2009 High School Football Preview and Year in Review

n page 84, I address the Midwest Athletic Conference and its dominance in foot-ball. Thing is the conference is dominant across the board in all sports and for sev-eral of the same reasons – the same kids playing multiple sports.Although the general trend in youth sports today is to specialize, kids in the

MAC specialize in one thing – winning…no matter what the season.On June 18 at my relatives farm in Fort Loramie, we did a photo shoot with MAC quar-

terbacks Keith Wenning (Coldwater), Wes Ulm (Delphos St. John’s), Greg Kahlig (FortRecovery) and Wes Hunsucker (Anna). That day – June 18 – was the only day thatmonth that all four guys could get together at the same time – nojoke. Wenning, Kahlig and Hunsucker each play football, basket-ball and baseball. Ulm plays football and basketball.“Every day, no matter when, you’re doing something,” Wenning

said. “It’s a lot of wear and tear, but it’s worth it.”Said Hunsucker: “The demand is pretty high. Once you get out

of one season it is on to the next one. You don’t get any time off inbetween, but it’s a lot of fun. Sunday is the only day off.”Sunday, though, often involves a car ride to the next destina-

tion, whether it be a camp, combine, clinic or game. There neverreally is a day of rest.“It’s pretty hard, especially trying to gauge your time between

all of them,” Kahlig said. “You don’t really get any off time. I thinkit’s good experience playing all three sports though. I enjoy all three.”Kahlig, Hunsucker and Wenning, appropriately, excel at all three.Wenning is a three-time first team MAC baseball player and this past spring, en route

to helping Coldwater to its second straight D-III state tournament, tallied an 8-1 record asa pitcher with 57 strikeouts and a 0.98 ERA. At the plate he batted .518 with 50 RBIs, 18doubles and seven home runs. Wenning was a second team All-MAC performer in bas-ketball where he averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He was also secondteam All-MAC in football (started at receiver and defensive back). As the back-up QB hecompleted 23-of-40 passes for 611 yards and eight TDs.Hunsucker was the co-MAC Baseball Player of the Year this spring after going 9-0 with

a 1.37 ERA and 72 Ks as a pitcher. He batted .438. A two-year starter in basketball,Hunsucker helped the Rockets to the D-III state tournament in 2008. As the starting QBthe last two years, Hunsucker has thrown for 3,062 yards and 32 TDs en route to leadingthe Rockets to 16 wins. He was second team All-MAC last year as Anna finished secondin the conference (highest finish ever) and punched a ticket to the playoffs.Kahlig will end his Fort Recovery career with 12 varsity letters, having started varsity in

all three sports since the first day of his freshman seasons. In football he already ownsthe Indians career, season and single-game records for passing yards and TDs. In bas-ketball he was the MAC Player of the Year last season after averaging 23.8 points, 8.5rebounds and 2.8 assists. In baseball Kahlig led the MAC with 8.56 strikeouts per outing(77 total). Kahlig was all-conference in all three sports.Ulm’s credentials aren’t as extensive as the other three, but he’s fine with playing just

two sports. And he’s the only one of the four who has a state title to defend.“I don’t know how those guys play three,” Ulm said. “Both coaches want to see you

during the summer. They both want you to be with them and work on their sport but youjust have to balance your time.“Yeah, it’s tough. It’s demanding, But you just do what you have to to get it done.

There’s no backing down. No feeling sorry for yourself.”And no reason to play just one sport.

Eric FrantzManaging Editor

O

Eric Frantz

Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

PrintingMiami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)

miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyStephanie Porter, Gary Housteau,

Nick Falzerano, Joe Maiorana, Jim Rinaldi,Scott Grau, Jim Metzendorf, Os Figuero

ContributorsMarty Gitlin, Jeff Williams, David Gatwood,Brad Morris, Shayne Combs, Jeff Rice

Staff WritersKirk Larrabee, Jeff Rapp,

Dave Biddle

Assistant EditorMatt Natali

Recruiting EditorsMark Porter, Bill Kurelic

Managing EditorEric Frantz

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Ohio High Magazine is published online nine times a yearand also produces an online and hard copy issue in July(Football Preview/Year in Review). Ohio High is an inde-pendent source of news and features relating to Ohio highschool sports. Ohio High strives to report informationbased on fact, but assumes no responsability for any inac-curacies that may appear. Ohio High is not authorized,sponsored or sanctioned by any university, athletic confer-ence or athletic governing body. Subscriptions are avail-able and may be purchased online at jjhuddle.com.Copyright 2009, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVER PHOTOS: Jim Metzendorf, Impact ActionSports Photography

c

Volume 7 Issue 1

Who says you have to specialize?Not these guys...

http://www.jjhuddle.com/uploads/JJs09HSFBPreview.pdf

JJHUD

DLE

.COM

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7Photo by Gary Housteau

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Photo by Mark Porter

Also...

Team USA wins IFAF World Junior Championships88All-Star Football Round-Up: Ohio wins Big 33, North victorius86

2009 High School Football PreviewDivision and region overviews and inside looks at some ofthe state’s top teams and players

21

A look back at the state tournaments in all OHSAA-sanc-tioned sports for the 2008-09 school year

2008-09 Year In Review7

The Huntington Bank/Ohio High Magazine Players of theYear in all OHSAA sports; Coaches of the Year in footballand boys and girls basketball recognized

Top Of Their Game18

St. Ignatius football coach Chuck Kyle wins overall honor2009 Ohio High Coach of the Year19

Division I22Division II30Division III40

Division IV47Division V55Division VI63

Ohio High School Football Facts and Figures72Key Games for the 2008 regular season74Ohio High’s updated Top 30 senior prospects76Shaw’s Tyrone Williams: Bouncing Back Strong78Lakota West’s Jordan Hicks: In Demand80Ohio High’s updated Top 25 junior prosecpts83The Midwest Athletic Conference: Barn Burner84

Boys basketball recruiting update91

21Photo by Nick Falzerano

Hunting Valley University School wins annual all-sports awardThe ‘09 Ohio High CupWinner is...20

Ball St. building football program with Ohio players89

St. Paris Graham and jun-

ior Max Thomusseit cap-

tured yet another Division

II state title and finished

No. 2 in the country.

Phot

oby

Nick

Falze

rano

SOCCERNovember 7-8,Columbus Crew Stadium

Boys Division ICleveland St. Ignatius senior Denio Leone’s

improbable first-half goal through a cluster ofdefenders stood up as the game-winning goal togive the Wildcats a 1-0 win over Beavercreek in theDivision I boys soccer championship game inColumbus Crew Stadium.In winning its third state championship (also in

2004 and 2005), top-ranked St. Ignatius (19-1-3)went 18-0-3 in its final 21 games and out-scored itsopponents 26-0 during its seven-game postseasonrun to the title. The shutout was a school-record19th this season for junior goalkeeper Joe Kalt.Second-ranked Beavercreek finished the season

20-2-1. The Beavers were making their secondappearance in the state title game (1990).

Boys Division IIJunior Jon Buscher converted Dayton Carroll’s

final penalty kick to give his Patriots a 3-2 shootoutwin over defending state champion Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in the DivisionII boys soccer state championship game in soggyColumbus Crew Stadium.In a driving rain, CVCA (19-3-1) kicked first in the

alternating shootout and connected on three of fivepenalty kicks. Carroll (20-1-2) connected on four,including Buscher’s dramatic game-ender, to givethe Pats their second state title (first since 1980).

Boys Division IIISenior midfielder Sam Kuehnle’s 30-yard strike in

the 51st minute through an unsuspectingWorthington Christian defense gave Ottawa Hills a1-0 win in the boys Division III soccer state champi-onship game in rain-soaked Columbus CrewStadium. It marks the first Toledo-area school to wina boys or girls soccer state championship.Unranked entering the tournament and never

having advanced past the regional finals, OttawaHills (20-3-0) knocked off the state’s No. 1-rankedteam, Gates Mills Hawken, 3-0 in the state semifi-nals and the state’s No. 2-ranked team, WC, to capoff the Golden Bears’ season-ending 14-game win-ning streak. Ottawa Hills, which overcame an 0-2-0season start, shut out 17 of its 23 opponents.

Girls Division IIn a rematch of the 2007 Division I state champi-

onship, second-ranked Cincinnati St. UrsulaAcademy prevailed again, beating sixth-rankedStrongsville 1-0 in Columbus Crew Stadium.St. Ursula, which beat Strongsville 2-0 in the

2007 finals, finished the season 20-0-3 and won itsfourth girls soccer state title in history to tie ClaytonNorthmont and Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit for themost titles in OHSAA history.The Bulldogs went 20-1-2 last season for a two-

year record of 40-1-5 and two state championships.St. Ursula’s first two state titles came in 1991 and1993. Strongsville, which was aiming for its fourthstate title, wraps up its season 21-2-1.

Girls Division IIMiddletown Fenwick senior Alexis Heard scored

with eight minutes left in the game and AkronHoban missed a game-tying penalty kick with 1:12remaining as the Falcons won the Division II girlssoccer state championship 1-0 in Columbus Crew

Stadium. Third-ranked Fenwick (19-4-0) had neveradvanced past the district tournament before thisseason, but went 7-0 in the postseason andoutscored its opponents 16-2 along the way.Second-ranked Hoban (21-2-1) brought an 18-

game winning streak into the state championshipgame and had shut out its last nine opponents,outscoring them 39-0.

CROSS COUNTRYNovember 1, 2008Scioto Downs

Record-tying showings by the Minster girls andthe Peninsula Woodridge boys highlighted the OhioHigh School Athletic Association’s Annual StateCross Country Tournaments, held at Scioto Downsin Columbus. Other girls champions were RockyRiver Magnificat and Cuyahoga Valley Christian

J JHUDDLE .COM8 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

2008-09 Year In Review

he Buckeye State witnessed severalstellar performances – both on individ-ual and team levels – again this pastschool year.The following is a look back at the

finals in all every OHSAA sanctioned statechampionship, including soccer, wrestling,basketball, track and baseball. A roundup ofthe football playoffs can be found beginningon page 37 in the 2009 football preview sec-tion. For more information, please visitwww.jjhuddle.com and www.ohsaa.org.

STORY BY OHIO HIGH STAFF & OHSAA REPORTS

FALL SPORTS

T

Dayton Carroll beat Cuy. Valley ChristianAcademy 3-2 in a shootout for the D-IIstate title and its first since 1980.

Middletown Fenwick won its first D-II statetitle in girls soccer. The Falcons had neverwon a district title prior to this season.

Photo by Greg BeersPhoto by Eric Frantz

Akron Hoban entered the D-II state finalwith 18 straight wins and nine straightshutouts but fell to Fenwick 1-0.

Woodridge became the second school inhistory to win three straight D-II state titles.The Bulldogs edged Tippecanoe 96-99.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Greg Beers

J JHUDDLE .COM 9JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High


Academy, while Mason and Bellaire St. JohnCentral were other boys winners.Minster’s seventh championship in Division III

moved the school into a first-place tie withCleveland Heights Beaumont for most OHSAA girlscross country championships with seven. TheWildcats had 65 points and narrowly defeated AtticaSeneca East, which had 69. Defending championVersailles was third. Minster, which has won six ofthose championships in the last 10 years, was ledby senior Lei Bornhorst, who was 22nd overall witha time of 19:45.47. Freshman Samantha Hoelscherplaced 26th, sophomore Averie Bornhorst 37th,sophomore Sophia Richard 38th and junior JessicaAlbers 40th.Barnesville senior Stephanie Morgan defended

her individual championship when she ran a17:57.13. Seneca East sophomore BrittanyStockmaster was second.In Division I, Magnificat, the 2007 runner-up, won

its second championship overall and first since1995. Its 68 points easily topped runner-up NorthCanton Hoover, which had 121. Leading the BlueStreaks was junior Madeline Chambers, who wasfifth overall with an 18:17.91.Cincinnati Oak Hills senior Brooklyne Ridder

recaptured the individual championship that shewon as a freshman. Runner-up the past two years,Ridder posted a winning time of 17:51.36.Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy was fourth,

sixth and second, respectively, in the last three statetournaments before winning its first title in DivisionII. The Royals had 51 points to easily outdistancesecond-place and defending champion KetteringArchbishop Alter, which had 95. Senior KatieGillespie led CVCA by winning the individual cham-pionship with an 18:00.43.Woodridge joined Sandusky Perkins (1987-89) as

the only Division II boys schools to win three straightcross country championships. The Bulldogs had 96

points to edge Tipp City Tippecanoe, which had 99.Leading Woodridge was senior Joe White, whoplaced ninth overall with a time of 15:57.01. Othertop finishers were senior Michael Rhodes (19thoverall) and sophomore Jimmy Charles (32nd).Alliance Marlington senior Jarrod Eick, last year’srunner-up, was the individual champion, running a15:38.05, while Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academysenior Kyle Sullinger was second.Mason had never finished in the top 10 of the

state tournament prior to last year, but the Cometstook home the big-school boys championship with100 points. Hilliard Davidson was second with 120and defending champion Medina was fifth.Sophomore Zach Wills paced Mason by winning theindividual championship with a 15:15.66.Bellaire St. John Central placed seventh, fifth and

fourth, respectively, in the last three state tourna-ments before earning its first gold trophy this year inboys Division III. The Fighting Irish had 104 points,edging runner-up and two-time defending championLouisville St. Thomas Aquinas, which had 115.

GOLFOctober 10-11 & 17-18, 2008Scarlet & Gray Golf Courses, OSUThe Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club

Girls Division IIn just its second state tournament appearance,

Mason built an insurmountable lead and neverlooked back, taking home its first Division I girls golfstate title on the Ohio State University’s GrayCourse. The Comets’ 630 was 26 strokes betterthan runner-up Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit andtied Dublin Coffman’s 2000 squad for the lowestteam score in Ohio girls state tournament history.After placing fourth a year ago as a sophomore,

Lancaster junior Samantha Swinehart won medalisthonors with a 145 two-day total.

Girls Division IIIn its first trip to the state championship, Poland

Seminary shot a final-round 333 to win the firstOHSAA Division II girls golf title by one stroke overTipp City Tippecanoe at the Ohio State UniversityGray course.North Lima South Range senior Ariel Witmer took

home medalist honors with a two-day record-lowtotal of 139 that included an even-par 70 and a one-under par 69. Her 139 was one-stroke better thanthe previous state record of 140 by Heather Zielinskiof Toledo Notre Dame Academy in 1998.

Boys Division ICincinnati St. Xavier climbed six teams and over-

came an eight stroke deficit on the tournament’sfinal day to capture its third Division I boys golf statetitle and first since 1995 at the Ohio StateUniversity’s Scarlet Course. The Bombers’ otherchampionship came in 1957.West Chester Lakota West sophomore Korey

Ward broke a first-day three-way tie in the medalistrace with a 77 on the final day and a 151 two-daytotal to place first.

Division II BoysTaking home its third-consecutive state title,

Hunting Valley University School fired a second-round 308 to run away with the OHSAA Boys Div. II

Barnesville senior Stephanie Morgan, aBaylor recruit, defended her D-III crosscountry individual state title.

Mason captured its first D-I boys cross coun-try state title. The Comets had never fin-ished in the Top 10 at state until last year.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Nick Falzerano

Kettering Alter finished runner-up in D-IIfor the fourth time in five years. TheKnights were state champs last season.

Minster, led by senior Lei Bornhorst(above), captured its record-tying seven-nth D-III girls cross country title.




golf championship by 20 strokes over second-placeDayton Chaminade-Julienne on the Ohio StateUniversity Scarlet course.It marks the fifth overall state title for University

School to move into a tie for third-place for mostboys state golf championships with ColumbusBishop Watterson. The last school to win three-straight state golf championships was GahannaColumbus Academy from 1997-99.Chaminade-Julienne senior Sam Jandel earned

medalist honors with a two-day total of 145 (73-72).McLaughlin, last year’s medalist, tied for secondwith a 152 (78-74) with Apple Creek Waynedalesophomore Grant Weaver (152, 79-73).

Boys Division IIISugarcreek Garaway shot a 312 on the second

and final day of the OHSAA Boys Division III StateGolf Tournament for a two-day total of 631 at thePlayers Club at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne tocapture its second consecutive and third overallstate championship. The Pirates’ other title came in2004 giving the school three state championships infive years. Garaway was led by senior Kevin Miller,who took home medalist honors with a three-under69 final round and a two-day total of 141.

GIRLS TENNISOct. 17-18, 2008Stickney Tennis Center

Four lopsided championship matches were wonas the Ohio High School Athletic Associationwrapped up the girls state tennis championships atthe Stickney Tennis Center on the campus of theOhio State University.In Division I singles, Mentor junior Kara

Sherwood, who was a quarterfinalist as a freshmanand sophomore, topped Perrysburg senior JuliaMetzger 6-2, 6-0 to give Mentor its first girls singleschampion. Metzger finished third last year.The Division II singles championship saw Gates

Mills Gilmour Academy freshman Lauren Davisoverpower Cincinnati Summit Country Day seniorGabby Steele 6-4, 6-0. It marked the first girls sin-gles titles for Gilmour Academy, while Steele finish-es her career with one state championship, two sec-ond-place finishes and a fourth-place finish.West Chester Lakota West junior Ashleigh Witte

and freshman Amanda Lin posted a 6-1, 6-4 winover Upper Arlington sophomore Nicole Flower andsenior Stacey Cox to win the D-I doubles titles.It marked the first doubles title for Lakota West

and denied Upper Arlington a fifth doubles champi-onship. Junior Christina Raymond and senior ValMicek of Gahanna Columbus Academy notched a 6-2, 6-2 win over Chagrin Falls freshmen AnnaBenson and Emily Mazzola to win the Division IIdoubles crown. It marked the first doubles title forColumbus Academy.

FIELD HOCKEYOct. 31-Nov. 1, 2008Upper Arlington High School

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, making itsninth appearance in the state tournament, won itssecond field hockey title with a 3-1 victory overGahanna Columbus Academy at Upper Arlington

High School.Halle Biggar, who scored a goal in the semifinals,

added two more goals in the second half of the titlegame, while Rachel Koletsky added a goal and anassist for the Blazers. Koletsky assisted on Biggar’sfirst goal that put Hathaway Brown in front 2-0 justthree minutes into the second half.Hathaway Brown won its other state title in 2002

and concluded its season with a 17-2-1 mark,outscoring its opponents 21-2 in the postseason.Academy finished with a 17-2-2 mark and was seek-ing its ninth state title.

VOLLEYBALLNov. 6-8Wright State Nutter Center

Division IOlmsted Falls won the Division I state volleyball

title at Wright State University’s Nutter Center as theBulldogs defeated the Cincinnati Ursuline AcademyLions in four games, 39-37, 16-25, 25-21, 25-12.The 39-37 first game score is the highest in a

state tournament championship match since Ohiowent to the rally scoring format in 2004. The previ-ous high was 28-26, set on three different occa-sions. The first game featured 17 ties and six leadchanges.It also marked the first time since Toledo St.

Ursula in 2004 that a team from the Girls GreaterCatholic League did not win Division I and, withKettering Alter's loss to Parma Padua in Division II,is the first time that a team from the GGCL did notwin a state title since 1992.Olmsted Falls, which finished the season as the

only undefeated team in all four divisions in Ohio at29-0, was led by senior Lauren Whyte, who posteda double-double of 36 kills and 22 digs. TheBulldogs, making their first-ever appearance in the

Chaminade Julienne senior Sam Jandelwon the D-II state golf title. His older sis-ter Emma was a state champion in 2005.

Three-time state qualifier and junior KaraSherwood of Mentor won the school’sfirst tennis state title in D-I singles.

Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com

In its first trip to the state finals, PolandSeminary captured the D-II title with aone-stroke win over Tippecanoe.

West Chester Lakota West junior AshleighWitte and freshman Amanda Lin capturedthe D-I doubles title.

Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com



state title match, advanced to the state semifinals in1977 and 2000.Ursuline (28-1), making its ninth all-time apper-

ance in the state final four, was attempting to win itsfourth state title (1975, 1993, 2002) and finishedrunner-up for the fourth time (1995, 2001, 2003).

Division IIIn a match that featured 37 ties and 19 lead

changes, Parma Padua won its first state volleyballtitle as the Bruins (26-3) defeated Kettering Alter(20-9) in the Division II state volleyball finals at theNutter Center.Alter, which fell short of winning its fourth state

title since 2002, was led by senior Annalyse Schmittand sophomore Kelly Westerkamp, both with 11kills.The Knights, who hadn't lost a state final four

match in four trips (7-0) previously, won Division IIstate titles in 2002-03 and 2006.

Division IIIAlbany Alexander won its first state volleyball title

as the Spartans defeated the Gates Mills GilmourAcademy Lancers 25-17, 27-25, 25-15 for theDivision III crown at Wright State's Nutter Center.Alexander, who lost to Lima Central Catholic in

last year's title match, was making its third straightappearance in the state final four while GilmourAcademy was in the final four for the second con-secutive year. The Lancers dropped a five-gamedecision to the Spartans in last year's Division IIIsemifinals a year to the day of this year's matchup(November 8).Senior Megan McCoy led Alexander (28-1) with

12 kills while senior Betsy Irwin added nine andsenior Whitney Smith eight. Senior Sarah Radekindished out 32 assists and senior Lauren Raines had23 digs. Junior Mary Kramer paced GilmourAcademy (27-2) with eight kills and senior MadisonMawby chipped in seven.

Division IVMarion Local defended its Division IV state volley-

ball championship as the Flyers defeated JacksonCenter 23-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-14 at Wright State'sNutter Center. The Flyers, who were No. 2 in thefinal coaches poll, avenged a five-game loss to theNo. 1 ranked Tigers September 20 in Maria Stein.It was the second straight title for Marion Local,

who was the state runner-up in 2002 and appearedin the state semifinals in 2000. Jackson Center wasmaking its second consecutive appearance in thestate final four and its first in the title match. The winfor Marion Local gives the Midwest AthleticConference 11 state crowns in the 34 years of thestate tournament (Fort Recovery 1990; Marion Local2007, 2008; Rockford Parkway 1996, 1997; St.Henry 1985, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2004).Sophomore Alyssa Winner led Marion Local (26-

3) with a double-double of 29 kills and 19 digs whilejunior Leah Rosenbeck had 10 kills.Senior Allissa Ware paced Jackson Center (28-2)

with a double-double of 23 kills and 23 digs whilejunior Casey Gates also had a double-double of 22kills and 26 digs.

WRESTLINGMarch 5-7Schottenstein Center, Columbus

Division IMuch was made this year of Lakewood St.

Edward’s possible demise. Who’s laughing now?That chuckle is from Lakewood.The Eagles withstood challenges from

Wadsworth, Massillon Perry and surpriseBrecksville-Broadview Heights to capture their 13thstraight D-I title and 25th overall. Only Cincinnati St.Xavier’s boys swim team (30) has more state titlesin one sport.The Eagles advanced four to finals and took

home two titles: junior Jamie Clark (119) and seniorCollin Palmer (140).St. Edward ended with 111.5 points, while

Massillon Perry was second – for the sixth time inseven years – with 91. Broadview Heights (84) wasthird and Cleveland St. Ignatius fourth (76.5).Wadsworth finished fifth (74).

Division IICan you picture a football team scoring 100

points in a state final? How about a basketball teamscoring 200? That’s the equivalent of what St. ParisGraham did en route to its ninth Division II state titleand 11th overall.The Falcons scored a head-shaking 282 points

and produced seven individual champions. Both arestate records.The previous points record of 229 was set by

Lakewood St. Edward in 2007. Graham had 221 bythe end of competition on March 6.The D-II runner-up – Uhrichsville Claymont – fin-

ished a full 201 points behind.As for the seven individual state titles, that mark

breaks the old record of six set by Cleveland Westin 1951.Graham qualified 13 wrestlers to state and all of

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown won itssecond state field hockey title, outscoringthe opposition 21-2 in the postseason.

Parma Padua Franciscan captured its firstD-II state title, while denying Alter in itsbid for a fourth since 2002.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com

Marion Local returned just one starterfrom last year’s D-IV state title team butdefended its crown anyways.

Troy Chrisitan’s Zach Toal won his thirdD-III state title, while the Eagles also cap-tured their third straight team title.


WINTER SPORTS



them stood on the podium. The Falcons also hadwrestlers place second (two), third (three) and sev-enth. Graham’s winners were: sophomore NickBrascetta (103), senior Zach Neibert (125), fresh-man Felipe Martinez (130), senior David Taylor(135), senior Brian Stephens (145), sophomore KyleRyan (160) and junior Max Thomusseit (189).

Division IIISome saw Troy Christian senior Jordan Thome’s

loss in the D-III quarterfinals as a huge upset. Andon paper it was. In reality it was a win – literally – forTC that he was even out there.Thome – a four-time qualifier and three-time plac-

er – broke his ankle at the Fairmont District yet triedto gut out the state tournament. e wore a brace forhis D-III 135 opener and beat Monroeville’s CalClark. Thome then dropped his next two bouts.The victory over Clark though made all the differ-

ence. The three points Thome earned in that matchhelped propel the Eagles to their third straight D-IIItitle. TC beat Monroeville by one point (113-112).Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy was third withan impressive showing (103 points).TC had three individual champions in seniors Zac

Hancock (140), Chris Burns (145) and Zach Toal(160).TC knows about winning close ones. Two years

ago the Eagles edged Marion Pleasant 154-151.5.

BOYS BASKETBALLMarch 26-28Schottenstein Center, Columbus

Division INo matter how the Division I boys basketball

state final finished the ending was going to be story-book. Turns out it’s Northland that gets to live happi-ly ever after.A year after watching his team lose with him on

the bench, Northland star and 2009 Ohio Mr.Basketball Jared Sullinger delivered in the clutch,draining two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to liftthe Vikings past Princeton 60-58 in a clash ofnationally-ranked teams before 12,104 at OhioState’s Schottenstein Center on March 28.Northland, the No. 16 team in the USA Today

Super 25 and No. 1 team in the state, finishes theseason 27-1, while Princeton, ranked No. 15 byUSA Today and No. 2 in the state, finished 25-2.

Division IIAkron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s most notable alum –

NBA superstar LeBron James – was on hand March28 to watch his alma mater in the Division II basket-ball state championship game.And the Fighting Irish didn’t disappoint.In a back-and-forth match up with Dayton

Thurgood Marshall in front of 11,160 fans at OhioState’s Schottenstein Center, SVSM edged theCougars 59-53 for its fifth state championship inschool history. The Irish have made the state FinalFour nine times.SVSM (23-4) trailed 29-23 at the half but amped

up its defense outscoring Marshall 35-24 in the sec-ond half forcing 16 turnovers in the game.

Division IIISomething took place during the Division III state

championship game that had not happened since

1931. Two other things materialized that had neverhappened before.Defiance Tinora’s scoreless first quarter was the

first time in 78 years that a team had not scored asingle point in a quarter of a state championshipgame. Cleveland Central Catholic’s 45-38 win overthe Rams marked the first state title in program his-tory. Tinora’s 38 points was a D-III finals record low.On March 28, a crowd of 12,041 at Ohio State’s

Schottenstein Center witnessed the Ironmen (24-3)run out to an 11-0 lead after one quarter and thenrally to head home with the hardware. That’s right,Tinora (23-4) came back to take the lead – twice.

Division IVThe Oak Hill boys basketball team’s motto this

season was ‘We Believe!’ And you better believe theOaks lifted the Division IV state championship tro-phy for the first time in school history on March 28.But the championship didn’t come easy.

The Oaks had to get past Kalida 48-43 in doubleovertime at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center infront of 13,582 fans before being crowned statechampions. Kalida led 33-30 late in the fourth quar-ter. Coming out of a timeout, Oak Hill set a screenfreeing up forward Ryan Borden for a 3-point bucketfrom the corner to tie the game and send it intoovertime. In OT, Kalida clung to a 38-35 lead butwith 30 seconds left Oak Hill ran the same play toBorden and he sunk another 3 sending the gameinto double overtime.

GIRLS BASKETBALLMarch 19-21Schottenstein Center, Columbus

Division IThe atmosphere was electric for the Division I

girls basketball state championship game on March

St. Paris Graham senior David Taylorreceived a standing ovation after winninghis fourth state title in Division II.

St. Edward senior Collin Palmer won hisfourth state title to become just the 18thwrestler in Ohio history to do so.


Despite being a six-year old school,Columbus Africentric now has two statetitles in its trophy case.

Cleveland Central Catholic junior ChallMontgomery led the Ironmen in the D-III finalwith 16 points and six rebounds.

Photo by Gary HousteauPhoto by Gary Housteau



21 as the Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame faithfulcame out hoping to witness history. And theCougars delivered. MND became the first D-I teamto win four straight state titles and tied South EuclidRegina out of Division III for the most consecutivechampionships. The Cougars faced adversity in thetitle game against Toledo Start but MND relied on itsveteran leadership and looked to the bench to notchthe 52-38 win at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.MND (27-1) had four players score in double dig-

its with senior Gabby Smith - a Vanderbilt signee -and sophomore Kathryn Reynolds leading the waywith 13 points each. Ms. Basketball award winnerand Northwestern recruit Kendall Hackney tallied 12points and pulled down four rebounds.

Division IIShaker Heights Hathaway Brown made history

March 21, and not the wrong kind.Trying to keep from becoming the first school in

history to lose three straight state championshipgames, the Blazers came through, winning the firststate title in program history with a 52-46 victoryover Wapakoneta in the Division II state champi-onship at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.The Blazers broke a 44-44 tie with 2:07 to go on

a basket by Molly Crosby and then hit 6-of-8 freethrows down the stretch, including four by EricaAlmady in the final 14 seconds. Wapakoneta hadchances late but failed to convert. The Redskinswere limited to two free throws in the final 3:32.Wapakoneta led after the first (12-8), second (22-

20) and third quarters (34-33), but could not closethe deal.

Division IIIPickerington now has company.With a 63-48 win over Oak Hill in the Division III

championship at the 34th Annual Girls StateBasketball Tournament on March 21 at Ohio State’s

Schottenstein Center, Regina joined the traditionalCentral Ohio power as the only girls programs toclaim six state basketball titles.The Royals, which have never lost a state cham-

pionship game, won a record four straight titles from2000-2003 and another in 2005. They have madeseven state tournament appearances with the onlyloss coming to Versailles last year in the semifinals.Regina was the only team this season to go

undefeated in winning a title.

Division IVBerlin Hiland and Columbus Africentric have an

extensive postseason history against one another.March 21 they staged another classic.Meeting for the fifth straight time in the postsea-

son and the second straight time in the state cham-pionship, Africentric capped a furious comebackfrom a 16-point third quarter deficit to win its secondstate title 55-46 over Hiland in the Division IV statechampionship at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.Hiland beat Africentric 44-37 in last year’s state

championship and also ousted the Nubians from thetournament in 2005 (regional semifinal) and 2006(regional final). Africentric beat the Hawks in the2007 regional final en route to its first title.

SWIMMINGFebruary 25-28C.T. Branin Nataorium, Canton

Boys Division ICincinnati St. Xavier regained the state champi-

onship, besting 2008 Champion Columbus St.Charles 322 to 265.It’s the 30th state title for St. Xavier’s swimming

and diving team, already the winningest program instate history. St. Xavier took first in both the 200 and400 freestyle relays, and junior Matt Columbus wonthe 500 freestyle.St. Charles junior Sandy Whitaker won a pair of

titles, placing first in both the 100 backstroke andthe 100 butterfly. Upper Arlington senior EricHuffman defended his titles in the 50 and 100freestyle as well.

Boys Division IIIn the first year featuring a second division in

boys swimming and diving, Hunting Valley UniversitySchool scored 288 points to fend off CincinnatiWyoming, the runner-up with 180 points. UniversitySchool, which took third in last year’s D-I competi-tion, became the first Cleveland-area boys swim-ming team to win a state title since ClevelandHeights in 1965. Seniors Ian Stewart-Bates andTyler Bailey led the way for the Preppers, as bothswam on the winning 400 freestyle relay team,Stewart-Bates won the 200 and 500 freestyle, andBailey took home the 100 free.

Girls Division IUpper Arlington claimed its fifth straight title and

sixth overall, scoring 349 points to outdistanceColumbus Bishop Watterson (176). The Bearsswept the three relays, while senior Darcy Fishbackwon her fourth title in the 100 butterfly, setting astate record dur¬ing the prelims (53.38).Watterson junior Gracie Finnegan defended her

championships in both the 50 freestyle and the 100freestyle. Olentangy Liberty senior Ashley Specht

Northland won just the third state title by aColumbus City League school since 1971when it captured the Division I championship.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary won its first statetitle since LeBron James led the Irish to the2003 state championship.


Senior Ryan Borden drained this 3 at the end ofregulation in the D-IV final and another at theend of the first OT. Both forced extra minutes.

Sophomore Therany Dunnigan had a hugestate tournament for Regina, tallying 24points and 15 rebounds in two games.




took her third title in the 100 breaststroke.

Girls Division IIGates Mills Hawken won its 19th state champi-

onship in the past 26 years, tallying 334 points.Hawken has won 11 titles in a row and 13 out of 14,and only Cincinnati St. Xavier’s boys swimming anddiving team (30) and Lakewood St. Edward’swrestling team (24) have won more championshipsin state history. Hawken senior Brittany Rospierskiset a state record in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.98),repeating as winner in that event. Sophomore AlanaArnold won the 100 butterfly, and Hawken finishedfirst in both the 200 medley relay and the 400freestyle relay.Milford Center Fairbanks junior Margo Geer broke

her own state records in both the 50 freestyle(22.58) and 100 freestyle (49.39), and she has wonboth events each of her three years. Bay VillageBay junior Nikki Craft set a new state mark in onemeter diving as well (475.40).

GYMNASTICSMarch 6-7Hilliard Darby High School

One year removed from what had been the sec-ond-closest score in state history, Brecksville-Broadview Heights and Rocky River Magnificatmatched the record for the tightest team race instate history. But like last year, the Bees came outon top again, coming from behind to defeatMagnificat 145.825 to 145.700 to become the firstschool to win six straight titles and claiming its ninthoverall championship.The Bees scored 36.700 points on the uneven

bars in the final event to cap the comeback.Magnificat’s Kelly Nortz won the all-around after

finishing second behind graduated teammate KaylaKmiecik in 2008. Nortz won the vault, floor and thebars.Magnificat, which has 10 state titles, finished as

runner-up for the third straight year and sixth timeoverall. In 2002, Magnificat edged St. FrancisDeSales 145.875 to 145.750, the only other time ateam championship was decided by .125 points.

ICE HOCKEYMarch 14-15Nationwide Arena, Columbus

Sophomore forward Ian Robertson scored on a15-yard slap shot just five seconds into the thirdperiod, and Hunting Valley University School wenton to win, 3-0, over Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the2009 OHSAA ice hockey state championshipSunday in Nationwide Arena.After winning their state semifinal game in double-

overtime Saturday over defending state championLakewood St. Edward, some questioned if thePreppers would have enough left in the tank to chal-lenge St. John’s, which cruised in its semifinalgame, 7-0, over Centerville. But the Preppers (31-6-3) applied more pressure from the start and held theTitans (23-10-4) to just 10 total shots in the gameafter they had 42 yesterday.It marks the second championship for University

School – first came in 2003 – and caps off a seasonthat saw the Preppers reach the state’s final week-

end for the sixth time in the last eight years.

BOWLINGMarch 6-7Tiki Lanes, Lancaster

First-time champions were crowned in both girlsand boys competition, as Pemberville Eastwoodtook home the girls title March 6 and SpringfieldKenton Ridge the boys honors March 7.Eastwood, a first-time state qualifier, rallied back

from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five Baker scorefinals against Troy, which had reached the final forthe first time and was the top-seeded team.Troy’s Alicia Benson was the top individual, rolling

a three-game score of 608 to best Eastwood’sCarrie Lorenzen (601).Kenton Ridge was the top-seeded boys team,

and after needing five games to knock off

Beavercreek in the semifinals, took down second-seed Kettering Fairmont 3-1 in the championships.Chase Carter from Riverside Stebbins won the

individual crown with a score of 723.

BOYS TENNISMay 29-30OSU Stickney Tennis Center

All four state champions were first-timers as theOhio High School Athletic Association boys tennischampionships concluded May 30 at The Ohio StateUniversity’s Stickney Tennis Center.

Division I SinglesIn a rematch of last year’s Division I singles title

Sophomore Kathryn Reynolds was one of fourCougars in double figures in the title game.She tied for team-high honors with 13.

Sophomore Alanna Guy played a key role inthe state final win by scoring seven of hernine points in the fourth quarter.


Cincinnati St. Xavier became the firstschool in history to win 30 state titles inone sport with the another D-I swim title.

Gates Mills Hawken continued its D-IIswimming domination by claiming its 19thstate championship.

Photo by John Cox/impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/impactactionphotos.com

SPRING SPORTS



match, New Albany senior Peter Kobelt outlastedWest Chester Lakota West senior Wyatt Lippert 3-6,7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and38 minutes. Lippert won their 2008 championshipmeeting, which also went three sets, and ends hiscareer with four top-four finishes.

Division I DoublesIn Division I doubles, Worthington Kilbourne junior

Kevin Metka and senior Johnny Price toppeddefending state champion Columbus BishopWatterson brothers Philip, a senior, and Chris Diaz,a sophomore, 6-4, 6-4.

Division III SinglesCincinnati Country Day junior Joey Fritz, who fin-

ished third last year, beat Beachwood junior MarkGoldberg 6-1, 6-2 to win the Division II singlescrown. Fritz surrendered only six points in his fourtournament wins. Goldberg had to win a marathon

semifi¬nal match, topping Columbus WellingtonSchool sophomore Ian Wagner 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6)before facing Fritz in the finals.

Division II DoublesSophomores Alex Aleman and Lou Konstan from

Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Valley ChristianAcademy won the Division II doubles crown, toppingjunior Andrew Enslen and senior Joey Frank fromColumbus Academy 6-3, 7-5.

BASEBALLJune 4-6Huntington Park, Columbus

Division ISixth-ranked Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller cap-

tured its fifth state title by knocking off second-ranked Pickerington North 5-2.

North scored a run in the top of the first, but theCrusaders (24-5) answered with three tallies in thebottom half, getting an RBI base hit from junior TylerHutchison, an RBI groundout from senior Eric Smith,and senior Brett Cisper coming around to score on apassed ball. Senior Eric Brindle had an RBI singlefor North in the fourth to cut it to 3-2. The Crusaders,though, came back with a run of their own in thefourth, with junior Ethan McAlpine scoring on anerror. Moeller pushed across its final run in the fifthon Smith’s RBI single.Brindle, Smith and senior Sage Iacovone each

had two hits to lead Moeller’s offense. Junior RobbySunderman worked five innings and yielded just oneearned run to earn the win, while Cisper closed thegame with two scoreless frames to pick up the save.North, playing in its first state championship

game, finished its season at 30-4. Brindle and AlexBayer both went 2-for-3.

Division IIBehind a two-hitter from senior Erik Okleson,

unranked Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (28-4) defeated second-ranked Cuyahoga Falls WalshJesuit 2-1 to claim its second state title.Okleson allowed a one-out home run in the top of

the first to senior Joe Pawlowski and a two-out sin-gle in the second, but held the Warriors hitless therest of the way. He walked four and struck out six inthe complete game victory.NDCL tied the score at one in the bottom of the

second, with senior Sean Stricker’s single platingsenior Matt Bencic. The Lions pushed across thego-ahead run in the sixth as Bencic singled homesenior Rob Searles with two outs. The Warriors thenput two runners aboard in the seventh, but Oklesonended it by forcing a groundout and flyout.Walsh Jesuit, the defending and four-time state

champion, finished with a 25-6 record and as staterunners-up for the first time.

Division IIIGnadenhutten Indian Valley took advantage of a

Hamilton Badin miscue and won its first state titlewith a 7-6 victory over the top-ranked Rams in eightinnings.Badin (29-3) tied the score at six with a run in the

sixth inning that eventually forced the game to extrainnings. After the Rams went down in order to startthe eighth, junior Matt Wheeler walked and juniorLogan Gray singled, with Wheeler coming around toscore on a throwing error to end it.Junior Adam Mizer pitched the final 5 2/3 innings

for sixth-ranked Indian Valley and gave up oneearned run to earn the win. Gray had three hits andWheeler reached base four times, scoring threeruns.For Badin, Corey VanNatta scored three times,

while Toerner, McKinney and Purcell each drove intwo runs. The Rams finished as runners-up for thesecond straight year and the third time since 2005.

Division IVHamler Patrick Henry (25-4) succeeded in its title

defense by defeating New Middletown SpringfieldLocal 3-1. Fifth-ranked Patrick Henry is the firstschool since Newark Catholic (2002-04) to repeat asstate baseball champions.Newark Catholic accomplished the feat in Division

IV as well.The fifth-ranked Patriots scored twice in the top of

Upper Arlington brought home its fifthstraight D-I girls swimmming state titleand sixth overall.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights became thefirst school to win six straight gymnasticsstate titles. The Bees have nine overall.

Photo by Jeff Mills/impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/impactactionphotos.com

Hunting Valley University School won itssecond state ice hockey title (first in 2003)with a 3-0 win over Toledo St. John’s.

Springfield Kenton Ridge won its firststate bowling title with a four-set winover Kettering Fairmont.

Photo by Jim Metzendorf/impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/impactactionphotos.com



the first. Senior Chris Boyer had a sacrifice fly andsenior Tyler Phillips hit an RBI single to put PatrickHenry on the board. Springfield (29-5) tallied its lonerun in the second on junior Matt Semach’s sacrificefly, which scored senior Bryan Visingardi. PatrickHenry tacked on an insurance run in the fifth, assenior Brian Kline’s RBI basehit scored senior ClayMaas. Unranked Springfield was making its secondappearance at state and finished as runners-up forthe first time.

SOFTBALLJune 4-6Firestone Stadium, Akron

Division IAfter finishing as state runners-up each of the

past three seasons, Elyria (29-3) claimed its secondstate title, defeating Hudson 10-1.The game was scoreless through three and a half

innings when the top-ranked Pioneers broke throughwith a six-run fourth. Senior Tess Sito hurled a two-hitter, giving up a solo home run to junior CallieDrohan in the sixth inning. After striking out 17 hit-ters in Elyria’s semifinal win, Sito fanned 11Explorers in the championship game.Eighth-ranked Hudson, winners of the 2007 title,

finished its season at 29-3.

Division IIHamilton Ross (26-7) used a four-run fifth inning

to propel itself to a 4-2 victory over Bellville ClearFork for the school’s first state championship.Ross pitcher Brittany Fernandez allowed six hits

and struck out five without walking anybody.Clear Fork (29-5), making its first state appear-

ance since 1980, was led by sophomore TaylorThomas (3-for-3, run scored).

Division IIISecond-ranked Hebron Lakewood (30-4) repeat-

ed as state champions, shutting out fifth-rankedYoungstown Ursuline (27-7) 5-0.Lakewood starter Alissa Birkhimer went the dis-

tance and allowed four hits, striking out nine.Birkhimer, a senior, also earned the victory in the2008 state title game. Birkhimer set down 13 of thelast 14 hitters she faced. Ursuline junior KaseyFoley had two of the team’s four hits in the LadyIrish’s first trip to the state tournament.

Division IVStrasburg-Franklin brought home its fifth state

championship and first in 18 years as the top-ranked Lady Tigers downed fifth-ranked ConvoyCrestview 2-0.Junior Carly Clark and sophomore Kasey

Gerber combined for the one-hit shutout. The LadyTigers (32-2) shut out all eight opponents theyfaced in the postseason. Junior Lydia Etzler hadthe lone hit for the Knights (27-4), who finished asrunners-up for the second time (2005).

TRACKJune 4-6Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Columbus

Division I BoysGahanna-Lincoln gave Central Ohio a sweep of

the big school state titles at the D-I boys statetrack and field championships on June 6 by edgingperennial power Cleveland Glenville 48-45 for thetitle. G-L also won the state championship in 1979.It was the first title by a Central Ohio team since

1999 (Thomas Worthington) and just the thirdsince 1983 (Marion Harding).Junior Blake Heriot captured the only two titles

for the Lions, winning the 200 (21.25) and 400(47.47). He was also second in the 100.Junior Herman Washington was second in the

110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles..

Division II BoysWhen people hear “track” championships they

often forget about the “field” part. PembervilleEastwood has a huge reminder.After finishing runner-up last year, the Eagles

captured their first Division II boys state track andfield title on June 6 by besting second place

Cortland Lakeview 47-38. Eastwood was also run-ner-up in 2003.The Eagles accumulated nearly 75-percent of

their points in the field events.Junior thrower Justin Welch defended his discus

title with a stadium record heave of (196-1). Hewas also third in the shot put.Senior Crosby Schemenauer won the pole vault

(15-4), while senior Josh Hoodlebrink was secondin the long jump (22-9.25).

Division III BoysGarfield Heights Trinity has dominated the North

Coast League in boys track, winning 18 of a possi-ble 24 championships and 10 of the last 12. Nowthe Trojans can add the rest of the state to their listof conquests. On June 6 at the 102nd annual boysstate track and field championships, Trinity won itsfirst Division III state title by outscoring Pandora-Gilboa 45-38.

New Albany senior Peter Kobelt won theD-I singles state title in a rematch of lastyear’s state championship match.

After going 0-3 in the last three D-I statechampionship games, Elyria brokethrough for the title this season.

Photo by Scott Grau/impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/impactactionphotos.com

Cincinnati Moeller captured its fifthDivision I state baseball title with a winover Pickerington North.

Gahanna-Lincoln won its second D-I boystrack title and first since 1979 by edgingCleveland Glenville 48-45.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Jim Metzendorf/impactactionphotos.com



The state championship is just the secondearned by a boys program at Trinity (also won foot-ball in 1980) and the sixth state title in school his-tory. Trinity’s rise to the top has been fast.In 2007 the Trojans didn’t score a point at state

and last year managed just nine en route to finish-ing 22nd. Things were different this year.Senior standout Jonathan Bobak captured both

the 100 (11.11) and 200 (21.92) titles andanchored the winning 800 relay (1:28.96), whichalso included junior Brian Smith and seniors SteveMlinaric and Nick Swanson. Sophomore Nick Gliha(9:28.16) won the 3,200 title.

Division I GirlsIf you like blowouts, the Division I girls state

track and field championships were to your liking.Reynoldsburg obliterated the competition en

route to its first state title, beating second placeCincinnati Withrow 82-35 in the team race on June

6 at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.The 82 points were the fourth most in the 35

year history of the girls championships. ClevelandBeaumont scored 98 points in 1990 and also hadtallies of 89 (1999) and 87 (1997).The title is also the first for a Central Ohio

school in the big school division since 1985 whenUpper Arlington claimed the Class AAA champi-onship.It doesn’t appear to be the last.The Raiders are heavy on underclassmen.Freshman Destinee Gause had a hand in three

titles. She won the 200 (24.21), ran on the winning1,600 relay and anchored the winning 800 relay.Just for good measure, both the 1,600 and 800

relays set new state and meet records.The 1,600 quartet, which also included freshman

Faith Washington and sophomores Azia Walkerand Taneisha Cordell, bettered the previous mark(3:45.89 set last year by Walnut Hills) by over two

seconds (3:43.83). Cordell also won the open 800(2;10.79). Walker, who won the individual 400(54.74), teamed with Gause, Washington and sen-ior Timia Ingram to set the record in the 800 relay(1:37.02). Senior Melissa Dodaro defended herdiscus title (146-04). The Raiders 400 relay ofIngram, Gause, sophomore Kacia Grant and seniorAshley Phillips was second.

Division II GirlsWith two events to go, Columbus Bishop Hartley

led Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy by fourpoints in the Division II girls team standings at thestate track and field championships om June 6.With one event to go, Hartley suddenly trailed

CVCA by two. Needing to finish ahead of theRoyals in the meet’s final event – the 1,600 relay –the Hawks came through in the clutch, placing sec-ond in 3:55.24. CVCA was third (3:58.59).As a result, both Hartley and CVCA scored 55

points and grabbed a share of the D-II girls tracktitle at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.The state championship is CVCA’s first in track

and Hartley’s fourth (first since 1988).Hartley grabbed its share of the team title thanks

in part to its success in the meet’s fastest events.Junior Chesna Sykes swept both the 100

(12.05) and 200 (24.53), while sophomore AishaCavin was second in the 200 (24.63). JuniorCharAnna Dixon was seventh in the 100 (12.79).The Hawks 400 relay of Dixon, Sykes, Cavin

and senior Ashlee Hoffman was also first with anew state and state meet record time of 47.09.

Division III GirlsGates Mills Gilmour Academy is the undisputed

class of Ohio when it comes to Division III girlstrack. Rallying from a 24-8 deficit after the first sixevents, Gilmour captured its fourth D-III state titlein five years on June 6 by scoring a whopping 65points in the meet’s final 11 events for 73 overall.That’s an average of 5.9 points, meaning theLancers averaged no worse than third in any eventon the final day.The 73 points was the most for a small-school

girls team since Minster put up 75.33 in 1979.Gilmour was runner-up last year.Relays and sophomore Candace Longino-

Thomas did most of the damage for Gilmour.Longino-Thomas became just the 18th girl in

state history to capture for firsts when she won the100 (12.05) and 200 (24.42) and anchored the win-ning 400 (48.70) and 800 (1:41.31) relays.Gilmour’s 400 and 800 relays also set new state

and state meet records with their times.Sophomores Alexandria Dahlhausen and

Longino-Thomas, junior Kathryn Drew and seniorRebbecca Bloom ran the 400, while Dahlhausen,Longino-Thomas, Drew and junior Bekka Simkocompeted in the 800.Simko also won the 400 (56.11).Gilmour’s 1,600 relay (Dahlhausen, Simko, sen-

ior Melanie Frank and junior Grace Brennan) wonin 3:57.19, while the Lancers 3,200 relay finishedsecond to Versailles by less than a second.With the stable of underclassmen it returns,

Gilmour better make more room in its trophy case.It appears the Lancers are far from slowing down.Versailles second place tally of 62 points would

have been good enough to win the state title inevery state meet from 1985-2007. — OH

Reynoldsburg won its first D-I girls tracktitle by blowing out the competition with82 points.

Columbus Hartley won a share of itsfourth track title when it placed secondin the meet’s final event (1,600 relay).


Garfield Heights Trinity captured the D-IIIboys track title. It’s the first boys state titlefor Trinity since 1980 (football).

Led by sophomore Candace Longino-Thomas, Gates Mills Gilmour Academywon its fourth D-III title in five years.



2008-09 Hunt ington Bank/Ohio High Players of the Year

t was another great school year inOhio high school athletics and OhioHigh is proud to partner withHuntington Banks to present player

of the year awards in all OHSAA sanc-tioned sports. FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn oonntthhee wwiinnnneerrss aanndd aarrttiicclleess oonn eeaacchh llooggoonnttoo jjjjhhuuddddllee..ccoomm..

I

FOOTBALL Erick Howard, North Canton Hoover

GIRLS TENNIS Lauren Davis, Gates Mills Gilmour Academy

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Brooke Ridder, Oak Hills

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY Zach Wills, Mason

GIRLS SOCCER Ashley Cuba, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney

BOYS SOCCER Matt Wiet, Worthington Kilbourne

VOLLEYBALL Lauren Whyte, Olmsted Falls

BOYS GOLF Kevin Miller, Sugarcreek Garaway

GIRLS GOLF Ariel Witmer, North Lima South Range

FIELD HOCKEY Natasha Leickly, Columbus Academy

BOYS BASKETBALL Jared Sullinger, Columbus Northland

GIRLS BASKETBALL Kendall Hackney, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame

WRESTLING David Taylor, St. Paris Graham

BOYS BOWLING Chase Carter, Dayton Stebbins

GIRLS BOWLING Emily Figer, Beavercreek

BOYS SWIMMING Matt Columbus, Cincinnati St. Xavier

GIRLS SWIMMING Darcy Fishback, Upper Arlington

ICE HOCKEY Pat Shedlock, University School

GYMNASTICS Kelly Nortz, Rocky River Magnificat

BASEBALL Tyler Skulina, Walsh Jesuit

SOFTBALL Tess Sito, Elyria

BOYS TRACK Danny Neff, Vandalia-Butler

GIRLS TRACK Candace Longino-Thomas, Gates Mills Gilmour Academy

BOYS FIELD Erik Kynard, Toledo Rogers

GIRLS FIELD Emily Pendleton, Elmore Woodmore

BOYS TENNIS Peter Kobelt, New Albany

FOOTBALL COACH Scott Bartholomew, Circleville Logan Elm

BOYS BASKETBALL COACH Norm Persin, Oak Hill

GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH Dante Harlan, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame

Photo by Gary Housteau


Photo by Gary HousteauPhoto by Nick Falzerano

Submitted Photo

Ohio H igh Coach o f the Year


STORY BY JEFF WI L L IAMS

n the span of a 30-minute conversa-tion with legendary St. Ignatius foot-ball coach Chuck Kyle, it’s nearlyimpossible to get him to talk abouthimself.He’ll steer you in the direction of his

assistant coaches. Guys like 27-yearoffensive coordinator Nick Restifo or 13-yeardefensive coordinator Dan Corrigan. “You do this at the high school level and

really, you enjoy your friends. Coaching’s a funthing to do with your friends,” he says. He’ll talk about the great men he teaches

about in his capacity as English teacher at St.Ignatius – William Shakespeare and GeoffreyChaucer.“In all honesty, when I started this, I was

going to be a high school English teacher firstand also coach. At no time did I even think Iwas going to be a head coach. I didn’t eventhink that far, I just wanted to coach and teach.I thought it was a great occupation and I stilllove teaching English,” he said.He’ll talk about the endless Division I players

and the work ethic he’s tried to instill at theplace he graduated from in 1969.“If you come in January and February and

you take a look in the weight room you’ll see apack of kids working to get better. And if youdrove to St. Ignatius today at any point, andjust walk onto our field, there’ll be some kind ofconditioning thing going on and there’ll be 60kids in the morning and then later on another60 kids will be out there.”He’ll glow when discussing the great job his

daughter Maureen is doing as a news reporteron WKYC Channel 3 out of Cleveland.“I have to introduce myself as Maureen

Kyle’s dad now,” he said with a smile.Most of all, he’ll talk about what’s great

about his job as a high school football coach.“I love coaching and teaching this age group

because they enter high school and they’reboys; they walk out of high school, they’remen. During those four years it’s amazing forthose young kids. It still is the bastion of inno-cence and I hope it always stays that way.They’re playing because they love it,” the 10-time state champion coach said.That’s right. Ten state championships out of

the 11 times his Wildcat teams have reachedthe playoff finals. Kyle’s program stands alonein the Ohio playoff era in championships after

beating Cincinnati Elder 28-20 last Decemberat Canton’s Fawcett Stadium.He has accrued unbelievable numbers like

his 257-57-1 overall record or 54-11 playoffrecord, which both hover just over the .800mark for winning percentage. His teams havemade it to the postseason all 21 years he’sbeen the head coach and they won the wholething as repeat champions in 1988 and 1989before going from 1991 to 1995 with an unbe-lievable five straight titles. After taking secondin 1996, the Wildcats tacked on championshipsin 1999 and 2001 before its extended breakbefore this year’s title.

Even in June, Kyle had no trouble talkingabout the players who led last year’s team toits 14-1 record and 10th title.“We’ll miss the seniors,” he said. “If I could

put that team in a bottle and pull it out everyyear, I’d be coaching until 90 or when the legsgive out. It was just a pleasure to work withthem. The kids didn’t really care who scoredthe touchdowns, who made the tackles.Seniors, juniors, everyone just got along. Itwas just all for team and that was enjoyable.They had a nice work ethic.”Seniors like quarterback Andrew Holland,

who’s headed to Penn, or Connor Ryan, whois a Ball State recruit. Notre Dame signee DanFox heads the list that also includes Miami ofOhio recruit Pat Hinkel.“Our kids graduate and they go to college,”

said Kyle. “I am so proud of our track recordwith these young men. They go to college,they succeed and they graduate. Last year’sgroup was no exception. They truly led ourballclub and they’re most certainly going to be

missed.”Kyle pointed to the dedication of his players

and the sheer numbers that he pulls togetherat Ignatius. “We had 102 kids on the varsity last year

and total in the program we had a little over250 kids playing football,” he said. “You addthat up, some are going to grow and some aregoing to work. You’re probably going to findsome players in that group.”Kyle’s teams were USA Today National

Champions in 1989 and 1993 and last year,took MaXPrep’s National Runner Up honorsafter finishing first in Region I and fourth in theAssociated Press media polls. That’s despitedropping its first game of the season 20-17 toCleveland Glenville.“I think they looked at our schedule and we

lost to Glenville on the last play and they real-ized, ‘Ok, maybe losing that first one gets us alittle more focused on what we need to workon,” said Kyle. “Their focus the rest of the yearwas astounding.”Like rolling over St. Ed in the first round of

the postseason 37-0 before beating top-rankedGlenville 8-7. Then rolling Strongsville andNorth Canton Hoover by a combined score of71-7 to get to the championship win over Elder.After the state title, Kyle had to get to work

on his summer experience, which is leadingTeam USA in the World Junior FootballChampionships in Canton as teams fromMexico, Germany, New Zealand, Japan,France and Sweden descend upon the statefrom June 27 to July 5.“It’s a great honor,” said Kyle, whose team is

made up of recently-graduated seniors from allover the U.S. “At 58 years old, there’s still timeto try something new and this is going to be awonderful experience for me and for the play-ers.”And what the future holds for the 58-year old

who has been coaching at his alma matersince graduating from John Carroll in 1974?How has he withstood what can only be esti-mated as numerous phone calls from collegeor professional programs looking to retain hissuccessful services?“Of course there have been calls inquiring

about positions, but I got the chance to goback right away from college to the high schoolI went to so there’s a little bit of that loyaltythere,” Kyle said. “And I never wanted to gettalked out of doing what I wanted to do. Youlook at the college level. Amazing athletes,huge excitement, I understand that, but I wouldmiss the classroom, teaching English. Guyswill come back from playing at all the great col-leges where we’ve sent them and they’ll say,‘Coach, it’s not quite as fun now as it was inhigh school.’ The idea of playing it for fun withyour friends is there in high school. I want that.I still love that.” — OH

Chuck Kyle

Cleveland St. Ignatius

I

MP

Ohio H igh Cup


STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

or the sixth year in a row, Ohio High will present the OhioHigh Cup to the school that scores the most points in OhioHigh School Athletic Association-sanctioned state champi-onship events.This competition is patterned after the Directors’ Cup

standings for colleges and universities. In the Ohio High Cupcompetition, schools accumu-late points by finishing in thetop four at OHSAA-sanctionedstate team championships.Schools that win a state title

are awarded five points.Runner-up teams receivethree points, third-place teamsget two points and fourth-placeteams get one point. In sportswhere state semifinal teamstie for third, they each receive1-1/2 points.In this issue, we tabulate the

third and final set of standingsfor the 2008-09 school year.These standings includepoints awarded for the springseason state championships inbaseball, softball and boysand girls track.With state championships in

boys gold, boys swimming andice hockey as well as a third-place finish in wrestling,Hunting Valley UniversitySchool tallied 17 points in to

claim the 2008-09 Ohio High Cup.Cleveland St. Ignatius, the leader after the fall season, gained 1-

1/2 points in the spring by reaching the baseball state final four.That left St. Ignatius in second place with 14-1/2 points.A state title in girls basketball helped Shaker Heights Hathaway

Brown finish in third place with 13-1/2 points.Versailles captured the first Ohio High Cup in 2003-04. In 2004-

05, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit claimed the cup. In 2005-06,Cincinnati St. Xavier won the Ohio High Cup competition. In 2006-07, Kettering Alter won the cup. Last year, Lakewood St. Edwardtook the Ohio High Cup. — OH

F

Hunting Valley UniversitySchool wins 2008-09 OhioHigh Cup; St. Ignatius second

2008-09 Ohio High Cup Standings

1177 —— Hunting Valley University School (D-II boys golf champions, D-II boys swimming champions, D-II wrestling third, ice hockey champions).1144--11//22 –– Cleveland St. Ignatius (D-I football champions, D-I boys golf third, D-I boys soccer champi-ons, D-I wrestling fourth, D-I baseball semifinalist).1133--11//22 –– Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (D-II girls golf third, field hockey champions, D- II girlssoccer semifinalist, D-II girls basketball champions).1133 —— Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (D-II girls cross country champions, D-II boys soccerrunner-up, D-III wrestling third, D-II girls track runner-up)1122--11//22 –– Kettering Alter (D-IV football champions, D-II volleyball runner-up, D-II girls cross countryrunner-up, D-II girls basketball semifinalist).1100 —— Cincinnati St. Xavier (D-I boys golf champions, D-I boys swimming champions), Gates MillsGilmour Academy (D-III girls volleyball runner-up, D-III boys golf third, D-III girls track champions),Mason (D-I boys cross country champions, D-I girls golf champions), Pemberville Eastwood (girlsbowling champions, D-III boys track champions).99 —— Rocky River Magnificat (D-I girls cross country champions, girls gymnastics runner-up, D-I girlstrack fourth).88--11//22 –– Brecksville-Broadview Heights (D-I girls volleyball semifinalist, D-I wrestling third, girls gym-nastics champions), Columbus Hartley (D-II girls volleyball semifinalist, D-II boys track third, D-II girlstrack champions), Upper Arlington (D-I girls cross country fourth, D-I girls soccer semifinalist, D-I girlsswimming champions, D-I boys swimming fourth).88 —— Cincinnati Moeller (D-I boys golf fourth, D-I boys swimming third, D-I baseball champions),Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (D-I girls volleyball semifinalist, field hockey semifinalist, D-I girlsbasketball champions), Oak Hill (D-IV boys basketball champions, D-III girls basketball runner-up),Versailles (D-III girls volleyball semifinalist, D-III girls cross country third, D-III girls basketball semifi-nalist, D-III girls track runner-up), Youngstown Ursuline (D-V football champions, D-III softball runner-up).66--11//22 –– Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (D-II boys cross country fourth, D-I girls golf tied for second,D-II baseball runner-up), Gates Mills Hawken (D-III boys soccer semifinalist, D-II girls swimmingchampions), Lakewood St. Edward (D-I wrestling champions, ice hockey semifinalist), Maria SteinMarion Local (D-V football semifinalist, D-IV girls volleyball champions).66 —— Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (D-I girls golf fourth, D-I girls soccer champions), ColumbusAcademy (D-III football runner-up, field hockey runner-up), Columbus DeSales (D-II football semifi-nalist, D-II boys soccer semifinalist, D-II boys basketball semifinalist, D-II baseball semifinalist),Minster (D-III girls cross country champions, D-III boys golf fourth), Peninsula Woodridge (D-II boyscross country champions, D-II girls cross country fourth), St. Paris Graham (D-II girls golf fourth, D-IIwrestling champions), Tipp City Tippecanoe (D-II boys cross country second, D-II girls golf runner-up).55--11//22 —— Akron Hoban (D-II football semifinalist, D-II girls soccer runner-up, D-II girls track fourth),Columbus Watterson (D-I girls golf tied for second, D-I girls swimming runner-up).55 –– Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (D-II boys basketball champions), Albany Alexander (D-III girls vol-leyball champions), Aurora (D-III football champions), Bellaire St. John Central (D-III boys cross coun-try champions), Centerville (D-I girls swimming third, D-I girls basketball semifinalist, ice hockeysemifinalist), Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (D-II baseball champions), Cincinnati Wyoming(D-II boys swimming runner-up, D-II girls swimming third), Cleveland Central Catholic (D-III boysbasketball champions), Columbus Africentric (D-IV girls basketball champions), Columbus Northland(D-I boys basketball champions), Dayton Carroll (D-II boys soccer champions), Delphos St. John’s (D-VI football champions), Elyria (D-I softball champions), Gahanna Lincoln (D-I boys track champions),Garfield Heights Trinity (D-III boys track champions), Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (D-III baseballchampions), Hamilton Ross (D-II softball champions), Hamler Patrick Henry (D-IV baseball champions),Hebron Lakewood (D-III softball champions), Middletown Fenwick (D-II girls soccer champions),Olmsted Falls (D-I girls volleyball champions), Parma Padua Franciscan (D-II girls volleyball champi-ons), Poland Seminary (D-II girls golf champions), Reynoldsburg (D-I girls track champions), SouthEuclid Regina (D-III girls champions), Springfield Kenton Ridge (boys bowling champions), Strasburg-Franklin (D-IV softball champions), Strongsville (D-I girls soccer runner-up, girls gymnastics third),Sugarcreek Garaway (D-III boys golf champions), Sylvania Southview (D-II football champions),Toledo Ottawa Hills (D-III boys soccer champions), Troy Christian (D-III wrestling champions).

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Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion I


hen the dust settled at theend of the Ohio highschool football season, afamiliar program andcoach were holding thegold trophy as the DivisionI state champion.

Cleveland St. Ignatiusextended its record to playoff state champi-onships to 10 by defeating Cincinnati Elder28-20 in the 2008 Division I state title game.It marked the 10th title in 21 years for theWildcats and their longtime head coachChuck Kyle. It also ended St. Ignatius ̓seven-year state championship drought – thelongest period between titles for the schoolsince it won its first title in 1988.

One certainty – it seems – is that aCincinnati-area school will be in the titlegame. Cincinnati schools have reached thechampionship game seven times in the lasteight years with Cincinnati Elder andCincinnati St. Xavier each winning two titlesand Cincinnati Colerain one during that span.

