The first week of the 2026 high school football season in Washington featured big individual performances on offense, defense and special teams.
Here are 10 standouts up for VarsityWA’s Football Athlete of the Week voting after Week 1:
Ibrahima Diallo, Olympia: Senior standout is surely going to like Bears’ new Power-T offense. He rushed for a career-high 203 yards and four touchdowns, rallying the Bears to a 41-25 win over city rival Capital.
Antoine Griffin III, Lake Stevens: The Vikings’ defense line dominated the game, and Griffin starred with a career-high four sacks of AJ Tuivaiave and 10 total tackles in a 31-26 win over Graham-Kapowsin.
Ryan Harrington, Anacortes: WSU quarterback pledge busted out with 362 passing yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 101 yards and a pair of scores in the Seahawks’ 39-14 win over Burlington-Edison.
Lincoln McGill, North Creek: Multi-faceted quarterback completed all seven passes, including a touchdown, rushed for 96 yards and a score and caught three passes for 51 yards, including a touchdown, in a 29-27 win over South Kitsap.
Luke Parker, Puyallup: For a night, he was the king of football in Idaho, hauling in six catches for 162 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Vikings downed Boise powerhouse Rocky Mountain, 57-14.
Austin Postma, Lynden: Do-everything junior passed for 131 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 51 yards and two scores and returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown in a 49-0 win over Sultan.
Sawyer Sommerville, Chiawana: Ignited a road upset of Camas with an interception on defense on the opening series, then had a rushing and receiving touchdown in a 28-7 victory at Doc Harris Stadium.
Ethan Thayer, Onalaska: Picked up where he left off as the state’s lone returning 2,000-yard rusher by tallying 300 yards on 34 carries with three touchdowns as the Loggers walloped Seton Catholic, 56-20.
Toby Thornburg, University: This is a running back to watch out for in Spokane. The Titans’ standout had 150 combined rushing and receiving yards, scoring four touchdowns in a 57-27 win over West Valley of Yakima.
Joshua Walruff, East Valley of Yakima: For a completely revamped defense, the Red Devils’ safety picked off three passes, including a 35-yard return for a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown in a 49-14 win over Davis.
Editor’s note: Click on the poll or follow this link to vote. Voting will remain open until noon Friday and is unlimited. To nominate an athlete in future weeks, please send us an email or direct message by 5 p.m. Sunday for consideration.
