Ohio High July 2007

Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

Printing

Miami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyGary Housteau, Nick Falzerano,

Jeff Brehm, Stephanie Porter, Tom Puskar,Joe Maiorana

Contributors

Paul Boggs, Jeff Brehm, Steven Matthews,Tony Maluso, Robb Hemmelgarn, DeanEversole, Frank DiRenna, Heath Dawson

Staff WritersGary Housteau, Kirk Larrabee,

Glenn Forbes

Assistant EditorsMatt Natali, Dave Biddle

Recruiting EditorDuane Long

Managing EditorEric Frantz

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Letters to Editor

he only reason I know the 2012 Summer Olympics are in London, England isbecause I was at the 2007 Ohio High School state track and field championships.Expect some of the same competitors in both.

June 1-2 at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, spectators were exposed tosome of the best high school track and field talent our country has to offer. Consider…- Elmore Woodmore senior Emily Pendleton won her fourth consecutive Division III dis-

cus title, making her the first athlete – male or female – in state history to sweep a fieldevent. Pendleton, the state record holder (183-3), also owns the country’s top prep throwthis spring and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in Girls T&F.- Vandalia-Butler senior Jimmie Pacifico defended his D-I state shot put title in record-

setting fashion. Pacifico completed a sweep of state records, adding the state meet markto his state record (71-6.25). Pacifico, who threw over 70-feet seven times this spring, isthe top prep shot putter in the country.- Euclid senior Jessica Beard won her fourth consecutive D-I 400 title and became just

one of two girls ever in state history (the other being second-place Meshawn Graham ofToledo Bowsher) to run under 53 seconds in the event. Beard’s 51.63 and Graham’s 52.51rank 1-2 nationally. Graham is a junior.- Beaumont junior Emily Infeld shattered the state and state meet record in the 1,600

with a time of 4:41.37. She bettered the previous mark by over three seconds. Infeld alsowon her third straight 800 title.- Yellow Springs senior Sam Borchers won his third straight D-III 1,600 championship

and defended his 800 title. Borchers also led the Bulldogs to victory in the 3,200 relay. Heowns state records in all and state meet records in the 800 and 3,200 relay. Two weeksafter state, Borchers ran the fastest mile ever by an Ohio prep runner (4:03.33) en route towinning the Nike Nationals.In addition to having more on all five athletes inside this edition – the first of our Fifth

Volume – we have much, much more.We review all the spring state tournaments (baseball, softball, track and field and tennis)

and unveil our 2007 Ohio High Spring Sports Players of the Year. Included in the mix isKings tennis standout Matt Allare who became the first athlete in state history to win fourstraight state tennis titles in four consecutive years.Perhaps the most anticipated section of the issue is our 2007 high school football pre-

view. Our writers present overviews of all six divisions and give in-depth insight into eachregion’s top teams and others to watch out for. We also nobly offer up our predications onhow we think this season could pan out.Duane Long returns with an updated list of the top football prospects in the classes of

2008-10. Is Mike Adams still the state’s No. 1 recruit? If not, who is?Other stories include:* Sandusky Perkins coach Ray Neill who is the Ohio High Coach of the Year for leading

the Pirates to both the D-II state tournaments in girls basketball and baseball.* Recently retired Cincinnati Moeller head baseball coach Mike Cameron who steps

down as the state’s all-time leader in victories.* Photos of the 2007 Ohio High Winter Sports Players of the Year.* A look at Ohio State football recruit and Miami Trace senior Nathan Williams.As a reminder, we also invite you to continually check out our website JJHuddle.com.

Throughout the summer we will update our site daily with previews, features, news andother stories about high school football, basketball and all sports. You’ll also see a sitechange this summer, which we feel will help us serve you – our fans – even better.Ohio High will return in late August with our September edition. That magazine will con-

tain Duane Long’s updated bios on the top 100 football prospects in Ohio for 2008.As always, thanks for your support of Ohio High Magazine and JJHuddle.com.

Eric FrantzManaging Editor

Ohio High Magazine is published bi-monthly, six times ayear. Ohio High is an independent source of news and fea-tures relating to Ohio high school sports. Ohio High strivesto report information based on fact, but assumes noresponsability for any inaccuracies that may appear withinthe pages. Ohio High is not authorized, sponsored or sanc-tioned by any university, athletic conference or athletic gov-erning body.Subscriptions are available for $29.95 andmay be purchasedonline at jjhuddle.com.Single copy price is $6.95 each.Copyright 2007, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVERPHOTOS:NickFalzerano&DeanUtendorf (Woodmore)

c

Going forward, here are general topics that will be covered in each edition of Ohio High:* September (Due outAug. 15) – Top 100 senior prospect bios updated.* November (Due out Oct. 15) –Basketball preview issue, football playoff preview.* January (Due out Dec. 15) – Football playoff and fall sports recap, top 100 senior prospect

bios updated.* March (Due out Feb. 15) –Basketball and wrestling tournament previews.* May (Due outApril 15) –Recap of basketball and wrestling state tournaments and first top

100 football recruit biosCheck out JJHuddle.com every day for season previews and daily coverage of Ohio high

school athletics. For subscription information onOhio High, check the Internet at www.jjhuddle.com

Upcoming Issues

T

Baseball, Softball, Track and Tennis athletes honoredOhio High/Huntington Spring POY7

JJHUD

DLE.COM

Pendleton sisters reach rare heights and distancesDiscus Dynasty At Woodmore13

Individual and team heroics define spring state tournametsSpring Sports Review16

Football All-Star Games72

64

72

26

16

Knight Time: Kettering Alter wins fourth annual honorOhio High Cup Final Standings24

Sandusky Perkins’ Ray Neill tabbed as state’s top coachOhio High Coach Of The Year26

The Big Red are going for their third straight state titleSteubenville Big Red Football28

Photo by Tom Puskar

Photo by Joe Maiorana

Photo by Gary Housteau


Updated List Of Ohio’s Top Boys Basketball Recruits74

Also...

Longtime Moeller baseball coach Mike Cameron retires23

Ohio High Winter Sports Award Winners Pictoral76

DIVISION I34DIVISION III42DIVISION V52

Returning Statistical Leaders & Big Games62

2007 Football Preview33

Duane Long’s Updated Seniors64 A look at the NEW Top 34 in the Class of 2008

DIVISION II38DIVISION IV47DIVISION VI57

Miami Trace Senior and Ohio State Recruit NathanWilliams66Duane Long’s Updated Top Juniors (Class of 2009)68Duane Long’s Updated Top Sophomores (Class of 2010)70

J JHUDDLE .COM 7JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Spr ing Spor ts Players of the Year

Baseball

Softball

Tennis

Girls Track& Field

Boys Track& Field

hysically, Cleveland Beaumont’s Emily Infeld isn’t intimidating. Onceshe starts her motor, though, that’s a different story.Arguably the state’s top distance runner and one of the nation’s

elite, Infeld has been named the 2007 Ohio HighAthlete of the Yearin girls track. At the state track and field championships held June 1-2 at OhioState’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Infeld led Beaumont to its record15th Division I state team title and first since 2002. Beaumont finished with44 points, while Cleveland Collinwood had 36 andWarrensville Heights 28.Infeld helped account for well over half (25) of Beaumont’s points.The junior set a state and state meet record in the 1,600 when she

clocked in at 4:41.37. That time shattered the previous record of 4:45.68 setby Mantua Crestwood’s Bridget Franek in 2005. Infeld finished runner-up to

Franek at the state meet in 2005 whenFranek set the record.Infeld was also the 1,600 runner-up in

2006 to Mason’sAngela Bizzari.“My first 800 was slower than my coach

wanted so the last 800 I really cranked itout,” Infeld said.“I really tried to push it to make up for

that and that really helped. I think if I might have been on (through the first800) I might have slowed down a bit. The fact that I was a little slower mademe run a little faster.”Forty-five minutes later, Infeld won the 800 in a state meet record 2:08.63.Both Infeld’s 800 and 1,600 times rank among the Top 10 nationally.She also led the Blue Streaks to a fourth place finish in the 3,200 relay.

Last year Beaumont was seventh in the event.“I was really happy with our relay finish,” Infeld said. ‘We bumped up three

spots from last year and that’s what we wanted to do.”For the most part, Infeld does what she wants when she runs.In addition to being a three-time state champion in the 800, Infeld captured

her first D-I cross country state title in the fall en route to Ohio High CrossCountry Runner of the Year honors. Infeld was third in CC as a freshmanand runner-up as a sophomore.

Heading into the summer and next school year, runners – and records –should both be wary.

“My 1,600 felt great,” Infeld said. “I was hitting my splits good and I wasgoing for the record. I wanted it bad and I went for it.”

– Eric Frantz

EmilyInfeld

ClevelandBeaumont

Beaumont’s Infeld HelpsSquadWin State Title

Cleveland

Beaumont junior

Emily Infeld won

her third straight

D-I 800 title and

captured her first

1,600 title in

state record time

(4:41.37).

Photo by Gary HousteauGirls Track

nce again Ohio High has pre-sented player of the year awardsfor the various spring sports

sponsored by the OHSAA.In this issue, we have award winners

for boys tennis, baseball, softball andtrack and field. We have added two new

awards in track and field.Previously, we presented one boys

winner and one girls winner in track. Thisyear, we have boys and girls winners forthe track events and also a boys andgirls winner in the field events.Elmore Woodmore’s Emily Pendleton

is the Ohio High Athlete of the Year inthe girls field events.Eric Frantz has a feature article on

Pendleton on page 13.Below we have stories on each of the

other six Ohio High spring award win-ners.

O

P

J JHUDDLE .COM8 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High


t was a whirlwind senior year for Dublin Jerome High Schoolstandout Jason King.King and his Celtic baseball teammates claimed their first

Central District title this season with a win over Ohio CapitalConference Cardinal Division rival Olentangy 8-6 and advanced tothe D-I regional final before losing to Cincinnati Elder.En route to helping the Celtics (23-6) to the best season in school

history, King, a senior shortstop, batted a team-leading .489 with 25RBI, 29 runs scored, seven doubles and seven home runs. He wasnamed to the OCC Cardinal, Central District and Division I All-Ohiofirst teams, and was the state’s D-I and OCC Cardinal player of theyear.As a result, King has also been named the 2007 Ohio High Player

of the year in baseball.“Jason has pulled us through,” Jerome head coach Chris Huesman

said. “Anytime you can have a guy walk up to the plate the caliber ofJason King, it’s instant intimidation andrespect for your team. That’s huge. Inthe two years we played previously, wedidn’t have that kind of thing.”King’s senior year began with the

devastating loss of his mother, Susan,who died on Nov. 7 after a long battlewith cancer.Two weeks later, with his mother on

his mind, King received a reward forhis long-time success on the baseballfield by signing a letter of intent to playbaseball at Kansas State.King is the first Celtic baseball play-

er to commit to play at a Division I school.Susan King was a big part of Jason’s success and his No.1 fan. As

a tribute to Susan, the Celtics’ caps were inscribed with her initialsthroughout the season.“It’s been a beautiful spring for weather and my mom loved when it

was sunny out,” King said.“I have to think that she’s helping us in some way. That’s just stuff

that I don’t really understand. I think about her all the time. I just wishshe was here.”

“He has showed his true colors through this whole ordeal,”Huesman said. “He’s managed to keep close to a 4.0 grade pointaverage and he’s come through it like a champ.”King’s senior season has been extra special as well since he got to

share it with his brother, Jared, the team’s freshman center fielder.“It’s awesome,” King said of playing with his younger brother. “It’s

the only time I’ll probably ever get to do it with him unless for oneyear I get to play with him at Kansas State, if he gets that good to beable to play out there. It’s really cool being able to run out there andsee him run by me when he goes out to centerfield. It’s just the littlestuff that I’ve never been able to do before in my life. It’s kind ofcool.”King expects to play third base, first base and outfield at KSU.“I’m real excited,” King said.“I talk to my coach every once in awhile whenever he gets a

chance away from the travel. They had a pretty good year. I’ve beenthinking about it, but it’s definitely second to everything that’s goingon right now.”King also considered Ohio State, Kentucky and Virginia Tech

before settling on K-State.“Jason King is a highly motivated young man, who wants to play

baseball at the highest level,” said K-State baseball coach Brad Hill.“He has a high ceiling with his tools as a baseball player, but his

motivational drive and work ethic to be the best was our main attrac-tion to Jason.”

– Frank DiRenna

I

Dublin Jerome’s King LeadsCeltics On Historic Run

Dublin Jerome senior

shortstop Jason King led

the Celtics to the D-I

regional final. He’s head-

ed to Kansas State.

Submitted PhotosBaseball

JasonKing

Dublin Jerome



or his first birthday, Matt Allare’s parents gave him a tennis racquet.He hasn’t put one down since.Born into tennis greatness, the Kings High senior sensation is the

first player in Ohio history to win four straight state titles— and it hasrightfully earned him the Ohio High Boys Tennis Player of the Year award.Allare finished his impressive four-year career at Kings with a 67-2 singlesrecord and a 28-5 mark in doubles, where he won state titles as a freshmanand sophomore. His second consecutive singles crown in late May gave hima spotless 18-0 record on Ohio State’s courts — the same in which he’ll playon in college.“It was everything I hoped it could be and much, much more,” Allare said.

“All I wanted to do was win a state team title (the Knights did in ’05), and towin four individual state titles is amazing. I never thought it would be like that.”Fortunately for him, it was, but he couldn’t have done it without the talent

and support group that’s surrounded him his entire life.Blessed with a rich family tennis background— his father John played at

Notre Dame, his mother Bunnie was onthe tour on and off for five years, his olderbrother John is at Michigan State—Mattdidn’t have to go far to find tennis instruc-tion. As a tennis pro at The Club atHarper’s Point in Cincinnati the last 19years, Bunnie would tote Matt to work,leaving him in the facility’s nursery.“He didn’t know any better,” Bunnie said.

“He thought that was the way of the world.”Besides his family, Steve and Mario

Contardi — Steve is an operating partnerof the club, while his son Mario is theKnights’ head coach— have been byMatt’s side since day one.

“I pretty much lived there for 18 years,” Allare said. “I played there everyday. I’ve been very blessed with the privileges that the Contardis have givenme.”Said Steve: “He’s as close to another son as you could possibly have.

We’re very proud of him. We take a lot of satisfaction in what he’s accom-plished.”It was that type of environment that caused Bunnie to keep Matt home.

Opportunities to attend an academy or play on the International TennisFederation Junior Circuit – where he would have been force-fed tennis 24/7– we’re available. Initially, Matt wanted to go to an academy, and Bunnie alsowas feeling heat from other pros who felt her son would benefit greatly fromseven-hour days on the court. But she wouldn’t budge.“I didn’t give birth to a ball machine,” she said. “I gave birth to a child, and I

want him to be balanced. If I had to do it again, I’d do nothing different. Hecould grow and work on his game at Harper’s in a loving, family environ-ment.”And because of it, Allare has turned into a well-rounded individual —

socially, academically (3.94 GPA) and of course, athletically.“When I go to tournaments and see home-schoolers, they’re socially

inept,” Allare said. “High school was an absolutely great experience. I madeloads of friends. Nothing can replace my four years of tennis and my fouryears of high school.”By the timeAllare entered the hallways of Kings High School, he had

already dropped baseball (sixth grade) and basketball (seventh grade) from

his repertoire.His sole focus was tennis.“I’ve always been told I have the potential if I worked at it,” saidAllare, who

was 6-foot as a freshman but is now 6-6, 200 pounds. “It was really impor-tant for me to focus on one sport. You can’t be great at everything.”For two years, though, he was only the fourth-best player in the Knights’

program. With his older brother John (state singles champ in ’05), DougMatthews and Ra’ees Ismail clogging the top of the lineup,Allare played firstdoubles. But after Allare won doubles titles with Matthews and Ismail — whoare both at Xavier — in ’04 and ’05, respectively, it was his show. He tookadvantage of it with a 21-2 record and state crown as a junior.“It’s been a really neat experience for me to watch him grow as a person,

from when he started to walk, and as a tennis player as well,” Mario Contardisaid. “We saw right away that Matt had a little bit more talent then the rest ofthem.”While this past season was nearly a foregone conclusion that Allare would

make it four in a row, a few areas of his game— serve, backhand and volley— still need tweaking before he heads back to Columbus.“There’s no question he will (improve),” Steve said. “He’s big. He’s strong.

I’m very confident that he’ll take it to the next level, and hopefully a levelbeyond that.”Is that the professional level?“If I’m good enough, that’d be amazing,” Allare said. “But that’s a long way

away.”One thing’s for certain. He’s not putting down his racquet anytime soon.

– Steven Matthews (Pulse-Journal)

MattAllare

Kings Mills Kings

Kings Mills Kings’ AllareExcels At Family Tradition

Kings senior

Matt Allare

won his fourth

straight

Division I state

title. Allare has

two singles

titles and two

doubles

crowns.

PhotobyJohn

Boyle,Pulse-Journal

Tennis

F



t would be understandable if Greenville pitcher Abbey Shell used“I” once in a while.After all, she is one of the best fast pitch softball pitchers in the

state, compiled a 26-3 record this season and is headed to WrightState University. But, the fact is she doesn’t use or believe in “I”.Instead she is all about team, a concept that helped propel the GreenWave to a 31-4 record and the Division II state softball title.A three-time first team All-Ohioan (once in D-I, twice in D-II), Shell

has been named the 2007 Ohio High Player of the Year in softball.When she speaks of success, Shell talks in terms of “us.” Her off-

season workouts were propelled by the thoughts of team. The endresult has been both individual and group success.“We were such a team this year and that was the key to the season,”

Shell said. “You have to work for the team, because I am not the onlyone that matters.”Shell entered the Wave program as a freshman with teammates

Justine Shilt and Lisa Brinley. Youngand starry-eyed, the trio set forth on ajourney that ended in June with theWave winning the title, the first teamstate title in Greenville’s history.“As a freshman it was weird playing

varsity, because I was so much youngerthan anyone else,” Shell said. “It wasreally different to see the new level thatcomes with varsity. I learned quicklythat in practice if you are not doingsomething you better find something orat least look busy real quick.”This young core led by Shell was

immediately taken in by the enthusiasm and knowledge of their newcoach, Jerrod Newland. Thrust right into the action, Shell was penciledin at first base, buying her time until she stepped into the circle. Herfreshman year the Wave lost in district play. At the time, Shell knew itwas a big game, but the finality of losing in tournament had not sunk in.“I just wasn’t sure what to expect as a freshman,” Shell said. “When

we lost in the district game, it was really weird because Justine, Lisaand I were the only freshmen and everyone else was seniors. I remem-ber thinking this is just another game, but as a junior I realized that it

wasn’t another game.”As the wins started to

pile up for Newland and hiscrew, Shell began focusingon the sport that becameher ticket to college.Along with her father

Terry Shell and teammateKyli Gunckel they devel-oped a throwing routinestarting in November andgoing all the way to theopening game. Accordingto Shell the dividends paidoff when the season start-ed.

“We would go to the school gym and just pitch,” Shell said. “As apitcher it takes a lot of work and I started in November and I am stillpitching. Once you start you have to work through the winter to get bet-ter and that has been the key to my success. I think having Kyli withme helped me realize that I was doing it for the team and that made iteasier.”When the 2007 season opened Greenville was widely recognized as

a title contender and Shell was one of the main ingredients. The seniordid not disappoint, finishing the year at 26-3. She saved the best forlast, tossing a seven-inning shutout against St. Marys Memorial in thetitle game. She also drove in the game’s only run with a double.The final victory of her high school career was the sweetest after a

number of heartbreaking tournament misses, including a 2-1 regionalfinal loss to Urbana last year.“We knew after last season that we had to come back and prepare

and we wanted revenge for last season’s loss,” Shell said. “We playedevery game like it was Urbana.”Now with mission accomplished, Shell is ready to move onto her

next goal, playing D-I college softball with the Raiders.“Justine and I are going to room together at WSU,” Shell said. “I am

not sure where I am playing yet, but I really like the coaches and theyhave turned around the program. It is D-I, it is close to home and haseverything I wanted.”No matter where she plays in college there is little doubt Shell has

been groomed for the next level.

– Dean Eversole

I

Greenville Ace ShellAll About Team First

Senior Abbie Shell helped Greenville to

the first state championship in school

history with a 1-0 win over St. Marys

Memorial in the D-II title game.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoSoftball

AbbieShell

Greenville

Photo by Tom Puskar



urprisingly, Sam Borchers has some semblance of what his oppo-sition experiences. The Yellow Springs senior was denied what hecalled “the ultimate goal” – leading a team to a state title.The Bulldogs finished third in Division III at the 100th annual

boys state track and field championships.It’s one of the few times Borchers has failed to achieve his goals.One of the nation’s top prep runners, Borchers capped a career that

ranks among the state’s best, with three state titles at Ohio State’s JesseOwens Memorial Stadium. Borchers defended his 800 meter title in staterecord time (1:51.54), won his third straight 1,600 title (4:16.75) andanchored the 3,200 relay to a win and state record (7:48.39). Borchersalready owns the state 1,600 record.Two weeks later at the NIKE Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T

University in Greensboro, N.C., Borchers won a national title in the mileby turning in a blistering 4:03.33. It’s the fastest mile ever by an Ohioprep runner. The previous record of 4:03.85 was recorded by Lancaster’s

John Zishka in 1980.Because of his prowess, Borchers has

been named the 2007 Ohio High Athleteof the Year in boys track.Borchers also won the 2006 D-III state

cross country title and has finished in thetop 10 at the state meet three times.Springs placed sixth as a team. In 2004,Borchers helped the Bulldogs make thestate cross country meet for the first timesince 1984.After winning the 1,600 state title as a

sophomore, Borchers burst onto thescene following last spring’s state meet.

He finished seventh in the 1,600 at the Nike National Meet, thus earninga spot in the USA Junior Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis.At that meet, Borchers finished third in the 1,500 behind current Oregonfreshman A.J. Acosta and current Georgetown University junior AndrewBumbalough. His time of 3:46.32 was the second fastest 1,500 time inthe country by a high school runner in 2006.Borchers career didn’t come to a close without some conflict, though.

During the 800, Borchers was challenged by Amanda-Clearcreek’s MattTolliver after the first lap. The A-C senior bolted ahead of Borchers at the

400 mark and stayed there for 100 meters before Borchers finally over-took him and torched the field.“I was kind of salty. I’m not going to lie,” Borchers said. “I just decided I

wasn’t going to let him go so I had to go for him. At first when he passedme I was like, ‘OK, so maybe he wants to cut me off and be able to slowdown and hold me off until 200 and then out kick me.’ So I decided topass him and he wouldn’t let me. That’s when he really threw me off.“Then I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to battle him for awhile until he drops.’

That’s what I did.”Tolliver fell fast, finishing 13th.“If I was him, I probably would have done the same thing,” Borchers

said. “Might as well go for it.”Borchers will get after it next year at Penn State. He finishes his high

school run with seven state titles.“My performances (at state) were about where I thought they would

be,” Borchers said. “I wouldn’t have minded getting the (state meet) milerecord, but that’s OK. I wanted to put a little more into the 800 which I didand got the record there.”It’s probably not the last record Borchers will break.“If he continues to work like he has and continues to grow and mature,

you might be watching him on TV in 2012 in London (at the SummerOlympics),” Yellow Springs coach Vince Peters said. “That would be theideal maturation process. He’s got a long time frame ahead of him as faras distance runners go.“We could hear from him for decades.”

– Eric Frantz

Yellow Springs’ BorchersRuns To Three State Titles

Senior Sam Borchers

won three state

titles at the state

track meet, including

his third straight

1,600 crown.

