Ohio High January 2008

Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

PrintingMiami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)

miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyGary Housteau, Nick Falzerano,

Stephanie Porter, John Ritter, Jim Rinaldi,Greg Beers, Brad Morris, Lori Reeder

ContributorsPaul Boggs, Todd Stumpf, Ian Mara,

Alex Sator

Staff WritersKirk Larrabee, Glenn Forbes,Jeff Rapp, Dave Biddle

Assistant EditorMatt Natali

Recruiting EditorDuane Long

Managing EditorEric Frantz

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Letters to Editor

n Dec. 1, my wife called me prior to the Division IV state football championshipto see what channel the game was on back in Dayton. Her reasoning? Shecouldn’t “imagine another football team being better than Coldwater.”

Turns out there wasn’t.Influenced by the Cavaliers dismantling of Williamsport Westfall the week before in

the state semis, my wife and I left that game thinking Coldwater had a chance againstYoungstown Cardinal Mooney -- the prohibitive D-IV favorite to repeat as state champi-ons since the end of last season. Few others felt the way we did. Mooney was after all-- despite being a D-IV team -- ranked No. 8 nationally in the USAToday Super 25.Coldwater won anyway, 28-27.It was the Midwest Athletic Conference’s second state title in as many days and the

MAC’s second win over a favored team from the Mahoning Valley’s fabled Steel ValleyConference. The first “upset” had gone to Maria Stein Marion Local, which won its sec-ond straight state title with a 20-14 victory over Youngstown Ursuline in the D-V final.Last year Marion Local won in D-VI, while Ursuline was in the D-IV playoffs.This has become commonplace in Stark County when the weather turns cold – the

MAC walking away with wins, hardware and history.Consider, eight of the last 10 years, the MAC has sent two, yes TWO, teams to the

state football finals. The first five trips, the conference went 5-5. The last three visits theMAC is 6-0.Mercer andAuglaize County residents ought to start buying property in Canton and

Massillon.They own it anyway.

What’s InsideIn addition to our extensive coverage of the state football finals in this issue of Ohio

High Magazine, including Coldwater’s dramatic win, we recap all state finals for all fallsports including boys and girls soccer, girls tennis, boys and girls golf, boys and girlscross country, field hockey and volleyball.Also featured are our Ohio High/Huntington Bank players of the year in all fall sports

and our football coach of the year.Other articles include:* Ohio High Cup standings: We release the first rankings for the 2007-08 school

year.* Duane Long’s top senior and junior football players: The 2008 senior class is

recapped one last time before moving our attention to the 2009 class come May.* The Ohio High/ONNAll-Ohio football team.* A feature on Middletown Madison senior basketball player Nathanael Harney, who

is honoring his deceased brother and identical twin this season.* Updated information on Ohio’s top boys and girls basketball recruits.* A feature on Indiana University-bound basketball standout Tom Pritchard of

Lakewood St. Edward.About the only thing more absolute than the fact fans of high school sports will enjoy

this issue of Ohio High is that the MAC will win two football state championships nextyear.Or at least have two teams playing for titles.

Eric FrantzManaging Editor

Ohio High Magazine is published bi-monthly, six times ayear. Ohio High is an independent source of news and fea-tures relating to Ohio high school sports. Ohio High strivesto report information based on fact, but assumes noresponsability for any inaccuracies that may appear withinthe pages. Ohio High is not authorized, sponsored or sanc-tioned by any university, athletic conference or athletic gov-erning body.Subscriptions are available for $29.95 andmay be purchasedonline at jjhuddle.com.Single copy price is $6.95 each.Copyright 2008, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVERPHOTOS:NickFalzerano

c

Going forward, here are general topics that will be covered in each edition of Ohio High:* March (Due out Feb. 15) – Basketball and wrestling tournament previews.* May (Due out April 15) – Recap of basketball and wrestling state tournaments and

first top 100 football recruit bios* July (Due out June 15) – H.S. football preview, spring sports recap* September (Due out Aug. 15) – Top 100 senior prospect bios updated* November (Due out Oct. 15) – Basketball preview issue, football playoff previewCheck out JJHuddle.com every day for season previews and daily coverage of Ohio

high school athletics. For subscription information on Ohio High, check the Internet atwww.jjhuddle.com

Upcoming Issues

O

Volume 5 Issue 4

JJHUDDLE.COM

32

62

15

7Photo by John Ritter

Photo by Greg Beers

Photo by Gary Housteau

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Also...

The Huntington Bank/Ohio High Magazine Players of theYear in all fall sports

Fall Sports Players of the Year7

Middletown Madison senior Nathanael Harney62St. Edward senior and Indiana basketball recruit Tom Pritchard60

A look back at all OHSAA-sanctioned fall sports championshipsFall Sports Round Up15

Marion Local takes the early lead after fall seasonOhio High Cup Standings20

Coldwater and Marion Local’s wins headline the state footballfinals; Cincinnati St. Xavier completes undefeated season

2007 State Football Recap

The top high school football players regardless of DivisonONN/Ohio High All-Ohio Football30

A final look at the Class of 2008’s top football recruits

Duane Long’s Updated Top 10036

St. Xavier football standout Greg Scruggs50

21

Cardinal Mooney’s Danny McCarthy takes the top honorONN/Ohio High Football POY32

Cardinal Mooney head coach P.J. Fecko earns nodONN/Ohio High Football COY35

An early look at the top football players in the Class of 2009Duane Long’s Top Juniors52

Buford, Mullens and Roe top Ohio’s Class of 2008Boys Basketball Recruit Update56

Ohio’s leading girls prospects sign Division I lettersGirls Basketball Recruit Update64

eading into the state tennis tournament this fall, Kate Turvywould have told you she wasn't sure about continuing her highschool tennis career beyond this, her junior year at DublinCoffman High School.After what transpired in the Division I singles final on a windy

October afternoon in Hilliard, it's now hard to believe Turvy – named theHuntington Bank/Ohio High Player of the Year in girls tennis -- will beable to stay away.The No. 1 player in Ohio, Turvy is currently ranked in the top 50 of the

USTA's December national girls 18s standing.Players of that caliber rarely elect to play high school tennis at all,

given that 99 percent of the matches they will play don't present even theslightest challenge. The vast majority ofTurvy's set wins since she began herhigh school career have been 6-0, andshe doesn't often let opponents scorethree points in a game.But when asked in December about

her plans for next fall, the two-timedefending Division I singles championsounded firm in her resolve to try for No.

3."Right now, I'm definitely planning on playing again," said Turvy, who

would take a 59-match winning streak into the 2008 season. "It's not 100percent, but unless something changes I'm going to play."Since she fell in the state semifinals as a freshman, Turvy has won

every one of the 118 sets she has played in a high school uniform.But the emotion and energy of Turvy's 6-1, 7-5 victory over Stephanie

Danesis on Oct. 20 in the D-I singles final at Davidson might have coun-teracted every one of the laughers that went before it."I've never seen her like that," Coffman coach David Drees said after

the match, after Turvy had overcome blustering winds, a failing serve andthe size of the moment to battle back from 4-1 down to capture the title.Danesis, like Turvy, a top junior talent (the Akron resident is ranked No.

2 among Ohio players by the USTA), was on top of her game early inthat second set and had Turvy on the ropes for the first time in more thantwo years of high school play.In an effort to simply keep her the ball in play, the Dublin baseliner

started points on her serve underhand. It was a tactic she had used

before, but only toovercome injury.With her biggest

weakness now weakerthan ever, Turvy’s set-streak and the statechampionshipappeared to hang inthe balance after fivegames of the set.It was at that point

that a competitive lightwas flipped in Turvy'shead and the Lilliputianrighty began physicallyand verbally willing her-self back into thematch.In a move that drew

the ire of both Danesisand the RichfieldRevere coach, Turvystarted screaming"come on!" and pump-ing her fist after virtual-ly ever single point.Turvy would screamout loud and practically

leap towards her chair before changeovers.It was electric. And it was working."It was the greatest thing I've ever seen," Drees said. "She got better

the more excited she got. It was just one of those things where Kate tookit to a level she’s never been to before."Turvy's private coach, Wedgewood pro Scott Welsh, stood and

watched the drama unfold with giddy excitement and pleasant surprise."I don't think she's ever done this," Welsh said of the verbal outbursts.

"She's just fired up."Though unapologetic for her actions, Turvy stressed after the match

that the emotion was not aimed at her opponent."Winning a state championship is really important to me," she said

afterwards. "I was really excited to be there, I had a lot of energy and Ihad to show it.It's hard to describe, but you can’t keep that much energy inside you."The question now is what a senior Turvy will be able to manage for an

encore.– Ian Mara

J JHUDDLE .COM 7JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Fal l Spor ts Players of the YearSTORY BY OHIO HIGH STAFF

t was another great fall season inOhio high school athletics. OhioHigh is proud to partner with

Huntington Banks to present the playerof the year awards in 10 fall sports.The football player of the year award is

revealed on page 32. Here is a look atthe nine other player of the year awardwinners for the fall season.I

Boys & Girls Soccer

Boys & Girls Golf

Boys & Girls C.C.

Volleyball

Tennis

Field Hockey

KateTurvy

DublinCoffman

Coffman’s Turvy Takes TopHonors In Girls Tennis

Girls Tennis

H

Dublin coffman junior Kate Turvy

PhotobyGreg

Beers

ayton Christian’s twin sensations, Walter and John Luttrell, havehad quite a year. Their photo finish in the Division III cross coun-try final at Scioto Downs will be talked about for years to come,and now they have been named as the Huntington Bank/OhioHigh Runners of the Year in boys cross country.

“I’m really proud of them,” Warriorhead cross country coach Larry Meyerssaid. “They are hard working, dedicated,all-around great guys. They always seemto run their best when the pressure is onthem in the big race. The more they havebecome aware of their natural talent, themore they have trained; and the betterthey have trained the better they havegotten. It’s funny how that works.”The final is still etched in Meyer’s

mind.“They came through the mile around

4:50 and the two-mile around 10:00. Withabout a kilometer to go they were togeth-er with the kid from Louisville (Tony Migliozzi) as we knew they would be.They came into the stadium, put the hammer down, and powered awayfrom him. Then it was just the twins. Walt reached way back for his kickand got John at the tape. They were 0.27 of a second apart, 15:34.09and 15:34.36.”The Luttrell’s interests aren’t limited to just cross country. Last spring

Walter won the 3200-meter run at the state track meet (9:18) and Johnfinished third (9:25). John also finished second in the 1600 (4:18) to for-mer Yellow Springs star Sam Borchers. All of this scoring contributedheavily to Dayton Christian’s 2007 Division III state team championship intrack and field.“They are pretty good soccer players, too, and they played for the

school team this fall,” Meyers offered. “They’ve been playing their wholelives. Last year on the Thursday before the cross country regional, theyplayed every second of a double-overtime game in the state soccer tour-nament. They’re busy kids.”On a bedroom wall somewhere in suburban Dayton is a picture of two

twins hitting the tape together in the state final.“I am not very good at taking the lead so I let John lead the races,”

Walter laughed. “We were pretty much the same distance apart thewhole race and I thought that I would just maintain that through the endof the race but in that last 50 meters that all changed.“It’s hard to sprint in but once you get going it gets easier. Once I got

going, I knew that I could pass him. It’s easier to catch someone than it isto hold him off. He probably would have done the same thing if I wereleading.”John had a different perspective.“I had been leading the whole race and he passed me in the last five

meters,” John said. “I lead the workouts and win most of the races butsomehow he usually beats me in the biggest races. That’s going tochange this year in track though!“We won the state team title last year. We’re both going to double in

the 1600 and the 3200 to get team points. I should beat him at least inthe 1600 because I have a little more natural speed than he does,although there isn’t much of a difference. We are about equal although Iusually push the pace and Walter usually tries to draft off of me.”

The Luttrells are con-sidering college offersfrom Kentucky andBowling Green. Evenso, they know that 2007was a great time, ayear for them to savor.“We had a disap-

pointing season lastyear,” John stressed.“We both had reallygood track seasons sowe knew that if wecame into the CC sea-son healthy that wecould have a breakoutseason. I ran a 15:33(personal record) at theFairmont Firebird meetand Walter ran a 15:33(personal record) at theMideast Meet ofChampions -- and weran our best at the statemeet, so we arepleased.”

– Alex Sator

J JHUDDLE .COM8 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Fal l Spor ts Players of the Year

Walter andJohn LuttrellDayton Christian

Only Fitting: Luttrell BrothersShare Cross Country Honors

Boys Cross Country

D

Dayton Christian

seniors Walter

and John LuttrellPhot

oby

Greg

Beer

s

Boys Golf

e didn’t appear on the Tonight Show at the age of 6, but MacMcLaughlin has done many things with a golf club that peopleoutside of Tiger Woods likely cannot even comprehend.Most recently that included shooting a 66 on Ohio State

University’s Gray Course in the second round of Ohio’sDivision II state high school golf tournament. That score liftedMcLaughlin to individual state medalist honors and propelled HuntingValley University School to its second consecutive team champi-onship and third in five years.His accomplishments this season are

why McLaughlin is the HuntingtonBank/Ohio High Player of the Year inboys golf.His level of accomplishment on the

course is why this will not likely be thelast we’ve heard of the Preppers’ juniorstar.Much like Woods, McLaughlin’s story

begins as a 2-year-old prodigy. He wasgiven a toy club and fell in love with it.Soon thereafter, McLaughlin’s dad cut aputter down to fit the youngster. Thefamily built a putting green at his grand-parents’ house, giving him a place to practice. Taking lessons fromhis dad, McLaughlin quickly developed a passion for the game.“I just kind of picked it up and progressed,” he says.“I wasn’t one of those Tiger Woods guys, who had a perfect swing

at age 4. I had a good swing. I could hit the ball and my putting was

University School’s McLaughlinBags Top Award In Boys Golf

H

MacMcLaughlinUniversity School

ichael Green was born in Birmingham, England. But that’s notwhy soccer is in his blood. He was barely in the English townlong enough to have a cuppa’. Green’s brother Chris wasanother story. Chris was 7 when the Green family headed toAmerica, and by then had already found football – European

style – fit him to a tea, err, T.“My dad had to work over there,” Michael Green says. “My family

ended up moving there. That’s how my brother learned to play soccer.He continued to play over here. He wasactually really good. I used to watchhim play and I wanted to play.”And he did.“For as long as I can remember,”

Green says, “I’ve been kicking a soccerball.”For the last four years, he’s been

kicking them for Strongsville HighSchool, where his impact was feltimmediately. He notched nine goalsand six assists as a freshman. Duringhis sophomore year those numbersjumped to 17 and 14. As a junior Greenscored 16 goals and assisted on 18 tolead the Mustangs to the state semifinals, where they lost to eventualchampion Stow.He topped all of that off this year with 16 goals and 13 assists. He

converted nearly half his 34 shots. He had a hand in nearly half of theMustangs’ goals. The Mustangs finished 12-2-4, losing their first andlast games of the season. The latter was a 2-1 loss to Medina in theBrunswick Division I District semifinal.That production and consistency are why Green has been named

the Huntington Bank/Ohio High Player of the Year for boys soccer.“His statistics speak for themselves,” says Strongsville coach Tobey

Cook. “Michael not only could score important goals for us but he wasas complete and unselfish a player I've had the pleasure of coaching.”Green’s name is littered about Strongsville’s career record book. His

49 career goals are tied for second all-time in school history. His 45assists are first by a wide margin, as is his point total of 143.There is one record he missed out on, and it grinds him. Green

appeared in 78 career games, one shy of the team mark. It’s not therecord he wanted. Rather, he wanted more games. Finishing hiscareer in the district semifinal was not what he had in mind.“It was very disappointing,” Green says. “For me, it felt like it didn’t

happen. You’ve got nothing to do after that. You just stop playing andyou just stop practice. You just kind of lose your way and there’s noth-ing to do. You can’t say, ‘Oh, there’s next year,’ when you’re a senior.It’s very disappointing.”That’s the type of attitude coaches love. That, along with his skills,

are what landed him a scholarship to play for the University of NewMexico. He verbally committed to the school last March, choosing itover the likes of UCLA, UConn, Ohio State, SMU, Michigan and St.John’s.He has no idea what he’s going to study. There’s plenty of time to

figure that out. As for soccer, Cook believes his star will have no prob-lem figuring that out at the next level.“I have little doubt that he will have a successful collegiate career

always pretty good. Mylove for the game start-ed then.”By the age of 6 or so

(he’s not quite sure),McLaughlin got his firstbirdie on a full-sizedhole.Hitting driver, 3-

wood, he found himselfon the green of acourse in Florida.Faced with a 30-footputt, he did what anygood first- or second-grader would do anddrained it.“It was downhill and

broke crazy to the left,”recalls McLaughlin,who was a sixth-graderwhen he got the first ofhis four holes-in-one. “Istill remember thatputt.”He’s provided plenty

of memories for thePreppers. He shot 71-

66 to win by two strokes over Mike Oberschmidt of CincinnatiMcNicholas at the state tournament. McLaughlin’s play led UniversitySchool to a two-day total of 580 to win by 13 strokes over DaytonChaminade-Julienne. The Preppers rallied from 10 shots down afterthe first day.It capped a year in which McLaughlin averaged 72.2 shots per 18

holes. He was 11-over-par for the entire high school season. He wasmedalist at seven invitationals, as well as at sectional play.“He has matured enormously as an athlete,” says University School

coach Bill O’Neil. “He’s also a swimmer. A lot of fitness and mentaltoughness has come from that. All the sides of his game are reallystrong. He has an excellent short game and he’s a great putter.”As a swimmer, McLaughlin is a novice. In addition to conditioning,

he gets an appreciation for how the other half lives on the golfcourse. Not everything comes easy for him in the pool.He’s a high-B student in an advanced-placement courses at one of

the most academically challenging schools in the state. They’re notcalled the Preppers for nothing.McLaughlin hopes golf can lead him to a similar environment after

high school – if not much farther.“It would be great to become a professional,” he says.“I love this game and I’d like to do it for the rest of my life. My goal

is to let this game take me as far as I’m able to go. I’m going to getas good as I can. If that means professional, I’d love to. I’d like it tobe my life.”It’s his life to a degree now.When it’s not swim season, McLaughlin is working on his game. It

doesn’t allow for a lot of free time. Or, it allows for nothing but.McLaughlin works hard at his game, but doesn’t consider it work.

His vocation is vacation.“People are always asking me that: ‘Do you have any free time to

just to relax?’ ” he said. “I just tell them, ‘I’m going to my free timeright now,’ when I’m going to practice. That’s what I really enjoydoing.”

– Todd Stumpf



Hunting Valley

University School

junior Mac

McLaughlin

Photo by John Ritter

Strongsville’s Green LeadsTheWay In Boys Soccer

Boys Soccer

M

MichaelGreen

Strongsville

laire Durkin so completely defies the traditional model of thehigh school athlete it is essentially impossible to find areaswhere she is like everybody else.It certainly isn't when she's running.The 2007 Division I state cross country champion has only

added to her resume since concluding her career at Scioto Down inOctober with a 28-second blitzing of the big-school field.Three weeks later in Wisconsin, the Worthington Kilbourne senior

burst on to the national scene by winning the Foot Locker MidwestChampionship, dominating an elite regional field by 41 seconds and

MND 16-25, 25-12, 26-28, 25-19, 15-11 atWright State’s NutterCenter on Nov. 10.Against the Cougars

in a rematch of lastyear’s state final thatMND won, Harpenauled the Bobcats with amatch-high 27 kills.She also added 20digs and four keyblocks.The appearance was

Mercy’s third at state inHarpenau’s four years.“Losing to (Notre

Dame) last year gaveus so much motiva-tion,” said Harpenau,who had to wear abandage on her faceduring the game tocover a nose injurysustained in warm-ups.“We just fed off that.We all wanted it.”Mercy, ranked No. 1

in the state, finished 28-1 overall and won the GGCL title with a 9-1record.In addition to Harpenau’s school records for kills, she also owns the

mark for digs in a match (30) set in 2006. Harpenau had 348 digs thisseason and had a kill percentage of .338. Her serve-receive percent-age was 96-percent.As a junior, Harpenau was also a first team GGCL pick and was

second team All-Ohio. On the club level, she competed for Team Z in2007 and led the squad to a national championship at the JuniorOlympics, where she was named tournament MVP.Next season Harpenau will take her game to the University of

Cincinnati. Her impact will be immediate.“She plays remarkable defense, her ball handling is the best I have

ever seen and adding her offensive power to the mix makes herunstoppable,” Harvey said. “She has a keen understanding of thegame that makes her so dominant.”

– Eric Frantz

incinnati Mother of Mercy senior Missy Harpenau may not bethe best volleyball player ever to come out of the Queen City,but she’s close, according to an authority.“Bryn Kehoe is by far the best player to come out of

Cincinnati,” Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame head coach DonnaMechley said. “But Missy Harpenau is avery close second.”While Kehoe, a 2004 graduate of St.

Ursula Academy and the 2003 nationalhigh schoool player of the year, wasbusy leading Stanford to the NCAA titlegame and earning her third All-American honor this season, Harpenauwas doing a pretty good impression ofher own on the prep level.Leading Mercy to its first state volley-

ball title since 1982, Harpenau, a firstteam All-Ohio selection, earned GirlsGreater Cincinnati League, SouthwestOhio Volleyball Coaches Association and Gatorade (Ohio) player of theyear honors. Add another laurel to the list.Harpenau is the 2007 Huntington Bank/Ohio High Player of the Year

in volleyball.“She is the greatest player I have ever coached, and she keeps

great company as a Mercy volleyball player,” Mercy head coach DeniseHarvey said.“Missy excels in all areas as a volleyball player. She is not just a spe-

cialized position player.”Harpenau is definitely special, as is her game.Listed as an outside hitter, the 6-0 Harpenau excels at all disciplines.During her stint at Mercy, Harpenau racked up school records for

career (1,093) and season kills (458). She also owns the Mercy recordfor kills in a game (33) set against Mount Notre Dame during the 2007regular season.“She is an extremely smart player,” Mechley said. “She can see the

block. She can hit around the block. She just does a masterful job ofpicking a part a defense.”That ability was on display in the D-I state final as Mercy outlasted



and meet his goal of playing professional soccer,” the Mustangs coachsays. “He still has much to learn about playing the game and I’m quitesure that he will work diligently to attain his goal.”It’s something Green has worked at since he was a wee lad.

Following his brother’s footsteps, he started playing with a localStrongsville travel team. By elementary school, he already knew soc-cer was a means to opening doors in his future.He played a year of basketball in grade school, but gave up other

sports to pursue his greatest passion. He’s been at it ever since. Thisyear he became Strongsville’s third Ohio Coaches Association playerof the year, joining Doug Deken (1996) and Bruce Murphy (1999).Beyond it all, Green is just a normal kid. He plays video games, lis-

tens to rap music and eats PB&J. In the end, though, he’s a soccerplayer.“I just love the game,” Green says. “I always have. I’ve loved it for as

long as I can remember. I can’t imagine not playing it.”– Todd Stumpf

MissyHarpenau

Mother of Mercy

Mother Of Mercy StandoutHarpenau Tops In Volleyball

Volleyball

C

Mother of

Mercy senior

Missy

HarpenauPh

oto

byJo

hnRi

tter

Continual Improvement KeyFor Kilbourne Star Durkin

Girls Cross Country

C

breaking a 17-year old course record in the process.On Dec. 13 in San Diego, Durkin placed fifth in what was her

first-ever trip to the Foot Locker national final."I'm glad I was able to finish in the

top five," Durkin said of the All-American performance. "I'm reallyhappy with the way my cross countrycareer turned out."All of these accolades made

Durkin the obvious choice as theHuntington Bank/Ohio High Runnerof the Year in girls cross country.But in terms of athletics, Durkin's

unusual talent is not the most unusu-al thing about her.For starters, she is a female dis-

tance runner who has improved asshe has progressed through high

school.In many instances, the onset of puberty can reduce a state

champion-caliber 14 or 15-year-old runner to an above-average tal-ent by her high school graduation.After not running as a freshman, Durkin had modest success as

a sophomore, quali-fying for the '05 staterace and finishing40th.But Durkin

improved her time bynearly two minuteswhen she returned toScioto Downs in2006, placing third.She knocked yetanother 50 secondsoff that time this pastfall on her way to thetitle.Melanie Williams,

Durkin's coach atKilbourne, creditedsome of the progres-sion to good genes."It really is unusu-

al, with girls,"Williams said."They hit that

growth spurt, start tomature and it takes atoll on the body. But(Claire's family)seem to genetically

have thin, runner's bodies."Durkin also doesn't seem to relish the spotlight the way some

elite athletes do. Despite being a two-time state champion (shewon the 3,200-meters in track in the spring), Durkin shies frommedia attention.With a growing number of blue chip seniors taking to national tel-

evision to announce to the world via baseball cap which collegethey will be attending, Durkin does not like to openly discuss theschools she is considering because, as she simply put it, "I don'tthink it's the whole world's business."And it is still possible she may not run in college at all. An out-

standing student, Durkin has applied to a number of elite academicinstitutions including MIT.Even after winning the Midwest Foot Locker race, Durkin had not

told her parents whether she wanted to run in college at all."Running is definitely a priority, but I want to keep it fun," Durkin

said."I want to enjoy running as a sport, not as a thing to get me

money for a scholarship. And how many people can even make aliving as a professional runner?"Where Durkin may stand out the most is in her training.Between 60 miles a week on the road, interval training, recovery

runs and competing for Kilbourne's swim team in the winter, thereare few high school distance runners in the country that train ashard as she does. It is an area of her sport in which Durkin takes agreat deal of pride."I really think it is a reflection of how much work I put in," she

said when asked about her yearly time-drops at the state race."Instead of keeping the same regimen, I've tried harder every year."Williams pointed out that Durkin is on the road in any kind of

weather. As recently as December, she was making her ownsneaker path through fresh snow on the Kilbourne track."She works and trains harder than any runner I've had," said

Williams, who has coached the sport since 1991. "She's very self-disciplined and you have to have that to be good."When asked about the ceiling for her best pupil, Williams

seemed to sum up perfectly the dichotomy inherent in ClaireDurkin."I would think she could be an Olympic-caliber runner," the coach

said. "But I'm not sure she even wants to do that.“The way Claire puts it, it’s that she doesn't want to go to college

and get run to death by a coach. She doesn't want to be just anoth-er disposable athlete."

– Ian Mara



Worthington

Kilbourne senior

Claire Durkin

PhotobyGreg

Beers

Claire Durkin

WorthingtonKilbourne

f in a decade’s time you are able to regularly find the nameAllie White on LPGA leader boards, there will be a small con-tingent in the central Ohio golf community ready to say theytold you so.After concluding a sparkling high school career in October

with her second consecutive OHSAAindividual medal, the Lancaster HighSchool senior and University of NorthCarolina signee appears to be on herway to becoming one of the state'sbest-ever golf products.Accordingly, she was named as

the Huntington Bank/Ohio HighPlayer of the Year in girls golf."Allie's rare," said her swing coach,

Eagle Sticks pro Kelly Morrow. "Youdon't come across players like herevery day."Able to drive about 250 yards off

the tee, White is obviously long for a junior player. She believesthough, that it is improvements around the green that have helpedher move forward in the game.

Lancaster’s White SwingsTo Top Honor In Girls Golf

Girls Golf

IAllieWhiteLancaster

ou could turn to any teammate, scout or opponent for anappraisal of Kelsey Brinkman's field hockey abilities and youwill hear similar words of praise and respect.But listening to the first time Paul Simonetti watched the

Thomas Worthington senior midfielder play is just so muchmore fun.Though not a player himself, the brother of Thomas Worthington

head coach Terri Simonetti-Frost, has been around the game fordecades and has watched his sisterplay at the highest level of the colle-giate game.That first time he came to watch

Brinkman in a Thomas uniform,Simonetti-Frost didn't have to wait andask for an opinion: Her brother regis-tered his disbelief as soon as hewalked near the field."He was 10 yards away but I could

hear him," Simonetti-Frost remem-bered. "He just yelled out: 'Oh mygosh.'"The slick playmaker that helped

guide Thomas to the program's secondstate championship in early November has the kind of technical skillsso apparent they tend to produce shock when others watch her onthe field. Fittingly, Brinkman has been named as the HuntingtonBank/Ohio High Player of the Year in field hockey.Simonetti-Frost said on a number of occasions she has literally

halted her instruction in practice to verbally marvel at somethingBrinkman has done with the stick."I'll just stop and say 'Whoa, that's the most ridiculous play I've ever

seen,'" the coach said.The University of North Carolina commitment is among the most

gifted players ever to come out of central Ohio, both with her fieldawareness and stick skills."You see Kelsey with three people on her and it's like she's peeling

a banana," her coach said. "One layer's gone, then another, and thenshe's still making an accurate pass."The individual numbers for Brinkman speak for themselves.In her three years manning central midfield for Thomas

Worthington, Brinkman scored 24 goals and dished out 45 assists,more than half coming in her senior season.A two-time All-Ohio honoree, on Dec. 11 Brinkman was named a

first-team member of the 2007 National Field Hockey CoachesAssociation All-American Team. She was the only Ohioan to receivethe honor.Brinkman scored the first goal in Thomas Worthington's win over

Bishop Watterson in the 2007 state title game, setting the tone forwhat would be a 3-0 victory. But where Brinkman really stands out,even among the elite in her sport, is in her vision of the field and anaccompanying sense of calm in stressful situations."There are a lot of kids at the high school level that panic with the

ball," Simonetti-Frost said. "Kelsey never does. She has completeconfidence and can be on-the-money with her passes. That's whatmakes here so unique."

"I've always beenable to hit it far," Whitesaid. "But recently I'vestarted putting better.That's been the differ-ence."Morrow countered

by saying he thinksWhite's putting strokeis a good one, but thatthe difference on thegreen has comebetween her ears. Hesaid that playing over-seas and in most ofthis country’s biggestjunior events has givenher big-game polish."Controlling your

nerves is the differ-ence," Morrow said."It's a matter of play-

ing in a lot of big tour-naments. Obviouslyshe's done that."Though she first

picked up clubs at age5 and was playing

Fairfield County events by 8, White didn't start playing the game atthe national level until just before her freshman year of high school.That's when White began making the rounds of the American JuniorGolf Association's regional events.White said she didn't start to envision golf being a career until this

past summer when she posted several low scores in national events.One of those moments came in July when she finished as the run-

ner-up in the 2007 Betsey Rawls Girls Championship at White ManorCountry Club in Malvern, Pa.To perform so well in what is one of the country's premier junior

events was an eye-opener."Going against a lot of good golfers in the national tournaments I

realized I can do it too," she said."I realized I might be able to go toward a professional career."As of December, White was ranked the eighth best golfer in the

country by the AJGA, and she has been as high as sixth.White notched top-five finishes in four of the six events she played

during the 2007 season.And as nice as the OHSAA state championships are, Morrow said

it is in the AJGA events one can see White's potential on a largerscale."They set those courses up longer, more the like the conditions

they play at college and LPGA events," he said. "Plus you see whereyou are against the best in the country."Even more impressive is that White has reached the lofty perch

from a part of the country not always conducive, weather-wise, toplaying elite golf.Of the top 30 girls on the AJGA's national ranking, 17 are from

either Florida or California and only White is from the Midwest.Morrow isn't eager to heap any extra pressure on his pupil in the

form of career predictions. With that said, he had to allow that hethinks anything is possible."She definitely has the tools to do it," he said. "She's got the skill

and the mindset."– Ian Mara



Lancaster

senior

Allie White

Phot

oby

Greg

Beer

s

ThomasWorthington’s BrinkmanTapped For Field Hockey Award

Field Hockey

Y

KelseyBrinkmanThomas

Worthington

Brinkman con-curred, though shecouldn't explain theability."I've been told you

can't teach it, it justhappens," she said."I'm just able to seepeople in open spots."An outstanding

stick-handler,Simonetti-Frost saysBrinkman could playdefense or midfield atthe next level.Playing under head

coach Karen Sheltonwith current NCAAchampion UNC shouldgive Brinkman everyopportunity to go far inthe sport. Simonetti-Frost said Sheltonworks to develop play-ers beyond the collegelevel and mentionedthat the Tar Heels hadfive national team

players on their roster this fall."She is going to that top-caliber program," Simonetti- said. "The

kid is a hard worker. She wants to play and she wants to improve."Brinkman's own expectations weren't far behind, saying she has

national team and Olympic-level aspirations for herself."I want to be the best player I can be," Brinkman said. "My goal

right now is to when I graduate get on the All-American team. We'llsee where college takes me."

– Ian Mara

he top girls soccer player in Ohio has been making sacrificesfor her sport since she was in elementary school.Fortunately for Tahnai Annis, her unique talents have helped

make sure those sacrifices have paid the dividends they weresupposed to.

Tahnai Annis wrapped up her senior season at Pickerington Norththis fall by leading the Panthers to the program's first-ever statesemifinals and being named the Huntington Bank/Ohio High Player ofthe Year in girls soccer.Playing a combination of central midfield and forward, Annis

accounted for 18 goals and five assists for 17-3-2 North. The teamcame one match shy of the state title game, falling 1-0 to eventualstate champion St. Ursula Academy on a controversial overtime goal.Annis is a player noted for superb attacking talents and unusual

aerial talents for a shorter athlete."I really like to be creative with the ball," Annis said. "I like to dis-

tribute to people as well as score.”Despite the frustrations of her senior season, the body of work



Thomas Worthington

senior Kelsey Brinkman

Photo by Lori Reeder

Sacrifices Helped PickeringtonNorth’s Annis Excel In Soccer

Girls Soccer

T



Annis leaves behind is a testament both to her abilities as an athleteand her maturity as a person.Starting with selecting soccer over gymnastics at age 10 and then

dropping her second-favorite sport, basketball, four years later, Annishas made difficult decisions to get the most from her gift."It was hard, I really enjoyed basketball," she said of the choice

made before her freshman year of high school. "But it came out ofcommon sense. If I wanted go to college and play at a Division Ischool, I would have to play year-round.“I wanted to better myself so I made

the decision to focus on soccer."The immediate results were two All-

Ohio selections and a pair of EasternDistrict Player of the Year awardswhiles a freshman and sophomore atTri-Valley High School in Dresden.Following her second year at Tri-

Valley, Annis made the decision thatshe needed to move on to a programwhich would better meet her soccerneeds.Annis felt she required a larger

stage on which to compete, and manyof her club teammates were students at North, one of the better girlsprograms in the Ohio Capital Conference.Since it was not realistic for Annis' entire family to re-locate to

Pickerington, over the last two years Annis established residencywith teammates, living the entire school year with the family of aNorth player and visiting her parents occasionally on weekends."Her family support is outstanding," said Brandon Koons, Annis'

club coach with Ambassadors S.C. "As she has traveled all over the

country for tournaments and to receive awards her family has alwaysbeen there with her.”Though the archetypal figure when high school students transfer

for athletic reasons is a manipulative parent, in this case it was Anniscalling the shots."My parents didn't like the idea at all when I first brought it up,"

she said."They were my last years in high school and they wanted me to be

around."But after realizing that if Annis were to remain at Tri-Valley she

would not be satisfied, her parents relented"They said they would rather me be happy, even if I was away

from them. It was a big sacrifice for them and I really appreciated it.Not many parents would allow their kid to be away from home likethat."After her first season at North, Annis was able to realize her dream

and verbally committed to play soccer at the University of Florida.With both of the Gators' central midfielders set to graduate this

spring, it is possible Annis could step right into the lineup of theSEC's top women's program.Holding a number of All-American awards and with several

appearances with the U.S. Under-17 team under her belt, Koonssaid he thinks Annis can be an outstanding player at the next level."Tahnai has that technically ability on her first touch," Koons said.

"Her balance gives her the ability the change direction so quickly,I've seen defenders fall down trying to stay in front of her."Annis said she has even more hard work ahead of her, but is opti-

mistic about being a factor in Gainesville right away."It all depends on my fitness and how well I do in pre-season," she

said of her prospects for next fall. "If I do well in both of thoseaspects I can hopefully make an impact."

– Ian Mara

TahnaiAnnis

PickeringtonNorth


Fal l Spor ts Round Up

he fields of play saw someremarkable performances thisfall across the Buckeye State –both on individual and team lev-els.The following is a look back at

those performances in all 10OHSAA sanctioned state cham-pionships. A roundup of the foot-

ball playoff can be found on page 21.For more information, please visit

www.jjhuddle.com and www.ohsaa.org.

Boys Cross Country* Division I: Medina’s best finish was fourth

last year, but the Bees won their first state titlewith 76 points, easily outdistancing runner-upCenterville, which had 127. Last year’s cham-pion, Cincinnati LaSalle, did not qualify for thestate tournament. Leading Medina was juniorDonny Roys, who took individual honors with a15:21.83.He edged Cincinnati St. Xavier senior Dan

Thaler, who ran a 15:22.86. Also helping theBees’ cause was senior Sam Maynard, sopho-more Hunter Heaton and senior Jeremy Arthur,who placed 13th, 14th and 15th, respectively,in the team scoring.* Division II: Peninsula Woodridge defend-

ed its championship from last year and won itssecond title overall when it had 83 points.Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit was second with115. Leading the Bulldogs was senior BrianHimelright, who placed third overall but hadthe top time in the team scoring with a15:47.92. Junior Michael Rhodes was 17th inthe team scoring, senior Tony Marette 19thand junior Joe White 20th.“There’s no better feeling than winning a

team championship,” Himelright said after-wards. “But it’s a different feeling this year,there are different emotions.”Sandusky Perkins senior Cory Leslie was

the individual champion, running a 15:33.47.* Division III: Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas

won its second championship and fifth overallwhen it had 54 points. McDonald was a distantsecond with 118.The Knights were led by senior Tony

Migliozzi and junior Nate Addessi, who placedthird and seventh overall, respectively, but firstand second in the team scoring. Three otherrunners also placed in the top 20 of the teamscoring. St. Thomas Aquinas won its othertitles in 1976, 1980 and 1981.Dayton Christian senior twins Walter and

John Luttrell placed first and second in theindividual race, with Walter running a 15:34.09and John a 15:34.36.“I think it was exciting for the crowd, seeing

two twins out there in the front,” said Walter,who raised both arms above his head as hecrossed the finish line.


STORY BY OHIO HIGH STAFF , OHSAA REPORTS

T

Maria Stein Marion Local won its first

state volleyball title 3-0 over Norwalk St.

Paul in the Division IV final.



Girls Cross Country* Division I: Brecksville-Broadview Heights

won its first state championship with 115points, edging runner-up Rocky RiverMagnificat, which had 120. Defending champi-on Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy did notqualify for this year’s tournament.The Bees’ previous top finish was second

place in 1981. Junior Aly Dosen finished 21stoverall and seventh in the team scoring, sen-ior Megan McAdams was 22nd overall andeighth in the team scoring and junior MollyJacobson was 31st overall and 13th in theteam scoring to lead Brecksville-BroadviewHeights. Worthington Kilbourne senior ClaireDurkin was the individual champion with a17:10.51. Her time set a Division I state tour-nament record, breaking the mark of 17:15.3

that was set by Salem’s Jenni Brown in 1992.* Division II: Kettering Alter, runner-up the

past three years, captured its first state titlewhen it had 94 points. Cuyahoga ValleyChristian Academy was second with 111, whiledefending champion Salem was sixth.Senior Hilary Esselestein was the top finish-

er for the Knights, placing third overall andsecond in the team scoring with a time of18:12.49. Four other Alter runners also placedin the top 26 in the team scoring.“It’s just a huge relief,” said Alter coach Matt

Sableski, whose team finished with 94 points.“We needed this result.”Cleveland Heights Beaumont senior Emily

Infeld defended her championship from lastyear, running a 17:30.91. She also placedthird as a freshman and second as a sopho-more.

“It feels good,” Infeld said. “I’m really happyto win.”* Division III: In the closest small-school

girls race ever, Versailles took the title with119 points, edging defending champion GatesMills Gilmour Academy by one point and six-time champion Minster by five. It was the sec-ond state title for the Tigers, who won theirother crown in 2003. Junior Mary Prakel wasVersailles’ top finisher, placing eighth overalland fourth in the team scoring with a time of19.02.72. Four other Tigers also placed in thetop 34 of the team scoring.Barnesville junior Stephanie Morgan was

the individual champion, running a 17:27.36.

Boys Golf* Division I: Dublin Jerome followed up a

first-round 316 with a 323 in the final round togive it the title with a 639 total, which was 13strokes ahead of Cincinnati Moeller. ColumbusSt. Charles was third with a 663. Last year’schampion Upper Arlington did not qualify forthe tournament.The championship was the third in four

years for the Celtics (they won the Division IIcrown in 2004 in the school’s first year of exis-tence) after they placed second last year, fivestrokes behind Upper Arlington. Junior AaronSiekmann had the school’s best score with a155, finishing in a tie for second place in themedalist race.Senior Paul Grauer added a 158 to tie for

fifth and senior Michael Lamping had a 160 totie for seventh.Hilliard Darby senior David Haley Jr. fol-

lowed his first round 5-over 76 with a 77 in the

second round to take medalist honors. Darbyclassmate Ethan Tracy tied Jerome’sSiekmann for second place with a 155.Two individual qualifiers, Lancaster senior

Nick Helser and Massillon Perry junior TylerLight, led after the first round and finishedfourth and tied for fifth, respectively. The 2006medalist, Upper Arlington’s Bo Hoag, graduat-ed.* Division II: Hunting Valley University

School overcame a 10-stroke deficit after thefirst round to defend its championship andcapture its fourth title overall. The Preppers,the only school to break 300 in the final roundwhen they shot a 285, had a 580 total to finish13 strokes ahead of first-day leader DaytonChaminade-Julienne.Pepper Pike Orange placed third in the 12-

team, 36-hole tournament with a 601. JuniorMac McLaughlin led University School with

a 137 total to earn medalist honors. He shot afour-under 66 in the final round. SeniorAndrew Haines was next with a 143, whilefreshman Scott Smith added a 148.Cincinnati McNicholas senior Mike

Oberschmidt was second in the medalist racewith a 139.“Mike was magical around the greens on

Friday,” McNicholas coach John Meyer said. “Ithought conditions were a little easier today,and I thought Mike struck the ball much better.I am really proud of how he played this week-end.”First day leader Dorian Vauls, a senior from

Chaminade-Julienne, and Chagrin Falls juniorSam Core were third with 140s.

