Ohio High January 2007

Editor in ChiefLee Schear

Printing/Design

Miami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)Eric Frantz

PhotographyGary Housteau, Nick Falzerano,Stephanie Porter, John Howley,

John Ritter, Greg Beers, Terry Gilliam

ContributorsEric Frantz

Staff WritersGary Housteau, Kirk Larrabee,

Glenn Forbes

Assistant EditorsMatt Natali, David Biddle

Recruiting EditorDuane Long

Managing EditorSteve Helwagen

Order online atwww.jjhuddle.com and

receive a yearʼs subscription (six issues) foronly $29.95.

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Letters to Editor

Welcome to the 16th edition of Ohio Highmagazine!Wewrapped up this issue in early December, just after the completion of the

OHSAAstate football playoffs.With this issue of Ohio High, we look back at the 2006football season and provide coverage of the state playoffs.

What a thrill those playoffs were! Two of the state championship gameswere decid-ed by a single point. Steubenville claimed its secondDivision III state championship,while Hilliard Davidson (Division I) and Piqua (D-II) were each first-time champions.Our complete roundup of the state playoffs – featuring a story byMatt Natali and pho-tos fromGary Housteau andNick Falzerano – begins on page 18.

Piqua’s Brandon Sainewas named as theONN/Ohio High player of the year (page28), while Steubenville coachRenoSaccoccia was named as the coach of the year(page 35). Those two headline ourAll-Ohio team, which is revealed on page 32.

There is plentymore football coverage, though. Recruiting editor Duane Longscores nicely with his top 100 bios on the state’s top senior football prospects. Thatspread begins on page 36.

Long also has a look at the state’s top juniors (page 56) and sophomores (page60).This issue also recaps the fall sports seasonwith a roundup of the state champions

in the variousOHSAAfall sports (page 13) as well as players of the year in thosesports (page 5).The fall early signing period in November saw a number of the state’s boys and girls

basketball prospects sign letters-of-intent.We look at the key boys prospects on page61 and the girls on page 67.

Plus, Dave Biddle has a feature onColumbusDeSales basketball standoutAlexKellogg, the son of formerOhio StateAll-AmericanClark Kellogg. Check that out onpage 64.

One exciting aspect about Ohio High is the fact we are able to “bundle” it with sub-scriptions to our popular JJHuddle.comweb site.

The best deal on the board is purchasing a one-year premium subscription to theJJHuddle.comweb site for $59.95. That subscription comeswith a free one-year sub-scription toOhio High.

However, for a limited time, we are allowing new subscribers to purchase one-year(six-issue) subscriptions for just themagazine for the old five-issue price of $29.95.

All told, that one-year subscription for the package of JJHuddle.comandOhio Highmagazine represents a savings over the course of a year of over $50 from themonth-ly JJHuddle.com subscription charge ($6.95 permonth) and a separate charge forOhio High.

Nobody has ever attempted to produce amagazine that contains coverage of Ohiohigh school athletics and recruiting.We’re pretty proud of how thismagazine hasgrown over the past couple of years andwe look forward to the year ahead.

Going forward, here are general topics that will be covered in each edition of OhioHighmagazine:* March (Due out Feb. 15) –Basketball andwrestling tournament previews.* May (Due outApril 15) – Football signing day recap, basketball andwrestling

tournament recaps, new top 100 for the seniors-to-be unveiled.* July (Due out June 15) – Football preview issue, spring sports recap.* September (Due outAug. 15) – Top 100 senior prospect bios updated.* November (Due outOct. 15) –Basketball preview issue, football playoff preview.Check out JJHuddle.com every day for season previews and daily coverage of

Ohio high school athletics. For subscription information onOhio High, check theInternet at www.jjhuddle.com

Thanks again for your patronage of Ohio Highmagazine!

SteveHelwagenManagingEditorOhioHigh

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 2006, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.All rights reserved.COVERPHOTOS:GaryHousteauandNickFalzerano

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Ohio High’s annual Player of the Year selections for fall sportsFallSportsPlayersof theYear5

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A look back at all 10 fall sports state tournamentsFall SportsState TournamentRecap13

KetteringAlter takes early lead with four state finals appearancesOhio High Cup Standings16

Football Coach of the Year: Steubenville’s Reno Saccoccia35State Football Photo Page27

Duane Long’s Top Sophomore Football Players60

18

64

16

13

Two thrillers highlight the 35th annual state football championshipsFootball Playoff Round-Up18

Piqua’s Brandon Saine caps an outstanding careerFootball Player of the Year28

ONN/Ohio High’s All-Ohio football teamsAll-Ohio Football Team32

Also...

The final look at the graduating class of 2007Duane Long’s Top 100 Seniors36

A look at which underclassmen to watch out for next fallDuane Long’s Top Juniors

Ohio’s top prospects picking schools during early signing periodBoys Basketball Recruiting61

Columbus DeSales senior following in father’s footstepsAlex Kellogg64

Steve Helwagen unveils the state’s top seniors and juniorsGirls Basketball Recruiting67

56

Photo by Nick Falzerano



Photo by Gary Housteau

J JHUDDLE .COM 5JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Fal l Spor ts Players of the Year

Photo by Greg Beers

Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit seniorMichael Nanchoffwas named the OhioHigh Boys SoccerPlayer of the Yearafter leading Walshto the D-II state title.Nanchoff had ninegoals and 30 assiststhis season and wasnamed first-team All-Ohio.

No. 1


Girls Soccerenior forward Chrissy Butler from Shaker Heights Hathaway Brownis the 2006 Ohio High Player of the Year in girls soccer.

Butler scored 13 goals and had 15 assists as a senior in 2006and led the Blazers to a Division II district championship.“I am surprised,” Butler said upon

learning that she won the award. “It’s ahuge honor to win an award like this. Iplayed four years and I played hard anddid really well, but this is a big surprise tosay the least.”Butler will play college soccer at

Columbia University and she explainedwhy she chose that particular school.

“Well, I love New York City and it’s smack-dab in the middle of NewYork,” she said. “It’s among the best schools in the country and I workedhard at HB because I wanted to go to a good college.“Also, they are a Division I soccer program and they have a pretty good

team. It basically has everything I want in a university. It’s in a big city,

SChrissyButler

Shaker HeightsHathaway Brown

Volleyballalsh Jesuit senior outside hitter Katie Dull led theWarriors to thebest two volleyball seasons in school history with back-to-backstate runner-up finishes thus earning consecutive Ohio High mag-azine volleyball Player of the Year awards.

As a junior in 2005, Dull lead theWalsh to a 24-3 record and the firstappearance in school history in the state tournament finishing as runner-upto Cincinnati Roger Bacon in Division II. This season, theWarriors recordeda 27-2 record falling to KetteringAlter in the state title match.

“I think throughout the whole season we worked very, very hard and weas a team knew what we wanted from the very beginning of the season,”Dull said. “Everyday we had that goal in mind to get back (to state).“We worked on our fundamentals a lot and we played well together as a

team. We had good team chemistry with a great group of girls this year. Wehad no intrasquad problems or anything. We all got along really well.

“We were really focused and we knew we were a good team but we justneeded to play like that and work to make sure we could play at the levelwe’re capable of.”Despite falling in the state final, Dull said she felt the team was more com-

fortable this season, having gone to the statetournament last season.“Last year when we went down there, we

were all very scared,” she said. “The minutewe walked into the gym we all felt sick. Butbeing down there last year really helped usthis year because we weren’t as nervous.We played a little calmer in the first round

and it was easier for us. The experience really helped.”Following last season’s success, head coach Missy Christ noticed some

positive changes in Dull during her senior campaign.“Her all around skills got better,” said Christ. “I thought the biggest thing

that changed from last year to this year was her mentality. She matured a lot.I always thought she raised the level of play of everybody else through herplay and her intensity is contagious to the rest of the team.”Dull finished the season with 96 aces, 481 kills, 329 digs, 65 blocks and a

93 percent serve reception. In her career at Walsh Jesuit, she holds schoolrecords in kills (1,325), blocks (314) and aces (249). She also recorded 705digs, which ranks second behind Megan Rodriguez.“I think I’ve had a lot of great opportunities and a lot of great coaches and

the opportunity to play with a lot of great people has helped a lot,” Dull said.“The experience that I had with the people on the team was just amazing. Icouldn’t ask for better people to share it with.”

Dull will continue her career at Ohio State. She verbally committed as ahigh school sophomore and is now an official signee.“I know it’s a really competitive program and the Big Ten is a very competi-

tive conference, so I’m looking forward to hopefully playing great competitionand getting better as a player,” she said. “I really want to learn a lot andbecome the best player I can.”

Dull already knows what she wants to study at Ohio State.“I would like to study exercise science and become a physical therapist,”

she said. “I’ve done physical therapy for injuries and they really help peoplecome back from injuries, so I think it would be a good field to get into.”

Before she graduates fromWalsh and heads to Columbus, Dull is partici-pating in Junior Olympic volleyball and plans on competing in tournamentsnext summer.In her career at Walsh Jesuit, Dull has raised the standard for success

and she hopes the younger student athletes will look at the accomplish-ments of the program over the past two years as motivation to accomplisheven more.“Myself, as well as all the other seniors this year, hope we taught the girls

not only how to play volleyball but how to act with good sportsmanship on

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and off the court,” she said. “We also hope they learned about caring foreach other as a team and to play as hard as you can in every game.”Christ reflected on the legacy Dull leaves for the program.“The younger girls looked up to her so much and I think she showed them

the way that volleyball can be played at a high level,” she said. “They got tosee that every single day through watching the dedication and intensity thatshe brought every single day to the court. That has been passed down to therest of the girls and they see what it takes to continue that tradition.”

KatieDull

Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit

J JHUDDLE .COM6 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Senior Katie Dull earnedher second straight OhioHigh Player of the Yearaward after leadingWalsh Jesuit to its sec-ond staright D-II statefinal.

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they have great academic programs, good soccer, it was just a great fit.”Butler is a great student to be accepted to a school like Columbia, but

she is also happy that the soccer program is usually a winning team.“Yeah, they have been pretty good lately,” Butler said. “They won the Ivy

League championship this year. That makes it even better knowing I’mjoining an established team with a history of winning.”Butler described her strengths and weaknesses on the soccer pitch.“One of my strengths is my speed,” she said. “I love to take players on.

I don’t care if it’s five-on-one, I use my speed and creativity to get aroundplayers. I love going one-on-one and really just attacking and trying to getthe defense back on their heels.“Something I still want to work on is my shooting. It’s come a long way –

I now have a lot more power when I strike from the outside. But I just wantto get stronger in every area.”

Butler helped Hathaway Brown to the 2004 Division II state champi-onship – the school’s first state title. Butler scored the winning goal in theBlazers’ 2-1 overtime victory over Cincinnati Indian Hill as the team fin-ished with a 19-2-2 record. The goal came in the 105th minute of thegame (off an assist from Courtney Rosen) and despite being one of theyoungest players on the team, Butler was the hero.

“That was a huge thrill winning it all and scoring the winning goal,”Butler said. “My teammates played great and we were able to accomplishour goal and it’s still a big thrill looking back on it.”

Butler also talked about her final two seasons in the Hathaway Brownprogram, which is an all-girls school.

“We got to the regional semifinals this year where we lost to LakeCatholic,” she said. “I thought we did really well this year after losing sevenseniors off last year’s team. We lost in district finals last year, so it wasnice to win districts my senior year. We wanted to get to state, but I wasstill happy with our season. I thought my teammates really played well.”

Butler was a one-sport athlete for the majority of her high school career.

“I played basketball my freshman year and I had played basketballwhen I was younger,” she said. “But after my freshman year I decided tojust go with soccer from that point on,” she said.Butler revealed some of her goals for her freshman year at Columbia.“I want to help Columbia win the Ivy League championship again and

make the NCAATournament,” she said. “I just want to have fun. A fewpersonal goals would be winning the top freshman scorer on my team andthe rookie of the year in the Ivy League.”Butler is still kicking around ideas in terms of what she wants to major

in, but she has a pretty good idea.“I’m not sure, but I’m strongly leaning towards biology and medicine,”

she said. “I want to be a doctor.”Butler is the daughter of Jerry and Paula Butler.

—Dave Biddle

Boys Golfpper Arlington senior Bo Hoag is the 2006 Ohio High Player of theYear in boys golf.Hoag was the Division I state champion this season and also

led Upper Arlington to the team championship.At the state tournament in October at Ohio State University’s

Scarlet Course, Hoag fired a 153 (76, 77) and Upper Arlington cruised tothe team title with a score of 628.As a junior in 2005, Hoag placed eighth at the state meet with a score

of 158 and Upper Arlington was edged for the team championship byDublin Jerome (634 to 642).“It was definitely a storybook way to end by senior year with us winning

the team championship and me winning medalist. You can’t ask for muchmore than that. It’s great because it’s the goal of every kid to become ahigh school state champion. And for our team to also win the state titlewas just awesome. For my senior year to be playing in late October, that’swhat it’s all about.”Hoag was a no-brainer choice for the state’s top golfer, regardless of

division, but he was still gracious uponlearning of the Ohio High award.

“It’s a huge honor and I really appreci-ate it,” he said. “You don’t expect to winawards and stuff for playing a sport youlove, but it’s a great thrill and it’s some-thing else that has made this year specialfor me.”Hoag will attend Ohio State next year on a full-ride “Jack Nicklaus”

scholarship. It’s very rare for college golfers to even get half-scholarships,so it goes to show just how valuable of a recruit Hoag was for theBuckeyes.“It’s definitely exciting knowing I’m going to be putting on the Scarlet

and Gray and playing for Ohio State,” Hoag said. “There are a lot of reallygood reasons to stay here in Columbus. It’s right down the road for meand it has everything that I want and I want to stay with the same thingsthat got me where I am today. The facilities Ohio State has are second tonone and they’ve had so many great players over the years (such asNicklaus). It has everything I need to get to the next level. It was definitelythe best decision for me.”

Joining Hoag at Ohio State will be his Upper Arlington teammate andclassmate Tanner Murphy who will be on a partial scholarship.“That’s going to be great,” Hoag said. “Tanner and I were the only two

seniors on our team this year and now we’re going to get a chance toplay in college together.”Golfweek magazine recently ranked Hoag the top player in Ohio and

the second ranked player in the Midwest. He was named to first team all-state in 2006 and was Ohio Capital Conference League Player of theYear in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Hoag was the youngest player in theUnited States to advance to the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at age 15

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BoHoag

UpperArlington

Senior ChrissyButler scored13 goals andhad 15 assistsfor ShalerHeightsHathawayBrown.

Submitted

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in 2004. Overall, he owns five Top 20 finishes in a total of eight AJGAevents, with a personal best third place finish at the 2006 Coca-ColaJunior.“Bo is an exceptional young man with a strong desire to compete at

Ohio State,” OSU head coach Jim Brown said. “He guided the GoldenBears to the state championship this fall as he captured the individual titleat our Scarlet Course. Bo possesses a fine golf swing and owns one ofthe most accurate wedge games that we have seen. Those traits will carryhim a long way in this game.”And a long way for Hoag hopefully means a career on the PGATour.

That has been a goal since he was 14 and he’s close to actualizing it.“It would be a huge thrill to make a professional career out of this,”

Hoag said. “I go out to the Memorial Tournament (in Dublin, Ohio) everyyear and I’ve met some of the golfers and I’ve had a chance to see someof the behind-the-scenes things that go on. It’s definitely a dream tobecome a professional golfer and it would be awesome if it happens.”

Hoag is the son of Wes and Kim Hoag.—David Biddle

Girls Tennisublin Jerome sophomore Kate Turvey is the 2006 Ohio HighPlayer of the Year in girls tennis.Turvey captured the Division I state championship this season

and finished with a 29-0 record. In the finals, she defeated LexiBolesky of Lexington, 6-1, 6-3.

As a freshman in 2005, Turvey advanced to the state quarterfinalsbefore bowing out to eventual state champ Neela Vaez of Toledo NotreDame.“This is really exciting,” Turvey said upon learning of the Ohio High

award. “This is one of the most memorable feelings I could have becauseit represents my community and school. It’s a great feeling. It was a hugethrill to win the state championship this year and this just adds to it. I defi-nitely wasn’t expecting this.”

Turvey began playing tennis at the ripe age of 8 and played in her firstcompetitive tournament when she was 10.

“My dad played in high school and I played a lot of sports when I was alittle kid,” Turvey said. “I just loved sports and I didn’t have a special inter-est in tennis until I got a little older. I justkept playing more and really liked it.”

Turvey explained her strengths andsome aspects of her game that she stillwants to improve in on the court.

“I think my strengths are my consisten-cy and my speed,” she said. “I feel like Iget around the court pretty well and I’mable to keep the ball in play and even turn defense into offense.“Some things I still want to work on are playing more aggressively, clos-

ing out points better and just improving my serve. Sometimes I am con-tent to rally back-and-forth when I have good opportunities to hit it hardand close out the point.”

Turvey plays club tennis at Wedgewood Country Club in Columbuswhere she is coached by Scott Welsh. Her head coach at Dublin Jeromeis Anthony Susi.“I’m so fortunate to have a great family that is behind me every step of

the way and also great coaches that have really brought me along andfind ways to bring out the best in me. I owe a lot of this to all of them.”

Turvey has no clue where she might want to go to college in a coupleyears, but she knows she wants to be a college athlete. And the way it’sgoing, colleges will be lining up to offer her scholarships.

“Yeah, I really have no idea yet where I’m going to go to school,” shesaid. “But I definitely want to play tennis wherever I go. It’s hard to imaginenow because I’m still so young, but it’s going to be great if I get a chance

to play college tennis and maybe even beyond that.”Turvey reflected on winning the D-I state title this season in somewhat

easy fashion.“I was real excited to play in the state finals and win it,” she said. “I had

talked about it with my family about how cool it would be to be the statechampion. And now I want to do it again. I have a great opportunity and Ilove my team and my coaches.”How dominant was Turvey at the 2006 state tournament? She won 6-0,

6-1 in the regional semifinals, 4-1 retired in the regional finals and 6-0, 6-0in the state semifinals. And now she could be on her way to becoming athree-time state champ.“That would be amazing,” she said. “Yes, I’ve thought about it, but I’m

trying not to look too far ahead because there are a lot of great girls tennisplayers in the state and it won’t be easy to repeat or win it three times.”

Turvey is the daughter of John and Kathleen Turvey.—David Biddle

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KateTurvey

DublinJerome

Boys Cross Countryhe moment came early for Navarre Fairless star Aaron Melhorn.As an eighth grader, Melhorn won the Stark County cross countrymeet and realized the talent he had.“I started running, and I won that Stark County meet and it just

made me hungrier to win something bigger,” Melhorn said. “Iknew I had something good.”

Four years of dominance and two state championships in cross coun-try make Aaron Melhorn an obvious choice for the Ohio High boys crosscountry Runner of the Year. The Fairless standout ended his high school

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Dublin Jerome sophomoreKate Turvey was theDivision I singles statechampion.

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cross country career with his second straight individual state championship.“One of my assistants always says ‘wow’ whenever he watches him,”

said Fairless cross country coach Keith Arthurs. “That’s the best way todescribe him sometimes. But he’s also a mature kid, very humble.”Melhorn believes his work ethic is the biggest reason for his success.“Every time I ran, every workout I did, it was all worth it,” Melhorn said. “I

wouldn’t change any of it.”“I just work hard, I think that’s an advantage I have,” Melhorn said. “God

gave me a gift, and I was lucky enough to find out what it is and use it forHim.”Melhorn qualified for the state meet all

four years in high school and elected to runa safe regional race at YoungstownBoardman’s muddy track, finishing sixthand setting up his repeat state title at SciotoDowns in Columbus. Melhorn improved hischampionship time by nearly 20 seconds,winning the 2006 title in 15:22 overWoodridge’s Scott Hilditch, who finished with a time of 15:46. Adding to hisimpressive feat, Melhorn set the pace under five minutes, averaging 4:57per mile.Melhorn captured the 2005 championship in 15:41.“The first (title) was probably the best,” Melhorn said. “I actually cried a

little bit. I was so happy. The second one it was just kind of like ‘well, I wonanother one’. It didn’t really hit me.”

“When he sets a goal, he’s going to work hard to achieve it,” Arthurssaid. “Winning his second state title wasn’t so much a goal, obviously thefirst one was, but he had his sights set on the Foot Locker run.”

Melhorn participated in the Midwest Foot Locker Cross Country champi-

Girls Cross Countryeaumont’s Emily Infield has already claimed a career’s worth ofaccomplishments as a runner but it was her performance this pastfall in cross country that earned her Ohio High magazine girlscross country Runner of the Year honors.

After finishing third in the state championships as a freshmanand second last year a sophomore, Infield raced her way to the front ofthe pack this season to claim the individual state title in Division II clockingin with a 17:40 performance.Beaumont finished sixth in the state meet.“It has just been really exciting,” said Infield. “It was exciting going down

to states all three years and it was fun having the team with me this yearand my freshman year. I just worked really hard and won states this year.”Prior to the season, Infield set three goals and accomplished them all.

She wanted to win a state title, lead her team to a top 8 finish in the statemeet and qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country NationalChampionships.In the Foot Locker Midwest Regional race in November, Infield finished

No. 3 with a time of 17:43 and she finished No. 20 in the Foot LockerNational race with a time of 18:39 in early December.“It was a season in which she was very, very, very consistent,” said

Beaumont coach James Emery. “She trained more over the summer run-ning more miles than she normally does. She also progressivelyimproved as the season went on.“All three of her goals she accomplished and it took being mentally

keen at the end of the season to accomplish it all.”If the Infield name sounds familiar, Emily’s older sister Maggie was

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AaronMelhorn

NavarreFairless

onships in November, finishing 11th with a time of 15:22, one spot out ofqualifying for nationals.

“He told me he thought he ran it a little hard,” Arthurs said. “He ran him-self out a little at the beginning with another kid from Illinois. It was a goodlearning curve for him, he wanted to do well, and in my opinion he certainlydid.”The race might have been out of character for Melhorn, who prefers to

think of himself as an independent runner. He runs alone in the off-season.“I just ran miles and miles and miles (in the summer),” Melhorn said. “I

ran mostly by myself. If you run with someone else they can race againsteach other (rather than time). So I’m more of an independent runner.

“On the competition side, those races make you better. But I try to runmy own race. I don’t try to run off of somebody else.”Melhorn was twice named runner of the year in Stark County and joins

former Fairless star Joel Marchand as the only Stark County runners towin two state championships in cross country. In each of his last three sea-sons’, Melhorn owns the best time in Stark County.An accomplished track and field runner, Melhorn won the state title last

year in the 3,200 meters in June. He also holds the record for StarkCounty, running the 3,200 meter event in 9:06.4.“His dedication and work ethic is what really sets him apart,” Arthurs

said. “If he fell sick he’d still get his run in. He’d call one of the coaches andask how he could change his workout so he could do everything he need-ed while he was sick.”

Arthurs said Melhorn wants to run in college but has not decided where.A decision on Ohio University, Malone, Ashland or Ohio State could comeduring the spring.

“I plan on signing when I get a really good offer from a school I reallylike,” Melhorn said.Advancing his education is important to Melhorn, who wants to work in

machinery, physical therapy, or enter the pre-dental program in college.“One day (competitive) running does have to come to an end, but I’ll

probably be running until I die,” he said.—Glenn Forbes

Navarre Fairless seniorAaron Melhorn (center)won his second D-IIstate cross countrytitle this season.

PhotobyJohn

Ritter/jpsportsphotos.com



ena Grote of Cincinnati St. Ursula is one of the nation’s fastest ris-ing stars in field hockey and it was her success this season andlegacy she leaves the Bulldogs that has earned her Ohio Highmagazine field hockey Player of the Year honors.

Grote led St. Ursula to a 15-2-1 record this a season and the firstSouthwest Ohio Field Hockey League title for the Bulldogs going 7-0 inleague play. She missed some time on the field this season due to injurybut in 14 games she scored 11 goals and had 14 assists totaling 25points, which are all school records. She was named the SWOFHL offen-sive player of the year and is a two-time All-Ohio selection.

In Grote’s four seasons, St. Ursula is a combined 45-14-10.“This is the best season that we ever had this year,” said former head

coach Derrick Aspinall. “We gradually improved over the last four years Ihave been there. We increased our level of competition in order to com-pete better.“We got knocked out in the regional quarterfinals. I thought we had an

opportunity to go to state but it wasn’t meant to be.“Over the past few years we have increased our standards to make the

goal to compete at the college level. It is becoming more common nowand the girls are increasing the standard to improve more and more andthey are being recognized for their ability as well. Certainly, Lena is noexception.”Grote has participated in the U-16 and U-19 Futures program, an

intense training program associated with Olympic development, and wasone of 250 players nationwide selected to the junior Olympic developmentteam.Aspinall has coached some of the best players in the world previously

leading the English national team and Grote is one of the best he hasever coached.“She is everything I would want an ath-

lete to be,” he said. “Lena amazed meyear after year with the level of maturitythat she has shown and her level of dedi-cation to the sport is second to none. Ihave been very fortunate to have coachedsome fantastic players and I would putLena up there with those girls. She is onthe same level. If she keeps pushing herself, there is no reason she can’tplay the highest level.“She has drive and dedication. When you realize that you have a player

that has potential, then you push them and channel them in the rightdirection, their going to go far.”

Upon entering high school, Grote was torn between playing soccer andfield hockey. Her older sister Kristin was a field hockey player and con-vinced Lena to play field hockey.

Four years later, Grote will be remembered as the best player the St.Ursula field hockey program has ever seen. And according to Aspinall,she has left an indelible mark on the program.

With some of the top collegiate field hockey programs vying for Grote’stalent, including Columbia University, she ultimately committed to Indiana.“I wanted to make sure that was the right choice for her and the right

LenaGrote

CincinnatiSt. Ursula

Field Hockey

quite the runner just a few years ago at Beaumont. She set the 4x800state record, 1,600-meter state record, was a three-time state champion inthe 1,600, 800 and 4x800 meter relay and won cross country and trackteam records in 2000-01 and 2001-02.She is now a junior middle distance runner at Georgetown University.Both Emily and Maggie have running in their blood as their parents are

both runners as well. With a family chock full of runners, Emily doesn’thave to look far for support when it comesto lacing up and being successful.“It has been really nice to have a sister

who runs and my family is really support-ive,” she said.

Emery added, “She has very wonderfuland supportive parents. At least one of herparents comes to every race and usually

both of them are there.”With a strong foundation and support from her family, Infield has drawn

from that to be successful both in cross country and track. But her suc-cess hasn’t come without a lot of hard work and dedication.

“You can draw up a demonic work out and she will try to accomplish itand work her tail off to actually do it,” Emery said. “That is something mostelite runners I have approached all are capable of doing.“The emphasis is on practice. Once they realize a difficult and hard

work out actually gets you to accomplish your goal, it can be a lot of fun.She is very consistent in practice and works very hard.”

Infield will take some time off before indoor track starts this winter andthen she will return to the track in the spring.

She is the defending Division I 800-meter state champion and Infieldplaced second in the 1,600-meter event last spring.

“She is probably one of the fastest middle distance runners in thenation as far as foot speed. Most cross country runners don’t have therange to do well in (track events),” Emery said.As a talented runner with a 4.3 GPA, letters from colleges are pouring

in but Infield won’t start thinking about college or the recruiting processuntil this upcoming summer.

“I haven’t even really started looking but I will probably look all over inOhio as well as other states,” she said.

—Matt Natali

L

EmilyInfield

ClevelandBeaumont

ClevelandBeaumont jun-ior Emily Infieldcaptured herfirst D-II statecross countrytitle this sea-son.

PhotobyGaryHousteau

ichael Nanchoff, who led Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit to the2006 Division II state soccer championship, is the Ohio HighPlayer of the Year in boys soccer.Nanchoff, a 5-8, 145-pound senior midfielder, had nine

goals and 30 assists this season and was named first-teamAll-Ohio. He wasn’t anticipating winning state player of the year, but hewas thrilled to say the least.

“It’s unbelievable,” Nanchoff said. “I just found out and I wasstunned. This is definitely not something that I was expecting and it’s abig honor.”

As a junior in 2005, Nanchoff had 10 goals and 10 assists. He is theall-time school record holder in single-season assists (30) and careerassists (53).

In the 2006 state title game, Nanchoff led Walsh to a 2-0 win overKettering Alter with a goal and an assist.“All we talked about this year was winning a state title,” Nanchoff

said. “We had to overcome some obstacles this year, but we just pulledit together as a team and knew what we had to accomplish this year.

“We had to also overcome losing to Cuyahoga Valley ChristianAcademy last year in the playoffs, then having to beat them twice thisyear. We also had to beat a good Bay team. And we had a lot ofinjuries. Nothing, but nothing, was going to stop us this year.”The Warriors finished the season with a 21-2 record and captured

the school’s first state title in 16 years.Head coach John Kissner started the program 29 years ago and

thinks it was well worth the wait for Walsh’s third state title (1990,1982).

“It’s just as great of a feeling for me as it was in 1990,” Kissner said.“It’s probably even better because it took us so long to get back to thebig game. I’m so proud of how they handled themselves throughoutthe year with all of the injuries we had.“With guys like Michael, I said that this was a special group at the

beginning of the season. It was the right mixture of chemistry, andskill-wise. We were very skillful.”Nanchoff will continue his soccer career at the University of Akron

on an athletic scholarship.“I committed in early July,” he said.

“It’s a good school with a good soccerprogram and it’s close to home. Theyhave a new coach who is doing goodthings and I thought it was the right fit forme.”Nanchoff has played soccer for as

long as he can remember. The fact thathe became this good was no accident.

“Yeah, I’ve been playing a long time,” he said. “I started playingwhen I was 3 in munchkin soccer league. From there I just moved upthrough youth leagues, to premier and eventually varsity high schoolball. And my club team won the state U-17 championship and I scoredthe winning goal.”There are strong soccer bloodlines in the Nanchoff family. Michael’s

father – George Nanchoff – was a professional soccer player and wasa member of the United States National Team.“He also attended Akron and he was a college All-American two

years in a row,” Michael said. “He played professionally for theCleveland Force in an indoor league and also played for the FortLauderdale Strikers in the NASL (National American Soccer League).He was also on the U.S. National Team, but didn’t get to play in theOlympics because we boycotted the 1980 Summer Games.”

The younger Nanchoff explained his strengths on the pitch.“Definitely my vision on the field,” he said. “I can find strikers and get

the attack flowing. I would also say my speed is one of my strengths.”But he is not satisfied with his game. There are several improve-

ments he wants to make before he begins his college career.“I just want to work on everything,” he said. “I’d like to improve my

speed even more because there is so much speed on the collegelevel, but I just want to improve on everything.”Nanchoff is a big soccer fan and enjoyed watching the 2006 World

Cup which was won by Italy. Although, he would have preferred ifFrance would have prevailed in the finals.

“Without a doubt my favorite soccer player in the world is ZinedineZidane of France,” Nanchoff said.But Nanchoff admits that he doesn’t have quite as good of a chest-

butt as Zidane.“No, I don’t think so (laughing),” he said. “But I thought that was good

– he couldn’t let that guy talk junk about him and his family.”Nanchoff plans on majoring in business communications.

— Dave Biddle



fit,” Aspinall said. “I’m excited she is going to a program that is turningaround and is still developing. They are looking to achieve big things andshe certainly will make a good contribution to that program.”Indiana finished 15-6 this past season. Lena’s older sister Kristin is a

student at Indiana. Though she was also recruited by the Hoosiers, sheopted not to play collegiate field hockey.

With the mark Grote has left on the St. Ursula field hockey team,Aspinall is confident in the continued success of the Bulldog program nowthat he has moved to Florida to be with his family.“She has pushed the standards really high (at St. Ursula) and everyone

knows they have to achieve because of the example she set. I know thatfor the next three or four years that program will continue to develop play-ers like Lena and have people there who truly want to play field hockey.

“Lena is the catalyst behind everything we’ve done the past four years.She has certainly been a driving force behind it.”

—Matt Natali

MBoys Soccer

MichaelNanchoff

Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit

Cincinnati St. Ursula sen-ior Lena Grote helped theBulldogs finish 45-14-10the last four years.

Submitted

Photo


State Fal l Spor ts Round-UpSTORY FROM OHSAA REPORTS

here were plenty of unforgettableindividual and team performancesthis past fall in all 10 OHSAAsanctioned sports. The roundup ofthe state football playoffs can be

found on page 18.Here is a look back at all tremendous

performances from another successfulsports season (Note: All information isfrom the Ohio High School AthleticAssociation website. For more detailedinformation, please visit www.ohsaa.org).

Girls SoccerDivision I: Top-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh

Jesuit (23-0-0) won its fourth state championshipwhen it outlasted No. 7 Dublin Coffman (16-4-2) inthe championship match, 2-1. Senior midfielderRose Augustin broke a 1-all tie with a goal with21:27 to play to give the Warriors the title. Seniorforward Darcy Riley scored Walsh’s first goal to tiethe game before halftime. Walsh has won all four ofits titles since 2000 and last won a crown in 2004.The Warriors are the first big-school state championto finish the season without a loss or tie sinceClayton Northmont went 24-0 in the initial season ofthe OHSAA state tournament 1985. Coffman fin-ished second for the second time and was seekingits third state title.

With the Walsh Jesuit boys team winning theDivision II title, it marked the fourth time in statetournament history that a school won a girls andboys title in the same year (the others wereCincinnati Turpin in 1986; Clayton Northmont in1988; and Columbus St. Francis DeSales in 1997).Semifinal Results: Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit

2, North Royalton 0 (at Cleveland State); DublinCoffman 3, Cincinnati Sycamore 0 (at Centerville).Division II: Unranked Parma Heights Holy Name

(18-3-2) outscored top-ranked and defending cham-pion Hamilton Badin (15-3-4) 5-3 in penalty kicksand captured its first state title in its first trip to thestate tournaments, 1-0. Senior midfielder LynneaPappas, junior forward Tara O’Toole, sophomoredefender Michelle Mooren, freshman midfielderEmily Balodis and junior midfielder Jessica Boundscored goals for the Green

Wave and the Rams missed their fourth penaltykick attempt. Badin finished second for the fifth timeand was seeking its second state championship.Semifinal Results: Parma Heights Holy Name

2, Akron Archbishop Hoban 0 (at Ravenna);Hamilton Badin 1, Bexley 0, OT (at ClaytonNorthmont).

Boys SoccerDivision I: Entering the state finals with identical

records, Stow-Munroe Falls (21-0-2) outscoredFairfield (20-1-2) 4-3 in penalty kicks and capturedits first state championship, 1-0. Both teamsreached the state tournament for the first time. Fourseniors — forward Tyler Leister, midfielder TimScott, defender Mike Grant and forward NickYannucci — scored shootout goals for the Bulldogs,while senior goalie John iAntonio stopped thepotential tying goal on Fairfield’s fourth shootoutattempt.Semifinal Results: Stow-Munroe Falls 1,

T

Anna won its firstvolleyball title byclaiming the D-IIIchampionship with athree-set win overdefending champCleveland VillaAngela-St. Joseph.Junior and OhioState recruit KelliBarhorst (left) led theRockets with 23 kills.

30-0



State Fal l Spor ts Round-Up

Strongsville 0 (at Cleveland State); Fairfield 2,Kettering Fairmont 1 (at Cedarville University).Division II: Top-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh

Jesuit (21-2-0) won its third state championshipwhen it stopped No. 5 Kettering Archbishop Alter(18-3-1) in the finals, 2-0. First-half goals by seniordefender Jacob Milli and senior midfielder MichaelNanchoff carried the Warriors. Senior goalie MattWeigand had seven saves. Alter, which was seek-ing its fourth state championship, finished as run-ners-up for the third time.

With the Walsh Jesuit girls team winning theDivision I title, it marked the fourth time in statetournament history that a school won a boys andgirls title in the same year (the others wereCincinnati Turpin in 1986; Clayton Northmont in1988; and Columbus St. Francis DeSales in 1997).Semifinal Results: Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit

3, Bay Village Bay 0 (at Lyndhurst Brush); KetteringArchbishop Alter 1, Bexley 0, ot (at ClaytonNorthmont).Division III: Top-ranked Worthington Christian

(20-1-1) and unranked Wickliffe (18-4-1) battled to ascoreless tie before Worthington Christianoutscored the Blue Devils 4-2 in penalty kicks towin its first state championship, 1-0. Making its fifthtrip to the state tournament, the Warriors receivedshootout goals from Eric Stevenson, Brooks Price,Max Weston and Benj Foot and senior goalieMichael Dybdahl stopped two shootout attempts byWickliffe to secure the win. Wickliffe reached thestate tournament for the first time.Semifinal Results: Wickliffe 2, Kidron Central

Christian 1, so (at Medina); Worthington Christian 2,Cincinnati Madeira 1 (at Fairborn).

Boys Cross CountryDivision I: Top-ranked Cincinnati LaSalle

defended its state championship and won its sec-ond title overall when it had 78 points. Toledo St.John’s Jesuit was second with 89 points. SeniorJake Nusekabel led the Lancers with an 11th-placefinish (fifth in the team scoring), and LaSalle’s otherfour runners all placed in the top 33 in the teamscoring.

Chardon senior Emil Heineking was the individ-ual winner in 15:16, and St. John’s Jesuit junior JoeMiller was second in 15:27.Division II: Top-ranked Peninsula Woodridge put

on a dominating performance to win its first statechampionship.

The Bulldogs had 43 points to easily defeat run-ner-up Canal Winchester, which had152.Woodridge’s point total tied the record for low-est in the division since the OHSAA began a threeclass/division format in 1966 (Elyria Catholic alsohad 43 in 1978). Senior Scott Hilditch placed sec-ond (first in the team scoring) and junior BrianHimelright third (second in the team scoring) to leadWoodridge. Seniors David Petrak and Joey McCoyalso finished in the top 10 in the team scoring.