Photo by Nick FalzeranoBoys Track

SamBorchers

Yellow Springs

Phot

oby

Gary

Hous

teau

S

Yellow Springs’ 3,200 relay: freshman Alexis Onfroy,

Borchers, senior Evan Firestone and junior Andy Peters.



ogan’s Bryce Bumgardner doesn’t mind throwing againstVandalia Butler’s Jimmie Pacifico. Never mind the factBumgardner has never beaten Pacifico.“When you throw with him, it’s almost like throwing with a

teammate,” Bumgardner said. “He’s knows what he’s going to doand he helps out everyone else. He’s not cocky, he just goes upthere and does his thing.”Pacifico’s thing is dominating the shot put ring.The nation’s top prep thrower and Ohio’s most prolific thrower

ever, Pacifico has dominated high school shot put the past 12months.Starting with the 2006 Division I state title last spring, Pacifico has

since earned Nike Indoor National and Ohio state indoor titles. Healso established a new state record in the event with a heave of 71-6.25 at the D-I Dayton District meet. It was the third time Pacifico setthe record this spring, which entering the season was 70-10 (by

Akron Ellet’s Charles Moye Jr. in 1987in Mansfield).Pacifico’s record heave is the eighth

farthest high school throw in U.S. his-tory and the farthest in competitionsince Van Mounts of Bakersfield,Calif., threw 71-10 in 1997.Pacifico, who threw over 70-feet

seven times this spring and owns 10of the nation’s top 11 throws, hasbeen named the Ohio High Athlete ofthe Year in the boys field events. Hecaptured the NIKE Outdoor nationalchampionship two weeks after the

state meet.Although he failed to surpass 70-0 at the 100th annual boys state

track and field championships on June 1, Pacifico did set a newstate meet record with a winning toss of 69-5.25. The feat was aprefect final act.“It wasn’t clicking like I wanted to,” Pacifico said. “My main goal (at

state) wasn’t to set any personal records, though, it was just to get(the state) record. I feel like this is a big accomplishment having bothrecords now.”

The previous state meet record was 67-2.5 set by Lancaster’sBarry Walker in 1982. Pacifico reached his goal – and the record –on his final attempt.“During that last throw it all went through my head,” Pacifico said.

“I knew that was going to be my last throw in high school and I wentfor it all.”Pacifico has been a standout thrower since busting out as a fresh-

man. That year he failed to make state after entering regionals withone of the top throws. Three fouls sealed his fate.As a sophomore, Pacifico finished fourth at state.Pacifico also excels in the discus where he owns one state title

(2006) and one runner-up finish (2007).An avid power-lifter, Pacifico holds national and state titles in his

weight class. His top efforts are an 805-pound squat, 625 deadliftand 520 bench.Pacifico is headed to Moorpark Junior College in Thousand Oaks,

Calif., where he’ll compete for two years before moving to theUniversity of Georgia. He’s expected to compete in the weight throwand shot.His farthest throw thus far with the college shot (16 pounds, as

opposed to 12 in high school) is 61-5.Don’t rule out an Olympic sighting in five years.“He’s a great thrower and the best in the nation by a good bit,”

Bumgardner said. “He’s going to be up there in 2012.“You throw with him and you’re throwing with the best.”

– Eric Frantz

Vandalia Butler’s PacificoDominates The Shot Put

Senior Jimmie

Pacifico defended

his D-I state shot

put title. He owns

10 of the nation’s

top 11 high school

throws in the event

this year.

Photos by Nick FalzeranoBoys Field

JimmiePacifico

Vandalia Butler

L


Spr ing Spor ts Players of the YearSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

hen Elmore Woodmore graduateEmily Pendleton begins classes atthe University of Michigan this fall,maybe she can use her interest inmath and science to figure out why

her family excels in the discus like no other.Pendleton recently became the first athlete

in Ohio High School history to win a field eventfour times at the state meet when she cap-tured the Division III discus title on June 2 atJesse Owens Memorial Stadium with a meetrecord heave of 163-4. For her efforts,Pendleton has been named the 2007 Ohio

High Field Event Athlete of the Year in girlstrack.At the same meet, Emily’s younger sister

Erin, a sophomore, finished second (154-10),marking thefirst time instate historysiblings hadgone 1-2 in anevent.“It’s an awe-

some feeling,”Emily Pendleton said. “I’m very excited to

come down here and be able to do this fouryears in a row. I’m even more excited that mysister got second. Going 1-2 is awesome.”History has a knack of folding to the

Pendletons.In addition to setting the state meet record,

Emily Pendleton set the state record with amark of 183-3 this spring. The effort, the sixthfarthest throw in U.S. high school history, shat-tered the previous state best of 176-5 set byWesterville South’s Krista Keir in 1997. Thetoss is also the 11th farthest by a U.S. womanthis year, Olympians included.Erin Pendleton ranks 13th nationally and is

just one of two sophomores in the prep top 15.At the NIKE Outdoor Nationals on June 16

in North Carolina, the duo finished first (Emily)and sixth (Erin). Emily was also named theGatrade National Player of the Year in GirlsTrack and Field on June 21.“I never thought they’d do this,” said Mike

W

Woodmoore’s Emily Pendleton sets statediscus title; sister Erin approaching fast

ElmoreWoodmore sistersErin (left) andEmily Pendletonare the firstsiblings in statehistory to finish1-2 in an event atthe state trackmeet. Emily wonthe D-III discus,while Erin wassecond.

DoubleTrouble

Photosbywoodmorephotos.com

EmilyPendleton

ElmoreWoodmore

Girls Field



Pendleton, the duo’s father and throwscoach. “It’s a pretty bizarre thing.”

In The HoleAfter a solid throwing career of his own at

Fremont Ross High School, Mike Pendletonsettled down, got married and started anantique shop with his wife in Woodmore. Thecouple bought a farm and had four girls.Athletics weren’t introduced until junior

high.“We live out in the country where the kids

were always bringing in all kinds of animalsand just having fun being kids,” Mike said.“We decided we weren’t going to let our kidsdo athletics until seventh grade because wefigured, ‘You’re a kid, be a kid.’ They werealways muddy in the summer.”One summer, Mike found his old discus.“He said he had it in the barn if I wanted

to do it,” Emily said. “I tried it one night and Ithought it was pretty cool.

“I guess you could say I threw a lot. Ispent hours out there throwing the discus.”In seventh grade, Emily did not stand out.“She was all over the place,” Mike said. “It

would be 74 feet one meet and then 52 thenext. I think when the season ended 79 washer farthest throw.”In eighth grade, Emily threw 106-4.Then came her freshman year.Making great strides, Pendleton uncorked

a then-best 152-1 to win and set a Fostoriaregional record. She headed to the statemeet as the favorite.“Freshman year going down there was

new,” Mike said. “Things had really changedsince the last time I was there back in the70s when it was at the ‘Shoe.“I told Emily to keep her sweats on

because we didn’t want people to see howsmall she was. And then the guy who wasthe best man at my wedding walked right byme and I was in the zone … I didn’t evenrecognize who he was I was so nervous. ButI told her we want to build. We want to get agood throw in and just worry about what wedo. I had no idea what we were up against.”Neither did the competition.After an opening throw of 116 feet, Emily

popped a 139. She eventually won with 141-9.“Towards the end of my freshman year I

started to peak,” Emily said. “And I was like,‘Hey, maybe I have a shot at this. Maybe Ican do it.’ When I realized I could win state Iknew discus was my future.”Pendleton defended her title as a sopho-

more with a mark of 145-2.

On DeckHeading into her junior year, Emily had two

things to think about: college and her little

Emily Pendleton is headed to

the University of Michigan

where she’ll be an instant

threat to win the Big Ten title.



sister.The oldest of four, Emily would be throw-

ing against a sibling for the first time with theaddition of Erin to the varsity roster.As an eighth-grader Erin had thrown 116.She finished her freshman year fourth at

state (123-10).This season, Erin blossomed with a heave

of 154-10 to place second.“If Emily was not around, it would be the

Erin Show,” Mike said. “I mean 154 is fartherthan what Emily threw as a sophomore.”Beating Emily in competition is Erin’s main

goal.“Erin’s goal is to beat Emily at least once,”

Mike said. “And I told her if Emily has an offday and you have a great one, it could hap-pen. I told her to just keep worrying abouther game. They’re competitive no doubt.”Said Erin: “That would be nice to beat her.

I would be very happy and she wouldn’t be.I’m always hoping that maybe she has an offday and I have a great day. She’s my biggestcompetitor.”Emily knows the deal.“No one wants to lose to their little sister,”

Emily said. “Hopefully she continues to strivefor that goal and it helps her improve.”Right now both sisters are doing very well.Both own various national titles for respec-

tive age groups and Emily has global experi-ence with a trip to China last summer. Shehopes to make the Pan-Am games with ahigh finish at the Junior Nationals.Erin and Emily also excel in the hammer,

where Emily’s farthest throw is 155. She fin-ished sixth at the Nike Outdoor meet lastyear. Erin throws in the 135- to 140-footrange.Emily was also second at the state meet in

the shot put.“It’s good to have (Erin) with me because

we push each other,” Emily said. “That’sprobably why we’ve become so good. Wepush each other.”Said Erin: “I’m looking forward to (being

the top thrower on the team next year), but itwill also be somewhat sad because (Emily’s)gone. I’ve always thrown with her. I am goingto miss her.”

You’re UpNext year, Emily and Erin will have to

establish new comfort zones.Erin will have to contend with being the

“older sister” as sibling Carly becomes afreshman. Carly has thrown the discus 110feet.Emily will be a freshman, too.After a lengthy recruiting process, Emily

choose Michigan over several other schoolsincluding Ashland, Louisville, Miami and Ohio

State.“She just fell in love with Michigan,” Mike

said. “If she had gone to Ohio State, shewould have gotten a great education there aswell. But they never offered a penny. Theywere in contact, just no offer.“I’d have been just as comfortable with her

down there but we’re actually closer toMichigan here so we’re real happy with that.The facilities up there are wonderful andwe’re very comfortable with the decision. Thething is they are recruiting Erin a little bit,too.”To put Pendleton’s immediate impact into

perspective, the winner of the Big Ten out-door track and field meet threw the discus174-10. The same discus is used in highschool and college.“That (183-3 throw) was big,” Mike said.

“Prior to that her best was 174-11 so thatwas a huge PR boost. To put it in compari-son, that 183-3 throw would be third inNCAA Division I this year. That’s a pretty big-time throw.”Emily threw her monster toss at the Oak

Harbor Track & Field Invitational on May 5.Five of her six throws that day were over 170feet.“It was perfect conditions and it came on

my final throw,” Emily said. “Honestly, it didn’tlook that good and I thought it was like 170.It didn’t go that high off the ground and theform wasn’t that good. I didn’t think it wentthat far at all.”Form is what all the Pendletons credit for

their success. Not the largest or bulkiestthrowers, the duo has relied on techniqueand athleticism.“We didn’t introduce the girls to weightlift-

ing until after their freshman year becausewe were more concerned with technique,”Mike said. “We’ve had some doors openedto us thanks to Emily and I’ve met MacWilkins (1976 gold medalist) and JohnPowell (former word recordholder) andthey’ve given us a ton of advice. I don’t wantto say we have a hotline to them, but theyare available and they both preached tech-nique was more important than weightlifting.It’s been pretty successful.”As for why his daughters have been able

to conquer high school discus like few beforethem, Mike Pendleton didn’t need a hotline tocall. It’s unlikely a number exists with theanswer anyway.“Technique is huge, but they’re really, real-

ly good,” Mike said. “They are explosive andfast. If you have great technique and you’reslow, no go. If you have speed and no tech-nique you’re not going to get it done either.They just have it all.“They’re just good. I don’t know how else

to say it.” — OH

Emily Pendleton’s state record heave of183-3 is one of the top prep throws inU.S. High School history. Here is whereit ranks on some lists. All information isaccording to trackandfieldnews.com.

Where She Ranks

HS Girls All-Time Top 101. 188-4 Suzy Powell (Modesto, CA)2. 186-3 Seilala Sua (Ft Lauderdale, FL)3. 185-4 Melanie Uher (Clatonia, NE)4. 183-11 Leslie Deniz (Gridley, CA)5. 183-6 Billie Jo Grant (Arr. Grande, CA)6. 183-3 Emily Pendleton (Elmore, OH)7. 182-0 Mandy Borschowa (Snoqualmie, WA)8. 181-11 Krista Keir (South, Westerville, OH)9. 181-3 Stephanie Brown (Arr. Grande, CA)10. 179-4 Janet Hill (Shreveport, LA)

2007 HS Girls Top 151. 183-3 Emily Pendleton (Woodmore, Elmore, OH)2. 173-2 Kylie Spurgeon (Owasso, Ok)3. 167-5 Mary Angell (Byron Center, Mi)4. 160-0 Charlissa Foster (Yoe, Cameron, Tx)5. 159-4 Natalie Baird (Park View, Sterling, Va)6. 159-1 Miranda Wilson (OʼDowd, Oakland)7. 159-9 Hannah Gronning (Shell Lake, Wi)8. 159-7 Hillary Fraser (El Toro, Lake Forest, Ca)9. 158-4 Taylor Freeman (Iowa City, Ia)10. 158-4 Skylar White (DeSoto, Tx)11. 155-9 Lauren Guerrieri (Davis, Ca)12. 155-8 Anastasia Jelmini (Shafter, Ca)13. 154-10 Erin Pendleton (Woodmore, Elmore, OH)14. 154-9 Rachel Deloney (N, Bloomington, In)15. 154-5 Paige Newby (Colorado City, Tx)

2007 US Women Top 15Rk Dist. Name/Affiliation Locale Date1. 222-0 Suzy Powell (Asics) Maui2. 221-0 Becky Breisch (HP) Maui3. 209-7 Beth Mallory-Lesch (Nike) Maui4. 201-5 Stephanie Trafton (unat) Maui5. 197-5 Cecilia Barnes (unat) Modesto6. 189-5 Sarah Stevens (AzSt) Pac-107. 187-2 Summer Pierson (unat) Modesto8. 186-1 Rachel Varner (unat) Shaw9. 185-11 Kelechi Anyanwu (Cal) Click10. 185-3 Kate Hutchinson (unat) Shaw11. 183-3 Emily Pendleton (HS) Oak Harbor12. 182-2 Emilee Strot (Cal) Salinas13. 181-2 Rachel Jansen (NnIa) Drake14. 179-8 Abby Emsick (Ks) Big 1215. 179-5 Jessica Pressley (AzSt) Tucson

1994199620021980200320071998199719981998

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Spr ing Spor ts Roundup

BaseballLakota West, Canfield,Fort Loramie winfirst titles, Heathnets second

The 80th annual OHSAA state baseball tour-nament took place May 31-June 2 at CooperStadium in Columbus and it featured three first-time state champions and a team raising the tro-phy for the second time in five years.The following is a look at the 2007 state tour-

nament:

Lakota West Wins D-IState Baseball TitleThe Division I baseball state championship

game didn’t get started until 10:30 p.m. on Sat.,June 2 and didn’t end until 12:20 a.m. on Sun.,June 3. But it was well worth the wait for WestChester Lakota West, which claimed the title witha 4-0 win over Mentor at Cooper Stadium.Sophomore pitcher Bryan Beaver tossed a

four-hit, complete game shutout for the Firebirds(28-5). He struck out six, walked two and wasthe clear star of the game despite being theyoungest player in either starting lineup. Hemoved to 6-2 on the year.“I can’t even tell you where my emotions start

right now,” Beaver said. “We made it to the statefinals when no one expected us to. And being asophomore on the mound, that didn’t mattertonight. It really didn’t matter to me because Ihad seven great defenders behind me and aheck of a leader behind the plate (Dustin Huff).“I tell you what, this is a senior-dominated

team and they were behind me the whole year.All I had to do was go out there and pitch mygame and I knew they would back me up.”Due to a 2-1/2 hour rain delay during the

Division II title game earlier on Saturday, theremaining championship games had to bepushed back. The D-I game was originallyscheduled to begin at 8 p.m.Senior Adam Coughlin was the losing pitcher

for Mentor (27-4) and dropped to 8-2 on the sea-son.Mentor – the largest school in the state in

terms of enrollment with a whopping 1,348 boys– played the role of bridesmaid this past schoolyear. The Cardinals’ football team was also theD-I runner-up.“Beaver pitched a great game and they capi-

talized on their opportunities in the fourth,”Mentor coach Len Taylor said. “Hats off to them.”State semifinal results: Lakota West 8,

Cleveland St. Ignatius 2; Mentor 4, CincinnatiElder 2

– Dave BiddlePhotos by Nick Falzerano, Gary Housteau, Tom Puskar & Joe Maiorana



Canfield Wins D-II StateBaseball Title In Wild FinishFor the Canfield baseball team, the third

time was a charm.The Cardinals (30-3) claimed the Division II

state championship June 2 at Cooper Stadiumwith a wild 8-6 win over Kenton Ridge (26-6) toearn the title in their third trip to state.The state championship also marks the first

state title in school history.At the start of the game, it looked like it was

going to be a long day for the Cardinals asKenton Ridge jumped out to an early 2-0 leadin the top of the first inning as Canfield startingpitcher Steve Schoenfeld struggled to settle in.Canfield got out of the inning after facing eightCougar batters only to have the game stoppedfor two-and-a-half hours due to lightning andrain.“It was probably the best thing for us. It gave

us a chance to calm our nerves a little bit andafter six innings we were able to get it done,”said Canfield head coach Matt Koenig.Down 3-0 at one point, Canfield tied the

game 6-6 in the fifth.In the top of the seventh, John Pitzulo took a

pitch off his wrist to get the free pass to first tolead off the inning. Tom Cheslik then laid downa sacrifice bunt to move Pitzulo over to secondbase. John Manzoian then singled putting run-ners at first and third for the Cardinals.Manzoian then stole second and the throwfrom Kenton Ridge catcher Tyler Rinker sailedwide allowing Pitzulo to score and Manzoian togo to third putting Canfield up 7-6. MarkCarrocce then hit a sacrifice fly to center scor-ing Manzoian giving Canfield the 8-6 lead.Kenton Ridge went down in order in the bot-

tom of the seventh against senior AndrewTurocy and Canfield stormed the field in cele-bration.“We got into a groove and we got the runs

when we needed the runs and made the pitch-es we needed to make,” Turocy said.“(Getting the save) meant a lot. I waited four

years for this and to make it my senior year –the only thing I can say right now is that isawesome.“We have the hardware now but once we

get home I am sure it will sink in. It is all just ablur right now. It feels great. We finally did itand what we did was a great thing. We workedhard all year for this and it really paid off. Nodisappointments this year.”State semifinal results: Canfield 4,

Sandusky Perkins 2; Kenton Ridge 2,Richmond Edison 1 (8 innings)

– Matt Natali

Heath Tops ElmwoodFor D-III State TitleSenior pitcher Dusty Elk threw a complete

game and led Heath to a 6-3 victory overBloomdale Elmwood in the Division III statechampionship game on June 2 at CooperStadium.The Bulldogs (22-6) claimed the second

state title in school history. They also won it allin 2002.The Ohio Dominican-bound Elk scattered 11

hits over seven innings, but gave up just twoearned runs and one walk, while striking outseven. He moved to 8-2 on the year.Leading the offensive charge for Heath was

junior left fielder Nick Jones (2-for-3, RBI) andjunior first baseman Chuck LaRue (2-for-2, 2RBI, BB).The losing pitcher for Elmwood was junior

Adam Sheline (3-1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4BB,1 K, 1 HPB).Offensively, the Royals (26-7) were led by

junior catcher Nathaniel Fitch (3-for-4, RBI),senior third baseman/pitcher RyanRothenbuhler (2-for-4, 2 RBI), junior outfielderBen Hammer (2-for-4) and senior shortstopCory Stewart (2-for-4). But they were neverable to rattle Elk.“I was hitting my spots all game,” Elk said.

“They are good hitters. We watched them(Friday) and they hit the crap out of the ball.This is just an amazing win for our team.”“You can’t say enough about a kid that goes

out there and competes like that,” said Heathcoach Dave Klontz of Elk. “He came over toour program (from Newark Catholic) and hehelped turn our program around. Him andGreg Strausz have carried us through the tour-nament. I told them in March that we had twopitchers good enough to win the state title andI don’t think they believed me. Hopefully theywill believe me now.”Klontz is in his 36th year as Heath’s baseball

coach and has racked up 527 career victories(against 378 defeats). Winning his secondstate title is just as sweet as the first five yearsago.“Oh my goodness,” Klontz said. “You hope

you live long enough to come close to gettingone and to get two of them is just unreal.”State semifinal results: Heath 2, Cincinnati

Madeira 1; Bloomdale Elmwood 3,Youngstown Ursuline 2

– Dave Biddle

Fort Loramie DownsNewark Catholic 4-0For D-IV Baseball TitleEventually, something had to give.And in the last inning of the Division IV

baseball state championship game June 2 atCooper Stadium, Fort Loramie took advantageof some Newark Catholic miscues to knock offthe Green Wave 4-0 for the state champi-onship.

DII: Canfield

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Joe

Maio

rana

/www

.impa

ctacti

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DI: Lakota West

DIII: Heath

DIV: Fort Loramie



Knotted at 0-0 going into the top of the sev-enth inning, Fort Loramie catcher DerekCoverstone led off with a single out to left field.Pinch hitter Nate Ruhenkamp laid down a buntand reached on a throwing error by NewarkCatholic third baseman Andy Vernau. After suf-fering an ankle injury on the run to first, AndyLong came in to pinch run and Jacob Maurercame into to run for Coverstone. Mitch Ahlersstepped in the box and laid down a sacrificebunt to advance the runners.The wheels then began to fall off for Newark

Catholic pitcher Michael Sandman as hewalked Ryan Berger to load the bases.Newark Catholic first baseman Bo Kreagertook the mound in relief and Sandman tookfirst defensively. Fort Loramie then got its firstrun of the game after Jared Hoying was hit bya pitch to give him the free base and scoreMauer.Kyler Ludlow then stepped in the box and hit

a shot down the first base side. Sandmanthrew home to get the force out at the plate butthe umpire called Long safe as Green Wavecatcher Matt Lott pulled his foot off the platebefore receiving the throw.After a Jay Schulze strikeout, Jordan

Goldschmidt hit a shot to the shortstop. WhileNewark Catholic was waiting for the delayedcall at first, Berger and Ludlow both roundedthird and scored. The ump called Goldschmidtsafe to count the runs and the Redskins wentup 4-0 to take the lead for good.After playing near perfect defense for the

first six innings, Fort Loramie, fittingly, endedthe game on a double play to claim its firstbaseball state title in its third trip to the titlegame.“Finally in the game some fortunate things

started to happen. But if you play hard, thatkind of stuff happens and this is a very goodgroup of boys,” Fort Loramie head coach BillSturwold said. “This group of kids has beensolid. We struggled in the beginning of theyear but once we warmed up we were very,very solid.“I could see confidence in them. They

weren’t intimidated. After we won the regional,I told the boys they had a decision to make –are we just happy to go there or are we goingthere to win it? But I could see in their eyesthat we were coming up here to win twogames. They weren’t satisfied with just gettingup here, they came up to win two games.Goldschmidt pitched a gem for the Redskins

(24-6) throwing six innings, scattering only twohits, striking out six and walking one. Heentered in the second inning for Long, whopitched the entire state semifinal game againstFremont St. Joseph’s.“I was ready to go. I was fresh and really

didn’t throw at all this week and in this atmos-phere you won’t be tired on the mound,”

Goldschmidt said. “We just wanted to get(Newark Catholic) in a groove and throw themoff balance when I got in since I throw a littleharder. And we have done that throughout thewhole tournament and it worked wonderfullyfor us.“(Newark Catholic is) a big time powerhouse

and to come in here and shut them down theway we did was an unbelievable feeling,”Goldschmidt, an Eastern Michigan recruit,

had a nice day at the plate as well going 2-for-3 and collecting two RBI.Newark Catholic (24-10), which has won six

baseball state titles and four of the last six,mustered only three hits on the day to FortLoramie’s six.State semifinal results: Newark Catholic

13, Greenwich South Central 0; Fort Loramie4, Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic 2

– Matt Natali

SoftballBloom-Carroll, Daltonrepeat as champs;Hudson, Greenvillewin first titles

The 30th annual OHSAA state softball tour-nament took place May 31-June 2 atBrookside Park in Ashland and it featured twofirst-time state champions and two repeat win-ners.The following is a look at the 2007 state

tournament:

Hudson Blanks Elyria 4-0For D-I State ChampionshipHudson completed a remarkable run to the

Division I state tournament with a state titleJune 2 at Brookside Park in Ashland. TheExplorers shut out Elyria, 4-0.Hudson (28-3) shelled Elyria starter Megan

