Laster had gotten a call that 17-year-old Phillip Laster Jr., a lineman who played for a top Mississippi high school, had collapsed on the field during an August 2022 practice. At the time, the family says the heat index was 102 degrees (38.9 degrees Celsius) on the football field.

And he is on the cusp of something very special Friday night when the Dalers host Port Washington in a battle of unbeatens at Don Snyder Field in Farmingdale at 6:30 p.m.

Soon after Ashanta Laster reached the hospital, she was ushered into the emergency room where she saw doctors performing CPR on her teenage son.

Region play officially gets underway this week for the entire state, with key region clashes going on across the state. Here’s a look at five intriguing games on tap this week that will go a long way toward shaping region faces.

Two conference championships could be dictated as the high school football regular season approaches its midway point. Avon (4-0), ranked No. 2 in the cleveland.com Top 25, plays host to No. 11 North Ridgeville (4-0) in a battle of Southwestern Conference heavyweights.

Week 4 looks substantially better than Week 3 did. After last week featured just two games between ranked opponents, there are three such matchups this week, including two between teams ranked in the top 15.

A look ahead at this weekend’s high school football games involving York and Lancaster teams: A.C. Flora (3-1, 0-0 Region 3 4A) at South Pointe (2-2, 0-0), 7:30 p.m. — One week after facing Northwestern’s explosive passing attack,