Navarre Fairless senior Aaron Melhorn defendedhis individual championship when he finished in15:22.Division III: Either Cortland Maplewood or

McDonald had won the previous five small-schooltitles, but Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas ended thatrun when it had 114 points to edge top-ranked East

Canton, which had 115. It was the tightest race inthe small-school division since 1988, when Caldwellhad to use the sixth runner tie-breaker to defeatEast Canton.

McDonald placed third with 125 points anddefending champion Maplewood was fourth with140. It was the fourth championship for the Knights,who won their other titles in 1976, 1980 and 1981.Junior Tony Migliozzi led Aquinas with a fifth-placefinish, and sophomore Nate Addessi was next at28th (19th in the team scoring).

Yellows Springs senior Samuel Borchers was theindividual champion, finishing in 15:50. He finishedtwo seconds ahead of East Canton senior NicholasDysle.

Girls Cross CountryDivision I: Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy ended

top-ranked Bowling Green’s run of three straightstate titles when it had 116 points to defeat theBobcats, who were second with 128. Senior LizCoorey led the Bulldogs with a 28th-place finish(12th in the team scoring), while the school’s otherfour runners also placed in the top 50 in the teamscoring. The title was the first for the Bulldogs.

West Chester Lakota West senior AmandaBurger was the individual winner with a time of17:46. She edged defending champion BrooklyneRidder, a sophomore from Cincinnati Oak Hills, whofinished in 17:58.Division II: Top-ranked Salem defended its state

championship and won its second title overall whenit had 70 points to edge Kettering Archbishop Alter,which had 73. Senior Erin Murphy led the Quakerswith a 16thplace finish (seventh in the team scor-ing), and Salem’s other four runners also placed inthe top 25 in the team scoring. Alter finished sec-ond for the second straight year.

Cleveland Heights Beaumont junior Emily Infeld,third as a freshman and second last year, was theindividual titlist when she finished in 17:40. MantuaCrestwood senior Cassandra Schenck was secondin 17:52.Division III: Gates Mills Gilmour Academy

defeated two-time defending champion and top-ranked Minster to win its first state championship.Gilmour had 83 points, while Minster had 89.Freshman Rebekka Simko led the Lancers with a14th-place finish (eighth in the team scoring), andthe other four Gilmour runners also placed in thetop 22 in the team scoring.

Cardington-Lincoln senior Caitlin Thomas wasthe individual champion with a time of 18:32, edgingAnna senior Sarah Schulze, who finished in 18:34.

Boys GolfDivision I: Upper Arlington increased the its lead

in all-time state golf titles to 17 and won its firstchampionship since 1999. UA entered the finalround with a five-stroke lead over defending cham-pion Dublin Jerome and both teams shot 316 onSaturday, leaving Upper Arlington with a 628 total to633 for Jerome. Centerville was 18 strokes back inthe 12-team tournament.

Senior Bo Hoag’s 153 total not only paced UpperArlington but also gave him medalist honors. He fol-lowed up Friday’s 76 with a six-over 77 Saturday.Classmate Tanner Murphy had a 156 to place thirdin the medalist race, while sophomore Jason Lantzhad a 159 and freshman Colin Allen a 160.Sophomore Aaron Siekman had a 155 (second inthe medalist race), junior Kurt Harris a 157 and sen-ior Michael Kress a 159 for Jerome, which also wona state title in 2004 but in Division II. Last year’smedalists, Jonathan Bowers of Columbus BishopWatterson, graduated.Division II: Hunting Valley University School won

the championship when it followed up Friday’s 343first-round with a 333 Saturday for a 676 total to fin-ish nine strokes ahead of runner-up DaytonOakwood. Defending champion Lima Bath was fifthwith a 699. It was the third state championship forthe Preppers, who won their other crowns in 1990and 2003. Senior Zach Glasman had the team’slowest score with a 162 total, while classmate BrianTighe added a 165 after shooting a team-best 78Saturday.

Canal Fulton Northwest senior Justin Lower wonmedalist honors with a 159. He followed up Friday’s80 with a 79 on Saturday. First-day leader JoeMcGeean, a senior from Springfield Northwestern,had an 85 Saturday and finished in a three-way tiefor second place with a 162. Also at 162 wasUniversity School’s Glassman and defendingmedalist Jarryd Lentz, a senior from MiddletownBishop Fenwick. Just four golfers broke 80 Fridayand four more on Saturday when conditions weresunny but cold and windy.Division III: Johnstown-Monroe won its first state

golf championship when it had a 613 total and fin-ished 18 strokes ahead of Gahanna ColumbusAcademy and Minster. The Johnnies, who enteredthe final round Saturday with an 11-stroke lead, hada final-round best 303 Saturday. Junior HeathHarvey led Johnstown-Monroe with a 148 total thatincluded a two-over par 72 Saturday. Senior Adam

YellowSpringsseniorSamBorcherswon theD-IIIcrosscountrytitle in15:50.

PhotobyGreg

Beers


State Fal l Spor ts Round-Up

Green and freshman Cody Green both added 150s.Defending champion Lima Central Catholic did notqualify for this year’s tournament.

Delphos Jefferson junior Dillon Klein, an individ-ual qualifier, won medalist honors when he hadback-to-back rounds of 72 for a 144 total. He fin-ished three strokes ahead of Mogadore sophomoreNathan Tartar and four strokes ahead ofJohnstown-Monroe’s Harvey. Last year’s medalist,Ottoville’s Nick Miller, graduated. Portsmouth Clayfreshman Josh Riddlebarger had a hole-in-one onthe 180-yard, par 3 11th hole en route to a finalround, three-over 73.

Girls GolfWest Chester Lakota West won its first state title

in the 12-team field after never placing higher thanfourth at the state tournament on three occasions.The Firebirds followed up Friday’s 318 round with a317 Saturday to record a 635 total, leaving them 38strokes ahead of runner-up Copley (673). The victo-ry margin was the second largest in the girls statetournament, topped only by Dublin Coffman’s 51-stroke margin of victory in 2000.

The 635 was also just five strokes behindCoffman’s state-best 630 set in 2000. Three juniorsand a senior led Lakota West. Junior RachelNelson had a 151 total after recording a 78Saturday, classmate Marissa Steen had a 155 afteralso shooting a 78 in the final round, senior JennyLinville had a 164 and junior Lauren Ellerman had a165.

Lancaster junior Allie White, an individual qualifi-er who placed third in 2005, won medalist honorswith a 144 total. She followed up a first-round 71with a three-over 73 Saturday, and her two-roundtotal was four strokes behind the state tournamentrecord of 140 set by Toledo Notre Dame Academy’sHeather Zielinski in 1998. Cincinnati UrsulineAcademy senior Kelsey Lindenschmidt’s 149 lefther in second place for the second straight year.Lakota West’s Nelson was third.

Defending champion Dublin Jerome did not qual-ify in 2006.

VolleyballDivision I: No. 3 Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (23-

5) captured its fifth state championship when itdefeated top-ranked Cincinnati Mother of Mercy(24-5), 25-16, 25-22, 14-25, 25-15. Junior RachaelAdams had 24 kills and junior Abbie Schnicke 20digs for Mt. Notre Dame. The Cougars, who split apair of regular season matches with Mercy thisyear, won their other titles in 1995, 1998, 1999 and2000. Mercy, in the state tournament for the eighthtime, finished second for the fourth time and wasseeking its fourth state title.Semifinal Results: Cincinnati Mother of Mercy

def. Perrysburg, 25-12, 25-12, 25-15; Cincinnati Mt.Notre Dame def. Solon, 25-19-25-18, 25-17.Division II: Second-ranked Kettering Archbishop

Alter (26-3) stopped top-ranked Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit (27-2) to win its third state champi-onship, 25-21, 14-25, 28-26, 25-23. The Knightswon their other crowns in 2002 and 2003. SeniorSarah Fisher had 24 kills and classmate EmilyBorchers 17 digs to lead Alter. Walsh, whichreceived 34 kills and 19 digs from senior Katie Dull,

finished as state runner-up for the second straightyear and was seeking its first state title.Semifinal Results: Kettering Archbishop Alter

def. Millersburg West Holmes, 25-18, 25-18, 25-11;Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit def. Sunbury BigWalnut, 25-15, 24-26, 25-23, 25-10.Division III: Top-ranked Anna (30-0) defeated

defending champion and 10th-ranked ClevelandVilla Angela-St. Joseph (22-6) to win its first statechampionship, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23. VASJ haddefeated Anna in last year’s semifinals in threegames and was seeking its third title overall.

Junior Kelli Barhorst had 23 kills. Seniors RachelBilling (11 kills and 17 digs) and Lauren Fogt (15digs) also excelled. Sidney Lehman Catholic wasthe last Division III school to win a state champi-onship with an unbeaten record (also 30-0).Semifinal Results: Anna def. Albany Alexander,

18-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-19; Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph def. Huron, 25-22, 25-10, 25-22Division IV: No. 8 Norwalk St. Paul (26-3) won

its second state championship when it defeated No.3 New Knoxville (26-3), in the finals, 25-23, 25-22,22-25, 25-21. The Lady Flyers’ other title came in2002.

Junior Christine Dow had 18 kills and 17 digs,senior Kate Schafer 14 kills and 12 digs and seniorStacia Fritz 15 digs for the winners. New Knoxville,in the state tournament for the second time, had itsbest finish ever.Semifinal Results: Norwalk St. Paul def.

Frankfort Adena, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 15-9;New Knoxville def. Toledo Christian, 23-25, 25-18,25-15, 27-25.

Girls TennisDivision I Singles: Dublin Jerome sophomore

Kate Turvy took home the championship when she

defeated Lexington senior Lexi Bolesky, 6-1, 6-3.Turvy defeated Mentor senior Ashley Frey in thesemifinals, 6-0, 6-0, and Bolesky was a 6-2, 6-4winner over Canton GlenOak sophomore JasmineLee. Lee won the third-place match, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-8).Division I Doubles: Avon Lake senior Christine

Chiricosta and her freshman sister Nikki won thetitle with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Dayton Chaminade-Julienne senior Christie Pleiman and her sopho-more sister Katie. The elder Chiricosta placedfourth in singles in 2004. The Chiricosta sistersdefeated Mason junior Ashley McCall and sopho-more Emily Pham in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-3, whilethe Pleiman sisters were 6-4, 6-1 winners overDublin Jerome juniors Caroline Farrar and JessicaEasdale. Farrar and Easdale won the third-placematch, 6-3, 6-2. Defending champions MadisonWright-Piekarski, a senior, and Natalie Skocik, ajunior, were defeated in the opening round.Division II Singles: Worthington Christian fresh-

man Christiana Raymond was the champion with ahardfought 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over Richfield Reverejunior Stephanie Danesis. Raymond, who becamethe seventh freshman since 1984 to win the small-school division singles crown, was a 7-5, 6-4 semifi-nal winner over Pepper Pike Orange sophomoreSabrina Jetli. Danesis, a state doubles titlist lastyear, stopped 2005 state runner- up Gabby Steele,a sophomore from Cincinnati Summit Country Day,in the semis, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Jetli defeated Steele inthe third-place match, 6-0, 6-3.Division II Doubles: Elyria Catholic seniors

Ashley Herrick and Jacqueline Sammon, runners-up in 2005, took home the gold medal with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown juniorMorgan Dorsey and her freshman sister Cameron.Herrick and Sammon were 6-4, 6-1 semifinal win-ners over Columbus School for Girls junior AshleyStaub and sophomore Christina Danosi, while theDorseys stopped Gahanna Columbus Academy jun-ior Holly Tu and sophomore Valerie Micek in thesemifinals, 6-4, 6-2. Staub and Danosi won thethird-place match, 7-5, 7-5.

Field HockeyGahanna Columbus Academy (18-1-0), already

the all-time leader in state field hockey champi-onships, won its sixth state championship in sevenyears and eighth title overall. The Vikings stoppeddefending champion Columbus Bishop Watterson inthe finals, 4-0, after recording an identical 4-0 winover Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown in the semifi-nals.

Sophomore attacker Layne Averill had two goalsand an assist and senior atttacker Jenny Butt hadtwo goals in the championship game.

In the semifinals, sophomore attacker Alli Dillonhad two goals and an assist, Averill a goal and anassist and freshman attacker Caroline Casey agoal. The Vikings posted shutouts in 17 of their 19contests this season, including all five tournamentmatches, and outscored their five tournament foes24-0.

Watterson, which defeated Cincinnati Mt. NotreDame in the semifinals 2-0, finished as runners-upfor the third time and was seeking its third statetitle.— OH

SpringfieldNorthwesternsenior JoeMcGeeanfinished in athree-way tiefor secondin D-II.

Photo by John Ritter (jrsportsphotos.com)


Ohio High Cup Update STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

or the fourth year in a row, Ohio High will present theOhio High Cup to the school that scores the mostpoints in Ohio High School Athletic Association-sanc-tioned state championship events.

This competition is patterned after the Directors’ Cup stand-ings for colleges and universities. In the Ohio High Cup com-petition, schools accumulate points by finishing in the top fourat OHSAA-sanctioned state championships.Schools that win a state title are awarded five points.

Runner-up teams receive three points, third-place teams gettwo points and fourth-place teams get one point. In sportswhere state semifinal teams tie for third, they each receive 1-1/2 points.Versailles captured the first Ohio High Cup in 2003-04. In

2004-05, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit claimed the cup. Thispast year, Cincinnati St. Xavier won the Ohio High Cup com-petition.In this issue, we tabulate the standings after the fall sports

season. That season saw points awarded for finishes in foot-ball, boys and girls cross country, field hockey, boys and girlsgolf, boys and girls soccer and girls volleyball.Through the fall season, this looks like a two-school race

with Kettering Alter holding a narrow one-point lead overCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit. Alter had three state runner-upfinishes and a volleyball title to its credit, while Walsh Jesuitwon a pair of soccer state titles and finished as the volleyballrunner-up to Alter in Division II.

F

Phot

osby

Nick

Falze

rano


Ohio High Cup Update

Ohio High Cup StandingsHere is a complete look at the first

Ohio High Cup standings for 2006-07:

14 -- Kettering Alter (girls Division IIcross country runner-up, D-III footballrunner-up, boys D-II soccer runner-up,D-II volleyball champions).13 -- Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit

(boys D-II soccer champions, girls D-Isoccer champions, D-II volleyball run-ner-up).7 -- Gahanna Columbus Academy

(field hockey champions, boys D-IIIgolf third).6-1/2 -- Norwalk St. Paul (D-VI foot-

ball semifinalist, D-IV volleyball cham-pions).6 -- Bexley (boys D-II golf third, boys

D-II soccer semifinalist, girls D-II soc-cer semifinalist), Cincinnati MountNotre Dame (field hockey semifinalist,D-I volleyball champions), Minster (girlsD-III cross country runner-up, boys D-III golf runner-up).5 – Anna (D-III volleyball champi-

ons), Cincinnati LaSalle (boys D-Icross country champions), CincinnatiSt. Ursula Academy (girls D-I crosscountry champions), Gates MillsGilmour Academy (girls D-III crosscountry champions), Hilliard Davidson(D-I football champions), HuntingValley University School (boys D-II golfchampions), Johnstown-Monroe (boysD-III golf champions), Louisville St.Thomas Aquinas (boys D-III crosscountry champions), Maria SteinMarion Local (D-VI football champi-ons), Parma Heights Holy Name (girlsD-II champions), Peninsula Woodridge(boys D-II cross country champions),Piqua (D-II football champions), Salem(girls D-II cross country champions),Steubenville (D-III football champions),St. Henry (D-V football champions),Stow Munroe Falls (boys D-I soccerchampions), Upper Arlington (boys D-Igolf champions), West Chester LakotaWest (girls golf champions),Worthington Christian (boys D-III soc-cer champions), Youngstown Mooney

(D-IV football champions),4-1/2 -- Columbus Bishop Watterson

(field hockey runner-up, girls golf tiedfor third), Findlay Liberty Benton (girlsD-III cross country third, D-V footballsemifinalist, boys D-III golf fourth).3 – Bowling Green (girls D-I cross

country runner-up), Canal Winchester(boys D-II cross country runner-up),Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (D-I volley-ball runner-up), Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (D-III volleyball runner-up),Copley (girls golf runner-up), Dayton

Oakwood (boys D-II golf runner-up),Dublin Coffman (girls D-I soccer run-ner-up), Dublin Jermore (boys D-I golfrunner-up), East Canton (boys D-IIIcross country runner-up), Fairfield(boys D-I soccer runner-up), HamiltonBadin (girls D-II soccer runner-up),Mentor (D-I football runner-up), NewKnoxville (D-IV volleyball runner-up),Pickerington Central (D-II football run-ner-up), Plain City Jonathan Alder (D-IV football runner-up), Shadyside (D-VIfootball runner-up), Toledo St. John’sJesuit (boys D-I cross country runner-up), Warren JFK (D-V football runner-up), Wickliffe (boys D-III soccer runner-up).2 – Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (boys

D-II cross country third), Aurora (D-IIICanton GlenOak (girls D-I cross coun-try third), Centerville (boys D-I golfthird), Hudson (boys D-I cross countrythird), McDonald (boys D-III crosscountry third), Wauseon (girls D-IIcross country third),1-1/2 – Akron Hoban (girls D-II soc-

cer semifinalist), Albany Alexander (D-III volleyball semifinalist), Amanda-Clearcreek (D-V football semifinalist),Aurora (D-III football semifinalist), BayVillage Bay (boys D-II soccer semifinal-ist), Bellaire (D-IV football semifinalist),Canton McKinley (D-I football semifi-nalist), Cincinnati Colerain (D-I footballsemifinalist), Cincinnati Madeira (boysD-III soccer semifinalist), CincinnatiSycamore (girls D-I soccer semifinal-ist), Cincinnati Turpin (D-II footballsemifinalist), Fairfield (boys D-I soccersemifinalist), Frankfort Adena (D-IV vol-leyball semifinalist), Huron (D-III volley-ball semifinalist), Kettering Fairmont(boys D-I soccer semifinalist), KidronCentral Christian (boys D-III soccersemifinalist), Macedonia Nordonia (D-IIfootball semifinalist), Massillon Perry(girls golf tied for third), MillersburgWest Holmes (D-II volleyball semifinal-ist), Mogadore (D-VI football semifinal-ist), New Albany (D-III football semifi-nalist), North Royalton (girls D-I soccersemifinalist), Oak Harbor (D-IV footballsemifinalist), Perrysburg (D-I volleyballsemifinalist), Shaker Heights HathawayBrown (field hockey semifinalist), Solon(D-I volleyball semifinalist), SunburyBig Walnut (D-II volleyball semifinalist),Toledo Christian (D-IV volleyball semifi-nalist).1 – Aurora (boys D-II cross country

fourth), Cortland Maplewood (boys D-III cross country fourth), Lakewood St.Edward (boys D-I golf fourth), Medina(boys D-I cross country fourth), PepperPike Orange (boys D-II golf fourth),Rocky River (girls D-II cross countryfourth), Rocky River Magnificat (girlsD-I cross country fourth), Versailles(girls D-III cross country fourth).

OOHHSSAAAA WWiinntteerr CChhaammppiioonnsshhiippss

* BBooyyss aanndd GGiirrllss SSwwiimmmmiinngg – Feb.22-24, Branin Natatorium, Canton.* WWrreessttlliinngg – March 1-3, Value CityArena, Ohio State University.* GGyymmnnaassttiiccss – March 2-3, HilliardDavidson High School.* IIccee HHoocckkeeyy – March 10-11,Nationwide Arena, Columbus.* GGiirrllss BBaasskkeettbbaallll – March 15-17,Value City Arena, Ohio StateUniversity.* BBooyyss BBaasskkeettbbaallll – March 22-24,Value City Arena, Ohio StateUniversity.


Footbal l P layof f Round-Up STORY BY MATT NATAL I

St. Henry beat Warren JFK,28-7, in the Division V statechampionship at CantonFawcett Stadium. The title wasthe Redskins sixth, tying themwith fellow-MAC memberVersailles for the most statetitles by a public school. Here,Josh Werling carries the ballfor St. Henry.

MAC Attack



Footbal l P layof f Round-Up

Pair of thrillers highlights OHSAAstate football playoffs



Hilliard Davidson claimed its first footballstate championship in school history with athrilling 36-35 double-overtime victory overMentor Dec. 3 at Canton’s FawcettStadium in front of 12,629 fans. In a game that featured two contrasting

styles of offense, Davidson’s option attackprevailed behind senior running back BoDelande, who collected 236 yards on 47carries and a Division I state championshipgame record 5 TDs.The game was knotted at 21 at the end

of regulation and Davidson started with theball in the first overtime. Facing a fourth-and-one situation on the drive, Davidsonput the ball in Delande’s hands and he con-verted. On the next play, Delande marched into

the end zone and the Colby Catlett pointafter put Davidson up 28-21.Mentor took over and all-state junior QB

Bart Tanski connected with Steve Orkis fora 16-yard TD strike on the second play of

the series.The Kevin Harper point after tied the

game at 28 to send it to double-overtime.Mentor had the ball first in the second

overtime and scored in three plays, cappedoff by a 1-yard Bill Deitman run. The PAT put Mentor up 35-28.Davidson took over and faced a third-

and-two on the possession. Delande con-verted but on the next play he fumbled.Mentor’s Danny Kelly fell on the ball but itsquirted out from underneath him and

Davidson offensive lineman Mike Saulrecovered the fumble.On the next play, Delande took it in from

three yards to put the Wildcats within onepoint.Davidson then took a timeout before

sending Catlett on the field for the pointafter. The Wildcats called another timeoutand sent the offense on the field to attemptthe 2-point conversion to win the game.Fittingly, Davidson called on Delande and

he marched into the end zone virtuallyuntouched to seal the state championshipwin.It was a risky play call that could have

lost the game for Davidson but head coachBrian White never second guessed hisdecision.“There was never a doubt in my mind,”

he said. “I told the coaches earlier that wewere going for two. I didn’t want to go for itin the first overtime when we had to be onoffense first because that would give thema chance if we didn’t make either to justkick or if we did make it, it would give thema chance to go for two and tie us. “I felt like if we would be fortunate

enough to score and have the ball secondin the second overtime, I had alreadydecided we were going for two. That wasn’tthe tough part, the tough part was decidingwhat play we wanted to run.“We decided to put the ball in our play-

maker’s hands and run it on the left side.” Delande, whose 5 TDs tie the record for

most by a player in a state championshipgame in any division, was nearly speech-less following the shocking win.“It feels awesome,” he said. “I can’t even

explain it right now. It is a kind of like a bigdream.”White acknowledged the Delande fumble

and Saul recovery in the second overtimethat nearly lost the game for Davidson.“When I saw it come out I didn’t think

there was any way we were going to get itback,” he said. “And the thought that wentthrough my mind had nothing to do with notwinning. The thought that went through mymind was I’d hate to have Bo live with thatwith all the great things he’s done over thelast couple years.”Obviously, Mentor was in just as much

shock after the game as Davidson. “We knew they were going to go for two.

We thought they were going to go for two(in the first overtime). When you chew upthree yards at a time, it wasn’t a real harddecision for them,” said Mentor head coachSteve Trivisonno.

Helmet images courtesy of Ohio High School Helmet Project

Division I State Championship

35 36Hilliard Davidson edgesMentor for D-I title in double-overtime thriller

Davidsonsenior BoDelandescored fiveTDs as theWildcatswon thierfirst D-I state


hen the dust settled on the 2006 OHSAA state footballchampionships in Stark County, there was one repeatchampion and two new champions among the six divi-sional championship games played.Two of the six title games were also decided by just one

point as Hilliard Davidson nipped Mentor 36-35 in double over-time in Division I and Steubenville stopped Kettering Alter 34-33in Division III. Davidson won its first state title, while Steubenvilleclaimed its second straight title and ran its winning streak to 30consecutive games.Piqua was a first time champion in Division II, while

Youngstown Mooney (Division IV), St. Henry (D-V) and Maria SteinMarion Local (D-VI) all added to their rich traditions as statechampions.Below is a division-by-division look at the 2006 OHSAA state

W



“We knew what we were getting into andwe had what we wanted (defensively).They made a nice pitch and a nice run. Wedidn’t need a timeout. We already had twoand discussed it both times and we wereready.”Tanksi set a Division I championship

game record for completions going 24-of-31 for 327 yards and 4 TDs in the Mentorspread offense.“We knew two years ago when Bart was

a freshman that he was special,” Trivisonnoadded. “He has that ability to see thingsand he has a very good arm. He might notbe a flying runner, but he is very elusiveand he does things well.” But Tanski would obviously trade his

record setting performance for a state title.“It is tough because we worked that hard

and we came up one point short. It’s atough loss,” he said.With two contrasting yet potent styles of

offenses going head to head, both coachesknew the match up had the potential to bea high scoring affair with how well eachteam executes when they have the ball.“We knew each team was going to come

out and score a lot and whoever had thatball last was going to win and that’s prettymuch the way we thought it would end up,”Trivisonno said.“They run (the option) so well and it’s

something we don’t see. We have probablynever seen this kind of offense. When yousee the ‘I’ and you see the ‘I’ often, you getused to playing it a little bit more. “They do it well. They’ll get into fourth

down and go for it and when you have theability to get three (yards) at a time, threetimes four is 12 and it makes it tough (todefend). But we did what we needed to doand we bent at times but we didn’t break.”“I think their offense is pretty dynamic,”

White said of Mentor. “I don’t know if I would say I envisioned

anything because I could have never visu-alized a game as good as that was. I washoping we would be able to move the ballon offense and I was hoping that our stylewas going to win out over their style. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit sur-

prised at the way we were able to movethe ball,” he added. “They had given up some yards running

this year but most of the time it was againsta balanced offense. I was expecting it to bea little more difficult for us. I’m not sayingthat it wasn’t difficult but obviously that iswhere the offensive line shows though.”The 746 combined yards of offense

between Davidson and Mentor set thestate championship game record for mostyards regardless of Division.Davidson had 354 total rushing yards

between Delande, Clay Trubiano (61),Connor Dietz (45) and Tyler Young (3).Mentor’s Brandon James had 172 receiv-

ing yards on 11 catches and a TD, TylerSchutz reeled in seven catches for 77yards and a TD, Mike Popelas had 59yards with four catches and Orkis’ onlyreception was the 16-yard TD strike.The Cardinals tallied 55 yards rushing,

led by Bill Deitman with 31 yards on 10 car-ries and a TD.The 71 combined points set the Division I

scoring record in a title game and was onepoint shy of the most in any division. It wasalso the first time a Division I championshipwent into overtime.It was the first trip to the state champi-

onship game for both Davidson (15-0) andMentor (13-2).State semifinals results: Hilliard Davidson 10, Colerain 6Mentor 18, Canton McKinley 13

Behind 2006 Mr. Football award winnerand Ohio High magazine Player of the YearBrandon Saine, Piqua claimed its first statechampionship with a 26-7 win overPickerington Central at Massillon’s PaulBrown Stadium on Dec. 2.Saine, who will play his college ball at

Ohio State, tallied 241 yards rushing on 30carries and scored 3 TDs. His three scores came on runs of 80, 52

and 29 yards all in the first half.“One of the things we wanted to do is try

and get as many shoulder pads on (Saine)as possible,” said Pickerington Centralhead coach Jay Sharrett. “But he carriesabout 30-35 pounds of extra muscle mass.Even when I thought we stuck him prettygood at the line of scrimmage he was still

leaning forward and getting two-and-a-half,three yards on us.“He is just a tough guy to tackle and that

is why he is Mr. Football.”Pickerington Central (13-2) faced two

tough backs in the state tournament butwas able to contain Macedonia Nordonia’sJordan Mabin in the state semifinals in a 7-3 win.Mabin, a Northwestern recruit, is widely

considered the runner-up in this year’s Mr.Football award.“Saine is a powerful runner,” said

Pickerington Central senior DB BrianPeters. “It took more than one person to

bring him down. He is a player. You have totip your hat to him. He is a hell of a player.Mabin is a little more shifty, but he’s Mr.Football and that says it all.”Pickerington Central, which was making

its first appearance in a championshipgame, started the game with the ball andmarched 61 yards on seven plays to openup the scoring with a 7-yard TD run by J.D.Cecil.That would be the only scoring

Pickerington Central would do on the night.In the waning moments of the first quar-

ter, Saine had his first score on the firstplay of the possession sprinting 80 yards topay dirt. The Wes Reed point after knotted the

score at 7-7.

Division II State Championship

26 7Saine powers Piqua to D-II

championship with 26-7 winover Pickerington Central

Piqua quarterback Justin Hemmcame up big during the Indianspush to their first state title

Phot

o by

Nick

Falz

eran

o



Steubenville defended its Division IIIstate title Dec. 3 with a wild 34-33 win overKettering Alter at Massillon’s Paul BrownStadium capping off a perfect 15-0 seasonand extending its winning streak to 30games.The Big Red was led by two-year starter

Zach Collaros at QB with 254 yards pass-ing, completing 10-of-16 attempts, tossing3 TD strikes and running for two more. The senior signal caller has started every

game of the two-year winning streak.“My two years have been great but it is

not just me, it is the whole team as far asgoing 30-0. I couldn’t have done it withoutthem and they couldn’t have done it with-out me,” Collaros said after the game.The title is Steubenville’s third in school

history (2006, 2005 and 1984).“These kids played with a target on their

chest the entire year since Dec. 3 of lastyear,” said Steubenville head coach RenoSaccoccia. “They took on all-comers thattook their best shot and we gave them ourbest shot and we were fortunate enough tocome out on the high scoring end 15times.”The game was a tale of two halves as

Steubenville jumped out to an early 14-0lead in the first quarter.Maurice Bougard caught an 8-yard TD

pass from Collaros early in the quarter toopen up the scoring. The drive lasted sixplays and spanned 70 yards.Two minutes later, Collaros connected

with Anthony Gossett on a 20-yard TDstrike after only two plays.Following a Steubenville turnover, Alter

settled in and narrowed the Steubenvillelead to 14-7 following a 3-play, 13-yarddrive capped off by a 1-yard TD run by QBSteve O’Donnell.Steubenville went up again two minutes

later on a 3-yard Collaros TD run followinga 5-play, 69-yard drive to put the Big Redup 21-7. Early in the second quarter, Collaros

connected with Steve Davis for a 69-yardTD putting Steubenville up 27-7 with thefailed point after.Alter answered after another take away

as O’Donnell hit Michael Shaw for a 50-yard TD on his only catch of the game. The Paul Sobecki point after failed with a

bad snap and Alter trailed 27-13.Steubenville wasn’t done scoring in the

first half adding another TD after a 9-play,74-yard drive ending with a Collaros 1-yardTD run. It appeared as though he fumbledthe ball on the carry but the officials ruledthat the ball had crossed the plane beforehe lost the handle.The point after failed and Steubenville

went up 34-13.Late in the second quarter, Alter’s Alex

Place picked off Collaros on their own 44-yard-line and returned it 52 yards to theSteubenville 4. Two plays later, Alter againnarrowed the lead on a 3-yard Chris RoarkTD and the point after put the Knights with-in 2 TDs going into the half.“I don’t think we played real well in the

first half,” said Alter head coach EdDomsitz. “We came back in the first half,though. We were in it at the end of the firsthalf because the defense made some bigplays and the offense really took advan-tage of that.”

Division III State Championship

34 33Steubenville defends D-III titlewith wild 34-33 win over

Kettering Alter

Steubenville’s defense rose tothe occasion when it matteredmost, blocking two PATs.


On fourth-and-five midway through thesecond quarter, Saine struck again tak-ing a fake punt 52 yards to the endzone. With the failed extra point, Piquawas up 13-7.With 1:32 left in the half, Saine pol-

ished off a 6-play, 49-yard scoring drivewith a 29-yard march into the end zone. The two-point conversion failed and

Piqua went into the half up 19-7.In the first half alone, Saine rushed for

195 yards on 14 carries.“After the first series, I thought our

defense adjusted pretty well and did anice job of being able to get out andmake some open field tackles,” saidhead coach Bill Nees. “Offensively, we moved the ball

enough to keep them off the field. I wishwe could have moved the ball a little bitmore, but I thought we did a nice job ofbeing able to get some key first downswhen we needed it.”Piqua added a score with 5:15 left in

the game when a pass fromPickerington Central QB ChazzAnderson intended for Jordan Jerrellwas tipped and DL Jafe Pitcock picked itoff and took it 8 yards for the score. The point after gave Piqua the 26-7

lead and the Division II state title.“It’s everything I could ask for and

dream for,” said Saine. “It is everything I have ever wanted

since I was a little kid and I am justamazed right now. “I didn’t feel any pressure. I just want-

ed to come out and play my final gameat Piqua High School and play my heartout.”Piqua outgained Pickerington Central

246-112 in total offensive yards.Jarrell had 94 yards on the ground on

20 carries, and Anderson was 5-of-17passing for 55 yards while adding 35yards on the ground.Piqua finished state runners-up in

2000 (lost 21-0 to Olmstead Falls).Saine was one TD shy of tying the

Division II state championship gamerecord (Javon Ringer, Chaminade-Julienne). Saine’s 226 yards was 25 shyof Ringer’s record (251) as well.His 80-yard TD run tied the Division II

championship game record for thelongest TD run from scrimmage (JohnnyMundy, Akron Buchtel).State semifinals results: Piqua 22, Cincinnati Turpin 9Pick. Central 7, Macedonia Nordonia 3



All things considered, Domsitz felt confi-dent going into the half only down 14 andstarting the second half with the ball.“We tried to sell the kids on that and the

fact that this is not the way we want to goout,” he said. “The way Steubenville wasmoving the ball in the first half, they couldhave scored 60 points. That is not indica-tive of the type of defense we have playedall year. The kids came out in the secondhalf and they were much more like thedefense we’ve seen the last 14 weeks.”Alter scored on the first drive of the sec-

ond half on a 42-yard TD run by Shaw. Thedrive lasted four plays and spanned 76

yards.Steubenville was forced to punt on the

next possession and the momentum shift-ed as Alter’s defense came out swingingnot allowing Steubenville past midfield at allin the second half.“We came back out in the second half

and it was an entirely different story. I thinkwe played some great defense once again.The offense did a nice job and we wereable to establish some power inside,”Domsitz said. “I was gratifying to see ourkids come back and play the kind of foot-ball we felt we could play in this ball game.I would have been disappointed had the

game gone the way the entire first halfwent.”Alter cut the lead early in the fourth quar-

ter on a 4-yard Chris Roark TD run. Trailing by one point, the Sobecki point

after was blocked and Alter trailed 34-33with nine minutes left in the game.“The little things are the greatest things

and everyone thought it was automatic andkicks aren’t automatic in high school,” saidSaccoccia. Alter threatened late in the game but with

two minutes left the Knights ran an end-around pass play that was picked off bySteubenville’s Steve Davis sealing the title



win for the Big Red.“Our hats off to them,” Saccoccia said.

“We won that game without scoring anypoints in the second half. Once momentumfinds your sideline, he is a good friend andonce he finds the other sideline, he is hardto get back over to your sideline. “I don’t think anything great comes with-

out adversity and hard work. So, we hadsome adverse conditions we really had towork through and I think that will make usappreciate this state championship in thelong run a lot more.”Both teams combined for 617 yards of

total offense (Steubenville 351, Alter 266)and the 10 TDs scored broke the previousrecord of nine in the Division III title game. Both teams were also perfect in the red

zone going a combined 7-7 (Steubenville 4-4, Alter 3-3).Davis had 147 yard receiving on four

catches for Steubenville while Bougardmatched that catch total for 81 yards.Gossett had 20 yards receiving on his onlycatch for the TD in the first quarter.Collaros was perfect in the first quarter

completing all six of his attempts for 163yards.Alter had four players combine for 211

yards rushing between Roark (90), Shaw(57), O’Donnell (45) and Corey Roark (19).“I already felt these kids had tremendous

heart, tremendous work ethic and theyplayed so well together as a team all year.They love to play football and that is theway it appeared in the second half,” saidDomsitz. “I wasn’t surprised the way wecame out in the second half. I thought wecould move the ball on Steubenville and Ithought we could play some pretty gooddefense on them. Big plays hurt us early.There is no question.”Prior to the game, Saccoccia was pre-

sented with the Ohio High magazine foot-ball Coach of the Year award.“When you get a state championship it

doesn’t necessarily mean you have thebest athletes in the state but you have thebest team in the state,” he said. “Alter hada very good team and we have a verygood team. And teams are not going toquit. “Every kid that plays for us plays hard,

gives all he has to give and the thing thatmakes this team stand out to me is theyplayed with a target on their chest for 15weeks. We bought practice jerseys with tar-gets on them because I thought it wasgoing to be that tough.”Alter (14-1) boasted its first undefeated

regular season in school history this yearand it was the first trip to the title game forthe Knights.In Alter’s playoff run, The Knights had

allowed only seven points in four gamesbefore the state championship.State semifinals results: Steubenville 48, Aurora 13

Kettering Alter 31, New Albany 7Youngstown Cardinal Mooney claimed its

sixth state title in school history and secondin three years as the Cardinals toppedPlain City Jonathan Alder 26-12 atMassillon’s Paul Brown Stadium Dec. 2.Mooney (14-0) trailed 12-7 at the half but

tightened up defensively and controlled theball offensively in the second half to claimthe championship.