Bashak for five hits and four runs in the firstinning. Tess Sito replaced Bashak in the firstand allowed two hits the rest of the way. ThePioneers (30-4) were runner-up in 2006 aswell.The Explorers earned their berth in the tour-

nament with a win over defending state cham-pion North Canton Hoover in the regional final.Hudson dispatched Pickerington Central in thestate semis.Explorers pitcher Mindy Meredith improved

to 15-1. She struck out seven, walked noneand allowed five hits.Elizabeth stokes went 2-for-3 with two RBI

for the Explorers, while Andrea Nagy went 2-for-3 for Elyria.State semifinals results: Hudson 5,

DI: Hudson

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Tom

Pusk

ar

DII: Greenville

DIII: Carroll Bloom-Carroll

DIV: Dalton



Pickerington Central 4; Elyria 2, Mason 1

Shell Sparkles For Greenville,Green Wave Wins D-II TitleAbbie Shell painted the plate and her name

all over the Division II state softball champi-onship Saturday, June 2 at Brookside Park inAshland.The Greenville senior threw a complete-

game, allowing two hits and striking out seven,and delivered the game-winning hit in the sixthinning of the Green Wave’s 1-0 victory over St.Marys Memorial.The state title is the first in school history for

either a boys or girls team. Greenville, rankedNo. 2 in the final state poll, finished the season31-4. Shell finishes her senior campaign with a26-3 record. Shell is a two-time All-Ohio selec-tion in D-II and was All-Ohio in D-I as a sopho-more. She’s headed to Wright State.Scoreless after five innings, Greenville got

on the board with two-out in the sixth.Katie Beanblossom reached after being hit

by St. Marys pitcher Kayla Thornsberry. JustineShilt moved Beanblossom to second on a sac-rifice and then Kaylin Cates came in to pinchrun. After a pop-out, Shell came to the plateand delivered the decisive shot – a double toleft field that plated Cates.The Roughriders went down in order in the

seventh.State semifinals results: Greenville 6,

Akron Archbishop Hoban 4, St. MarysMemorial 2, Circleville 1

Bloom-Carroll Repeats AsD-III State Softball ChampsCarroll Bloom-Carroll defended its Division III

state softball title in dominating fashion June 2,upending Navarre Fairless 11-0 in five-inningsat Brookside Park in Ashland. The Bulldogs’win was the most lopsided loss at the statesoftball tournament since 1988.Bloom-Carroll finished 23-8 and has now

won 14 straight postseason games. NavarreFairless ended the year 22-10.Sophomore pitcher Gabby Gillilan finished

the year 23-6 after striking out seven andallowing five hits. Gillilan, who is 45-13 the lasttwo years, has surrendered one unearned runin four state games.The Bulldogs led 1-0 after two innings before

exploding for seven runs in the third. B-C wasfueled by seven hits and four errors. In all,Fairless made six errors.B-C’s Erin Peirano was 3-for-3 with two RBI

and two runs scored, while Alysha Smith andJamey Gilmore each collected two hits.State semifnal results: Navarre Fairless 3,

Jeromesville Hillsdale 2; Bloom-Carroll 4,Brookville 1Dalton Defends D-IV

Softball ChampionshipDalton defended its Division IV state softball

title Saturday, June 2 and beat Triad in arematch of the 2006 final on the strength ofpitcher Jessi Carmichael’s record setting per-formance. Carmichael struck out a state tour-nament record 15 batters as the Bulldogs beatthe Cardinals 3-1 at Brookside Park inAshland.Dalton beat Triad 1-0 in last season’s final.A Kent State recruit, Carmichael (19-2) also

delivered the game-winning hit, a two-run dou-ble to left center in the fifth inning. Carmichaelwas 2-for-3 with a run scored as well. As apitcher she is 33-4 the last two years.Triad scored to tie the third inning thanks in

part to three Dalton errors but the damagecould have been much worse. The Cardinalsleft two runners on base as Carmichael struckout the side to end the inning.State semifinals results: Dalton 2, Convoy

Crestview 1; North Lewisburg Triad 13,Portsmouth Clay 3

– Eric Frantz

Boys TennisAllare, Warren winsingles titles; Cols.DeSales, New Albanyclaim doubles titles

Here is a look at the results from theOHSAA state tennis tournament, courtesy ofthe OHSAA:

Division I SinglesKings Mills Kings senior Matt Allare defend-

ed his title and won his fourth title overall (hisdoubles teams won championships his fresh-man and sophomore seasons) when hedefeated Cincinnati St. Xavier junior PatrickBandy in the finals, 6-1, 6-4. It is the first time aboy has won four combined championships inthe OHSAA state tournament. Allare defeatedWest Chester Lakota West sophomore WyattLippert in the semifinals, while Bandy stoppedCincinnati St. Xavier senior ShankarRamaswamy in the semifinals. Lippert was asemifinalist in 2006 as well.

Division II SinglesColumbus St. Francis DeSales senior Bryce

Warren won the championship when hedefeated Cincinnati Indian Hill senior AndrewMcCarthy in the finals, 6-1, 6-2. Warren defeat-ed Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit senior NathanHobrath in the semifinals and McCarthystopped Gahanna Columbus Academy juniorWill Petrie. Warren and Petrie were both semi-

finalists in 2006.Division I DoublesMiddletown sophomore Michael Cole and

junior Patrick Hamning won the title when theydefeated Cincinnati St. Xavier junior JonGaffney and senior John Drosick in the cham-pionship match, 6-2, 7-5. Gaffney was part oflast year’s state championship team with a dif-ferent partner.Cole and Hamning defeated Youngstown

Boardman senior Bryant Salcedo and sopho-more Robert Salcedo in the semifinals, andGaffney and Drosick stopped Vandalia Butlersenior Matt Heller and sophomore AndyJackson.

Division II DoublesNew Albany sophomore Peter Kobelt and

junior Skyler Engel won the title when theydefeated the defending state champions fromCincinnati Indian Hill, senior Vinod Mahalingamand sophomore Devin McCarthy, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.Kobelt was on the runner-up team in 2006 witha graduated partner. Kobelt and Engel defeat-ed Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy seniorsStephen Havens and Ryan Shidler in the semi-finals, and Mahalingam and McCarthy stoppedElida senior Landon Neuman and sophomoreEvan Neuman.

– OHSAA Reports

State TrackGlenville continuesdominance; recordsfall at state meet

Woodmore's Emily Pendleton winning herfourth state title (see page 13), ClevelandGlenville claiming its fifth straight D-I title,Vandalia Butler's Jimmie Pacifico breaking thestate shot put record (see page 12) andCleveland Beaumont’s Emily Infeld setting anew all-divisions state record in the 1,600 (seepage 7) are but a few highlights from the 100thannual boys and 33rd annual girls state trackand field meet held June 1-2 at Ohio State’sJesse Owens Memorial Stadium.Ohio High managing editor Eric Frantz has

the following news and notes from the statetrack meet:

Glenville Boys WinFifth Straight D-I TitleCleveland Glenville is known for two things:

football and track.The Tarblooders excel in both and at the

state track meet they continued their domi-nance on the oval by winning a fifth straight D-Iboys title.The streak is the second longest in state his-



straight from 1939-1944. The title was alsoGlenville’s 15th overall, which is the most by aboys program.“Football and track goes hand in hand,”

Glenville senior Kyle Jefferson said. “Footballends in December and track starts in January.I’ve found that they really complement eachother.”Jefferson did his part in getting Glenville

another trophy. He won the 400 (46.93),anchored the winning 800 relay, finished thirdin the 200 (21.72) and anchored the fifth place1,600 relay.“To me (the 400) was the biggest race I

had,” Jefferson said.“I remember guys that are better than me

like Ted (Ginn, Jr.) who never won the 400 andit was important to me to do that to establishmyself as one of the greats at Glenville comingout as a senior. As for the 200, I gave it myall.”Other key performers for the Tarblooders

included junior Tyshaun Peoples and seniorOtis Merrill who went 1-2 in the 110 hurdles,respectively. Peoples and Merrill then teamedwith Branden Goodall and Xavier Clements towin the 400 relay (41.88). Ernest Downing wassecond in the 300 hurdles (38.29).“The drive (for five titles) was great,”

Jefferson said. “It kept us motivated. I can lookback 20 years from now and be like ‘We didthat.’ It’s a great feeling.”

Beard Wins Fourth 400 TitleEuclid senior Jessica Beard capped an out-

standing prep career by setting a state recordand state meet record in the 400 meter dash(51.63). Beard, a Texas A&M recruit, also col-lected her fourth straight state title in the event.She broke her own state record of 53.03 set atthe regional and her own state meet record setduring the prelims.

Dayton ChristianComes Out Of NowhereSuddenly Dayton Christian was a player –

and a threat. The Warriors – lost in the title talkrevolving around Columbus Grove and YellowSprings – entered the D-III 3,200 with achance to win the championship. All DC need-ed was the junior tandem of brothers John andWalt Luttrell to finish in the top three. Theywent first and third and as a result, theWarriors won their first state track title since1996 and third overall.“We knew (we were running for the state

title),” John said.“That’s what motivated us.”The win was a perfect cap for the Warriors

who had battled – and taken a backseat – tothe their Metro Buckeye Conference foeYellow Springs all season.

“They kept on beating us and we thought wecould beat them in the 4x800 here but theyhave Sam Borchers running that stronganchor,” Walt Luttrell said.“It finally feels good to beat them in some-

thing as a whole team.”

Morgan Adds ToState Title CollectionWolverine? Buckeye? Wolverine? Buckeye?

That’s the dilemma facing Barnsville sopho-more Stephanie Morgan. One thing not trou-bling the runner is the competition.Morgan set the D-III state meet and state

record in the 1,600 with a time of 4:45.21. Thetime, which was a full 20 seconds faster thansecond place, broke the previous state recordof 4:48.20 set by Minster’s Sunni Olding in2004.Morgan followed that with a win in the 3,200

(11:04.77).Born in Michigan, Morgan moved to Ohio

when she was younger and then moved backto Michigan. Morgan moved back to Ohio thisyear after dominating the Michigan state meetlast year. Competing for Clarkston High,Morgan teamed with sister Jenny to win the3,200 relay and the duo went 1-2 in the 1,600,with Jenny winning. Stephanie added a statetitle in the 800.All three of Morgan’s older sisters run in col-

lege. She’s bound to follow – in two years.

Shocker In The Shot PutPerhaps the biggest shock of the state tour-

nament was Minster senior Andrew Meyer fail-ing to win – or even place – in the D-III shotput. Meyer entered the meet as the heavyfavorite having thrown 62-5 this season. Hewas also on pace to challenge the D-III statemeet record. Three fouls in prelims quelledany title talk.Other than the failure to place at state,

Meyer’s senior year ranks among the best inD-III state history. He finished the season withMinster, Midwest Athletic Conference, districtand regional records in the shot.Meyer placed sixth in the discus.“When I look back at my senior year I can’t

say anything negative,” Meyer said.“I worked my tail off and if someone would

have said before the year that I’d go 62-5, I’dhave taken it. I set the school, MAC, districtand regional records. Everything I did wasgreat. I just didn’t finish it right. It’s really hardwhen you know you’re the best one and youdon’t get it done.”

Close Call In D-III 300HurdlesTalk about winning by a hair. Columbus

Grove junior Heath Nickles won by less thanPhotos by Nick Falzerano & Gary Housteau

Jessica Beard

MonicaHoward

HaunaDawkins

Gates Mills GilmourAcademy 3,200 relay

DeVonneHoward

MeShawnGraham

Kayla Caldwell



that when he beat New Bremen junior BryceBergman in the D-III 300 hurdles. Nickles timewas 39.02, while Bergman finished in 39.03.Nickles win came from an unlikely place –lane 8.“My uncle told me to put an ‘S’ on my chest

and run like Superman,” Nickles said.“I gave it everything I had. I didn’t have any-

thing at the end. I thought I got second and Ididn’t even know I won until I looked at theboard.”Nickles also won the pole vault title.

Fox Sets School Record,Wins Division III long jumpRockford Parkway’s Jacob Fox had to pinch

himself in the long jump pit.“After my jump I could have swore that the

guy mispronounced what he was saying,” Foxsaid.“Then when it sunk in that it was 22-6 I felt

on top of the world. I honestly did not expectmyself to do this.”A senior, Fox won the D-III long jump with

his new PR on the fifth attempt. The mark seta new school record and eclipsed his previousbest of 21-11.75.Fox also won the 110 hurdles (14.57) and

was fourth in the 300 hurdles (40.06).

Dawkins Redeems HerselfIn Division I 300 hurdlesA nasty spill kept Columbus Franklin

Heights junior Hauna Dawkins from winningthe D-I state title in her specialty – the 100hurdles. Still distraught, Dawkins finishedeighth in the ensuing 100-meter final. A muchneeded rest gave her time to refocus.“I felt like I had to redeem myself,” Dawkins

said.“I took a mean fall (in the 100 hurdles) and

that is supposed to be my race. It hurt realbad. And then I had to get back and do the100 and my mind wasn’t right. I had a lot ofhostility built up and I had to take it out on the300.”Did she ever. Dawkins ran away from the

field (42.44).

Edwards Wins D-I 1,600Delaware Hayes senior Jake Edwards

became his school’s third state championwhen he captured the D-I 1,600 title in4:09.89. Edwards held off a strong field –including Toledo St. John’s workhorseChristopher Lemon. Lemon finished second(4:13.87).“The race went exactly to plan,” said

Edwards who is headed to Ohio State. “Chrisis a real tough runner and a real strength run-ner. I figured he'd take it out fast and I justwanted to stay behind him. With 300 to go he

started to speed up and I went around himand hung on to the end.”

Willey Keeps It In The FamilyMiamisburg junior Michael Willey made his

family proud and in Willey’s case that clichécarries a little more clout than normal. Willey’sfather and uncle collectively won 100, 200 and400 high school state titles in Iowa. His grand-father won an Iowa state title in the hurdles.This year, Willey added his own crown.After finishing fourth in the 110 hurdles,

Willey won the 300 hurdles with a time of37.51. He outdueled a strong field, includingToledo Central’s Samuel Hogue III who hadthe fastest time in the prelims. Hogue fell onthe curve.“I knew he was right there but I knew I could

beat him,” Willey said.“Coming around the turn I saw him and I

was like, ‘OK, here we go … this is going tobe the race.’”Willey’s title came as a small surprise con-

sidering this is his first year running the 300hurdles. Last year was his first year runninghurdles period.Said Willey: “I picked up the 300 hurdles

this year and I wasn’t sure where it was goingto go, but right now it’s gold.”

Payne Brings ItCleveland Heights Beaumont junior Aareon

Payne was denied in her attempt to defendher D-I 100 title so she exerted some aggres-sion in the 200. After finishing runner-up in the100, Payne won the 200 and set a new staterecord. Her time of 23.65 bettered the previ-ous mark of 23.69 set by ColumbusBrookhaven’s Khalilah Carpenter in 2000.

Smith Sweeps D-I SprintsWesterville Central senior Stuart Smith

swept the D-I 100 and 200 races after finish-ing seventh and fifth, respectively, a year ago.

Barlage Wins ElusivePole Vault TitleVersailles senior Amanda Barlage finally

reached the top of the podium in the D-III polevault. The state runner-up the last two years,Barlage won her first state title with a vault of12-4. In doing so, Barlage established a newstate record in the event, surpassing her ownmark of 12-3 set earlier this year at the Milton-Union Bulldog Classic. Barlage is headed toIndiana State.

Littleton Wins D-I DiscusHarrison senior Chris Littleton pulled an

upset Saturday by beating Vandalia-Butlersenior Jimmie Pacifico in the D-I discus.Littleton, who finished eighth last year, threw

four throws of 174-3 or better and capped thecycle with a heave of 183-9. Pacifico, thedefending state champ, finished second with amark of 179-4.

Foley Skies HighClayton Northmont senior Mike Foley made

amends for failing to place at last year’s statemeet in the D-I high jump by finishing first.Foley was fifth at state as a sophomore. Foleycleared 6-9 and edged Toledo Rogers sopho-more Erik Howard on attempts. Defendingstate champion senior David Serrano ofPickerington Central was fourth (6-8).

Graham ExperiencesPainful ExitToledo Bowsher junior Meshawn Graham

failed in her attempt to defend her D-I 200 titlewhen she pulled up lame in the final about 25yards from the finish. Graham, who was chal-lenging for the win, slowed down and hoppedacross the line before falling to the track. Shewas carried to the medical area.The injury put a negative twist on an other-

wise highly successful day for Graham. Shewon the 100 (12.08) and finished runner-up inthe 400 (52.51) where she became just thesecond girl in state history to run under 53seconds (in addition to state champion JessicaBeard).

Meulman RepeatsIn D-III DiscusColumbus Grove senior Cory Meulman con-

tinued the Bulldogs recent run of strong throw-ing performances. Meulman defended his D-IIIdiscus title and was second in the shot put.Meulman came in with the best regional markin the discus.“When I really got to relax (in the discus)

was after Stein’s last throw,” said Meulman,mentioning runner-up Wes Stein of NorwalkSt. Paul.“I knew if I didn’t have a good day there

were people here who could PR and win. I hadmy doubts coming in.”

Ahbe Sets State Meet MarkGreen sophomore Kelsie Ahbe set a new D-

I state meet mark in the pole vault with a win-ning effort of 12-1. Ahbe beat the second placevaulter – junior Hannah Tabler of Wapakoneta– by nine inches.

Frimpong Wins D-I LongJumpCanfield junior Audra Frimpong won the D-I

girls long jump with a leap of 19-6.5 Frimpongwas fourth last year. Cincinnati Princeton sen-ior Mikeal Roberts – third last spring – wasrunner-up (19-4.5).



Wilmington’s HowardWins D-I Discus TitleMonica Howard has a phone call to make.

And it’s one her older sister Ashley might notwant to answer.The Wilmington senior one-upped her older

sis by winning the D-I discus competition with athrow of 146-1. Howard was second last year,while Ashley – a thrower at Winthrop University– was second as a senior.“It’s like a feud,” Howard said. “She’ll call me

and tell me OK this is what place I got todayand this is what I threw. I try to beat her andshe tries to beat me.”Monica holds the trump card – for now. Next

she’ll throw for Richmond University and couldface Ashley come the postseason. Ashleythrew in the NCAA regionals.Wilmington sophomore Lyndsey Crowe –

Howard’s cousin – placed sixth (120-0).”

Clinton-Massie’s Frey WinsD-II Long Jump – FinallyDrew Frey is no stranger to the state meet

and its long jump pit. The Clinton-Massie sen-ior qualified for state in the event four timesand twice finished third. This season he fin-ished first.Exploding for a personal record, Frey

cleared 23-7.5 to win the D-II long jump title.“I knew I had the best preliminary jump but

that doesn’t really mean anything when you getto the state meet,” Frey said. “There are somany great competitors here. I just wanted togo out and get a good first jump and that’swhat I accomplished.”Frey launched his 23-7 on his first attempt

after establishing a new PR at regionals lastweek (23-4). Frey became Clinton-Massie’sfirst state champion. He’s headed to Cincinnation a football-ride.“It’s exciting to get on the podium,” Frey

said. “The last three years I’ve had to look upand those guys above me and I feel like I’mblessed to be the one on top this year.”

Indian Valley’s CaldwellSets State Pole Vault MarkGnadenhutten Indian Valley sophomore

Kayla Caldwell left the D-II pole vault competi-tion with three things: first place, a new D-IIstate meet record (12-4) and a bump on thehead. Going for a new all-divisions record,Caldwell missed on her final attempt at 12-10and the bar banged her on the noggin.Caldwell was runner-up last year“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Caldwell said. “I was

kind of rushed over here. I was dizzy walkingaround and couldn’t see straight after gettingcracked in the head, but it’s nice.”At the regionals, Caldwell set a D-II state

record with a vault of 12-9. She entered statewith the best regional mark by over a foot.

South Point’s LoganWins D-II High JumpWhen defending state champ Ryan Fleck of

Napoleon bowed out of the D-II high jumpcompetition at 6-0, South Point sophomoreQuay Logan knew the title was there for thetaking. And he snagged it. Logan cleared 6-5to finish first.“I was expecting it to be me and Ryan

Fleck,” Logan said. “I thought we’d go 1-2 andwhen he went out it was a shocker. Right thenI had a good feeling that I was going to win it. Ididn’t expect to win it with 6-5 though.”Logan’s PR is 6-10, which is what Fleck

cleared at regionals a week before.

Orrville’s HowardCaps Unbeaten RunOrrville junior DeVonne Howard completed

an undefeated season in the long jump by win-ning the D-II title with a leap of 19-7.75 on herlast attempt. The mark also established a newD-II state meet mark, bettering the previousrecord of 19-3.25 set by Columbus Bexley’sChristi Smith in 1996.

Ironton’s PembertonClaims D-II Shot TitleJohn Pemberton was sweating and it wasn’t

because of the heat and humidity. The Irontonsenior uncorked a personal record on his firstthrow (56-7.75) and made it stick for the D-IIshot put crown. Pemberton was fifth last year.“(The other throwers) started getting close to

me their second to last throws and I startedsweating,” Pemberton said. “I was like ‘ManI’ve got to pull a big one here, I got to pullaway from them,’ but I kept fouling. Theyended up not doing as good on their finalthrow, though, so everything was eventuallyOK. But there for a while…”Pemberton’s previous best was 56-4.25.

Olentangy Liberty’s UhleWins D-I Pole Vault CrownMike Uhle became the first male athlete from

Olentangy Liberty to win a state title when hecaptured the D-I pole vault crown with a vaultof 15-4. The mark also came after Uhle hadswitched poles – twice.“The first one was pretty decent but my pole

wasn’t enough so I moved to a bigger one,”Uhle said.“My second jump was way off so I moved up

poles again. The third pole was the one Ishould have been on the whole time.”Uhle cleared 15-8 at regionals, but came up

shy in his bid for the state record (16-0).—OHPhotos by Nick Falzerano & Gary Housteau

DeVier Posey, Kyle Jefferson andDane Sanzenbacher

DanteJackson

QuayLogan

MichaelWilley

JohnPemberton

WaltLuttrell

MikeUhle

JacobFox

Cincinnat i Moel ler Basebal l


ike Cameron recalls his first varsitygame as Cincinnati Moeller HighSchool’s baseball coach as if it justhappened yesterday.“We won 3-0 over Cincinnati

Hughes,” Cameron said. “I remember it prettyclear.”Thirty-nine years and 766 more victories

later, Cameron decided in late May that itwas time to step aside as the face of theCrusaders’ program.“I retired to just have more time to spend

doing whatever with my wife (Nancy),”Cameron said. “I have no big plans. I just feltit was the right time. I wanted to do morethings with her.”There’s no debating that the 62-year-old

Cameron left his mark not only on the dia-mond, but inside and outside the walls of theinstitution he has called home for the last 40years.“He’s touched literally thousands of lives

on the field and in the classroom,” Moellerathletic director Barry Borman said. “He’s arole model for young coaches when theycome through this building, and his program’sa model for others in this area. That’s thehighest form of flattery.”Cameron, who will remain as chairman of

the school’s health/physical education depart-ment, compiled a 767-303 record (a .717winning percentage) in 39 years. His teamswon four state championships (1972, ’89, ’93and 2004), five regional titles, 10 districtcrowns and 20 Greater Catholic Leaguechampionships.“Moeller is a special place,” said Cameron,

the all-time winningest Division I coach inOhio, second overall in state history and No.27 in the nation.“I don’t know if I could have done this any-

where else. Back then, I knew zero aboutbaseball, and the people were tolerant. AndI’ve never had a bad year there.”That statement couldn’t be closer to the

truth. Only twice did Cameron have a sub-.500 season, while the Crusaders collected atleast 20 victories 22 times.But it wasn’t as easy as it appears.Cameron’s first love was football, and he

dreamed of becoming a head coach one day.After playing at the University of Cincinnati,he was hired onto the Moeller football coach-ing staff of legend Gerry Faust. The pairworked together at Moeller for 14 years.Faust coached the Crusaders from 1963 to

1980 before leaving for Notre Dame (1981-

85), and he then winding up at Akron (1986-94).“When people think of the rich athletic tra-

dition here at Moeller,” Borman said, “GerryFaust and Mike Cameron come to mind.”To even be mentioned in the same sen-

tence as Faust humbles Cameron.“That gives me goose-bumps,” Cameron

said. “Gerry is known on a national level, andto be even thought off that way is really neat.Gerry was my mentor. I have so muchrespect for him and what he did for that pro-gram. He taught me so much about organiza-tion and work ethic.”Cameron spent his first season at the

school as the junior varsity coach, and thentook over the reins of the program whenBuddy Bell was a senior.“He taught me more about baseball than

what I taught him,” Cameron said.While Cameron thought the same tough-

nosed football mentality could carry over tothe spring, Bell — who went on to play 18seasons in the big leagues — quickly dis-pelled that notion.Baseball, Cameron learned, was a com-

pletely different animal.He coached seven more future big-lea-

guers, including Ken Griffey Jr. and BarryLarkin, while 139 played in college and 31were either drafted or signed to play pro ball.But it’s the average, hard-working player

who Cameron admires the most.“The bottom line,” he said, “is the average

high school player that loves the game, cameevery day, worked hard, sacrificed and whenhis high school career was over, that was it.Those are the kids I hang my hat on.”

