Ohio high school football scores, Norton vs. Garfield recap

NORTON — It felt like a sloppy Week 1 game Aug. 20 when Norton played host to Garfield at Norton Community Stadium.

Disjointed as things were, however, the outcome was never in doubt.

Norton dominated both sides of the ball to open the 2026 season with a 49-7 win over the Golden Rams. The game was marred by 192 combined penalty yards between the two teams.

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"I think some of it was Week 1 rust," Norton coach Glen Kruger said. "I wasn't expecting that much sloppiness, but we'll get that cleaned up in practice. More importantly, our guys played hard on every down, driving to the football. I'm very happy with the guys' effort tonight."

Norton's senior backfield duo of Trey Kersten and Jason Beverly was as good as advertised.

Kersten went 9-of-14 passing for 173 yards and three TDs, and rushed for a 4-yard TD in the second quarter. Alex Meinen caught all three TDs and finished with 104 receiving yards.

Meanwhile, Beverly ran 11 times for 95 yards and three TDs, and also was a constant menace in Garfield's backfield on defense.

"Great game by both of those guys," Kruger said. "Jason got us started off nice on the ground. I think we were a little rusty in the passing game to start. Jason, Trey, Alex, those guys are the engine of our offense for sure."

Garfield avoided a shutout in the fourth quarter when Darius Sales threw a 23-yard TD pass to Ja'Von Jackson.

Here is how the game went via live updates from Norton Community Stadium.

Norton football dominates Garfield 49-7

Norton scores a dominant victory over Garfield to open the season.

Garfield football finds the end zone in the fourth quarter

Garfield QB Darius Sales tossed a 26-yards TD pass to Ja'Von Jackson to get the Golden Rams on the board. Mohamed Keita hit the extra point to make it 49-7.

Norton football leads 49-0 through three quarters

Norton is in command 49-0 with the running clock after three quarters. Garfield is driving, however. The Golden Rams start the fourth quarter with a second-and-5 from the Norton 31.

Norton football stretches lead with long TD pass

After forcing a fumble from Darius Sales, Norton struck quickly.

QB Trey Kersten hit Alex Meinen down the right sideline, and Meinen cut back and took it 78 yards for his third TD catch of the night. Blake Kaminski made the extra point to make it 49-0 Panthers midway through the third quarter.

Halftime stats from Norton-Garfield football

• Norton – 111 yards passing, 155 yards rushing. Leaders: Trey Kersten 8-of-13 111 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; Jason Beverly 11 rushes, 92 yards, 3 TDs; Alex Meinen, 3 catches, 42, yards, 2 TD.
• Garfield – 3 yards passing, 21 yards rushing. Leaders: Derius Sales 1-12 3 yards, 1 INT; Jonah Spaulding 4 rushes, 19 yards; Xavier Richarson 1 catch, 3 yards.

Stat of the half: The two teams committed 23 penalties for a combined for 170 yards.

Norton football pushes lead to 42-0 at half

The Panthers struck quickly just before the half.

QB Trey Kersten threw his second TD pass of the night to Alex Meinen, an 11-yard strike on a rollout. Blake Kaminski made the PAT, making it 42-0 with 19 seconds left in the half.

Norton takes a 42-0 lead into the locker room. Garfield will receive the second half kickoff.

Norton football's Jason Beverly score third TD of the first half

Using another short field, Norton found the end zone again.

Jason Beverly scored his third rushing TD of the first half, running it in from 8 yard out. Blake Kaminski hit the PAT to make it 35-0 Panthers with 3:11 left in the first half.

Norton football uses short field to reach end zone again

It was a drive full of penalties, but Norton powered through to the end zone again. QB Trey Kersten took a draw play in for a 4-yard TD run. Blake Kaminski made the PAT to make it 28-0 with 6:17 left in the second quarter.

Norton football finds end zone again early in the second quarter

Jason Beverly scored his second TD of the half, busting up the middle for a 3-yard score. Norton kicker Blake Kaminski hits the PAT to make it 21-0 Panthers with 11:05 left in the first half.

Norton football leads Garfield 14-0 through one quarter

The Panthers lead it 14-0 and are in Golden Rams territory again. Norton will open the second quarter with a second-and-10 from the Garfield 35.

Garfield football calls timeout

The Golden Rams got two first downs out of its three-man T formation. However, Garfield committed three straight penalties, making coach Kemp Boyd call timeout with 2:01 left in the first quarter.

Norton football picks off Garfield and turns it into a TD

Norton's defense got its second turnover when Cash King made a diving interception at the Garfield 19.

On the next play, Jason Beverly shucked off a couple tackles and ran for a 19-yard TD. Blake Kaminski made the PAT to make it 14-0 with 7:12 left in the first quarter.

Norton football opens the scoring with a 25-yard TD pass

After some penalties, Norton found its way to the end zone via the air.

Trey Kirsten hit Alex Meinen on a 25-yard post route for the TD. Blake Kaminski nailed the extra point to make it 7-0 with 8:07 left in the first quarter.

Garfield football intercepts Norton, but Norton gets it right back on fumble

Garfield's Darius Sales pulled down a tipped ball from his safety position and returned it to the Norton 47.

On the next play, however, Sales got a low snap and Norton's Parker Pearce won the scrum for the fumble at the Garfield 48.

Garfield football kicks off 2026 season; Norton with a solid return

Mohamed Keita kicking off for the Golden Rams as conditions are perfect for football at Norton Community Stadium. Norton's Jason Beverly with a return back to the Norton 47.

Garfield football wins coin toss and defers; Norton will receive

First coin toss of the year goes to the Golden Rams, who decided to defer to the second half. Norton will receive the opening kickoff and will defend the north goal in the first quarter.

Norton football players to watch

Norton will be led by quarterback Trey Kirsten, who was named third-team Division IV All-Ohio in 2025 after he completed 101 of 155 passes for 1,784 yards. He also ran for 260 yards and four TDs. Jason Beverly will receive the majority of carries at running back for Norton after sharing the duties last year with Markus Brown. Look for Alex Meinen to be Kirsten's primary target.

Garfield football players to watch

Garfield will look for a big season from quarterback Darius Sales, who returns for his second year at the position. The coaching staff is very high on running back Sheldon Corley. The Golden Rams have Jayvin Neese anchoring their offensive line.

Who are the head coaches for Garfield and Norton?

Garfield is coached Kemp Boyd, who is in his 13th year with the Golden Rams, dating back to his time at Kenmore. He has compiled a record of 31-83.

Norton's coach is Glen Kruger, who is in his sixth year in charge of the Panthers. His record is 45-36.

Michael Leonard can be reached at mleonard@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio high school football scores, Norton vs. Garfield recap

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