Those three schools – along with re-emerging Cincinnati Moeller and any numberof Dayton-area schools – figure to be theclass of Region 4. Cincinnati Anderson, theDivision II state champion in 2007 and thestate runner-up last year, has moved up to D-I and could add some spice to that alwayscompetitive region.

Region 3, covering much of central Ohio,could be wide open. In recent years, DublinCoffman and Pickerington Central have beenthe teams to beat.

Northeast Ohio is split into two regions. Asalways, St. Ignatius, Strongsville, Mentor andCleveland Glenville could be the key teamsto watch in Region 1. Region 2, which skewsmore toward the inland teams in northeastOhio, could be wide open. North CantonHoover won the region, defeating CantonGlenOak in the regional final last year. Butlongtime powers Canton McKinley andMassillon Washington will be lurking andworking to try and regain their past glory.Also, defending Division II state championSylvania Southview has moved up to DivisionI this year and could challenge in this region.

The goal will be to reach the state champi-onship game, set for Sat., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.at Cantonʼs Fawcett Stadium.

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Both Division II state finalists from last year - runner-up Anderson(the 2007 champion) and champion Sylvania Southview - are

both in Division I this season thanks to realignment.

D-I




Region 1 Teams To Watch

Cleveland Glenville (11-1)* Players to Watch – WR/DB Christian Bryant

(5-10, 175, Sr.), DB Latwan Anderson (5-11, 185,Sr.), DE Jayrone Elliott (6-3, 210, Sr.), WR/DBShane Wynn (5-8., 155, Jr.), WR/DB Cardale Jones(6-4, 190, Jr.), LB Andre Sturdivant (6-3, 205, Jr.). * Outlook – The Tarblooders won their first 11

games and appeared to be a potential state cham-pionship contender. That streak including an open-ing week win over rival Cleveland St. Ignatius. ButSt. Ignatius avenged that early defeat with a stun-ning 8-7 win in a regional semifinal before going onto the state championship itself.As always, there are heavy grad-

uation losses. OL Marcus Hall andLB Jonathan Newsome signedwith Ohio State. But coach TedGinn Sr. has quite a bit of talent stillon hand to try and make another titlerun.Bryant has scholarship offers from schools from

coast to coast and could be the next spotlight playerout of this inner city school.Anderson transferred from Lakewood St. Edward,

where he was a defensive standout. Elliott’s stockhas also risen with colleges during the spring andearly summer.Glenville is expected to win the Senate League

again. The nonconference is daunting with roadgames against St. Ignatius and trips downstate toface Reynoldsburg and Huber Heights Wayne.

Cleveland St. Ignatius (14-1, StateChampions)* Players to Watch – DE Pat Dowd (6-3, 230,

Sr.), DE Gerard Ramella (6-2, 215, Sr.), OLB JakeRyan (6-2, 215, Sr.), LB Scott McVey (6-1 225, Sr.),OT Stewart Ross (6-4, 225, Sr.), TE BrendanCarrozoni (6-4, 215, Sr.), QB Mark Myers (6-4, 220,Sr.), RB Kevin Johnson (5-11, 190, Sr.).* Outlook – Coach Chuck Kyle, back for his 27th

year with the Wildcats, welcomes back three play-ers with starting experience on offense and five ondefense from his 10th state champi-onship team. Kyle hopes to main-tain the momentum built on thattitle run.“We had a couple of camps

recently and the kids were all like,‘It feels like we just stopped (playing),’” Kyle said. “Now the kids know what the reality isabout winning a state championship. What youhope is that you get to practice an extra five weeksbecause last year, that really did help our youngkids get more experience during our playoff run.”McVey issued an early commitment to Ohio State

after a dominant four-sack performance in the statetitle game win over Cincinnati Elder. For the year,McVey had 94 tackles and 34-1/2 tackles-for-loss.“Scott’s the type of kid, he’s a very focused ath-

lete,” Kyle said. “He loves playing the game. It’salmost like, ‘That’s (his recruitment to Ohio State)done, now let’s get ready to play the season.’ He’sglad it’s out of the way so he can play the game forhis team. He had an amazing season last year.”

Johnson, who rushed for 302 yards and four TDslast year, was a state qualifier in the 100-meterdash. Carrozoni is being heavily recruited as a tightend. Myers started a few games for departed seniorAndrew Holland last year at quarterback.The schedule has Glenville at the beginning and

rival Lakewood St. Edward at the end with a ton ofchallenges – including Clayton Northmont, Mentor,Massillon Washington and Cincinnati St. Xavier —in the middle.

Mentor (9-3)* Players to Watch – QB Sam Mayse (6-5, 200,

Sr.), OG Bryan Vayo (6-3, 285, Sr.), RB MikeKorecz (5-11, 195, Jr.), LB Nick Lamonica (6-2, 215,Sr.).* Outlook – The Cardinals had back-to-back

state runner-up finishes in 2006-07. They only gotas far as the second round last year before a 17-3loss to Strongsville. But coach Steve Trivisonno,back for his 13th year at the helm, has six startersback on offense and three on defense.“I think it will be an interesting year,” Trivisonno

said. “We are going to be a young team. We maybe a year away from being the realdeal. We have some talent in somespots. It will come down to howquickly they come along.”Korecz rushed for 1,100 yards

last year as a sophomore.“Mike is one of the more talented

backs we’ve had,” Trivisonno said. “He has verygood speed and good balance.”Mayse took over at quarterback and threw for

1,800 yards.“Sam is a big-time quarterback,” Trivisonno said.

“He is a big, strong-armed kid. He is being recruitedby everybody. He has a great arm. He has solidspeed and he is a smart kid and a good footballplayer.”Before getting into Lake Erie League play, Mentor

faces a murderer’s row, including Lakewood St.Edward, Strongsville, Solon, Cleveland St. Ignatiusand Cincinnati Moeller.“It is a very difficult first five,” Trivisonno said.

Solon (6-4)* Players to Watch – TE/DE Darryl Baldwin (6-6,

266, Sr.), QB Jake Voigt.* Outlook – The Comets saw their string of play-

off beths snapped at nine straight after finishingninth in the region last year. But coach JimMcQuaide, back for his seventh season as theSolon head coach, welcomes back seven starterson each side of the ball.“We have some guys with experience,”

McQuaide said. “On our defense, we have experi-ence on all three levels. That is advan-tageous for us.”The key name is Baldwin, who

is considered the state’s No. 6senior prospect. He has offersfrom all of the top schools in theMidwest, including Ohio State,Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame and MichiganState.“He has tremendous skill for a guy his size,”

McQuaide said. “He runs very well. He plays defen-sive end and tight end for us. He is a big man, buthe has the skill to match that size.”Solon opens at Garfield Heights, but has four of

its tougher games – Mentor, Mayfield, Brunswickand Strongsville – at home.

Euclid (7-4)* Players to Watch – FB/LB Shane Byrne (5-10,

220, Sr.), DE William Nunnally (5-11, 260, Sr.), OLBMarcus Brown (6-0, 220, Sr.), C/DL Nick Nebe (5-10, 215, Sr.), QB/DB Chuck Bradford (6-0, 175, Jr.),WR Devonte Jones (5-9, 160, Sr.)* Outlook – Longtime assistant Tom Gibbons

took over as the Panthers’ new head coach lastyear and he helped lead Euclid to a playoff berth.But the Panthers fell to Strongsville 35-28 in the firstround. He has two starters back on both sides ofthe ball.“We do not have a lot of experience coming

back,” Gibbons said. “Our senior class is still prettystrong. Some of them even had to play JV ball lastyear and that team was 8-2. We like thegroup of underclassmen who arecoming up. I think we have goodteam quickness and pretty goodsize.”Jones could be a difference

maker as a slot receiver. Bradfordfigures to get some look from collegesas an athlete prospect, Gibbons said.“Chuck is a dual threat kind of guy,” Gibbons

said. “We think his arm strength can improve as hegets stronger and we think he can make somethings happen.”The nonleague schedule includes Strongsville,

Lakewood St. Edward, Willoughby South andWarren Harding.

Youngstown Boardman (5-5)* Players to Watch – QB Rob Boyd (6-0, 195,

Sr.), DE J.T. Moore (6-3, 230, Sr.), WR ChaseHammond (6-5, 200, Sr.), WR Ken Jones (5-10,180, Sr.).* Outlook – The Spartans want to get back into

the playoffs this year after missing the field a yearago. Coach D.J. Ogilvie, back for his sixth year atBoardman, has four starters back on offense andthree on defense.“We have a big senior class, but we do not have

that much experience on either line,” Ogilvie said.“We have a lot of kids the same size. Itold them this summer I have noidea who is going to play (on thelines).”Moore accepted an early schol-

arship offer from Ohio State.“The number one thing with J.T. is

he has a great motor,” Ogilvie said. “He plays bothways for us. He is a good, quality kid with goodgrades. The thing I like about him is he is a goodleader.”Boyd started at quarterback last year.“Rob has a great arm and he is very accurate,”

Ogilvie said. “He has a great throwing motion. Hehas a rifle for an arm.”

Strongsville (11-2)* Players to Watch – OT Andrew Sinko (6-4,

270, Sr.), TE Ray Hamilton (6-4, 235, Jr.), OL DavidKaminski (6-3, 225, Jr.), TB Lew Holder (5-9, 175,Sr.), TB Matt Bianco (5-10, 170, Jr.), TB Kyrun Trigg(5-11, 185, So.).* Outlook – The Mustangs enjoyed a big year,

posting playoff wins over Euclid and Mentor before



falling to Cleveland St. Ignatius in the regional final.Russ Jacques is back for his 17th year as theStrongville head coach and he has a strong nucleusreturning with seven starters back on offense andfour on defense.“Our numbers are great and having a great sea-

son last year that really motivatedthese guys,” Jacques said. “Wewent into the summer with a greatattitude to try and get some thingsdone. We were there knocking onthe door and now we want to takethat next step.”Hamilton is already attracting interest from some

major colleges.“Our lines should be our strength,” Jacques said.

“We only lost one kid on the offensive line and thetight end, Hamilton, is already being recruited by acouple of big D-I schools.”Jacques must find a replacement for departed

starter Kellen Pagel at quarterback.“That is our biggest question mark, who that’s

going to be,” Jacques said. “But we have a lot ofcandidates to look at.”The nonleague slate includes rematches from the

playoffs with Euclid and Mentor as well as a gameagainst D-III playoff qualifier Parma Padua.

Willoughby South (8-3)* Players to Watch – DE/OT Marcus Williams

(6-3, 250, Sr.), TB/LB Gary Harmon (6-0, 205, Sr.),TB Dominique Darling (5-10, 195, Jr.), QB CalRainey (6-4, 200, Sr.), WR Ed Nicholson (6-0, 180,Sr.).* Outlook – The Rebels got into the playoffs last

year as the sixth seed in the regionbefore dropping a first-round gameto Mentor. Matt Duffy is back forhis seventh year as the Southhead coach.“With a very competitive sched-

ule, we hope our guys can matureand grow into their roles,” Duffy said. “If that occurs,we hope to be competitive every week.Williams was a two-way standout last year. He

blocked at 91 percent on offense and tallied 48tackles on defense.Harmon followed up a 1,000-yard season as a

sophomore by rushing for 987 yards and 14 touch-downs in eight games last year. He split carries withDarling, who had 1,200 yards and 12 TDs as asophomore last year.Rainey takes over at quarterback for departed

starter Patrick Nicely, who signed with Akron. Hismain target could be Nicholson, who averaged 17yards on his 23 catches last year.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Lakewood St. Edward (6-5) – St. Edward goes

in a new direction (again) as it has hired Mayfielddefensive coordinator Rick Finotti toreplace Scott Niedzwiecki, who leftafter just two years on the job.Finotti helped Mayfield post a 10-2record and six consecutiveshutouts in 2008. The 2008 seasonended with consecutive losses to St.Ignatius in the regular season and first round of theplayoffs."I know how important that game is to the com-

munity, the alumni and everyone on both sides of

these fine institutions," Finotti said. "That is the onegame we are looking forward to and I fully under-stand the importance of that."* East Cleveland Shaw (9-1) –

Shaw posted a 9-0 regular seasonrecord and qualified for theDivision II playoffs before a first-round loss to Madison. Now Shawmoves up to Division I.* Brecksville-Broadview

Heights (7-4) – The Bees securedthe fifth seed for the playoffs lastyear but they ran into a buzz sawwith Glenville in the first round.* Warren Harding (5-5) – The

Raiders have a nice nucleus inWR/CB D.J. Williamson (6-2, 175,Sr.) and QB/SS Mike Dorsey (6-2,205). Williamson has alreadyaccepted a scholarship offer fromMichigan.* Mayfield (10-2) – The

Wildcats take the jump up fromDivision II to D-I. Mayfield wasousted by Akron Hoban in a region-al semifinal game last year.

Also In This Region:North Royalton (5-5), North Olmsted (4-6),

Painesville Riverside (5-5), Shaker Heights (5-5),Garfield Heights (4-6), Austintown-Fitch (5-5),Cleveland John Adams (8-2), Cleveland JohnMarshall (4-6), Parma (6-4), Cleveland Rhodes (4-6), Lakewood (1-9), Eastlake North (4-6), ParmaHeights Valley Forge (3-7), Middleburg HeightsMidpark (4-6), Lyndhurst Brush (0-10), ClevelandJohn Marshall (4-6), Cleveland Lincoln West (1-9).

Region 2 Teams to Watch

Macedonia Nordonia (7-4)* Players to Watch – RB/S John Spooney (5-10,

170, Sr.), WR/CB Aaron Welsh (5-9, 165, Sr.),WR/CB Kory Clark (5-7, 170, Sr.), OL/DL AaronHighberger (6-1, 240, Sr.), OL/DL Jeff Bruhn (5-11,230, Sr.), LB/TE Zach Seimon (5-9, 185, Sr.),DE/TE Jamil Pickens (5-11, 200, Sr.), WR/S RyanBuck (5-10, 175, Sr.).* Outlook – Al Huge, an assistant at Nordonia

since 1997 and the defensive coordinator since2002, took over as the head coach lastyear and led the Knights to a playoffberth. Nordonia dropped its first-round game to Brunswick 14-10.“We will have new faces out on

the field with a lot of opportunitiesfor juniors to have significant playingtime,” Huge said. “We will not be a verybig team, but we will be athletic.”The Knights face a difficult schedule in the

Northern Ohio Conference."Our team is facing its toughest schedule in

school history,” Huge said. “We are excited aboutthe challenge. We are moving to the upper divisionof the NOC. Strongsville, Solon, Brunswick,Mayfield and Medina make up our conference.Tallmadge and Wadsworth are the first two game on

the schedule.”

Canton GlenOak (10-3)* Players to Watch – ILB/FB Andrew Garman (6-

0, 210, Sr.), QB Brandon Martin (5-10, 170, Sr.),ILB/FB Spyro Spondyl (5-8, 190, Sr.), TB/SS ColinMitchell (5-11, 185, Sr.), OLB Thomas Ross (5-11,205, Sr.).* Outlook – Scott Garcia returns for his third

year as the coach at GlenOak, which welcomesback four starters on offense and five on defense.GlenOak advanced to the regional final before los-ing to Federal League rival NorthCanton Hoover 14-0.“We have a lot of experience at

the skill positions,” Garcia said.“We only have one starter back onthe offense and defensive lines. Weneed some inexperienced guys upfront to step up if we’re going to be able to get backto where we want to be.”Garcia hopes the playoff run will provide his team

some momentum for 2009.“We made it to the third round, so we got those

three extra weeks of practice,” he said.Martin passed for over 1,000 yards and rushed

for close to 800.“We are a multiple offense,” Garcia said. “We will

run out of the I-formation, but we will also run someout of the shotgun with Brandon running the ball.”Ross will be a three-year starter at OLB. Garman

led the team in tackles (107) as a sophomore in2007 and had a team-high 125 stops last year. Healso scored three defensive touchdowns.“Andrew has been a pretty good player for us,”

Garman said. “He needs four tackles to become theall-time leading tackler at the school.”As always, the Federal League schedule will be

a challenge. GlenOak also plays MassillonWashington and Green outside the league.

Canton McKinley (6-5)* Players to Watch – DE Steve Miller (6-4, 235,

Jr.), LB Jewone Snow (6-3, 232, Sr.), ILB RonaldGillum (5-9, 205, Sr.), S Jamon McClain (5-11, 185,Sr.), RB Bryce Wilder (5-9, 170, Sr.), QB KyleOhradzansky (6-0, 202, Jr.).* Outlook – Former Miami (Ohio) assistant Ron

Johnson took over the McKinley program last yearand led the Bulldogs to a playoff berth in his firstseason. McKinley dropped its playoff opener toFederal League rival GlenOak 14-7.“It was very encouraging,” Johnson said. “We

came in following a 3-7 season and took the pro-gram over. We came in and played so many youngguys. We started out 0-2, but then we went on apretty good run.”Johnson welcomes back six

offensive starters and 10 ondefense.“It’s very exciting,” Johnson said.

“Our kids are locked in and focused.They got after it this off-season. I thinkthis is a mature, seasoned group and they havehigh aspirations.”One of the youngsters that got playing time in

2008 was Ohradzansky, who started at quarterbackas a sophomore. He threw for 1,400 yards with 15touchdowns against just seven interceptions.“He can bench 350 pounds and runs a 4.7 40-yardtime,” Johnson said. “He is a big, strong kid.”



Miller is considered one of Ohio’s top five juniorprospects as he tallied 100 tackles, 11 sacks and 23tackles-for-loss. He earned first-team All-Ohio hon-ors as a sophomore and is in line for a number ofmajor college offers.“He just plays with great effort,” Johnson said.

“He takes coaching very week. He is strong, usesgood technique and just plays very hard.”McKinley could be a team to watch in the Federal

League. Nonleague games with Cleveland East Tech,

Huber Heights Wayne and rival MassillonWashington (which won that Week 10 showdown17-0 last year) all loom large.

Massillon Washington (6-5)* Players to Watch – QB Rob Partridge (6-1,

195, Sr.), OG Jeff Myers (6-4, 290, Sr.), WR BoGrunder (5-10, 170, Sr.), NG Joe Studer (6-2, 230,Sr.), LB Spencer Leno (5-11, 210, Sr.), OLB DannyHuhn (6-0, 195, Sr.).* Outlook – Jason Hall, who previously coached

at Ravenna Southeast, Lyndhurst Brush andMacedonia Nordonia, assumed control of theMassillon program last year. He led the Tigers to aplayoff berth. Massillon dropped its first-round gameto North Canton Hoover 14-7.Hall welcomes back seven starters on offense

and five on defense.“Our kids had a great off-season,” Hall said. “If

our kids can reach their potential, I thinkwe can have a very successful sea-son. Our junior and senior classesare a very tight-knit group. We arehaving fun coaching them andthey are responding by bringing itevery day.”Partridge has the potential to be a

run/pass threat. He started half of last season andtallied 471 yards and four touchdowns passing.“Rob had a great end of the season and had a

great off-season,” Hall said. “He is developed physi-cally. He has really matured and he is the leader ofour offense. Our whole offense is predicated onhim. We run multiple formations and run the zone,the zone read, the stretch and the power.”Grunder had 19 catches for 271 yards and seven

touchdowns as a junior. He also had 54 tackles andthree interceptions on defense. Leno tallied a team-high 102 tackles and 17 tackles-for-loss as a junior.As an independent, Massillon plays a challenging

schedule. Opponents include GlenOak, St. Ignatius,Steubenville, Warren Harding, Mentor and the rival-ry with McKinley.

Sylvania Southview (15-0, Division II StateChampions)* Players to Watch – LB/RB Dylan Coleman (6-

0, 208, Sr.), S/WR Jimmy Hall (6-1, 194, Sr.),DL/OL Spencer Marker (5-11, 238, Sr.), RB/DB MoMay (5-11, 184, Sr.), OL/DL Nate McDaniel (6-0,260, Sr.), WR/DB Jake Rhodes (5-10, 176, Sr.),RB/LB Drew Stansley (5-10, 185, Sr.), QB/DBThomas Stichter (6-0, 175, Sr.), RB/LB RyanStricklin (5-11, 205, Jr.), QB/S Alan Gant (6-1, 191,So.), OL/DL Patrick Harrington (6-0, 258, Sr.),OL/DL Kris Hrovatich (6-1, 256, Sr.), WR/LB SeanBrady (6-0, 178, Sr.).* Outlook – The Saints rolled all the way to the

Division II state championship, defeating defendingchampion Cincinnati Anderson 29-25 in the title

game. But with the OHSAA two-year cycle for shuf-fling the divisions by enrollment coming this year,Southview moved up to Division I andwill not defend its title.Southview lost 2,500-yard pass-

er Alex Pidcock to graduation.Gant, though just a sophomore,could be an answer at that pivotalposition.Hall was a two-way standout last year

as a junior. He had 47 catches for 963 yards and 10touchdowns on offense and 84 tackles and fourinterceptions on defense.Coleman tallied 90 tackles and 11-1/2 tackles-for-

loss to help lead the defense.Southview outscored its opponents 40.9-12.0 on

average in 2008.

Also Keep An Eye On* North Canton Hoover (12-2) –

Hoover reached the state semifinalsbehind the exploits of Ohio’s Mr.Football award winner and theOhio High player of the year RBErick Howard (5-10, 210, Sr.).Howard rushed for 2,387 yards and31 touchdowns. He also registered 98 tackles, threesacks and eight tackles-for-loss. Hoover dropped its semifinal game to Cleveland

St. Ignatius 34-7.* Brunswick (10-2) – Brunswick

is led by coach Rich Nowak, whoreturns for his 18th year at thehelm. He guided the Blue Devils tothe second round of the playoffs,where Brunswick fell to CantonGlenOak 28-3. * Fremont Ross (8-2) – The

Little Giants missed the playoffs,but could contend in 2009 behindQB Cody Foos (6-0, 180, Sr.).* Wadsworth (5-5) – The

Grizzlies are led by wide receiverAnthony Schrock (6-3, 175, Sr.),who had 32 catches for 738 yardsand seven touchdowns as a junior.* Whitehouse Anthony Wayne

(5-5) – Anthony Wayne makes thejump up from the Division II ranks.OL Andrew Donnal (6-7, 265, Sr.)has a wide range of scholarshipoffers.* Twinsburg (9-3) – Twinsburg

made a jump from 3-7 in 2007 tonine wins and a berth in the region-al semifinals in 2008. The Tigersdowned Amherst Steele 20-11 intheir playoff opener before falling toNorth Canton Hoover 13-10 in the secondround.

Also In This RegionHudson (5-5), Medina (4-6), Toledo Start (4-6),

Toledo Whitmer (4-5), Perrysburg (6-4), Toledo St.John’s (7-3), Stow-Munroe Falls (4-6), MassillonPerry (4-6), Lorain Admiral King (7-3), AmherstSteele (8-2), Massillon Jackson (5-5), Findlay (6-4),Cuyahoga Falls (2-8), Green (4-6), Toledo Bowsher(4-6), Elyria (2-8), Oregon Clay (7-3), Toledo Waite(1-9).

Region 3Teams to Watch

Dublin Coffman (7-3)* Players to Watch – QB Cole Stoudt (6-4, 185,

Jr.), OL Sam Schulte (6-1, 275, Sr.), ILB BrentBuehler (6-1, 218, Sr.), LB Kyle Frazier (5-11, 225,Sr.), K Kyle Clinton (6-0, 185, Sr.).* Outlook – After reaching the state semifinals

with a 13-1 season in 2007, Coffman went 7-3 andfinished 10th in the region to miss the playoffs. MarkCrabtree, back for his ninth year at Coffman and15th season as a varsity head coach, has sixstarters back on offense and five on defense.“I think our players were definitely disappointed

about missing the playoffs last year, but we hadnobody to blame but ourselves,” Crabtree said. “Westarted out 7-0, but we lost our last three games bya total of 15 points. We weren’t probably athleticenough to make enough of the plays we needed todefeat the teams we played at the end of the year.We lost to three playoff teams there at the end.”Stoudt, whose brother Zack was the previous

starter and a Louisville signee last year, stepped inas the starter last year as a sophomore. Stoudt, sonof former NFL quarterback CliffStoudt, is now regarded as one ofthe state’s top 20 prospects in the2011 class.“The first thing we saw with Cole

was he does have the ability to playat this level,” Crabtree said. “As asophomore in high school, you never know. Hecame in and competed against kids two years olderthan him. He did a good job being a leader and tak-ing charge. He was not intimidated by the situation.“It’s nice to know we have him for two more sea-

sons. He is mechanically sound and has the abilityto make good decisions. His future is pretty bright.”Coffman opens with Powell Olentangy Liberty

with a game at Ohio Stadium as part of the KirkHerbstreit Varsity Series. As always, the OhioCapital Conference Central Division – with the likesof Upper Arlington, Hilliard Davidson andWorthington Kilbourne – looms large.

Upper Arlington (10-2)* Players to Watch – C J.J. Blevins (6-2, 282,

Sr.), OLB/SS Mark McClain (6-1, 195, Sr.), DB PhilJascot (6-1, 191, Sr.), OT Pete Scrivens (6-4, 272,Sr.), LB Daniel Bodomungo (6-1, 246, Sr.), QB KyleCassady (6-2, 176, Sr.).* Outlook – The Golden Bears downed

Marysville 28-16 in their playoff opener last yearbefore falling to Pickerington Central24-16 in a regional semifinal.Coach Mike Golden returns fivestarters on offense and three ondefense.“There is a lot of enthusiasm

around the program,” Golden said.“The expectations are always high at UpperArlington. Our freshmen were undefeated and theJV team was 8-1 last year. There are a lot of goodkids in the program. I think we’re just excited for theyear.“I think we’re going to be very good up front. We

have a number of kids back who played on the line



last year. We are excited about that and we willbuild around our offensive and defensive lines.”Cassady is the grandson of Howard “Hopalong”

Cassady, who won the Heisman Trophy for OhioState in 1955.“Kyle was going to be our starter last year, but he

broke his arm in the first scrimmage and was out forthe whole year,” Golden said. “He is an excitingplayer. He is a really good athlete. He plays on ourlacrosse team.”It doesn’t get any tougher than UA’s opening

game assignment. The Golden Bears open in theHerbstreit Series at Ohio Stadium, but they mustplay defending USA Today national champion FortLauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas.

Hilliard Davidson (11-2)* Players to Watch – ILB Kenny Klatt (6-0, 190,

Sr.).* Outlook – Davidson won the 2006 Division I

state championship, but ended up 10th in the regionin 2007 and missed the playoffs. After a 9-1 regularseason, the Wildcats took playoff wins over GroveCity and Worthington Kilbourne beforefalling to Pickerington Central 7-3 inthe regional final.Brian White returns for his 10th

year at Davidson and 12th seasonas a varsity head coach.“If we can match the leadership

and chemistry we found last year, we should beable to compete for a spot in the playoffs for thesixth time in the last seven years,” White said. “(TheOCC Central) is a tough league. We have severalrivals with Upper Arlington, Coffman, Kilbourne andcrosstown rival Hilliard Darby.“If all the pieces fall into place, I think we have an

opportunity to be there in the end. We are still wait-ing for a couple of key players to buy into the phi-losophy we have at Davidson, and a couple othersto provide the leadership necessary to allow us toreach our potential. High expectations have becomethe norm at Davidson. If this group can do as manygroups before them and reach or exceed theirpotential, it could be a good year for the Wildcats.”

Pickerington Central (13-1)* Players to Watch – FS/QB Josh Kristoff (6-1,

190, Sr.), CB Malcolm Parnell (5-11, 170, Sr.), OLBill Hinderschied (5-8, 190, Sr.), QB GrantHammond (6-1, 170, Jr.), DB Eilar Hardy (6-0, 180,Jr.).* Outlook – It has been a great three-year run

for the Tigers, who have posted a 37-4 record andtwo state final fours. Central was the state runner-up in Division II in 2006 before moving to D-I in2007. Last year, the Tigers reeled off 13 wins toopen the year, including playoff wins over DelawareHayes, Upper Arlington and HilliardDavidson.The run ended with a 24-10

loss to Cincinnati Elder in thestate semifinals. Central lost sev-eral major college signees off thatteam, including DB Jamie Wood andLB Zach Boren to Ohio State and DB Patrick Whiteto Michigan State.Jay Sharrett, back for his seventh year as the

Central head coach, has just two starters back onoffense and three on defense. “I think we’ve got some good guys who can fill

some of those holes,” Sharrett said. “When yousend guys on to play ball on scholarship, you knowit may take two or three guys to do some of thethings those guys did. You still have to put it togeth-er. I think we have some guys who are motivated.“You just have to wind it up and give it a shot. We

may not be picked to be very good, but that cansometimes give you some extra motivation.”Hammond is the leading candidate to step in at

quarterback. Hardy is considered among Ohio’s top20 prospects in the 2011 class. Parnell could be adifference maker at corner.“Malcolm is our best cover corner,” Sharrett said.

“He’s fast. He has 4.4 speed. He is a top track kid,too.”Central will face Orange (Calif.) Lutheran in the

Herbstreit Series at Ohio Stadium.

Worthington Kilbourne (9-3)* Players to Watch – DE Jason Cunningham (6-

4, 225, Sr.), OT/DT Brian Skura (6-7, 250, Sr.),QB/SS Nathan Sparks (6-0, 170, Sr.), C Matt Skura(6-4, 260, Jr.), OG Jeff Holzaepfel (6-2, 260, Sr.),OL Josh Keller (6-2, 265, Sr.).* Outlook – Kilbourne downed Columbus

Brookhaven 14-6 in its playoff opener before fallingto OCC Central rival Hilliard Davidson 21-7 in aregional semifinal. Coach Vince Trombetti, back forhis fourth season as the Wolves’ head coach, hasfour starters back on offense and tworeturning on defense.“We don’t have a lot of guys

back, but I think we have themback at the right positions at leastto start with,” Trombetti said. “Wehad 30 seniors on the team last yearand we have 20 coming back this year.We know we need some juniors to step up and fillsome of those gaps.“Only one time in school history has Kilbourne

gone to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons andthat was 2004-05. We can do that with this team,but we need to see some more consistency to dothat.”Sparks was a starter on defense and will slide

into the quarterback spot.“Nathan will be more of a quarterback this year,”

Trombetti said. “He will still play some at strongsafety, though. He has played quarterback in oursystem in middle school and with the JV team. Itmay be hard to step in as an option quarterback.”

Westerville South (5-5)* Players to Watch – QB John Jennings (6-0,

175, Sr.), WR Jack Tomlinson (5-9, 175, Sr.), WRRyan Barber (6-0, 185, Sr.), LB Jamar Williams (6-0, 225, Sr.), LB Murtada Jabbie (6-2, 215, Sr.).* Outlook – Coach Rocky Pentello has three

starters back on offense and nine returning ondefense. The Wildcats have a tough early schedulewith games against Hilliard Davidson at OhioStadium in the Herbstreit Series as well as againstColumbus Watterson and Clayton Northmont.“We better get off to a good start,” Pentello said.

“I think we’ve got some potential coming back. Butit’s what the kids do with that potential.”Jennings has limited experience at quarterback.“He only played quarterback for two games after

our starter broke his leg,” Pentello said. “But wethink he runs well. If we want to run the quarterbackon the option, we think he can do that. He can also

throw it pretty good.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Gahanna Lincoln (4-6) – John

Snoad is looking for better successin his second year at the helm withGahanna. RB/WR EarlCunningham, a two-year letterwin-ner, is among the top returnees. * Westerville North (2-8) – Mike

Owens takes over as the newcoach at North. Key returneesinclude TE/DE Andrew Ziegler (6-2, 225, Sr.), ILB/FB Drew Hall (5-10, 215, Sr.) and WR/OLB KevinMacauley (6-0, 175, Sr.).* Lancaster (6-4) – The Golden

Gales will look to get back into theplayoff hunt behind DB NathanCarpenter (5-10, 181, Sr.), son ofcoach Rob Carpenter.* Springfield (4-6) – Former North

coach and Kettering Fairmont athletic director andcoach Rick Robertson took over asthe head coach in the first year atthe consolidated Springfield High.The Wildcats could take a steptoward contention in 2009 behindDL Desmond McCown (6-3, 230, Sr.)and LB Trey DePriest (6-2, 210, Jr.).DePriest is considered among Ohio’s top fiveprospects in the 2011 class.* Powell Olentangy Liberty (8-4) –

Liberty makes the leap up toDivision I from D-II, where thePatriots advanced to the regionalsemifinals last year before falling toMedina Highland 35-0.

Also In This RegionLima Senior (2-8), Hilliard Darby (6-4),

Westerville Central (0-10), Groveport-Madison (4-6),Pickerington North (5-5), Marysville (7-3), Newark(1-9), Delaware Hayes (7-3), Thomas Worthington(2-8), Reynoldsburg (2-8), Grove City CentralCrossing (1-9), Grove City (6-4), Marion Harding (1-9), Mount Vernon (1-9), Galloway Westland (1-9),Columbus Franklin Heights (5-5), ColumbusNorthland (4-6), Columbus West (1-8), Troy (6-4),Hilliard Bradley (new school).Note: Four schools in this region (Grove City,

Grove City Central Crossing, Columbus FranklinHeights and Galloway Westland) needed to have aballot issue pass in August in order to support foot-ball teams and athletics for the coming school year.If that issue fails, many teams in this region will bescrambling at the last minute to fill schedulingvacancies.Also, Hilliard Bradley is a new school. Bradley’s

exact divisional assignment will be made once itsenrollment total is certified.

Region 4Teams to Watch

Cincinnati St. Xavier (4-6)* Players to Watch – QB Luke Massa (6-6, 205,

Sr.), OL Matt James (6-7, 290, Sr.), OL Eric Gantzer



(6-3, 250, Sr.), CB Nick Weston (6-1, 185, Sr.), CBWill Carroll (6-1 ½, 175, Sr.), LB Steven Daniels (6-0, 235, Jr.).* Outlook – Between 2005-07, St. Xavier posted

a 40-2 record with a pair of 15-0 state champi-onship seasons. But the Bombers took a step backin 2008, losing several tight games and posting alosing record.“You never settle for anything but the best,” said

St. X coach Steve Specht, who is back for his fifthyear with the Bombers. “But we felt the schedule wehad was brutal. We played a number of teamsranked in the top 20 in the country. We didn’t stayhealthy. We lost three games by a total of sevenpoints. I don’t look at last year as a failure. We hada group of young kids who worked hard. The balljust didn’t bounce our way last year.”Specht welcomes back seven starters on offense

and five on defense.“Our offensive line should be the strength of our

team,” Specht said. “We bring back our quarterbackand we feel he is a major collegeprospect. We have a nice stable ofrunning backs. We have to findsome receivers.”Massa, a Cincinnati commit,

split time at quarterback last year.He threw for 752 yards and three TDs.“He is the smartest quarterback I have coached,”

Specht said. “He makes unbelievable decisions. Heis very even keeled and poised in the pocket.”James is considered one of the nation’s top

offensive line prospects with offers from a numberof top schools, including Cincinnati, Notre Dameand Ohio State.“We have leaned Matt out a little bit and he looks

good,” Specht said. “Other than the fact he’s gotsize and athleticism, if you come to our practicesyou’ll see a kid who works as hard in practice as hedoes in a game.”St. X opens with Cincinnati Colerain in the

Crosstown Showdown. Four state championshipteams – Indianapolis Cathedral, Louisville Trinity,Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands and Cleveland St.Ignatius – dot the schedule. Plus, the usual GreaterCatholic League challenges of Cincinnati Elder andCincinnati Moeller loom large.

Clayton Northmont (10-2)* Players to Watch – C Reuben Victoria (5-10,

260, Sr.), WR Josh McClain (6-2, 225, Jr.), CBQuinton Cooper (5-9, 175, Sr.), DT Chavez Leath(5-11, 295, Jr.), FS Ethan Zoellner (6-2, 195, Sr.),QB Tyler Kerlin (6-0, 170, Sr.), QB Rob Sakosky (6-0, 170, Jr.).* Outlook – The Thunderbolts have qualified for

the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons.Northmont edged Kettering Fairmont 28-27 in itsplayoff opener before losing to eventual state run-ner-up Cincinnati Elder 13-10 in thesecond round. Coach LanceSchneider, starting his 11th year atNorthmont, has three startersback on offense and five ondefense.“The biggest thing is we have to

replace four of our five offensive linemen and allthree linebackers,” Schneider said. “How well wecan do that will determine how good we’re going tobe. Last year, we had to do the same thing with theoffensive line and we had some kids step up.”

Kerlin and Sakosky will battle to replace departedstarter Chase Belton, now at Wabash, at quarter-back.McClain made 12 catches last year and is

already attracting interest from schools, includingoffers from Colorado and Alabama. Cooper, a three-year starter, also has a handful of offers.Northmont opens with West Chester Lakota West

in the Crosstown Showdown and will also visitCleveland St. Ignatius before diving into WesternOhio League play.

Centerville (7-4)* Players to Watch – OL Michael Bennett (6-2,

270, Jr.), OL Benny McGowan (6-3, 280, So.), OLChris Duffy (6-1, 240, Sr.), WR Kyle Torpey (6-0,180, Sr.), HB/FB Nick Miller (5-9, 230, Jr.), QB ZakBertram (5-11, 190, Sr.), DL Kyle Rose (6-4, 235,Jr.), LB Jamael Green (5-11, 215, Sr.), LB MikeReplogle (6-2, 210, Jr.), DB John Overstreet (5-10,170, Jr.).* Outlook – The Elks have been one of the most

consistent programs in Ohio under Ron Ullery, whoreturns for his 10th year as theCenterville coach. Centervilledropped its playoff opener toCincinnati Elder 52-27 last year.Ullery welcomes back five starterson offense and seven on defense.“We had a great senior class last

year, but we still had a lot of young guys who gotexperience and ended up starting as the year wenton,” Ullery said. “I think we’ve got a lot of expecta-tions, but we’ll still be relatively young. We mayhave as many as nine juniors starting on defense.“We have some young and hungry guys who are

eager to be coached.”Bertram will be a first-year starter at quarterback.

Miller and Rose were each placers in the statewrestling meet.Centerville will play Liberty Twp. Lakota East,

Mason and Cincinnati Moeller before diving intoWOL play.

Huber Heights Wayne (8-4)* Players to Watch – QB Braxton Miller (6-2,

190, Jr.), DL Terry Talbott (6-3, 265, Sr.), CBTerrence Talbott (5-10, 175, Sr.), MLB JoshHarrison (6-1, 220, Sr.), DB Tre Moore (5-11, 180,Jr.).* Outlook – Wayne was off to a 5-0 start before

Miller, its standout quarterback, suffered a brokenleg in a Week 6 game against Clayton Northmont.Wayne still made the playoff field andswamped unbeaten CincinnatiWoodward 52-0 in its openerbefore falling to CincinnatiColerain 23-0 in the secondround.Miller has recovered from the

injury and is considered Ohio’s topprospect in the 2011 class. After throwing for 1,000yards and rushing for 500 as a freshman, he threwfor 642 yards and five touchdowns in six gamesbefore the injury.“When you have a player like Braxton, you have

to feel good about that,” said Wayne coach JayMinton, who returns for his 11th year as the Waynecoach and 19th as a varsity head coach. “His com-petitiveness and athletic ability, that is a combina-tion that you don’t see very often. He’s a special

player who, when he steps on the field, he makeseveryone else around him better.” Minton has five starters back on offense and six

on defense.“We feel we are pretty solid up front,” Minton

said. “At receiver, we don’t have that one marqueeguy. With Braxton being there, you want to makesure you have some guys who can run great routesand catch the ball.”The schedule will be a challenge. Wayne opens

against Cincinnati Princeton in the CrosstownShowdown before going upstate to visit CantonMcKinley and hosting powerful Cleveland Glenville.Wayne also figures to be in the WOL hunt.

Cincinnati Colerain (11-2)* Players to Watch – QB Greg Tabar (6-0, 180,

Sr.), OLB Tyon Dixon (6-0, 200, Sr.), FB TrayionDurham (6-1, 227, Jr.), RB Tyler Williams (5-8, 155,Jr.), C Brandon Good (6-2, 265, Sr.), MLB JarrettGrace (6-4, 235, Jr.), S Bam Harrison (5-9, 180,Sr.), CB Chris Dukes (5-10, 178, Jr.).* Outlook – It has been a pretty good two years

at the helm for Tom Bolden, who followed the leg-endary Kerry Coombs as the Colerain coach in2007. In two seasons, the Cardinals have gone 21-3 under Bolden. Last year, Colerain downedCincinnati Moeller and Huber Heights Wayne in theplayoffs before falling to Cincinnati Elder 27-20 indouble overtime in a heartstopping regional final.Middletown snapped Colerain’s

string of 61 straight Greater MiamiConference wins, but theCardinals still won the conferencetitle.Bolden welcomes back seven

starters on offense and six ondefense.“Without a doubt, we are still a young team,”

Bolden said. “We played six sophomores last year.They did not perform like sophomores. Theyexcelled. Defensively, we think we will be as athleticand as fast as we have ever been.”Tabar is a caretaker in the option offense,

although he threw for 515 yards and six touch-downs last year. Williams and Durham eacheclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last year. Williams fin-ished with 1,269 yards and 16 TDs rushing, whileDurham had 1,032 yards and nine scores.Colerain meets St. Xavier in the Crosstown

Showdown and visits Cincinnati Elder as well.Another GMC title will be the goal when the confer-ence season arrives.

Cincinnati Moeller (6-5)* Players to Watch – LB Nick Galvin (6-1, 230,

Sr.), QB Andrew Hendrick (6-3, 220, Sr.), DEMarcus Rush (6-3, 235, Sr.), OT Jeff Tanner (6-4,280, Sr.), TE David Schneider (6-3, 245, Sr.), OGAli Kassem (6-4, 330, Sr.).* Outlook – John Rodenberg stepped in as the

Moeller coach last year and led the Crusaders to aplayoff berth. Moeller dropped its first-round gameto Colerain 17-10. Rodenberg’s teamcould be poised to go deeper in2009 with seven starters back onoffense and eight returning ondefense.“We were excited with the way

we got into the playoffs,” Rodenbergsaid. “We beat St. Xavier and Lakewood St.



Edward. Unfortunately, we got in there and lost toColerain. We have a lot of guys coming back. Wehope they can play up to their potential. Our regionis extremely tough, but if they can do that we couldbe in the thick of it this year.“We are excited to have that many starters back.

That puts me under a lot of pressure I guess,”Rodenberg joked.All eyes will be on Hendrix, who verbaled to

Notre Dame in late June. He threw for 1,609 yardswith 11 TDS against seven interceptions last year.“He’s got phenomenal arm strength and release,”

Rodenberg said. “He is very intelligent.”Galvin tallied 9-1/2 sacks as a junior. Rush and

Tanner each have a host of college offers.

Cincinnati Elder (13-2, D-I Runner-Up)* Players to Watch – QB Mark Miller (6-0, 185,

Sr.), TE Alex Welch (6-5, 235, Sr.), WR TimO’Connor (6-3, 180, Sr.), LB Corey Mason (6-3,215, Sr.), CB Jake Fishburn (6-2, 180, Sr.).* Outlook – Elder moved back into the forefront

in the GCL as well as on the statewide stage withits run to the state title game. There had been somelean times for the Panthers since winning back-to-back state titles in 2002-03.After winning the regional title, Elder downed

Pickerington Central 24-10 in a state semifinalbefore falling to Cleveland St.Ignatius 28-20 in the title game.Still, it was a major breakthroughfor an Elder program that hadfailed to win a playoff game in itstwo playoff appearances since win-ning its last title in 2003.“It was an exciting year,” said Elder coach Doug

Ramsey, who is starting his 13th year as thePanthers head coach. “I’m not sure there were aton of expectations for that team. That team was abig-time overachiever. We won 13 games and welost one to the eventual national champion (FortLauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) and one in thestate title game.”Elder will have four returning starters on offense

and seven on defense.“Our skill positions on offense should be pretty

good,” Ramsey said. “But we lost all five of our line-men from last year. We have a chance to have abigger line than we had last year. On defense, wedon’t normally have seven guys back. We expectthe defense to play well.”Miller threw for 1,968 yards with 21 touchdowns

against just four interceptions.“Mark understands the game,” Ramsey said. “He

is a very accurate quarterback and gets the ball tothe open receiver.”Welch, who had four touchdowns among his 16

catches last year, has already verbaled to NotreDame.The schedule is tough as nails. Elder faces

Illinois state champion East St. Louis and Kentuckystate champion Louisville Trinity. Elder also facesColerain, Lakewood St. Edward and ColumbusDeSales in addition to the usual GCL challenges.

Cincinnati Anderson (12-3, D-II Runner-Up)* Players to Watch – OL Andrew Norwell (6-7,

275, Sr.), OL Greg Mancz (6-5, 270, Sr.), QBBrandon Bornhauser (6-0, 185, Sr.), TB Kyle Slater(6-0, 195, Sr.), LB Kevin Cripe (6-0, 175, Sr.), NT TyKnabb (5-10, 220, Sr.), LB Jake Lackner (6-0, 215,

Sr.).* Outlook – Over the last two years, Anderson

has posted a 25-5 mark with a Division II state titlein 2007 and a runner-up finish in 2008. So whatkind of reward do the Redskins get as a reward?They get moved up to Division I after the latestenrollment survey by the OHSAA.“We are moving up and we will be the smallest

school by enrollment in Region 4,” said Andersoncoach Jeff Giesting. “We will do the best we can. It’sa chance to show where our program is at. Thebiggest difference is the physicality of the football.In Division I, hardly anybody plays both ways. Wedo two-platoon.“It is a chance for us to play some

great teams like St. X and Elder andMoeller and Colerain. We get tosee where we stack up after twopretty successful years in D-II.”Giesting has five starters back

on offense and six on defense. Thekey name is Norwell, who is consideredamong the nation’s best OL and has already ver-baled to Ohio State. “He is a very physical player who works to get

better,” Giesting said. “He has size and long armsand good balance. He works at it.”It helps to have a talent like Slater at running

back. He tallied 1,965 yards rushing and 30 touch-downs last year, including 26 carries for 177 yardsand three touchdowns in Anderson’s 29-25 loss toSylvania Southview in the D-II state title game.

Kettering Fairmont (7-4)* Players to Watch – OL Michael Shope (6-4,

270, Sr.), OL Jordan Erbes (6-4, 260, Sr.), WRBrendon Cunningham (6-1, 205, Sr.), WR ShermanWilkinson (6-2, 165, Sr.), WR/RB Ben Victor (5-11,195, Sr.), DL Cody Tangeman (6-2, 240, Sr.), OLTimothy Trummer (6-1, 250, Jr.), WR/DB TylerDowning (6-1, 175, Jr.), LB Matt Jackson (5-11,205, Sr.).* Outlook – Fairmont made its first-ever playoff

appearance last year, finishing seventh in theregional rankings. The heartbreaking first-round lossto Clayton Northmont has not stemmed excitement.“It was an outstanding off-season after the team’s

first playoff trip,” said coach Brain Blevins, back forhis seventh year as the Fairmont headcoach. “All of that contributes tosome high expectations. Weexpect to compete for a (WOL)championship and to make a runin the playoffs.”Shope and Erbes are building

blocks on the offensive line. Cunningham had 58catches and six touchdowns last year, Wilkinsonmade 27 catches with three touchdowns. Jacksonhad 124 tackles and nine tackles-for-loss ondefense last year.

West Chester Lakota West (6-4)* Players to Watch – LB Jordan Hicks (6-2, 223,

Sr.), TE Alex Smith (6-5, 250, Sr.), OT KevinSchloemer (6-6, 270, Sr.), TB Jordan Thompson (6-0, 210, Sr.), QB John Peters (6-6, 210, Sr.).* Outlook – Lakota West coach Larry Cox is

back for his 13th year with the Firebirds. He wel-comes back 11 starters (six offense).“We never change our expectations,” Cox said.

“We have a good senior class coming back. There

are 30-plus seniors. Our main goal is to win the(GMC) championship. We feel if you win ourleague, you’ve got a shot to win a state champi-onship. It is easier to get into theplayoffs than it is to win ourleague.”Hicks is rated as Ohio’s No. 1

college prospect and as one of thenation’s top linebackers. He tallied88 tackles, 15-1/2 tackles-for-loss andtwo interceptions as a junior. He is consideringoffers from Ohio State, USC, Texas, Alabama,Georgia and Florida. (More on Hicks, page 80.)Smith tallied 27 catches and four touchdowns as

a junior. He committed early to Cincinnati, but hasreconsidered that verbal. Peters threw for 765 yardsand 10 touchdowns last year.Lakota West faces Clayton Northmont, Lancaster

and Kettering Fairmont before GMC play.

Also Keep An Eye On* Cincinnati Sycamore (8-2) – The Aviators

were in the hard-luck spot of finishing ninth in theregion’s playoff standings and missed the field.There is more hard luck as top rusher Bud Goldenand top receiver Steve Hull have graduated.* Cincinnati Princeton (5-5) – Princeton could

push for a playoff berth behind theplay of quarterback Spencer Ware(6-0, 215, Sr.), who is consideredone of the state’s top 10 prospectsfor 2010. Ware threw for 1,938yards and 13 TDs last year and alsorushed for 741 yards and 15 scores.* Cincinnati Woodward (10-1) – The Bulldogs

went 10-0 and claimed a playoff berth before beingupended by Wayne 52-0 in the first round.

Also In This Region:Cincinnati LaSalle (4-6), Cincinnati Withrow (4-6),

Beavercreek (5-5), Xenia (2-8), Fairborn (3-7),Springboro (7-3), Cincinnati Glen Este (5-5), LibertyTwp. Lakota East (3-7), Hamilton (7-3), Middletown(6-4), Loveland (6-4), Milford (4-6), Lebanon (7-3),Mason (2-8), Miamisburg (2-8), Cincinnati Oak Hills(3-7), Cincinnati Western Hills (3-6), Fairfield (1-9).

Region 1Glenville over Cleveland St. IgnatiusRegion 2Canton GlenOak over North CantonHooverRegion 3Dublin Coffman over Upper ArlingtonRegion 4Cincinnati Elder over CincinnatiColerainChampionship GameCincinnati Elder over Glenville

Ohio High Division IPredictions



ANTON – When the St. Ignatius football play-ers arrived at practice the Thursday before thestate championship game, 300 former Wildcats

greeted them.Never mind that it was Thanksgiving. They had

a tradition to uphold.Some had played on one or more of the

school’s nine state championship teams from1988 to 2001. Others hadn’t experienced the thrill.But their mere presence inspired the current edi-tion to greatness.That greatness was achieved Nov. 30 at

Canton Fawcett Stadium. The Wildcats clawedtheir way to a 28-20 triumph over persistent Elderto win their first Division I crown in seven years.And if the performance of one particular junior

is any indication, an 11th state title for Ignatiuscoach Chuck Kyle could certainly be earned in

2009. That player is linebacker Scott McVey, whoregistered four-and-a-half of the team’s eightsacks, added an interception, and spent half theevening in the Panthers’ backfield.McVey was so impressive that Kyle compared

him to Massillon Washington legend ChrisSpielman, who went on to be a standout line-backer at Ohio State and three-time Pro Bowler inthe NFL.“There have been some great players who

have played on this field over the year, kids likeSpielman, and this is a kid who can be like that,”Kyle exclaimed. “He loves playing the game. Sendhim on a blitz - he loves it. Put him out in cover-age and he’ll get an interception for you. He hasskill, that’s for sure, but you can also see that heloves the game. There are certain players who arejust playmakers and he’s one of them.”So is Wildcats quarterback Andrew Holland,

who placed his team in control from the start byengineering a scoring drive on the game’s openingpossession. He fired a pass over the middle totight end Brendan Carozzoni, who shed a tackleand raced into the end zone for a 21-yard touch-down that made it 7-0.The Panthers responded by driving into Ignatius

territory, but an interception by McVey (who else?)killed the march. Hot-Hand Holland continued tofire away, then stretched the advantage to 14-0 ona perfect arc pass to senior Connor Ryan.The Wildcats were merely revving up. They

made it three touchdowns in three possessions ona 2-yard run by Pat Hinkel, a brilliant safety whodoubled as a goal-line back.The teams traded interceptions in the second

quarter, after which prolific Elder quarterback MarkMiller and receiver Tim O’Conner went to work.The pair hooked up on a 9-yard scoring strike withthree minutes remaining in the first half to givetheir team hope.It would become a trend. Miller continued firing

away the rest of the game and finished withDivision I title game records of 28 completions and401 passing yards. O’Conner contributed 15receptions, which is a championship game recordfor all divisions.But the Panthers couldn’t recover until their

defense did. And that defense yielded anothertouchdown on the Wildcats’ first drive of the sec-ond half when Holland dumped a short pass toRyan, who broke a tackle and raced 51 yardsdown the right sideline to increase the lead to 28-7.“Our offensive coaches called some great

routes,” said Holland, who completed 12 of 22passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns. “AndI had great protection. I tried to look at it like a reg-ular season game, but that was hard to do. Thecoaches did a great job putting together a scout-ing report. (Elder) played a 4-2 and dropped theirdefensive backs, so those curl routes in the mid-dle of the field were going to be open all night.”Elder finally found itself defensively from that

point on, but it was a classic case of too little, toolate. A 45-yard bomb from Miller to 210-poundwideout Josh Jones chopped its deficit to 28-13(Ignatius safety Dan Fox blocked the extra point)with 17 seconds left in the third quarter. Milleradded a 2-yard scoring pass to O’Conner with1:22 remaining in the game. — Marty Gitlin

Division I State Championship

20 28

2008 Revisited

St. Ignatius winstitle No. 10

C

Senior quarterback Andrew Hollandcompleted 12-of-22 passes for 208yards and three touchdowns.

Phot

o by

Ste

phan

ie Po

rter

State FinalCleveland St. Ignatius 28, Cincinnati Elder 20

State SemifinalsCleveland St. Ignatius 34, North Canton Hoover 7Cincinnati Elder 24, Pickerington Central 10

Regional FinalsRegion 1 Final(1) Cleveland St. Ignatius 37, (2) Strongsville 0Region 2 Final(1) North Canton Hoover 14, (2) Can. GlenOak 0Region 3 Final(3) Pickerington Central 7, (1) Hilliard Davidson 3 Region 4 Final(3) Cincinnati Elder 27, (1) Cincinnati Colerain 20

Regional SemifinalsRegion 1(1) Cle. St. Ignatius 8, (4) Cleveland Glenville 7(2) Strongsville 17, (3) Mentor 3Region 2(1) North Canton Hoover 13, (4) Twinsburg 10 (2) Canton GlenOak 28, (3) Brunswick 3Region 3(1) Hilliard Davidson 21, (5) Worth. Kilbourne 7(3) Pickerington Central 24, (2) Upper Arlington 16Region 4(1) Cincinnati Colerain 23, (4) H. Heights Wayne 0(3) Cincinnati Elder 13, (2) Clayton Northmont 10

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 11 Cle. St. Ignatius 37, 8 Lakewood St. Edward 02 Strongsville 35, 7 Euclid 283 Mentor 31, 6 Willoughby South 24 Cleveland Glenville 35, 5 B’ville Broadview-Heights 8Region 21 N. Canton Hoover 14, 8 Massillon Washington 72 Canton GlenOak 14, 7 Canton McKinley 73 Brunswick 14, 6 Macedonia Nordonia 04 Twinsburg 20, 5 Amherst Steele 11Region 31 Hilliard Davidson 38, 8 Grove City 72 Upper Arlington 28, 7 Marysville 163 Pickerington Central 38, 6 Delaware Hayes 215 Worthington Kilbourne 14, 4 Col. Brookhaven 6Region 41 Cincinnati Colerain 17, 8 Cincinnati Moeller 102 Clayton Northmont 28, 7 Kettering Fairmont 273 Cincinnati Elder 52, 6 Centerville 274 Huber Heights Wayne 52, 5 Cin. Woodward 0

Division I Playoffs

1. Cincinnati Edler (13-2)2. Pickerington Central (13-1)3. Cleveland Glenville (11-1)4. Cleveland St. Ignatius (14-1)5. Cincinnati Colerain (11-2)6. North Canton Hoover (12-2)7. Strongsville (11-2)8. Mentor (9-3)9. Upper Arlington (11-1)10. Hilliard Davidson (11-20

Final 2008 Ohio High/ONNPower Poll

* Poll is completed following Week 10 of regular season


Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion I I

here is a tremendousamount of change inDivision II this seasonwith several top-notchprograms moving in andout of the division, andmany other teams

switching regions.How much change exactly? Well,

try this on for starters: All 2008Division II state semifinalists are nolonger in the division, including statechampion Sylvania Southview andrunner-up Cincinnati Anderson whoare both moving up to D-I. (Theother semifinalists were AkronHoban and Columbus DeSales, whoare each moving down to D-III thisyear.)

However, plenty of talented pro-grams have replaced the ones thathave departed. Perhaps the mostnotable addition is the return ofColumbus Brookhaven to theDivision II ranks. The Bearcats wonthe 2004 D-II state championship,but moved up to D-I the followingseason. They are now back inDivision II where they feel like theybelong.

Also joining Division II this seasonare 2008 D-III state championAurora and 2007 D-III state champSunbury Big Walnut.

Despite all the alterations toDivision II, plenty of the usual sus-pects are right where they havebeen for years. Fans can expectrecent D-II powers like Avon Lake,Cincinnati Turpin, Cincinnati WintonWoods, Columbus Marion-Franklin,Lexington, Logan, Louisville andToledo Central Catholic to be strongsquads once again.Photo by the Mansfield News Journal/www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Lexington senior quarterback and defensive back CourtneyAvery has committed to Michigan. Avery originally decided

on Stanford but changed his mind in June. D-IIT


Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion I ISTORY BY DAVE B IDDLE


Akron Garfield (8-2)* Players To Watch – RB/DB Tyson Gulley (5-9,

210, Sr.), RB/DB Toneo Gulley (5-9, 175, So.),OL/DL Sheldon Spaulding (6-1, 220, Sr.), WR/DBDavonne Dixon (5-10, 170, Sr.), C/LB Kevin Jones(5-9, 190, Jr.), TE/DE Kevin Brewton (6-3, 215, Jr.)* Outlook – Garfield narrowly missed the play-

offs last year in Division I (11th in Region 2) andthis year the Rams move down to D-II whichshould help their postseason chances. Tyson Gulley is ranked as the No. 67 senior in

the state by Ohio High and has scholarship offersfrom Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, CentralMichigan, Eastern Michigan, Kansas, Kent State,Miami U., Ohio U., Syracuse and Toledo. Last sea-son, he had 1,376 rushing yards (7.9 yards percarry) and a total of 22 touchdowns(18 rushing, two on kickoff returns,one on a punt return and one ona fumble return). He played spar-ingly on defense last year, buthad 15 tackles, three fumble recov-eries, two forced fumbles and aninterception.Younger brother Toneo Gulley is ranked as the

No. 10 sophomore in the state according to OhioHigh. Last year as the only freshman on Garfield’svarsity, he had 64 tackles, five pass break-ups, afumble recovery returned for a touchdown and aforced fumble.Dixon had 35 tackles and a fumble recovery and

will have a bigger role offensively and defensivelythis season.

“Sheldon Spaulding, Kevin Jones and KevinBrewton did an outstanding job runblocking for us,” head coach Bob Sax said.Sax is entering his eighth season at Garfield’s

head coach and has been at the school for 21years. He has a career mark of 45-26 and coachedformer Ohio State and current Arizona Cardinalsrunning back Chris “Beanie” Wells at Garfield.Sax is honest when asked about moving down a

division. He knows nothing will come easy, butbelieves it will help his team’s playoff chances.“We are excited about dropping down to D-II,”

he said. “Our region is very strong, but we feel likewe can compete at a high level with these teams.Our schedule is primarily a bunch of D-II teams, sofinally getting to compete for a playoff spot in D-IIis beneficial for us.”

Aurora (13-2)* Players To Watch – QB Ty Watson (6-4, 215,

Sr.), WR/DB Mike Ganoe (6-1, 180, Sr.), WR/DBSteven Snyder (6-1, 185, Sr.), TB/OLB Eric Schultz(5-9, 185, Sr.), TE/DE Mitch Knapp (6-5, 220, Sr.),C Ben Jubell (6-2, 305, Sr.)* Outlook – Aurora roared to the Division III

state championship last year and the Greenmenare moving up to D-II this season. The problem is,they graduated an extremely talented senior class,including OL/DL Adam Bellamy (now at OhioState), QB Brendan Gallagher and WR/CB DeeBrizzolara. Aurora beat Sunbury Big Walnut (whichalso moves up to D-II this season) 20-14 in the

state semifinals and then knocked off ColumbusEastmoor 21-10 in the championship game.“Last year was a magical season,” head coach

Bob Mahalik said. “You have to have so manythings go right to win a state title. Fire and fore-most, we had great senior leadership and goodkids that believed in each other. And we were tal-ented and we had some breaks go our way.”Watson – who played some linebacker last year

– takes over the quarterback duties this seasonand the coaching staff is confident in him.“Ty is a big, strong kid and has

waited his turn for two years and isgoing to have great senior sea-son,” Mahalik said. “He can makeall the throws; he really has amajor league arm. Since he hasn’tplayed much, colleges want to seewhat he does this fall. MAC schools are interestedin him.”The Greenmen return five key starters from their

championship squad. Ganoe and Snyder eachhauled in over 20 receptions last year. Their roleswill increase both as receivers and defensivebacks. Schultz was the defensive MVP in the statetitle game with two sacks and the interceptionwhich clinched the game. His role will alsoincrease, especially offensively at tailback.Even with the loss of Bellamy who started both

ways, Aurora returns solid offensive and defensivelines. Jubell graded out very high last year and hereturns at center. Knapp will anchor the defensiveline and Mahalik calls him a “strong kid who neverleaves the field and is a throwback football player.”As for moving up in competition to Division II,

the Greenmen think they are ready for the chal-lenge.“We kind of knew it was coming,” Mahalik said.

“We were one of the biggest D-III schools the lastcouple years. We had an inkling it would happenand it’s exciting. If we’re fortunate enough to makethe playoffs, we’ll face new teams and it’s a newchallenge.”

Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (9-3) * Players To Watch – RB/LB Cameron Ontko

(6-0, 220, Sr.), QB Connor Cook (6-4, 195, Jr.),WR/DB Truvante Riley (5-9, 165, Sr.), WR/DBDylan Ford (5-8, 150, Sr.), OL/DL Shawn Cooper(6-1, 250, Sr.), OL/DL Adam Redmond (6-3, 215,Jr.), RB/LB Justin Lovdahl (6-0, 190, Sr.) * Outlook – Walsh was the No. 1 seed in

Region 9 of Division III last year and the Warriorsmove up to D-II this season. Ontko is ranked asone of the top 150 seniors in the state by OhioHigh and has a scholarship offer from EasternMichigan. Cook is one of the top 10junior quarterbacks in the stateaccording to Ohio High. He has astrong arm and 4.71 speed in the40.The bad news for the Warriors is

they have to replace all five starterson the offensive line, including second-team All-Ohio selection Pat McShane who is playing collegefootball at Indiana. They also must replace second-team All-Ohio

running back Armand Dehaney who signed withBall State.Head coach Gerry Rardin is entering his 29th

season at Walsh.

Kent Roosevelt (8-3) * Players To Watch – WR/CB/KR Denerio

Bryant (5-9, 165, Sr.), QB Evan Shimensky (5-10,175, Jr.), OLB Marcus Rogers (6-2, 215, Sr.), SSSam Thomas (6-1, 222, Sr.), MLB Marcus Wright(6-4, 225, Sr.), C Eric Pucillo (6-2, 265, Sr.),WR/CB Shakeel Howard (5-5, 165, So.), OG/DERyan Anderson (6-4, 260, So.) * Outlook – Roosevelt is the first team we’ve

featured so far in Region 5 that was actually in thisregion last year. The Rough Riders won thePortage Trail Conference championship and madethe playoffs as the No. 8 seed in 2008. This sea-son, they have even higher expectations for them-selves. Bryant is ranked as one of the top 150 players in

the state by Ohio High and was a first-team All-Ohio selection at cornerback last year when he tieda school record with six interceptions. He also had43 receptions for 760 yards (17.7 yards per catch)and nine touchdowns. He also averaged 30.6yards on kickoff returns (one touchdown) and 11.2yards on punt returns.“There aren’t any better than

Denerio around here returningpunts and kickoffs,” KentRoosevelt head coach JohnNemec said. “He’s also a greatdeep threat in the passing game andis a great corner on defense. All the MAC schoolshave been in to look at him, but he needs to gethis grades and his (ACT) test score up a little bit.”Shimensky returns as the starting quarterback

and he threw for 1,346 yards and 18 touchdownslast year. He also had 291 rushing yards andseven scores on the ground. Those were prettysolid numbers for a sophomore.“Evan is a good player,” Nemec said. “He makes

plays. He is a great leader and he makes plays;that’s what you want out of the quarterback.” The Rough Riders return a rough-and-tumble

center in Pucillo who can bench 315 pounds and isprobably the strongest overall player on the teamaccording to Nemec. (Pucillo’s cousin is Ohio Statewrester Mike Pucillo who won the 2008 NCAAnational championship at 184 pounds.)Roosevelt also has plenty of team speed and

Howard is near the top of the list as he is consis-tently timed in the 4.5 range in the 40. Last sea-son, he had 29 receptions for 281 yards (9.7 yardsper catch) and three touchdowns, and added 140rushing yards (5.6 yards per carry).“He started all 10 games as a freshman, which

is only the second time that’s happened here sincethe 80’s,” Nemec said. “He was a two-way starteron a league championship team as a freshman.” Howard wasn’t the only freshman that received

a lot of playing time last year though. Andersonreceived a few starts at offensive guard and he’s astrong player with 5.2 speed in the 40. Defensively, Rogers was the team’s leading

tackler last year with 66 (55 solo). Thomas was nottoo far behind with 62 stops (43 solo). The “cap-tain” of the defense is Wright who had 55 tackleslast year (32 solo).