Retirement never crossed Cameron’s minduntil six years ago when long-time assistantof 29 years Paul Smith stepped down. Smithwanted to go out as a pair, but the timingwasn’t right for Cameron.With two younger assistants — Tim Held

and Bob Sherlock — in need of mentoring,Cameron stuck around to show them theropes.Finally, last November, Cameron informed

Nancy that this could be his final season.“I anticipated this might be the last,” said

Borman, who coached with Cameron foreight years. “But it’s always surprising whenthe guy comes in and after 40 years, pullsthe trigger on it.”After a season in which the Crusaders fin-

ished 27-4, No. 1 in the state poll and No. 19nationally according to USA Today,Cameron’s mind was set. He met with Heldand Sherlock two days following the season-ending loss to league rival St. Xavier in theregional semifinals.On May 29, Cameron told Borman of his

intentions, and that there was no need tolook outside the program for a replacement.With Held and Sherlock the only two candi-dates, it was announced three days later thatHeld would fill Cameron’s shoes.“I’m honored to be put in that position, and

I’m excited to take the job,” said Held, 34, anassistant for 11 years. “Mike’s done a numberof things to put the program in a good place,and I hope to continue those things.”Held said Cameron has no choice but to

be a consultant to the program, and shouldexpect his successor to pick his brain daily.“His fingerprints are all over the program,”

Cameron said. “He’s aware of what goes on.He’s very astute, very organized and he’ll doa great job.”Cameron, who was named the Division I

coach of the year, plans to stick aroundMoeller and teach until he’s at least 66. Butdon’t be surprised if he returns to the dia-mond down the road.“I’ve always loved baseball,” Cameron

said. “Moeller baseball is very special. I willsupport Moeller baseball any way I can.“I really believe that once you’re a coach,

you’re always a coach. High schools arealways in need of coaches. In the right cir-cumstance, I won’t rule that out. I’m going totry and see if there’s life after baseball.”And for the first time in 40 years, Moeller

baseball will have to see if there’s life afterCameron. — OH

M “When peoplethink of the richathletic traditionhere at Moeller,Gerry Faustand Mike

Cameron cometo mind.”

Moeller Athletic DirectorBarry Borman on Cameron

STORY BY STEVEN MATTHEWS

MIKE CAMERON

Phot

oby

Moe

llerH

S


Ohio High Cup

Photos by Nick Falzerano & Gary Housteau

Ohio High Cup


ettering Alter rode a strong fall showing all the way to the 2006-07Ohio High Cup.For the fourth year in a row, Ohio High will present the Ohio

High Cup to the school that scores the most points in Ohio HighSchool Athletic Association-sanctioned state championship

events.This competition is patterned after the Directors’ Cup standings for

colleges and universities. In the Ohio High Cup competition, schoolsaccumulate points by finishing in the top four at OHSAA-sanctionedstate team championships.

Schools that win a state title areawarded five points. Runner-up teamsreceive three points, third-place teamsget two points and fourth-place teamsget one point. In sports where statesemifinal teams tie for third, they eachreceive 1-1/2 points.In this issue, we tabulate the final

standings for the 2006-07 school yearafter the spring sports season. Thatseason saw points awarded for finish-es in boys and girls track, baseball andsoftball.Kettering Alter grabbed a command-

ing lead in the fall with three state run-ner-up team performances and a statechampionship in Division II volleyball.The Dayton-area school added onemore point in the spring with a fourth-

place finish in Division II girls track to end up with 15 points in the OhioHigh Cup competition. The Knights were also regional finalists in boysand girls basketball.Upper Arlington racked up 8-1/2 points in the winter to get to 13-1/2.

But UA could not gain any points in the spring to steal the Cup awayfrom Kettering Alter.Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit finished third at 13. Cincinnati Mount

Notre Dame was fourth with 11 points.Three schools tied for fifth with 10 points. Heath made a big move in

the spring with state titles in Division II boys track and Division III base-ball. Heath tied with Gates Mills Gilmour Academy and West ChesterLakota West for fifth.A representative of Ohio High will make a public presentation of the

2007 Ohio Cup to Kettering Alter when school resumes in the fall. – OH

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

Kettering Alterclaims 2006-07Ohio High Cup

K

Knights ride four state finalsappearances to title; UpperArlington finishes second

Ohio High Cup Standings1155 ---- Kettering Alter (girls Division II cross country runner-up, D-III footballrunner-up, boys D-II soccer runner-up, D-II volleyball champions, girls D-IItrack fourth).1133--11//22 ---- Upper Arlington (boys D-I golf champions, girls D-I swimmingchampions, boys swimming third, hockey semifinalist).1133 ---- Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (boys D-II soccer champions, girls D-Isoccer champions, D-II volleyball runner-up).1111 ---- Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (field hockey semifinalist, D-I volleyballchampions, girls D-I basketball champions).1100 ---- Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (girls D-III cross country champions, D-III boys track fourth, D-III girls track tied for first), Heath (D-III baseballchampions, boys D-II track champions), West Chester Lakota West (girlsgolf champions, D-I baseball champions).88 –– Cincinnati Moeller (boys D-I basketball champions, D-I wrestling run-ner-up), Cincinnati St. Xavier (boys swimming champions, boys D-I basket-ball runner-up), Salem (girls D-II cross country champions, boys D-II trackrunner-up), Stow Munroe Falls (boys D-I soccer champions, girls D-I basket-ball runner-up), St. Henry (D-V football champions, boys bowling runner-up),Tol. St. John’s Jesuit (boys D-I cross country runner-up, hockey champions).77--11//22 ---- Findlay Liberty Benton (girls D-III cross country third, D-V footballsemifinalist, boys D-III golf fourth, boys D-III basketball runner-up), HuntingValley University School (boys D-II golf champions, boys swimming fourth,hockey semifinalist), Lakewood St. Edward (boys D-I golf fourth, boys D-Ibasketball semifinalist, D-I wrestling champions).77 ---- Gahanna Columbus Academy (field hockey champions, boys D-III golfthird), Hudson (boys D-I cross country third, D-I softball champions).66--11//22 ---- Norwalk St. Paul (D-VI football semifinalist, D-IV volleyball champions).66 ---- Bexley (boys D-II golf third, boys D-II soccer semifinalist, girls D-II soc-cer semifinalist), Mentor (D-I football runner-up, D-I baseball runner-up),Minster (girls D-III cross country runner-up, boys D-III golf runner-up), NewKnoxville (D-IV volleyball runner-up, girls D-IV basketball runner-up),Steubenville (D-III football champions, boys D-II track fourth).55 –– Akron Buchtel (girls D-II track champions), Anna (D-III volleyball cham-pions), Beavercreek (girls bowling champions), Brecksville-BroadviewHeights (gymnastics champions), Canfield (D-II baseball champions), CarrollBloom-Carroll (D-III softball champions), Centerville (boys D-I golf third, girlsD-I swimming fourth, girls bowling third), Cincinnati LaSalle (boys D-I crosscountry champions), Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (girls D-I cross countrychampions), Cincinnati North College Hill (boys D-III basketball champions),Cleveland Central Catholic (girls D-III basketball champions), ClevelandGlenville (boys D-I track champions), Cleveland Heights Beaumont (girls D-Itrack champions), Coldwater (boys bowling champions), ColumbusAfricentric (girls D-IV basketball champions), Dalton (D-IV softball champi-ons), Dayton Christian (boys D-III track champions), Dayton Dunbar (boysD-II basketball champions), Fort Loramie (D-IV baseball champions), GatesMills Hawken (girls D-I swimming champions), Georgetown (boys D-IV bas-ketball champions), Greenville (D-II softball champions), Hilliard Davidson(D-I football champions), Johnstown-Monroe (boys D-III golf champions),Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (boys D-III cross country champions), MariaStein Marion Local (D-VI football champions), Parma Heights Holy Name(girls D-II champions), Peninsula Woodridge (boys D-II cross country champi-ons), Piqua (D-II football champions), Sandusky Perkins (girls D-II basketballsemifinalist, D-II baseball semifinalist, boys D-II track third), St. ParisGraham (D-II wrestling champions), Troy Christian (D-III wrestling champi-ons), Warsaw River View (girls D-II basketball champions), WorthingtonChristian (boys D-III soccer champions), Youngstown Mooney (D-IV footballchampions),

PreviousWinnersVersailles captured

the first Ohio High

Cup in 2003-04. In

2004-05, Cuyahoga

Falls Walsh Jesuit

claimed the cup. In

2005-06, Cincinnati

St. Xavier won the

Ohio High Cup com-

petition.


Ohio H igh Coach of the Year

Sandusky Perkins coachRay Neill led the Pirates toboth the D-II girls basketballand baseball state tourna-ment in 2006-07.

Old Pro

Photos by Joe Maiorana

Ohio H igh Coach of the Year


ay Neill did something this year thatsome coaches wait a lifetime andnever get to do. And Neill did it twice.Not only did he lead the SanduskyPerkins girls basketball team to the

Division II state tournament, but in May hewas back in Columbus again, this time withthe Pirates baseball squad.Not bad for a former minor league ballplay-

er who had some big dreams but never madeit to The Show."I was a pretty decent hitter ... but being

able to play at that level in the middle of theinfield was a struggle for me," Neill said,chuckling. "I was a pretty good infielder, butnot good enough to get it done at that level."Maybe that's one of the reasons why at

Perkins we pride ourselves on how we playdefense -- my inequities at the position."Neill grew up in Sandusky playing football

and basketball. He transferred in the springof his freshman year to Castalia MargarettaHigh School, where he played four years ofbaseball and three seasons of basketballuntil his graduation in 1971. That's alsowhere he got his first taste of state tourneyaction as the baseball Polar Bears reachedthe semifinals. But it would be a while beforehe'd make it back.After a few seasons on the roster of some

minor league clubs in the Indians' pipeline(during which he briefly was a teammate offuture National League all-star PedroGuerrero), and later more baseball and bas-ketball at a junior college, he served as theplayer-coach of the semipro SanduskySoldier's Home team for a dozen years."The guy who had been the coach walked

away ... and I just stepped in," Neill said. "Itall seemed to happen kind of naturally."Next came a 10-year stint, beginning in

1990, as the coach and general manager ofthe Sandusky Bay Stars of the Great LakesSummer Collegiate League. Today, in addi-tion to his roles at Perkins, Neill also coachesthe Sandusky Post 83 American Legionbaseball team, which has won its districtchampionships four out of the last eight sum-mers.He's had equal success at Perkins, where

he just completed his 12th season at thePirates' helm. In that time, they've capturednine Sandusky Bay Conference titles andadvanced to the district tournament 11straight times, reaching the regionals in fiveseasons.

"I think I have a great feel for the games,"he said. "Feel for how a game is developing,what type of game it's going to be, what arethe strengths of my team and what also arethe strengths and weaknesses of the opposi-tion."I'm big on fundamentals and discipline

and structure and all that stuff. But when thegame starts, I just have a feel. It's somethingI think I've been blessed with, and it goes along way when you're deciding on substitu-tions, timeouts, pitch selection and so on."A lot of people say there's not a whole lot

going on in baseball," Neill added. "But ifyou're really into it and understand it, everypitch is significant. It dictates a lot of subtlechanges on the defensive side, it decideswhat you're going to do based on where youare in the batting order ... it takes a passion,a love of it. There's a lot more going on thanwhat the average eyes can see."The same powers of observation and play-

er motivation also have translated into almostimmediate success on the basketball court,where the Pirates went 22-5 this year inNeill's third season."I look at basketball as another great team

sport," Neill said. "And to be successful, youhave to be able to bring a group together,form a team and get people to understandthe common goal."I always liked what Coach K (Duke bas-

ketball coach Mike Krzyzewski) said aboutcoaching. He said he doesn't consider him-self a coach as much as he considers himselfa leader. I feel that way myself. It's not somuch about being a yeller or a screamer asmuch as it’s being able to put your student-athletes in a situation where they can be assuccessful as they can possibly be with thetalent they have."I'm very intense ... and your team is a

reflection of you," Neill added. "There aretimes in the dugout or in the locker roomwhen I get loud. But out on the field, if youcan keep yourself calm and positive in theheat of battle, your team will be able to dothat, too."What about the difference between coach-

ing boys and girls?"Moods," Neill respond, laughing. "Girls

carry some things into practice and even intogame days more than you see on the maleside."But the first thing I told the girls at Perkins

when I took that job was that I'm not here tocoach girls basketball -- I'm here to coachbasketball. It is a little different, but I try tokeep those differences very small. We'repretty disciplined, pretty structured. And wework hard on defense."Neill is the first to tell you he's been

blessed with lots of talent on his teams. Thebasketball squad, for example, features 6-4senior-to-be Cierra Bravard, an All-Ohioanand the 2007 co-player of the year in DivisionII who is being courted by programs like OhioState, Duke and North Carolina. She's joinedin the lineup by two more Division I collegeprospects in guards Bethany Caudill andTrisha Krewson.He's had his share of athletes at home,

too. His daughters, Krista and Jenna, playedcollegiate volleyball. And his son, Jay, was anAll-Ohioan in baseball who served as aPerkins assistant this spring.He's also got a rewarding full-time job at

the Ohio Veterans' Home in Sandusky, wherehe's spent 30 years helping people at theother end of the age spectrum. And support-ing him all through this busy October-to-August life is his wife, Debbie.But ask him about his great year -- confer-

ence titles, trips to Final Fours, his Legionsquad's trip to the state tournament in Athens-- and he'll tell you first about the birth of hisfirst granddaughter, Ragean Rae Heck, bornon Oct. 22. His birthday."Like I said,” Neill stated. “I've been

blessed." — OH

Sandusky Perkins coach Ray Neill leadsPirates girls basketball and baseball teamsto Division II state tournaments in 2006-07

STORY BY JEFF BREHM

R

"I think I have a great feel for thegames. Feel for how a game is devel-oping, what type of game it's goingto be, what are the strengths of myteam and what also are the strengthsand weaknesses of the opposition.”

Sandusky Perkins girls basketball and baseball

coach Ray Neill


Steubenvi l le B ig Red Footbal l

Steubenville wonD-III state titles in2006 (right) and2005 (inset). Thisyear the Big Reddrop down to D-IVas they look towin a third straightstate title.

TripleThreat

Phot

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Nick

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Steubenvi l le B ig Red Footbal lSTORY BY MATT NATAL I

The road to the championship will be quitedifferent than it has been the past two years.Gone are 21 graduated seniors, includingthree-year starting QB Zach Collaros, WRDreylon Pree and RB Tamawi McGhee. Butthe Big Red will be building upon the successthat those players – and the 2006 grads – leftbehind.“We have a good nucleus back. But all

(2005 and 2006) did was set a solid founda-tion,” Saccoccia said. “And a foundation is not to be leaned on –

it is to be built on. So, we’re going to try andbuild on that base that we built (the past twoyears).”The center of that nucleus includes return-

ing starters WR/DB Steve Davis (5-8, 170,Sr.), TE/DB Anthony Gossett (6-1, 180, Sr.),OL/DL Anthony Radakovich (6-5, 260, Sr.),OL/DE Phil Gilmore (6-0, 190, Sr.), OL/DLBrandyn Frey (6-0, 200, Sr.), FB/LB MarkMarkakis (5-9, 170, Sr.), FB/LB Bronko Busic(5-11, 190, Jr.), FB/NG Roland Owens (5-9,

220, Sr.), FB/LB James Montgomery (6-1,180, Sr.) and RB/DB Anthony Jackson (5-9,170, Sr.).“We have experience at certain positions

but we are going to have to develop a differ-ent way we go about things,” Saccocciaexplained. “We had a certain offense that weran last year that we might not be able to runthis year. “But each team, no matter how successful

or how many people you have coming back –even pro teams – you have to have chem-istry. So, we’re developing chemistry and Ithink the developing of great team chemistry,great team unity and great team work ethic ismore important than any individuals you havecoming back. That is what we want to buildright now and if we can do that then we’ll befine. We might not win 15 games but we’ll getthe best out of our team.”After playing 30 games the last two sea-

sons, Saccoccia looks toward the experiencegained by the incoming senior group in those

10 extra weeks of football.“I hope that our seniors are as hard-work-

ing leaders as they were sophomore and jun-ior followers,” Saccoccia said. “As a seniorclass, I just hope they accept that challengeto lead us wherever we’re going.“I feel our kids are working very hard and

our kids know how important it is to prepareto compete. That’s where we’re going rightnow – preparing to be good competitors andbecoming good teammates and everythingthat high school football is supposed to be,we’re going to make sure we enjoy.”All eyes will be on the quarterback position

this fall with the departure of Collaros, whowill play college football at the University ofCincinnati and will go down as one of thegreatest players to don a Big Red uniform.Collaros, who earned back-to-backAssociated Press Division III Offensive Playerof the Year honors, compiled a 41-1 record inthree years as the starting quarterbackbreaking every Big Red passing record. In

hen Steubenville takes the field for the 2007 football season, the BigRed will have a rare opportunity to accomplish a feat only a handful ofteams in Ohio have achieved.Coming off back-to-back Division III state championships, Steubenvillewill attempt to become the sixth school to win three consecutive statetitles since the current OHSAA playoff format was adopted in 1972.In the last two years, Steubenville is a perfect 30-0, which is the

longest winning streak in school history and ties the Big Red at No. 21 in Ohio highschool football history for the longest unbeaten streak. “I feel that anytime you do anything of that magnitude and after the season is over,you can look back and see it was a great effort by a bunch of people,” Steubenville headcoach Reno Saccoccia said. “And it was not just the football team, but the boosters, theschool and the student body. I think everybody has benefited from it. It was a greatclimb to the top.”Steubenville defeated Columbus St. Francis DeSales 28-7 in the 2005 state champi-onship game. The Big Red then topped Kettering Alter 34-33 in a wild 2006 state cham-pionship game in which they led by as much as three touchdowns. After raising the trophy in 2005, Saccoccia feels it was more of a challenge defendingthe championship last year.“I feel that the entire 2006 season was achieved with a target on our chest and we goteverybody’s best shot,” Saccoccia said. “Our kids remained focused but most of all weremained healthy. Those two things were very important to our success. You have toremain healthy and you have to remain focused.”As Steubenville tries for its third straight state title and fourth overall, the target onthe Big Red is sure to be even bigger – especially with some major changes in the fold.



his senior campaign, he was 136-of-201passing for 2,550 yards and 30 touchdownswith only four interceptions. He also tallied720 yards on the ground with 15 touch-downs.His replacement – and others – has yet to

be determined.“We feel right now that you don’t earn your

position in the spring, but you earn youropportunity in the spring and the winter in theweight room,” Saccoccia said. “All we can doright now is prepare physically for the 2007football season. So, the kids are trying toearn themselves an opportunity to competefor a position.“I know the players that have already com-

peted and have been in the wars and dog-fights on Friday nights. I know what theyhave given to their school, so in those terms,they are going to deserve first opportunity fora position. “I think a lot of coaches want respect and

my philosophy is that I am appreciative of theeffort our kids give and I try to give them thesame respect that I expect from my staff,” headded. “Some kids have earned a right tocompete and they’ll be given that right tocompete.”

A New Challenge On The HorizonWith the customary divisional realignment

every two years by the OHSAA based onenrollment figures, Steubenville faces a newchallenge in 2007 in addition to the personnelchanges. The Big Red will be vying for itsthird straight state championship as a mem-ber of Division IV, Region 13 dropping fromDivision III. “You are what you are whether it’s Division

III or Division IV,” Saccoccia said. “We won (astate title) in D-II, we won (a state title) in D-III, we got beat in D-II and we got beat in D-III. So, as far as what Division you are in, youare what you are and right now we are inDivision IV. “Now, as far as our competition goes, if

you look at any division, there are key teamsin that division and Division IV is no differentthan any other as far as key teams. Thereare certain teams that have a beautiful histo-ry that took a lot of years to build and thosewill be the teams we’ll be competing with.Hopefully we’re able to come up and com-pete and hopefully we can work a niche inDivision IV as we did in Division III.”One of those key teams with a storied his-

tory and tradition, as well as winner of two ofthe last three Division IV state champi-onships, is Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.Mooney, which also happens to be in thesame region as Steubenville this year, is

2005-06 Steubenville Big Red2005: Division III State Champions (15-0)Date Opponent Score8/25 Akron Buchtel W, 27-14 9/2 Washington (D.C.) Dunbar W, 36-19 9/9 at Wheeling Park, W.Va. W, 29-0 9/16 Youngstown Ursuline W, 35-0 9/23 Buffalo (N.Y.) St Joseph's W, 35-28 9/30 Akron SVSM W, 21-14 (OT) 10/7 at Zanesville W, 41-7 10/14 East Liverpool W, 33-7 10/21 at Canton Central Catholic W, 28-16 10/28 Youngstown Rayen W, 34-12 11/4 Beaver Local* W, 34-7 11/11 Canal Fulton Northwest* W, 20-6 11/18 Newark Licking Valley* W, 33-7 11/25 Akron Buchtel# W, 35-24 12/2 Columbus DeSales@ W, 28-7

*-OHSAA regional tournament games#-Division III state semifinal game@-Division III state championship game

Date Opponent Score8/24 Akron Buchtel W, 22-6 9/1 Wash. (D.C.) Gonzaga W, 27-7 9/8 Richmond Edison W, 45-19 9/16 at Youngstown Ursuline W, 36-14 9/22 Buffalo (N.Y.) St Joseph’s W, 29-13 9/29 at Akron SVSM W, 41-14 10/6 Wheeling Park, W.Va. W, 61-7 10/13 at Beaver Local W, 36-0 10/20 Canton Central Catholic W, 33-0 10/27 Mount St Joseph (Md.) W, 34-20 11/4 New Concord John Glenn* W, 26-10 11/11 Canton South* W, 28-6 11/18 Dover* W, 33-30 11/25 Aurora# W, 48-13 12/2 Kettering Alter@ W, 34-33

*-OHSAA regional tournament games#-Division III state semifinal game@-Division III state championship game

2006: Division III State Champions (15-0)

Senior Anthony Gossett will again play a large role for the Big Red. Last yearGossett caught a TD and registered a team-high 6.5 tackles in the D-II state final.