Medina junior Donny Roys won the indi-vidual title in D-I, while the Bees cap-tured thier first team title as well.

Cleveland Heights Beaumont senior EmilyInfeld defended her D-II individual statetitle with a time of 17:30.91.

Despite a fourth place finish at regionals,Versailles, led by junior Mary Prakel(above), claimed the D-III state title.

Photo by Greg Beers Photo by Greg BeersPhoto by Greg Beers



Last year’s medalist, Canal FultonNorthwest’s Justin Lower, graduated.University School’s other championships

came in 1990 and 2003.* Division III: Sugarcreek Garaway stood in

fifth place, 14 strokes behind Fremont St.Joseph Central Catholic, after the first day butfired a 322 in the final round to carry it to itssecond state title in four years. The Pirates’two-day total of 660 was one stroke betterthan Gahanna Columbus Academy and twoahead of third-place Sandusky St. MaryCentral Catholic. Fremont St. Joe slipped tofifth place in the 12-team, 36-hole tournamentwith a 670.Junior Kevin Miller, the state runner-up as a

freshman, led Garaway and captured medalisthonors when he shot a two-over 73 Saturday

for a 151 total. Senior Tyler Gerber was nextwith a 164.Nine other golfers were within eight strokes

of Miller in the medalist race. ZanesvilleBishop Rosecrans junior Josh Agin was sec-ond with a 152, and Columbus Academy sen-ior Alex Simson, the first-day leader, placedthird with a 153. Last year’s medalist, DelphosJefferson senior Dillon Klein, shot a one-over72 Saturday but his 154total left him in fourth place.Last year’s team champion, Johnstown-

Monroe, did not qualify for this year’s tourna-ment.

Girls GolfCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit followed up a

first round 323 with a 326 in the final round,

and its 649 total gave it the championship –13 strokes better than runner-up Mason.Defending champion West Chester LakotaWest, seven strokes back in second placeafter the first round, finished third with a 667.It was the third state golf title for Walsh,

moving it into a tie for most girls golf champi-onships with Toledo Notre Dame Academy.The Warriors’ other crowns came in 2001 and2004. Senior Erin Misheff had the team’s topscore with a 157 total, including a 77 in thefinal round. Junior Kelly Krusoe was next witha 161 and sophomoreAriel McNair had a 165.Senior Allie White, an individual qualifier

from Lancaster, defended her medalist honorswhen her 145 edged two other individual qual-ifiers, Macadonia Nordonia senior Shamira

Marshall and Bowling Green junior CarolineBowers, who shot 147 and 148, respectively.White followed up a first-round 72 with a 73on in the final round. Marshall’s 72 was thebest score in the final round.

Boys Soccer* Division I: First-half goals by senior mid-

fielders Jon Reasoner and Colby Catlett ledHilliard Davidson (18-2-2) to its first statechampionship when it defeated MassillonJackson 2-1.“This is definitely a dream come true,”

Catlett said. “I’ve been putting a lot of hardwork growing up playing soccer my whole life.This is an amazing experience right now.”The seventh-ranked Wildcats, in the state

tournament for the second time, controlled the

first-half tempo by not allowing Jackson a shoton goal. The sixth-ranked Polar Bears (18-2-3)were in the state tournament for the first time.Semifinal Results: Hilliard Davidson 3,

Cincinnati Elder 0; Massillon Jackson 1,Sylvania Northview 0, OT.* Division II: Senior midfielder Danny

Thompson scored goals in the 72nd and the75th minutes to lead No. 2 Cuyahoga ValleyChristian Academy (18-1-3) to a 2-0 win overKettering Alter (18-3-2).“This is the definition of a team right here,”

said Thompson, who as a freshman helpedthe school win its first championship. “This isthe best team I’ve been on at CVCA.”Alter was limited to two shots on goal. It

was the second state championship for theRoyals, who won their other title in 2004. No.

5 Alter was seeking its fourth state title andfinished as state runner-up for the secondstraight year and fourth time overall.Semifinal Results: Cuyahoga Valley

Christian Academy 2, Napoleon 0; KetteringArchbishop Alter 1, Columbus DeSales 0, OT.* Division III: Senior midfielder Anthony

Canestraro scored a goal in the 86th minutein overtime to lead Springfield Catholic Central(20-1-1) to a 2-1 victory over Gates MillsHawken (18-2-2).“I just think about what if I had a goal this

big,” Canestraro said. “It’s amazing to be hereand have a goal like that. The seniors – it hasto be the best feeling for all of us. I can’tdescribe it.”After Hawken scored in the 26th minute of

the first half, Catholic Central senior midfielder

Photo by Greg Beers Photo by Greg Beers

Chaminade-Julienne senior Dorian Vaulsfinished third overall, while the Eaglesplaced second as a team in D-II.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy won theschool’s second D-II state title, while Alter fin-ished runner-up for the second straight year.

Springfield Catholic Central won its sec-ond D-III state title in overtime on a goalfrom Anthony Canestraro (#13).

Photo by John Ritter



Stephen Kearns tied the game a minute later.Canestraro’s goal came following a scorelesssecond half. The second-ranked Irish wontheir second state championship, capturingtheir other crown in 2001. Hawken, rankedNo. 3 in the final state coach’s poll, was alsoseeking its second championship and finishedas state runner-up for the sixth time.Semifinal Results: Springfield Catholic

Central 1, Worthington Christian 0; Gates MillsHawken 3, Kidron Central Christian 2.

Girls Soccer* Division I: Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy

(20-1-2) scored a goal in the 75th minute tobreak a 1-1 tie and outlasted top-rankedStrongsville 2-1. Senior midfielder Tori Husterscored the game-winner after junior forward

Alexandra Berry tied the game in the 48thminute."It’s just a really special feeling," said

Huster.It was the third state championship for the

fourth ranked Bulldogs, which won titles in1991 and 1993. Strongsville (18-1-4), whichreceived a goal from senior midfielder KerriKrawczak in the 38th minute, was seeking itsfourth state championship and finished asstate runner-up for the second time.Semifinal Results: Cincinnati St. Ursula

Academy 1, Pickerington North 0, OT;Strongsville 1, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 0,SO.* Division II: Fifth-ranked Shaker Heights

Hathaway Brown (20-3-1) scored a goal ineach half and went on to capture its secondstate championship when it defeated Hamilton

Badin 2-0.Junior midfielder Merrill Bachouros scored a

goal and sophomore midfielder Lani Smithhad a goal and an assist to lead the Blazers.Hathaway Brown, ranked No. 5 in the final

state coach’s poll, won its other championshipin 2004.“We’re a small school from the northeast,”

Hathaway Brown coach Dennis Weyn said.“It’s hard for us to get through our area. Butonce we do get out we usually do pretty well.”Tenth-ranked Badin (17-6-1) finished sec-

ond for the second straight year, sixth timeoverall and was also seeking its second statechampionship.Semifinal Results: Shaker Heights

Hathaway Brown 2, Akron Archbishop Hoban1; Hamilton Badin 2, Cincinnati Madeira 1.

Volleyball* Division I: Top-ranked Cincinnati Mother

of Mercy (28-1) turned the tables on rivalCincinnati Mount Notre Dame (24-5) when itstopped the No. 3-ranked Cougars, 16-25, 25-12, 26-28, 25-19, 15-11. Mount Notre Damedefeated Mercy in last year’s finals in fourgames.“We’re happy we get to sit here and say we

beat Mount Notre Dame,” Mercy head coachDenise Harvey said. “It’s a reversal of rolesfrom last year and that makes it sweeter.”Senior Missy Harpenau had 27 kills and

three players had 20 or more digs to lead theBobcats.The two schools split five-game matches

during the regular season. It was the fourthstate championship for Mercy, which won its

other titles in 1977, 1980 and 1982.Mount Notre Dame was seeking its sixth

state championship and finished as runner-upfor the second time.Semifinal Results: Cincinnati Mother of

Mercy def. Mentor, 25-10, 20-25, 25-16, 25-11; Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame def. RockyRiver Magnificat, 25-23, 25-12, 25-19.* Division II: No. 10 Toledo Central Catholic

(25-4) captured its first state championship inits third trip to the state tournament when itstopped No. 6 Columbus Hartley (23-6) in thefinals, 25-19, 26-24, 25-17.Senior Ashley Frazier had 15 kills and sen-

ior Amanda Gray 19 digs for the Fighting Irish.Hartley was in the state tournament for the

first time.Semifinal Results: Toledo Central Catholic

def. Salem, 22-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-6, 15-13;Columbus Hartley def. Tipp City Tippecanoe,21-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19, 16-14.* Division III: No. 10 Lima Central Catholic

(27-2) won its first championship in its first tripto the state tournament when it defeated No.16 Albany Alexander (25-4), 25-27, 25-17, 25-15, 25-20.Junior JoJo Krieg had 18 kills and junior

Alexis Diglio 15 digs to lead the Thunderbirds.“This is like nothing else in the world,” said

Krieg, who was the Northwest Conferenceplayer of the year. “To come here with ourfans and teammates that you have worked sohard with and win a state title is an incredibleexperience.”Alexander was in the state tournament for

the second time after losing in last year’s

Cincinnati St. Ursula beat Strongsville 2-1to capture the D-I state title. Senior ToriHuster (#10) scored the game-winner.

Photo by Greg Beers Photo by Greg Beers Photo by John Ritter

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, led by agoal from junior Merrill Bachouros (#16),beat Hamilton Badin for the D-II title.

Cincinnati Mother of Mercy captured itsfirst D-I state title since 1982 with a five-set win over Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame.



semifinals.Semifinal Results: Lima Central Catholic

def. Cincinnati Roger Bacon, 25-19, 17-25,25-20, 25-23; Albany Alexander def. GatesMills Gilmour Academy, 25-18, 25-21, 18-25,24-26, 16-14.* Division IV: Top-ranked Maria Stein

Marion Local (28-1) won its first state champi-onship when it defeated third-ranked anddefending champion Norwalk St. Paul (26-3),25-14, 25-22, 25-16.Senior Abby Niekamp had 14 kills, senior

Megan Barhorst 12 kills and freshman AlyssaWinner 14 digs for the Flyers, who finished asstate runner-up in 2002.“I thought our whole front line did a great

job today,” Marion Local coach Amy Steiningersaid. “Our blocking was tremendous. We had16 team blocks and that’s almost a season-

high for us especially for a three-game match.I thought we dominated net play.”St. Paul was seeking its third championship

overall and finished as runner-up for the sec-ond time.Semifinal Results: Maria Stein Marion

Local def. Newark Catholic, 25-19, 25-13, 25-14; Norwalk St. Paul def. Jackson Center, 25-19, 28-26, 25-22.

Girls Tennis* Division I Singles: Dublin Coffman junior

Kate Turvy defended her championship from2006 when she defeated Richfield Reveresenior Stephanie Danesis in the finals, 6-0, 7-5. Turvy won the crown last year while attend-ing Dublin Jerome.“This was definitely hard,” Turvy said of

here second state title. “The pressure of it wasdifferent.”Danesis was the 2006 Division II state run-

ner-up and was on the Division II state cham-pionship doubles team in 2005.Turvy defeated Perrysburg junior Julia

Metzger in the semifinals, 6-1, 6- 2, andDanesis was a 6-1, 6-1 winner overMiamisburg junior Kayla Tuscany. Metzgerwon the third-place match.* Division I Doubles: Dublin Jerome senior

Jessica Easdale and freshman Kathryn Farrartook home the gold medals with a 7-5, 6-2 winover Dayton Chaminade-Julienne junior KatiePleiman and sophomore Nicci Dresden in thefinals. Easdale was on last year’s doublesteam that placed third, Farrer’s sisters werethe 2004 Division II state doubles titlists andPleiman was on last year’s state runner-up

team.Easdale and Farrar defeated Massillon

Jackson senior Loni Dickerhoof and freshmanTrisha Conlan in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-1, whilePleiman and Dresden stopped Toledo NotreDame Academy seniors Tara Majdalani andMeredith Morse, 6-4, 6-3. Majdalani andMorse won the third-place match.* Division II Singles: Cincinnati Summit

Country Day junior Gabby Steele won thechampionship, defeating Dayton Oakwoodsenior Kelsey Haviland in the finals, 4-6, 6-4,6-2. Steele placed second in 2005 and thirdlast year and Haviland was the state champas a freshman in 2004, lost in the secondround in 2005 and did not qualify last year.“It’s a good feeling, winning states,” said

Steele. “Kelsey’s a very good player and she

played well. I just tried to be more aggressiveand stay focused.”Steele defeated Cincinnati Hills Christian

Academy junior Katherine Bulling in the semi-finals, 6-3, 6-4, while Haviland stoppedPepper Pike Orange junior Sabrina Jetli, 6-0,6-2. Bulling won the third-place match.

* Division II Doubles: Shaker HeightsHathaway Brown’s Dorsey sisters, seniorMorgan and sophomore Cameron, won thechampionship when they defeated Lexingtonseniors Torrie Goudy and Courtney Schaub inthe finals, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.The Dorseys, who were second last year,

defeated Middletown Bishop Fenwick juniorsCaitlin O’Gara and Maggie Sullivan in thesemifinals, 6-3, 6-3, while Lexington beatColumbus Academy.

Field HockeySophomore Anna Simmons had two goals

and an assist to lead Worthington ThomasWorthington (18-2-1) to a 3-0 win overColumbus Watterson in the finals. SeniorKelsey Brinkman scored the first goal for theCardinals, while junior Anna Geissbuhler hadtwo assists.It was the second state championship for

Thomas Worthington, which won its other titlein 1988. Watterson was seeking its third statechampionship and finished as runners-up forthe second straight year and fourth time over-all.Semifinal Results: Worthington Thomas

Worthington 4, Shaker Heights HathawayBrown 1; Columbus Watterson 1, KetteringFairmont 0.— OH

Lima Central Catholic won its first statevolleyball title with a four-set win overAlbany Alexander in the D-III final.

Dublin Jerome partners Jessica Easdale(senior) and Kathryn Farrar (freshman)won the D-I doubles title.

Cincinnati Summit Country Day juniorGabby Steele won her first state title in D-IIsingles after finishing second and third.

Photo by John Ritter Photo by Greg Beers Photo by Greg Beers


Ohio High Cup Standings STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

or the fifth year in a row, Ohio High will present the Ohio HighCup to the school that scores the most points in Ohio HighSchool Athletic Association-sanctioned state championshipevents.This competition is patterned after the Directors’ Cup standings

for colleges and universities. In the Ohio High Cup competition, schoolsaccumulate points by finishing in the top four at OHSAA-sanctionedstate team championships.Schools that win a state title are awarded five points. Runner-up

teams receive three points, third-place teams get two points and fourth-place teams get one point. In sportswhere state semifinal teams tie forthird, they each receive 1-1/2 points.In this issue, we tabulate the first

standings for the 2007-08 schoolyear after the fall sports season. Thatseason saw points awarded for fin-ishes in football, volleyball, boys andgirls soccer, boys and girls crosscountry, field hockey and boys andgirls golf.Maria Stein Marion Local, behind

state championships in Division Vfootball and Division IV volleyball,has grabbed the early lead with 10points in the competition. ButCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, keyedby a state title in girls golf, is rightbehind in second at 9-1/2.

Defending Ohio High Cup champion Kettering Alter is tied for thirdwith eight points, sharing that spot in the standings with Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.Last year, Kettering Alter grabbed a commanding lead in the fall with

three state runner-up team performances and a state championship inDivision II volleyball. The Dayton-area school added one more point inthe spring with a fourth-place finish in Division II girls track to end upwith 15 points to win the 2006-07 Ohio High Cup competition.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.— OH

Maria SteinMarion Local

leads standings

F

Flyers ride championships infootball and volleyball to topspot; Cuyahoga Falls WalshJesuit a close second

Ohio High Cup StandingsHere is a complete look at the first Ohio High Cup standings for 2007-08:

10 -- Maria Stein Marion Local (D-V football champions, D-IV volleyball champions).

9-1/2 -- Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (D-I girls soccer semifinalist, D-II boys cross country runner-up, girls

golf champions).

8 -- Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (D-II boys soccer champions, D-II girls cross

country runner-up), Kettering Alter (D-II boys soccer runner-up, D-II girls cross country champions).

6-1/2 -- Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (D-II girls soccer champions, field hockey semifinalist),

Springfield Catholic Central (D-VI football semifinalist, D-III boys soccer champions).

6 – Brecksville-Broadview Heights (D-I girls cross country champions, D-I boys cross country fourth).

5-1/2 -- Rocky River Magnificat (D-I volleyball semifinalist, D-I girls cross country runner-up, girls golf

fourth).

5 -- Cincinnati Anderson (D-II football champions), Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (D-I volleyball champi-

ons), Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (D-I girls soccer champions), Cincinnati St. Xavier (D-I football cham-

pions), Coldwater (D-IV football champions), Dublin Jerome (D-I boys golf champions), Hilliard Davidson

(D-I boys soccer champions), Hunting Valley University School (D-II boys golf champions), Lima Central

Catholic (D-III volleyball champions), Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (D-III boys cross country champions),

Massillon Jackson (D-I boys soccer runner-up, D-I girls cross country third), Medina (D-I boys cross coun-

try champions), Newark Catholic (D-VI football champions), Peninsula Woodridge (D-II boys cross coun-

try champions), Sugarcreek Garaway (D-III boys golf champions), Sunbury Big Walnut (D-III football

champions), Toledo Central Catholic (D-II volleyball champions), Versailles (D-III cross country champions),

Worthington Thomas Worthington (field hockey champions).

4-1/2 -- Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (D-III volleyball semifinalist, D-III girls cross country runner-up),

Mentor (D-I football runner-up, D-I volleyball semifinalist), Newark Catholic (D-V football runner-up, D-IV

volleyball semifinalist).

4 – Youngstown Ursuline (D-VI football runner-up, D-II boys golf fourth).

3 -- Albany Alexander (D-III volleyball runner-up), Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (D-VI football runner-up),

Centerville (D-I boys cross country runner-up), Cincinnati Moeller (D-I boys golf runner-up), Cincinnati

Mount Notre Dame (D-I volleyball runner-up), Columbus Hartley (D-II volleyball runner-up), Columbus

Watterson (field hockey runner-up), Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (D-I boys golf runner-up), Gahanna

Columbus Academy (D-III boys golf runner-up), Gates Mills Hawken (D-III boys soccer runner-up),

Hamilton Badin (D-II girls soccer runner-up), Louisville (D-II football runner-up), Mason (girls golf runner-

up), McDonald (D-III boys cross country runner-up), Newark Licking Valley (D-III football runner-up),

North Canton Hoover (D-I girls cross country fourth, D-I boys cross country third), Norwalk St. Paul (D-

IV volleyball runner-up), Strongsville (D-I girls soccer runner-up), Youngstown Mooney (D-IV football run-

ner-up).

2 – Canal Winchester (D-II boys cross country third), Cleveland Heights Beaumont (D-II girls cross coun-

try third), Columbus St. Charles (D-I boys golf third), Minster (D-III girls cross country third), Pepper Pike

Orange (D-II boys golf third), Russia (D-III boys cross country third), Sandusky St. Mary Central

Catholic (D-III boys golf third), West Chester Lakota West (girls golf third).

1-1/2 – Ada (D-VI football semifinalist), Ashland (D-II football semifinalist), Akron Hoban (D-II girls soccer

semifinalist), Burton Berkshire (D-III girls cross country fourth), Brunswick (D-I football semifinalist),

Cincinnati Elder (D-I boys soccer semifinalist), Cincinnati Madeira (D-II girls soccer semifinalist), Cincinnati

Roger Bacon (D-III volleyball semifinalist), Columbus DeSales (D-II boys soccer semifinalist), Columbus

Ready (D-V football semifinalist), Dublin Coffman (D-I football semifinalist), Hamler Patrick Henry (D-V

football semifinalist), Jackson Center (D-IV volleyball semifinalist), Kettering Fairmont (field hockey semifi-

nalist), Kidron Central Christian (D-III boys soccer semifinalist), Marion Pleasant (D-IV football semifinalist),

Mayfield (D-II football semifinalist), Mentor Lake Catholic (D-III football semifinalist), Mogadore (D-III

boys golf fourth), Monroe (D-III football semifinalist), Napoleon (D-II boys soccer semifinalist),

Pickerington North (D-I girls soccer semifinalist), Salem (D-II volleyball semifinalist), Sylvania Northview (D-

I boys soccer semifinalist), Tipp City Tippecanoe (D-II volleyball semifinalist), Williamsport Westfall (D-III

football semifinalist), Worthington Christian (D-III boys soccer semifinalist).

1 – Bellaire St. John Central (D-III boys cross country fourth), Cincinnati St. Xavier (D-I boys golf fourth),

Defiance (D-II girls cross country fourth), Uhrichsville Claymont (D-II boys cross country fourth).

PreviousWinners22000033--0044Versailles 22000044--0055Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 22000055--0066Cincinnati St. Xavier 22000066--0077Kettering Alter

State Footbal l F inals Recap


STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & MATT NATAL I


Mooney’s Brandon Beachummeets the heart of the

Coldwater defense.

Following Mentor’s double-overtime loss inthe Division I state championship last year,the team motto for this season was “NewTeam, Same Dream.” But St. Xavier running back Darius Ashley

and the Bombers defense were Mentor’snightmare in the state title game Dec. 1 asSt. Xavier blanked the Cardinals 27-0 withAshley setting a new D-I state title gamerushing record in front of 12,442 fans atCanton’s Fawcett Stadium. Ashley tallied 271 yards on 36 carries and

scored on runs of 27 and 1 yards in the snowand freezing rain, breaking former CincinnatiColerain quarterback Dominick Goodman’srecord of 259 yards set in the 2004 titlegame.

“Any time a running back ends up with thatmany yards it is a result of great blocking,”Ashley said. “The offensive line did exactlywhat they have been doing all year openingup huge holes and all I had to do was findthem.”

For St. Xavier (15-0), it is the second D-Istate title in three seasons and second inschool history. Ashley, a Louisville recruit,registered 153 yards and a TD as a sopho-more in the 2005 championship gameagainst Massillon. “He is a talent,” said St. Xavier head coach

Steve Specht. “He does things you can’tteach.” The Bombers defense held Mentor (11-3)

in check, shutting the Cardinals out for thefirst time since their 2005 season-opener. It was only the second shutout in D-I title

game history since Canton McKinley defeat-ed Cincinnati Moeller 13-0 in 1981. “We thought we were going to have to mix

and match coverages and keep them off bal-ance with our coverage schemes and we fig-ured if we could get pressure from a fourman rush from different angles we could bevery effective,” Specht said. Mr. Football award-winning quarterback

Bart Tanski, who set a D-I state title game



hen the final whistle blew on the 2007 OHSAA state football championships in StarkCounty, two schools raised the state championship trophy for the second time in threeseasons, two programs claimed their first state titles, another school won its secondstraight state championship and a traditional power earned its eighth title in school his-tory.

Both Cincinnati St. Xavier and Coldwater won their second football state championships after bothschools won titles in 2005. The Bombers blanked 2006 runner-up Mentor 27-0 in Division I in icyconditions, while the Cavaliers edged heavy favorite and defending champion Youngstown Mooney28-27 in thrilling fashion.Cincinnati Anderson and Sunbury Big Walnut both won their first titles in school history. Anderson

knocked off Louisville 31-25 in the Division II bout, while the Big Walnut outlasted Newark LickingValley 17-10 in Division III.In small-school action, Maria Stein Marion Local won its fourth state championship in school historyand its second in as many years with a 20-14 win over Youngstown Ursuline in Division V. NewarkCatholic topped Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 28-14 in Division VI for its eighth state title in school histo-ry and first since 1991.The following is a division-by-division look at the 2007 OHSAA state football championships.

W

Division I State Championship

27 0Cincinnati St. Xavier BlanksMentor 27-0; Ashley Sets D-ITitle Game Rushing Record

St. Xaviersenior DariusAshley ran

for a D-I titlegame record271 yards.

Photo by Stephanie Porter

“(Darius Ashley) is a talent. He does things you can’t teach.”

Cincinnati St. Xavier Head CoachSteve Specht



Randy Moss and Terrell Owens play fortwo of the top teams in the National FootballLeague. Nick Truesdell plays for the topDivision II team in Ohio.Following the state championship game

Fri., Nov. 30, the trio was mentioned togeth-er. Putting together the best performance of

his relatively quiet career, Truesdell blos-somed on the state’s biggest stage in helpingCincinnati Anderson defeat Stark County ‘sown Louisville 31-25 in the D-II state champi-onship before 11,065 at Massillon ‘s PaulBrown Tiger Stadium.Truesdell, a 6-7, 215-pound receiver,

caught back-to-back touchdown passes onthe Redskins’ first two possessions andreturned a kick 44 yards to set up a pivotalfield goal before the end of the first half.Truesdell ended the game with 129 yards on

five receptions. He also ran three times for28 yards.”Randy Moss, I mean my gosh,” Louisville

head coach Paul Farrah said. “We had himthe one time doubled on third-and-10 withtwo of our best athletes and he just splitthem and went up and got it. He’s thick. Hewas able to shield us off just like a basketballplayer going up for the ball.” Truesdell had 41 catches for 582 yards

and seven touchdowns coming in and admit-ted teammates sometimes call him “T.O.”because he wears No. 81“I didn’t expect to make this big of an

impact at all,” he said. “I was nervous comingin and in warmups I was dropping balls.When the game came, I was just ready togo.”Truesdell’s offensive exploits helped fuel

an Anderson offense that churned out 399total yards and had flashes of brilliance. The Redskins jumped out to a 21-0 lead

thanks to three scoring drives of less thantwo minutes, the last of which was capped bya 3-yard run from junior quarterback DanielRod with 2:38 to go before half. Louisville responded with a scoring drive

of its own that finished with a 14-yard passfrom Neal Seaman to Brandon Mathie. On the ensuing kickoff, Truesdell returned

the ball to the Louisville 35-yard line. Eightplays later Anderson ‘s John Howard hit a19-yard field goal for a 24-7 lead at thebreak. The score was key. ”That was a killer,” Farrah said. “It was big

more to me, because I knew we were down24-7 and it was going to take 17 (points toget back). The kids just came in the lockerroom and they were upset because we justcouldn’t get off the field. The kid had a greatkickoff return. We had three or four shots athim and didn’t tackle him. He made a play.” Said Anderson coach Jeff Giesting: “To

get up 17 points at the half was huge for us.” Seaman’s second TD pass of the second

half to Mathie drew the Leopards to within24-19 with 2:58 left to play. Instead of optingfor an onside kick, Louisville kicked deep andAnderson took over. On the first play fromscrimmage, senior Elijah Storey went 67yards for the game-clinching touchdown. ”I asked my defense what do you want to

do – do you want to onside it or kick it

Division II State Championship

31 25Anderson Scores First StateFootball Title, OutlastsLouisville In D-II Final

Senior Nick Truesdell catchesthe first of two TD passes.


“This year we felt if we could get in we’d have

a chance.”

Cincinnati Anderson Head CoachJeff Giesting

record for completions last year, was 19-of-38 passing for 179 yards and an interception. Mentor struggled to get its spread offense

into a rhythm with the poor weather condi-tions producing only 197 yards of offense toSt. Xavier’s 411, respectively. “They were getting good pressure on us

the whole game and they were only bringingfour people so they could drop seven playersinto coverage and it made it virtually impossi-ble for our receivers to get open,” Tanskisaid. The Cardinals had only 18 yards rushing. “I’ve got to believe (the weather) hurt

Mentor because they didn’t have much of arunning game,” said Specht. “When you runthe spread, it is tough to get a running gamegoing and when it sleets like that it makes ittough on a non-running team.” Said Mentor head coach Steve Trivisonno:

“(The weather) is always the worry when yourun that kind of offense in northeast Ohio. Wecould have used about two hours of drierweather but you have to give (St. Xavier)credit. They played well and you have to beable to handle those situations.” Division I offensive co-player of the year

Danny Milligan caught a 4-yard TD lateralpass from sophomore quarterback LukeMassa midway through the first quarter forthe Bombers first score and kicked 23 and24-yard field goals. “Whenever we needed a big play this sea-

son, Danny always stepped up,” said St.Xavier linebacker and Stanford recruit FredCraig. “We are all just so proud of him. Hehas always been one of those guys who hasgreat heart and determination and he justgoes out there and makes plays.” Craig was named D-I defensive player of

the year and had four tackles, a forced fum-ble and a pass break up in the game. St. Xavier topped the D-I ONN-Ohio High

Power Poll wire-to-wire this season and fin-ished the season ranked No. 5 in the countryby USA Today. Several national polls had the Bombers

ranked No. 1 in the nation coming into theseason. “These guys really kept focused and the

true humility they showed was able to helpcarry us to this point,” said Specht. “We’regoing to look back on this season for yearsand years to come and this was a specialgroup.” Said Trivisonno: “What a great football

team they are – in all phases of the game.The can run they ball, they can pass the balland they should be proud of themselves.”* State Semifinal Results: Cincinnati St.

Xavier 10, Dublin Coffman (13-1) 7; Mentor39, Brunswick (13-1) 14.

– Matt Natali



deep?” Farrah said. “They said kick it deepand we’ll hold them. (Storey) just cut back(through) the zone and that was it. He cutright through us.” Seaman hit Bob Swigert for another TD

with 20 seconds to go, but Anderson recov-ered the onside kick and secured theschool’s first state football title. The Redskins dropped down to D-II this

season after spending a lengthy stay inDivision I.”We’ve had some great teams in the past

but we were in Division I and we had to playsome really good schools and some schoolsthat were a lot bigger than us sometimes. Wecould never really make a long playoff run,”Giesting said. “This year we felt if we couldget in we’d have a chance.” Storey led the Anderson rushing attack

with 154 yards on 21 carries. Rod completed12-of-19 passes for 203 yards and had 15yards on seven carries.Louisville racked up 386 yards and 27 first

downs of its own, but three first halfturnovers led to 14 Anderson points. Seaman rushed for 91 yards on 24 carries

and completed 29-of-45 passes for 283 yardsand four TDs. Mathie caught 11 passes for120 yards and three TDs, while Swigert hadnine catches for 77 yards. Tyler Jones addedsix receptions for 64 yards. Louisville, playing in its first state champi-

onship game, was trying to be the first schoolfrom Stark County to win a state title sinceCanton Central Catholic in 2000. ”We were still fighting with 20 seconds to

go,” Farrah said. “We made it a game.”* State Semifinal Results: Cincinnati

Anderson 35, Ashland (12-2) 20; Louisville41, Mayfield (10-4) 13.

– Eric Frantz

As a freshman, Sunbury Big Walnut quar-terback/defensive back Ethan Wetzel figuredout that he and the Golden Eagles couldpotentially be playing for a state champi-onship on his 18th birthday his senior sea-

son. Wetzel celebrated his 18th birthday just

like he imagined with his Big Walnut team-mates knocking off Newark Licking Valley 17-10 in the Division III state championship Nov.30 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. “I wish I could describe how it feels. I am

so proud of the players to beat a footballteam of the caliber of Licking Valley,” saidWetzel’s father and Big Walnut head coachScott Wetzel. Big Walnut (14-1) had only three first

downs and 109 yards of total offense in thegame, but the defense stepped up by forcingfive turnovers resulting in 10 points. “Our defense is what we’ve hung our hat

on all year and we have our 11 best playersout there,” the elder Wetzel said. Senior wide receiver/defensive back Joe

Reed got Big Walnut on the board first pick-ing off a Drew Ryan pass on a reverse andsprinting 54 yards to the end zone. “I had two guys to beat that had a good

angle on me and I knew if I beat those two Iwas good to go,” Reed said. Licking Valley (13-2) coughed the ball up

again on another reverse play in the secondquarter and Big Walnut defensive linemanColton Griffis pounced on it resulting in a 33-yard Andy Dronsfield field goal. The Panthers scored for the first time in

the third quarter on a safety with Wetzel fum-bling out of the end zone after an errantsnap. Licking Valley then tied the game with 2:04

left in the period, engineering an eight play,

57-yard drive capped off by an 8-yard StormKlein touchdown run. The two-point conver-sion from quarterback Nick Phillips to fullbackVince German was good knotting the gameat 10-10. Reed broke the tie for good with 9:29 left

in the game scooping a fumble from team-mate Corey Wolf and racing 60 yards to theend zone, giving the Golden Eagles the 17-10 lead. “When I first approached the pile I was just

looking for a guy to knock down and the balljust ended up being in front of me as I wasrunning and I just picked it up and took off,”Reed said. Licking Valley threatened late in the game

marching down to the Big Walnut 15-yardline. But defensive back Nick Heiden inter-cepted a Phillips pass with 30 seconds leftsealing the win. “It was a tipped ball and it just kind of fell

in my hands and we were good from there,”Heiden said. Licking Valley held the advantage in nearly

every offensive and defensive category.“Things didn’t go quite our way today but I

couldn’t be prouder of a group of guys,” saidLicking Valley head coach Randy Baughman.“I thought we played hard. That is a greatfootball team and we played hard. I admire(our players) for coming back and tying tomake a game out of it but it just wasn’tmeant to be today.” Klein, an Ohio State verbal commitment

already for 2009, led all stat-getters with 155yards rushing on 33 carries and the TD in thethird quarter. “I thought we did a nice job of containing

Klein,” Wetzel said. “What a great runningback he is. I thought these guys did a nicejob against him.” Licking Valley had 322 yards of offense

and held the edge in time of possession32:21 to 15:39, but the five turnovers werethe difference in the game. “They have a lot of speed on that defense

and they went out and started making someplays and gained some confidence,”Baughman said. “We said coming in that wedidn’t want to give them any opportunitiesand we did, especially in the first half. Wejust didn’t capitalize when we had chancesand we gave them too many chances.”

Division III State Championship

17 10Defense, Turnovers PropelSunbury Big WalnutTo First State Title

Sunbury Big Walnut wonits first state title overfellow central Ohio foeNewark Licking Valley.

Phot

o by

Nick

Falz

eran

o

“I am so proud of the players tobeat a football team of the caliber of Licking Valley,”

Big Walnut Head CoachScott Wetzel



Big Walnut was 0-for-9 on third down con-versions, but the Golden Eagles took advan-tage of Licking Valley’s miscues in locking upthe first football state championship in schoolhistory. “It was a frustrating day on offense and we

kept shooting ourselves in the foot but wecame up with plays when we needed to,”said Wetzel. “Licking Valley outplayed ustoday but the character of our team reallyshowed and we came up with some big playswhen we needed them.” Said Reed: “You can’t dream this. It just

happens. Something just went my waytonight and you can’t explain it.”* State Semifinal Results: Sunbury Big

Walnut 21, Monroe (11-3) 7; Newark LickingValley 27, Mentor Lake Catholic (9-4) 21.

– Matt Natali

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney now knowshow Goliath felt.Midwest Athletic Conference and Mercer

County schools have long put their stamp onthe state football championships. But on Dec.1 in the Division IV state final at Massillon’sPaul Brown Tiger Stadium, Coldwater record-ed one of the conference’s, county’s andstate’s biggest upsets ever with a 28-27 vic-tory over nationally-ranked and undefeatedYoungstown Mooney. A crowd of 7,465 wit-nessed the upset.Mooney (14-1), the consensus D-IV

favorite all season long and the defendingstate champion, was making its fourthstraight appearance in the state final. TheCardinals entered the game No. 8 in the USAToday Super 25 national rankings. Mooney’ssenior class has players committed to PennState, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. OhioState has a verbal from one of its juniors. Coldwater didn’t care. “We came here to win,” said Coldwater

head coach John Reed, whose team finished14-1. “You can’t be influenced by what otherpeople are going to think or say. You have tobelieve in yourself.

“You know we live over on the other side ofOhio and we really don’t know about theMooney mystique and all of that. We reallydon’t. We played them two years ago and wewere able to play them tough. We we’re con-fident we’d come here and play them toughagain. We didn’t say we were going to win,but we came here to win.” “Our guys performed all year and played at

such a high level and today was no different,”

Mooney head coach P.J. Fecko said. “We putforth a ton of effort and definitely battledhard. Unfortunately we came up on the shortend of the scoreboard. Coldwater should becongratulated for pulling it out.” Playing inspired football after a lackluster

first half, the Cavaliers rallied from a 21-7deficit after three quarters and scored 21unanswered points in the fourth to take a 28-21 lead with 2:41 left. The Cavs scored on areverse pass from Keith Wenning to RyanGeier and then set-up their next score withanother trick play, this one a double-passfrom Wenning to Tony Harlamert that set upfirst-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Coldwater’sfinal score followed a Mooney fumble. The Cavs still had to withstand a late

Mooney charge which resulted in a TD with21 seconds left. But Coldwater’s KurtSchlarman blocked the extra-point and AdamHoman recovered the ensuing onside kick tosecure the monumental upset. Of course, those from Coldwater and the

rest of Mercer County and the MAC may be

asking, what’s the fuss? The state championship, coupled with

Marion Local’s Division V crown on Nov. 30,marks the MAC’s fifth and sixth state titles inthree years. Since 1998, MAC schools havetaken home hardware 12 times. TheColdwater student section filled the stadiumwith chants of “M-A-C, M-A-C” following thegame. “It’s a special place,” Reed said. “We feel

very privileged to come from where we are.Somebody asked me beforehand why arethere so many successful teams that comeout of that area? People in Mercer Countyand Auglaize County expect a great dealfrom themselves and their children. You don’tbuild anything as a coach without a success-ful foundation and these kids come to us withgreat foundations.” Mooney found that out the hard way. Despite being the odds-on favorite and

looking like it would roll to victory after a 14-0first quarter, Mooney made some uncharac-teristic mistakes. The Cardinals were penal-ized 11 times in the game for 94 yards andcommitted three turnovers. Running back Brandon Beachum, headed

to Penn State, led the Mooney rushing attackwith 191 yards on 34 carries. But he man-aged just 73 yards in the second half. quar-terback Tim Marlowe, filling in for injuredOhio High state player of the year DannyMcCarthy (Notre Dame), rushed for 92 yardson 17 carries and completed 5-of-6 passesfor 135 yards and two TDs, both to seniorMike Gemma. The Cardinals had 432 yards of offense. Coldwater countered with 353 yards,

including 254 in the second half. The Cavs only rushed for 53 yards, but

junior quarterback Cory Klenke completed16-of-37 passes for 185 yards and a TD.Backup quarterback Wenning threw for 115yards on the two reverse passes. Harlamert finished with 178 total yards,

including 126 on eight catches, while Geierhad 134 yards and two TDs on four catches.The offensive line did not allow a sackagainst Mooney’s vaunted front seven. The state title was Coldwater’s second in

three seasons and second over Mooney. The

Division IV State Championship

28 27Coldwater Shocks DefendingChamp Youngstown MooneyWith 28-27 Win In D-IV

Coldwater’s Tyler Kunk cele-brates during the Cavs upset ofYoungstown Cardinal Mooney.

Photo by Nick Falzerano“We talk about respect

everybody but fear nobody and that’s sincere.”

Coldwater Head CoachJohn Reed



Cavs also beat the Cardinals in the 2005 D-IV final at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. Thatloss was Mooney’s last until this season’sstate title game as the Cardinals saw their28-game winning streak snapped. “We have the utmost respect for Cardinal

Mooney, we really do,” Reed said. “Werespect everybody we play and we talk aboutthat all the time. We talk about respect every-body but fear nobody and that’s sincere.” Said Coldwater senior

linebacker/fullbackTyler Kunk: “I think we alljust gave a little bit extra. We dug down asdeep as we could and I think we had a littlebit more left than what they did.” Added classmate Kyle Ahrens: “They’re

high school kids, too.”* State Semifinal Results: Coldwater 56,

Williamsport Westfall (13-1) 14; YoungstownMooney 28, Marion Pleasant (12-2) 0.

– Eric Frantz

None of the four Maria Stein Marion Localfootball players at the Division V champi-onship postgame press conference – seniorsChris Stucke, Greg Koesters, Ben Schaeferand Luke Homan -- said anything whenquestioned about being slighted from the APAll-Ohio Division V football team. The quartet is part of a defense, that,

despite allowing just 6.4 points per game andrecording seven shutouts, landed not a singleindividual on the All-Ohio first or secondteam. Marion Local head coach Tim Goodwin

was not so shy. “I want to talk about that,” Goodwin said.

“We don’t make a big deal out of it, but itdoes get irritating after a while when we’vehave all this success in the postseason. Wewent against three all-state running backs(Miami East’s Sam Smallwood, Deer Park’sBen Rascona and Patrick Henry’s DrewKuesel) prior to today and you add up alltheir yards and they didn’t have 100 yardstotal. It’s just gets frustrating after a while. Itreally does.”

The Flyers took that frustration out onYoungstown Ursuline in the Division V statefootball championship Nov. 30 at Massillon’sPaul Brown Tiger Stadium.Behind its suffocating defense, the Flyers

won their second straight state title with a 20-14 victory. Last year, Marion Local capturedthe Division VI title. The championship was also Marion Local’s

fourth overall, making the Flyers (15-0) the10th school in state history to have four ormore titles. The title game win extended

Marion Local’s winning streak to 27 games ina row. “That’s the way we’ve been playing

defense all year,” Goodwin said. “If you’re aMarion fan, that looked similar. We havequick, aggressive kids up front and we’re notafraid to send our linebackers. And these twolinebackers (Homan and Koesters) are thebest two pair of linebackers and the bestblitzing linebackers I’ve ever had.” “Defensively they blitz almost every single

play,” Ursuline head coach Dan Reardonsaid. “I don’t know if I’ve ever coachedagainst a team that blitzes that much. It’shard to sustain drives against a defense withthat mentality.” As it has all season, Marion Local’s

defense decided the outcome. Ursuline (12-3) opened the game with a

15-play drive that erased 7:35 from thescoreboard but put no points on it. Despiteconverting two fourth downs on the drive,

including a fake punt, the Irish were finallyforced to punt. Ursuline did get on the board first, though,

when senior quarterback Lamar McQueen,the D-V state offensive player of the year,hooked up with junior Dale Peterman for adivisional record 76-yard TD pass with 11:09to go in the first half. On its next possession, the Irish were

forced to punt from their own end zone andKoesters blocked the kick. Dustin Heitkamprecovered for the score.