“We just settled in,” said head coach P.J.Fecko. “Really, in the first half, defensively,we played solid. We just gave up a lot offield position by a lack of offense. I think,defensively, we were playing solidly all theway around. We missed some tackles hereand there but scheme-wise, we were OK. “Offensively, we had to make some

adjustments. We had to go to a few differ-ent schemes and a few different sets andformations to take advantage of what theywere doing. Fortunately enough we wereable to do that.” Junior QB Dan McCarthy led Mooney

with 165 yards rushing on 22 carries and aTD. Junior RB Brandon Beachum added62 yards and a TD. Junior RB/LB MichaelZordich had 34 yards on 10 carries and 2TDs.“It was certainly a thrill to be here. I hope

our players appreciate the tremendousatmosphere and the tremendous opportuni-ty to get to this point,” said Alder headcoach Steve Coate. “We would have liked to execute just a

little bit better. (We had) too many mistakesagainst a very good team.”Mooney forced four turnovers in the

game, held the edge in time of possession28:12-19:48 and outgained Alder 319-200in total yards of offense.“They have a great combination of great

skill and an aggressive defense,” saidCoate. “The combination of the great run-ning backs and great quarterback makesthem a little more dangerous than some ofthe other teams we have faced.” Zordich scored the first TD of the game

on an 11-yard run capping off a 3-play drivefollowing a 34-yard Beachum interceptionreturn deep into Alder territory.Alder answered in the second quarter

after a 54-yard punt return buy ChrisPollock gave the Pioneers good field posi-tion at the Mooney 23-yard line. RB LukeBates finished off the 6-play drive with a 1-yard TD run. The point after attempt was blocked by

Mooney’s Dom Scarnecchia to preservethe 7-6 lead.Later in the quarter, Alder took the lead

with a 10-play, 39-yard drive topped off bya 1-yard Bates TD run. The Pioneers elect-ed to go for two but the conversion failedand Alder went into the locker room at thehalf up 12-7.Mooney started with the ball in second

half and marched 66-yards in 10 plays toscore the go-ahead TD on a McCarthy 1-yard scoring run. McCarthy had 62 yards

Division IV State Championship

26 12Mooney claims D-IV title with 26-12 win over Jonathan Alder

Mooney junior DanMcCarthy rushedfor 165 yards and aTD in the CardinalsD-III victory. Ph

oto

by G

ary H

ouste

au



Mooney led 13-12 after the failed 2-pointconversion.On the last play of the third quarter,

Zordich forced a Bates fumble on the Alder8-yard line and McCarthy recovered.Zordich took the ball 8 yards to pay dirt

on the first play of the fourth quarter andthe Mark Babyak point after put theCardinals up 20-12.Following a Beachum interception deep

in Alder territory, Mooney orchestrated a15-play, 88-yard scoring drive that ateseven minutes off the clock in the finalquarter.Fittingly, Beachum had the final score on

a 2-yard run. The point after failed, but the 26-12 score

was enough for Mooney to claim the 2006Division IV title.“Congratulations to Alder for an outstand-

ing season,” Fecko said after the game.“They played well all year and through theplayoffs. They just kept plugging along andcame up with some great wins playing real-ly great football. Unfortunately for them,they fell a little bit short.“But we were in that situation last year

and, let me tell you, it’s a better to situationto be in what we’re in now. We’re excited tobe here and it is through a lot of hard workand dedication from these guys around meand everybody else in that locker room.”Mooney fell to Coldwater 33-9 last sea-

son in the title game.In the 2004 title game, McCarthy’s older

brother Kyle led Mooney to the state cham-pionship at QB as well. Kyle is now playingat Notre Dame.“He has been a great mentor to me and

he has taught me a lot,” said Dan of hisolder brother. “But I am so proud of ourteam right now and it is a perfect ending toa perfect season.” Bates finished the game with 73 yards on

19 carries and 2 TDs for Alder. QB AustinSchlosser was 8-of-25 passing for 91 yardsand 2 INTs.This was the first trip to the state tourna-

ment for Alder and the Pioneers finished13-2.Weather conditions for the game were

poor with periodic heavy rain and strong,gusty winds. With the added chill in the air,the traditional Gatorade bath was bitter-sweet for Fecko.“It literally took my breath away,” he said.

“I was not expecting that. It took me by sur-prise and with that wind whipping through itmade those ceremonies out there a littlechilly.”

This is the first undefeated season forMooney since 1980 and the most wins fora Mooney team in any single season.The 2006 Division IV state title game tied

a championship game record for 1-yard TDruns with four.State semifinals results: Cardinal Mooney 49, Bellaire 7

Jonathan Alder 24. Oak Harbor 7The Midwest Athletic Conference contin-

ued its dominance in the small school divi-sions as St. Henry claimed the Division Vstate title with a 28-7 win over previouslyundefeated Warren JFK at Canton’sFawcett Stadium Dec. 3.It was the sixth state championship in St.

Henry (14-1) school history and the secondin three seasons. It is also the second state

title for the MAC in this year’s state tourna-ment following Maria Stein Marion Local’sDivision VI title win Friday, Dec. 2.St. Henry, which won back-to-back titles

in 1994 and 1995 as well as titles in 1992and 1990, was led by senior RB/LB AndyPuthoff with 209 yards rushing on 37 car-ries and 3 TDs. Puthoff credited his successful day to the

players that opened the holes for him.“Our offensive line has been doing a

great job all year,” he said. “They know thatas long as they get hats on people and runthrough arm tackles we’ll be successful.Coach (Jeff Starkey) preached that allweek. In the fourth quarter, we just keptpounding and pounding and the offensiveline did a good job.”Warren JFK (14-1) hadn’t allowed more

than 14 points in any game this season,had posted four shutouts and was allowingonly seven points per game prior to thechampionship.“We wanted to establish a game plan

that was going to be a physical offensivegame plan running the football,” saidStarkey. “In the first half we really createdgood field position for our offense. We did-n’t necessarily capitalize on enough ofthose opportunities, but in the second half,our seniors stepped up and they were notgoing to be denied in the second half.”Warren JFK QB J.J. Townsend, who was

named Division V offensive player of theyear, was 13-of-31 passing in the game for108 yards but the St. Henry defense gotgood pressure on him and shut down therunning game holding JFK to just 68 yardson the ground. Townsend also threw 2 INTs.“Every sportscaster or T.V. guy will say,

‘What does it take to win football games?’My answer to that is you have to be able tocontrol the lines of scrimmage on bothsides and today, unfortunately for us, wedidn’t do that on either side of the ball.They beat us up pretty good as is evi-denced by the fact we lost 28-7,” said JFKhead coach Tony Napolet.Puthoff’s scores came in the first, second

and fourth quarters on 2-yard, 1-yard and7-yard runs, respectively.St. Henry QB Doug Griesdorn connected

with Zach Thobe on a 31-yard TD strikehalfway through the third quarter.JFK’s only score came in the closing

moments of the third quarter on a 12-yardJared Province run. JFK last won a state title in 1991 and this

is the third runner-up finish for the Eagles.

Division V State Championship

7 28St. Henry tops Warren JFK 28-7, claims sixth state

championship

St. Henry senior Andy Puthoffmotored for 209 yards andthree TDs in the D-V title game.

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Maria Stein Marion Local took advan-tage of a strong third quarter to shut outShadyside 17-0 and claim the 2006Division VI state championship at Canton’sFawcett Stadium Dec. 2.This season’s title marks the third in

Marion Local school history and the firstsince 2001. The Flyers finished state run-ners-up in 2003.“It was a hard-fought game,” said Marion

Local head coach Tim Goodwin. “I thoughtthe first quarter we had a couple chancesthere to take advantage of field positionbut we didn’t. That was a little bit disap-pointing. “Shadyside played great defense. I was

a little bit surprised that we couldn’t estab-lish a better running game to be honest.That is a credit to their kids and theircoaching staff. They did a pretty good jobat guessing out there.” Marion Local played near mistake-free

football with only three penalties for 15yards and no turnovers for the third con-secutive week. “With the type of defense we are capa-

ble of playing, if we don’t turn the ball over,the other team is going to have a hard timesustaining much against us,” Goodwinsaid. The Flyers scored 14 points in the third

quarter after a scoreless first half whichnetted a total of 93 offensive yardsbetween both teams. Junior RB Luke Homan scored at the

5:43 mark in the third on a 2-yard run cap-ping off a 13-play, 65-yard drive thatchewed up 6:17 off the clock.

After both teams traded possessions,Marion Local took over on its own 42-yardline and ran a play action pass that result-ed in a 58-yard scoring strike to DanMoeller on the first play of the possession.The point after put Marion Local up 14-0

late in the third.“That really took the wind out of their

sails there,” said Goodwin.A 23-yard Dan Fortkamp field goal mid-

way through the fourth quarter to putMarion Local up 17-0 was the final dagger.“We dug ourselves a hole in the first half

there,” said Shadyside head coach TyFleming. “But the kids were able to perse-vere and keep them out of the end zone.We felt coming out in the third quarter thatwe wanted to go into the wind so that wecould have the wind in the fourth quarter atour backs but it didn’t make much of a dif-ference. “Marion Local came out and controlled

the line of scrimmage there in the thirdquarter. They took the ball right down thefield and their (defense) stepped up andtook us out. Tim (Goodwin) called a goodplay-action pass and they went up 14. Wejust couldn’t move the ball to keep ourdefense off the field.”Marion Local RB Ben Schaefer led all

stat-getters with 100 yards rushing on 22carries. Schaefer stepped into the role as aback up this week after starter Marc Otte

injured his knee in the state semifinalsagainst Norwalk St. Paul.Otte had three carries for six yards early

in the game.“That was a good job by Ben stepping in

with only a week’s notice,” said Otte. “Hedid a great job.”Schaefer had not practiced on offense in

four weeks according to Goodwin.Homan finished the game with 34 yards

on nine carries and the score. QB Chris Stucks was only 2-of-6 pass-

ing but had 61 yards that included the longTD pass to Moeller.Shadyside fielded nine players that

played both ways and it was apparent bothphysical and mental fatigue was taking itstoll in the third quarter.Marion Local held Shadyside’s leading

rusher Taylor Jovicic to only 36 yards on14 carries. QB Billy Merryman was 7-of-20 passing

for 38 yards.In the previous four playoff games,

Shadyside outscored its opponents 189-25before getting shutout by Marion Local. The Flyers outgained Shadyside 225-52

in total offense.Shadyside has been a state semifinalist

three times (1989, 2001, 2006) but has yetto win a title.Marion Local started the season 1-2

falling to Midwest Athletic Conference foesColdwater and St. Henry before winning12 consecutive games.“In the MAC, you can’t take a week off,

just like the playoffs, because every teamis capable of beating you,” said Homan.This game marked the third shutout in

the OHSAA Division VI state championshiphistory (2000: Marion Local 54, Mogadore0; 2005: Delphos St. John’s 28,Steubenville Central Catholic 0) and the24th in all six divisions.Since its inception in 1994, the Division

VI state title has been claimed by a MACteam 9-of-13 years.This year’s state tournament marks the

second consecutive year two MAC teamshave won state championships in thesame year. Last year, Coldwater claimed the title in

Division IV and Delphos St. John’s won theDivision VI crown.In the 18 year history of the conference,

there have been 17 football state champi-onships won.State semifinals results: Marion Local 47, Norwalk St. Paul 6Shadyside 45, Mogadore 7

Division VI State Championship

0 17Maria Stein Marion Localblanks Shadyside 17-0

for D-VI title

Junior Ben Schaefer filled in forthe ailing Marc Otte and rushedfor a 100 yards in the D-VI final.


you go this long and do this well but thegreatest part of this game is there isalways another game,” Napolet said.State semifinals results: St. Henry 28, Findlay Liberty-Benton 21 Warren JFK 34, Amanda-Clearcreek 6


J JHUDDLE .COM 27JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio HighPhotos by Nick Falzerano and Gary Housteau


Footbal l P layer o f the Year STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

ith 195 yards and three touchdowns of 80, 52 and 29 yards already in therushing column by halftime of the Division II state championship game,Brandon Saine of the Piqua High School Indians showed everyone in atten-dance that night why he was chosen as the Ohio High magazine Player ofthe Year for the 2006 season.For the game, Saine rushed for 226 yards to go with his three TDs in

Piqua’s 26-7 victory over Pickerington Central. It’s was his school’s first-ever state cham-pionship.“It’s everything I could ever ask for and dream for,” said Saine when he was asked to

describe his emotions after winning the title. “It’s everything I ever wanted since I was alittle kid. I’m just amazed right now.”On the season, the Ohio State football commit amazed many people as he unofficially

rushed for 2,242 yards and reached the end zone 35 times with 31 of those scores com-ing via the ground. At 6-1, 218 pounds, Saine is not only fast but he’s also very physicalwhen he’s running with the football.This past spring, Saine claimed the Ohio High magazine boys track athlete of the year

award after winning the 100 and 400-meter dash events at the state meet. It marked thesecond consecutive year he’s accomplished that feat. Earlier in the year, he set the staterecord in the 100 meters at 10.38 seconds.And for all of his accomplishments on the gridiron in his senior campaign, in addition to

winning the top award from Ohio High, Saine was also named as the winner of Ohio’sMr. Football award by The Associated Press the week before the championship contest.“It’s just a great way to cap off my year,” said Saine shortly after his team won the state

title game. “But it’s a team sport and to get awards individually means a lot for the teamtoo because I couldn’t have done it without them.”Saine, admittedly, never imagined that winning the state title and being recognized as

the state’s top player could actually become a reality for him and his team at the begin-ning of their season.“It’s still unreal. It’s crazy,” said Saine with a huge smile on his face. “We thought about

winning the state title. We had a picture of Massillon in the locker room and everything,but I never really thought about winning Mr. Football, though. That’s just crazy.”And after winning the Mr. Football award, Saine said that he didn’t feel any added

pressure at all to perform to a certain level in the state championship game.“I didn’t feel any pressure,” he said. “I just wanted to come out and play my final game

at Piqua High School and just play my heart out and not let outside things affect me.”With or without the state’s Mr. Football award, Saine had already lived up to the many

lofty expectations of people and fans around the state. According to Piqua head coachBill Nees, some people, when they watch him play, almost expect Saine to not be tack-led, period.

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Piqua’s Saine gets state title,player of the year honor


Footbal l P layer o f the Year

Piqua senior BrandonSaine showed the speedthat’s led to two straight100-meter state titles enroute to rushing for 195yards and three TDs byhalftime of the D-II statetitle game. He ended with226 yards.

Mr. Football


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Footbal l P layer o f the Year

“I think when you’re in a statechampionship game, obviously, wewere playing against a fine footballteam and those guys were a greatdefense,” the coach said. “Theyhad been smothering people in thefilms we had watched so I thoughtit was fantastic that he was able toget out and make some runs.”As an individual athlete, it’s safe

to say that Saine has more than afew great runs and insane accom-plishments on his resume to thispoint in his young career.“I can’t believe that I’ve done all this.

This is crazy,” said Saine who was eventhe school’s Prom King last spring. “I don’tknow how I did it.”But he’s yet to accomplish that elusive

hat-trick in track at the state meet. He’ll getanother crack at in the spring during thestate meet in Columbus.“It definitely would be nice to win all

three this year in track,” said Saine refer-ring to the 100, 200 and 400-meter events.“I want to try again this year. I’m definitelygoing to try again.”But for now he’s going to take some time

off and enjoy the fruits of his football laborbefore he gets back into the general swingof things.“Right now I just want to celebrate and

get a little bit of rest and then go fromthere,” Saine said. And now that he’s won a state champion

as a member of the Piqua football Indiansto go along with him being the two-timedefending state champion in track in the100 and 400 meters, which of those twomajor accomplishments mean more tohim?“Definitely football,” he said. “It’s my

favorite sport and you get to share it withall of these other people and that’s whatmakes it so much better.” And his future on the gridiron couldn’t be

any brighter. He’s clearly a pretty goodfootball player that just happens to be pret-ty good in track as well.“I’ve matured a lot,” said Saine referring

to the sport of football. “I’ve watched filmon me from before and you could tell I wasjust out there running full speed and every-thing. And now I cut better, read my blocksbetter and everything. I’ve become a betterfootball player.”Saine’s method for success in running

the football seems to be pretty simple.“I just try to look for holes and if there is

a guy there I try to make him miss and Ijust run my hardest,” Saine said. “I knowthat I’m fast so I try to use that to myadvantage and outrun people. It justcomes naturally I guess. You don’t want toget hit. I mean you want to hit them andnot get hit. But it just comes naturally.”And Saine has naturally meant so much

to the Piqua football program in general

and to Coach Nees in particular.“I think he means a lot to our program. I

think he’s given our program a high degreeof visibility,” Nees said. “We’ve been visiblebut I think he’s added on to that obviouslyand it puts us in the limelight a little bitmore. I think one of the biggest things he’sgoing to leave is going to be a legacy, fromthis point on, every time somebody playsrunning back for us, they’re going to beexpected to be the kind of person he isand be unselfish. That’s the kind of legacythat I think he leaves for us.“He’s just an overall well-rounded foot-

ball player. He’s at practice from the begin-ning to the end, he’s in the weight roomand everything, and none of this ‘I need totake a day off because I’m tired type ofstuff.’ He comes out to practice and runsscout team against our defense. That’sone of the reasons why our defense pur-sues so well, because we chase him everyWednesday, and he’s right in there witheverybody else.”And at this time he’s very much looking

forward to his future with his new team,being a member of the Ohio StateBuckeyes.“I can’t wait to watch them become

national champions and then play for thedefending national champions,” Saine said.“It’s exciting. I can’t wait and see where I fitin.”After watching his performance in the

state championship game, Saine is obvi-ously a running back by trade but somerumors have him being possibly movedoutside to a slot receiver when he gets toOhio State. Saine, however, has said thatthat particular conversation, up to now,with the Ohio State staff has not come upvery much at all.“Not yet really, they just wanted me to

focus on this year mostly,” said Saine whohimself hasn’t thought about it much any-way. “I just want to play.”His football apprenticeship at the high

school level is now over and complete.Piqua won four games in Saine’s sopho-more year, six games in his junior seasonand 13 games in his senior year. Saine said going out in his senior year

with a title means everything.“We have been playing together for so

long, we are all friends,” he said. “You

spend all summer together and youwork out. It’s like a second family.”The state title game started out

slow for Piqua as Central drove fora touchdown on its first drive andheld Piqua in check in its first pos-session. But Saine broke loosedown the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown run late in the firstquarter to tie the game at 7-7.“He has some games where he

does it early and real often andthen he sits down in the fourthquarter,” Nees said. “Then he has

games where he does it in little chunks.But guys don’t want to fall asleep on himbecause that’s when he is dangerous, liketonight. If you look at what they had done,they had a great defense. They had beensmothering people.”Midway through the second quarter,

Saine followed up the long touchdown runwith an equally dazzling 52-yard scoringrun on a fake punt. He took the snap as anupback, went around left end and usedsome amazing moves to duke Centraldefenders on his way to the end zone.“The fake punt was just there,” he said.

“I was just playing my heart out.”Nees talked about how Saine has devel-

oped from early in his career.“If you look at him from his sophomore

year to his senior year, he has evolved,” hesaid. “Everybody wants to take a guy like him

and find what’s wrong with him. Becausehe’s a fast guy, people say, ‘Oh, he’s atrack guy. He doesn’t like to get hit.’ But hehas evolved. He’s a guy who nobody canquestion his ability.”So what exactly is it that excites Saine

the most about playing at the next level?“Just the atmosphere and actually play-

ing college football,” said Saine, who isslated to play in one of the new highschool All-American games in January.“You watch it on TV but I know that can’tcompare.”And why will Saine succeed at the next

level?“Because he has a burning desire to do

everything correctly. It doesn’t matter whatit is,” Nees said. “He’s going to succeed because he, I

don’t think, has missed an off-season ofweight room (workouts) in three years.He’s going to succeed because he just hasa great work ethic and that takes you along way.”That work ethic has already helped him

win a state title in both track and footballand it’s obviously helped him to be namedthe state’s best football player by OhioHigh as well the state of Ohio for this sea-son. Who knows where it will take him onthe next level. The sky seems to be his only limit! —

OH

“I think one of the biggest things he’s goingto leave is going to be a legacy, from thispoint on, every time somebody plays runningback for us, they’re going to be expected tobe the kind of person he is and be unselfish.”

Piqua football coach Bill Nees


Al l -Ohio Footbal l Team

or the third year in a row, Ohio High magazine has selected theOhio News 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 yearand coach of the year. The team was revealed during a pregamebroadcast before the Division I state championship game Dec. 2 onONN.We have three repeat All-Ohio team members from last year with

Cincinnati LaSalle’s Ben Martin, Cincinnati Colerain’s EugeneClifford and Canton South’s Devon Torrence.There is also a brother act on this year’s team as Torrence is

joined by his younger brother, Canton South junior DeVoe Torrence.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 this year goes to Piqua

running back Brandon Saine.The 6-1, 219-pound Saine led his team to a 13-2 record and the

Division II state championship. Saine had 226 yards and three touch-downs in his team’s 26-7 state title game win over Pickerington Central.Including that championship game, Saine had 2,242 yards and 35 TDs

(31 rushing) on the season. He is rated as the No. 3 prospect in the stateby Ohio High and No. 92 overall nationally by Scout.com.Saine is also the reigning 100- and 400-meter state track champion in

Division I. He was also the Ohio High track athlete of the year.He has committed to Ohio State. (For more on Saine, see story on page

28.)

Coach Of The YearThe ONN/Ohio High coach of the year award goes to Steubenville’s

Reno Saccoccia.With a win in the Division III state championship game, Saccoccia has

led the Big Red to 30 straight victories and back-to-back state champi-onships. Steubenville became the 23rd repeat champion in OHSAA play-off history.Saccoccia has posted a stellar 243-44 record (.846) in 24 years as head

coach coming into the state title game.Other coaches considered include Youngstown Mooney’s P.J. Fecko,

Hilliard Davidson’s Brian White, Fremont Ross’ Derek Kidwell,Pickerington Central’s Jay Sharrett, West Jefferson’s Shawn Buescher,Cincinnati Colerain’s Kerry Coombs, Bellaire’s John Magistro, OakHarbor’s Gary Quisno, Warren JFK’s Tony Napolet, East ClevelandShaw’s Rodney Brown and Mentor’s Steve Trivisonno.

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

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



All-Ohio Team OffenseQB – Perci Garner, Dover: Garner (6-2, 200) threw

for 4,415 yards and 40 TDs against 12 INTs for an 11-2team. He also rushed for 592 yards and 19 TDs.

RB – Brandon Saine, Piqua: See previous page.RB – Morgan Williams, Canton McKinley: Williams

(6-0, 190) led his team to a 12-2 mark and a berth inthe Division I state final four. He ended the year with2,456 yards and 34 TDs. Hehad over 5,000 yards in hiscareer.

RB -- Jordan Mabin,Macedonia Nordonia: Mabin(5-10, 185) helped his team posta 12-2 mark as they reachedthe Division II state final four.Mabin ended the year with2,354 yards and 30 TDs. Heended his career sixth in stateannals with 6,689 yards rushing and ninth with 92 TDs.Northwestern verbal.

WR – Chris Givens, Chillicothe: Givens (6-3, 190)tallied 57 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 TDs. He alsohad 317 yards rushing. Miami (Ohio) verbal.

WR – Dan Ifft, Dover: Ifft (6-3, 180) hooked up withGarner for some huge numbers -- 114 catches for1,822 yards (16.0 average) and 19 TDs. In his career,Ifft had 264 catches for 4,172 yards and scored 45TDs. Ball State verbal.

OL – Ben Burkett, Toledo St. Johnʼs: Burkett (6-4,264) helped his St. Johnʼs squad post an 8-2 record.

OL – Nick Schepis, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit:Schepis (6-3, 273) helped his team average 31.6points per game. He led the way for 1,000-yard rusherMark Woolridge. Boston College verbal.

OL – Mark Wetterer, Cincinnati Anderson:Wetterer (6-5, 300) blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher.Michigan State verbal.

OL – Zebrie Sanders, junior, Clayton Northmont:Sanders (6-6, 265) helped lead Northmont to an 8-3mark and a spot in the Division I playoffs. He protect-

ed QB Clay Belton, who threw for close to 2,000 yards.Sanders is projected as a top-10 junior in Ohio.

OL – Mike Adams, junior, Dublin Coffman: Adams(6-8, 305) is a prototype left tackle considered stateʼsNo. 1 junior prospect. He already has a number ofoffers (including Ohio State). He helped lead his teamto the regional finals and a 9-4 record.

All-Purpose -- Dane Sanzenbacher, ToledoCentral Catholic: Sanzenbacher (6-0, 180) helped thedefending Division II state champs go 9-2 and reachthe playoffs. He also played some at QB and DB asneeded. At receiver, he had 61 catches for 1,279 yardsand scored 11 TDs. Ohio State verbal.

Honorable Mention All-OhioHere is a position-by-position look at other players

considered for the ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio Team:QB – Mitchell Evans, West Milton Milton-Union; Clay

Belton, Clayton Northmont; Skylar Jones, Middletown;Jeremy Fudge, Eaton; Chris Smith, South Point; KaseyWendal, Galloway Westland; Chazz Anderson,Pickerington Central; Zach Collaros, Steubenville;Domonick Britt, junior, Trotwood-Madison; CharlesBabb, Alliance; Ryan Ottney, Fremont Ross; RyanRadcliff, Sherwood Fairview; Bart Tanski, junior,Mentor; Anthony Wright, Maple Heights; David Rogers,Kent Roosevelt; Nick Rocchio, Bellaire; Justin Hemm,Piqua; Tyler Sparks, Olmsted Falls.

RB – Boom Herron, Warren Harding; Isaiah Pead,Columbus Eastmoor Academy; Steven Ford,Cambridge; Mark Wooldridge, Cuyahoga Falls WalshJesuit; Darius Ashley, junior, Cincinnati St. Xavier.

WR – Kyle Hubbard, Lakewood St. Edward; EvanElliott, Greensburg Green; Brandon James, junior,Mentor; Trey Masciarelli, Bellaire.

TE – Nic DiLillo, junior, Madison; Brandon Moore,junior, Trotwood-Madison; Kyle Rudolph, junior,Cincinnati Elder; John Hughes, Gahanna Lincoln.

OL – Zak Crum, Westerville South; Kevin Koncelik,Cleveland St. Ignatius; Wes Schroder, Cincinnati St.Xavier; Barrett Brooks, Galloway Westland.

Mike Adams

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All-Ohio Team DefenseDL – Antonio Jeremiah, Hilliard Darby: Jeremiah (6-5,

275) is one of the stateʼs top 10 prospects. He has verbaledto Michigan State.

DL – Ishmaaiʼly Kitchen, Youngstown Mooney: Kitchen(6-3, 320) is a dominant defensive lineman for Mooneyʼs 15-0juggernaut in Division IV.

DL – Solomon Thomas, West Chester Lakota West:Thomas (6-4, 215) is the stateʼs No.5 overall prospect. He battled somenagging injuries, but had 34 tackles,8 TFLs, 3 passes broken up. OhioState verbal.

DL – Steve Matas, Mentor:Matas (6-5, 265) is a dominant DLalong with teammate Brady DeMellfor a 13-1 team that will play for theDivision I state title. Illinois verbal.

LB – Ben Martin, CincinnatiLaSalle: Martin (6-5, 235) movedfrom defensive end to linebacker tohelp his team. The experiment worked as he had 112 tackles,seven sacks, 14 TFLs and three fumbles caused. He is thestateʼs No. 1 overall prospect and No. 38 overall nationally.He will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He is con-sidering Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee.

LB – DeVoe Torrence, junior, Canton South: Torrence(6-2, 215) was a great two-way player. His team went 8-4and reached the second round of the Division III playoffs. Heis ranked as stateʼs No. 2 junior prospect and is alreadyreceiving offers. He may be the best player from StarkCounty since Mike Doss. At running back, he had 981 yardsrushing, 645 yards receiving and scored 17 TDs. Ondefense, he had 127 tackles, 1 INT, three fumbles recoveredand six sacks.

LB – Nathan Williams, junior, Washington C.H. MiamiTrace: Williams (6-4, 235) is rated as stateʼs No. 5 juniorprospect and is already receiving offers. He had 149 tackles(67 solos), 23 TFLs, five sacks.

LB – Jermale Hines, Cleveland Glenville: Hines (6-2,205) was a great two-way player for a team that went 10-2and reached the second round of the Division I playoffs. Onoffense, he had 800 yards rushing and 16 TDs and also had904 yards passing. Defensively, he had 55 tackles and 4INTs.

DB – Devon Torrence, Canton South: Torrence (6-2,195) split time between RB, WR and safety. He is the stateʼsNo. 4 senior prospect and No. 81 overall nationally byScout.com. He projects as a corner at the college level. Hehad 48 catches for 890 yards and 10 TDs. Defensively, hehad 49 tackles and 4 INTs. Ohio State verbal.

DB – Brian Gamble, Massillon Washington: Gamble (6-0, 194) was a two-way standout at RB and safety. His teamwas 7-5 and reached the second round of the Division I play-offs. He had 215 carries for 975 yards and 9 TDs to go with22 catches with four TDs. On defense, he had 46 tackles, 6TFLs, 3 INTs (one for a TD). Illinois verbal.

DB – Eugene Clifford, Cincinnati Colerain: Clifford (6-2,190) played some at WR but is a star at safety. He had 100tackles, seven INTs for a team that went 13-1 and reachedthe state final four. He is rated as stateʼs No. 2 seniorprospect and No. 50 overall nationally by Scout.com. Willplay in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Ohio State verbal.

DB – Dan McCarthy, junior, Youngstown Mooney:McCarthy (6-1, 194) is the driving force behind Mooneyʼs 14-0 Division IV state title contender. He played at QB and safe-ty, over 1,000 yards rushing on offense and a ton of big playson defense.

Kicker – Steve Schott, junior, Massillon Washington.Schott (6-1, 136) hit 10 of 14 on field goals with a long of 47yards to help his team defeat rival Canton McKinley. He was40 of 41 on PAT kicks. He is already receiving some collegeinterest.

Honorable Mention All-OhioDL – Daryle Ballew, Cincinnati Withrow; Nate Cadogan,

sophomore, Portsmouth; Kevin Koger, junior, ToledoWhitmer; Sam Fikaris, Mayfield; Curtis Meyers, Hamilton.

LB – Vince Harris, Cincinnati LaSalle; Brandon Beachum,junior, Youngstown Mooney; Storm Klein, sophomore,Newark Licking Valley; Ridge Riebold, Powell OlentangyLiberty; Michael Zordich, junior, Youngstown Mooney; BruceDavis, Cleveland Glenville; Andrew Dailey, MassillonWashington; Joey DʼAndrea, Upper Arlington; GeorgeTabron, Canton McKinley; Tyler Replogle, Centerville.

DB – Nate Oliver, Lakewood St. Edward; David Arnold,Copley; C.J. Peake, Trotwood-Madison; Sean Baker,Canfield; Donnie Evege, Huber Heights Wayne; SidneyGlover, Warren Harding.

K-P – Ben Buchanan, Westerville Central.

Nathan Williams

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Footbal l Coach of the YearSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

ome coaches can get on a realroll and then there isSteubenville’s Reno Saccoccia.Saccoccia (pronounced

Sack-cotch) wrapped up his24th season as a head coach by helpingguide the Big Red to a second consecu-tive Division III state football champi-onship. Over the last two seasons,Steubenville has posted 30 straight vic-tories.Accordingly, Saccoccia was recog-

nized during the state championshipweekend as the Ohio NewsNetwork/Ohio High coach of the year.“To have a successful football pro-

gram, it takes more than just great play-ers,” Saccoccia said. “I feel I have anexcellent coaching staff. “We have fiveguys who have been here over 20 years.“Our players love the game of football.

Some kids wait their entire livesto play for Big Red. But thereare probably two key factors toour success. Number one is ourparents. Our parents don’t buttin one bit. They know their kidsare in with us to play. They knowthey are here for the bettermentof Big Red football. “We also have a great admin-

istration. They not only talkabout winning, they do whatthey can do within the monetaryguidelines, to help us win. Ourathletic program is second onlyto our academic program.”Perhaps the toughest game in

that two-year stretch was thelast one. Steubenville held a 34-13 lead against Kettering Alter inthe Division III state champi-onship game. But Alter whittledthat lead all the way down to 34-33 and had the ball before theBig Red were able to stave offthe comeback and pull out athrilling win at Massillon’s PaulBrown Tiger Stadium.“Nothing great comes without

adversity and hard work and Ithink that second half just made

us appreciate this whole thing just a littlebit more,” Saccoccia said as his teamwrapped up its second straight 15-0 sea-son.“We beat what we did last year and

there’s one reason why we beat it.These kids played with a target on theirbacks since Dec. 3 of last year. We tookeverybody’s best shot, gave them ours,and came out on top. That’s why we arethe tradition, that’s why we are thechampions and that’s way we are theBig Red.”The title was the third for both

Steubenville and Saccoccia, who wasalso at the helm when the Big Redclaimed their first state playoff champi-onship in 1984. “I don’t do whole lot of work during a

game, I really don’t,” Saccoccia said. “Idon’t call any offense, I don’t call any

defense. But, I try to do little things.”Saccoccia has posted a stellar 243-44

record (.846) in 24 years as head coach.But he gave credit to everybody involvedin this year’s success.“I’d like to congratulate the players,

first, and their parents, for the wholeyear,” said Saccoccia. “I’d like to thankcoach (Anthony) Pierro, coach (Rick)Camilletti and coach (Mike) Haney fortheir defensive game plan. We had aperfect game plan and our kids execut-ed. I’d like to thank coach (Bob)Radakovich, coach (Joe) Saccoccia andcoach (Gus) DiMarzio for a great offen-sive plan. The kids executed it. “I’d like to thank coach (Bob)

Lamantia, coach (Ted) Gorman, coach(Mike) Blackburn. They did a great jobwith our special teams. And our youngercoaches, our freshmen coaches and our

junior high coaches, they did aheck of a job scouting and run-ning our scout team.”One of the trademarks of

Steubenville football over theyears has been immense fansupport. Once again, thousandsof Big Red-clad fans made thetrek from Jefferson County toMassillon for the state title game.“A lot of the credit goes to our

community and the supportwe’ve had,” Saccoccia said.“They’d support us no matterwhat our record is and thatmeans a lot to us.”

Other coaches consideredinclude Youngstown Mooney’sP.J. Fecko, Hilliard Davidson’sBrian White, Fremont Ross’Derek Kidwell, PickeringtonCentral’s Jay Sharrett, WestJefferson’s Shawn Buescher,Cincinnati Colerain’s KerryCoombs, Bellaire’s JohnMagistro, Oak Harbor’s GaryQuisno, Warren JFK’s TonyNapolet, East Cleveland Shaw’sRodney Brown and Mentor’sSteve Trivisonno. — OH

S

Saccoccia’s Winning Way


Steubenville coach Reno Saccocciacelebrates the Rig Red’s secondstraight D-III state title with quarter-back Zach Collaros.

Steubenville mentor named ONN/Ohio High coach of the year


Top 100 Seniors Round-Up STORY BY DUANE LONG

n the last issue I mentioned a conver-sation with my associate BobLichtenfels about the strength of thisclass. He is one of the hardest workingguys that I have come in contact with

in this business and Bob sees a lot of Ohioplayers. His is an opinion I respect verymuch. The list of people that can make metake another look at a player is a short one.It can fit on a post-it note.

In the last issue I said he and I were goingto have to agree to disagree about thisclass. I thought it was as good as the classof 2006. I thought it had high end talent atthe top as well as depth. I am going to haveto hand it to him. Bob was right on this one.

While there is not a lot of movement in thetop 100, the star system that we use to givean idea of national ratings for each playerhas very much changed. This process is notabout what players are now. It is about whatthey will be in the future.

Every step of the way, from the time theyappear on my radar, often as freshmen, Iam looking for players to get better. Not justevery football season but in between sea-sons. There are camps and combines anddoing well there matters.

These days, high school coaches are notjust gym teachers. They are former top ath-letes themselves who have come back intocoaching and know it is now a year-roundprocess preparing for the challenges of thenext level. They have their players workingas hard in the off-season as they are duringthe season. They have them working ongetting stronger, and faster and more explo-sive. I speak to coaches about how players

are doing in those kinds of drills and work-outs. It is always about taking another stepup.

It looked like we really had a nice classcoming along after some good spring andsummer combines and camps. Yet, I alwayslook forward to the players like CardinalMooneyʼs Kyle McCarthy who emerged latein the season and earned offers from OhioState and Notre Dame two seasons ago.

This year that has not happened. I have seen some players step up, like

Warren Harding safety Sidney Glover, whohas been the talk of recruiting circles afterlooking like the better player in a head-to-head match-up against Lakewood St.Edward and Ohio State recruit Nate Oliver.But overall, there are not a lot of players thattook their game to another level in this class.

That is what defines a class – progress –players getting better through every stage ofdevelopment.

Another factor that really took its toll onthis class was grades. In the early stages itlooked like this was going to be a class inwhich grades were not going to be as muchof a factor as it usually is. That was only halfcorrect. There were not a lot of players withgrade problems but some really elite talentshave had their careers at least put on holdbecause of academics. Three five-star play-ers and one that is at least a four-star playerare looking at not qualifying. Having playersof that caliber not qualifying has a majorimpact on a class.

On the other side of this, players thatwere already on another level preformedlike players that had achieved elite status.

The top player in the class, Ben Martin,was moved to linebacker this season.Cincinnati LaSalle head coach Tom Grippawanted to get his best player in the middleof the field but injuries played a part in thedecision. Moving back off the line is harderthan moving down to the line. Martin tooksome time to adjust to the move but eventu-ally got to where he liked it.

Piquaʼs Brandon Saine was unstoppablethis year. He hurt every team he playedagainst one way or another. In the firstgame of the season against Grove City, hewas bottled up in the first half of the gamebut kept his team in the game with kickreturns until he sprung loose in the secondhalf and accounted for 350 yards of totaloffense.

Cincinnati Colerainʼs Eugene Clifford wasso good this year that I briefly consideredmaking him number one in the class. I thinkhe is the player likely to have the earliestimpact at the next level. Position matters inthese ratings, and as great an impact asEugene Clifford might have, a defensive endis going to have an ever greater impact.

One player I have to mention here isMacedonia Nordoniaʼs Jordan Mabin. Neverhas there been a better example of why sizeis important.

I watched a Nordonia playoff game andthe word marvelous came to mind watchingMabin run. He has skills that are right upthere with Saine and he may even be moreskilled. He can sidestep players without los-ing speed and he can make tacklers miss inspaces a phone booth couldnʼt fit in. Thatnone of the regions Big Four – Ohio State,

I


Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

made an offer is the final piece of evidencein the discussion about the importance ofsize.

Ohio has become a battle ground in therecruiting wars. Well, it always has been, butthe war has broadened. It used to be thatOhio State, Michigan and Penn State foughtover the top players with Michigan Statecoming in to pick up what was left.