Madison (8-4)* Players To Watch – FB/DT Ty Law (6-2, 225,

Sr.), WR/DB Miles Iverson (5-11, 175, Sr.), RB/DBSteve Isabella (5-10, 175, Sr.), OT/DT Seth Boggs(6-3, 245, Sr.), TE/LB Hunter Legeza (6-2, 215,



Sr.), WR/S Jason O’Bryan (6-3, 175, So.)* Outlook – The Blue Streaks won a playoff

game for the first time in school history last sea-son. They were the No. 7 seed in Region 5 andthey knocked off East Cleveland Shaw on the roadin the first round. This year, they return a solidnucleus of players and are optimistic about theupcoming season.“Our expectations are the same as any other

year,” offensive coordinator Mike Martin said. “Ourprimary goal is to win our league(Premier Athletic Conference). Wefeel that whoever wins the leaguewill end up being in the playoffs,because if you were good enoughto take care of business in theconference, your out-of-conferencework should be good enough to get you in.“But we definitely feel like after getting a playoff

victory that the expectations are notched up a bit.Getting there just isn’t enough. If the leadership ofour seniors comes together, we feel like we areactually a deeper team than we were last year. So,expectations are high. A lot of that depth is going tocome from a tremendous sophomore class that isasserting itself. Right now, we expect that five orsix sophomores are going to play major roles, sothe sooner we get them some seasoning, the bet-ter we will be.”

Medina Highland (11-2)* Players To Watch – TB/DB Aaron Maslowski

(5-10, 183, Sr.), TE/ILB Tyler Phillips (6-1, 220,Sr.), FB/OLB Jared Serafin (6-0, 195, Sr.), SSAnthony Petrilla (5-10, 175, Sr.), OL/DT ChrisJustik (6-2, 225, Jr.), OL/DT Colin Butler (5-10,225, Jr.)* Outlook – Highland was a regional finalist out

of Region 6 last year. The Hornets entered thepostseason with the No. 4 seed and defeated AvonLake and Powell Olentangy Liberty. This season,Highland is moving over to Region 5. Maslowski is ranked as one of the top 150 sen-

iors in the state by Ohio High. Last year, he had432 rushing yards (7.2 yards per carry) and sixtotal touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving, oneinterception return). His role willexpand quite a bit this season andhe will likely have more than dou-ble the carries he did last year.“Aaron has college scholarship

ability,” head coach Tom Lombardosaid. “He’s fast and quick with greatvision as tailback. As a DB, he’s one of the tops inthe league. We’re still deciding between corner orsafety, but he’ll be out there somewhere.”Another top returning player is the versatile

Phillips who had 70 tackles and 4.5 sacks lastyear.“Tyler is getting recruited by colleges,” Lombardo

said. “He’s a college-level player in my coachingopinion. Tyler played defensive end for us lastyear, but he’s going to move to linebacker thisyear. He’s solid and quick.”Serafin had 65 tackles last year at linebacker

and will also start at fullback this year.“Jared is a very good blocker and this year he

will be a guy that can line up in different spots,”Lombardo said. “He has good hands. He runsgood routes and can carry the ball.”Petrilla returns as the starting strong safety (65

tackles last year) and he’ll also be the backupquarterback. (The starting QB will likely be a soph-omore and Lombardo didn’t want to mention himfor this story because the situation was still unset-tled.)“Anthony is a very good safety,” Lombardo said.

“He might also be our quarterback, but he’ll proba-bly be the backup. He’s a 4.0 student and he’s agood all-around athlete that plays baseball as well.He gets us in the right spots and calls. He’s a verysmart, heady player.”Two other players that are drawing a lot of buzz

for the Hornets are Justik and Butler. They startedat defensive tackle as sophomores and they eachlook to be two-way players this year.“They had real good sophomore years,”

Lombardo said. “They have great technique,they’re very strong and they’re going to be good forus on both sides of ball.”Highland graduated three players that were first-

team All-Ohio selections last year: RB/LB ChrisSnook (who signed with West Virginia), LB TylerHouska and PK Eric Duale.

Ravenna (7-4)* Players to Watch – QB/FS Zach Thomas (5-9,

165, Sr.), RB/LB Parnell Taylor (5-10, 10, Sr.),FB/LB Xavier Jones (5-9, 235, Jr.), RB/CBDeiondre Mack (5-10, 140, Jr.), OL/DL Dan McCoy(6-1, 270, Sr.), TE/LB Nick Winn (6-1, 185, Jr.), RBD.J. Jones (5-10, 170, So.), QB/DE Josh Chechak(6-2, 202, Jr.), RB/LB Stephan Wilmington (6-0,180, Jr.), RB D.J. Jones (5-10, 170, So.)* Outlook – Ravenna made the playoffs as the

No. 6 seed in Region 9 of Division III last year (lostto Hubbard on the road in the first round) and itmoves up to D-II this season. The Ravens havenow made the playoffs two consecutive seasonsand three times in school history.

“We have a really good junior class of kids thatreally helped us out playing as sophomores lastyear,” head coach Jim Lunardi said. “Last year, wereally weren’t sure if we were goingto make it back to the playoffs –we were hoping to obviously – butthat sophomore class reallyhelped bridge that gap.” “Jones scored 42 touchdowns in

freshman ball and played some varsityand Ohio State has called about him. He is a just ahard runner and has motor that goes. I might havemade the mistake of not moving him up (to varsity)early enough but he definitely is a good footballplayer.”If it sounds like Lunardi is optimistic about the

upcoming season, you don’t need to get your hear-ing checked.“I feel good in the sense that we had a really

good off-season,” Lunardi said. “Time will tell whathappens and we’ll take one day at a time, butaccording to our off-season, it was the best thatwe’ve ever had. If that is any indication, then hope-fully we can at least compete for the league andmake it back into the playoffs and make a run for it.“The kids being there (in the off-season strength

and conditioning program) and understanding theyare there not because the coaches want themthere but they’re there because they don’t want tolose. They want to win a league championshipagain and make the playoffs. That is important tothem and they know they need to be in the weight

room in order for those things to happen.”Ravenna won the Portage Trail Conference

championship in 2007 and placed second last year.The Ravens turned the ball over seven times in a19-12 loss at Kent Roosevelt in what amounted tothe league title game.

Tallmadge (9-4)* Players To Watch – OL/LB Steven Reedy (6-

0, 220, Sr.), WR/DB Phil Emling (5-10, 170, Sr.),QB/DB Thomas Linder (6-2, 170, Sr.), OL DoryPrice (6-0, 215, Sr.), OL/DL Eddy Simmons (6-1,205, Sr.), OL/DL Kevin Barger (6-1, 190, Sr.),FB/LB Ryan Peterson (5-10, 210, Sr.), OL/DLAaron Jackson (6-3, 250, Sr.), RB/DB Brian Ball (6-0, 180, Sr.), TE/OLB Steve McAninch (6-0, 205,Jr.), RB/DB Noah Winters (5-10, 170, Jr.)* Outlook – The Blue Devils return two – count

‘em, two – starters this season but they alwaysseem to find themselves in the playoff hunt. Lastyear, they were the No. 6 seed in the Region 5playoffs and they knocked off Parma PaduaFranciscan on the road in the first round and thendefeated Madison. They lost to AkronHoban in the regional finals, but itwas another successful seasonfor head coach Joe Vassalotti andcrew.“We graduated 20 starters from

last year’s regional final team, so we’llbe very inexperienced this season,” Vassalotti said.“We only have two returning starters (Reedy andEmling) but we do have a lot of talented kids com-ing back that got a little bit of playing time last yearin reserve roles.“We have many questions that won’t be

answered until we begin full contact drills. Ouroverall lack of team speed is a concern. We hopeto improve to the point where we can be competi-tive against a schedule that includes Nordonia,Ellet and Ashland, in addition to the quality teamswe face in the Suburban League. “I also think that Region 5 appears to have

become stronger with the additions of teams likeWalsh and Aurora.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Canfield (7-3) – The Cardinals

finished 10th in Region 7 ofDivision II in 2008 and they moveover to Region 5 this season. Itwas a rarity for them to miss theplayoffs last year and they will like-ly be a contender this time around.* Lodi Cloverleaf (8-3) – Cloverleaf made the

playoffs as the No. 6 seed in Region6 last year (lost to Lexington in thefirst round) and it moves over toRegion 5 this year. The Coltsmust replace graduated linebackerKyle Juszczyk who was a second-team All-Ohio selection last year.* Mentor Lake Catholic (4-6) –

The Cougars placed just 15th inRegion 9 of Division III and theyare moving up to D-II this year.However, a few coaches havementioned them as a team thatcould surprise.* Warren Howland (7-4) – The Tigers qualified

for the playoffs in Region 5 last year as the No. 4



seed (lost to Akron Hoban in thefirst round). This year, they returnQB Matt Preston (6-2, 195, Sr.)and RB Mike Mangiarelli (5-11,175, Sr.).

Also In This Region:Akron East (3-7), Akron Ellet (6-4), Akron

Firestone (0-10), Akron Kenmore (3-7), AkronNorth (6-4), Ashland (4-6), Ashtabula Lakeside (5-5), Barberton (3-7), Kenston (2-8), Chardon (3-7),Chesterland West Geauga (6-4), Copley (2-8),Geneva (5-5), Painesville Harvey (4-6), RichfieldRevere (6-4), Wooster (6-4), Youngstown Chaney(2-8), Youngstown East (4-6).


Avon (12-1)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Zak Wearsch (6-1,

205, Sr.), C Jake Shagovak (6-0, 210, Sr.), LBJosh Conrad (5-10, 200, Sr.), WR/CB BrandonMahaffey (6-1, 175, Sr.), SS Patrick Furnas (5-10,185, Jr.)* Outlook – Avon was the No. 1 seed in Region

10 of Division III last year and won a pair of playoffgames (over Defiance and Tiffin Columbian) beforefalling to Sunbury Big Walnut in the regional finals. This year, the Eagles move up to

Division II and they will do so with-out graduated quarterback RyanO’Rourke (who will play collegefootball at Slippery Rock) andgraduated strong safety GarrettGronowski (Eastern Michigan). The lat-ter had two interceptions in the 2009 Ohio North-South Classic and was named MVP of the game.However, despite those losses, Avon returns a

solid squad and could be in the mix for a playoffbid. The team will be led by Wearsch who is enter-ing his third season as a starter. But this year hewill have a much-larger role as the main ball carrierat tailback. In 2008 playing fullback, he had 295rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry) and two touch-downs. He also had 14 receptions for 178 yards(12.7 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.“We expect Zak to have a big year,” head coach

Mike Elder said. “He’s the real deal. He’s fast andpowerful. He would’ve had better numbers lastyear, but we had a senior running back that wentfor over 1,000 yards.”Shagovak returns as the starting center and

might also play some defensive line this season.“Jake is a scholarship-worthy kid,” Elder said.Conrad is a three-year starter and last season

he had 64 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, one sackand one forced fumble.Mahaffey is a returning starter at cornerback

where he had two interceptions last year. He willalso play wide receiver this year.Furnas was the fourth-leading tackler on the

team last year (66) including seven for loss. Healso had a sack, a fumble recovery and an inter-ception.Elder is not sure who will replace O’Rourke as

the starting quarterback.“We have four guys competing for the spot,” he

said.

Avon Lake (8-3)* Players To Watch – OL Christian Pace (6-4,

271, Sr.), TE/DE Dan Schneider (6-4, 238, Sr.),TB/DB Mike Mansnerus (6-0, 185, Sr.), FB/LB NickMarinkov (6-1, 218, Sr.), DL Jon Rodgers (6-4,245, Sr.), DB Jordan Market (5-10, 180, Sr.),WR/DB Kevin Morissette (5-10, 175, Sr.), OT/DEBrian Mihalek (6-6, 235, Jr.) * Outlook – Avon Lake was the No. 5 seed in

the Region 6 playoffs last year and lost at MedinaHighland in the first round. The Shoremen returnan impressive group of players and should be bet-ter this season.Pace is a verbal commitment to

Michigan. He is ranked as the 17th-best senior in the state by OhioHigh, making him the highest-rated Division II player in thestate.“He is tough and physical,” head

coach Dave Dlugosz said.Schneider is ranked 40th in the state by Ohio

High and was a second-team All-Ohio selectionlast year. He has scholarship offers from Air Force,Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo,Colorado, Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, MiamiU., Ohio, Pittsburgh and Toledo. Ohio State is alsotaking a close look at him.“Dan is smart, experienced and gives us good

leadership,” Dlugosz said.Mansnerus returns as the bell-cow tailback. Last

season, he piled up 1,700 rushing yards and 20touchdowns in just eight games.Mihalek is the top player in Avon Lake’s junior

class and he will be a two-way starter.“He has great tools,” Dlugosz said. “Good size

and good speed (4.8 in the 40).”Marinkov returns as a two-way starter and he is

a strong and quick player that “plays downhill andhas great hands out of the backfield.”Rodgers is coming off an injury and Dlugosz is

happy to have him back due to his good size andathletic ability.Market and Morissette are returning starters that

bring leadership to the secondary. The latter alsoplays offense as a wideout.“Our expectations are high this year as they

always are,” Dlugosz said. “Our goals are to winour opener, dominate at home, win the SWC(Southwestern Conference) and qualify for theplayoffs.”Dlugosz is entering his 17th season at Avon

Lake and has a career record of 168-32. TheShoremen won a state championship under hiswatch in 2003.

Lexington (11-1)* Players To Watch – QB/CB Courtney Avery

(5-10, 170, Sr.), TE/LB Kevin Smith (6-1, 215, Sr.),OL/DT David Willis (6-2, 255, Sr.), OL/DL ZachMyers (6-2, 275, Sr.), LB Terrance Cyphers (5-9,205, Sr.), S Tyler Hamman (6-2, 205, Sr.), WR/SShaquille Jefferson (6-1, 190, Sr.), WR/DB KenyaCoombs (5-10, 165, Sr.)* Outlook – The Minutemen were the No. 3

seed in Region 6 last year and their only loss ofthe season came at the hands of eventual DivisionII state champion Sylvania Southview in the region-al semifinals. This season, they have larger plans

in mind.Avery has verbally committed to Michigan and is

ranked as the No. 28 senior in the state by OhioHigh. He will play corner in college and he previ-ously committed to Stanford before switching toUM. Avery has been Lexington’s varsity startingquarterback since the first game of his freshmanyear and he was named first-team All-Ohio as adefensive back last year. He was also stellar as a quarterback in 2008

when he threw for 2,600 yards with 26touchdowns and just three inter-ceptions (and completed 71 per-cent of his passes). Avery wasnamed the Ohio CardinalConference offensive player of theyear.Smith returns to lead the defense from his line-

backer spot and he had 80 tackles and sevensacks last year. He was named honorable mentionAll-Ohio, first-team all-district and first-team all-league.Willis is entering his third season as a starter

and he was named honorable mention all-districtand second-team all-league. Myers and Willis are very comparable players.

They are similarly-sized linemen that start bothways and they claimed identical postseasonawards last year (HM all-district, second-team all-league).Cyphers plays next to Smith at linebacker and

was nearly as productive last year. Cyphers had 78tackles, five sacks, one interception and wasnamed second-team all-league.Hamman is steady at strong safety and last year

he had 65 tackles, one interception and wasnamed second-team all-league.As if they weren’t already stockpiled with talent,

the Minutemen also welcome in a pair of talentedtransfers from Mansfield Senior in Jefferson andCoombs. Jefferson is the younger half-brother offormer Ohio State safety Jamario O’Neal and hasscholarship offers from Bowling Green and CentralMichigan. Coombs was a starter at quarterbackand wide receiver at Mansfield, but he won’t playany QB for Lexington unless something unfortu-nate happens to Avery.

Maple Heights (6-4)* Players To Watch – OL/DT Dominic Flewellyn

(6-3, 275, Sr.), TB Devonte Ransom (5-9, 160, Sr.),WR/KR/PR Andre Stubbs (5-7, 150, Jr.), TB/OLBCalvin Blackman (6-0, 200, Sr.), SB/S Ian Hill (5-9,160, Sr.), OLB Aaron Russell (6-0, 205, Sr.), FredILB Robertson (5-10, 205, Sr.), OL DonauonGarner (6-3, 275, Jr.), QB Shaquille Washington(5-9, 150, Jr.)* Outlook – The Mustangs barely missed the

playoffs last year when they finished ninth in theRegion 5 computer standings (the top eight teamsget in). This season, they move over to Region 6and will likely be a postseason contender onceagain.Flewellyn is ranked as one of the top 150 sen-

iors in the state by Ohio High and he has scholar-ship offers from Bowling Green and Toledo.“Pitt and some Big Ten schools are also looking

at him,” head coach Todd Filtz said. “Dominic is anathletic offensive lineman which helps him on thedefensive side too. He’s big, physical and athletic.He can move people out of the way offensively and



make plays defensively. He didn’t play too muchdefense last year because we had a couple of sen-iors we started at defensive tackle. But he’s proba-bly going to play a lot of defense for us this year.”Ransom is an explosive tailback

and he rushed for over 1,000 yardsin just five games last seasonbefore going down with a season-ending injury. “I’m looking for huge things out

of him this year,” Filtz said. “He’sphysical, fast and athletic.”The good news for Ransom is that he doesn’t

have just one standout offensive lineman leadingthe way for him in Flewellyn. Maple Heights alsohas Garner who is ranked as one of the top 10 jun-ior offensive linemen in the state by Ohio High.The top returning defense player is Blackman

who Filtz calls “an athletic linebacker and a play-maker.”Taking over at quarterback is the diminutive but

quick Washington who is a transfer from the GinnAcademy in Cleveland.Overall, the Mustangs are eager to rev it up for

the 2009 season.“We’re expecting a lot more this year,” Filtz said.

“Last year was our first year taking over as a staff.We actually had enough playoff points to make theplayoffs last year, but something out of our controltook that away from us. East Liverpool had to for-feit two games which took away points from us(Maple Heights beat East Liverpool). We were sev-enth and we would have played Shaw in the firstround of the playoffs. We found out the Mondaybefore our last game that (East Liverpool) had toforfeit and that it would cost us computer points.So, that was a tough pill to swallow for our teamlast year.“Our kids are very motivated this year. We have

eight starters back on both sides of the ball. We’rean experienced, athletic team and the kids are firedup for this year.”

Parma Normandy (5-5)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Jake Squirek (5-

11, 215, Sr.), QB/DB Casey Pierce (6-4, 195, Sr.),WR/SS Mike Travvagliante (5-8, 165, Sr.), C/NGMike Samjilenko (5-9, 230, Sr.), OT/DE RyanFitzsimmons (6-1, 235, Sr.), RB/CB Mike Louis (5-9, 175, Sr.)* Outlook – Normandy moves over from Region

5 where it finished in 14th place last year.However, with almost the entire team returning, theInvaders believe it will be tough to keep them fromentering the playoffs this year.Squirek is one of the top 150 seniors in the state

according to Ohio High magazine and is the son offormer NFL linebacker Jack Squirek. Last season,he had 1,500 rushing yards (seven yards per carry)and 16 touchdowns. He also returned an intercep-tion 50 yards for a touchdown.“Jake is a difference-maker on offense,” head

coach Rich Turner said. “Game planning againsthim, I can only imagine what it’s like. He can take itthe distance or he can pound it at you. He had 285yards and five touchdowns against North Royaltonlast year who is a good team.”Squirek did not have any scholarship offers as of

press time.“Not yet,” Turner said. “I think he’ll definitely get

one, but we’re still waiting. He went to a lot of

camps this summer and he’s on the radar of sever-al college programs.”Pierce returns at quarterback and he was solid

in his first year in the role in 2008 with 600 passingyards, 300 rushing yards and a total of 10 touch-downs (seven passing, three rushing).“He’s a lefty, so we kind of do everything back-

wards as far as rollouts and things like that,”Turner said. “We didn’t throw the ball very muchlast year. Casey’s biggest thing is he can run it too.He benefited from defenses keying onJake last year. He could roll outand keep it himself. He reallycame on at the end of the yearand we feel we have a dual-threatquarterback this year. He alsostarts at corner; we have we havethree of our starting DB’s back.”Travvagliante returns as a two-way starter and

he had 450 rushing yards last year.“He does so many things well for us,” Turner

said. “Mike can run the ball effectively and he did agreat job of blocking for Jake, too. Mike is also astarter at strong safety and he makes plays.”Samjilenko is extremely strong, plays low and

returns to anchor both lines.“Mike made state as wrestler and he won our

lineman lifting challenge,” Turner said. “He’s a typi-cal Ohio hard-nosed wrestler, center and noseguard. He’s back both ways and he’ll be even bet-ter this year as a senior.”Also returning as a productive starter on both

lines is Fitzsimmons.“Ryan is one of our best blockers,” Turner said.

“Colleges wish he was taller, but they like the wayhe looks.”Louis is the team’s No. 3 running back and he

had around 300 rushing yards last year. But moreimportantly, he is the Invaders’ “shutdown corner”according to Turner.Normandy went into battle last year with an inex-

perienced team for the most part. But with a talent-ed group returning, the Invaders hope “D Day” in2009 will be in reference to them playing the firstweekend of December.

Toledo Central Catholic (10-1)* Players To Watch – TE/DL Jamaal Tarrent (6-

2, 260, Sr.), OL/DT Chris Boles (6-3, 300, Jr.),LT/DT Kyle Cameron (6-2, 285, Jr.), QB DaveWalender (5-11, 175, Sr.), WR/CB Nate Hobbs (6-1, 190, Sr.), DB Zach Messer (5-8, 175, Sr.), KKyle Burkhardt (6-0, 165, Sr.)* Outlook – The Irish rolled through the regular

season undefeated and were the No. 1 seed inRegion 6 last year, but fell in the first round of theplayoffs at home to Powell Olentangy Liberty(which moved up to D-I this year). This season,TCC is loaded with talent as usual.Tarrent is ranked as one of the top 150 seniors

in the state by Ohio High and has a scholarshipoffer from Akron. Last season, he had 36 tackles,15 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks.“His athleticism for his size really jumps out,”

head coach Greg Dempsey said. “Jamaal is anexcellent athlete and he does a great job using thatto his advantage. He does a good job of rushingthe passer and is explosive for his size. He ismostly a defensive end for us, but we’ll play him alittle bit at tight end.”Boles is ranked as one of the top 30 juniors in

the state by Ohio High’s Mark Porter and he is oneof two main starters back on the offensive line.“Chris is a pretty talented kid,” Dempsey said.

“Buffalo called me about him.”Dempsey is also high on Cameron who is

ranked as one of the top 50 juniors in the state byOhio High.“Kyle was offered by the Tennessee staff before

they were fired,” Dempsey said. “(Ohio State offen-sive coordinator/offensive line coach)Jim Bollman calls frequently abouthim. Illinois said all he has to do iscome to camp and he has anoffer. He’s mobile and mean andreally finishes his blocks. He start-ed all season for us as a sophomoreat left tackle and also played some defen-sive tackle. He’s a tad shorter version of ChristianPace from Avon Lake.”Walender returns as the starting quarterback

and he threw for 1,147 yards (53 percent comple-tion) with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions lastyear. Three of his interceptions came in the finalgame of the season when Central Catholic wasupset in the first round of the playoffs.“He’s not a dual-threat; he’s more of a pocket

guy,” Dempsey said. “Dave is mobile, but he’s nota running threat. We are in the shotgun 30-40 per-cent of the time and he does a good job of runningour offense and throwing the ball.”Hobbs is a talented athlete that will play all over

the field. He is even Walender’s backup at quarter-back.“We don’t want anyone to be comfortable,”

Dempsey said. “Nate will take some snaps at quar-terback even if he plays wide receiver. The Wildcatoffense has hit us.”Last season, Hobbs had 29 receptions for 546

yards and five touchdowns. He added 12 carriesfor 62 yards and another touchdown. The badnews for the Irish was that Hobbs missed the finalthree games of the season due to injury (includingthe playoff game).Messer returns to lead the secondary and he

had 56 tackles from his strong safety spot last sea-son.Central Catholic also has a solid kicker in

Burkhardt (5-of-9 on field goals with a long of 48;30-for-30 on extra points).

Also Keep An Eye On* Bedford (5-5) – The Bearcats

are moving down from Division Ithis year. Last season, they fin-ished in 14th place in Region 1.* Holland Springfield (6-4) –

The Blue Devils must replace graduat-ed quarterback Eric Page who was Ohio’s DivisionII co-offensive player of the year last season.* Maumee (8-2) – The Panthers finished 11th in

Region 6 last year and their only losses came atthe hands of Holland Springfield and eventual statechamp Sylvania Southview. * Olmsted Falls (5-5) – The

Bulldogs placed 10th in Region 5last year and they’ll see if theirbark is any bigger in Region 6. Butthey have to replace a talentedclass that graduated.* Toledo DeSales (5-5) – The Knights placed



17th in Region 6 last year, but theyhave a solid group returning led bydefensive end Chris Rock (6-5,245, Jr.). He is ranked as the No.2 DE in the state by Ohio High inthe 2011 class and that’s no joke.

Also In This Region:Berea (5-5), Bowling Green (5-5), Cleveland

Collinwood (1-9), Cleveland JFK (6-4), ClevelandSouth (7-3), Grafton Midview (5-5), LorainSouthview (1-9), Mansfield Madison (2-8),Mansfield Senior (2-8), North Ridgeville (6-4),Norwalk (0-10), Rocky River (6-4), Sandusky (4-6),Sylvania Northview (2-8), Toledo Rogers (3-6),Toledo Scott (2-8), Toledo Woodward (0-10),Westlake (2-8).


Columbus Beechcroft (9-2)* Players To Watch – SS Larez Harper (5-10,

200, Sr.), RB/MLB Wallace Hale (5-11, 210, Sr.),TE/DE Rasean Moore (6-5, 215, Sr.), RB/OLB B.J.Watkins (5-11, 200, Sr.), WR/DB/P Billy Croom (6-2, 185, Sr.)* Outlook – Beechcroft made the playoffs last

year (No. 5 seed in this region) and lost on theroad to Columbus Marion-Franklin in the firstround. This season, the Cougars have a first-yearhead coach in Bruce Ward and he has a lot of tal-ented, experienced players at his disposal.Harper was a second-team All-Ohio selection

last season. He has scholarship offers from OhioU., Southern, Syracuse and Toledo.“Larez is a leader on defense,” Ward said. “He’s

an explosive tackler. He has a tremendous workethic and really gets the team going.”Hale piled up 1,530 rushing yards (7.3 yards per

carry) and 26 touchdowns last year. He also ledthe team with 107 tackles.“Wallace is being recruited by most of the MAC

and a few Big Ten schools,” Ward said. “MichiganState is looking at him and Eastern Michigan reallywants him. He’s working on the academic part of it.“He’s a big, physical runner and he’s explosive

in the open field for a runner his size. He’s a pun-isher; he runs people over. He also has deceptivespeed and was timed last fall in the 40 at 4.51.He’s a great talent.”Beechcroft utilizes a power running game and

almost had two runners reach 1,000 yards lastyear as Watkins had 930 rushing yards (8.3 yardsper carry) and 16 touchdowns. He also recorded42 tackles on defense.Moore is one of the top defensive ends in the

Columbus City League and he had 43 tackles, 12tackles-for-loss and nine sacks last year.Croom is one of the best punters in central Ohio

and had an average of 41.9 yards last year.

Columbus Brookhaven (9-2)* Players To Watch – TE/DE Derrick Bryant (6-

4, 235, Sr.), QB/FS Ryland Ward (5-11, 185, Sr.),DB Michael Sellers (6-0, 175, Sr.), RB/LBDemetrus Johnson (5-11, 235, Sr.), WR DeShawnAlston (5-11, 170, Sr.), QB Tajuan Green (6-0, 165,

So.), WR William Tweedy (6-0, 175, Sr.)* Outlook – The Bearcats won the 2004 Division

II state championship and then they spent the2005-08 seasons in Division I (last year they madethe playoffs as the No. 4 seed in Region 3, but lostin the first round to Worthington Kilbourne). Nowback in D-II, they are trying to regain their champi-onship form and their roster is dripping with talent.Bryant is ranked as the No. 25 senior in the

state by Ohio High and has scholarship offers fromIllinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolinaand Purdue, among others.“Derrick has great size and strength, as well as

a great work ethic,” head coach Anthony Thorntonsaid. “He’s a good kid grade-wideand is a kid with high character.”As for moving down to Division

II, Thornton doesn’t try and hidethe fact he’s happy about it.“It’s very beneficial for us,” he

said. “We were one of the smallerDivision I schools and we accepted the challenge,but numbers-wise it was very difficult for us to com-pete at that level. We are back in our wheelhouse,but D-II offers no slouches. There are a lot of goodteams in our region and across the state in D-II.“Our first four games out of the box are going to

be tough. We have to be ready from the start toplay good football.”Thornton is entering his second season as

Brookhaven’s head coach. He was the offensivecoordinator under Tom Blake prior to that. Thisseason, he and his players believe they have whatit takes to make a deep playoff run.“Well, we talked about our goals all the way

back in January,” Thornton said. “I asked themwhat they wanted to accomplish and their goal is astate championship. I told them there a lot ofmountains we have to climb before we get there.”

Columbus Marion-Franklin (10-2) * Players To Watch – QB Verlon Reed (6-3,

193, Sr.), OT Aaron Shelton (6-6, 320, Sr.), DTMatthew Williams (6-1, 325, Sr.), WR/SSDominque Marsh (5-10, 190, Sr.)* Outlook – Marion-Franklin was the No. 4 seed

in this region last year and defeated ColumbusBeechcroft in the first round of the playoffs beforefalling to Columbus DeSales (which has moveddown to D-III) in the regional semifinals. Reed calls the shots at quarterback and he is

ranked as one of the top 150 players in the stateby Ohio High. He has scholarship offers fromBowling Green, Kent State, Syracuse and Toledo.As a junior in 2008, Reed threw for 1,200 yards,ran for 700 and accounted for a total of 20 touch-downs. “He is a threat running or throwing,” head coach

Brian Haffele said. “Last year was his first year asthe starting quarterback, so that experience willmake him even better this year. He started as asophomore at wide receiver.”But it’s far from a one-man show at Marion-

Franklin. The Red Devils return all five starters ontheir offensive line, led by the massive Shelton.“We feel pretty good about our O-line,” Haffele

said. “We have five seniors up front and they aver-age 6-5, 300 pounds. Four of the five bench over300. We’re going to go as far as those kids takeus.”Returning to lead the defensive line is Williams

who is a player that often controls the middle of theline of scrimmage by himself.“Matthew is completely a run-plugging D-tackle

and he’s the strongest kid I’ve ever coached,”Haffele said. “He benches 470.”One of the very few two-way starters on this

deep team will be Marsh at wide receiver andstrong safety.“Dominique is our best defensive back,” Haffele

said. “He’s strong with a 300-pound bench pressand he’s a 4.4 kid in the 40. He’s probably our sec-ond-best athlete behind Verlon. He’s very athleticand versatile.”Haffele is confident that he has a dangerous

team coming back and with good reason. The RedDevils have a lot of talent and they’re looking toturn up the heat on their opponents this year.“Every year our No. 1 goal is to win our confer-

ence (Columbus City League South),” Haffele said.“We’re fortunate enough to have won it each of thelast five years. Offensively, we have a lot of sen-iors. We feel good at quarterback and on the offen-sive line. Most of skilled guys are underclassmen.We’ll probably start eight juniors – all first-timestarters – but four of them played in the playoffsagainst Beechcroft and DeSales for us.”

Dublin Scioto (5-5) * Players To Watch – DL Grant Pleasant (6-3,

230, Sr.), QB Charlie Suich (5-11, 185, Sr.), OGChris Latimer (6-2, 250, Sr.), OT Tyler Tanner (6-4,295, Sr.), RB/LB Alex Gordon (5-10, 165, Sr.), RBClay Strawser (5-11, 175, Sr.), WR Stacey Blunt(6-1, 175, Sr.), TE Jamare Mills (6-5, 240, Jr.)* Outlook – Scioto missed the playoffs last year

(12th in this region) but the Irish hope their luck willchange this year.Pleasant is ranked as the No. 82 senior in the

state by Ohio High and has scholarship offers fromAkron, Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo. “He is a big, fast, physical player that doesn’t

quit,” head coach Karl Johnson said.Suich enters his second season as the starting

quarterback and he has the confidenceof his coaching staff.“Charlie has a strong arm and

good feet,” Johnson said. “Heshould be a threat in the air andon the ground.”Scioto returns an excellent offen-

sive line led by Latimer (three-yearstarter) and Tanner (two-year starter).The Irish also have a pair of good running backs

in Gordon and Strawser.“Alex is a tough, old-school football player,”

Johnson said. “Clay is a solid playmaker that couldhave a breakout year.”Blunt is the top receiver on the team and he is

ranked as one of the top 150 seniors in the stateaccording to Ohio High.“Stacey has the potential to have a big year and

to be a big playmaker for us,” Johnson said.Last year was a disappointment for Dublin

Scioto and the team is determined to not have arepeat performance. The Irish will be one of themost veteran teams in the state and that usuallygoes a long way in football.“We will have a senior class of about 35 that

have stuck together through thick and thin,” saidJohnson, who is entering his 10th season at Sciotoand has a career record of 66-35. “They are excit-



ed about their season which gets everyone elseexcited. Over the last three seasons, we havelearned that there is a fine line between being agood team and being a great team.”

Lewis Center Olentangy (7-4) * Players To Watch – DT Brad Young (6-0, 300,

Sr.), SS Aaron Gutentag (6-0, 165, Sr.), MLB DavidGreenzalis (5-8, 215, Sr.), OL Matt Wilson (6-2,265, Sr.), RB Joe Eschenbach (5-11, 195, Sr.)* Outlook – The Braves qualified for the 2008

playoffs as the No. 7 seed in Region 6 and gaveeventual state champion Sylvania Southview agood game on the road before falling 28-14. This year, Olentangy tries itshand at Region 7.“I don’t know if it’s a good

move for us – 12 teams from thisregion made the playoffs last year,including Brookhaven and theteams that are moving up from D-III,”head coach Ed Terwilliger said. “But nothing haschanged for us. We still have the same goals andwe want to get in the playoffs and see what hap-pens from there. But it’s going to be really tough toget in. Louisville is always good. Logan is a greatteam with their senior quarterback back. Scioto hasgot something like 38 seniors this year.“We also want to compete for a league champi-

onship, but our division is loaded with good D-Iteams and good D-II teams: Marysville, WestervilleSouth, Westerville North, Olentangy Liberty,Westerville Central, Jerome, Scioto. So, we’reabout week-to-week.” Terwilliger says the vacant starting quarterback

job will be decided in preseason camp.“Yeah, we don’t know about quarterback yet,” he

said. “Our quarterback last year was a senior andgraduated. We probably have four guys competingfor the spot and it’s a toss-up right now.“Traditionally, we have a lot of seniors graduate

and juniors step in. We’ll have some younger kidsplaying this year since they split our district upagain with adding Olentangy Orange.”

Logan (11-1)* Players To Watch – QB/S Pat Angle (6-1, 190,

Sr.), WR/CB Mason Mays (5-11, 175, Sr.), FB/LBMichael Snider (6-0, 200, Sr.), C/DT Bobby Russell(6-2, 220, Sr.), TE/DE Ralph Robinson (6-0, 200,Sr.), OG/DT Jeff Murphy (5-11, 210, Sr.), RB/DBZach McDaniel (5-11, 165, Sr.)* Outlook – The Chieftains were the No. 3 seed

in the Region 7 playoffs last year and lost toLouisville 7-0 in the second round in a game wherethey turned the ball over seven times. (Theyknocked off Dublin Jerome 23-7 in the first round.)This year, they return one of the best quarter-

backs in the state regardless of divi-sion in Angle. He was named first-team All-Ohio last year and isentering his third season asLogan’s starting quarterback. In2008, Angle threw for 2,496 yardswith 25 touchdowns – both schoolrecords – and added 557 rushing yards and sevenscores on the ground. Angle set a school recordwhen he threw for 324 yards in a 35-10 win overPickerington North last year.Angle has a good No. 1 target in Mays, who was

a second-team All-Ohio selection last year when

he had 57 receptions for 852 yards and 13 touch-downs.Snider had over 100 tackles last year and

returns to lead the defense from his linebackerspot.Robinson and Murphy are returning starters,

while McDaniel was the backup tailback last yearand moves into the starting role this year.Head coach Dale Amyx is entering his 20th sea-

son at Logan and has a career record of 129-70.He has directed the Chieftains to 12 SoutheasternOhio Athletic League championships and six tripsto the playoffs. He’s also been named SEOALCoach of the Year five consecutive seasons.

Louisville (12-1)* Players To Watch – WR Bobby Swigert (6-1,

180, Sr.), LB Hunter Potts (6-0, 205, Sr.), OL/DLJoe Poyser (6-0, 215, Sr.), OT/DT Bob Gothot (5-9,190, Sr.), TB/LB Jake Adkins (5-11, 195, Sr.)* Outlook – The Leopards were the No. 2 seed

in the Region 7 playoffs last year and theyadvanced to the regional finals where they fell toColumbus DeSales (which has moved down to D-III this year). Louisville defeated ColumbusIndependence and Logan in the first two rounds ofthe postseason.This year, the Leopards must say goodbye to

graduated quarterback Neal Seamanwho was Ohio’s co-OffensivePlayer of the Year in Division IIlast year.The good news is that they

return Swigert who was a second-team All-Ohio selection last year(first-team all-district, first-team all-league). He isranked as the No. 45 senior in the state by OhioHigh and has scholarship offers from Akron, BallState, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati,Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Kent State,Miami U., Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pittsburgh,Syracuse, Toledo, Western Michigan andWisconsin. Potts was a second-team all-league selection

last year at linebacker and Poyser was namedhonorable mention all-league as a defensive line-man.Head coach Paul Farrah is entering his 10th

season at Louisville and has a career mark of 84-24. He is a former player at Louisville and alsoplayed college football at Baldwin-Wallace as adefensive back.

Sunbury Big Walnut (11-3) * Players To Watch – QB Johnny Cannell (6-6,

215, Sr.), TB Cody Leitner (5-9, 180, Sr.), WR BretMyers (6-0, 180, Sr.), WR/DB Brad Beltram (5-8,175, Sr.), LB Jacob Walaszek (6-1, 220, Jr.)* Outlook – Big Walnut won the 2007 Division III

state championship and advanced to the statesemifinals last year (qualified for the playoffs as theNo. 7 seed in Region 10). This season, the GoldenEagles move up in class to Division II.Big Walnut has a new head coach this year in

Joe Weaver and he’s pleased to have a returningstarter at quarterback in Cannell. Last season,Cannell earned the starting job early in the seasonand threw for 1,079 yards with five touchdownsand four interceptions.“We expect big things from Johnny this year,”

Weaver said. “You start to see him grow up and

take on those leadership responsibilities. Gettingexperience as the starter last year was importantfor him.”At tailback, Leitner split time with a senior last

year, but still managed 636 rushing yards (5.8yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. This sea-son, he has the job all to himself.“He’s a hard worker,” Weaver said. “One thing

about that kid he’s hard nosed andworks his tail off. That’s prettymuch the cookie cutter of ourteam. We have a lot of kids thatare around the 5-9 size. They’renot very big, but they’re scrappy,hard-nosed, fast kids.”Myers returns as a starting wide receiver and he

had 26 catches for 374 yards and two touchdownslast year.Beltram had three interceptions last year and is

the “best defensive back coming back” for BigWalnut according to Weaver.Weaver was Big Walnut’s defensive coordinator

the last three seasons and has been a coach in theprogram for nine years (including middle schooland freshman ball).

Also Keep An Eye On* Canal Winchester (9-2) –

Canal qualified for the playoffs in2008 as the No. 6 seed in Region12 of Division III (lost at Chillicothe13-7 in the first round). This year,the Indians move up to D-II.* Canton South (8-4) – Canton South

made the playoffs last year inDivision III (No. 4 seed in Region11) and defeated Canal FultonNorthwest in the first round. AnOHSAA said in June that CantonSouth was moving up to D-II thisyear. However, head coach MoeDaniska told Ohio High that his team was stayingin D-III this season.* Columbus Independence (7-4) – The 76ers

made the playoffs last year with the No. 7 seed inthis region and fell at Louisville in the first round.* Columbus St. Charles (6-4) – The Cardinals

narrowly missed the playoffs last year (No. 11 inthis region) but return a talentedgroup this year led by OL JustinStumph (6-4, 270, Sr.) and WRMike Ryan (6-3, 185, Sr.). Stumphis ranked as the No. 57 senior inthe state by Ohio High and he hadscholarship offers from BowlingGreen, Indiana, Northwestern and Toledo beforecommitting to Miami (Ohio) in early July. * Dresden Tri-Valley (7-3) – The

Scotties finished 15th in Region 7last year. They return one of thetop quarterbacks in the state inClay Cameron (6-0, 210, Sr.). Hewas named first-team All-Ohio lastyear.* Dublin Jerome (6-5) – The

Celtics were the No. 6 seed in thisregion last year and fell in the firstround of the playoffs to Logan. LBSteve Mehrer (6-1, 220, Sr.) isranked as the No. 38 senior in the



state by Ohio High and has scholarship offers fromBowling Green, Central Michigan, Indiana andToledo. ATH Cameron Wilson (6-1, 180, So.) isranked as the No. 6 sophomore in the state byOhio High.* New Philadelphia (8-3) – The

Quakers barely made the playoffslast year as the No. 8 seed inRegion 11 of Division III. Thisyear, they convert to D-II.* Uniontown Lake (5-5) – The

Blue Streaks just missed out on the2008 playoffs, finishing ninth inthis region. They are a programthat is in the mix for the postsea-son nearly every year.

Also In This Region:Canton Timken (3-7), Columbus Briggs (4-6),

Columbus Centennial (0-10), Columbus HamiltonTownship (5-5), Columbus Mifflin (1-9), ColumbusWalnut Ridge (6-4), Columbus Whetstone (7-3),Olentangy Orange (2009 will be first year playingvarsity football), Marietta (4-6), New Albany (6-4),Pataskala Watkins Memorial (4-6), The PlainsAthens (4-6), Warren Vincent (4-6), Zanesville (5-5).


Cincinnati Turpin (9-2)* Players To Watch – RB Wayne Dunham (5-7,

175, Sr.), FB/DL Jeff Groene (6-2, 245, Sr.), QBEric Martin (6-2, 185, Jr.), OL John Adkerson (6-1,275, Jr.), MLB Matt Kelly (6-0, 195, Sr.), OLB KenMason (6-0, 205, Sr.), DB Zach Page (6-1, 180,Sr.), K Alec Gates (5-11, 160, Sr.)* Outlook – The Spartans were the No. 4 seed

in Region 8 last season (lost to Kings Mills Kings inthe first round) and they have made the playoffsfour consecutive times. This year, with 14 returningstarters (nine offense, five defense)Turpin is primed for another qualityseason.Dunham has racked up 2,679

career rushing yards (1,221 lastyear, 1,458 as a sophomore in2007) and 28 touchdowns (15 lastyear, 13 in 2007) while averaging 6.4 yards percarry. He also has 24 career receptions for 311yards and two touchdowns. Groene is the best college prospect on the team

and he starts both ways at fullback and on thedefensive line. In addition to being a good blocker,he is a quality receiver out of the backfield and has25 career receptions for 215 yards (8.6 yards perreception) and four touchdowns. He also has 73career rushing yards (3.3 per carry) and six scoreson the ground. Martin took over starting quarterback duties last

year and was very solid in the role. He threw for1,267 yards (57.2 percent) with 11 touchdowns andthree interceptions. He added 290 rushing yards(3.8 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.Considering he was able to do all of that as asophomore, Martin’s numbers could rise exponen-tially in 2009.

“We have tons of potential this year,” Turpinhead coach Rob Stoll said. “Our backfield, ifhealthy, should be one of the best in the city. JeffGroene is a big, bruising, athletic fullback who isoften a lead blocker. Wayne Dunham is looking tocompletely re-write our record book this year. At quarterback, Eric Martin brings a year of

experience under his belt, as well as a ton of ath-leticism. All three of his main targets (Mike Millikin,Shade Whitfield and Will Stocker) were sopho-mores last year.Stoll is entering his eighth season at Turpin and

has a career record of 53-25.

Cincinnati Winton Woods (11-2)* Players To Watch – QB Dominique Brown (6-

2, 226, Sr.), RB Jeremiah Goins (5-10, 235, Sr.),DB Avery Cunningham (6-1, 185, Sr.), NGCameron Brown (6-2, 278, Sr.), CB Corey Webber(6-0, 171, Jr.), ILB David Hampton (6-1, 175, Sr.),RB Thomas Owens (5-10 ½, 205, Jr.), DB ChuckWynn (5-11, 185, Jr.)* Outlook – The Warriors entered the 2008

playoffs as the No. 1 seed in Region 8 andadvanced to the regional finals where it fell toeventual state runner-up CincinnatiAnderson in a tight 24-21 contest. Brown runs the show at quar-

terback and he is a verbal com-mitment to Cincinnati. Brown isranked as the No. 56 senior in thestate by Ohio High and he was a sec-ond-team All-Ohio selection last year when herushed for over 1,000 yards. “He’s an explosive runner,” head coach Troy

Everhart said. “Dominique was the unanimousplayer of the year in our league (Fort Ancient ValleyConference). No one put anyone else against him.When the coaches in the conference that you playagainst notice that (Brown is a special player),that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that where noone else is even nominated. “He might play safety in college and I think he

could play on Sundays (in the NFL) as a safety.”Goins has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each

of the last two seasons (over 1,300 yards last year)and is closing in on Winton Woods’ career rushingrecord. He was a second-team All-Ohio pick lastseason. “He has unbelievable quickness inside of the

box,” Everhart said. “People underestimate hismovement. He’s better than (Mister) Simpson (fromCincinnati Colerain) that was Division I AP Playerof the Year a few years ago. “Jeremiah needs that next speed. He’s got the

fifth gear; he needs the overdrive. He can get youthat hard yard and he will block for Dominique. But(Goins) has great lateral moves. He’ll start off right,move left and he’s just an impressive kid. He does-n’t have any offers yet; it’s a matter if people wanta true fullback. But people are interested.Cunningham captains the defense from his safe-

ty spot and he is ranked as one of the top 150 sen-iors in the state by Ohio High.“Avery is probably the best safety in Cincinnati,”

Everhart said.

Harrison (5-5) * Players To Watch – FS Tyler Elrod (6-2, 205,

Sr.), CB Tommy Mullins (6-3, 180, Sr.), LB C.J.Rivera (5-9, 175, Sr.), RB Brandon Fisher (5-8,

170, Sr.), OL Ben Kolb (6-2, 235, Sr.)* Outlook – The Wildcats narrowly missed out

on the Division I playoffs last year (finished 11th inRegion 4) and they move down to D-II this year.Elrod is the lone college recruit on the team and

he returns to lead the way for Harrison.“Tyler is a big, fast, physical kid and he’s a very

good free safety for us,” head coach Neal Kasnersaid. “He’s being recruited as a linebacker, but wehave him roam around as a safety back there andhe does a great job whether it’s coming up in thebox or making plays in the secondary. He doesn’thave any offers yet, but he did the camp tour overthe summer and we expect that he’llhave some soon.”Another key returning starter on

defense – and another player thatis big for his position – is Mullinsat cornerback.“Tommy is a kid that can cover a

lot of ground,” Kasner said. “He’s physical and hemade some big plays for us last year. He’s animpact player.”Rivera is a bit undersized for a linebacker, but

they don’t come much tougher according to hiscoach.“C.J. is a real hard-nosed competitor,” Kasner

said. “He’s a 160-pound wrestler and is just a hard-working, tough kid. He’s the kind of player you canbuild a defense around.”Taking over the full-time duties at tailback this

year will be Fisher who rushed for 500 yards (5.8yards per carry) and three touchdowns last year.“He split time for us last year and he did a great

job,” Kasner said. “He came to us late – he movedin last summer from Indiana. Brandon is a tremen-dous player. He has that extra gear where he canbreak away.”Returning to lead the offensive line is Kolb who

is solid in all facets of his game.

Kings Mills Kings (8-4)* Players To Watch – QB Jonny Brewster (6-3,

185, Jr.), TE/OLB Trey Knecht (6-0, 200, Sr.),WR/OLB Blake Bates (6-2, 200, Jr.), DL JakeGibson (5-11, 225, Sr.), RB/DB Drew Esler (6-0,175, Sr.)* Outlook – Kings was the No. 5 seed in Region

8 last year and defeated Turpin on the road in thefirst round of the playoffs before falling to WintonWoods in the regional semifinals. However, theKnights could take a step back this year and headcoach Andy Olds has no problem admitting it.“We have guys that played last year, but

Brewster is our only full-time returning starter,”Olds said. “We will start a freshman likely for thefirst time in the history of our program, as well assix or seven sophomores. We havethe smallest senior class in the his-tory of our program with a total ofeight players. Last year was thelargest with 27.“Our schedule is tough and our

first four games are against D-Ischools. We will be ready to contend in 2010 and2011, but we’ll have to see about this year. WithAnderson moving, I know there is excitementamong the Region 8 coaches. We haven’t had alosing season since I’ve been here, but that isgoing to be difficult to keep clean this year.”Olds is entering his 12th season as a head



coach and has a career record of 96-24.

Mount Orab Western Brown (10-1)* Players To Watch – TE/LB Dane Boggs (6-3,

215, Sr.), RB/DB Brad Rhoades (6-1, 195, Jr.), LBMatt Canter (6-0, 205, Jr.), OL/DL Walker Davis (6-3, 245, Jr.), QB Matt Corcoran (6-1, 185, Jr.)* Outlook – The Broncos were undefeated in

the regular season last year and earned the No. 7seed in the Region 8 playoffs where they fell toNew Carlisle Tecumseh in the first round. Thisyear, one of the youngest head coaches in thestate of Ohio – 24-year-old Evan Dreyer – takesover the program. Dreyer has a lot oftalent at his disposal, but notmuch experience.Boggs is the only returning

player that started every gamelast season when he finished with60 tackles from his linebacker spot.“He didn’t come off field except kickoff return,”

Dreyer said. “He’ll be one of our captains for sureand will be a third-year starter this year. He’s oneof those great all-around athletes; he also playsbasketball. He does everything for us. He’ll be ourleader and one of our captains.”Another player to keep a close eye on this sea-

son is Rhoades who will take over as the primaryrunning back.“He realistically could be the best player in our

league (Southern Buckeye Conference),” Dreyersaid. Taking over as the starting quarterback is

Corcoran who was the junior varsity starter andvarsity backup last season.“We’re changing the offense from the wing-T to

the triple option and Matt is a good quarterback forthat offense,” Dreyer said.

New Carlisle Tecumseh (11-1) * Players To Watch – OL/DT Karson Williams

(6-4, 245, Sr.), QB/DB Riley Gault (6-0, 185, Sr.),RB/DB Dustin Holmes (6-1, 190, Sr.), FB/ILB KyleSanning (5-11, 205, Sr.), ILB Zeke Eier (5-10, 210,Jr.), TE/DT Rex Bonham (6-3, 240, Sr.), OG/OLBJosh Cantrell (5-11, 185, Sr.), WR/DB RyanChristmann (6-2, 180, Sr.), OT/DE Andy Hufford (6-0, 200, Sr.), OLB Jeremy Strahan (5-9, 185, Sr.)* Outlook – The Arrows were the No. 2 seed in

this playoff region last year and they won a first-round game at home over Mount Orab WesternBrown before falling to Cincinnati Anderson. Tecumseh has a total of 10 returning starters,

many of which play both ways.Williams is ranked as the No. 78senior in the state by Ohio Highand he anchors both lines. Gault threw for 768 yards with

four touchdowns and six intercep-tions and should be much better inhis second season in the starting role.The Arrows can point to a pair of talented, expe-

rience running backs to lead the offense. Last sea-son, Holmes rushed for 977 yards (7.8 per carry)and Sanning wasn’t far behind him with 914 yards(6.1 per carry).The leading returning performers on defense are

Sanning (110 tackles), Eier (106 tackles) andHolmes (91 tackles, four interceptions).“We return an experienced group of players that

are committed to the program,” head coach Kent

Massie said. “They are a talented group with atremendous work ethic. Trenton Edgewood (8-3)* Players To Watch – OG Taylor Miller (6-5,

305, Sr.), RB/CB Justin Elder (6-1, 185, Sr.),OG/LB Billy French (6-0, 195, Sr.), OT/DT TylerBreh (6-2, 250, Sr.), FB Dean Estes (6-0, 185, Sr.),RB/WR/CB Tony Davis (5-10, 180, Jr.), DE CaseyRussell (6-2, 210, Sr.), LB Ryan Roach (5-10, 200,Sr.)* Outlook – The Cougars made the 2008 play-

offs as the No. 6 seed in Region 8 and lost toCincinnati Anderson in the first round. This season,they welcome back a talented squad and shouldbe in the postseason once again.Miller is ranked as the No. 42 senior in the state

by Ohio High and had offers from Bowling Green,Central Michigan, Ohio and Western Michiganbefore committing to Toledo in June.“A lot of schools outside the MAC are interested,

but they’re waiting on his test scores,” head coachSteve Channel said. “Most college coaches reallylike his mobility for a big guy. He’s already the sizethey want – he doesn’t have to growinto being a college lineman.Elder rushed for over 1,200

yards and 14 touchdowns lastseason. He will also start at cor-nerback this year after playing line-backer last year.Elder has plenty of quality offensive linemen that

will be leading the way for him. In addition to Miller,French and Breh return as starters up front.Defensively, Miller and Breh rotate in at tackle,while French returns as a starting linebacker.Estes injured his knee last season, but Channel

is “looking for him to be very productive” this year.The starting quarterback will be determined dur-

ing two-a-days.Channel is entering his 20th season at

Edgewood and has a career record of 144-63.

Trotwood-Madison (4-6)* Players To Watch – WR A.J. Jordan (6-2,

180, Jr.), TE Justin Favors (6-2, 227, Sr.), CB/FSJordan Paschal (5-11, 180, Sr.), DT AnthonyRender (6-3, 301, Sr.), QB Marcus Graham (6-2,190, Jr.), SS George “Bam” Bradley (6-2, 190,So.), RB/ATH Antwan Gilbert (5-11, 174, Jr.), FBNicholas Grigsby (6-0, 195, Jr.), CB MauriceBlacknail (5-11, 165, Jr.)* Outlook – The Rams missed the playoffs last

year (10th in this region) but returnloaded this season. In fact, if itwasn’t for Winton Woods,Trotwood would arguably havethe most talent in Region 8.Jordan is ranked as the No. 10

junior in the state by Ohio High andhas received early interest from Ohio State amongothers. Last season, he had 30 receptions for 450yards and four touchdowns, and was named first-team all-league (GWOC North).Favors is ranked as the No. 47 senior in the

state by Ohio High and has offers from BowlingGreen, Cincinnati, Colorado, Kent State andToledo. Graham returns as the starting quarterbackand he is ranked as the No. 19 junior in the stateby Ohio High. Gilbert is ranked as one of the top15 junior running backs in the state and has 4.43speed in the 40. Grigsby is the top junior fullback

in the state according to Ohio High and he has 4.5speed in the 40.Looking at the defensive side of the ball,

Paschal is ranked as one of the top 150 players inthe state by Ohio High and has a scholarship offerfrom Louisville. Render is also ranked in the top150 by Ohio High and he is a hulking presence inthe middle of the line. Bradley is ranked as the No.3 sophomore in the state by Porter and is knownas a big-hitter.

Also Keep An Eye On* Dayton Carroll (5-5) – The

Patriots badly missed the playoffslast year (16th in this region) butthat might have been a one-yearaberration for this strong program.* Greenville (7-3) – The Green Wave moves

over from Region 6 where it barely missed theplayoffs last year, finishing ninth in the computerstandings.* Morrow Little Miami (7-3) – The Panthers

also had the sour taste of being one spot out of theplayoffs last year. They finished ninth in Region 8.QB Kyle Cook (6-3, 190, Sr.) headlines the ros-

ter. He led the Fort Ancient Valley Conference inpassing as a junior with 2,303 yards on 135-of-219attempts and 21 touchdowns and also had 238yards rushing and five touchdowns. Cook wasnamed first team all-league, first team all-city (Cincinnati) and second team all-Southwest Ohio.* Piqua (6-4) – The 2006

Division II state champion movesover from Region 6 where it placed10th last season.

Also In This Region:Ashville Teays Valley (6-4), Batavia Amelia (4-6),

Cincinnati Aiken (3-7), Cincinnati Hughes Center(2-8), Cincinnati Mount Healthy (4-6), CincinnatiNorthwest (2-8), Cincinnati Walnut Hills (2-8),Dayton Belmont (0-9), Dayton Meadowdale (4-6),Hamilton Ross (2-8), Oxford Talawanda (4-6),Riverside Stebbins (0-10), Sidney (3-7), VandaliaButler (3-7), Wapakoneta (5-5), West Carrollton (4-5), Wilmington (4-6).

Region 5Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit overMedina HighlandRegion 6Lexington over Avon LakeRegion 7Columbus Marion-Franklin overLoganRegion 8Cincinnati Winton Woods overCincinnati TurpinChampionship GameLexington over Winton Woods

Ohio High Division IIPredictions



ASSILLON – Sylvania Southview head coachJim Mayzes’ cell phone was ringing off thehook at the press conference following the

Division II state championship game.And it probably didn’t stop ringing anytime soon

following a 29-25 win over defending state cham-pion Cincinnati Anderson, Fri., Nov. 28 atMassillon’s Paul Brown Stadium in front of 5,953fans in a game that featured big plays on offense,timely defense and critical special teams play.For Southview, it marked the first football state

championship in school history."Wow! What a fantastic battle back and forth,"

Mayzes said after the game.Said Anderson head coach Jeff Giesting: "I just

thought we had some breakdowns tonight thatcost us the game. But my hat off to them – theyhad a good game plan and put their guys in posi-

tion to make plays and they did."Southview’s second team All-Ohio quarterback

Alex Pidcock set a Division II state title gamerecord with 333 yards passing on 23-of-30attempts with three touchdowns passes and aninterception.He also had 94 yards rushing on 23 carries and

a touchdown on the ground."The offensive line gave Pidcock some time

back there and when they do that (the receivers)run around and get open," Mayzes said.Wide receiver Shaun Joplin also set a Division

II state title game record with 166 yards and wason the receiving end of one of those Pidcocktouchdown tosses.Southview (15-0) tallied 465 total yards in the

game to Anderson’s 300 and the defense madesome key plays at opportune times."They have been making big plays all year,"

Mayzes said of his defense. "They are a bunch oftough-minded, hard-nosed kids on that defense.The defense played really well. To give up asmany points as we did, we’re disappointed, butthey hung in there and played tough until the lastplay."Southview led 16-13 at halftime and the game

was tied 16-16 heading into the fourth quarter.Early in the final quarter Pidcock connected

with Joplin for a 38-yard touchdown putting theCougars up 22-16 with just over nine minutes leftAnderson quarterback Daniel Rod was inter-

cepted by Mo May on the next Anderson drive giv-ing Southview the ball on its own 1-yard line. TheCougars were unable to move the ball and onfourth down Southview elected to take the safetyas Pidcock stepped out of the back of the end onthe punt play.Clinging to a 22-18 lead with 4:44 left,

Southview kicked and Anderson took over on theCougars 45 after a nice Luis Perez return. Sixplays later, Slater sprinted 20 yards to pay dirt put-ting Anderson up 25-22 with 2:33 left in the game.Southview started at its own 20 after the touch-

back and moved the ball willingly as Pidcockspread the ball around to four different receiversincluding a 16-yard touchdown pass to PaulMurphey while escaping defenders to giveSouthview the 29-25 lead with 0:32 left in thegame."I just dropped back, looked around, didn’t real-

ly see anything at first, started scrambling and sawMurphey across the middle wide open so I tossedit out there for him and he got in the end zone,"Pidcock said. "It was a great read by him to findthe open gap."Anderson was able to take a final shot at the

end zone as time expired but the Rod pass wasdeflected by Jimmy Hall to seal the win."The last drive, when we scored, I think every

kid on the offense knew we were going to," saidMayzes. "We’ve run the 2-minute drill lots of timesand when we got the ball back with 2:33 left andtwo timeouts, we knew that was going to be plentyof time."Anderson was led by senior running back Kyle

Slater who finished the game with 180 yards rush-ing on 26 attempts and three touchdowns.Southview made one other appearance in the

championship game in 1999 falling to CuyahogaFalls Walsh Jesuit 19-18. — Matt Natali

Division II State Championship

29 25

2008 Revisited

Southview earnsfirst state title

M

Southview freshman Allen Gantcaught a touchdown as time expiredin the first half.

Phot

o by

Ste

phan

ie Po

rter

State FinalSylvania Southview 29, Cincinnati Anderson 25

State SemifinalsSylvania Southview 31, Akron Hoban 0Anderson 14, Columbus St. Francis DeSales 10

Regional FinalsRegion 5 Final(5) Akron Hoban 17, (6) Tallmadge 14Region 6 Final(2) Sylvania Southview 28, (4) Med. Highland 21Region 7 Final(1) Col. St. Francis DeSales 38, (2) Louisville 21Region 8 Final(3) Anderson 24, (1) Cincinnati Winton Woods 21

Regional SemifinalsRegion 5(5) Akron Archbishop Hoban 16, (1) Mayfield 13(6) Tallmadge 27, (7) Madison 7Region 6(4) Medina Highland 35, (8) Olentangy Liberty 0(2) Sylvania Southview 38, (3) Lexington 24Region 7(1) St. Francis DeSales 31, (4) Marion-Franklin 23(2) Louisville 7, (3) Logan 0Region 8(1) Winton Woods 44, (5) Kings Mills Kings 9(3) Anderson 31, (2) New Carlisle Tecumseh 13

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 51 1 Mayfield 27, 8 Kent Roosevelt 77 Madison 35, 2 East Cleveland Shaw 06 Tallmadge 24, 3 Parma Padua Franciscan 175 Akron Hoban 21, 4 Warren Howland 10Region 68 Olentangy Liberty 34, 1 Tol. Central Catholic 72 Sylvania Southview 28, 7 L. Ctr. Olentangy 143 Lexington 28, 6 Lodi Cloverleaf 104 Medina Highland 35, 5 Avon Lake 23Region 71 Col. St. Francis DeSales 20, 8 Watterson 172 Louisville 60, 7 Columbus Independence 243 Logan 23, 6 Dublin Jerome 74 Marion-Franklin 34, 5 Beechcroft 28 (2 OT)Region 81 Winton Woods 58, 8 Dayton Dunbar 122 N. Carlisle Tecumseh 44, 7 Western Brown 213 Cincinnati Anderson 55, 6 Trenton Edgewood 75 Kings Mills Kings 27, 4 Cincinnati Turpin 24

Division II Playoffs

1. Columbus DeSales (13-1)2. Louisville (12-1)3. Toledo Central Catholic (10-1)4. Logan (11-1)5. Sylvania Southview (15-0)6. Lexington (11-1)7. Winton Woods (11-2)8. New Carlisle Tecumseh (11-1)9. Anderson (12-3)10. Mayfield (10-1)




Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion I I I

ooking for the mostcompetitive Division inOhio high school foot-ball for the next twoseasons?

Division III might justbe it.

Following the divisional realign-ment in June, D-III was left withsome of the top teams in thestate regardless of division. Withthe addition of YoungstownMooney, Akron Hoban, Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary, Parma PaduaFranciscan, Columbus DeSales,Columbus Watterson, NewLexington, Steubenville,Cincinnati Wyoming and Waverlyto name a handful, D-III nowboasts eight regional finalistsfrom a year ago including sixstate semifinalists.

And with 2008 D-III statechampion Aurora moving up toD-II, a new state champ will becrowned in 2009


Steubenville senior QBDwight Macon accountedfor 40 TDs last season. Heand 14 other starters are

back for Big Red.

