Vote: Who Was the New England High School Football Player of the Week? (Sept. 10-12)

The second full weekend of the 2026 high school football season produced no shortage of eye-catching individual performances across New England. From quarterbacks and running backs putting up huge yardage totals to receivers finding the end zone on long receptions, there were too many great performances to include everybody that was deserving.

But we did our best to find players who turned in the top performances, narrowing it down to 12 nominees representing all six states across the New England region — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Some helped their teams pull away in convincing victories, while others were forced to produce at an elite level in much tighter games.

There were five-touchdown passing performances, 200-plus-yard rushing efforts and one remarkable four-touchdown receiving performance in a single quarter. One sophomore announced his arrival with six touchdowns in his season debut, while other players were all-purpose players contributing in multiple categories.

Now it's up to the fans to decide which performance deserves the top honor. Read through the nominees below, consider the numbers and impact each player had on his team's game, and cast your vote for the New England High School Football Player of the Week for Sept. 10-12. Vote as many times as you like because every vote counts!

Read about all 12 candidates below and cast your vote. Voting will remain open through Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The winner will be announced in next week's poll.

Nate Bowen, QB, Bishop Guertin [NH]

Guertin was nearly perfect, completing 19 of 20 passes in the Cardinals' 42-14 win over Exeter. He finished with 314 yards and five touchdowns, including two to his younger brother, Jake, and three to Rocco Roy.

Aaron Champagne, QB, Masuk [CT]

Champagne completed 11 of 15 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns while scoring once on the ground. His effort helped the Panthers secure a 49-7 win over visiting Stratford.

Mo Rodney Daigle, RB, Northbridge [MA]

Daigle piled up 288 rushing yards and five touchdowns (14, 30, 22, 85 and 18 yards) in Northbridge's 46-14 rout of Clinton.

Cole Gagnon, RB, Mount Abraham/Vergennes [VT]

Gagnon lugged the rock 40 times for 263 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 34-16 win over Windsor.

Ja'cari Harris, RB, Notre Dame Prep [CT]

The sophomore running back burst onto the scene with 260 yards on 24 carries and six touchdowns. His scores came on runs of 8, 14, 14, 21, 39 and 55 yards, leading the Lancers to a 57-21 road win over 2025 state finalist Bunnell to kick off the 2026 season.

Lucas Klehn, QB, Bonny Eagle [ME]

Klehn didn't put up huge yardage totals, but he accounted for five touchdowns in the Scots' 41-19 win over Noble. He carried the ball 17 times for 55 yards and four touchdowns while completing 9 of 14 passes for 133 yards and another score through the air.

Zhi'Mir Maddox-Moore, WR/KR, New London [CT]

Maddox-Moore returned the opening kickoff of the 2026 season 92 yards for a touchdown and later added three touchdown catches covering 155 yards (30, 66 and 59) to lead New London to a 56-17 win over Joel Barlow.

Jake O'Keefe, QB, Danbury [CT]

O'Keefe passed for 246 yards and three touchdowns while accumulating 76 more yards on the ground with two additional scores. It was enough to lift the Hatters to a 38-14 win over Stamford.

Aiden Purdy, QB, Westfield [MA]

Purdy passed for 325 yards and five touchdowns, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to David Berdecia on the game's first play, to lead the Bombers to a 55-12 win over visiting Fitchburg.

Jack Walker, RB, Acton-Boxborough [MA]

Walker ground up 293 yards rushing with three touchdowns on just 13 carries, leading the Revolution to a 43-19 rout of Groton-Dunstable.

Kaiden Wray, RB/WR, North Providence [RI]

Wray opened the game with an 82-yard touchdown reception on the Cougars' first play from scrimmage, then added another catch for 20 yards later to finish with 101 receiving yards. He did the rest of his damage on the ground, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. North Providence needed every bit of it to outpace Pilgrim, 40-27.

Landon Wyman, WR, Windham [ME]

Wyman caught four passes for 100 yards and four touchdowns in the second quarter alone, all from quarterback Patrick Davenport. That accounted for all of the Eagles' points, other than the PATs, in their 28-7 win over the Spartans.

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