Those days are over. Kirk Ferentz fromIowa, Ron Zook from Illinois and TerryHoeppner from Indiana have decided tocome in and compete for the top players.Wisconsin has entered the fray but in amore subtle way.

Ohio is one of the five most importantrecruiting states in the country. Ohio Statehas won multiple national titles with a rosterdominated by Ohio players.

Ohio is the jewel of recruiting in the BigTen region. It used to be the huntinggrounds for the most elite schools. Thesenew coaches are much more aggressive.They are not conceding anything.

Iowa has been here for a few years andthey have established a beachhead.Glenville is putting out more talent than anyprogram in the state of Ohio under Ted Ginn,Sr. Ohio State is the preferred destinationbut when that doesnʼt work out they areheaded to Iowa. That is great recruiting bythat staff.

Illinois has been just as aggressive but ithas not produced outstanding results.Cincinnati Withrow defensive lineman DaryleBallew is an underrated player and heaccepted an offer from Illinois without waitingfor Ohio State to offer. That is important.Maybe he was an Ohio State player, maybenot. But the fact that he did not wait sayssomething about how this school is recruit-ing.

Zookʼs staff also landed another muchunderrated player in Mentorʼs Steve Matas.

Indiana got verbal commitments out ofMilton-Unionʼs Mitchell Evans andCentervilleʼs Tyler Replogle. The better thehunting grounds, the better the food source.The better the food source, the better thenutrition. The better the nutrition, thestronger you get. These programs that havenot been getting players out of the richesttalent pools in the region, are now dippinginto that pool.

This could be the beginnings of a very dif-ferent Big Ten.

The following is our look at the top 101

1. ***** Ben Martin6-5 225 DE

Cincinnati LaSalle

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::Martin has had a veryquiet off-season. His mailman would

beg to differ. The mailcoming to Martinhousehold is probablygiving the mailmanback problems. Itwould be easier to listthe schools that havenot offered Martinthan it would be to listthe ones that have. Ohio State, Notre

Dame, Michigan,Florida and Tennesseeare just a few I will note because those are theones he has mentioned the most. He has beento Ohio State and Notre Dame on unofficial vis-its and plans on taking unofficial visits toMichigan, Tennessee and Florida. But Martindoes not seem to be in a hurry to make a deci-sion. He says he will decide when he feels likehe has found the right place for him. But thereseems to be a tone that he would like to get itover with before the season starts. A winning program will be very important to

him as well as a chance at early playing timewill play a part in his decision. He has roots inGary, Ind., and has lived in Ohio but for about4 or 5 years. Martin has not denied that he willlikely pick between Ohio State and NotreDame. Wherever he decides to go, Martin will have

an impact early. He is a Scout.com top-100national player and top-10 defensive end. It must be a good year. How he could not

be one of the top three is beyond me. SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Martin was moved from

defensive end to linebacker by LaSalle headcoach Tom Grippa. He played in the middlegiving him the opportunity to run freely. Helined up at different spots so offenses had tolook for him. It was not an easy transition but Martin gave

it his all and by season’s end he was playingpretty well there but he will be a defensive endin college. This experiment could have long term bene-

fits in the fact that any defensive coordinatorwould like to have some zone blitz in his pack-age, but lineman uncomfortable in space is aproblem. After 10 games of playing linebacker,Martin is not going to have any reservationsabout dropping into coverage. He had 112tackles, seven sacks, 14 TFLs and three fumblescaused.Martin is a special talent. I only hope I see

another defensive end in Ohio that I can com-pare to him. With the body, the athleticism,the work ethic and the motor Martin has, notmaking to the NFL would be the real surprise. His recruitment is not over. It still looks like

an Ohio State versus Notre Dame battle. Itcould go either way but with a gun to myhead I say Ohio State. Florida and Tennesseewere also in the running.He has been invited to the U.S. Army All-

American Bowl and is a national top 100 play-er (No.38 nationally by Scout.com).

MN

2. ***** Eugene Clifford6-2 190 S

Cincinnati Colerain

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee:: Itseems everyone is intenton Eugene Clifford notplaying the one positionhe has spent all of hishigh school career -- safe-ty. He could be a great

receiver prospect but itseems everyone wantsbig, athletic corners toline up against the freakswe are seeing at widereceiver these days.Ohio State and

Michigan have bothoffered Clifford a scholarship as a cornerback butthere has been little information coming aboutClifford’s college plans. He has not said when he willmake a decision. Colerain players tend to make their verbal commit-

ments before the season but Clifford could be theone that goes against that tradition. Then again,Clifford has played it so close to the vest we reallydon’t know. The smart money says Ohio State orFlorida, though I have no knowledge of a Floridaoffer, so if he decides on an early verbal, the odds arein favor of landing one of those must have players. Last year, Clifford amassed an eye popping 147

tackles. He boasts a 4.45-second 40 and a 33-inchvertical.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Eugene Clifford decided to end the

suspense and make an expected verbal to Jim Tresseland the Buckeyes in October and I am sure a celebra-tion broke out in Columbus. Clifford is a special athlete. There is little question

he is the best safety from this state since Mike Dossand he makes a strong argument that he is the bestOhio has ever produced. He has size that Doss neverhad and his speed advantage is unquestioned.What really impresses me about Clifford is how

physical he is. In the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USAChallenge against Cardinal O’Hara, Clifford missed acouple of tackles because he overran the ball carrier.He was closing that hard. In that game on offense,he also took an end around, found no hole thendropped his head and took what he could get. Hecould have easily run out of bounds. Too often these gifted athletes need to learn to be

hard nosed. Clifford already has that. When I spoke to Clifford right before his verbal to

the Buckeyes, he told me he will be tried at corner-back first. He said Michigan offered him as a corner-back. I would give him a shot at wide receiver first.In that same game against Cardinal O’Hara, he

made a play on a pass that few players could make.He went up and took a ball away from a defensiveplayer that had a better shot at the ball, and he madeit look easy. Anyone else that could have made theplay would have had the crowd roaring because itwould have been a spectacular catch. This uniquelygifted athlete made it look routine.He had 100 tackles, seven INTs for a team that

went 13-1 and reached the state final four. He israted as the No. 50 overall nationally by Scout.com.Will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.Any other year, he is the state’s top player.

MN



3. ***** Brandon Saine 6-1 219 TBPiqua

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::Saine has done nothingbut increase his stockwith an amazing trackseason. It culminatedwith a 10.38 in the 32ndannual Don MitchellRoosevelt Memorial trackmeet, which was thethird fastest time in thecountry and set an Ohiostate 100-meter record. The characteristics that

stand out are his size tospeed. He is a big kidand it is rare to see kidsthis size running this fast. Saine was rumored to bea heavy Michigan lean but he denied it and backedit up by issuing an early verbal to Ohio State. The only thing that remains to be seen is where

Saine ends up lining up. It looks like he will play aReggie Bush (USC, New Orleans Saints) role with hisspeed, hands and open field ability. He could bemore dangerous than Bush because I have yet tosee Bush run between the tackles effectively whileSaine is adept at running between the tackles. Thatwill keep defenses playing him honest. Saine finished out the track season repeating as

the state 100-meter champion with a state recordtime of 10.5. He also won the 400-meter event.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Like with Eugene Clifford, any

other year Brandon Saine would be a clear No. 1player in the class, and he played like it this year. Inhis first game of the year he found himself right herein the media spotlight in Columbus as Piqua made atrip to play Grove City. After the game, a friend’s son commented that

they were ready for the speed but were surprised atthe power. He said that bringing him down was dif-ficult and added that he did not recall Saine beingbrought down by a single tackler all night. Saine didnot have the great game on the ground butshowed his triple threat ability with kick returns thatnight and ended up racking up 350 yards in totaloffense. All the speculation is that Saine will move to wide

receiver in college. I think he could make the moveas his excellent hands are the third element in thetriple threat he brings to the field, but I see a runningback. All year he has shown himself to be not just aspeed back. Grove City was just the first gamewhere he showed he is perfectly capable of carryingthe ball between the tackles. He brings aspeed/power combination that is rare.I am sure we will see him catching a lot of balls at

Ohio State, where he verbally committed rightbefore the season started, but I think those catcheswill come from swing passes to him coming out ofthe backfield. Saine has definitely lived up to expec-tations. Saine led his team to a 13-2 record and theDivision II state championship. Saine had 226 yardsand three touchdowns in his team’s 26-7 state titlegame win over Pickerington Central. Including thatchampionship game, Saine had 2,242 yards and 35TDs (31 rushing) on the season. He is rated as the

GH

4. ***** Devon Torrence6-2 195 ATHCanton South

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::Torrence has quietlyconfirmed his loftyrankings with an offerlist as impressive asanyone on the state. He recently added

Michigan and PennState to his offer listleaving onlyNorthwestern in theBig Ten yet to offer.His offer list would beeven more impressiveof he had not madehis love of Ohio Statepublic so long ago.Torrence has never hidden the fact that he

is a Buckeye at heart and will probably endup at Ohio State depending on his potentialprofessional baseball career following highschool. He could make a commitment publicas soon as September.He is now considering baseball more than

he was at last report, but he is going to tryand play both sports in college. Torrence got off to a rough start on the

baseball diamond this spring so it will not beknown how much it has impacted his base-ball draft status until next spring. It appears as though most schools have

settled on Torrence being a corner in college.He had an impressive year as a safety, but anathlete this size that can play cornerbackshould play cornerback. SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Torrence may be the great-

est all around athlete to play in Stark County.His stats suffered with a new offensive philos-ophy at South, but his play certainly did not. He moved to WR after gaining nearly

2,000 yards and scoring 28 TDs in two yearsas a TB. He had 48 catches for 890 yards and10 TDs. Defensively, he had 49 tackles and 4INTs. He is the nation’s No. 80 prospect,according to Scout.com.Torrence was also was asked to do a lot

defensively and he came through onceagain. He alternated between covering theentire middle of the field as safety and blan-keting an opposing WR at CB. Ohio State has told him he’ll start out as a

CB, but I’m certain he could be a game-break-ing WR, too. Torrence is a very unselfish player as he

never pouted about his reduced role offen-sively, but led the Wildcats to their first play-off appearance since 1987. He’s also one of the top baseball prospects

in the state and has a chance at being draft-ed by professional baseball in the June 2007draft. Torrence workaholic who will fit right in

with the family atmosphere Jim Tressel hasinstilled at Ohio State. He is also a tremendous person and is

extremely well liked by both students andfaculty at Canton South. He achieved his life-long dream by earning and accepting ascholarship to Ohio State.

GH

5. ***** Solomon Thomas 6-4 215 DE

West Chester Lakota West

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee:: Ihad not spoken toSolomon Thomas whenwe went to press forthe Class of 2007 kick-off issue. I have spokento so many players inthis class that are quali-ty people and SolomonThomas impressed meas much as any ofthem. He is a well spo-ken and articulateyoung man that doessomething that seemsto be rare these days. Thomas currently holds down a job works a

job and I have to go back to former Xenia line-man Ben Person to find a player that worked. That work ethic is apparent on the field as

well. He is relentless and never seems to stoprunning. Many have brought up his size and what posi-

tion he projects in college. Am I projecting himas a stand-up defensive end? No. He is going tofill out into a 4-3 defensive end. Thomas is wide open in his college choice. He

is looking at N.C. State quite strongly because ofan entrepreneur program that school offers and Iam not surprised. When I spoke to him, he wasmuch more interested in talking about off-the-field matters and life beyond football. This is a young man that will be a success on

the football field but could be even more success-ful off the field.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: I know several people whose

opinions I respect that would argue Thomas hada better season than Martin. A nagging injurycost him a couple of games but he was outstand-ing when he was in the lineup. One of my associates saw him play live. He

said he was holding the point of attack againstdouble and even triple teams and would pursuefrom sideline to sideline.Thomas looks bigger than he was last year. I

am not talking about adding some weight. Hejust looks larger – more imposing. He was solid against the run, exactly what you

want in an inside defensive end. Unlike mosthigh school defensive ends who want to play onthe open side, Thomas expects to play on thestrong side as a college player. As a senior, hehad 34 tackles, 8 TFLs, 3 passes broken up. He has made some statements about his

recruitment that left everyone wondering whathe was going to do. That was until he camped atOhio State and left saying the Buckeyes were hisclear leader. He also took a visit to Louisville inDecember.Thomas ended the recruiting process by com-

mitting to Ohio State in December.He is the perfect complement to Ben Martin.

CP



7. ***** Brian Gamble6-0 194 CB/WRMassillon Washington

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::Brian Gamble hassuper talent but sus-pect grades. Gamble has an

offer from Akron andhas been down toOhio State and hasheard from a who’swho of college foot-ball with Miami (Fla.),Michigan, Illinois,Penn State,Tennessee, Pittsburghand Illinois to name afew. However, there really isn’t anything any of

these programs can do until Gamble makessome real progress in the classroom. If he gets his grades in order, he jumps

right back into the top 10.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Usually at this time of year I

am dropping players with grade issues downthis top 100, not moving them up. I am notgoing to make a habit of moving academicquestion marks up but Gamble is a rare play-er. The consensus is he is not a college back,

and my attitude on smaller backs is well doc-umented, but I think Gamble could possiblybe a back. I have seen him break tackles andrun over tacklers. He has everything else youwould want in a back. He has vision, quickfeet and an explosive burst. He does thisagainst a level of competition second tonone. I would give him a shot as a back but he

could just as easily be a wide receiver, a cor-ner or a safety. He does not have ideal size for a safety but

there is plenty of tape documenting howphysical he can be. We saw last year versus Lakewood St.

Edward and Ohio State verbal Nate Oliverwhat kind of receiver he is. In the state play-offs, Gamble and his pass catching was thedifference in a Massillon win. There is nothing Gamble cannot do on the

football field. His team was 7-5 and reached the second

round of the Division I playoffs. He had 215carries for 975 yards and 9 TDs to go with 22catches with four TDs. On defense, he had46 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 INTs (one for a TD).He does have some scholarship offers.

Akron, Ball State and Eastern Michigan havedecided to offer him but he ended his recruit-ing trail in early December making a pledgeto Illinois.He is just a marvelous football player.

GH

6. ***** Jermale Hines 6-2 210 LB/S

Cleveland Glenville

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::Hines has quietly goneabout racking up animpressive offer listwith Michigan,Wisconsin, Cincinnati,West Virginia, Purdue,Iowa, Illinois andIndiana coming in withpreseason offers. Hewas also on the Ginnbus tour and earnedscholarship offers atalmost every stop.What is generally

unknown about Hinesis how good of a basketball player he is. Hineswas an AAU traveling team player before comingto Ohio from Georgia. Coming off his junior yearon the hardwood Hines has scholarship offers forbasketball from Virginia Tech, Florida A&M andMiddle Tennessee State. However, he hasalready indicated he is going to play football incollege. This just gives an idea of what kind of tremen-

dous athlete Hines is. Hines played all over the field when he was in

Georgia. But once he settles into one position,his development is going to accelerate. He says he is going to wait until after the sea-

son to make a decision listing Ohio State, WestVirginia, Michigan and Wisconsin as his currentfavorites. Hines is carrying a 2.9 GPA. SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Ted Ginn, Sr.’s Glenville

Tarblooders did not have their usual collection ofspeed burners and playmakers this year butHines had a fine year.He is right there with former Buckeye and cur-

rent Buffalo Bill Donte Whitner as the mostimpressive defensive players to ever come out ofthe storied Glenville program.I saw Glenville twice this year and Hines was

just as impressive as ever. He has such greatinstincts finding the ball carrier and getting therein a hurry. He is a very solid tackler. I saw himmiss the first tackle of his Glenville career last sea-son and I am still waiting on him to miss another. Ginn regularly puts his best athlete at QB and

this season was no exception as Hines added therole of quarterback to his résumé this year. Hehad a solid season despite not being very familiarwith the position but he will be a defensive play-er in college. Hines was a great two-way playerfor a team that went 10-2 and reached the sec-ond round of the Division I playoffs. On offense,he had 800 yards rushing and 16 TDs and alsohad 904 yards passing. Defensively, he had 55tackles and 4 INTs.I thought he would surely grow into a line-

backer, and he still could, but right now he is notmuch bigger than he was last year. It is really asmall matter. This is a big time defensive player ateither linebacker or safety.His offer list is evidence of that. Hines has

scholarship offers from Michigan, Iowa, WestVirginia, Louisville, Purdue and Wisconsin. Ohio

GH

8. ***** Antonio Jeremiah6-5 275 DT/OLHilliard Davidson

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::When AntonioJeremiah first turnedup in Ohio Highranked so highly, Ibegan to receive a lotof questions about himsince he had flownunder the radar up tothat point. Soon after his film

appeared on the inter-net, the questionsended and the offersstarted coming in. Big kids that can run are always in demand.

Most are projecting Antonio as a defensive tack-le, and that is not a surprise to me. Anytimethere is a player this size that is this mobile, heprobably most suited for defense. Jeremiah is getting offers from all over the

country, including the SEC. It is rare for schoolsfrom down south come north to add big play-ers. Usually, it is the other way around. He is a well-grounded kid but Jeremiah needs

to get a qualifying test score. When that hap-pens, he could get an offer from Ohio State andit highly likely recruiting ends for Jeremiah atthat point. There is no such thing as too many big kids

that can run. Jeremiah fills that bill as well asany down lineman in the country. Jeremiah is also an excellent wrestler. SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: I saw a piece of tape of

Antonio Jeremiah from early in the 2006 foot-ball season. Whoever edited the tape knew theimpact that the first glimpse of Jeremiah wouldhave. It stopped me in my tracks to look at thebody on this kid. He looks like an NFL playerright now. He is in the 275-pound range andthere is a V-shape to him and has long welldefined arms. The tape goes on to show just how athletic

he is. Once he is off the blocks and after findingthe ball, there is not a defensive tackle in thecountry that can run like this. He ran a 4.88shuttle at Ohio State this year and a 5.0-40.After watching him run down a back or quarter-back, those numbers are not surprising. Jeremiah is still very raw, though. His best

football is in front of him. He still needs to getstronger and he needs to work on his tech-nique. He is explosive off the ball, so once helearns one basic move he is going to be so hardto deal with. How long Antonio Jeremiah plays football is

up to him. He needs to get his test score. He hasoffers from Georgia, Boston College, Maryland,Illinois, Syracuse, Minnesota, West Virginia,Louisville, Nebraska and Michigan State.He ended his recruiting trail in early

December by committing to Michigan State.

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9. ***** Nate Oliver6-0 195 S

Lakewood St. Edward

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee::When a player com-mits early there is littleto talk about inregards to recruiting.Most prospects do notgo to camps and com-bines and Olivershould have been oneof them. In the early spring,

he went to a combineand set off alarmswith a 4.85 40-yardtime. He is not line-backer-sized and thatis not a great linebacker time, so the time hasraised some questions. Oliver says he slipped and there is other

speculation that he did not take the combinethat seriously. He has time to work on thespeed and I feel confident that this matureand highly motivated young man realizes thatis the only question about his game.When I was thinking about this revised top

100, I had the time in my head so I poppedhis tape back in. On the field is where Oliverbecomes an early offer player from a schoollike Ohio State and not in testing. He is one ofthose rare players that find a way to do some-thing special when something special is need-ed. It goes back to something I said in the

recruiting kickoff issue – Nate Oliver plays hisbest in the biggest games of his career.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: Nate Oliver is back where he

belongs, listed amongst the top ten players inthe state of Ohio. Why is that? Because he is back on the foot-

ball field. After a bad 40 time at a combine, a com-

bine he did not take too seriously, his stockdropped after clocking in a 4.85. That is noteven a very good defensive end time.That arena is not where Nate Oliver made

his name. That arena is not where he earnedan offer from Ohio State. He earned that offerby being a very special player on the footballfield. Oliver has that uncanny ability to find a way

to come up with plays when his team needs it.He is consistent and consistently the best play-er on the field. This is especially apparent inbig games. Some measure a great player byhow he performs in the biggest games heplays in. In a showcase game for Lakewood St.Edward in the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USAChallenge, Oliver took a punt 46 yards for atouchdown, came back later to take an inter-ception 26 yards for a touchdown, then tookanother punt 55 yards down to the 4-yard lineto set up another touchdown as the Eaglespulled away from the Springdale Bulldogs in a49-3 win. He ended up winning the MostValuable Player Award in the Challenge. That is what Nate Oliver does.

GH

10. **** Dane Sanzenbacher

6-0 180 WR/DBToledo Central Catholic

PPrreesseeaassoonn UUppddaattee:: Iwas looking forwardto seeing what kind oftime Sanzenbacherran this summer. Heran a 4.6-second 40and had a 4.2-secondshuttle. I thought hecould possibly rununder 4.5. Going intothe summer, he hadoffers from Ball State,Toledo and Kent withPurdue, MichiganState and Ohio U. allshowing a lot of inter-est.Sanzenbacher made the rounds with Ted

Ginn Sr. on his bus tour. Iowa offeredSanzenbacher during the course of the tour.That tour ended with a stop at Ohio State,where Sanzenbacher performed for one day inthe all position camp and then stayed for thesenior advanced camp. Shortly thereafter, the Buckeyes offered and

Sanzenbacher committed to OSU.SSeenniioorr UUppddaattee:: I had not seen much of

Sanzenbacher before I put together the OhioHigh top 100 back in March of 2005. Otherthan the state championship game last year Ihad not really seen him at all. What I did see what his relatively unimpres-

sive 40 time (4.64) this summer, important forany receiver but one that is essential for areceiver that is not a physical specimen withgood size. His time is not bad for a receiver 6-3 or better and over 200 pounds.Coming off his camp showing he received

offers from Ohio State and Iowa, acceptingthe offer from the Buckeyes. I was left scratch-ing my head. I saw two games this season and I have

seen the light. Put me in the fully convertedcamp. I saw one game late in the season thenthe Piqua playoff game. He helped thedefending Division II state champs go 9-2 andreach the playoffs. He also played some at QBand DB as needed. At receiver, he had 61catches for 1,279 yards and scored 11 TDs. I talk about the athlete process missing the

boat sometimes. I believe in it but there arealways some that need to be seen and nottimed. Sanzenbacher is one of those.Like former Warren Harding product Mario

Manningham, Sanzenbacher may run a low4.6 on a track but he also runs a low 4.6 onthe football field. A lot of players run faster ona track than they do on a football field.Manningham and Sanzenbacher don’t slowdown once they pad up. I have heard track people talk about

“turnover rate” is sprinting. Nobody’s feettouch the ground more than Sanzenbacher’s.He runs great patterns and after the catch heis so hard to corral. More often than not itseems defenders just run him out of bounds. Ifnot for size I would think he was a candidateto play defense. He is always around the balland, he throws around with reckless abandonwith the weight he has. Sanzenabcher is just a great football player.

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Numbers 11-101 and beyond11. **** Daniel Herron5-10 190 TB Warren HardingPreseason Update: Daniel “Boom” Herron is living up

to his nickname as the recruiting process moves along.“Boom” is how he exploded onto the radar.

Herron had offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana,Boston College, Akron, Cincinnati and Michigan State, buthe ended his recruiting by issuinga verbal commitment to OhioState in July.

He stopped by Ohio State dur-ing the state track meet where hewas a member of Harding’sfourth-place 4x100 relay team.That visit with the Buckeye staffconvinced Herron to come back toColumbus for the second seniorcamp on June 23 and he commit-ted soon thereafter.

Last season, he had 1,500 rushing yards and 17 touch-downs against the best competition any back will run upagainst.

I was not as impressed with him this time last year butHerron’s junior tape was so impressive but he just keepsgetting better and better.

Herron holds a 3.3 GPA.Senior Update: It seems on the Bucknuts message

board I get asked at least once a week if a player is beingrecruited and if not, why not, because the player in ques-tion has run or passed for a huge number of yards.

Along those same lines I am getting questions aboutDaniel Herron because he is not running for as manyyards this year. I give both questioners the same answer:numbers are really not that important. They tell you moreabout the strength of a player’s surrounding cast and thequality of his opposition.

Herron has not run for as many yards this year becausehe is surrounded by other D-I college talent so former headcoach Thom McDaniels had plenty of options.

Herron is a better back this year than he was last year.This is a player that does the little things that help separatehim from bigger and sometimes faster backs in the statethis year. He ended up with over 1,000 yards on the year.

He has patience and so many high school backs haveno concept of patience. He picks his way in the hole, slid-ing, twisting, using his exceptional feet to avoid tacklers inthe tightest confines and then uses his exceptional acceler-ation to break into the open.

He has outstanding balance. Most importantly, hebreaks tackles. That is the thing that makes or breaksbacks Herron’s size.

He is as good as I have seen in this state as a passreceiver coming out of the backfield, and is a will and effec-tive blocker.

This is a great get for the Buckeyes.

12. **** Kyle Hubbard6-4 215 WR/TE Lakewood St. Edward Preseason Update: The offers have not come flooding

in for Hubbard but that is no surprise. He is coming off onlyhis first solid year of high school football and most schoolswant to wait and get a better idea of where his body isgoing to take him – tight end or wide receiver.

Hubbard was very impressivein drills at the Nike combine inColumbus this summer and ran a4.7 40. He is a silky-smooth, ath-letic kid with the best hands inOhio. Hubbard is not one of thatnew breed of big high schoolreceivers that are demanding toplay wide receiver in college.Hubbard is fine with being a tightend. This is a raw prospect withgreat nature skills. He might needa couple of years in the weight room but the school thathas the patience could find a tight end that can reallycause problems in the middle of the field.

He has offers from Kentucky, Kent, Bowling Green,

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Akron, Toledo and Central Michigan. Syracuse, Purdueand Kansas are showing a great deal of interest as well. Senior Update: This is a player that continues to

evolve. There is so much upside to Kyle Hubbard and topschools have taken notice.

He has grown up a little bit and what I mean by that isphysically. He might be a little taller but what is obvious isthe change in his body. We are seeing a leaner KyleHubbard which has more schools looking at him as a bigwide receiver who could grow into a tight end instead of aplayer they are just waiting to grow into a tight end.

He is still the same player on the ball, though. His bas-ketball background has served him well as a receiver. Heplays the big receiver game naturally. He blocks off defen-sive backs with that big body and he catches the ball withhis hands instead of his body. He goes over the top ofdefenders to make catches with his long arms. His handsare the thing that separates Hubbard from other receiversin this class. He is used to strange bounces off the rim sobadly thrown balls are nothing to get that excited about.

Kyle Hubbard has such good hands when he recentlydropped a couple of balls it was something of note. In aplayoff game versus Warren Harding, he showed a bigreceiver play as he took a drag route and nearly scoredwith it. It was not a tight end’s play – it was a widereceivers play.

With so little football under his belt, Hubbard has such atremendous upside. He has not been in the weightroomuntil recently.

Pittsburgh got a verbal from Hubbard right beforeThanksgiving.

13. **** Chris Givens6-3 195 S/WR ChillicothePreseason Update: As expected in the spring update,

Givens ended his recruiting trail in July and committed toMiami (Ohio).

It has been an impressive off-season for Givens. Hehad a fine year on the hardwood averaging 16 points agame and then went to a camp that was led by one of thelegends in the world of recruiting, Max Emfinger, and wassubsequently added to his national top 100.

Givens was not done. He attended the Scout.com

Louisville combine and showed heis nearly impossible to cover.Givens came away from the campwith Most Valuable Player honors.In drills, he ran a 4.62-second 40,a 4.25-second shuttle, a 6.99-sec-ond cone drill and showed animpressive 33-inch vertical. Healso confirmed his size measuringin at just under 6-3.

Givens was drawing interest from Cincinnati, Ohio,Akron and Kent with Purdue, Michigan State,Northwestern, Stanford and Vanderbilt all showing interestbefore committing to the RedHawks.

Despite his impressive showing as a wide receiver, Ithink Givens is a better safety. However, he recently statedhe prefers wide receiver.Senior Update: I don’t think I have ever seen such a

quiet 1,000-yard receiving season as I saw this year withChris Givens. Quiet seems to be the order of the day withGivens. He quietly went about the recruiting process withhis outstanding family being the kind of support systemthat I wish all these athletes had. He did not get toocaught up in the hype. He made is decision on academicsand the need to be close to that support system that hasbeen such an important part of his success. I am sure thatif Chris had made the choice to wait, some real heavy-weights would have come calling but that was not impor-tant to him.

He had the kind of year that left him in the running forthe coveted Ohio High Player of the Year award. In addi-tion to over 1,000 yards receiving Givens averaged over19 yards a catch. Living right here in Columbus, I saw himbe the difference in several Chillicothe wins. He tallied 57catches for 1,118 yards and 11 TDs. He also had 317yards rushing.

I have not seen any film of him on the defensive side ofthe ball but I thought he was a better defensive prospect

coming into his senior year. If he is as good on defense ashe is on offense, he is a sure first-year contributor at Miami(Ohio).

Givens is a difference maker on the football field but ifhe never makes a catch or a tackle as a college player Iexpect to see him make a difference off the football field.

Most high schools give an award for the most likely tosucceed and I don’t need to see the Chillicothe HighSchool yearbook to know that Chris Givens will be therecipient for the class of 2007.

14. **** David Arnold6-0 185 S/WR CopleyPreseason Update: This is one of the most versatile

players in Ohio this year. Arnold could play anywhere inthe defensive backfield or at wide receiver.

Arnold is a super athletic kid with good size and out-standing speed. He is a very good student and solid citi-zen.

It was a good spring for Arnold as he went out for trackfor the first time since eighthgrade. He came out very earlywith a 10.7 100-meter in one ofthe bigger meets of the earlyspring in Ohio and matched thattime later in the season. Arnoldhas also run 22.2 in the 200meters.

All the while, Arnold has beenracking up football offers withEastern Michigan, Akron,Indiana, Illinois and Syracuse atthe top of the list with the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame,Stanford, North Carolina taking interest. Senior Update: It was a very frustrating year for

Arnold. A crop of new starters left Copley playing a toughschedule with a bunch of inexperienced players. He wasneeded in the backfield so he made another positionchange for the good of the team.

I think this is going to be a player we hear announcerstalk about as to how he got out of Ohio here in a fewyears once he settles in and gets some reps under hisbelt at one position. He did not play a lot of defense thisyear as his team needed him to concentrate on offense.

I am not sure yet where he ends up but I am confidenthe will be a success. He could be a fine safety but I thinkhe has what it takes to be a good corner.

If I had the choice, I would say play him at wide receiv-er. He has played there so little but was so impressive lastyear when Delone Carter was a top running back andArnold could be moved out to receiver.

He is one of the best pure athletes in the state this year.This is a high character kid that will do whatever is neces-sary to help his team win. Early in the football season,Arnold visited Northwestern and gave a verbal pledge buthe has reconsidered and will be taking other visits. Indianais a program that impressed him the first time around.Syracuse and Illinois are also in the running.

15. **** Vincent Browne6-5 240 ATH Lisbon David AndersonPreseason Update: I think if I took a poll of Scout.com

recruiting editors, they would say the hottest prospect inOhio is Vincent Browne.

Browne has been making the rounds at camps andcombines and leaving with offers at almost all of them. Heis getting offers every day and some head coaches aregoing out of their way to make sure they offer Browne inperson. That is a sign of just how much they want tomake an impression on this kid.

He has a couple of offers as amiddle linebacker but most aresaying defensive end to start. Itwill come down to his body but Isee a kid athletic enough to be adefensive end. However, will hisbody allow him to stay at defen-sive end is the question.

It really doesn’t matter toVincent. He is what every schoolwants – a team player that has to be chased out of theweightroom and off the practice field.

He ran a 4.8 40 at the Ohio State senior combine inJune, and impressed the assembled on-lookers in all thedrills.

Browne had a number of impressive offers before com-mitting to Northwestern in mid-July.Senior Update:After two games this year, I had

Vincent Browne on the short list of players I would consid-er for Player of the Year honors. He was a man amongboys, dominating the competition on both sides of the ball.For a lineman to be in the running for Player of Year givessome idea what kind of year he was having.

This is one of those big kids that can run and there arenever too many of those. In the third game of the year, hesuffered a devastating knee injury. He has had surgeryand is well into his rehabilitation. If anyone can put thisinjury behind him it is Vincent Browne. He is one of thehardest working and most determined kids I have come incontact with.

Right before the season Browne committed toNorthwestern so he is not going to have to worry about ascholarship.

16. ***** Morgan Williams6-0 190 TB Canton McKinleyPreseason Update:Williams needs to buckle down

and get his grades in order. He still has a shot to make it,but he is a non-qualifier as of right now. It is up to Williamsto determine what his future is going to hold but he stillhas time to turn his grades around. Senior Update: I am still scratching my head about

what to do with Morgan Williams. I was ready to push himto the bottom like I usually do withplayers that are not likely to quali-fy. Ohio High is about the bestcollege prospects and if a playeris not going to qualify he is not aprospect.

After watching him shred theToledo Whitmer defense for over250 yards rushing and 5 TDs inthe playoffs, I made someinquiries. I was assured someonewill take a chance on him. He is that good.

Williams is a slasher with enough power to break tack-les and has a nasty stiff arm. He is one of the best backs Ihave seen in Ohio in recent years. I am sure he wouldhave offers from Ohio State the other three ‘Big Four’schools if he were sure to qualify.

Williams may be the greatest running back in CantonMcKinley history.

He led his team to a 12-2 mark and a berth in theDivision I state final four. He ended the year with 2,456yards and 34 TDs. He had over 5,000 yards in his career.

Williams plays best in big games. Many people thoughthe might struggle this year with a new line in front of himbut he still gained yards at an alarming rate. He is not thefastest kid but had a lot of TD runs over 40 yards. He is apatient runner who waits for an opening and hits it hard.He’s a prototype one cut slasher.

He is also a fine basketball player and was a key con-tributor on back-to-back state championship teams.Morgan only weighs 190 pounds but breaks tackles andis a physical runner.

If Williams gets his academics in order, the scholarshipoffers will come in droves.

17. **** Daryle Ballew6-3 285 DT Cincinnati WithrowPreseason Update: Simply look at Ballew’s offer list to

see how highly regarded he is. Ballew has quietly accumulated one of the best offer

lists in Ohio with Cincinnati, Ball State, Connecticut,Buffalo, Indiana, Boston College, Minnesota, Illinois, WestVirginia, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Kent State, Ohio andEastern Kentucky all offering. He is also being recruited byMichigan State, Pittsburgh, Colorado and Notre Dameand was in South Bend at the request of the Irish coach-ing staff in June.

He has a solid 2.9 GPA but needs to get a test scoreposted. That could be the hold up on even better offers. Senior Update: I am surprised this big kid did not get

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early verbal to Illinois. He has the size you want in a nose tackle but has

the quickness and athleticism to be a 3-technique tack-le. He is working hard in the weightroom and is aleader.

I recently spoke to Withrow coach Doc Gambleabout Ballew.

“Daryle had a great year,” Gamble said. “He hadtimes when he was unblockable. He is a very strong kidand a bright one, too. He called the defense and that issomething we usually have linebackers or safeties do.He stepped up and started doing it himself, calling allthe line shifts up front.”

Ballew plays hard and to the whistle on every snapand does not take plays off. That is something that Ialways look for in big kids. It is often the differencebetween those that make an impact on the college leveland those that don’t.

Illinois coach Ron Zook has put together a greatrecruiting staff and is doing a great job in Ohio. This willnot be the last talented kid that will wear the Fightin’ Illiniorange and blue.

18. **** Vince Harris6-2 195 LB Cincinnati LaSallePreseason Update: There is not much to say about

the off-season for Vince Harris. It is all about academicsbut he is working to remedy the situation. If he contin-ues on the path he has taken, he will be one of themost talked about players in Ohio come Februarybecause nobody this talented will still be on the board.

Harris is one of the greatplay makers in this outstandingclass.Senior Update: It looked like

Harris was sure to end up goingthe prep school route or the jun-ior college route to college. I amnot sure if schools decided totake a shot at him just in casehe made it or if he has got hisgrades in order enough that itisn’t a problem.

What I am sure of is Rich Rodriguez and the WestVirginia Mountaineers landed a major talent in Harriswhen he gave them a verbal in mid-October. With noquestions about his grades I feel certain the Big Four inthe Midwest – Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame andPenn State – would have gotten involved. This is theSS/OLB that everyone is looking for in these days ofeight men in the box.

He is a very instinctive and tough player who is goingto thrive at the line of scrimmage but has the tools to bea good defender against the pass. He played the firsthalf of the year at running back on offense before mov-ing back to defense. He played the position, called thespur or bandit in the West Virginia 3-3-5 scheme.

He had offers from Illinois, Cincinnati, WesternMichigan, Akron and Ohio U. to pick from in addition toWest Virginia.

19. **** Carlton (C.J.) Peake 6-2½ 207 S Trotwood-MadisonPreseason Update: Peake has a lot going for him.

He recently ran a 4.61-second electronically timed 40 at209 pounds and ran even better about a month laterturning in a 4.57. He ran a 4.06-second shuttle and hada 34-inch vertical. Peake added 16 reps of 185 pounds.

Scout.com has Peake ratedthe No. 1 player in Ohio. Histape is very impressive and theone thing that stands out aboutPeake is how driven he is. Afterthis impressive performance atthe Louisville Scout.com com-bine, Peake was disappointedwhen I spoke to him. Heseemed reluctant to offer thoseimpressive numbers.

All Peake wanted to really talk about was what hebelieves he can be in the future. He thinks he can takeoff some weight and add muscle. He thinks he can be a

lot faster. One thing that has always stood out to mewith the top players is that never satisfied attitude. It isthe one thing that seems to define who is going to be asuccess at the next level.

He was the one defensive back that showed hecould cover camp MVP Chris Givens from Chillicothe.

Peake is racking up an impressive offer list withWisconsin, North Carolina, Purdue, Indiana, Louisville,Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Bowling Green, Miami(Ohio), Akron, Toledo, West Virginia, Ole Miss andCincinnati all coming in with offers. He reports a 2.65GPA and a 16 on the ACT.

