Week 2 of Ohio’s 2025 high school football season is in the books.
Let’s take a look back at the key developments and big stars from Week 2, and how the local teams stack up power-poll style. We’ll also peek ahead at what awaits in Week 3.
Let’s start with the headlines from the second week.
Watch Ohio High School Football Live on the NFHS Network all season
Massillon and West Branch bounce back
They were the best teams in the area last year, and they began this season atop their respective power polls. After falling in close Week 1 games, the Tigers and Warriors recovered with good Week 2 wins. Massillon beat GlenOak 44-10 in a game that was over by halftime. West Branch held on for a quality 21-13 win against New Philadelphia. Massillon and West Branch are working in new faces in key spots, so it’s probable that the best is yet to come for both teams.
2-0 D2s: Lake, Perry, Hoover and Louisville out fast
The Region 5 Blue Streaks and the Region 7 Panthers, Vikings and Leopards have enjoyed perfect starts. And they’re doing it decisively. The closest margin of victory has been 17 points between them. Lake has scored 49 and 48 points in its two wins.
Northwest gets it rolling in style
Turns out it was worth the wait. After having its opener canceled due to Norton’s breakout of hand, foot and mouth disease, Northwest rolled to a 35-0 win at Marlington in Week 2. Northwest ran for four touchdowns and held the Dukes to 170 yards of offense.
Stars of Week 2: Stark County area’s top performers
John Collins, North Canton Hoover
Collins is proving to be a handful as a running and passing threat at quarterback for the Vikings. The 6-foot-3, 193-pound senior ran for three touchdowns, including a 51-yard score, in last week’s 42-17 home win vs. Medina. He finished with 66 yards on nine carries. He also was 7-of-10 passing for 185 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.
Ty DeGeorge, Lake
No player in the area is impacting the game in more ways than the Blue Streaks junior right now. After scoring four touchdowns and throwing for one in Lake’s Week 1 win at South Range, DeGeorge followed that with scoring five touchdowns in four different ways in a win at Boardman last week. He rushed for two touchdowns, caught one TD, returned a punt 52 yards for a score and registered a 72-yard pick six. He finished with 284 all-purpose yards in addition to completing a 40-yard pass. On the season, DeGeorge has five rushing TDs, two punt return TDs, one receiving TD and one interception return TD while throwing for one TD.
Jonathan Lemon, Perry
Perry has multiple guys who could qualify for this honor after a 36-0 home win vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary. We’ll go with the quick-cutting Lemon, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. It was the junior’s second straight 100-yard rushing game to start the season. Lemon added two receptions for 28 yards and returned a punt 63 yards.
Owen McCroskey, East Canton
The senior quarterback passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Division VII Hornets moved to 2-0 with a 49-0 home win against Wellsville. McCroskey completed 11 of 15 passes for 173 yards, the two TDs and one interception. East Canton has outscored its first two opponents a combined 87-0. A win this week at Sandy Valley and the Hornets match their win total from all of last year.
Mikey Ritterbeck, Fairless
The Falcons are off to a 2-0 start with the second-year starter Ritterbeck at quarterback. He completed 18 of 22 passes for a career-high 276 yards, two touchdowns and two picks in a 35-0 win at Waynedale. The junior also scored on a rushing TD.
Greater Canton High School Football Power Poll entering Week 3
A snapshot look at how teams stack up in the Stark County area after two weeks:
Big Schools (Divisions I and II)
1, Massillon (1-1)
2, Lake (2-0)
3, Canton McKinley (1-1)
4, North Canton Hoover (2-0)
5, Louisville (2-0)
Small Schools (Divisions III, IV, V, VI and VII)
1, Manchester (2-0)
2, West Branch (1-1)
3, Northwest (1-0)
4, Fairless (2-0)
5, Canton South (1-1)
Stark County high school football scores for Week 2
Looking ahead at Greater Canton Week 3 high school football schedule
Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com
On X: @jweirREP
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: OHSAA Football 2025 Week 2 Rewind | Headlines, top players and rankings for Greater Canton
Reporting by Josh Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
