’s right-hand man on defense, Dan Westlake, has moved on to coach at his alma mater, Louisville. Westlake was Hill’s eyes and ears in the press box while Hill called the defense from the field. … The Warriors were one of the smaller schools in Division III last year and have been reassigned to Division IV in 2026. The enrollment trend in the Carrollton district is such that the Warriors will be in Division IV for a while. The Warriors are in playoff Region 15, which includes Minerva, Canton South and Indian Valley.
Carrollton football’s outlook
The Warriors ended a 4-6 season on an upbeat note with a 38-14 win at Minerva. Their 2026 hopes hinge partly on developing a good offensive line in front of a new quarterback. Junior Pryce Rodgers, who likely will play left tackle, is the lone returning O-line starter. “Offensive line is just as important as the quarterback in my mind, because if you can run the ball in high school football, you can usually have success,” Hill said. … The Warriors will lean on seniors and hope younger players continue to develop. Junior inside linebacker Nolan Dietrich lettered as a freshman, had a good sophomore year, and is a key man as a junior. … Carrollton will join Marlington and Minerva in leaving the EBC after the 2027 season to be part of a new league.
Carrollton football schedule for 2026
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Carrollton High School football schedule, 2026 preview
Reporting by Steve Doerschuk, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Steve Doerschuk, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