An offer from the Ohio State would likely end thesuspense.Senior Update: Peake did not have the senior year

that he wanted to have. His tackle total was 33 and hehad but 1 INT after racking up over 100 tackles and sixinterceptions as a junior. On offense, he had 500 yardsrushing.

The jump in level of competition was nothing but agood thing after his transfer from Dayton Meadowdaleto Trotwood-Madison. It is apparent that nothing haschanged the minds of recruiters as he has continued tobe pursued by some of the top programs in the country.

Peake has taken a visit to Wisconsin and wasimpressed with what he saw. West Virginia has reallycome on strong and could be the team to beat now thatOhio State has decided not to make an offer.

He was adamant about playing safety and I think thathas had a highly negative impact on his recruitment. Hewould likely have received even more top offers if hehad been open to playing linebacker. With his body,there is a strong likelihood he will grow into a linebacker.

His offer list is an impressive one with Tennessee,Michigan State and West Virginia but Peake gave averbal commitment to Wisconsin in early December.

20. **** Mitchell Evans6-3 200 QB West Milton Milton-Union Preseason Update: Evans has offers from Indiana,

Bowling Green, Ohio, Kent State, Eastern Michigan andBuffalo. He is getting interest from Wisconsin, MichiganState, Purdue and Miami (Ohio). One of these schoolswill land a great quarterback.

It is unclear what the big programs are looking for outof this kid. He ran a 4.49-second 40 at camp this pastsummer.

Level of competition keepscoming up but the tape doesn’tlie. This is not a big fish in asmall pond – this is Moby Dickin an aquarium. Evans is notjust the best player on the field.He is so much better thanevery player on the field that itis almost unfair.

It is understandable thereare questions about level of competition with smallerschool players. I raise the question myself. But some-times there are players that stand out so much that itdoes not a matter. This is one of those cases which anelite prospect happens to play in an area where he haslittle to challenge him. But he has performed so well asan athlete in camps that it is difficult to understand whyhe is not getting offers just as an athlete.Senior Update: There is no question that smaller

school kids get downgraded because of level of compe-tition. No position suffers from this bias more than quar-terbacks. If I never believed that before I am absolutelyconvinced now.

Evans is one of those Moby Dick in a fish bowl small-er school players. He needs to be taken off the field justto level the playing field. Evans pretty much does whathe pleases out there. It looks a lot like practice for him.

Arm strength is not an issue. He has a D-I arm with aquick release and is accurate both on short passes andlong balls. He is an offensive player in the truest senseof the word yet is always threatening the defense.

Evans is an exceptional athlete. Once he pulls it down and takes off he is like a back

in the open field. It is a matter of opposing defensespicking their poison.

In the regular season, Evans had 1,325 yards and 11TDs as a senior.

If not for his skills as a quarterback, he could be asafety. In fact, I assumed he would have as many offersas a safety as he does as a quarterback. Indiana camein late with an offer and he accepted it.

21. **** Andrew Dailey6-3 215 LB/S Massillon

WashingtonPreseason Update: Dailey did what I expected him

to do during the combine and camp season: He leftobservers greatly impressed.

Players this size and this athletic are rare. Dailey rana 4.7-second 40 at the Scout.com combine in Louisvilleand added a 4.12 pro agility.

He has offers from Akron, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue,Central Michigan, Cincinnati,Pittsburgh Penn State andNebraska

Most schools are recruitingDailey as a linebacker and hesaid Penn State sees him as arover back, which is as a combi-nation linebacker-strong safety.Penn State seems to be hisearly favorite. He went to NotreDame and Florida in June.

I think this is another Ohio player that will see anincrease in interest after the season when schools get alook at him as a linebacker this fall.Senior Update: Dailey is the ‘Quiet Assassin.’ He is

not flashy at all. He’s just a tough, smart football playerwho rarely makes a mistake.

When Nebraska, Florida and most of the Big Tenoffered scholarships, it’s easy to see that I’m not theonly one who appreciates Dailey’s talents.

He moved to LB for his senior season and his playimproved as he moved closer to the line of scrimmage.

He has verbally committed to Penn State and shouldflourish in that program. His years at safety will help himin coverage at LB. Dailey has great speed for his size.He’ll get bigger and will be an asset to Joe Paterno’sNittany Lions.

He also played receiver also as a senior, asMassillon needed his speed on the field. As a senior,Dailey had 24 catches for 312 yards and three TDs onoffense and 23 tackles, 5-1/2 tackles-for-loss and oneinterception.

Dailey comes from a great family and has the reputa-tion as a hard worker. I’m convinced he’ll have a greatcareer at Penn State.

22. **** Kyle Jefferson6-4 175 WR Cleveland GlenvillePreseason Update: Jefferson had an impressive off

season on the track helping Cleveland Glenville win itsfourth consecutive state track championship. He ran theanchor leg on the 4x400 meter relay, which was the dif-ference in a close victory over Trotwood-Madison. Hewas also a member of the4x200 meter relay team thatwon a state championship andwas second in the individual400-meter dash to Piqua super-star Brandon Saine.

Jefferson has offers fromMiami (Ohio), Bowling Green,Akron, Indiana, Minnesota,Michigan State, Wisconsin andBall State. With a good SeniorYear, those scholarships are a drop in the bucket.

This is a player that can be a difference maker if heputs it all together. He played a pretty mean safety ondefense

It looks like Jefferson has added some weight, whichis something he needed to do. It is very simple – KyleJefferson can be as good as he wants to be.Senior Update: We are still waiting on Jefferson to

come into his own. He remains one of the most physi-cally gifted receivers we have seen in Ohio – just lookat the measurables. Very few players can bring the kind

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and speed to the game that Jefferson brings. This year, Glenville did not have the quarterback situa-

tion that they had last year. Arvelle Nelson was at thehelm last year and he was a gifted quarterback that endedup getting offered by coach Kirk Ferentz and the fine IowaHawkeye program, which he accepted.

Jermale Hines was at the controls this year and he isan even higher rated prospect than Nelson, but at line-backer not quarterback.

The offer list is still highly impressive with BostonCollege, Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin, MichiganState, Indiana and Minnesota all coming in on Jefferson.

Recruiting is about what a player will be, not aboutwhat he is now. These programs are all banking on theflashes of real brilliance we see out of plays that he makesregularly.

This is a big receiver that also happens to be a sprintchampion.

What is very interesting about Jefferson is he is nevertalked about as defensive player but this year, havingseen Glenville several times, I have seen better plays outof him as a defensive player.

He went to Ohio State for several games during theseason.

23. **** Nick Schepis6-4 270 OT/DT Walsh Jesuit Preseason Update: Nick Schepis took the camp and

combine season by storm earning praise for his perform-ance at the Columbus Nike camp and making the all-combine team at the Louisville Scout.com combine. Thisis one of the stronger players inthis year’s class. He has a 635-pound squat and did 12 reps of445-pounds.

The one thing that continuesto stand out about Schepis is hiscompetitive nature. He battlesand finds it in himself to gear upfor more battle when it appearsas though he cannot fight anymore. At the Louisville combine,there was a nice collection of athletes at the combine forhim to go up against and he was not beaten once in one-on-one drills.

Schepis ended his recruiting by issuing a verbal com-mitment to Boston College in July. He selected the GoldenEagles over Wisconsin, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Miami(Ohio), Marshall, Kentucky, Bowling Green, Wake Forestand Duke. Senior Update: Schepis got hit with the double wham-

my for an offensive lineman. The college coaches cameto the conclusion that, one, he is not going to get muchbigger, and two, he is a guard.

I have mentioned before that I would only rarely recruita guard.

You can take a tackle and move him down to guard butrarely does a natural guard have what it takes to playtackle. Some schools are not going to care – a tackle is atackle and a guard is a guard. Others just recruit linemenand let them find their place. For those schools, NickShepis was a target recruit.

I love how he comes off the ball and gets after it. Hehas good mobility and such tenacity. It cannot be dis-missed that he was in attendance at the Louisville Scoutcombine, which had an outstanding crop of defensive line-men, and he was not beaten once. He is athletic enoughto play defensive tackle in high school but I don’t think hehwill end up on that side of the ball in college. He helpedpave the way for Mark Wooldridge to enjoy a 1,000-yardseason.

He is a hard worker in the weightroom and in the class-room. This is a nice get for the Boston College program.They have been in the Catholic schools in Cincinnati forsome time and now they have landed a player from thekey northeast Ohio recruiting hotbeds.

24. **** Diauntae Morrow6-0 185 S/LB Lakewood St. EdwardPreseason Update: Diauntae Morrow has quietly

gone about racking up an impressive offer list as well inthe off-season. In addition to Indiana and Wisconsin, Iowa,

Illinois, and Bowling Green have made preseason offersto this underrated prospect. Penn State, West Virginia,Michigan, Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) andToledo are all showing a gooddeal of interest as well.

He is playing linebacker inhigh school because that is whathis team needed from him.Morrow was a corner before hewas a linebacker so he hascover skills.

Last season, he had 75 tack-les with 15 tackles for loss andeight sacks. With college pro-grams only having 85 scholarships available, versatileplayers are very important. This is a kid that can play safe-ty and linebacker and could be an ideal nickel back. He isone of the most underrated players in the state of Ohio.Senior Update: Morrow moved back to safety this

year and did a really nice job. His solid play allowed team-mate Nate Oliver the freedom to be a playmaker. I thinkMorrow is actually better off in the same role as Oliver, astrong safety that is at his best close to the line of scrim-mage.

He played as a linebacker last year and played so wellthat there was early speculation that he might stay. Hewas playing against as strong as schedule as any player,regularly going up against high caliber linemen that out-weighed him by 100 pounds, but he was fearless. He hasthe body of a defensive back but the mindset of a line-backer so he will end up as a strong safety.

Morrow has very long arms that will serve him well andI think we have not seen the best of Diauntae Morrow. Hewas a corner as a sophomore then a linebacker last yearand now a safety. I think that has an impact on a player’sdevelopment. He got better as the year went on and oncehe settles into one spot I think we will see just what kind ofplayer he can be.

He is looking hardest at four schools, Illinois, Indiana,West Virginia and Iowa. He is likely to add a fifth visit buthad not decided on a school yet. I don’t foresee a commit-ment anytime soon.

25. *** Skylar Jones 6-1 180 QB

MiddletownPreseason Update: The last line of the spring profile

says it all – I kept my eye on Jones and he produced. At the Columbus Nike camp he ran a 4.3-second 40,

the best time out of 552 campers. He also chalked up a37-inch vertical.

Jones, in my opinion, is the best athlete in the statepound for pound. Nobody canput together the combination ofspeed and strength that Jonesbrings to the game.

Jones now holds offers fromTennessee, West Virginia,Cincinnati, Maryland, BowlingGreen, Wake Forest, Kent State,Buffalo, Eastern Michigan andMarshall. After his impressivecombine showing, Ohio Statestarted showing interest as well.

He won the state 300-meter hurdles title and wasfourth in the 110-meter event. We are seeing hurdlersshow a propensity to be good corners, which could bewhat is happening with Jones. Instead of looking at him asa size challenged quarterback, schools are looking at hisathleticism.

With another year under Middies coach Ron Johnson,Jones is going to get offers as a quarterback. Senior Update: If we held a decathlon, Jones would

get my bet to win it.This is the best athlete pound-for-pound in this class. Jones was the fastest player at the Nike camp last year

and will defend his 300 meter hurdles title this spring. In the July 2006 issue, I said that Skylar Jones would

get offers as a quarterback and that did happen. He neversaid so before, but his verbal to Wake Forest shows thathe wanted to play quarterback.

There were offers from more well known schools as an

athlete, including Tennessee, West Virginia and Maryland,to name just a few. But Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe,who has Ohio roots after making a name for himself byturning around the Ohio University program before leavingfor Wake Forest, is going to give Jones a shot at quarter-back.

Wake Forest current starting quarterback is from Ohio,former Kenton quarterback Ben Mauk, who holds everymajor career passing record in Ohio.

I think Jones made the right decision. The only ques-tion about him is his height. He is a dynamic dual threatquarterback. He has the arm and the savvy to be a suc-cess at any level of football. If he were just three inchestaller those schools that offered him as an athlete, as wellas others, would have offered him as a quarterback.

26. *** Charlie Hatcher 6-4 245 DE/OL HamiltonPreseason Update: This is a name to remember. The

more I watch Hatcher the more impressed I am with him.He has such great instincts and makes plays effortlessly.

Hatcher has already secured offers from Cincinnati,Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Illinois and Duke. JimPlace is now ready to take the helm at Hamilton, but thatis pretty impressive list offers from Big Ten schools consid-ering he was without a head coach to facilitate his recruit-ment prior to Place’s hiring. So much of the contactrequired by the NCAA is to be through the high schoolcoach. Charlie Hatcher is so good, college programsfound a way to make contact with him and extend theoffers.

Hatcher prefers defensive end right now but he is goingto grow into a tackle.Senior Update:Hatcher quietly had another fine year.

Other players are flashier but none are more effective. I think Hatcher ends up moving inside to tackle or mov-

ing over to offense but he would rather be a defensiveend.

This is a kid with great character to go with his impec-cable grades. He will accept the move and the coach willnot hear a word about it. He is going to get a lot bigger.First-year Hamilton head coach Jim Place recognizedHatcher as a tackle and moved him down inside this sea-son. While he did not have the gaudy numbers of his jun-ior year, that experience is going to be invaluable for whenhe gets to college. He will have some familiarity with theposition.

He has a nice list of schools to choose from includingMinnesota, Maryland, Cincinnati, Duke and Miami (Ohio),but issued a verbal commitment to the Blue Devils in earlyDecember.

27. *** Clay Belton6-6 215 QB Clayton Northmont Preseason Update: No player in Ohio has stirred as

much conversation as Belton. It seems there is no consensus on him. I have a great deal of respect for those who are not

convinced of Belton’s talent, but Ithink has tremendous upside.

The tools Belton brings cou-pled with how well he playedagainst a high level of competi-tion in his first year as a starterimpressed me greatly. He was avery good quarterback last yearand the tools he brings to thetable are hard to beat.

The recruiting process is notabout what a player is – it isabout what he is going to be. Belton’s size and arm areimpressive but what I see is a player that handles anoffense that is not always easy to handle. The spreadoffense takes some time to grasp but he goes through hisprogressions and makes good decisions play after play.

Belton has as much upside as any player in this class.He participated in the Ted Ginn Sr. Foundation bus tour ofMidwest camps and received more looks there. KansasState has also offered since the spring.Senior Update: It has been a tough year for Clay

Belton. He had an injury, which took three games out of his

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football player. I see so much in him that makes me think he is going

to be an outstanding college quarterback. He has all thetools. We have templates for players at every positionand a lot of good high school players get passed on forathletes that fit the template for their position.

Nobody I have seen since Justin Zwick fits the quarter-back template like Clay Belton does.

As a senior, Belton completed 123 of 231 passes for1,581 yards with 14 TDs and nine INTs in the regularseason.

He needs some work on his mechanics to keep himfrom over striding because of his height. I think these verytall kids need more time to get their coordination down. Istill think this is a kid with as much upside as any playerin the class.

Belton ended his recruiting trail in early December ver-bally committing to Miami (Ohio).

28. *** Chris Smith6-1 220 QB South PointPreseason Update: Anyone who has seen Smith’s

arm would be surprised at the number of scholarshipoffers, or lack thereof, that he has received.

Once again, the template – what I call “pitchers” – hasgotten in the way. If the template had been more suc-cessful, it would be more under-standable, but it has not.

Smith had offers fromCincinnati, West Virginia,Marshall, Bowling Green, Akronand Ohio before verbally com-mitting to Marshall in mid-July.

Level of competition is aquestion, and one that I under-stand and agree with, but justlook at him throw the ball. Thereis no play in the playbook that he does not have the armstrength to execute. Smith is a gutty competitor and is astough as nails. He is not the quickest kid but always doeswell when pressed and forced to run. Senior Update: Level of competition rears it large,

ugly head again and Smith is not the ideal size. In the past, we have seen shorter quarterbacks get

looked at by the big schools in the past. Not too long agoRex Grossman was the consensus number one quarter-back in the country despite being right about 6-0. Thething that was so important for Grossman was the armstrength.

I thought maybe we would see the same thing withSmith. He has the best arm I have seen in Ohio sinceTroy Smith, and we know that name.

In the end, though, Smith plays against a level of com-petition that sent recruiters looking elsewhere. In that partof Ohio, Marshall is like the home school. It is a highlyrespected program. The Thundering Herd has a historywith quarterbacks sending Chad Pennington to the NewYork Jets and Byron Leftwich to the Jacksonville Jaguars.Neither of those quarterbacks was nearly as highly ratedas Smith which bodes well for his future and the Marshallprogram.

Chris Smith is a tough kid with a real difference makerattached to his right shoulder. There is not a place on thefield that he can’t put the ball. He should thrive in theMarshall program. West Virginia also offered.

29. *** Sidney Glover5-11 203 DB/RB Warren HardingPreseason Update: This is a player to keep an eye

on this fall. I find myself coming back to his tape as oftenas I do the higher ratedprospects in this class.

Fans on the message boardsask me why he is not rankedhigher and I have come aroundto agree with them. One thingthat has hurt Glover is the mov-ing around from safety to line-backer. McDaniels toldScout.com that the movingaround was not in the best inter-est of Glover, and he would find a place for him this fall

and keep him there. Indiana has offered while Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are

showing interest. As I look at his tape, I can’t help butthink that offer list grows after his Senior Year.

Harding has its most talented team in years this sea-son, led by running back Dan Herron. The scouts shouldbe thick as thieves. I would wager a lot of them comeback home bringing a recommendation to offer SidneyGlover.Senior Update: I thought this would be a player to

watch this fall because he is such a talent. Former Harding coach Thom McDaniels said he was

going to leave him in one spot to let him get comfortableand learn one position.

Glover did not wait around for his star to rise. He go itover with in early summer making a pledge to Indiana,but retracted his verbal in December and committed toWest Virginia.

Glover is a poor man’s Mike Doss. In this “Year of theSafety” in Ohio, this is one that is simply not getting hisdue. Just by looking at his film, it will be hard put to findanother safety that hits like Glover.

In a playoff game versus Lakewood St. Edward andBuckeye verbal Nate Oliver, Glover was the better player.

He was such a good option quarterback that he lookslike he could be an outstanding running back if that iswhat coach Hoeppner needs.

30. *** Donnie Evege5-11 185 CB Huber Heights WaynePreseason Update: Evege has had a rather quiet off-

season with the exception of issuing a verbal commit-ment to Ohio State in June.

He ran indoor track but decided to pass on the out-door season to concentrate onhitting the weights. Evege wason everyone’s want list as a cor-nerback but this highly motivat-ed young man really wants tobe a running back. He knowsthat will mean adding weightand getting stronger.

Miami (Ohio), Purdue,Indiana and West Virginia hadall offered Evege. Stanford,Virginia and Michigan were all taking interest as well.Senior Update: I can’t remember the last time I heard

more speculation about a player than I have DonnieEvege. I think that comes from the time he spent at run-ning back. He is a good high school running back butevaluating him as a runner is not going to give any indi-cation of what kind of corner he can be.

This is a kid that could get on the field early in hiscareer. He has such great instincts. He can cover andcan he ever hit! The one thing you see from his film as arunner is he gives some hint as to what he is going to beas a corner in college is how hard he runs in a straightline. That same toughness and fearlessness serves himwell as a corner.

I liked his ball skills I loved seeing him come as hardas a linebacker in run support. He has a better body thana lot of corners that are currently starters at the collegelevel. Last but certainly not least is the speed. This kidcan run. He is a tough minded, highly motivated, hardworking kid that will be a success.

The school system had some problems with a teacherstrike that had a big impact on the football team early inthe season. It looked like there was a possibility Waynewould not play football at all this year. That type of situa-tion is going to have an impact.

31. *** William Johnson6-2 210 RB/DB CentervillePreseason Update: It has been a long, hard road for

Will Johnson but he has never complained. He just keptworking.

It looked like everything was against him his sophmoreyear when he injured a knee in week three with C-J thenwas ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of theyear after he did put the injury behind him.

Johnson came back his junior year at Centerville onlyto find himself ineligible again. He persevered and came

back for the playoffs and played very well. He also played basketball and made the regionals in

the 100-meter event, the 4x200-meter relay and the4x400-meter relay.

At one of the recent Nike camps he measured 6-1,191 pounds and ran a 4.6-sec-ond 40. He had a 35-inch verti-cal, a 4.1 --shuttle and pushedout 17 reps of 185-pounds.

The best and most importantnumber is Johnson is now sport-ing a 2.8 GPA.

He is getting plenty of atten-tion from the likes of Michigan,West Virginia, Maryland, OhioState, Pittsburgh and all theMAC schools but he is still waiting on his first offer. Heneeds to post a test score and he needs to show moreon the football field. He has been away for awhile andhas had a knee injury but this could be one of the mostsought after players in Ohio after the season. Most seehim as a safety.Senior Update: I did not see Will Johnson until late in

the year but I was as impressed as ever. Johnson is a kid with excellent size that can really run.

He is very athletic and such a hard worker. He ran into somany setbacks that most would have called it quits. Hewas ruled ineligible twice, once at Chaminade-Julienneand once at Centerville. He did not hang his head butaccepted it and continued to work.

He came out to the Nike combine and ran a 4.6 40, a4.1 shuttle and had a 35-inch vertical. Johnson had anankle injury this year that kept him off the field for a fewgames and other injuries forced him to play other posi-tions but he got on the field as a cornerback towards theend of the season.

For a kid of his size to play corner speaks volumesabout what kind of athlete he is. From what I saw I don’tthink he is out of place at corner though he will likely stepon the field at the University of Cincinnati as a safety.

I love him as a running back. He chose the Bearcats over Marshall and Eastern

Michigan.

32. *** Greg Jones6-2 210 LB Cincinnati MoellerSenior Update: This is a kid that was always a great

looking athlete but really found his game as a senior.Jones started it off with a fine camp showing putting up a4.6 40-yard dash to go with a 4.25 shuttle and an out-standing 35-inch vertical. Explosion is so important andthat last number is the one that really got everyone’sattention.

He followed the combine showing with an outstandinggame in the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge Ohio vs. USAChallenge. He was everywhere in that game. The seriesputs together some of the best teams in the country withsome of the best football players and Jones was one ofthe best. He had a fine senior year period.

Jones is likely a weak side linebacker in college. He isat his best in space and rushing the passer. He is a realproblem coming off the edge. He times his blitzes perfect-ly and has the speed to leave tackles still in their stance,but at the same time he is powerful at the point of attack.

He had offers to Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami of Ohio,Air Force and Western Michigan, but issued a verbalcommitment to Minnesota in early December.

33. *** Ryan Gillum5-11 205 ATH Youngstown LibertyPreseason Update: Every year, there are players that

fall through the cracks. How Gillum flew so far under theradar for so long is beyond me.

Gillum plays all over the field for Liberty. He is at line-backer sometimes and safety at others. He even lines upat corner on occasion and is not out of place at any ofthose positions.

On offense, Gillum is a good running back. He is phys-ical runner with outstanding balance and strength. Helines up as a wing and runs counters very effectively.There are a number of good blocking receivers this yearbut Gillum

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pancakes linemen.Gillum is a football player. He makes plays wherever

he lines up. He could grow into a linebacker but will probably excel

at strong safety. In a class full of strong safety/weak sidelinebacker types, this one does not have to take a back-seat to any of them. Some of his tackles could be used todemonstrate what form tackling looks like to young play-ers. At the same time, if I were asked to pick the best hitterin Ohio, Ryan Gillum would surely be on the final list. Hereally brings it and plays really well in space. Some of hisbest plays were open field tackles.

He may have been overlooked in the spring issue, butSyracuse didn’t miss him. Gillum committed to theOrangemen in the spring.Senior Update:When I think of Youngstown the first

thing that comes to mind is steel mills and factories full ofpeople as tough as the material they work with.

That is what you get with Ryan Gillum. Safety has been the premier position in Ohio in the

class of 2007. If Gillum had waited to give his verbal hewould have been talked about with Eugene Clifford andNate Oliver. It is unfortunate but also true that players whocommit early get forgotten with the rankings.

There are some real hitters coming up from the sec-ondary this year but Gillum does not have to take a back-seat to any of them. He is the one player I can make ahighlight tape of just of big hits. From his tackles, to hisblocks, to his runs as a back, Gillum brings it on everyplay.

He is a fine running back, and he has the quicknessand size more appropriate for cornerback but like formertop Ohio high school defensive backs Donte Whitner andKurt Coleman, he is just to aggressive and too physical toplay the position. He is more linebacker than defensiveback.

34. *** George Tabron6-3 215 LB Canton McKinleyPreseason Update: It has been a tough off-season for

Tabron as off the field issues have greatly impacted hisrecruitment. In retrospect, the situation was blown out ofproportion. But with legal issues hanging over his head,there was not much interest.

To my knowledge, he has nooffers. With his off-the-field legalissues, which ended up beingdropped after excessive mediaattention, the May contact periodwas interfered with. Just beforepress time, it was learned thatTabron would be attendingCanton McKinley for his SeniorYear.

He was getting interest from Purdue, Michigan State,Minnesota, West Virginia and Bowling Green before allthis happened and interest should pick up again before itis all said and done.

This is a dynamic, physical and active linebacker thatshows the frame to get bigger. Senior Update: I saw the first playoff game for Canton

McKinley this year and how Tabron this is not a Big Tenplayer is beyond me. He is tough, has great instincts,shows excellent closing speed and has a body that can fillout some more.

I can only assume the off-season fight he got into hasplayed a role. I have avoided bringing it up but it seems toneed addressed. It was a fight. That is it.

Tabron is a player who was born to be a middle line-backer. He transferred to Canton McKinley after starring atCanton Central Catholic. McKinley coach Brian Crosssaid, ‘George Tabron has made a big difference for us. Idon’t know where we’d be without him.’

Tabron also starred at fullback, leading the way forMorgan Williams. He is a very physical player who pun-ishes running backs.

George has scholarship offers from the MAC and isdrawing interest from some Big Ten and Big East schools.

Tabron was the best player on the field in the game atMassillon, outshining more celebrated players.

He is a very intense player who will be a fine collegeplayer.

35. *** Tyler Replogle6-2 225 LB CentervillePreseason Update: Right now, the only offer I am

aware of for Replogle is Indiana. That is really baffling tome.

He has good size, solid combine numbers and excel-lent tape. He is getting a lot of interest from the likes ofOhio State, Michigan, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, butnobody else has come through with an offer.

The only camp I am aware offor Tyler is Indiana. Coach TerryHoeppner has Ohio roots with astrong stint at Miami (Ohio) andhas used that to come into Ohioand land some recruits thatIndiana wouldn’t necessarilyland. Last year, Hoeppner andhis staff took the much underrat-ed Jarrod Smith, an offensivelineman from Fairborn, back toBloomington. This could be another one of those playersthat the big programs in the region pushed to the backburner and the Indiana staff took advantage of the lack ofattention.

Replogle was the Greater Western Ohio Conferencedefensive player of the year last year with 107 tacklesincluding 24 behind the line of scrimmage. It is puzzlingthat he does not have more offers.Senior Update: Replogle is one of the candidates for

best player you have never heard of. He is a kid with size that can really run and plays the

game like every play is going to be his last. He has had100 tackles every year he has been a starter for the Elks.He is playing in the Greater Western Ohio Conference,one of the best in the Midwest, and he is the best player inthe conference.

With an early verbal, players fall off the radar. I am sureother schools would have come in on Replogle had hewaited.

This is another coup for Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner.He is using his Ohio background to great effect, alreadyhaving relationships with these Ohio coaches from hisdays at Miami (Ohio).

Replogle has a great body. He is right about 225 andwill play basketball this winter so he will stay lean throughthe winter months. He will put on weight the right way andI project him as a middle linebacker at the next level. Hewill fill out to about 240.

This is one heckuva football player.

36. *** Erique Robertson5-11 210 S/LB Maple HeightsPreseason Update: Size is important but some play-

ers are just too good to beignored and Erique Robertson isone of those players.

Robertson has offers fromBall State, Bowling Green andKent State he will add to that listas he is seen more and schoolsdetermine this high school line-backer can play the pass wellenough to move to strong safety.

If Robertson were 6-2, hewould have Big Ten offers on the table as a linebackerand could get some as a strong safety by the time it mat-ters.

Pound for pound this is one of the best football playersin Ohio.Senior Update: If Erique Robertson was two inches

taller and 10 pounds heavier he would be in the conversa-tion about who is the best linebacker in Ohio in the classof 2007 along with Jermale Hines and Dewey Elliott.

He is an old fashioned tough guy with instincts secondto none and a nonstop motor. He is best inside and thatmight be why he does not have offers from any Big Tenschools.

The position he will play in college is up in the air.Whether he is ever going to be big enough to play hisbest position or whether he can be a linebacker at all isthe question. Will he be able to cover well enough to playas a strong safety if he never gets big enough to play at

linebacker? Talent is not a question. Speed is not a question.

Robertson is a real powerhouse and a weightroom war-rior. He has a 350 pound bench, a 500 pound squat andhe repped 225 pounds 20 times.

Robertson is the defending wrestling state champion at189 pounds.

Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, BallState and Ohio University all made offers, but Robertsonissued a verbal commitment to Illinois in early December.

He is pretty impressive running back, too.

37. *** Frank Becker6-3 275 DT Cincinnati MoellerPreseason Update: I did not receive film of Frank

Becker until after we went to print with the last issue. Thisis a tremendous prospect.

I have said many times that you learn more aboutleverage in one month of wrestling practice than you do inone year of football practice. That Becker is a two-timestate placer in wrestling is no surprise after seeing himplay football.

No lineman in Ohio uses bal-ance better. He stays low, keepshis elbows in tight and his handsinside. Becker consistently getspenetration just by using superiortechnique and by showing agreat motor.

Becker could be a fine guardbut will probably be a defensivetackle at the next level. He is oneof the most underrated and under-publicized players inOhio.Senior Update: Antonio Jeremiah is getting all the

attention when it comes to tackles in the state of Ohio,and the hype is deserved, but Cincinnati Moeller tackleFrank Becker would steal his thunder if he were bigger.

He is an outstanding player. Becker is so hard to blockand a real rock at the point of attack. He is a relentlesspursuer.

If I had to pick one player in Ohio that I was mostdumbfounded as to why he has so few offers, it would beBecker. Cincinnati is the only sure offer, with WesternMichigan unconfirmed.

His level of competition is as tough as any player in thestate of Ohio and he has performed. Game in and gameout, this is one of the consistently outstanding players inthe state.

If I was advising Frank Becker I would tell him to wait.He does not have the measurables that a number of otherplayers in the state do but late in the process his play isgoing to bring some bigger schools into the mix.

Youngstown Mooney’s Kyle McCarthy was a playeroutside the top 100 two years ago but ended up withoffers from Ohio State and Notre Dame after the Mooneystate championship run.

38. *** Kendall Washington6-4 190 WR/S St. Thomas AquinasPreseason Update: When I first saw Washington, I

was not sure where he would play his college ball. Hewas an athletic and a football player looking for a position.I thought he was best as a receiver but wasn’t sold on hisspeed.

Washington impressed everyone in attendance at theLouisville Scout.com combine as a linebacker.

In late July, Washington accepted an offer fromMichigan State. He also had offers from Cincinnati, Miami(Ohio) and Kent State with interest from Boston College,Syracuse and Illinois.

Washington is an academically motivated young manand has a great frame with 4.6 speed, making him a hugeget for Michigan State.Senior Update: Washington played in relative obscuri-

ty at St. Thomas Aquinas but the college recruiters certain-ly knew about him.

He starred at wide receiver for Aquinas, catching 12 TDpasses. He also dominated from his linebacker spot.

Washington committed to Michigan State and I believethey see him as an outside linebacker. He has the frameto gain 20-30 pounds and keep his speed.

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who also stars at basketball for the Knights.

39. *** Pete Rolf6-5 220 DE PiquaPreseason Update: Rolf is originally from Salt Lake

City and is of Polynesian descent. He is looking at offersfrom Eastern Michigan and Oregon right now and has acousin that plays for Oregon. That is how the Ducks got inon him early.

Rolf’s offer list should bemuch more impressive comeseason’s end.

In addition to the offers Rolf ishearing from Iowa, Penn State,Pittsburgh, Northwestern andMichigan State. He has been toOhio State, Northwestern andPittsburgh to take a look around.

Rolf is athletic enough to playlinebacker in high school but I think someone takes thiskid, fills him out and he turns into a great player. Big kidsthat can run are always in demand. Senior Update: Last year I saw Pete Rolf lined up

mostly as a linebacker. This year he played a good dealas a standup defensive end. That was definitely in his bestinterest and that is where he will play in college.

With his teammate Brandon Saine being a focal pointfor Ohio high school football fans this year, Rolf got achance to show what he can do and I was veryimpressed. He seems to have a good feel for playing theposition. He uses his long arms really well, keeping block-ers off him and he does a good job of keeping his feet. Hefinds the ball quickly and can he ever run once he finds atarget. He is equally adept at playing the run and the pass.

If not for the presence of Ben Martin and SolomonThomas in this class, it is a safe bet there would be moretalk about Pete Rolf.

He has a body to fill out to 250-255 pounds and anycoach that might be reading this should get in touch withcoach Piqua head coach Bill Nees and get a copy of theToledo Central Catholic game. He showed what kind ofplayer he can be in that game.

Rolf is one of the real underrated gems in Ohio thisyear.

40. *** Joey D’Andrea6-2 245 DE/DT Upper ArlingtonPreseason Update:When I ranked D’Andrea this

highly as a four-star player, many questioned the rankingconsidering his size.

Watch him play -- that is all Ican say. D’Andrea makes somany plays. He can be unblock-able and his game speed isgreat.

Recently, at the first of twosenior camps at Ohio State,D’Andrea impressed everyone inone-on-one drills and ran a 4.740 at 252 pounds while puttingup 18 reps of 225 pounds.

D’Andrea is reminding me more and more of anotherrecent player that I thought more highly of than any oneelse – Mike Kudla. Kudla had a good college career atOhio State and is on his way to the Pittsburgh Steelerstraining camp.

Kent State came in with an offer for D’Andrea in June.Senior Update: Every year there are players that I like

and nobody else seems to. Every year there are playerseveryone else is raving about that I just don’t see what thefuss is about. That is the nature of this business.Recruiting would be a completely different animal if some-one figured out a way to be right all the time.

I am usually a firm believer in the combines. Get thegreat athlete and coach him up but there are alwaysexceptions.

D’Andrea is one of them. Most see Joey D’Andrea as a tweener. He is not going

to be quick enough for linebacker and is short for defen-sive end. But I see a playmaker.

Wherever he has lined up, I see him making plays andbeing around the football. He is likely going to add weight

and slide down to defensive tackle. That is not a problemfor Joey. The fact is he has played there before and I thinkit could be his best position. He was so much quicker thananyone in front of him. He has always been great at get-ting off blocks.

Just take a look at what he does in pads, not what hedoes in shorts.

Penn State is one school that has stayed on him. Ithink they could steal one here.

41. *** Jordan Mabin5-10 185 TB/CB Macedonia Nordonia Preseason Update: I remember watching a profile of

Jackie Slater, a former Rams offensive tackle, who wasbeing inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later thatday. Slater said, “Don’t let anybody fool you. Football is abig man’s game.”

We are seeing proof of that with Mabin. Size does mat-ter. If it did not matter, we would see all of the Big Four inthe Midwest making offers to Mabin. If size is taken out ofthe equation, this is one of thetop 20 football players in Ohio,and maybe top 10.

Mabin has a fine offer list withPittsburgh, Indiana, Marshall,Cincinnati, Akron and Kent State.Most of his offers have been asa cornerback, despite the factthat Mabin has earned his head-lines as a running back.

After two great years atNordonia, Mabin is a guy whofigures to be mentioned prominently for postseasonawards in Ohio in 2006.Senior Update: I know I sound like a broken record

but the facts are the facts. This is as skilled a player asthere is in Ohio for the class of 2007. He is as gifted asany of the players committed to the Big Four this year.Take the size element out of the equation and you have tothrow Mabin into the conversation with Brandon Saineand Dan Herron, already committed to Ohio State.

Mabin makes tacklers miss and does so while notbreaking stride. He is very much like Michigan State run-ning back Javon Ringer, who happened to be just bigenough to get some of the bigger programs involved. Butthe facts are the facts and size does play a part in this.

Mabin surprised everyone here in Ohio by pickingNorthwestern. He has a cousin that is currently atPittsburgh and that program did a great job in recruitinghim.

I don’t know if he ends up as a cornerback or a runningback in college but if it comes down to which is his bestposition I would say he is a running back. He helped histeam post a 12-2 mark as they reached the Division IIstate final four. Mabin ended the year with 2,354 yardsand 30 TDs. He ended his career sixth in state annalswith 6,689 yards rushing and ninth with 92 TDs.

It has been a pleasure to watch Jordan Mabin the lastfew years. He has been a class act throughout the recruit-ing process. I imagine this has been difficult watching play-ers he knows he is as good as receive offers that hewould have liked to see come his way.

42. *** Eric Thomas6-5 250 OL/TE Cleveland GlenvillePreseason Update: Thomas had 72 tackles and 13

sacks last year. Those are impressive numbers, but I donot see a defensive player’s mindset in Thomas.

All the junior tape I have ofhim is as an offensive player. Isaw him as a defensive playeras a sophomore and he is listedby some as a defensive end. Hehas all the physical attributesthat are found in defensive play-ers, and he passes the look test.He clocked a 4.7840 this sum-mer.

But motor is crucial to adefensive player and that seemsto be the big question with Thomas. He seems to begoing through the motions on some plays. If a fire can be

lit under Thomas, there is an athlete in him that does nothave to take a back seat to anyone in the class. He maybe too nice to play defense, but then they said the samething about Orlando Pace and we all know where he isnow.