Marion senior quarterback Chris Stucke hitAlex Moeller for a 22-yard TD with 1:14 to goin the half to give the Flyers a 14-7 lead atthe break.After a scoreless third quarter, Irish senior

Justin Brown made back-to-back momentumswings. The defensive end stripped Homanof the ball on first down on the Marion Local49-yard line and raced 51 yards for the tyingscore. On the Flyers next possession, Brownblocked a 29-yard field goal attempt. “That was huge,” Reardon said. “That was

a critical time in the ball game and he cameup with the big play.” The Marion Local defense delivered the

final fireworks, however, with 5:36 left. Facingthird-and-9 on the 29-yard line, McQueentried to lob a screen pass over Flyers defend-er Luke Bertke. Bertke snagged the ball andraced 18 yards for the TD. The extra pointwas no good. Ursuline had one more crack, but back-to-

back Bertke sacks set up fourth-and-24 atthe 5. McQueen’s final pass fell incomplete. Offensively, the Flyers had 218 total yards.

Stucke and Schaefer each rushed for 70yards, while Stucke added 76 through the air.Moeller caught three passes for 54 yards anda TD. The offensive line also held Ursulinesophomore Jamel Turner without a sack forthe first time this year. He had 23 coming in.Defensively, Marion Local held the Irish to

98 yards rushing, well below their 250 aver-age. The Flyers also limited junior standoutDarrell Mason to 11 yards on 12 carries. Alltold, Ursuline had 199 yards with 76 comingon McQueen’s TD toss to Peterman. TheIrish averaged 2.4 yards on their other 54plays from scrimmage.

Division V State Championship

20 14Marion Local Wins SecondStraight State Title With

Win Over Youngstown Ursuline Luke Bertke’sinterceptionreturn for a TDfueled the

Phot

o by

Nick

Falz

eran

o“If we’re going to leave it up to

one phase of our team, we might aswell leave it up to our defense.”

Marion Local Head CoachTim Goodwin



McQueen finished with a team-high 69yards on 18 carries, and completed 3-of-16passes for 101 yards, two interceptions anda TD. “They are a big play defense,” said

Reardon, whose team faced MassillonWashington, Warren Harding, Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary and Youngstown Mooneythis season. “That’s their philosophy, that’stheir mentality and they do a very good job ofit. “They are right up there (with the best

we’ve faced). We’ve lost three games(Washington, Mooney and Marion) and allthree had great defenses. Shoot they’re statechamps. Their defense is good.” Said Goodwin: “If we’re going to leave it up

to one phase of our team, we might as wellleave it up to our defense.” Since 1994, the MAC is now 14-6 in state

title games, having sent at least one team 14of 15 years. With the win, the Flyers became just the

10th school in state history to win four ormore state titles and just the third publicschool to do so. The Flyers also became thefourth MAC school to make the list. Cleveland St. Ignatius leads with nine

titles, Newark Catholic with eight andCincinnati Moeller has seven. ClevelandBenedictine, St, Henry, Versailles andYoungstown Cardinal Mooney (six) andAkron SVSM and Delphos St. John’s (four)round out the list.* State Semifinal Results: Maria Stein

Marion Local 42, Hamler Patrick Henry (12-2)20; Youngstown Ursuline 28, ColumbusReady (12-2) 6.

– Eric Frantz

When Mark Nichols moved to Ohio fromMissouri with his family, his parents wanted himto attend Newark Catholic because of the qualityof education that it offers. Nichols wanted to attend Newark Catholic

because of its rich football tradition. The senior running back helped contribute to

that Green Wave football tradition Dec. 1 atCanton’s Fawcett Stadium in the Division VIstate championship game as Newark Catholicclaimed its eighth state title in school history andfirst since 1991 with a 28-14 win over BascomHopewell-Loudon. Newark Catholic (13-2) scored on its first four

possessions and Hopewell-Loudon (14-1) could-n’t overcome the deficit in the second halfdespite battling back. Nichols, the Division VI co-player of the year,

collected 161 yards on 38 carries and a TD whilequarterback Mark Elwell was a one-man wreck-ing crew rushing for 100 yards on 13 carries andthree TDs. Elwell was 4-of-5 passing for 55yards. “All year, we’ve said it starts with our offensive

line and against a great defense our offensiveline pushed and enabled Mark Nichols to findsome seams at critical times,” Newark Catholichead coach Bill Franks said. “I really felt Mark Elwell’s speed and athleti-

cism was going to be the difference maker.Having a mobile quarterback, we wanted to gethim the ball. You let your players make playsand be in their comfort zone and I think we didthat.” The Green Wave defense was stifling in the

first half allowing just 88 yards of offense. “I think if you go back and look at the films,

that was a perfect half of football,” said Franks.“To beat the number one team in the state tookperfection in the first half. Our guys put the timein and went out and did it.” Elwell got Newark Catholic on the board mid-

way through the first quarter on a 1-yard quarter-

back sneak on fourth down and goal capping offa 14 play, 64-yard drive on the opening posses-sion of the game putting the Green Wave up 7-0. He stretched the lead on the first play of the

second quarter racing 15 yards to the corner ofthe end zone on a busted play picking up a keyblock from tight end Tony Weisent giving NewarkCatholic a 14-0 advantage. The senior quarterback wasn’t through scoring

in the first half sprinting 20 yards to the end zoneon a bootleg putting the Green Wave up 21-0with 7:21 left in the first half. “I just owe it to our line, the backs and the

coaches for calling the right plays and being inthe right position to have a good game,” Elwell, aXavier University baseball recruit, said about hisperformance. Nichols reached pay dirt on a 1-yard TD run

with just under a minute left in the half putting abow on an 11 play, 76-yard scoring drive. Hopewell-Loudon battled in the second half

getting a pair of Travis Wise 1-yard TD runspulling within two scores but the Chieftains failedto capitalize on several opportunities, includinggoing a dismal 6-of-13 on third down conver-sions and 0-for-4 on fourth down. “We didn’t get to the state finals playing like

we did in the first half and I was proud of thesecond half,” Hopewell-Loudon head coachBrian Colatruglio. Quarterback Tyler Brown was 17-of-41 pass-

ing in the Hopewell-Loudon spread offense for309 yards and an interception. Wide receiverLukas Schalk reeled in eight passes for 138yards. “It was kind of nerve racking,” Newark Catholic

defensive back Matt Grieb said about defendingthe spread offense. Grieb had several passbreak-ups in the game. “We knew that they weregoing to pass (a lot) and at first I was playingback and our coaches moved me up and thathelped us out a lot better.” For Newark Catholic, it is the first state cham-

pionship under sixth-year head coach BillFranks, who is a Newark Catholic graduate. “I always felt humbled to have the opportunity

to go to Newark Catholic and play and having toopportunity to come back and coach,” Frankssaid. “I just feel blessed.”* State Semifinal Results: Bascom

Hopewell-Loudon 41, Ada (9-5) 38; NewarkCatholic 21, Springfield Catholic Central (13-1)

Division VI State Championship

20 14Marion Local Wins SecondStraight State Title With

Win Over Youngstown Ursuline

NewarkCatholic’s MarkNichols rushedfor 161 yards asthe Green Wavewon their eighthtitle.

Photo by Nick Falzerano“To beat the number one team in the state took perfection in the

first half.”

Newark Catholic Head CoachBill Franks


State Footbal l F inals P ictoral

Photos by Nick Falzerano, Gary Housteau, Stephanie Porter


Ohio H igh/ONN A l l -Ohio Team

or the fifth year in a row, Ohio High magazine has selected the OhioNews Network/Ohio High All-Ohio football team.We have picked a full team on offense and defense and have also

selected special award winners for the player of the year and coachof the year. The team was revealed during a broadcast Nov. 25 onONN.We have three repeat All-Ohio team members from last year with

Clayton Northmont offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders, Dublin Coffman offen-sive lineman Mike Adams and Youngstown Mooney quarterback/defensiveback Danny McCarthy.Below is a look at the special award winners, followed by this year’s full

team (all players listed are seniors unless noted):

Player Of The YearThe ONN/Ohio High Player of the Year award goes to Danny McCarthy of

Youngstown Mooney.The 6-1, 200-pound McCarthy was a driving force on both sides of the ball

for Mooney. He played in 12 of the team’s 15 games before going down witha neck injury in his team’s regional semifinal win over Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary. He was a major component in Mooney’s 28-game winning streak overthe last two years.On offense, McCarthy rushed for 1,219 yards on 154 carries and scored

15 touchdowns. He completed 18 of his 37 pass attempts for 425 yards withfive touchdowns and four interceptions. On defense, McCarthy recorded 90 total stops that included nine tackles

for a loss of which two were quarterback sacks. He has three interceptions(one he returned one for a score), forced two fumbles and recovered one.McCarthy also returned two kicks for scores that had him personally accountfor 23 touchdowns.McCarthy has issued a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. For more on

McCarthy, see Gary Housteau’s outstanding feature on him on page 32.

Coach Of The YearThe ONN/Ohio High Coach of the Year award goes to Youngstown

Mooney’s P.J. Fecko.Mooney had won 28 straight games prior to its Division IV state champi-

onship game loss (28-27) to Coldwater. Under Fecko’s tutelage, theCardinals reached their fourth straight state title game and had won twostate titles (2004 and 2006).In eight seasons as the Mooney coach, Fecko has compiled a record of

70-29. But the last four years have been especially strong with Mooney post-ing a mark of 52-6.This season, Mooney snapped Steubenville’s 42-game win streak in a

Division IV regional final. In addition to that huge win over the defendingDivision III state champions, Mooney also took wins over four teams that reached one of the six state

final fours in Mentor, Mentor Lake Catholic, Youngstown Ursuline and MarionPleasant.For more on Fecko, see story on page 35.

State’s top players recognized on ONN/OhioHigh All-Ohio team

F

Photos by Stephanie Porter

Mentor senior quarterback Bart Tanskiwas first team ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio.



ALL-OHIO TEAM OFFENSEQQBB –– BBaarrtt TTaannsskkii,, MMeennttoorr:: Tanski (6-2, 190) led Mentor to an 11-3 record and

a second straight berth in the Division I state title game. He completed 230 of388 passes (59.3 percent) for 3,179 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven inter-ceptions. He also rushed for 558 yards and nine touchdowns. He was theDivision I state offensive co-player of the year.RRBB –– IIssaaiiaahh PPeeaadd,, CCoolluummbbuuss EEaassttmmoooorr AAccaaddeemmyy:: Pead (5-11, 195) rushed for

2,204 yards on 192 carries (11.5 average) with 39 touchdowns. His team was 9-1 and just missed the playoffs.RRBB –– BBrraannddoonn BBeeaacchhuumm,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: Beachum (6-1, 223) had 1,525

yards and 14 touchdowns on 242 carries. He helped the team go 14-1 andreach the Division IV state title game. He had 56 tackles, four sacks and an inter-ception on defense. He had 237 yards on 32 carries and 3 touchdowns againstpreviously unbeaten Steubenville in a regional final game. He is committed toPenn State.WWRR –– JJaakkee SSttoonneebbuurrnneerr,, DDuubblliinn CCooffffmmaann:: Stoneburner (6-5, 225) had 74

catches for 1,267 yards (17.1 average) with 15 touchdowns. His team was 13-1and reached the Division I state semifinals. He is going to Ohio State and willplay in U.S. Army All-American Bowl.WWRR –– DDeeVViieerr PPoosseeyy,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii LLaaSSaallllee:: Posey (6-3, 194) logged 48 catches for

784 yards (16.3 average) with eight touchdowns. He also had a punt return and

an interception for TDs this year. He has verbaled to Ohio State. Will play in theU.S. Army All-American BowlTTEE –– KKyyllee RRuuddoollpphh,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii EEllddeerr:: Rudolph (6-7, 240) had 30 catches for

544 yards (18.1 average) and 10 TDs. He has verbaled to Notre Dame.OOLL –– MMiikkee AAddaammss,, DDuubblliinn CCooffffmmaann:: Adams (6-8, 305) returns to the All-Ohio

team. He is regarded as one of the top OL in the country and will play in theU.S. Army All-American Bowl. His team was 13-1 and advanced to the Division Istate semis. He has verbaled to Ohio State.OOLL –– MMaarrccuuss HHaallll,, jjuunniioorr,, CClleevveellaanndd GGlleennvviillllee:: Hall (6-5, 305) is one of the top

juniors in the state. His team was 10-3 and reached the Division I regional finals.OOLL –– JJaakkee CCuurrrreenntt,, TTrrooyy:: Current (6-3, 270) was an All-Southwest District first-

team pick. He has verbaled to Wisconsin.OOLL –– EElllliiootttt MMeeaalleerr,, WWaauusseeoonn:: Mealer (6-6, 300) was the Northwest District

lineman of the year. He has verbaled to Michigan.OOLL –– ZZeebbrriiee SSaannddeerrss,, CCllaayyttoonn NNoorrtthhmmoonntt:: Sanders (6-5, 275) returns to the All-

Ohio team. He is one of the top linemen in the country and was looking atFlorida and Georgia, among others. His team was 7-4 this year.KK –– KKeevviinn HHaarrppeerr,, MMeennttoorr:: Harper (5-10, 170) hit a state-record 61-yard field

goal in Week 3 against Solon. Harper hit 17 of 25 field goals, including 3 of 4from 50 yards or beyond. He was 58 of 61 on extra points for a total of 109points.

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio Team

ALL-OHIO TEAM DEFENSEDDLL –– JJoohhnn SSiimmoonn,, jjuunniioorr,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: Simon (6-3, 266) logged 87 tackles

and 8-1/2 sacks for 14-1 Mooney. He is one of the top juniors in Midwest and hasalready been offered by Ohio State.DDLL –– KKeevviinn KKooggeerr,, TToolleeddoo WWhhiittmmeerr:: Koger (6-4, 235) was a first-team All-Northwest

District pick and was a two-way standout at tight end and defensive end. He has ver-baled to Michigan.DDLL –– JJeerreell WWoorrtthhyy,, HHuubbeerr HHeeiigghhttss WWaayynnee:: Worthy (6-2, 285) was a first-team All-

Southwest District pick. He is headed to Michigan State. As a senior, he had 45 tack-les, 10 sacks, six pass deflections and two fumble recoveries.DDLL –– TTaayylloorr HHiillll,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: Hill (6-3, 215) had 21 sacks, 152 tackles and

47 tackles-for-loss for 14-1 Mooney. He originally committed to Oklahoma, but has de-committed and is still working on his college choice.LLBB –– SSttoorrmm KKlleeiinn,, jjuunniioorr,, NNeewwaarrkk LLiicckkiinngg VVaalllleeyy:: Klein (6-3, 220) was a two-way

force at linebacker and running back for his 13-2 team, which ended up as theDivision III state runner-up. He had over 100 tackles on defense. Offensively, he had221 carries for 1,514 yards (6.9 average) and 30 touchdowns. He is already verbaledto Ohio State for the 2009 class.LLBB –– MMiikkee ZZoorrddiicchh,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: Zordich (6-2, 237) 133 tackles, six sacks,

24-1/2 TFLs for the D-IV runner-up. He also had 937 yards and 10 touchdowns onoffense at fullback. He is following in dad’s footsteps at Penn State.LLBB –– BB..JJ.. MMaacchheenn,, HHiilllliiaarrdd DDaarrbbyy:: Machen (6-2, 215) helped his team go 11-2 and

reach a Division I regional final. He is headed to Georgia Tech. He had 130 tackles onthe year.LLBB –– WWiillll SSttuuddlliieenn,, jjuunniioorr,, SSuunnbbuurryy BBiigg WWaallnnuutt:: Studlien (6-3, 225) is one of the top

juniors in the state. He led his team to a 14-1 record and the Division III state title. Hehad 22 tackles in the state title game win over Newark Licking Valley.DDBB –– DDaannnnyy MMccCCaarrtthhyy,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: See page 32.DDBB –– CCoorrddaallee SSccootttt,, CClleevveellaanndd GGlleennvviillllee:: Scott (6-4, 200) had 51 tackles and five

interceptions (two for TDs) on defense. On offense, he had 27 catches for 431 yardsand five touchdowns. He also had three kick return TDs and one rushing TD. Histeam was 10-3 and reached the D-I regional semi. He has verbaled to Illinois.DDBB –– FFrreedd CCrraaiigg,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii SStt.. XXaavviieerr:: Craig (6-2, 210) had 100 tackles and an

interception (for a touchdown) for the Division I state champions. This three-yearstarter is committed to Stanford. He was the Division I state defensive player of theyear.AAllll--PPuurrppoossee –– DDaannnnyy MMiilllliiggaann,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii SStt.. XXaavviieerr:: Milligan (5-9, 165) had 33 catch-

es for 537 yards (16.3 average) and seven touchdowns for the 15-0 Division I statechampions. He also made seven field goals and returned 28 punts for a 12.1 aver-age. He was the Division I state offensive co-player of the year.PP –– BBeenn BBuucchhaannaann,, WWeesstteerrvviillllee CCeennttrraall:: Buchanan (6-0, 195) averaged 40.6 yards

per punt (best in central Ohio). He also scored 73 points (31 PATs, 14 of 19 on fieldgoals, 13 of 13 inside 50 yards, misses were from 63, 60, 63, 53 and 50 yards,longest make was 57 yards). He is headed to Ohio State.

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-OHIOHere is a position-by-position look at other players considered for the ONN/Ohio

High All-Ohio Team:

QQuuaarrtteerrbbaacckk –– Salvadore Battles, Youngstown East; Sean Bedevelsky, Brunswick; ZakDysert, Ada; Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview; Devontae Payne, junior, ClevelandSouth; Zack Stoudt, Dublin Coffman; Taylor Housewright, Ashland; Ross Oltorik,Cincinnati Moeller; Zach Toerner, Hamilton Badin; Alex Gillett, Clyde.RRuunnnniinngg BBaacckk –– Darius Ashley, Cincinnati St. Xavier; DeVoe Torrence, Massillon

Washington; Michael Shaw, Trotwood-Madison; Dru Jones, Wadsworth; Brian Wagner,Springfield Catholic Central.WWiiddee RReecceeiivveerr –– Perez Ashford, junior, Shaker Heights; D.J. Woods, Strongsville;

Teddy Robb, Canal Fulton Northwest; Chris Fields, junior, Paynesville Harvey; NateJackson, Hamilton Badin.TTiigghhtt EEnndd –– Nic DiLillo, Madison; Brandon Moore, Trotwood-Madison.

OOffffeennssiivvee LLiinnee –– Shawntel Rowell, Cleveland Glenville; Max Baumann, Cincinnati St.Xavier; Justin Leahey, Toledo St. John’s; Jack Mewhort, junior, Toledo St. John’s; TimGerman, Newark Licking Valley; Ricky Harris, junior, Westerville South; Chris Freeman,junior, Trotwood-Madison.DDeeffeennssiivvee LLiinnee –– Jamel Turner, sophomore, Youngstown Ursuline; Evan Klepac,

Youngstown Boardman; Matt Schooley, Louisville; Josh Lott, Warren Howland; MelvinFellows, junior, Garfield Heights; Nate Cadogan, junior, Portsmouth.LLiinneebbaacckkeerr –– Steve Bigach, Cleveland St. Ignatius; Justin Staples, Lakewood St.

Edward; David Rolf, Piqua; Nathan Williams, Washington C.H. Miami Trace; JordanThompson, Parkway; Adam Homan, junior, Coldwater; Branko Busick, junior,SteubenvilleDDeeffeennssiivvee BBaacckk –– Tony Stover, Canal Fulton Northwest; Alex Gedeon, Hudson;

Deondray Brown, Fremont Ross; Justin Turner, junior, Massillon Washington; C.J.Barnett, junior, Clayton Northmont; Denicos Allen, junior, Hamilton.KKiicckkeerr--PPuunntteerr –– Steve Schott, Massillon Washington.


ONN/Ohio H igh Footbal l P layer o f the Year

t’s not surprising to hear DannyMcCarthy say that he wouldn’t trade hissenior year for anything. McCarthy was the best player on

arguably one of the best high schoolfootball teams in the state over the pasttwo seasons. His exploits on the grid-iron, on both sides of the football this

past year were more than enough to award himthe official title of the ONN/Ohio High Player ofthe Year.Statistics alone might not say it but they cer-

tainly contributed to why he was named thewinner of this award. On offense, McCarthy rushed for 1,219 yards

on 154 carries and scored 15 touchdowns. Hecompleted 18 of his 37 pass attempts for 425yards with five touchdowns and four intercep-tions. And on defense, McCarthy recorded 90total stops that included nine tackles for a lossof which two were quarterback sacks. Hepicked off three enemy aerials of which one hereturned one for a score, forced two fumblesand recovered one. McCarthy also returnedtwo kicks for scores that had him personallyaccount for 23 touchdowns.McCarthy was more or less the quarterback

for the Cardinals on both sides of the ball forthe past two years and the intangibles, as wellas the tangibles, that he brought to the playingfield every week were impressive as well. At 6-1 and about 200 pounds, McCarthy had thesize, speed and toughness that madeMooney’s offense click on all cylinders all sea-son long. And on defense he was solid enoughto clean up anything was left over afterBrandon Beachum, Michael Zordich, Taylor Hilland Johnny Simon had a chance at it.But the one thing that made McCarthy really

special was his durability. During Mooney’s last two runs at a state

championship, McCarthy answered the bellevery week for Cardinal Mooney. He wastough as nails whether he was under center onoffense, at safety in the secondary on defenseor returning kicks on special teams. And then it happened. He was injured. And because of the way that he played the

game, with reckless abandon, he put himselfout for the remainder of the season when he

was injured while making a jarring tackle in aregional semifinal game against St. Vincent-St.Mary on Nov. 10. He even played the rest ofthe game against the Irish, on offense only,after he sustained the injury. That’s right:McCarthy suffered a serious, season-endingspine injury but he still played on offense for theremainder of the game.And almost two full weeks after the disap-

pointing state final loss to Coldwater, McCarthy,the only player that Mooney could ill afford tolose in their quest to win back-to-back statechampionships for the first-time ever in the illus-trious history of their school, still had a bit ofstiffness in his neck. But he was doing greatand he was in great spirits.“Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it

to but I wouldn’t take it back, this season thatwe’ve gone through, for anything,” McCarthysaid. “With the players that I played with and the

coaches that I’ve been coached by, it’s beenthe greatest time of my life and I really enjoyedthe experience.”Yes that statement was made by the same

Danny McCarthy whose season prematurelycame to an end in Week 12 while he was mak-ing a big play for the Cardinals on the defen-sive side of the ball from his safety position. The same Danny McCarthy who stood on

the sideline and watched helplessly as histeammates lost to Coldwater 28-27 in theDivision IV state championship game.The same Danny McCarthy who is now

faced with many weeks of rehabilitation afterhe’s cleared by doctors to begin getting himselfready for his freshman season at Notre Dame. The injury, looking on the bright side of it,

however serious in nature it actually is, has notbeen deemed career-ending. But it’s had amajor impact on McCarthy nonetheless.Admittedly, McCarthy, still thinks about the

St. Vincent-St Mary game.“You wish, an inch or two another way, it

would have gone differently but everyone hasgot to go through adversity,” McCarthy said.“It’s something that unfortunately happened tome but my team responded great to it and theyreally picked it up and did a great job through-out the rest of the season.”McCarthy said he allows himself, every once

in a while, to relive the actual play that put anend to his season and changed the fortune ofthe rest of his Cardinal teammates. He wasmaking a tackle on a receiver who made acatch down the field when the injury occurred.Some people who were at the game have saidit was one of the best hits they’ve ever seen ona football field.“I try to (relive it) sometimes but it’s just a

tough thing,” McCarthy said. “I got a chance toget a good hit in and unfortunately it turned outnot the way we wished.”McCarthy was the safety on the other side of

the field from an Irish receiver running a slantpattern.“I just took off straight for him,” McCarthy said.

I

Mooney senior Dany McCarthy is headed tothe University of Notre Dame. McCarthy isthe ONN/Ohio High player of the year.



ONN/Ohio H igh Footbal l P layer o f the YearSTORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

“I looked back at the quarterback and sawhim throwing it and I had a clear shot on (theintended receiver) and I took it. It was a bigplay, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out in ourfavor.”He knew he was injured immediately.“I got up and I hadn’t felt anything like that

before,” McCarthy said. “Deep down I thoughtthat could be my last game and I just wanted totake it as far as I could with it.”So he kept on playing. But only on offense.

McCarthy was potentially risking paralysis if hesustained one more hit in the wrong place. “As long as I could still play, I wanted to get

back in there and be with my teammates,” hesaid. “The coaches knew that I was a littlebanged up and they didn’t let me go back in ondefense. Thankfully, nothing else happed and itwill all be all right.”McCarthy was concerned for his safety but

he kept on playing.“I was (concerned) but I wasn’t thinking about

it too much during the game,” he said.“Obviously it was painful but I just wanted tokeep playing and see how far I could (go) withit. And unfortunately it was just until the end ofthat game.”He thought he had some kind of neck or

back injury, but he didn’t know for sure which.“I had a headache and I had a lot of pain in

the spine,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t know itwould be as serious as it was but I knew thatthere was definitely something wrong.”Officially, McCarthy sustained a herniated

disc.“Whether I get surgery or it heals on its own,

either way, I’ll be good to go in about sixmonths,” he said. “I’m not too educated on thewhole spine injury but, as the doctors told me,all of the fluid leaked out of the disc so that wasa problem.”McCarty was actually feeling much better

one day short of five weeks past the day hesustained the injury than he felt right after hewas initially hurt.“Yeah I’m feeling all right now,” he said. “I’ve

got to make some decisions here within thenext couple of weeks on whether I’m going toget surgery or try to let it heal on its own buteither way I’m thankful that nothing else worsehappened and everything should be all right inabout six months.”The actual prognosis if McCarthy should opt

for the surgery is a positive one.“They said it’s a common surgery that’s done

and many NFL players have had it,” he said.“Once you’re all healed and have gone throughrehab, it’s something that you won’t evennotice.”The mental scars from missing out on the

rest of the season this past year, however, willprobably last longer than any scars he’ll end upwith from the surgery if decides to go that route.


McCarthy suffered a season-ending spinal injury in the

Cardinals regional semifinalplayoff victory over Akron

St. Vincent-St. Mary. Despitethe fact he was injured inthe first half, McCarthy fin-ished the game on offense.


ONN/Ohio H igh Footbal l P layer o f the Year

“Obviously, it was very difficultfor me,” McCarthy said. “My bestfriends were out there and I wish Iwas out there playing with them. Iwish I could help as much as Icould but I had to take a differentpoint of view from it and just try toencourage them and coach themup as much as I could on the side-line.”McCarthy remained a team

leader throughout the entirepainful ordeal.“It was very tough but I was

proud of the guys,” he said. “Ithink in each of those last threegames, they played their heartsout and they really did a great job and there’sno regrets about it.”He even dressed in full gear for the state

championship contest even though everyoneinside of Paul Brown Stadium in Massillonknew he wasn’t going to play in the game.“Putting on that Mooney uniform meant

everything to me,” McCarthy said. “Mooney justmeans so much tradition and everything and Ijust wanted to do that one last time with theguys and run out and be a part of it that way.”He won’t say whether or not he thinks

Mooney would have won a third state champi-onship in four years if he was actually healthyplaying for the Cardinals on both sides of theball.“I don’t know. I could have helped out but I

can’t answer that,” McCarthy said. “It’s some-thing I wish I could have had the chance to helpout but I didn’t.”McCarthy, who would without a doubt trade

in the player of the year selection to have wonanother state championship for his school,shares the credit with his teammates andcoaches for him winning such a prestigiousaward.“It’s definitely an honor,” he said. “Ohio is one

of the best football states in the country andthere are so many great players here and it’san honor to be recognized among them but Ican’t take all the credit for the award. Thecoaches that have coached me have reallydeveloped me and I feel that they can (coach)at any level. They’re just a great coaching staffand they’re great teachers and great people.And also my teammates that I played with real-ly made me better. I played with so many greatguys and we’re all going to do really well in thefuture.”Over the past two seasons, McCarthy was

26-0 as the starting quarterback on a team thatwent to the state finals in both of those years.“I love to compete and that was the position

that really let me use my talents,” McCarthysaid. “The coaches really were able to help methrough that. That was a transition that I had to

make and I’m thankful that it turned out well.”McCarthy was definitely a running threat at

quarterback but he could also hurt a defensewith the pass when they would least expect it.“Naturally I was a running back throughout

my whole career and in my sophomore year,”he said. “And when I changed over to quarter-back, the coaches, Coach (John) D’Apolito andCoach (P. J.) Fecko, did a great job developingme into a quarterback. With our offense, therun is very effective and we’d use what theteams gave us to our advantage. We hadsome great athletes outside to throw to andwhen we needed to we did a great job withthat.”You had to pick your poison when you played

against Mooney. Having Zordich and Beachumin the same backfield would give fits to anydefensive coordinator they would face.“It’s an experience that I’ll never forget,”

McCarthy said. “Those guys are awesome. Ithink that’s the thing that opened up everything.You never knew which guy was going to get theball and whoever did would do a great job withit. I think that really helped our offense out.”And one of the “great athletes” that McCarthy

could kill you deep going down the field with,Timmy Marlowe, was the player that took overfor him at quarterback when his season cameto an end.“I was so proud of Timmy. I feel he’s very

underrated. He’s one of the greatest athletesI’ve ever been around,” McCarthy said. “Whenthe injury happened, we had a talk and I toldhim this was his team and he was going to do agreat job with it and he did. He really did. He’ssuch a competitor and he’s very talented andhe did a great job leading the team the way hedid.”It was no longer his team but McCarthy was

proud to hand the reins over to Marlowe in hisabsence.“It was tough but Timmy and I have been

best friends since I was 6 years old and I wasglad that he was able to step in for me,”McCarthy said. “I couldn’t be more proud of

him.”And on defense, McCarthy was

a better player than most peoplegave him credit for.“I loved playing defense, I loved

being on both sides of the ball,”McCarthy said. “It was greatbecause you could help the teamout in every way you can by play-ing on defense and special teamsand on offense. It’s just some-thing that I loved doing. I neverwanted to come off the field. Andnow as I go on to college,(defense) is something that I’llfocus on more and hopefully keepgetting better at.”

He really enjoyed contributing to all threefacets of the game.“Any way that you can make plays is what

makes it fun,” McCarthy said. “Defense obvi-ously doesn’t get as much credit but it’s some-thing that I love playing and it was great to becoached by Coach (Mike) Zordich and Coach(Ron) Stoops. Those guys were great and theyreally developed my skills on defense and theyreally helped me out a lot.”McCarthy will play defense when gets to

Notre Dame.“Mainly defense is where they want me to

play,” he said. “They’ve talked about somepunt returns and things like that but they likeme at safety and I feel that I’m a good fit thereand I’ll have to continue to develop myself atthat position.”He’ll get the chance to play with his brother

Kyle in the secondary. Kyle, a backup safetyfor the Irish, led Mooney to the state title atquarterback and cornerback in 2004.“He’s been a great inspiration to me and has

helped me through so much,” McCarthy said.“It will be fun. I don’t know if I’ll be able to beon the field with him at the same time or not butit will be great to be with him there.”Despite the way his season ended at

Mooney, he’s already looking forward to hisfuture.“I’m very excited,” McCarthy said. “It’s tough

leaving Mooney. It’s given me the greatestmemories of my life and it’s (a place) that I’llnever forget. But now it’s time to open a newchapter in my career and my life at Notre Dameand I’m definitely excited about it.”McCarthy still has big hopes and dreams that

he wants to accomplish. “I hope that everything works out with my

health and that I’m able to get back into it andhopefully someday start at Notre Dame and wina national championship,” McCarthy said. “Ijust want to get back to another championshipgame and set the record straight.”He wouldn't trade his future for anything,

either. — OH

Previous winners of the ONN/Ohio High football player of the yearaward have included:YYeeaarr PPllaayyeerr PPooss.. HHiigghh SScchhooooll//CCoolllleeggee2003 Ted Ginn Jr. QB-DB Cleveland Glenville/Ohio State2004 Tyrell Sutton RB Akron Hoban/Northwestern2005 Ross Homan RB/LB Coldwater/Ohio State2006 Brandon Saine RB Piqua/Ohio State2007 Danny McCarthy QB-DB Youngstown Mooney/Notre Dame

Previous Winners


ONN/Ohio H igh Footbal l Coach of the Year

our state championship game appear-ances in four years.That accomplishment alone is prob-

ably worthy enough for P.J. Fecko tobe named the ONN/Ohio High coachof the year in 2007, despite Mooneylosing in the Division IV state final con-test this season to Coldwater, 28-27. But Fecko, himself, may have

made the best case on his own behalf when hedescribed the year of his Cardinal MooneyCardinals who went into this season with proba-bly the highest of expectations ever faced by anyteam in all of the rich history of their tradition-laden school“It was really an exciting year,” the coach said.

“It was a year that was wrapped in a lot of differ-ent emotions and a lot of different feelings, start-ing with all of the anticipation and expectationsleading up to the year. But I think the way that webattled through the schedule that we faced andcame out on top in so many big games againstsome really great competition and some out-standing athletes across this part of the countryfor that matter, made it really special. “Obviously to end the way we did was not how

we planned on it and not the way we wanted it tobut it is what it is and that’s how it went down.”More than anything, however, the coach of the

year award is a fitting tribute to Fecko and thetremendous senior class of 2008 that he’s hadthe opportunity to coach over the past four years. “More so than all of the victories as well as the

defeat at the end of the year,” Fecko said, “thisaward is all about the relationships that were builtwith the players, especially this senior class thathas been very successful here since the daythey arrived.”But when a team is supposed to win the way

Cardinal Mooney was this season, the headcoach usually doesn’t end up winning any coach-of-the-year awards.But for the most part, over 14 games and

three quarters, Mooney went out and played win-ning football like they were expected to despitehave a big bull’s-eye on their chest all seasonlong.“We definitely did a great job of winning,” said

Fecko whose team this year matched the 14wins of a season ago, the most-ever wins logged

in a season at the Youngstown parochial school.“I think our guys worked hard at it each andevery week and never took anything for grantedand went out and played hard and performed.We knew that nobody was going to give every-thing to us and everybody was going to play at ahigh level when they faced us.”And after going 4-1 during the postseason this

year, Fecko, who turned 33 in November, nowhas a playoff record of 18 victories versus justthree losses which rounds out to a winning markof 86 percent.“It’s definitely a great accomplishment looking

back on it but unfortunately just my name isattached to that record and there is such a com-bination of things that factor into that includingthe many people who have contributed to all of

those wins,” Fecko said. “But it is exciting to lookback and see the success that we’ve had andwhere we’ve come from. It’s very rewarding.”Winning two state championships over the

past four years is not something that the eight-year head coach at Mooney was expecting toaccomplish four years ago, coming off of an 8-3campaign which marked his first-ever playoffseason in 2003.After all, Fecko had taken over at Mooney in

2000 following the departure of the legendaryDon Bucci, who won four state titles with theCardinals. Fecko’s first three teams went 5-5, 0-10 and 5-5.“We obviously had a plan that we wanted to

have a successful program four years ago andwe believed that we would,” Fecko said. “To whatlevel we would reach, you obviously don’t predictthat but we definitely have accomplished a lot.You don’t actually realize it until you step backand really have a chance to look at it and seewhat you’ve accomplished but it definitely issomething that is very, very special. We wantedto be a great program again and I think we’vereached that level and hopefully we can continueit.”Against Coldwater, Mooney seemed like they

were well on their way to winning their third statetitle in four years, leading 21-7 and marchingdown the field for another score in the fourth peri-od, when the bottom fell out.“Obviously, we would like to change the out-

come of that game and be state champions, butunfortunately we’re not and we can’t changethat,” said Fecko, whose team had to play theirfinal three games of the post-season withoutONN/Ohio High state player of the year DannyMcCarthy, their most-important two-way playeron the squad, because of an injury. “But I knowone thing that, for sure, we wouldn’t change isthat I wouldn’t go into that game with any otherteam than the one I had, with the players I hadand the focus that they had. I wouldn’t tradethose guys for anything in the world.”Mooney dealt with the lofty expectations from

going into the season with the “Big Four”of McCarthy, Michael Zordich, Brandon

Beachum and Taylor Hill. The Cardinals playedagainst a very difficult schedule with everyonegunning for them. They had to overcome theadversity of losing not only their best player atthe most important part of the season, but alsolosing their only returning starter on the offensiveline who quit the team in the preseason.Still, Fecko and his staff managed to get their

team to the state title game for the fourth year ina row.“It was a fun year. It was definitely fun,” Fecko

said. “It was just a joy to go out to practice every

day. Any time you’re with a group, staff-wise andplayer-wise, that I was blessed to be around thisyear it’s always exciting and it’s always fun. No

F

Cardinal Mooney head coach P.J. Fecko ledthe Cardinals to their fourth straight statetitle game this season..


YYeeaarr RReeccoorrdd2000 5-52001 0-102002 5-52003 8-32004 12-2 (State Champions)2005 12-3 (State Runner-up)2006 14-0 (State Champions)2007 14-1 (State Runner-up)

P.J. Fecko’s CareerRecord At Mooney

STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

1. ***** Mike Adams (6-8, 305, OL, Dublin Coffman)I have seen more full games of Dublin Coffman than I have any

other school in years. It is the best program in central Ohio and ischock full of Division I talent. The only question that seems to comeup about Ohio State recruit Mike Adams iswhether he is a dominating run blocker ornot.

I have little doubt that Mike Adams willbe a fine run blocker. He just does not geta lot of opportunities to show that he willbe a complete football player becauseCoffman has been blessed with a level ofquarterback play over the years that fewschools can match. In Ohio, we think ofCleveland St. Ignatius when we thinkabout quarterbacks but I think there is astrong argument for Coffman to have thetitle of quarterback high school. Everyoneremembers Brady Quinn but there wereoutstanding quarterbacks at Coffmanbefore Quinn and there have been eversince. This year Coffman has Zack Stoudt– another scholarship quarterback – butthey also have receivers in JakeStoneburner and Trey Fairchild, headed for Ohio State andSyracuse, respectively.

Coffman is throwing the ball a lot and Adams is not being askedto run block very much in his high school years. When he has runblocked, he has been very effective.

Opposing defenses do not line up anyone over Adams on a reg-ular basis, which makes perfect sense. Why put a player in a situa-tion where he has little chance to be successful?

As a pass blocker there is no question about Adams. He is oneof those players that can go for an entire season and you can countthe number of times he is beaten on one hand.

Besides his ideal measurables the characteristic that makesAdams No. 1 in Ohio, to me, is he can get so much better.

I was speaking with a coach who saw Adams beaten by a passrusher. Adams likely had not seen the player in question as he hadtransferred in and the game was very early in the season so thechances he had seen tape were quite remote. The very next timethis very lined up over Adams this coach told me Adams stoned himbadly and he spent the rest of the night rushing off the other side of

the Coffman line. That tells me once Adams is seeing players on theother side of the line that can really challenge him he will get better.This is the kind of lineman I only hope to see again in Ohio.

It is very rare that a lineman could play as a freshman, but I thinkAdams can.

He and Stoneburner helped Coffman post a 13-1 record andreach the Division I state semifinals. He will play in the U.S. ArmyAll-American Bowl.

2. ***** DeVier Posey (6-3, 180, WR, Cincinnati LaSalle) I was recently discussing former Texas quarterback and current

Tennessee Titan Vince Young on the Bucknuts.com messageboards. I remember him coming out in the national championshipgame against USC with the game on the line and there was a lookof utter confidence on his face. He single-handedly beat USC andthat is what the great ones do. They rise to the occasion and find away to elevate their game when theirteams need them the most.

That is what we saw out of DeVierPosey on Sept. 14. There are four big pri-vate schools in Cincinnati that dominatethe landscape: St. Xavier, Moeller, Elderand LaSalle. Some question whetherLaSalle really belongs in that group butDeVier Posey answered that questionagainst Elder that night with a nine catch-es for 141 yards and a TD performance.He was the best player on a field full ofDivision I players and was the difference,leading the Lancers to an impressive 28-19 victory.

In his very next game against DivisionII state champion Anderson, Posey did nothave the impact as a receiver but hestamped his imprint on the game with a73-yard punt return that left everyone inattendance speechless.

That is what really surprises about Posey – he is a big kid buthis elusiveness is that of a much smaller player. That a player thissize is a punt returner at all speaks volumes about his skills.

Recruiting is all about projecting and that is where you get reallyexcited about Posey. This time last year he was just now becominga name on the recruiting board and most players of Poseyʼs caliber

are already on the radar by the time they are halfway through theirjunior year. That tells me he is a late bloomer.

Upside is one of the words we throw around most in this busi-ness and the sky is the limit on Poseyʼs upside. He is an ESPNnational top 150 player and is a top-10 national receiver on every-oneʼs board, in a great year for receiver talent. As a senior, he had48 catches for 784 yards (16.3 average) with eight touchdowns. Healso scored on an interception return and the punt return againstAnderson.

Posey committed to Ohio State last spring and is a U.S. ArmyAll-American.

3. ***** Jake Stoneburner (6-6, 223, TE/WR, Dublin Coffman)An opposing coach gave me this quote about Jake Stoneburner

and it says everything about this kid: “I see potential first-round pickin this kid. He is physically as impressive as anyone. I watched himrun routes even when the ball doesnʼt come his way. He is very pol-ished. There will be no red shirt here. He is a wow kid. If they threwdeep to him three plays in a row, he would score on at least two.”

I still donʼt know where Stoneburner lines up when he gets toOhio State. I think there is little doubt hestarts off as a wide receiver. Anybody run-ning a 4.46-second 40 is a wide receiver inmy mind. But what happens after he getsin a college weightlifting program and reallystarts eating to fuel his body? I think hecould possibly grow into a tight end. But ifhe establishes himself at wide receiverbefore he fills out more, it may not matter.

One college coach I was speaking tohas the same concern I have about askinga wide receiver to step into the trenchesand block the big boys. If Stoneburner isthe player I think he will be, he will be ableto change defensive game plans as awideout. How do you defense a player thatis as tall as a lineman but has the speed,athleticism and leaping ability of a five-starskill athlete? I think about the mismatcheswith the corners he is going to face but itcould be more pronounced against linebackers and safeties in themiddle of the field. Corners might be able to run with him but it willtake a rare safety and there is no linebacker that can run with him.He is still going to be as big as any linebacker and bigger than anysafety, so there is no break for a defensive coordinator if he growsinto a tight end.