D-IIIL


Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion I I ISTORY BY MATT NATAL I


Akron Hoban (9-5)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Lawrence Wynn (5-

7, 146, Sr.), FB/LB/P Nick Horning (5-10, 160, Jr.),WR/DB Ryan Ross (5-11, 160, Sr.), FB/LB TravisHowe (5-10, 207, Sr.), OL David Sutter (6-0, 240,Sr.), WR/LB Greg McMullen (6-5, 215, Soph.), LBGuiseppe Frisone (6-0, 212, Sr.), LB StephanVeilette (6-1, 212, Sr.), WR/DB Ben Coudriet (6-0,165, Sr.), TE/LB Kyle Brett (6-3, 203, Sr.), RB/DBXavier Kirksey-Ivery (5-10, 150, Jr.); LB NormJesser (5-11, 175, Sr.)* Outlook – Hoban reached the state semifinals

in Division II last season before falling to eventualstate champion Sylvania Southview 31-0. It was thefirst postseason appearance for Hoban since 2005,which was the last season of an eight-year playoffberth run. This season, Hoban drops back

down to Division III after four sea-sons in Division II.“Division III has always been a

strong division in the state of Ohioyear in and year out. As far as thatgoes, it is not going to get any easier,” head coachRalph Orsini said.Hoban loses the bulk of its offensive production

from last season as Courdriet, Ross, Kirksey-Ivery,Wynn and Howe each step into starting roles. “I think we have enough people coming back

where we have a chance of being a real good ballteam. One area we really need to address early isthe inexperience factor.”Frisone, McMullen, Veillette and Jesser will be

the anchor on defense at the linebacking positions.“Defensively, we ought to be a pretty good ball

team,” Orsini said.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (7-3)* Players to Watch – RB Doran Grant (5-10,

165, Jr.), RB/DB Mike Kafagas (5-10, 180, Sr.),RB/LB Brian Foster (6-1, 220, Sr.), RB/DL BenCastrigano (6-2, 210, Sr.), OL/DL Bryan Ausperk (6-7, 305, Sr.), TE/DL D.J. Williams (6-3, 265, Jr.), LBJohn Adams (6-1, 195, Sr.), RB/DB Mark Murphy (6-1, 180, Jr.)* Outlook – Heading into the final week of the

regular season last year, SVSM needed a win overUrsuline to earn a playoff berth but the Fighting Irishfell to the eventual Division V state champ to keepthem out.SVSM will look to its defense early this fall while

some younger players gain experience on offense.“It was interesting, I thought at the beginning of

last year our strength was going to beour defense but we lost three kidswith season ending injuries,” headcoach Dan Boarman said. “Wehad to play a bunch of youngerkids.“I think we’re going to be pretty

strong defensively. If our offensive line comesaround, we could have a pretty good offense, too.” Ausperk and Foster are Division I college caliber

players and will lead a senior group that last madethe postseason in 2007.

“We’re working hard,” said Boarman. “It is a greatsenior class backed up by a good sophomore andjunior class and I am looking forward to the season.”

Beloit West Branch (5-5)* Players to Watch – DL/OL Brad Ferguson (6-5,

255, Sr.), QB Mike Smith (5-11, 170, Sr.), WR/DBJake Gonci (6-4, 185, Sr.), WR/DB Bo Beegle (5-10,180, Sr.), OL/DL Brandon Ferguson (6-7, 240, Jr.),OL/DL Nathan Gambone (6-3, 250, Sr.), OL/DL JonWilson (6-1, 250, Sr.), RB Mark Smith (6-0, 205,Sr.), OL/DL Seth Guy (5-11, 245, Sr.) * Outlook – The bulk of West Branch’s offense

returns in the backfield with Mike Smith under cen-ter and Mark Smith toting the ball for the Warriors.Mike Smith was 123-of-217 passing for 1,811

yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. MarkSmith had 71 carries for 507 yards and four touch-downs. “Other than them, we’re going to

have to rely on some young skillguys in the skill positions,” headcoach Bob Altenhof said. “Thereare some unproven guys so that isconcerning.”Defensively, Brad Ferguson, Wilson and Guy will

lead the charge. “We’re just hoping to improve,” Altenhof said. “We

got off to a good start last year but then (theNortheastern Buckeye Conference) was really, reallygood last year and we ended up staggering to thefinish. We hope to get off to another fast start but wehope to maintain it this season in the conference butit will be a challenge. ”The Warriors last made the playoffs in 2007 and

have made its four times since 2000.

Hubbard (9-3)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Andre Givens (5-10,

180, Sr.), WR/DB Tommy Jackson (6-1, 160, Sr.),QB/LB Matt Shelton (6-2, 175, Sr.), RB/LB DannyDuvall (5-7, 145, Jr.), RB/LB Tim Shiraldi (6-0, 190,Sr.), WR/CB Chase Myers (6-0, 165, Sr.), OT/DEDom Dionisio (6-3, 270, Sr.); WR/ATH KurtisDrummond (6-2, 190, Sr.); WR/ATH KurtisDrummond (6-2, 190, Sr.)* Outlook – Hubbard has been flying high since

alumnus and third-year head coach Brian Hoffmantook over. The Eagles are aiming to make the play-offs for the fourth straight season andhave only missed the playoffs twicesince 1999. Hubbard will have thetalent at the skill positions to getthem off the ground early.Givens rushed for 1,433 yards

and 18 touchdowns last season andDrummond had 16 catches for 281 yards and fourtouchdowns. On defense, he had 49 tackles, twosacks and three interceptions as a cornerback.Both are Division I college prospects with scholar-

ship offers in hand.“(Givens and Drummond) are outstanding ath-

letes but the other guys are going to have to cometogether and elevate their games in order for ourteam to continue to make strides this season,” saidHoffman. Shelton started six games under center in 2008

following an injury to then-senior Sam Bellino butMyers will make his case for the job this season too.“I like what both (quarterbacks) bring to the table,”

said Hoffman. “That is definitely one of the areas we

are going to be looking at hard in the preseason. Tobe honest, the one that starts the first game will bethe one that shows me the most leadership and thatis what we are looking forward to.” Dionisio will anchor the line on offense for the

returning skill positions.

Notre Dame Cathedral Latin (5-6)* Players to Watch – OG Ryan Walczak (6-0,

225, Sr.), WR Season Martin (5-10, 165, Jr.), QB/DBTerry Smith (5-9, 185, Jr.), OT/DT Johnie Lemons(6-1, 315 Jr.), OG Matt Depasqua (5-10, 200, Sr.),RB/LB Josh Schuette (5-9, 190, Sr.), DE ShaneVoyles (6-1, 205, Sr.), TE/DE Andy Kobosky (6-3,190, Sr.), OT/C Kyle Flynn (6-2, 250, Jr.), SS TorreyThomas (5-8, 180, Sr.), C/G Andrew Evans (5-9,225, Jr.)* Outlook – In the two seasons prior to head

coach Byron Morgan showing up at NDCL, theLions were a combined 5-15. Since then, NDCL is11-10 in two campaigns including the third playoffberth in school history last season. The Lions fell toeventual state champ Aurora in the first round andare looking to take the next step in 2009.“After getting into the state playoffs last season,

we look to return even though (Region 9) is verystrong,” said Morgan, who has a 211-86-3 record. Play in the trenches should be strong early on,

according to Morgan.“The offensive line and defensive line should be

very strong and the team as a whole has had agreat offseason,” he said.

Poland Seminary (9-3)* Players to Watch – QB Trey Lidle (6-2, 170,

Sr.), RB Nick Argeras (5-10, 165, Sr.), TE BrettModic (6-3, 220, Sr.), RB Anthony Machi (5-9, 175,Jr.), LB/OL Mike Day (5-10, 210, Sr.), OL JohnHughes (6-1, 210, Sr.), OLB/TE E.J. Kosec (6-1,200, Sr.), RB Luke Wollet (6-1, 190, Sr.), OL JordanBoyd (6-0, 280, Sr.), OL David McLaughlin (6-3,230, Sr.)* Outlook – Poland has the opportunity to make

history this season. The Bulldogs have the potentialto make the playoffs for the third straight season – afeat never accomplished at the school. “For (the seniors), their personal

goal is to be the first class to makethe playoffs three years in a rowand that is one of their primarymotivations,” head coach MarkBrungard said.Wollet will lead the offense out of

the backfield after rushing for over 2,500 yards and15 touchdowns as a junior. He also had three inter-ceptions on defense and has offers to EasternMichigan, Kent State and the Virginia MilitaryInstitute.With Lidle under center for the first time,

Brungard said Wollett will be the catalyst on offenseearly on.“We’ll ride that horse as long as we can,” he said.

”With those situations you try to break those guys inefficiently and special teams become more impor-tant. Our defense will give us a chance.”Poland moves in from Region 11 this season.

Youngstown Mooney (9-3)* Players to Watch – WR/DB John Stoops (6-2,

170, Sr.), TB/DB Karrington Griffin (5-6, 165, Sr.),TB/DB Braylon Heard (5-11, 170, Sr.), WR/DB



Donald D’Alesio (5-11, 170, Sr.), TE/LB ChuckGruber (6-1, 200, Jr.), WR/DB George Lyras (5-10,180, Sr.), WR/LB Joe Stoops (6-2, 170, Sr.), QB/DBAlex Zordich (6-3, 200, Sr.), DB/QB Ed Reese (5-10,170, Sr.), TE/DL Mark Brandenstein (5-11, 200, Sr.),OL/DL Zach Larson (6-3, 290, Sr.), OL/DL MarkPelini (6-0, 282, Sr.), OL/DL Eric Vendemia (6-5,260, Sr.), OL/DL Eric Franklin (6-6, 310, Sr.);WR/SS Ray Vinopal (5-11, 185, Sr.)* Outlook – Mooney has been one of the top pro-

grams in the state regardless of Division over thelast several years winning two state titles since2004. After reaching the regional finals last seasonin D- IV, the Cardinals make the jump up to D-III. Mooney returns eight starters on

offense and defense led by a solidnucleus of seniors. “As any other successful

Mooney team, senior leadership iskey,” head coach P.J. Fecko said.“The seniors are a very close groupand might be the hardest working senior group wehave had at Mooney in years.”Mooney will be strong in the backfield with Heard,

Vinaopal and Griffin toting the ball. D’Alesio andLyras provide athleticism at wideout and in the sec-ondary. Team speed will also be key.“This is not only the hardest working group but

also by far the fastest group we have ever had,”Fecko said.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Akron Buchtel (5-5) – Buchtel drops from D-II

and is looking for its first postseason berth since2005. Despite the drought, the Griffins have madethe playoffs five times since 2000.* Cleveland Benedictine (3-7) –

Six-time state champion ClevelandBenedictine is a dismal 13-27 thelast four seasons and hasn’t madethe playoffs since 2005. OL SimonCvijanvic (6-5, 240, Sr.) is aDivision I college prospect.* Mogadore Field (8-3) – Field made the playoffs

for the first time in school history in 2007 andreturned last season. Now, the Falcons are lookingto swoop in on their first postseason win in 2009.* Parma Padua Franciscan (8-3) –

The Bruins are on the hunt for theirthird straight playoff berth behindTE/DE Anthony Stryffeler (6-4, 220,Sr.), who is a Ball State recruit. QBNick Kaszei (5-11, 175, Sr.) and FSJames Flowers (6-4, 210, Sr.) alsoreturn.* Streetsboro (7-3) – The Rockets finished with a

respectable record last season but didn’t earnenough points to make their first playoff appearancesince 1992 finishing No. 10 in Region 9.

Also In The Region:Akron Coventry (3-7), Akron Springfield (0-10),

Ashtabula Edgewood (0-10), Bay Village Bay (2-8),Hunting Valley University School (4-5), ClevelandEast (0-10), Cleveland East Tech (1-9), Conneaut(4-6), Jefferson Area (2-8), Mantua Crestwood (3-7),Medina Buckeye (6-4), Niles McKinley (2-8), Norton(2-8), Oberlin Firelands (2-8), Parma Heights HolyName (4-6), Pepper Pike Orange (4-6), Struthers (2-8), Warrensville Heights (2-8)

Region 10

Teams To Watch

Bexley (7-4)* Players to Watch – QB/WR/DB Adam Leeds

(5-11, 165, Sr.), OL/LB Tommy Zervas (6-1, 205,Jr.), RB/LB Ronnell Armstrong (5-9, 183, Sr.),WR/DB Martin Binau (5-10, 144, Sr.), TE/LB TommyBolon (5-10, 155, Sr.), OL/DL Alex Delap (6-2, 186,Sr.), RB/DB Mike Edwards (5-9, 183, Sr.), RB/DBChristyen Hertlien (5-9, 171, Sr.), RB/DB ZiyadKhaloufi (5-7, 170, Sr.), WR/DB Drew King (6-1,150, Sr.), OL/DL Matt Mackay (6-0, 178, Sr.), FB/LBDylan Myers (5-9, 180, Sr.), WR/DB Mikey Penn (5-10, 195, Sr.), WR/DB Scott Podlasiak (5-9, 140, Sr.),OL/DL Martin Raabe (5-11, 186, Sr.), OL/DL MattStanton (5-10, 205, Sr.), OL/DL Dan Webb (6-2,240, Sr.), OL/LB Josh Lake (6-0, 190, Jr.)* Outlook – Moving from Region

12, Bexley is looking to roar into theplayoffs for the second straightseason following its first appear-ance in school history last year. And the Lions will do so after

graduating only 11 seniors and return-ing 27 lettermen. “We lost some important kids but I think we will

be well-rounded,” head coach John Smith said.Edwards is a two-year starter and is coming off a

582-yard, three touchdown season. Armstrong, pri-marily a special teams player last season, will joinEdwards in the backfield in 2009.Leeds takes over at quarterback for Seth White,

now at Ball State. “He won’t be as quick to tuck it and run 80 yards

for a touchdown (as White),” Smith explained. “Hewill be a more willing to stay in the pocket and makethe reads to complete those balls.”The defense will center around Lake, Zervas and

Myers.“They set the tone on what has to happen,” said

Smith. “We need to sure up the secondary a little bitbut I think we’ll be better. We have kids coming backat those positions and I think we’ll be better.”

Clyde (9-2)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Kade Kramer (5-8,

160, Jr.), QB/S Gabe Gilbert (6-0, 212, Jr.), OL/DEDavid Weisz (6-3, 275, Sr.), TE/DE Kyle Smetzler(6-0, 200, Sr.), OL Jordan Brown (Sr.), OL AlexEllenburger (Sr.), LB Cody Ortolani (Sr.), LBBrandon Flores (Sr.), S Mac Wilkerson (Jr.); OLGage Goble (6-3, 275, Sr.)* Outlook – Clyde has won the Sandusky Bay

Conference title three of the last fourseasons and made the playoffs fourof the last five seasons.. The Fliers will be without three-

year starting quarterback and two-time all-state selection Alex Gillet(Eastern Michigan) for the first time inthree years. Gilbert will step in under center.“(Gilbert) played various positions on offense last

season and will lead the offense in much of thesame way Gillett did,” head coach Marc Gibsonsaid. Clyde set the school rushing record last season

with over 3,500 yards behind returning starters

Weisz, Goble, Brown and Ellenburger up front. Firstteam all-conference selection Smetzer also returnson the line at tight end. Kramer had over 1,000 yards rushing and will

tote the ball again for the Fliers. Defensively, Clyde returns five starters so will

have some holes to fill in key areas, according toGibson.“We should be in contention (for the playoffs)

once again if our returning players stay focused onour task and out seniors respond with the right lead-ership,” said Gibson.Clyde is 33-9 in four seasons under Gibson.

Columbus Watterson (5-6)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Dominic Clegg (5-

11, 165, Sr.), FB/LB Mark Theado (6-0, 220, Sr.),WR/DB Nick Liimatta (5-10, 149, Sr.), FB/LB MattRedfield (6-0, 191, Jr.), C/NG Craig Freeman (6-1,248, Sr.), TE/DE Marc Elberson (6-2, 175, Sr.),OT/DT Ryan Alu (6-1, 270, Sr.), TE/DE TaylorGlancey (6-4, 210, Sr.), OG Kurt May (6-6, 315, Sr.),OG Andrew Buenning (6-3, 215), TE/LB MattSchweitzer (6-3, 206, Sr.), QB Gregg Hock.* Outlook – Watterson made the postseason last

year in Division II after missing the playoffs for thefirst time this decade in 2007 but fell tobitter rival Columbus DeSales 20-17in the first round. Watterson beat DeSaless 40-34

in the regular season.“(Division III) is still very competi-

tive,” head coach Dan Bjelac said. “Iam sure there is a little difference there ifyou analyze the points you need to get in the regionto makes the playoffs. But you’ve go to take care ofthings with the schedule you play first and then thatwill take care of things with the playoffs.”DeSales also drops into D-III and is in the same

region.“We’ve played them a lot of times twice in a sea-

son. But we don’t worry too much about it – we justdo it and it is what it is,” Bjelac said. “It will alwaysbe a good game, they are well-coached, have somesolid kids back and you approach it from that point.”Watterson loses some key players on both sides

of the ball but have some talent returning includingTheado, Schweitzer, Elberson, Hock and Liimatta onoffense and Redfield, Clegg and Schweitzer ondefense. “I think we have had a very good offseason,”

Bjelac said. As I look at our senior group, I thinkthey are a very close-knit group. Obviously, though,there are always question marks.”

Columbus DeSales (13-1)* Players to Watch – RB/LB Evan Killea (6-0,

190, Sr.), WR/DB Chi Chi Ariguzo (6-2, 200, Sr.),RB/DB Adam Griffin (5-9, 180, Sr.), OL/DL TravisJackson (6-4, 245, Sr.), OL/DL Alex Vance (6-4,215, Sr.), OL/DL Joe Riley (6-0, 235, Sr.), TE/DLChris Rock (6-5, 245, Jr.), QB/DB Mitch Herbert (5-11, 170, Sr.), WR/DB Mitch Yinger (5-10, 170, Sr.),QB/LB Sam Borghese (6-2, 170, Jr.), QB/DB NickGentile (6-1, 190, Jr.), RB/LB Malcolm Burrell (5-10,210, Sr.)* Outlook – DeSales has made the playoffs

every season since 1994 including two state titlesand three runner-up finishes. “Columbus has good football,” said head coach

Ryan Wiggins, who was the D-II co-coach of the



year last year. “Northeast Ohio was always the kingand now I think it is leveled off in Columbus.”As mentioned, DeSales drops to D-III with

Watterson this season.“When you look at Division III

you’ve got some really good tradi-tional powers in there. I thinkDivision III is a very solid divisionbut our challenge with our regularseason is getting enough points (toget into the playoffs),” he said. Besides Watterson, DeSales also has Cincinnati

Anderson, Cincinnati Elder, Cleveland Benedictineand Cincinnati LaSalle on the schedule.The Stallions have a solid nucleus back, especial-

ly upfront, to go up against that schedule.Ariguzo and Jackson both have numerous

Division I college scholarship offers from some ofthe top programs in the country and Rock is one ofthe top players in the Class of 2011.Griffin rushedfor 800 yards last season as a role player.DeSales will have a new quarterback under cen-

ter with the departure of Thomas Gentile and thestarting job will come down to Herbert, Nick Gentileand Borghese.

Columbus Eastmoor Academy (13-2)* Players to Watch – QB/FS Ronald Tanner (6-1,

170, Jr.), RB/DB Carl Washington (5-9, 175, Sr.),WR/DB Steven Mitchell (5-11, 165, Sr.), LB/WRKevin Tucker (5-9, 155, Jr.), RB/LB Shawn Jackson(5-9, 172, Jr.), TE/LB/K Kwesi Sample (6-0, 186,Jr.), OL/DL Shaquille Ragin (5-11, 260, Jr.), OL/DLJabari Howard (6-1, 280, Soph.), RB/DB MikaleLong (5-7, 145, Jr.), WR Denzel McDougald (6-3,185, Sr.)* Outlook – Eastmoor finished D-III state runner-

up last season in its first trip to the state tournament. The Warriors graduated 22 seniors and lose the

bulk of their offense from last year, including all skillplayers, but head coach Jim Miranda feels confidentin the players that will be stepping into those roles. “I think we’re going to be strong at

the skill positions still given theamount of kids that graduated,” hesaid.Tanner will take the snaps and

Washington will tote the ball comingoff a broken leg suffered in Week 4 lastseason. He tallied 600 yards and eight touchdownsbefore getting injured. McDougald returns for his senior season after

being academically ineligible last year. “Overall, we don’t have a whole lot of the experi-

ence that we had last year but there are opportuni-ties for some of the young kids to step up,” Mirandasaid. “There is a lot of enthusiasm from kids that didnot participate last year and are looking forward togetting out here and getting an opportunity.” Eastmoor moves in from Region 12 from last

year.

Tipp City Tippecanoe (9-2)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Jake Budding (5-9,

181, Sr.), RB/LB Corey Johnson (5-10, 180, Sr.),OT/DL Kyle Ledbetter (5-11, 197, Sr.), TE/DE AlexTrotter (6-1, 190, Sr.), QB/DB Jake Watkins (5-9,165, Jr.), QB/DB Ryan Landwehr (6-2, 185, Sr.),RB/LB Jacob Polansky (5-10, 180, Jr.), P/K KylePignatiello (5-8, 185, Jr.), RB/LB Joe Everhart (5-10,170, Sr.), C/DL Jonathon Bruce (5-11, 213, Sr.),

G/DL Jeremy Hitchens (5-8, 177, Sr.), T/DL ZachWatkins (5-9, 242, Sr.)* Outlook – Tipp has been one-and-done each of

the last four years bowing out in thefirst round of the postseason. Can the Red Devils get over the

hump this season?“I think we have a good nucleus

with our running game and we canwork on establishing the pass,” veter-an head coach Charlie Burgbacher said. “We needto be able to throw the ball so that we don’t havepeople loading up on the running game. It seemslike when we’ve done a better in the passing gamethe running game functions well.”Everhart will lead that running game behind three

of five returning linemen after suffering a broken leglast season. The passing game will be up to either Landwehr

or Watkins with the graduation of Wes Marsh.“We could end up using both of them. They are

two different styles but both of them have athleticskill,” Burgbacher said. “We’ve had times in the pastwhere we’ve used two different quarterbacks.Recently, it has just been one because there hasbeen one that has been heads and shoulders abovethe other. “But this time around we’re going to have a cou-

ple of kids that have limited experience.”

Also Keep An Eye On: * Bellevue (8-3) – The Redmen ended a three-

year playoff drought last season and are looking torumble into their 12th postseason in program histo-ry.* Delaware Buckeye Valley (7-3), Lima

Shawnee (7-3) – Both programs registered solidrecords but failed to make the playoffs. BuckeyeValley has never made the postseason andShawnee made it once in 2004.* Defiance (8-3) – Defiance made their first play-

off appearance last season since 2003. TheBulldogs hoisted the state title trophy in 1997 for itsonly championship.* Sandusky Perkins (7-3) – An above .500

record wasn’t enough for the 1999 state championPirates to make the playoffs last year. Perkins hasmade the playoffs three times since 2000.* St. Marys Memorial (9-3) – Since 2000,

Memorial has made the postseasonseven times including a state run-ner-up finish in 2004. TheRoughriders will have a new faceon the sideline this season with fol-lowing the retirement of 11-yearhead coach Doug Frye. Taking over isMark Hollars from Westlake with his Wing-T offenseMemorial fans grew to know under Frye.* Tiffin Columbian (9-3) –WR Derek Kneeskern

(6-3, 195, Sr.) will be key in leading the Tornadoesto their seventh postseason since 2000.

Also In This Region:Bellefontaine (5-5), Bellefontaine Benjamin Logan

(3-7), Bryan (5-5), Celina (2-8), Columbus East (5-5), Columbus Linden McKinley (3-7), ColumbusSouth (0-10), Elida (0-10), Napoleon (5-5), OakHarbor (2-8), Shelby (6-4), St. Paris Graham Local(4-6), Toledo Libbey (4-6), Vermillion (6-4),Whitehall-Yearling (0-10), Willard (2-8)

Region 11

Teams To Watch

Canal Fulton Northwest (8-3)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Evan Bach (5-10,

180, Sr.), WR/LB Bobby Schilling (6-0, 210, Sr.),QB/FS Bryan Jones (6-0, 180, Sr.), WR/CB Tim May(5-8, 160, Sr.), WR/DE Mitch Lewis (6-2, 240, Sr.),WR/PK Joe Demaree (6-0, 170, Sr.), PK SethMiracle (6-1, 170, Sr.), OL Gavin Hudson (6-2, 230,Jr.), FS Ben Beadle (5-10, 170, Sr.), LB StephanSocotch (5-10, 180, Sr.), NG Brandon Konen (5-8,170, Sr.)* Outlook – Northwest has made the playoffs

eight straight seasons but if the Indians are going towin their first state title it will have to happen withinthe next two. For the 11th straight time, a levy failedto pass in the district, thus eliminatingsports at Northwest after the 2010-11 school year. “We’re fighting for our lives here,”

head coach Vic Whiting said. “Thekids on this football team have paid aprice to be on this football team. Not onlydo they work hard but they have to pay-to-play. “We’ve got good kids and there is no doubt about

that. We’re going to be really young and we’re goingto be small.”Bach headlines the roster after moving from

receiver to the backfield last season and rushing for1,659 yards on 215 carries and 20 touchdowns. Jones is under center again coming off a 74-of-

129 passing effort for 975 yards, 10 touchdownsand nine interceptions.Defensively, the linebacking corps returns with

Schilling as the focal point. He tallied 166 tacklesas a junior with four sacks and two interceptions.Lewis had 52, respectively.

Dover (11-2)* Players to Watch – QB Marcus Mamarella (5-

10, 200, Sr.), WR/DB Ian Drapcho (6-0, 170, Sr.),WR/DB Colton Zahner (6-1, 175, Jr.), WR/LB EricAubihl (6-0, 170, Jr.), WR/DB Ricky Maz (5-9, 190,Sr.), RB/LB Keith Johnson (5-11, 180, Jr.), RB/LBBrandyn Murtaugh (5-10, 200, Sr.), LB/DL AlexAubihl (6-1, 230, Sr.), LB/DL Cody Gordon (6-0,185, Sr.), LB/DL Cameron Casimir (6-0, 210, Sr.),LB/DL Danny Jeandervin (6-4, 285, Jr.), LB/DL KyleErwin (6-1, 250, Sr.), LB/DL Jason Orr (6-2, 220,Sr.)* Outlook – Dover has only missed the playoffs

once this decade (2004) so it is safe to say theTornadoes don’t rebuild, they reload. Despite the loss of all-state quarterback Cory

Lisowski to graduation and his go-to receivers inhead coach Dan Ifft’s patented spreadoffense, Dover will be a force in theregion once again.“Some of our personality on

offense might change losing Coryand some of those fleet receivers,”Ifft said. “but we’re going to try and dothe same things – just get it done in a different way. Mamarella steps in at quarterback after tossing

for 49 yards and two touchdowns last season. Healso had 202 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.Drapcho will be his main target coming off 461



yards receiving on 26 catches and four touchdownsa year ago. Alex Aubihl, Orr, Gordon, Jeandervinand Erwin will provide experience on the line whilethe skill positions develop.Defense will keep Dover in games early as the

offense gels with nine starters returning.

Granville (8-3)* Players to Watch – LB/WR Austen Harrison (6-

2, 190, Sr.), DB/WR Ross Comisford (5-11, 70, Sr.),QB David Hettler (6-6, 225, Sr.), RB Tyler Link (6-0,185, Sr.), RB Graham Rucker (5-7, 180, Sr.), DL/OLMichael Hofer (6-4, 240, Sr.), WR Josh McKenzie(5-10, 160, Jr.). * Outlook – Veteran head coach Mike Hensley

retired from the Granville head coaching position inthe offseason, but a new face won’t be roaming theBlue Aces sideline in his place. That’s because longtime assis-

tant and Granville alumnus J.R.Waite has taken over the top spot. “It is a great honor and a great

responsibility,” Waite said. “It hasspecial meaning to me. I learned a lotfrom Mike and was fortunate to be given a lot ofresponsibilities by Mike.” Waite retained the entire coaching staff. “I am very familiar with our coaching staff and that

makes the transition a little easier. I have greatfamiliarity with the players,” he said.Granville has to replace WR Adam Alderman and

QB Cory Becher on offense, which combined, claimfive school records. Hettler takes over at quarterback and Link is the

leading returning rusher.Granville is looking for its third straight playoff

berth and fourth in school history.

Newark Licking Valley (12-2)* Players to Watch – FB/LB Eric Mitchell (5-10,

195, Sr.), TE/LB Brock Mitchell (6-2, 210, Sr.),OG/DE Dylan Osborn (6-0, 240, Sr.), OG/DE JoshO’Donnell (5-11, 195, Sr.), C/DE Josh Gordon (6-1,225, Jr.), WR/DB Alex Ratai (6-2, 175, Jr.), TB/DBTregg Hall (6-0, 170, Jr.).* Outlook – Licking Valley has been a playoff

mainstay qualifying for the playoffs eight of the lastnine seasons, which have included two state runner-up finishes (2001 and 2007). But that streak could be in jeopardy this season

with the well left mostly dry following last season’sstate semifinals run.The most notable player missing

from the roster is RB/LB StormKlein. In his storied four-yearcareer, the Ohio State recruit setCentral District records with 6,368yards rushing and 99 touchdowns.The Panthers only return three starters on

offense and defense. “We are very inexperienced,” longtime head

coach Randy Baughman said. “We had a successful(junior varsity) team last year so we hope they areready for Friday nights.”

Steubenville (14-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Dwight Macon (5-

11, 180, Sr.), WR/DB Isaiah Willis (5-8, 150, Sr.),WR/DB Anthony Pierro (5-10, 150, Jr.), WR/DBJordan Meyer (5-9, 155, Jr.), WR/DB CalebWestlake (5-9, 160, Sr.), WR/DB Trey Wiggins (5-9,

150, Sr.), RB/LB Jesse Birden (5-11, 165, Jr.),RB/LB Shaquille Petteway (6-0, 170, Jr.), RB/LBDemetrius Brandon (5-8, 165, Sr.), TE/LB DannyBayne (6-0, 170, Sr.), OL/DL Devon Campbell (5-10,205, Jr.), OL/DL John Elder (6-0, 175, Sr.), KBrennen Stover (6-2, 160, Sr.), TE/DE Sage Curti(6-1, 175, Sr.)* Outlook – Few teams, regardless of division,

have experienced the success Steubenville has thepast decade. Since 1999, the Big Red have missedthe postseason only once, have won two state titles(2004, 2005) and finished state runner-up last sea-son. What’s more, this season has the potential tomark Steubenville’s seventh straightundefeated regular season. There is a good chance that

streak will stay alive with 15starters returning.“We have a good nucleus back

and that is always good to have and itis a nucleus we can build around,” said head coachReno Saccoccia, who was the D-IV co-coach of theyear last season. “We have some experienced play-ers coming back but there is a difference betweenan experienced player that is an underclassman andthe experience of a senior leader.”Macon is a Division I college prospect with sever-

al scholarship offers already. He rushed for 837yards and 12 touchdowns last season and passedfor 2,424 yards and 28 touchdowns with only fourinterceptions. He was the D-IV co-player of the yearlast season.Steubenville moves up to D-III after two success-

ful seasons in D-IV.“If you look at Division III and the way it is set up,

I can’t see any tougher division that is more compet-itive,” Saccoccia said. “We are just concentrating onimproving everyday and preparing ourselves men-tally and physically for a long and hopefully a longgrind.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Cambridge (4-6) – Cambridge made the play-

offs for the first time in 2004 and made three straightappearances but has failed to qualify since. QB Billy Webb (5-11, 179, Sr.) was

60-of-116 passing for 798 yardsand three touchdowns last seasonwith 169 yards and four touch-downs. RB/LB Tyler Hardesty (5-11, 205,

Sr.) tallied 292 carries for 1,639 yardsand 23 touchdowns and also had 13 catches for167 yards. Experience on the offensive line will helpwith the ground game, according to head coachRich Goodrich.“I feel we have a strong unit and will be a little

diversified this year,” he said. “We should have thebest team speed that we’ve had. We’ve got someyoung kids that can run and our older kids haveabove average speed and above average quick-ness.” * New Concord John Glenn (6-4)

– John Glenn missed the postsea-son last year after three straightappearances and it will be difficultto keep the Little Muskies out twoseasons in a row.* New Lexington (12-2) – The

Panthers move up to D-III after finishing in the D-IVstate semifinals last season. New Lexington has

made the postseason four straightseasons. QB/LB Clint Cannon (6-1,202, Sr.) and RB/LB JohnRobinson (6-1, 190, Sr.) headlinethe Panthers roster this season.Head coach Bill Nutt was the D-IVco-coach of the year.* Pataskala Licking Heights (7-3) – The Hornets

move up from D-IV after finishing No. 10 in Region15 last season.* Rayland Buckeye Local (7-4) – The Panthers

earned a playoff berth last season for the first timesince 2003.* Thornville-Sheridan (11-1) – Sheridan has

made the playoffs six times since 2001 but the roadahead looks tough for the Generals this season.With the graduation of 20 seniors, theentire offense needs to be replacedas well as the defensive line.“We have a lot of kids that are

going to have to play both waysthis year for us,” head coach PaulCulver said. “When you lose thatmany kids it is hard to find that many to take theirplace. I have been around this game long enough toknow what it takes to have a good football team andI think we have some potential but potential doesn’ttranslate to what happens on the field unless youare working hard and doing what you’re supposedto be doing.”DL Drew Carpenter (6-1, 220, Sr.) was an All-

Ohio first team defense selection.

Also In This RegionMillersburg West Holmes (5-5), Alliance (6-4),

Alliance Marlington (5-5), Cadiz Harrison Central (6-4), Carrollton (0-10), Philo (3-7), East Liverpool (1-9), Hebron Lakewood (1-9), Lisbon Beaver Local (4-6), McConnelsville Morgan (1-9), Minerva (6-4),Navarre Fairless (4-6), Richmond Edison (3-7),Salem (0-10), Uhrichsville Claymont (3-7), WarsawRiver View (2-8), Winterville Indian Creek (2-8),Zanesville Maysville (0-10)

Region 12

Teams To Watch

Chillicothe (8-4)* Players to Watch – RB/LB Shay Netter (6-2,

229, Sr.), RB/DB Troy Netter (5-10, 160, Sr.), RB/DLDanny Demick (6-0, 240, Sr.), K/P Drew Basil (6-1,174, Sr. ), OL/DL Dylan Fisher (6-1, 311, Sr.), OL/DLJ.T. Gray (5-11, 285, Sr.), OL Joshua Flint (6-1, 195,Sr.), RB Casey Oates (6-2, 180, Jr.), DB IsaacBeverly (6-2, 170, Jr.)* Outlook – Chillicothe loses some key players

from last season’s team but should have enoughpieces in place to compete in the Southeast OhioAthletic League and a third playoffberth in four years. Caleb Knights, a four-year

starter, leaves big shoes to fill atquarterback as the Cavaliers lead-ing rusher and passer. Gray is theonly lineman on offense returning andis a three year starter. The youngster Oates saw a little time last season

but will be thrown into the firs immediately carrying



the ball for Chillicothe. On defense, Shay Netter is a one-man wrecking

crew tallying 151 tackles last season and an inter-ception. Despite the question marks on offense,

Chillicothe has some young, fast athletes in the pro-gram that should be more than capable of steppingin and taking the reins.Basil is an Ohio State commit.

Cincinnati Indian Hill (8-2)* Players to Watch – RB Jacob Bauer (6-0, 215,

Sr.),QB Sam Hendricks (6-5, 195, Sr.), RB ReidLockwood (5-8, 165, Jr.), LB A.J. Froelich (6-1, 215,Sr.), DE Jeremy Dollin (6-4, 200, Sr.), DE NickJaroszewicz (6-2, 220, Sr.), LB Max Hendricks (6-1,205, Sr.) * Outlook – After four straight seasons finishing

as the No. 1 seed in the region, Cincinnati IndianHill was out on the outside looking in on the post-season last year finishing No. 9 –missing the playoffs by just seven-tenths of a point.New year, new season – new

head coach.With the departure of veteran

head coach Kevin Siple to CincinnatiHills Christian Academy, longtime assistant MikeTheisen steps in to lead the Braves. “It’s a great situation to go into,” said Theisen,

who was the Indian Hill defensive coordinator for 15years. “I was part of building the program. I think webuilt a quality program and it is on very solid ground. “Now it is my job to not only maintain it but raise

the program up a little bit. So, I am excited.”Sam Hendrix will step in under center for graduat-

ed three-time all state quarterback Bo Cordell.Hendrix is a Division I college football prospect.

Circleville Logan Elm (12-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Johnnie Brown (5-

10, 180, Sr.), WR/DB Adam Blake (6-1, 150, Sr.),OL/DL Chris Spurlock (6-3, 300, Sr.), OL/DE LoganHauserman (6-7, 300, Sr.), WR/DB Corey Whaley(5-10, 140, Sr.), WR/DB Brandon Depouw (5-9, 143,Sr.), OL/DL Kyle Eveland (5-11, 215, Jr.), RB/LBChris Eversole (5-10, 165, Sr.), WR/LB CalebSollars (6-3, 200, Sr.), RB/LB Pete Laux (5-9, 160,Sr.), RB/LB Nick Hart (6-0, 170, Jr.), OL/DE CodyPetitt (6-3, 215, Sr.), WR/CB Ean Stiles (5-10, 170,Sr.)* Outlook – It is one of those turnarounds that is

rarely witnessed in high school sports. A year after finishing 0-10, head coach Scott

Bartholomew stepped into the Logan Elm programlast season and led the Braves to a perfect regularseason and regional finals finish. The seasonmarked the first undefeated season, home playoffgame, playoff win and 12-win season.But Bartholomew, the D-III coach of the year last

season, refuses to take the credit. “I didn’t do it, the kids did it,” he said. “It was a

complete change as far as the coaching staff wentand I think it gave the kids a reason for something tobelieve in. Whether we were sellinganything different from what the oldcoaching staff did – it was just dif-ferent and new.”Brown rushed for 1,407 yards

on 235 carries at quarterback andpassed for 912 yards and 11 touch-

downs. Hauserman is a Division I college prospecton the line.“Last year we were earning respect and this year

it is a matter of validating what we did last year,” hesaid. “We are going to have to be ready for every-body’s best game. No one is going to overlook usthis time around and we are going to be the teamthey want to beat.”

Waverly (4-6)* Players to Watch – QB/S Derek Roback (6-3,

220, Sr.), RB/DB Kevin Malone (6-0, 195, Sr.),RB/DB Kevin Malone (6-0, 195, Sr.), WR/DB ShanePrice (5-11, 170, Sr.), WR/DB Jake Kretzer (6-4,170, Soph.), TE/LB Rashaun Conley (6-2, 185, Sr.),RB/LB Kyle Phillips (5-9, 145, Sr.), FB/LB ShaneMurray (6-0, 195, Sr.), G/LB Jarrod Bowling (5-10,175, Sr.), G/DL Nick Seymour (6-0, 185, Sr.), C/DLChris Schuyler (6-0, 275, Sr.)* Outlook – Waverly took its lumps last season in

D-IV with a lineup of inexperienced players. This season in D-III, those players are back and

aiming to reach the postseason for the third time onfour years. “We’re going to have just about everybody back

from last year,” head coach Rusty Wright said.“Those kids played for the first time last yearbecause they had a bunch of good football playersin front of them. Last year, they were just thrown inthe mix and hadn’t really played.”“It was a tough year but it was a growing year.

We’re coming back with a lot of good kids that got alot of good time last year.”

Roback is back at quarterback after tossing for1,585 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for480 yards and four more touchdowns in his firstseason under center. He was an all-state receiveras a sophomore.Malone returns at tailback after missing six

games to injury last season and Price will be outwide for Roback after starting ten games last sea-son.“We feel pretty good about what we got as far as

skills guy and the offensive line back,” Wright said.

Also Keep An Eye On* Bellbrook (5-5) – QB Jay Bucher (6-4, 220,

Sr.), OL/DL Matt Longo (6-1, 190, Jr.) and O/DLBrian Baird (6-4, 210, Jr.) headlinethe Golden Eagles roster hasBellbrook drops from D-II. Bucheris a Division I college footballprospect and Longo is the youngerbrother of Ohio State freshman OLSam Longo. Bellbrook’s last playoff appearance was in 2004.* Cincinnati Wyoming (7-3) - DL

Jibreel Black (6-2, 260, Sr.) head-lines an experienced roster thisseason with scholarship offers tosome of the top schools in thecountry. Wyoming has made theplayoffs three of the last four seasons. * Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (6-4) - RB

Ahmad Mack (5-9, 162, Sr.) rushed for572 yards and five touchdowns innine games for the Eagles whileWR Laron Brown (6-4, 178, Sr.)ranked in the top 20 in receiving inthe Greater Catholic league with270 yards and three touchdowns in

just six games. C-J faces the challenge of replacing three-year

starting quarterback Kurt Hess, who was the No. 3rated passer in the GCL last season. C-J made theplayoffs every season from 1999-2005, including aD-II state title in 2002 but the Eagles have yet tomake the postseason since.* Dayton Dunbar (8-3) – The Wolverines made

the postseason last year in D-II for the first timesince 2002. However Dunbar could be without headcoach James Lacking after he was placed onadministrative leave May 22 after an alleged alterca-tion with a student.* Dayton Oakwood (8-4) – The

Lumberjacks made the playoffs forthe third straight season last yearbut moves up from D-IV withoutleading rusher and graduate RobbieSherk.* Eaton (5-5) – Leading rusher Dalton Caudill (5-

10, 180, Sr.) returns after notching 1,455 yards and16 touchdowns last season as well as leading pass-er Austin Fudge (6-2, 170, Sr.). He threw for 1,213yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.OL Clint Sheppard (6-4, 265, Sr.) is

a Cincinnati verbal. “Defensively, we have to rebuild

the defensive line and linebackingcorps,” head coach Ron Neanensaid. Eaton missed the postseason last

year coming off three straight appearances. * Franklin (6-5) – The Wildcats made the playoffs

last season for the first time since 1993.* Jackson (5-5) – The typically strong Ironmen

program has missed the playoffs the past two years.

Also In The RegionCincinnati Roger Bacon (4-6), Bethel-Tate (4-5),

Cincinnati McNicholas (3-7), Circleville (1-9),Gallipolis Gallia Academy (5-5), Goshen (4-6),Greenfield McClain (2-8), Hillsboro (2-8), McArthurVinton County (1-9), Monroe (5-5), New Richmond(7-3), North Bend Taylor (2-8), Norwood (7-3),Springfield Greenon (5-5), Springfield Kenton Ridge(3-7), Springfield Shawnee (5-5), Miami Trace (6-4),Washington Court House (1-9). — OH

Region 9Youngstown Mooney over AkronHobanRegion 10Columbus DeSales over ColumbusWattersonRegion 11Steubenville over Canal FultonNorthwestRegion 12Waverly over Cincinnati WyomingChampionship GameColumbus DeSales over Steubenville

Ohio High Division IIIPredictions



ANTON – For the Aurora football team, it sureis easy being green.In the Division III state championship game,

Sat., Nov. 29 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium, theGreenmen won their first state championship 21-10 over Columbus Eastmoor Academy in front ofapproximately 11,000 fans.Despite being outgained 297-191 in total offen-

sive yards, Aurora (13-2) took advantage of threeEastmoor (13-2) turnovers getting, 14 points fromtakeaways as the Warriors were penalized 11times for 78 yards."It is definitely cliché but you’ve got to take care

of the football and force those turnovers and wedefinitely did that and have done that the wholeplayoff run," Aurora head coach Bob Mihalik said.Said Eastmoor head coach Jim Miranda: "We

knew coming into the game that (Aurora) was very

opportunistic and they were able to capitalize onturnovers. Unfortunately, we had quite a few(turnovers) in the first half."Aurora’s second team All-Ohio quarterback

Brendan Gallagher was 7-of-15 passing for 120yards, two touchdowns and an interception."The (offensive) line protected me pretty well,"

Gallagher said. "I don’t think I was sacked once allday. They gave me some time to deliver the foot-ball and that was a plus for us."Steven Yung and Dee Brizzolara each had

three catches and a touchdown apiece.Aurora got play underway on offense but

Gallagher was picked by defensive back AlexColeman on the fourth play of the game givingEastmoor the ball on the Aurora 42."I just had to erase it from my mind," Gallagher

said of the early interception. "I put it in the back ofmy head because I needed to stay composedbeing the quarterback of the offense."The Warriors got points off the turnover on a

35-yard Kwesi Sample field goal.The first half remiained a stalemate until Yung

recovered a Touche Hopkins fumble on theEastmoor 49 giving Aurora a short field. On thirddown and 10, Gallagher connected with Yung inthe flat and he raced to the end zone for to givethe Greenmen a 7-3 lead with 8:39 left in the half.Then the floodgates opened just before halftime

as Aurora scored twice in the span of 21 secondsto take a commanding 21-3 lead into the break.On the first score, Eric Schultz barreled into the

end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run capping an11-play, 79-yard drive giving the Greenmen a 14-3advantage.Hopkins was flagged for a costly pass interfer-

ence call on third down and 10, keeping that scor-ing drive alive and Aurora took advantage.On Eastmoor’s first play from scrimmage on the

following possession, Johnson was intercepted byBrizzolara and returned to the Warriors 26.Gallagher found Brizzolara on the first down for

a 26-yard touchdown pass, giving Aurora the 21-3lead and momentum heading into halftime.Eastmoor made an effort in the second half to

make the game close scoring on its first posses-sion after an Aurora punt. The Warriors put togeth-er a 12-play, 93-yard 6:18 scoring drive capped offby a Coleman 30-yard touchdown reception fromJohnson on fourth down and long to close in 21-10 late in the third quarter."Our game plan was to make them go on long

drives," explained Mihalik. "We wanted to keepeverything in front of us and if they were going toscore we wanted them to go on those long drives.Yeah, they scored but they took almost the wholethird quarter to do it. Time was on our side at thatpoint. Hats off to them. They didn’t go into theirshell when it was 21-3 and they battled back likewe knew they would."Johnson was 10-of-19 passing for 152 yards,

the touchdown and two interceptions. Colemanhad all 10 catches and the score. Hopkins finishedwith 72 yards rushing on 12 carries. "We know that we made history today,"

Coleman said. "We know we’re only the secondteam in City League history to go to the state.Even though we are disappointed that we lost, weknow what kind of team we are and we know thatwe made history.” — Matt Natali

Division III State Championship

21 10

2008 Revisited

Strong first halfcarries Aurora

C

Despite being outgained by over 100yards, Aurora cashed in on turnoversto win its first state title.

Phot

o by

Ste

phan

ie Po

rter

State FinalAurora 21, Columbus Eastmoor Academy 10

State SemifinalsAurora 20, Sunbury Big Walnut 14Col. Eastmoor Academy 14, Licking Valley 10

Regional FinalsRegion 9 Final(2) Aurora 28, (1) Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 7Region 10 Final(7) Sunbury Big Walnut 24, (1) Avon 15Region 11 Final(2) Newark Licking Valley 35, (1) Dover 28Region 12 Final(4) Eastmoor Academy 23, (2) Logan Elm 0

Regional SemifinalsRegion 9(1) Walsh Jesuit 21, (5) Chagrin Falls 17(2) Aurora 14, (3) Hubbard 7Region 10(1) Avon 13, (5) Tiffin Columbian 6(7) Big Walnut 17, (6) St. Marys Memorial 12Region 11(1) Dover 35, (4) Canton South 14(2) Licking Valley 41, (3) Poland Seminary 7Region 12(4) Eastmoor Academy 28, (1) T’ville Sheridan 6(2) Circleville Logan Elm 28, (3) Chillicothe 14

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 91 Walsh Jesuit 24, 8 Mogadore Field 212 Aurora 30, 7 Chardon N.D Cathedral-Latin 143 Hubbard 40, 6 Ravenna 125 Chagrin Falls 21, 4 Youngstown Liberty 0Region 101 Avon 7, 8 Defiance 07 Sunbury Big Walnut 18, 2 Clyde 176 St. Marys Memorial 21, 3 Tippecanoe 145 Tiffin Columbian 21, 4 Bellevue 18Region 111 Dover 45, 8 New Philadelphia 02 Licking Valley 37, 7 Rayland Buckeye Local 63 Poland Seminary 27, 6 Granville 244 Canton South 20, 5 Canal Fulton Northwest 17Region 121 Thornville Sheridan 33, 8 Franklin 72 Circleville Logan Elm 21, 7 Columbus Bexley 143 Chillicothe 13, 6 Canal Winchester 74 Eastmoor Academy 48, 5 Valley View 19

Division III Playoffs

1. Avon (12-1)2. Thornville Sheridan (11-1)3. Dover (11-2)4. Licking Valley (12-2)5. Walsh Jesuit (10-3)6. Aurora (13-2)7. Clyde (9-2)8. Canton South (8-4)9. Canal Fulton Northwest (8-3)10. Circleville Logan Elm (12-1)




Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion IV

ivision IV received afacelift thanks torealignment.

Gone are stalwartsYoungstown CardinalMooney, Steubenville,

Akron St. Vincent St. Mary,Coldwater, Cincinnati Wyoming,Waverly and New Lexington.

Defending state championKettering Alter, however, hasnʼtgone anywhere.

The Knights captured their firstfootball state title last year aftercoming close in 2006 (34-33 lossto Steubenville in the D-III statefinal) and are the favorites torepeat this season.

Sure Alter has to replacestandout quarterback AustinBoucher, who led Ohio to a dra-matic win in the Big 33 gameand is now a freshman at Miami(Ohio), and running back ChrisBorland (Wisconsin), but thereʼsno reason to believe Alter wonʼtbe playing deep into November –and even into December.

Last year the Knights had toreplace 10 starters on defenseand were able to overcome.

So who can challenge Alter?Standout programs Martins

Ferry, Chagrin Falls, MarionPleasant, Ironton, Clinton-Massie, Lorain Clearview, ElyriaCatholic, Williamsport Westfalland Kenton - among others - willgive it a shot.


Senior running backCody Taulbee is backto spearhead theKnights vaunted run-ning attack anddefense.

D-IVSTORY BY JEFF RAPP & ERIC FRANTZ

D




Belmont Union Local (10-2)* Players To Watch – WR/CB Brandon Nichols (5-

11, 170, Sr.); C Amos Leach (5-10, 215, Jr.); TB/OLBKyle Jarrett (5-10, 190, Sr.); MLB Tyler Arigoni (5-9,165, Sr.); OLB Tyler Grant (6-1, 200, Jr.); CB/WRDarby Walker (6-0, 160, Sr.); QB Kyle Copland (6-1,205, Jr.).* Outlook – The Jets lived up to their nickname last

season, burning defenses with five-wide alignmentsand missiles from the arm of quarterback JordanBarbina, who threw for about 3,200 yards last seasonand added a whopping 980 rushing to completely tor-ment foes. The only obstacle they couldn’t overcomewas league rival Martins Ferry, losing to the PurpleRiders in both the regular season and the playoffs.Barbina is off to Lake Erie College and in his place

will be junior Kyle Copland (6-1, 205), a fine athletewho prospered at wideout last season. Copland willbe one of seven new starters on offense, although theJets return Nichols and three offensive lineman.“Our most important thing will be to know that the

strength of our team is now thedefense,” fourth-year coach MarkCisar said. “Those guys haveplayed and played in a lot of biggames.”Cisar isn’t sure if this year’s team

will throw as often – 386 times – as in2008, but the concept will be the same.The most dependable defender is Arigoni, who was

made to play linebacker despite his diminutive stature.He produced more than 180 tackles last season andalso pounced on nine fumbles, many of them at verykey times in games.“He’s just a hard guy to block,” Cisar said. “He

makes great reads and he just has a nose for the ball.He’s not going to tear anybody’s head off but he’s agamer and very reliable.”Arigoni, Jarrett and Grant all will be challenged to

keep up their production, however, because of theloss of all-conference defensive ends Bo Olexo andEric Williams.“We lose two studs there,” said Cisar, who returns

seven starters to the defensive side of the ball.The standout on offense is Nichols, a track star –

he qualified for the state meet with a time of 49.5 sec-onds in the 400 – who is fearless in the open field. Alegitimate Division I prospect with 4.5 speed, Nicholshauled in 77 catches last season for more than 1,100yards.The schedule is littered with potential peril, including

road trips to St. Clairsville (Sept. 11) and Division IIIcombatant Richmond Edison (Oct. 2). But it’s safe tosay the game to circle on the calendar will be whenMartins Ferry visits on Sept. 25.

Chagrin Falls (8-4)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Chris Gorman (6-0,

200, Sr.); QB Chris Trinetti (5-10, 180, Sr.); TE/DLConnor Clegg (6-5, 220, Sr.); NG Scott Campbell (5-10, 190, Sr.); LB Bobby Winkelman (6-1, 210, Sr.).* Outlook – The Tigers are on the prowl again after

advancing to the postseason last season in D-III andattaining immediate status as a contender in D-IV.Posting seven wins while facing a loaded regular-

season schedule last season, Chagrin Falls earned a5-seed in Region 9 of the Division III playoffs and thenpromptly knocked off powerful Youngstown Liberty inthe first round. Proving they were a tough out, theTigers lost a tight 21-17 contest to Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit in the second round to finish at 8-4.It’s safe to say coach Mark Iammarino’s squad will

carry confidence into the 2009 season despite the lossof several key players including Andrew Klindera, MattDiles, Jack Karlovec and Dan Mignogna. In fact, theroster is headed by 25 seniors, including several ofthe top players in the Chagrin Valley Conference. Also,Falls returns several underclassmen who earned valu-able time last season.“The team has depth, good speed and experience,”

Iammarino said.The offense returns seven starters and a dozen let-

termen, including a pair of skill players who werenamed All-Ohio last season in Gorman and Trinetti.Gorman is sturdy and dependable and makes a liv-

ing between the tackles. He wasn’t always a firstoption out of the spread but managed to put togethersome big games and rambled for more than 100yards in both of the postseason affairs.Meanwhile, Trinetti is coming off a

record-breaking season as he set anew school mark with more than1,900 yards passing and 18 touch-down tosses. He added 225 yardsrushing a four more scores on theground.Trinetti is missing some of his top receiving targets

from last season, but the Tigers believe they have anemerging weapon in Clegg, who can get open againstsmaller defenders. Clegg also is an outstanding block-er.“Gorman and Trinetti were all-Ohio selections as

juniors and are backed poised to lead,” Iammarinosaid.The Tigers run a 4-3 defense and will feature 15 let-

terwinners on that side of the ball, including six first-teamers from a year ago. Winkelman enters his thirdstraight season as a starter and is expected to leadthe team in stops. Put it all together and Chagrin Falls has star power,

size, speed, depth, postseason experience and ahunger to rule the roost in Division IV.“This is the largest team we’ve had and most have

experience,” Iammarino said. “Gorman, Trinetti, Clegg,and Campbell could be the best in the conference.”

Martins Ferry (11-2)* Players To Watch – QB/CB Marco Ricchetti (6-2,

160, Sr.); TE/DT Jordan Burress 6-5½, 277, Sr.);OL/DT Dalton Leach (6-0, 222, Sr.); WR/OLB CodyMcGee (6-3, 170, Sr.); OL/DE Josh Wells (6-3½, 255,Sr.); TB/ILB Patrick Allen (5-9, 227, Sr.); FB/ILB DevonParson (6-0, 220, Sr.); WR Josh Nagel (5-8, 150, Sr.);DE Jack Beavers (6-1, 220, Jr.).* Outlook – The Purple Riders are going to leave

teams black and blue this season.Bruney, who enters his 31st year as Martins Ferry

head coach, has immense offensive and defensivelines, several players who can bench well over 300pounds and a pair of punishing runners who doubleas hard-hitting inside linebackers.Allen, for example, runs with a low center of gravity

and sheer force, which he also displays in the weightroom with a bench press of 380 pounds and a boxsquat of more than 600.“He’s pretty amazing,” Bruney said. “He’s got good

feet and good hands and he’s tough enough that hehelps us on defense, too. He played some defensiveend last year.”Also in the backfield and playing at linebacker next

to Allen is Parson, another physical specimen.Handing off to those two and directing the offense

for the first time will be Ricchetti, who played widereceiver and corner last season. Ricchetti, who has4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash, is one of seven newstarters on offense but also one of eight returning let-terman who will appear on that side of the ball.Ferry’s 4-4-3 defense welcomes back six starters,

including Burress and Leach up front. Burress is aDivision I football prospect who also excels on thebasketball court. Leach is a wrestler and the strongestplayer on the team. Wells, another hoopster in thewinter, joins them on both lines and plays end ondefense.“With those three kids up front, we’re pretty good

and pretty athletic,” Bruney understated.Beavers, a rising junior, mans the other DE spot

while McGee and youngster Michael Rose (5-9, 170)are expected to flank Allen and Parson as outside line-backers. The secondary features a pair of tall and fastdefenders with Ricchetti and sophomore TyrellSimmons (6-3, 185) along the back line.Martins Ferry, which lost to New Lexington in the D-

IV regional finals last season, opens its scheduleagainst three Division III opponents in RaylandBuckeye Local, Richmond Edison andCadiz Harrison Central. The seasondebut game with Buckeye Localshould feature a taste of revenge asthe Purple Riders lost to that teamon the road last season, 21-14, afterlosing grip of seven fumbles and a 14-0 lead.On most Friday nights, Martins Ferry may simply

overpower foes. Extending the season all the way intoDecember, though, will take more than brawn.“From the neck down, we’re pretty good,” Bruney

said. “From the neck up, I’m not so sure.”

Perry (11-2)* Players To Watch – QB/FS Mitch Hovakar (6-3,

195, Jr.); TE/OLB Anthony Kukawa (6-4, 205, Jr.); OTRich Zalanka (6-5, 255, Sr.); WR Mickey Parker (6-0,175, Jr.); LB David Wallie (5-11, 195, Sr.); DE ChadWest (6-5, 215, Jr.).* Outlook – Rosati arrived from West Geauga

three years ago and promptly guided the Pirates tothe postseason in his first year at the helm, althoughthey were run off the field by Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary in the regional quarterfinals. Last season, theprogram made progress by playing in three playoffgames before being overcome bySteubenville 35-17 in the regionalfinals.“We have experience and we

have a lot of kids who have playedin big football games,” Rosati said.“Really, there is not much that has to besaid now. We played deep into the playoffs and wealso played Aurora, the Division III state champs, andwe felt we should have won that game.“In the loss to Steubenville, we earned respect from

a lot of people by playing them pretty close. Theypulled away from us but our kids were not surprisedwe competed because we feel we can play with any-body. We want to compete for the state championship.That’s our goal. We have a pretty low-key group herebut we know what’s at stake.”



Perry no doubt will miss running back/free safetyMike Hanhauser, who scored a whopping 40 touch-downs last season. He now toils for Lehigh. However,Rosati has expressed a belief in tailback Ben Perko(6-2, 185), who broke his wrist last year but is back tocarry the load.Hovakar is a first-year starter and takes over the

quarterback duties from his departed older brother,Vinny, but he arrives with high expectations.He started at free safety last year as a sophomore,

but saw time under center, including 20 snaps at QBin the regional final. He threw 31 passes last seasonand completed 21 for 300 yards.“Mitch is a vertical thrower and we’re definitely

going to get the ball downfield with him,” Rosati said.“He’s going to be a pretty special player. He’s got arocket of an arm and he’s a great athlete.”Speaking of workout warriors, Kukawa has 4.6

speed, a 305 bench and a 29-inch vertical leap. Lastseason he had 31 receptions for 470 yards and sevenTDs. He also picked off five passes from his outsidelinebacker spot.Not only can Kukawa provide a target and help

block up front, the Pirates are blessed with an out-standing tackle in Zalanka, who also excels in thesports of baseball and basketball.The defense should be anchored by Wallie, who is

a blur when in pursuit and registered nine sacks in2008. He is one of four returning starters on defensewhile five return on offense.The schedule will be challenging and includes an

Oct. 15 rematch at home with Aurora, a game that isticketed for broadcast on Sports Time Ohio. ThePirates close the regular season Oct. 30 at ChagrinFalls in what should be one of the premier D-IVmatchups of the entire season.

Also Keep An Eye On* Akron Manchester (7-3) – Opposing coaches

are concerned the Panthers are set to build on somequality wins from last year.* Massillon Tuslaw (10-2) – The Mustangs have

endured some turnover this season(graduated 17 seniors) but coachNate Held has this program soaring.The key to maintaining “Blue Pride”will be to get through the always-tough Principals Athletic Conferencerelatively unscathed. Tuslaw took outWooster Triway in the 2008 postseason but couldn’tget by Perry in the second round. Held, entering hisfourth year, is 26-7.* St. Clairsville (7-4) – Always a

team with which to contend, the RedDevils are looking to do damage inthe Ohio Valley Athletic Conference– and beyond. St. Clairsville hasbeen to the playoffs a school recordthree straight seasons.* Youngstown Liberty (8-3) –A play-

off team in Division III a year ago,Liberty could prove to be the classof this entire region. The Leopardsare led by senior linebacker andMichigan recruit Antonio Kinard (6-4,210) who is rated the No. 25 prospectin Ohio by Ohio High.* Cuyahoga Valley Christian

Academy (9-2) – The Royals havebeen to the playoffs four straightyears and five of the last six. Last

year they dropped a 14-6 decision to Cardinal Mooneyin the first round. Replacing two-time All-Ohio runningback John Pettigrew (Bowling Green) is a priority.* Girard (9-1) – Even a Week 10 win

over Youngstown Liberty last seasonwasn’t enough to propel the Indiansinto the playoffs. Girard won ninegames, but the first eight cameagainst opponents who failed torecord a winning record or even reach.500. * Leavittsburg LaBrae (9-2) – The Vikings made

their first playoff appearance ever. Now the goal is towin their first playoff game. LaBrae lost to Tuslaw 28-0in the first round.* Bellaire (4-6) – The Big Reds

were state semifinalists in 2006, butsince then have gone 4-16, includ-ing 0-10 in 2007. Former Bellairestandout quarterback Jose Davisstarts his first head coaching gig thisseason in charge of his alma mater.

Also In This RegionAndover Pymatuning (6-4), Atwater Waterloo (1-9),

Beachwood (2-8), Brooklyn (4-6), ByesvilleMeadowbrook (2-8), Canton Central Catholic (2-8),Cleveland Central Catholic (3-7), Cortland Lakeview(7-3), Fairview Park Fairview (2-8), GarrettsvilleGarfield (7-3), Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (2-8),Magnolia Sandy Valley (3-7), Newton Falls (3-6),Peninsula Woodridge (5-5), Warren Champion (3-7),Wickliffe (2-8), Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley (3-7).


Elyria Catholic (6-4)* Players To Watch – S Nick Ksenich (Sr.); LB

Adam Kirsch (Sr.); LB Mike Bertka (Sr.); DE/WR JoshRuss (Sr.); LB Buddy Davila (Jr.); LB Corey Campbell(Jr.); OL Jared Schuster (Sr.); RB Alex Alicea (Sr.); QBDanny Reaser (Jr.); DB Zach Rogers (Jr.)* Outlook – Head coach Ben Malbasa enters his

third season at EC with a team capable of adding tothe school’s lengthy tradition (threestate titles, but none since 1984).The Panthers return nine starterson defense and seven offense. Points should not be a problem.

Russ, a Cincinnati commit, was firstteam All-Ohio last year as a receiver (35catches, 651 yards, eight TDs). Reaser, an honorablemention All-Ohioan, returns after throwing for over1,800 yards and 14 TDs in eight starts. Allicea rushedfor over 1,000 yards and 15 TDs. Three starters returnon the offensive line.Defensively the Panthers will be stout. EC is led by

All-Ohioans Ksenich (107 tackles), Rogers (five inter-ceptions) and Davalia (19 tackles-for-loss). Campbell,Kirsch and Betka each added over 77 tackles.As usual, a daunting schedule awaits with non-

league games against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney,Shaker Heights (D-I) and Akron Hoban (D-II). TheNorth Coast League White Division is no cake walk.

Fostoria (8-3)* Players To Watch –WR Jordan Bulkowski (5-11,

190, Sr.); WR/CB Antoine Williams (5-11, 175, Sr.);C/DE Dominic Zelenak (6-0, 195, Sr.); SS JakeSolether (5-9, 160, Sr.); OLB Isaac Tyson (6-2, 200,Jr.); TB/CB Trevon Tucker (5-10, 165, Jr.).* Outlook –A lot is new for the Redmen, last year’s

No. 1 seed in the region.Quarterback Micah Hyde, who is ticketed to play

football at Iowa, is out the door along with five otherstarters on offense and six on defense. Also, coachTom Grine has moved on as well, opening the door forBeau Carmon, who served the past two years onGrine’s staff as Fostoria’s offensive line coach.Even with all that turnover, there is plenty of reason

to believe the Redmen can contend once again.The offensive line and receiving corps still could be

strengths.“I’m excited about our line,” Carmon said of the

group he directed the past two seasons. “We will aver-age 240 pounds up there and we’ve got two returningstarters. We are going to be a team built on speed butI look for our offensive line to grind people up whenwe want to run it.”Carmon expects to still get production

out of the team’s spread offense,especially with Tucker ready tobecome a productive back and withreceivers like Bulkowski andWilliams still in the fold. Bulkowskigathered in 59 receptions for 588yards and three touchdowns last season andWilliams, who has 4.5 speed, made 20 grabs onoffense along with playing his role of shutdown corner.Also helping on defense will be Zelenak, who made

40 tackles as a defensive lineman in 2008 and Tyson,who produced 30 stops and six sacks.Solether will lead the secondary and isn’t afraid to

get his nose dirty against the run as evidenced by his68 tackles last season. He is able to take chanceswith Williams and Tucker ably handling the duties atcorner.Still, it will be extremely difficult to for offense to

excel as it did with Hyde (Iowa), a special talent whothrew for 2,457 yards and 21 TDs and rushed for1,363 more yards and 24 scores. The heir apparent tothe signal caller spot is Perry Johnson. Johnson andthe Redmen will be tested right out of the chute asthey host Ottawa-Glandorf in their opener.“There are doubters out there and we like it that

way,” Carmon said. “I think that will provide a lot ofincentive for us. But it can work the other way, too,because with our schedule people are going to wantto beat the hell out of us.”