Thomas currently has offers from West Virginia,Michigan State, Indiana, Bowling Green, Cincinnati,Marshall, Ball State and Miami (Ohio). He picked upapproximately half those offers on the Ted Ginn Sr. bustour. Senior Update: Thomas’ offer list speaks for itself. That is a collection of schools that most any player

would be proud of. He has been to Ohio State for severalgames and covets an offer from the Buckeyes. I wouldhave said I don’t see that happening. I think theBuckeyes may be in on a few too many more highly ratedplayers at the same positions Thomas plays but if thingsgo sour I could see the Buckeyes come back on him if hedoes not commit any time soon. Since he has not set upany visits I think there is a chance that could happen.Wisconsin, West Virginia, Purdue, Michigan State,Indiana, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami ofOhio and Ball State have all extended offers. Iowa is alsoshowing interest but no offer yet.

I recently saw some tape of Thomas playing with thefire that I always wanted to see out of him. He definitelypasses the look test and his independently timed sub 4.840 puts him in the ballpark but I never saw the motor.

Thomas lists his top three as Ohio State, Iowa andWest Virginia.

43. *** Disi Alexander6-1 210 LB Canton McKinleySenior Update: I saw Alexander in a Canton McKinley

playoff game and he was the best defensive player on thefield.

He came on as a junior for the Bulldogs and wasunstoppable as a senior outside linebacker. Coach BrianCross gave ‘Disi’ a lot of freedom to roam and makeplays, and that’s just what he did.

He will probably have to go the JUCO route but don’tbe surprised to see him resurface at a major D-1 collegesome day.

He has great speed and agility to make him a specialplayer. He is a playmaker in every sense of the word. If hewas qualified academically, he would be a Big Ten recruit.

44. *** Derrick Sherman 6-0 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowPreseason Update: Last season, Derrick Sherman

had 40 catches and scored six touchdowns after a break-out sophmore year in which he had an 18-yard per catchaverage and eight touchdowns.

Tom Landry once said consistency is the mark of a pro-fessional. Sherman had two different quarterbacks throw-ing him the ball in the last two years.

Timing and familiarity can be huge in the passinggame. Sherman is a no excuses player. He makes plays.

At the end of June, Sherman gave his pledge toPurdue. Maryland, Cincinnati, Ball State, Buffalo, Indiana,Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Kentucky all extended offersand he was also being recruited by Michigan State,Connecticut, Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa. Senior Update: Receivers that are Sherman’s size are

always going to be held accountable for one thing: speed.He is not a burner, at least not in shorts on a track, but hisplaying speed is impressive. He seems to have no troublecreating separation with defenders and then creatinghavoc in the secondary after the catch.

Head coach Doc Gamble said he had one bad gamein his four years at Withrow, and that was a game heplayed while wearing a soft cast. It was the same injurythat forced Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm out of thelineup for weeks this season. He came back the nextweek after a week of practicing with the cast and caughtevery ball thrown his way. Sherman made his commit-ment to Purdue before the season started and neverwavered. One thing that I see with Coach Gamble’s play-ers is he is getting them into the right situations. He is anideal receiver for the Purdue offense, quick more than fast,great hands and highly elusive after the catch. Call him‘wily’ or call him ‘crafty’ but the one word that really

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45. *** Ricardo Thompson6-2 205 LB Cincinnati WithrowPreseason Update: Thompson had an amazing 150

tackles last year as a junior. This is a very active andaggressive player. If not for the questions about his size,he would have even more offers but I do not share thatconcern. Thompson will fill out into a Division I linebackerin short time.

He is wide open on his college choice even thoughMinnesota, Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati, Buffalo and KentState all came in with offers in the preseason. He is alsobeing recruited by Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Wisconsin,Boston College and Iowa. Indiana indicated it would offerhim soon.

Thompson has not indicated when he will make hisdecision, but I think he wants to get it over with but thelonger he waits, the better the offers he will have in frontof him.

He most likely did himself a disservice deciding not togo to any combines and camps. It has become such animportant part of the recruiting process. Senior Update: Thompson is one of those players

that I think could end up being one of the top players inthis class when we review recruiting classes four yearsfrom now.

I was impressed with his junior tape and head coachDoc Gamble thought he was good as a sophomore anda junior. But in his senior year, he returned to the form ofhis freshman year where he really made a name for him-self.

Thompson is now up to 220 pounds after getting inthe weightroom in the off-season instead of playing bas-ketball like he had in previous years. Playing more thanone sport has a great impact on a football player’s abilityto add strength and size as other sports, with the excep-tion of wrestling, want their athletes to stay away fromweights

Gamble thinks Thompson will project as a middle line-backer as he has shown the ability to add weight. Hethinks he could get into the 235 range.

I liked him better inside but thought his size wouldpush him outside.

He is pledged to Minnesota but may take some othervisits.

46. *** B.J. Cunningham6-1 185 WR Westerville SouthPreseason Update:Cunningham is a kid whose

stock is really rising. He has offers from West Virginia, Cincinnati, Miami

(Ohio), Toledo, Akron and Ball State. He has visitedCincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and Ball State, a school that isreally raising its recruiting profile in Ohio. He also intendson stopping by Penn State, a school with a good relation-ship with Westerville South. Several players have goneon to Penn State including former first round draft choiceKi-Jana Carter.

At the Columbus Nike combine, Cunningham put upsome nice numbers to go with his impressive tape. Hehad a 4.62-second 40, a 4.12-second shuttle (which wassecond best on the day for all participants) and a 31-inchvertical.

Cunningham is also hearing from Wisconsin, Iowa,Maryland, North Carolina and Indiana. This is a prospectto keep an eye on.Senior Update: If someone asked me to pick the one

player in this year’s top 100 that nobody is talking that willbe a major success, I would say Cunningham.

Cunningham has good size at about 6-2, 195 pounds.He ran 4.62 independently and a reported 4.55 at schooland he plays big.

I had the opportunity to see Westerville South severaltimes this year. He was underrated quarterback RoccoPentello’s primary receiver this season and showed verywell but he also showed he is an outstanding defensiveback but he is a scholarship player as a safety.

One of the things I have noticed about coach RockyPentello’s teams is they are always very physical and thisyear’s team is no exception. Cunningham will come upand lay the wood. He covers well and he is just a smartfootball player.

Cunningham has offers from Miami (Ohio), Toledo,

Akron, Cincinnati, Marshall and Ohio University. Cunningham ended his recruiting trail in early

December by committing to Michigan State.

47. *** Chazz Anderson6-2 200 QB Pickerington CentralPreseason Update: Anderson passed for 2,200

yards and 20 touchdowns his sophomore year, thenthrew for 1,300 more yards during his junior season.

He has had an impressive collection of schools in totake a look at him, including Maryland, Wisconsin,Marshall and West Virginia. Cincinnati and Vanderbilthave been in touch as well.

Anderson is going to put schools that want him as aquarterback at the top of his list, but as in the case withSkylar Jones from Middletown,his combine numbers have anynumber of schools interested inhim as an athlete. At the Nikecombine in Columbus,Anderson had 28 reps of 225-pounds, a 33-inch vertical, 4.1-shuttle and 4.63-second 40. Hehas been to Michigan on sever-al occasions and favors theWolverines. Senior Update: Anderson did not have the year sta-

tistically that he had in previous years but that had to dowith his surrounding cast. His best year was his sopho-more year when he passed for better than 2,000 yardswith a fully healthy Terrence White and some other veter-an upper classmen to help a sophomore out.

Without White, who tore up a knee before his andAnderson’s junior year, his numbers were not as impres-sive. This year with White struggling to return to his for-mer form, Anderson was 110-of-181 passing for 1,562yards during his team’s 9-1 regular season.

The number that stands out is Pickerington Central’s13-2 record and march to the Division II state title game.That can be chalked up to the maturity and leadership ofAnderson. He led his team back to the playoffs and to thestate championship game. This is one of the best ath-letes in Ohio. His size is legitimate but h is such a rawquarterback. He never played the position until highschool. He has a lot of upside. Purdue, Indiana, Miami(Ohio), and Toledo saw enough to offer him but Chazzpicked the Cincinnati Bearcats early in the football sea-son.

If not a quarterback, he is athlete enough to playreceiver or anywhere in the defensive backfield.

48. *** Charles Brown 5-10 180 WR Maple HeightsPreseason Update: Brown is a much underrated

receiver. He makes so many plays and he shows tough-ness as he will go over the middle.

He is not the size that every-one is looking for these days inreceivers. I am not really sur-prised to see that the offers havenot come in yet because of hissize but wait until after the sea-son when what goes onbetween the white lines starts tomatter more than measure-ments. This kid has skills.

Brown is football smart andhe has good speed. He ran 4.49-second 40 at theColumbus Nike combine, best amongst receivers.

Brown has picked up early offers from Bowling Greenand Ohio University.Senior Update: This year, more than any I can

remember, I am baffled by the lack of offers to someplayers. If I could pick one and only one player it wouldbe Brown.

This kid reminds me very much of another former JeffRotsky player, Bam Childress, who played for Rotsky atBedford St. Peter Chanel before moving on the play forthe Buckeyes.

Brown is about as elusive as Childress was. He isworth a scholarship just to return punts. He runs reallygood patterns, something that can be such an important

thing when these smaller receivers move on to the nextlevel and run into players that are as fast or faster. Healso has superior hands and has an independently timed4.49.

Brown has such a great football I.Q., doing the littlethings like setting up a defender even before the ball is inthe air so he can spin away from him to the other side.

He is a strong kid for his size and speaking of size heis bigger than Childress – that is what leaves me baffled.

Brown has verbally committed to Bowling Green..

49. *** Chris Rucker6-1 180 WR/DB Warren HardingPreseason Update: I liked Rucker when I first

saw him and apparently so do many college coach-ing staffs as he has been busy raking in the offers.So far, Kentucky, Kansas, Cincinnati, Akron, BowlingGreen and Kent State have offered. He is also hear-ing from Indiana, Ohio State,Arizona State and Syracuse.

The only determination leftto be made as whether he willbe a defensive back or areceiver. I like him better atreceiver but most of his offersare as a defensive back, cor-ner back specifically.

Rucker had six intercep-tions last year to go with 17catches and five touchdowns as a receiver. He is agreat looking athlete with solid grades and one ofthe fastest rising prospects in Ohio. Senior Update: A real puzzle this year is Warren

Harding – one of Ohio’s legendary programs – hav-ing players fly under the radar, especially with oneplayer being recruited by Ohio State and Michigan inBuckeye verbal Boom Herron.

But that is what we have with Chris Rucker inaddition Sidney Glover.

Rucker is having the kind of season that hasearned him offers from Kansas, Akron, Cincinnati,Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Toledo andKentucky. He is one of the best two-way athletes inthe class of 2007.

Going into the playoffs he had over 500 yards inreceptions and 7 TDs with 3 INTs on defense andbetter than thirty tackles.

He has never stated a preference as far as posi-tion but I think he will end up wherever he can geton the field earliest. It seemed over the summermost of the programs recruiting him were looking athim for defense.

Michigan State offered and he accepted in earlyDecember.

I liked him better on offense and it seems his cur-rent list of schools is thinking more along those linesas nobody has really said where they are going toplay him. Once he settles in and can concentrate onone position, I think Rucker will be an impact playerin college.

50. *** Phil Collier5-11 175 CB/WR Piqua Senior Update: Phil Collier is making his first

appearance the Ohio High top 100.I had the pleasure of the watching Piqua more

than any other team this year. I saw Brandon Sainebe what I expected him to be. I saw Pete Rolf stepup his game another level. I saw a really goodunderclassmen athlete in junior Justin Hemm, whoplays quarterback for the Indians. But the best play-er on the field in every game was Phil Collier.

He is a tough corner with the hips and feet to playat the next level and he is a good tackler.

This year I saw him become a dangerous receiv-er.

While teams stacked the line to try and get asmany bodies on Brandon Saine as they could,Collier was making himself a dagger in their heartusing his speed and football smarts to get behinddefenses and make big plays.

This is a sure D-I football player whether at cor-

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51. **** Julian Miller6-4 215 DE/TE Columbus

Beechcroft Senior Update: It seemed like Julian Miller’s recruit-

ment slowed when he came into the combine circuitshorter and lighter than he was listed coming into that keypart of the year.

He had an impressive junior year with 6 tackles for lossand 6.5 sacks. He has that long body and the reacheveryone wants in a defensive end despite the fact he isnot as tall as anticipated. He is very raw but I love hismotor and he showed an uncanny ability to get off theblocks that he doesn’t just run around.

West Virginia, Illinois, and Cincinnati all seemed to seethe same things in Miller and all offered before his senioryear. Everything fit with what Miller was looking for at WestVirginia so he gave head coach Rich Rodriguez a verbalright before the season started.

I have seen West Virginia play a number of times thisyear. Miller is a perfect fit for the Mountaineer defense. Iassume Beechcroft head coach Tom Dunlap helped Millermake this decision. It is a good fit for the Miller family.Julian has a good deal of his father’s family no far fromMorgantown.

52. *** LeBron Daniel6-1 225 DE/OLB Cleveland GlenvilleSenior Update: If not for the coaching change at

Warrensville Heights, we could have seen Daniel up thislist more and have more offers. There was just no tapeout there of his 13 sack 103 tackle junior year.

If coach Delvin Culliver had still been there, he wouldhave gotten tape out. There was no coach in place whenthe recruiting season started for Daniel. That had every-thing to do with the transfer to Glenville.

I saw Glenville play a number of times this year andthis kid really showed well. He has a great frame on him.Early on, the question was about whether he was going tofit better as a linebacker or defensive end. Now, I think itmore likely he will be a defensive end but linebacker is stillnot out of the question. He looks more comfortable withhis hand in the dirt.

Daniel has some impressive weightroom numbers so Ithink he is going to get bigger. He has the kind of buildthat adding weight is not going to impact his athleticismand agility.

Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Cincinnati andIndiana have all come in with offers. He has been a stapleat Buckeye games and favors the Buckeyes but no offeris on the table yet. This is a highly motivated kid with agood motor.

53. *** Zak Crum6-4 285 C Westerville SouthSenior Update: This is one player that did not disap-

point this year. Crum was an even better player than lastyear. He is a true tough guy andso strong at the point of attack.He fires out, stays low and drivesuntil his man is in the dirt or untilthe whistle blows. Nine times outof ten his man was looking for-ward to the whistle.

One of the things I have seenover the years that the great line-men have in common is a real‘nasty’ in their game. Crum hasthat in abundance.

I looked into his recruitment and was shocked to findout he has no offers. I was recently told his lack of offershas everything to do with grades. Penn State is oneschool that noticed him. He was also receiving interestfrom Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa, Boston College, Duke,Toledo and Akron at one time. Nothing is going to happenuntil we find out about more about how his senior year iscoming in the classroom. His future is in his hands.

54. *** Sean Baker6-0 200 S Canfield Senior Update: One of the big puzzles in this class for

me is lack of offers for Baker. He is an outstanding footballplayer.

I assume schools wanted to see more out of him ath-letically. He ran a 4.53 40 in July and that is an independ-ent time run at the Akron camp.He already had put up an out-standing 4.12 shuttle earlier atOhio State.

He has added offers fromEastern Michigan and Ball Stateto his early offers from Vanderbiltand Kent State but I thoughtthere would be more.

The word that comes to mindwhenever I see Sean Baker filmis violence. Whether it is coming up and making tacklesfrom his safety spot or hitting the hole as a runner, in notime you know that the next play on the film is going toinclude a violent collision. He showed me what kind offootball player he was last year in the Division II statechampionship game moving to running back, he had nopractice leading up to the game and rushed for well over100 yards and was player of the game.

His dad is a big guy and so is his brother so he is prob-ably not done growing yet. Someone can come in hereand steal a fine football player in Sean Baker.

55. *** Danny Noble6-5 220 DE/TE ElyriaSenior Update: Noble is making his first appearance

the Ohio High top 100.I had someone call me after an Elyria scrimmage to tell

me about this kid. Others called once the season started.After going to see Jaa’Rome Williams they came awaytalking about this kid.

Noble is a raw prospect that stepped up and started tofind his way around the football field this year. He hasskills at tight end but only Toledo is recruiting him to playthere. Akron, Minnesota, Kent and Miami (Ohio) are alloffering as a defensive end. Boston College is also talkingabout an offer. A Boston College offer will be hard for himto turn down.

He is not nearly done filling out. Noble is going to be250 or so in no time. He is a very athletic big man. Thereis no such thing as too many big kids that can run.

56. *** Rob Trigg6-3 245 DE Day. Chaminade-JulienneSenior Update: It was a tough year for the

Chaminade-Julienne program as there was a coachingchange but that did not keep theoffers from coming in for defen-sive end Rob Trigg.

This is a very athletic big kid.He can run like a player 20pounds lighter. There was a lot oftalk about him as possibly a line-backer after his impressiveshowing at the Columbus Nikecamp but I think he will surely bea defensive end. He had offersfrom Miami (Ohio), Kent State and Toledo but gave hisverbal commitment to Cincinnati in mid-October. Therewas a report of an offer by the Pitt Panthers but nothingever came in the mail to Trigg.

He will bring speed off the edge for the Bearcatdefense but he will have the size to stand up to the run.

Great job for the Bearcats singling out a fine athlete thatwas not getting the attention he deserved.

57. *** Marlon Parker6-2 216 LB Warren HardingSenior Update: One of the big surprises of the year

was Marlon Parker making a ver-bal to Toledo. He had offers fromprograms including BostonCollege, Indiana and Akron butchose the Rockets. That is agreat job by the coaching staff ofthe Toledo program.

There were never any doubtsabout Marlon Parker as a footballplayer. His reported 40 time of4.8 was not what the recruiting

coordinators wanted to see, but this summer Parker ran a4.65 and interest really picked up.

His senior was a success from a team standpoint but afrustrating one from a personal viewpoint. Parker wasmoved around a bit and never found his comfort zone.That did not dissuade any of the schools that offered him,though. He did not wait long to make his pledge to Toledo,pulling the trigger in September.

58. *** Carson Byrd6-0 230 DE Trotwood-MadisonSenior Update: This is one that you throw out the

measurables and put in the in the tape. Carson Byrd is aplaymaker.

His combine numbers are not bad - 4.8 40, 4.48 shuttleand an outstanding 31.5 inch vertical, which is an excel-lent measure of explosion whichis so important to a pass rusher.

But Byrd stands out the moston the field. He brings speed,motor and attitude to anydefense. He could be a perfect 3-4 outside linebacker. Of the groupof players in Ohio that fit the 3-4defense, this is the most explo-sive and the best pass rusher.

Akron and Eastern Michiganare out in front and Byrd seems to like Akron, but a num-ber of his teammates are headed to Eastern Michiganand going as a team appeals to him. Kent and Buffalohave also offered. Tennessee, Louisville and Miami (Ohio)are making noise like they might come in with offers.

59. *** B.J. Reed6-7 270 TE/OL WapakonetaSenior Update:Reed is making his first appearance

the Ohio High top 100.I was watching a highlight film from our friends at ONN

and when I saw this kid that I could not believe I had notheard about before.

Reed is a highly athletic big kid. I called his coach andfound out he has been a three-sport kid that has not donethe camp circuit and really saw football as his third bestsport until this year.

He is getting some looks from some D-II schools as abasketball player and is a good power hitter in baseball.But he really blossomed this year in football, winning theleague’s Lineman of the Year award.

Reed is playing in the northwest part of the state, whichdoes not get the recruiting coverage it needs. But with tal-ents like Dane Sanzenbacher and now B.J. Reed, I thinkwe see more recruiters getting up that way.

This kid reminds me a great deal of Buckeye tight endJacob Ballard. He has the size that makes me think he isgoing to grow into a tackle but he is so athletic and hassuch great hands he might not move to tackle right away. Ireceived a tape from Wapkoneta head coach Kevin Felland found a kid that has such good hands he might juststay at tight end. Reed is just a very impressive player.

60. *** Frankie Edmonds5-6 190 RB Lakewood St. EdwardSenior Update: The size factor has played a big role in

Frankie Edmonds recruiting like it has with Jordan Mabin.College coaches rattle off all the things that are right aboutthem then you hear that magic word ‘but’ and you knowwhat is going to be said. Thequestion about smaller backsrunning between the tackles is alegitimate one.

Edmonds is great fun towatch. He is lightning quick andruns like someone is chasinghim. He changes direction on adime leaving defenders graspingat air. He is a perpetual motionmachine. He is surprisingly strongfor his size.

As a senior, Edmonds had 1,159 yards and 14 TDsduring the regular season.

A lot of big time programs were taking a look early butnone came through with an offer. Akron, Bowling Green,

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Miami (Ohio) and Ohio have all offered, but Ball Statecame through with an offer of its own and Edmondsaccepted it.

61. *** Dave Rogers6-4 230 QB Kent RooseveltSenior Update: Rogers is making his first appearance

the Ohio High top 100.I knew nothing about Rogers until late October. I

received a tape soon after and could not have been moresurprised that he was flying that low under the radar.

Rogers is a big kid, he looks taller than his listed 6-4.He has a fine arm, and while he is not a great runner,

he moves around pretty well and is nifty in the pocket. Hehas nice feet and makes those little adjustments that keepplays alive.

We talk about having a feel for pressure and this kidhas it. He has pocket presence keeping his eyes down-field and standing in there to deliver the ball knowing fullwell the pass rusher in his face is going to take his headoff.

He reminds me a great deal of Steelers quarterbackBen Roethlisberger. He is a big kid with a good arm and isvery accurate.

Rogers was 140-of-217 for 2,272 yards and 20 TDswith only 6 INTs in the regular season.

The MAC and several Big Ten programs are starting topay attention so he could have a January like BenRothlisberger did when he was at Findlay where some ofthe top programs in the region come calling.

62. *** Chris Walder6-5 235 DE/TE Trotwood-MadisonSenior Update: No sooner than we went to press for

the September issue, I learned Walder had made thedecision to go back to Dayton Jefferson. I recently talkedto Coach Douglass and it turns out he changed his mindagain and came back to Trotwood-Madison. This hasseverely hampered his development but this is one of themost physically gifted players in the state of Ohio for theclass of 2007.

Walder played tight end, allowing super junior prospectBrandon Moore to move out to wide receiver. Walderplayed well, especially considering how little football hehas played over the past few years and it shows whatkind of athlete he is.

He could be a tight end but I think he looks more com-fortable at defensive end on the tape I saw of him as ajunior at Jefferson. He seems to be surer of himself there.He has ideal size for either position but I would always puta player that is physically capable of playing the position atdefensive end. Defenses are more complex than theyused to be but they are still easier to learn than mostoffenses. With his lack of experience, the less he has tolearn the sooner he gets on the field.

Grades are going to be a factor. This is a player that willlikely end up going the prep route but coaches shouldremember the name.

63. *** Tony Jackson6-1 210 LB/RB Galloway WestlandSenior Update: A couple of factors worked against

Tony Jackson this year. One was the transfer. His transfercame late, and except for the most elite prospects in thecountry that college coaches are already in touch with bymail and from camps, the player gets lost.

The other factor is this is a kid who has many ques-tions about size. Not that he is too small, but just howmuch does he weigh? He has been listed as high as 230and as low as 210.

On film he is an impressive athlete. He shows goodclosing speed and instincts.

He is a very aggressive player whether at linebacker orat running back and it is difficult to determine which he isbetter.

I would take a long, hard look at him in those practicesthat freshmen get before the returning players check-in.He looks like he is an impressive runner and the sizequestion is not a part of the equation. He is a pretty idealsized running back.

Cincinnati and Bowling Green have tracked him downand made offers.

64. *** Mark Wetterer6-6 300 OT Cincinnati Anderson Senior Update: Wetterer is a huge kid. That is the one

thing that strikes me when I see him. I always think aboutformer Michigan star Jumbo Elliott when I see Wetterer.

He looks taller than his listed 6-6 and looks heavierthan his listed 300 pounds. He may be heavier than thatbut the point I am making is he is not carrying any excessweight on that frame.

Wetterer moves pretty well and he might be a righttackle but I would say he ends up moving inside to guard.He has played tackle throughout high school and he iswell-schooled. That is something veteran head coachVince Suriano makes sure all his players have a solidbase underneath them.

Ohio State had him in for a few games but in OctoberWetterer decided to pledge Michigan State. Shortly there-after, Michigan State fired head coach John L. Smith.

Since then Wetter has has switched his decision. Hecommitted to Louisville in December.

65. *** Kendrick Bruton 6-3 215 DE/TE MiamisburgSenior Update: Former Miamisburg coach Tim Lewis

came to the realization that Bruton was not a lineman andmoved him to safety for this season. Late in the year, hestarted to feel at home and played well.

Any number of schools came back at Bruton after hissummer verbal to Miami (Ohio). He saw himself as anoffensive player and Miami offered him as a receiver whileeveryone else looked at him as a defensive player.

He will play on the offensive side of the ball for Miamibut where will depend on how big he gets. He could be abig wide receiver or he could grow into a tight end. With ayoung team, Bruton did not have big numbers this yearbut he is a fine athlete.

I still think he ends up playing defense by the time he isready to take the field as a college player.

66. *** Jerome Royal6-2 190 WR Cleveland HeightsSenior Update: ‘Snakebitten’ is the word that comes to

mind when I think about Jerome Royal. He lost his startingquarterback early in his junior year which changed theoffense into a run first one with Chazz Jones as the quar-terback.

He ended up catching a total of 12 balls, which he tookfor a remarkable 350 yards and an even more remarkable5 TDs. That is over 29 yards a catch and almost a touch-down for every two catches ratio.

Then, Jones transferred, so Royal had to get used toanother quarterback this year.

In between his junior and senior year he went to theCleveland elite camp and really impressed everyone withhis size and speed as well as his route running. An Akronassistant was on hand and made an offer. Royal was justnot enamored with the big schools despite having a verbaloffer from Syracuse at the time, as well as Ohio andEastern Michigan, and accepted the Akron offer soonafter. He has never really wavered in his decision.

This is a coup for the Akron program. Getting thesekinds of athletes speaks volumes about the program J.D.Brookhart is running.

67. *** Mark Wooldridge5-10 190 TB/DB Walsh JesuitSenior Update: This is a kid who may be seeing big

offers before too long. Wooldridge does not have idealsize but his speed and acceleration is something to see.He may not be able to run withBrandon Saine over 100 yardsand he might not be able to runwith him over 40 yards, but over10 yards I would at least put himin the race.

This is a fine back class inOhio. None of them hit the holewith the speed of Wooldridge buthe may not be a running back incollege. He has played as adefensive back even though he has not played there thisyear. His size is less of a problem on defense.

A number of MAC schools have offered but WestVirginia has brought him in, and Big Ten schoolsWisconsin, Illinois and Indiana are giving him a look, as isSoutheastern Conference power Florida. He would love tofollow his uncle John Wooldridge, a former Buckeye run-ning back, to Ohio State. He has been brought in by theBuckeyes but no offer yet.

Speed is always at the top of everyone’s want list. A4.03 shuttle shows his quickness and a 9-0 broad jumpshow what kind of explosion he brings to the table.

He has just completed his third consecutive 1,000 yardseason. As a senior, Woolridge rushed for 1,460 yardsand 16 TDs during the regular season.

68. *** Jaa’Rome Williams 5-10 210 TB Elyria Senior Update: Williams did not match his rushing

numbers from last year because he shared the ball withanother back, but he put up 950yards rushing and had 77 tackleson defense.

The results of his ACT test inDecember will say a lot aboutwhat happens with his recruit-ment.

Toledo is really high on himand West Virginia, BowlingGreen and Eastern Michigan areawaiting the outcome of his test. Isuspect they are not the only ones.

This is a tough, physical downhill runner that is at hisbest between the tackles. He is a hard hitting strong safetyand could play there but where he really stands out is as arunner. He reminds me in build and style of Emmitt Smith.

With his grades in order I think there would have beena bit more fuss over him from colleges.

69. ** Derrick Henry6-1 190 ATH Worthington KilbourneSenior Update: Derrick Henry is making his first

appearance in the top 100. Speaking of athletes, this isone of the best in the state of Ohio. Henry has been run-ning under the radar but he surfaced after a summer inwhich he put up some impressive numbers at combinesand had a few strong camp performances. He had a 34-inch vertical and ran 4.53 40 adding a 4.25 shuttle.

What really turned some heads was his performanceas a defensive back against another top Ohio CapitalConference player B.J. Cunningham from WestervilleSouth. He held this underrated and outstanding receiverto zero catches.

He has offers from Bowling Green and Ball State butsome of the region’s top programs have taken notice. Hehas been to West Virginia at least twice and hasMinnesota, Illinois and Cincinnati thinking about coming inwith offers. He has played so many different positionsplaying all over the secondary this year and played somelinebacker too.

70. ** Brian Peters6-4 185 S Pickerington CentralSenior Update: I have given players nicknames in the

past. I can’t let the year pass without giving one to a playerthis year. I am going to call Brian Peters “Big Train”.

He is a really big kid and it does not take a tape meas-ure to see that height is legit. He is a very well put togetherkid and he hits like a train. This is a year of great safetiesin Ohio and any other year this is name getting more playin recruiting circles.

Whether he stays at safety is going to be the big ques-tion. Everyone is looking to add bigger safeties so theycan play closer to the line of scrimmage and not be over-matched.

As I said earlier, he is a big kid. He has a big frame andI don’t know how he can avoid growing into a linebackeror even a 3-4 standup defensive end before his collegecareer is over. He has long arms, which is something Ithink is such an advantage for a pass rusher.

He has a 4.61 40 and a 4.12 shuttle independentlytimed.

Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, Ohio University, Ball Stateand Air Force have come in with offers but Northwestern

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and West Virginia have been showing interest.

71. ** Dusty Snyder6-2 240 DE PiquaSenior Update: I am usually a firm believer in the ath-

lete first philosophy, but this year Ohio has several playersthat need to the tape measure, stop watch and the tape orDVD in and watch them on the field.

Dusty Snyder is one of those players. He makes a lot of plays and disrupts just as many

plays as he makes. He could fit into a lot of roles. Hecould be a stand-up defensive end or even a middle line-backer but we are seeing more of these less than idealheight 4-3 defensive ends make an impact.

Sizewise Snyder is very similar to Colts defensive endDwight Freeney, maybe the best pass rusher in the NFL,and even more like Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil, anotherundersized defensive end that is playing at the NFL level.

At last check, Eastern Michigan was the only school tocome in with an offer. I have never seen Snyder have abad game.

72. ** Jason Williams6-3 185 QB MiamisburgSenior Update: Williams really made the rounds this

year to camps and combines. Miamisburg head coachTim Lewis said he found very receptive coaching staffs allaround the Mid AmericanConference but it alwaysseemed like they liked someoneelse just a little better, exceptEastern Michigan.

This is a fine prospect withgood skills, a good arm and goodmechanics. He was working witha young team and ended up nothaving the senior year expectedof him. The fact that he ran fornearly half as many yards as he threw for despite havinga talent like Miami (Ohio) commit Kendrick Bruton to throwto, speaks volumes about the youth around him.

During the regular season, Williams completed 94 of193 passes for 1,415 yards and five TDs.

Eastern Michigan is doing a great job in Ohio. Theylanded their quarterback of the future here.

73. ** Rob Reiland6-3 230 DE/TE Massillon JacksonSenior Update: Reiland plays in a good program for

head coach Phil Mauro. He willbe a good player for Miami(Ohio). I believe he’ll play tightend for the RedHawks but Iwouldn’t rule out him growing intoa defensive end.

He seems more comfortableas an offensive player. He caughtthe ball in limited opportunities ona predominantly running team.

Reiland is great in the class-room and a real leader for the Polar Bears. He is a hardworking kid who always represented Jackson in a positivemanner.

74. ** Ben Davis6-4 263 OL PiquaSenior Update: After I was so high on him this past

winter, I have been getting the same reaction across theboard about Davis.

He is a fine high school lineman and had a big part inBrandon Saine’s success.

Davis moves well and is technically more sound than agood number of high school players.

He has great feet and tenacity and has everything butthe size colleges are looking for in an offensive lineman.He is only in the 255 range and they don’t think he canget much bigger without overloading his frame.

I saw again in the playoffs and I have to disagree. Ithink he is big enough.

Eastern Michigan has offered. We are seeing as manyoffensive linemen come out of the mighty MAC as we arequarterbacks. I think this could be another.

75. ** Andy Wersel6-0 229 DE/OLB Cincinnati MoellerSenior Update: There is a collection of players in Ohio

this year like Andy Wersel, Joey D’Andrea from UpperArlington, Dusty Snyder and JafePitcock from Piqua, Justin Powellfrom Youngstown Boardmanand Carson Byrd from Trotwood-Madison and all of them wouldlikely not be on this list if not forso many teams going back to 3-4 defenses. They are not reallybig enough to play as 4-3 defen-sive ends but not fast enough toplay as outside linebackers in a4-3. All of them fit the role of the standup DE/OLB in a 3-4defense.

Wersel may be the one that fits the role the best. Hehas speed with a combine timed 4.7 40. This is an activehigh motor player that seems to have that thing that wecannot define – a nose for the football.

He had another dominating year coming up with betterthan 20 sacks and tackles for loss. When you look at themeasurables (6-0, 229, 4.7) and the instincts you can’tteach, middle linebacker is a possibility. I would give him alook there.

Wersel has committed to Western Michigan. KentState and Ball State also offered.

76. ** Jafe Pitcock6-3 250 DT PiquaSenior Update: I was fortunate to see Piqua several

times this year. It was one of the most talented teams Ihave seen – just loaded with D-I talent. Ohio is chock fullof good football players that lack ideal size. Pitcock is oneof the best.

He plays on the opposite sideof another that fits that descrip-tion in Dusty Snyder. They arethe best tandem of defensiveends I have seen this year.Pitcock is a little bigger framedthan Snyder.

I think he could be a standup3-4 defensive end but is probablybetter suited to add weight andslide down inside to tackle. Pitcock had an interceptionreturn for a touchdown in the Division II state title game.

He plays with the same intensity as his All-Americanbrother, Quinn, an Ohio State Buckeye senior tackle whois likely to be an NFL first round draft choice. Jafe hasbeen up to a couple of Ohio State games but there is nooffer forthcoming. He does have offers from Akron, Miami(Ohio), Kent State, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.

77. ** Mike Page6-5 272 DT/OL Trotwood-MadisonSenior Year:Mike Page settled in and had a really

outstanding year. He was voted all-league, he got hisweight down and, most importantly, got his gradestogether. This is something that coach Douglass is doinga great job with. He has turned the Trotwood-Madisonprogram around and got the task of getting players eligi-ble.

Page has benefited greatly from this. He was always a big kid that could move well. I would

at least try him as a defensive tackle in those days thatfreshman have the undivided attention of the coachesbefore the returning players come back.

For a player with so little experience, he has prettygood technique. He stays low and fires out naturally.

He will likely play at guard but there can never be toomany good defensive tackles.

Getting his grades in order is going to put him in posi-tion where he will be a name heard a lot in January. Hewill visit any number of MAC schools, with EasternMichigan in good shape since several of his teammatesare there.

But Pitt is already showing interest and I suspect theywill not be the first of the bigger name conference schoolsto come take a look after word gets out that Page isgoing to be a qualifier.

78. ** Shawn Sailor6-7 300 OL Maple HeightsSenior Update:Anybody that evaluates talent is going

to see Shawn Sailor and ask for tape. He is specimen inthe truest sense of the word. He has the longest arms andI would love to get a number onhis wingspan.

He is right around 300 poundsand is in great shape. He had solittle weightroom work in his back-ground but Maple Heightsbrought in Jeff Rotsky two yearsago and he is weightroom fanat-ic. That is just a part of football asfar as he is concerned.

Sailor has good feet for such araw kid. One of the key words that we use in this businessis upside. Shawn Sailor’s potential is on another level. Iwould go so far as to say I might choose Sailor as theplayer with the most upside in the class. I would not haveany problem saying he is the offensive lineman with themost upside.

He has played so little football, last year really being hisfirst, but had so many good moments this year. I think hecould possibly be a left tackle – that is where he playsright now – but I suspect he gets looked at on the rightside first.

Buffalo and Southern have offered. Any number ofschools are thinking about it.

79. ** Sean Fobbs6-1 215 LB/S MiamisburgSenior Update: Fobbs is making his first appearance

the top 100.He is another great tweener in Ohio this year. Fobbs is

a safety in Miamisburg’s shifting 4-3/5-2 defense. He endsup playing a lot of the time at the line of scrimmage, buthe does show very good ball skills, so he could play safe-ty. But I think he is best close to the line of scrimmage.

He has a body that will likely make a move to line-backer inevitable.

There was quite a bit of interest in Fobbs over the sum-mer as he visited West Virginia and was at Michigan Statethree different times. In the end, neither of those schoolsoffered. I can only assume it was the question of whatposition he fits in. I can’t believe that either school decidedhe was not worth an offer.

Kentucky, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and OhioUniversity all did come in with offers but Fobbs chose theAkron Zips. This is a great get for J.D. Brookhart.

80. ** Frank Hokavar6-5 225 DE PerrySenior Update: I have been asked questions by so

many Ohio high school football fans that I have lost countwith Hokavar. It has been some years that I have had apolicy that I need to see every player that appears in themagazine. There was a time when a handful of respectedcontacts could convince me to add a player. The policyhas proven to be one I have rarely come to regret.

This is one of those rare instances. I finally got some tape on him and I now see why they

were asking me about him. This is a big, agile and veryphysical player. He is the epitome of the expression ‘theshortest distance between two points is a straight line’.

He plays tight end on offense but I don’t see him play-ing offense in college. He has a defensive player’s mental-ity. That is, if he goes to college. I know of no offers. If Ihad tape of him earlier, I am sure he would have some-thing on the table.

This kid plays the game like it is supposed to beplayed. No question in my mind he is a D-I talent.

81. ** Rocco Pentello6-0 200 ATH Westerville SouthSenior Update: I got to see three Westerville South

games this year. I had Rocco Pentello in the top 100 inthe first issue of the year back in March and I should haveleft him in. I did not get camp numbers in time to keep himin. But he really opened some eyes at the Ohio StateSenior Camp and ran a 4.45 40 and had a 33-inch verti-cal at the Columbus Nike combine.