Photo by Nick Falzerano



widely considered one of the top teams – ifnot the top team – in Division IV. TheCardinals boast a roster stacked with playersclaiming Division I-A college scholarshipoffers, including RB/LB Brandon Beachum,QB/DB Dan McCarthy, LB Mike Zordich(Penn State verbal), TB Taylor Hill, OL JohnSimon and OL Jarod Emerson among others.“I think the big thing is the job that

(Mooney head coach P.J. Fecko) has donewith the program,” Saccoccia said. “Theywere at the lowest point in Cardinal Mooneyhistory when he took over (in 2000) and hehas built them up to achieve as theyachieved in the past and even beyond. I thinkthey are going to be a program that is goingto be around for a lot of years. To tell you thetruth, we’re just proud to be spoken in thesame breath as them. They’re going to be avery competitive football team, they are verywell-coached team and we’ll see what hap-pens.”Should Steubenville and Mooney both

qualify and meet in the Region 13 playoffs, itwill mark only the fourth time since the play-off format was instituted 1972 that twodefending state champions have played eachother in the playoffs the following year. Infact, it could happen twice this season with2006 Division VI state champion Maria SteinMarion Local moving up to Division V. TheFlyers will battle defending D-V champ St.Henry in the regular season Midwest AthleticConference schedule and could potentiallymeet in the Region 20 playoffs should bothqualify.But with 2006 Division III runner-up

Kettering Alter joining Steubenville in drop-ping to Division IV as well, Division IV staterunner-up Plain City Jonathan Alder in themix again, traditional powers Amanda-Clearcreek and Marion Pleasant moving upfrom Division V and Division IV playoff con-tenders Canton Central Catholic, Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary, Orrville,Bellaire, Ironton, Martin’s Ferry,and Coldwater among others,Division IV is sure to be a buzzsaw in 2007.“Hopefully we’ll be one of the

teeth on the saw,” Saccocciajoked. “But it’s not any differentthan Division III. The challengesare the same just with differentteams. The good programs inDivision IV are just taking theplace of other good programsthat we faced in Division III. Thecoaching is still going to be com-petitive and the kids are going tobe competitive. That is the keyword in high school football – it’s

getting your kids to compete. We just hopewe’re able to compete at this level just likewe we’re able to compete in Division III.“We have a schedule that we feel we are

going to have to be ready to compete everyweek.”For The RecordWhen considering the top Ohio high school

football programs that maintain deeply rootedtraditions, histories, legends and excellence,Steubenville is among that group of eliteteams.The 2007 season marks the 108th official

year of football for Steubenville and the 107thseason (the Bid Red didn’t field a team in1906). The season opener will beSteubenville’s 1,008th game and the 678-295-34 record places the Big Red at No. 3 inall-time wins in Ohio behind MassillonWashington (774) and Canton McKinley(751).

Steubenville also holds state records inmost consecutive shutouts (17; 1929-31) andmost rushing yards in a game (734; 1931).Individual records include most consecutiveextra points made by Mike Jones (86; 1988-1990) and the longest kickoff return for atouchdown (109 yards) by Perry Jeter againstCanton McKinley (10/20/1950). In 1930, Steubenville was unbeaten (9-0)

and unscored upon (277-0).

Home Sweet HomeSteubenville, a city of nearly 20,000, sits

on the Ohio River in Jefferson County. Downthrough the years, it served as an importantoutpost for those heading West and laterbecame a key piece in the steel industry.Steubenville’s home stadium is one of the

more unique high school football venues inthe country and it simply adds to the traditionand grandeur of the program. Completed in1930, Harding Stadium is a 10,000-seatcapacity venue that features a ProGrass syn-thetic field turf playing surface and thefamous ‘Man ‘O War’ fire-breathing horseatop the scoreboard, which was installed in1970. The Big Red has an all-time 435-133-11

record at home for a winning percentage of75 percent and has a current 40-game homewinning streak at the friendly confines.Harding Stadium -- commonly referred to

as “Death Valley” -- is the focal point of thecommunity and the electric atmosphere onFriday nights rivals that of some of the tophigh school football experiences in thenation.“We feel it is a stadium that our administra-

tion and our community have put a lot oftime, effort and energy into to make it a placewhere our kids are proud to play on Friday,”Saccoccia said. “It’s just part of an experi-ence that we try to create here. My job is totry and bring the best out of every one of our

kids in an athletic way and in away that makes them feel goodabout themselves and makesthem be a positive reflection of ourcommunity throughout the state. “We try to make Friday night

very important. I feel it should beone of the best experiences oftheir high school careers buthopefully it’s not the experience ofa lifetime. Hopefully when theygraduate they get some experi-ences that are more meaningfulas far as their families and theirwives and their children are con-cerned. But during their highschool days, I just hope to makethat a great experience for themand that is how I, our coaching

Since the inception of the OHSAA foot-ball playoffs in 1972, just five schoolshave succeed in winning three or morestate championships in a row.Steubenville, which has won back-to-back Division III state titles, will attemptto win a third this year as a member ofDivision IV and join this elite group. Hereis a look at the schools that have wonthree or more consecutive state titles:

Cincinnati Moeller, 1975-77Newark Catholic, 1984-87Cle. St. Ignatius, 1991-95Versailles, 1993-95Delphos St. John’s, 1997-99

Elite Company

Death Valley The Big Red’s homefield advantage

Submitted Photo



staff and our administration approach athlet-ics. We want it to be a positive experience forour players and on Friday nights we just tryto bring the best out of the players we have.”Earlier this year, the field was dedicated to

Saccoccia and named in his honor. The offi-cial name of the stadium now is RenoSaccoccia Field at Harding Stadium.In 24 seasons as Steubenville’s head

coach, Saccoccia (who also serves as assis-tant principal) has a 245-45 record rankinghim in top 15 all-time among Ohio coaches intotal wins. He has coached 10 regular season unde-

feated teams, led 17 of his teams to the play-offs (36-14 playoff record) with 11 regionaltitles and three state championships.Under Saccoccia, Steubenville has earned

six Associated Press poll championships,including the last four, and he was named theAP Division III co-coach of the year in 2006in addition to earning Ohio High magazinefootball coach of the year honors.A graduate of Steubenville Catholic

Central, Saccoccia spent his college days at

the University of Akron lettering in football forthe Zips.“For me, (the dedication) is an honor that is

really special and I take it as a gift from ourplayers, parents and the administration,”Saccoccia said. “I just hope in the next fewyears I can be worthy of that.”Saccoccia credits the help and support of

his coaching staff over the years as a cata-lyst for his personal success.“As a coaching staff, I don’t look at them as

just working with me. We are all good friendsthat have a common goal and I hope theyaccept (the field) as something that we haveall earned and not just something for me,” hesaid. “Our coaches know how I feel aboutthem and they know I would never acceptanything without their name on it. So, I hopethey feel the same about me as I feel aboutthem.”

He also mentioned two coaches in particu-lar that he drew inspiration from and hasmodeled his coaching career after includinghis uncle Rick Saccoccia (Wintersville, SCCcoach) and Sam Fornsaglio (Indian Creek

coach, member of the Ohio Valley AthleticAssociation Hall of Fame).“Put those two at the top of the list,” he

said. “I learned from their competitive nature,and from my uncle, the most I took from himwas to coach every kid like he’s my own. I tryto coach every kid like he is my own althoughyou can’t treat every kid equally but you cantreat every kid fair.”Like those who came before him,

Saccoccia will go down in Steubenville histo-ry further enriching the tradition and legendof the program. And with the opportunity towin a third straight state title this season,Saccoccia and the Big Red look to addSteubenville to yet another category in theOHSAA record book.“Our goal right now is to work our way

back up the mountain everyday,” he said.“There is a price to be paid and I hope wehave it in us to pay the price everyday. It is along struggle but it is something worthwhile.Whether we get there or not has yet to bedetermined, but if hard work is involved thenwe’ll have an opportunity.” — OH

Graduates Zack Collaros (#7) and Tamawi McGhee

(#22) leave holes in the Big Red backfield. Collaros

(headed to Cincinnati) accounted for five TDs in last

year’s state final, while McGhee was the team’s

leading rusher in the game.


2007 Steubenvi l le Big Red Schedule

Aug. 23

Wintersville Indian Creek

Aug. 31

Akron Buchtel

Sept. 7

at East Liverpool

Sept. 14

Buffalo (N.Y.) St. Joseph’s

Sept. 21

Lisbon Beaver Local

Sept. 28

Columbus Bishop

Watterson

Oct. 5

Baltimore (Md.)

St. Joseph’s

Oct. 12

at Wheeling Park, W.Va.

Oct. 19

at Canton Central Catholic

Oct. 26

Springfield (Pa.)

Cardinal O'Hara

Helmet Images Courtesy of the Ohio High School Helmet Project


Ohio HS Footbal l Prev iew

REGION 1

Cleveland Glenville (10-2)* Players to Watch – WR/LB Cordale

Scott (6-3, 197, Sr.), OL/DT Shawntel Rowell(6-4, 330, Sr.), DT Dawawn Whitner (6-2,245, Sr.), RB William Lowe (5-10, 165, Sr.),WR Torrieal Gibson (5-9, 140, Sr.), CBBerchard Hines (5-10, 175, Sr.),OL Marcus Hall (6-5, 270, Jr.),QB Terrence Owens (6-3,170, Jr.), ATH ChristianBryant (5-11, 170, So.). * Outlook – Talent is never a

problem at Glenville. Scott is ranked as thethird-best senior prospect in the state byOhio High and Rowell is ranked No. 11.Whitner is the younger brother of BuffaloBills (and former Ohio State) safety DonteWhitner. Taking over at QB will be Owens,but he will be pushed by Bryant. The‘Blooders have never made it past theregional finals round and this likely won’t bethe year they break through.

Cleveland St. Ignatius (6-4)* Players to Watch – QB/WR Patrick

Ryan (6-2, 180, Sr.), LB Emmitt Lydon (6-2,225, Sr.), QB/S Andrew Holland(6-1, 190, Jr.), WR Joey Parris(6-0, 175, Jr.), WR ConnorRyan (6-0, 165, Jr.), TE/DEDan Fox (6-1, 205, Jr.),OL/DL Frank Whitaker (6-3,245, Jr.).* Outlook – The former state powerhouse

returned to the playoffs last season and thisyear the Wildcats will look to take the nextstep. They have a pair of competent QBs inRyan and Holland who will battle for the job.Early word is that Holland could be thestarter and Ryan could move to wideout.Defensively, Lydon and Fox will lead a formi-dable unit for head coach Chuck Kyle.

Lakewood St. Edward (9-2) * Players to Watch – LB Justin Staples

(6-3, 220, Sr.), LB Mike Spooner(6-1, 220, Sr.), CB BrandonWilliams (5-10, 175, Sr.), RBDominique Goodwin (5-8,180, Jr.), WR/CB WillieSeawright (5-10, 160, Jr.), QBJeff Burke (5-11, 180, Jr.), OL/DL

igh school football fans were treated to a thrilling conclusion tothe 2006 season when Hilliard Davidson edged Mentor 36-35 indouble-overtime to capture the Division I state championship.

Not many people across the state expect the Wildcats to repeat, butvery few anticipated them winning last year either. They are under-sized for a Division I team (based on the size of their players and thesize of their enrollment), but head coach Brian White has developedthem into the best big-school program in central Ohio. DublinCoffman, which is stockpiled with D-I college talent, will look to takethe crown from them this year. But the Rocks will have to get out ofRegion 3 first.Region 1 is loaded with strong teams such as Mentor, ClevelandGlenville, Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St. Edward. Region 2could come down to a battle between rivals Canton McKinley andMassillon Washington, who are each dripping with talent this season.And last but certainly not least, Region 4 comes fully equipped withthe team that just might win it all this year – Cincinnati St. Xavier –as well as several other top programs such as Centerville and HuberHeights Wayne.

H

Mentor senior-to-be QB Bart Tanski set aDivision I title game record last year forcompletions. He went 24-of-31 for 327yards and four TDs in a double OT lossto Hilliard Davidson.

Rare Bird



Ohio HS Footbal l Prev iewSTORY BY DAVE B IDDLE

Dario Hilliard (6-3, 240, Jr.).* Outlook – The Eagles might have the

best linebacker tandem in the state inStaples (ranked as the No. 14 prospect inthe senior class by Ohio High) and Spooner(ranked No. 62). Goodwin is an explosiverunner and is one of the top performers inthe state from the junior class. St. Edwardwas one of the favorites to win it all last year,but was upset by Warren Harding in the sec-ond round of the playoffs. They have the tal-ent to go all the way this year. ScottNiedzwicki replaces John Gibbons as the St.Ed head coach.

Mentor (13-2)* Players to Watch – QB Bart Tanski (6-2,

200, Sr.), OL Brad Bednar (6-5, 230, Sr.), LBJ.J. Laseak (6-2, 210, Sr.), WRTyler Schutz (6-0, 180, Sr.). * Outlook – The Cardinals

came within an eyelash ofwinning the state champi-onship last season. Tanski wasone of the best QBs in the state last yearand the pinpoint passer is back for his seniorcampaign. He is drawing interest from sever-al D-I college programs. Bednar is a toughplayer at offensive tackle and is ranked asthe No. 81 senior prospect in the state byOhio High. Laseak will lead the defense fromhis linebacker spot. Schutz had 48 catchesfor 808 yards and 11 TDs last year.

Solon (7-4)* Players to Watch – FB/DE Rick Tonelli

(6-1, 213, Sr.), K/P Pat Jacob (5-11, 172,Sr.), QB Zack Brillhart (6-3, 184,Sr.), Steve Greer OL/LB (6-1,214, Sr.), LB Jeff Skonezny(5-11, 178, Sr.), Justin Woo(5-11, 245, Jr.).* Outlook – The Comets

have qualified for the playoffseight straight years and this season isexpected to be no different. Solon is joininga new conference this year (Northeast Ohio)following the collapse of the WesternReserve Conference. “A big key for us will be how fast our offen-

sive and defensive lines are ready to play,”head coach Jim McQuaide said. “We have agood group of returning starters (10 total).”

Also Keep An Eye On:* Brecksville Broadview Heights (9-2) –

The Bees were the No. 2 seed in this regionlast year, but were bounced in the first roundof the playoffs by Warren Harding.* Painesville Riverside (8-3) – The

Beavers broke through and made the play-offs last year, but fell to St. Edward in thefirst round.

* Warren Harding (7-4) – The Raidersmade it to the second round of the playoffslast year, but must replace OSU recruitDaniel ‘Boom’ Herron at RB. They will be ledby WR/DB Antoine Rucker (6-0, 170, Sr.).Dan Dota replaces Thom McDaniels as theRaiders head coach.

REGION 2

Brunswick (11-1)* Players to Watch – QB Sean

Bedevelsky (5-11, 187, Sr.), FB/LB GarrettMack (6-1, 235, Sr.), OLB JoelVendlinski (6-3, 195, Sr.),WR/DB Jordan Gribble (5-10,160, Sr.), WR/DB Chris Scott(5-10, 160, Sr.).* Outlook – The Blue Devils

cruised through the ’06 regularseason undefeated and won a playoff game.However, they were eliminated by CantonMcKinley in the postseason for the fourthstraight year. Head coach Rich Nowak callsBedevelsky “the best quarterback in thestate – and I know I’m biased.” The first-yearstarter threw for 1,759 yards (69.8 percentcomp. pct.) with 22 TDs, four INTs and 679rushing yards. “He makes us go and playsbiggest against the best teams,” Nowak said.Mack will be a three-year starter and led theteam in tackles the past two seasons.

Canton McKinley (12-2)* Players to Watch – CB Brandon Mingo

(5-8, 150, Sr.), LT Sean Whited (6-2, 255,Sr.), WR Kenyad Blair (6-2, 190, Sr.), LGAndrew Suwell (5-11, 245, Sr.),FB Myrell Smith (5-9, 215,Sr.), RB Christian Griffin (5-10, 205, Sr.).* Outlook – The Bulldogs

were state semifinalists last yearand lost a heartbreaker to Mentor 18-13.This season, head coach Brian Cross wel-comes back a talented group and McKinleycould be in the hunt for the state title onceagain.

“We want to get better week-to-week, winthe Federal League and compete for a statechampionship,” Cross said. If that is going to happen, a new QB will

need to step up – either Tim Davis (6-0, 185,Sr.) or Jordan Evans (5-10, 170, Jr.). Griffinis a transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas wherehe was the third-leading rusher in StarkCounty with 1,400 yards.

Massillon Washington (7-5)* Players to Watch – RB/LB DeVoe

Torrence (6-2, 215, Sr.), RB Keith Herring (5-11, 200, Sr.), PK Steve Schott (6-1, 165, Sr.),OL Reggie Comeaux (6-4, 310, Sr.), ATH

Justin Turner (6-3, 190, Jr.), QB Mike Clark(6-1, 180, Jr.).* Outlook – The Tigers reached

the second-round of the play-offs last year (a year afterreaching the state title game)and head coach Tom Stacycould take them all the way inthis his third year in the program.Torrence is a transfer from Canton Southand is ranked as the co-No. 1 prospect inthe state by Ohio High. The Ohio State ver-bal commitment rushed for just under 1,000yards last year and had 130 tackles. Herringrushed for 546 yards last year and is rankedas the No. 100 player in the senior class byOhio High. Turner is one of the top five jun-iors in the state and gives the Tigers amaz-ing depth in the backfield.

Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (8-3)* Players to Watch – FS Rick Rattay (5-

11, 183, Sr.), DE/DE AndrewSchaetzke (6-4, 238, Sr.), ILBRyan Ball (6-0, 224, Sr.),OT/DT Justin Leahey (6-3,326, Sr.), OL Jack Mewhort (6-6, 280, Sr.).* Outlook – The Titans qualified for the

playoffs last year, but must replace a talent-ed senior class. They do return nine starters(three offense, six defense) led by four first-team all-district selections (Rattay,Schaetzke, Ball and Leahey). Rattay had 10INTs last year and was named first-team All-Ohio.

Also Keep An Eye On* Massillon Perry (9-2) – The Panthers

were the No. 4 seed in this region last yearand fell to crosstown rival MassillonWashington in the first round. * Toledo Whitmer (9-4) – The Panthers

snuck in the playoffs as the No. 8 seed lastyear and proceeded to upset previouslyundefeated and No. 1-seeded FremontRoss. This year, Whitmer returns two of thestate’s best players in TE/DE Kevin Koger(6-4, 235, Sr.) and RB Anthony Allen (6-2,178, Sr.).

REGION 3

Dublin Coffman (9-4)* Players to Watch – OT Mike Adams (6-

8, 305, Sr.), WR/TE JakeStoneburner (6-5, 215, Sr.),QB Zack Stoudt (6-4, 190,Sr.), WR/KR Trey Fairchild (6-0, 185, Sr.), LB SteveGardiner (6-1, 205, Sr.).* Outlook – With some of the best collec-

tion of talent in the state, expectations are



very high for the Shamrocks this season.Adams is ranked as the co-No. 1 overallprospect in the state by Ohio High and isone of the best OL in the nation. He andStoneburner (63 catches, eight TDs) areboth Ohio State recruits. Stoudt is a first-year starter at QB, but has a strong arm andwas impressive at combines and camps dur-ing the off-season. He is the son of formerNFL QB Cliff Stoudt.

Gahanna Lincoln (7-4)* Players to Watch – RB/DB Darius

Reeves (6-0, 185, Sr.), OT Seamus Garvey(6-6, 265, Sr.), LB Kevin Guthrie(6-0, 230, Sr.), WR ElliottWilliams (6-0, 170, Sr.), DBAaron Breiffeller (6-0, 180,Sr.).* Outlook – The Lions have

made the playoffs four out of the last sixyears, including last year when they upsettop-seeded Lancaster in the first round.Reeves rushed for 1,622 yards last year andis ranked as the No. 32 senior prospect inthe state by Ohio High. They have a lot oftalent on the roster, but they have a big holeto fill at QB and several spots to fill on theoffensive and defensive lines.

Hilliard Davidson (15-0)* Players to Watch – QB Connor Dietz

(6-0, 180, Sr.), RB ClayTrubiano (5-7, 175, Sr.), WRJoey Ciamacco (5-11, 175,Sr.), DB Jake Dougherty (5-7,165, Sr.).* Outlook – In one of the

gutsiest calls you will ever see on a footballfield with the stakes so high, head coachBrian White decided to go for a game-decid-ing two-point conversion in double overtimein the state championship game last season.Bo Delande scored and Hilliard claimed athrilling 36-35 win over Mentor. This year,White must replace Delande and severalother talented graduates and returns just sixstarters (three offense, three defense) led byDietz. However, the top program in centralOhio appears headed for another postsea-son birth. “Our goals are the same as every year,”

White said. “We want our players reach theirindividual potential and contribute to theoverall success of our program. We haven’ttalked about a repeat.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Lancaster (10-1) – The Golden Gales

rolled through the 2006 regular seasonundefeated and earned the No. 1 seed inthe playoffs. However, they were upset byGahanna in the first round. This year’s team

will be led by DT Chad Maynard (6-3, 290,Sr.).* Upper Arlington (10-2) – The Golden

Bears made it to the second round of theplayoffs last year, but they must replace sev-eral key graduates such as QB RobAnderson and DE Joey D’Andrea.

Region 4

Cincinnati St. Xavier (10-2)* Players to Watch – RB Darius Ashley

(5-9, 190, Sr.), QB Jon Hurley (6-2, 195,Sr.), SS Fred Craig (6-2, 210,Sr.), ILB Nick Schneider (6-3,230, Sr.), OLB Evan Miller (6-0, 195, Sr.), OL Max Bauman(6-2, 270, Sr.), FB LucaRomeo (6-1, 215, Sr.), TE/WRStephon Ball (6-4, 215, Sr.), LB/DE PatMuldoon (6-3, 235, Jr.).* Outlook – The Bombers came up short

of their second straight D-I state crown lastyear, falling to Cincinnati Colerain in theregional finals. This season, St. X appearsloaded and could make another run at astate title. The Bombers have 14 returningstarters, seven on each side of the ball.Ashley rushed for 1,634 yards as a sopho-more and 1,450 yards last year. “I think the expectations around here are

always high, but with so many quality play-ers returning, the community is very excit-ed,” head coach Steve Specht said. “Oursenior class is exceptional.”

Clayton Northmont (8-3)* Players to Watch – OL Zebrie Sanders

(6-6, 265, Sr.), LB Josh Newman(6-2, 215, Sr.), WR NateWilburn-Ogletree (6-2, 180,Sr.), OL Vince Carter (6-3,270, Sr.), NG Aaron Lowe (6-0, 285, Sr.). * Outlook – The Thunderbolts must

replace graduated QB Clay Belton whosigned with Miami (Ohio). However,Northmont returns five of the top players inthe 2008 class, including Sanders who isranked as the No. 2 offensive lineman andNo. 11 overall prospect in the senior classby Ohio High magazine.

Centerville (8-2)* Players to Watch – QB David Fleming

(5-11, 195, Sr.), RB JayCravens (5-11, 215, Sr.), OLRob Bicknell (6-1, 265, Sr.),OL Michael Bohnert (6-1,260, Sr.), LB Tyler Williams (5-10, 200, Sr.), OL/DL JakeFeldmeyer (6-2, 255, Jr.).* Outlook – The Elks were the odd team

DID YOU KNOW...Most Consecutive Wins57 -- Delphos St. John's (11/1/1996 -

11/17/2001) 54 -- Versailles (9/1993 -

11/23/1997) 49 -- Dayton Jefferson Twp. (1970-

1975) 48 -- Niles McKinley (1959-1964) 45 -- Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller

(1978-1981) 44 -- Marion Pleasant (1969-1973) 42 -- Upper Arlington (1967-1971);

Washington Court House Miami Trace (1976-1980)

Note: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller won 71 consecutive regular season games between 1978-1985.

Longest Unbeaten Streaks (Wins and Ties) 58 -- Ironton (1977-1983) 55-0-3 57 -- Delphos St. John's (11/1/1996 -

11/17/2000) 54 -- Versailles (1993-1997) 54-0 52 -- Massillon Washington (1937-

1942) 51-0-1 49 -- Dayton Jefferson Twp. (1970-

1975) 49-0 48 -- Niles McKinley (1959-1964) 45 -- Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller

(1978-1981) 45-0 44 -- Marion Pleasant (1969-1973) 43 -- Cincinnati Wyoming (1961-

1965) 42 -- Upper Arlington (1967-1971)

Season TDs Scored 52 -- Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-

Dover (1952) 51 -- Cully Berndt, Toledo Waite

(1921); Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1996); Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhaven (2000)

49 -- Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic (1984)

46 -- Richard Hall, Cincinnati Wyoming (1998)

45 -- Blaine Maag, Col. Grove (2003)

Did You Know Sources: Ohio High SchoolFootball Coaches Association, Ohio High

School Athletic Association.



out last year, finishing ninth in Region 4 andbarely missing the playoffs.This year, head coach Ron Ullery returns

11 starters (six offense, five defense). “Our goals at Centerville are the same as

every year,” Ullery said. “We want to com-pete for the conference championship, com-pete in the playoffs, and win playoff games.”

