Cleveland’s Hunter Morris is News & Observer high school football player of the week

Cleveland High School’s Hunter Morris is the News & Observer high school football player of the week.

The 6-foot-2, 207-pound senior linebacker/fullback had five tackles, including four tackles for loss, two sacks and two pancake blocks (on offense) as Cleveland rolled to a 49-0 first round playoff win over Southern Durham,April 16.

Morris led the Cleveland defense to their third straight shutout and fourth of the season.

Heading into Friday’s state quarterfinal, Morris had 61 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and three sacks for Cleveland (8-0) this season.

Want to nominate an athlete?: Athletes of the week highlights high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes in all sports, both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the Athletes of the week column, send email to Jay Edwards at edwardsraleighnewsobserver@gmail.com.

This story was originally published April 18, 2021 at 9:03 PM.