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This year he was nearly unstoppable on the footballfield. If football I.Q. was able to be measured, he wouldsurely rate genius. He makes things happen as a quarter-back and has enough arm.

If I did such things as naming District Players of theYear, I would name Pentello the Central District Player ofthe Year.

Pentello broke his ankle latein the year and the impact to theWesterville South team was dev-astating. Westerville South wentinto the game 6-0 but they lostthe game he got injured in andlost four of their last six games,including a first round playoffloss. That shows how importanthe was to the Wildcats success.

In seven games this year, Pentello was 78 of 120 pass-ing for 1,120 yards. He also had over 1,000 yards rushingand was also his team’s leading tackler at the time of hisinjury, chalking up 46 tackles (39 solos) from his strongsafety spot. Pentello threw for over 2,000 yards as a soph-omore in 2004, when Westerville South went 10-2 andadvanced to the second round of the Division I playoffs.As a junior, he completed 106 of 170 passes for 1,700yards.

He was getting some attention from college recruiterswith Akron, Ball State, Cincinnati, Marshall, Toledo and AirForce all putting offers on the table. Ohio State came inwith an offer in December and Pentello committed.

82. ** Jeff Spikes6-7 320 OT Painesville HarveySenior Update: Remember the name Jeff

Spikes. This is a kid that has not played a lot of football.

He was a varsity starter as a freshman but hurt hisfoot halfway through his sophomore year before aknee injury knocked him out for the remainder of theyear. He then had a stress fracture in his foot whichtook his junior year of football and basketball away.He was concentrating on basketball until headcoach Delvin Culliver came to Harvey and got himthinking about the opportunities that a player with hissize and athleticism would have in football.

He camped at Ohio State and opened someeyes. He would accept a Buckeye offer as soon as itwas made. Until then, he is looking at Pittsburgh,Akron, Bowling Green, Illinois, Toledo, NorthernIllinois and Eastern Michigan. He has taken visits toall schools that have offered as well as Pitt andBowling Green. He will likely hold that last one openuntil he gets some idea of what Ohio State wants todo.

The upside with this kid is unlimited. He is a dia-mond in the rough in the truest sense.

83. ** Gary Pride5-8 170 ATH Cincinnati ColerainSenior Update: Gary Pride is making his first

appearance in the top 100.There are some really fast players in this class.

Brandon Saine is in a class of his own. After thatthere are a number of players to consider. MarkWooldridge is lightning fast. Donnie Evege has asub 4.4 40.

But outside of Saine, Pride would get my vote forthe fastest football player in Ohio. Over ten yards,he might be faster than Saine.

He changes direction and does not lose speedand has an explosive first step. That is often the dif-ference why one small player gets offers and othersdo not. Getting to top speed quickly is more impor-tant than top end speed. First a ball carrier has toget past someone before the top end speed reallymatters.

Pride was going to be the Colerain quarterbackbut they found an underclassman in Doug Reynoldsthat could add some variety to their attack with hispassing and he is an awfully good runner. That gaveColerain head coach Kerry Coombs the opportunityto use Pride as a ball carrier and a receiver.

He camped at Akron and did not take long toaccept an offer from the Zips. Where he ends upposition-wise is still up in the air. The staff there willfind some way to get his speed on the field. I amleaning towards wide receiver but I would bet he isgoing to share some carries whether lining up as aback or running end-arounds.

84. ** Kevin Koncelik6-4 250 OG Cleveland St. IgnatiusSenior Update: This is Koncelik’s first appear-

ance in the top 100.I did not get a good look at him until very late in

the year. I had a number of associates whose opin-ions I respect telling me I needed to see him.

This is a good, solid football player. We thinkabout quarterbacks and championships with ChuckKyle but no coach does a better job of schoolinglinemen than he does. Just look at the roster of line-men he has produced. They are all over collegefootball and there are several in the NFL includingAll-Pro LeCharles Bentley.

Koncelik is so technically sound for a high schoolsenior. He bends at the knees not at the waist. Heplays really smart football and comes off the ballwith some pop. He will be a fine guard at Miami(Ohio). He chose the RedHawks over Ball State,Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Ohio University. Hewas getting some interest from bigger schools likeBoston College but did not want to wait around andmade his decision before the season started.

85. ** Ben Burkett6-3 260 OL Toledo St. JohnsSenior Update: This is Burkett’s first appearance

in the top 100.I have had more people ask me why Ben Burkett

was not in my top 100 before than any player inOhio this year. I am used to hearing that and 99times out of 100 it is someone who is a relative orfriend of a player or a fan of a school and their bestplayer. This time it was someone, actually severalpeople that I have respect for as far as their opinionof football talent.

Burkett is a fine football player. He is strong at the point of attack and tenacious.

He has a high football I.Q. and is a technicallysound player. I think his size is why more of the BigTen schools have not come calling but Northwesternhas come in with an offer. Cincinnati, Akron, BowlingGreen, Western Michigan, Kent State, Toledo, Ohioand Miami (Ohio) have come in with offers.

He is definitely an inside player. He played bothcenter and guard this year after spending most ofhis high school career at tackle.

86. ** John Wells5-9 175 CB Youngstown LibertySenior Update: The report of a verbal to

Syracuse appears to not be true. Maybe it was justa mix-up because Wells looks and plays like asmaller version of his teammate Ryan Gillum, who iscommitted to the Orangemen.

Wells is just as tough as Gillum. He plays his cor-nerback position like a linebacker. He is utterly fear-less, and very physical. Wells is one of the best cor-ners on the ball in the state of Ohio. He possessestremendous leaping ability.

On clip after clip of his tape he goes up againsttaller players and makes a play on the ball. His sizeis probably the reason he does not have a moreimpressive offer list.

With his speed, great feet, leaping ability andtenacity he does not have to take a backseat to anycornerback in Ohio.

87. ** Mike Madsen6-5 275 OL Youngstown Cardinal MooneySenior Update: Madsen is one of the better

offensive linemen in Ohio. Cardinal Mooney has puttogether an impressive group of skill players but it islinemen like him that make it happen.

He has a great frame and has kept himself inreally good shape. That is killing a lot of linementhese days. They think they need to be bigger. Theyeat badly and lift weights. They add some musclebut mostly they add unnecessary weight. Madsenhas not done that.

He has really good feet and plays to the whistle.He had an impressive list of schools contacting himearly in the process. That list included the likes ofSyracuse, Illinois, Pitt and Northwestern but Mikedid not want to wait around. He gave Miami (Ohio) abig win early in the recruiting process by making hispledge in late June.

88. ** Josh Herron5-10 185 ATH Monroe Lemon-MonroeSenior Update: Herron is making his first appear-

ance in the top 100. He would certainly have beenin the top 100 all year if I had known about himbefore. He is one of the more electric players in theclass of 2007.

Herron has excellent hands and is as elusiveafter the catch as any player in Ohio. He has areported 4.5 40. After seeing him on tape I am surethat number is accurate but his quickness is whatstands out to me. He can stop and change directionon a dime. He is one of those players that is worthan offer simply to run back kicks.

I keep hearing talk of him being a corner, the lastbastion of the small player, but with all the spreadoffenses, I think there is still a place for smallerreceivers like Herron.

He has offers from Cincinnati, Indiana and Miami(Ohio). He has been an invitee to West Virginia butno offer on the table yet. I wish I had found him ear-lier. I think he would have even more options if I hada chance to get his name out there earlier.

89. ** Terrence White6-1 180 WR/CB Pickerington CentralSenior Update: It never really came together for

White this year. When players can come back andwhen they should come back are two completely dif-ferent things. With modern science, players cancome back from major knee injuries in as little as sixmonths. I have yet to see one at any level be effec-tive in that short period of time. It has been about ayear for White but this is something I pay attentionto, players returning from knee injuries and 18months is about the average time for returning toform.

White has offers from Miami (Ohio), Akron andCentral Michigan. He would love to get an offer fromthe Cincinnati Bearcats to play alongside his bestfriend Chazz Anderson but that offer has not comeas of yet.

This is a player that is at least a four star andpossibly a five star player if he ever puts the injurybehind him so someone could score a major coup.

90. ** Ishmaa’ily Kitchen6-3 310 OL Cardinal MooneySenior Update: Kitchen is a dominating player at

the point of attack. He blowspeople off the line of scrim-mage. He has quick feet andcould not be more nimble buthe is a real powerhouse.

None of that really matters. He knew what he needed

to do off the field and has nottaken care of business. Thereare questions about hisgrades but just as important isthe weight. He is in the 315-320 range which is justtoo big for a player in the 6-2 or 6-3 range. If he hadgotten his weight down to about 280 I think some-one takes a chance on him even with his gradeproblems.

We all know about the skill players at CardinalMooney. Without a talent like Kitchen in front ofthem they would not be putting up the numbers and

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despite being way too heavy speaks volumes aboutwhat kind of talent Kitchen is.

91. * Garrett Celek6-5 230 OT Cincinnati LaSalleSenior Update: This was not a real contest as far

as recruiting is concerned.Garrett’s brother is already aCincinnati Bearcat, and quitea good one. However, Celekdecided to follow MarkDantonio to Michigan Stateafter the former UC coachtook the Spartans headcoaching job..

There are a couple ofthings that stand out aboutCelek. He is built long andlean but he has a big frame. I think he can get intothe 280 range.

He is a very athletic, big kid and such a battler. Isaw him taking on larger players on a regular basisand winning most of the time but the thing that stoodout was he was never going to quit.

So often blocking is about tenacity and Celek hasgrit to spare.

92. * J’Keem Waters6-0 240 FB Canton SouthSenior Update: Waters had a great senior season

after being academically ineligible as a junior. Hecould very well be the best blocking full back in StarkCounty since Jamar Martin.

He rushed for nearly 600 yards as a senior andplayed well at defensive end when called upon to doso. Waters matured greatly as a senior and was hon-ored by being named captain of the team.

He is doing well in the classroom but will probablyhave to go the JUCO route for college. Waters is avery unselfish player who has the talent to be a D-Irecruit.

He played at 240 pounds and was a battering ramfor Canton South.

93. * Alex Kaufman6-2 220 LB West Chester Lakota

WestSenior Update: Kaufman is an underrated player.

Whenever I see him on tape, I notice how smart he isas a football player and the little things he does tohelp his team be better. He is a thinking man’s foot-ball player.

Kaufman is adept at pass coverage, somethingmost high school linebackers need to learn beforethey make an impact on the college level. He hassome nice combine numbers with a sub 4.8 40, a4.25-shuttle and a 31.2-inch vertical.

He goes about his business quietly and effectivelyand has done the same thing with recruiting. He doesnot have as many offers as other players but the topof his list would be one that a lot of other playerswould be happy to trade for. He has offers fromMinnesota, North Carolina State and Northwestern.He has not set up any visits yet to my knowledge.

94. * Fred Hale6-3 230 DE/LB MentorSenior Update: Hale is appearing for the first time

in the top 100.I saw Mentor a couple of times this year. Steve

Matas is a great looking player but the other kid thatreally stood out to me was Fred Hale.

He is such a raw prospect but he has a tremen-dous body. He could play as a 3-4 outside linebackeror add weight and be a 4-3 defensive end. I think hecould play the middle.

I saw the first game of the year against Glenvilleand the body stood out to me. I saw Mentor later inthe year and his play stood out to me. He is reallynow just starting to come into his own. I really like hisupside.

He runs great and plays hard. Hale has an offer

from Florida Atlantic and a number of MAC schoolsare considering offering him.

95. * Charles Babb 5-10180 ATH AllianceSenior Update: Babb rewrote the Stark County

record books for quarterback production finishing asthe all-time leader in yardage and TD passes for acareer. Threw for over 1,900 yards and threw 29 TDpasses, with only 5 interceptions. That is quite anaccomplishment in a tradition-rich area.

He led the Aviators back to the playoffs after miss-ing out last year as a junior. He is also a fine defen-sive back. Babb is a very effective as a runner whenescaping the pocket and can make plays on the run.

A four-year starter at quarterback, Charles alsoexcels in the classroom. He will be a college playerand is still waiting on offers. He also plays basketballand runs track.

96. * Bryant Thomas6-1 185 QB/WR Cincinnati WithrowSenior Update: Nothing has changed for Thomas.

He continues to get looks and he continues to hearthat he is on the list of any number of schools.

Thomas had another strong year on the field butthe offer list remains just Eastern Kentucky. He hasdecent size and enough speed for wide receiver. Heis such a smart player and has performed well nomatter what his role has been.

It seems the problem goes back to deciding whatposition he will play. Go back to the sophomore tapeand see how much a problem he was for defenses asa receiver. That should speak volumes about whatposition he plays.

This is just another player that will make meremember this class as the year of the tweener. A lotof good football players that just weren’t big enoughfor one position, or fast enough for another.

97. * Patrick McClellan6-4 190 ATH Cincinnati MoellerSenior Update: It was a tough senior year for

Patrick McClellan. He needed a big year and injurieshad a major impact.

I am a believer in the athlete’s first philosophy ofrecruiting. That means that, ideally, a prospect is agreat athlete and great player, too. Next in line is thegreat athlete. Coaches believe in taking the great ath-lete then coaching him into a great player.

If a coach believes that, he needs to get himselfout to Moeller High School and offer a scholarship toMcClellan.

McClellan is one of the best athletes in this class.He is a 6-4 kid that is athletic enough to be a highschool corner. I love the way he attacks ball carriers. Ithink he could be a fine safety or even grow into alinebacker. He has that kind of frame. He has anindependent electronically timed 4.72 40, a 4.12 shut-tle and a 37.8-inch vertical. Not many players canmatch those numbers.

Nobody played a tougher level of competition thanMoeller. McClellan is a much underrated athlete in myopinion. In time he could be a fine player.

98. * Ryan Travis6-3 205 RB/LB Massillon TuslawSenior Update: Travis is making his first appear-

ance in the top 100.Travis is the most underrated football player in

Stark County. He did it all for Division IV Tuslaw in leading the

team to the playoffs and to the first league title inschool history.

Travis rushed for 1,280 yards and scored 26 TDs. He is getting attention from Ashland, Youngstown

State and Mount Union. He might be a step slow but is a smart, tough and

intense football player. He never leaves the field andis probably the greatest player in Tuslaw history.

He could be a linebacker at the next level, but is aclock-burning running back that runs over people and

gets stronger as the game progresses. 99. * Clay Beeler6-1 230 LB ChillicotheSenior Update: Beeler is making his first appear-

ance in the top 100.I took another look at Beeler this season after he

transferred to Chillicothe to improve his level of com-petition. That was a big issue with him previously. Itwas very difficult to evaluate him based on his oppo-sition.

Any school looking for an inside linebacker shoulddo what I did and take another look. He is a betterplayer, period. He looks bigger, but leaner and faster.He was always a very physical and very smart player.

Beeler showed a different motor in the new film Ihave of him. He was chasing plays down the field. Onone play, he chases a wide receiver down after hecatches a slant. That was an impressive turn ofspeed but he made a great play, stripping the receiverof the ball instead of just tackling him.

He is a very good run stopper, stepping into thehole and taking on blockers at the point of attack, andoften making the tackle.

Beeler is definitely a much improved player thatdeserves a second look. He had an impressive 158tackles and 15 tackles for loss as a senior.

He is not the kind of player that leaps out at youbut every team needs players like Beeler.

100. *** Dan Ifft 6-3 180 WR DoverSenior Update: Ifft is a textbook example of just

how important the measurables are with recruiting.He is a player that brings skills to the table that veryfew can match. If this was just about football skills, Ifftwould have so many offers he would have to get astorage unit to keep them all.

He shows no signs of being shy of contact and hassuch tremendous ball skills and hands. So far, howev-er, he has not shown the speed that is so importantthese days, and more impor-tantly, to his position. A collegeprogram could bring him in andmove him to safety if he showshe cannot create space.

Ifft hooked up with PerciGarner for some huge num-bers -- 114 catches for 1,822yards (16.0 average) and 19TDs. In his career, Ifft had 264catches for 4,172 yards andscored 45 TDs. As a junior, Ifft led Ohio with 92 catch-es for 1,506 yards (16.4 average) during the regularseason. He has verbaled to Ball State.

101. ***** Anthony “Dewey” Elliot6-0 235 LB FairfieldSenior Update: I do not know what kind of year

Elliott had. Getting information has been very difficult,and with his grade situation, there was really no goodreason to put in a great deal of effort to get anupdate. It is one of those cases that makes me shakemy head.

Elliott is one of the mostphysically impressive playersin this class.

I have been asked where Iwould play him. He is such aphysical player and has thebody so you think he would bebetter inside but he has thespeed and the range to be anoutside player so I would wantto play him out there where he has the chance tomake the big plays.

He is such a great player that despite little chanceof being a qualifier I am leaving him in the top 101. Ifqualified, he is a top-10 player.

He is one of those players like Antwan Hight(Canton McKinley) that will one day be part of astory I will do about the best players I have everseen.

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Bernie Agnew 6-0 180 WR Columbus AfricentricBilly Alexander 5-10 175 RB New Carlisle TecumsehJoshua Anderson 5-10 175 CB/TB Col. Marion-FranklinRobert Anderson 6-1 200 QB Upper ArlingtonDavid Beck 6-2 235 LB/FB PauldingMatt Beggin 5-11 170 S Lima SeniorPat Bellish 6-3 215 DE/TE CanfieldWendell Blue 6-3 270 OL Cincinnati WithrowZach Boedicker 6-1 190 S/QB Macedonia NordoniaBarrett Brooks 6-4 305 OT Galloway WestlandRobert Brown 6-8 290 OL Cincinnati Winton WoodsChase Burge 6-3 230 LB Lancaster Fairfield UnionLewis Buzzard 6-7 215 TE Co. Franklin HeightsGeorge Carpenter 5-11 195 ATH LancasterBryant Clark 5-11 171 CB Dayton MeadowdaleMatt Clark 6-3 225 LB Cincinnati McNicholasZak Clark 6-4 230 LB/TE Grove CityZach Collaros 6-1 180 QB/DB SteubenvilleA.J. Combest 5-11 175 RB Clayton NorthmontJosh Copeland 6-1 190 S Fairborn Brian Cramb 6-3 270 OL Youngstown BoardmanRyan Curry 5-10 195 RB/DB Youngstown UrsulineDan Dario 6-2 215 LB Akron HobanJake Davis 5-10 190 RB Cincinnati AndersonMarquan Davis 6-5 238 ATH Youngstown RayenDeMarco Dawkins 6-0 200 RB LocklandPete DeCapua 6-0 205 LB Richmond HeightsKevin Deters 6-3 220 TE Cincinnati MoellerBrady DeMell 6-3 250 DT MentorJay Edwards 6-3 175 QB/ATH Nelsonville YorkMarcus English 6-2 185 DB Trotwood-MadisonBryson Faggs 5-10 200 TB Marion HardingJoe Flading 6-4 265 OL Cincinnati AndersonWendell Ford 5-11 170 TB TroyTrey Foulkes 6-5 330 OT Columbus EastBryant Fox 6-1 185 S PiquaZach Furlong 6-6 220 ATH XeniaJoe Gilford 5-7 170 WR Huber Heights WayneMatt Glove 6-3 220 DT/OL CanfieldJustin Grifits 6-3 280 OL SydneyMichael Grubenhoff 6-3 220 ATH Delphos St. JohnDarren Gunn 6-3 255 DT Trotwood-MadisonEric Haislah 5-9 165 CB Cleveland GlenvilleScooter Hargate 6-2 204 QB GirardDavid Harsch 5-10 210 LB Warren HardingPatrick Hennessey 6-1 205 LB Cleveland St. IgnatiusTomaz Hilton 6-3 190 WR/S Youngstown RayenDon Houser 5-11 165 DB FairbornMarcus Houston 6-4 315 OT Columbus Brookhaven Craig Hoying 6-3 215 LB Anna

Shadoe Joiner 6-0 225 LB/TB Whitehall-Yearling Maurice Jones 6-0 210 S Youngstown UrsulineTed Jones 6-2 220 DE/TE Akron BuchtelKevin Kawalski 6-4 265 C Macedonia NordoniaJ.P. Krill 6-0 205 ATH VermillionZak Kristan 6-3 205 QB Dublin CoffmanJoe Lamb 6-3 175 QB WaynesvilleBrian Lane 6-3 230 LB Cincinnati MoellerBobby LaRosa 5-11 215 S/LB AvonJohn Lee 6-0 180 S Cincinnati WithrowCaleb Lipsey 6-3 285 DT/OL Cincinnati SycamoreDerek Lingenfelter 6-2 235 LB/FB Lima ShawneeMike Linger 6-2 210 LB W. Chester Lakota WestJeff Lucas 6-3 225 LB Lakewood St. EdwardNick Marino 6-2 230 LB Urbana Vince Martin 6-3 195 WR Springfield SouthEddie Mason 5-10 170 S Cleveland GlenvilleBlake McCroskey 6-5 250 TE/OL Chaminade-JulienneTim Nelloms 6-3 190 WR Col. Marion-FranklinR.J. Peake 5-11 180 CB Akron BuchtelDavid Peary 6-5 250 DT/OL LancasterJustin Powell 6-1 235 DE/OLB Youngstown BoardmanDemario Pleasant 5-10 180 TB Cincinnati Northwest Alex Okafor 6-2 180 WR Cincinnati FinneytownJahan Olyaie 6-2 190 WR Cincinnati AndersonCorey Pigg 6-3 308 OG MiddletownEvan Pilsbury 6-5 205 TE/DE Vandalia ButlerErnest Pitts 5-11 185 RB Akron BuchtelAndy Poe 6-2 210 LB Cincinnati ReadingTarik Raed 6-1 210 LB Lakewood St. EdwardBrandon Ramsey 6-1 175 WR MiddletownMakkenon Rice 5-9 180 TB Toledo WoodwardAndrew Robiskie 6-1 235 C Chagrin FallsAustin Robitzer 6-4 305 OT Lancaster Chris Schneider 6-3 225 QB FindlayNathan Sharp 6-4 280 OT Beloit West BranchSteve Slade 6-0 200 S Youngstown RayenSpencer Smith 6-3 220 LB/TE Cincinnati ColerainJamarro Spikes 5-11 175 TB Ashtabula LakesideJason Stiel 6-3 225 LB ReynoldsburgKendall Stinson 5-8 165 CB NewarkGeno Sturdivant 5-9 190 S/LB Cleveland GlenvilleJason Sutherland 5-11 170 WR Vandalia ButlerNathan Toney 6-5½ 265 OL W. Chester Lakota WestMarcus Vaughn 6-1 224 LB/DE Dayton MeadowdaleMyshan Veasley-Pettis 5-9 165 CB/WR Toledo RogersCameron Wade 6-3 260 C/DT Bedford ChanelMike Welker 6-6 300 OG Lancaster Rafit Wheeler 5-11 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowFreddy Williams 6-0 215 LB FairbornPatrick Williams 6-2 215 TB/LB Cincinnati Elder Anthony Wright 5-11 180 QB Maple HeightsJoel Younkins 6-2 220 LB HubbardMatt Zimmerman 6-4 265 OL Warren Howland

Others to watch


Top Juniors Round-Up STORY BY DUANE LONG

have gotten a better look at this classthan any other since I have been evalu-ating players so I fell confident aboutranking them this early.

Dublin Coffman offensive tackle MikeAdams is one of those rare talents. So isCanton South running back/linebackerDeVoe Torrence. I am tempted to put themas co- number ones but I will refrain for thetime being. I see Torrence as a linebackerbut there is some good tape out there ofhim as a running back that if he were get-ting 20 carries a game he might get asmany offers as a back as he will as a line-backer.

Youngstown Mooney QB/DB DanMcCarthy is coming off a dominating junioryear, one that brought him offers from OhioState and Notre Dame.

Watch out for Washington C.H. MiamiTrace linebacker Nathan Williams. He is asmall school kid with major talent. This is alinebacker class that will not soon be for-gotten. I like the offensive linemen, too.

This class is not as deep as it was in2006 but certainly the top drawer talent iscomparable.

I am looking forward to seeing some ofthe tape of the defensive lineman and I likewhat I am hearing from coaches about theirreceivers.

We will have our first detailed Class of2008 top 100 list and bios in the May issue(due out in April).

In the meantime, here is a look at the topjuniors emerging in Ohio:

1. Mike Adams 6-8 305 OLDublin CoffmanI will borrow a phrase from Steve Helwagen

who made the comment, “It only took five playsto realize he was the real deal.” Adams helpedlead Coffman to a 9-4 record and a berth in theDivision I regional finals. Adams had offers fromOhio State and many others.

2. DeVoe Torrance 6-2 215 LBCanton SouthIn the last issue, I said all he needed was to

get his grades in order and he would be top five.He could be the best player from Stark Countysince Mike Doss. His team went 8-4 andreached the second round of the Division IIIplayoffs. At running back, he had 981 yards

rushing, 645 yards receiving and scored 17TDs. On defense, he had 127 tackles, 1 INT,three fumbles recovered and six sacks.

3. Brandon Moore 6-6 230 TETrotwood-MadisonHe has the most impressive list of offers for

any player in the junior class.

4. Dan McCarthy 6-0 180 SYoungstown Cardinal MooneyEarly season form brought an offer from the

Buckeyes. Absolutely dominated games as theyear went on, helping Mooney go 14-0 and winthe Division IV state title. He had over 1,500yards rushing this season.

5. Nathan Williams 6-4 235 DE/LBWashington CH Miami TraceAll the talk was about Williams being a high

school defensive end but I would start him offright where he is right now in high school, mid-dle linebacker. He had 149 tackles (67 solos),23 TFLs and five sacks as a junior.

6. Zebrie Sanders 6-6 265 OLClayton NorthmontThe only bad thing about Sanders is he came

along the same year as Mike Adams. He helpedNorthmont go 8-3 and reach the Division I play-offs.

7. Brandon Beachum 6-1 220 LB/RB Youngstown Cardinal MooneyInjuries have had a big impact on his junior

year but he holds numerous offers, includingOklahoma, Cincinnati, Nebraska, Iowa State,Miami (Ohio) and others.

8. Michael Zordich 6-1 220 LBYoungstown Cardinal MooneyZordich showed this year he is a great player.

Some have looked at him as a strong safety, buthe seems to be growing into the linebacker spot.He had 10 tackles and two fumbles forced inMooneyʼs D-IV state championship game win.

9. Johnny Adams 5-11 170 CB/WRAkron BuchtelIn a class full of linemen, this is the one spe-

cial skill player. He ran back nine kicks and inter-ceptions for touchdowns as a sophomore.

10. Jamiihr Williams 6-1 210 LBLima SeniorWilliams played as a rush linebacker until this

year when he played more as a 4-3 outside line-backer.

11. Justin Staples 6-4 220 LB Lakewood St. EdwardHe could completely shakeup the linebacker

rankings by the time it really matters.

12. Steve Yoak 6-2 210 LBAkron HobanThis is one to watch. Others are getting the

headlines but this is a hard nosed player withthe kind of speed every school in the countrycovets.

13. Nic DiLillo 6-5 220 TEMadisonDiLillo is athletic enough to play as a wide

receiver and saw some time there last year. Hehad 46 catches as a junior. He is very raw.DiLillo attended Akron, Cincinnati, Notre Dame,Michigan and Pittsburgh camps at their request.He ended up chatting with Michigan coachLloyd Carr after the Michigan camp.

The Next Dozen or so (in no particular order):

Kyle Rudolph 6-6 210 TECincinnati ElderGreat looking big athlete. Earned an early offer from

the Buckeyes. Notre Dame is also heavily involved.

Jake Current 6-4 260 OLTroyWon best offensive lineman award at the Ohio

State camp this summer for the second year in a row.

Tanereus Collins 5-11 195 RB CentervilleAt this early stage Collins is looking like he will be

the most heavily recruited back in the class. He tallied17 TDs as a junior in 2006.

Salvador Battles 6-0 205 TB/QBYoungstown RayenRight now, Battles is one of the top two skill players

in this class. He is not ideal quarterback size but has abig arm. He is better when he tucks it and runs.

Dominique Britt 6-5 190 QBTrotwood-MadisonBritt runs and throws very well. He is similar to for-

mer Glenville quarterback and Iowa Hawkeye commitArvelle Nelson. Britt completed 151 of 282 passes for2,572 yards with 21 TDs and 13 INTs during the regu-lar season in 2006.

Shawntel Rowell 6-4 350 DT/OL Cleveland GlenvilleThat he even makes this list at his current weight

speaks volumes about what kind of talent he is.

DeVier Posey 6-3 180 WR Cincinnati LaSalleBig play receiver, smooth, athletic and good size.

I


Top Juniors Round-Up

Eric Simmons 6-3 275 OGCleveland GlenvilleEvery school is going to have to decide if he is a

better defensive tackle or a guard. He will get offersfor both.

Walt Stewart 6-5 210 DEColumbus Franklin HeightsStewart flashed future stardom in his first game as

a sophomore with six solo tackles, five assists, twotackles-for-loss, two sacks and an interception.

Justin Brown 6-4 210 DEYoungstown UrsulineBrown is an impressive physical specimen, is high-

ly athletic and plays hard on both sides of the ball.

Taylor Hill 6-2 215 LBYʼtown Cardinal MooneyEveryone went to see Beachum and Zordich. A lot

came away talking about this kid.

Jeff White 5-9 185 RBAllianceWhite carried 88 times for 529 yards (6.0 average)

and 4 TDs in 2006. Has an entirely different level ofspeed and is winning local power lifting competitions.

T.J. White 6-3 240 ATHTroyWhite could be a defensive end, tight end or a line-

backer. This is a big kid that can run and there arenever too many of them. A college should get him inand then worry about his position

D.J. Woods 6-0 175 WRStrongsvilleWoods came away with most observers saying he

was the best receiver at the Elite Skills camp inCleveland.

Daren Youngberg 6-1 175 SClayton NorthmontScouts went to Northmont last year to see Kurt

Coleman and came away talking about Youngberg.

Here are more prospects in Ohio’s Class of 2008:

QuarterbacksQuarterbacks and lineman come along a little

slower than other positions, so it is no surprise thatnobody has stepped forward yet. For example,Clay Belton is a top five player in a monster classof 2007 but he did not even start until his junioryear.

Jason Albertini 6-2 190 QBVandalia ButlerAlbertini is showing poise and accuracy at this early stage. He threw for 1,264 yards and 8 TDs in 2006.Juandez Brown 6-3 180 QBCincinnati WithrowDaylin Campbell6-2 195 QBKentonCampbell completed 167 of 323 passes for 2,921 yards in 2005.Colton Cattani 6-2 180 QBLiberty Twp. Lakota EastKyle Corbin 6-2 190 QBLehman CatholicZach Domicone 6-1 185 QBBeavercreekJustin Hemm 6-0 175 QB/Ath PiquaLikely not a quarterback at the next level but he has to play somewhere.

Linebacker Brandon Beachum is one of multiple jun-iors at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney who figure toend up with numerous D-I offers. Others include DanMcCarthy, Michael Zordich and Taylor Hill.

Talent Pool




Ryan Hughes 6-2 200 QBCarroll Bloom-CarrollHughes completed 239 of 388 passes for 2,788 yards in 2005. Followed that up by completing 217 of 378 passes for 2,706 yards in 2006.Marc Kanetsky 6-0 175 QBHubbardKanetsky is lightning quick with a rifle arm and a quick release. He bears an uncanny resemblance to Doug Flutie as a player. Russ Oltorik 6-1 185 QBCincinnati MoellerShane Porter 6-1 175 QBPortsmouth Tough kid that can run and throw.Patrick Ryan 6-2 170 QBCleveland St. Ignatius

RRuunnnniinngg BBaacckkssThis is a running back class that is a bit short on

size but there is still time for these players to fillout. Keith Herring reminds us of a MorganWilliams-type player and is having to wait his turnbehind a great upperclassman in Brian Gamble.Crockett is an elusive and athletic talent. Battles isdefinitely head of the class.

Sir Abernathy 5-9 180 TBCincinnati WithrowAbernathy rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman.Darius Ashley 5-9 170 TBCincinnati St. XavierAshley started as a sophomore and doing so in a program like St. Xavier speaks volumes. He runs a lot bigger than his size. He had 1,653 yards and 26 TDs on 253 carries for St. Xʼs 15-0 state championship team. He ended up with roughly 1,200 yards in 2006.Dominique Chandler 6-2 210 TB/LBFranklin HeightsChandler rushed for 700 yards last year and six touchdowns in his first year as a starter in a new offense. He has a 280-pound bench and 400-pound squat and could be a linebacker in time.Chris Crockett 5-9 180 TBColumbus AcademyCrockett rushed for 1,682 yards and scored 33 TDs during the regular season in 2006.Larry Dawson 6-1 190 TB/DBAkron North Dominic Goodwin 5-8 180 RBLakewood St. EdwardIf Frankie Edmonds wasnʼt so good, Goodwin would be the household name.Keith Herring 5-11 185 TBMassillon WashingtonThe only negative about Herring is he happens to be in the same backfield as top-20 senior Brian Gamble. He averaged 7 yards a carry last year when given the opportunity.Anthony Hitchens 5-10 170 RBChillicothe Chevis Jackson 6-0 200 RBCincinnati Finneytown Drew Jones 5-10 180 TBWadsworthJones had 1,972 yards and 17 TDs during the regular season in 2006.Fred Newet TBLyndhurst Brush Kendell Owens 5-7 165 TBCincinnati LaSalleIsmael Pope 5-9 180 TBCincinnati WithrowBruce Parker 6-1 200 TBSanduskyMichael Shaw 5-11 185 RB Kettering AlterCould be a receiver with his size and 10.6 speed.Travis Smith 5-10 190 RBEast Cleveland Shaw

Eric Stoyanoff 5-10 195 RBStrongsvilleStoyanoff is a punishing runner with a take-no-prisoners style. He rushed for over 1,700 yards last year, averaging 171 per game, against a high level of competition. Gary Thornton 5-9 190 RB Youngstown RayenPowerful runner with quick feet and a great work ethic.Les Tabor 5-10 220 FB/LBNiles McKinleyDamon Taylor 5-10 170 TBFairfieldDwaine Thomas 5-11 185 RBWarren HowlandDorian West 5-9 205 TB/LBCincinnati Princeton Paris Wicks 5-9 175 RBAkron Ellet

WWiiddee RReecceeiivveerrss No player has clearly stepped up as a dominant

player but there are plenty of candidates. There issize and speed and the progress of this groupshould be interesting. It could turn out to be a verygood class. Teddy Robb and Eric Magnacca arethe top kids right now.

Jordan Bell 5-11 180 WRBarbertonBakari Bussey 6-0 175 WRLakota WestBussey is the he son of former Bengal defensive back Dexter Bussey. He could end up being a defensive back like his dad. Two opposing coaches singled him out as the best player on the field.Phllip Barnett 6-1 175 WR MiddletownKendal Coleman 6-0 185 WRHillsboroJeff Davis 6-1 175 WR/QBSpringfield North Trey Fairchild 5-10 175 WR Dublin CoffmanA great time this summer will change everything for him. Makes a lot of big plays. He had 36 catches for 651 yards (18.1 average) during the regular season in 2006.Will Fleming 6-4 190 WRAkron HobanFleming repped at quarterback in 2006, throwing for nearly 1,000 yards.Torrieal Gibson 5-9 140 WR/CBCleveland GlenvilleEric Magnacca 5-10 172 WRMassillon PerryMagnacca could be the fastest football player in the class. Corey Manns 6-1 185 WRKentonHad 53 catches for 1,114 yards as a sophomore.Isaiah Mincy 6-0 160 WRCincinnati WithrowKenny Stafford 6-2 180 WRColumbus DeSalesNephew of former Buckeye Cris Carter.Marquis Powell 6-5 185 WRCincinnati LaSalleBig kid that can run. First year of football. Hurt in week 6. Josh Richardson 6-4 180 WR Dublin SciotoSchool record holder in the high jump. Brother of Buckeye DE Jay Richardson.Teddy Robb 6-1 175 WRCanal Fulton NorthwestRobb is the go-to receiver in a top flight pro

gram. He has track speed, great hands and is tough enough to go over the middle. He performed well at Ohio State and Akron's camps. Robb has a great future. He had 45 catches for 653 yards and 6 TDs in 2006.Roy Roundtree 6-2 160 WR/STrotwood-MadisonHas coach Maurice Douglas so excited he is calling him TG3 for Ted Ginn the third. He had 43 catches for 726 yards (16.9 average) and 7 TDs in 2006.Antuwan Rucker 5-10 160 WR/CBWarren HardingCordale Scott 6-3 175 ATHCleveland GlenvilleIf he runs well this off-season, his stock will go through the roof.Brandin Solomon 5-11 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowClay Swigert 6-0 170 WR/DBLouisvilleSwigert played some varsity as a freshman and was a starter as a sophomore. He is playmaker on offense and very steady on defense. He is a smart player for someone so young.Anthony Steplight WRGarfield HeightsSteplight had 44 catches for 652 yards and 4 TDs.Matt Wakulchik 6-1 175 WR/DBNorth Canton HooverWakulchik is a nice looking athlete for Hoover coach Donny Hertler. He has good hands and great awareness at DB. He saved the GlenOak game last year by intercepting Mike Hartline in the end zone. Wakulchik is a smart, tough football player and has 4.6-second speed in the 40. He won the best wide receiver award at Ohio State camp last summer. He had 31 catches for 421 yards and 7 TDs in 2006.Tyler Walker 5-10 145 WR/DBHamiltonRay West 5-7 170 WRSpringfield South Kendall Woodard 6-2 190 WRDayton Dunbar

TTiigghhtt EEnnddssWhat a year for tight ends. Two in the top 20

and any of these others could join them. DiLilloaveraged 4 catches a game. Stoneburner is asathletic as most of the wide receivers.

Christian Hanna 6-3 237 TE/DECleveland BenedictineInvited down to several Ohio State games. Great blocker.Tom Klempin 6-7 190 TEPickerington CentralJake Stoneburner 6-5 215 TE/WRDublin CoffmanStoneburner is a great hurdler and we are seeing hurdlers show well on the football field recently. Very athletic and good hands. He had 43 catches for 615 yards in the regular season in 2006.