Huber Heights Wayne (7-3)* Players to Watch – DT Jerel Worthy (6-

3, 285, Sr.), RB/DB Steve Curtis (5-9, 186,Sr.), WR/SS Troy Gilmer (6-1, 205, Sr.), DTDavid Dick (6-3, 280, Sr.), LB DustinHarrison (6-0, 220, Sr.).* Outlook – The Warriors

were the No. 6 seed in theplayoffs last year, but fell inthe first round. This season,head coach Jay Minton wel-comes back 12 starters, six on each side ofthe ball. “We have some outstanding players and

we could be pretty decent this year,” he said. “We have experience

on both sides of the ball, some speed andwe think we can step it up a little bit.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Cincinnati Colerain (13-1) – The

Cardinals are replacing longtime head coachKerry Coombs as well as a talented graduat-ed senior class. Tom Bolden steps in as thenew head coach. However, led by senior QBDoug Reynolds, they will likely be in theplayoffs once again.* Cincinnati Elder (6-4) – Elder finished

11th in this region last year, but the Panthersare capable of putting together a big yearled by Notre Dame recruit TE Kyle Rudolph(6-7, 220, Sr.).* Cincinnati Glen Este (9-3) – The

Trojans were the fifth seed in Region 4 lastyear and advanced to the second round.* Cincinnati Sycamore (10-2) –

Sycamore had a strong 2006 campaign, fin-ishing third in Region 4 and advancing to thesecond round of the playoffs.

2006 Revisited

Hilliard Davidson topples Mentor indouble OT; wins first state title

illiard Davidson claimed its first football statechampionship in school history with a thrilling36-35 double-overtime victory over Mentor Dec.

3 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium in front of 12,629fans. In a game that featured two contrasting styles of

offense, Davidson’s option attack prevailed behindsenior running back Bo Delande, who collected 236yards on 47 carries and a Division I state champi-onship game record 5 TDs.The game was knotted at 21 at the end of regula-

tion and Davidson started with the ball in the firstovertime. Facing a fourth-and-one situation on thedrive, Davidson put the ball in Delande’s hands andhe converted. On the next play, Delande marched into the end

zone and the Colby Catlett point after put Davidsonup 28-21.Mentor took over and all-state junior QB Bart

Tanski connected with Steve Orkis for a 16-yard TDstrike 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, capped off by a 1-yardBill Deitman run. The PAT put Mentor up 35-28.Davidson took over and faced a third-and-two on

the possession. Delande converted but on the nextplay he fumbled. Mentor’s Danny Kelly fell on theball but it squirted out from underneath him andDavidson offensive lineman Mike Saul recoveredthe fumble.On the next play, Delande took it in from three

yards to put the Wildcats within one point.Davidson then took a timeout before sending

Catlett on the field for the point after. The Wildcatscalled another timeout and sent the offense on thefield to attempt the 2-point conversion to win thegame.Fittingly, Davidson called on Delande and he

marched into the end zone virtually untouched toseal the state championship win.It was a risky play call that could have lost the

game for Davidson but head coach Brian Whitenever second guessed his decision.“There was never a doubt in my mind,” he said. “I

told the coaches earlier that we were going for two. Ididn’t want to go for it in the first overtime when wehad to be on offense first because that would givethem a chance if we didn’t make either to just kick orif we did make it, it would give them a chance to gofor two and tie us. “I felt like if we would be fortunate enough to

score and have the ball second in the second over-time, I had already decided we were going for two.That wasn’t the tough part, the tough part wasdeciding what play we wanted to run.“We decided to put the ball in our playmaker’s

hands and run it on the left side.” Delande, whose 5 TDs tie the record for most by

a player in a state championship game in any divi-sion, was nearly speechless following the shockingwin.“It feels awesome,” he said. “I can’t even explain

it right now. It is a kind of like a big dream.” 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 firstovertime). When you chew up three yards at a time,it wasn’t a real hard decision for them,” said Mentorhead coach Steve Trivisonno. Tanksi set a Division I championship game record

for completions going 24-of-31 for 327 yards and 4TDs in the Mentor spread offense.

– Matt Natali

H Division I State Championship

35 36

Davidsonsenior BoDelandescored fiveTDs as theWildcatswon theirfirst D-I statetitle.


PREDICTIONSSTATE SEMIFINALISTS

STATE FINALS

Cleveland St. Ignatius, MassillonWashington, Dublin Coffman,Cincinnati St. Xavier

Cincinnati St. Xavier over Massillon Washington



REGION 5

Mayfield (10-2)* Players To Watch – DE Carson

Bodnovich (6-0, 220, Sr.), ILB VinnieDurbdella (5-10, 195, Sr.), RB/DB AshanteWilliams (6-0, 197, Sr.), WR C.C.Smith (6-3½, 186, Sr.), QBFrank Ferritto (5-11, 175, Sr.).* Outlook – The Wildcats

were the No. 3 seed in thisregion last year and return 10starters this season. Bodnovich isan Ivy League recruit who had 65 tacklesand 10.5 sacks in 2006. Durbdella racked up118 tackles and 16 tackles-for-loss last year.Williams is a talented two-way performerwho rushed for 775 yards (6.1 per carry) and11 TDs last year. “Our expectations are to make a run at

another conference title as well as getting inthe playoffs,” head coach Larry Pinto said.

Olmsted Falls (10-2)* Players To Watch – OG/DE Cody

Connare (6-4, 245, Sr.), OT/DL Paul Print (6-5, 250, Sr.), OG/DL Zach Laird (6-5, 260,Jr.), QB John Atkinson (5-11, 165, Jr.),RB/DB Mike Varga (5-6, 165, Sr.).* Outlook – The Bulldogs were the No. 5

seed in this region last year and won a first-round playoff game at Maple Heights. Thisyear, they need to replace a few key skilled-

position players, but return an impressivegroup of interior linemen. The group is ledby Connare, Print and Laird whoare all two-way starters.Atkinson was the varsitybackup and JV QB last yearand head coach Jim Ryanthinks he’s going to be a goodplayer. Varga rushed for 450yards and 7 TDs in a part-time starting rolelast year. “We’re experienced up front and inexperi-

enced in almost every other area,” Ryansaid.

Tallmadge (8-3)* Players to Watch – QB/FS Patrick

Pakan (6-1, 187, Sr.), FB/LB Collin Haben(6-1, 211, Sr.), TE/DE Aaron Donze (6-1,191, Sr.), OL/DL Nick Fleming (5-11, 254,Sr.), OL/DE Jesse Hobbel (6-2, 210, Sr.),RB/DB Tyler Fortner (5-11,180, Jr.), OL/DL ZackCevasco (6-2, 265, Jr.).* Outlook – The Blue

Devils are a perennial playoffteam, but they were bounced inthe first round last year. This season, with 13returning starters, head coach Joe Vassalottiis optimistic. “We expect to be in the hunt for a

Suburban League title,” he said. “We’veeither won outright or shared the past three

ed by Mr. Football award winner Brandon Saine, Piqua claimed the2006 Division II state championship. That Piqua win made it thesecond consecutive year that the title winner came out of Region

6 (Toledo Central Catholic captured the title in 2005).But with Saine now doing his thing at Ohio State and several otherstarters to replace, Piqua is not expected to be a serious threat torepeat. But the Indians will be out to prove people wrong.In Region 5, Mayfield, Olmsted Falls and Tallmadge will be amongthe teams battling for a state final four birth. (Last year’s Region 5champ, Macedonia Nordonia, has moved up to Division I.) Region 7appears very strong at the top with 2006 state runner-upPickerington Central, as well as perennial playoff teams Canfield andColumbus Bishop Watterson. Region 8 might be the toughest regiontop-to-bottom in D-II with Cincinnati Turpin, Trenton Edgewood, andour pick to win it all, Trotwood-Madison.

L

Senior-to-be Michael Shaw helped Altermake the Division III state championshipgame last year. This season, after trans-ferring to Trotwood-Madison, Shawhopes for a return trip in D-II.

Change of Address




championships. Much will depend on theboys up front; we lost a few good linemenfrom last season’s team.” If two-way performers Fleming, Hobbel

and Cevasco get some help in the trenches,Tallmadge could go far with the other piecesalready in place.

Also Keep An Eye On* Chardon (10-3) – The Hilltoppers were

the No. 7 seed in this region last year anddid some serious damage in the playoffswith two wins.* Kent Roosevelt (10-1) – The Rough

Riders stormed through the regular seasonundefeated and earned the No. 2 seed in theplayoffs last year. However, they werebounced in the first round by Chardon.

REGION 6

Ashland (12-1)* Players to Watch – QB Taylor House (6-

3, 195, Sr.), WR/FS Tyler McFarland (6-0,180, Sr.), RB/CB Logan Kerr(5-11, 170, Sr.), DT Cody Fast(6-1, 235, Jr.), OG DrewJames (5-11, 260, Sr.). * Outlook – Head coach

Scott Valentine pointed theArrows in the right direction last year as theyhad the best season in school history with 12straight wins and a No. 1 seed in Region 6.This year, only five starters return, but MACschools are already looking at House whothrew for 2,215 yards, 26 TDs and eight INTsin 2006 and added 548 rushing yards andseven scores. Fast is expected to be 6-4 bythe time he graduates and he anchors the D-line.

Avon Lake (7-3)* Players To Watch – OG Sam Brown (6-

2, 245, Sr.), DT Aaron Grunick (6-1, 245,Sr.), FB/LB Mike Haddad (5-10,215, Sr.), WR/CB KevinMansnerus (5-10, 189, Sr.),OL Matt Hevesy (6-3, 282,Sr.), QB Nick Firment (5-9,175, Sr.).* Outlook – The Shoremen were the odd

team out in this region last year with a ninth-place finish in the computer standings. Itended a run of eight straight playoff births.However, this year they are stocked with tal-ent and will likely return to the postseason.Brown and Grunick were all-conference lastyear. Haddad rushed for 468 yards and eightTDs last year and will play a much biggerrole this season. Firment was slated to bethe backup QB last year, but was thrust intoaction as the starter in week 5 following aninjury and responded with a solid season

(417 passing yards, 4 TD, 2 INT). “We are not used to ending our season

after 10 games and our guys are determinedto get back in the playoffs and hopefully godeep in the playoffs,” head coach DaveDlugosz said.

Piqua (13-2)* Players to Watch – LB David Rolf (6-4,

218, Sr.), QB Justin Hemm (6-0, 181, Sr.),DE Shea Selsor (6-3, 226, Sr.),OL Kyle Perkins (6-2, 250,Sr.), DB Wes Reed (5-9, 173,Sr.), ILB Colin Nickolai (5-8,182, Jr.), RB Willie Monbeck(5-11, 193, Sr.).* Outlook – The Indians some-

what snuck in the playoffs last year with theNo. 7 seed, then proceeded to win fivestraight games and the state championship.Piqua was dominant throughout the postsea-son where the average score of its gameswas 29.6-10.2 (including 26-7 overPickerington Central in the championshipgame). The Indians rode Saine to the titlelast year as he rushed for over 2,000 yards,but someone else – likely Monbeck – willneed to fill the shoes of the incoming OhioState freshman. The good news is that theIndians have 11 returning starters (sevenoffense, four defense) led by Rolf andHemm.

Powell Olentangy Liberty (8-3)* Players To Watch – LB Ross Fleming

(6-3, 215, Sr.), QB Ryan Cypret (5-10, 170,Sr.), WR/DB Kyle Kready (5-9,170, Sr.), FB/LB Tyler Eaton(6-1, 215, Sr.), WR TrevorVanScoy (6-1, 175, Sr.),RB/CB Allen Eggleston (5-9,170, Jr.), OL/NG Logan Taele(6-2, 245, Jr.). * Outlook – The Patriots are riding a

three-year playoff streak and the school hasbeen in existence for just four years. Headcoach Steve Hale welcomes back an impres-sive group this year, led by Fleming who is apotential D-I recruit and Cypret who threw forover 1,000 yards and rushed for over 400.Eaton will be a three-year starter on defenseand will also start at FB this year. Egglestoncould develop into an excellent runner andhas played varsity ball since his freshmanyear, mostly as a corner. Taele will be a two-way starter and will lead the way in thetrenches.

Toledo Central Catholic (9-2)* Players to Watch – QB Tyler Kleeberger

(5-11, 175, Sr.), OL Josh Dixon (6-2, 240,Sr.), LB Greg Hammond (5-11, 210, Sr.),OL/DL Eric Herman (6-4, 270, Sr.), RB/LB

Brad Rogers (5-9, 215, Jr.).* Outlook – The Fighting Irish won the

2005 D-II state title and earnedthe No. 2 seed in Region 6last year (they fell to eventualstate champ Piqua in the firstround). This year, head coachGreg Dempsey returns 10starters (5 on each side) but must replaceOSU recruit Dane Sanzenbacher who wasTCC’s star player the last two years.Kleeberger threw for 1,547 yards and nineTDs last year. Dixon was named first-teamAll-Ohio last season. Herman was lost forthe season with a torn ACL in week four lastyear, but still has D-I scholarship offers fromOhio and Eastern Michigan. Rogers has 4.65speed and had 73 tackles and six sacks lastyear.

Also Keep An Eye On* Sylvania Southview (7-4) – The

Cougars were a playoff team a year ago andwill look to get past the first round this year.* Wapakoneta (10-2) – Head coach Kevin

Fell and the Redskins advanced to the sec-ond round of the playoffs last year with a winover Olentangy Liberty.

Region 7

Canfield (8-3)* Players to Watch – ATH Dan Banna (5-

11, 215, Jr.), RB/DB Dom Rich (5-11, 185,Jr.), ATH Pat Fening (5-11, 180, Sr.), DBMark Carrocce (5-11, 180, Sr.),OL/DL Jordan Graham (6-1,250, Sr.).* Outlook – The Cardinals

are a perennial playoff teamand they lost to state finalistPickerington Central in the first round lastyear in a 42-37 barnburner. This year theyreturn the 99th best senior in the stateaccording to Ohio High in two-way linemanGraham. Four other standout performersalso return in Benna, Rich, Fening andCarrocce. It will be a surprise if Canfield isn’table to get out of the first round of the play-offs this year.

Columbus Bishop Watterson (9-4)* Players to Watch – OT Matt Greiser (6-

5, 315, Sr.), QB Mason Takacs (6-3, 200,Sr.), OLB Jake Szaraz (6-1,200, Sr.) DE Ben Karbowski(6-1, 243, Sr.), FB/LB JohnPassen (5-10, 185, Sr.),OG/K/P Matt Ring (5-9, 206,Sr.) SS Anthony DeMaria (5-10,183, Sr.), RB/LB Mike Mahaffey (6-0, 200,Sr.).* Outlook – The Eagles have made the

STORY BY DAVE B IDDLE



playoffs eight consecutive years, includingtheir 2002 D-III state title season. This year,head coach Dan Bjelac returns another solidgroup led by Takacs who threw for 1,285yards and 15 TDs to go with 300 rushingyards last year. Watterson runs a “multiplewing-T” offense and will use several ball car-riers. The Eagles also has good size led byGreiser who is ranked as the 105th-bestsenior prospect in the state by Ohio High.

Pickerington Central (13-2)* Players To Watch – OL/LB Aaron

Rittgers (6-3, 225, Sr.), RB/DB Eisen Hardy(5-10, 175, Sr.), RB/LB BrennenFraley (5-10, 190, Sr.), WR/DBKyle Wood (6-2, 180, Sr.).* Outlook – The 2006 state

runners-up must replace 12graduated seniors that havegone on to play college football –including seven Division I signees. Thegroup was led by RB Jordan Jarrell (CentralMichigan) and QB Chazz Anderson(Cincinnati). However, head coach JaySharrett returns 12 starters (five offense,seven defense) and feels that his teamshould compete for the postseason onceagain. “Our goals are to be in position to contend

for the conference championship and hope-fully have enough wins to make the stateplayoffs,” he said. Sharrett is not sure whohis starting quarterback will be and there willbe a competition in camp.

Also Keep An Eye On* Columbus Marion-Franklin (9-2) – The

Red Devils won the City League and earnedthe top seed in this region last year but fell inthe first round of the playoffs.* Pataskala Watkins Memorial (10-2) –

The Warriors had an excellent 2006 cam-paign advancing to the second round of theplayoffs.* Uniontown Lake (7-5) – The Blue

Streaks snuck in the playoffs last year withthe No. 8 seed and proceeded to upset top-seeded Marion-Franklin.

REGION 8

Cincinnati Turpin (12-2)* Players To Watch – WR Andy Cruse (6-

4, 205, Sr.), OL Aaron Van Kullken (6-7, 285,Sr.), MLB Luke Kelly (6-4, 220, Sr.). * Outlook – Head coach

Rob Stoll took the Spartansall the way to the state semi-finals last year and returns animpressive group of players.The skilled position players areled by Cruse, Van Kullken anchors the line

and Kelly was the team’s leading tacklerfrom his linebacker position. This is a loadedregion, but other coaches in Region 8believe Turpin could be the team to beatonce again.

Cincinnati Winton Woods (6-5)* Players To Watch – CB Lamonte

Lattimore (5-11, 190, Sr.), LB Chaz King (6-1, 205, Sr.), TE Anthony Talbert (6-5, 215,Jr.), OLB Maalik Bomar (6-1,189, Jr.), ILB Chris Williams(5-10, 177, Jr.), OLB AnthonyBrown (6-0, 200, Jr.), SAntonio Etter (5-7, 155, Sr.).* Outlook – The Warriors

were the No. 3 seed in the Region 8 playoffsbracket last year, but were bounced in thefirst round. This season, head coach TroyEverhart welcomes back a lot of talent,including 12 starters (three offense, ninedefense). “Our goals are to win the league, make

the playoffs and make a run in the playoffs,”he said. “We really need to work on that lastone. Our schedule is tough; luckily so areour kids.”

Trotwood-Madison (7-4)* Players To Watch – TE Brandon Moore

(6-6, 230, Sr.), LB Jamiihr Williams (6-2,230, Sr.), QB Domonick Britt (6-5, 190, Sr.),WR Roy Roundtree (6-2, 170,Sr.), RB Michael Shaw (5-11,185, Sr.), DE IsaacWashington (6-2, 240, Sr.),DT Corey Holt (6-3, 265, Sr.),SS Dominique Sams (6-2, 210,Sr.). * Outlook – The Rams made the playoffs

last season and this could be the year theyadvance very far in the postseason. Headcoach Maurice Douglass has a talentedgroup at his disposal, led by arguably thestate’s best QB in Britt, a University ofCincinnati commitment. Last year, he threw2,889 yards and 21 TDs, and added 1,039rushing yards. Moore is ranked as the No. 8senior prospect in the state by Ohio Highand is a Michigan verbal. Williams will leadthe defense and he is ranked as the No. 10senior prospect by Ohio High. Roundtree, aPurdue recruit, had 43 catches for 726 yardslast year. Shaw is a transfer from KetteringAlter with tremendous speed and a stack ofscholarship offers.

Kings Mills Kings (8-2) * Players To Watch – QB Bruce Ernest

(6-2, 185, Sr.), TE/DE Danny Hagee (6-5,235, Sr.), WR/DB Brian Denn (5-11, 185,Sr.), RB/LB Connor Warye (6-0, 195).* Outlook – Kings barely missed the

DID YOU KNOW...There have been 23 schools that

have defended state championships.They include: Akron Buchtel (1987-88);Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (1981-82);Amanda-Clearcreek (1999-00); CantonMcKinley (1997-98); CincinnatiAcademy of Physical Education (1985-86); Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller(1975-76-77 and 1979-80); CincinnatiElder (2002-03); Cleveland Benedictine(1990-91 and 2003-04); Cleveland St.Ignatius (1988-89 and 1991- 92-93-94-95); Columbus St. Francis DeSales(1997-98); Delphos St. John’s (1997-98-99); Elyria Catholic (1983-84);Germantown Valley View (1996-97);Kenton (2001-02); Maria Stein MarionLocal (2000-01); Mentor Lake Catholic(1991-92); Middletown Bishop Fenwick(1973-74); Newark Catholic (1984-85-86-87); Steubenville (2005-06); St.Henry (1994-95) St. Marys Memorial(1992-93); Tiffin Calvert (1980-81), andVersailles (1993-94-95).

Career Coaching Wins (Ohio Only)360 -- Terry Malone, Hamilton Badin

360-117-8 334 – Al Hetrick, Versailles 334-95-4323 -- Pat Mancuso, Leetonia,

Cincinnati Princeton 310 -- Bill Gutbrod, Cleveland St.

Joseph 267-107-17 (1950-1990), Gates Mills Gilmour Acd. 43-28 (1991-1997)

309 -- Don Bucci, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 306-89-5 (1966-1999)

308 -- August Bossu, Cleveland Cathedral Latin 33-18-3 (1947-1952), Cleveland Benedictine 275-109-15 (1955-1993)

301 -- Bob Gregg, Jefferson Township and Centerville

298 -- Jim France, Akron Manchester 292 -- Bob Lutz, Ironton 284 -- Skip Baughman, St. Marys

Memorial 271-95-7 (1959-1993); Hardin Northern 13-8-1 (1957-1958)



playoffs last season, finishing ninth inRegion 8. One of the reasonswas Ernest was lost for theseason with an injury in weekseven. He passed for 1,500yards last year. Warye rushedfor over 1,500 yards. “Our goals start with winning our confer-

ence,” head coach Andy Olds said. “Turpinis in our league and if we want postseasonplay, we’ll need to beat Turpin. We havestrong senior and junior classes and wehave 13 returning starters.”

Trenton Edgewood (9-2) * Players To Watch – RB John Elder (5-8,

170, Sr.), TE/LB Austin House (6-2, 215,Sr.), OL/DL Taylor Miller (6-5,285, So.), QB/DB NateThomas (6-1, 185, Sr.),WR/FS Xavier Fugate (6-3,185, Jr.).* Outlook – The Cougars

were the top seed in the Region 8 playoffbracket last year, but fell to Trotwood in thefirst round. This year, head coach SteveChannell welcomes back 15 starters (sevenoffense, eight defense) led by Elder whorushed for 1,400 yards and 26 TDs last yearand is 600 yards shy of becoming theschool’s all-time leading rusher. House isone of the few two-way starters and he ledthe team in tackles last year. Miller is one ofthe top sophomores in the state and isalready being recruited by Ohio State.

Also Keep An Eye On* Dayton Carroll (9-2) – The Patriots are

a perennial playoff team and nothing isexpected to change this year.* New Carlisle Tecumseh (9-3) – The

Arrows were the sixth seed in this regionlast year and won a playoff game on theroad against Winton Woods.* Bellbrook (6-4) – After successful run in

D-III (four playoff appearrances since 2001)Golden Eagles moved up to D-II last yearand finished 10th.

2006 Revisited

Mr. Football Brandon Saine helpsPiqua win first state football title

ehind 2006 Mr. Football award winner andOhio High magazine Player of the YearBrandon Saine, Piqua claimed its first state

championship with a 26-7 win over PickeringtonCentral at Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium on Dec.2.Saine, who will play his college ball at Ohio

State, tallied 241 yards rushing on 30 carries andscored 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 Central head coach Jay Sharrett.“But he carries about 30-35 pounds of extra musclemass. Even when I thought we stuck him prettygood at the line of scrimmage he was still leaningforward and getting two-and-a-half, three yards onus.“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 but was able to con-tain Macedonia Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin in thestate semifinals in a 7-3 win.Mabin, a Northwestern recruit, is widely consid-

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

Central senior DB Brian Peters. “It took more thanone person to bring him down. He is a player. Youhave to tip your hat to him. He is a hell of a player.Mabin is a little more shifty, but he’s Mr. Footballand that says it all.”Pickerington Central, which was making its first

appearance in a championship game, started thegame with the ball and marched 61 yards on sevenplays to open up the scoring with a 7-yard TD runby J.D. Cecil.That would be the only scoring Pickerington

Central would do on the night.In the waning moments of the first quarter, Saine

had his first score on the first play of the posses-sion sprinting 80 yards to pay dirt. On fourth-and-five midway through the second

quarter, Saine struck again taking a fake punt 52yards to the end zone. With the failed extra point,Piqua was up 13-7.With 1:32 left in the half, Saine polished off a 6-

play, 49-yard scoring drive with a 29-yard marchinto 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.Piqua added a score with 5:15 left in the game

when a pass from Pickerington Central QB ChazzAnderson intended for Jordan Jerrell was tippedand DL Jafe Pitcock picked it off and took it 8 yardsfor 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 just amazed right now. “I didn’t feel any pressure. I just wanted to come

out and play my final game at Piqua High Schooland play my heart out.”Piqua outgained Pickerington Central 246-112 in

total offesne. Saine was one TD shy of tying the Division II

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

onship game record for the longest TD run fromscrimmage (Johnny Mundy, Akron Buchtel).