Lorain Clearview (10-1)* Players To Watch – TB/LB Anthony Hitchens (6-

1, 200, Sr.); DB/FL-RB Tony Williams (6-0, 175, Sr.);RB/OLB-DB Curtis Alston (5-11, 175, Sr.); QB ZachAnderson (5-10, 180, Sr.); TE Eric Thompson (6-4,190, Sr.); C Tom Starr (5-10, 240, Sr.); LB Cody Kaya(5-8, 180, Jr.); DL David Cooper (6-1, 200, Sr.);WR/PK Collin Owen (6-1, 180, Sr.).* Outlook – The Clippers buzzed through the

Patriot Athletic Conference last season and the entireregular-season schedule, for that matter,but their dream campaign ended inabrupt fashion – a 56-12 loss toOttawa-Glandorf in week 11.Clearview should recover well,

however, especially since coachMike Collier’s team can hitch thewagon once again to Hitchens.



Possessing good size, great speed and elusive-ness, Hitchens is sometimes a one-man spectacle onFriday nights as he often mesmerizes fans and air-grabbing defenders.“He’s the big ticket,” said Collier, who is entering his

third year at the helm of the program. “He’s a greatathlete and he has all the instincts.”Hitchens rushed for 1,600 yards and 23 touch-

downs last season en route to being named first-teamall-state in Division IV. He also caught a touchdown,returned a kickoff for a score, led the team in tackleswith 78 and found the end zone four more times as adefender. If that’s not enough he’s also a standoutbasketball player and runs the 100-yard dash for thetrack team.Williams and Alston can also run the ball and

should be called on occasionally as Clearview tries tocontrol the game on the ground at times. Collieremploys multiple formations on offense and differentalignments on defense including a 3-5-3 look as wellas a 4-2-5. Six starters return on the defensive side ofthe ball and many of them are burners, especiallyWilliams. He was clocked at 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Ohio State’s summer camp, which eventopped Hitchens’ 4.63.“Tony has a great nose for the ball and he can real-

ly move out there,” Collier said. “He’s another basket-ball player and we just had him for the first year lastseason, so he could really take off this season.”Anderson is not quite in the phenom category but

he’s a third-year starter who will do whatever it takesto keep the chains moving.The Clippers’ schedule looks manageable once

again and they appear to have enough pieces in placeto return to the postseason.

Paulding (6-4)* Players To Watch – DB Justin Riley (5-9, 155,

Sr.); DE Derek Schlatter (6-1, 220, Sr.); DT TravisMcPherson (6-2, 260, Sr.); OG Cameron Aldrich (5-10, 200, Jr.); OT/DE Dylan Welch (6-2, 260, Jr.); OTCorey Miller (6-4, 250, Jr.).* Outlook – The Panthers weren’t highly regarded

heading into last season and, sure enough, they strug-gled against elite competition with lopsided lossesagainst Delphos Jefferson and Ada.However, coach Chris Etzler – yet another up-and-

coming Division IV mentor entering his third seasonwith his school – likes what he has brewing.“After our first winning season in 11 years, we are

looking forward to this season,” he said. “We have toreplace some very good players that were lost tograduation, but we feel we have pieces in place to besuccessful again.”The biggest reason for the optimism is well, size.

The defensive line especially could be among the bestin the area with McPherson in side, the similarly builtWelch on the outside and Schlatter at the oppositeend. Welch already is being courted by Division I col-leges as is Miller, who is a road-grader along theoffensive line.One player who won’t need any time to find comfort

is Riley, who covers the field sideline to sideline. Hehad 64 tackles and a pick last season.

Wooster Triway (8-3)* Players To Watch –WR/QB/RB/S Cole Drake (6-

0, 170, Sr.); TB/WR/S Sawyer Polen (5-10, 165, Jr.);WR-TE/LB Brandon Butcher (6-0, 195, Sr.); OT/DEEric Myers (6-2, 218, Jr.); WR/DB Trevor Hankins (5-9, 170, Sr.); QB Derek Carmichael, 5-10, 160, Jr.);

WR/CB Zach Houmard (5-10, 165, Sr.).* Outlook – You can just call Drake “Slash” if you

like. Not only does he play some quarterback forTriway, he also moves around to running back andreceiver and is a standout in the defensive backfield.He played primarily under center last season but couldmove around liberally in ’09.Along with possessing all the football prowess,

Drake is also an accomplished wrestler whoqualified for the state tournament. Infact, he may be too good an athleteto play only at QB, especially ifCarmichael proves worthy of thejob.Triway is in transition as it will try to

find the answers without 2,000-yard run-ning back Ben Cline and head coach Doug Haas.Now in charge is former assistant Tony Lee, who waslast on the Triway staff in 2004 as the Titans’ offensivecoordinator.Triway competed in Region 13 last season and

earned the No. 6 seed of the regional playoffs.However, after being co-champs of the Pac-7, theTitans were felled in the first round of the postseasonin a 41-7 loss to Perry at Perry Alumni Stadium.“We’ve got some really good skilled athletes com-

ing back,” Lee said. “We only return one linemanstarter from last year. We’ve got kids with potential, wejust have to work them. That’s the key to the season,how our unproven players develop, especially upfront.Triway’s schedule is littered with challenges, includ-

ing games with Millersburg West Holmes and Orrville.The Titans’ first two league games are against AkronManchester and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.

Also Keep An Eye On* Bucyrus (7-3) –A late-season,

14-10 loss in the home finale withRiverdale was costly to the Redmenas they ended up with the ninth-place rating in the region and just outof the 2008 postseason. The previousseason they posted a 9-1 mark but also were on theoutside looking in at the playoffs. Obviously there willbe little margin for error again this season.* Genoa Area (12-1) – Third-year coach Mike

Vicars has turned matters around big-time as he tooka down-on-its-luck program to the regional tournamenteach of the last two seasons andappears to be in position to make itthree for three. Area, in fact, was astate powerhouse last year with anundefeated regular season and byrocketing past Huron, Fostoria andOttawa-Glandorf in the postseason. TheComets didn’t stop until losing a 42-34 thriller in thestate semis against Kettering Alter, which went on thedefeat Steubenville for the D-IV title.* Huron (8-3) – The Tigers will be

looking to make the playoffs for theeighth time in the last 10 years butthey’ll have to do so without severaldeparted players including tailbackCraig Thorne, quarterback MikeMielke and linebacker Cody Koenig.They lost in the first round of the postseason in whatamounted to an away game with Genoa Area.* LaGrange Keystone (3-7) – Yes, we can read

the record from last season but coach Rob Claricohas been working hard to build up this program and

the Wildcats were 8-2 in 2007. Last season, no lessthan 14 players were lost to season-ending injuries. That forced thecoaching staff to put a total of 10freshmen and sophomores intostarting roles. One of them, diminu-tive tailback Ryan Clement (5-5, 140),gained 381 rushing yards in just 50 car-ries as a frosh and proved he belonged on the bigstage. The ’Cats also return running back Jim Reid (5-6, 160), who missed most of last season, and leadingtackler Casey Conrad (5-9, 190), an active linebacker.* Ottawa-Glandorf (8-5) – The

Titans wowed teams with their athleti-cism last year and destroyed LorainClearview in the first round of lastyear’s Region 14 tourney. They alsoclipped Marion Pleasant 28-21 inovertime before losing in the regionalfinal to Genoa Area. More explosions could be in storeeven though many skill players have graduated.* Orrville (7-3) – The Red Riders

have to replace several key skill play-ers but they still have a stout offen-sive line and a potentially nastydefense. Orrville is expected to shiftto a 3-5-3 alignment this season thatis designed to slow down the recentglut of spread teams. Linebacker Chase Hoobler anda talented secondary could flourish. Improving on lastyear’s home mark of 2-3 is a must.* Pemberville Eastwood (8-3) – The Eagles

played well in Suburban Lakes Leagueaction as usual last season andearned the sixth seed of the region-al tournament. They were clipped inthe first round by Marion Pleasant,20-7, but still will be able to fieldsome impressive athletes in ’09. Amongthem is senior running back Cody Seifert.* Creston Norwayne (8-3) – The

Bobcats earned the first playoff berthin school history last season with anappearance in the D-V, Region 17quarterfinals. After bumping up a divi-sion, can they add another postseasonberth?

Also In This RegionBellville Clear Fork (5-5), Doylestown Chippewa (4-

6), Galion (5-5), Mansfield Ontario (4-6), MetamoraEvergreen (4-6), Milan Edison (7-3), Millbury Lake (3-7), Port Clinton (1-9), Rossford (0-10), SheffieldBrookside (0-10), Sullivan Black River (5-5), Swanton(3-7), Tontogany Ostego (1-9), Upper Sandusky (3-7),Van Wert (3-7), Wauseon (5-5), Wellington (4-6).


Johnstown-Monroe (8-3)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Brad Couts (5-11,

210, Sr.); RB/LB Scott Robinson (5-10, 165, Sr.); QB-TE/DE Riley Cannon (6-4, 200, Sr.); OL-FB/DL-LBJacob Kennedy (5-10, 170, Sr.); OL-FB/DL-LB ReedFranklin (5-11, 175, Sr.); WR/DB Kortney Cartwright(6-0, 170, Sr.); WR/DB James Sapp (6-0, 175, Sr.);WR/DB James Gorsuch (5-9, 165, Sr.); PK Patrick

Benton (5-10, 170, Jr.); OL/DL Ben Schmidt (6-0, 225,Jr.); TE/LB Taylor Atwood (6-2, 190, Jr.).* Outlook – The defending Mid-Buckeye

Conference champs will have their hands full this sea-son with a schedule that includes a Sept. 4 hosting ofthe Heath Bulldogs, an Oct. 2 home date withFredericktown and an Oct. 9 trip to Utica. If theJohnnies can somehow manage that and avoid anyother slip-ups, they could be on their wayto another preferential spot in thepostseason brackets as the finalthree games are against middlingteams Danville, Howard East Knoxand Johnstown Northridge.However, a return to the postsea-

son wouldn’t have the same feel as theJohnnies are no longer in Division V – they earned the4-seed in Region 19 last year – and instead havebeen dropped into perhaps the deepest region in D-IV.Still, it’s still understandable to be awed by

Johnstown-Monroe’s depth and assemblage of top-tierplayers, even after it lost the likes of linebacker KurtSammons, free safety Josh McClellan and bulldozingfullback Will Carter.“We have some great leaders returning for this

year,” said Mike Carter, who is entering his eighth sea-son as the head coach of the Johnnies.Even with Will Carter departed, the running game

should be in good hands and on sturdy legs as Coutsreturns from a season in which he took 224 handoffsand netted 1,381 yards, and average of 6.2 yards pertote.A first-team All-Central District performer last sea-

son, Couts is the whole package. He is an honor stu-dent who also plays lacrosse and is a workout warriorwith a bench press of 355 pounds, a 40 time of 4.68and a 29½-inch vertical. Robinson should provide a dangerous change of

pace. He is a step quicker than Couts and gained 329yards rushing on just 38 carries last season.If you have to develop a new quarterback, why not

start with a cannon? That’s Riley Cannon, who mademore of a name last year as a defensive end with 48tackles and two sacks.Smart, versatile and athletic, Franklin typifies this

roster and also should be a playmaker on both sidesof the ball.

Marion Pleasant (10-2)* Players To Watch – TE/DE Brad Harrah (6-7,

240, Sr.); DB/WR Cory Nielson (6-2, 185, Sr.); OT/DTTony Good (5-10, 255, Jr.); QB Cory Kubbs (6-0, 185,Sr.); SE David Carroll (6-2, 175, Sr.); RB BrandonSlade (5-10, 195, So.).* Outlook – There aren’t too many prospects in

Division IV who are on par with Harrah, a hulkingyoungster who already is committed to play major col-lege ball for Big East member Cincinnati.“He had about 10 to 12 Division I

offers,” Marion Pleasant assistantcoach Aaron Cook said. “He’s a 4.0student and just a great talent andwe need to make sure he’s a bigpart of what we’re doing.”Fortunately for the Spartans, that

shouldn’t be a problem since the quarterback isKubbs, who will log his third year on the varsity atPleasant and for his father, 20-year head coach ChrisKubbs.“Cory is a smart kid,” Cook said. “He’s a coach’s

son so he plays hard and with intelligence just like

you’d expect. He knows our offense inside and out.”The younger Kubbs, though, will be stepping into

the starting quarterback role for the first time now thatthe fantastic career of Cody Harris is completed.“He was all-state last year and broke every school

record we have for a quarterback,” Cook said.Even with the change at quarterback and the

departure of three running talents and two-way starsin Cory Snyder, Kyle Beck and Jake Lawrence, theSpartans aren’t likely to panic. In fact, it’s just not intheir nature.Pleasant has won the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference

17 straight times and also has overcome opening-sea-son, nail-biter losses to St. Henry the last two sea-sons. The Spartans were nipped 14-13 at home by St.Henry last August then ripped off nine convincing winsin a row to earn the No. 3 seed in Region 14. TheSpartans proceeded to take out PembervilleEastwood in the playoffs before losing 28-21 in over-time to Ottawa-Glandorf.“We dropped a TD pass on the last play of the

game,” Cook said. “That was tough.”That no doubt left followers of the program wonder-

ing “what if,” especially considering how senior-ladenthe Spartans were last season. Amazingly, Harrah,Nielson and Good are the team’s only returningstarters after the loss of 19 seniors, four of whom arenow on scholarship at the next level. Still, Cook said atleast a dozen other players are returning lettermen likeKubbs.Charged with replacing Lawrence – a four-year

starter at both running back and linebacker and an all-state performer in 2007 and ’08 – is Slade, a youngand shifty back who could greatly help the outlook witha breakout season.And, again, the Spartans have a knack for figuring

out how to succeed with new faces.“We’ve been blessed with that at Pleasant,” Cook

said. “And Coach Kubbs has been here for 20 years,so he knows what he’s doing.“We have ‘state’ written all over our locker room.

Anything short of a MOAC title and a playoff appear-ance and our kids would be disappointed. Our kidsdon’t want to be the class to let down the program andgo 5-5. We want to be 10-0 every year.“I remember in 2001 we were the state runner-up

and we lost 23 seniors and people figured we’d strug-gle. In 2002, we won it.”

Utica (7-3)* Players To Watch – OG/OLB Derek Posey (5-11,

180, Sr.); OG-C/DT Creston Gray (5-9, 210, Sr.); QB/SJason Hoar (5-9, 160, Jr.); WR/S Scott Cline (6-0,165, Jr.).* Outlook – Three-tenths of a point. That’s what

kept Utica out of last year’s Region 15 playoffs.What hurts more, though, is the 27-21 overtime

loss the Redskins suffered at Johnstown-Monroe onOct. 3. That cost Utica the Mid-Buckeye Conferencetitle and the trimmings that would have come with it.Still the seven-win season was an improvement on

the 5-5 mark of 2007 and the Redskins are intent totake the next step this fall.To do so, Utica will have to lean on several

unproven but talented players.“We’re a team with a lot of questions,” head coach

Randy Felumlee said heading into his 21st season atthe helm of the program. “We have a relatively small,inexperienced team and we’ve got a lot of holes to fill.It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”Utica showcased 15 seniors last season and will

have six this year.Typically, Felumlee likes to rely most on his defense

but the Redskins lost seven starters on that side of theball including a pair of three-year starting linebackersin Ethan Brewer and Joey Caplin. Given that and theteam’s struggles last year at times to finish off drives,the ’Skins will look for even more out of Hoar.“He started from Day One as a freshman and there

was never any question about it by anybody,”Felumlee said. “He has that demeanor; never an egoproblem.“That had never happened in all my years of coach-

ing, starting a freshman quarterback, but it was anobvious decision to make. He’s a good runner, a goodthrower, a great all-around kid. He’s a team captainand just a role-model kid.”Hoar will have to carry the offense early on until the

coaching staff figures out how to fill the holes at run-ning back. Brewer would line up at running back whenUticas was in the spread and would shift to fullbackwhen the situation called for a two-back look.One thing is clear: Utica wants to strike a balance

so that it can keep defenses honest when it enters thered zone. Last season, the Redskins stumbled there,including coming up empty four times inside theJohnstown-Monroe 15-yard line in that nagging loss.“One thing we’ve set as a goal as a staff is to get

better at scoring in the red zone,” Felumlee said.“When you get 390, 350 yards in high school, youshould be scoring at least 28 points a game and wewere at 23.”

Williamsport Westfall (8-3)* Players To Watch – OL/DL Bryan Bowling (6-3,

250, Sr.); RB/LB Nick Hammond (6-0, 190, Sr.);OL/LB Shane Mills (6-2, 250, Sr.); OL/DL JeremyCorder (6-0, 280, Sr.); WR/DB Matt Near (5-11, 170,Sr.); WR/DB Nathan Hock (5-11, 160, Sr.); RB/DB 5-9,170, Sr.)* Outlook – In just two years at Westfall, head

coach Scott Keller has put together an impressive 21-4 record with two Scioto Valley Conference titles andtwo D-IV playoff berths. The trend shouldcontinue. Riding an SVC record 26-game win streak, the Mustangs arethe team to beat in the conference –again.Westfall returns seven starterson defense and five on offense. “With 25 lettermen returning we

expect to field an experienced, veteranteam,” Keller said. “This senior class is among thehardest working and most disciplined that we’ve everhad here.”Overall the program has been to the postseaon six

straight years. It’s won the SVC three straight times.The roster could be bolstered by an influx of Grove

City and Central Crossing players should that district’slevy fail on Aug. 4.“Our defense was young and very inexperienced

last year,” Keller said. “We really believe that with ayear under their belt, and 7 of them back on that unit,our defense should be our greatest strength.“Offensively we need to find a quarterback that can

effectively manage a team. We really feel like wehave enough weapons surrounding that position, thatwhat we’re looking for is a quarterback that can pro-tect the football and move the chains.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Columbus Bishop Hartley (6-4) – The Hawks

rode speed and big plays to a playoff appearance last




J JHUDDLE .COM JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High52

season, but then found a tall order witha Week 11 assignment at top-seededMartins Ferry. Even so, they playedvaliantly in a 20-6 loss. Now thechallenge is to get through a variedschedule and find enough computerpoints to return to the postseason. TheHawks actually won a seventh game last season, a35-0 win over the Columbus Crusaders, but that gamedid not count as an official OHSAA contest.* Coshocton (9-2) – The Redskins have won a

combined 16 games the last two sea-sons but were knocked out of the firstround of the Region 13 playoffs eachyear. However, the two teams thatvanquished them in the last twoplayoff appearances, YoungstownCardinal Mooney and Steubenville, areout of D-IV, which could pave the way for Coshocton –and others, for that matter. Plus, the Redskins are nowshifted to Region 15, which appears to be wide open.* Heath (7-3) – The Bulldogs return an impressive

amount of talent and they already arediscussing finishing up strong afterlast year’s disappointing finish to theregular season. Heath was enjoyinga strong 7-1 start to the 2008 cam-paign including a decisive Week 2win over Johnstown-Monroe butderailed in losing to Granville and Bexley in games 9and 10. After just missing out on the D-V playoffs, theBulldogs will now try their luck in Division IV.* Ironton (8-4) – The Fighting Tigers are theoreti-

cally the top returning team in thisregion with Martins Ferry shifted overto Region 13 and state semifinalistNew Lexington now in Division III.Longtime coach Bob Lutz led theTigers to a 5-5 mark in 2007 after aone-year hiatus and is now primed toreturn his team to the spotlight. Ironton took outWestfall before losing to New Lex at the end of lastseason.* Pataskala Licking Heights (7-3) – The Hornets

didn’t beat a team with a winning recordlast season yet had a postseasonberth in front of them heading intothe season finale at home againstWest Jefferson. They were shut out28-0, which no doubt will have thembuzzing mad heading into this season.Heights, which reached the regional semis in 2007,could be the class of the Mid-State League but has toreload at several key positions.* Pomeroy Meigs (8-3) – A 42-14 first-

round playoff loss to New Lexingtonshouldn’t bring down this programand instead inspire the Marauders.Offense will be the name of thegame again. Meigs racked up morethan 40 points five times last seasonand averaged 32.7 points per contest.* West Portsmouth Portsmouth West (11-1) –

The Senators posted an undefeated regular season,earned a top seed in Region 19 and won a playoffgame before their season ended in a 17-0 loss in theregional semis to Columbus Bishop Ready. Now thequestion is simple: Can they carry over any of thatsuccess from Division V to D-IV?* Amanda-Clearcreek (3-7) – The former state

champion (1999, 2000) and five-time finalist has seen

better days. Since moving up to D-IVtwo years ago, the Aces are 9-11. In2006, its last season in D-V, A-Cmade the state semifinals and fin-ished 12-2. Is this the year the Acesreturn to the playoffs? * Sparta Highland (6-5) – The Scots

are a transplant from Region 14 wherethey earned the eight seed last year(lost to Fostoria in opening round).Overall Highland has been to theplayoffs three straight seasons.They’ll likely have to win more thansix games if they want to make it fourin a row. Although Highland made the playoffs inRegion 14, their 11.95 points would have placed them12th in Region 15.* Piketon (6-4) – The Redstreaks are

led by standout senior CalebSouthworth, the No. 98 prospect inthe state according to Ohio High.Southworth, a 6-5, 210 pound, line-backer/tight end has an offer fromCentral Michigan. He was also astarter on Piketon’s basketball team, whichmade the D-III state semifinals in March.

Also In This RegionAlbany Alexander (4-6), Caledonia River Valley (0-

10), Bloom-Carroll (3-7), Cheshire River Valley (3-7),Chillicothe Unioto (0-10), Chillicothe Zane Trace (5-5),Howard East Knox (4-6), Ironton Rock Hill (0-10),Lancaster Fairfield Union (5-5), Marion Elgin (3-7),McDermott Northwest (1-9), Portsmouth (1-9),Proctorville Fairland (4-5), South Point (6-4), Wellston(4-6), Zanesville West Muskingum (4-6).


Brookville (10-1)* Players To Watch – RB/S Ryan Ekberg (5-10,

180, Sr.); RB/LB Jason Stone (5-10, 190, Sr.); RB/CBMatt McIntosh (5-11, 175, Sr.); OL/DL Cameron Dunn(6-0, 190, Sr.); OL/DE Jamie Riggs (6-2, 190, Sr.);TE/OLB Kyle Hopkins (6-1, 185, Sr.).* Outlook – The Blue Devils lost seven starters on

each side of the ball but enough talent returns to MikeHetrick’s squad for them to be considered dangerousonce again.But does the ninth-year head coach consider his

team to be a contender?“I probably couldn’t say we are,” Hetrick said. “We

might have the potential to sneak up on some people,though. Our JV team was undefeated last year. I justdon’t know how many of those kids can really impactus right away.”The Devils posted an undefeated regular season in

2008 only to run into eventual state champ KetteringAlter in the first round of the Region 16 playoffs. Nowthe rebuilding is underway.Brookville should be fine at deep back as Ekberg

and Stone are primed for big senior seasons andMcIntosh also is capable of making plays on theground. Ekberg gained 559 yards, averaged 5.4 percarry and found the end zone 10 times last seasonwhile Stone put up 637 rushing yards, a stout averageof 8.5 per pop and scored eight times. Stone also

used his speed to turn six receptions into 120 yards.“We run the wing-T, but we will break out of it quite

a bit,” Hetrick said. “We are predicated on the run butwe threw it pretty well last season. The most importantthing is we want to distribute the ball to three or fourguys and keep the defense guessing.”The QB situation, though, is still in flux. When

asked if he has a signal caller in mind for the season,Hetrick said, “Not yet.”“We’re looking for leadership more than anything

from whoever wins that job,” he said. “I’ll be watchingto see who can best handle themselves and the pres-sure.”On defense, The Blue Devils return four starters

including Ekberg and McIntosh in the secondary.Ekberg was a ball hawk at safety last season with 48tackles and a pair of interceptions.Brookville had to end a fantastic season with a 35-7

loss to Alter but Hetrick said he views that as a posi-tive as well.“I think it gave our kids confidence, especially know-

ing they went on and won the whole thing,” he said.“We played them tough. It was 14-7 right before half.And it helped because our kids know where they needto be now. I hope it’s a motivator for them.”Even with Coldwater out of the equation, Region 16

still has Alter – and several other capable teams.“Historically it’s been a pretty tough region,” Hetrick

said. “We’ve sent several undefeated teams to theplayoffs over the years. We’re expecting a pretty roughroad.”

Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-1)* Players To Watch – RG/DE Corby Running (6-3,

225, Sr.); RT Mike Stenger (6-3, 310, Jr.); C PaulSingleton (5-11, 260, Sr.); LG James Ebby (6-1, 300,Sr.); RB Jordie Scanlon (5-10, 190, Jr.); MLB GunnerCalhoun (6-1, 210, Jr.); DE Justin Straight (6-4, 225,Jr.); S Damian Alexander (6-0, 170, Sr.); CB CotyBurton (5-8, 170, Sr.); QB Jake Richardson (5-7, 160,Jr.).* Outlook – The Falcons had almost an identical

season to that of Brookville, plowing through the regu-lar season unscathed but losing in thefirst round of the Region 16 playoffs.Clinton-Massie posted shutouts in

three of its first four games and alsorouted a very good Waynesvilleteam to set the season in motion.Falcon fans thought destiny lay aheadafter C-M finished off Plain City Jonathan Alder inWeek 10.However, heartbreak ensued in the form of a 33-27

overtime loss at home to Hamilton Badin.“I think that’s definitely a motivator for us,” said head

coach Dan McSurley. “They were up 21 at half and wecame back and tied the game. Our quarterback gothurt and we had to play Jake.“It was a tough loss but is gave us an opportunity to

face an outstanding spread team and we got guyssome really valuable playoff experience, including ourfuture quarterback.”McSurley enters his 14th year at C-M with eight

starters back on defense and six on offense. TheFalcons return some serious size as Stenger, Ebby,Singleton and Running are imposing getting off thebus, let alone in full pads and helmets.“We’ve got some bulldozers up there,” McSurley

said. “It’s the biggest line I’ve had.”With that core group returning, Scanlon could sur-

pass his production of last season, when he rambled



for 1,300 yards on the ground.“He’ll end up being the best running back I’ve

coached,” McSurley said. “He’s got a lot of power,great vision and he’s just a hard kid to bring down.He’ll break tackles and just keep going.”Most teams will have major problems dealing with

C-M’s power rushing game but the hope in Clarksvilleis that the offense will find even another gear withRichardson under center. He is slippery and ideallysuited to run Clinton-Massie’s triple option.The two most impressive athletes on the team,

though, are Running and Calhoun. Running is a statewrestling champ and also anchors the 4x100 relayteam. Calhoun has led the football team in tackles thepast two seasons and also is a star on the baseballdiamond for the Falcons.McSurley not only returns a majority of his starters,

many of the second-teamers are back as well andbring experience of their own.“That’s a big advantage, and we’re going to be a

two-platoon team,” McSurley said. “We’ve got to feelgood about it, our overall depth.”

Kettering Alter (13-2)* Players To Watch – RB Cody Taulbee (6-1, 230,

Sr.); OL John Endres (6-1, 255, Sr.); OL Ryan Cronin(6-2, 240, Sr.); DE John Doncaster (6-2, 210, Sr.); DTAndrew Bonnano (6-0, 205, Sr.); LB Cody Conley (6-1½, 200, Sr.); OLB Chris Bockrath (6-1, 190, Sr.); SSCody Byers (6-2½, 210, Sr.); NT-DB (5-10, 200, Sr.);OLB/DB Nolan Plate (6-0, 170, Sr.).* Outlook – Even though the Knights appeared

due for a championship, it’s doubtful any of their fol-lowers will ever forget the 2008 campaign, a mostinteresting season for the ages.Alter had to forfeit its first two games of

the season against Kettering Fairmontand Bellbrook but wiped out the nexteight foes by an average score of46-6. Then, behind superstar sen-iors – quarterback Austin Boucherand running backs Chris Borland andJustin Hall – Alter proceeded to plowthrough Region 16. The Knights dumped Coldwater inthe third round and eventually took down traditionalpower Steubenville in the Division IV state champi-onships at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.The 21-6 victory represented the program’s first-

ever football state title and was extra sweet factoringin that the Knights were nipped by Big Red in the2006 D-III state finals – not to mention the 59-52 lossto Coldwater in triple-overtime in the 2007 regionalquarterfinals.Of course, head coach Ed Domsitz wants his team

to repeat as winners of the Greater Catholic LeagueNorth Division, but there is good reason to believe theKnights can make another deep run in the postseasonwith all the top players in tow.Taulbee appears capable of handling much of the

running chores, Conley is the team’s leading tacklerfrom a year ago and Byers is a Division I collegeprospect with sub-4.6 speed and the ability to makelots of plays in the secondary.The defense is especially stout with Bockrath and

possibly Plate able to flank Conley and oxen likeDoncaster and Bonnano up front. Armstrong couldplay nose guard or even in the defensive backfield.Byers could be shifted over to play QB now that

Boucher is at the University of Toledo, but the coachesare hoping junior Zane Pitzer can claim the role.“He’d be our quarterback if we had to start today,”

said Domsitz, who is entering his 18th year at Alter butis tackling an offseason for the first time as the coachof the defending state champions.Even though some positions still are not set,

Domsitz believes his team made important offseasonstrides at its three-day team summer camp.“We’ve got strength, we’ve got quickness and for

the most part we’ve got talent in every area of thefield,” Domsitz said. “The key element we’re lookingfor now is chemistry. Some coaches say they can tellwhat they have in August but I never know until wehave a crisis or two and I see how we handle that.”The mentality on the sideline is sure to remain. With

Domsitz at the helm, the Knights have always tried toemploy a mix of looks on offense and to get after peo-ple on defense.

Waynesville (9-3)*Players to Watch – QB/DB Cory Young (6-0, 165,

Sr.); RB/DB Seth Millar (5-8, 168, Sr.)* Outlook – The Spartans were outclassed by play-

off teams Clarksville Clinton-Massie and DaytonOakwood but mopped up on everyone else on theregular-season schedule to earn the third seed inRegion 20. Once in the postseason, Waynesvillepicked up the first playoff win on program history witha 34-9 victory over West Liberty-Salem. The Spartanslost Maria Stein Marion Local in the regional semifinalsWith some key performers back, the Spartans couldmake the same kind of noise in D-IV.Millar is already the Waynesville career record hold-

er for rushing TDs (49) and this past season setschool records for single season rushing yards(1,856), TDs (24) and points (156). He also ownsschool records for single game rushing yards (331)and TDs (6) and has the longest TD run in history (95yards).Millar was named first team Southwestern Buckeye

League and was the Buckeye Division Back of theYear. He was also first team Southwest District andthe district’s offensive player of the year. Millar washonorable mention on the ONN/OhioHigh All-Ohio team (regardless ofdivision) and first team D-V All-Ohio.“Coach (Glen Burchfield) had

been telling us since the beginningof the season that we could play withanyone and it turns out we could,” Millar said. “I don’twant to make excuses, but (Marion’s) experience real-ly helped them out late. The more experience we getin the playoffs the better we’ll be too.“We’re definitely headed in the right direction, but

we can’t be satisfied with winning one playoff game.We need to win two or three games.”The Spartans are expecting big things in 2009. In

addition to Millar, Waynesville returns Young, who’ll bea three-year starter.

Also Keep An Eye On* Cincinnati North College Hill (7-4) – The Trojans

were bombed at the end of last seasonby top-seeded Coldwater, 42-0, inthe opening round of the Region 16playoffs, but they return several keyathletes from a team that wasdownright explosive at times lastseason. NCH posted back-to-backshutouts in midseason and blasted Lockland 33-7 inthe regular-season finale. With 15 wins in the last twoseasons the Trojans can’t be counted out.

* Kenton (7-3) – Coach Mike Mauk has to rebuildhis offense but has lots of good young players like hisson, Maty, a sophomore quarterback, toaid the process. The Wildcats stillplan to use a five-wide attack. Theoffensive line returns a pair ofstarters in Colby Rush and TylerStevens. The D-line also is an assetwith proven players Tyler Bordner,Randy Weyant and Weston Burnworth while ChaseBarnes and Ryan Gill lead the secondary. Kenton willneed some time to re-establish its success but themove down from D-III might help.* Plain City Jonathan Alder (8-3) – For the sec-

ond straight time, the Pioneers madethe postseason with an 8-2 regularseason and promptly lost in the firstround. Last year it was a 12-10defeat at the hands of DaytonOakwood, which unseated the fourth-ranked team in the region. Coach SteveCoate has a chance to one-up the recent trend, espe-cially with powerful Coldwater out of the region.* Germantown Valley View (7-4) – The Spartans

were edged in their final two regular-sea-son games last October by Eaton andBrookville but still qualified for theRegion 12 playoffs in Division III.The postseason didn’t go so well,however, as Valley View lost 48-19 toColumbus Eastmoor Academy. Headcoach Jay Niswonger and the program owna lengthy resume that includes three state titles (1994,1996-97) and 15 playoff appearances.

Also In This RegionBatavia (2-8), Clermont Northeastern (3-7),

Blanchester (4-6), Preble Shawnee (1-8), Carlisle (5-5), Finneytown (4-6), Cincinnati Madeira (6-4),Cincinnati Purcell Marian (1-9), Cincinnati Schroeder(4-6), Cincinnati Taft (6-4), Dayton Northridge (4-6),Dayton Thurgood Marshall (2-8), Franklin BishopFenwick (3-7), Lewistown Indian Lake (5-5), LimaBath (2-8), London (6-4), London Madison Plains (4-6), Middletown Madison Senior (5-5), Reading (5-5),Springfield Northeastern (2-8), SpringfieldNorthwestern (1-9), West Milton Milton-Union (3-7).

Region 13Martins Ferry over Chagrin FallsRegion 14Elyria Catholic over LorainClearviewRegion 15Ironton over Marion PleasantRegion 16Kettering Alter over ClarksvilleClinton-MassieChampionship GameKettering Alter over Elyria Catholic

Ohio High Division IVPredictions



ANTON – Alter High School has a reputabletrophy case that contains over 10 state cham-pionship trophies for boys soccer, boys bas-

ketball, girls basketball, volleyball and girls crosscountry. Make room for another.Making its second appearance in the state foot-

ball championships, Alter earned its first title onthe gridiron on Nov. 29 with a 21-6 win over previ-ously unbeaten Steubenville in the Division IVstate final at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium.“It means the world,” Alter senior Chris Borland

said. “This isn’t just for the ’08 team, this is for anyone who has ever played Alter football. It’s beentoo long.”“You think about some of the teams that have

been through Alter – especially recently – andwhen you’re a little kid they just seem like gods,”senior Phillip Sowar added. “To think now that

we’ve won a state championship and we’re con-sidered the best of all-time is just unreal. I’m at aloss for words.”Said Alter coach Ed Domsitz: “It’s certainly the

biggest win we’ve ever had.”The Knights (13-2) extracted revenge on Big

Red (14-1) for a narrow 34-33 loss in the 2006 D-III state championship in Massillon. Alter alsoimproved to 1-3 against Steubenville, countinglosses in the 1987 D-II state semifinals and 1972regular season.In the 2006 title game Alter fell behind big early

and rallied only to see two missed PATs make thedifference. This year the doubt was gone longbefore the final whistle.Alter entered the contest averaging 43 points

per game thanks mostly to a devastating rushingattack led by seniors Austin Boucher (QB),Borland (RB) and Justin Hall (RB) and junior CodyTaulbee (RB).Boucher, a Toledo recruit, improved to 26-1 as

a starter, completing 7-of-11 passes for 81 yardsand a TD. He also rushed 19 times for 111 yardsand a TD.Borland, headed to Wisconsin, countered with a

game-high 130 yards and a TD on 15 carries.Borland also caught Boucher’s TD pass.Hall added 48 yards on nine carries and

Taulbee chipped in 16 yards on four touches asAlter rolled up 305 yards on the ground. TheKnights finished with 415 yards of offense.Alter operated behind a huge offensive line led

by three-year senior starter Evan Neff at center.Neff, the lone holdover from the 2006 starting lineup, is headed to Ball State.“They kept fighting,” Steubenville linebacker

and West Virginia recruit Branko Busick said. “Wefought too, but they kept swinging.”Said Steubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia:

“I feel standing here now that we didn’t defend thepitch well on the option and that was the differ-ence in the game. That was the entire differencein the game. The big plays they got on thatallowed them to keep the ball. We (were unable toget a) rhythm on offense.”The Knights took a 7-0 lead when Boucher hit

Borland for an 8-yard TD pass with 4:54 to go inthe first half. Following a 3-yard Boucher TD run,Borland scored on a 21-yard run as Alter tookcommand 21-0 with 10:47 to play.Steubenville got on the board when standout

junior QB Dwight Macon hit Trey Wiggins for a 33-yard TD pass with 9:43 left, but Big Red neverseriously challenged thereafter.Steubenville in fact had trouble generating any-

thing all game against an Alter defense that heldBig Red to single digit scoring for the first time in70 games. Steubenville last failed to reach double-digits in a 47-7 loss to Cleveland Benedictine inthe 2003 D-III state semifinals. Big Red endedwith 311 total yards, 138 of which came in thefourth quarter with the outcome decided.“This whole season has been kind of our

redemption season,” Neff said. “We got a secondshot at Coldwater and now Steubenville. That one-point loss two years ago was heart-breaking. Nowto come back and beat them by two touchdownsis unbelievable. It still hasn’t really sunk in.”Maybe it will when the Knights walk by the tro-

phy case. — Eric Frantz

Division IV State Championship

6 21

2008 Revisited

Alter adds tosports tradition

C

Senior quarterback Austin Boucherfinished his career 26-1 as a starterand accounted for 192 total yards.

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State FinalKettering Alter 21, Steubenville 6

State SemifinalsSteubenville 30, New Lexington 6Kettering Alter 28, Genoa Area 27

Regional FinalsRegion 13 Final(1) Steubenville 35, (3) Perry 17Region 14 Final(4) Genoa Area 40, (7) Ottawa-Glandorf 21Region 15 Final(2) New Lexington 21, (1) Martins Ferry 14 (OT)Region 16 Final(6) Kettering Archbishop Alter 31, (1) Coldwater 21

Regional SemifinalsRegion 13(1) Steubenville 28, (4) Ygs. Cardinal Mooney 16(3) Perry 47, (2) Massillon Tuslaw 0Region 14(4) Genoa Area 28, (1) Fostoria 14(7) Ottawa-Glandorf 28, (3) Marion Pleasant 21 (OT)Region 15(1) Martins Ferry 49, (4) Belmont Union Local 14(2) New Lexington 38, (3) Ironton 6Region 16(1) Coldwater 35, (5) Dayton Oakwood 7(6) Kettering Alter 42, (7) Hamilton Badin 7

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 131 Steubenville 61, 8 Coshocton 292 Massillon Tuslaw 28, 7 Leavittsburg LaBrae 03 Perry 41, 6 Wooster Triway 74 Ygs. Cardinal Mooney 14, 5 CVCA 6Region 141 Fostoria 33, 8 Sparta Highland 127 Ottawa-Glandorf 56, 2 Lorain Clearview 123 Marion Pleasant 20, 6 Pemberville Eastwood 74 Genoa Area 47, 5 Huron 21Region 151 Martins Ferry 20, 8 Columbus Bishop Hartley 62 New Lexington 42, 7 Pomeroy Meigs 143 Ironton 41, 6 Williamsport Westfall 314 Belmont Union Local 25, 5 St. Clairsville 6Region 161 Coldwater 42, 8 Cincinnati North College Hill 07 Hamilton Badin 33, Clinton-Massie 27 (OT)6 Kettering Alter 35, 3 Brookville 75 Dayton Oakwood 12, 4 Jonathan Alder 10

Division IV Playoffs

1. Coldwater (12-1)2. Kettering Alter (13-2)3. Steubenville (14-1)4. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (9-3)5. Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-1)6. Marion Pleasant (10-2)7. Brookville (10-1)8. Fostoria (10-2)9. Genoa Area (13-1)10. Martins Ferry (11-2)




Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion VSTORY BY K IRK LARRABEE

s is the case with theother divisions across thestate of Ohio, Division Vsaw major changes as aresult of this yearʼs divi-sion realignment.

Gone are playoff teamsMaria Stein Marion Local (2007champion, 2008 semifinalist), CrestonNorwayne, Bucyrus Wynford,Portsmouth West and Johnstown-Monroe. Some quality teams, howev-er, have taken their place. Two-timestate champion Coldwater movesdown from Division IV, while playoffteams Mechanicsburg, Caldwell, EastCanton and Mt. Blanchard Riverdalemove up from Division VI.

Defending state championYoungstown Ursuline remains theteam to beat, but they are only one ofseveral quality contenders. The Irishcould be challenged by CuyahogaHeights in Region 17. In Region 18,the field will be typically strong, led bywhat appears to be another qualityHamler Patrick Henry team.

In Region 19, Baltimore LibertyUnion will be defending their regionalcrown behind a solid group of 18 sen-iors. With teams such as Minford,Fredericktown and Wheelersburg alsobringing back plenty of starters, thetask will not be easy.

Meanwhile, divisional and regionalrealignment was not friendly toRegion 20.

The region lost its champion fromthe past two years in Maria SteinMarion Local, but the addition of for-mer Division IV powerhouseColdwater along with Division VI statesemifinalist Mechanicsburg and themove of the Columbus teams fromRegion 19 means that this regioncould be as strong as ever.

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Senior running back Allen Jones looks to lead the Irishback to Stark County as they defend thier Division V statechampionship. Jones led Ursuline with 97 yards and a TD

on 17 carries in last year’s title game.

D-V


Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion V


Cuyahoga Heights (9-2)* Players To Watch – QB/SS/P Zach D’Orazio

(6-2, 190, Sr.); CB/WR Nick Simon (5-9, 150, Sr.);FS David Bronza (5-6, 145, Sr.); OL/DT PatMeade (6-0, 180, Sr.); FB/ILB Alec Torgerson (5-8,175, Jr.); OL/DL Anthony Eder (5-9, 175, Jr.)* Outlook – The Redskins returned to the play-

offs for the 11th time in 12 years after missing thepostseason in 2007 by a fraction of a computerpoint. The team’s two losses came to two of thebest teams in Division V – Kirtland andYoungstown Ursuline – and the Redskins foughthard in each game. “I thought we had a good year,”

head coach Al Martin said. “Welost a tough game to Kirtlandsomewhere towards the begin-ning of the season. We played wellbut made a couple of mistakes, andthey beat us 14-7. From there on out, I thought wegot better. By the end of the season, we were apretty good team.”This year’s team returns 14 starters (six

offense, eight defense); including a major collegeprospect in Zach D’Orazio. Martin feels the offen-sive line may need some time to develop. But withmuch of the team coming back, the Redskinsappear set to keep on winning and make anotherrun at the postseason. “I think we have a lot players coming back that

got a lot of experience last year,” Martin said. “Wedid graduate some very important seniors, but atprograms like ours at our level – D-V and D-VI –that’s always going to happen. You always have tohave younger kids coming in to replace them. Butwe really like a lot of the kids coming back, andwe think the experience last year in the playoffswill be a big help to them.”

Kirtland (12-1)* Players To Watch – TE/LB Anthony Ritossa

(6-5, 220, Sr.); QB/DB Paul Guhde (6-1, 200, Jr.);WR/DB L.J. Solinsky (6-0, 175, Sr.); OL/DE LinoDesapri (6-1, 205, Sr.); LB/RB Royal Brettrager (6-0, 190, Sr.)* Outlook – The Hornets had a tremendous

season in 2008, posting the first 12-win season inschool history and narrowly missing awin over eventual state championYoungstown Ursuline in theregional finals.“We were pretty solid all the

way around,” head coach TigerLaVerde said. “We didn’t have awhole lot of weaknesses. We had someexperienced kids that had a lot of playing time andhad started a lot of games, and I figured we wouldhave a chance to be really good. You never know,but we had a chance to be good and it turned outreal well.” The departing group of players – nine of whom

moved on to play college football – helped raisethe bar in Kirtland, notching three consecutiveplayoff berths after the school had just two priorappearances in its history. This year’s Kirtland

team will be a younger group, returning just twostarters on offense and three on defense. Leadingthe way will be Anthony Ritossa, who has verballycommitted to play at the University of Akron. “Last year, one of our big strengths was up

front,” LaVerde said. “We had a great group onthe offensive and defensive line, and they’re allgone. I think we still have some pretty good skillposition (players). We have a good quarterback,but really the key’s going to be how well we do onthe line of scrimmage.”

North Lima South Range (8-3)* Players To Watch – QB/DB Vince Miller (6-2,

180, Sr.); RB/LB Hunter Spitz (5-10, 190, Sr.);SE/DB James Nell (5-8, 145, Sr.); S/WR KyleSeaver (6-2, 185, Sr.); OL Tim Shives (6-0, 210,Sr.); CB Phillip Arsuffi (6-1, 160, Jr.)* Outlook – South Range’s streak of seasons

with double-digit wins was snapped at five lastyear, but the Raiders still found themselves in afamiliar spot – the state playoffs. Head coach DanYeagley viewed the season as a success. “Things went actually pretty well last year,”

Yeagley said. “We were really actually inexperi-enced last year, and then we had some injuriesthroughout the season which reallymade us really inexperienced lastyear. We had some young kidsand some seniors step up andperform very, very well for us.”This year’s team returns three

starters on each side of the ball.Yeagley likes what he sees at the skill positionsbut feels the team will need to develop along theoffensive line. “We lost a lot of offensive linemen,” Yeagley

said. “That’s going to be our weakness this year isgoing to be the offensive line. We have TimShives coming back who started for us at tackle,and he’s our only offensive lineman, so we’ve gota lot to replace there. But I think it’s going to bepretty good. Our schedule’s going to be the toughthing.”

Youngstown Ursuline (15-0)* Players To Watch – RB/FS/KR Aaron

Edwards (6-1, 203, Sr.); QB/MLB Dawalyn Harper(6-0, 206, Sr.); DB DeAndre Harris (5-10, 178,Sr.); RB/DB Nico Irizarry (5-6, 183, Sr.); RB/FS/KRAllen Jones (5-10, 180, Sr.); QB/DB/P PaulKempe (6-1, 180, Jr.); OL/DT Donny McLendon(5-11, 245, Sr.); RB Akise Teague (5-9, 165, Jr.) * Outlook – Youngstown Ursuline

put together an extremely impres-sive list of wins last season,including regular season victoriesover Massillon Washington,Warren Harding, YoungstownMooney, and Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary, along with two playoff wins over previouslyunbeaten Kirtland and Findlay Liberty-Benton. TheIrish won their first state championship since2000. Several key players are gone from last year’s

team, but a solid core returns, especially at theskill positions. Jones and Teague bring speed andexperience to the running back position, whileKempe and Harris both have experience at quar-terback. One question mark is the status of Ohio State

verbal Jamel Turner at defensive end. As of presstime, it was unclear whether Turner would be backfor his senior year at Ursuline.

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (5-5)* Players To Watch – QB/WR/DB Anthony

Libertini (6-0, 185, Sr.); RB/DB Ronnel Spates (5-9, 160, Sr.); WR Kyle Johnson (5-11, 180, Sr.);WR Phil Tucker (6-3, Sr.); OL/DL Tony Rini (6-2,250, Sr.); OL/DL Jamal Chatman (6-2, 240, Sr.);OL/DL Kevin Koehl (6-3, 255, Jr.); QB/WR/DBDarryl Jones (6-3, 220, Jr.); WR/LB KwamaeSawyer (6-0, 175, Jr.)* Outlook – This tradition-rich pro-

gram makes the move down toDivision V from Division IV andfaces the challenge of navigatinga tough schedule with a team inrebuilding mode. Only one starterreturns on defense while the offensemust replace all five starters on the offensive line. “Both sides of the football need to be rebuilt,”

head coach Matt Melle said. “We lost some reallyproductive skill players… We lost all five starterson the line from a year ago and we lost our wholefront seven, so to say we have some holes to fillwould be an understatement.”

Also Keep An Eye On:* Apple Creek Waynedale (8-3)

– The Golden Bears will be aim-ing for their third straight playoffappearance. Two-time All-Ohiorunning back Thad Nofsinger willbe missed. * Columbiana Crestview (10-2)

– Always a tough team to dealwith, the Rebels have made thepostseason five of the last sixyears and will be expected bymany to do so once again in 2009. * East Canton (7-4) – The

Hornets posted their first playoffberth and over .500 finish since2003. They make the move upthis year to Division V fromDivision VI. * Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (10-

2) – The Lancers posted another strong season in2008 but now face a transition period with theretirement of head coach Bob Spicer and thedeparture of a strong group of players that includ-ed two first-team All-Ohio performers in RB TomHallal and QB Billy Urban. * Rocky River Lutheran West

(7-3) – The Longhorns narrowlymissed the playoffs in 2008, fin-ishing ranked ninth in Region 17. * Smithville (6-4) – The

Smithies were a competitive teamin 2008 that lost some toughgames and will be looking to getover the hump and return to thepostseason in 2009. * Sugarcreek Garaway (7-3) –

The Pirates will be looking toimprove on their seven-win sea-son of 2008 but will miss graduat-ed first-team All-Ohio quarterbackDavid Gerber. * Burton Berkshire (7-3) – The



Badgers drop down from D-IV, Region 13 andcould be postseason contenders.

Also In This Region: Brookfield (4-6); East Palestine (4-6); Garfield

Heights Trinity (5-5); Gates Mills Hawken (4-6);United Hanoverton (6-4); Independence (4-6);Lisbon David Anderson (0-10); Louisville St.Thomas Aquinas (3-6); Middlefield Cardinal (6-4);Mineral Ridge (3-7); New Middletown Springfield(5-5); Newcomerstown (2-8); Orwell Grand Valley(3-7); Richmond Heights (6-4); Rootstown (1-9);West Salem Northwestern (3-7)


Ashland Crestview (9-2)* Players To Watch – DT/OG Abe Thompson

(6-5, 225, Sr.); RB/ILB Loren Hulit (5-11, 185, Sr.);NT/G Jimmy Holliday (5-11, 215, Sr.); TE/OLBNicholas Manocchio (6-1, 200, Sr.)* Outlook – The Crestview Cougars bounced

back from an uncharacteristic losing season in2007 to notch nine regular season wins and aplayoff berth. “The previous year, we came

off a 4-6 season,” head coachSean Conway said. “I think wehad exceeded what the public’sexpectations of us were, but at thesame time, that’s the type of programthat we hope to put together in the future – a teamthat’s capable of doing something like that. I attrib-ute it to a lot of hard work and dedication from thekids, and there was outstanding leadership fromlast year’s senior class. They’re going to be great-ly missed here in the future.”Crestview ran into a tough opening round

matchup in the playoffs, having to face off withpowerhouse Hamler Patrick Henry. The Cougars’postseason was cut short at the hands of PatrickHenry, but the experience has motivated thisyear’s team, which returns 11 total starters onoffense and defense. “The goal is still to win Week 1, because we do

have a difficult schedule,” Conway said. “But I dothink last year’s success has self-motivated thekids. This seems to be the most self-motivatedCrestview offseason we’ve had. I don’t know if itwill translate into wins and losses, but I’m definite-ly happy with the way the kids are working andthe dedication that they’ve shown.”

Delphos Jefferson (9-2)* Players To Watch – QB/P Jordan Jettinghoff

(6-0, 190, Sr.); DB Andrew Wiltsie (6-0, 185, Sr.);OT/DT Grant Brand (6-4, 270, Sr.); OT/DT A.J.Cross (6-2, 235, Jr.)* Outlook – Jefferson put together a strong

season in 2009 but ran into juggernautFindlay Liberty-Benton in the open-ing round of the playoffs. TheWildcats lost 19 seniors from lastyear’s group and also will have anew head coach this year in BubLindeman. Lindeman feels his team will have the postsea-

son as a goal once again. “(They) will be hungry to prove that they are a

playoff-caliber team,” Lindeman said.

Defiance Tinora (7-3)* Players To Watch – QB Landon Drewes (6-1,

165, Jr.); FB/CB Lyndon Benecke (5-10, 155, Sr.);TB/LB Blake Foor (5-10, 190, Sr.); TE CurtisHansford (6-4, 225, Sr.); K Alex Moser (6-0, 145,Jr.); FS/SE/P Ethan McKinney (6-2, 190, Sr.)* Outlook – With most of their players returning

from 2007’s playoff team, expectations were highfor Tinora in 2008. But tough losses to three play-off teams, including Division VI state championDelphos St. John’s, left the Rams outof the postseason. Head coach Ken Krouse says

there was some disappointmentin finishing out of the playoffs. “The bar has been raised for

our program,” Krouse said. “Tenyears ago, you take (the 7-3 record) and run, butwith the success we’ve had recently, obviously wewish we had won our league and gotten to thepostseason, which we didn’t.”The good news for the Rams is that last year’s

team was still mostly underclassmen, and thisyear, nine starters return on both sides of the ball.The expectations will be to make noise in thepostseason again, but the Rams will have to dobetter against the three teams that bested them in2008.“It’s the same as what we faced last year,”

Krouse said. “Our games 1, 2, and 4 are huge,and those are the three games we lost, withLiberty Center, Delphos (St. John’s) and thenSherwood Fairview being our first league game. Itis huge that we get off to a good start.”

Findlay Liberty-Benton (14-1)* Players To Watch – MLB Brett Pasche (6-2,

210, Sr.); LB/WR Eric Stanton (6-2, 190, Jr.);DB/RB Wade Russell (5-9, 165, Sr.); OL/DEShaun Linhart (6-3, 190, Sr.); DB/WR Zac Kramer(5-7, 155, Jr.)* Outlook – The Eagles were nothing short of

dominant in 2008. After winning 14 straight games– nine of which were shutouts and none of whichwere closer than 20 points – Liberty-Benton wasdefeated by another unbeaten team, YoungstownUrsuline, in the state finals. “We fell a little short of what we

wanted to do once we made it upto Massillon,” head coach TimNichols said, “but I think it’ssomething that hopefully will helpbenefit our program down the road –that we had a team that did achieve that level andhopefully will inspire kids to try to get back to that.It was just a great experience. That’s why youcoach and play. Once you do it once, you want todo it again.”Nichols cites a strong group of seniors for last

year’s success, most of whom had played togeth-er since sixth grade. “You just can’t put a price on senior leadership,

and we had that,” Nichols said. “Things just cametogether. We stayed injury free for the most part,but when you just get a group of kids that stayedtogether that long, I think good things are going tohappen for you.”

This year’s team returns just one starter onoffense and two on defense. Those numbers willincrease by one if QB/DB Aaron Craft, the reign-ing Division V Offensive Player of the Year,decides to play football as a senior. Craft hascommitted to Ohio State to play basketball. As ofpress time, his future on the gridiron was up in theair. Regardless of what Craft decides, Nichols

thinks last year’s seniors set the tone for moresuccess in the future. “I hope we can continue on and play at a pretty

good level,” Nichols said. “There’s going to besome new names and new faces, but I think onceagain those seniors provided what needs to bedone in the offseason and preseason. We’re prob-ably not going to change too many things.”

Hamler Patrick Henry (12-1)* Players To Watch – HB/S Justin Buenger (5-

11, 185, Sr.); QB/S Luke George (5-11, 195, Sr.);FB/LB Bill Miller (6-0, 190, Sr.); OT Brad Yarnell(6-0, 255, Sr.); G Collin Hogrefe (6-1, 180, Sr.);NG Xavier Dye (5-9, 175, Jr.); DE Aaron George(5-11, 200, Sr.); DE Josh Almanza (6-0, 200, Jr.)* Outlook – The train kept rolling for Hamler

Patrick Henry last season. The Patriots won theirseventh straight conference title – the longest inthe history of Ohio’s oldest high school sportsconference, the Northwest OhioAthletic League – and their fifthappearance in the regional finalsin six years before losing to staterunner-up Liberty-Benton.“I think we had a very good sea-

son with what we wanted to get into,and I think we lost to a very good football team,”head coach Bill Inselmann said. “So I think weachieved most of our goals.” This year’s team returns a good core of five

starters on offense and six on defense, including a1,600-yard rusher in Buenger and an experiencedQB in George. But the wide receiver position aswell as the lines could need some development. “The biggest rebuilding area probably in the last

eight years we’ve had to have at a key position isour wide receiver position,” Inselmann said. “Welost some good ones there and lost all of ourdepth, so wide receiver is going to be our biggestquestion mark going into the season. “It’ll be an interesting season depending on how

our youth develops on the offensive line, defen-sive interior and especially at wide receiver.”But coming into the season, Patrick Henry

remains a program with big expectations. “One of the biggest things we have going right

now is our kids are confident,” Inselmann said.“They believe they can win, so that’s probablysomething I think that’s really picked up over thislast eight years.”

Northwood (9-1)* Players To Watch – OT Kyle Artino (6-3, 230,

Sr.); OG/DE Andrew Pietras (6-3, 295, Sr.); DTDrew Minarcin (5-9, 235, Sr.); DT Max Tunison (5-7, 215, Sr.); SS/RB Jake Pressley (6-2, 185, Jr.);LB/RB Mike Prothero (5-10, 175, Jr.); HB/LB ZachBermejo (5-9, 170, Jr.); LB/FB Corey Jones (6-1,225, Jr.)* Outlook – After dropping their season opener

to Kansas Lakota, Northwood steamrolled their



way to a 9-1 regular season, winning their finalnine games by an average of 35 points per game.Unfortunately, the computer pointsweren’t there for the Rangers tomake the playoffs. “It was one of the most fun

years I’ve had in coaching just interms of being around the kids,”head coach Ken James said. “Weenjoyed it. Obviously we lost real early – turned itover five times, and we can’t do that and winagainst a good team. That obviously ended up bit-ing us in the rear end at the end, and we knewthat we might have to go 10-0 to get in. Region18’s a little difficult.”The Rangers return six starters on defense and

five on offense. The schedule has gotten tougherwith newly-added games against Division VI final-ist Hopewell-Loudon and Division IV semifinalistGenoa, but Northwood will still expect to haveanother good season. “I’m sad to seniors go, but by the same token

we have a bunch of what we think are really goodplayers coming back and a really good freshmanclass coming in,” James said. “Our program’s sta-ble, so we think we’re going to have a real solidyear again this year.”

Sherwood Fairview (9-2)* Players To Watch – QB/WR Luke Kuhn (6-2,

200, Jr.); QB/WR Brock Mosier (6-0, 185, Jr.); WRRodney Webb (6-2, 225, Sr.); WR/DB NathanYoder (5-10, 155, Sr.); DT Zach Lee (6-0, 210,Sr.); DT Tyler Merilat (5-10, 235, Sr.); LB KyleTrent (5-9, 200, Jr.); OL Eli Keesbury (6-3, 235,Sr.); OL Bo Joost (6-4, 235, Sr.)* Outlook – The Apaches were in

their first season under new headcoach Dave Robinson last year,but the team didn’t miss a beatand continued their winning wayswith a conference title and a play-off berth. “Last year, I was very pleased with the way the

kids reacted to the change in the head coach’sposition,” Robinson said. “My mentor and long-term coach Bob Olwin left and went down toVersailles. Football’s pretty important to the peo-ple and the kids in this community, and losingsomebody like him and replacing him with some-body like me who’d never had any experiencebeing a head coach, that was going to be a bigchange. “But the entire staff stayed on and the kids

reacted very well, very positive to everything.”This year’s Apache squad returns six starters

on offense and seven on defense. Robinsonexpects it to be another winning year at Fairview.“We go into every season talking to our kids

that our expectation is that we’re going to win theleague title and we’re going to be back in the play-offs,” Robinson said. “That doesn’t change. Wenever talk about anything less than that. “We have some huge voids to fill. Probably for

the first time in a long time, defensively we havequite a few kids coming back, but as far as quar-terback experience, for the first time in quite a fewyears, we’re going to be lacking there. We dohave two juniors that will probably be playing forthat spot that put on time on their own throwingand working and doing things to help prepare

themselves to take that spot.”

Mt. Blanchard Riverdale (8-3)* Players To Watch – QB Brady Weber (6-4,

218, Jr.); RB/LB David Rose (6-0, 229, Sr.); WRChris Hepperly (6-0, 170, Sr.); WR Steven Rahn(6-1, 180, Sr.); OLB Tyler Book (6-0, 170, Jr.)* Outlook – The Riverdale Falcons had a spe-

cial season in 2008, posting an 8-2 record andmaking the postseason for the first time in schoolhistory. The experience was one to remember. “The community, for never having gone to the

playoffs, was very ecstatic about it,” head coachJeremy Kloepfer said. “You have all kinds of peo-ple talking to you, talking to the kids, cheering forthe kids on Friday nights. It was justa one-of-a-kind experience for thekids, and I’m glad that I couldhelp be a part of that and try andget them to that level.” Kloepfer gives much of the

credit to a group of experienced sen-iors that experienced a winless season as fresh-men but persevered and made the playoffs in theirfinal year.“Going into it, we definitely thought we’d have a

good season due to the experience we had at thesenior level,” Kloepfer said. “We had about nineguys who had played varsity for three years prob-ably. “For those seniors, going 0-10 as freshmen,

that was a heck of an accomplishment andachievement for those kids, going out in their sen-ior year 8-2.”This year’s team returns eight starters on

offense and five on defense and moves up toDivision V from Division VI. Kloepfer feels that theoffense will be a strength, while cutting back onturnovers and getting continuity on defense will bethe biggest things to address. “We’ve definitely got to get some continuity

early on,” Kloepfer said. “That way everybodyknows their gaps and their assignments and justhow the person next to them plays their spot.”In Kloepfer’s first three years the Falcons have

gone 2-8, 5-5 and 8-3. The four years prior to hisarrival the program went 1-39.Weber returns after throwing for over 2,000

yards and 15 TDs last season.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Archbold (9-3) – The Blue

Streaks made their secondstraight playoff appearance in2008, this time bringing home apostseason win over LibertyCenter. They will try to do it againthis year with a new head coach. * Collins Western Reserve (7-

3) – Losses to three playoff teams(Creston Norwayne, Norwalk St.Paul, Ashland Crestview) keptthe Roughriders out of the play-offs last year. * Hicksville (8-2) – The Aces

got out of the gate strong witheight straight wins to start theseason but fell to two toughteams (Sherwood Fairview andDefiance Tinora) to end the year. * Lafayette Allen East (2-8) – The Mustangs

move up from Division VI to Division V and hopeto continue to build up the program.“The athletes have been able to benefit from a

full offseason strength and condition-ing program this year,” head coachCam Staley said. “We were ayoung team last season and willbe again, but many of the 2008sophomore class gained valuableexperience playing on Friday night.We look forward to returning Allen East to a com-petitive program in the Northwest conference.”* Liberty Center (9-2) –

Longtime head coach RexLingruen’s crew will be hoping tomake another appearance in thepostseason. * Lima Central Catholic (5-5) –

After having a strong stretchbetween 2004 and 2007, theThunderbirds fell to .500 last sea-son, losing four games by sevenpoints or less. Opener withDelphos St. John’s, the reigning D-VI state champion, will set the tone.

Also In This Region:Bloomdale Elmwood (6-4); Bluffton (4-6);

Castallia Margaretta (3-7); Columbia StationColumbia (1-9); Delta (2-8); Elmore Woodmore (2-8); Gibsonburg (5-5); Haviland Wayne Trace (3-7);Jeromesville Hillsdale (6-4); Kansas Lakota (5-5);Loudonville (3-7); Montpelier (0-10); New London(6-4); North Robinson Colonel Crawford (2-8);Oberlin (6-4); Plymouth (3-7); Spencerville (4-6)


Baltimore Liberty Union (12-2)* Players To Watch – OL/DL Damien McAfee

(6-0, 240, Sr.); RB/OLB Dustin Love (6-0, 180,Sr.); FB Cody Magley (5-11, 195, Sr.); OL PatBlevins (6-0, 185, Sr.); SE/CB Travis Crisan (5-11,165, Sr.); SE/CB Zach Logue (5-9, 155, Sr.);QB/DB Andy McCord (5-9, 155, Sr.)* Outlook – The Liberty Union Lions put togeth-

er a fantastic season in 2008, posting nine regularseason wins and then winning the Region 19bracket. The Lions lost some key players from last

year’s team, including lineman Sam Johnson, whosigned with Ohio University, and QB/DB Andy Mix,who signed with Toledo to play baseball. But 11total starters return on offense and defense alongwith a big senior class, giving Liberty Union hopesand expectations of another strong season. “The bar was set high in 2008 with league and

regional championships,” head coach DanJohnson said. “The eight seniors who graduatedleave big shoes to fill. We have a large class of 18seniors who could step up and meet the challengeof performing at the same level in 2009.”

Fredericktown (8-2)* Players To Watch – QB/OLB/DB Thomas

Hinkle (6-3, 205, Sr.); TB/LB Curtis Ruhl (5-11,180, Sr.). WB Tony Lybarger (5-10, 165, Jr.);



WR/CB Tyler Hathaway (5-8, 145, Jr.); OL LoganAwwiller (6-1, 235, Jr.); MLB Austin Hoeflich (5-10,170, Jr.); OL/DL Nick Stacey (6-2, 240, Jr.);DT/OG Jordon Levering (5-10, 205, Sr.)* Outlook – After a 10-3 season and a berth in

the Region 19 finals in 2007, somethought 2008 would be a rebuildingyear for Fredericktown. But theFreddies surprised some people,posting an eight-win seasondespite having a young team. “At the end of the season last

year, there were kind of a lot of mixedemotions because we were a young team, and Idon’t think anyone would have expected us to go8-2 at the beginning of the season,” head coachLuke Beal said. “But once the season started andwe started having some success, the kids I thinkwere really counting on making another trip to theplayoffs. So despite the nice record, there wassome disappointment at the end of the seasonwhen we just missed the playoffs.”Beal says that the team has turned that disap-

pointment into something positive. “It’s been a real motivator for us in the offsea-

son,” Beal said. “We’ve had a great winter andspring. It’s really motivated our kids because theyknew how close we were.” This year’s Fredericktown squad will be in a

position to cash in on the motivation as theyreturn a veteran team with at least eight starterson each side of the ball. The playoffs will be onthe team’s mind, but more than that, the Freddieswant to capture a league title. “Our top priority right now is to try and win our

league,” Beal said. “Despite the nice seasons thatwe’ve had the last two years, that’s been a sourceof disappointment for us – we have not been ableto win our league. That’s got to be our top priority.”