We love the word freak these days and I donʼt think it is goingout on a limb to slap the freak label on Stoneburner. As a senior, hehad 74 catches for 1,267 yards (17.1 average) with 15 touchdownsfor the 13-1 Shamrocks. He will also play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

4. ***** Cordale Scott (6-4, 200, ATH, Cleveland Glenville)There has been a lot of buzz with Ohio high school football fans

about the schedule Ted Ginn, Sr. signed up for this year, whichincluded Indianapolis Warren Central, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly Techand Cincinnati St. Xavier. There are D-I recruits on all three of thoseteams and no high school has put more players in the NFL thanLong Beach Poly. Because the Senate League is down, there was afear that losses to these national powers would leave Glenville outof the playoffs. That did not happen and the players are better offplaying against that level of competition.That is what Ginn is most concernedabout.

Scott looked like he belonged in thosegames and was the best prospect on thefield in all three. There is no doubt he isgoing to be a major impact player. Exactlywhere is the question.

Scott is a dynamic receiver and he hassize and knows how to use it. If you wanta big receiver to get in one-on-one situa-tions, put the ball up to him. Scott fits thatbill perfectly. He has the athleticism, theleaping ability and the tenacity to winthose battles.

That tenacity is what keeps me won-dering about his future position. He playsthe game with the mindset of a defensiveplayer no matter what side of the ball he ison. To my knowledge, Scott has neverstated a preference.

Ultimately, his body may make the decision for him. He is a bigreceiver now but has a long lean body, is long-limbed and I do notthink he is anywhere near finished growing.

He could outgrow the safety position into a linebacker and Iwould not be at all surprised to see this super athlete grow into adefensive end.

We had yet to see a Glenville player offered by Ohio State dur-ing Jim Tresselʼs tenure not choose Ohio State. But Scott may be onhis way to changing that. He visited OSU and Illinois in Decemberand then shocked most observers by committing to Illini coach RonZook on Dec. 19.


Duane Long ’s Updated Top 100

ational signing day for college football prospects is fast approaching on Feb. 6. Ohio’s2008 class of football prospects looks like it will be another strong one with a numberof the state’s key players ready to sign with BCS caliber schools from across the country.Dublin Coffman offensive lineman Mike Adams reasserted himself in his senior year

and is once again the clear No. 1 prospect in Ohio. At the same time, a pair of wide receivers– Cincinnati LaSalle’s DeVier Posey and Coffman’s Jake Stoneburner – each delivered on theirimmense promise as seniors. Accordingly, that is my final top three in Ohio for 2008.Below are bios on the state’s top 109 prospects for 2008, followed by a list of others to

keep an eye on as signing day approaches. We will be back in our March issue with cover-age of national signing day. In our May issue, we will reveal the first complete top 100 ofOhio’s top prospects for 2009.

The Finish Line: Ohio’s 2008 class offootball prospects ready to sign on

bottom line

N

Mike Adams

GH

DeVier Posey

GH

Jake Stoneburner

GH

Cordale Scott

GH



5. ***** DeVoe Torrence (6-2, 215, RB, Massillon Washington)After the first three games of the year, the buzz around DeVoe

Torrence was about the possibility that he made a mistake in trans-ferring to Massillon and his decision to be a running back in college.

After opening with a 164-yard rushing effort against Middletown,Torrence had a 25-yard performance on 16 carries and 82 yards on16 carries against Parma Normandy. ButTorrence found his game againstYoungstown Ursuline racking up 158yards on 29 carries and followed that witha 283-yard and four TD breakout gameagainst a Mentor team that advanced allthe way to the Division I state title game.

He spent the rest of the year showingwhy Ohio State and Michigan both offeredTorrence as a running back. He ended upwith 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns on177 carries (6.0 average per carry).

His early game woes can be attributedto his inexperience as a running back. Hespent the previous three years playingmostly linebacker. When he did playoffense, he spent just as much time atwide receiver and quarterback but therewere times he did not play offense at all.

This year, it was the other way around.Torrence did not play a single down on defense that I am aware ofmaking the transition to an offensive player complete.

There has been much speculation that offers for Torrence as arunning back were simply to get his name on a letter of intent thenget him to thinking like a linebacker again once he got to school. Itis something we see every year at most every college. I do not thinkthat is the case with Torrence.

He has such raw skills and reminds me of former national No. 1running back Chris Wells in the fact that he is a big back but he isan elusive big back with excellent feet and quickness. Seeing film ofTorrence from a sideline view gave me an excellent look at just howagile and quick this young man is.

Again, I think about how few reps he has under his belt as a run-ning back and what he will be when so much of this just becomessecond nature. Torrence is an ESPN national top 150 player and anOhio State recruit.

6. ***** Kyle Rudolph (6-7, 220, TE, Cincinnati Elder)It was a rough season for Rudolph. Elder played a murderous

schedule against excellent an LaSalle team, a Lakewood St.Edward team that was much improved by the time Elder ran intothem and state power Cincinnati St. Xavier in back-to-back weeks inthe midseason.

Elder quarterback John Groene was under assault all seasonand there was not a lot of time to throw the ball. In the first sixgames he was sacked 20 times and the next closest sack total inthe Cincinnati area was 12. When the quarterback doesnʼt havetime to throw, a receiversʼ numbers aregoing to be impacted.

The last thing college coaches worryabout with receivers is catches. What theydo with those catches and what they dowhen they are not catching the ball meansa lot more.

Nothing has changed with Rudolph. Heis still as good a tight end prospect as Ihave seen in Ohio. He didnʼt see as manythrows come his way as he would haveliked but that has not impacted his effort.He was playing just as hard. He ended upwith 30 catches for 544 yards (18.1 aver-age) and an impressive 10 touchdowns.

I see a complete player. If I were build-ing a tight end, he would look likeRudolph. He tall with room to add weightand not have it impact his athleticism. Heis already as good of a blocking tight endas most at the college level. He has good hands and can take ashort ball and turn it into a touchdown.

He very much reminds me of New York Giants tight end JeremyShockey because he is capable of doing everything and he playswith an edge. I am hearing so much about the other tight endsNotre Dame has landed and I have seen film of all of them. Theyare not better prospects than Kyle Rudolph and I think he brings astrong argument for being the best tight end prospect in the country.

7. ***** Nathan Williams (6-4, 235, DE/LB, Washington C.H. Miami Trace) I remember reading about a 27-yard TD run about midseason for

Ohio State recruit Nathan Williams as a fullback on offense. Theopposing coach had to be thinking how unfair it is for a kid this bigto be running the ball, especially at this level. I am sure Miami Tracecoach Pat Conroy could respond that there was no need to worryabout Williams hurting any of the players that tried to tackle him.First, they were going to have to catch him.

We have some remarkable athletes in this class from JakeStoneburner to Cordale Scott to DeVoe Torrence and others. We

are seeing a class full of players with acombination of size, speed and athleti-cism that put them in the freak category. Ithink that if there was a way to measureit, Nathan Williams would be the freak offreaks.

He is running an 11.5-second 100-meter weighing between 250 and 255pounds. In a workout at school, three dif-ferent stop watches came up with anaverage 40-yard time of 4.56. None of theother players in this discussion can matchhis size to speed numbers.

Where Williams pulls away from therest is strength numbers. He is benching420 pounds and doing hang cleans at 320pounds. His listed 6-4 size is legit

He plays middle linebacker at the highschool level but most are projectingWilliams as a defensive end. I think that is premature. Having a bigplayer at middle linebacker is a plus. He is going to be able to takeon blockers better and his bigger body helps plug holes better. Aslong as he can still run, and Williams is showing so far that he can, Isee no reason to move him until his body says he has to.

Because he is from a small rural school, Williams is being over-looked. He does not have to take a backseat to any player in thisclass.

8. ***** Brandon Moore (6-6, 230, TE, Trotwood-Madison)Trotwood-Madison head coach Maurice Douglass knows what it

takes to compete on the championship level. He was a member ofthe 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl team and he knows that com-petition is very important.

He has improved the Rams level ofcompetition every year and BrandonMoore has benefited from playing againsta better level of competition and is moreready to play at the next level as a result.Despite having an ankle injury that stayedwith him for the early part of the season,there was a noticeable difference in hisintensity.

I think he is more comfortable beingback at his natural tight end position but Ibelieve the move to wide receiver lastyear taught him a lot about route running.I think it taught him a lot having to beatthe quicker and faster athletes he ran intoat cornerback. He is going to see a bettercaliber of athlete at linebacker and safetyat the University of Michigan, so goingagainst high school cornerbacks was amove that will help him in the long term.

Douglass played Moore on defense, too, early in the season buthe decided to play Moore strictly on offense after the ankle injury. Itpaid dividends as Moore found his game more and more as theseason went along.

Moore is a unique athlete. Players this big making the kinds ofathletic plays he makes is rare. He is a hard worker and a highlyintelligent young man with a great attitude. He is one of those play-ers you speak to and know that he is going to be a success after hisfootball career ends, no matter what that might be.

9. ***** Dan McCarthy (6-1, 190, S, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)If option offenses were still en vogue, I donʼt think we would be

talking about Dan McCarthy as a safety. He is that good on offense.He runs the offense like a field general and is in control out theremaking great decisions. McCarthy is almost good enough as a ballcarrier to be a running back. He is strongand never seems to go down on first con-tact. Once he breaks through, there is nocatching him. I have never seen a 40 timeon him but his football speed is impres-sive.

The characteristic that intrigues me ishe throws the ball well enough that hecould be effective under center in the rightoffense. Most option quarterbacks do notthrow the ball well enough. That is whydefenses come up tight on the lineagainst option teams but McCarthy willgut a defense if they try to come up andtake the run away from Mooney.

It is harder to see what McCarthybrings to the table as a safety because hegot so little work with Mooney front sevenis making sure he is fresh to play offense.

There is no question we are looking atone of the really special talents to come along in this state in sometime. We had Ted Ginn, Jr. and last year we had Eugene Clifford.After those two unique talents, I think you need to include DanMcCarthy in the conversation about who would fit that No. 3 slot.

He suffered a late-season neck injury, but all signs say McCarthy

should still be able to play college football. Notre Dame has landeda player that is sure to make Fighting Irish fans not miss TommyZbikowski too much.

10. ***** Kevin Koger (6-4, 235, DE/TE, Toledo Whitmer) The inevitable question that Kevin Koger has to deal with is

whether or not to stay committed to Michigan. That is especiallypointed when it comes to an Ohio kid with an Ohio State offer.

If Koger has ever wavered he is keeping it to himself. There wassome talk about him attending an Ohio State game in October butthat never materialized. I think under the circumstances that wouldbe a major development.

This late in the game, with the Wolverines having a below aver-age season, head coach Lloyd Carr outand Ohio State having a better year thanexpected, if Koger visited the Buckeyes Ithink there could be something to it.

I can see why the Buckeyes, and anyother school, would want to try andchange Kogerʼs mind. He is a special tal-ent. I have gone over this list many timesand the one player I look at and think thathe is just not high enough is Koger. Anyother year he is sitting in the top five andlikely the top three.

Koger is such a fine tight end prospect.He has good hands and has talked aboutworking on his blocking even though he isa solid blocker in the first place. I

He looks bigger than his listed 235pounds and looks more muscular. In theend, I always come back to defensive end.I know Michigan and Ohio State bothoffered as a tight end but I thought he had even more promise as adefensive end. But I am more convinced that he would be a bettertight end after this year. I see him as an athlete more than a skillplayer.

Koger is a great get for Michigan as it stands right now. But withLloyd Carr out, I would not be surprised to see Koger, as well as theother Michigan commitments, look elsewhere.

11. ***** Zebrie Sanders (6-6, 273, OL, Clayton Northmont)The interest from one school is indicative of what kind of senior

year Zebrie Sanders had. Ohio State had Dublin Coffmanʼs Mike Adams pegged as their

left tackle of the future. Everyone assumed that the Buckeyes wouldcome around and offer a left tackle of Sandersʼ quality. The thinkingis, Ohio State has settled on a target number of four offensive line-men in this class and Sanders is really only suited for tackle. It start-ed to look like an offer was not going to happen. About a third of theway through the year Ohio State invited Sanders up for a game.

I think it says everything about his development that in a smallrecruiting class that any school would dou-ble up on a position. Left tackle is themost important position on the offensiveline. Without a good one, the passingattack suffers greatly. Sanders is the kindof player that can make sure the quarter-back operates with total confidencebecause his blind side is covered andSanders has all the tools to be an elite lefttackle in college.

He has the length I like to see, in bodyand in limb, and has an even more impos-ing wingspan than Adams. He has thelong body that will match-up with elitepass rushing defensive ends. He has real-ly good feet and can mirror with anydefensive end.

He is going to have to work on his strength and his intensity tobe the player I think he can be at the next level. If he does, I thinkhe is a Sunday talent.

His offer list includes Michigan, Florida and Georgia, but if OhioState should get involved I think that is where he is likely to end up.If the Buckeyes do not decide to offer, Sanders heads to warmer cli-mates.

12. **** Isaiah Pead (5-11, 175, ATH, Eastmoor Academy)Isaiah Pead is officially the human highlight film. At least for this class he is and Pead is a player that belongs in

the conversation about the most spectacular players I have everseen in Ohio. He averaged right about 11.5 yards a carry year. Thatis not a misprint. And he averaged about 200 yards a game, with2,204 yards on 192 carries and 39 touchdowns in 10 games.

Pead also had six interceptions, which he returned for 125 totalyards.

One City League coach told me he was the best player he hasseen in the City League. One thing that I saw this year with Pead ishe is looking more like he could be a back. He is running tougherbetween the tackles and not going down on first contact. He lookslike he has filled out some, too. I think he still could be a runningback, depending on the offense. Some schools are recruiting him as

DeVoe Torrence

GH

Kyle Rudolph

Sub

Nathan Williams

GH

Brandon Moore

NF

Dan McCarthy

GH

Kevin Koger

GH

Zebrie Sanders

NF

STORY BY DUANE LONG



a running back but most are looking athim as a cornerback or a wide receiver –with the majority saying cornerback.

Pead has really good size for a cornerand has the speed but I want a player likethis with the ball in his hands. He is agame changer. Maybe there is a questionabout his hands but I would need to seehim fail as receiver before I moved him todefense.

Grades are going to have a majorimpact here. He has an impressive offerlist with schools like Wisconsin, WestVirginia, Maryland, Pittsburghsburgh,Cincinnati and Louisville getting their feetin the door but I see a ʻʻBig Fourʼʼ player in Pead.

Ohio State has brought him in and he says OSU his dreamschool. With his grades in order, an offer from the Buckeyes is apossibility. We will not know until later in the school year when thereis a clearer picture on grades and whether Pead will see that dreamoffer.

13. ***** Elliott Mealer (6-6, 280, OL, Wauseon)The Michigan staff has to be given credit for recognizing this is a

special player. They offered him early while others were still decid-ing. Mealer wanted to get his recruiting over with and lock himselfinto a scholarship before the season started and committed to theWolverines. If he had not, I suspect he would have had an offer listthat would compare with any other lineman in the state. There hasbeen a lot of buzz that if Ohio State would come in with an offer thatMealer would change his mind but I have seen nothing that tells methat is the case.

Mealerʼs value goes beyond the fact that he is a big kid with agreat body and athleticism to play tight end. That he can play anyposition on the offensive line, including tight end, is what makes himso valuable.

We live in an era where 85 scholar-ships makes versatile players all the moredesirable. Some schools are trying tokeep their offensive line scholarship num-bers down because the positions, asimportant as they are, are a last stop soto speak. The game is so much aboutspeed and offensive linemen are the slow-est players on the field. At every otherposition, even quarterback, there is anoption for moving players who are not get-ting it done to another position. That is notthe case with offensive linemen. A playerlike Mealer can move all along the offen-sive line. I think he is better off at guardbut he could play either tackle spot.

Mealer needs to work on his pass blocking as he has not beenasked to do a lot of that at the high school level. He will likely needto spend some time in the weightroom. I see a body that can carryanother 35-40 pounds.

Mealer is a great looking, big athlete that I think has an out-standing future in front of him.

14. ***** Greg Scruggs (6-5, 225, DE, Cincinnati St. Xavier)Talk about one of the stories of the year. This might be the story

of the decade. Last year at this time, Greg Scruggs was in thestands. Not as a fan but as a member of the Bombersʼ band.

St. Xavier head coach Steve Specht had been trying to getScruggs out for football and finally convinced him this year. He hadnever played in high school and his performance was nothing shortof extraordinary.

Scruggs is as raw as you might expect but he seems to havesome natural football instincts. He takesgood attack angles in his pass rush andputs up a fight to keep from gettingknocked off of it. I have seen raw playersbefore but not as athletic as Scruggs.They do not play physical and do not getwhat they are supposed to do beyond tryto get around the corner.

Scruggs has a high motor and playsvery hard. That is another thing that usu-ally leaves players with so little experi-ence looking at smaller schools if they getscholarship offers. He comes off the ballhard and has a really good burst. He pur-sues and does so many things that youonly expect out of a veteran player. It isremarkable that he is this good with so little football experience.There is still so much for him to learn but it is obvious he is a quickstudy. He has an ideal body for a rush end.

This situation is not unprecedented. We have seen players whodid not grow up playing the game turn out to be stars in recentyears. Amobi Okoye from Louisville was a top ten draft pick thispast year and New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora maybe the best pass rusher in the NFL right now.

It looks like schools are taking interest in Scruggs. He picked up

an offer from North Carolina State relatively early and Tennesseefollowed suit. Ohio State was considering an offer as we went topress. For more on Scruggs, see page 50.

15. **** Brandon Beachum (5-11, 220, LB/RB, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney) Over the summer – in the “athlete” season of recruiting – we all

got caught up in the fact that Beachum was not ideal sized for alinebacker. I was so focused on the fact that he was a linebacker inmy eyes that I lost track of what a great looking running back he is.I first saw Beachum as a running back and did not even think abouthim as a linebacker. He was that impressive.

In the first Mooney game this year against Mentor, I got re-intro-duced to Beachum as a running back. First, while he may not beideal-sized for a linebacker, he is for a running back. He is a veryquick-footed kid. He steps his way out oftrouble where other backs would getcaught up in the traffic. Beachum has arunnerʼs instinct. He reads the play welland he has the acceleration and the burstonce he finds the hole. He runs with goodpad level and makes tacklers pay. I likethat he makes good decisions about howto beat a defender. He will step awaythose that he can step away from andtake on those that he canʼt. He is a tacklebreaker.

I have seen film of Beachum since hewas a freshman and he is a player thatgets the most of every play. He does notleave yards on the field.

The most underrated area of his game is speed. Once he breaksthrough the line of scrimmage you donʼt see him getting caught. Iwould say he is one of the top three backs in Ohio this year.

He had 1,525 yards and 14 touchdowns on 242 carries. Hehelped the team go 14-1 and reach the Division IV state title game.He had 56 tackles, four sacks and an interception on defense. Hehad 237 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns against previ-ously unbeaten Steubenville in a regional final game.

Penn State came in here and snuck out with a really great play-er while the rest of us were fussing about minutiae.

16. **** Nick Truesdell (6-7, 215, WR/TE, Cincinnati Anderson)Having covered Anderson twice this season, Ohio Highʼs Matt

Natali offers the following evaluation of Nick Truesdell:The first time I noticed Nick Truesdell was in Week 5 against

Cincinnati LaSalle. Truesdell had only two catches for 9 yards withquarterback Daniel Rod out due to injury but Truesdellʼs sheer sizeon the field was hard to ignore.

Anderson lost that game 51-10 but the Redskins would not loseagain claiming the Division II state title with Truesdell reeling in 35catches for 687 yards and 10 TDs on the season, including fivereceptions for 129 yards and two TDs in the state championshipgame.

Truesdell attended Anderson as a freshman and moved out ofthe district only to return his senior year and star for the Redskinson the gridiron. He has concentrated on basketball competing onthe AAU circuit in the summers but following his performance on thebig stage in the title game, he has quickly become coveted footballprospect.

Truesdell is a raw player that has allthe tools to become a top-notch receiverat the next level. He has height, goodhands, long arms and probably mostimportant – he has speed not typicallyfound in players his size. In fact,Anderson used him out of the backfieldearly in the season and he ran for 305yards and two TDs on the year in additionto returning kicks and punts.

With his frame, it might be difficult forTruesdell not to bulk up too much withoutcompromising his speed. He has the buildto put on weight in college and becomean effective pass-catching tight end. With his size, speed and pass-catching ability, I am reminded of former Miami Hurricane and cur-rent New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey – only without theattitude. Truesdell is a humble young man and was more pleasedAnderson won the state title than his breakout performance in thetitle game.

A few years ago, we saw Cardinal Mooney QB/S Kyle McCarthyget offered by Ohio State and Notre Dame after his performance inthe Division IV state title game and we could very soon see offers ofthat magnitude come in for Truesdell. He has committed toCincinnati and has heard from the likes of N.C. State, West Virginia,Florida and Ohio State.

17. **** Anthony Allen (6-1, 185, RB, Toledo Whitmer)Every year, I talk about players that are not getting the attention

they deserve and it is especially acute this year. No player in theclass is more underappreciated than Anthony Allen.

The northwest part of the state has suffered from neglect and Iinclude myself in there. I need to get into that part of the state more

myself but how this kid is not being talked about at this point withthe best in the state is beyond me.

Allen is on the same team as everybodyʼs All-American KevinKoger, so I know he has been seen. He is not even in the ESPNdatabase despite reporting offers from Michigan, Michigan Stateand Illinois.

I see a kid with a great frame to add weight to. He is a very lean185 pounds right now and that will not do in college and is likelygoing to need to redshirt as a result.

Allen is an explosive runner picking his hole and exploding to itwith a fearless style. He is a brutally efficient runner with no wastedmotion. He is going to use as much shake-and-bake as he needs tobeat a tackler, then he is going to get north-south as quickly as pos-sible.

He showed a lot of heart rushing for 82 yards on 18 carries lead-ing Whitmer to a come-from-behind victory in the first round of theplayoffs against Wadsworth, scoring the go-ahead touchdown.

I have seen players running under the radar but this one takesthe cake. I feel confident saying I have never seen a player thisgood who did not have grade problems and was not even worthy ofa profile in the worldʼs biggest recruiting database.

18. **** Shawntel Rowell (6-4, 320, DT, Cleveland Glenville)I received a DVD in the mail not too long ago and had nothing

on it identifying it at all. This is not alarming since it has happenedbefore. I assumed it was a high school player and usually it is anunknown but this time it was not.

It was a grainy film of Shawtell “Shaq” Rowell at the juniornational combine last winter. There wasnʼt much too it but the fewplays were very telling. It was Rowell going against players that Iknew and they were all top offensive linemen from the currentrecruiting class. This is the only defensive film out there for Rowell.In his two years at Glenville he has only played offense. Glenvillehead coach Ted Ginn, Sr. is just not going to have any 300-poundplayers on his defense anywhere but in this film, Rowell was givingthese elite offensive linemen fits. Most ofthe time he was beating them and evenwhen he wasnʼt, he was never handled.

I have had more questions about rank-ing Rowell this high ever since the OhioHigh rankings for the class of 2008 cameout. All this film does is confirm to me whatI have believed since he was a freshman –Shaq Rowell is the best defensive linemanin the class and he is one of the best inrecent years. The other side of the argu-ment is his offer list is not that impressiveand that he has a weight problem. I thinkthose points are one on the same. Rowellʼsweight has been as much a topic of discus-sion as his play but he seems to be win-ning that battle. He has gotten his weight down to 300 pounds and ifhe can keep it there his offer list will become an impressive one.

Rowell became the latest in the Glenville-to-Ohio State pipelinewhen he verbaled to OSU on Dec. 17.

19. **** Salvador Battles (5-11, 205, ATH, Youngstown East)A few years ago when I first heard about Salvador Battles, a

coach told me he saw Maurice Clarrett at the same stage of devel-opment. He said Battles was as good as Clarrett. This year a coachwho did not know about the conversation I had with one of his peerstold me the same thing – Sal Battles reminded him of Clarrett.

Maybe that is becoming apparent to more people becauseBattles ran as an I-formation tailback this year in addition to playingquarterback. He looks great at quarterback too.

He is not ideal sized to be a quarterback but he does have offersfrom the MAC as a quarterback. Based on his performance thisyear at quarterback, that may not be a case of offering a player atthe position he wants to play then showing him once he is on cam-pus that he would be better off playing elsewhere.

He always had a strong arm and he got better from his sopho-more year to his junior year as a quarter-back. So much so that I thought he couldbe a college quarterback and I did notthink that after sophomore tape. He waseven better this year.

But he is an even better back. Whoknows where he could go with his impres-sive running skills if he were to concen-trate on just being a running back. DeVoeTorrence was offered as a running back byschools like Ohio State and Michigandespite the fact that he was not a full-timerunning back until this year. It is based onwhat he could be when he becomes a run-ning back only. Battles has a great bodyfor a back.

He is explosive to the hole and runs with the power of a muchbigger back. He has vision and good speed and is a back that cantake it outside as well as he takes it between the tackles. He hasgreat balance and great instincts.

Battles is a much underrated player.He committed to Akron in early December.

Elliott Mealer

GH

Greg Scruggs

GH

Brandon Beachum

GH

Nick Truesdell

GH

Salvador Battles

GH

Shawntell Rowell

GH

Isaiah Pead

AB



20. **** Phillip Barnett (6-2, 180, WR, Middletown)Back when I first saw Barnett, I said it looked like all he needed

was reps. The very first play on the tape I received from Middletown coach

Ron Johnson of Barnettʼs senior year was all I needed to see. Hedoes a quick hitch, catching the ball with his hands – which healways does – does a hop step away from the first defender, makesa second hop step away from two others, then runs away fromthree more defenders.

I donʼt know if I can find a player who has improved as much,but at the same time, has more upside than Phillip Barnett. Aboutthe only difference I can find between him and DeVier Posey isspeed.

This year he caught at least two passes in every game he hasplayed in, with a high of twelve against Lakota West for over 200yards and a TD and had 14 TDs on the year. That is production andthat is consistency.

Barnett ended with 950 yards receiving reeling in 53 catchesand put up those numbers against one of the toughest schedules inOhio.

He had a 4.5-second 40 last summer and he can get faster. Heis obviously quicker now.

Barnett has excellent hands and DeVier Posey is the onlyreceiver I have seen in this class that has hands as good. I say asgood, not better.

Barnett played basketball up until this year and this is anotherone of those receivers that is showing the advantage of playing a lotof basketball receivers learning to catch the ball with their hands.Like Posey, he is showing he can be an over the top guy or he canrun the underneath routes. I was surprised at how fearless he wasgoing over the middle and he does not go out of bounds willingly.The upside for Phillip Barnett is tremendous.

21. **** Nic DiLillo (6-5, 220, TE, Madison) Other players may grab the headlines but Nic DiLillo does what

his team needs him to do to win football games. He had gameswhere he had 120 yards receiving and games where he did notcatch a ball once but was the best blocker on the field and led histeam to victory.

We have seen the Jeremy Shockeysand the Kellen Winslows – the freaks thatare more like wide receivers lined up attight end – but there is still a place for theclassic tight end. It just so happens themajority of tight ends at the pro level andthe highest levels of college football, areNic DiLillos. They are role-players. Theyare the players that do the jobs nobodywants to do like catching the ball in themiddle of the field where those two-leggedpredators that we call linebackers lurk,just waiting to take the head off of anunsuspecting receiver. Wide receiversdonʼt like to go in there. Tight ends likeNic DiLillo make quarterbacks look good, getting those 6-yard playswhen the team needs 5. They are the chain movers – the unsungheroes. They are asked to block players that are much larger at theline of scrimmage.

And DiLillo is a tenacious blocker. He takes great pride in beinga great blocker and is as good as it gets at the high school leveland will be in college once he adds size. Defenses will ignore him attheir own risk. I have the film to prove it.

DiLillo will catch everything thrown his way and his run aftercatch is the most underrated aspect of his game. As a senior, hehad 43 catches for 551 yards (12.8 average) and two touchdowns.

This is a young man of character with a work ethic second tonone. He always wanted a Buckeye offer and when it came it tookNic little time in accepting.

22. **** Taylor Hill (6-2, 200, DE/LB, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)Hill is the most underappreciated player in the state of Ohio. He is on a star-studded team with teammates headed to Notre

Dame, two to Penn State and underclassman John Simon alreadybeen offered by Ohio State. Being the fourth or fifth best player onyour team is not going to get a player a lot of time in the spotlight.

It does not seem to bother this outstanding team-oriented player. I am still trying to decide where Hill fits in best. He is a strong-

side end on high school. I was wondering why a player with theclosing speed Hill shows would be on thestrong side most of the time but it isbecause he is so strong at the point ofattack. I noticed how many times hestands up tackles. He has a shockingpunch, regularly knocking them into thebackfield. If the play is coming his way, itis over at that point.

I think he might move to linebacker onthe college level but he is so good at theline of scrimmage. He is not going to growinto a full blown 4-3 defensive end, but hewould make quite a stand-up 3-4 defen-sive end. He does a great job of avoiding

blockers and is a good hand fighter. Longtime Mooney watchers say we have it all wrong – Taylor

Hillʼs best position is running back. I have seen film of him as a run-ning back and he would surely be a top 100 player as a runningback and might be a top 50 player. He is that good, but where I seehim playing his college football is on defense either as a 4-3 line-backer or a 3-4 defensive end. Hill had 21 sacks among his 152tackles as a senior for Mooney.

He had committed to Oklahoma before the season, but recentlyde-committed. West Virginia was among his list of schools.

23. **** Michael Zordich (6-1, 210, LB, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)I did not think it was possible but Michael Zordich has become

an even more devastating striker. When he hits people it remindsme of watching Mike Tyson back in his heyday. I have heard theyoung guys talking about getting “trucked.” That is often what itlooks like after an encounter with Zordich. “Pole-axed” was a word Igrew up with. Zordich hits and whoevergot hit goes straight down.

I know he is headed to Penn State asa linebacker but I still think his best posi-tion is fullback. I think adding weight willimpact his speed and athleticism as alinebacker but it will not hurt him as a full-back. He is very good with the ball in hishands and he will still be a devastatinghitter. A coach like Joe Paterno could bethe one man out there willing to use thefullback as a skill player, so in my mindZordich choosing Penn State is a wisechoice.

I do not understand why coaches atthe pro level as well as the college gamehave decided to give up a skill player. That is what they have doneby making fullbacks nothing more than an extra lineman. This is oneof those players who could make the fullback position a weaponagain. Zordich had 133 tackles on defense as a senior and also hadnearly 1,000 yards as a fullback on offense.

Even as the current incarnation of a fullback, Zordich is such agreat blocker that I would still give him a look first as a fullback.

24 (tie). **** Kenny Stafford (6-3, 175, WR, Columbus DeSales)The lack of offers to Kenny Stafford has grown from a curiosity

to mystery and now is a full blown legend. I have yet to speak toanyone that has seen him who has not wondered what is going onwith Stafford. His only offer is from Indiana with Purdue and Iowaare considering offers.

Stafford did not see a lot of ballsthrown his way as the DeSales offense isstill a run-dominated one but I go back toRoy Hall, a current NFL player with theIndianapolis Colts. He caught nine pass-es his junior year but had offers fromOhio State, Michigan and Florida Statebefore his senior year. Most of the timenumbers mean very little.

I have not seen a 40 time on Staffordbut his football speed is something tosee. In his junior tape, he blows by ateammate who has a legitimate 4.4 as hetries to block for him.

I have yet to see any academic infor-mation on Stafford. It would not surprise me if that is the problembecause I have no other answer for why this super player does nothave a lengthy offer list – one that I believe should include ʻBigFourʼ schools.

His uncle is former Buckeye great Cris Carter. Stafford conjuresup memories of his uncle in his body and his skills. He has hands,speed and he plays very hard. He is an outstanding blocker andother than the lack of a 40 time I cannot find a weakness in hisgame.

24 (tie). **** Roy Roundtree (6-2, 170, WR, Trotwood-Madison)What a senior year Roy Roundtree had. He caught 80 passes

for over 1,300 yards and took 13 of those passes for TDs. I spoke to both Trotwood head coach

Maurice Douglass and offensive coordi-nator Jeremy Beckham about Roundtreeand neither could have heaped morepraise on Roundtree for his coachabilityand his team oriented game. He didwhatever was necessary to get better andto help his team.

Douglass told me he will get me filmthat will show Roundtree catching thebulk of those passes, if not every singleone, with his hands. It is just a naturalthing to him. He does not think aboutcradling the ball. The tape I already haveof Roundtree shows him mostly catchingthe ball away from his body.

Both coaches feel confident that if Roundtree had decided to go

to Ohio State camp that he would have received an offer from theBuckeyes. Roundtree committed to Purdue rather early and neverquestioned that decision. He still has some work to do by getting ahigher ACT score but that looks to be very reachable and he has a2.9 core GPA. This is one of the steals in Ohio this year. He has agame that can put him on the field at either split end or in the slot. Ican not say which he fits better – he is equally adept going over thetop as he is running underneath. His listed size is legit and he is notfinished growing so I think it likely he lines up at split end.

26. **** Whitley Mercilus (6-3, 225, DE, Akron Garfield)Mercilus is one of the super players in this class that is just not

getting the publicity he deserves and I would go so far as to say heis the best pure defensive end in the class.

Nathan Williams might be a linebacker or he might grow into adefensive end. Bu Mercilus (pronounced mur-si-lis), is the edgerusher everyone is looking for. He comes off the snap like a shotand has that relentlessness that defines the top edge players. Hismotor never stops.

This year, he stepped up for long time Garfield head coach BobSax as a tight end. He tied for the team lead in receptions with 21catches for a whopping 375 yards and eight TDs.

His effort on the defensive side has not suffered as he has beenall over the field. He had 34 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, threesacks, nine pressures, three caused fumbles, three batted passesand a fumble recovery that he picked up and carried in for a 36-yardTD. Mercilus rarely left the field for Garfield as he was the kicker onkickoffs and averaged 35 yards per punt.

His best number is a 4.1 grade point average and Sax speaksas highly of this young man as he did former national No. 1 runningback Chris Wells, currently at Ohio State.

The recruiting interest has started to peak with both Ohio Stateand Michigan asking for tape but Mercilus pulled the trigger in earlyDecember committing to Illinois.

27. **** Dominick Britt (6-5, 190, QB, Trotwood-Madison) The numbers for Dominick Britt this year are not what they were

last year, at least the numbers that catch your eye. The most impor-tant one is Britt is 11 points better on his passing percentage. Thatis the one that says he has developed into a thinking football playerat the one position that being heady ismost important.

There is a good reason why those loftyyardage totals and TD totals are not whatthey were last year. He did not play in thesecond half of six games. Trotwood hadleads that the coaching staff felt comfort-able about and they sat him to develop atalented young quarterback.

In the end, he did not have the statisti-cal numbers like he had last year. Anothernumber that is more important than thosebig numbers is a small number. Britt threwfor fewer interceptions this year. Trotwoodoffensive coordinator Jeremy Beckhamhas been in charge of some high poweredoffenses and he couldnʼt have been happier with Brittʼs develop-ment. He read the game better and made good decisions. He isthrew the ball away, realizing that no gain is the best option in somecases. The super athletes seem to have a hard time coming aroundto that way of thinking.

The one thing that stands out is Britt is taking to coaching. Hewas always a physically gifted athlete. When I first saw him I wasnot sure where he would end up, quarterback or wide receiver. Lastyear I saw him become a player I knew would get a shot at quarter-back. This year he became a quarterback.

Britt had committed early to Cincinnati, but there were reportsthat he had de-committed.

28. **** Johnny Adams (5-11, 170, CB/WR, Akron Buchtel)It was a tumultuous off-season for Buchtel as head coach

Claude Brown was replaced by former Buchtel star running backRicky Powers. It is tough on a new coach to get up to speed withrecruiting and Adams disappeared from the recruiting radar forawhile.

After Powers got himself acclimated,we saw the explosive Adams get back inthe game. He was offered by MichiganState and right before the season startedAdams gave a verbal to new MichiganState coach Mark Dantonio.

I donʼt know what Dantonioʼs staff hasin mind for Adams but Brown thoughtAdams was a corner. I was always of themind that a player with this kind of explo-sive, game breaking ability should havethe ball in his hands as much as possible.I would play him at wide receiver.

This year, I see Adams was on the fieldfor Buchtel as a safety because of his ballskills – put him in the middle of the field and let him make plays onthe ball – that is where he is at his best.

Nic DiLillo

GH

Taylor Hill

GH Roy Roundtree

NF

Michael Zordich

GH

Kenny Stafford

GH

Dominick Britt

NF

Johnny Adams

GH



The one thing we know for sure is the Spartans have them-selves a punt returner. Adams is one of those players that is goodenough to be offered just as a return man. Brown used to comparehim to Ted Ginn, Jr and I think as a punt returner he could be inGinnʼs class. Electrifying is the word I would use to describe Adams.

The other comparison I would make with Ginn is that he is notbig enough to play cornerback at the college level. Couple that withthe game breaking skills and underrated hands and I see him as awide receiver in college, but as I said earlier, I donʼt know whatDantonio has in mind for Adams. He is trying to rebuild the MichiganState program so he might be pressed to put a game changer likeAdams on defense.

29. **** B.J. Machen (6-1, 210, LB, Hilliard Darby)Four years from now I think we will look back and say Georgia

Tech came into Ohio and stole a player. I see B.J. Machen and I see one of those versatile players that

every school in the country is looking for. I donʼt know if he is goingto get big enough to be a middle linebacker in college but he istough enough and strong enough to get a look inside in a 3-4 with abig partner beside him to do most of the heavy lifting, giving him theopportunity to run and make plays. That could happen but I think wewill see Machen playing on the outside in college.

Everyone wants a player that is athletic enough and fast enoughto play in space and cover but physical enough to play toughagainst the run. I see that kind of player in Machen. He seems morecomfortable at the line of scrimmage but I think he is heady enoughand has the work ethic to be a good cover defender in time. Thisyear I saw a bigger player and one that handled being the focalpoint of the oppositionʼs attack.

I spoke to two opposing coaches and one said, “Machen was aproblem,” and the other said, “Machen just killed us.”

In the end, it likely would not have mattered if the local big boyshad come calling. A lot of players talk a good game about academ-ics but Machen meant it. He was going to the best pre-med pro-gram he could find and found it in Georgia Tech.

30. **** Douglas Rippy (6-2, 215, OLB/DE, Trotwood-Madison)Potential -- that is what recruiting is about – what players will be

in three years and not what they are right now. Doug Rippy wouldnot be this high in the Ohio High top 100 if we were looking at whatplayers are right now.

What we have with Rippy right now isa raw athlete because he has played solittle football. He transferred to Trotwood-Madison and the coaching staff got a first-hand look at just how raw he was. Rippydid not have a good understanding ofwhat to do in the weight room, let alone ofthe football field.

But they also saw what was in themaking. This is as impressive a physicalspecimen as there is in the class of 2008.He was 6-3, 225 pounds this summer dur-ing the athlete season running a 4.46 40at one camp. I saw film of him from somedrills at one of those combines and at firstglance I had to check to see if I had called up the right film. Thebody I was looking at was more that of an NFL playerʼs. He movedso well.

Douglass was so impressed with his cover ability as the seasonwent along but you could see in this film that he had the ability. Inthe end, Douglass thinks he will fill out into a rush end at 255-260pounds.

Rippy committed to Nebraska but that turmoil has him thinkingabout other options. With the coaching change, I look for Rippy toopen up his recruitment again.

31. **** Michael Shaw (5-11, 185, ATH, Trotwood-Madison)Versatility is something every college recruiting coordinator is

looking for. I doubt you will find any college coach that will tell you85 scholarships is enough so finding players that can be plugged inat multiple positions is something they are all looking for.

The one word that comes to mindwhen I think about Shaw is versatile. Hehad been used mostly as a speed back inthe Kettering Alter option offense butwhen he moved over to Trotwood-Madison he was in a completely differentarena as Jeremy Beckhamʼs offense asksa lot more out of a back. One thing thatreally impressed Beckham was Shawʼshands. He catches the ball so well nowand after watching him in practice and ingames for the past year he feels likeShaw is best suited to play the old wing-back position, where he can carry the ballsome and catch it some.

That is one of the draws for Shaw atPenn State. They have showed they will still use a player like that intheir offense. Shaw totaled 1,400 yards in total offense.

I originally saw Shaw as a cornerback but if he is showing hands

I would agree with Beckham. He is a player with special speed andI like putting these kinds of game breakers on offense where theycan touch the ball more than they would on defense.

32. **** Fred Craig (6-2, 210, LB, Cincinnati St. Xavier)I canʼt tell you how many people asked me why Fred Craig was

not in the initial Ohio High for the class of 2008 back in February.The answer is simple: I did not get to see Craig until later in theprocess but I can see what all the fuss was about.

Craig is an active defender that finds the ball as well as any line-backer in the state.

We talk about speed so much we forget there is more to theequation. It is read-react-run. It is easy to get caught up in the runpart of it because that is the one area that is easiest for the fan tosee. We can put a stopwatch to it and get a number – it is some-thing tangible. I was talking to Bucknuts.com associate and formerOhio State linebacker Jerry Rudzinski a few years ago and he toldme that he never san better than 4.75 but he was reading thegame, processing what he saw and reacting to it so quickly that hewas there a step before the guys running the eye popping 40 times.

This is a fine linebacker class but none of them are doing theread and react part of being a linebacker better than Fred Craig withinstincts second to none.

Academics were always going to play a major part on whereCraig played his college ball. The Stanford Cardinal came in with anoffer and Craig gave coach Jim Harbaugh his verbal right before theseason started.

Craig needs time in the weightroom but in time Fred Craig willbe a factor for the Stanford defense.

He was named Division I defensive player of the year for thestate champion Bombers.

33. **** Jamiihr Williams (6-2½, 230, LB, Trotwood-Madison)When I first saw Jamiihr Williams he was just a sophomore. He

was playing defensive end and looked great. His junior year heplayed linebacker but a severe ankle injury curtailed his productionand he was being asked to play quarterback but the film spoke foritself. He was a playmaker when healthy.