B


STATE FINALS

Tallmadge, Toledo Central Catholic,Columbus Bishop Watterson,Trotwood-Madison

Trotwood-Madison over Tallmadge

Division II State Championship

26 7

Saine rushed for 195 yardsand three TDs in the firsthalf of the Indians win.

Phot

o by

Nick

Falz

eran

o



REGION 9

Cleveland Benedictine (2-8)* Players To Watch – DE Ony Iheama (6-2,

195, Sr.), LB Vince Calvillo (6-0, 215, Sr.), OG/DTBen Patterson (6-2, 245, Sr.),OL/DT John Swearman (6-0,290, Sr.), RB/CB RomelDismuke (5-10, 185, Jr.),WR/CB Jason Pinkston (6-1, 170,Jr.), RB/LB Anthony Urbania (6-0,210, Jr.), FB/LB Josh Lewis (5-10, 195, Jr.), K/PJosh Steigerwald (6-0, 160, Jr.), QB JohnHromulak (5-11, 175, So.), ATH Justin Jamison(6-6, 195, So.).* Outlook – If offseason chemistry equates to

victories, seven-year head coach Art Bortnickcould watch his Bengals bounce back from a 2-8mark in 2006. The backfield will go also go a longway in helping Benedictine turn around their for-tunes.“We will have a very strong backfield,” Bortnick

said. “We have a pretty strong running back situ-ation with two backs that saw a good bit of action.I was also able to use a freshman (Hromulak) inthe second half of the season and his experiencewill be a strength at that position. The skill level inthe junior class is excellent.

Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (7-3)* Players To Watch –OL Andrew Illig (6-4,

285, Sr.), OL Chris Ciraldo (6-2, 305, Sr.), OL ChiChi Ibe (6-4, 270, Sr.), OL MattMitchkash (6-3, 255, Sr.), RB/LBKevin Bailey (6-2, 200, Sr.),RB/LB Sam Stucker (5-10, 185,Sr.), WR/S Alex Ferrara (5-10,180, Sr.), K Abrim Mueller (6-0,170, Sr.), OL Pat McShane (6-5, 285, Jr.),WR/CB Armand Dehaney (5-8, 175, Jr.), RB/LBJohn Haught (6-0, 195, Jr.).* Outlook – The Warriors’ defense should be

tough to gain yards against this fall. Sevenstarters return, including at least two to the line,linebackers and secondary. The entire offensiveline is also back and should ease the burden forwhoever wins the starting QB job.“I think having at least two returning starters in

each unit on the defense brings this grouptogether,” 29-year head coach Gerry Rardinpointed out. “We have a great nucleus on defense and

need just a handful of players to step up to pro-vide us with solid backups. The offensive line isalso a great looking group. They’ve playedtogether for two years and have a lot of chem-istry.”

Hubbard (10-2)* Players To Watch – QB Mark Kanetsky (6-0,

190, Sr.), RB/CB Robert Wigfall (5-10, 175, Sr.),FB/CB David Urey (5-10, 180, Sr.), WR/SMichael Carnahan (6-3, 190, Sr.), RB/S Sam

he exodus of two-time defending Division III state championSteubenville and 2006 runner-up Kettering Archbishop Alter due torealignment by the Ohio High School Athletic Association has left

several coaches with the same sentiments: “things are wide open.”While the departure of the pair of powerhouse programs to D-IV hasmade it stronger, this year’s field of teams in D-III could be as solidas ever. Several coaches made mention of Dayton Chaminade-Julienne,Sunbury Big Walnut, Lemon-Monroe, Mentor Lake Catholic andBellefontaine as just some of the favorites to be crowned the newking of the hill.Not only does the guarantee of a new champion make things excit-ing, but players like Washington Court House Miami Trace’s NathanWilliams, Columbus Eastmoor Academy’s Isaiah Pead, CincinnatiIndian Hills’ Ted Balser, St Marys Memorial’s Koby Frye, Canal FultonNorthwest’s Teddy Robb and New Philadelphia’s Jordan Miller shouldmake 2007 a season to remember in D-III.

T

Lemon-Monroe returns 10 starters from anoffense that averaged 44 points a year ago.Leading the attack is senior-to-be QB TylerOsterman, who threw for 2,569 yards and 33TDs with just five picks a season ago.

Potent Attack



Ohio HS Footbal l Prev iewSTORY BY HEATH DAWSON

(6-0, 180, Jr.), FB/LB DeShaun Liranzo (5-10,195, Jr.), OL/DL Chad Orr (6-1, 240,Jr.), OL/DE Matt Lopuchousky.* Outlook – The Eagles will

be undergoing a few changesthis year. Hubbard graduateBrian Hoffman, who spent the lastthree years at West Middlesex (Pa.), replacesJeff Bayuk. Hoffman will be implementing aspread offense. Kanetsky, a three-year starter who broke the

school’s passing mark last season with over1,700 yards, should help make the transition easi-er for the Eagles.

Mentor Lake Catholic (8-5)* Players To Watch – C/LB Dave Plungas (6-

3, 220, Sr.), OT/NG Chad Hounschell (6-6, 300,Sr.), QB/CB Alex Kurowski (5-10, 180, Sr.), TE/LBRobert Reho (6-2, 220, Sr.), FB/SMike Swiegert (5-11, 185, Sr.),DE Joe Gaglione (6-4, 230, Sr.),RB/CB Randy Greenwood (6-1,180, Jr.), LB Brian Ross (6-0,190, Jr.).* Outlook – Despite going just 6-4 in the regu-

lar season, head coach Mike Bell watched hisCougars notch a pair of playoff victories beforefalling to Aurora, 24-23, in the regional finals. TheCougars should be primed to have another solidseason with several key players back in the fold,including Hounschell, who has offers fromColorado, Kansas and Indiana. Greenwood isalso a D-I prospect and had 11 interceptions as asophomore.“The focus and drive from the entire group is

tremendous,” Bell noted. “These kids believe theycan win a state title, but they know the mostimportant game is the first one against Euclid. Westill have pieces of the puzzle to fit in and ques-tion marks to be answered. If we can do thosethings, we feel we have a legitimate shot at atitle.”

Niles McKinley (9-2)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Nathan Ganyard

(6-1, 220, Sr.), WR/DB Anthony Mullen (6-2, 180,Sr.), OT Jeff Petrilli (5-11, 235, Sr.), OG JeffCayevec (5-9, 205, Sr.), C ZakShowalter (6-0, 230, Sr.), QBVince Melillo (6-2, 185, Sr.),WR/DB Dan Rosenberger (5-7,140, Sr.), FB/DE Russ Taber (5-9,210, Sr.), K Ted Sloban (5-10, 160,Sr.), P Nick Liste (5-10, 170, Jr.).* Outlook – Tim Johnson takes over the Red

Dragons after serving four years as an assistantcoach. One of the biggest obstacles Johnsonfaces is replacing graduated signal caller WaltKrzeczowski, who will be replaced by Melillo.Johnson does have a senior-laden squad, butfeels several kids that didn’t play last year willhave to step up if the Red Dragons are to return

to the postseason.“We do have a lot of experience back,”

Johnson stated. “However, the guys that did playlast year are not juniors anymore. They will haveto step up their games and play even better. Welost a good QB in Krzeczowski, but Melillo will beO.K. for us.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Aurora (12-2) – The Greenman, which cap-

tured the Chagrin Valley Conference title, madetheir deepest postseason run in school history,but will have to replace several seniors.* Akron Coventry (8-3), Rocky River (9-2)

and Youngstown Liberty (9-2) – The Comets,Pirates and Leopards all three reached Week 11,respectively. All three squads watched their sea-sons end that week (Saturday, Nov. 4), butshould be poised to make some noise as a newseason kicks off.

REGION 10

Bellefontaine (5-5)* Players To Watch – RB/CB Sean Egler (5-

10, 180, Sr.), QB/DB Keith Morgan (6-1, 200, Sr.),OT/DT Colin Rockhold (6-5, 245,Sr.), TE/DE Trace Robb (6-2,220, Sr.), DE Mitch Wren (6-1,185, Sr.), RB Conner Hill (5-9,170, Sr.), WR/DB ZachMosbarger (5-10, 175, Jr.), OT/DTZach Vermillion (6-4, 230, Jr.).* Outlook –With a pair of speedsters – Egler

and Morgan, who are both being looked at byMAC schools as well as Purdue, Northwesternand Illinois – the Chieftains should definitely bemuch-improved this year under fifth-year headcoach Jason Brown.“The expectations are much higher this year,”

Brown stated. “They kids expect more out ofthemselves and the coaches are expecting moreout of the program. We have a strong traditionand we want to get back to the playoffs this year.We’re looking to raise the bar.”Egler rushed for over 1,600 yards last year,

while Morgan rushed for over 1,200.

Clyde (7-3)* Players To Watch – LB/RB Jacob Andrews

(6-1, 200, Sr.), K/P Jerry Phillips (6-1, 210, Sr.),WR/DB Nate Caudill (6-1, 175, Sr.),TE/DE Aric Thurn (6-2, 180, Sr.),QB Alex Gillett (6-1, 175, Jr.),OT/DE Jarad Branski (6-2, 205,Jr.).* Outlook – The Fliers are “fully

expecting to be back in the playoffs” and “makesome noise” this season, as third-year headcoach Mark Gibson said. He feels those thingscan happen if everything falls into place. Theteam definitely has the pieces to reach the play-offs and compete for a regional crown.

Andrews is being recruited by several MACschools and recorded 120 tackles at his LB posi-tion. Phillips is also being looked at by MACschools. Gillett also returns as the team’s QB. Hethrew for over 1,300 yards and accounted for 21TDs as a sophomore.“We have high expectations this year, but I

want us to have high expectations every year,”Gibson said. “But yes, with what we have comingback, we do have high expectations this year.Our big concern is replacing our entire offensiveline as all five were seniors. We do have confi-dence in the players coming up. We have lots ofskilled players back on offense and a lot of ourdefensive unit is back.”

St. Marys Memorial (9-3)* Players To Watch – RB/DB Koby Frye (5-9,

185, Sr.), C Jarred Seaver (6-1, 305, Sr., transferfrom Minster), OT Jordan Crouch (6-4, 260, Sr.),LB Sam Rammel (6-0, 180, Sr.), QB Eric Dunlap(6-1, 70, Sr.), OT Mike Breland (6-4,290, Jr.), DT (Marcus Neal (6-2,275, Jr.).* Outlook – The Roughriders’

ground game should be excellent.Frye has rushed for over 3,100yards the last two years and is closing in on theschool record of 3,900 yards. The team’s defenseshould also be a strength as nine starters return.“I think our running game will be strong as we

have the ability to rush the football a little bit,”head coach Doug Frye noted. “I think ourdefense will be a big key. We return nine startersand got better as the year went on.”

Sunbury Big Walnut (10-3)* Players To Watch –ATH/S, 6-1, 200, Sr.),

TE/LB Jared Suvak (6-3, 225, Sr.), WR/DB DerekJones (6-0, 170, Sr.), SE Jared Hogg (6-2, 165,Sr.), LB Mark Nelson (6-3, 215, Sr.),RB Cory Wolfe (6-0, 190, Sr.),OL/DL Shane Hubbard (5-11,220, Sr.), WR/DB Joe Reed (6-4,190, Sr.), OL/LB Will Studlien (6-2, 220, Jr.), OL/DL Logan Mead (5-10, 200, Jr.), WR/DB Nick Heiden (5-11, 165, Jr.).* Outlook – The Golden Eagles’ defense

should be solid once again as nine startersreturn. Head coach Scott Wetzel, who is back fora 10th season, also has a bunch of talented sen-iors to rely on, including Wetzel, Suvak andNelson (all are drawing D-I interest). Severalcoaches have tabbed Big Walnut as one of thefavorites in D-III, but the schedule will either makeor break the Golden Eagles.“We have tremendous senior leadership and

return nine starters on the defensive side of theball, so those should be big strengths,” Wetzelnoted. “We do have some holes on the offensiveside of the ball and that is a concern. Obviously,our schedule will be tough. Four of our five non-league games are against D-I teams and the



other is against Chillicothe. Our goal is to just getinto the playoffs with our schedule.”

Tiffin Columbian (10-2)* Players To Watch – RB/DB Ethan Kagy, TE

Aaron Hurd, RB/CB Matt Bowen, WR/FSAnthony Brown, OG Ray Dotson.* Outlook –After five consecutive trips to the

playoffs in Division II, the Tornadoeshave moved down to D-III. Thisyear, head coach Steve Gilbertwill have the tall task of replacingseven starters on offense andeight starters on defense. Kagy, aspecial mention all-Ohio running back, Hurd, afirst team NOL tight end, Bowen, Brown andDotson will spearhead the offense.

Tipp City Tippecanoe (9-2)* Players To Watch – K Jordan Beighle (5-7,

160, Sr.), RB/DB John Krall (5-10, 185, Sr.),RB/LB Kyle Corbin (6-1, 205, Sr.),RB/LB Dustin Colbert (6-0, 185,Sr.), OG/DL Matt Catron (6-1,215, Sr.), OT/DL Greg Gatchell(6-3, 230, Sr.), QB/DB WesMarsh (5-10, 170, Jr.), QB/DB T.J.Smith (5-11, 170, Jr.), RB/DB Allen Comer (5-7,140, Jr.), RB/DB Camden Sauls (5-8, 160,Jr.).* Outlook – The biggest task 19-year head

coach Charlie Burbacher faces is replacing hisbackfield, which included three-year startersDavid Strawser (QB), Andrew Ford (RB) andScott Franzer (RB). The Red Devils will returnfive players on the offensive side of the ball,which gives Burbacher a nucleus to build around.“We return a center, guard, tackle, tight end

and a running back, so we’ve at least got some-thing to work with,” Burbacher related. “Our over-all depth could be somewhat of a problem. “The last couple of years, this group has had

success. The senior class has qualified for theplayoffs the past two years. This group has beenthrough a lot and knows how to win.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Napoleon, (7-4), Sandusky Perkins (8-3)

and Urbana (8-3) –All three teams – theWildcats, Pirates and Hillclimbers - dropped theirfirst round playoff contests last season and will nodoubt be looking to take the next step this year.

REGION 11

Cambridge (11-1)* Players To Watch – FB/LB Kirk Wetherell (5-

11, 205, Sr.), WR/DB Robert Wilson (6-0, 175,Sr.), RB/LB Chad Teague (5-10, 190, Sr.), OT/DTRyan McClelland (6-0, 275).* Outlook – Head coach Rick Goodrich will be

hard pressed to reach the postseason for a fourthconsecutive year after watching 24 seniors grad-

uate, including running back Stephen Ford, whorushed for over 5,000 yards in his career, quarter-back Sean Mahley and four offen-sive lineman. “We have a lot of question

marks this season,” Goodrichbegan. “Are we going to dominatelike we did last year? To be truth-ful…the answer is no. You can’t build an entireoffense around a tackle (McClelland). We’regoing to be young and inexperienced, but wehope that a lot of the young kids step up andrespond like veterans. We are capable of beatingthe teams on our schedule, but we’re going tohave to spread the ball around as we don’t haveone superstar.”

Canal Fulton Northwest (6-5)* Players To Watch –WR/CB Teddy Robb (6-

1, 205, Sr.), WR/S Tony Stover (6-3, 205, Sr.), QBJimmy Shiplett (6-3, 200, Sr.), WR Paul Hensley(6-4, 190, Sr.), OT Tony Barkey (6-5, 315, Sr.),OT Corey Fuller (6-3, 300, Sr.), RB/LB BriceGriffin (5-8, 205, Sr.), LB MarkGauer (6-1, 205, Sr.), K Chris Koy(6-1, 175, Sr.), C Nate Klatt (6-5,280, Jr.), TE Tim Cailett (6-6,235, Jr.).* Outlook – The Indians’ offense

should be worth watching this fall. Nine startersreturn, including wideouts Robb and Stover, whoare both on the Ted Ginn Tour. Robb has 88receptions for 1,337 and 11 TDs in his career. Shiplett is also a big offensive weapon. He was

128-of-245 for 1,786 yards and 13 TDs. If theIndians are to reach the playoffs for a seventhstraight season, Vic Whiting’s defense could bethe key.“Offensively, we’ve got a good mixture,” said

the nine-year head coach. “We have a good bal-ance and will not have to rely on the running orpassing game. We’ll be able to take what thedefense gives us.

Canton South (8-4)* Players To Watch – FB/LB Devon Conners

(6-1, 215, Sr., transfer from Canton McKinley),FB/LB A.J. McAbier (5-8, 210, Sr.), WR/CB DavidWhipple (5-10, 175, Sr.), QB Matthew Trissel (5-11, 175, Jr.), OG/LB Mike McKinney (5-11, 205,Jr.), OT/DE Montel Bush (6-6, 280, Jr.).* Outlook – The loss of transfer

DeVoe Torrence, who left forMassillon Washington, will hurtthe Wildcats. Torrence hasalready committed to Ohio State.Despite losing Torrence, headcoach Moe Daniska feels his team has the expe-rience to make a return to the postseason.“One of the biggest keys is that this will be the

second year running the spread offense,”Daniska said. “We had a lot of young guys in thesystem last year so they should all be a little

DID YOU KNOW...Career Scoring Leaders (Pts.)890 -- Hubert Bobo, Chauncey- Dover

(1949-1952) 761 -- Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-1998) 728 – Brock Bolen, Germantown

Valley View (2001-2003)726 -- Richard Hall, Cincinnati

Wyoming (1995-1998) 702 -- Tyrell Sutton, Archibshop Hoban

(2001-2004) 660 -- Jason Bainum, Williamsburg

(1998-2001) 648 -- Carlos Snow, Cin. Academy

of Physical Education (1983-86) 602 -- Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove

(2001-2004) 598 -- Nate Kmic, Delta (2001-2004)594 -- Justin Roush, Pomeroy Meigs

(1996-1999); Zach Weber, Delphos St. John's (1997-2000)

584 -- Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1993-1996) (95 TD's, 7-two pt. conv.)

Single-Game Scoring Leaders 64 -- Carl A. Squires, Hunting Valley

University School vs. Cleveland South (10/20/1894)

62 -- Howard "Tick" Hamilton, Bellville (9 TD's, 8 PAT) vs. Vandalia Butler (11/10/1939)

61 -- George Secrest, Coshocton (9 TD's, 7 PAT) vs. Dresden (9/27/1912)

61 -- Tyler Martin, Mechanicsburg (9 TD's,7 PAT) vs. Ridgeway Ridgemont (10/22/1999)

Season Scoring Leaders 333 -- Cully Berndt, Tol. Waite (1921) 323 -- Hubert Bobo, Ch.-Dover (1952) 313 -- Jeff Rogan, Urbana (1982) 310 -- Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1996) 294 -- Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic

(1984); Carl Smith, Washington C.H. Washington (1984); Nate Kmic, Delta (2004)

290 -- Jason Baimun, Williamsburg (2001)

288 -- Ryan Brewer, Troy (1998) 270 -- Maurice Hall, Columbus

Brookhaven (2000)



more comfortable with the system, especiallyMatthew. The return of our QB and several skillposition players should be positives.”

Dover (11-2)* Players To Watch – WR/K/DB Matt Rinehart

(5-10, 170, Sr.), OL/DL Bill Longacher (6-2, 225,Sr.), OL/DL Mike Longacher (6-2, 225, Sr.), C/DLGabe Philppi (6-2, 275, Sr.), SS ShaneLester (5-10, 180, Sr.), WR KyleSattler (5-10, 165, Jr.), LB BobGilmore (5-11, 180, Jr.), WRCarson Gesner (5-10, 165, Jr.).* Outlook – The Tornadoes will

have to replace perhaps the state’stop offensive duo in quarterback Perci Garnerand wideout Daniel Ifft, who is now at Ball State.Garner threw for over 8,500 yards, tossed 80TDs with just 25 interceptions and completed 63percent of his passes. Last year, he had over4,500 yards with 40 TDs and 15 picks. Ifft finishedwith 4,277 career receiving yards and 45 scores.He had 114 catches for over 1,800 yards and 20TDs in 2006. Rinehart should be the Tornadoes’top threat this season.“It’s going to be difficult to replace Perci and

Daniel, but at Dover, we try to take our offenseand defense and blend our system to the talentwe have,” said Dan Ifft, who is back for his 13thseason. “We will look a little different because wedon’t’ try to make the kids fit the system. Youmight see more running on offense with the pack-age we have.”

Lisbon Beaver Local (6-4)* Players To Watch – OT/DE Derek Wolf (6-5,

275, Sr.), QB Ethan Russell (6-1, 175, Sr.), OG/DT Derek Johnston (6-1,

260, Sr.), TB/LB Deven Ludwig (6-2, 205, Sr.).* Outlook – The Beavers missed the playoffs

for the first time in five seasons. Headcoach Rich Wright, who enters his10th season, felt last year was adisappointment. By losing justseven seniors and three starters,Wright should see his Beaversreturn to the level they’re used to.Russell is the team’s top offensive weapon. Thestate qualifier in the 400-meter dash had over950 yards and 17 TDs last fall.“We have eight starters back on both sides of

the ball,” Wright related. “We do have high expec-tations. A team that has 18 seniors and 16starters back better be able to do something.”

Newark Licking Valley (9-2)* Players To Watch –OT Tim German (6-7,

295, Sr.), OG Donald Huston (6-1, 260, Sr.), CCody Hammond (6-0, 210, Sr.), QB/DB NickPhillips (6-1, 175, Sr.), FB/LB Jake German (5-10,200, Sr.), RB/LB Josh Bailey (6-1, 185, Sr.),RB/LB Storm Klein (6-3, 220, Jr.), TE/DE Vince

German (6-1, 225, Jr.), S Drew Ryan (5-11, 165,Jr.)* Outlook – Head coach

Randy Baughman, who entershis 26th campaign, feels hisoffensive line should be a strongsuit. That could spell bad news foropponents trying to stop Klein, who rushed for1,879 yards and 26 TDs as a sophomore and1,424 yards as a freshman.“The potential is there, but it is up to us to

measure up to that and maximize our potential,”Baughman related. “I think a concern is that asthe season goes on…we’ll have to find moredepth.”

New Concord John Glenn (7-4)* Players To Watch – OL Joe Pachuta (6-7,

290, Sr.), FB/LB Justin Gidcumb (6-0, 220, Sr.),RB/DB/K Garrett Bennington (5-8,175, Sr.), RB/LB Ben Geyer (5-10, 185, Sr.), OL/DL ClaytonLuburgh (6-1, 260, Sr.), OL/DLChevy Shoemake (6-1, 230, Sr.),OL/DL Bill Patterson (6-2, 270, Sr.),OL/DL Justin Merry (6-3, 275, Jr.).* Outlook – The 2006 Muskies were basically

a year ahead of schedule. The team was expect-ing somewhat of an off year, but made a return tothe playoffs and stood their ground againstSteubenville in the opening round. The biggestkey will be replacing first team all-Ohio QB/DBAaron Bates, who is now at Michigan State.