OOffffeennssiivvee LLiinneemmeennCould we see a repeat of the Class of 2006? It

is too early to tell but this class is showing verywell already. Offensive linemen are usually the lastto surface. That so many kids are showing this wellearly bodes well for the class.

Isaac Anderson 6-4 290 OGUpper SanduskyAnderson is a real powerhouse. He was a best offensive lineman award winner at the Ohio State camp.Zach Brown 6-2 285 OGCanal Winchester



Brown showed well at the U.S. Army All-American junior combine. Demicus Brown 6-5 315 OT HamiltonCould play some defense this fall.Brad Bednar 6-4 ½ 230 OL MentorReggie Comeaux 6-4 310 OLMassillon WashingtonComeaux worked his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore late in the year for the state runner-up Tigers and is looking like a potential star.Vince Carter 6-4 270 OLClayton NorthmontJared Emerson 6-5 275 OL Youngstown MooneyTim German 6-6 280 OLNewark Licking ValleyMatt Greiser 6-5 305 OL Columbus WattersonPhillip Manley 6-4 305 OG HamiltonOnly 16 years old. Matt Mihalik 6-7 270 OT/DEGilmour AcademyGabe Patten 6-4 240 OLWest Chester Lakota WestAndrew Phalen 6-4 240 OLWest Chester Lakota WestChip Robinson 6-6 345 OTMiddletownRobinson is a huge kid that should have trouble putting one foot in front of the other at this early stage considering his size. Coach Johnson wants to get his weight down and that should help his development. Eric Sluszka 6-4 290 OTWesterville North Grady Spidell 6-4 305 OLAkron North Blaec Walker 6-4 310 OGMiddletown

DDeeffeennssiivvee LLiinneemmeenn This is a very promising crop of lineman. Rowell

is already a special athlete at tackle, but defensiveend is where this class is showing potential for adeep and talented class. There are a handful oflong tall athletic kids that are showing well at thisearly stage. All the tight ends could be includedhere, especially White and Hanna.

Chandler Burden 6-5 250 DECincinnati LaSalleJohn Hiles 6-3 255 DEColumbus DeSalesZack Leimberger 6-2 215 DEWest Chester Lakota WestChad Maynard 6-3 290 DTLancasterDan McClendon 6-3 280 DTColumbus Walnut RidgeMatt Rose 6-2 215 DE/DECanton GlenOakMatt is the son of GlenOak head coach Jack Rose.Blake Steward 6-0 250 DTCincinnati WithrowSteven Thomas 6-2 230 DL/OLEast Cleveland ShawMaurice Watts 6-3 235 DTMiddletownDawawn Whitner 6-2 235 DT Cleveland GlenvilleDawawn has the same hard-nosed attitude as his older brother, Donte (Ohio State, Buffalo Bills), but in a bigger package.

LLiinneebbaacckkeerrss With so many linemen showing so well early,

this linebacker class is getting overlooked. It islooking better than the Class of 2006 at this earlypoint. Thaddeus Gibson, Ross Homan and Tyler

Moeller didnʼt even show this well this early likeZordich, Torrence, Beachum, Nathan Williams,Jahmihr Williams and Steve Yoak are.

Fred Craig 6-1 190 LBCincinnati St. XavierOthers have better measurables but this Craig finds the ball and makes plays like no other.Dominque Chandler 6-2 215 LB/RBColumbus Franklin HeightsKevin Dahl 6-1 205 LBNorth Canton HooverEarly invitee to the Army All-American junior combine.Steve Hangehold 6-2 205 LBCincinnati ElderChaz King 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati Winton WoodsJ.J. Lasic 6-2 200 LB Mentor

Mike Latessa 6-1 190 LBCincinnati SycamoreGrant Lewis 6-1 200 LBWesterville NorthEmmitt Lydon 6-2 225 LB Cleveland St. IgnatiusDamien Macintosh 6-3 205 LB HamiltonKevin Moore 6-1 210 LBClayton NorthmontMoore started at fullback last year. He will be moved to linebacker to take advantage of his athleticism. Anthony Tolbert 6-5 220 TE Cincinnati Winton WoodsRay Parry 6-1 225 FB/FBMaumeeDurand Robinson 6-2 215 LBFremont RossRobinson started all 10 games as a sophomore and earned All-Greater Buckeye Conference honors.Josh Spillman 6-1 220 LBFranklin HeightsSpillman is a powerful kid with a 300-pound

bench and a 400-pound squat as a sophomore.Jewone Snow 6-2 205 LB Canton McKinleyMike Spooner 6-2 212 LBLakewood St. EdwardSpooner is the next great one out of the outstanding St. Edward program.Matt Vick 6-0 180 LBMassillon PerryVick played varsity for the Panthers. He is probably a linebacker, but he could surprise at quarterback. He is a great athlete. has great quickness and is as tough as nails.Dean Walker 6-1 190 LBCincinnati LaSalleTrevante Wallace 6-2 220 LBColumbus BrookhavenIsaac Washington 6-2 240 LBTrotwood-MadisonWashington ran a 4.7-second 40 at the Ohio State camp last year. He benches 350-pounds and is a true Mike.Kirk Wetherell 6-2 195 LBMarietta

DDeeffeennssiivvee BBaacckkssThe defensive backs position is another good

looking position for the Class of 2008.D.J. Brown 5-11 175 CBWest Chester Lakota WestBrown is a super athletic kid that quietly goes about being the best cover corner in the Class of 2008.Jeremy Ebert 6-0 170 DB Hilliard DarbyAlso a standout quarterback. Jimmy Ferguson 6-0 195 S/TBBarbertonDavid Fleming 5-11 200 DB CentervilleGreat athlete. Plays quarterback only because they need him there. A sure D-I talent.Berchard Hines 5-10 175 CBCleveland GlenvilleLamonte Lattimore 5-11 170 CB Cincinnati Winton WoodsBrandon Mingo 5-8 150 CBCanton McKinleyAndrew Strauss 6-1 190 SWest Chester Lakota WestIsaiah Thompson 5-10 165 CBColumbus Bishop HartleyJoshua Smith 6-3 170 SCincinnati WithrowRyan Smoot 5-8 176 DBAfricentricTough, smart and highly motivated kid that will be a success no matter what he does.Kenny Veal 5-11 175 CB HamiltonRushed for 750 yards in 5 games but projects as a corner.Mike Willey 6-0 170 CB MiamisburgAlways moved to the side where the opponents best receiver was lined up.Brandon Williams 5-9 180 CB Lakewood St. EdwardClocked at 10.8 in the 100 as a sophomore. If he were bigger, he would be at least top 20

SSppeecciiaalliissttss

Ben Buchanan 5-11 170 K-P He could be the best kicker out of Ohio since Mike Nugent. Punted for a 41-yard average in 2006.Steve Schott 5-11 150 KMassillon WashingtonSchott has started since he was a sophomore. He puts kickoffs inside the 10-yard line and will get better as he gets coaching and gets stronger. — OH

Centervillejunior DavidFlemmingplays quar-terback buthis future isat defensiveback. Ph

oto

by N

ick F

alzer

ano


Top Sophomores Round-Up STORY BY DUANE LONG

e saw some players in this classstarting to emerge. This is aclass with a good prospect just

about everywhere. Every position butquarterback seems to have someonewhose name comes to mind when I amasked about a position.

Even at quarterback, there are a fewnames I am looking into. Receiver islooking like the bell cow position so far.Newark Licking Valleyʼs Storm Klein wasa man amongst boys this year averagingabout 10 yards a carry. I could notbelieve Westerville Southʼs Ricky Harriswas only a sophomore. He is a very ath-letic kid for his size.

Some people say Omar Provitt wasthe best receiver they have ever seen inOhio. His son, Desmar Jackson atWarren JFK, may be better. DominicGoodwin is really turning some heads atLakewood St. Edward. Getting attentionat his age at such a talent laden schoolspeaks volumes about him.

Here is a look at some of the keyprospects in Ohioʼs Class of 2009.

W

Chris Fields 6-0 170 WR/CB Painesville HarveyA game breaker on offense that may be an even better cornerback. 4.35 twice at Akron camp as a fresh-man. Can dunk a basketball. Storm Klein 6-3 225 RB Newark Licking ValleyRushed for better than 1,000 yards as a freshman. He clocked a 4.25-shuttle at Ohio State camp. He had 1,752 yards and 27 TDs during the regular season in 2006. Could also get looks at LB.Joey Parris 6-1 175 WR Cleveland St. IgnatiusIf he keeps growing, will be a carbon copy of older brother Rob but with better speed.Ricky Harris 6-4 280 OL Westerville SouthHe has a chance to be at the top of this list. Big kid that really moves well.Desmar Jackson 6-3 185 WR Warren JFKHe has the genes. This son of Omar Provitt could be better than his father.Willie Seawright 5-10 160 CB Lakewood St. EdwardSeawright could be a wide receiver, too.Adam Homan 6-1 233 LB/FB ColdwaterThe brother of Buckeye linebacker Ross Homan.Chris Freeman 6-7 270 OL Trotwood-MadisonIt seems Freeman has given up football, but I am leaving him on here in case he comes to his senses and realizes he has a tackleʼs body not a power forwardʼs.Tyler Dummermuth 6-2 190 WR New PhiladelphiaWon a best receiver award at Ohio State camp.Mike McKinney 6-0 210 LB Canton SouthPlaymaker and impact player.Nate Cadogan 6-6 235 DE PortsmouthThe brother of Penn State offensive lineman Gerald Cadogan. Coach Clifford thinks he can be special.John Simon 6-2 250 DT/OL Youngstown MooneyA real load in the middle of the line. Tough, strong and explosive.T. J. Rush 6-4 255 OL Levitsburg LeBraeDenicos Allen 6-0 185 Ath HamiltonClocked at 10.9 in the 100 as a freshman. Holds a 3.4 GPA.Andrew Holland 6-1 190 QB Cleveland St. IgnatiusMicah Hyde QB FostoriaMarcus Hall 6-5 270 OL Cleveland GlenvilleJulias Ferrell 6-2 210 LB Youngstown LibertyDominic Goodwin 5-9 180 RB/CB Lakewood St. EdwardPossibly the fastest player in the class.Maalik Bomar 6-2 185 DE/OLB Cincinnati Winton WoodsPat McShane 6-5 260 OT Walsh JesuitBen Birch 6-4 250 DT Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryJustin Jamison 6-6 ½ 195 QB Cleveland BendictineRemember you saw the name here first.Chris Williams 5-11 175 DB Cincinnati Winton WoodsFitzgerald Edwards 5-10 175 RB Youngstown Liberty Clocked at 10.7 in the 100 meters as a freshman. Size will determine how highly he is recruited. Durrell White 6-6 370 OL Dayton DunbarVictor Graham 5-10 155 CB Franklin HeightsGraham showed well at the Louisville Scout combine.Connor Ryan 6-0 165 WR Cleveland St. IgnatiusC.J. Barnett 5-11 165 CB Clayton NorthmontHarvey Tuck 5-11 250 FB Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryKevin Ringer 5-11 220 FB Clayton NorthmontPatrick Nicely 6-3 195 QB Willoughby SouthNicely was a three-sport starter as a freshman.Melvin Fellows 6-4 220 DE Garfield HeightsRhys Edwards 6-2 189 TE Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryRoman Lawson 6-0 215 LB Shaker HeightsDavid Lee 5-10 170 WR Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryMike Clark 6-0 180 QB Akron HobanDan Fox 6-1 205 DE/TE Cleveland St. IgnatiusHigh motor player with good edge speed. If he fills out he is going to be a good one.Delion Freeman 5-9 190 RB AllianceFreeman has a chance to be really special. He has a body of a senior. Freeman plays linebacker but his future is as a tailback. He played fullback last year but will get more carries this year. He catches the ball well, blocks like a warrior and works hard in the weight room. Freeman ran an 11.5 100-meter as an eighth grader. He was the best freshman last year seen in Stark County since Devon Torrence.Rob McEvoy 6-1 225 LB Cleveland St. IgnatiusNick Yako K Cleveland St. Ignatius

The Classof 2009Prospects starting to emerge in

sophomore classPhoto by Nick Falzerano

Northmont sophomore KevinRinger is the brother of MichiganState sophomore Javon Ringer.


Boys Basketbal l Recrui tsSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

he early signing period in November caused anumber of Ohioʼs top boys basketballprospects to sign letters-of-intent for theirrespective colleges. In this issue of Ohio

High, we provide the latest update on where thestateʼs top seniors have signed.

Plus, we have updated the rankings in eachclass and provide, where available, school lists forthe unsigned seniors and top underclassmen.

The players are ranked by class by ChrisJohnson, the Ohio editor forHoopScoopOnline.com. We also include the mostrecent national rankings by ScoutHoops.com (SH)and HoopScoopOnline.com (HS).

Seniors-To-Be (Class of 2007)* 1. Kosta Koufos, 7-1, power forward, Canton

GlenOak (SH, 10th nationally in senior class;HS, 30th) – Born in Greece, Koufos has grownthree inches to reach 7-1. He also finalized his col-lege choice in May, when he selected Ohio Stateover Maryland, Michigan, Louisville and nearbyAkron.

Koufos missed the final month of the high schoolseason with a broken foot. Before the injury, heaveraged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.2blocked shots per game as a junior. He was a sec-ond-team All-Ohio pick in Division I. As a sopho-more, Koufos averaged 16.5 points and 8.0rebounds per game.

* 2. Alex Tyus, 6-7, wing forward, CincinnatiHarmony Community (SH, 61th; HS, 18th) –Tyus moved in from Hazelwood (Mo.) Central lastyear. He verbaled to Florida in July, picking theGators over Cincinnati, Missouri, Baylor, Indianaand Purdue.

* 3. Chris Wright, 6-7, power forward,Trotwood-Madison (SH, 50th; HS, 99th) – Wrightearned third-team All-Ohio honors, averaging 17.0points per game and leading Trotwood-Madison to

T

Dunbar senior AaronPogue has his collegechoices narroweddown to USC, Floridaand Pittsburgh and willbe big factor in whetherthe Wolverines repeatas D-II state champs ornot.

Power Ball

Sign ofthe TimesOhio’s top boysprospects pick schools inearly signing period



Boys Basketbal l Recrui ts

the Division I state final four. Wright,who averaged 15 points per game as asophomore, signed with Dayton.

* 4. Jon Diebler, 6-5, wing forward,Upper Sandusky (SH, 62nd; HS, 97th)– Diebler committed to Valparaiso inJanuary 2005, but decommitted andended up signing with Ohio State overValpo, Michigan and N.C. State lastSeptember.

He was one of the few returnees fromUpper Sanduskyʼs 2005 Division II statechampionship team. He did everythinghe could as a junior, averaging 34.8points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.0steals and 3.5 blocked shots per game.He was a first-team All-Ohio pick. He isin position to threaten the Ohio careerscoring mark as a senior.

In a Jan. 13 win over Tiffin Columbian,Diebler scored 77 points. He was 22 of42 from the floor and 27 of 28 at the foulline. He also had 16 rebounds in thatgame.

As a sophomore, he helped leadUpper Sandusky (27-0) to the Division IIstate title, scoring 32 points and grab-bing 14 rebounds in the title game winover Wooster Triway. Diebler was a sec-ond-team All-Ohio pick, averaging 25.9points and six rebounds a game.

* 5. Dallas Lauderdale, 6-9, center,Solon (SH, 80th; HS, 61st) –Lauderdale ended the suspense onJune 1, when he verbaled to Ohio Stateover Louisville, North Carolina, NotreDame and Syracuse.

He averaged 21.0 points and earnedfirst-team All-Ohio honors in Division Ias a junior. He averaged 17.5 points, 13and 4.8 blocks rebounds per game as asophomore.

* 6. William Thomas, 6-5, pointguard, East Cleveland Shaw –Thomas was considering Kent State,Cleveland State, Seton Hall, Ohio U.,Robert Morris, Illinois, Oklahoma andFordham.

* 7. Dante Jackson, 6-4, wing for-ward, Greenfield McClain – Jacksonagain earned first-team All-Ohio honorsin Division II after averaging 28.7 pointsper game. As a sophomore, Jacksonaveraged 25 points, 11.7 rebounds and6.5 assists per game. He had 39 pointsin his teamʼs regional semifinal loss.

Jackson, also a state champion intrack, had offers from Michigan, KansasState Xavier and Dayton before verbal-ing to Xavier over the summer.

* 8. Aaron Pogue, 6-8, center,Dayton Dunbar – Pogue joined OSU

signee Daequan Cook in leadingDunbar to the Division II state title. Heaveraged 15.0 points per game as ajunior. If he improves academically, anumber of schools could come calling.He lists USC, Pittsburgh and Florida ashis favorites.

* 9. Nick Winbush,6-6, wing for-ward, Shaker Heights – Winbush hassigned with Miami (Ohio).

* 10. Ronnie Steward, 5-10, pointguard, Columbus Eastmoor – Stewardsigned with Akron.

* 11. James Davis, 6-3, shootingguard, Columbus Linden McKinley –Davis signed with Toledo.

* 12. Alex Kellogg, 6-7, power for-ward, Columbus DeSales – Kellogg isthe son of former OSU and NBA star(and current CBS commentator) ClarkKellogg. He averaged 15.8 points pergame in helping lead DeSales to theDivision II state final four as a junior. Helists Butler, Oakland and a number ofMAC schools, including Miami (Ohio).

* 13. Joe Jakubowski, 6-2, pointguard, Toledo St. Johnʼs – Jakubowskiaveraged 10.4 points per game in lead-ing St. Johnʼs to the Division I state finalfour. He signed with Rice.

* 14. Troy Tabler, 6-4, shootingguard, Cincinnati Moeller – Tabler isthe son of former Cleveland Indians

player Pat Tabler. He averaged 13.8 ppgas a junior. He signed with Wright State.

* 15. Camden Miller, 6-8, wing for-ward, Wheelersburg – A growth spurthas helped Miller become a prospect.He averaged 18.0 points per game andearned first-team all-district honors as ajunior. He helped lead Wheelersburg tothe Division III state final four. He signedwith Western Carolina, led by formerOhio U. coach Billy Hunter.

* 16. Joe Latas, 6-11, center,Bedford Chanel – Latas has signed toCleveland State.

* 17. Brett McKnight, 6-5, power for-ward, Lancaster – Signed with Akron.

* 18. Billy Allen, 6-5, guard,Hamilton – Averaged 17.4 ppg as a jun-ior. Verbaled to Albany over the summer.

* 19. Mike Porrini, 6-1, point guard,Massillon Washington – Signed withWestern Carolina.

* 20. Daitwaun Eppinger, 6-5, powerforward, Garfield Heights

* Also Notable: Christian Siakam, 6-6, power forward, Cincinnati Harmony;Chris Wyse, 6-4, shooting guard, ToledoScott; DʼAundre Brown, 6-2, shootingguard, Youngstown Ursuline (ClevelandState signee); Reggie Revels, 6-4,shooting guard, Cincinnati Taft; GregPreer, 6-4, shooting guard, Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary; Norris Cole, 6-0, pointguard, Dayton Dunbar; Elijah Allen, 6-4,wing forward, Columbus DeSales; TerryMartin, 6-6, power forward, CincinnatiMoeller; Antoine Wilhite, 6-7, power for-ward, Lockland.

Juniors-To-Be (Class of 2008)* 1. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (SH, fifthnationally in junior class; HS, 17th) –Roe averaged 19.3 points per game asa sophomore, earning first-team all-dis-trict honors in Division I. He averaged17 points as a freshman and earnedSpecial Mention All-Ohio honors.

Roe is considering, among others,Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas, OhioState and North Carolina.

* 2. William Buford, 6-5, wing for-ward, Toledo Libbey (SH, 11th nation-ally in junior class) – As a sophomore,Buford averaged 22.7 points per gameand was a first-team all-district pick inDivision I. Buford showed well at theABCD Camp and then helped the D-One Greyhounds team win the 16-and-under AAU national title.

Buford verbaled to Ohio State in thefall, picking the Buckeyes over

UpperSanduskysenior JonDiebler hascommittedto OhioState.

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Boys Basketbal l Recrui ts


Michigan, Arizona, Louisville andMichigan State.

* 3. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power for-ward, Cincinnati Withrow (SH, 12th;HS, fourth) – Gates transferred toWithrow after averaging 20.3 points pergame as a sophomore at CincinnatiHughes. That was up from 13.9 pointsand 9.1 rebounds per game as a fresh-man. He lists Ohio State, Xavier andGeorgetown over the likes of LSU,Cincinnati, Syracuse and Michigan.

* 4. B.J. Mullens, 7-0, center, CanalWinchester (SH, 13th; HS, sixth) –Mullens played his first two varsity sea-sons at Canal Winchester World HarvestPrep before transferring to nearby CanalWinchester. He averaged 17.6 points,10.8 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shotsper game. He was already offered andcommitted to Ohio State before he aver-aged 11.3 points per game in his varsitydebut season as a freshman.

* 5. Kenny Frease, 7-0, center,Massillon Perry (SH, 25th; HS, 50th) –Frease was looking at a number ofschools, including Xavier, Notre Dameand Michigan. Averaged 18.6 points pergame and earned third-team All-Ohiohonors in Division I as a sophomore.

* 6. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing for-ward, Garfield Heights – Wilson hastransferred in from Cleveland Rhodes.

* 7. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power for-ward, Warren Harding – A number ofMAC schools as well as Xavier are in onEargle.

* 8. Devon Moore, 6-3, point guard,Columbus Northland (HS, 81st)

* 9. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power for-ward, Cincinnati Elder – Rudolphearned league player of the year honorsafter averaging 15.5 points and 7.9rebounds. He is also a standout footballtight end and was gaining looks there,including overtures from Ohio State andNotre Dame.

* 10. Josh Benson, 6-9, power for-ward, Dayton Dunbar – Benson hasalready verbaled to hometown Dayton.

* 11. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, pointguard, Chillicothe – Hitchens averaged17.4 ppg as a sophomore. He is gettinglooks from Western Kentucky as well asa host of MAC schools.

* 12. Rayshawn Goins, 6-5, wingforward, Cleveland Rhodes (HS, 65th)

* 13. Chris Johnson, 6-5, wing for-ward, Columbus Brookhaven

* 14. Walt Gibler, 6-6, power for-ward, Cincinnati St. Xavier – Gibleraveraged 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds

as a sophomore.* 15. Courtney Davis, 6-3, shooting

guard, North College Hill – With Mayoand Walker gone, Davis will get everychance to show what he can do.

* Also Notable: Tom Pritchard, 6-8,power forward, Lakewood St. Edward;Anthony Oden, 6-8, center/power for-ward, Dayton Dunbar; Lee Tabb, 6-8,power forward, Toledo Rogers; TroyLong, 5-11, shooting guard, CincinnatiWoodward; Andrew Spradlin, 6-4, shoot-ing guard, Wheelersburg; Damon Butler,5-10, point guard, North College Hill;Johnie Davis, 6-1, shooting guard,Canton McKinley; Anthony McBride, 6-0,point guard, Cincinnati Withrow; ChrisCrockett, 5-9, point guard, ColumbusAcademy; Ashen Ward, 6-3, shootingguard, Cleveland Villa Angela-St.Joseph; Zac Taylor, 6-8, power forward,Oregon Clay; Brandon Baker, 6-6, wingforward, Cincinnati Milford; ChrisGrimes, 6-5, power forward, CincinnatiWoodward; Terrence Pearson, 6-0, pointguard, Columbus Mifflin.

Sophomores-To-Be (Class of 2009)* 1. Danny McElroy, 6-7, center,

Cincinnati LaSalle – McElroy averaged8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds as a fresh-man. Ended the suspense early andcommitted to Cincinnati in mid-October.

* 2. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shootingguard, Warren JFK

* 3. Bill Edwards, 6-5, forward,Middletown – Edwards was an honor-able mention all-district pick in Division Ias a freshman, when he averaged 11.4points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

* 4. Mario Hines, 6-8, power for-ward, Garfield Heights

* 5. Reggie Keely, 6-6, power for-ward, Solon

* 6. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, powerforward, Loveland

* 7. Orlando Williams, 6-2, pointguard, Cincinnati Princeton –Transfers in from Cincinnati Woodward.

* 8. Shawn Joplin, 6-1, comboguard, Sylvania Southview – Joplin isthe son of Toledo coach Stan Joplin.

* 9. Drew McGee, 6-8, power for-ward, North Ridgeville

* 10. Chris Freeman, 6-8, center,Trotwood-Madison

* Also Notable: Stephon Johnson, 6-5, power forward, Cincinnati Princeton;Mike Taylor, 6-2, shooting guard, ToledoSt. Johnʼs; Jared Porrini, 6-3, shootingguard, Massillon Washington; AaronRobinson, 6-1, point guard, Trotwood-Madison; Zack Brown, 6-3, shootingguard, Mason; Ryan Siggins, 6-4, shoot-ing guard, Kettering Alter; Carl Jones, 5-7, point guard, Garfield Heights; BrianWozniak, 6-5, wing forward, CincinnatiLoveland; Robert Johnson, 6-4, wingforward, Bedford; Dane Kopp, 6-8, cen-ter, Newark; Garrick Sherman, 6-8, cen-ter, Kenton.

Freshmen-To-Be (Class of 2010)Here is an early top 10 to watch

(listed in order) in the Class of 2010:Jared Sullinger, 6-7, power forward,Columbus Northland; Kenny Knight, 6-5,wing forward, Cincinnati Northwest;Nick Kellogg, 6-3, wing forward,Columbus DeSales; Peʼshon Howard, 6-2, point guard, Lakewood St. Edward;Cameron Wright, 6-2, shooting guard,Cleveland Benedictine; Storm Sanders,6-0, combo guard, Canton GlenOak;Juwan Staten, 5-7, point guard, DaytonColonel White; Cody Smith, 5-11, pointguard, Lima Shawnee; Kevin Gray, 5-10,point guard, Reynoldsburg; CourtneyAvery, 5-10, point guard, MansfieldSenior. — OH

For more updates on Ohioʼs topprospects and those nationally, checkout Chris Johnsonʼs work at hoopscoo-ponline.com

Trotwood-Madison seniorChris Wright isheaded to theUniversity ofDayton.

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Alex Kel logg STORY BY DAV ID B IDDLE

Son of former Ohio State star and current collegebasketball analyst Clark Kellogg, DeSales senior AlexKellogg averaged 15.8 points last season en route tohelping DeSales reach the D-II state semifinals.

Stat Sheet Stuffer


Alex Kel logg


is father might refer to him as a “stat sheet stuffer.”Columbus DeSales forward Alex Kellogg is ranked

as the No. 18 basketball prospect in the state in thesenior class according to Ohio High.The 6-7 Kellogg – son

of national college basketballanalyst Clark Kellogg – averaged15.8 points per game last yearand led DeSales to a surpriserun to the Division II state semifi-nals.“We exceeded a lot of expecta-

tions last year,” Kellogg said.“Nobody really had us on theradar. At the beginning of theseason we struggled a little bit,but we came together as a teamand we had some good seniorleadership and we surprisedsome people by getting to thestate final four. During the end,we started to play to our abilitylevel.”And now that his senior cam-

paign is underway, Kellogg isputting the onus on himself tohave a huge year and leadDeSales to an even better sea-son.“I played a lot of basketball

over the summer,” said Kellogg,who is rated as Ohio’s 12th-bestsenior prospect by Ohio High. “Iwent to a couple camps. I wentto a lot of AAU tournaments and Ireally worked hard on my shotand my perimeter game off thedribble. I also really focused onrebounding and defense.

“I’m about 6-7, so I need to work on my post game which Ihave been doing. I think I run the floor well and can get someeasy transition buckets. I need to really focus on reboundingboth offensively and defensively, which I’m getting better at.And probably just playing all four quarters non stop and work-ing on my conditioning-level also.”DeSales head coach Blair Albright can’t say enough good

things about his star forward.“Alex has almost limitless upside when you look at his poten-

tial for development throughout this coming season and intohis collegiate career,” Albright said. “It is important to remember that Alex only turned 17 early

this school year which makeshim young for his grade. As hisbody continues to grow andmature he has the ability to makegreat strides.“What’s more, as Alex’s under-

standing of the game has grown.So to has his ability to put him-self into situations where he canmore consistently dominate agame.”Kellogg is bigger than a lot of

players he faces at the preplevel, but he is also very athleticfor a post player. This is why some scouting

analysts believe he can be asmall forward or power forwardon the next level.“At 6-7, almost 6-8, Alex pos-

sesses the ability to handle andpass on the perimeter to goalong with an exceptional firststep that gets him by defendersfor easy baskets,” Albright said.“Alex is an excellent back-to-the-basket scorer because of hisgreat footwork and excellentstrength. He rebounds well atboth ends of the floor, and willbecome better with that this sea-son because of much improvedstrength and cardio vascularstamina. The most intriguing partof his game, however, is his abili-

DeSales senior Alex Kellogg has scholarship offersfrom Ohio University, Butler, Wright State, Miami (Oh.)

and Akron.


“It is important to remember that Alexonly turned 17 early this school yearwhich makes him young for his grade.As his body continues to grow andmature he has the ability to makegreat strides.”

Blair Albright, DeSales Head Coach

DeSales’ Alex Kellogg looking for big thingsas a senior

H

Alex Kel logg

ty to use his tremendous athleticism for highlight-reel type finish-es on the transition break. As Alex continues to develop betterconsistency on his mid-range and perimeter jump shot, he couldbecome a nearly impossible player to contain with any consisten-cy.”Kellogg has five scholarship offers – Butler, Miami (Ohio),

Wright State, Akron and Ohio U.“Butler and Miami of Ohio are probably my top choices right

now,” Kellogg said. “I just met Wright State’s new coach (Brad Brownell) and he

seems like a good guy and I know they have good facilitiesthere.”Clark Kellogg was a star forward at Ohio State and Alex would

like to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, it seems unlikelythe Buckeyes will offer him a scholarship.“Well, I heard they have a scholarship left for ’07, but I’m not

really sure,” Alex said.The younger Kellogg talked about growing up in the shadow of

his famous father.“It’s been good. I’m used to it now,” he said. “He always tells

me I have a target on my back and everybody is going to bewatching just because of my last name. He just tells me to go outand do my best and the most important thing is to have fun. Heteaches me stuff and shows me things and I workout with him alittle bit too.

“When I started playing basketball, it wasn’t until fifth or sixthgrade until I first played organized basketball and he never reallypushed me to play basketball. When I first started, he said justdo it if it’s fun and keep doing it if you like it. I played soccerbefore that and I really liked soccer, but then I just focused in onbasketball and it hasn’t changed much since. And when I startedgetting serious about it, that’s when he came in and startedshowing me things.”Kellogg enjoys watching his father do his thing on national TV

and especially for CBS when the NCAA Tournament rolls around.“Yeah, I watch him a little bit when I can,” Alex said. “When

he’s doing college basketball I try and check him out.”Kellogg was asked when it first occurred to him that he would

be a Division I college recruit one day.“Probably right after my sophomore season when I started to

get letters from different schools and that really made me startthinking about it,” he said. “And when college coaches comewatch me play and practice and that’s when it started hitting me.”When Kellogg isn’t playing basketball, he enjoys listening to

rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Fabolous, as well as playing theNBA Live ’07 video game.“I just like to hang out with my friends and play video games

here and there,” Kellogg said. “I like to be on the computer, listen to music and just kind of

hang out.” — OH


Gir ls Basketbal l Recrui tsSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

Here is a look at some of the top girls basket-ball prospects in Ohio. A number of the state’stop seniors took advantage of the fall early sign-ing period to sign letters-of-intent to their col-lege choices. The players in each class are list-ed alphabetically. (Scoring averages for 2005-06, college choices and other data listed whereavailable.)

Top Seniors (Class of 2007)Tenisha Benson, 5-9, G, Akron Hoban –

Benson, who signed with Ohio U., averaged 16points, seven rebounds and five assists pergame last year.Deseree Byrd, 5-9, G, Cincinnati Taft, 18.0

ppgKristin Daugherty, 6-0, F, Warsaw River

View – Daughterty, who signed with Dayton,was selected as a Division II state player of theyear after averaging 18.9 points, 8.6 reboundsand 4.0 assists per game. She averaged 17.9ppg as a sophomore. She is ranked 98thnationally by girlshoops.scout.com.Ebony Gainey, 6-0, G, Dayton

Meadowdale – Gainey, who signed withDayton, averaged, 15.4 points per game lastyear.Stephanie Gibson, 5-6, G, North Canton

Hoover – Gibson, who signed with Kent, aver-aged 14 ppg and five assists per game lastyear.Melissa Goodall, 6-2, C-F, Lexington –

Goodall, who signed with Toledo, averaged14.4 ppg and 8.8 rpg last year.Amber Heistan, 6-0, G, Lima Shawnee –

Heistan, who signed with Toledo, averaged12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 4.6 apg last year.Bianca Hooten, 5-10, F, Canton McKinley

– Hooten, who signed with Bowling Green,averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds pergame.Liana Jennings, 5-8, G, Stow – Jennings,

who signed with Bowling Green, averaged 18.8points and five assists per game. Special Jennings, 5-6, G, Cleveland East

Tech – Jennings, who signed with Xavier, aver-aged 16.1 ppg as a junior after averaging 17.8ppg as a sophomore. She is ranked 99thnationally by girlshoops.scout.com.Haley Kapferer, 6-3, C, Jefferson Area –

Kapferer averaged 22.2 ppg as a junior afteraveraging 21.1 ppg as a sophomore. She willplay volleyball at Youngstown State.Jantel Lavender, 6-4, C, Cleveland Central

Catholic – Lavender averaged 20.7 ppg as ajunior after averaging 22.0 ppg as a sopho-more. She is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 over-all prospect by girlshoops.scout.com. Shesigned with Ohio State over Maryland, NorthCarolina and Tennessee.Samantha Leach, 5-9, G, Washington C.H.

Miami Trace – 14.7 ppgWhitney Lindsay, 5-5, G, Mansfield St.

Peter’s – Lindsay averaged 17.1 ppg as a jun-ior after averaging 13.7 ppg as a sophomore.Tiffany Mauk, 5-10, G, Marion Pleasant –

20.8 ppgLydia McCully, 5-9, G, Bedford Chanel –

15.5 ppg Crystal Murdaugh, 6-0, F, Dublin Scioto –

Murdaugh, who has signed with BowlingGreen, averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as ajunior. She is ranked 98th nationally by girl-shoops.scout.com.Kara Murphy, 5-9, G, Akron St. Vincent-St.

Mary – Murphy, who signed with Akron, aver-aged 22 points and seven rebounds per gamelast year.Lauren Prochaska, 5-11, F, Plain City

Jonathan Alder -- Prochaska averaged 24.8points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.3 steals per game inleading the Pioneers to a 26-2 mark and theDivision III state title. She was a Division IIIstate player of the year. She averaged 24.3 ppgas a sophomore. She has signed with BowlingGreen.Liz Repella, 5-11, F, Steubenville – Repella,

who signed with West Virginia, was tabbed as aDivision II state player of the year after averag-ing 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 4.0steals and 3.0 blocked shots per game as ajunior. She averaged 22.0 ppg as a sophomore.

She is ranked 69th nationally bygirlshoops.scout.com.Carlee Roethlisberger, 6-0, F, Findlay –

Roethlisberger earned D- I first-team All-Ohiohonors averaging 19.1 ppg. She averaged 18.5ppg as a sophomore. Signed with Oklahoma.Kyla Rollins, 6-1, F, Cleveland East Tech –

Rollins, who signed with Ohio U., averaged 14points, 17 rebounds and four assists a gamelast year.Cassie Schrock, 5-8, G, Wadsworth – 19.2

ppgSara Schulze, 6-1, F, Anna – Schulze, who

signed with Ohio State, averaged 23.0 ppg lastyear.Ellie Shields, 6-3, C, Warren Howland –

Shields, who signed with Kent, averaged 18.2ppg and 10.0 rpg last year.Jen Uhl, 6-1, F, Wadsworth – Uhl, who

signed with Bowling Green, averaged 15.4 ppgand 9.6 rpg per game last year.Shareese Ulis, 5-7, G, Toledo Waite – 19.1

ppgMelanie Williams, 5-9, G, Willoughby

Andrews School for Girls –Williams aver-aged 25.8 ppg after averaging 25.3 ppg as asophomore.Kelly Zuercher, 6-1, C, Apple Creek

Waynedale – Zuercher, who signed withBowling Green, averaged 16.1 ppg and 7.6 rpglast year.

Top Juniors (Class of 2008)Macie Blinn, 6-0, F, Greenville – 18.4 ppgCierra Bravard, 6-2, F, Sandusky Perkins –

22.2 ppgAyanna Dunning, 6-3, C, Columbus

Eastmoor Academy – Dunning, who averaged19.0 ppg as a sophomore, is rated as thenation’s No. 3 junior prospect bygirlshoops.scout.com.Amber Gray, 6-1, F, West Chester Lakota

West – Gray, who averaged 20.7 ppg as asophomore, is rated as the nation’s No. 15 jun-ior by girlshoops.scout.com.Angela Groves, 6-1, F, Shaker Heights

Hathaway Brown – 15.4 ppgTyeasha Moss, 5-8, G, Columbus

Africentric – 17.9 ppgBrittany Orban, 5-11, F, North Canton

Hoover – 22.7 ppgJustine Raterman, 6-1, F, Versailles – 17.8

ppgShay Selby, 5-8, G, South Euclid Regina –

Selby averaged 22.1 ppg after averaging 15.4ppg as a freshman. Selby, rated the nation’sNo. 11 junior by girlshoops.scout.com, hascommitted to Duke over the likes ofConnecticut, Michigan State, Ohio State andTennessee.Courtney Schiffauer, 6-0, F, Youngstown

Photos by MVP (miamivalleysports.com)

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State’s top girls basketball prospectssign letters-of-intent

Standard Mail, US Postage Paid, Permit #7Bellbrook, OH 45305

Ohio High January 2007

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Transcript of Ohio High January 2007