Williams and his father decided to move him to Trotwood-Madison and it ended up being a good move for Williams. He wasalways such a great performer in camps and combines because heis such a good athlete. Athleticism is at the root of versatility andWilliams has performed everywhere he has played. Douglass thinkshe could play anywhere from linebacker to defensive end and hisbody could take him all the way to the three-technique. Douglasswas impressed that Williams did everything asked of him and nevercomplained once. He just went and did what was asked of him.

We had seen him play well in space but the single most impres-sive thing coach Douglas found with Williams this year was howwell he played at the point of attack. Michigan State head coachMark Dantonio is looking for versatile players that he can plug intothe lineup anywhere and Williams accepted an offer from theSpartans.

34. **** Joe Pachuta (6-7, 285, OL, New Concord John Glenn)Joe Pachuta is simply a small school superstar. He has the feet

and frame that everyone is looking for in an offensive lineman andmoves very well. He comes off the ball hard and really brings it.

I think one of those things that we donʼt talk about enough in therecruiting process but is just as important as any other attribute isattitude, especially with the big kids. Pachuta plays the game with arelish. He is one of those players that – even if he was a back – hewould want to play on the offensive line where he can really mix itup.

Pachuta is a poster child for the growing importance of camps. Ithas been important for some time but in just the last couple of yearsI have seen it become that much more important, especially forsmall school players, with linemen and quarterbacks being the play-ers most impacted by it. We are not seeing offers to smaller schoolplayers that donʼt camp. It is that simple.

Joe Patchuta does not have to take a backseat to any linemanin this class but until recently Maryland and Akron were his onlyoffers. That has now changed, as has Patchutaʼs verbal toMaryland. He says he is not going to Maryland and will decidebetween Boston College, Michigan State, West Virginia and Purdue.One of those schools is going to get a fine lineman.

35. **** Zac Dysert (6-4, 190, QB, Ada)What a senior year Zac Dysert had. He completed 154-of-242 --

that is a 63 percent completion rate. He had passed for 2,350 yardsand 21 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He put those num-bers up in just six games plus one quarter as he broke his thumbearly in Week 7. Those are great season numbers for any otherquarterback. Dysert had also rushed for 500 yards on 68 carries, a7.4 yard per carry average and four TDs.

The broken thumb could not keep him off the field though as heplayed wide receiver and linebacker. This is a real talent, and atough kid. He came back for the postseason and led Ada to theDivision VI state semifinals and was named the Division VI offensiveco-player of the year in late November.

Since he committed to Miami (Ohio) last summer, he has

received additional offers from Utah and Kansas. Michigan Statehas never stopped contacting Dysert since he camped there andcontinues to talk about an offer. Pittsburgh is another school still incontact.

This is a smalltown kid and likes the recent track record with theMAC and Miami, specifically with quarterback development. I donʼtsee him changing his mind.

36. **** Aaron Van Kuiken (6-7, 285, OL, Cincinnati Turpin)I got a really good look at Aaron Van Kuiken about midseason.

The first thing that got my attention is just how big he is. This is agreat line class and there are some really big kids making up thisgreat line class but Van Kuiken stands out. Mike Adams is the onlyplayer in the class who is as big as Van Kuiken.

The next thing I noticed is how well conditioned he is. There isnot going to be any problems with weight control for Van Kuiken. Heis a well proportioned kid. They can get him right into the weightroom and start adding weight the right way.

He plays tackle in high school and he has a tackleʼs body withlength and wingspan. He moves really well, getting out on longhandoffs, leading sweeps and he is asked to make second levelblocks. Those are plays that high school coaches only ask of uniqueplayers. He gets a good initial surge coming off the ball, and healways finishes his blocks.

This is a player that committed early and never wavered.Academics were always going to be the most important thing in thisdecision and you canʼt do much better than Virginia.

37. *** Trevor Walls (6-6, 225, QB/TE, Waverly)Every year there are players that I am surprised donʼt have

offers. This year I am looking at two players that would top the list ofplayers with baffling offer lists, or lack thereof. One is KennyStafford and the other is Trevor Walls.

He threw for over 1,750 yards passing this year. That is nothingcompared to last year but this year he has played every gamedespite separating his left shoulder in Week 1. Against a very goodWheelersburg team, he passed for 309yards.

What makes the situation even moreperplexing is I do not see what the prob-lem is. With other players I see what thequestion marks are but believe the plusesoutweigh the minuses. With Walls I do notsee the questions.

I hear about his mobility with a 4.8-sec-ond 40 at Bowling Green camp. I hearabout his level of competition. He campedat Ohio State and several other Big Tenschools where he would come up againstnational level cornerbacks and he left allcamps with great reviews.

Walls is 6-6, has a great arm and is one of the best touchpassers I have ever seen in Ohio. Toledo and Ohio are showingsome interest but to me this is a Big Ten quarterback. He is a 4.0student has a 29 ACT and is a member of the National HonorSociety.

He has only played quarterback for 2-1/2 years so we are onlyseeing a player that is scratching the surface of his talent. It hasbeen a strange year in football with a school like South Florida atNo. 2 in the polls, Michigan losing to Appalachian State andStanford beating USC. None of those things are stranger than nooffers for Trevor Walls.

He is also an All-Ohio basketball player.

38. *** Justin Staples (6-3, 220, LB, Lakewood St. Edward)Tantalizing is the one word that comes to mind when I see Justin

Staples. This summer, I heard good things

about how he looked at camps and com-bines.

He is always going to look good in anathlete setting but on the football field yousee flashes of what he can be once hefinds consistency. He disappears for longstretches then he makes a play that veryfew can make.

If I were building an outside linebackerprospect he would look like Staples. Hehas an ideal body at 6-3 and about 225with the frame to add enough weight tomaybe be a defensive end sometime inthe future.

He is going to run under 4.7, consistently, and is a long-limbedkid – something that is often an indicator of a player that is going toget bigger – and it is such an advantage with keeping blockers atbay.

One long time St. Edward observer thinks Staples would be bet-ter off playing as a rush end, either out of the 3-4 or putting hishand in the dirt.

Staples is already committed to Illinois and if this special athleteever becomes the football player that he can be, Illinois will have afuture All-American.

Michael Shaw

NF

Douglass Rippy

NF

Justin Staples

GH

Trevor Walls

JR



39. *** Jeremy Ebert (6-0, 170, ATH, Hilliard Darby)I remember a conversation I had with Darby head coach Paul

Jenne. I called him to talk about his super senior linebacker B.J.Machen. He told me I was missing on someone. There were a lot ofnames banging around in my head at the time but I could not comeup with a Darby player that was looking like a top 100 player and heclued me in about Jeremy Ebert.

He put up some great combine numbers, running under a 4.4-second 40 three straight camps. Ebert built on his impressive ath-lete season with an outstanding senior year. I had the opportunity tosee Darby a couple of times this season. Ebert reminded me ofWesterville South ATH and current Buckeye Rocco Pentello fromlast year in the fact that he was playing on another level. Heseemed to be using a different playbook.

There is no question about Darbyʼs level of competition andEbert was always the best player on the field. As a quarterback, hemakes great decisions. He is the reason Darby finished 11-2. I donot name district players of the year.

Northwestern is getting a fine player here. Ebert committed overthe summer to the Wildcats and they intend on using him as a slotreceiver and a kick returner.

40. *** Donnie Fletcher (6-0, 170, CB, Cleveland Glenville)No cornerback in Ohio has gone about securing a more impres-

sive offer list than Derrick Fletcher. He has been put through trial byfire this year with the Glenville schedule and Fletcher went aboutimproving his stock with his performance.

He had an impressive summer and it brought him a list that anyplayer would be happy to see sitting in front of them. He ran greatand handled himself very well in drills but I think his measureablesare what brings so many offers to Fletcher. He is a 6-0 cornerbackin a day and age when there is nothing as high on most coaches listas a big corner. He has a great body and long limbs and is going toget a lot bigger.

His early season performance brought schools like Nebraskaand Boston College to the north side of Cleveland to make offers toFletcher. He visited Boston College and Iowa early on.

We talk a lot about the relationship with Glenville coach TedGinn, Sr. and Ohio State but there is an awful strong one betweenGinn and the impressive staff at Iowa under coach Kirk Ferentz.Glenville players that have not been offered by Ohio State have ahistory of ending up at Iowa. West Virginia, Michigan State,Pittsburgh and Minnesota have also offered. Donʼt count outMichigan State in this. Ginn knows Michigan State head coach MarkDantonio well. He told me long ago that he liked to see his playersat Ohio State because he knew Jim Tressel would take care ofthem off the field. Dantonio is building a reputation for toughdefense and being a very Jim Tressel-like man. This is a playerwhose best is in front of him.

41. *** Jake Current ( 6-3, 270, OL, Troy)The more I see Jake Current, I still come back to the same

thought: any other year we would have been doing a lot more talk-ing about him.

When you look at the top of this recruiting class you have a cou-ple of players that are getting national attention so the conversationalways comes back to Mike Adams andZebrie Sanders but Current belongs inthat conversation. He is as technicallysound as either of them, and a case couldbe made that he is more technicallysound.

Current plays smart football. He hasexcellent footwork and shows outstandingagility. Troy uses him a lot to pull and leadplays. You donʼt see him getting tied up intraffic and he is just as good as on powerrunning plays. He gets good pad leveland stays low. I would go so far as to say,as a football player, he is the most readyto step in early.

He needs to get in the weight roomand that is going to be what keeps him from stepping in early atWisconsin. Current was never enamored of the recruiting processand verballed soon after receiving an offer from the Badgers. Wehave seen Wisconsin producing great offensive linemen since BarryAlvarez arrived. New head coach Bret Bielema will continue that tra-dition if he continues to get lineman of the caliber of Jake Current.The Wisconsin staff sees Current as a center but I thought he wouldbe a guard as he moves so well I would want him to get out andpull. Of course, that mobility can be used to get out on the secondlevel and make blocks on linebackers as a center, too.

42. *** Jake Stoller (6-4, 250, DT, Hunting Valley University School)High school coaches are the best source of leads and informa-

tion about players. I always ask who looked good on the other teamand who looked good on tapes they have seen.

No playerʼs name came up more often this year than JakeStoller. He has really opened some eyes this year.

Stoller is a high school defensive end but will play tackle in col-lege. When I first heard about Stoller, it was as an offensive line

prospect. I never could see that. A big kid that moves like Stollerand has this kind of speed is a waste as an offensive lineman. Hehas the motor you want to see on a defensive lineman.

He has a nice offer list with Wisconsin, Iowa and Pittsburghleading the list with Bowling Green, Toledo and Miami (Ohio) in themix. There were rumors that several of the ʻBig Fourʼ gettinginvolved early on but I have not heard anything about that recently.

I think it is likely that Stoller ends up at Wisconsin but he is in nohurry. If he wants to see offers from other schools waiting is a goodidea. His senior year performance could get one or more of the ʻBigFourʼ interested again if he is still on the board come January.

Hunting Valley University School is not a school that you wouldexpect to see players in the top 100 from. Head coach JimStephens and his staff need to be commended.

43. *** Walt Stewart (6-5, 210, DE, Ashville Teays Valley)This is a player that college coaches need to get out and see. I

know Teays Valley is off the beaten path but this is a raw talent whois going to be something when he is bigger and stronger. He hashad a tough situation and has now found some stability under headcoach Steve Evans.

Stewart is a late bloomer and has not been playing football forthat long. He had two coaches with completely different styles in hisfirst two years of high school. Now he has been under Evans fortwo years and the results are there for all to see. He was athleticenough to be a safety but Evans moved him to his natural defensiveend spot this year. He responded with seven sacks, six forced fum-bles and three fumbles recovered in his first five games. He is justnow scratching the surface of what he can be in time.

Stewart needs to add muscle and weight. Those are things thatany competent strength and conditioning coach can add. The frame,the first step and the athleticism are things you canʼt coach. Stewarthas those things. He is likely to fit best as a 3-4 outsidelinebacker/defensive end. A high school coach that played againstfuture Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor when he was in col-lege says Stewart reminds him of Taylor. Stewart picked Cincinnatiover Akron in early December.

44. *** Dawawn Whitner (6-2, 245, DT, Cleveland Glenville)I imagine by now Dawawn Whitner is plenty tired of being com-

pared to his brother, Donte – a former Ohio State All-American, whois now a Pro Bowl caliber safety in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.

In addition to being brothers, they have another thing in com-mon: they are both outstanding football players. I would go so far asto say that Dawawn is close to being as good as Donte. I realizethat is a big statement considering the success we have seen fromDonte on both the college and professional level. The difference isDonte had the body for his position.Dawawn does not.

He can dominate games with hisspeed and tenacity and there is not aquicker tackle anywhere in Ohio. He has afirst step that any sprinter would be loveto have. He gets off blocks like a muchmore advanced player. Once he is free,Whitner is going to run down anybody –backs, quarterbacks – it does not matter.

If skill was all that mattered, DawawnWhitner would be a top 20 player likeDonte was his senior year. Dawawn justdoes not have the size.

He has an impressive offer list,nonetheless. Maryland, Michigan State,Illinois, West Virginia, Purdue and Louisville have all offered. I won-der if these schools are thinking about moving him outside to defen-sive end. I donʼt know if Whitner can add the weight to play inside atthe level the schools he has offers from but he does have the quick-ness to play defensive end.

He is flat out one of the best football players in Ohio. If he werean ideal size, I feel confident that Dawawn would see an offer fromthe same schools that offered Donte, including Ohio State.

45. **** D.J. Woods(6-0, 175, WR, Strongsville) D.J. Woods was off to the kind of season that could have made

him one of the most sought after players in Ohio after he decided tomake a preseason verbal to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In the firstfive games of the year, Woods had hauledin 38 balls for nearly 750 yards and fiveTDs.

Woods missed the next two gameswith a back injury and it was then discov-ered that he has a tumor on his back. Hewas operated on and it ended it season.

This is a classy young man from astrong family. He is someone that every-one who has come in contact with will bepraying for him.

As a player it is hard not to likeWoods. He is such a natural. He catcheseverything he can reach and he runsaway from defenders after the catch. Heis also an exceptional kick returner.

With the turmoil at Nebraska, he has de-committed opening uphis recruiting once again. He committed to West Virginia after takingan official visit in December. But it was anybodyʼs guess if thatwould stick after WVU coach Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan.

46. *** Darius Reeves (5-11, 185, CB, Gahanna Lincoln) I have been more than a bit surprised that Darius Reeves has

not been getting the interest I thought he should. I know he did notcamp and I found out recently that it had everything to do with aninjury that could not have come at a worse time.

He was always a running back but everyone projected him toplay somewhere else, most likely corner. I have not seen him play alot of defense and I suspect most colleges wanted to see him as anathlete and to wait until the injury was behind him.

The interest has picked up now that he has shown he is over theinjury, as Reeves had a fine senior year on the football field. He hasbeen to Washington on an unofficial visit and to Purdue and Illinois.There is a report that he has been to Michigan, his fatherʼs almamater, on an unofficial visit but I cannot confirm that one and he willalso visit West Virginia.

I think someone gets a great football player here. He has goodcornerback size and is a strong kid. In the right offense, one likeWest Virginiaʼs, he still could be a back. Solid grades and no char-acter issues make this one outstanding prospect.

He has offers on the table from Kent and Toledo.

47. *** Juandez Brown (6-3, 190, QB, Cincinnati Withrow)As a junior, Juandez Brown was 22-of-31 for 297 yards and

three TDs. Those are game numbers for most top quarterbacks butthey were season numbers for Juandez Brown. I think I saw everyone of those passes on the film Withrow head coach Doc Gamblesent to me. That is why I sent him an e-mail saying that anybodythat recruited Brown as an athlete was crazy.

This kid can throw the rock. He has the strongest arm in thestate and I would say he has the strongest arm I have seen in Ohiosince current Ohio State Buckeye Rob Schoenhoft.

This year, all he did was confirm my evaluation. He was 125-of-213 for 2,323 yards and 30 TDs with only nine INTs. Those areamazing numbers for a player who has so little experience undercenter.

Brownʼs upside is tremendous. He is such a good athlete that hecould move to safety or wide receiver but he has to be given a shotat playing quarterback. Athletic quarterbacks are the future and thisis one with the tools to be great.

Maryland has quietly gone about recruiting Ohio very well. I wasunder the impression they had already offered but that is not thecase. They are talking about bringing him in for an official visit andso is Louisville. To no oneʼs surprise, most of the MAC schools havealready offered. Nobody is doing a better job at evaluating anddeveloping quarterbacks than the MAC coaches.

48. *** Ashante Williams (5-11, 200, ATH, Mayfield) When we talk about safeties in Ohio we always end up talking

about Mike Doss. Every top safety gets compared to this Ohio highschool legend.

I know Williams will get a shot at playing corner in college but Isee a safety. He is a strong well-built kid who is an outstanding highschool running back. He does not look like a corner physically andhe does not have the game of a corner. When he runs the ball hereminds me of Mike Doss. There is an economy of effort. He isgoing to get north-south as quickly as possible with no wastedmotion and no flash. H gets to the hole and hits it hard.

He plays the same way on defense and has the speed to playcorner and everyone wants bigger corners these days with so manybig receivers out there. I am sure that Illinois head coach Ron Zookwill give Williams a shot at corner but by the time he gets in theweight room he will fill out even more and I think he will end up atsafety.

49. *** Derek Wolfe (6-5, 260, DL, Lisbon Beaver Local)It was a tough year for Beaver Local finishing 3-7 but Wolfe did

not let that deter him from giving it his all. I spoke to one opposing coach that could not be more

impressed with Wolfe. He agrees with me that new Cincinnati coachBrian Kelly has stolen a Big Ten caliber player.

Another thing we are in agreement on is Wolfe playing defense.I first heard about him as an offensive player. He is a highly athletic,big player and you have to play this kind of player on defense. Hecomes off the ball hard and has the motor and an attitude I like tosee in a defensive player. Wolfe just looks more motivated ondefense. I think he has as good a frame as any defensive linemanin Ohio.

I donʼt think Wolfe is going to see any impact on his athleticismand his impressive first step in the least as he adds weight. He canadd another 25 pounds easily. He is a high school defensive endbut I see a defensive tackle that can break into the lineup ratherquickly but it will depend on how well he does in the weightroom.Usually high motor players are high energy workers in the weightroom.

I feel confident that if Wolfe had decided to wait he would haveseen Big Ten offers.

Jake Current

NFH

D.J. Woods

GH

Dawawn Whitner

GH



50. *** Evan Klepac (6-4, 245, DE, Youngstown Boardman)I saw Evan Klepac about midseason and all he did was confirm

my first impression of him: He is a Big Ten or Big East caliber play-er.

Klepac was even better this year as he is bigger but leaner. Helooks like he made a concerted effort in the off-season to his condi-tioning.

One thing that I liked from the Boardman coaching staff wasmoving him around – he is not just sitting on the weak side edgenow. Klepac is playing on the strong side and as a stand-up rushend.

The results speak for themselves. In the game I saw he was inon so many plays, including making a very impressive thinking-manʼs INT, as he read the play and stepped into the passing lane. Itwas not a matter of him just being in the right place at the right time.

He has the body to fill out into a full fledged 4-3 defensive end,or keep him on the right diet and play him as a stand-up end. In thisgame against Massillon Perry, he was always around the ball. Heplays smart and he plays hard all the time.

Ohio is so loaded this year that there are a lot of good footballplayers flying under the radar. This is one at the top of the list.

51. *** Bakari Bussey(6-3, 190, WR, West Chester Lakota West)Bakari Bussey is another player that I am surprised has not

drawn more interest. Bussey is such a big, athletic kid and

has a great upside. I donʼt think we haveseen nearly the best of Bussey. As a big,over-the-top receiver, he dominates defen-sive backs. Get him one on one, throw itup and let him go up and get it. He is thekind of player that will win the majority ofthose battles and plays big. Bussey goesafter defensive backs after the catchknowing they are unlikely to bring himdown and he is a very good blocker.

He has offers from Indiana, Toledo,Miami (Oh.) and Ohio. He will likely pickfrom one of those three MAC schools asthere just doesnʼt seem to be the kind ofinterest I thought there would be for Bussey, the son of formerCincinnati Bengal defensive back Dexter Bussey.

52. *** Steve Greer (6-1, 220, LB, Solon)Steve Greer reminds me a great deal of Ohio State backup mid-

dle linebacker Austin Spitler. Their careers are following the samepath. Both were probable MAC linebackers or possibly fullbacks asjuniors but really blossomed as seniors.

Greer is taller and bigger but leaner in his senior year videos. Hehits people and they are going backward but that is not a real sur-prise because he did that last year. What stands out to me this yearis his range. He plugged the holes well his junior season.

This year we saw a more athletic Greer making plays outsidethe hash marks. In pass defense, he showed a fluid drop and acomfort level. A lot of linebackers never really seem to feel comfort-able in coverage. In this pass-happy day and age, a middle line-backer that can stay on the field and be a three down player is avaluable commodity.

Greer has a motor that will not quit. On two plays on his film, hetackles ball carriers twice. On another play he makes a tackle on aquarterback who makes a pitch as he is going down. Greer thengets up and tackles the pitch man, too. On another play he blitzesand hits the quarterback as he is throwing to a wide receiver on along hand-off. Greer then gets up and makes the tackle on thereceiver, too.

Boston College has come in with an offer and there are othermajor programs rumored to have come in with offers. Ohio Statereportedly made contact in October. This is one of the mostimproved players in Ohio.

53. *** Casey Williams (5-11, 175, WR, Waverly)If it werenʼt for bad luck, Casey Williams would have no luck at

all. He broke a finger and has missed a good chunk of the year as areceiver because of it. The injury did not keep him from playingdefense, though. He made the best of the situation as he had fourINTs and is a solid tackler at corner for Waverly.

He was double covered most of the time before he broke his fin-ger, not to mention the shoulder injury to quarterback Trevor Wallsin Week 1. The numbers are just not there for him as a senior. Thisis a fine athlete and is an outstanding hurdler for the track team. Wealways think about the 100-meter event when we think of speed butrecently we are seeing great hurdlers as the better football speedplayers, including Ted Ginn, Jr., Brian Hartline and Kyle Jefferson, toname a few.

The junior tape when Williams and his quarterback were bothhealthy is very impressive.

54. *** Jerel Worthy (6-2, 290, DT, Huber Heights Wayne)When I look at Jerel Worthyʼs highlight tape, I see a player that

does not have to take a backseat to any defensive tackle in the

Midwest. He is such a disruptive force. On his latest tape, I saw him make

nine tackles for loss, three tackles for nogain and two knockdowns on the quarter-back and the piece of film was less thantwo minutes long.

Huber Heights coach Jay Mintonmoves him around and let him attack. Hehas such a great first step and a burst.For his first three or four steps, Worthymoves as fast as anyone on the field. Asa senior, he had 45 tackles, 10 sacks, sixpass deflections and two fumble recover-ies.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantoniois going to re-establish a presence for the Spartans program here inOhio. When Michigan State was a regular on the bowl schedulethey had a nice number of players from Ohio and Dantonio got averbal from this much underrated tackle in early October.

55. *** Andrew Radakovich (6-6, 280, OL, Steubenville)The one word that I keep coming back to with Radakovich is

ʻupside.ʼ It is a key word with recruiting and, in fact, it could be themost important word. When I see Andrew Radockivich it is the firstword that comes to mind. He is a latebloomer who grew into his body betweenhis junior and senior year and he is stillgrowing. He is going to add another 25pounds and he is a technically soundplayer.

The Steubenville Big Red football pro-gram has blossomed into one of the bestin Ohio and I am asked what makes themso good regularly. They are just funda-mentally sound. Radakovich is so funda-mentally sound plus he has a great bodyand is a fine looking athlete. What he canbe in time is a player we will look back onas one of the best to come out of a great2008 recruiting class.

56. *** Bruce Parker (6-3, 230, DE/OLB, Sandusky)Parker had a solid senior year. He did not have the impact on

defense that was expected because he played both ways this sea-son. I have never talked to a high school player that did not think hecould play both ways but the wear and tear is something they can-not grasp.

Parker did a great job playing fullback this year, was an out-standing blocker and some schools have taken notice of that. He isbeing recruited by all the MAC schools and he is fully qualified withan 18 ACT score and a 2.9 core GPA.

Parker is a weight room warrior with a 550-pound squat to hiscredit.

He is focusing on recruiting now that the season is over but hasalready tripped to Bowling Green.

The possibilities of him being a fullback are intriguing but this isas good an edge rusher as there is in this class. Quarterback is theonly position that is more important than a pass rushing defensiveend. He could be a 4-3 end but he fits best as a stand-up rush endin a 3-4. Linebacker in a 4-3 is another possibility.

57. *** Zack Stoudt (6-4, 200, QB, Dublin Coffman)Zack Stoudt is the evidence of just how good the Dublin

Coffman football program has been at quarterback over the last fewyears. The way a player brings the talentto the position that Stoudt brings speaksvolumes. He has the size you want in aquarterback at a legitimate 6-4, he has afine arm and he is mechanically sound.He also throws well on the run and has agood sense of touch. Some quarterbacksnever seem to understand when to fire itand when to take a little off and lay it inthere.

Stoudt had better weapons than anyquarterback in Ohio and he takes fulladvantage of them. He led central Ohio inpassing. He completed 173-of-251 pass-es, which is a very impressive 68 percentcompletion rate, for 2,586 yards and over25 TD passes.

Stoudt was regularly hearing from Alabama, Tennessee andMichigan State and he had written offers from Pittsburgh, BowlingGreen and Eastern Michigan before committing to Dave Wannstedtand the Pitt Panthers in December.

58. *** Demicus Brown (6-5, 320, OL, Hamilton)The impact of coach Jim Place on Demicus Brown cannot be put

into words. You have to see the game film. I had the opportunity to see two full games this year and the dif-

ference between the sometimes motivated Brown and the current

incarnation is stark. Previously, he stopped looking like a potentialscholarship player in his mental approach. Not this year. Even whenhe looks tired he is playing hard.

The impact of a high level football coach on his technique isapparent, too. He comes out of stance with some pop, keeps hisrear down and moves his feet. He packs a punch and once he lockshis man up it is over. Brown is showing solid technique in pass pro-tection and moving his feet well.

Generally, his intensity and focus is where it needs to be. Thatwas the biggest question about him. He is playing left tackle, some-thing that shows how much confidence Place has in Brown. He isgoing to be a right tackle or maybe a guard in college.

Brown is one of the most improved offensive linemen in the statethis year.

59. *** Kenny Annunike (6-5, 215, ATH, Olentangy)When I look at Annunike just standing there, I see one of those

freaky defensive end prospects we see coming mostly out of thesoutheastern part of the country. He is long and lean with thewingspan of a 7-foot-7, but he didnʼt not play defense – not thisyear.

Olentangy plays a 3-4 defense. Being the athlete that he is,Annunike does not fit the scheme. Once I saw him play, I canunderstand why head coach Ed Terwilliger has him on offense. Heis going to be a tight end. He does not play with a defensive play-erʼs mentality and his best is still in front of him. Annunike will fill outa lot and will handle 250 pounds or so easily.

He is a raw prospect but when you see him run you see poetryin motion. ʻGracefulʼ is the one word that comes to mind. Fluid isanother. He did not see a lot of passes come his way in the run-dominated Olentangy offense. Though I did not see that motor andthe nasty to be a defensive player, Annunike is a willing and effec-tive blocker. Once he has time to really learn the intricacies of play-ing the position, he could be a special player.

Academics were always going to carry the day. Duke received averbal from this honors student before the season started and Ithink the Blue Devils may have secured one of the steals of thisOhio class.

60. *** Steve Yoak (6-2, 210, LB, Akron Hoban)Steve Yoak spent most of the year playing with mononucleosis.

How he managed to play at all is simplyamazing. I have never heard of anyoneplaying through an illness that zaps you ofall your energy. The next break this talent-ed athlete gets will be his first. He missedall of his junior year with an injury.

He played mostly on offense for thefirst part of the year then was moved overto linebacker for the second half of theyear. Since he has moved over to line-backer, and recovered from his illness,many schools that have remained in con-tact will probably come in with offers.When healthy, this is one of the best ath-letes in Ohio. The last two games he isaveraged over 100 yards a game on 15carries or less and has more than 10 tackles in each of his last twogames.

61. *** Kenny Veal (5-11, 175, CB, Hamilton)I sometimes wonder how frustrating it must be for running backs

like Kenny Veal to see the kind of scholarship offers going to run-ners he is better than.

This is a highly skilled runner with great vision and feet as quickas any back in the state. He is such a playmaker. Veal can cut on adime, has a great burst and has the instincts of a top runner. I sawhim put all his skills on display against Fairfield where he turned agood run into a great run by bursting through a hole and cutting ona dime away from a defender that he set up perfectly. It looked likehe drew it up in his head what he was going to do. The tackler didnot even have a chance.

The only thing Veal does not have is the size the big schoolswant in a back. If he were 25 pounds heavier, he would be a BigTen caliber back.

62. *** Trey Fairchild (5-11, 175, WR, Dublin Coffman)Talk about trying to get some time in

the spotlight. Nobody has suffered from alack of respect like Trey Fairchild. On anyother team, he is going to be the focalpoint.

On Coffmanʼs star-studded roster, thisoutstanding football player is just the open-ing act. He is a player with good size andyou are not going to find many slotreceivers – the position Fairchild projectsto – that are as big as he is.

One thing that gets overlooked is hishands. I have not seen him drop a ball andI have seen more of the Coffman offense than any other school this

Bakari Bussey

GH

Jerel Worthy

NF

Andrew

GH

Steve Yoak

GH

Zack Stoudt

GH

Trey Fairchild

GH



year. He catches everything thrown his way. After the catch is where Fairchild earned an offer from the

Syracuse Orangemen. He is fast and will run a 4.4 right out of hiswarm-ups and has 4.3 40s to his credit. What impresses me most isthe determination he runs with. You donʼt see tackle-breaking slotreceivers and Trey Fairchild breaks tackles.

This is the kind of talent that can help the Orangemen get turnedaround.

63. *** Steve Gardiner (6-1, 210, LB, Dublin Coffman)The Coffman offense shined such a spotlight on it that

Stoneburner, Adams that Fairchild and Stoudt needed to wear sun-glasses all the time.

I only saw one game film of theCoffman defense before August. Theyhave a pretty solid unit over on that sideof the line, too, and Steve Gardiner is thestraw that stirs the drink.

If you see a big play by the defenseyou will find Gardiner rising up from thebottom of the pile. He is a smart, instinc-tive and active linebacker who alwaysseems to be around the ball.

Size seems to be the hold-up with thebig boys making offers. He is more aninside linebacker in game but an outsidelinebacker in size.

He ran a 4.51 50 at the Ohio Statecamp and would love to get an Ohio State offer but I do not see thathappening. He has a nice offer list with West Virginia, Pittsburghand Northwestern topping the list.

He is also a 1,000-yard rusher but Gardiner will be a linebackerin college.

64. *** Adam Bice (6-4, 270, OL/DT, Dresden Tri-Valley)Adam Bice had a great senior year. He was the catalyst for Tri-

Valley making the playoffs and just missing an undefeated seasonon the final Friday of the regular season. He was a standout at bothdefensive end and center.

Natural centers are hard to find and Bice has now gone throughtwo seasons without a bad snap. That is an impressive feat mademore impressive by the fact that he is snapping out of the shotgun.With a big player this athletic you want to play him on defense butwhat Bice brings on offense may be too much for the Akron Zip staffto ignore. This is a player with so much upside. He was a 6-3, 195tight end as a sophomore so he is still growing. He is the best bas-ketball player in the league, averaging 15.5 points per game as ajunior.

He is starting to get attention from other schools with BostonCollege, Cincinnati and West Virginia all showing interest but is stillcommitted to Akron.

65. *** Blaec Walker (6-4, 290, OL, Middletown)Middletown coach Ron Johnson is a former college player as

well as a college coach. He knows talent and he is a straight shoot-er when it comes to information about his players. He could not behigher on Blaec Walker. He speaks highly of his work ethic, hiscoachability and his attitude in general.

Walker has put in the work to be a better player and it has paidoff. He had a lot of schools talking about him after an excellent sum-mer and then showed great toughness and perseverance as hecontinued to play for all intents and purposes on one leg as he hada knee injury early in the year. He missed two games but was neverhis explosive self with the injury. He could have mailed it in but hedecided to play it out but ended up having to have another surgeryon the knee.

Who knows who would have offered should he have been ableto follow-up his fine athlete season with a fine football season. He iscommitted to the Bowling Green Falcons.

68. *** Lamonte Lattimore (5-11, 190, CB, Cincinnati Winton Woods)Winton Woods head coach Troy Everhart told me that Lattimore

still does not have any offers. That is one of the biggest shocks tome. He is qualified, there are no questions about his size and thereare no speed questions. He ran very well at a couple of camps andhe is one of the big playmakers in the state of Ohio. He is a versa-tile player that can play any receiver spot, could be a running back ifcalled on to do so, is ideally a safety and could play corner. I see a

player that can make any team better, especially on defense. He isgreat on the ball, very willing in run support and a solid tackler

Everhart is one of the savviest coaches in the state when itcomes to recruiting so I know that is not it. Someone will come inlate and find this gem.

69. *** Joe Madsen (6-4, 270, OL, Chardon)Madsenʼs senior year ended on a down note. Chardon finished

7-3 in the tough northeast region of the state and just missed mak-ing the playoffs.

Despite that disappointment, Madsen had a fine year playingboth defensive tackle and offensive tackle. One coach told me histeam thought they needed to scheme to take him out of the gamebecause if they didnʼt he would have that kind of impact on thegame. He played virtually every snap, a feat in and of itself for a bigguy.

Madsen committed to West Virginia in late summer and hasnever wavered, though there has not been a decision made on whatside of the ball he will play on. He is a high motor player who is verystrong at the point of attack so I think he could be an excellent noseguard in a 3-3-5 scheme. But I think he could make an even betteroffensive lineman. He could also be a punter in a pinch.

70. *** Chad Hounshell (6-6, 300, OL, Mentor Lake Catholic)Hounshell is a mobile and athletic player that is at his best when

he is moving. My first look led me to project him as a guard but afterthis year I see a more agile kid. I would still say guard but I wouldnot rule out seeing him play his college ball at tackle.

Recruiting has picked up for Chad Hounshell so much he is notspending a lot of weekends at home. He went to games at therequest of host schools for a good chunk of the year. Notre Damehad him in for a game but has not offered yet. His other favoriteschool is Boston College. Like Notre Dame they are maintainingcontact but have not offered. Hounshell does have a nice offer list,though, and an eclectic one at that. Colorado and Kansas came inearly. Indiana, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Miami (Oh.) are someof the other schools that have offered. Michigan State has notoffered but they are showing the kind of interest that makes me sus-pect he will eventually see an offer.

Steve Gardiner

GH



Hounshell is committed to Central Florida .

71. *** Patrick Omameh(6-4, 250, OL, Columbus DeSales) As someone who evaluates players, I see a body like the one on

Patrick Omameh and the most important word in the recruiting lexi-con lights up in mind in huge vibrant letters – ʻUpside.ʼ

This is a kid that I first saw at about 240 pounds but he is nowup to 250 and still looks like he is about 225.

He is going to come home for the first time from college and hisparents are not going to recognize him. Once he is in a collegeweightlifting program he will be 280 pounds in no time and I think hecould find himself pushing into the 300-pound range with no prob-lem. When I first heard about him the buzz was that he was adefensive end but it was easy to see he was going to be an offen-sive lineman. That is where he is going to play in college.

Omameh gave is pledge to Cincinnati over Akron, Miami of Ohioand Eastern Michigan. All had offered.

72. *** Chip Robinson (6-7, 340, OL, Middletown) Robinson had another year where he showed improvement. He

is moving much better as he matures and is adjusting to his hugebody. That is something that does not get discussed. These kidsthat are so huge at such a young age and need time to get theiragility and their strength to catch up. We are now seeing that hap-pen with Robinson. His weight was such an issue when he wasyounger but he now it looks more like he is a kid that is going to bethis weight. He got to about 340 and has stayed there.

Robinson comes off the ball well with his first few steps areimpressive. His technique is coming and will only get better underBowling Green offensive line coach Matt Campbell, who has quietlygone about producing some really good players. Campbell had theopportunity to get to know and work with Robinson at the BowlingGreen camp and the Ohio State camp. The relationship played arole in the decision by Robinson to pledge the Falcons in earlyOctober.

73. *** Will Fleming (6-4, 205, ATH, Akron Hoban)Hoban had a tough year going 3-7. Fleming played strong safety

the first two games. The coaching staffdiscovered that teams were running awayfrom him so they moved him back to hismore natural free safety spot where heended up getting in on a lot more plays.

Fleming also played receiver but it wasa disappointing year because the protec-tion was not there to execute a passinggame. But he still managed to come upwith over 30 catches for more than 500yards. Fleming lead the team in tackles,interceptions and forced fumbles.

He is still hearing from Akron,Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Illinois, MichiganState, Iowa and Kansas on a regularbasis. Other schools are starting to talkthe talk. I knew a lot of schools were going to wait and see wherehis body was going to take him.

This is one of the most intriguing athletes in Ohio. He is such agreat athlete and has outstanding football instincts. The sky is thelimit on what he can be in time.

74. *** Nate Schuler (6-1, 208, ATH, New Middletown Springfield) I donʼt think Nate Schuler is the best football player in Ohio but

he is definitely in the running for most underrated. The one area where there is no question he is right at the top of

the list – if not the best – is his hitting. Schuler and Mooneyʼs MikeZordich are the two players that would take up the bulk of a high-light reel I would put together of the best hits in Ohio. This kid reallybrings it.

I think Akron really got a fine player here. Nobody has heardabout him because he did not go to any camps that I am aware ofother than Akron and he plays at such a small school. I think hewould have been recruited more heavily by bigger schools becauseeveryone is looking for that strong safety/outside linebacker hybridthat can play at the line of scrimmage but cover effectively whenasked to do so. I think Schuler is one of the better fits for the roleyou will find in Ohio this year.

75. *** Justin Brown (6-4, 255, DT/OL, Youngstown Ursuline)Justin Brown played both ways again this year but he played a

different position on offense. Ursuline head coach Dan Reardonmoved him from tight end to right tackle and it was a good move forBrown. He was not going to be a tight end in college despite beinga highly athletic, big guy.

He is still played defensive end but would be a tackle on defenseif he were to play defense in college. But I see an offensive lineman.He is strong at the point of attack on defense but does not get thekind of penetration the type of playmaker you want on defense. Heshowed his agility with a long fumble return in the Division V statetitle game against Maria Stein Marion Local.

Brown was always a tenacious blocker as a tight end but he just

looks at home at right tackle. He has such great feet and adjustedto being a pass blocker quite well. He needs to add some weightand strength and he needs more reps as an offensive lineman but Ilike the athleticism and the frame. There are a number schoolsinterested in Brown but he has no offers at this point, to my knowl-edge.

76. *** T.J. White (6-3, 265, ATH, Troy) Everybody wants big kids that can run. White is big, is a fine ath-

lete and one outstanding football player. White is so fluid he almost looks

graceful. He has recently run 4.77 40 at265 pounds, ran a 4.8 at Georgia Techlast summer and made the all-camp teamin Chicago.

I think the only question remaining iswhere he plays. That is the only thing thatmakes sense. I would start him out as adefensive tackle and go from there. He isquick enough off the snap to cause prob-lems in there and he can add a bit moreweight.

If he is not a defensive tackle, I amsure he can play guard. Yet, he is athleticenough to be a receiver and physicalenough as a blocker that he could be a tight end. I think right nowthat there is a lot of scrutiny on what is wrong with a player.

Come January I am betting that college recruiting coordinatorsremember what is right about T.J. White.

77. *** Nate Wilburn-Ogletree (6-3, 190, WR, Clayton Northmont) I lost track of Nate Wilburn-Ogletree over the summer and was

not aware of a single camp that he attend-ed.

I found him again this season versusTrotwood-Madison and he was a key ele-ment in Northmont taking apart the mosttalented team in the state not namedYoungstown Mooney. Wilburn -Ogletreewas the best player on the field. When youthink about who was on the field that nightand where they are going to school, youget a better idea of how impressive hewas. He made catches all over the field,showed hands to go with the ability to getopen and made nice runs after the catch.

I donʼt know if Wilburn -Ogletree wentto any camps and if he did, he did notstand out. I know every time I see him onhe football field he shows he is a very talented football player.

78. *** Phillip Manley (6-4, 305, OL, Hamilton) I am not going to be surprised if we see Manley end up with as

good an offer list as his ballyhooed linemate Demicus Brown. .Bodies mean so much with offensive linemen. Take the jerseys

and the name tags off and stand them side by side and I think mostwould choose Manley. He is the leaner of the two and has the samekind of reach. He is as tall and could be taller.

On the football field I give Brown the edge now, but in the future,after some time in the weightroom and more coaching, Manleycould be the better player. He had offers from Miami (Ohio),Western Michigan and Eastern Kentucky and was waiting for offersfrom Louisville and possibly from Virginia Tech. He caught the eyeof Hokies head coach Frank Beamer when the Hamilton teamcamped there this summer but made the decision to commit toMiami (Ohio) in late October.

Manley has a 25 on the ACT and is doing well in the weightroom with a 325-pound bench and an impressive 515-pound squat.

79. *** Joshua Smith (6-2, 170, ATH, Cincinnati Withrow)Withrow head coach Doc Gamble could not be happier with the

way Josh Smith played this year. Though, he did not have the yearon the offensive side of the ball that was expected despite the emer-gence of quarterback Juandez Brown as a passer, I was alwaysmore impressed with Smith as a safety anyway. He has really takenanother step up with his tackling and hitting and had two INTs onthe year.

I think he is going to be a fine strong safety if he does not growinto a fine linebacker. He has a long lean frame and I think once heis in a college weightlifting program and gets better advice on diet,he could blow up into a weakside linebacker by the time he is readyto step onto a college football field.

Smith does not look like he is in a hurry to make a verbal. Hehas offers from Kent State, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Ohio andMiami (Ohio), with Indiana, Louisville and Minnesota still showinginterest.

