Ohio High School Will Dedicate Their 2026 Football Season to Fallen Quarterback

When North High School takes the field for its 2026 football season in Ohio, J'Air Bell will still be with the Vikings.

North plans to dedicate its season to Bell, its 19-year-old senior quarterback who died Sunday in Akron. The Vikings will wear No. 3 helmet decals in his honor and carry Bell's jersey onto the field before each game.

For coach DeMonte Powell and Bell's teammates, the gestures are a way to remember a player Powell described as an exceptional talent, a leader and a young man whose impact extended far beyond football.

Coach Remembers Bell as an 'Electrifying' Player

North High School football coach DeMonte Powell told Cleveland's Fox 8 News that Bell's impact on the program extended well beyond his play at quarterback. “He’s not a kid that you just replace."

“He’s the type of kid that would give his shirt off his back to anybody,” Powell added. “We always called him a grown man. He’s always had to grow outside of playing football and just going to school. He’s always just kind of had that leadership ability.”

Powell stated that more than anything, he wants justice for Bell. He told Fox 8 News that Bell was the third student-athlete he has coached who has died as a result of gun violence.

“We have to figure out a way to stop this,” Powell said via Fox 8 News. “Whoever did this out there, they know who they are, and it’s people out there that know exactly who did it. Come forward and say something. This child didn’t deserve that. This is a kid who never got a chance to really experience life.

“He's one of those kids who, they'll do something that's going to aggravate you and take you there, but then he got that smile that no matter what he's done, you got to forgive, and just love on him,” Powell told the Beacon Journal. “If he loves you, he'd go the final mile for you."

Police Continue Investigation

Fox 8 News reported that Bell was shot and killed in Akron. According to Akron police officer Orlando Romine said Bell, 19, an incoming senior at North High School, was a passenger in a vehicle when the incident occurred near the intersection of Lakemont Avenue and Manchester Road.

Police said Bell was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene at 2:17 p.m. Sunday. Romine said Akron police are searching for two male suspects whom witnesses described as wearing dark clothing.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the driver, a 17-year-old boy, was not injured. No additional details have been released.

“Any type of lead or any person that, any citizen that might have information about the incident, please give our detective bureau a call, or Crime Stoppers for that matter,” Romine told Fox 8 News. “Just to make sure we can get this person and get justice for the family.”

Akron Community Mourns Bell

Bell was remembered during Monday's Akron school board meeting. Akron Public Schools also made grief counselors available, while Bell's teammates gathered to support one another.

“We are truly a district in mourning,” Akron Public Schools Superintendent Mary Outley said at Monday’s meeting. “Our focus is on supporting those who have been affected while respecting the family’s privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”

“When the ball is in his hands, he's one of the most electrifying kids that you will ever see," Powell said. "You don't just train to do the things that J'Air Bell can do – only J'Air Bell can do the things that he was capable of doing.”

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