Sep. 14—Halfway home in the regular season.

The 2023 high school football season continues to fly by.

Teams are in either their conference season or about to be in the near future.

This week there are four Thursday night games — two in Ashtabula County and Madison. Saint John is on the road.

Conneaut, Edgewood and Madison will take to the field tonight.

The rest of the schedule takes place on Friday.

Unlike last weekend, when all the county teams and Madison were away, there's a multitude of options for viewing on Friday.

Lakeside, Geneva, Grand Valley and Jefferson are all at their home fields. Pymatuning Valley is on the road.

Here's a look at Week 5.

Today

—Hawken (3-1) at Conneaut (3-1): The Hawks put up an impressive 56 points in a win over the Warriors last Friday. In their other two wins, Hawken has tallied 49 and 48 points, respectively. Against Edgewood, Jordan Johnson had four touchdowns, including a punt return for a score. The Spartans earned a hard-fought 21-0 win at Chagrin Falls last Friday. Running back Wyatt Payne and quarterback Max Gleason continue to be a dynamic duo in the Conneaut backfield with a combined 1,277 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Senior Ty Covill leads the defense with 47 total tackles, including seven for loss.

—Chagrin Falls (2-2) vs. Edgewood (3-1) at Corlew Stadium: The Tigers have been outscored 76-7 in their last two losses. The Warriors continue to put up big numbers, scoring 38 against Hawken. They have tallied 38 points or more in each of their first four games. Through four games, QB Tony Hall has thrown for 1,038 yards with 17 TDs. Receivers Jacob Ernst and and Zach Hull have both scored five TDs, while Anthony Hunt has chipped in with 15 receptions and three scores. On defense, Hunter Braat has three interceptions, including returning one for a score against Hawken.

—Orange (2-2) at Madison (3-1): The Lions have defeated Beachwood and Wickliffe by a combined score of 77-14 in their two wins. QB Alex Ford is a player to watch. The Blue Streaks have scored 103 points in their last three wins. QB Carson Alley is providing a nice combination of rushing (348) and passing (255) yards. James Poe has helped out in the run game with 259 yards. Defensively, Alex Davis has recorded 37 total tackles and Noah Barnes checks in with two interceptions.

—Saint John (1-3) at Chalker: QB Vin Narducci and receiver Will Anderson are having impressive seasons thus far. Narducci has thrown for 804 yards and seven TDs. Anderson has 24 catches for 546 yards and six scores. Chalker is playing as an 11-man club team this season. The game will count towards Saint John's team standings, but the Heralds won't receive computer points.

Friday

—Perry (4-0) at Geneva (4-0): A huge showdown between two undefeated and state-ranked teams at Spire Academy. The Pirates continue to roll with four wins, including 24-6 over perennial state power Kirtland on Sept. 1. Perry possesses a multitude of options on offense. The Eagles took down Lutheran West 35-7 last Friday. Running backs Bryce Peet and Luke Smith have combined for 627 yards and eight TDs. Hayden Diemer has chipped in with two scores. Giavonni Rice leads the defense with three picks.

—West Geauga (0-4) at Lakeside (2-2): The Wolverines scored a season-high 25 points against Madison last Friday, but QB Finn Keegan passed for 200 yards and a pair of scores. The Dragons rebounded from a two-game losing streak to beat Orange. Lakeside missed some key players, but younger ones such as Matthew Wagner (six receptions, 124 yards and one TD on the season) stepped up. Quarterback Alex DiSalvatore has passed for 353 yards. Devan Miller Jr. has rushed for 299 yards, while Nate Bartone checks in with 188 and three TDs.

—Wickliffe (1-3) at GV (1-3): The Blue Devils have dropped two straight after a Week 2 win over Saint John. The Mustangs will have their home opener after the first four games on the road. GV broke out against Beachwood early last Friday, en route to a 42-13 win. For the season, QB Sammy Goforth has thrown for 316 yards. Running back John Foss-Peters has rushed for 164 yards, while slot back Robert Rogers has contributed in numerous ways for the Mustangs.

—PV (2-2) at Girard (2-2): The Lakers saw

their two-game win streak go by the wayside against undefeated Rootstown. PV QB Ryan Croston has rushed for 371 yards and thrown for 218. RB Ty Vickery checks in with 311 yards rushing and 104 receiving. After two impressive wins to open the season. the Indians have dropped two straight. QB Tuff McConahy has passed for 1,382 yards with 14 TDs. Five receivers have more than 131 yards, led by Stephen Sims with 393.

—Lutheran West (2-2) at Jefferson (0-4): The Longhorns have outscored Garfield Heights and Keystone 62-6 in two victories. After scoring 34 points in the first two games, the Falcons offense has stalled, scoring zero against West Branch (3-1) and Perry. The Falcons haven't scored in their last two games.