80. *** Travis Kelce (6-5, 230, QB/ATH, Cleveland Heights)I knew Travis Kelce was going to have a nice selection of

schools on the table to choose from. He has the size, speed and

athleticism that you just cannot coach. What did surprise me a bitwas his verbal to Cincinnati is as a quarterback. I had not seen himplay as a senior when I learned of the Cincinnati verbal by Kelce,who also had offers from Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Miami (Ohio),Eastern Michigan and Akron. He also had recent contact fromVirginia Tech, Iowa and Illinois.

After seeing his senior year highlight film, I see why theCincinnati staff made the offer as a quarterback. He looks more con-fident throwing the ball and is throwing on the run extremely well.When I was first told about how Kelce had progressed, the coach Ispoke to mentioned Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Hevery much resembles Roethlisberger when he was a senior atFindlay.

With some of the bigger name schools starting to pay attentionyou would think Kelce would wait but Cincinnati has something theothers donʼt – they have his older brother as an offensive lineman.He has also been cleared to play basketball if he chooses to.

81. *** Jordan Bright (6-6, 225, DE, Cincinnati Wyoming) I didnʼt hear anything about Jordan Bright over the summer from

camps and combines but I sure heard about him during the season.He racked up 34 tackles and he assisted on 30 more. Those areimpressive numbers for a defensive lineman but the numbers thatmatter for defensive ends are those big play numbers and Brighthas them. He racked up nine sacks, forced two fumbles, recovereda fumble and had an interception. I really like those big play num-bers and I expected them from Bright.

What I think tells more about his development is the total tack-les. One thing that I heard from college coaches is he could disap-pear for stretches. A defensive lineman that can come up with oversix tackles a game is an active one.

Bright is only looking at an offer from Marshall to my knowledgebut with his size and athleticism someone is going to come in andsee what kind of upside he has late in the process and make anoffer.

82. ** Brad Bednar (6-5, 230, OL, Mentor) Brad Bednar always attracts my attention every time I see him

play just by the way he moves and howtechnically sound he is for a high schooloffensive lineman. He is just as adept of arun blocker as he is a pass blockerbecause he moves his feet and he playshard all the time. He gets out and makessecond level blocks and he uses his longarms effectively to keep pass rushers offquarterback Brad Tanski.

I think he has the frame to fill out into afine college tackle. If he were a little biggernow he would be another thirty places ormore up this list.

Bednar had offers from Miami (Ohio),Ball State, Bowling Green and Air Force.He pledged Miami in mid-October and theRedHawks have the best recruiting class in the mighty MAC at thispoint – great job by that staff.

83. *** Ben Buchanan (6-0, 197, K, Westerville Central) It was another record breaking year for Ben Buchanan. The most important thing for me with kickers is the inside the 50

yard line numbers. He was perfect on theyear going 13-for-13 inside of 50 yard line.There are NFL kickers that would takethat. Long kicks are great but being auto-matic inside of 50 is my definition of agreat kicker. With the rules these days,longer kicks that are missed give up fieldposition. Buchanan hit a 57-yard field goalthis year and his only misses this yearwere from 63, 60, 60, 53 and 50.

He is averaging over 40 yards per puntand I am told he will be given everyopportunity to win the job at all three kick-ing positions. The thing that makes hisaccomplishments all the more impressiveis he plays receiver, averaging 13.5 yardsper catch. What happens when he is kicking with a fresh leg? Carsin the parking lot might be in danger.

I only hope to see a kicker this good again in the state of Ohio.

84. ** Rodney Stewart (5-7, 170, ATH, Brookhaven) This is a year of firsts for Ohio High. I have never before had

one kicker in the Ohio High top 100 and I ended up with two with apotentially three this year.

I have never considered having a player this size in the top 100but I have never seen one like Rodney Stewart. He is a unique tal-ent.

The talk of Ohio is Isaiah Pead from Eastmoor Academy butStewart may be an even more exciting player. I watched theBrookhaven-Beechcroft game and Stewart took the game over,scoring five TDs. He has such great vision and the balance of a cat

Will Fleming

GH

Nate Wilburn-Ogletree

NF

T.J. White

LW

Brad Bednar

GH

Ben Buchanan

GH



with 4.39-second speed in the 40. Stewart has offers from Akron, Toledo and Eastern Michigan. I

donʼt know where he lines up as an every down player but he willcertainly be a kick returner. I donʼt see him as having the size to bea cornerback but in a utility role on offense, as a slot receiver and athird down back is a possibility.

Stewart is one of the most exciting players in Ohio this year.

85. Da'Jouir Cornnielies (5-10, 220, LB, Middletown)Like with Milton-Unionʼs Tyler Wilson, DaʼJouir Cornnielies has

been operating under duress. There is a template that everyone inthe evaluation business uses. For linebackers we are all looking atplayers a little taller. Well, here we are at the end of their senior yearand a lot of the bodies more in line with what we are all looking forhave not gotten it done. This kid did.

All Coach Johnson needs to do is get the film of the Massillongame out to coaching staffs – 27 participations against one of thebest programs in the country – and he played most of the seasonwith a cast on one hand.

The height number is the one that is getting too much attention.This is a kid that has run 4.48-second 40 and broad jumped 10-3 –and those are combine numbers.

Some schools have jumped in and taken notice. Just aboutevery MAC school is showing interest and so are Cincinnati andPittsburgh.

Cornnielies is a great football player and at 6-2 he is a top 50and likely a top 40 player.

86. ** Jordan Graham (6-1, 250, DL/OL, Canfield) I am a believer in the athlete-first philosophy with recruiting. I

agree with the templates for every position with the exception ofquarterback. I also believe there areexceptions to every rule and JordanGraham is one of them.

I see a player with feet as quick as anylinemen in the state. His agility is secondto none. When he comes off the ball he isgoing to penetrate or he is going to knockhis man backward. He is running backsdown from behind and is a highly athletickid. Graham has run under 4.9 in the 40and an impressive 4.4 in the shuttle, andthose times came from a camp not fromthe coach. He plays with great intensityand a love for the game.

If Graham were 6-3 or better, he wouldhave his pick of offers. Ever since I firstsaw Graham I have been trying to come up with a player hereminds me of. I finally came up with Chris Hovan. He played atCleveland St. Ignatius and ended up with an offer to Boston Collegethen went on to the NFL. Graham has the same kind of body andsame kind of quickness. He plays with the same intensity, too.

Someone needs to take a chance on Graham. If he isnʼt adefensive tackle then he is sure a fine guard prospect.

He is also an outstanding swimmer.

87. ** Sean Egler (5-10, 185, RB, Bellefontaine) I have said before that coaches are a great source to find out

about talent. One coach could not believethat I did not have Sean Egler in my top100. In fact, in his opinion, he was the oneplayer missing from my top 50.

I saw Egler against Wapakoneta aboutmidseason and the coach was right. Thiskid belonged among the stateʼs top play-ers.

He is an explosive runner with greatinstincts. He looks and runs bigger thanhis listed 5-10, 185 pounds. He seemsjust as comfortable between the tacklesas he is running wide. Egler is one ofthose runners that always seems to makethe right decision. Whether it is kicking itoutside or cutting it up, he knows to take atackler on or break his ankles with a move.

What Egler needs to do is get his grades in order. The MACschools are well aware of him and will get heavily involved once heshows himself to be a qualifier.

88. ** Tyler Wilson (5-10, 210, LB, Milton-Union)I did not include Wilson in the Ohio

High top 100 before but I cannot leave himout anymore. He is just too good a footballplayer.

Pound-for-pound Wilson is as toughand physical as any player in the class.Timing on the blitz is so crucial and heblitzes like a player who has been playingcollege ball for a few years. He has suchinstincts and reads the game so well. Playafter play, I saw him step into the hole

where the play was going like he had been in the offenseʼs huddle. This year he rushed for 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns as a

fullback and led the way for a 1,500 yard rusher. He only playedpart time on defense but still racked up over 70 tackles and wasnamed Southwest Buckeye League linebacker of the year for thesecond straight year.

Wilson is a very talented player. If he is 6-2, he is likely a BigTen recruit. He is looking like he will be a MAC recruit anyway withMiami (Ohio) and Toledo showing strong interest.

89. ** Andy Cruse (6-4, 210, WR, Cincinnati Turpin)Matt Natali, Ohio High assistant editor, covered Turpin twice this

year and offers these observations of Cruse: If there is a steal in this class, Cruse might be it.Miami (Ohio) offered this talented wide receiver early and he

committed at the end of June after reeling in 38 catches for 1,025yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games for state semifinalist Turpin.As a senior, he led the Spartans to a perfect regular season with847 receiving yards on 43 catches and 11 TDs. In the first playoffgame against Winton Woods, Cruse had seven catches for 126yards and two TDs.

At 6-4, 210 pounds, Cruse has shown tremendous ability tocatch the ball in traffic and is not afraid to do so with his size. Hehas nice, long arms and good hands. All Turpin quarterback RyanMartin had to do when looking downfield towards Cruse was lay theball up in the air and he was guaranteed to catch it – much like apower forward boxing out to pull down a rebound.

While he will not kill teams with his speed, he has all the tools agood WR embodies to make up for it. He has the frame to addsome weight in college and become a TE but he is such a talentedpass catcher that it is probably in Miamiʼs best interest keep him atreceiver.

90. *** Darius Ashley (5-9, 170, TB, Cincinnati St. Xavier) Darius Ashley did not have the year statistically that he expected

to have due to an early season ankle injury but that is offset by thesuccess his team had on the field. St. Xavier is the top team in Ohioand one of the nationʼs best. That is more important to this ultimateteam player.

He had a successful season as he has racked up 822 yards ononly 122 carries (6.7 avg.) and Ashley put the ball in the end zone10 times. He also set the Division I state title game rushing recordwith 272 yards and two TDs in the St. Xavierʼs 27-0 win overMentor.

Despite the injury, recruiting was never impacted as schoolscontinued to come after Ashley just as hard as ever. He ended upwith an impressive offer list, including Boston College, Virginia,Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern, West Virginia and Louisville. Heended his recruiting trail in October pledging the LouisvilleCardinals.

91. ** Doug Reynolds (6-2, 190, S/QB, Colerain)I thought we might see the ball in the air a little more this year

with former Colerain head coach Kerry Coombs moving on to thecollege game. That did not materialize but I think we saw animproved quarterback in Doug Reynolds.

He only threw about 100 balls on theyear but was hitting 75 percent of histhrows and his TD-to-INT ratio is 3-to-1. Ijust think that all he needs is for a collegerecruiting coordinator to see him and real-ize that the kid can throw the ball butColerain is a run-first football team. Iabsolutely believe he can be a quarter-back. If West Virginiaʼs Pat White can bea Heisman candidate, then DougReynolds can be a Division I college quar-terback. He has the same game althoughhe is a little bigger and I would say he is abetter pure passer.

Reynolds also averaged over 6 yardsa carry. He makes great decisions and takes care of the ball. In thisday and age versatility means everything and he makes plays.

If Reynolds is not a quarterback, he is surely a safety at the nextlevel.

92. ** Hank Keighley (6-4, 215, LB/DE, Kettering Alter)Ohio Highʼs eye and ears in southwest Ohio, Matt Natali took in

several Alter games this season and offers the following evaluationof Keighley:

Keighley was named the Division IV Southwest District defensiveplayer of the year with 62 tackles including 23 for loss and was anAll-Ohio first team defense selection.

He is a tenacious defender that played in a stand up DE role forAlter. Keighley has a nose for the ball if he is not busting throughthe offensive line and getting to the QB first. He explodes off thesnap and sheds blockers with his strength and speed playing 110percent on every play with incredible intensity. Keighley will not killteams with speed but moves extremely well laterally. He plays withtremendous football speed and has a motor that is up there withsome of the top players in this class.

Keighleyʼs recruitment flew largely under the radar but Toledooffered a scholarship and he accepted in November. He will mostlikely move to LB with his size – and considering his ability to get inthe opponents backfield in a blink of an eye – he is best suited atthe Will position.

Keighley and Cincinnati LaSalleʼs J.K. Schaffer are cut from thesame cloth. Both may lack the ideal size of a major college footballconference recruit for their respective positions but both play a lotbigger than what is listed on the roster.

93. ** Isaac Washington (6-2, 270, DE/DT, Trotwood-Madison)Back when I first did an evaluation of Isaac Washington I noted

that he would do himself a favor by dropping some weight. He hasdone the complete opposite and gained more weight. That is only aproblem in the fact that it now means be is likely to see colleges willwant to see him on the field with his hand in the dirt before theycome in with offers. He is now at least a defensive end and likely adefensive tackle. If he embraces it, there should not be any prob-lem. He will simply be recruited at a differ-ent position.

I was impressed with him as a footballplayer period. He has great instincts and aknack for beating blockers. He is just goingto have to show he can do those thingsfrom a different position. I have seen play-ers start to add weight or not show thespeed for their preferred position. Howthey adjust to that mentally means every-thing. The sooner and more enthusiastical-ly he embraces it, the better chance hehas of being a success and getting betteroffers.

I saw Trotwood once this year in theirworst performance of the year againstClayton Northmont. I remember seeing the camera tighten up onTrotwood head coach Maurice Douglass on the sideline. You won-der what is going through a coachʼs mind when his team just doesnot have it on a given night. One player who did not have an offnight was Washington. He played middle linebacker that night andwas the player of the game for Trotwood.

When I see Washington, I think about the possibilities if he were225 pounds, not 275. He is a great football player and a natural line-backer. He has great instincts nut the problem is he has a defensivetackles body. I have not seen film of Washington as a defensivetackle but Douglass says he is just as good.

He has an offer from Jackson State but other schools have start-ed to creep in, including Pittsburgh and West Virginia. If he looks asgood on tape Douglass says he does, an offer from one of thoseschools would not surprise me.

94. ** Branden Williams (5-10, 175, CB, Lakewood St. Edward) I had the opportunity to see Branden Williams several times this

year. I was impressed with him as a cornerback. He has the tools,including great feet and can turn on a dime. He is absolutely fear-less in run support despite his slight build.Williams has been battle tested against alevel of competition that is beyond ques-tion. He gets off the ground and makesplays on the ball against bigger receivers.

With all that said, it sounds like a ring-ing endorsement of Branden Williams as acornerback but what I remember more ishis play as a wide receiver. I think we areclose to done with these smaller playersas cornerbacks but the popularity of thespread offenses has opened up the receiv-er ranks for them again. I think he couldbe a great slot receiver. He has speed andgreat quickness and I am impressed withhis hands and ball skills.

Branden Williams is a battle tested football player with legitspeed. Someone will come in on him.

95. ** Bart Tanski (6-2, 190, QB, Mentor)Ohio Highʼs Matt Natali offers this assessment of Bart Tanski:As a junior, Tanski led Mentor to a D-I state runner-up finish

knocking off Glenville twice, Strongsville, Solon, MassillonWashington, Maple Heights, Warren Harding and Canton McKinley.Few junior quarterbacks face a schedule tougher than that and suc-ceed.

Tanski led Mentor to an 11-3 record and a second straight berthin the Division I state title game. He completed 230 of 388 passes(59.3 percent) for 3,179 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven inter-ceptions. He also rushed for 558 yards and nine touchdowns. Heled Mentor to its second straight D-I state runner-up finish whileearning the coveted Mr. Football award along the way.

For as talented and successful as Tanski is on the high schoolfootball field, he lacks the measurables college coaches look for inan ideal, blue-chip signal caller. But that is not to say Tanski isnʼt ahard-nosed, scrappy player that can create plays and knows how towin.

In Mentorʼs spread offense, Tanski is at his best in short slant or

Brandon Williams

GH

Jordan Graham

SP

Sean Egler

NF

Tyler Wilson

NF

Doug Reynolds

GH

Issac Washington

GH



post pattern situations. He can get the ball down field for the bigplay but is more effective when his receivers are running the shortroutes.

Tanksi also has the ability to move out of the pocket and hurtteams with his legs. He had 97 yards rushing and two TDs on theground against Cleveland Heights this year.

Despite lacking ideal quarterback size, Tanski will make a mid-major college very happy with his ability to win football games – hejust needs to get that first offer.

96. ** Nathan Cope (5-11, 185, S/RB; Warren Howland) This is one of the better all around players in Ohio in my opinion.

He can play any number of positions but Ithink safety is his best positions.

As a running back this year, Cope putup numbers that tell something about hisversatility. In a game late in the season,he had seven carries for 80 yards andthree rushing TDs while adding fivereceptions for 60 yards and another TD.

As a safety on defense he had fourtackles for a loss and three passbreakups and that was just in the firsthalf.

Cope has been hearing fromCincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, KentState, Ball State and Bowling Green. Hisathlete numbers are impressive enoughto get him offers. He has run a 4.47 40, a broad jump of nine feetand a very impressive 35-inch vertical. Those are camp numbers,not school numbers.

97. **** Chandler Burden (6-6, 272, OL/DL, Cincinnati LaSalle)Ohio High Assistant Editor Matt Natali offers this evaluation of

Burden after seeing LaSalle play several times this season:Burden had nine sacks in as many games as well as one forced

fumble and one recovered fumble for 5-5 LaSalle against one of thetoughest schedules in the state this year.

But Burden will be on the offensive side of the ball at the nextlevel with Kentucky recruiting him as a guard. With his size and hisframe, it should not be difficult for him to get over 300 pounds mak-ing him ideal size for that position.

Burden is a tenacious player that plays to the whistle but couldstand to work on his technique and fundamentals some more. Thiswill most likely happen once he gets to college and can focus onone position instead of playing on both sides of the ball. He has allthe tools and football smarts – it is just a matter of putting it alltogether at the next level.

The Wildcats seem to have their football program on theupswing and adding Burden to their offensive line is another step inthe right direction.

98. ** Briggs Orsbon (6-1, 185, ATH, Conroy Crestview) Every year I get so many e-mails and message board comments

about this player and that player. This year I got more about BriggsOrsbon than any other player.

I did see him as a junior and thought he was a nice player but Idid not see anything special about him. His junior tape was mostlyfield level which does not give the depth perception necessary toget a good perspective of speed. This year, I have seen really goodsenior year tape. Orsbon is a player that belongs in this top 100.

Orsbon reminds me a lot of Buckeye Dane Sanzenbacher fromlast year. He is so quick and can change direction on a dime and atspeed. Watching him play is like watching a grown-up playing tagwith children. He also reminds me of another Buckeye recruit fromlast year: Rocco Pentello.

Orsbon is a quarterback who will not play quarterback in collegebut he is thinking like Pentello who was playing chess out therewhile everyone else was playing checkers. Orsbon has speed thatneither Sanzenbacher nor Pentello can match.

He passed for about 1,000 yards and rushed for about 1500. Heis a great return man.

Orsbon committed to Ball State in November and the Cardinalsrecruited him as a wide receiver.

99. ** Luther Nicholas(6-0, 200, RB, Columbus Independence) Luther Nicholas could change his name to Rodney Dangerfield

because he gets so little respect. All this young man does is do hisjob very effectively.

This year, he went over 1,000 yards again, averaging 5.9 yardsper carry. Independence did not make the playoffs so his chance toget some time in the spotlight ended. There was little spotlight to behad during the season as fellow City League star Isaiah Peadsucked up all the attention – what little there was in the this yearwith the Columbus City League going through a year where the tal-ent level was not at its usual levels.

Luther Nicholas is just not a highlight reel guy. He is a playerthat gets first downs. He is a player that always falls forward. He isconsistent. Others get on ESPN.

Nicholas is the quiet but brutally effective back that champi-onships are built around.

100. ** Chris Brown (6-3, 285, DT, Canal Winchester) I have always liked Chris Brown. He is an active player who didnʼt need to be taught to stay low.

He has quick feet and a good base. He missed all of last year dueto injury but I see a player that came back better than ever. Hisbody looks different. He looks taller and he is bigger but leaner.

Motor for a lineman is so crucial. If Brown played with any moreintensity they would have to drag him off the field. He really packs apunch. Regularly he hits his man and they drop like they have beenpunched. He showed such leadership with his team voting him cap-tain despite the injury.

Boston College has always seemed to like Brown and hasstayed in touch. Akron, Kent State and Ohio continue to stay intouch.

I would start him out of defense but I think he ends up at guardor center.

101. ** Ross Oltorick (6-2, 210, QB, Cincinnati Moeller)Ohio High Assistant Editor Matt Natali offers this evaluation of

Oltorick having covered several Moeller games the past two sea-sons:

A two-year starting signal caller for traditional power Moeller,Oltorick finished second in the GreaterCatholic League in passing completing170-of-268 attempts for 2,320 yards with20 TDs and nine INTs in the regular sea-son for the Crusaders.

Oltorick is an athlete that happens toplay football and is a pitcher who happensto play QB. But that should not take awayfrom his talent and ability on the gridironby any means.

With a fastball in the low to mid-nineties, Oltorick showcases his strongarm on the football field with the ability tothread passes in traffic as well as air it outdown field. As a smart, heady player he isable to read defenses well and will not force plays if they are notthere.

Tallying 306 yards and five TDs on the ground in the regular sea-son, Oltorick showed the ability to tuck the ball and run to hurtteams with his legs.

Oltorick verbally committed to play baseball for Ohio State inSeptember and is planning on walking on the football team.

102. ** David Fleming (5-11, 200, DB, Centerville) Fleming was not going to draw a lot of attention. He is not a

flashy player. He is a defensive player that played offense becausethat is where he is needed. Fleming is notgoing to leap out as an athlete at campsand combines because he does not haveexceptional size and speed.

What Fleming is, is a football playerand a gamer. I first noticed him as I waslooking at one of his teammates. I couldnot help but notice how many good deci-sions he made as an option quarterback,a very difficult thing to do while wearing asoft cast. He would be a much soughtafter player if the option was en vogue.

He ran well at camps with a 4.55 40.but it is just not going to turn any heads. Ifa college coach asked me to give himnames of players nobody is talking about,David Fleming would be one of the first names out of my mouth.

He is a fine athlete and a great football player. He will make agreat safety for someone.

103. ** Kendall Owens (5-7, 172, RB/DB, Cincinnati LaSalle)Ohio High Assistant Editor Matt Natali offers this evaluation of

Owens after seeing LaSalle play several times this season:Owens led the formidable Greater Catholic League in rushing in

the regular season with 1,307 yards on 161 carries (8.1 avg.) and20 TDs and had 14 catches for 210 yards. He also lead the GCL inall purpose yards tallying 114 punt returnyards with a TD and 287 kick return yardsto add to his offensive stats.

These numbers are remarkable con-sidering Owens missed his junior year asa result of injury and put them up againstarguably the toughest league in the state.

If Owens were 3-4 inches taller, hewould be on every coachʼs recruiting list inthe Big Ten.

Owens has a nose to find the hole andhit it quickly. When the hole closes onhim, he has a burst to get through for anextra 3-4 yards. Like a true RB, he neverstops moving his feet.

Few people will catch Owens when he breaks lose in the openfield. He has a 4.47 40 and appears to have equally fast game

speed. He clocked a 10.7 in the 100-meter event last year for theLaSalle track team and competes in the 200-meter event as well.

Some smaller backs have done well at the collegiate level inrecent years, such as Northern Illinoisʼ Garrett Wolfe and OhioStateʼs Maurice Wells, and Owens could be the next successfulsmall back for whichever school decides to take a chance on him.

There has had some interest from Marshall, Cincinnati, Akronand Bowling Green.

104. ** J.K. Schaffer (6-2, 207, LB, Cincinnati LaSalle)Ohio High Assistant Editor Matt Natali offers this evaluation of

Schaffer after seeing LaSalle play several times this season:Schaffer got his college recruiting out of the way in August com-

mitting to Cincinnati and proceeded to lead LaSalleʼs defense in hissenior campaign with 44 tackles, 7½ sacks, one forced fumble, twofumble recoveries and a 95-yard INT return for a TD.

He played weak side OLB for LaSalle and will most likely remainat that position at the next level. Considering his 12 career sacks intwo seasons for the Lancers, Schaffer seems best suited for the Willposition as capable pass rusher.

Schaffer was recruited by Cincinnati DB coach and formerColerain head coach Kerry Coombs so it might not be out of thequestion he could move to the safety position. This scenario will bemore likely if he stays the same size, but with his tenacity as adefender and room to bulk up, he will most likely stay at LB.

Schaffer could be described as a Big East version of formerColerain LB and current Ohio State Buckeye Tyler Moeller.

Indications are he will red shirt his first year at Cincinnati.

105. ** Dominique Sherrer (5-10, 193, RB, Cincinnati Colerain)Ohio High Assistant Editor Matt Natali has his thoughts on

Sherrer after covering Colerain a few timesthis season:

All Sherrer did this season was lead theGreater Miami Conference in rushing with1,313 yards on 161 carries and anastounding 26 TDs as Colerain cruised toa perfect regular season and into the play-offs for the eighth consecutive year.

The Eastern Michigan recruit is a pow-erful back in Colerainʼs triple-optionoffense but has the hips and field vision tohit the quickly developing holes. Althoughhe is not slow by any means, his gamespeed leaves a little to be desired. But heis such a powerful runner that he is difficultto bring down and it makes up for notbeing as fast as the top backs in this class. He can drop his shoul-der and run over defenders in the secondary and he is difficult todrag down from behind with a low center of gravity.

Eastern Michigan is getting a strong, workhorse back inDominique Sherrer.

106. ** Steve Schott (6-1, 165, K, Massillon Washington)Most schools try to get kickers to walk-on so a scholarship to a

kicker is a strong indication of what kind oftalent a he is when he is offered. SteveSchott is one of those kickers. He accept-ed a scholarship offer from Ball State inlate October.

I do not recall ranking a kicker beforeand this year I have two. Any other year,Schott would have been the first ever andthe highest rated. It just happens hecomes along in the same year as BenBuchanan, an Ohio State verbal.

One thing that I like about Schott is the4.8 40. More schools are looking to have11 football players on the field after the ballis kicked and with that speed Schott has achance to help his football team once the ball has left his foot.

107. ** Danny Milligan (5-9, 160, K/WR/DB, Cincinnati St. Xavier)Ohio Highʼs Matt Natali is doing a great job staying on top of

high school football in southwest Ohio. Hegives this report of Milligan:

At first glance, Milligan might be thelast player you would expect to be theMost Valuable Player for one of the topteams in the country – but he is exactlythat.

Starring on the offensive side of theball as well as special teams, Milliganʼsconstant presence on the field is a majorreason why the Bombers were ranked inthe top five in the country in every nationalpoll.

Milligan had 35 catches for 555 yardsand seven TDs in the regular season aswell as 129 rushing yards on 17 carries and two TDs.

But Milliganʼs future on the collegiate level will be as a kicker. He

Nathan Cope

SP

Ross Oltorick

GH

David Fleming

NF

Kendall Owens

JR

Dom Sherrer

JR

Steve Schott

GH

Danny Milligan

SP



was 36-for-37 in point-after attempts, 7-for-12 on field goals (long42) and averaged 38.9 yards on 11 punts in the regular season.Where Milligan shined, though, was on kickoffs averaging 57.5yards on 51 kicks for 2,931 yards and 35 touchbacks.

Milligan committed to Cincinnati in mid-December.

108. **** Harold Coates (6-3, 315, OL, Youngstown Ursuline)Nothing has changed my opinion of Harold Coates – I see a

player that can dominate the line of scrimmage. I see a guard in Coates. He has quick feet and good straight

ahead speed. He plays with good padlevel and once he locks up his man it isover. He is a battler who comes off theball hard and plays to the whistle.

I think Coates is giving up a bit athleti-cally to the top offensive linemen in thenation – the Michael Brewsterʼs and JoshJenkinsʼ of the class of 2008 – but as arun blocker Coates needs to be in thesame conversation. What those playershave over him are the things that willmake them capable of playing tackle.

Last I checked, he is still taking care ofbusiness with his grades. That has been abig hold-up with offers for Coates buteverything I am hearing says he is goingto make it. He is definitely a college capable student but just waitedtoo long to get motivated in the classroom. I suspect when the firstof the year rolls around there will be a clearer picture about HaroldCoates and his academics. He could be a hot commodity asschools see players they thought they had go elsewhere and othersnot pass academic muster. Patience and hard work are the toolsCoates most needs right now.

Coates has some offers right now with Illinois, North CarolinaState, Indiana, Marshall and Ohio already offering him. That speaksvolumes about what kind of talent Coates is that even though he isnot qualified yet has some nice programs ready to take him anyway.One of them could snatch up one of the most underrated players inthe country.

Coates is a top 20 player in this class with the grade issue aside.

109. *** Tito Toles (6-0, 180, SS/RB, Youngstown East) Because of Ohio High School Athletic Association age restric-

tions, Toles was not allowed to play foot-ball this year. Obviously, that will impacthis recruitment but I think he still needs tobe in this top 100. He would have mademy all-underrated team as a junior and hewould still be on there this year. I had todrop him some because he is missing ayear of development but this is a safetyprospect that brings a lot to the table. Heis a hitter and a play maker and has goodsize.

Because of the year off, he is going toget pushed down the recruiting boards ofthe schools that were interested but I sus-pect someone will sneak in late and steala really outstanding player.

Best of the Rest

Jason Albertini (6-3, 200, QB, Vandalia Butler)Albertini ranked No. 2 in the Greater

Western Ohio Conference in passing with1,798 yards on 115-of-206 passing with10 TDs and nine INTs. He is a kid withgood size and a good arm. Someone willtake a chance on him.

Nathan Bame (5-10, 175, ATH, Dola Hardin Northern)Bame is a super little athlete for a

small-school traditional power. If nothingelse he can be a return man and utilityplayer.

Larry Black (6-3, 285, OL, Cin. Wyoming)Black is a quick-footed, explosive guard that needs to watch his

weight. Had 33 tackles on the season on defense.

Aaron Breitfeller (6-0, 180, S, Gahanna Lincoln)A much underrated safety prospect that is a good tackler and

has good ball skills.

Darrion Brown (6-1, 175, WR, Cin. Withrow)A transfer from Idaho, Brown has won best receiver awards at

several camps last summer. He is definitely one to watch.

Mark Carrocce (5-11, 180, DB, Canfield)Has been asked to play just about every skill position and

always played well. Also a member of Canfieldʼs Division II statechampionship baseball team last year.

Dominique Chandler (6-2, 210, ATH, Cols. FranklinHeights)

No show on the camp circuit last year hurt his stock.

Cody Connare (6-3, 235, OL/DL, Olmsted Falls)Tough, physical high school defensive end that will be a good

tackle in college.

Chris Crockett (5-10, 185, RB, Cols. Academy)Still no decision on football or basketball but the latter is more

likely.

Ryan Fleck (6-2, 180, WR, Napoleon)Tall, athletic playmaker that someone has to take. He is worth

a scholarship as a punter.

Josh Fitzpatrick (6-3, 210, LB, Cols. DeSales)Fitzpatrick had 10 sacks on the year.

Chris Harvey (5-11, 185, S, Cols. Walnut Ridge)Reckless and a hard hitter that

always seems to find his way to the ball.

Keith Herring (5-11, 200, TB, Massillon Washington)Level of competition in his own back-

field never gave him a chance to shine.

Taylor Housewright (6-4, 200, QB, Ashland)Big and athletic QB that is worth a

look just by the measureables.

Ryan Hughes (6-2, 200, QB, Carroll Bloom-Carroll)I think he is going to be a name we

hear kicked around a lot before signingday.

Bradley Gallick (6-1, 190, S/RB, Lexington)Underrated athlete. More camps would have really helped

him.

Seamus Garvey (6-7, 240, OL, Gahanna Lincoln)Very raw but moves well and you canʼt coach bodies like this

one.

Nate Gaynard (6-1, 220, LB, Niles McKinley)Lack of camps hurt this small school

talent. A coaching change didnʼt helphim either.

Troy Gilmer (6-1, 200, RB, Huber Heights Wayne)If he were the focal point of the run-

ning attack he will be back in the top100.

Matt Greiser (6-5, 305, OL, Cols. Watterson)Good body and technically sound. He comes off the ball with

some pop.

Luke Kelly (6-4, 220, LB/DE, Cin. Turpin)Linebacker now but projects as a

defensive end. Verballed to Miami (Oh.).

Dave Rolf (6-5, 225, LB, Piqua)Long and lean with a lot of growth

potential and upside. Had 443 yardsreceiving on 26 catches and three TDs.

Antoine Rucker (6-0, 170, CB/WR, Warren G. Harding)Speed and a playmaker. More camps

would have helped a great deal.

Nick Scott (6-5, 265, OL, Bedford)Ran a 4.8 48 at 265 pounds but no

word on how he did at camps, or even ifhe went to any.

Shea Selsor (6-3, 226, DL, Piqua)Big body and mobile with a lot of upside.

Eric Stoyanoff (5-9, 200, RB, Strongsville)Effective and a workhorse who does not have the measur-

ables everyone wants to see but is worth an offer.

Andrew Strauss (6-1, 190, S, West Chester Lakota West)Had four INTs including one for a TD for the Firebirds. Also

recovered four fumbles.

Jared Suvak (6-2, 225, LB, Sunbury Big Walnut)One of the real head scratchers as to why no offers. Plays his

position so well.

Mason Takacs (6-2, 190, QB, Cols. Watterson)Some may not be surprised to see him here but not as a QB. I

think he is.

Justin Thompson (6-2½, 225, TE, Cols. DeSales) Has completely disappeared at the

worst time. Camps could have changedhis life.

Gary Thornton (5-9, 200, RB, Youngs. East)Speed was always more of a question

than size. Instincts second to none.

Mark Turnbull (6-0, 220, LB, Poland)Lacks ideal size for the middle – his

best position – but does he ever bring it.

Cameron West (5-11, 180, ATH, Dresden Tri-Valley)Fast enough to play receiver, quick

enough to play corner and tough enough for LB.

Brandon Williams (6-1, 185, WR, Cincinnati Withrow)The next good one from a school making a habit of producing

great receivers.

Sam Valiquette (5-10, 210, RB, Youngs. Struthers)Powerful runner with quick feet and good vision. Football field

fast.

Darren Youngberg (6-2, 190, S, Clayton Northmont)If his grades were better he would be at least in the top 50.

Great player.

Matt Mihalik (6-7, 270, OT, Gates Mills Gilmour Acad.)One of the biggest kids that I have

ever seen that was also in good shape.

Jordan Miller (6-3, 215, QB, New Philadelphia)Underrated player player with good

size and arm. Committed to Akron.

Anthony Mullen (6-2, 200, ATH, Niles McKinley)Too good a football player and athlete

not to play college football.

Dave Nehlen (6-2, 185, QB/S, Brookfield)Reminds me a lot of Milton-Unionʼs Mitchell Evans from last

year, now at Indiana. Athletic and smart.

Connor Pain (5-11, 185, ATH, Napoleon)The fastest player not to make the top 100.

Marquis Powell (6-5, 185, WR, Hamilton)Had 236 yards on 15 catches and six TDs in seven games.

Teddy Robb (6-1, 175, WR, Canal Fulton Northwest)A poor manʼs Dane Sanzenbacher (Toledo Central Catholic,

Ohio State). We have not heard the last of Teddy Robb.

Cameron Kimbrough (5-10, 210, LB, Cols. Walnut Ridge)Hard-nosed, instinctive and fast. Size

is scaring them away now but we will seelater.

Tim Kamczyc (6-5, 190, QB, Strongsville)Missed a lot of time to impress last

summer concentrating on basketball.Effective dual-threat QB.

Chaz King (6-1, 228, LB, Cin. Winton Woods)If his academics were in order King is

a top 50 candidate. Great football player.

Jason Lude (5-10, 185, SS, Berlin Center Western Reserve)Strongly built, physical high school running back and could be

a fine strong safety.

Jermil Martin (5-11, 220, DE/FB, Cleveland Glenville)First-team All-Ohio selection in D-I that makes a strong argu-

ment for the best edge rusher in the class but he lacks size.Great blocker.

Harold Coates

GH

Tito Toles

GH

TaylorHousewright

MNJ

Troy Gilmer

NF

Jason Albertini

NF

Dave Rolf

NF

Gary Thornton

GH

Darren Youngberg

NF

Tim Kamczyc

GH



QuarterbacksSean Bedevelsky 6-0 180 QB BrunswickDevon Bertram 6-2 170 QB Richmond Hts.Andy Breidgigam 6-2 185 QB Rocky RiverTom Busch 6-0 190 QB Hamler Patrick HenryColton Cattani 6-2 180 QB Liberty Twp. Lakota E.Kyle Corbin 6-2 190 QB Sidney Lehman Cath.Ryan Cypret 5-10 170 QB Powell Olentangy LibertyBrock Davis 6-0 185 QB Old Wash. Buckeye TrailZach Domicone 6-1 185 QB BeavercreekDonnie Dottei 6-1 195 QB Tol. WhitmerZach Free 6-0 190 QB Washington Court HouseKory Hartinger 6-2 165 QB CirclevilleGene Goering 6-3 195 QB ArchboldPat Kane 6-1 185 QB Zoarville Tuscarawas ValleyMarc Kanetsky 6-0 180 QB HubbardMatt Krumpak 6-1 190 QB McDonaldRyan Martin 6-2 185 QB Cin. TurpinSteve McNeely 6-1 200 QB Beloit W. BranchLamar McQueen 5-9 165 QB Youngs. UrsulineBilly Merryman 5-10 150 QB ShadysideMickey Mohner 6-3 190 QB Painesville HarveyShane Porter 6-1 190 QB PortsmouthRyan Radcliff 6-1½ 200 QB Sherwood FairviewCody Reardon 6-2 200 QB New RichmondJoey Rhoads 5-10 175 QB Can. Cent. Cath.Cody Schuster 6-2 200 QB Elyria Cath.McConnell Smith 6-0 205 QB Hunting Valley Univ. SchoolDrew Spradlin 6-5 185 QB WheelersburgMarvin Stewart 6-1 205 QB/ATH Cols. BeechcroftChris Stucke 6-0 190 QB Maria Stein Marion LocalBill Sutton 6-3 185 QB BrooklynAnthony Vincent 6-0 160 QB St. ClairsvilleKevin Woods 5-11 175 QB E. Cle. ShawMerrit Zollars 6-0 165 QB Fredericktown

Running BacksSir Abernathy 5-9 180 TB Cin. WithrowTyler Amendola 5-11 185 RB Youngs. BoardmanBuddy Barnes 5-11 210 RB Frankfort AdenaPatrick Berning 5-9 190 RB Cin. St. XavierCameron Brant 6-0 210 RB Ashland MapletonAdam Brickner 5-10 175 RB Bascom Hopewell-LoudonCory Brown 5-10 185 RB TroyLarry Dawson 6-1 190 TB/DB Akr. N.James Cravens 6-0 220 FB/RB CentervilleCody Destro 6-3 225 RB MogadoreBryan Gaiters 5-9 175 RB ZanesvilleBrad Gallick 6-1 190 RB LexingtonAnthony Goodwin 5-8 150 RB Cle. RhoadsDominic Goodwin 5-8 180 RB Lakewood St. EdwardStephen Curtis 5-9 180 RB Huber Hts. WayneJared Ferguson 6-2 215 RB Monroe Lemon-MonroeJeremy Foster 5-11 194 RB Pemberville E.woodJustin Frye 5-11 190 RB LoganKoby Frye 5-10 175 RB St. Marys MemorialJohn Gipson 5-9 185 RB Rocky RiverCody Griffin 5-9 175 RB CirclevilleTom Hallal 5-11 185 RB Gates Mills Gilmour Acad.Chris Hardy 6-2 215 RB Day. OakwoodTaylor Harris 5-11 185 RB Sparta HighlandRyan Hathaway 6-0 175 RB FredericktownAnthony Hitchens 5-10 170 RB ChillicotheDerek Hoge 6-3 193 RB WaterfordDan Jacob 6-0 195 RB Sidney Lehman Cath.Brain Jackson 5-10 195 RB Cle. S.Chevis Jackson 6-0 200 RB Cin. FinneytownDru Jones 5-10 180 TB WadsworthKyle Kordich 5-11 210 RB N. RoyaltonDrew Kuesel 6-0 190 RB Hamler Patrick HenryZach Lemmon 6-1 195 RB GranvilleWilliam Lowe 5-10 165 RB Cle. GlenvilleTrevor Luckenbill 5-10 190 RB W. Milton Milton-UnionJon McDaniel 5-10 220 RB Bucyrus WynfordTim Miker 5-10 185 RB ParmaJoe Moran 5-10 185 RB Garfield Hts. TrinityMark Nichols 5-10 190 RB Newark Cath.Carter Paul 6-0 200 RB PhiloIsmael Pope 5-10 205 TB Cin. WithrowTrent Reynolds 6-0 205 RB MinfordAaron Roberson 5-11 185 RB Bedford ChanelLuca Romeo 6-2 215 RB Cin. St. XavierJake Simon 5-11 215 RB Parma Hts. Holy NameAnthony Smith 5-9 170 RB Can. GlenOakTravis Smith 5-10 190 RB E. Cle. ShawSteve Spillman 6-1 190 RB Zoarville Tuscarawas ValleyRodney Stewart 5-8 175 RB Cols. BrookhavenElijah Storey 6-0 190 RB Cin. AndersonClay Swigert 6-0 170 RB/DB LouisvilleLes Tabor 5-10 220 FB/LB Niles McKinleyDamon Taylor 5-10 170 TB FairfieldDerrick Vicars 6-2 195 RB Genoa AreaConner Warye 5-11 195 RB/LB Kings Mills KingsDorian W. 5-9 205 TB/LB Cin. PrincetonJoey Wheeler 5-10 185 RB Sarahsville ShenandoahJeff White 5-9 185 RB AllianceParis Wicks 5-9 175 RB Akr. ElletMarcus Wright 5-10 205 RB Day. Dunbar