Minford (8-3)* Players To Watch – QB Aaron Oesch (6-3,

185, Sr.); RB/OLB Brandon McCormick (5-9, 175,Sr.); WR Cory McKnight (6-2, 180, Sr.); OL/DLMike Gilliam (5-10, 225, Sr.); Ray Bryan (5-9, 165,Sr.); TE Stefan Price (6-1, 220, Sr.); FB/LB MarkSlone (5-10, 190, Jr.); OL/DL Nick Campbell (6-0,250, Sr.) * Outlook – Things continue to look up for the

Minford football program. The team earned theirsecond straight playoff berth last year – their fifthpostseason appearance in school history and thefourth one in eight years. Head coach BrentDaniels has led the Falcons to con-secutive successful seasons duringhis time at Minford. “This is our second year run-

ning the Wing-T offense and mebeing the head coach,” Danielssaid. “We had some good kids thatput a lot of time in the weight room during the off-season, which is a good reason why we were assuccessful as we were last season.”This year’s team appears to be a very experi-

enced group, returning ten starters on offense andseven on defense. “We’ve got all of our skill guys back from last

year,” Daniels said. “We have to replace a couplelinemen, but overall we hope to be pretty goodthis year. Not surprisingly, the excitement and expecta-

tions surrounding this year’s team are at a highlevel. “The expectations are high this year,” Daniels

said. “I guess you could say the bar’s been sethere a little bit finally. I think they realize what’s atstake this year and what we’re expected to do thisyear. The excitement’s there. I think everybody’sready to get the football season kicked off, andwe’re just going to see what happens.”

West Lafayette Ridgewood (8-3)* Players To Watch – HB/S Jake Conrad (5-11,

190, Sr.); HB/S Colt Landis (5-11, 175, Sr.); SE/SAustin Bates (5-10, 160, Sr.) * Outlook – Ridgewood made their sixth con-

secutive playoff appearance in 2008 after a sec-ond-place finish in conference. The Generals lost a strong class of

senior players from last year’steam, but the expectations for awinning season and a postsea-son appearance remain. “We lost a great class of sen-

iors but feel we have a very hardworking group returning,” head coachJohn Slusser said. “Our goals have not changedas a program in that we expect to play for champi-onships. Our senior class has waited its turn andis looking forward to the challenge of Ridgewoodfootball.”

Wheelersburg (10-2)* Players To Watch – QB/SS Tyler Lang (6-1,

295, Sr.); QB/DB Brandon Schankweiler (5-11,170, Jr.); RB/DE Tyler Craigmiles (6-1, 195, Sr.);CB Chase Holbrook (5-9, 165, Sr.); C/DE ZachFrowine (5-10, 255, Sr.); RB/DL Scott Walker (5-10, 175)* Outlook – Despite having a young team and

losing their starting quarterback to injury in thefirst game, Wheelersburg put together a strongseason in 2008, winning nine regular seasongames and advancing to the secondround of the playoffs. “We were really tickled with

last year’s group,” head coachRob Woodward said. “We onlyhad seven seniors going into theyear. To go 10-2 was tremendous.”This year’s team returns six starters on offense

and eight on defense. Expectations will be highbut Woodward says the team must take things tothe next level in order to surpass last season’sperformance. “We return a lot of individuals on both sides of

the ball,” Woodward said. “With already havingsuccess, they need to understand that the workethic, the level of work and intensity needs to beraised. They can’t maintain the same work ethicfrom last year or things will turn out basically thesame as last year.”

Also Keep An Eye On:* Bainbridge Paint Valley (8-2)

– The Bearcats narrowly misseda postseason berth last year butshould be in contention to makethe playoffs this season. * Caldwell (8-3) – Head coach

Mike Devol had a successful home-

coming last season. After coaching at Caldwellfrom 1974 to 1994, Devol spent time at two otherschools before returning to his alma mater in2008. The Redskins posted an 8-2 regular seasonwith a playoff berth. “We expect to win,” Devol said. “When I was at

Caldwell before, I think we won 130 games –about 70 percent of our games. I would expectwith the kids we have at Caldwell and the peoplethat we have up there that we’ll be successful nomatter when we take the field.” This year’s team moves from

Division VI to Division V, but theshift doesn’t make a difference inthe Redskins’ outlook. “We have to play the teams

that we play, and the schedule did-n’t change, so it didn’t bother us one wayor the other,” Devol said.This year’s team will have a lot of new starters

on both sides of the ball, but the expectations willnot change. “We lost a lot of seniors that were really good,”

Devol said. “They certainly deserved to be 8-2.We’re going to be extremely young this year, butlike I say, that doesn’t matter. We’re going to stepon the field, we’re going to give 110 percent, and Ithink we’re going to win the majority of the gameswe play.” * Nelsonville-York (8-3) – The

Buckeyes will be aiming for anoth-er berth in the postseason andwill have an all-state running backin senior Derek Arnold leading theway. * Woodsfield Monroe Central

(7-3) – The Seminoles will be ledby quarterback Tyler Kinchen,who won second-team All-Ohiohonors last season despite beingjust a freshman.

Also In This Region: Barnesville (1-9); Belpre (3-7); Beverly Fort

Frye (3-7); Cardington-Lincoln (5-5); Centerburg(1-9); Chesapeake (4-6); Chillicothe Huntington(1-9); Chillicothe Southeastern (3-7); Coal GroveDawson-Bryant (6-4); Crooksville (6-4); FrankfortAdena (6-4); Galion Northmor (3-7); Johnstown-Northridge (4-6); Lore City Buckeye Trail (0-9);Lucasville Valley (5-5); Manchester (0-10); MountGilead (5-5); Oak Hill (7-3); SarahsvilleShenandoah (4-6); Stewart Federal Hocking (7-3);Sugar Grove Berne Union (4-6)


Anna (9-2)* Players To Watch – QB Wesley Hunsucker

(6-3, 190, Sr.); RB Kameron Knight (6-2, 170, Sr.);TE Alex Fogt (6-1, 220, Jr.); LB Josh Parker (6-0,185, Sr.)* Outlook – The Anna football program contin-

ued to make strides last season, posting their bestrecord yet since joining the powerful MidwestAthletic Conference. “I think we progressed pretty well from the



beginning of the season to the end,” head coachBryan Rioch said. “I think we got a lot better.Obviously going 9-1 in the regular season in thatleague and your two losses for the year are com-ing to Coldwater and to Marion Local, you have tobe pretty happy with that.”The loss to Marion Local came in the opening

round of the playoffs – a spot where Anna wouldrather not see a conference opponent. “One of the rationales for going into

that league was once you get intothe playoffs, you have an oppor-tunity to be as good as anybodyand win the whole thing,” Riochsaid. “It was a little disappointingto run into Marion Local afteralready playing them the week before.But getting away from that, just taking a look atthe whole thing, I think the program generally tooka step forward.”This year’s team returns seven starters on

offense and six on defense, and there’s some talkin MAC country that this could be Anna’s year.Rioch says the team’s main question mark is inthe trenches. “We have a lot of question marks in terms of

line play,” Rioch said. “We graduate four of our five offensive linemen,

and we were pretty good up front. We feel wehave some young kids that can step up potential-ly. We won’t be as big, but we’ll be probably moreathletic. All our skill kids are back, which is a bigpositive.”

Casstown Miami East (9-2)* Players To Watch – RB Tyler Dunivan (6-1,

200, Sr.); RB Brock Smith (5-7, 160, Jr.); WR/DBJared Brown (5-7, 155); WR/OLB Dalton Saylor(5-10, 145, Sr.); OL/ILB Tyler Matheson (5-11,205, Sr.); DT Joe Fulton (6-1, 230, Sr.) * Outlook – Miami East football has had two

memorable years. The Vikings followed up their first ever playoff

season in 2007 with a repeat per-formance in 2008, along with aconference crown to go with it. “It went real well,” head coach

Max Current said. “We won aleague title, and that hasn’t hap-pened since 1983, so it was anexciting year. It was also the 50th year of footballat our school, so there was a lot of celebrationevery week in honoring players of the past. It wasa great year to be a part of.”The success on the gridiron has resulted in

plenty of community support. “It’s been great,” Current said. “Everybody’s

been excited. Our fans have been following to allthe games and packing our side of the stadiumwherever we go.”The cupboard won’t be bare for Miami East this

year as five starters return on each side of theball, including 1,800 yards worth of rushing pro-duction on offense. But after losing 16 seniors and three All-Ohio

players, it’s time for a new core of players to riseto the top. “We’re going to need some guys to step up,”

Current said. “We’ve kind of ridden the past year’sgraduating class the past three years. Now it’sthese guys’s time.”

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (11-1)* Players To Watch – QB Alec Swartz (6-1,

198, Sr.); WR Andrew Perkins (5-11, 165, Sr.);LB/FB Doyen Harris (6-1, 205, Sr.); P John Lloyd(6-3, 230, Sr.); K Joe Riefenberg (6-1, 180, Sr.) * Outlook – Head coach Eric Taylor made a big

splash in his first season at CHCA after movingover from Finneytown. The Eagles posted anundefeated regular season and also captured aplayoff victory. “I thought our kids really played well,” Taylor

said. “The biggest thing we did is our

kids did a good job of just playinggood team ball and really beingeleven strong and workingtogether for the benefit of theirteammates. We were pleased.” This year’s team returns six or seven starters

on offense and five on defense, as well as twooutstanding specialists in kicker Joe Riefenbergand major college prospect John Lloyd at punter.Things could be in line for CHCA to be a primecontender to make it out of Region 20, but Taylorthinks it could come down to how well some of theyounger linemen step up for those who havegraduated. “We have a good core,” Taylor said. “I think we have four of five all-state players

back and five of seven all-district players. So wehave a very good core of some very importantroles returning, but it’s all going to come down tohow we do up front.”

Coldwater (12-1)* Players To Watch – TE/DE Eric Lefeld (6-7,

230, Sr.); QB/OLB/P Keith Wenning (6-4, 220,Sr.); DL Kurt Westerheide (6-2, 195, Sr.) * Outlook – One of Ohio’s premier small-school

powerhouse programs, the Cavaliers arrive inDivision V after winning Division IVstate championships in 2005 and2007 and advancing to theregional finals in 2008. TheCavaliers have won six of thelast eight conference titles in theMidwest Athletic Conference, thestate’s strongest small-school affiliation. The Cavaliers lost several pieces from last

year’s team, including Ohio State signee AdamHoman. A new group is ready to take over thisyear, led by University of Cincinnati verbal com-mitment Eric Lefeld. Wenning is a standout QBwith big game experience.

Columbus Bishop Ready (8-3)* Players To Watch – QB Brennan McCarthy

(5-9, 155, Sr.); DL Lucas Detty (6-0, 235, Sr.); TEDana Detassio (6-2, 215, Sr.); OL Pete Galentine(6-4, 275, Sr.); TB Demetrius Clark (6-0, 175, Jr.);ILB Eddie Bahen (6-0, 185, Sr.); DB/WR JeremyFinchum (6-4, 180, Sr.); DB Cody Culbertson (5-6,165, Sr.); DB Christian Knapper (jr.)* Outlook – It was a bit of an odd year for

Bishop Ready. After having opponents cancelgames in both Week 4 and Week 5, the SilverKnights found themselves in the odd predicamentof not only having an unexpected three-week lay-off in the middle of the season but also trying tomake the postseason with just eight games towork with.

“We had two teams – one from New York andone from Kentucky – that simply said they justdidn’t think they could play us,” head coach LarryWolf said. “After they had signed a contract to doso, they just thought that we were too good. Icould have assured them we weren’t, but theyobviously didn’t want to hear that, sothey canceled.”Things worked out, however,

as Bishop Ready did make itback to the playoffs and made anappearance in the regional finalsfor the second straight year. “Actually, I think (the time off) was a turning

point for our season because we really got somemidseason corrections taken care of,” Wolf said.“Normally when you’re going week to week, youdon’t have an opportunity, but we knew we hadthree weeks, and we fixed some things in a hurrythat we could see were going to be problems afterthe first three games. It actually turned out to be ablessing in disguise.” This year’s team will feature five returning

starters on each side of the ball and have thesame goals and expectations as always. Wolffeels this year’s team can be good but is con-cerned about the team’s depth. “We’re very thin,” Wolf said. “We have good,

quality kids, but we are one-deep everywhere…This is probably as thin as we’ve been in seven oreight years.”

Mechanicsburg (12-1)* Players To Watch – RB/WR/DB/P Joe Webb

(6-1, 190, Sr.); OL/DL Josh Salyers (6-5, 220, Sr.);OL/DL Tyler Wasserman (6-2, 220, Sr.); RB/CBMason Poland (6-1, 185, Jr.); TE/LB CodyRodgers (6-3, 185, Jr.); FB/NT Carl Conley (6-1,225, Sr.)* Outlook – As if the additions of Coldwater

and Bishop Ready weren’t enough,Mechanicsburg moves up from Division VI to giveRegion 20 four teams that played in regional finalgames in 2008. The Indians posted an unbeatenregular season last year and advanced to theregional finals for only the second time in schoolhistory. “We had an outstanding year,” head coach

Chris Kosiorek said. “We had great seniors. Wehad 12 leaders that took charge and made thecoach’s job a lot easier, and then we had under-classmen that followed the guidance of those sen-iors and the coaches. That’s why we had the sea-son we did, and we’re looking forward to nextyear.”This year’s team returns five

starters on each side of the ball,including second-team All-Ohioreceiver Joe Webb. Kosiorek says the turnout for

offseason workouts has beenexcellent but that it’s time for a newgroup of players to step up and move forwardfrom the success of 2008. “A lot of our kids that were role players last year

need to be impact players this year, so thereforethey have to do a lot more than what was requiredof them last year,” Kosiorek said. “Some of ourstarters that are returning, we’re going to expectbigger things from them.“When you get a group of kids that buy into



something – and I think these kids are buying intothe system and buying into what we as coachesare trying to accomplish – it makes it a lot easier,but there’s a lot of work ahead of us. Justbecause we were successful last year doesn’tguarantee anything, and that’s been stressed tothe kids a lot.”

West Jefferson (10-3)* Players To Watch – OL/LB Kyle Ferguson (6-

1, 225, Sr.); OL/DL Jake Williams (6-2, 235, Sr.);TB/LB Corey Cocher (6-1, 175, Sr.); OL/DL JoshChenault (5-10, 215, Sr.); QB/DB D.J. Mendenhall(6-4, 175, Sr.) * Outlook – West Jefferson continued their win-

ning ways in 2008, advancing to the regionalfinals for the third straight season. The RoughRiders had a goal to advance further, but headcoach Shawn Buescher was stillpleased with the season’s out-come. “As a program, we definitely

had a goal to get over that humplast year,” Buescher said. “Weweren’t able to do so, but all in all,we were able to win another league and advancepretty deep, so it was a successful season.”Expect West Jefferson to once again be in the

thick of things in Region 20. First-team All-Ohioquarterback D.J. Mendenhall is among a solidcore that will lead this year’s team. “We return a good core again,” Buescher said.

“We feel very good about next year’s senior groupand the leaders that we have there.”

St. Henry (6-4)* Players To Watch – QB Brad Stahl (6-2, 190,

Sr.); WR Neil Schwieterman (5-11, 170, Sr.);TE/DE/P Victor Fortkamp (6-7, 200, Sr.); LB ZachFishbaugh (5-11, 195, Sr.); DL Eric Wuebker (6-0,190, Sr.); QB/DB Jordan Post (6-2, 180, Sr.)* Outlook – Two years removed from its last

state title, the Redskins might havejust what it takes to get No. 7. Stahl, Schwieterman,

Fortkamp, Fishbaugh, Post andWuebker all earned all-confer-ence honors last season on ateam that lost to Marion Local, Annaand Delphos St. John’s by seven points or less.Only Coldwater beat the Skins by double-digits.St. Henry has gone 6-4 each of the last two

seasons and seven wins likely gets them in thepostseason. As usual, the Skins open with Marion Pleasant

in a great match up of small school powers. St.Henry has won four straight in the series, includ-ing a 2006 playoff meeting. The last two openers have been decided by

four points total.

Also Keep An Eye On: * Hamilton Badin (8-4) – The Rams put

together a strong campaign in 2008,winning seven regular seasongames and a first-round overtimeplayoff win. This year, the Rams move

down to Division V and will bebreaking in a new head coach afterformer coach David Wirth accepted the

head coaching position at Covington (Ky.)Catholic. * Lees Creek East Clinton (7-4) – The Astros

rebounded from back-to-back losing seasons toearn a postseason berth in 2008.* West Liberty-Salem (9-2) –

The Tigers made their third con-secutive playoff appearance in2008 and their fifth in six sea-sons. * Milford Center Fairbanks (8-2) –

The Panthers completed their fourth straight win-ning season in 2008, but despite an eight-winseason the Panthers missed out on the playoffs(finished 11th in region). Winning two of three non-league games this

year is key to postseason run. * Versailles (2-8) – Year 2 of the

Bob Olwin era starts. Last yearwas an adjustment for both theprogram and coach who installedhis spread offense, made famousat Sherwood Fairview. After back-to-back 2-8 seasons

and just nine wins in three years, the Tigersshould start bringing the bite again. The programwon five state titles between 1993-2003. * Triad (7-3) – The Cardinals

finished as the odd man out andninth in the region in computerpoints last year. To make it worse,Triad was painfully close in all threelosses, none of which was by double-digits.

Also In This Region: Clark Montessori (2-8); Deer Park (1-9);

Mariemont (2-8); Summit Country Day (4-6);Columbus Africentric (5-5); Grandview Heights (4-6); Gahnna Columbus Academy (4-6); JamestownGreeneview (2-8); Lewisburg Tri-County North (3-7); Dayton Christian (4-6); New Lebanon Dixie (5-5); Richwood North Union (7-3); RockfordParkway (4-6); Tipp City Bethel (3-7); WestAlexandria Twin Valley South (5-5); Williamsburg(1-8) — OH

Region 17Youngstown Ursuline overCuyahoga HeightsRegion 18Hamler Patrick Henry over DefianceTinoraRegion 19Wheelersburg over Baltimore LibertyUnionRegion 20St. Henry over AnnaChampionship GameYoungstown Ursuline over St. Henry

Ohio High Division VPredictions



ASSILLON – Findlay Liberty-Benton’s defenseowned the headlines entering the Division Vstate final. Following 48 minutes of play,

Youngstown Ursuline’s defense got to tackle thechampionship trophy.Intercepting L-B quarterback Aaron Craft four

times, including three in the fourth quarter, Ursulineused back-to-back interception returns for touch-downs by Dale Peterman and LaVance Turnage inthe game’s final five minutes to win its secondstate title 21-0 at Massillon’s Paul Brown TigerStadium on Nov. 30. The Irish, who lost the 2007D-V final to Marion Local, also captured the D-IVtitle in 2000.Both teams entered the game 14-0.A crowd of 5,997 watched the Irish shut down

and out an L-B offense that was averaging 43points per game. It was the first shutout in a D-V

state championship game since Newark Catholicbeat Delphos Jefferson 19-0 in 1985.Craft, a junior and one of the state’s top quarter-

backs, had thrown just three interceptions all year.“We have a sign in our locker room that says if

you can’t run you don’t belong on the field,”Ursuline head coach Dan Reardon said. “Theseguys bought into that and they attacked the foot-ball.“Obviously this was a defensive game. They

have an outstanding team and if you would havetold me before the game we were going to shutthem out I would have said you were crazy. Wehang our hat on our defense and we’ve alwaysdone that. I'm extremely proud of what theyaccomplished today.”Said Craft, who accounted for 57 TDs and over

4,000 yards of total offense this year: “We movedthe ball but we couldn’t finish and capitalize. Somestupid mistakes here and there and turnovers andnot making the right reads and things caught up tous. We couldn’t finish. We couldn’t get over thehump.“They did a good job of reading where the ball

was going to go and then flying there.”L-B’s defense, which had given up only 31

points all season heading into the final, played asolid game as well. The Eagles limited Ursuline tojust 37 yards on 22 plays in the first half, whichended with the teams tied 0-0. Minus a three-playdrive that yielded 74 yards and a 60-yard TD runby Allen Jones to start the second half, the Irishmanaged just 78 yards in 40 plays against theEagles (an average of 1.95 yards per play).L-B, which had a school record 10 shutouts this

season, was allowing just 113.5 yards per gamecoming into the championship.Jones led the Irish with 97 hard-earned yards on

17 carries. Combined, Ursuline’s quarterbacks –Dawalyn Harper and Paul Kempe – were just 2-of-9 for 28 yards and two interceptions. The Irishwere 2-for-11 on third downs and had just eightfirst downs. Ursuline was penalized one time.“I thought it was going to be like a 54-52 barn-

burner,” Reardon said. “There were some things Ithought we could take advantage of heading intothe game against their defense and clearly weweren’t as successful as we thought we weregoing to be.“Neither of us did much on offense either way.”L-B’s offense had more yards than Ursuline

(241-152) but couldn’t crack the end zone. Twicethe Eagles ventured inside Ursuline’s 10-yardlineonly to be denied points. Craft was stopped onfourth and inches from the 4-yardline in the secondquarter and L-B missed a field goal from the 7-yar-dine in the fourth. The Eagles ran 22 more playsthan the Irish and led in time of possession 28:14-19:46.Craft finished the game 18-of-27 for 152 yards.

He also rushed a game-high 26 times for 49 yards.“I’ve never faced pressure like that,” Craft said.

“They’ve got some big name guys over there wholived up to the hype. We heard about them allweek and tried to attack them but they came upand made more plays than we did.”Said L-B head coach Tim Nichols: “Against a

team like that you don’t get many opportunities.When we had some they didn’t go our way.” —Eric Frantz

Division V State Championship

0 21

2008 Revisited

Ursuline netssecond title

M

The Youngstown Ursuline defenseshut out a Liberty-Benton offense thatwas averaging 43 points per game.

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State FinalYoungstown Ursuline 21, Findlay Liberty-Benton 0

State SemifinalsYoungstown Ursuline 35, Balt. Liberty Union 6Findlay Liberty-Benton 35, Marion Local 0

Regional FinalsRegion 17 Final(1) Youngstown Ursuline 18, (3) Kirtland 17Region 18 Final(2) Liberty-Benton 28, (1) Hamler Patrick Henry 0Region 19 Final(6) Balt. Liberty Union 13, (5) Col. Bishop Ready 3Region 20 Final(7) Marion Local 21, (4) West Jefferson 14

Regional SemifinalsRegion 17(1) Youngstown Ursuline 35, (4) Gilmour Acad. 7(3) Kirtland 41, (2) Columbiana Crestview 13Region 18(1) Patrick Henry 21, (5) Bucyrus Wynford 0(2) Findlay Liberty-Benton 42, (6) Archbold 10Region 19(5) Co. Bishop Ready 17, (1) Portsmouth West 0(6) Baltimore Liberty Union 14, (2) Wheelersburg 7Region 20(4) West Jefferson 20, (1) CHCA 10(7) Marion Local 40, (3) Waynesville 14

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 171 Youngstown Ursuline 27, 8 Cuyahoga Heights 72 Columbiana Crestview 41, 7 Waynedale 123 Kirtland 63, 6 North Lima South Range 74 Gilmour Academy 48, 5 Creston Norwayne 21Region 181 Hamler Patrick Henry 38, 8 Ashland Crestview 72 Liberty-Benton 34, 7 Delphos Jefferson 06 Archbold 26, 3 Liberty Center 65 Bucyrus Wynford 40, 4 Sherwood Fairview 34Region 191 Portsmouth West 26, 8 W. Laf. Ridgewood 72 Wheelersburg 14, 7 Minford 66 Balt. Liberty Union 15, 3 Nelsonville-York 145 Col. Bishop Ready 21, 4 Johnstown-Monroe 17Region 201 CHCA 43, 8 Lees Creek East Clinton 217 Maria Stein Marion Local 13, 2 Anna 33 Waynesville 34, 6 West Liberty-Salem 94 West Jefferson 20, 5 Casstown Miami East 7

Division V Playoffs

1. Youngstown Ursuline (15-0)2. Findlay Liberty-benton (14-1)3. Hamler Patrick henry (12-1)4. Anna (9-2)5. Maria Stein Marion Local (11-2)6. Kirtland (12-1)7. Portsmouth West (11-1)8. Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (11-1)9. Bucyrus Wynford (11-1)10. Wheelersburg (10-2)



Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: D iv is ion V I


istory dictates thisyearʼs Division VI statetitle race boils down totwo teams – defendingchampion Delphos St.Johnʼs and longtime

stalwart Maria Stein MarionLocal. Those two teams – bothfrom the Midwest AthleticConference – have won eight ofthe last 12 D-VI state titles.

Can they make it nine of 13? The odds say they can since

10 of the last 15 state titles havegone to MAC schools. (St. Henryalso won two).

Should either team falter, thereare plenty of schools with the tal-ent and tradition to take the tro-phy home.

Region 21 earns the nod as thestateʼs toughest with stalwartsNorwalk St. Paul, Mogadore,McDonald, Berlin CenterWestern Reserve and newcomerand former D-V power BucyrusWynford in the fold.

Ada is another team to watchout for, although the Bulldogswould have to get by DSJ tomake the state semis.

And then there is alwaysNewark Catholic.

The D-VI state title game willbe held Dec. 5 at MassillonʼsPaul Brown Tiger Stadium. WillDSJ defend its title? Will MarionLocal add another of its own?Will somebody stop the MAC?

Stay tuned…

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Delphos St. John’s running back Jordan Leininger scores the decisive TD in lastyear’s Division VI state title game. The championship was the Blue Jays’ fifth over-all and they enter this season the favorite for No. 6.

STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

D-VI




Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (14-1)* Players to Watch – OT/LB Hudson Smith (6-

1, 190, Sr.); WR/OLB Matt Brickner (6-0, 180, Sr.);RB Aaron Kapelka (5-9, 185, Sr.); OL Aric Hoover(5-10, 240, Sr.); WR/DB Miles Chapman (5-11,180, Sr.)* Outlook – The Chieftains have been the

cream of the Region 21 crop lately, having wonthree of the last four regional titles. H-L has alsobeen in the state championship the last two years(finished runner-up both times), but making it backto Stark County will be a tall order with Region 21being as stacked as it is. History saysthe Chieftains will be a factor,though.H-L has been to the playoffs

seven straight years and is cur-rently riding a 20-game regularseason win streak. One glaring concern is replacing quar-

terback Tyler Brown, who shared the D-VI stateoffensive player of the year award with two otherslast year. Cushioning that loss is the return of Kapelka

who starred in his first full season as a starter lastyear when he rushed for 1,586 yards and 21 TDs.Brickner is also an established threat havingrushed for 350 yards and nine TDs a year ago(also had 400 yards receiving). Chapman is a viable receiving threat (52 catch-

es).Defensively, Smith, the reigning D-VI state

defensive player of the year, spearheads a unitthat allowed just 12.8 points per game last year. “We need to replace key players at quarterback

and in the secondary,” head coach BrianColatruglio (63-6 in five years) said. “We will besolid up front on both sides of ball and we will playseveral sophomores. Depth is a huge issue.”

Norwalk St. Paul (12-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Eric

Schwieterman (6-1, 205, Sr.); WR/CB Dan Tracht(6-0, 185, Sr.); WB/CB Justin Wilde (5-7, 145, Sr.);WB/S Jared Fries (6-1, 175, Sr.); RB/OLB BrianGriffin (6-2, 195, Sr.); WB/OLB Brian Roberts (5-10, 165, Sr.); C/DE Joel Boose (6-1, 185, Sr.);G/DE Darren Hainline (6-2, 195, Sr.); G/DE KyleBundschuh (6-0, 175, Sr.); T/DT Alex Simon (6-1,225, Sr.); TE/LB Darren Smith (6-1, 205, Sr.); PJim Roth (Sr.); RB/DB Zach Service (Sr.)* Outlook – Norwalk St. Paul has reached at

least the regional final each of the last five years.The Flyers could do it again should acouple holes be filled.“We return almost all of our

skill positions on both offenseand defense,” head coach JohnLivengood said. “We lost two out-standing offensive tackles, an out-standing defensive tackle and an out-standing running back. If we can replace thesekey positions, we will be in position to make agood run.”Schwieterman gives St. Paul an advantage

most teams don’t have. The reigning D-VI stateoffensive player of the year, Schwieterman returnsto lead an offense that set new school records lastseason for points (621; 47.8 per game) and yards(6,014; 462.6 per game). Individually,Schwieterman had his hand in 32 TDs, whilepassing for 1,778 yards and rushing for 985. Healso kicked 53 PATs and six field goals.Tracht (32 receptions, 598 yards, seven TDs)

and Wilde (17 receptions, 425 yards, eight TDs)return as the main targets in the passing game,while Griffin (46 carries, 361 yards, seven TDs)will carry the workload in the running game.Defensively the Flyers return nearly everyone

from a unit that allowed just 9.5 points and 174yards per game.Boose is the top returning tackler (109 stops),

while Schwieterman (84 tackles), Griffin (88 tack-les) and Roberts (88 tackles) also carry solid cre-dentials.St. Paul owns 12 playoff appearances – all

under Livengood (166-49 career record in 18years) - including six straight.

Bucyrus Wynford (11-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Tyler Brause (6-4,

220, Sr.); WR/DB Chris Brown (6-2, 185, Sr.); TETeven Eatmon (6-7, 280, Sr.); OL Alex Linn (6-1,220, Sr.); OL/DE Zach Brewington (6-2, 185, Sr.);LB Zach Chatlin (6-1, 185, So.); DE Alex McNulty(6-2, 170, Sr.); LB Zack Niedermier (5-10, 175,Sr.)* Outlook – Wynford’s drop from D-V to VI

made Region 21 the toughest in the state. TheRoyals have put together three undefeated regularseasons in the last four years and are riding a 33-game North Central Conference win streak. Don’texpect that trend to end this season.Wynford has the state’s No. 32-

ranked senior prospect overalland the No. 3 ranked QB inBrause who despite coming froma small school has already beenoffered by Stanford, Syracuse andWestern Michigan. Last year, he accounted for 30TDs, while throwing for 1,795 yards and rushingfor another 698.Brown (special mention All-Ohio) and Eatmon

(offer from Akron) give Brause two huge targets inthe passing game. Eatmon caught only five pass-es last season, but four went for TDs.Defensively Wynford will be led by Niedermier

(71 tackles), Chatlin (60 tackles, four sacks),McNulty (48 tackles, 12 sacks), Brewington (43tackles) and Brown (38 tackles).Said head coach Travis Moyer (83-25 in 10

years): “We’re excited about the opportunity tocompete for championships.”

Monroeville (2-8)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Brian Ringholz (5-

10, 166, Sr.); RB/DB Logan Stieber (5-5, 140, Sr.);TE/LB Eric Leber (6-1, 179, Sr.); TE/T JustinSparks (5-10, 184, Sr.); C/LB Dakota Schwan (5-8, 213, Sr.); T/T Ryan Dragon (6-3, 260, Jr.); T/TMitch Sweet (6-1, 251, Sr.); G/DE Carl Black (N/A,Jr.); RB/DB Cory Long (5-9, 150, So.); RB/DESam Schwab (5-10, 185, Jr.); TE/DT Jeremy Krill(6-1, 210, Jr.); RB/DB Justin Jones (5-9, 160, Jr.)* Outlook – Head coach Steve Ringholz contin-

ues his reign at Monroeville, where he enters his

31st season with the Eagles and ranks among thestate’s top 20 coaches in career wins (231-101-1).Last season, however, was one of the few hiccupsthe Eagles have had under the coaching legend.Monroeville lost its first seven games last year

and had a string of seven straight playoff berthssnapped. Things should return to nor-mal this season.Ringholz and the Eagles return

27 letterwinners, including 11players who will earn their thirdletter this year and three who willearn their fourth. Experience is astrength.“We have a very experienced offensive line

returning,” Ringholz said. “This should give us agood foundation on that side of the ball.”Stieber, Sparks and Long give the Eagles a

solid trio at RB. Stieber rushed for 440 yards andseven TDs on 94 carries last year, while Long had643 yards and six TDs on 127 carries. Long alsohad 23 receptions for 193 yards and a TD. Sparkschipped in 341 yards and six TDs on 106 carries.Brian Ringholz returns for his third year as the

starting QB.Defensively Monroeville should be stout. Leber

(48 tackles), Schwann (61 tackles), Sparks (48tackles), Stieber (76 tackles), Schwab (74 tack-les), Krill (69 tackles), Jones (54 tackles) andLong (67 tackles) spearhead a unit that should bemuch improved.Overall, the Eagles return six players who

earned All-Firelands Conference honors last sea-son.

Mogadore (10-2)* Players to Watch – FB/DL Jake Mcavinew (5-

9, 185, Jr.); TB/LB Kodey Chance (5-11, 175, Jr.);SE/FS Matt Traugh (6-2, 190, Sr.); OLB ZachGlagola (6-2, 190, Sr.); TE/OLB Landon Trainer(6-3, 235, Sr.); C/DT Kevin Pollock (5-8, 200, Sr.);G/DL Andrew Monea (5-9, 180, Sr.); FB MikeLeymon (6-0, 225, Sr.)* Outlook – The Wildcats – one of the state’s

top programs regardless of division – are lookingfor their 11th straight trip to the playoffs and 23rdoverall. Can they do it? Yes.Mogadore returns 16 starters, including nine on

defense. McAvinew, who registered 92 tackles,including 12 sacks, was second team All-Ohio asa DE last year, while Chance added105 tackles. The entire LB and DBcorps returns.Offensively the Wildcats have

more than enough options.Although they must replace bothtackles and the QB, four backs returnwho accounted for 2,500 yards and 36 TDs.Chance leads the group (1,202 yards and 13

TDs), while Leymon (659 yards, 10 TDs),Mcavinew (603 yards, 10 TDs) and Phil Laston(306 yards, three TDs) are more than capable ofcarrying the load.Senior Drew Babbit (5-9, 155, Sr.) steps in at

QB. Two targets he’ll want to hit often are Trainer(18 catches, 407 yards, seven TDs) and Traugh(11 cathces, 248 yards, two TDs).Pollock is a three-year starter at center.A tough nonleague schedule with Mineral

Ridge, Smithville (on schedule for first time since1996) and Northwestern awaits. A small sopho



more class (20 boys in school and six on the foot-ball team) hurts depth. Head coach Matt Adorni is45-16 in six years.

Berlin Center Western Reserve (8-3)* Players to Watch – WR Clayton Hull (6-0,

170, Sr.); QB Shane Ewing (6-3, 195, Sr.); * Outlook – Hull (first team All-Ohio)

and Ewing (second team All-Ohio)form arguably the best pass-and-catch combo in D-VI. As a program Western

Reserve has been on the rise.The Devils have 23 wins and twoplayoff appearances in the last threeyears. Is this the season they make it past thesecond round of the playoffs?Western Reserve lost to McDonald in the open-

ing round of the playoffs last year, 21-7.

McDonald (11-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Nick Accordino

(6-1, 175, Sr.); RB/LB Nick Cupan (5-11, 175);RB/LB Zach Tura (5-9, 160, Jr.); TE/DL DavidJohn (6-3, 195, Sr.)* Outlook – The Blue Devils are one of the

region’s top teams with 11 playoff appearances totheir credit. Can they make it fourpostseason trips in a row? Oddsare they can – and will.Replacing RB Alex Sampson,

who accounted for 26 TDs and1,073 yards last season, is key. Accordino returns after completing

38-of-58 passes for 594 yards and seven TDs,while Cupan is back after rushing for 848 yardsand seven TDs on 99 carries. John caught 10passes for 190 yards and two TDs.Offensively McDonald racked up 3,554 yards on

the ground last year.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Dalton (6-4) – The Bulldogs are hungry after

finishing ninth in the region in com-puter points last season. Dalton,which didn’t lose a game by morethan seven points and all four bya total of 17, finished just 0.1point behind No. 8 seedColumbiana. Despite starting lastyear 1-4, the Bulldogs ended on a five-game win-ning streak. Sustaining momentum will be key.The return of second team All-Ohio LB MattTorgler (5-11, 160, Sr.) doesn’t hurt either.* Youngstown Christian (7-3) – The Eagles

have gone 13-6 over the past twoyears although just two of thosewins have come against teamswith winning records. A 28-26 vic-tory over Shadyside last yearshowed YC is close to earning theschool’s first playoff berth. Whetheror not they do it this year is the question. TheEagles were 10th in the region last year. * Warren JFK (3-7) – The Eagles had a string

of five straight playoff berths snapped last year,but they were close to making it six. JFK lost tosix teams with winning records including Howland(D-II), Hubbard (D-III), Girard (D-IV) and ElyriaCatholic (D-IV). One player to watch this year is senior RB/S

Korin Stubbs (5-10, 196). Stubbshad 42 tackles, four pass break-ups and an interception last year,while also rushing for 131 yardsand two TDs in limited offensiveduty. Expect him to log more car-ries this season. Stubbs is also a sea-soned return specialist.* Jackson-Milton (3-7) – The

Blue Jays went from one win in2007 to three last year. Does theclimb continue? Close games lastyear against Leetonia (20-14) andWellsville (21-12) showed the pro-gram is improving.* Wellsville (7-3) – Despite winning seven

games, the Tigers finished all the way back at No.15 in the region last year. They only beat oneteam with a winning record (Leetonia), but thatwasn’t the entire problem. Wellsville also beat fourteams that went a combined 0-40. It’s unlikely theschedule will be that unkind again. Another 7-3season might land the Tigers in the postseason.* Tiffin Calvert (5-5) – The Senecas were put

in a tough position when former head coachKeenan Leichty stepped down in Juneto become the head coach atBrookside High. No replacementhad been named as of print time.Regardless of who takes over,

the Senecas are looking for theirfirst playoff appearance since mak-ing five straight postseasons from 1998-2002.Calvert will have to figure out way to win the tightgames if it wants to advance. Last year theSenecas were 1-3 in games decided by sevenpoints or less.* Ashland Mapleton (2-8) – Since a 5-5 finish

in 2000, the Mounties have failed to record a win-ning season or break even. First year head coachRay Frisbee inherits a program that returns justfive seniors and 10 letterwinners so rebuilding willstill be a theme. “The five seniors will be relied on heavily to

lead our young team to a place were the Mapletonfootball team hasn't been in a while – winningfootball games,” Frisbee said. “We willdefinitely not be one of the biggest,fastest or strongest teams in thestate, but we will strive to be thebest conditioned and assignmentsound.”Key returners for the Mounties

are: senior FB/DL Jacob Martin (5-9, 245, honor-able mention All-Firelands Conference), senior QBPaul Mencl (6-1, 180; two TDs last year at WR)and senior TE/DE Jon Soto (6-0, 205; 49 tacklesand six sacks).Sandusky St. Mary's Central Catholic is a new

opponent in Week 3.Said Frisbee: “There will be a lot of new faces

on the field on Friday nights and hopefully we'llhave a few step up to the challenge and changethe attitude in the Mapleton school and communityabout the football team.”* Fairport Harding (2-8) – The Skippers strug-

gled last year but do return first team All-Ohioreceiver Aramis Greenwood (6-1, 175).

Also In This Region: Ashtabula St. John & Paul (2-7), Crestline (3-7),

New Washington Buckeye Central (5-5), BedfordSt. Peter Chanel (3-7), Cleveland HeightsLutheran East (0-10), Sandusky St. Mary CentralCatholic (1-9), Newbury (0-10), ThompsonLedgemont (3-7), Greenwich South Central (4-6),Lowellville (2-8), Sebring McKinley (0-10),Windham (1-8), Lucas (1-9), Attica Seneca East(5-5), Southington Chalker (5-5), Vienna Mathews(6-4), Rittman (0-10)


Delphos St. John’s (13-2)* Players to Watch – LB Chris Pohlman (6-2,

240, Jr.); QB Wes Ulm (6-1, 200, Sr.); RB JordanLeininger (6-2, 205, Jr.); C Alex Recker (6-1, 235,Jr.); OT Austin Vogt (6-3, 250, Jr.); OLB JoelPohlman (6-0, 185, Sr.); FS Tyler Bergfield (6-2,180, Jr.); SS AJ Klausing (5-10, 170, Jr.) * Outlook – The Blue Jays experienced quite a

turnaround in Allen County, going from a 2-8 finishin 2007 to the D-VI state title last season.This year, DSJ should be a favorite to repeat.

Whatever holes there are are overshad-owed by the tremendous amount oftalent that returns elsewhere. Chris Pohlman was second-

team All-Ohio last season afterregistering 158 tackles andreturns to a unit that allowed just13.7 points in 13 wins. Also back ondefense are Joel Pohlman (124 tackles), Bergfield(68 tackles, six interceptions) and Klausing (99tackles, six interceptions).Ulm spearheads the offense and is one of the

state’s top dual threat QBs. Last season hepassed for 1,172 yards and rushed for 1,027more. Ulm accounted for 27 TDs.Leininger is a beast out of the backfield where

he ran for 1,222 yards and 15 TDs last season.Recker and Vogt anchor an experienced – and big– offensive line.Said head coach Todd Schulte, who will go for

his 100th career win this season (98-31 in 11years): “We start off with two tough non-leagueopponents in Tinora and Lima Central Catholic,followed by the meat-grinder called the MAC.”

Ada (12-1)* Players to Watch – QB Mitchell Faine (6-4,

200, Sr.); WR/DB Heath Jackson (6-1, 175, Sr.);WR/DB Alex Weber (6-1, 185, Jr.); WR/LB MattMcBride (6-2, 205, Sr.); OG Zach Gibson (6-2,240, Sr.); OT Aaron Jenkins (6-2, 245, Jr.); LBAaron Weyer (6-0, 195, Jr.); DT Tanner Craig (6-0,190, Jr.); DT Robert Guyton (6-2, 245, Jr.) * Outlook – The Bulldogs have quickly become

one of D-VI’s top programs. Ada hasbeen to the playoffs three years in arow and has state semifinal (2007)and regional final (last year)appearances to its credit. Expectanother solid run this season with12 starters back (six on each sideof the ball). The Bulldogs averaged 41points per game last year and allowed just 13.Faine is one of the state’s most talented QBs



regardless of division and returns after throwingfor 3,846 yards and 37 TDs last season. A sec-ond-team All-Ohio selection, Faine also rushed for650 yards and 16 TDs.Jackson (74 receptions, 1,068 yards, 10 TDs),

Weber (46 receptions, 543 yards, six TDs) andMcBride (28 receptions, 400 yards, three TDs)provide a solid stable of receivers. Defensively, Weyer and McBride are the top

returning tacklers (each had 70 last season).Weyer also had nine tackles-for-loss and foursacks, while McBride had a team-high four inter-ceptions.“The offense has a good nucleus back with

(Faine) and three of the top four receivers back,”head coach Mike Fell said. “We will need to findthree offensive linemen and a running back. Thedefense is made up of good athletes, but we needto find some new leadership.”Toledo Christian replaces Fort Loramie on the

schedule and Fell circled a Week 10 match-upwith Lima Central Catholic as key.

Carey (10-2)* Players to Watch – TE/DE Michael Dennis

(6-7, 265, SR.); C Jared Case (6-1, 250, SR.);RB/CB/KR Trevor Phoenix (5-10, 155, SR.);WR/CB/K Cy Strahm (5-10, 150, Sr.); QB TylerBrodman (5-9, 160, Sr.); OL/DT Trae Cusac (6-2,245, Sr.) OL/DE DJ Dyer (6-1, 200, Sr.); RB/SJustin Jacoby (6-0, 165, Sr.); OG/LB Jordan Stock(5-10, 185, Jr.)* Outlook – The Blue Devils gave state cham-

pion Delphos St. John’s its closest game in thepostseason last year, losing 21-14 in the regionalsemifinals. Asking this year’s club to repeat thatplayoff run might be a stretch, but not a long one.The senior class at Carey has

never had a losing season and is18-5 the last two years with twoplayoff appearances. They’vealready made an impact but arelooking for more.“The task for the classes coming

up is to match the intensity and attitude that hasbrought a lot of pride back into this football town,”head coach Todd Worst (23-10 in three years)said. “This team will not have the size of lastyear’s team, but will make up for it with a littlemore team speed.”Dennis is a legitimate Division I recruit and

ranked the No. 52 senior prospect in the state byOhio High Magazine. He has offers from MichiganState, North Carolina State, Indiana, Maryland,Iowa State and several MAC schools.Phoenix will carry a lot of the offensive load. Willard, a D-III school, was added as a non-

league opponent in Week 3.

Arlington (7-4)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Matt Morehart (5-

10, 172, Sr.); FB/LB Cam Brown (5-11, 189, Jr.);OT/DE Justin Bruley (6-0, 196, Sr.); QB/DB/PZane Leonard (6-1, 174, Sr.); RB/SS Cory Glick(5-11, 182, Sr.); OG/DT Joe Beagle (6-0, 188, Sr.);OT/DT Dan Drake (6-0, 232, Sr.); SE/DB BrentWilliams (5-11, 164, Sr.)* Outlook – Head coach Dick Leonard begins

his 27th year at Arlington and second as headcoach. Last year, after 25 years as an assistant,Leonard led the Red Devils to their second

straight and second ever playoff appearance.Arlington drew eventual state champi-on Delphos St. John’s in the firstround.The pieces are there for a

return to the postseason.“We will have an experienced

backfield on offense, however weneed to replace several very good linemen,”Leonard said. “We will be in the same situation ondefense. We have some experience in the back-field and at one LB, but will rely on some youngerplayers to play in some key positions on the lineand LB.”Morehart was first team All-Northwest Ohio at

RB last year. Kicking should also be a strengthwith the return of senior Levi Fennell.

Edgerton (5-5)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Jeff Crowe (5-10,

160, Sr.); RB/FS Ethan Schroeder (6-0, 170, Sr.);WR/OLB Josh Goebel (5-9, 155, Sr.); WROLBJimmy Radabaugh (6-0, 160, So.); OL/DL AustinCape (5-10, 170, Sr.); WR/LB Dakota Sheets (5-8,175, Sr.)* Outlook – The Bulldogs showed a three-

game improvement last season, going from 2-8 to5-5. Expect another climb in head coach KevinKline’s third year.Edgerton hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2003

but that could change this fall with asolid core of players returning.Crowe is back for his third year

under center in the spread afterthrowing for 2,174 yards and 18TDs last season. He also ran forseven TDs and 464 yards. As asophomore Crowe threw for 1,337yards and nine TDs.Crowe will be aided by a deep and talented

receiving corps made up of Goebel (33 recep-tions, 426 yards, three TDs), Radabaugh (30receptions, 566 yards, four TDs) and Sheets (16receptions, 181 yards, TD). Goebel andRadabaugh both earned All-Green MeadowsConference honors at receiver last year.Schroeder will be option No. 1 in the backfield

after generating 471 yards and seven TDs on 70carries last season.Cape anchors the defensive line after register-

ing 56 tackles, including eight for loss last seasonen route to second team All-GMC honors.Schroeder is a three-year starter at DB and was

first team All-GMC last year after netting 58 tack-les. He had 88 as a sophomore.Goebel had 58 tackles last year and Sheets

added 69.“We believe that we have a good group of sen-

iors and some really talented skill players return-ing that will be the strength of our team,” Klinesaid. “Our biggest concerns coming into the sea-son will be finding some depth on the offensiveline and filling in the key losses we had at the line-backer position.”

West Unity Hilltop (8-3)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Chad Beals (5-11,

180, Sr.); OL/DT Logan Mercer (6-2, 255, Sr.); DBJosiah Poletta (5-10, 180, Jr.); TE/DE NateSchafer (6-4, 215, Sr.); OL/DL Logan Mercer (6-2,250, Sr.); OL/LB Austin Ashenfelter (5-11, 190,

Jr.); OL Jacob Carpenter (5-10, 190, Jr.); WR/DLNick Smith (5-11, 160, Sr.); LB Quinton Nofziger(5-5, 170, Jr.); DB Chase Clark (5-9, 150, Sr.);OL/LB Trevor Reamsnyder (5-9, 200)* Outlook – For the past two years, Hilltop has

made history by earning back-to-back playoffberths. This season the Cadets would like to makemore by securing the school’s first postseasonwin. Numbers – as in 16 starters back –suggest their odds are good.Head coach Mike Bumb (64-38

in 10 years) enters his 11th sea-son at Hilltop with arguably theschool’s most talented roster ever. Beals is arguably the school’s

most talented player ever. The seniorrunning back has rushed for 2,431 yards andscored 45 TDs the last two years. Last season herushed for 1,462 yards and scored 29 times,including three via reception and two on kickreturns.Beals is one of seven starters back on offense,

where the only question – who will replace stand-out QB Josh Westfall – will be answered by soph-omore Tyler Shipman (5-11, 170). Hilltop’s OLaverages 230.The defense, which returns nine starters, will be

the team’s strength. Nofziger (65 tackles), Clark(65 tackles), Shaffer (59 tackles) and Smith (63tackles) lead the unit.Poletta, a standout RB/DB as described by

Bumb, could be a difference maker. He missedlast season with an injury.The Cadets were 5-1 in the Toledo Area Athletic

Conference last year and finished second. Payingback TAAC champ Northwood for a 45-19 drub-bing in Week 6 is on the agenda.

Columbus Grove (4-6)* Players to Watch – OT/DT Dylan Vogt (6-4,

230, Sr.); RB/DB Rayce Risser (6-0, 176, Sr.);QB/DB Jordan Travis (6-2, 180, So.)* Outlook – The usually tough Bulldogs have

been a pedestrian 10-10 the last twoyears, including last season’s losingrecord. Expect a return to glory,although in order to do that, sev-eral young players will have toplay key roles.Columbus Grove, which has

been in the postseason seven of thelast 10 years and won it all in 2003, has only sixseniors.“Our players were disappointed with last sea-

son, which was only our second losing seasonsince 1991,” head coach Scott Plate said. “(Thekids) are anxious to get 2009 started. We havesome young talented guys who need to step upfor this to be a successful season.”Risser is the team’s leading returning rusher

(576 yards), while Travis is back under centerafter starting as a freshman (six TDs).The Bulldogs have added Columbus Bishop

Hartley to their non-league schedule.

Toledo Christian (5-5)* Players to Watch – K JC Miller, (5-7, 175,

Sr.); LB Greg Barringer (5-11, 175, Sr.); OL BenSanders (5-11, 260, Sr.); DL Mike Gaston (5, 11,225, Sr.); RB/DB Graham Miller (5-10, 185, Jr.);QB Nick Rightnowar (5-11, 155, Jr.); WR/LB David



Westmeyer (6-0, 170, Jr.); OL/LB Anthony Dodd(5-10, 210, Jr.)* Outlook – Entering head coach John Miller’s

fourth year, the Eagles are 21-10 over the lastthree seasons and earned the school’s first playoffberth in 2007. Another postseason trip could bejust months away. TC returns a number of key players on offense,

including speedster Graham Miller who rushed for1,231 yards and 10 TDs on 193 carriesand Rightnowar who completed126-of-209 passes for 1,835yards, 21 TDs and 10 intercep-tions. Westmeyer returns aftercatching 30 passes for 490 yardsand four TDs.Defensively Barringer (59.5 tack-

les), Gaston (15.5 tackles, seven for loss) andDodd anchor the unit.Senior kicker J.C. Miller, who has made 74-of-

78 career PATs and 9-of13 career field goals, is anadded threat.“The 2009 season for the Toledo Christian

Eagles looks bright,” Miller said. “The seniors willbe relied on heavily for leadership on and off ofthe field. The junior class is very deep athleticallyand many of them have plenty of Friday nightgame experience. We are very optimistic with thegroup of athletes that we have this season.”On the schedule, TC gets a facelift, replacing

non-league foes Toledo Libbey, Woodward andTroy Christian with Delta, Ada and Fort Loramie.

Dola Hardin Northern (2-8)* Players to Watch – FB/LB Nathan Rhule

(Sr.); TE Logan Price (Jr.); DB Dylan Shepherd(Sr.); OT Caleb Combs (Sr.); RB Joe Walters (Sr.)* Outlook – Pete Brunow (218-63) enters his

26th year at Hardin Northern on the heels of hisfirst losing season at the school. That’s right. ThePolar Bears had 25 straight winning records underthe legendary head coach prior to last season. Hardin Northern, which has been

to the playoffs 12 times (all since1994), was the D-VI state cham-pion in 2004. The Polar Bearshave been absent from the play-offs though for two years after astring of six straight 10-0 regularseasons.Does the momentum swing this year? Hardin Northern returns eight starters on

offense, including Ruhle, Price, Combs andWalters.Defensively the Polar Bears must fill holes on

the line and in the backfield. The offense mustcarry the team early. Said Brunow: “We hope to build our way back

up to the top of the league but it won’t be easy.”A rugged Blanchard Valley Conference slate

awaits.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Pandora-Gilboa (10-2) – Senior DL Josh Lee

(6-5, 205) was the D-VI co-defensive player of theyear in Ohio last season. He spearheads a teamthat lost just five seniors to graduation. TheRockets have a chance to end Findlay Liberty-Benton’s three-year run as Blanchard ValleyConference champions.* McComb (7-4) – The Panthers have been to

the playoffs eight times in the last 10 years. * Leipsic (6-4) – After finishing 2-

8 in 2007, the Vikings turned itaround last year and finished10th in the region in computerpoints. Leipsic has been tabbedas a “contender” in the BlanchardValley Conference by several coach-es.* Cory-Rawson (3-7) – If you want a sleeper in

Region 22, the Hornets might be the one. C-Rhasn’t had a winning season since 2003, but thepieces are in place for a solid run. Eight startersreturn on each side of the ball, but surviving therugged Blanchard Valley Conference (four playoffteams last year) will be key in head coach AndySchafer’s second season.Senior WR/DB John Anderson (5-8, 160) is a

three-year starter and racked up 1,318 all-purposeyards last year along with 46 tackles.Seniors Ben Niese (RB/DL, 5-10,165; 33 Tackles, 510 yards rush-ing), Chad Thacker (C, 6-1, 225)and David Hector (OT/MLB, 6-1,220; 64 tackles) will be big con-tributors as well.“Last year was a learning year,” Schafer said.

“We learned a new style of offense, defense, atti-tude and work ethic. This year there are noexcuses. We have a lot of guys that have beenworking hard to turn the program around. The bigquestion is do we “believe” we can do it? Thetools are in place - now we just have to prove it onthe field.”* Arcadia (1-9) – A year after

registering their first winning sea-son in 14 years (6-4 in 2008), theRedskins finished with anotherlosing record.

Also In This Region:Antwerp (5-5), Ridgeway Ridgemont (0-10),

Defiance Ayersville (5-5), Crestview Convoy (0-10), Edon (3-7), Fostoria St. Wendelin (4-6),Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic (1-9),Holgate (0-10), Danbury Lakeside (0-10), LimaPerry (4-6), McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley (5-5),North Baltimore (2-8), Oregon Cardinal Stritch (1-9), Sycamore Mohawk (4-6), Toledo Ottawa Hills(3-7), Van Buren (5-5), Vanlue (0-10).


Malvern (13-1)* Players to Watch – TB Maurice Johnson (5-9,

150, Sr.); WR/FS Zach Johnson (5-10, 173, Sr.);OG/DE Brett Lee (6-3, 230, Sr.); OG NolanChamper (6-3, 210, Sr.); C Chase Richards (6-0,188, Sr.); CB Doug Wood (5-10, 185, Sr.); LBTyler Crawford (5-10, 200, Sr.); NG DominicChiurco (5-11, 270, Sr.) * Outlook – The reigning Region 23 and Inter

Valley Conference champions have some holes tofill at the skill positions, but the Hornets return anoffensive line that should be able to open plenty ofholes.According to 10-year head coach Dave Tucci

(68-39 record at Malvern, 98-59 overall), theHornets hope to “win the battle of the line ofscrimmage on both sides of the ball.”Lee, Champer and Richards give Malvern one

of D-VI’s best OL trios. Offensively, Maurice Johnson returns at running

back after carrying the ball 149 timesfor 982 yards and eight TDs lastyear. He’ll be joined by Wood whologged 236 yards and six TDs on60 carries. Zach Johnson is aviable receiving threat (14 catchesfor 189 yards and four TDs).Finding a replacement for QB Tyler Tucci, the

D-VI state player of the year last season, and his45 TDs is a pressing need.The defense will again be a strength. Crawford

is the leading returning tackler, having registered96 stops, including 20 for loss last year. He’sjoined in the front seven by Lee (33 tackles, 11 forloss, four sacks) and Chiurco (51 tackles, 16 forloss).The secondary is paced by Zach Johnson (74

tackles, two interceptions) and Wood (53 tackles).A Week 9 meeting with Lafayette Ridgewood

could decide the IVC title again.Malvern has made four of its five playoff

appearances, including two straight, in Tucci’s 10years.

Lancaster Fisher Catholic (2-8)* Players to Watch – HB/DE Nick Orlando (5-9,

195, Sr.); ILB/OG Eric Ragland (5-9, 185, Sr.); ILBJoe McGee (6-2, 200, Jr.); OT/DE Ryan Conley(6-2, 270, Sr.); QB Devin Messerly (6-1, 185, Jr.).* Outlook – After five straight playoff appear-

ances, the Irish have gone 7-13 the last two years,including last season’s uncharacteristic 2-8 run.“We are coming off a disappointing 2008,”

McCann said. “We were extremely young andstarted seven sophomores. Thisyear’s players have had a greatoffseason in the weight room andthe attitude is very positive.”

Orlando rushed for over 1,000yards last season and with a simi-lar outing this year could challengethe school’s career rushing record. A tough schedule awaits with non-league

games against Danville and Newark Catholic andMSL contests against Liberty-Union (D-IV statesemifinalist), West Jefferson (D-V regional finalist),Licking Heights (D-III school), Harvest Prep andBerne Union.A solid incoming freshmen class bodes well for

the program, but how much their impact will be feltimmediately is up in the air.

Leetonia (8-3)* Players to Watch – RB/CB Kyle Gray (5-9,

170, Sr.); FB/LB AJ Bailey (6-1, 235, Sr.); G/LBAndrew Ryan (6-0, 205, Sr.); C/DT Seth Inboden(5-9, 180, Sr.); WR/CB Justin Colella (6-1, 160,Sr.); TE/DE Devan Miller (6-2, 205, Jr.); RB/SSSeth McNally (5-9, 185, Jr.); OT Theo Smith (5-8,215, Sr.)* Outlook – After making the playoffs the last

two years in Region 21, Leetonia moves to Region23. The Bears plan on maintaining their playoffstreak.“Moving into a different region this year is an



interesting change for us,” head coach MattAltomare (16-6 in two years) said. “We are anx-ious to try to accomplish our goals of winning theleague title and advancing in the playoffs. TheInter-County League is a very competitive leagueand we hope to make our commu-nity proud.”Leetonia has finished first or

second in the ICL eight of thelast nine years and has the fire-power back to continue that trend.The Bears return seven starters on

each side of the ball but must replace three All-Ohio players, including one of the program’s bestever in Josh Selway (QB/DB).Gray is a beast on both sides, having rushed

for 500 yards and registering 80 tackles a yearago. Colella (13 receptions, 383 yards, sevenTDs; four interceptions), Miller (64 tackles, eightsacks) and McNally (63 tackles) are two-waystandouts as well.Two keys for Leetonia will be the play of Bailey

and Ryan. Bailey rushed for 411 yards and nineTDs last year before having a season-endingankle injury in Week 4. Ryan led the team in tack-les last year before being lost to a knee injury inWeek 5.A Week 10 meeting with McDonald could

decide the ICL race.

Newark Catholic (6-4)* Players to Watch – QB Kevin Cox (6-4, 190,

Sr.); C/DE Clay Harris (6-3, 245, Sr.); OT/DT JoshHendershot (6-4, 265, Sr.); WR/DB Matt Dawson(6-1, 185, Sr.); WR/DB Jacob Nelson (5-11, 170,Sr.); RB Dean Moore (6-0, 190, Sr.); LB/TE PhilTaylor (6-2, 185, Sr.); RB/LB Britt Wilder (5-11,180, Jr.); TE/LB Michael Lewis (6-4, 195, Jr.);OG/DE Ted Oyler (6-2, 200, Jr.)* Outlook – After winning its eighth state title in

2007, the Green Wave was denied a playoff berthlast year. NC is eager to get back to the dance.“We return a very humble yet motivated senior

class,” head coach Bill Franks (64-26in eight years) said. “They havehad great success in the offsea-son in basketball, wrestling,baseball and track and field. Ouryounger group has had a tremen-dous offseason, and are learninghow to follow the example that is set for them.”Hendershot has committed to Toledo. he also

had offers from Indiana, Bowling Green, Toledoand Eastern Michigan.Schedule-wise, the Green Wave face a usual

daunting opener in Amanda-Clearcreek (away)before opening Mid-State League competition thatincludes three D-III playoff teams from 2008(Granville, Bexley and Licking Valley).“There are no off weeks,” Franks said. “We

must be fully prepared every time we step on thefield.”

Columbiana (7-4)* Players to Watch – OL/DL Matt Douglass (6-

3, 255, Jr.); OL/DL Nate Good (6-2, 245, Sr.); DLJacob Yoder (6-5, 248, Jr.); OL/DL Rex Smith (6-3, 319, Jr.); OL Josh Batcha (6-1, 230, Sr.); OL/LBMike McMaster (6-1, 225, Sr.); TB/DB GrantCrider (5-9, 145, Sr.); TE/ILB Ken Shea (6-1, 235,Sr.)

* Outlook – The Clippers have made the play-offs four straight years and five of the last six.Columbiana was a regional finalist in 2005 and2006. This is the Clippers first year in Region 23after having their prior success inRegion 21.If size equals state titles, you

might pencil Columbiana in for alate season run.Head coach Bob Spaite (102-49

in 15 years at Columbiana) said hisoffensive line is a strength and the numbers backit up. The five returning starters (Douglass,Batcha, McMaster, Smith and Shea) average 6-2,253. The line will have to be good early as an inex-

perienced backfield takes formation. The Clippersmust replace RB Brian Warchol who finished asthe second leading rusher in school history.Defensively the Clippers return six starters,

including three of four starting defensive linemenand all of their OLBs. Breaking in new corners is aconcern. Crider is back at free safety after earningfirst team Inter Tri County League honors lastyear.A hefty schedule, and one Spaite calls “the

toughest in the 93 years of Clipper football,”awaits.“We open with a tough, physical perennial D-VI

power in Steubenville Catholic Central,” Spaitesaid. “Next is Leetonia, our oldest rival and alwaysone of the best teams in the area. Then we finishour non-league schedule with one ofYoungstown’s tough guy’s and one of the greattraditional football powers in the area, Struthers.“The fourth year of the ITCL will once again be

very, very competitive. In fact brutal might be abetter word.”

Hannibal River (12-1)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Dylan Potts (6-0,

190, Sr.); RB/DB Devan Potts (5-9, 166, Sr.)* Outlook – The Pilots made a historical march

to the regional final last year and would like to doit again. In Potts, they have another first – as inthe first football player in school histo-ry to earn a Division I scholarship.Potts, who has a 22-4 careerrecord at QB, is headed to Akron.Defensively the Pilots gave up

just eight points per game lastyear. The loss of standout OL/DLD.J. Duke, a two-time first team All-Ohioan andthe state record holder in the shot put (D-III), is aconcern.Junior kicker Tanner Wright could be a secret

weapon.River has been to the playoffs three straight

seasons and five times overall.