Others To WatchWide ReceiversJordan Bell 5-11 180 WR BarbertonPatrick Bennett 5-11 185 WR Cle. S.Brandon Boyd 6-4 200 WR Spring. S.Nate Caudill 6-1 170 WR ClydeKendal Coleman 6-0 185 WR HillsboroJeff Davis 6-1 175 WR/QB Spring. N.Steve Davis 5-10 175 WR SteubenvilleJudd Ellinger 6-2 225 WR Amanda-ClearcreekPat Fening 5-11 180 ATH CanfieldTorieal Gibson 5-9 140 WR/CB Cle. GlenvilleCorey Gilbert 6-1 180 WR SanduskyNaRonn Goddard 6-0 160 WR/DB Day. DunbarJack Gose 6-4 187 WR Williamsport WestfallJordan Gribble 5-10 160 WR BrunswickDaniel Haddix 6-0 190 WR UrbanaCorey Hill 6-0 178 WR Col. CrestviewRob Hoagland 6-2 175 WR Can. Cent. Cath.James Howard 6-0 170 WR Warren JFKMatt James 6-3 190 WR Day. JeffersonDevon Jennings 6-0 190 WR EuclidNick Kekeiakes 6-1 170 WR Cin. Indian HillEric Magnacca 5-10 190 WR Massillon PerryPaul McKelvey 6-2 190 WR Hunting Valley Univ. Sch.Bryant McKnight 5-11 180 WR New Phila.Josh McLoud 6-0 170 WR W. CarrolltonIsaiah Mincy 6-1 160 WR Cin. WithrowNick Olthaus 6-1 170 WR Cin. ElderAndy Park 6-2 187 WR BryanPatrick Ryan 6-2 170 QB Cle. St. IgnatiusAnthony Steplight 5-10 170 WR Garfield Hts.Matt Wakulchik 6-1 175 WR/DB N. Can. HooverTyler Walker 6-1 175 WR HamiltonRay W. 5-7 170 WR Spring. S.Zach Williams 6-0 185 WR W. JeffersonStephan Wilson 6-3 168 WR Cuyahoga Hts.Lucas Wright 5-10 195 WR LoganCorey Manns 6-1 185 WR Kenton

Tight EndsAndrew Colosimo 6-5 245 TE Upper ArlingtonChristian Hanna 6-3 237 TE/DE Shaker Hts.Tom Klempin 6-7 190 TE Pickerington Cent.Josh Kloepfer 6-4 220 TE/WR VanlueJosh Lott 6-2 240 TE Warren HowlandVon Wise 6-4 205 TE/WR Finneytown

Offensive LinemanChristian Anderson 6-1 225 OL/DL Marion PleasantIsaac Anderson 6-4 290 OL Upper SanduskyMax Baumann 6-3 275 OL Cin. St. XavierRob Bicknell 6-1 265 OL CentervilleShane Bishop 6-2 220 OL Rayland Buckeye LocalFrank Busse 6-3 225 OL W. Milton Milton-UnionJay Campbell 6-5 280 OL New AlbanyNate Carman 6-4 275 OL WellsvilleVince Carter 6-3 270 OL Clayton NorthmontMatt Catron 6-2 223 OL Tipp City TippecanoeReggie Comeaux 6-4 310 OL Massillon WashingtonJosh Conrad 6-1 240 OL/DL New LexingtonKent Corthell 6-3 292 OL DeltaGuy Cullison 6-3 280 OL Cols. Bishop ReadyEvan Davis 6-4 260 OL ColerainAndrew Destephano 6-1 235 OL Akr. SVSMDavid Dick 6-3 280 OL/DL Day. Chaminade-JulienneNate Diekman 6-4 315 OL/DL Genoa AreaBill Dugan 6-5 280 G Poland SeminaryBrandon Ericsson 6-1 261 OL Youngs. Cardinal MooneyColin Everett 6-3 237 OL Uniontown LakeMitchell Fehrman 6-4 255 OL CoshoctonTim German 6-6 280 OL Newark Licking ValleyTim Goodman 6-6 290 OL CopleyAnthony Graham 5-11 275 OL/DL Lutheran E.Kurt Hanenkrath 6-7 265 OL Defiance AyersvilleMaurice Harris 6-5 270 OL Youngs. E.Eric Herman 6-4 265 OL/DT Tol. Cent. Cath.Jake Hyland 6-4 220 OL/DL Lima Cent. Cath.Andy Johnson 6-2 245 OL/DT Howard E. KnoxEvan Johnson 6-4 253 OL Kettering AlterImari Jonson 6-2 227 OL/DL Lutheran E.Larry Kramer 6-2 225 OL/DL Gates Mills Gilmour Acad.Tyler Kwasnicka 6-1 250 OL LouisvilleJustin Leahey 6-3 318 OL/DL Tol. St. JohnʼsCorey Linsly 6-4 275 OL Youngs. BoardmanBrandon Lott 6-2 212 OL/DL Findlay Liberty-BentonSean McCarthy 6-3 265 OL Tol. St. Francis DeSalesJack Mewhort 6-6 285 OL/DL Tol. St. JohnʼsChris Morman 6-2 200 OL/DL Spring. Cath. Cent.Jeremy Oller 6-4 255 OL/DT Creston NorwayneTom Orlosky 6-3 285 OL/DL Lakewood St. EdwardKevin Orris 6-2 255 OL Rocky RiverGabe Patten 6-4 240 OL W. Chester Lakota W.Alex Perkins 6-3 250 OL/DL LeetoniaBilly Petraiuolo 6-2 250 OL MayfieldAndrew Phalen 6-5 270 OL W. Chester Lakota W.Rayshaun Pope 6-3 275 OL Warrensville Hts.Justin Ray 6-5 290 OL/DL Louisville St. Thomas AquinasBrett Richter 6-0 305 OL Monroe Lemon-MonroeAnthony Reinhart 6-0 235 OL/DL Bascom Hopewell-LoudonAaron Rittgers 6-3 225 OL Pickerington Cent.Nick Schirmann 6-1 240 OL/DT Cin. AndersonJosh Scott 6-2 215 OL/DL StrongsvilleEric Simmons 6-3 275 OG Cle. Glenville



Eric Sluszka 6-4 290 OT Westerville N.Cory Sorice 6-4 320 OL Day. CarrollGrady Spidell 6-4 305 OL Akr. N.Marc Stevens 6-6 295 OL LexingtonAlex Subler 6-3 250 OL/DL Maria Stein Marion LocalZach Trainer 6-4 300 OL MogadoreSean Whited 6-2 250 OL Can. McKinley

Defensive LinemanZane Bailey 6-1 190 DL Williamsport WestfallMatt Betz 6-1 250 DL Alliance MarlingtonCarson Bodnovich 6-0 225 DL MayfieldCraig Brooks 6-2 215 DE/LB GirardZack Byrkett 6-3 230 DL W. Milton Milton-UnionNate Carman 6-4 270 DL WellsvilleA.J. Catanzaro 6-0 220 DL Spring. Cent. Cath.Greg Clayton 6-0 220 DL ZanesvilleDale English 6-1 255 DL Parma Hts. Holy NameCorey Freeman 6-3 220 DL Cle. Hts.Joe Gaglione 6-4 225 DL Mentor Lake Cath.James Georgiades 6-1 240 DL N. Can. HooverGary Goines 6-0 242 DL ColerainBrandon Halas 6-2 225 DL Cin. NWJohn Hiles 6-3 255 DE Cols. DeSalesJake Hochendoner 6-2 230 DE Poland SeminaryDustin Hogan 6-0 225 DL WaynesvilleCorey Holt 6-3 265 DT Trotwood-MadisonAndrew Illig 6-2 275 DL Cuya. Falls Walsh JesuitWade Ishmael 6-0 232 DL Oak HarborAndy Kowicki 6-5 270 DL Parma NormandyZach Laird 6-4 260 DL Olmsted FallsCarmen Lamancusa 6-3 275 DL Vienna MatthewsWayne Lanum 6-4 200 DL Sparta HighlandZack Leimberger 6-2 215 DE W. Chester Lakota W.Josh Lott 6-2 235 DL Warren HowlandAaron Lowe 6-0 285 DT Clayton NorthmontChad Maynard 6-3 290 DT LancasterDan McClendon 6-3 280 DT Cols. Walnut RidgeMike McElligott 6-2 255 DL Bedford ChanelGreg Miller 6-0 245 DL Clarksville Clinton-MassieMike Miller 6-2 215 DL Monroe Lemon-MonroeBrandon Mills 6-0 260 DL ColerainChris Moore 6-0 230 DL Warrensville Hts.Patrick Muldoon 6-4 235 DL Cin. St. XavierAnthony Nixon 6-1 221 DL Canal WinchesterMatthew Niese 6-2 240 MLB/DE NapoleonLuke Roesch 6-7 215 DL Lancaster Fisher Cath.Matt Rose 6-2 230 DE/LB Massillon WashingtonAndrew Schaetzke 6-4 238 DL Tol. St. JohnʼsMatt Schooley 6-3 225 DE/OLB LouisvilleKyle Smedi 6-1 190 DL Cortland LakeviewJosh Spillman 6-1 240 DL Franklin Hts.Justin Sprague 6-3 245 DL Day. Chaminade-JulienneBlake Steward 6-0 250 DT Cin. WithrowRichard Sumlin 6-2 255 DL MedinaSteven Thomas 6-2 230 DL/OL E. Cle. ShawJ.J. Thompson 6-2 265 DL CovingtonNick Wagner 6-2 220 DL NapoleonJoe Whitehead 6-0 245 DL Cols. DeSalesSteve Yoder 6-5 255 DT Massillon Washington

LinebackersJacob Andrews 6-1 200 LB ClydeGus Armbruster 6-0 210 LB N. RoyaltonRyan Ball 6-0 224 LB Tol. St. JohnʼsSteve Bigach 6-3 223 LB Cle. St. IgnatiusKen Booker 6-3 225 LB LocklandVince Calvillo 6-0 214 LB Cle. BenedictineTyler Clark 6-2 215 LB LucasDustin Colbert 6-2 200 LB Tipp City TippecanoeDrew Dabbelt 6-1 201 LB Cols. WattersonKevin Dahl 6-0 220 LB N. Can. HooverRoy Davis 6-3 200 LB RavennaJosh Ebinger 6-6 215 LB Parma NormandyDwight Evans 6-0 215 LB Cin. SycamoreRuss Galeti 6-2 225 LB Parma NormandyBrady Greenwood 6-3 220 LB Marion HardingColin Haben 6-1 225 LB TallmadgeMiles Harp 5-10 215 LB W. Chester Lakota W.Dustin Harrison 6-0 230 LB Huber Hts. WayneBrian Hehl 6-3 260 LB Sylvania NorthviewSteve Hengehold 6-2 225 LB Cin. ElderEric Hufford 6-2 226 LB Tiffin ColumbianRicky Kovatch 6-2 230 LB Dublin JeromeTeddy Jennings 6-6 215 LB Day. Chaminade-JulienneDamon Lambert 6-1 225 LB EuclidJ.J. Laseak 6-2 210 LB MentorMike Latessa 6-1 190 LB Cin. SycamoreGrant Lewis 6-1 200 LB Westerville N.Emmitt Lydon 6-0 215 LB Cle. St. IgnatiusDamien Macintosh 6-3 205 LB HamiltonJustin Mast 6-0 220 LB Millersburg W. HolmesEddie Metcalf 6-1 200 LB AlliancePayden Morehart 6-4 200 LB ArlingtonMarcello Natale 6-1 205 LB Can. Cent. Cath.Mike Niam 6-2 220 LB HudsonRyan Oldaker 6-0 235 LB Bascom Hopewell-LoudonRay Parry 6-1 225 LB/FB MaumeeDave Plungas 6-3 220 LB Mentor Lake Cath.Eric Polen 6-3 225 LB Youngs. BoardmanMark Potter 6-0 215 LB LoganMarcus Poyser 6-0 205 LB LouisvilleJohn Ripenhoff 6-2 190 LB WheelersburgNick Schneider 6-3 220 LB Cin. St. XavierScott Shear 6-4 230 LB Day. Carroll

Mike Spooner 6-0 210 LB Lakewood St. EdwardDan Starr 6-0 220 LB Old Wash. Buckeye TrailMatt Stoinoff 6-0 225 LB ColerainJ.T. Stone 6-4 235 LB/RB W. Alexandria Twin Valley S.Jordan Thompson 6-3 225 LB Rockford ParkawayJordan Valente 6-1 220 LB BrooklynDean Walker 6-1 190 LB Cin. LaSalleBrian Wagner 6-2 220 LB Spring. Cath. Cent.Trevante Wallace 6-2 220 LB Cols. BrookhavenKirk Wetherell 6-2 210 LB Cambridge

CornerbacksIsaiah Ballard 5-11 195 CB Tol. RogersDeondray Brown 6-0 170 CB Fremont RossPatrick Bourne 6-0 190 CB HamiltonTony Boyle 5-10 175 CB Kettering AlterD.J. Brown 6-0 165 CB W. Chester Lakota W.Kevin Castle 5-8 170 CB Groveport-MadisonMax Colaner 5-9 170 CB Can. Cent. Cath.Darrian Cordell 5-11 175 CB Cols. Beechcroft Steve Davis 5-8 170 CB SteubenvilleKyle DeWitt 5-11 170 CB Spring. Cath. Cent.Thomas Douglas 5-10 175 CB Cols. Walnut RidgeAlex Ferrara 5-9 175 CB Cuya. Falls Walsh jesuitCole Hanlin 5-8 170 CB CopleyBerchard Hines 5-10 175 CB Cle. GlenvilleTim Marlowe 5-11 170 CB Youngs. Cardinal MooneyBrandon Mingo 5-8 150 CB Can. McKinleyKeith Morgan 6-1 195 CB BellefontaineCorey Puthoff 6-1 170 CB St. HenryRoss Ravella 5-10 175 CB Youngs. UrsulineDuran Robinson 6-2 195 SS/LB Fremont RossRavelle Sadler 5-10 180 CB ColerainKevin Saunders 6-0 200 CB Akr. SVSMNate Scheidt 6-0 175 CB Day. CarrollMatt Shurtleff 6-0 175 CB Cle. St. IgnatiusRyan Smoot 5-10 190 LB Cols. AfricentricLogan Snell 6-1 185 CB DanvilleIsaiah Thompson 5-10 165 CB Cols. Bishop HartleyBeau Weed 6-2 160 CB S. PointMike Wiley 6-0 170 CB MiamisburgMarshon Williamson 5-10 175 CB E. Cle. Shaw

SafetiesMarcus Baker 6-1 200 S/CB Newark Cath.Zane Carter 6-5 195 S/LB WaynesvilleJimmy Ferguson 6-2 195 S/TB BarbertonMatt Foor 5-10 200 S W. Chester Lakota W.Alex Gedeon 6-2 220 S/LB HudsonNoah Hill 6-3 215 S/LB Milan EdisonAlex Knowles 6-2 185 S/LB Plain City Jonathan AlderJosh McKee 6-1 162 CB New Carlisle TecumsehPatrick Pakan 6-1 200 CB TallmadgeDominique Sams 6-2 210 S/LB Trotwood-MadisonCaleb Stewart 6-1 175 S/LB OntarioTony Stover 6-3 200 S/LB Canal Fulton NWMichael Welling 6-1 185 S/LB ReadingEthan Wetzel 6-2 200 S/CB Sunbury Big WalnutRyan Williams 6-0 200 S/CB ColumbianaDaniel Wirick 6-1 185 S/CB W. Liberty-Salem

AthletesRyan Clark 5-11 185 ATH Cols. DeSalesJustin Hemm 6-0 180 ATH PiquaGerald Nixon 5-9 185 ATH New Albany T.J. Viscuso 5-11 170 ATH Uniontown Lake


Rockford Parkwaysenior linebackerJordan Thompsonearned his secondstraight MidwestAthletic ConferenceDefensive Player ofthe Year award thisseason en route tothe state D-VDefensive POY honor.

Cincinnat i S t . Xav ier ’s Greg Scruggs

J JHUDDLE .COM JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High50

rior to the 2007 football sea-son, the only time CincinnatiSt. Xavier senior GregScruggs stepped onto thefootball field was during half-

time at Bombers home games as a drummer inthe marching band.This year, Scruggs stepped onto the gridiron

like he had his three previous years of highschool – only this time he was speed rushingquarterbacks as a defensive end for theDivision I state champion Bombers.Scruggs, who stands in at 6-5 and 230

pounds, was a mainstay on the basketball courtfor St. Xavier but never played a snap of foot-ball before his senior year. With his size,though, he was an obvious target for St. Xavierhead football coach Steve Specht and theBombers staff since he began high school.“Since he was a freshman we talked to him

about playing and he just wanted to play bas-ketball and play in the band,” Specht recalled.“It wasn’t like he wasn’t already involved. As acoach, I was hard-pressed to put the hammeron him and really try to hard-sell him becausehe was already doing a lot. He was alreadyinvolved.

“Every once in a while I would see him andtell him to think about playing football. As he gotolder, his best friends played football and hewould come to workouts with us. He’d run andlift and do the (plyometrics) with us. It wasalmost like he was teasing us in the off-sea-son,” Specht joked.Scruggs was close to taking the field for the

Bombers his junior year, but he decided to stickwith his band commitment.“I thought we had him junior year. He was

really thinking about it but when push came toshove he just wasn’t ready,” Specht said.Through his high school career, Scruggs and

Specht developed a close relationship as thefourth-year head coach courted him.“I am here all the time and when Greg would

see my car he would come over and sit in theoffice and talk,” Specht described. “He and Ideveloped a real good friendship and a realgood relationship and this year he decided hewanted to play and give it a shot.”The decision to play football was tough for

Scruggs because it meant he would have to puthis love of music on hold for the time being.Drumming since he was in grade school, musichad been a year-round commitment for

Scruggs since a very young age.“I got my (interest in music) mainly from my

older brother Craig. He started drumming firstand I picked it up after him,” Scruggs said.“When I was in fourth grade, we did a talentshow with buckets at our school and from thenwe just stuck with it. We were always going tolocal drum line competitions and watching themon TV.”In middle school, Scruggs honed in on his

musical talent joining an organized drum line.“About sixth grade I joined a drum line called

Queen City Sound and I played the bass drum.It was a southern style band,” he said. “Wewould perform in competitions and sometimesdo two or three parades a day.”Once at St. Xavier, Scruggs tackled a big

challenge in regard to his musical ability.“I didn’t read music until high school. It was

all by ear – my brother and I only knew how toplay by ear,” he said.But Scruggs quickly learned how to read

music and was soon marching with theBombers band at the football games.“I enjoyed playing with some great people at

the home games. It was a great time and agreat experience,” he said. “We had the support

PSt. Xavier senior Greg Scruggs gives up music

for football, excels on the gridiron


Cincinnat i S t . Xav ier ’s Greg Scruggs


of the students, faculty, staff and fans whetherwe were having a good performance or not,they always supported us. That kept me goingand kept me into it.”With the time constraints of playing in two

bands, playing basketball and keeping up withhis academics, Scruggs soon grew weary.“After doing it for so long, I just kind of got

worn out. I would go to band practice at school,do some homework then go to practice atQueen City Sound. I was getting pretty tiredand burnt out on it,” he said. Scruggs soon decided he wanted strap on

pads and a helmet for St. Xavier and consultedwith Specht about it.“I asked him why (he wanted to play football)

and he said there were a few reasons,” Spechtrecalled. “The first reason was he needed ascholarship to attend college. I told him thatwasn’t enough and he said he wanted to playwith all his friends. I told him that was a betteranswer. Then finally he told me he wanted toplay for me. So, that is how we got started.”Scruggs dedicated himself in the off-season

to working out with the team and learning asmuch as he could about the game before tak-ing the field this past fall.“Once I decided to commit myself to (football)

I wasn’t going to quit and I was determined togo the whole season,” Scruggs said. “Therewas just something in me that said, ‘This isyour year,’ and it was my last year to try it and Ihad nothing to lose.”Scruggs attended some camps over the

summer as a tight end prospect and was evenoffered a scholarship at the Miami (Ohio) campon the spot based on his size and athleticismdespite having never played a snap of footballin his life. “He is a quick learner. He is a very intelligent

young man and picks things up quickly as anathlete. When you’re that athletic, you’re goingto be able to pick things up quickly so there is alot of upside,” Specht said.Scruggs attended Nebraska’s camp over the

summer and on the trip home he knew for surehe was ready to play for Specht and theBombers.“In late July, I went to Nebraska and I knew

when I came back that I was going to eitherplay or not play. I was either going to show upthe next day at 6 (in the morning) or not. It wasmy choice and the very next day I was at two-a-days bright and early,” he recalled.The first few weeks of practice were tough

for Scruggs getting acclimated to the game,even just how to wear his equipment. “If you would have watched him the first day

walking out on that field trying to figure out howto put shoulder pads on for the first time andtrying to understand the game and learndefenses, he was pretty lost early on,” Spechtsaid.

Added Scruggs: “The first couple of practiceswere probably the most challenging. Therewere some adjustments I had to make physical-ly with the conditioning, the strength of the peo-ple you go against, getting used to the helmetshitting and hitting the right way. “It was a big difference from playing in the

band, but it was something I was willing to do. I

had no fear in going out there and doing what Ihad to do to be a part of the team or make theteam better. “It was challenging but at the same time it

was fun. I was learning the game and had funwith it and each day I loved it more.”Scruggs noted some similarities between

playing in the marching band and playing foot-ball after he got in the full swing on the gridiron.“One thing that doesn’t change is commit-

ment and whatever I do I am always committedto it,” he said. “I’ve never quit any sport I’veever played. There is always going to be com-mitment with everything I do. “Secondly, is just the work ethic. The work

ethic for band, basketball and football is differ-ent but the fact is I am still going to work ashard as I can at whatever I was participatingin.”Specht and the St. Xavier staff started

Scruggs out on offense at tight end but soonfigured he would be more effective at defensiveend with the amount of talent the Bombersboasted on offense. “We started him off as a tight end in camp

and he looked tremendous. But as we got fur-ther and further into camp, we noticed (theoffensive personnel that we had) and it doesn’ttake you long to figure out only one guy can

touch the ball on every play,” Specht said. “So,we moved Greg over to defense – we weregoing to try and package him offensively anddefensively but that was when the learningcurve hit a wall. He just couldn’t do both. So, Imade the decision early in the season that hewas going to be a fulltime defensive end it paidoff for us. “He is just so athletic and he is so agile and

fast that he’d do things 100 miles an hour butdidn’t really know what he was doing,” Spechtadded. “It was just a matter of time and weknew by the middle towards the end of the sea-son that he was going to be pretty explosive.He just needed to learn the techniques. Gregwould study film for hours – after practices, onweekends and he would sit down and talk to uswhile we were game-planning about the nextgame.”On the season, Scruggs tallied 23 tackles

and a forced fumble as a starter for the 15-0Bombers. Fittingly, St. Xavier raised the statechampionship trophy for the second time inthree seasons. “I will always have time – for as long as I live

– to reflect on the season,” Scruggs said. “It willalways remain that we won state and nothing isgoing to change that. I did take a couple daysto relax and enjoy everything that was goingon. It was a great season. Everybody workedhard and everybody got what they deserved.”For his efforts in the off-season and on the

field this year, some of the top football pro-grams have extended scholarship offers toScruggs, including Tennessee, Louisville, WakeForest, North Carolina State, Michigan Stateand Virginia. “(The recruiting process) has been great.

When you’re starting to get recruited, the atten-tion is great but then there is a point where itstarts to get stressful – especially during thefree period was coaches can visit and call asmuch as they want,” Scruggs said. “If you’re notdisciplined about the schools you’re talking to,things can get out of control and hectic and Iwasn’t real disciplined. Coach Specht stayed onmy back and helped me out a lot. Had it beenup to me, I would probably still be stressed outright now.”Scruggs said he will most likely make his col-

lege decision close to national signing day onFeb. 6 after he has taken all his official visits.“I am still learning. I am playing with guys

that played nine years before me,” Scruggssaid. “I still have a lot of things to learn and a lotof things to adjust to.”Added Specht: “He has come a long way –

and he still doesn’t know what he is doing. Thatis the beauty of the whole thing. He has comelight years and is one of the best defensive line-men we have had here in a while but his poten-tial is off the charts. He is going to continue togrow and learn and there are going to be some

STORY BY MATT NATAL I

“It was a big difference from play-ing in the band, but it was some-thing I was willing to do. I had nofear in going out there and doingwhat I had to do to be a part ofthe team or make the team better. It was challenging but at the sametime it was fun. I was learning thegame and had fun with it and each

day I loved it more.”

Cincinnati St. Xavier SeniorGreg Scruggs


Duane Long ’s Top Juniors


Youngstown Ursulinejunior Dale Petermanis one of 2009’s topreceivers.



he run of outstanding recruiting classes continues in Ohiowith the Class of 2009.What I really like about this class is the diversity. The

last two classes have been outstanding but they havebeen narrowly focused on a few positions. This class onlyhas a couple of positions where there are no elite players.We do not see an elite tight end at this early point, a major

contrast to the Class of 2008 with its class for the ages. The jury is stillout on the defensive ends. There are a number of very intriguing possibil-ities but no sure fire four or five-star player. The class is again linebacker heavy with two top-10 players in Ohio

State verbal Storm Klein of Newark Licking Valley and Sunbury BigWalnut’s Will Studlien.We are seeing a fine defensive tackle class with John Simon from

Youngstown Mooney standing at the top of the heap and the under-publi-cized Melvin Fellows of Garfield Heights sure to see early offers from thebig boys. Westerville South’s Ricky Harris another player who could jointhem as he played mostly defensive tackle last year after gaining notori-ety as an offensive lineman in his freshman and sophomore years.The offensive line is solid again with Glenville tackle Marcus Hall lead-

ing the class. It looks like another great receiver class with PainesvilleHarvey’s Chris Fields being a sure five-star recruit.It has been awhile since Ohio has produced an elite quarterback. I

think Cleveland South star Devontae Payne breaks that string. He hasbeen to Ohio State and Notre Dame already.The instate schools are likely to save a lot of money on travel with this

class. Ohio State has a full boatload of scholarships to offer and the tal-ent is that good, and at so many different positions. Under former headcoach Mark Dantonio, I saw Cincinnati take advantage of their Big Eaststatus and start to get players that used to leave the state. New headcoach Brian Kelly has taken that to another level. He hauled in a classthat was better than half the Big Ten schools. I can see both staffs look-ing at this class like kids in a candy store.We will introduce our first top 100 list with bios in the May 2008 issue,

due out in mid-April. Here is a cursory look at the top 50 prospects in theClass of 2009, followed by more prospects to keep an eye on.

1. John Simon (6-3, 266, DT; Youngstown Mooney)Despite not being 100 percent and missing a lot of practice he still

managed several tackles for loss in the first game of the year againstMentor then followed that performance with a dominating outing in gametwo against Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway. He improved dramatically as theyear went on and healed from an injury that looked at first like it wasgoing to cost him the year. Simon logged 87 tackles and 8-1/2 sacks for14-1 Mooney. He is one of the top juniors in Midwest and verbally com-mitted to Ohio State in December.

2. Storm Klein (6-3, 225, ATH; Newark Licking Valley)His performance at Ohio State camp earned him an offer. He ran very

well even though he was wearing shoes that worked against him. Hewas offered as a linebacker by Ohio State and accepted mid-October. Klein is a year older than the first time I saw him and I have gotten a

better look at him. I thought he could end up as a defensive linemaneventually but now I think he will be a linebacker. Klein played a lot moreat linebacker his junior year than as a freshman and sophomore. He hasgreat closing speed and is an explosive hitter. He is such a natural. As a junior, Klein led Licking Valley to a 13-2 record and a berth in the

Division III state title game. He had 155 yards rushing and a touchdownin that game, giving him 221 carries for 1,514 yards (6.9 average) and 30touchdowns on the year. He had over 100 tackles on defense.

3. Chris Fields (6-0, 180, WR/CB; Painesville Harvey)Any other year this is the No. 1 player. He is very Ted Ginn-like but is

stronger and shows better hands. Ran a 4.35-second 40-yard twice atAkron last summer.

4. Darrell Mason (6-1, 210, ATH; Youngstown Ursuline)Most of the talk about Mason has been focused on whether he will be

a safety or grow into a linebacker. If you want to make it about his athleti-cism, then he is probably a linebacker. But if you want to play him wherehe is best at then he should be a running back. He is already getting national attention and has been one of the few

juniors that Ohio State has brought down for games. He was hamperedby injuries as a junior, but still helped Ursuline reach the Division V statetitle game.

5. Justin Turner (6-3, 190, Ath; Massillon Washington)I saw him first as a running back and still like him as a running back

but he has played cornerback, wide receiver and even some quarter-back. He is very much like Eugene Clifford, Cincinnati Colerain’s superathlete from two years ago. I would like to see him at receiver with a real-ly good quarterback.

6. Marcus Hall (6-5, 280, OL; Cleveland Glenville)Hall is beginning to look like the next great Glenville lineman. He

looked good at the Cleveland combine last spring and in a preseasonscrimmage against the loaded Mooney defense. He only got better asthe regular season got under way and through Glenville’s playoff run.

7. Will Studlien (6-2, 220, LB; Big Walnut)I see the next in the “Hawk” line, A.J. Hawk to James Laurinaitis to

Ross Homan to Andrew Sweat. Studlien has the same game and thesame body. Here is the next player in that line. He had 22 tackles in BigWalnut’s 17-10 state championship game win over Licking Valley.

8. Devontae Payne (6-6, 220, QB; Cleveland South)Payne is the best looking quarterback prospect I have seen in Ohio

since Justin Zwick and Troy Smith back in 2001.

9. Ricky Harris (6-4, 280, OL; Westerville South)The question now is does he end up on the offensive side of the ball or

defensive side after playing most of the year as a defensive tackle.

10. Melvin Fellows (6-4, 245, DT; Garfield Heights)Fellows is a high school defensive end that will be a highly sought after

recruit as a defensive tackle. He has a great defensive body.

11. C.J. Barnett (6-1, 175, CB; Clayton Northmont)Barnett continues the line of outstanding defensive backs coming out

of the Northmont program.

12. Denicos Allen (6-0, 185, ATH; Hamilton)Allen ran a 10.9-second time in the 100-meter event as a freshman

and was an All-GMC selection on the gridiron as a freshman. He boasts a 3.4 GPA and is a great character kid. He reminds me a

great deal of former OSU All-American Mike Doss.

13. Julius Ferrell (6-1, 245, LB/DE; Youngstown Liberty)Ferrell is the most physical kid in the class. He may be the most physi-

cal in the state regardless of class. Ferrell will make a strong argumentfor number one when it really matters. How his body develops will sayeverything about who will recruit and for what position.

14. Patrick White (6-0, 175, CB/WR; Pickerington Central)This son of former Buckeye Terry White is one of the elite athletes in

the class. Where he plays is the question. A lot of schools, including Ohio

TSTORY BY DUANE LONG



State, are in contact.

15. Dale Peterman (5-11, 175, WR; Youngstown Ursuline)Chris Fields gets all the headlines, but Peterman just might be his

equal.

16. Jeff Walker (6-4, 190, WR; Akron Coventry)Walker is another big receiver that could put himself into the argument

for best in the class with good speed times.

17. Adam Homan (6-3, 233, ATH; Coldwater)Homan is the brother of Buckeye linebacker Ross Homan. He looks to

get bigger than Ross and projects as a lineman.

18. Josh Jones (6-3, 200, WR; Cincinnati Elder)Jones good 40-yard time away from offering an argument for the best

receiver in the class. He had 38 catches for 601 yards and 6 TDs on theseason.

19. Chris Freeman (6-8, 285, OL; Trotwood-Madison)Freeman finally made it back to the football field and he is even better

than I thought he would be. He could be as good as Marcus Hall is. Wecould see Freeman at the top of this list.

20. Pat Muldoon (6-4, 240, DE; Cincinnati St. Xavier) High motor with a great frame that has played against great competi-

tion.

21. Perez Ashford (5-11, 175, WR; Shaker Heights)Another elite slot receiver in Ohio in the Class of 2009. The only bad

thing about him is he is coming along in the same year as Chris Fieldsand Derrell Peterman.

22. Henry Conway (6-6, 300, OL; Shaker Heights)A raw talent and a late bloomer but what an upside.

23. Chris Snook (6-2, 215, LB; Medina Highland)The athlete season will tell the tale since he mostly plays running back

in high school.

24. Tyler Scott (6-3, 210, LB; Warren Howland)Athletic and tough with an outstanding frame.

25. Branko Busick (6-1, 210, LB; Steubenville)Don’t forget the name. Busik is a small school superstar that hits a ton

and has great instincts.

26. Nate Cadogan (6-6, 235, DE; Portsmouth)The younger brother of Penn State offensive lineman Gerald

Cadogan, coach Curt Clifford thinks he can be special.

27. Sylvestry Gibbs (6-0, 170, RB; Austintown-Fitch)Gibbs has a great looking body; he is explosive and has good vision.

28. Pat McShane (6-5, 285, OL; Walsh Jesuit)McShane is athletic enough to play defensive end in high school, but

projects as an OL in college.

29. Dante Marsch (5-11, 185, RB, Warren Howland)Marsch is a tremendously skilled runner. His size may force a move to

another position in college.

30. RonCarlos Hilton (5-11, 185, SS; Youngstown East)

Definitely belongs in the conversation about the best hitters in theclass.

31. Jack Dawson (6-2, 200, QB; North Lima South Range)Dawson has a good arm and is a great athlete. He will need to camp

to make a name for himself, as small school quarterbacks always seemto.

32. Stephen Houston (5-11, 170, CB; West Chester Lakota West)I can’t remember the last time I heard Lakota West head coach Larry

Cox as excited about a player’s potential at such a young age. Only 16years old right now, Cox calls Houston the best he has seen at this age.

33. Jacob Green (6-3, 225, LB; Cincinnati Wyoming)Green is looking like one of the more natural middle linebackers I have

seen at this early stage.

34. Trae Tiller (6-2, 235, DE/DT; Canal Winchester Harvest Prep)Tiller only played four games due to injury but racked up an amazing

11 sacks including a seven-sack game. His body may take him to thetackle position.

35. Tyler Houska (6-3, 210, LB; Medina Highland)Some argue he is as good as his much more ballyhooed teammate.

36. Fitzgerald Toussiant (5-10, 175, RB; Youngstown Liberty)Toussiant ran a 10.7 100-meter as a freshman. His size will determine

how highly he is recruited. He reminds me a lot of former ColumbusBrookhaven and Ohio State Buckeye Maurice Hall.

37. Zach Boren (6-0, 240, FB; Pickerington Central)Boren is impressive with the ball in his hands. He could be the next

great fullback.

38. Cornelius Carradine (6-5, 215, DE; Cincinnati Taft)Coach Mike Martin says he had 25 sacks as a sophomore and should

have had 35. He runs a 4.65-second 40 and is looking to run the hurdlesthis year.

39. Dannell Smith (6-4, 290, OT; Newark)Raw and athletic with a great frame. The most underrated lineman in

Ohio.

40. Jack Mewhort (6-5, 275, C; Toledo St. John’s)Impressed enough to be an invitee by the best programs in the region.

41. Anthony Tolbert (6-5, 220, TE/DE; Cincinnati Winton Woods)Maybe the best upside in the class.

42. Bud Golden (6-0, 190, Ath; Cincinnati Sycamore)Sprinters speed on a good frame.

43. John Anevski (6-4, 280, OT; Cincinnati Elder)Solid wide body with good technique and great level of competition.

44. Ryan Spiker (6-3, 265, OG; Dresden Tri-Valley)Coach says he is the equal of top senior teammate Adam Bice.

45. Corey Linsley (6-4, 275, OG; Youngstown Boardman)

46. Brian Wozniak (6-5, 225, TE/LB; Cincinnati Loveland)Very athletic. Likely a tight end but any player this athletic is going to

get a look on defense.



QuarterbacksAustin Boucher (6-1, 190, QB; Kettering Alter)Mike Clark (6-1, 180, QB; Mass. Washington)Bo Cordell (6-1, 185, QB; Cin. Indian Hill)Kurt Hess (6-3, 225, QB; Day. Cham.-Jul.)Andrew Holland (6-1, 190, QB; Cle. St. Ignatius)Zach Toerner (6-4, 202, QB; Hamilton Badin)Micah Hyde (6-0, 160, QB; Fostoria)Size is going to be a major issue with this big armed kid.Jon Mason (6-4, 200, QB; Milton-Union)Patrick Nicely (6-3, 200, QB; Willoughby South)Nicely was a starter as a freshman at quarterback and avarsity baseball pitcher.

Running BacksDan Banna (5-11, 215, FB; Canfield)Banna is just a great football player. I see a great leadblocker in his future. Delion Freeman (5-9, 190, RB; Alliance)Nicholas Gramke (5-11, 185, RB; Cin. Elder)Tallied 924 yards on 176 carries and 11 TDs in 10games as Elderʼs go-to back this season.Dominic Goodwin (5-9, 180, RB/CB; St. Edward)Goodwin is the possibly the fastest player in the class.Roman Lawson (6-0, 215, LB; Shaker Heights)Lawson is a player with good straight ahead speed andcould be a better FB prospect.Mike Marrow (6-2, 230, FB; New Albany)Marrow played well this season and looks like he couldbe a FB at the next level. Kevin Ringer (5-10, 185, FB; Northmont)Ringer had 524 yards on 126 carries and 10 TDs split-ting carries in Northmontʼs spread offense.Harvey Tuck (5-11, 250, FB; St. Vincent.-St. Mary)

Wide ReceiversDeron Brown (6-3, 180, WR; Akron Garfield)Zack Burks (6-3, 175, ATH; Spring. South)Burks is a good looking receiver prospect with handsand good athleticism but played QB this past fall. Hewent 98-of-271 passing for 1,270 yards with 6 TDs and18 INTs.Jeff Duckworth (6-1, 170, WR; Cin. Princeton)Duckworth reeled in 62 catches for 900 yards and 7 TDsin the regular season for the Vikings.Tyler Dummermuth (6-2, 190, WR; New Philadelphia)Dummermuth won a best receiver award at the OhioState camp last summer.Jordan Hopgood (6-0, 170, WR; Cin. Princeton)Hopgood had 432 yards on 25 catches and 4 TDs forPrinceton. He also saw time at QB and RB but his futureat WR.Desmar Jackson (6-3, 185, WR; Warren Harding)Jackson gave up football to concentrate on basketball.Last I heard he is likely to play football again next year. Ifhe does so, he will be in the top five in the class.Jackson has transferred to Warren Harding this yearfrom Warren JFK.David Lee (5-10, 170, WR; St. Vincent-St.Mary)Logan McCormick (6-2, 180, WR/DB; Clinton-Massie)Joey Parris (6-1, 175, WR; Clev. St. Ignatius)If Parris keeps growing, he will be a carbon copy of olderbrother Rob – now at Notre Dame – but with betterspeed.Josh Richardson (6-4, 180, WR; Dublin Scioto)

Offensive LinemanMatt Cash (6-1, 300, OL; Warren Howland)Clay Cooper (6-2, 260, OL; Warren Howland)Jake Feldmeyer (6-2, 255, OL; Centerville)Jeremy Johnson (6-4, 300, OL; Spring. South)Johnson has a big body and is a hard worker in the class-room and in the weight room. He is better than theMiddletown tackles at the same stage and they have BigTen offers.Allen Matthews (6-4, 280, OL; Xenia)Rob Yakimow (6-5, 280, OT; Cincinnati LaSalle)

Defensive EndsDeJuan Hill (6-5, 210, DE; Clev. Benedictine)Xavier Hines (6-3, 240, DE; Clev. Glenville)

LinebackersMaalik Bomar (6-2, 185, LB; Cin. Winton Woods)Rhys Edwards (6-2, 189, LB/TE; St. Vincent-St. Mary)Dan Fox (6-1, 205, DE/TE; Clev. St. Ignatius)Fox is a high motor player with good edge speed. If he fillsout he is going to be a good one.Rob McEvoy (6-1, 225, LB; Clev. St. Ignatius)Mike McKinney (6-0, 210, LB; Canton South)McKinney is a play maker and impact player.

CornerbacksTravis Freeman (5-11, 185, DB; Clev. Glenville)Victor Graham (5-10, 155, CB; Col. Africentric)Graham showed well at the Louisville Scout combine afterhis freshman year.Mark Mays (5-10, 170, CB; Northmont)Mays ran a 4.37-second 40, has a 31-inch vertical, 9-0broad jump and 4.16 shuttle and are numbers you canʼtignore.Willie Seawright (5-10, 160, CB; St. Edward)Seawright could be a wide receiver, too.

SafetiesGannon Hulea (6-1, 190, S; Poland Seminary)Hulea is a poor manʼs Danny McCarthy. He is not the samekind of athlete but a better hitter.Doug McCowan (5-10, 195, SS; Springfield South)Dominic Rich (5-11, 185, DB; Canfield)Rich is a great looking athlete and tough as nails. He is anexplosive leaper and good tackler. He missed a lot of timethis past year due to illness.Kyle Stadelmeyer (6-0, 200, ATH; Girard)Stadelmeyer rushed for 1,600 yards and 24 touchdowns asa sophomore.Anthony Urbania (6-0, 195, S; Clev. Benedictine)Trent Vallinger (5-11, 185, ATH; Poland)Chris Williams (5-11, 175, DB; Cin. Winton Woods)

Other Juniors To Watch


Chaminade-Julienne’s Kurt Hess(above), Hamilton Badin’s ZachToerner (below) and Alter’s AustinBoucher should make life in the GCLNorth and Central interesting in 2008.

Defensive TacklesBen Birch (6-4, 250, DT; St. Vincent-St. Mary)Chauncey Clemons (6-4, 275, DT; Akron Garfield)John Taylor (6-4, 280, DT; North Olmsted)Theo Traczyk (6-3, 255, DT; Strongsville)

son.Connor Ryan (6-0, 165, WR; Clev. St. Ignatius)

47. Storm Timson (5-9, 175, S; Pataskala Licking Heights)Corner size but a safety’s game. Great hitter. Good instincts.

48. Vince German (6-2, 230, DE; Newark Licking Valley)Nasty physical player with good instincts.

49. Nate Klatt (6-4, 270, C; Canal Fulton Northwest)Natural centers are hard to find.

50. Victor Rodriguez, (6-2, 220, DE; Eastmoor Academy)Great frame and runs well. The athlete season will tell us a lot. — OH



Boys Basketbal l Recrui ts


Dayton Dunbarsenior JoshBenson scored 48points in a winover ColumbusBrookhaven inDecember.Daequan Cook’shigh-game underDunbar coachPeter Pullen was41 points.