Glouster Trimble (9-3)* Players to Watch – RB Tyler Dyla (5-7, 160,

Jr.)* Outlook – With two years left Dyla has a

chance to wrap his career as the Tomcats top run-ning back ever. Last year Dyla became the firstsophomore in program history (which dates backto 1919) to earn All-Ohio honors when he wasnamed first team. He also became the first sopho-more to be named Southeast District OffensivePlayer of the Year (and was the Tri-Valley

Conference POY).Dyla shattered the Trimble sophomore rushing

record (which was previously 574 yards) by gain-ing 1,276 yards (the fourth highest single-seasontally in history) and also set the sophomore touch-down record at 18 (which is the third highest sin-gle-season total ever). Needless to say, oppo-nents will be keying on Dyla this season.That’s O.K. though because the Tomcats are

not a one-man show. Since 2001, Trimble has won 66 games and

been to the postseason four times.Head coach Phil Faires enters his 14th season

at the school as the program’s all-time leader inwins (105-51). Under Faires’ guidance, theTomcats have also won eight of their 14 leaguetitles.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Shadyside (9-3) – The Tigers have been to

the playoffs eight times in the last nine years andwere state runner-up in 2006. Thisyear if they get back to the post-season they’ll do it under a newhead coach. Mark Holenka,Shadyside’s defensive coordinatorthe last nine years, takes over forlongtime and successful coach TyFleming.Mark Bonar, a former Bellaire High School

assistant and head coach of the two-time NationalIndoor Football League champion Ohio ValleyGreyhounds, will be the Tigers' offensive coordina-tor.The Tigers lost 14 seniors from last years'

team. They return 10 juniors.* Beallsville (9-2) – The Blue Devils

continued trend of blitzing throughthe regular season but finding thepostseason a little more difficult.Beallsville is 35-5 in the regularseason the last four years, but just1-4 in the playoffs. Getting to theregional semifinals is a goal.Head coach Dave Caldwell enters his 27th sea-

son with 179 wins.* Bridgeport (6-5) – The Bulldogs used a 5-0

start to propel them into the playoffs.Bridgeport was actually 1-5 in itslast six games, but dropped con-tests to playoff teams Hannibalriver, Beallsville and Shadysidealong with West Virginia giantMadonna High. This year, the Bulldogs will run a lot behind

senior OL Nate Maleski (6-2, 255, Sr.). He wasfirst team All-Ohio last year.* Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans (6-5) – After

missing out on the playoffs with a 6-4 record in2008, the Bishops snuck in last year with thatsame mark. They bowed out early, losing to fellowOVAC member Hannibal River 38-7 in the firstround.* Danville (5-5) – The Blue Devils

finished ninth in computer points inRegion 23 last year and were justone win away from the postsea-son. Danville lost four games by acombined 12 points, including twoone-point losses and an overtimedefeat. Its most lopsided loss was by 14



points. Winning close games this season is key.* Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (5-5) – The

Warriors were 10th in computer pointsin Region 24 last season and nowmigrate to Region 23, where theywould have earned the eighthspot in the postseason last year.A brutal schedule awaits with Mid-State League games againstLiberty Union, West Jefferson, LickingHeights, Fisher Catholic and Berne Union.Longtime Pickerington coach and former OhioState assistant Jack Johnson is back for anotherseason as the head coach of Harvest Prep.* Grove City Christian (8-1) – Despite an 8-1

record, the Eagles missed the D-VIpostseason last year, finishing 12thin Region 24. They didn’t beat anopponent with a winning recordand defeated just one that fin-ished .500 or better (Waterford). The Eagles do return one of D-VI’s

top backs in senior Jessie Barns (5-8, 160) whowas first team All-Ohio last year.* Wellsville (7-3) – The Tigers are a transplant

from Region 21, where they finished 15th in com-puter points despite winning seven games.Wellsville was painfully close to earning an elusiveplayoff berth, dropping close decisions toSalineville Southern (14-12) and Berlin CenterWestern Reserve (27-24). The Tigers made thestate championship in their first ever playoffappearance in 1994 (lost to Versailles). They alsowent back to the postseason in 2001.* Salineville Southern (7-3) – Another new-

comer, the Indians had 8.35 computer points lastyear and finished 12th in Region 21. They wouldhave been ninth and just .05 points out of theeighth playoff spot in Region 23. Being in a newregion could mean the school nets its first playoffberth ever.

Also In This Region:Bowerston Conotton Valley (3-7), Steubenville

Catholic Central (3-7), Toronto (0-10), Bellaire St.John Central (3-7), Corning Miller (1-8), CrownCity South Gallia (2-8), Millersport (0-10), NewMatamoras Frontier (2-8), New PhiladelphiaTuscarawas Central Catholic (5-5), RacineSouthern (4-6), Reedsville Eastern (3-7),Strasburg-Franklin (0-10), Waterford (5-5), WillowWood Symmes Valley (5-5).


Maria Stein Marion Local (11-3)* Players to Watch – TB Ben Smith (6-0, 190,

Sr.) * Outlook – After a two-year run in D-V (which

produced a state title and a final four appearancelast year), the Flyers are back in Region 24 wherethey won three D-VI state titles and made fourstate finals from 2000-2006.Uh-oh is right.Although Smith (1,575 yards rushing last year)

is the only player Goodwin pin-pointed as a keyreturner, rest assured ML doesn’t rebuild. It

reloads.“We will be starting a lot of juniors, which we

haven’t done in a couple of years,” head coachTim Goodwin (111-27 in 10 years) said. “If theseniors provide the leadership, the juniors canprovide some depth of talent. We could be a phys-ical team by the end of the year.”Developing toughness will be

key for a squad that plays in thestate’s toughest affiliation – theMidwest Athletic Conference. Lastyear the Flyers finished 6-2 in theMAC, losing to Coldwater and Anna.ML avenged its loss to Anna with a win in theregional quarterfinals.“We face a tough challenge week one, in (D-III)

Lima Shawnee,” Goodwin said. “The league(MAC) looks deep. Anna, St Henry, St Johns allreturn quality players in mass. Coldwater will begood as usual. Versailles will be much improvedthis year. Our return to D-VI leaves us a littlemore wiggle room with computer points than beingin D-V the last two years. “We hope to somehow qualify for the playoffs

and make a nice run once we are there.”

Portsmouth Notre Dame (6-4)* Players to Watch – QB Brock Hannah (5-11,

175, Jr.); WR Tyler Noel (6-4, 200. So.); LB JeffEmnett (6-1, 190, Sr.); LB Drew Weems (5-11,185, Jr.); DB Dion Cunningham (5-11, Jr.); WRYannis Haddjiannis (6-2, Sr.); DB Alex Glockner(5-10, 165, Sr.); DL Jacob Taylor (5-11, 160, Sr.);NG Jack Welsh (5-9, 170, Jr.)* Outlook – Head coach Kyle McKnight enters

his fourth season at Notre Dame with one of theregion’s top offenses. Over the past three yearsthe Titans have had both a 1,000-yard rusher andpasser each season and have gener-ated over 10,000 total yards.

Hannah returns after throwingfor 1,400 yards and 13 TDs lastseason. Haddjiannis averaged 14yards a catch last year and caughtfour TDs.On defense Taylor is a machine (91 tackles,

eight sacks and 6.5 tackles-for-loss).A tough schedule awaits with key early season

meetings with Greenup (Ky.), ColumbusAfricentric, Zanesville Rosecrans and SouthGallia. That stretch will be pivotal to playoff hopes.Southern Ohio Conference action begins in Week7 with Oak Hill.Said McKinght: “The key will be how the young

Titans handle the rugged schedule in weeks 1-5.”

Covington (9-3)* Players to Watch – OL/DL Ben Christian (6-2,

235, Sr.); DE/OL Jordy Meyer (6-2, 203, Sr.);LB/OL Teddy Hale (6-2, 205, Sr.); FB Garrett Clark(5-10, 175, Sr.); QB Jake Bitner (5-10, 170, Jr.);OL/DL Josh Boehringer (6-2, 200, Jr.)* Outlook – The Buccs have put together one

of the more impressive resumes in D-VI over theyears with nine playoff trips in the last 10 yearsand 13 overall. Covington has also advanced tothe second round of the postseason for two yearsstraight. The Buccs started 2-2 last season, butwon seven straight games before losing toMechanicsburg in the regional semifinals.Head coach Dave Miller returns for his third

season and owns a 20-4 record at Covington. Heshould increase his win tally this season.Clark is a dependable back that

rushed for a team-high 1,190 yardsand 18 TDs last season. Bitnerhad a stellar first season undercenter by rushing for 995 yardsand 13 TDs. He also threw for 489yards and five scores. Defensively Hale is the top returner, having reg-

istered 65 tackles and three fumble recoveries lastseason. Christian (36.5 tackles), Meyer (31.5 tack-les) and Boehringer (33.5 tackles) lend depth.With a roster around 40, health will be a big

issue for the Buccs who lost seven players togame-ending injuries last season and had 14 oth-ers miss at least one game.

Fort Recovery (3-7)* Players to Watch – QB/DB Greg Kahlig (6-5,

195, Sr.); WR/DB Craig Tobe (6-3, 177, Sr.);WR/DB Nathan Keller (6-1, 175, Sr.); WR/DBMichael Gaerke (6-1, 170, Sr.); WR/LB Cody Fiely(6-2, 178, Sr.); OL/DL Adam Rohrer (5-9, 185, Sr.);OL/DL Mark Mattraw (6-4, 225, Sr.)* Outlook – Head coach Brent Niekamp’s four-

year record of 10-30 at Fort Recovery doesn’t lookimpressive on the surface. When you realize theIndians are in the state’s toughest league – theMidwest Athletic Conference – and the directionthe program is heading, that win-loss recordbecomes more notable. Fort Recovery, which started football in 1992,

has had one winning season in its existence (6-4in 1994) and has only finished with a non-losingrecord once since then (5-5 in 2007). In Niekamp’sfirst two years the team went 2-18.The last two years the Indians are8-12. The future looks bright and this

year’s senior class is arguably thedeepest and most talented in pro-gram history.“The fun thing about coaching these guys is

seeing them develop over a period of a fewyears,” Niekamp said. “We have guys who arestarting receivers now who were some of the slow-est guys in junior high. I love to point things likethat out, especially to our younger players. Not totalk about how bad someone used to be, but topoint out what you can accomplish if you workhard.”Kahlig is a prime example. A standout basket-

ball player as well, Kahlig might be the best foot-ball player in Ohio that no one outside the MAChas heard of.The big, athletic signal caller is coming off a

season in which he threw for 2,804 yards and 18TDs. As a sophomore Kahlig threw for 1,579 yardsand 16 TDs. Northwestern, Toledo, Akron, Miami,Ball State and Cincinnati have all visited theschool to inquire about him. Kahlig, who already owns school records for

career, season and single-game passing yardsand TDs, will have plenty of targets to throw to aswell, as the Indians return a combined 1,756receiving yards among four players: Tobe, Keller,Gaerke and Fiely. Tobe is in line to set careerrecords for receiving yards and TDs. Last seasonhe hauled in 51 passes for 795 yards and six TDs. Mattraw is the lone returning starter on the



offensive line, so that inexperience on the front isa concern in the MAC.Rohrer is back to lead the defense after regis-

tering 44 tackles, including four for loss last year.“Our offense should be able to score some

points,” Niekamp said. “The areas that we mustimprove on are special teams and defense. If wecan play consistently well in those two areas wewill be a good team in 2009.”

Sidney Lehman Catholic (11-2)* Players to Watch – S David Spearman (6-1,

180, Sr.); RB Kaleb Goings (5-10, 190, Sr.);OT/DT Ryan Jacob (6-1, 230, Sr.); OG Matt Pulfer(6-2, 220, Jr.)* Outlook – The Cavaliers have had great suc-

cess the last two years making a regional final(2007) and a state semifinal (last sea-son). Despite the loss of 13 sen-iors, expectations are high again.Spearman is a defensive

standout (77 tackles, five inter-ceptions), while Goings is one ofD-VI’s top running backs (1,409yards, 20 TDs).Jacob and Pulfer anchor the offensive line.The Cavaliers have added Jonathan Alder,

Delphos Jefferson and Elmwood to the schedule.Said longtime head coach Richard Roll: “If the

progression continues, we should have a success-ful season.”

Ansonia (7-4)* Players to Watch – QB Derek Bubeck (5-11,

Jr.); RB Dylan Bubeck (5-11, 170, Jr.); RBBrandon Liette (Jr.); LB Aaron Sanders (5-10, 170,Jr.); OL/DL Adam Hall (5-7, 245, Sr.); SE ReeseWalters (6-0, 168, Sr.); SE Gabe Schuh (6-1, 185,Sr.) * Outlook – Ansonia book ended its season

with lopsided losses to Fort Recovery (48-6 inseason opener) and Lehman Catholic (42-7 inregional quarterfinals), but played very solid fornine weeks in between. The majorityof that core is back, as the Tigerslost just four seniors from lastyear’s team.“We have a number of players

back with varsity experience aswell as playoff experience,” headcoach Eugene Hoening said. “With so manystarters coming back the team must be careful notto become complacent with what it accomplisheda year ago.”Hoening never rests on his laurels. The long-

time head coach has a 169-115-1 record in 28years at Ansonia and has led the program to itsthree playoff appearances. The Tigers could be inline for another.Dereck Bubeck accounted for over 1,000 total

yards at QB last year (threw for 940 and ran for305), while Dylan Bubeck ran for 743 yards. Lietteracked up another 795 yards on the ground inaddition to kicking 25 PATs and punting (averaged33.3 per attempt). Walters and Schuh each had over 14 recep-

tions last season.Defensively Sanders sets the tone (151 tackles,

including 30 for loss last season), while Hall issolid in the trenches (40 tackles).Said Hoening: “The coaching staff expects this

team to be better than last year’s version.”

Fort Loramie (5-5)* Players to Watch – OL/LB Brad Frilling (6-0,

205, Sr.); RB/DB Mitch Raterman (5-10, 185, Sr.);WR/DB Tyler Rose (6-0, 150, Sr.); OL/LB AlexWolf (6-1, 195, Sr.); TE/DE Jace Humphreys (6-1,185, Sr.); WR/DB Cody Albers (5-10, 185, Jr.);OL/DL Jon Pearson (6-3, 225, Sr.)* Outlook – After going 20-10 in the first three

years of the program’s existence, former headcoach Jon McCumber steppeddown in November. He’s sincebeen replaced by MattBurgbacher, the son of longtime– and highly successful –Tippecanoe head coach CharlieBurgbacher. Matt Burgbacher served as Tipp’s offensive

coordinator the last several seasons and said heplans to install the Wing-T. The new coach is alsoexcited for his first head coaching gig.“The kids want to build something special and

have earned everything they have gotten so far,”Burgbacher said. “We understand we have to gainthe respect we feel we deserve, and the only wayto do this, is to prove it on the field.”

Experience is a strength of this year’s team,which will face a revamped schedule. Minster andNew Bremen are on the schedule in weeks 1 and2, while a meeting with rival Lehman Catholicoccurs in Week 10. In between, the Redskins start thier first year in

the Metro Buckeye Conference (football-only) withTroy Christian, Yellow Springs, Dayton Jefferson,Middletown Christian, Dayton Christian andLehman.“These are very exciting times for Fort Loramie

Football,” Burgbacher said. “We have implement-ed quite a bit and there have been some changes,but the kids have adapted well and are ready forthe challenge ahead. We feel this is our time tomove forward as a football program and build onwhat has been established.”Replacing three-year starter Jay Schulze at

quarterback is a concern.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Sciotoville Community

School (9-2) – The Tartans havegone 19-1 in the regular seasonthe last two years and 0-2 in theplayoffs. * Springfield Catholic Central

(8-4) – Head coach Steve DeWittstarts his 32nd season at SCCwhere the Irish have been to thepostseason six straight times.Finding a replacement for four-year starter Brendan Kelley is apressing issue.* Cincinnati Country Day (5-5)

– The Indians started out 5-1 lastyear before losing four straight toend the season. Second team All-Ohio running back Max Dietz (5-11, 175, Sr.) returns.* Lockland (7-4) – The Panthers have put

together consecutive playoff trips but have beenblown out in the first round both times (2007 lostto Lehman Catholic, 2008 lost to Covington).

Making the postseason again – and winning aplayoff game – are two obvious goals.* Minster (5-5) – The Wildcats

just missed out on the playoffslast season, finishing ninth inRegion 24. The five wins was abig improvement from 2007 whenthe program finished an uncharac-teristic 0-10.* Waynesfield-Goshen (7-3) – The Tigers have

been to the postseason three timesin history and two times in the lastfour years. If they want to getback to the postseason, they’llhave to beat a team with a win-ning record. All seven of W-G’swins last year came against teams .500or worse. * Arcanum (6-4) – The Trojans

drop down to Region 24 afterspending the last eight years inD-V, Region 20 (where theyearned two playoff berths).* New Miami (7-4) – The

Vikings recorded their first winningseason in 13 years when they fin-ished 6-4 in 2007. Last year theyearned the first playoff berth inschool history. Can they continuethe climb?* New Bremen (3-7) – The

Cardinals return senior QB CalebWilliams (6-7) who was honor-able emtnion All-MAC after throw-ing for 1,307 yards and 11 TDs.

Also In This Region:Bradford (1-9), Cedarville (2-8), DeGraff

Riverside (4-6), Fairfield Cincinnati Christian (1-9),Middletown Christian (2-4), Franklin FurnaceGreen (2-7), Marion Catholic (2-8), MorralRidgedale (2-8), New Bremen (3-7), New ParisNational Trail (0-10), South CharlestonSoutheastern (3-7), Troy Christian (4-5), UnionCity Mississinawa valley (4-6), Yellow Springs (2-8).

Region 21Bucyrus Wynford over Norwalk St. PaulRegion 22Delphos St. John’s over AdaRegion 23Newark Catholic over LeetoniaRegion 24Maria Stein Marion Local overLehman CatholicChampionship GameDelphos St. John’s over Bucyrus Wynford

Ohio High Division VIPredictions



ASSILLON – The day after Thanksgiving iscommonly known as ‘Black Friday’.But for the Delphos St. John’s football

team, the day after Thanksgiving was Blue andGold – state championship gold – that is.With a 34-14 win over previously unbeaten

Bascom Hopewell-Loudon Fri., Nov. 28 atMassillon’s Paul Brown Stadium in the Division VIstate championship game, DSJ hoisted the titletrophy for the fifth time in school history and itsfirst since 2005.DSJ (13-2) utilized a stifling defense to force

three turnovers and hold H-L (14-1) to its lowestpoint total of the season. The Blue Jays alsoscored more points on the Chieftains than anyother team this season."It was just a matter of staying determined,"

DSJ head coach Todd Schulte said. "We made

some adjustments on defense in the second halfand had a pretty solid option game that we wereable to run today."DSJ was paced by junior quarterback Wes Ulm,

who tallied 198 yards rushing on 24 carries and atouchdown running the option offense.Sophomore running back Jordan Leininger

added 58 yards rushing on 18 carries and twotouchdowns as well as a score through the air.DSJ outgained H-L 389-238 in total offensive

yards but 116 of the Chieftains yards came on twoof their first three drives.The Blue Jays also held a 32:11-15:59 advan-

tage in time of possession."Their kids made big plays," H-L head coach

Brian Colatruglio said. "The quarterback and tail-back made some clutch plays on offense and wejust couldn’t get off the field on defense."All-Ohio quarterback Tyler Brown was 14-of-27

passing for 182 yards and a touchdown but threwtwo costly interceptions."We just can’t turn the ball over," said Brown. "I

don’t think I have thrown two picks in one game allyear and you can’t throw picks."Wide receiver Jay Yost reeled in eight Brown

passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.But the DSJ defense was suffocating holding

the H-L spread offense scoreless in three quar-ters."We made some coverage adjustments and it

was just a matter of letting our kids execute,"Schulte said.DSJ got on the board first on its first possession

of the game setting the tone for the afternoon afterH-L opened play with a three-and-out deep in itsown territory.The Chieftains however did battle back to take

a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter thaks toa 9-yard Aaron Kapelka run and a Brown to Yost12-yard touchdown.In the second quarter, H-L senior linebacker

Justin Hohman picked off Ulm giving theChieftains the ball on the DSJ 47 but H-L’s offensecouldn’t capitalize as Brown was stuffed on afourth down run.With the door open, DSJ put together a 5-play,

58-yard scoring drive to tie game 14-14 midwaythrough the second quarter. Ulm raced 26 yards tothe end zone on the scoring play as the game’smomentum took a sudden shift towards the BlueJays. And DSJ scoring onslaught wasn’t finishedin the first half.The Blue Jays took possession on the H-L 31

after an errant Yost punt that netted just 11 yards.DSJ scored two plays later with Ulm finding seniorwideout Jay Leininger in the end zone for a 26-yard scoring strike to take a 21-14 lead into half-time.DSJ opened up the second half with an astro-

nomical 16-play scoring drive that ate 8:55 off theclock. On fourth down and five from the H-L 6,DSJ looked to Jordan Leininger again and he bar-reled into the end zone.Matt Brickner blocked the point after attempt

and DSJ held a 27-14 lead late in the third quarter.Said Colatruglio: "They took the whole quarter

and scored. Teams have said for a couple of yearsthe best way to stop our offense is to try and runthe ball and control the ball and score points andthey did that." — Matt Natali

Division VI State Championship

14 34

2008 Revisited

St. John’s addsfifth state title

M

Junior quarterback Wes Ulm rushedfor a game-high 198 yards and a TDon 24 carries in the win.

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State FinalDelphos St. John’s 34, Basc. Hopewell-Loudon 14

State SemifinalsDelphos St. John’s 26, Sid. Lehman Catholic 13Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 35, Malvern 7

Regional FinalsRegion 21 Final(1) Basc. Hopewell-Loudon 42, (2) St. Paul 21Region 22 Final(3) Delphos St. John’s 38, (1) Ada 28Region 23 Final(2) Malvern 38, (1) Hannibal River 14 Region 24 Final(2) Lehman Catholic 28, (1) Mechanicsburg 14

Regional SemifinalsRegion 21(1) Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 30, (4) Mogadore 0(2) Norwalk St. Paul 34, (3) McDonald 0Region 22(1) Ada 42, (4) Pandora-Gilboa 14(3) Delphos St. John’s 21, (2) Carey 14Region 23(1) Hannibal River 45, (4) Glouster Trimble 15(2) Malvern 53, (3) Shadyside 24Region 24(1) Mechanicsburg 40, (4) Covington 14(2) Lehman Catholic 42, (6) S’fld Cath. Central 6

Regional QuarterfinalsRegion 211 Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 41, 8 Columbiana 142 Norwalk St. Paul 56, 7 East Canton 73 McDonald 21, 6 Ber. Ctr Western Reserve 7 4 Mogadore 30, 5 Leetonia 14Region 221 Ada 56, 8 West Unity Hilltop 8 2 Carey 35, 7 McComb 28 3 Delphos St. John’s 24, 6 Arlington 7 4 Pandora-Gilboa 49, 5 Mt. Blanchard Riverdale 0Region 231 Hannibal River 38, 8 Z’ville Bishop Rosecrans 72 Malvern 49, 7 Bridgeport 143 Shadyside 14, 6 Beallsville 3 4 Glouster Trimble 26, 5 Caldwell 7Region 241 Mechanicsburg 42, 8 Hamilton New Miami 02 Sidney Lehman Catholic 42, 7 Ansonia 7 6 S’fld Catholic Central 28, 3 Sciotoville Comm. 194 Covington 56, 5 Lockland 12

Division VI Playoffs

1. Norwalk St. Paul (12-2)2. Mechanicsburg (12-1)3. Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (14-1)4. Hannibal River (12-1)5. Lehman Catholic (11-2)6. Malvern (13-1)7. Ada (12-1)8. McDonald (11-1)9. Delphos St. John’s (13-2)10. Mogadore (10-2)




Ohio H igh Footbal l Facts & F igures

Top Ohio Programs Winning PercentageSchool W-L-T Pct.Cincinnati Moeller 404-96-2 .807Newark Catholic 435-130-4 .768Massillon Washington 786-237-35.759Cincinnati Wyoming 603-180-48.755Youngstown Mooney 416-138-10.746Upper Arlington 583-203-23.735Avon Lake 383-150-11.714Hamilton Badin 324-130-7 .710Cincinnati Princeton 372-150-11.708Columbus Watterson 394-161-7 .707St. Henry 295-122-5 .705Columbus DeSales 387-163-8 .701Canton McKinley 760-317-42.698Steubenville 704-297-34.697Ironton 616-254-48.697Arlington 553-232-34.696Mentor Lake Catholic 275-124-7 .686Germantown Valley View 298-134-8 .686Versailles 578-260-27.684Cleveland St. Ignatius 611-274-32.684Mogadore 562-256-20.683Huron 419-193-11.681Louisville 557-257-20.680Uniontown Lake 357-174-8 .670Cedarville 315-154-7 .669

State Playoff LeadersSchool Yrs. W-L TitlesCleveland St. Ignatius 21 55-11 10Newark Catholic 30 62-22 8Cincinnati Moeller 27 34-20 7Versailles 16 43-10 6Cleveland Benedictine 16 34-10 6St. Henry 13 39-7 6Youngstown Mooney 22 44-16 6Delphos St. John’s 12 35-6 5Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 14 21-10 4Maria Stein Marion Local 11 34-7 4Mogadore 22 42-19 3

Steubenville 21 42-18 3Columbus DeSales 19 43-16 3Germantown Valley View 15 30-12 3Canton McKinley 17 31-14 3Mentor Lake Catholic 17 28-14 3Marion Pleasant 17 21-14 3Cincinnati Princeton 14 19-11 3St. Marys Memorial 15 20-12 3CAPE 9 16-6 3Elyria Catholic 13 15-10 3

Career Coaching Wins (Ohio Only)360 — Terry Malone, Hamilton Badin 360-117-8 334 — Al Hetrick, Versailles 334-95-4323 — Pat Mancuso, Leetonia, Cincinnati Princeton 310 — Bill Gutbrod, Cleveland St. Joseph 267-107-17(1950-1990), Gates Mills Gilmour Acd. 43-28 (1991-1997) 309 — Don Bucci, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 306-89-5 (1966-1999) 308 — August Bossu, Cleveland Cathedral Latin 33-18-3(1947-1952), Cleveland Benedictine 275-109-15 (1955-1993) 301 — Bob Gregg, Jefferson Township and Centerville 298 — Jim France, Akron Manchester 292 — Bob Lutz, Ironton 284 — Skip Baughman, St. Marys Memorial 271-95-7(1959-1993); Hardin Northern 13-8-1 (1957-1958) 270 – John Reed, Coldwater, Rockford Parkway, MarionHarding, Lebanon, Upper Sandusky 270-124-1

Most Consecutive Wins57 — Delphos St. John's (11/1/1996 - 11/17/2001) 54 — Versailles (9/1993 - 11/23/1997) 49 — Dayton Jefferson Twp. (1970-1975) 48 — Niles McKinley (1959-1964) 45 — Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (1978-1981) 44 — Marion Pleasant (1969-1973) 42 — Upper Arlington (1967-1971); Washington CourtHouse Miami Trace (1976-1980); Steubenville (2005-07)Note: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller won 71 consecutiveregular season games between 1978-1985.

Longest Unbeaten Streaks (Wins and Ties) 58 — Ironton (1977-1983) 55-0-3 57 — Delphos St. John's (11/1/1996 - 11/17/2000) 54 — Versailles (1993-1997) 54-0 52 — Massillon Washington (1937-1942) 51-0-1 49 — Dayton Jefferson Twp. (1970-1975) 49-0 48 — Niles McKinley (1959-1964) 45 — Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (1978-1981) 45-0 44 — Marion Pleasant (1969-1973) 44-0 43 — Cincinnati Wyoming (1961-1965) 42 — Upper Arlington (1967-1971); Steubenville (2005-07)

Career Scoring Leaders890 points — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (1949-1952)39 games (118 TDs rushing, 4 TDs on interceptionreturns, 2 TDs on kickoff returns, 1 TD on punt return, 7TD receptions, 98 extra points @ 1 point each) 761 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-1998) (109 TDs rushing,4 TD receptions, 2 TDs on kickoff returns, 2 TDs on puntreturns, 38 extra points @ 1 point each, 6 two-point con-versions, 3 FGs) 728 – Brock Bolen, Germantown Valley View (2001-2003)726 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1995-1998) 702 — Tyrell Sutton, Archibshop Hoban (2001-2004) 660 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (1998-2001) 648 — Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy of PhysicalEducation (1983-1986) 602 — Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2001-2004) 598 — Nate Kmic, Delta (2001-2004); Brock Bolen,Germantown Valley View (2001-2003)594 — Justin Roush, Pomeroy Meigs (1996-1999); ZachWeber, Delphos St. John's (1997-2000) 584 — Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1993-1996) (95 TD's, 7-two pt. conversions) 582 – Michael Busch, Findlay Liberty Benton (2003-2006)578 — Bob Ferguson, Troy (1954-1957)

Season Scoring Leaders333 — Cully Berndt, Toledo Waite (1921) 323 — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (1952) 313 — Jeff Rogan, Urbana (1982)

During his career at Springfield Catholic

Central (2004-07), running back Brian

Wagner rushed for 6.785 yards, which

ranks sixth in Ohio history.

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310 — Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1996) (51 TD's, 2-twoPAT) 294 — Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic (1984); Carl Smith,Washington C.H. Washington (1984); Nate Kmic, Delta(2004) 290 — Jason Baimun, Williamsburg (2001) 288 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1998) 270 — Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven (2000 - regu-lar season only)

Single-Game Scoring Leaders78 – Erastus “Tunk” Simmons, Medina vs. Spencer(10/5/1923)64 — Carl A. Squires, Hunting Valley University School vs.Cleveland South (10/20/1894) 62 — Howard "Tick" Hamilton, Bellville (9 TD's, 8 PAT) vs.Vandalia Butler (11/10/1939) 61 — George Secrest, Coshocton (9 TD's, 7 PAT) vs.Dresden (9/27/1912) 61 — Tyler Martin, Mechanicsburg (9 TD's,7 PAT) vs.Ridgeway Ridgemont (10/22/1999) 59 — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (9 TD's, 5 PAT) vs.Jacksonville-Trimble (10/24/1952) 56 – Dave Foreman, Ridgewood vs. Indian Valley South(1973)50 — Jim Dudziak, Cleveland Holy Name vs. ClevelandLincoln (10/17/1959); Frank Dugan, Canton South (7 TD's,4 2-pt PAT) vs. Cambridge (11/9/1962); Tom Chlebeck,Louisville vs. Minerva (1965). 49 — John Bledsoe, Westlake vs. Fairview Park Fairview(10/18/1968) 48 — Paul Murphy, Mogadore vs. Middlefield(10/28/1954); Tom Vaughn, Troy (8 TD's) vs. Sidney(1960); Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban vs. Urssuline(10/8/04)

Career Touchdowns Scored 123 — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (1949-1952) 121 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1995-1998) 117 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-1998); Tyrell Sutton,Archbishop Hoban (2001-2004) 109 — Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy of PhysicalEducation (1983-1986) 104 — Jason Baimun, Williamsburg (1998-2001) 99 — Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2001-2004) 97 – Brian Wagner, Springfield Catholic Central (2004-07)95 — Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1993-1996) 92 – Jordan Mabin, Macedonia Nordonia (2003-06)90 — Tommy Lee, Mogadore (1999-2002) 89 — Rafael Manriquez, Defiance Ayersville (1999-2002);Nate Kmic, Delta (2001-2004)

Season Touchdowns Scored 52 — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (1952) 51 — Cully Berndt, Toledo Waite (1921); Chuck Moore,Mogadore (1996); Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven(2000) 49 — Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic (1984) 46 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1998) 45 — Blaine Maag, Clumbus Grove (2003) 15 games

Single-Game Touchdowns Scored 12 – Erastus “Tunk” Simmons, Medina vs. Spencer(10/5/1923)9 — George Secrest, Coshocton vs. Dresden (9/27/1912);Howard "Tick" Hamilton, Bellville vs. Butler (11/10/1939);Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover vs. Jacksonville-Trimble(10/24/1952); Carl Squires, Hunting School UniversitySchool vs. Cleveland South (10/20/1994); Tyler Martin,Mechanicsburg vs. Ridgeway Ridgemont (10/22/1999) 8 — Paul Murphy, Mogadore vs. Middlefield (10/28/1954);Tom Vaughn, Troy vs. Sidney (1960); Tom Chlebeck,Louisville vs. Minerva (1965); John Bledsoe, Westlake vs.Fairview Park Fairview (10/18/1968); Maurice Hall,Columbus Brookhaven vs. Columbus Briggs (10/27/2000);Dave Foreman, West Lafayette Ridgewood vs. Indian

Valley South (1971) Career Rushing Touchdowns118 — Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover (1949-1952) 112 — Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban (2001-2004) 109 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-1998) 106 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1995-1998) 104 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (1998-2001); CarlosSnow, Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (1983-1986)

Season Rushing Touchdowns50 — Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven (2000) 46 — Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic (1984) 45 — Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1996) 44 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (2001) 43 — Tony Franklin, Bedford St. Peter Chanel (2001-15games); Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2003 - 15 games)

Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns8 — Tyler Martin, Mechanicsburg vs. Ridgeway Ridgemont(10/22/1999); Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven vs.Columbus Briggs (10/27/2000); Tyrell Sutton, ArchbishopHoban vs. Ursuline (10/8/04); Dave Foreman, Ridgewoodvs. Indian Valley South (1971) 7 – 11 players tied; most recent Josh Cover, Hicksville vs.Edgerton (9/19/03)

Career Passing Touchdowns178 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (1999-2002) 139 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2004-2007)126 — Dusty Aldrich, McComb (1998-2001) 110 — Justin Zwick, Orrville (1998-1999), MassillonWashington (2000-2001) 100 – Zac Dysert, Ada (2004-2007)92 — Bryan Cupito, Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas(1999-2001); Jeff Polley, Bellevue (2000-2002) 81 — Chris Wallace, Springfield North (1990) andSpringfield South (1991-1993) 79 — Nathan Keller, Tiffin Calvert (1996-1999) 78 – Ryan Martin, Cincinnati Turpin (2005-07)77 — Dusty Bergman, Sherwood Fairvew (1999-2002) 71 — Marty Mooney, St. Xavier (1999-2001) 69 — Jon Brown,Westlake High School (2002-2004)

Season Passing Touchdowns76 – Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (2002 – 15 games)64 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2007 – 11 games)60 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (2001 - 15 games) 57 — Dusty Aldrich, McComb (2001 - 13 games); RyanRadcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2006 – 12 games) 56 – James Elchinger, Sherwood Fairview (2008)54 — Ben Roethlisberger, Findlay (1999) 45 — Dusty Aldrich, McComb (2000, 44 in regular season,1 postseason) 44 – Nick Rocchio, Bellaire (2006)43 — Bryan Cupito, Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas(2001 - 10 games) 42 — Nathan Keller, Tiffin Calvert (1998) 41 – Doug Browne, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy(2005)40 — Justin Zwick, Massillon Washington (2001); PerciGarner, Dover (2005)

Single-Game Passing Touchdowns9 – Kirk Jesse, Sherwood Fairview vs. Defiance Ayersville(10/14/2005); Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs.Defiance Ayersville (10/20/2006); James Elchinger,Sherwood Fairview vs. Elmore Woodmore (2008)8 — Tavares Bolden, Cleveland Glenville vs. ClevelandLincoln West (10/11/1996); Ben Roethlisberger, Findlay(1999); Rocky Pentello, Westerville South vs. Groveport-Madison (2000); Zac Dysert, Ada vs. Paulding (9/30/2005);Tyler Horner, Clayton Northmont vs. Springfield North(2004)7 — John Yocum, Beallsville vs. Waterford (10/17/1986);Brian Houdeshell, Hebron Lakewood vs. Newark Licking

Valley (1987); Chris Wallace, Springfield South vs.Centerville (10/1/1993); Chris Wallace, Springfield Southvs. Springfield North (10/8/1993); Bill Brewer, Williamsburgvs. Cincinnati Hillcrest (11/3/1994); Dusty Aldrich, McCombvs. Arlington (10/20/2000); Benjamin Mauk, Kenton vs.Castalia Margaretta (11/17/2001); Mike Berman, ToledoStart vs. Woodward (10/2/04); Perci Garner, Dover vs.Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (10/21/2005); Ryan Radcliff,Sherwood Fairview vs. Elmore Woodmore (8/31/2007);Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. Holgate (9/14/2007);Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. Haviland WayneTrace (10/5/2007); Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs.Hicksville (10/12/2007); Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairviewvs. Defiance Ayersville (10/19/2007); Cory Klenke,Coldwater vs. Kettering Alter (2007)

Career Receiving Touchdowns68 – Ben Wonderly, Sherwood Fairwood (2005-2008)46 – Marc Krauss, Hamler Patrick Henry (2003-2005)44 — Rusty Aldrich, McComb (1998-2001) 41 – Kyle Baker, Ada (2005-2008)37 — Bart Fisher, Tiffin Calvert (1996-1999) 36 – Trey Masciarelli, Bellaire (2005-2006)35 — Mike Flanagan, Sidney (1968-1970); James Taylor,Garfield Heights (1997-1999) 34 — Matt Skolnicki, Lorain Catholic (1998-2001) 33 — Chris Younge, Bainbridge Paint Valley (1999-2002);Andy Cruse, Cincinnati Turpin (2005-2007) 32 — Jim Smith, Madison (1996-1999); Toby Hill,Sherwood Fairview (2002-2005)

Season Receiving Touchdowns 27 – Ben Wonderly, Sherwood Fairview (2007)24 — Lance Moore, Westerville South (2000) 22 – Vince Larson, Malvern (2008)21 — Chris Kernich, Fairborn (2004); Mike Iriti, Findlay(1999); Dan Ifft, Dover (2005) 20 – Justin Jones, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy(2005); Ben Wonderly, Sherwood Fairview (2006); TreyMasciarelli, Bellaire (2006)19 – Jordan Gribble, Brunswick (2007)18 — Matt Skolnicki, Lorain Catholic (2001); DrewAnderson, Granville (2003); Rick Coy, Northwood (1977);Ryan Collins, Girard (2004)

Single-Game Receiving Touchdowns6 — Kevin Bucher, Ada vs. Dola Hardin Northern(8/30/1996); Steve Barrett, Westlake vs. Lincoln West(9/10/04); Rodney Webb, Sherwood Fairview vs. DefianceAyersville (10/20/2006); Jim Davis, Johnstown-Monroe vs.Centerburg (1964) 5 – Steve Morlock, Medina Buckeye vs. Avon (10/6/1961);Paul Burkhardt, Mentor vs. Maple Heights (10/17/1969);Jon Ellars, London Madison Plains vs. West Jefferson(10/10/2003); Mike Gregovich, Williamsburg vs. CincinnatiHillcrest (11/31/1994); Lance Moore, Westerville South vs.Lancaster (2000); Lance Moore, Westerville South vs.Groveport-Madison (2000); Dan Ifft, Dover vs.Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (10/21/2005); Mike Iriti,Findlay vs. Grove City (1999); Ben Wonderly, SherwoodFairview vs. Edgerton (9/28/2007)

Career Rushing Yards9,426 — Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban (2001-2004) 8,216 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (1998-2001) 7,761 — Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy of PhysicalEducation (1983-1986) 7,656 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-1998) 7,386 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1995-1998) 6,785 – Brian Wagner, S’field Catholic Central (2004-2007)6,700 – Jordan Mabin, Macedonia Nordonia (2003-2006)6,389 – John Pettigrew, Cuyahoga Valley ChristianAcademy (2005-2008)6,376 — Justin Roush, Pomeroy Meigs (1996-1999) 6,353 – Donald Johnson, North College Hill (1998-2001)6,134 — Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2001-2004)



6,120 — Maurice Hall, Brookhaven (1997-2000) 6,099 – Brock Bolen, G’town Valley View (2001-2003)6,051 — Marcus Sanders, Ravenna (1996-1999) 6,006 — Dave Mason, Gibsonburg (1997-2000) 6,001 — Marc Edwards, Norwood (1990-1993)

Season Rushing Yards 3,439 — Tony Franklin, Bedford St. Peter Chanel (2001 -15 games) 3,386 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (2001) (11 games) 3,353 — Jeff Backes, Upper Arlington ( 2000) (16 games) 3,232 — Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban (2004) 3,057 — Maurice Hall, Brookhaven (2000) (12 games) 3,043 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (2000) (10 games)3,038 – Erik Haw, Columbus Independence (2003) (13games)2,961 – Donald Johnson, North College Hill (2001) 2,902 – Marcus Henderson, Johnstown-Monroe (2006)2,856 — Ryan Brewer, Troy (1998) 2,855 — Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1998) 2,775 – Bobby Doyle, Avon Lake (2004)2,765 — Curtis Enis, Union City Mississinawa Valley(1993) 2,744 — Nathan Clark, Newark Licking Valley (2003) 2,703 – Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2003)

Single-Game Rushing Yards532 — Jason Bainum, Willaimsburg vs. ClermontNortheastern (9/28/2001) 529 — Bob Ferguson, Troy vs. Dayton Kiser (9/14/1956) 505 — Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban vs. Ursuline(10/8/04) 498 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg vs. CincinnatiHillcrest (10/19/2000) 475 — Bob Ferguson, Troy vs. Monroe (1956); JasonBainum, Williamsburg vs. Mt. Orab Western Brown(10/6/2000) 468 — Jamie Bright, Warren John F Kennedy HighSchool 467 — Deshawn Wynn, Reading vs. Finneytown(9/22/2000) 446 – Dean Rosiar, Lakeside Danbury vs. Lorain Catholic(2001)442 – Seth Hardin, Williamsport Westfall vs. Waverly(11/10/2007)441 — Greg Baker, Springboro vs. National Trail (1982) 440 — Dick Osborn, Defiance vs. Van Wert (11/28/1929);Curtis Enis, Mississinawa Valley vs. Arcanum (1993)

Career Passing Yards 17,364 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (1999-2002) 11,174 – Zac Dysert, Ada (2004-2007)11,038 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2004-2007)10,500 — Justin Zwick, Orrville (1998-1999), Massillon

Washington (2000-2001) 10,303 — Dusty Aldrich, McComb (1998-2001) 9,094 — Jeff Polley, Bellevue (2000-2002) 8,744 – Perci Garner, Dover (2004-2006)8,386 — Bryan Cupito, Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas(1998-2001) 8,137 — Jack Rafferty, Columbus St.Charles (2001-2002)and Dublin Coffman (2003) 7,938 – Nate Davis, Bellaire (2002-2005)7,819 — Jon Brown,Westlake (2002-2004) 7,170 — Britton Crates, Kenton (1990-1992) 7,122 — Dusty Bergman, Sherwood Fairview (1999-2002) 7,027 — Scott McMullen, Granville (1995-1998) 7,021 – Todd Boeckman, St. Henry (1999-2002)6,769 – Jose Davis, Bellaire (1993-1995)

Season Passing Yards6,540 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (2002) 5,770 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (2001 - 15 games) 4,738 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2007)4,611 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview (2006 – 12games)4,446 – James Elchinger, Sherwood Fairview (2008)4,415 – Perci Garner, Dover (2006)4,296 — Dusty Aldrich, McComb (2001 - 13 games) 4,041 — Ben Roethlisberger, Findlay (1999) (3,389 in reg-ular season) 4,003 – Perci Garner, Dover (2005)3,936 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton (2000 - regular seasononly) 3,849 — Bryan Cupito, Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas(2001 - 10 games) 3,846 – Mitchell Faine, Ada (2008)3,832 – Zac Dysert, Ada (2006)3,714 – Zac Dysert, Ada (2007)3,643 — Nate Szep, St. Ignatius (2001) 3,551 — Jose Davis, Bellaire (1995) (2,334 in reg. season)

Single-Game Passing Yards (Minimum 500 Yards) 678 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. DefianceAyersville (10/20/2006)650 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. HavilandWayne Trace (10/5/2007)625 – James Elchinger, Sherwood Fairview vs. ElmoreWoodmore (2008)602 – Kirk Jesse, Sherwood Fairview vs. DefianceAyersville (10/14/2005)567 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton vs. Castalia Margaretta(11/17/2001) 565 — Nick Kreinbrink, Leipsic vs. Arlington (9/20/1996) 550 — Benjamin Mauk, Kenton vs. Lima Shawnee (2001) 532 – Michael Hill, Proctorville Fairland vs. Sheldon Clark(Ky.) (9/10/2004)526 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. DefianceTinora (11/2/2007)525 — Chris Wallace, Springfield South vs. Centerville(10/1/1993) 523 — Ricky Matter, Bluffton vs. Allen East (10/17/03) 520 — Chris Wallace, Springfield South vs. Huber HeightsWayne (10/8/1993) 519 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. ElmoreWoodmore (8/31/2007)517 — Jon Brown, Westlake vs. Grafton Midview(9/6/2002); Zac Dysert, Ada vs. Dola Hardin Northern(8/25/2006)508 – Jason Schob, Marietta vs. Jackson (10/15/2004)507 — Brady Harrison, Morgan vs. New Lexington(8/24/2001) 506 — Nick Kreinbrink, Leipsic vs. McComb (10/4/1996);Andrew Stotz, Edgerton vs. Toledo Christian (9/5/2003) 504 – Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview vs. HamlerPatrick Henry (11/04/2006)

Sources: Ohio High School Football CoachesAssociation, Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Sherwood Fairview’s Ryan Radcliffranks No. 3 on Ohio’s career

passing list with 11,038 yards.Kenton’s Ben Mauk (in gray shirton the sideline) ranks No. 1 with

17,364 yards.

Phot

o by

Ste

phan

ie Po

rter

ou know it is football season when youcome to the end of the summer and youcan see the lights blazing and the bandsblaring from the nearby high school stadi-um.High school football is a way of life

across all 88 counties of the Buckeye state.Wherever high school football is played in thisstate it serves each week as a town gathering ofsorts, a meeting place where old friends gettogether and interscholastic competition.The rivalries across this state speak for them-

selves: Massillon-McKinley, St. Ignatius-St.Edward, Elder-St. Xavier, Troy-Piqua, Watterson-DeSales, Versailles-St. Henry, Delphos St. John’s-Marion Local and so on. They each have their ownunique history and, when they roll around, thou-sands flock to see the latest renewal.It is with all of these great match-ups in mind

that we want to take this chance to share some ofthe state’s top games scheduled for the 2009 Ohiohigh school football season. Mark your calendarfor the big games in your area (and maybe somethat aren’t in your area, too). Here goes:* Week 1 (all games Aug. 28 unless noted) –

There are a number of big events planned for theopening weekend, including the 12th annualCrosstown Showdown Aug. 28-29 in theCincinnati/Dayton area. On Fri., Aug. 28, there will be a doubleheader at

Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium. At 6 p.m., CincinnatiLaSalle met Cincinnati Oak Hills. At 8:30 p.m.,Cincinnati Colerain faces Cincinnati St. Xavier(Colerain won 13-8 last year).There will also be an Aug. 28 doubleheader at

Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Clayton Northmontmeets West Chester Lakota West at 6 p.m., whileHuber Heights Wayne faces Cincinnati Princetonat 8:30 p.m.On Sat., Aug. 29, four games will be on the bill

at Nippert Stadium. It opens with a pair ofKentucky games. At noon, Beechwood faces DixieHeights. At 2:45 p.m., Newport (Ky.) CentralCatholic meets Simon Kenton. Cincinnati Moellertackles Cincinnati Winton Woods at 5:30 p.m.,while Cincinnati Elder faces East St. Louis, Ill., at8:15 p.m.

Y

Ohio H igh Footbal l Prev iew: Key Games 2009


Another big event for the first weekend will bethe Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at OhioStadium in Columbus. That event has a doubleheader on Aug. 29 as

Upper Arlington plays Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St.Thomas Aquinas, the defending USA Today nation-al champion, at noon, followed by a match-upbetween Hilliard Davidson and Westerville South at3:30 p.m. The UA-Aquinas game will be televisedby ESPN, while the Davidson-South game will betelevised by ESPNU. On Aug. 30, OlentangyLiberty meets Dublin Coffman at noon andPickerington Central faces Orange (Calif.) Lutheranat 3:30 p.m. That doubleheader will be televised byESPNU.On Aug. 27, Poland Seminary visits Hubbard.Key games on Aug. 28: Columbus Watterson at

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Aurora at Avon (Aurorais the defending Division III state champion),Kenton at Coldwater, Euclid at Strongsville,Kettering Alter at Kettering Fairmont (Alter is thedefending Division IV state champion), MacedoniaNordonia at Tallmadge, Lakewood St. Edward atMentor, Washington (D.C.) Coolidge at NorthCanton Hoover, Newark Licking Valley atCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, Toledo St. Francis atSylvania Southview (Southview is the defendingDivision II state champion), Youngstown Ursuline atColumbus St. Charles (Ursuline is the defendingDivision V state champion) and YoungstownMooney at Youngstown Boardman. Key games on Aug. 29: Cleveland Glenville at

defending Division I state champion Cleveland St.Ignatius (Glenville won 20-17 in the regular sea-son, but St. Ignatius prevailed 8-7 in a regionalsemifinal playoff game), Delphos St. John’s at LimaCentral Catholic (DSJ is the defending Division VIstate champion) and Solon at Shaker Heights at 2p.m.* Week 2 (all games Sept. 4 unless noted) –

Avon Lake at Brunswick, Hilliard Davidson atColumbus Brookhaven (Davidson won 24-21 lastyear), Columbus DeSales at Youngstown Mooney,Lakewood St. Edward at Euclid, North CantonHoover at Louisville (Hoover won 22-0 last year),Strongsville at Mentor (Strongsville won 30-27 lastyear) and Dublin Scioto at Toledo Central Catholic. On Sept. 3, Canton GlenOak visits Massillon

Washington.On Sept. 5, Huber Heights Wayne at Canton

McKinley, Clayton Northmont at Cleveland St.Ignatius (St. Ignatius won 23-3 last year),Cleveland Glenville at Reynoldsburg andSteubenville at Pittsburgh Woodland Hills.On Sept. 6, Cincinnati Colerain travels to

Cincinnati Elder. That game, set for a noon start,could be televised nationally by one of the ESPNnetworks. Elder won 27-20 in double overtime in aregional final game last year.* Week 3 (all games Sept. 11 unless noted) –

Akron Hoban at Louisville (Louisville won 28-3 lastyear), Cincinnati St. Xavier at Louisville (Ky.)Xavier, Dublin Coffman at Columbus Brookhaven,Clayton Northmont at Westerville South, CincinnatiMoeller at Centerville, Columbus DeSales at NewAlbany and Mentor at Solon, On Sept. 12, Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius at

Cleveland St. Ignatius, Cleveland Glenville atHuber Heights Wayne, and Washington (D.C.) St.John’s at Alter. * Week 4 (all games Sept. 18 unless noted) –

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at Akron Hoban (SVSMwon 20-12 last year), Cincinnati Winton Woods atColumbus Watterson, Coldwater at Maria SteinMarion Local, Cincinnati Anderson at ColumbusDeSales (Anderson won 14-10 in a state semifinalmatch-up last year), Louisville (Ky.) Trinity atCincinnati St. Xavier, Cleveland St. Ignatius atMentor (St. Ignatius won 28-14 last year), HuberHeights Wayne at Trotwood-Madison (Wayne won35-21 last year), Pickerington Central at Lancaster(Central won 31-0 last year) and Warren Hardingat Youngstown Mooney (Mooney won 17-0 lastyear).* Week 5 (all games Sept. 25 unless noted) –

Euclid at Warren Harding, Trotwood-Madison atSpringfield, Worthington Kilbourne at UpperArlington (UA won 34-9 last year), Kings MillsKings at Cincinnati Winton Woods, CantonMcKinley at Massillon Jackson, Anna at Coldwaterand Cincinnati St. Xavier at Fort Thomas (Ky.)Highlands. On Sept. 26, Cincinnati Elder at Lakewood St.

Edward (Elder won 52-31 last year) and Mentor atCincinnati Moeller at 2 p.m. (Mentor won 34-26 lastyear). * Week 6 (all games Oct. 2 unless noted) –

Brunswick at Macedonia Nordonia (Brunswick won30-7 in the regular season and 14-10 in a regionalquarterfinal match-up), Cincinnati Winton Woods at

Cincinnati Anderson (Anderson won 20-13 in theregular season and 24-21 in a regional final),Canton GlenOak at Canton McKinley (McKinleywon 24-19 in the regular season, but GlenOak won14-7 in a regional quarterfinal match-up), CincinnatiPrinceton at Cincinnati Colerain (Colerain won 42-27 last year), Cincinnati Elder at Cincinnati St.Xavier (Elder won 33-15 last year), ClaytonNorthmont at Huber Heights Wayne (Northmontwon 17-7), Delphos St. John’s at Maria SteinMarion Local (Marion Local won 42-0 last year),Mentor at Euclid and North Canton Hoover atYoungstown Boardman.On Oct. 3, Cleveland Benedictine at Lakewood

St. Edward (St. Ed won 21-13 last year) andMassillon Washington at Cleveland St. Ignatius (St.Ignatius won 49-7 last year and has won 11 of thelast 12 meetings between the schools).* Week 7 (all games Oct. 9 unless noted) –

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit, Cincinnati Moeller at Cincinnati Elder(Elder won 48-14 last year), Columbus Wattersonat Columbus DeSales (DeSales won 21-17 in theregular season and 20-17 in the regional quarterfi-nals last year), Hilliard Davidson at WorthingtonKilbourne (Davidson won 17-10 in the regular sea-son and 21-7 in a regional semifinal last year) and

Massillon Washington at Steubenville.On Oct. 10, Cleveland St. Ignatius at Warren

Harding and Youngstown Mooney at ClevelandBenedictine.* Week 8 (all games Oct. 16 unless noted) –

Strongsville at Brunswick (Strongsville won 25-20last year), Canton McKinley at North CantonHoover (Hoover won 30-20 last year), Coldwater atDelphos St. John’s, Columbus DeSales atCincinnati Elder, Canton GlenOak at YoungstownBoardman, Centerville at Clayton Northmont(Northmont won 28-21 in overtime), Coldwater atDelphos St. John’s (Coldwater won 38-7 last year),Dublin Coffman at Hilliard Davidson (Davidson won14-10 last year), Solon at Macedonia Nordonia,Warren Harding at Massillon Washington(Massillon won 30-7 last year) and PolandSeminary at Steubenville. Key game Oct. 17: Lakewood St. Edward at

Cincinnati St. Xavier at 2 p.m. * Week 9 (all games Oct. 23 unless noted) –

North Canton Hoover at Canton GlenOak (Hooverwon 14-10 in the regular season and 14-0 in aregional final), Kettering Fairmont at ClaytonNorthmont (Northmont won 16-7 in the regular sea-son and 28-27 in a regional quarterfinal game lastyear), Centerville at Huber Heights Wayne(Centerville won 31-14 last year), Delphos St.John’s at St. Henry (DSJ won 21-19 last year),Upper Arlington at Hilliard Davidson (UA won 23-14last year), Macedonia Nordonia at Strongsville,Mentor at Massillon Washington (Mentor won 25-17 last year), Youngstown Ursuline at YoungstownMooney (Ursuline won 10-7 last year) andYoungstown Boardman at Canton McKinley Also Oct. 23: Troy hosts Piqua. Last year, Troy

took a 49-28 win to tie the all-time series at 59-59-6 in one of Ohio’s longest running rivalries.Key games Oct. 24: Middletown at Cincinnati

Colerain (Middletown won 42-39 last year) andCincinnati St. Xavier at Cleveland St. Ignatius at 2p.m. at John Carroll University (St. Ignatius won19-16 in overtime last year).* Week 10 (all games Oct. 30 unless noted) –

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at Youngstown Ursuline(Ursuline won 34-7 last year), Cincinnati St. Xavierat Cincinnati Moeller, Cleveland Benedictine atColumbus DeSales, Dublin Coffman at UpperArlington (UA won 7-6 last year), East ClevelandShaw at Euclid, Huber Heights Wayne atSpringfield, Strongsville at Solon and YoungstownMooney at Columbus Watterson. On Oct. 31, Cleveland St. Ignatius renews its

rivalry with Lakewood St. Edward at 7:30 p.m. St.Ignatius won 34-12 in the regular season and 37-0in a regional quarterfinal last year to push its seriesedge to 25-21 all-time in The Holy War.Also on Oct. 31, Massillon Washington hosts

Canton McKinley at 2 p.m. in the 118th rendition ofthis storied rivalry. Massillon won this game 17-0last year. Massillon holds the all-time series lead at63-49-5.* Postseason – The OHSAA playoffs will begin

over the weekend of Nov. 6-7 with regional quarter-finals at the high school home sites of the top fourseeds in each region. The playoffs will continue atneutral sites up through the state championships,set for Dec. 4-5 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium andMassillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Sports TimeOhio and Time Warner Cable will again have cov-erage of the playoffs and state title games. — OH

Massillon Washington and CantonMcKinley meet for the 118th time on Oct. 31. Massillon leads the

series 63-49-5.A week before that on Oct. 23, Troy and Piqua meet for the 125th time. Right now that

series is tied 59-59-6.



Ohio H igh ’s Top Senior Footbal l Prospects

t has been a busy spring for the top 2010football prospects in the Buckeye state. Anumber of them have made a commitment,many have received new scholarship offers,others have narrowed down their choicesand yet others have decided on official vis-its.Tight end Alex Welch from Cincinnati

Moeller saw his stock rise dramatically over thespring. Among the schools that stepped forwardand offered Welch a scholarship in May wereNotre Dame and Ohio State. Welch had twodozen scholarship offers before he committed tothe Fighting Irish in late May.Another Moeller star who has made a dramatic

rise is quarterback Andrew Hendrix. Hendrixadded many offers during the spring includingthree that particularly thrilled him, Miami (Fla.),Ohio State and Notre Dame. After OSU received acommitment from Illinois quarterback TaylorGraham in late-June, Hendrix committed to NotreDame days later.In addition to Welch, another Ohioan who decid-

ed during the spring to head west was Lexingtonquarterback Courtney Avery. Avery is headed farwest as he committed to Stanford over scholarshipoffers from Indiana, Vanderbilt, Louisville and someMAC schools. Avery will play in the secondary forthe Cardinal.Avon Lake offensive lineman Christian Pace

saw his scholarship offer list grow to approximatelytwo dozen over the spring. Included in his list wasMichigan. Pace considered his many optionswhich also included Illinois, Michigan State, Pittand Iowa. He then committed to the Wolverineson June 1.The Buckeye state’s No. 1 prospect, West

Chester Lakota West linebacker Jordan Hicks, whohas scholarship offers from schools from coast-to-coast, has decided he will at least take official vis-its to Ohio State, Texas and USC before he selectsa college. Hicks also says a fourth official visit willlikely come from Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.He will probably select a college in December andgraduate from Lakota West in January.Cincinnati St. Xavier offensive lineman Matt

James added many scholarship offers during thespring and now has over two dozen. But Jamescontinues to say his top three choices are OhioState, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.Solon defensive end Darryl Baldwin is another

top prospect who added many offers during the

spring. Baldwin has basically narrowed his deci-sion down to four schools, Ohio State, Penn State,Michigan State and Notre Dame. The NittanyLions are one of Baldwin’s most recent offers, butthe Buckeyes continue to have the edge.Cleveland Glenville defensive back Christian

Bryant added a number of scholarship offers dur-ing the spring including Ohio State and NotreDame. Bryant has approximately two dozen offers

total and his list also includes Tennessee, MichiganState and West Virginia. However, it is Ohio Statethat sits in Bryant’s top spot.West Chester Lakota West tight end Alex Smith

is another prospect who has seen his recruitmentexplode over the past couple of months. Smithcommitted very early to Cincinnati, in part because

of Bearcat tight ends coach Mike Elston. Elstonhas been moved to Cincinnati’s defensive linecoach. With that move and the many new offersSmith has received, Smith says he will visit otherschools including Michigan, North Carolina andPenn State. Smith remains committed to theBearcats, but is looking at his other options.Defensive back Latwan Anderson is another

prospect who has made a change. Anderson hastransferred from Lakewood St. Edward toCleveland Glenville. Anderson has dozens ofscholarship offers including Michigan State,Michigan, West Virginia, Iowa, Boston College andCincinnati, but does not seem close to selecting acollege.Whitehouse Anthony Wayne offensive lineman

Andrew Donnal’s stock is on the rise. The 6-7,265-pound Donnal has gained 15 pounds over thespring and a number of scholarship offers, bringinghis total to over two dozen. Donnal is in no hurryto select a college, but is trying to narrow his listdown to somewhere around 10 schools. He men-tions Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Marylandas schools he is definitely interested in. OhioState will be on that list if the Buckeyes offer.Louisville wide receiver Bobby Swigert is anoth-

er Ohioan who has seen his stock soar over thespring. Swigert has added a number of scholar-ship offers including Michigan, Colorado and

Cincinnati. He has approximately 20 offers nowand says some of his top choices are Michigan,Boston College, Wisconsin, Pitt, Nebraska andIndiana. If Ohio State and Notre Dame were tooffer those two schools would definitely joinSwigert’s list of top choices.Cincinnati Wyoming defensive lineman Jibreel

ITop 2010 football prospects fielding

offers, making commitments

North Canton Hoover senior Erik Howard was just the second junior in history towin Ohio’s Mr. Football award last year (the other being former Ohio State andNFL star Robert Smith). Howard is still undecided on his college future.

Photo by Os Figuero

Ohio H igh ’s Top Senior Footbal l Prospects


STORY BY B I L L KUREL IC

Black attracted droves of recruiters during thespring. He had over two dozen scholarship offersfrom schools such as Wake Forest, South Floridaand Kansas. Black committed to IndianaUniversity, though, in mid-June.Offensive lineman Skyler Schofner from

Johnstown-Monroe is a big guy that has added anoffer from Michigan. Wisconsin, Maryland,Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina State, Vanderbiltand Kentucky have also jumped in with offers giv-ing Schofner well over a dozen total.Matching Schofner is North Olmsted offensive

lineman Matthew Rotheram. Rotheram, aPittsburgh commit, added scholarship offers fromLSU and Syracuse in May and his list also includ-ed Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Vanderbilt,Boston College, Arizona and Indiana.Columbus Brookhaven defensive end Derrick

Bryant has not added a large quantity of scholar-ship offers, but has added some key ones such asMichigan, Michigan State, West Virginia andKentucky. Illinois was the first school to offerBryant a scholarship.Avon Lake tight end Dan Schneider picked up

late spring scholarship offers from a number ofschools including West Virginia and Florida State,and is fast approaching two dozen total. He ishoping to add Ohio State and Michigan to his list.Schneider says his six favorite schools are Pitt,Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia andFlorida State, and all but the Bucks andWolverines have offered.Schneider has not yet selected a college, but

another Ohio tight end has. Brad Harrah from Marion Pleasant brought in

over a half dozen scholarship offers during thespring before committing to the CincinnatiBearcats on June 11.As always seems to be the case, multiple

Cleveland Glenville prospects will sign withDivision I colleges. In addition to Christian Bryant,defensive end Jayrone Elliott has seen his stockrise over the spring and early summer. Elliott hasadded written scholarship offers from schools suchas West Virginia, Maryland, Michigan State andMinnesota. Columbus DeSales offensive lineman Travis

Jackson is now drawing attention from recruitersas far away as the West Coast. Jackson hasadded a scholarship offer from Stanford. He alsonow has offers from Wisconsin, Indiana,Northwestern, Maryland and Vanderbilt. Jacksonhas approximately a dozen offers total. Another central Ohio prospect making waves is

Dublin Jerome linebacker Steve Mehrer. The 6-1,220-pound Mehrer has scholarship offers fromIndiana and a host of MAC schools such asBowling Green, Kent State, Toledo and Centraland Eastern Michigan.It is truly a strong year in the Buckeye state for

prep football talent. The long list of prospects onthe rise doesn’t even include the four Ohioanswho had big-time offers very early in the recruitingprocess, but did not let things go long before com-mitting to Ohio State. Cincinnati Anderson offensive lineman Andrew

Norwell, Youngstown Urusline linebacker JamelTurner, Cleveland St. Ignatius linebacker ScottMcVey and Youngstown Boardman defensive endJ.T. Moore all committed to the Buckeyes early. —OH

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Verbal1. Jordan Hicks LB 6-1 220 West Chester Lakota West 2. Andrew Norwell OL 6-5 250 Cincinnati Anderson/Ohio State 3. Jamel Turner DE-LB 6-3 220 Youngstown Ursuline/Ohio State 4. Matt James OL 6-5 285 Cincinnati St. Xavier 5. Alex Smith TE 6-5 225 West Chester Lakota West 6. Darryl Baldwin DE 6-6 245 Solon 7. Andrew Hendrix QB 6-3 220 Cincinnati Moeller/Notre Dame8. Tyrone Williams WR 6-6 220 East Cleveland Shaw 9. Spencer Ware QB 6-0 215 Cincinnati Princeton 10. Alex Welch TE 6-5 225 Cincinnati Elder/Notre Dame 11. Jibreel Black DL 6-2 260 Cincinnati Wyoming/Indiana 12. Christian Bryant DB 5-10 175 Cleveland Glenville13. Scott McVey LB 6-1 215 Cleveland St. Ignatius/Ohio State 14. Latwan Anderson DB 5-11 185 Cleveland Glenville15. Andrew Donnal OL 6-7 250 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 16. Skyler Schofner OL 6-5 280 Johnstown-Monroe17. D.J. Williamson WR 6-2 175 Warren Harding/Michigan 18. Braylon Heard RB 5-11 180 Youngstown Mooney19. Gerald Robinson WR 6-2 185 Canton South /Michigan 20. Mike Dorsey DB 6-2 205 Warren Harding21. Andre Givens RB 5-10 180 Hubbard 22. J.T. Moore DE 6-3 235 Youngstown Boardman/Ohio State 23. Marcus Rush DE 6-3 225 Cincinnati Moeller24. Courtney Avery DB 5-11 175 Lexington/Michigan 25. Antonio Kinard LB 6-4 210 Youngstown Liberty/Michigan 26. Erick Howard RB 5-10 210 North Canton Hoover 27. Christian Pace OL 6-4 275 Avon Lake/Michigan 28. Terry Talbott DT 6-4 245 Huber Heights Wayne 29. Matthew Rotheram OL 6-6 290 North Olmsted/Pittsburgh30. Kurtis Drummond WR-DB 6-2 190 Hubbard

Ohio High’s Top 30 Seniors Update

SP GH GH SP

SP SP SP Sub SP

Andrew Norwell Jamel Turner Matt James Alex Smith

Darryl Baldwin Andrew Hendrix Tyrone Williams Spencer Ware Alex Welch


Shaw’s T yrone Wi l l iams

fter watching Tyrone Williams of East Cleveland Shaw run thesecond leg of the 4x400 meter relay for the Cardinals at the statetrack meet on the first weekend in June, it was hard to believe thathis right knee went under the knife just seven months prior. Williams helped his Cardinals relay team to a seventh-place fin-

ish in the 4x400 meter relay at the state meet after they won theevent in the Youngstown regional a week earlier.