State’s top basketball

prospects signletters-of-intent



he 2007-08 boys basketballseason is just getting start-ed but much has occurredin the opening weeks.First of all, the early sign-

ing period arrived in mid-November and, as expect-ed, many top Ohio starsput ink to paper and signedletters-of-intent with theirschools of choice. Other

prospects not as well known also ended uppulling the trigger and made written commit-ments to schools.Ohio State secured another nationally

ranked class and grabbed headlines for lock-ing down in-state standouts B.J. Mullens ofCanal Winchester and William Buford ofToledo Libbey, who remain tied with LakewoodSt. Edward’s Delvon Roe atop our list of eliteseniors in Ohio. Roe (Michigan State) and histeammate, Tom Pritchard (Indiana), areamong the other players to sign with a Big Tenschool, and many others did so with other pro-grams from around the Midwest and else-where.Speaking of Roe, his senior season ended

as soon as it began as he injured his rightknee in the season opener and recentlyunderwent microfracture surgery in order torepair the damage, thereby ending hischances at Ohio “Mr. Basketball” honors oranother run in the state tournament.Our resident expert, Chris Johnson, the

Ohio editor of HoopScoopOnline.com, is notyet prepared to drop Roe from the three-waytie atop Ohio High’s rankings but concedesthat we may now be looking at a two-horse,Scarlet-and-Gray race for player of the year.Johnson also labels a new kingpin among

juniors and we have added several newnames to the rankings as some players havegotten off to eye-opening starts this season.The following contains pertinent recruiting

and signing information for key in-state playersand our updated rankings for each class,including the most recent national class rank-ings by ESPN.com (ES) andHoopScoopOnline.com (HS) where applicable:

Seniors (Class of 2008)T-1. William Buford, 6-5, wing forward,

Toledo Libbey (ES, 8th ; HS, 21st) – Thedoor is now even more cracked for the high-scoring Buford to be recognized as the topsenior and player in the state. He has shownimprovement every year of his brilliant prepcareer and is doing so again this season.After verbally committing to Ohio State last

fall, Buford went on to post a fantastic junioryear, averaging 28.4 points and 10 rebounds agame for Libbey and earning first-team All-Ohio honors in D-1.

He signed with OSU on the first possibleday, joining Mullens and out-of-state guardsAnthony “Noopy” Crater and Walter Offutt inthe class.T-1. B.J. Mullens, 7-1, center, Canal

Winchester (ES, 12th; HS, 25th) – Mullensaveraged 26.4 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.4blocked shots a game as a junior and he’spicked up right where he left off with somemonster games during Canal’s undefeatedstart.Somehow left off the first-team All-Ohio list

in Division II last season, Mullens is now asviable candidate as any to be crowned “Mr.Basketball.”Mullens transferred from nearby World

Harvest Prep after his sophomore season andhas been dominant ever since for the Indians.T-1. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (ES, 5th; HS, 4th) – Aconsistent top-five recruit according to all themajor services, Roe entered his final year withthe Eagles on top of his game and seeminglylooking down at the competition. But he fellfrom that pedestal after suffering an injury inthe nationally televised Dec. opener with NorthHollywood (Calif.) Campbell Hall.After consulting with doctors, Roe opted for

the microfrature surgery in hopes of regenerat-ing cartilage in the joint. He underwent thatprocedure Dec. 17 and, as of press time, washoping he could bear enough weight on hisright leg to join the team behind the bench forhome games this season.“He’s a little down right now as you might

imagine; we all are,” said St. Ed coach EricFlannery. “But we still have a chance to havea good season and he still can go on and dogreat things in the game of basketball.”A versatile and highly effective lefty, Roe

brings a wealth of effort and skill to the court.He signed with Michigan State and is hopingto be full-go upon reporting to the Spartansthis summer.As a junior, Roe guided the Eagles to a 25-1

mark and averaged 22.0 points and eightrebounds a game in earning Division I All-Ohiohonors.4. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power forward,

Cincinnati Withrow (ES, 26th; HS, 14th) –Gates signed with the University of Cincinnatiin a move that was hailed as perhaps themost significant recruiting coup for UC in theMick Cronin era. Early in the season, the powerful and versa-

tile forward upheld his reputation with severaldominant showings, including a recent 38-point effort.Gates averaged 19.4 points and eight

rebounds a game in earning second-team All-Ohio honors in Division I as a junior. He chosethe Bearcats over Georgetown, Indiana,Xavier, Michigan and others.

5. Kenny Frease, 7-0, center, MassillonPerry (ES, 37st; HS, 79th) – Frease dealtwith various nagging injuries last season, butstill managed to average right on 15 pointsand 11 rebounds per game and was namedthird-team All-Ohio in Division I. His size andgumption make him a great catch for Xavier,where he’ll play beginning next year.He signed with XU in the early period.6. Josh Benson, 6-10, power forward,

Dayton Dunbar (ES, 117th) – Benson hasgotten off to a sizzling start, including an area-high 48-point effort in one contest. He hassigned with nearby Dayton.“He’s an absolute steal for UD,” Johnson

said.Benson averaged 10.1 points per game last

season but was stellar as Dunbar marched toa 24-4 mark and a second straight Division IIstate title.7. Tom Pritchard, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (ES, 121st) –Featured in this edition of Ohio High (seestory, page 60), Pritchard has picked up hisworkload just in time. During the St. Ed’s 4-0start he was producing close to 19 ppg and 11rpg.Last season, Pritchard averaged 13.0 pppg

in helping the Eagles advance to the Division Istate final four. A solid summer for the AAUsquad King of the Court helped him land ascholarship to Indiana and he has signed withthe Hooisers.8. Chris Johnson, 6-5, wing forward,

Columbus Brookhaven – Another DaytonFlyer who is signed and sealed. Averaged24.4 ppg, 13.2 rpg and 3.0 blocks per gameas a junior and was a second-team All-Ohiopick in Division I.Johnson popped for 28 points in the sea-

son-opening win at Chillicothe.9. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing forward,

Garfield Heights – Transfer from ClevelandRhodes has helped GH become one of themost balanced teams in the state. Highly ath-letic wing who has signed with Wisconsin.10. Ryne Smith, 6-3, shooting guard,

Toledo Whitmer – Supreme outside shooterwho averaged 17 ppg last year. Committed toPurdue in midsummer and is signed with theBoilermakers.11. Devon Moore, 6-4, point guard,

Columbus Northland (HS, 81st) -- Averaged16.5 points per game as a junior and is a play-maker on one of the state’s deepest teams.Still considering offers from Kent State andseveral other MAC schools.12. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, point guard,

Chillicothe – One of the state’s most excitingplayers. Has signed with Akron. Averaged 18.5ppg and earned second-team All-Ohio honorsin Division II as a junior.13. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power forward,

TSTORY BY JEFF RAPP



ing machine who is signed with UNC-Greensboro.14. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Elder – Will sign a football letter-of-intent with Notre Dame as a tight end buthasn’t let up on the hardwood. Averaged 17.3ppg and 10.5 rpg and repeated as the GCLSouth player of the year.15. Scott Thomas, 6-6, wing forward,

Delaware Buckeye Valley – Very athletic,wiry performer who recently signed withBowling Green.16. Rayshawn Goins, 6-5, wing forward,

Cleveland Glenville – Former ClevelandRhodes star whose stock has shot back upafter a transfer to Glenville. Has producedseveral 30-point games and is one of the topscorers in Cleveland area. Currently beingcourted by West Virginia, Oregon State, St.Bonaventure, Duquesne and most of theMAC.17. Chris Henderson, 6-7, power forward,

Warren Harding – Agile big man is hearingfrom several MAC schools but is stillunsigned.18. Logan Aronholt, 6-4, wing forward,

Zanesville – Recently signed with AlbanyCollege. Powerful wing and coach’s son withhigh basketball IQ.19. Johnie Davis, 6-1, point guard,

Canton Timken – Unsigned. Transferred fromCanton McKinley and is now a leader on ayoung and talented Timken team.20. Ashen Ward, 6-3, shooting guard,

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Jospeh – Signedwith Youngstown State. Top player on theteam to beat in Division III.Best of the rest: Brad Loesing, 5-9, point

guard, Cincinnati St. Xavier (Wofford); AlexSullivan, 5-10, point guard, PainesvilleRiverside (Akron); Quinn McDowell, 6-4, wingforward, Cincinnati Moeller (William & Mary);Andrew Spradlin, 6-3, shooting guard,Wheelersburg (Elon College); Travis Kelce, 6-5, wing forward, Cleveland Heights(Cincinnati, on football scholarship); JuliusWells, 6-5, wing forward, Toledo Libbey(Marist); J.R. Weston, 6-4, wing forward,Morral Ridgedale (Stetson); Walt Gibler, 6-6,power forward, Cincinnati St. Xavier (Loyola ofChicago).Zac Taylor, 6-8, power forward, Oregon

Clay (Toledo); Brandon Baker, 6-6, power for-ward, Milford (Belmont); Andrew Parrish, 6-7,power forward, Claymont Northmont (Akron);Kyle Jazwiecki, 6-7, power forward,Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (Presbyterian);Eric Coggins, 6-8, center, Canton CentralCatholic (Quinnipiac); TeAllen Price, 6-8, cen-ter, Cincinnati Woodward (Centenary); MattRoberts, 6-8, center, Cincinnati Moeller(Citadel).Unsigned: Damon Butler, 5-9, point guard,

Cincinnati North College Hill; Greg Avery, 6-3,shooting guard, Newark; Courtney Davis, 6-3,shooting guard, Cincinnati Taft; Troy Long, 6-0, shooting guard, Cincinnati Withrow; TyroneLindsay, 6-2, shooting guard, MansfieldSenior.Charles Winkfield, 6-2, shooting guard,

Huber Heights Wayne; Antonio Bumpus, 6-2shooting guard, Columbus EastmoorAcademy; Scott Stucky, 6-2, shooting guard,Dublin Coffman; Lee Tabb, 6-8, power for-ward, Toledo Rogers; Eric Armstrong, 6-7,power forward, Fairfield; Cameron Johnson,6-7, power forward, Cincinnati Aiken; DeontaJohnson, 6-7, power forward, CincinnatiSycamore; Sean Hobbs, 7-0, center,Columbus DeSales; Kyle Smith, 6-10, center,Norwalk.

Juniors (Class of 2009)1. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power for-

ward, Loveland – Rated at No. 5 going intothe season, Capobianco is the new sheriff intown by our measure.An inside force who averaged 19.5 ppg and

11.3 rpg last season, he is also highly skilledand shows excellent shooting range.Two schools have vaulted into the recruiting

lead: West Virginia and Vanderbilt.2. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shooting guard,

Warren Harding (HS, 63rd) – Jackson haslived up to billing but is still getting used tonew teammates after transferring from nearbyWarren JFK.He earned Special Mention All-Ohio honors

in Division III after averaging 20.2 ppg as asophomore.3. Carl Jones, 5-10, point guard, Garfield

Heights – Had Heights off to a 7-0 start andwas drawing attention from major programs.Michigan, Penn State, Dayton and virtually theentire Mid-American Conference is in pursuit.Has moved up 10 spots from No. 13.4. Bill Edwards, 6-5, wing forward,

Middletown (HS, 56th) – The son of the for-mer Wright State superstar with the samename, Edwards is receiving overtures fromWSU, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Dayton and sev-eral MAC schools.5. Danny McElroy, 6-7, power forward,

Cincinnati LaSalle (HS, 46th) – Will joinGates at UC after signing with the Bearcats.Averaged 10.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg as a soph.6. Matt Kavanaugh, 6-9, center,

Centerville – Big center won’t go travel farwhen he goes to college; he’s committed tothe University of Dayton. 7. Garrick Sherman, 6-9, center, Kenton –

Physical pivot continues to get looks from BigTen schools such as Purdue, Iowa and PennState.8. Darren Goodson, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Aiken – Recent Bowling Green

verbal. Led Aiken with 22 ppg last season.9. Reggie Keely, 6-7, power forward,

Bedford – A second-team all-district per-former last season after averaging 16.3 ppg.His recruiting remains open.10. Robert Johnson, 6-6, wing forward,

Bedford – Has meshed well with Keely and isbeginning to open the eyes of college coach-es.11. Mario Hines, 6-8, power forward,

Garfield Heights (HS, 80th) – Has not playedthis season due to off-the-court issues but isexpected to return to the team in January, giv-ing GH a much-needed boost inside.12. Allen Roberts, 6-2, shooting guard,

Middletown – A recent addition to our top 15.13. Randal Holt, 5-11, point guard,

Bedford – Second-team all-district pick afteraveraging 20.4 ppg as a sophomore.Committed to Cleveland State.14. Marquis Horne, 6-7, power forward,

Cincinnati Winton Woods – Big-time athletewho is currently considering offers from MACschools.15. Dane Kopp, 6-8, center, Newark –

Crafty big man on one of the state’s topteams.Committed – Anthony Wells, 6-0, point

guard, Shaker Heights (Cleveland State);Zach Brown, 6-1, shooting guard, Mason(Lipscomb), Cortez Howell, 6-1, point guard,Cincinnati Aiken (Bowling Green).

Sophomores (Class of 2010)1. Jared Sullinger, 6-8, power forward,

Columbus Northland (HS, 17th) – Sullingerholds firm at the top of this list and continuesto show why he was good enough to accept ascholarship offer from Ohio State. After coming off the bench last season he is

now a force from the get-go inside with hisversatility, soft hands and reboundingprowess.As a freshman, Sullinger earned Honorable

Mention All-Ohio honors in Division I. He aver-aged 18 points and 10 rebounds in leadingNorthland to a 24-1 mark and its first districttitle since 1985.This year, he has led Northland to the top

ranking in central Ohio and an undefeatedstart.2. Adreian Payne, 6-9, center, Dayton

Jefferson – A long-armed shot blocker with adeveloping game, Payne has vast potentialand continues to excel.Dayton, Xavier, Ohio State and Indiana con-

tinue to show interest as well as Cincinnatiand West Virginia.3. Juwan Staten, 5-10, point guard,

Dayton Thurgood Marshall (HS, 79th) –Scoring lead guard who knows how to run histeam. Xavier, Dayton and Ohio State are fol-lowing his progress.



4. Cameron Wright, 6-3, shooting guard,Cleveland Benedictine – Explosive athletewho needs to refine his outside game. Hasbeen tough to slow down this season andalready has a game-winning shot to his credit.Also committed to Ohio State.5. Allen Payne, 6-5, wing forward,

Cincinnati Winton Woods –With formerLakewood St. Edward point guard Pe’ShonHoward transferred to Mouth of Wilson (Va.)Oak Hill Academy, Payne moves up into thetop five. Wiry performer coming off a kneeinjury and apparently completely recovered.6. Nick Kellogg, 6-2, point guard,

Columbus DeSales (HS, 43rd) – Son of for-mer Ohio State star Clark Kellogg who aver-aged 10.0 ppg as a frosh. Strong and highlycompetitive lead guard.7. Kenny Knight, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Northwest – Talented but hasbeen in and out of the lineup due to off-the-court difficulties.8. Griffin McKenzie, 6-8 power forward,

Cincinnati Moeller – Continues to rise.9. J.D. Weatherspoon, 6-6, wing forward,

Columbus Northland – High-flying, energeticwing who has come through in the clutch earlythis season for the Vikings.10. Jordan Sivert, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Princeton – New to this list but notto highly competitive basketball.

Freshmen (Class of 2011)Several freshmen have emerged already

this season, enough for us to come up with afull top 10.At the top is Chane Behanan, a 6-6 power

forward at Cincinnati Aiken who has emergedas most recruited first-year player in the state.Just a seventh-grader last year, Behananjumped up a class and has shown he belongson the court with the area’s most talented bigmen. He was averaging more than 20 ppgincluding a career-high 27 in a 108-79 winover Cincinnati Mt. Healthy in mid-December.Here are the other nine names to watch

in Ohio’s Class of 2011: Stevie Taylor, 5-8,point guard, Gahanna Lincoln; Paul Honigford,6-8, power forward, Sugarcreek Garaway;Jehvon Clarke, 5-10, guard, Canton Timken;Marcus Graham, 6-1, shooting guard, DaytonJefferson; Brandon Neel, 6-3, wing forward,Cincinnati LaSalle; Trey Burke, 5-9, pointguard, Columbus Northland; Traevon Jackson,6-2, shooting guard, Westerville South (son offormer Ohio State All-American Jim Jackson);Vince Zollo, 6-7, power forward, GreenfieldMcClain; Richard Johnson, 5-7, point guardAkron St. Vincent-St. Mary. — OH

For more updates on Ohio’s top prospectsand those nationally, check out ChrisJohnson’s work at hoopscooponline.comPhoto by Brad Morris

Canal Winchestersenior B.J.

Mullens was aver-aging 25.5 points

through sevengames for the

Indians.


Lakewood St . Edward ’s Tom Pr i tchard

very time Tom Pritchard climbs a stairway at school orruns up the gymnasium stands during conditioning it’sa metaphor for the responsibilities that await him on thebasketball court.Stepping out and stepping up, that is what Pritchard

is being asked to do this season for the Lakewood St.Edward boys basketball team.A versatile 6-8 center who plays more like a shooting

forward at times, Pritchard, just a few weeks into hissenior campaign, suddenly finds himself the focal point of one of thestate’s top teams. And in order to guide the Eagles through the recentturmoil and back to the state tournament he’ll need to shoot more oftenand from more areas of the floor.“He’s got to learn to score more and do more things for us, and I think

that can be good for him,” St. Edward coach Eric Flannery said. “Tom isa very unselfish player, but I think he’s realized there were more goodplayers around him early on and now he needs tobe more in the middle of things. He’s a kid who’sgoing to have to average about 25 a game for usto be competitive. And when I tell him that heneeds to be more aggressive out there, he’s OKwith that because he’s about winning.”Pritchard, who signed a letter-of-intent with

Indiana during the early signing period inNovember, earned a reputation for being one ofthe top players in Ohio’s Class of 2008 last yearwhen he averaged right around 13 points and ninerebounds per game. Scouts, coaches and analystswho flocked to St. Edward games to watch super-star forward Delvon Roe in action also came away impressed with thequiet, fundamentally sound post player who had a knack for finding openteammates, hitting key shots and grabbing crucial rebounds.Now, with the Michigan State-bound Roe out with a knee injury,

Pritchard is the attraction as he tries to carry one of the state’s most rec-ognizable prep programs.“With guys out, I am seeing that we’re running more plays with me

involved,” he said. “We’ve been running more pick-and-roll plays with meand Frankie (Dobbs, a 6-2 guard). If I need to score more, that’s what I’lldo but mostly I’m just trying to lead this team. I want to be a guy leadingout there and creating for teammates.” Pritchard is not yet at his coach’s goal line of 25 points per game, but

he’s showing he can pick up the slack. During St. Ed’s 4-0 start he wasaveraging 18.5 points per game and that includes sitting out virtually theentire second half of a blowout in the second game. Pritchard also wasshooting 66.7 percent from the field and adding 11 rebounds per contest,proving he indeed can be a consistent force.The Eagles won their first 25 games a year ago before a Division I

state semifinal loss to eventual champion Cincinnati Moeller. They beganthis new season with loads of promise and 11 seniors, one of them beingthe 6-8 Roe, a top-five prospect nationally and the preseason favorite forthe 2008 “Mr. Basketball” award.

In the season opener with North Hollywood (Calif.) Campbell Hall,however, Roe wrenched his right knee and the team’s other starting for-ward, Alex Sterba, limped off with a left knee injury in his first game backfrom an ACL tear in his right knee.St. Edward still managed to post a 78-73 victory in overtime over their

California visitors and super recruit Jrue Holiday with Pritchard leadingthe way. He logged team highs with 23 points, 14 rebounds and fiveblocked shots.Afterward, though, the news wasn’t good. Roe suffered ligament dam-

age in his right knee and doctors suggested microfracture surgery torepair it. Roe underwent the season-ending procedure Dec. 17. Pritchardsaid later the team learned that Sterba’s left knee appeared to be severe-ly damaged and initial tests revealed that he likely tore his ACL, thesame injury he suffered in the opposite leg last season.“That makes it even stranger, knowing Alex could be out again,”

Pritchard said. “That was hard to see. Obviously, guys are down aboutwhat’s happened, but we have a very matureteam and we can’t just put the season awaybecause of what’s happened. We have to keepfighting and move on.”The Eagles also lost promising point guard

Pe’Shon Howard in the off-season when the soph-omore-to-be decided to transfer to Oak HillAcademy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., leaving themwithout a playmaker who helped them advance tothe state final four. They already planned to bemore inside-oriented even before the recent set-backs.Flannery knows that Pritchard is about to see

defenders in waves now that other key players are out of the equationand one way he wants him to counteract that is by harming teams out-side the paint.“Believe it or not, he’s a solid three-point shooter,” said the coach. “I’d

really like to see him look for that shot when it was there because I knowhe can hit it. Teams are going to sag in to cut him off and he’s got to hitsome threes for us. They see a guy who’s 260 pounds and they aren’tgoing to let him have his way inside. So it’s important we counter that.”Pritchard and the Eagles will get plenty of tests this season while fac-

ing a relentless schedule. Along with the game with Campbell Hall, theyalready had defeated Berlin Center Western Reserve Academy,Lakewood and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, and at time of press wereabout to take on Cleveland Benedictine and Ohio State commitmentCameron Wright.Over the holiday break St. Edward will face tough competition at the

Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and will battle powerfulElizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick and possibly New York City Brother Rice atthe McDonald’s Classic in Erie, Pa.Upcoming in-state games include clashes with Cleveland Villa Angela-

St. Joseph and rival Cleveland St. Ignatius as well as a date withMassillon Perry Jan. 5 and one with Toledo Libbey a week later. Thegame with Perry will pit Pritchard against his former King of the Court

E

“He’s a kid who’s going to have toaverage about 25 a game for us to

be competitive.”

Lakewood St. Edward Head CoachEric Flannery


Lakewood St . Edward ’s Tom Pr i tchardSTORY BY JEFF RAPP

AAU teammate Kenny Frease, a 6-11 center who is signed with Xavier.Libbey features OSU signee William Buford, who should have the crowdbehind him as that contest will be staged at Value City Arena inColumbus.Somehow the Eagles are supposed to get through those land mines

and be in one piece by the end of the season.“There are always high expectations for us wherever we go, so I’m

pretty used to that,” Pritchard said. “Obviously last year we were expect-ed to win the (state) championship and we didn’t quite do that. But I don’tfeel any pressure right now. I’m sure I will feel some during the playoffs.“Honestly, I never have been nervous about any game beforehand.

I’m waiting for that game to come, but hopefully it never will. I guess youcould say I’m kind of laid-back. I don’t know where I got it. My dad (Dan)is kind of laid-back, too, but he still gets more nervous than I do.”Some onlookers mistake Pritchard’s demeanor for a lack of competi-

tive spirit. Flannery, who’s been known to be boisterous on the sidelineduring games, actually likes the approach.“In my experience, veteran guys who are level-headed and even-

keeled give you more of a calm and a confidence from a coachingstandpoint, so I think it’s a good thing,” Flannery said.“I don’t have any concern about Tom’s desire or that he can come

through and do what we need him to do because he’s a kid who’s acompetitor. He’s a senior and he understands he needs to step up. It’sdefinitely a new role for him, but it’s one he can handle.”Pritchard actually was a promising baseball prospect, a towering left-

handed pitcher with good stuff, but he gave up that sport after his sopho-more season after experiencing shoulder and elbow problems.“That wasn’t the main reason, though,” he said. “I just felt basketball

was my sport. It wasn’t that close in my mind.”It looks like he made a wise decision. As Pritchard continued to devel-

op on the hardwood, major college coaches took notice. He was consid-ering offers from the likes of Dayton, Virginia and Virginia Tech but even-tually narrowed down to three schools – Miami (Ohio), Penn State andIndiana. After checking out IU in the late summer and returning for an official

visit Sept. 15, Pritchard knew where he wanted to go.“I think the first thing that stuck out was that Coach (Kelvin) Sampson

has all those championship rings from his days at Oklahoma,” Pritchardsaid. “And also, of course, you’ve got the tradition of Indiana basketball. Ifelt like it was the best place for me to be for four years.“I haven’t decided on a major yet, but my mom is really pushing me,”

he added with a laugh.Pritchard, though, will figure it out, just like he processes things well on

the court.“I think one of the things Indiana liked about me is they believe I have

a high basketball IQ, that I know what’s open and what to do with theball and without it.”Flannery agreed, calling Pritchard “a very heady player.”“At a school like Indiana he’s a perfect piece to a puzzle,” he said. “He

can carry various roles for you and he’s unselfish and understands thegame. His skill level is so high. He has great hands and good movesdown low. But he also passes the ball well and he can pass out of thehigh post. He just really fits from what I can tell because it seems likeIndiana has always had players like that and they run the type of systemoffense that Tom is so good in.”Flannery expects Pritchard to excel and prosper in the Big Ten just as

he has at St. Edward.“I’ve said this before and I really mean it: He may go down as one of

biggest success stories at St. Ed’s. He came in a little fragile and maybewas a low D-1, mid-major prospect at best. He really developed over theyears physically and mentally.“He probably has made more strides as a player than anyone I’ve had

in my 12 years as coach here.” — OH Photo by Gary Housteau

St. Edward senior andIndiana recruit Tom

Pritchard will have tostep up his production

with the loss of MichiganState-bound Delvon Roe.


Middletown Madison ’s Nathanael Harney

or opponents faced with the task of stoppingMiddletown Madison senior NathanaelHarney on the basketball court, it might seemlike they’re trying to guard two players atonce.In some regards, they are.Harney only wears one uniform, but he

plays for two people.A four-year starter at Madison who’s on

pace to become the school’s all-time leadingscorer, Harney had the name of his brotherAaron stitched onto his basketball shoes thisseason. Aaron, Harney’s identical twin, diedof brain cancer at age 3.

“I can remember him and I remember asking questionsabout where he went,” Harney said. “(His memory) is

F

Harney, a two-time All-Ohioan, wears the name ofhis deceased brother Aaronon his basketball shoes.



Middletown Madison ’s Nathanael HarneySTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

always there. I don’t really get down on it thatmuch. I just think about him being in heaven andhow I’m going to see him again some day.“Obviously, I didn’t get to play basketball with him

but I always think about that in the back of mymind. I wonder what it would be like and how fun itwould be. I think he’d be really good. I miss that.”On the basketball court, Harney doesn’t miss

much.

Standing AloneBy the time his career at Madison wraps, Harney

will be the most prolific scorer in school history andarguably the most complete player to don the Redand Black. He entered this season with 906 points, needing just 140 forthe top spot. Harney also needs just 39 field goals and 53 free throws tobecome the school’s leader in those categories. He’s on pace to rankNo. 3 in career rebounds (419 heading into the season).Harney’s high-games have been 31 points, 21 rebounds, eight

assists, eight steals and six blocks.His heroics rival those of past Madison greats Shay Hensley and

Shay Richardson, the duo he’s chasing in most statistical lists. Hensleygraduated from Madison in 1993, while Richardson, the Ohio Division IIIplayer of the year as a senior, graduated in 1995.“I certainly don’t want to rank guys because they are different eras

and different guys, but Nathanael is a great combination of those two,”Madison head coach Jeff Smith said. “Hensley was a real quick, scoringguard and Richardson was more of a big guard that could rebound.Nathanael is not as big as Richardson, but he’s as quick as Hensley andhe’s a better perimeter shooter than both. He has a lot of those guysattributes and they were both great players.” Defensively, Harney’s no slouch.“He’s probably the best defender I’ve ever coached and I’ve coached

some good ones,” Smith said. “His on-the-ball defense is good and hecan block shots. When people think about Nathanael they think abouthis scoring. I think about his defense.”Harney’s versatility has helped him establish his own identity.

Standing 6-2, he’s listed as a guard on the roster but can excel any-where.“He may guard the other team’s point guard or their center,” Smith

said. “Offensively, he’s played point, he’s played the two and just abouteverywhere else. He also jumps the center jump for us instead of our 6-8 kid. He’s versatile. He’s all over the floor.”Harney started playing basketball in first grade and joined the

Madison youth traveling team in fourth. Since then, he’s been key to thesuccess of every team he’s dressed for.Following a standout junior high career, Harney made varsity as a

freshman and started near the end of the season. He hasn’t been out ofthe line up since.“We knew we had a pretty special player in junior high,” Smith said.

“And he’s still becoming special.”After a senior-laden team won a share of the Southwestern Buckeye

League Buckeye Division title his freshman year, Harney was just one ofa few players back with varsity experience the following winter. With notrue scorer other than himself, Harney accepted the role and blossomed.He averaged 21 points per game en route to honorable mention All-Ohiohonors in D-III. Last year, with Fenwick transfer Spencer Jared sharingthe scoring load, Harney averaged 19 points and earned All-Ohio honorsagain as the Mohawks finished 15-6 and earned another SWBLBuckeye crown. This year, Harney is one of two players back with varsity experience.

Needless to say he’s getting a ton of attention from both the oppositionand colleges.

“We see a lot of combination and junk defenses,”Smith said. “We see a lot of man, but it’s peculiarman because they have someone they’re not goingto guard so there’s always someone to help out onNathanael. He’s faced that since his sophomoreyear, though, and as tough as that’s been it’s madehim better. He’s had to work hard to get his pointsand I think that will make him better at the nextlevel.”Madison hasn’t been ignored when it comes to

college recruiters, but the boys basketball programhasn’t produced the kind of players Division I coach-es get excited about in over a decade. Harney hasended that drought.

“In D-III, you don’t get many guys with D-I college athleticism and hehas that,” Smith said. “You don’t see that come through here that often.Since Shay graduated, we haven’t had any Division I coaches comethrough here but they’re back.”According to Smith, the most aggressive suitors have been Morehead

State, Liberty and Miami (Ohio). The University of Dayton has also beenin steady contact and Indiana University has shown interest. “He was in front of Kelvin Sampson at the Indiana team camp and

Kelvin talked to me about a possibly guaranteed walk-on spot, which inthe Big Ten, if you get one of those it’s pretty precious,” Smith said.“When Kelvin talked to me he asked ‘How tough is this kid’ and then‘Can he play here?’ My answer was ‘Yes, he can.’”

No DoubtNo matter where he lands at the next level, Harney will be prepared to

face any task. Call it the culmination of a childhood spent without hisbrother that toughened him mentally, physically and spiritually.“I don’t say a whole lot about it,” said Smith in regards to Aaron’s

death. “I lost a brother, too, but he passed when he was 29. I got tohave him while we were growing up, but that was still traumatic. I havegreat empathy for Nathanael and what he’s had to deal with. His familyis a great example of great faith with how they got through this.”Duane Harney, Nathanael’s father, was a part-time minister when

Aaron was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 2. Since Aaron’s death ayear later, Duane has become a full-time pastor and leads a congrega-tion at the Community Harvest Church located just off state Route 4 inGermantown. Nathanael and his family – including mom Joyce – areregulars.“This story actually gets a lot of people to come to our church,”

Nathanael said. “They hear our story and they see how we’ve come outof a difficult time. It’s been a great witnessing tool for others.”So, too, has Nathanael’s dedication to his sibling.Every morning Harney wakes up to an image of Aaron that accompa-

nies the alarm on his cell phone. The picture is there every minute ofevery day, tucked inside his pocket, available any time he needs areminder.“That (image) helps me stay focused throughout the day,” Harney

said. “I look at it and it motivates me to work hard. It motivates me topush on.”As for the shoes, that’s a tribute Harney thought of recently. Consider

it a graduation gift for both brothers.“I think the way he’s honoring Aaron and what he’s done with his

shoes is unique, but Nathanael plays so hard I think he honors hisbrother with his effort,” Smith said. “Even if Nathanael didn’t have anything on his shoes, his brother

would still be with him. But honestly, he’s always guarded by two peopleso I think its only fair that Aaron’s out there with him to share some ofthe load.”“Yeah,” joked Nathanael. “He sets me some screens.” — MVP

“In D-III, you don’t get many guyswith D-I college athleticism and

(Harney) has that. You don’t see thatcome through here that often.”

Madison Basketball CoachJeff Smith


Gir ls Basketbal l Recrui ts

number of Ohio’s top girlsbasketball prospects signedwith their colleges of choiceduring the early signingperiod in November.According to Tom Jenkins

of the Ohio Girls BasketballReport, there are 63 seniorswho have signed withNCAA Division I schools.Some 43 of those signees

will to school outside the state.“Ohio is a hotbed of girls basketball for col-

lege recruiters,” Jenkins said. “Year in year out,Ohio is one of the top three states in terms ofnumber of Division I signees. Over the nineyears I have been involved with girls basketballin this state, I have seen the number of col-leges that recruit Ohio increase from 43 to 198.“Ohio averages 65 to 80 NCAA D-I sgnees a

year. This year to date we have had 63 D-Isignees which is on track for an average year.The most I have seen in my nine years is 2003when there were 103 NCAA D-I signees out ofOhio.”Jenkins gathers his information by attending

games and off-season tournaments andcamps. He also helps put together the annualClassic In The Country event at Berlin Hiland.This year’s event, which will feature a numberof the top teams in the state and across thecountry, is set for Jan. 19-21.Below, Jenkins has supplied us with lists of

the top 10 players in each of the next fourclasses (2008-11) in Ohio. He has further bro-ken them down to the top five and second fivewith each group listed alphabetically. Plus, healso provided a list of other seniors who havesigned college letters-of-intent.

Class Of 2008: Top 5* Cierra Bravard, 6-5, post, Sandusky

Perkins – Bravard was chosen as a first-teamAll-Ohio pick in Division II after averaging 22.3points per game. She led Perkins to a 21-4season and a state final four berth, tallying 19points in a state semifinal game. Bravard, whoalso averaged 22.2 ppg as a sophomore, israted as the nation’s No. 26 senior byHoopGurlz.com. Bravard signed with FloridaState in November.* Ayana Dunning, 6-3, post, Columbus

Eastmoor – Dunning was a first-team All-Ohiopick in Division II after averaging 18.1 pointsand 13.6 rebounds per game. She ledEastmoor to a 19-5 mark and a state semifinalberth. Dunning, who averaged 19 ppg as asophomore, is pegged as the nation’s No. 6senior prospect by HoopGurlz.com.Dunning signed with LSU over a long list of

schools, including USC, Illinois, Boston College,Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers andMaryland.

* Amber Gray, 6-1, wing/post, WestChester Lakota West – Gray averaged 20.9points per game as a junior on her way to first-team All-Ohio honors in Division I. Gray, ratedas the nation’s No. 4 senior by HoopGurlz.com,signed with Tennessee. Gray, who averaged20.7 ppg as a sophomore, is the daughter offormer UCLA and NFL football player CarltonGray.* Tyeasha Moss, 5-9, wing, Columbus

Africentric – Moss earned first-team All-Ohiohonors in Division IV after averaging 16.7points, six rebounds and five assists per game.She helped lead Africentric to a 27-1 recordand the D-IV state title. Moss averaged 17.9ppg as a sophomore. She signed with Xavier inNovember.* Shay Selby, 5-7, point guard/wing, South

Euclid Regina – Selby, ranked as the nation’sNo. 15 senior by HoopGurlz.com, averaged 23

A

Phot

o by

Nick

Falz

eran

o

DaytonChaminade-

Julienne seniorTiera Stephen is

headed toLouisville.

Gir ls Basketbal l Recrui ts


STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

points per game on her way to first-team All-Ohio honors in Division III asa junior.Selby averaged 22.1 ppg as a sophomore after averaging 15.4 ppg as

a freshman. Selby committed to Duke over the likes of Connecticut,Michigan State, Ohio State and Tennessee.

Class Of 2008: Next 5* Brittany Orban, 6-0, forward, North Canton Hoover – Orban aver-

aged 21.6 ppg and earned first-team All-Ohio honors in Division I. She issigned with Northwestern. Orban averaged 22.7 ppg as a sophomore.* Jessie Pachko, 6-1, power forward, Cincinnati Oak Hills –

Pachko signed a letter-of-intent with Marquette.* Katie Popovec, 6-3, post, Canfield -- Popovec signed with

Pittsburgh.* Tiera Stephen, 5-7, point guard/wing, Dayton Chaminade-

Julienne – Stephen signed with Louisville.* Amber Stokes, 5-8, point guard/wing, Gahanna Lincoln – Stokes

averaged 18.1 ppg as a junior. Stokes will follow in her father’s footstepsat Ohio State. Her father, Ron, was a guard for the Buckeyes in the early1980s.

Class of 2008: More SigneesHere is a look at more of the Division I signees from Ohio:Clare Aubry, Upper Sandusky High School, Toledo signee; Kyle

Baumgartner, North Canton Hoover, Akron; Maria Bennett, Anderson,Wright State; Brogan Berry, Dayton Carroll, Harvard; Macie Blinn,Greenville, Illinois; Ariana Bowles, Eastern Brown, Ohio U.; ShariseCalhoun, Toledo Central Catholic, Oakland U.; Rachel Chandler, DaytonChaminade-Julienne, Central Connecticut State; Amy Clapper, NewarkCatholic, UNC-Greensboro; Jayne Cox, Cincinnati Princeton,Northeastern; Paige Faine, Van Buren, Niagara; Brandy Gang,Uniontown Lake, Marist.Maribeth Giese, Cincinnati Mother of Mercy, Bowling Green; Angela

Groves, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, Princeton; Cierra Harris,Akron Firestone, Dayton; Channing Hillman, Cincinnati Mount NotreDame, UTEP; Sakara House, Springfield Kenton Ridge, St. Peter’s;Alesia Howard, Columbus Africentric, Massachusetts; Courtney Ingersoll,Perry, Toledo; Jessica Jenkins, Marion Harding, St. Bonaventure;Kaneesha Johnson, Grove City, Morehead State; Quinessa Johnson,West Chester Lakota West, St. Francis (Pa.); Shante Jones, DaytonCarroll, Iowa.Amanda Keehan, Cincinnati Oak Hills, West Virginia; Trisha Krewson,

Sandusky Perkins, Bucknell; Patrice Lalor, Toledo Notre Dame Academy,Dayton; Courtney Lumpkin, Cincinnati Winton Woods, Morehead State;Tia McBride, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, Georgetown; Casey Nance,Richfield Revere, Dayton; Keyona Neel, Cincinnati Taft, Chicago State;Maxine Ohakim, Westerville Central, Ohio U.; Lillian Potts, ShakerHeights, Miami (Ohio); Porshe Poole, Canton McKinley, Michigan State;Justin Raterman, Versailles, Dayton; Kaelin Reid, Cincinnati Taft, St.Louis.Carmen Reynolds, Hilliard Davidson, Michigan; Courtney Schiffauer,

Youngstown Boardman, Michigan State; Jessica Slagle, Sidney Lehman,Bowling Green; Tracy Snider, Lancaster, Ohio U; Ta’mikka Snoody,Cambridge, Wright State; Jena Stutzman, Berlin Hiland, Kent State;Emily Teuscher, Miamisburg, Massachusetts; Ariel Thomas, CincinnatiPrinceton, Miami (Ohio); Shannon Thomas, Springboro, Indiana State;India Warfield, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, St. Louis; MeghanWaterman, Kettering Alter, Niagara; Alexis Williams, Warren Howland,Lehigh; Erin Wisner, Solon, Miami (Ohio).

Class Of 2009: Top 5* Kendall Hackney, 6-1, wing/post, Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame –

Hackney averaged 11.5 ppg as a sophomore. But she stepped forwardand had 21 points and 14 rebounds in her team’s Division I state champi-onship game win over Stow-Munroe Falls. MND ended up 23-4 on theyear.“The top five in this junior class is just so close,” Jenkins said.* Emilee Harmon, 6-2, power forward, Pickerington Central –

Harmon averaged 20.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in earningfirst-team All-Ohio honors in Division I as a sophomore.* Dayeesha Hollins, 5-7, point guard/wing, Cincinnati Winton

Woods* Alexis Rogers, 6-1, wing/post, West Chester Lakota West* Brianna Sanders, 5-11, wing, Cincinnati Princeton

Class Of 2009: Next 5* Kari Daugherty, 6-2, wing/post, Warsaw River View – Daughterty

averaged 12.0 points per game and was a first-team all-district pick inDivision II as a sophomore. She had 16 points in her team’s D-II statetitle game win over Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown. River View endedup 26-1. Daughterty’s sister, Kristin, was the Ohio High player of the yearlast year and is now a freshman at Dayton. Kari Daugherty recently fol-lowed in her sister’s footsteps by verbaling to Dayton as well. * Shardai Morrison-Fountain, 5-6, point guard, Columbus

Africentric – Morrison-Fountain averaged 12.0 ppg as a sophomore inhelping Africentric claim the D-IV state title.* Karisma Penn, 6-1, power forward, Shaker Heights* Mikaela Ruef, 6-3, wing/post, Beavercreek* Gabby Smith, 5-10, wing, Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame

Class Of 2010: Top 5* Natasha Howard, 6-3, wing/post, Toledo Waite* T'Sheara Lucas, 5-10, wing, Reynoldsburg* Tay'ler Mingo, 5-6, point guard, South Euclid Regina* Samarie Walker, 6-1, power forward, Dayton Chaminade-

Julienne* Mylan Woods, 5-9, wing, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown –

Woods was a second-team All-Ohio pick in Division II after averaging14.1 ppg as a freshman. She had 15 points in her team’s D-II state semi-final win over Sandusky Perkins. Hathaway Brown ended the year 22-5.

Class Of 2010: Next 5* Tiffani Blackman, 5-10, wing/power forward, Toledo Bowsher * Darryce Moore, 6-2, post, Youngstown Boardman* Amy Scullion, 6-0, wing/post, Salem* Latasha Walker, 6-2, post, Cleveland Heights Lutheran East* Noelle Yoder, 5-7, point guard/wing, Millersburg West Holmes

Class Of 2011: Top 5* Therany Dunnigan, 6-2, post, South Euclid Regina * Raven Ferguson, 5-9, wing/power forward, Columbus Africentric* Allyson Malott, 6-1, wing/post, Middletown* Dominque Singletary, 5-6, point guard, Hamilton* Shaquia Stokes, 6-0, post, Columbus Africentric

Class Of 2011: Next 5* Alexandris Azeez, 5-7, wing, West Chester Lakota West* Brinae Harris, 5-9, wing, Marion Harding* Brianna Holmes, 5-5, point guard, Columbus Brookhaven* Tanisha Lawler, 5-7, wing/point guard, Shaker Heights Hathaway

Brown* Kathyrn Reynolds, 5-6, wing/point guard, Cincinnati Mt. Notre

Dame —— OOHH

Ohio High January 2008

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Transcript of Ohio High January 2008