“What you saw this year was Tyrone at about 80 percent,” said Shaw headfootball coach Rodney Brown. “He had only been running track for about amonth and people were really impressed with him and I would say to myself,‘Wow, wait until they see him healthy.’“His knee is structurally sound, no swelling, no pain, and he’s not favoring it

at all. And I know he still hasn’t got all his leg strength back yet because, like Isaid, he’s really only been running full speed about a month-and-a-half now.So I can only imagine how it’s going to be two months from now when weopen up. He’s going to be a real tough kid to handle.”Track is a relatively new sport for Williams, but he didn’t look like a novice

at all in the final two weeks of the season as he routinely got the baton nearthe back of the pack in each of the four races in the 4x400 and brought histeam back toward the front, each time, by the time he handed the baton off.“He’s only been a running track for two years,” said Brown, who claims that

Williams is somewhat of a natural at the sport. “I think (the 400 meters) iswhat he does best, but next year we’re going to have him run the 200. For himbeing a tall kid, he really has a short choppy stride and he really gets a lot ofpower out of it. And the surprising thing is that we had him in the long jumplast year (his sophomore year) and he jumped 22 feet, never even practicingit. “He’s just an amazing athlete. He’s still learning how to run track. He’s run-

ning the 400 on pure talent. He’s looking forward to doing it in his senior yearbecause I think he’s finally figured it out. So we’ll put him in the open eventnext year. Like I said, this year he was only 80 percent in Columbus. He’snot full speed yet but he’s headed in that direction and we’re doing some morerehab with him. I truly feel that in the next eight weeks, Tyrone is going to bereal tough to stop.”But according to Brown, who doubles as Shaw’s track coach, Williams was

somewhat reluctant to get involved with the sport at first.

“I had Tyrone start running track (his sophomore) year but he wasn’t initiallyreceptive to running track,” the coach said. “But I told him if he ran track itwould really take him to the next level and of course it did in just 4-1/2games.”Williams indeed got off to a fast start, statistically speaking, before he initial-

ly hurt his knee in week four. He had 11 catches for 372 yards (33.8 average)and eight touchdowns. He managed to play again briefly in game eight andthen again in week nine before he was forced to shut it down and have theknee surgically repaired on Oct. 30.“He was standing by a pile and got pushed over and (the knee) just went

the opposite way,” Brown said. “It sort of went inward (like a hyperextension)and, from what I’ve been told, if you’re going to get a torn ACL it’s best to gothat way. There was no real impact to the knee so it wasn’t traumatized inthat sense. That was the fourth game and we didn’t let him play again untilthe eighth week of the season. We didn’t think it was torn or anything big and,to our ignorance of the injury, we didn’t have him take an MRI of it. We justthought it was a swollen, sprained knee. “But he played like 2-1/2 quarters and scored two more touchdowns on a

partially torn ACL, which is really amazing since we couldn’t detect it beinganything worse than what it was because, like I said, there was very littleswelling.”Running track was basically a part of the rehabilitation process for Williams.“He rehabbed it real well and we took our time getting him back,” Brown

said. “With track, we thought that would be easier for him because it’s juststraight-ahead running, there was no sudden stopping or jumping.”As far as the football season was concerned, Williams still managed to

cram a whole year’s worth of production into just a half of a season on thegridiron.“If Tyrone would have played the whole season, I think he had like eight

touchdowns and 15 catches, oh man,” Brown said, “this kid probably wouldhave had 25 touchdowns, easily.”But after participating in just two plays in week eight, on one of the plays he

scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass, week nine proved to be the end of theseason for Williams who played almost three quarters of that game before here-injured the knee. Williams had a 76-yard touchdown in that contest. “Like I said, prior to that, we didn’t detect it being anything more than a

A


Shaw’s T yrone Wi l l iams


STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

sprained knee because he was running at full speed, he was jumping, he wascatching the ball, he was cutting,” Brown said. “What had happened (in weeknine) was he went to block a field goal at the end of the game and when helanded he said he felt it pop. Of course they missed the field goal, which wasgreat. We went to three overtimes and won the game, but we lost him perma-nently for the rest of the season.”And on the ensuing Monday, Williams did have an MRI done and that’s

when they discovered that it was torn. Gone was any chance for Williams toparticipate in the postseason with his team, which finished the year 9-1 afterlosing to Madison in the opening round of the playoffs.It was still a great season nonetheless for the 6-6, 220-pound wide out. It

was a breakout season that vaulted Williams toward the very front of the packin the recruiting process for the Class of 2010 in Ohio. (He is now rated as thestate’s No. 8 overall prospect in the senior class.)“Everyone who has sat with me and watched his highlight time, we’re talk-

ing about 4-1/2 games of highlights — that’s it, every coach or recruiter whosat down with me said this kid is a ‘can’t miss’ and he’s a ‘very rare one,’ ”Brown said. “You rarely see a kid that tall with the type of hips and speed thathe has, with the strength and size combination all together. And Tyrone justturned 17 in May so this kid is still growing. And some of them said there’s achance he may end up playing with his hand down and playing defensive endor tight end because they don’t know how big he’s going to get. He’s stillgrowing. So Tyrone’s limit is only himself.”The match-up problems he creates at the high school level are almost

unfair.“I’ve coached defense and I know there are some great kids out there who

play corner but they can’t match up with a kid who can run a 4.5, who’s 6-6and can jump as high as Tyrone can being as big as he is,” Brown said. “It’ssort of unfair for a high school kid. There’s not much they can do. What aspecimen he is. And he’s strong on top of it. To him it’s a gift and I hope thathe really uses it to go to the next level.”And on June 30, eight months after his surgery, Williams, not a man of

many words, declared his knee was back to normal as far as he could tell.“It’s 100 percent,” he said. “It feels better than before.”The injury actually helped Williams gain some upper-body strength.“He was naturally strong anyway but because of the injury we couldn’t do

any leg lifting so I took him with me during the off-season, the winter months,and we really did a lot of upper-body work,” Brown said. “If Tyrone pulled hisshirt off you would be in awe. That kid is so ripped and so muscular, it’s justfreaky to look at him because, like I said, he just turned 17. He’s still a baby.”All the physical attributes are already there in place for Williams.“Physically Tyrone has a senior’s body in college,” Brown said. “He’s a true

6-6, 220-pound kid and he has outstanding speed. He has what they call thatseparation speed meaning he can be running with you one moment, but oncethat ball is in the air he can actually take it to another gear which is veryuncommon for a high school kid. He has great hands, his hands are hugeanyway but they’re very soft, and he doesn’t drop many passes in practice.And in a game he’s pretty automatic.”With his knee on the mend, academics reportedly are the only issue that

could hold Williams back at this point.“As some kids do, especially the males, his ninth grade year wasn’t that

great,” Brown said. “So what we’re trying to do is make up for some of thosegrades. C’s and D’s hurt. You can still pass with C’s and D’s but to get thatdivision I scholarship you need a 2.5. You have to have a C+ average. At thispoint Tyrone is doing great in his classes. In the whole year, in four marketperiods, he had only one C. He’s had all A’s and B’s. And he’s going to haveto score a little higher on the ACT. As a matter of fact we’re waiting to get hisscore (June test), he may have already done it. I pray that he has because itwill take a lot of pressure off of him.”Williams is really a high character man despite any issues he may or may

not have with being eligible to land a division I scholarship. “He’s just a great kid. He just started off a little slow and has had to take

some extra classes,” Brown said. “So going into his senior year, if he contin-ues on the path that he’s on, and he should — I told him no C’s, stay awayfrom C’s – if he does that there should be no problem qualifying him for OhioState or a few of the other schools that are interested in him. But like I toldTyrone, the first thing we want to do is make sure he qualifies for a scholar-ship. That’s been our emphasis more so than what school he would go to.So we’re working on that. But he’s nowhere near where people think he is asfar as his grades are concerned. They’re steadily improving and his core GPAis starting to come up.”

Ohio State is definitely in the mix to land his services.“Oh definitely, he’s an Ohio kid,” Brown said. “We have Ohio State, we

have Cincinnati and West Virginia out there. I don’t know how far he wants toventure off, we really haven’t talked about that. As far as Ohio State goes, Idon’t want to tip anything off one way or the other. That’s Tyrone’s decision. Ican only help and guide him. But we love the state of Ohio. But dependingon how things turn out, (Ohio State) might not be an option so we have to lookat all of our options. But Ohio State will definitely be in his top five, without adoubt.”According to Williams, who mentioned that he would like to commit to a

school sometime during the season, Ohio State is one of the schools thathave offered him a scholarship.“That’s the best team for me right now,” said Williams, who attended a jun-

ior day at OSU back in January. “They have good coaches and players and Ilike the surroundings around Ohio State. I like Ohio State a lot. Me and thecoaches at Ohio State talk a lot, we talk about a lot of stuff, and I don’t talk tono other colleges like that.”He’s definitely an Ohio State-caliber kid and Devlin Culliver, the former head

coach at Harvey High School in Painesville and former head coach at Shawas well, will be the one responsible for Williams putting up more big numberson offense in his senior season. Culliver, who coached Chris Fields the lastfew seasons at Harvey, will coordinate the offense for Brown this year.Williams will certainly be the centerpiece on offense.

“We’re going to get that boy the ball at least 50 times. I’ve already talked toDevlin about it,” Brown said. “He’s going to get some catches. He’s our mainthreat. We have some other kids that are phenomenal athletes, we’re reallyblessed this year, but Tyrone is the man and everybody knows it. Like I toldhim, I said everybody tried to check Michael Jordan and they couldn’t stop himand you’re my Michael Jordan. We’re going to get you the ball.”The goals are rather simple for Williams this time around.“I just want to win every game and score two TDs a game,” he said. “And I

want to help us make a run in the playoffs this year.”Last season ended abruptly for the Cardinals who were unbeaten during

the regular season and hosted Madison in the first round of the playoffs.“It was real disappointing to see my team lose in the first round of the play-

offs against Madison,” Williams said. “I don’t want it to end like that this year.”Williams, according to Brown, has so much going for him not only on the

field but off of it as well.“He’s a real shy kid, but he’s a beautiful person,” the coach said. “I think as

a person he’s even better than he is as an athlete because he’s still pure. Hedoesn’t use profanity, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, he’s just a great kid.As a coach you always want this kind of athlete who’s a dominant kid but ishumble, is well mannered and he’s just a great kid. His mom and dad havedone a great job with him.” And with regard to his abilities on the field, Williams obviously has a

tremendous upside to him still.“Tyrone is from the old school, he works extremely hard and he never really

complains. And he’s like a sponge when it comes to information, he seems toabsorb everything,” Brown said. “He’s a talent that’s been growing over thelast few years and he’s only really played three full seasons of football andthat’s including middle school. The funny thing about Tyrone is that he’s a latebloomer, it hasn’t always been this way. In his 10th grade year he couldn’tcatch a cold and all of the sudden now he’s one of the top receivers in thispart of the country.”It’s safe to say that Brown seems to be elated that Williams is a Cardinal.“I’m glad he’s on my team and I don’t have to face him because you would

spend a lot of energy trying to figure out how to defend that kid,” Brown said.“He’s a real special one.” — OH

“I’ve coached defense and I know there are some great kids outthere who play corner but they can’t match up with a kid whocan run a 4.5, who’s 6-6 and can jump as high as Tyrone canbeing as big as he is. It’s sort of unfair for a high school kid.”

Shaw head football coach Rodney Brown


Lakota West ’s Jordan Hicks


Hicks, the state’s No. 1prospect according toOhio High, has tripsscheduled to Ohio State,Texas, USC, Florida,Georgia and Alabama.




hen you are No. 1, there isonly one way to go andthat’s down.But if anybody has a

chance to stay on top of thepack in Ohio’s Class of 2010

football prospects, West Chester LakotaWest linebacker Jordan Hicks would have agood shot.The 6-2, 220-pound Hicks is a well-round-

ed prospect who excels on and off the fieldfor the Firebirds. He was named Ohio’s No.1 prospect in the spring edition of OhioHigh and maintains that lofty rankingthrough this issue as well.And those scholarship offers from the likes

of Ohio State, USC, Texas and Florida – justto name a few – don’t hurt his cause,either.In his 12 years at Lakota West, coach

Larry Cox has sent his share of players tothe college ranks. He summed up whatmakes Hicks a can’t-miss prospect in theeyes of college coaches and recruiting ana-lysts alike. “The biggest thing is the person he is,”

Cox said. “Yeah, he’s a great athlete. He’sgoing to get offers because of his athleti-cism. But then you throw in how commit-ted he is to his academics and being agood person and now everybody wantshim. That’s how he got wanted by every-one.“He is a great leader. He takes an

approach to excellence at everything hedoes on and off the field and also when heis out in public.”Hicks is arguably the best linebacker

prospect in the country in the 2010 classand several recruiting services have himranked as one of the top overall recruits inthe land.

W



“That’s very humbling and it’s very cool becausethat’s one of the things that you grow up dreamingabout,” Hicks said. “Being considered one of thetop in the country, that’s big time. That’s prettycool.”Not satisfied with his lofty status, Hicks has been

putting in long hours in the weight room. “I’ve added a little bit of muscle in the last few

months,” he said. “I’m still 6-2, but I’ve addedaround 10 pounds and I’m around 220 right now.”Being a highly-publicized recruit can be fun, but

there are also downfalls — like constant calls fromreporters, for instance. However,Hicks seems like a good young manand he says the recruiting processhasn’t been a hassle for him.“Nah, it’s not too bad,” he said. “I’m

just trying to take it day-by-day. I’mnot trying to make too big a deal outof it.”Hicks comes from good bloodlines.

His father, Scott, played basketballfor Digger Phelps at Notre Dame. Hismother, Kelly Justice, has raised himpredominantly as a single parent.Hicks’ father left shortly after he wasborn. He still talked with his son onoccasion, though less frequently inrecent years. “I haven’t talked to him since, like,

my freshman year,” Hicks said. “Weused to talk a lot. I used to go seehim and stuff in Indiana. If I talked tohim, it was mainly about basketball.Basketball was my first love.” Hicks stays active in basketball.

He averaged 11 points and sixrebounds per game as a junior. Healso participates in AAU basketball.He said basketball was his first priori-ty until about two years ago, when herealized football was the sport thatwas going to take him to betterplaces in the future. It wasn’t that heplayed one more than the other, itjust happened to turn out that way. For Hicks, not being familiar with

his dad means he knows his momlike the back of his hand. She’s the one who keepshim working hard, humbling him to just try his best. “She helps me stay grounded, not get a big

head and everything like some people do with thisrecruiting stuff,” Hicks said. “My mom’s taught meeverything I know. I mainly play for her. I mean,yeah, I love the game and everything, but this issomething I can be successful at. I work hard tomake her proud of me. “With all this recruiting stuff, she’ll sit there and

give her opinion, but she’s open with whatever Idecide. She knows it’s my decision, ultimately, andshe’s gonna be happy for me with whatever. Shewants to be involved with the whole process,though. She’ll want to talk to the coaches andeverything also, and just give her own opinion.Then, we’ll both sit down and talk about the plusesand minuses.”

An Impact PlayerHicks worked in as a varsity player as a sopho-

more. As a first-year starter in 2007, Hicks record-ed 61 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks.

“I thought I did pretty well as a sophomore, butlooking back I can see the improvement from mysophomore to my junior year and how huge itwas,” Hicks said. “I think I’ve grown a lot as a play-er.”Hicks has flourished under the tutelage of former

UCLA star Carlton Gray, who serves as a defen-sive assistant with Lakota West.“I have to give a lot of credit to Coach Gray,”

Hicks said. “He has taught me a lot.”As a junior in 2008, Hicks had 88 tackles, 15-1/2

for losses, four sacks and two interceptions. He

was named as a first-team All-Ohio pick in DivisionI. He played some of his best football in two ofLakota West’s biggest games. He had 12 tackles ina loss to Cincinnati Princeton and 16 more in aloss to Greater Miami Conference powerhouseCincinnati Colerain.“I’m projected as an outside linebacker,” Hicks

said. “The coaches I talk to say I could be some-body who could play all three (linebacker) posi-tions. But, preferably, it would be outside.” ESPN.com’s Scouts Inc had this evaluation of

Hicks’ game: “He’s maybe one of the more explo-sive linebackers we have seen in the last twoclasses. Hicks generates striking speed and veloci-ty in the short-area and plays the game with anintense motor. He has ideal size with his goodheight and longer, thicker frame that still has roomto add 10-15 pounds of quality muscle.“He reads the play quickly. He can beat blockers

to the point of attack with speed or blow up the cut-off with outstanding short-area power. He showsgreat initial quicks and burst filling downhill. He mir-rors ball carriers well between the tackles and is

very difficult to outrun with his long wingspan andgreat chase speed.”

Decisions, DecisionsIn June, Hicks whittled his list of top schools to

six: Ohio State, USC, Texas, Alabama, Georgiaand Florida.“It’s a combination of the feeling I get when I talk

to the coaches,” Hicks said. “Those are the ones Ifeel most comfortable with. I’ll probably make mydecision sometime during the season. It could beearly in the season, it could be late. It’s just when-

ever I feel I’m ready.”Cox discussed how his star player

is trying to select a college.“It’s a process,” Cox said. “He

feels good about the schools left onthe list. Obviously at this point,somebody has to drop off becauseyou’re only allowed five official visits.One more will drop off, if not more.Right now, we’ll focus on theschools at hand.”A lot of people presume Hicks’

decision will come down to OhioState or Texas, but he plans onmake several official visits.“I don’t have a leader,” Hicks said.

“I just need to go see the schoolsfirst and then I will start to narrow itdown from there.”Hicks did seem to hint that Ohio

State will be difficult to beat for hisservices, though.“I know Coach Fick (co-defensive

coordinator/linebackers coach LukeFickell) real well and I’ve got a goodrelationship with all the coacheshere,” Hicks said. “And that’s proba-bly the main thing I’m looking for ina school is relationships with thecoaches and players. Football is ateam game and you want to be onthe same page with everybody andmesh well together.”Cox said Hicks hoped to make

some unofficial visits during thesummer to his top choices.

“What makes it difficult is all of the schools he isconsidering are pretty far away, outside of OhioState,” the coach said. “With Ohio State, I know hereally likes Ohio State and he likes Coach Tressel.But before he makes a decision, I think he wants togo and see those other schools. He has a goal togo see them.“When you’re looking at places like Southern Cal

and Texas and Florida, Georgia and Alabama, youdon’t just pick up and say, ‘I’m going here today.’You have to plan those trips.”Cox indicated that Hicks could graduate in

December. He will then play in the ESPN UnderArmour All-American Game in January in Orlando.He would then be free to enroll at his college ofchoice for the winter term, allowing him to partici-pate in winter conditioning and spring drills inpreparation for his freshman season in the fall.“I think that’s going to happen,” Cox said. “The

most important thing to him right now, though, ishis senior season. He’s said, ‘Coach, we want toaccomplish things that have never been donearound here before.’ ” — OH


“That’s veryhumbling andit’s very coolbecause that’sone of the

things that yougrow updreaming

about. Beingconsidered one

of the top(players) in thecountry, that’sbig time. That’spretty cool.”

Lakota West’sJordan Hicks

Ohio H igh ’s Top Junior Footbal l Prospects


he Class of 2011 for Ohio high school foot-ball prospects is shaping up to be anothervery good one. It is a class that is particu-larly strong on the defensive line and at line-

backer, and to a little lesser extent, in the second-ary. The Ohio Class of 2011 is also stronger atquarterback than has been the case in Ohio inrecent years.On the defensive line, defensive end Steve

Miller from Canton McKinley is an outstanding tal-ent. He worked out at the June 14 Ohio Stateadvanced camp and showed why he is so highlyregarded. Florida, UCLA, Michigan State andPurdue are some of the schools that have alreadyoffered Miller a scholarship, and Ohio State seemslikely to soon join that list.As talented as Miller is, defensive end Kenny

Hayes from Toledo Whitmer, at 6-5 and 220pounds, is almost a clone of Miller. Hayes hassimilar talent, too. Columbus DeSales’ Chris Rock,who could play either tackle or end at the nextlevel, has not yet received his first scholarshipoffer. But that seems likely to change before theend of the summer.Linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield, like

Miller, worked out at the June 14 Ohio Stateadvanced camp. The Buckeyes have not offered,but are definitely interested. A couple other line-backers gaining ground among the top prospectsin the state are Andre Sturdivant from ClevelandGlenville and Shaquil Petteway from Steubenville. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary defensive back

Doran Grant is one of several very talented Ohiodefensive backs. Grant attended Ohio State’sJune 14 camp as well as the Nike Football TrainingCamp at the University of Illinois on June 6. Heperformed well at both events.Pickerington Central defensive back Eilar Hardy

attended both of those camps as well. Hardy haspicked up his first scholarship offer as theMaryland Terrapins have stepped forward.

On the other side of the ball, quarterbackBraxton Miller from Huber Heights Wayne is notonly the top prospect at his position, but the No. 1rising junior in the state of Ohio. Miller landed ascholarship offer from Ohio State long ago. Morerecently he has added offers from West Virginiaand Cincinnati.While Miller is the No. 1 quarterback in the

state, others such as Marcus Graham fromTrotwood-Madison, Danny Reaser from ElyriaCatholic, Marcus Fuller from Ashland and LesterHughes from Campbell Memorial are other signal-callers whose stock is on the rise.There is a pretty group of receiving prospects in

the Class of 2011 led by wide receiver A.J. Jordanfrom Trotwood-Madison and tight end Ray

Hamilton from Strongsville. Both are waiting fortheir first offer, but that will come in time. Otherreceivers with big-time potential include ByronThompson from Springfield and Shane Wynn fromGlenville. Wynn is a dynamic athlete who is also avery good return man. One of the strong positions in the Ohio Class of

2010 is the offensive line. At this point the oppo-site is the case with the 2011 class. There are norising junior offensive linemen in the Buckeye statethat have landed a big offer to this point. The twomost likely candidates at this time are ChaseHounshell from Mentor Lake Catholic and ChrisBoles from Toledo Central Catholic. The accompanying graphic includes a look at

Ohio’s top 25 prospects for the 2011 class. — OH

T

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Verbal1. Braxton Miller QB 6-2 185 Huber Heights Wayne 2. Steve Miller DE-LB 6-5 220 Canton McKinley 3. Kenny Hayes DE 6-5 220 Toledo Whitmer4. Trey DePriest LB 6-2 210 Springfield 5. Ray Hamilton TE 6-4 215 Strongsville6. Chris Rock DL 6-5 240 Columbus DeSales7. A.J. Jordan WR 6-1 170 Trotwood-Madison8. Andre Sturdivant LB 6-3 205 Cleveland Glenville9. Doran Grant DB 5-11 175 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary10. Shane Wynn WR 5-8 155 Cleveland Glenville11. Shaquil Petteway LB 6-1 197 Steubenville12. Eilar Hardy DB 6-0 180 Pickerington Central13. Greg Brown DB 5-10 155 Fremont Ross14. Ronald Tanner DB 6-1 180 Columbus Eastmoor Academy15. Cheatham Norrils DB 5-10 161 Toledo St. John’s16. Chase Hounshell OL 6-4 220 Mentor Lake Catholic 17. Cole Stoudt QB 6-3 190 Dublin Coffman 18. Mikhail Seawood ATH 6-1 215 Warren Harding 19. Donavon Clark OL 6-4 285 Finneytown20. Josh McClain WR 6-2 200 Clayton Northmont 21. Jourdan Wickliffe WR-DB 6-1 177 Columbus St.Charles22. Cardale Jones ATH 6-4 190 Cleveland Glenville 23. Brian Cleckley DB 6-1 175 Hamilton 24. Roger Williamson WR 6-2 175 Dayton Dunbar 25. Brad Carrico OL 6-6 255 Dublin Coffman

Ohio High’s Top 25 Junior Prospects

SP SP SP SP

Steve Miller Trey DePriest Ray Hamilton Josh McClain

STORY BY B I L L KUREL IC


The Midwest A th let ic ConferencePhoto by Nick Falzerano

Led by senior QBsWes Hunsucker(Anna), KeithWenning (Coldwater),Wes Ulm (Delphos St.John’s) and GregKahlig (Fort Recovery),the MAC may be itsdeepest in years.

The Midwest A th let ic Conference


STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

“I think (this year in the MAC) is going to be oneof the toughest runs in a few years,” Ulm said. “It’sgoing to be the real deal. I mean Coldwater,Marion Local, St. Henry…and Anna. Even FortRecovery and those other teams are going to betough. I think from top to bottom it will be as com-petitive as it has been in a long time.”In a day and age when people are realizing

smaller may just be better, the MAC epitomizesthat shift in belief and focus. It truly is better. Andbetter than perhaps any small school conference inthe country.The MAC’s state titles and dominance at Ohio’s

small school state championships is staggering.Every school in the 10-team MAC – except New

Knoxville and New Bremen – has at least fourstate titles in a broad array of sports includingcross country, volleyball, boys basketball, girls bas-ketball, track, baseball and even bowling. Just forgood measure, New Knoxville’s boys basketballteam has won 63 straight regular season gamesand was the 2008 Division IV state champion.Regardless of its wealth in other arenas and

ovals, though, football is the heartbeat of this ruralWestern Ohio hotbed.On arrival to “God’s Country” as Mercer,

Auglaize, Darke and Allen counties are appropri-ately called, visitors are met by church steeples,grain silos and the lights from high school stadi-ums. Trophy cases full of football gold are alsocommon. “The MAC is the toughest conference in Ohio,”

Ulm said. “I mean I get beat up weeks threethrough 10 and it really prepares you for the play-offs. I’m not going to say it makes the playoffseasy, but it helps a lot playing in that tough of aleague.”In the last 19 years, the MAC has won 19 state

titles in football. No conference in Ohio has wonmore – ever. The vaunted Greater CatholicLeague? Just 15 football titles – total – since 1931.Since 2002 – the last year the MAC failed to

produce a title winner – the conference has gone9-2 in championship games. The last four yearsthe conference is 7-0 (won two titles a year from2005-07).Over that same span (since 2002) MAC teams

are 70-12 in the playoffs and 67-9 in postseasongames where a MAC team didn’t play anotherMAC team (that’s happened twice in the statesemifinals). In simplest terms the conference wins88-percent of the time it plays a non-conferenceteam in November – and December.The scary thing? This could be the conference’s

most-competitive season to date. Get out the Ben-Gay.“The MAC will be really deep,” Anna senior quar-

terback Wesley Hunsucker said. “It is going to bereally fun and it’s going to be competitive. Thereare going to be several sore Saturday mornings forus but it’s definitely going to be worth it.”Said Coldwater senior quarterback Keith

Wenning: “The MAC this year is going to be real

brutal. Every weekend is going to be like a playoffgame. The fans are going to be crazy and theteams are going to be excellent. You know yourgoing to have to play your best to win everyFriday.”The MAC going 20-0 in its non-league schedule

is a real possibility. Last year the conference was18-2 entering MAC play.Week 3 the fireworks start.“It’s definitely difficult (navigating the MAC),” Fort

Recovery senior quarterback Greg Kahlig said.

“We beat a lot of our non-league teams by a goodbit, but in the MAC there are so many good playersat so many schools – guys like these guys – andthere’s so much talent that it’s hard to win fivegames in the MAC each year.”This year there are at least five teams with a

good chance to win the MAC.Delphos St. John’s returns a ton from its D-VI

championship team including Ulm (who passed for1,172 yards and ran for 1,027 en route to 27 TDs),junior running back Jordan Leininger (1,222 yardsand 15 TDs) and junior linebacker Chris Pohlman(158 tackles). Despite their state title, the BlueJays finished third in the MAC last year, losing toColdwater and Marion Local. In 2007, DSJ was 2-8.Coldwater losses quite a bit from its D-IV region-

al finalist team, but the Cavs bring back enoughtalent to challenge for their seventh MAC title innine years. Wenning, who steps in at quarterbackfull-time, is seasoned enough and has madeenough plays (remember his two tosses on trickplays against Cardinal Mooney in the 2007 D-IVstate final?) to lead the Cavs back to the postsea-son. Senior defensive end Eric Leffeld has alreadycommitted to Cincinnati.Marion Local will be playing a lot of juniors

according to head coach Tim Goodwin, but shouldsenior running back Ben Smith return (he’s report-edly contemplating moving to Florida to play base-ball), the Flyers – D-V state semifinalists last year– will be in the thick of things again. Smith ran for1,575 yards last season.Anna, led by Hunsucker – a three-year starter at

QB who has thrown for 3,062 yards and 32 TDsthe last two years – finished second in the MAClast season and returns nearly every one of its skillplayers. The Rockets, who are entering their fourthyear in the MAC (for football only), made the D-Vplayoffs last year for the first time since 2005. Thereward? A match-up with Marion Local in the firstround.St. Henry, which has gone 6-4 the last two

years, has a ton of talent back, including no lessthan six players, including senior quarterbacksJordan Post (531 yards, seven TDs) and BradStahl (1,028 yards, nine TDs), who earned all-con-ference honors on a team that lost to DSJ, MarionLocal and Anna by seven points or less.Fort Recovery – a dark horse – is led by Kahlig

who is arguably the most accomplished quarter-back in the league heading into the season. A four-year starter, Kahlig already owns school recordsfor career, season and single-game passing yardsand TDs and will have plenty of targets to throw toagain as the Indians return a combined 1,756receiving yards among four players. Last yearKahlig threw for 2,804 yards and 18 TDs. As asophomore he threw for 1,579 yards and 16 TDs.New Bremen – another sleeper – returns 6-7

senior quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for1,307 yards and 11 TDs last season.Deep? Yes. Tough? No doubt.“(The MAC) is definitely going to be tough this

season,” Kahlig said. “There are three, four, fiveteams that could easily win the conferene this year.With a lot of depth there will be a lot of fighting forsecond, third, fourth and so on as well. “It’s going to be tough to squeeze off some

wins.”Until the playoffs that is. — OH

“The MAC is the toughest conference inOhio. I mean I get beat up weeks threethrough 10 and it really prepares youfor the playoffs. I’m not going to say itmakes the playoffs easy, but it helps alot playing in that tough of a league.”

Delphos St. John’s seniorWes Ulm

or Delphos St. John’s senior quarterback Wes Ulm, leadinghis Blue Jays to a second straight Division VI state title is agoal. Winning the Midwest Athletic Conference is another –and the harder of the two.F

MMAACC FFoooottbbaallll SSttaattee TTiittlleess

2008: Delphos St. John’s, D-VI

2007: Coldwater, D-IV

2007: Marion Local, D-V

2006: St. Henry, D-V

2006: Marion Local, D-VI

2005: Coldwater, D-IV



2003: Versailles, D-V






1995: St. Henry, D-VI




1989: Minster, D-V


Al l -Star Footbal l Game Round Up

or the fourth year in a row, Ohio’s top twohigh school football all-star games werecontested on the same day.On June 20, the 64th annual Ohio

North-South Classic was played in theafternoon at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.Later that day, the 52nd annual Big 33

Football Classic was played at HersheyparkStadium in Hershey, Pa.Here is a roundup of the two major Ohio high

school football all-star games for 2009:

OHIO SNAPS LOSING SKID, SCORES BIG WIN WITH 20 SECONDS LEFT IN BIG 33

One four-play sequence midway through thesecond quarter of the Big 33 Football Classic onJune 20 neatly illustrated a recurring problem forthe Pennsylvania offense.On first down, defensive end Melvin Fellows,

one of seven players on the Ohio squad headed

for Ohio State, bowled over 5-foot-10 inchPennsylvania running back Rob Hollomon, collaps-ing the pocket and forcing a sack.On second down, the 6-5, 245-pound Fellows

again manhandled Hollomon. On third down,Pennsylvania got a few yards back when Fellowswas whistled for his second offsides penalty of theevening. He might have been offsides again on thenext play, but it didn’t matter – future BuckeyeJonathan Newsome, the other end in the 5-2defensive scheme, swooped in from the other sideto drag down quarterback James Capello.The Buckeyes-to-be helped throw

Pennsylvania’s offense off its game early beforequarterback Austin Boucher and Ohio’s skill play-ers made some big second-half plays as Ohioovercame a late charge by the hosts and halted athree-game losing streak with a 38-31 win inbreezy Hersheypark Stadium.There were seven future Buckeyes and three

future Nittany Lions in uniform as one of the BigTen’s best rivalries grew some more roots. But the competition was firm but friendly during

one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious all-star games.Few plays passed without some of Joe

Paterno’s future players going up against some ofJim Tressel’s. Future Nittany Lion MarkArcidiacono, the Pennsylvania left tackle, immedi-ately shook hands with future Buckeye defensivelineman Corey Linsley as the game ended. He alsospent plenty of time squaring off with Newsome,the 225-pound speedster. Adam Bellamy, the OhioState-bound defensive tackle, scooped up CurtisDrake’s fumble at the Ohio 1-yard line early in thethird quarter.For other players about to join the two states’

premier teams, it was a quiet evening. Ohio quar-terbacks Austin Boucher, his team’s MVP, andPatrick Nicely (who were mostly well protected bytowering tackles Sam Longo and Marcus Hall, bothfuture Buckeyes) made concerted efforts to get theball to talented Ohio State-bound wide receiverChris Fields near the line of scrimmage. ButPennsylvania’s defensive backs were there waitingand didn’t let him get any yards after the catch.Pennsylvania’s 6-foot-6 tight end, Garry Gilliam,

who could play there or at defensive end for PennState, didn’t see a pass thrown his way until late inthe fourth quarter, when Drake found him for a 33-yard gain down the seam to the 1-yard line, settingup the score that knotted the game at 31-31 withjust over two minutes to play.Boucher, though, who threw for 255 yards and

two touchdowns and completed 18 of 24 passeswithout an interception, was too much for thePennsylvania defense in the second half, when hehooked up with Micah Hyde for a 99-yard scoreand set up the game-winning touchdown, a 1-yardrumble by converted defensive tackle AdamReplogle, with a 50-yard scramble through theheart of the defense.Drake, who could go on to play either receiver or

quarterback or some type of Pat White-hybrid posi-tion at Penn State, tore up the Ohio defense for 88yards and two touchdowns on the ground. But theconsistent pressure from Fellows, Newsome andLinsley, who made a big fourth-down sack to helpgive Ohio a late 14-point lead, was enough to forceDrake into some bad throws and give the Ohiosquad the bit of breathing room it needed to finally

F

Youngstown Ursuline’s DalePeterman (headed to Syracuse)was named the offensive player

of the game for the North.

Phot

o by

Mar

k Por

ter

Ohio nets last second win at Big 33; North routs South in Ohio Classic

Photo by Stephanie Porter

Al l -Star Footbal l Game Round Up


STORY BY JEFF R ICE & DAVE B IDDLE

turn the tables in the high-school version of thecross-state rivalry. — Jeff Rice

NORTH SETS RECORD IN NATION'S LONGEST RUNNING FOOTBALL ALL-STAR GAME

The longest-running high school all-star game inthe country – the Ohio North-South Classic – tookplace on June 20 at Ohio Stadium and the Northteam dominated the South, 49-7.In fact, the margin of victory of 42 points

accounted for the most in North-South history,breaking the mark of 36 points set two years ago(when the South won 50-14).This year marked the 64th North-South game, a

series that began in 1946. The North now holds a38-23-3 advantage in the series.The game’s MVP this year was North safety

Garrett Gronowski (6-3, 205, Avon High School)who had two interceptions. He will play collegefootball at Eastern Michigan.The North took the opening kickoff and wasted

no time in moving down the field. The drive wascapped by a 25-yard touchdown run fromMonterae Williams of Canton McKinley (who willplay college football at Findlay). Bryan Visingardifrom Springfield (who will play college ball atSlippery Rock) banged through the extra point andthe North had a 7-0 lead at the 10:38 mark of thefirst quarter.On the South’s first offensive possession, quar-

terback Jordan Barbina from Belmont Union Local(who will play this fall at Lake Erie College) wasintercepted by Gronowski who returned the pick 16yards and the North was right back in business.North quarterback Ryan O’Rourke of Avon (who

will play college ball at Slippery Rock) connectedwith tight end Derek Hoebing of Vermillion (whowill play at Michigan State) for a nine-yard touch-down at the 3:49 mark of the first quarter. The routwas on early as the North was staked to a 14-0lead.Early in the second quarter on its third offensive

possession of the game, the North struck yetagain. Quarterback Alex Pidcock from SylvaniaSouthview (who will play college ball at BowlingGreen) hooked up with wide receiver DalePeterman from Youngstown Ursuline (headed toSyracuse) for a 41-yard touchdown bomb. Thatmade the score 21-0 with 10:56 left in the secondquarter.Peterman had a brilliant start to the game and

had four catches for 99 yards at that point. He alsohad a 14-yard punt return later in the second stan-za.The first thing to go right for the South was

when defensive back Colton Foreman of TeaysValley (who will play at Army) picked off O’Rourkeon a deep ball in the second quarter. However, theSouth offense stalled and had to punt the ball rightback to the North.O’Roarke and Hoebing hooked up once again

through the air, this time for 17 yards on a thirddown play.Running back John Pittigrew from Cuyahoga

Falls Christian Academy (who will play at BowlingGreen) had a 16-yard run down to the three yardline. Then running back Anthony King fromAyersville (who will play college ball at Findlay)

punched it in the end zone from 1-yard out for a28-0 North lead.The South finally broke through on the ensuing

kickoff. Tyrell Massey from Columbus Marion-Franklin (who will play at Ashland) ripped off a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 3:49 left inthe second quarter to make the score 28-7.Massey showed good vision and excellent speedon the play.Due to the mercy rule that is used in the North-

South Classic (if a team is trailing by 14 or morepoints after they score, they get the ball back) theSouth retained possession and tried to makethings interesting before halftime.However, Gronkowski hauled in his second

interception of the game and promptly returned it55 yards to the South’s three yard line. Two playslater, O’Rourke ran a QB sneak for a one-yardtouchdown. With 2:05 remaining in the first half,the North continued to completely dominate at 35-7.“We’ve got a lot of great skilled athletes on the

offensive side of the ball and we were able tomake a few big plays early on,” North head coachMike Elder from Avon said following the game.“And then our defense, we’ve got some playmak-ers running around out there. We have guys thatare going to play Division I college football andthey know how to make plays.“Offensively, we had some big plays and Dale

Peterman who is going to Syracuse is a big-timeplayer. We tried to get the ball in his hands and ourquarterbacks played fantastic. And then thedefense created some opportunities for our offenseand that’s how it got out of hand and out of con-

trol.”Elder talked more about some of the top individ-

ual performances.“Garrett Gronowski had to big interceptions and

he’s on his way to Eastern Michigan and they real-ly got themselves a steal there – he’s a heck of ayoung man,” he said. “And Dan Molls from Padua, a young man going

to Toledo as an inside linebacker, played extremelywell. Ben Pike, a defensive end from Mentor that isgoing to Toledo, I also thought played well. TylerScott from Howland as well and he’s a Big Ten kidgoing to Northwestern.”As for Gronowski, he was all smiles after receiv-

ing the MVP award. It’s certainly not what a safetyexpects entering an all-star game.“We scored our first couple of touchdowns and

we were having a lot of fun and then our defensestepped up,” Gronowski. “We knew they weregoing to be passing and we know it was on us asDBs to make plays. We really took it upon our-selves to lock down the receivers.“It’s definitely an honor to win MVP with all these

great players that are going off to play in college.So, to win the game 49-7 and get MVP is reallynice.”Midway through the third quarter, the North was

facing a second-and-32 situation and the Southwas hoping to work its way back in the game.However, Pittigrew caught a screen pass fromPidcock, made a defender miss and sped acrossthe field for a 34-yard gain and a first down.But just when it looked like the North was going

to score once again, the South defense buckleddown and sacked Pidcock, forcing a fourth-and-29situation and the North’s first punt of the game.The punt would have been a touchback, butMassey decided to field it at the three and wasonly able to return it two yards to the five.The third quarter ended with the score still 35-7

in favor of the North.Following a fumble recovery deep in South terri-

tory, the North scored yet another touchdown on afive-yard run from King who bulled his way into theend zone. With 11:26 left in the fourth quarter, thecount was 42-7 North.The South responded with its best drive of the

game and it was led by quarterback Taylor Woodfrom Delaware Hayes (who will play college foot-ball at Eastern Kentucky). Wood was involved infour first downs – two passing and two rushing.However, the drive stalled when Wood threwincomplete on fourth-and-goal from the 12.The North’s final score of the game came on an

eight-yard touchdown run from Pidcock with 29seconds left, which gave the North the record forthe biggest margin of victory in Big 33 history.Peterman was named offensive player of the

game for the North and Molls was named defen-sive player of the game for the North.The South’s players of the game were Massey

on offense and Mike Hilty from Powell OlentangyLiberty on defense. Hilty is headed to Cincinnati toplay college football.Blowouts in the North-South Classic are nothing

new, especially in recent years. In 2004, the Southwon 44-28. In 2005, the North won 45-17. In 2006,the North won 34-13. As mentioned earlier, in2007, the South won 50-14. (Last year, the Northwon 28-14, which was a barnburner compared tothe other recent games.) — Dave Biddle

Alter’s AustinBoucher setsup the gamewinning TDwith a 50-yard run latein the Big 33game.

Photo by Os Figuero


USA Footbal l STORY BY JEFF WI L L IAMS

f he were texting the International Federationof American Football representatives incharge of seeding the first-ever Junior WorldChampionships, United States linebackerand co-captain Storm Klein of NewarkLicking Valley and Ohio State Universitywould have sent his message in all caps to

express his sentiments for the future: USA 41,CANADA 3.“Whoever ranked us No. 2, hopefully next time

they have something like this he thinks about thatnext time before he puts us down No. 2,” said Kleinafter his second-seeded U.S. team dominated top-seeded Canada 41-3 on July 5 in the Gold Medalgame at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. “I think ourgame and what happened out on the field speaksfor itself and we’re No. 1.“We went out there and we had something to

prove.”Co-captain Bryce Petty, quarterback and Baylor

freshman out of Midlothian, Texas agreed.“I think that right there, that’s motivation, 41-3,”

added Petty pointing towards the Fawcett Stadiumscoreboard. “Coming into this, that was every-body’s motivation, Canada being No. 1 and usbeing No. 2. This is America’s sport, this is oursport and I think we showed that today.”Head coach Chuck Kyle of St. Ignatius said his

team was mentally prepared since beating Mexico55-0 four days earlier.“After we won the second game all the players

knew, game’s on, it’s Canada -- they’re good,they’re players and they know what they’re doing,”said Kyle. “This was going to be a battle.

“And I have to give the kids credit. The next dayafter Mexico we were without equipment on but itwas clearly saying, ‘We need to start a gameplannow and we need total focus on what we need toaccomplish.”Starting safety Pat Hinkel, a recent graduate of

St. Ignatius and a Miami of Ohio recruit, said hecan’t fully express the joy he had wearing the goldmedal.“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “All the

hard work we put in, it just feels great toshare this moment with all of my team-mates. We all met three weeks ago and itcould have been tough to get that teamchemistry but it seemed to be no problem.I think we all came together for one goaland we accomplished that goal, we wonthe gold.”The United States continued its domi-

nance just as it did in its win over Mexicoand in its 78-0 opening-round win overFrance. The hosts had 408 total yards ofoffense (318 passing, 90 rushing) to just 49 forCanada (57 passing, minus-8 rushing) while hold-ing an 18-5 first down lead and holding the topseed to 0 for 10 on third-down conversions.Petty was a perfect 14 for 14 in passing for 190

yards and three touchdowns while PhillipButterfield, headed to Arkansas State, was 11 of 18for 128 more yards and another score.Asked if he had ever gone perfect in a game

before, Petty just laughed.“Negative, not even close,” said Petty with a

smile. “The thing about 14-for-14 that goes unno-

ticed is about 12 of those were a five-yard hitchthat they just turned and went up the field. WhatI’m saying is, we’ve got athletes, I have nothing todo with it. I’m just so blessed to be a part of thisand have the athletes around me that can do thattype of thing.”Kyle said his team, which had previously domi-

nated its opponents on the ground with more than300 yards and seven touchdowns by the VirginiaTech-bound David Wilson, took what Canada gavethem.“For us offensively, Canada came and decided

they were going to try and stop our running attackand they were clogging the paths with an eight-man front,” said Kyle. “And you know, you takewhat the defense gives you so Ok, we’re going tothrow the short, little passes and let our athletesget something done with it. And 14-of-14, that’s ok,that works.”The U.S. led 8-0 out the gates as Petty connect-

ed with Jamal Davis on a 17-yard pass at the11:07 mark and Canada, pinned into its own end-zone in a punting scenario, chose to take a safety.After a Canada field goal made it 8-3, the U.S.

got a 29-yard Wilson run on a nifty option pitch byPetty to close out the first up 15-3.A Mike Loftus field goal to end the half put the

hosts up 18-3 at the intermission.In the third quarter, the United States tacked on

with touchdown passes of 47 and 34 yards byPetty to Kevin Cummings and Erik Lora, respec-tively. In the fourth quarter, Canada took anothersafety and Butterfield hit Northwestern-bound JohnPlasencia.In the end, it was another easy win for the U.S.Starting offensive lineman Brian Winters of

Hudson also felt pride in wearing the gold medalnot only for the United States but as one of sixplayers from Ohio as well.“Everyone traveled from far distances but me,

just sitting here, being able to walk out my backdoor basically and coming out here to play andrepresent my country, it’s been an honor,” saidWinters.Kyle said he was proud of how his team came

together.“What you saw here, this was not an all-star

team,” said Kyle. “I’m going to look you in the eyeand I’ll tell you that til the day I die, this was not anall-star team, not at all. This was a team that hadabout a week and a half to two weeks to get readyfor a first game. And kids came from all overAmerica with a couple things that bind you togeth-er. “The love for the game of football and the love

of your country. That was a team you saw outthere today.” — OH

I

Newark LickingValley grad andOhio State fresh-man Storm Kleinintercepts a passin the goldmedal game.



St. Ignatiuscoach ChuckKyle (headcoach) andSt. Xaviercoach SteveSpecht ledTeam USA.


ocated approximately 34 miles west ofOhio in Muncie, Ind., Ball State Universityfielded one of the top college footballteams in the country last season. After a12-0 start, the Cardinals ultimately fin-ished No. 22 in the final BowlChampionship Series poll. Take a look over the Cardinals roster

for the upcoming season and it features 34 players– more than one-third of the total roster – fromOhio. Coincidence?Not according to head coach Stan Parrish. “There are just a lot of great football players in

Ohio,” said Parrish, a Parma Heights, Ohio native.“It’s like anything else – what you put into it is whatyou get out of it. We’ve put a lot of effort into ourrecruiting in Ohio. We’ve made it a priority, we’vebeen able to identify kids we think will be able to fitinto our program early and we’ve been lucky tomake it successful along the way.”A member of the Mid-American Conference, Ball

State has had success pulling players away fromthe six MAC schools in Ohio. What’s more, theCardinals have more Ohio players on their rosterthan conference foe Bowling Green.There was a shift in Ball State’s recruiting focus

when Brady Hoke was named head coach inDecember 2002, according to Parrish. Hoke, aKettering, Ohio, native, turned away from recruitingthe South and looked towards the Midwest talent.“We’ve changed our recruiting approach 100

percent,” said Parrish, who was named quarter-backs coach under Hoke in 2005. Parrish wasnamed head coach job last December when Hokeleft for San Diego State. “We basically recruit with-in a five-hour drive. For a long time we wererecruiting Florida and Georgia and we’ll still get akid now and then from there but that is not anemphasis.”Not only is Ball State signing players from Ohio

by the dozens, but the program is landing top tal-ent. Of the 34 Ohio players that will suit up for theCardinals this fall, 10 were ranked in the Ohio Hightop 100 prospects as seniors.Parrish recalled the first two players he recruited

after joining the staff: safety Alex Knipp of Amherst,Ohio and quarterback Nate Davis of Bellaire, Ohio. Knipp was a Division I All-State Honorable

Mention selection as a senior at Steele HighSchool tallying 5,531 all-purpose yards and 63 totaltouchdowns in his career. Davis completed 125-of-207 passes for 2,932

yards and 42 touchdowns as a senior leadingBellaire to the Division IV state semifinals andearned first team All-Ohio honors in as well asPlayer of the Year recognition. He set the Bellairecareer school record for passing yards (7,348) andtouchdowns (81) and was rated as the state’s No.38 prospect by Ohio High. “I will never forget those two,” said Parrish.

“They came (to Ball State) on a dream. Alex camebecause he liked what he saw and liked the chal-lenge. Nate came to start and hoped I could devel-op him into an NFL player.” Knipp has played in all 39 of Ball State’s games

since he stepped on campus as a freshman.For Davis, signing with Ball State was a no-

brainer as a quarterback prospect. Parrish’srésumé includes a Super Bowl championship as

Photo by Ball State Athletics

L

Bellaire graduate and former Ball State QBNate Davis was drafted by the San

Francisco 49ers in this year’s NFL Draft.

STORY BY MATT NATAL I Bal l S tate Footbal l


Bal l S tate Footbal l

Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks coach, guiding All-Prosignal caller Brad Johnson in 2003. Prior, he helpedMichigan to a 1997 Rose Bowl berth and theschool’s 11th national championship, coaching cur-rent Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese and NewEngland Patriots and future NFL Hall of Famer TomBrady.Parrish developed Davis into Ball State’s career

leader in pass attempts (1,124), completions (678),passing yards (9,233) and touchdowns (74) in threeseasons. He was named MAC Offensive Player ofthe Year last season, leading the Cardinals to theirbest campaign in school history and a berth in theGMAC Bowl finishing 12-2. Davis was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in

the fifth round of April’s NFL draft.“I’ve been fortunate and have had a lot of my

quarterbacks go on to the NFL. Those young guysthat are quarterbacks look at you and think I musthave a little bit of a pedigree,” said Parrish. “We’re still a team that plays from under center a

lot – a lot of teams are all spread. Our offenserevolves around the quarterback and he is featured.I think the young guys that aspire to play in that NFL– I would hope they are interested in us – and Ithink they are.”Robert Brewster, a three-year letter winner at Ball

State and Cincinnati Wyoming graduate, was select-ed by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round ofApril’s draft. At Wyoming, he was named theCincinnati Hills League Player of the Year as a sen-ior. Brewster also earned first team all-state honorsand was the Division III Co-Player of the Year. OhioHigh ranked Brewster as the No. 33 senior prospectfor in 2005.Since the 2006 class, Ball State has signed 20

players from Ohio, including 12 of the 22 playerssigned in the 2009 class. “Once you get a couple (players from Ohio) it

grows and grows and grows,” said Parrish. “Most ofthe kids didn’t even know where Ball State was. Itwas a matter of getting the kids to our campus tosee what we had.“The kids know each other and they know of each

other when they get out here. This business is aboutfriends. Kids trust their coaches and trust themwhen coaches tell them this (school) would be agood place for them to go.”As for the 2009 class, Parrish added, “I think it

might be as strong as any since I have been at BallState. We offered a lot of guys early and we’ve seena lot of the guys. Of course, some of the guys we’rerecruiting we’re not going to be able to get. But Ithink it is a very strong class, especially for ourleague. There might not be as many super stars thatthere have been before but I think it is a great year.” Of the 12 Ohio players in the signed in class, line-

backer Travis Freeman, cornerback Jason Pinkstonand linebacker Theon Dixon hail from ClevelandGlenville. Add sophomore wide receiver ToriealGibson, and there are four Glenville alumni on theCardinals roster. “I think a lot of the reason Ball State targets Ohio

is because (Stan) Parrish is from this area,”Glenville head coach Ted Ginn, Sr. said. “He did agreat job when he was recruiting at Michigan andeverywhere he has been.”Ball State is one of the first stops on the annual

Ginn Bus Tour where Ginn travels with prospects toschools in the Midwest as they work out for college

coaches.“When you recruit, you build relationships. I have

built a lot of relationships with coaches in the coun-try,” explained Ginn. “With the personal relationship Ihave with Brady Hoke and Stan Parrish, you justknow they are going to do a great job with your kidsand turn your kids into successful men.”That respect is mutual.“We have a great trust factor with (Ohio high

school football coaches),” Parrish said. “They feelcomfortable with their kids coming to our programand we feel comfortable recruiting those kids.” Of course, coming off the best season in program

history makes the recruiting process easier forParrish and his staff. “Our program has changed,” he said. “Everyone

has seen us play, we have been on TV more than

anybody in the MAC, we’ve got great facilities herenow and it is a much easier sell.”And several 2010 Ohio gridders are already sold

on Ball State. The Cardinals have received verbalcommitments from Xenia offensive lineman DakotaAnderson, Padua Franciscan defensive endAnthony Stryffeler, Westerville South wide receiverJack Tomlinson, Clayton Northmont defensive backQuintin Cooper, Spencerville offensive lineman TylerObringer and Cincinnati Moeller tight end DavidSchneider. As of print time, Parrish and his staffhave extended scholarship offers to nearly twodozen other Ohio players.“We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been

doing,” Parrish said. “I’m an Ohioan. I am proud ofbeing from Ohio and I love Ohio. “Enough said.” — OH

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Year High School1 Orsbon, Briggs WR 6-0 189 So. Convoy Crestview2 Edmonds, Frank HB 5-8 186 Jr. Lakewood St. Edward3 White, Seth WR 5-10 185 Fr. Bexley4 Ifft, Daniel WR 6-3 183 Jr. Dover8 Freeman, Travis LB 6-0 212 Fr. Cleveland Glenville9 Kuntz, Kyle FS 5-10 197 Sr. Vandalia Butler10 Pinkston, Jason CB 6-2 180 Fr. Cleveland Glenville11 Mershman, Aaron QB 6-2 210 Fr. Bowling Green12 Gibson, Torieal WR 5-9 164 So. Cleveland Glenville13 Dehaney, Armand CB 5-8 177 Fr. Cuy. Falls Walsh Jesuit14 Schott, Steven PK 6-1 156 RFr. Massillon Washington24 Dixon, Theon LB 5-11 190 Fr. Cleveland Glenville25 Baker, Sean SS 6-1 204 So. Canfield27 Alford, Jelani HB 5-9 175 Fr. Cincinnati Withrow28 Dawson, Andre WR 6-0 183 RFr. Lewis Center Olentangy32 Womack, Lorren WLB 6-0 219 So. Huber Heights Wayne35 Jordan, Zac FS 5-10 196 So. Cincinnati Elder36 Rolf, Pete DT 6-4 259 So. Piqua38 Knipp, Alex FS 6-0 196 Sr. Amherst Steele39 Kish, Brandon RB 5-11 205 Fr. Amherst Steele41 Puthoff, Andrew DE 6-3 257 So. St. Henry43 Green, Jacob TE 6-3 238 Fr. Cincinnati 43 Kilburn, Tad SS 6-0 180 Jr. Monroe44 Hartke, Ryan TE 6-4 218 So. St. Henry52 Neff, Evan OL 6-4 255 Fr. Kettering Alter53 Muhlenkamp, Cody LS 5-11 187 Jr. Coldwater63 Yoder, Steve OG 6-3 305 RFr. Massillon Washington81 Ryan, Connor WR 6-1 185 Fr. Cleveland St. Ignatius82 Grant, Madaris TE 6-5 221 Sr. Cincinnati Mount Healthy87 Trempe, Myles WR 6-4 200 Jr. St. Paris Graham92 Pitcock, Jafe DT 6-2 264 So. Piqua97 Jarrett, Donovan DL 6-2 300 Fr. Hamilton98 Keller, Sean WR 5-10 187 Jr. Kings Mills Kings99 Morris, Adam DT 6-0 272 So. Dublin Scioto

Ball State’s Ohio Contingent

Boys Basketbal l Recrui t ing Update


STORY BY JEFF RAPP

eading into the spring, Ohio High magazine produced updates on allof the top boys basketball players in the state, including our latestrankings in each class. While we won’t update those for this issue,it’s safe to say a few key developments have occurred in the lastfew months.Perhaps most noteworthy is that two top-tier players – including

the headliner of the Class of 2011 – will not be playing ball in the Buckeyestate next season.Also, the clock is ticking for the elite seniors-to-be who are still free agents

in the recruiting process, although one of them recently decommitted from oneprominent college program to pick another school that is closer to home.Conversely, just weeks after we unveiled our first-ever rankings for the Class

of 2012, the player who tops that newly minted list bypassed years of assess-ment time and accepted a scholarship offer on the spot.Also, several of the premier players already have participated in some of the

most prestigious camps of the offseason and a couple in-staters were on dis-play in the biggest one of all, the LeBron James U.S. Skills Academy, held inAkron in early July.

Happy TrailsThe first bombshell of the off-season came from Dayton as Thurgood

Marshall point guard Juwan Staten decided at the beginning of May to transferto Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.The 5-11 Staten, who just led Thurgood Marshall all the way to the Division

II state final, is considered one of the top performers in the entire state andwould have been a legitimate “Mr. Basketball” candidate as a senior had hestayed put. Instead, he’ll now become a key piece to a prep program that went41-1 last year and lost in the mythical national championship finale withHenderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep.Oak Hill, which is headed by longtime coach Steve Smith, has sent more

than 150 players to Division I colleges in the last 25 years as well nearly threedozen who have gone on to play in the NBA. That list includes first-round draftpicks Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Rod Strickland, Josh Smith, MarcusWilliams, William Avery, Jerry Stackhouse and Cory Alexander.Staten has admitted that was a factor and sources close to the situation say

the mercurial lead guard also is aiming for an appearance in the McDonald’sAll-American Game, which is slated to be held in Columbus at Ohio State’sValue City Arena next April.“I’m really excited, kind of ecstatic really,” Staten told the Dayton Daily

News. “When I was younger, I’d hear some of those names and it seemed likesomething so far fetched for me to be a part of. I honored to go there now.”Staten maintains that he is still “100 percent committed” to the University of

Dayton and that he will return to town to play for the Flyers after his one yearin Virginia. He averaged 20.4 points per game as a junior and was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division II. He also was rated asthe No. 4 player in the 2010 class in our previous edition of OH.Chane Behanan, the top player in the 2011 class according to OH, also has

left the state borders. A 6-7 power forward who already is ranked in the top 25nationally among juniors-to-be, Behanan has been at the head of the classalmost from the moment he splashed onto the scene at Cincinnati Aiken.He averaged 20.2 points and eight rebounds per game as a frosh but didn’t

keep up the torrid pace as a soph, sometimes because he floated out to theperimeter too much and sometimes because he struggled in the post againstphysical players. There were even rumors late in the season that he mightdecommit from the University of Cincinnati. Whatever caused the drop-off itappears that it was enough cause for concern for his mother, Heaven Warren,to decide to move to Bowling Green, Ky., and enroll her son at Bowling GreenHigh School.With Behanan now out of the state, the new king of the class appears to be

6-9 center James “Zach” Price of Lakewood St. Edward. He averaged rightaround 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots per game and helpedthe Eagles advance all the way to the regional tournament before the seasonended with a loss to Warren Harding. Several major programs already arecourting Price, including Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State andWake Forest.

I’ll Take ThatTwo key in-state players recently accepted scholarship offers in pretty quick

fashion, although one just completed his freshman season at the prep levelwhile the other is a senior-to-be who previously was committed elsewhere.

ColumbusNorthland senior

J.D. Weatherspoonis still undecided on

college. He previ-ously committed to

Xavier beforepulling out.

H



Boys Basketbal l Recrui t ing Update

Elijah Macon, a 6-7 power forward at Columbus Marion-Franklin and a fast-rising prospect in the 2012 class, attended the Mountaineers Elite Camp atWest Virginia University and came home with a schollie in his pocket.Macon said WVU assistant coach Larry Harrison approached him and said

he wanted the youngster to come over and talk to head coach Bob Huggins,who promptly offered Macon on the spot. The camp was held just before theJune 15 mandatory date which allows programs to begin calling high schoolfreshman and sophomores, so the Mountaineers simply beat several programsto the punch.Macon is an outstanding athlete with good size and a high upside. He

topped our first list of in-state prospects for 2012.The other quick grab came from well-rated 2010 point guard Aaron Craft of

Findlay Liberty-Benton, who is an All-Ohio Red AAU teammate of Staten andother top-rated seniors-to-be such as Jared Sullinger, Jordan Sibert, AdreianPayne and J.D. Weatherspoon.The 6-2 Craft said he began to rethink his future after seeing the toll all the

travel was taking on his family as they tried to follow him on the AAU circuit. Hemade a call in late May to Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl to inform him hewanted to reopen his recruiting with an idea on finding a school closer to home.The first – and only – stop was in Columbus as he made an all-day unofficial

visit to Ohio State on June 4. By the end of the weekend he was committed tothe Buckeyes.“I called (Matta) and told him I wanted to be part of the Buckeye family,”

Craft said. “He was excited and I was excited. It was a great time for myselfand my family just to get it off my chest.”Craft averaged 19.1 ppg as a junior and was named the Northwest District

Player of the Year and first-team All-Ohio in Division III. He helped lead Liberty-Benton to a state title game in football in 2008 and the state final four in bas-ketball in 2007.

Fast Break Points* Sibert, a 6-4 shooting guard from Cincinnati Princeton who is committed to

Ohio State, said that his recovery from a double fracture is ahead of scheduleand that he plans to be ready to go for his senior season with the Vikings.“I have no concerns at all,” he said in late May. “None whatsoever. I’ll be

back 100 percent and better than before. Everybody should look forward to abetter season than last year.”Sibert was toiling with his All-Ohio Red brethren when he landed awkwardly

and suffered fractures in both his lower tibia and fibula of his left leg on April 12during the Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, Va.He could have been out the entire summer but is now slated to return full

force around the end of July. He entered the season rated as the No. 42 juniorin the country by both ESPN.com and Hoop Scoop and he more than lived upto the billing by helping Princeton to the Division I state title game and a nation-al ranking that reached as high as No. 15 by USA Today.

* Sullinger, Craft, Staten and Payne all performed well at the NBPA Top 100Camp in Charlottesville, Va., in mid-June. Sullinger led his team to the tourna-ment finals and was named to the camp all-star squad.The 6-9 Sullinger and 6-10 Payne, who is still undecided on a school, also

attended the Amare Stoudemire big man’s camp in Phoenix in late June andwere scheduled to compete in the James camp July 5-7.* Mark Henninger, a 2010 prospect, has committed to Kent State. Henninger

is a 6-7 power forward at Massillon Jackson. He was offered the scholarship bythe Golden Flashes back in October.* Another 2010 talent, 6-2 point guard Nick Kellogg of Columbus DeSales,

appears to be whittling down his list of schools. Kellogg claimed recently thathe may be down to just five candidates: Ohio U., Miami (Ohio), JamesMadison, Northwestern and Indiana. His older brother, Alex, recently trans-ferred from Providence to Ohio. Nick averaged 16.7 ppg as a junior last seasonand was named second-team all-state in D-II.* Cleveland Benedictine swingman Cameron Wright, a former Ohio State

commitment, said recently that he is now hearing from a multitude of schoolsincluding Wisconsin, Ohio U. and Bowling Green. Wright is a 6-5 senior-to-be.* Several of the top juniors-to-be in Ohio including Price and Akron St.

Vincent-St. Mary power forward Jakarr Sampson were on display at the NikeHoop Jamboree in St. Louis June 11-14.Also, 6-7 Aaron White of Strongsville made the all-tour team at the presti-

gious Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. Hoop Scoop’s Chris Johnson,our resident expert on Ohio talent, said White is “a 2011 kid whose stock hasgone up the most in the April-May period.” — OH

The following are our updated rankings for seniors- and jun-iors-to-be in Ohio:

Seniors (Class of 2010)1. Jared Sullinger, 6-9, power forward, Columbus Northland

(Ohio State verbal)2. Adreian Payne, 6-10, center, Dayton Jefferson3. Jordan Sibert, 6-4, wing forward, Cincinnati Princeton

(Ohio State)4. Aaron Craft, 6-2, point guard, Findlay Liberty-Benton

(Ohio State)5. J.D. Weatherspoon, 6-6, wing forward, Columbus Northland 6. Geron Johnson, 6-3, shooting guard, Dayton Dunbar7. Allen Payne, 6-6, wing forward, Cincinnati Winton Woods8. Cameron Wright, 6-5, shooting guard, Cleveland Benedictine9. Nick Kellogg, 6-2, point guard, Columbus DeSales10. Griffin McKenzie, 6-9 power forward, Cincinnati Moeller11. Ralph Hill, 6-6, wing forward, Westerville North (Dayton)12. Derek Jackson, 6-0, point guard, Cleveland Benedictine

(Central Michigan)13. Anton Hutchins, 6-3, shooting guard, Lima Senior14. Kenny Knight, 6-7, power forward, Cincinnati Aiken

(Kent State)15. Josh Egner, 6-7, power forward, Massillon Jackson

Juniors (Class of 2011)1. James “Zach” Price, 6-9, center, Lakewood St. Edward2. Jakarr Sampson, 6-8, power forward, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary3. Anton Grady, 6-8, power forward, Cleveland Central Catholic4. Markus Crider, 6-5, wing forward, Huber Heights Wayne5. Trey Burke, 5-11, point guard, Columbus Northland6. Paul Honigford, 6-8, power forward, Sugarcreek Garaway7. Stevie Taylor, 5-9, point guard, Gahanna Lincoln8. Trey Lewis, 6-0, guard, Garfield Heights9. Kirby Wright, 6-8, power forward, Middletown10. Aaron Thomas, 6-4, wing forward, Cincinnati Aiken

Ohio High’s Top Senior and JuniorBoys Basketball Prospects

NF NF GH

Adreian Payne Marcus Crider Anton Grady

For more updates on Ohio’s top prospects and those nationally,check out Chris Johnson’s work at hoopscooponline.com

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2009 High School Football Preview and Year in Review

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