New Philadelphia (8-2)* Players To Watch –QB Jordan Miller (6-3,

215, Sr.), WR/DB Bryant McKnight (5-11, 185,Sr.), FB/LB Matt Thompson (6-0, 200, Sr.), OT/DLAlex Ballentine (6-2, 280, Sr.), OT/DT D.J. Friend(6-2, 275, Sr.), RB/LB Tyler Dummermuth (6-2, 205, Jr.), FB/LB John

Phillips (5-11, 185, Jr.), TE/DBMatt Burik (6-2, 175, Jr.).* Outlook – The Quakers

have dropped from Division II toIII and fifth-year head coach MattDennison is excited about the move. Not only willhis team have a better chance of competing for aplayoff berth, but New Philly has 17 starters backin the fold, including the entire offensive line,which blocks for Miller, who has an offer fromAkron and is getting Big 10, MAC and Ivy Leagueinterest.“We only lost two offensive and three defensive

starters,” Dennison pointed out. “One of ourbiggest strengths is experience. We’ll have a lotof veteran kids on the field who have experiencein games. It also always helps when you’ve got aD-I quarterback.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Wintersville Indian Creek (5-5) – The

Redskins were a .500 team in 2006, but have

gone 18-12 over the past three years. Of their 12losses, 11 have been against playoff teams.* Beloit West Branch (6-4), Medina Buckeye

(7-3), Poland Seminary (7-3)

REGION 12

Cincinnati Indian Hill (10-1)* Players To Watch –WR Nick Kergiakes (6-

0, 170, Sr.), DL Ross Lockwood (6-2, 220, Sr.),RB Jon Von Deylen (6-2, 215, Sr.), RB/DB DannyGill (5-9, 165, Sr.), LB Marcus Lewis (6-0, 195,Sr.), WR Ted Balser (6-5, 220, Jr.), QB Bo Cordell(6-0, 180, Jr.), RB Len Riston (5-9,160, Jr.).* Outlook –After going 29-1

over the past three regular sea-sons, the Braves have “fizzled” inthe playoffs. The focus is on makinga statement in the postseason (should Indian Hillreach Week 11) and the schedule has beenbeefed up to help in that effort. The Braves willface Ross, travel to Valley View and hostCincinnati Turpin in the first three games.“We’re trying to place an emphasis on playing

15 games instead of 10 or 11,” 15-year headcoach Kevin Siple stated. “We have nine startersback on offense. Our passing game will be goodwith Cordell, who threw for about 3,000 yards and20 touchdowns as a sophomore. Balser (who isgetting serious D-I interest) and Kergiakes aregreat targets and Von Deylen rushed for about1,200 to 1,500 yards. We lost a lot on defense,but most of our offense is back.”

Columbus Eastmoor Academy (7-4)* Players To Watch – RB/DB Isaiah Pead (5-

11, 190, Sr.), RB/SS Vince Williams (5-8, 190,Sr.), DE/LB Marcus Ervin (5-11, 180, Sr.), QBTerrence Drakeford (5-10, 175, Sr.), C/NG DarrylWood (5-10, 240, Jr.), WR/CB Alex Coleman (5-7, 165, Jr.), OG/LB Victor Rodriguez (6-2, 225, Jr.).* Outlook – Pead should be

more than enough to get theWarriors back to the playoffs,despite moving up to D-III.According to fifth-year head coachJames Miranda, Pead has 17 offers, includingsome MAC schools, West Virginia, Wisconsin,Indiana, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marylandand Cincinnati. Pead had 1,820 yards (10.1 yardsper carry) and 23 TDs in 2006. Drakeford alsohad over 1,000 yards. With several others backon offense, the Warriors should be fun to watch in’07.

Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (5-5)* Players To Watch –WR/DB Travis Jackson

(6-0, 165, Sr.), WR/P Zack Kauth (6-4, 185, Sr.), LB Taylor Bonner (6-2, 210, Sr.),

DB Ricky Franklin (6-0, 170, Sr.), LB JustinTurney (5-9, 240, Sr.), TE Joe Szabo (6-2, 215,



Sr.), OL Dennis Poelking (6-2, 250, Sr.), DL JustinSprague (6-3, 240, Sr.), DE Keith Foster (6-5,240, Sr.), LB Teddy Jennings-Farmer (6-6, 200, Sr.), QB KurtHess (6-2, 215, Jr.), RB IsaiahCordell (6-2, 205, Jr.), CB AlexKauth (6-2, 180, Jr.).* Outlook – The Eagles’ brutal

schedule kept them out of the playoffs despitebeing perhaps the best .500 team in the state.Second-year head coach Andy Helms shouldhave one of the best offensive units in Region 12,especially with the wideout combo of Jacksonand Zack Kauth.“I feel excited about the offense,” Helms com-

mented. “We were a one-back team last year andmay see us be more of a spread team this year.The QB position should be in good hands. Kurtwon the QB job in Week 3 and once he settled in,he had a very good year. He’s more familiar withthe offense and should play with more confidencein the second year with the offense.“We had a lot of tough breaks last year. We

feel like we’ve got the personnel to do somethings this year, but we need to see improvementon the defensive side of the ball because wewant our offense on the field.”

Germantown Valley View (3-7)* Players To Watch – LB Zach Pummill (6-3,

230, Sr.), OL Evan Gibb (6-0, 240), QB LukeDonson (6-3, 200, Jr.).* Outlook – The Spartans are

used to 9-1 or 10-0 seasons soit’s a sure bet that 24-year headcoach Jay Niswonger will havehis team refocused this year. Themove up to D-III will be a changeand playing five playoff-qualifying teams in thefirst six games will prove if Valley View is to getback to their usual level of success.“We’re striving to get back to our expected

level of performance,” Niswonger said. “We justhad an unfortunate year. We’ve got some depthat key spots and some kids that gained experi-ence last year. It’s hard to say what our outlook isbecause we haven’t done anything yet. We’llknow a lot about our team after the first three orfour weeks. I think we all just want to be back tothat nine or 10-win level. It’s the level that isexpected and demanded here.”

Lemon-Monroe (10-2)* Players To Watch –QB/S Tyler Osterman

(6-2, 175, Sr.), RB/LB Jared Ferguson (6-2, 220,Sr.), WR/LB Braden McMonigle (6-0, 195, Sr.),LG/DL Brett Richter (5-11, 305, Sr.),WR Taylor Simpson (5-10, 165,Sr.), DE Mike Miller (6-2, 215,Sr.), LB Adam Osterman (5-9,215, Sr.), DB Danny Leahy (6-1,180, Sr.), WR Jason Osterman (6-2, 185, Jr.), LB Tim Booth (6-2, 220, Jr.).

* Outlook – After averaging 44 points pergame on offense last year, the Fighting Hornetsmay even top that mark as 10 starters return onoffense. The top guns are Tyler Osterman, whothrew for 2,569 yards and 33 TDs with just fivepicks, and Ferguson, who rushed for 1,290 yardsand tallied 19 TDs.“We are excited about our 2007 season,”

fourth-year coach Jason Krause related. “We arein a new region so we are concerned aboutpoints. We still play a D-IV/V type of schedule.We can’t have any slip ups. We do open at Alderso we’ll find out a lot in week one.”

Washington Court House Miami Trace (5-5)* Players To Watch – RB/LB Nathan Williams

(6-4, 245, Sr.), OL/DT Glen Keaton (5-11, 195,Sr.), WR/DB Ike Garland (5-7, 160, Sr.), WR/DBNathan Martin (6-0, 165, Sr.), OT/DT ChrisWehner (5-11, 260, Sr.), OG/DTJosh Jones (5-10, 265,Jr.),WR/DB Trevor Milstead (5-10, 160, Jr.), RB/DE JimmyEddlemon (5-9, 185, Jr.).* Outlook – All eyes will be on

Williams, an Ohio State commitment. The returnof two-year starters Garland, Martin and Milsteadis also a plus. The team started 0-5, but won fivestraight.“We do feel like we have some momentum

after winning our last five games,” 18-year headcoach Jeff Conroy related. “We struggled earlyon, but the sophomores played well in the secondhalf of the season so we do feel good about oursecond half. We’re not happy about our non-league games and need to do better in thosegames this year.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Thornville Sheridan (5-5) – Despite their

worst record under Paul Culver since 1989, theGenerals did manage to win four of their last fivegames and are hoping to use that momentum..* Eaton (10-2) – Eagles made playoffs, but

lost 22 seniors and 18 starters. * Circleville (8-3), Lancaster Fairfield Union

(8-3)

2006 Revisited

Steubenville winssecond straight

teubenville defended its Division III state titlewith a wild 34-33 win over Kettering Alter atMassillon’s Paul Brown Stadium capping off a

perfect 15-0 season and extending its winningstreak to 30 games.The Big Red was led by two-year starter Zach

Collaros at QB with 254 yards passing, completing10-of-16 attempts, tossing 3 TD strikes and run-ning 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 as going 30-0. Icouldn’t have done it without them and they could-n’t have done it without me,” Collaros said after thegame.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 last year,” saidSteubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia. “Theytook on all-comers that took their best shot and wegave them our best shot and we were fortunateenough to come out on the high scoring end 15times.”The game was a tale of two halves as

Steubenville jumped out to an early 14-0 lead inthe first quarter and led 27-7 at one point in thesecond.Alter, down 34-20 at the break, battled back in

the second half.The Knights scored on the first drive of the sec-

ond half on a 42-yard TD run by Michael Shaw.The drive lasted four plays and spanned 76 yards.Steubenville was forced to punt on the next pos-

session and the momentum shifted as Alter’sdefense came out swinging not allowingSteubenville past midfield at all in the second half.Alter cut the lead to one-point early in the fourth

quarter on a 4-yard Chris Roark TD run. The pointafter was blocked and Alter trailed 34-33 with nineminutes left. Alter threatened late in the game but with two

minutes left the Knights ran an end-around passplay that was picked off by Steubenville’s SteveDavis sealing the title.

– Matt Natali


STATE FINALS

Mentor Lake Catholic, Sunbury BigWalnut, Canal Fulton Northwest andDayton Chaminade-Julienne

Dayton Chaminade-Julienne overMentor Lake Catholic

Division III State Championship

34 33

S



REGION 13

Akron Manchester (7-3)* Players To Watch – RB Zac Kreakbaum

(5-11, 190, Sr.), WR/DB Aaron Hunter (5-8,160, Jr.), LB Kory Hull (6-2, 170, Jr.), TEAlex Lloyd (6-3, 210, Sr.), OL Mike Graves(6-2, 220, Sr.), QB Steve King (5-9, 170,So.).* Outlook – Prior to last season, Akron

Manchester had not missed the playoffssince 1990 and has claimed 16 of the last 17Principal’s Athletic Conference titles.The Panthers will only have eight seniors

on the roster this season, but head coachJim France is optimistic in the amount ofplayers he will have out.“We’re pretty thin in terms of players com-

ing back. We’ll have about 60 kids out onthe team but we were really young lastyear,” he said.Kreakbaum will lead Manchester’s offense

after rushing for 1,600 yards and 26 TDs lastyear. Though young, sophomore QB Steve King

already has a year’s worth of varsity experi-ence under center.

With a huge hit to the offensive and defen-sive lines, Manchester will have to fill someholes in those areas. Lloyd and Graves bothsaw significant time on the field last yearand should fill in nicely, according to France.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (4-6)* Players To Watch – TE/OLB Nick

Thomas (6-3, 225, Sr.), RB/LB Harvey Tuck(5-11, 220, Jr.), RB/LB Carnell Evans (5-11,210, Sr.), RB/DB Kevin Saunders (5-11, 190,Sr.), OL/DE Ben Bertsch (6-3,260, Jr.), OL/DE AndrewDestefano (6-3, 240, Sr.),OL/DL Vincent Oliverio (5-10,260, Jr.).* Outlook – After 17 seasons

on the sidelines at Copley, Dan Boarmanreturned to his alma mater in January totake over the St. Vincent-St. Mary footballprogram. For Boarman, it is his second stintwith the Irish. He was also at SVSM from1975-1988.The Irish have finished 4-6 three of the

last four seasons and Boarman hopes to getthe Irish back to a winning tradition.“I think ultimately we want to be the best

football team we can be. Probably the best

oungstown Cardinal Mooney will be in the hunt for its thirdDivision IV state championship in four years this season behind aroster overflowing with Division I college football prospects. But the Cardinals face quite a different challenge than in recentyears.Region 13 could arguably be the toughest region in the statepound-for-pound with Mooney, back-to-back Division III state champi-on Steubenville joining the ranks this season and traditional powersAkron Manchester, Canton Central Catholic and Orrville all in con-tention.Region 14 welcomes Marion Pleasant from Division V and OakHarbor looks to be in good position to defend it regional title. Amanda-Clearcreek makes the leap from Division V as well intoRegion 15, while Bellaire aims for its fourth regional title in fiveyears under a new head coach. Region 16 features two state runners-up from last year with PlainCity Jonathan Alder looking to be in the mix again and Kettering Alter(D-III runner-up) joining D-IV. Coldwater, the 2005 D-IV state champ,has a lot of coaches in the Division concerned again this year.

Y

STORY BY MATT NATAL I

Senior-to-be Michael Zordich and hisCardinal Mooney teammates are lookingto make their fourth straight state cham-pionship game.

Cardinal Reign




way to describe a long-term goal is win astate championship,” he said.“Obviously, there are some holes to fill but

I think we have some kids that can fill thoseholes. There are some kids that haveworked hard in the weight room – and Iknow the weight room isn’t the football field– but their work ethic is good and I thinktheir competitive edge is there.”

Canton Central Catholic (5-6)* Players To Watch – WR/DB Ed

Anderson (6-1, 170, Sr.), WR/DB ChrisAndes (5-11, 160, Sr.), LB/FB Theron Andrus(6-0, 185, Sr.), TB/DB MaxColaner (5-11, 175, Sr.),DT/OL Oliver Dickerhoof (6-0,190, Sr.), OL/DT RudyDonatelli (5-11, 195, Sr.),WR/DB Rob Hoagland (6-2,175, Sr.), TB Mike Kyagaba (5-11, 180, Sr.),OL/DT Joey Leno (6-2, 240, Sr.), LB/FBMarcello Natale (6-1, 200, Sr.), QB JoeyRhoads (5-10, 175, Sr.), LB Mike Roman (6-1, 205, Sr.).* Outlook – Canton Central Catholic

snuck into the playoffs last season for thethird straight year with a .500 record thanksto a tough regular season.Behind 13 returning starters, CCC is look-

ing to improve upon its regular seasonrecord and advance further in the postsea-son this year.“We have a good nucleus returning but

after that I’m just not sure how deep we are,”said CCC head coach Lowell Klinefelter. Rhoads will be a vital part of the CCC

offense this season after completing 79-of-150 pass attempts for 1,036 yards, five TDsand four INTs while rushing for 528 yards on132 carries and nine TDs.Colaner had 571 yards rushing on 86 car-

ries and six TDs in five games last season.Natale tallied 598 yards on 112 carries infive games and the three-year starter will bethe leader of the Crusader defense.

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (14-0)* Players To Watch - FB/LB Brandon

Beachum (6-1, 235, Sr.), FB/LB Taylor Hill(6-3, 215, Sr.), FB/LB Michael Zordich (6-3,230, Sr.), QB/DB DannyMcCarthy (6-1, 195, Sr.), OLJarod Emerson (6-5, 280,Sr.), OL John Simon (6-3,250, Jr.).* Season Outlook – Last

season, Mooney was a perfect 14-0 againstone of the toughest schedules in the stateand earned its second title in three yearsand sixth state championship in school histo-ry.“The last three seasons are just that – the

last three seasons,” said Mooney headcoach P.J. Fecko. “It is a new year, a newteam and a whole new set schedule.”Despite taking a major hit from graduation,

Mooney has many of the key players return-ing from last season’s championship run.Beachum, McCarthy, Hill and Emerson allhave scholarship offers to major college pro-grams and Zordich verbaled to Penn State inearly June.“We’re fortunate to have them back not

only for what they can do athletically andwith their experience but they biggest thingis they are great people. They have greatcharacter, they are people that are fun to bearound and are great team players,” Feckosaid.

Orrville (10-3)* Players To Watch – OL/DL Josh Short

(6-1, 230, Jr.), OL/DL Zach Brenneman (6-3,200, Sr.), OL/DL Kameron Barnes (6-4, 300,Jr.), OL/DL Draye Williams (6-0,215, Sr.), OL/DL Andrew Loera(6-0, 220, Sr.), OL/DL AaronLewis (6-2, 280, Jr.), OL/DLJordan Simon (6-1, 200, Jr.),TB/LB Dee Miller (6-1, 200,Jr.), WR/DB Michael Craig (15-10,140, Jr.), TB/DB Adam Bowers (5-10, 160,Sr.), HB/DB Josh Graber (5-10, 160, Jr.),TB/DB Mike McMorrow (5-9, 140, Sr.),HB/LB Cortes McCrary (6-3, 220, Sr.). * Season Outlook – The most noticeable

difference between last year’s Orville squadand this year’s will be under center.Gone is first-team All-Ohio QB Kyle

Simmons, who passed for over 3,200 yardsand rushed for over 1,000 last year. Alsogone is leading receiver and first-team All-Ohio selection Brad Thomas.“We are losing all our skill and that is hard

to replace. The amount of skill we lost on theoffensive side of the ball is just incredible,”said head coach Doug Davault.McMorrow started in the backfield last

year and is slated to tote the ball again forthe Red Riders. McCrary, primarily a defend-er, will see some time in the Orrville back-field as well. “We’ve got about eight kids in the back-

field that can carry the ball but we’re stillgoing to throw the ball – its who we are, itswhat we do,” Davault said.

Steubenville (15-0)For more on the defending Division IV

state champions, see the story that beginson page 28.

Also Keep An Eye On* Massillon Tuslaw (9-2) – The Mustangs

had one of their most successful seasons

DID YOU KNOW...Career TDs Scored123 -- Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-

Dover (1949-1952) 121 -- Richard Hall, Cincinnati

Wyoming (1995-1998) 117 -- Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-

1998); Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban (2001-2004)

109 -- Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (1983-1986)

104 -- Jason Baimun, Williamsburg (1998-2001)

99 -- Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2001-2004)

Single-Game TDs Scored 9 -- George Secrest, Coshocton vs.

Dresden (9/27/1912); Howard "Tick"Hamilton, Bellville vs. Butler(11/10/1939); Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-Dover vs. Jacksonville-Trimble(10/24/1952); Carl Squires, HuntingSchool University School vs.Cleveland South (10/20/1994); TylerMartin, Mechanicsburg vs. RidgewayRidgemont (10/22/1999) 8 -- Paul Murphy, Mogadore vs.

Middlefield (10/28/1954); Tom Vaughn,Troy vs. Sidney (1960); Tom Chlebeck,Louisville vs. Minerva (1965); JohnBledsoe, Westlake vs. Fairview ParkFairview (10/18/1968); Maurice Hall,Columbus Brookhaven vs. ColumbusBriggs (10/27/2000); Dave Foreman,Ridgewood vs. Indian Valley South(1971)

Career Rushing TDs118 -- Hubert Bobo, Chauncey-

Dover (1949-1952) 112 -- Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop

Hoban (2001-2004) 109 -- Ryan Brewer, Troy (1995-98) 106 -- Richard Hall, Cincinnati

Wyoming (1995-1998) 104 -- Jason Bainum, Williamsburg

(1998-2001); Carlos Snow, Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (1983-1986)



last year, which included a PAC-7 champi-onship, and return nearly 20 starters.* Perry (9-3) – Former West Geauga head

coach Matt Rosati takes over for ChagrinValley Conference rival Perry following MikeElder’s move to Avon.* Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley (7-5) –

Tusky Valley has made the playoffs each ofthe last two seasons.

REGION 14

Oak Harbor (13-1)* Players To Watch – OL/DL Wade

Ishmael (6-0, 245, Sr.), TE/LB SpencerSkinner (5-10, 215, Sr.), OL/DL JeffChambers (6-0, 265, Sr.), OL/DL BobbyBrown (5-9, 220, Sr.), RB/DB David Ulery (6-0, 200, Sr.), RB/LB Tom Baker (5-9, 185,Sr.), RB/DB Matt Dunn (5-11,190, Sr.), RB/LB DustinHernandez (6-0, 230, Sr.),WR/DB Kirk Tank (5-11, 170,Sr.), QB Josh Stone (5-11,180, Sr.).* Season Outlook – Oak Harbor flew

under the radar last season until puttingtogether an impressive playoff run to thestate tournament that included a regionalsemifinal win over then-defending statechampion Coldwater. The Rockets graduated 20 players from

last year’s squad but head coach GaryQuisno is excited about what he has comingback in 2007.“We had a real fine senior class but we’ve

got a good nucleus of people coming backthis year. I think our main concern is that wegraduated those seniors and I only haveabout eight sophomores, so depth is goingto be a concern,” said Quisno. Oak Harbor will be strong up front this

year. Ishmael was an All-Ohio first-teamselection last year and will anchor the defen-sive line. Skinner was an All-Sandusky BayConference selection and All-NorthwestDistrict. Chambers is a two-way starter onthe line and Brown rounds out the roster inthe trenches.

Marion Pleasant (10-2)* Players To Watch - C/DL Aaron

Edington (6-2, 245, Jr.), OL Chris Anderson(6-1, 220, Sr.), OL Mike Brookes (6-0, 220,Sr.), TE Kyle Nielsen (5-10, 160,So.), RB Nick Van Meter (5-9,160, Sr.), TB/LB Cory Snyder(5-10, 175, Jr.), HB/DB KyleBeck (6-2, 170, Jr.), NG KyleSimpkins (6-1, 250, Sr.), LB/RBJake Lawrence (6-1, 200, Jr.), DB GriffinClark (5-11, 190, Sr.), DB Joel Swaney (5-11,180, Sr.).

* Season Outlook – Marion Pleasant is amainstay in the football postseason qualify-ing each of the last eight years. The outlookis favorable once again for the Spartans asthey move up to Division IV. But head coachChris Kubbs is more concerned about takingcare of business on the field rather thanwhich division Pleasant is in.“We really don’t concern ourselves much

with that,” he said. “We start with the regularseason and go from there. If you’re goodenough to get into the playoffs, all teams aretalented at that point.” Harris is slated to step in for Jake Burns

and lead the Spartans at QB.“We should have a pretty good group of

experience coming back offensively,” Kubbsexplained. “We’re going to try and limit CodyHarris’ play on defense, though. A concern ofours is having a first-year starting quarter-back varsity-wise. Taking on the leadershiprole there, I think, is going to be a major partof the puzzle.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Elyria Catholic (7-3) – Ben Malbasa

takes over the Panthers, which are 15-6 overthe last two seasons.* Huron (11-2) – The Tigers have made

the playoffs four of the last five years andare 47-11 in that span.* Sparta Highland (9-3) – The Fighting

Scots made the postseason last year for thefirst time since 1999 and are 29-13 in thelast fours seasons.* Tontogany Otsego (7-4) – The Knights

have reached the postseason each of thelast three seasons and are 26-8 in that span.

REGION 15

Bellaire (13-1)* Players To Watch – OL Tyler Robinson

(6-0, 230, Sr.), OL Bobby Mansfield (6-1,240, Sr.), WR Nick Liberati (6-1, 170, Sr.),WR Ty Tobiczyk (5-11, 165, Jr.).* Season Outlook –

Bellaire has made the play-offs each of the last four sea-sons and reached the statesemifinals game three of thosefour years. But the Bellaire football program will have

a significantly different look for the 2007 sea-son after John Magistro stepped down ashead coach to make way for long-time offen-sive coordinator Greg Bonar.“It is going no different than what I thought

it would be like,” Bonar said. “I’ve beenpreparing for this the last 7-10 years.”Bellaire also loses a lot of talent from last

year’s team that will need to be replaced.“This is one of the heaviest losses we

have had in a while but I think one of thereasons we do well every year is we expectto win,” Bonar said. “We do not look atthings pessimistically and expect to do well.This year is no different.”

New Lexington (12-1)* Players To Watch – LB Josh Conrad (6-

1, 245, Sr.), TE/DE Alex Howdyshell (6-1,225, Sr.), QB/DE Bryant Folk (6-3, 120, Sr.), FB/DB R.J.Starkey (5-8, 190, Jr.), OL/DTChris Spencer (5-11, 205,Sr.),DB Brett Wycinski (6-0, 170,Jr.), OL/LB Kevin Wolfe (5-8,170, Jr.), RB Will Hicks (5-8, 171,Sr.), WR/DB Cory Chapman (5-10, 160, Sr.).* Season Outlook – New Lexington will

be looking to qualify for the postseason forthe fifth time since 2000 when the Pantherstake the field in 2007.But New Lexington will be without star RB

Travis Cook, a first-team team All-Ohioselection.“We have lost great backs before,” said

head coach Bill Nutt. “But rather than sittingaround and hanging our heads, we’ll justhave to insert somebody else.”Hicks is next line to take over the RB

duties, according to Nutt. Hollingshead andChapman both have starting experience andNutt is looking forward to having them backon the field again.Up front, Conrad stars on both sides of the

ball for New Lexington. Also blocking forHicks in the Panthers option attack will beStarkey, who had 700 yards and six TDs lastyear. Spencer has showed well in the off season

clocking a 4.6-second 40-yard time at theSoutheastern Ohio Premier Combine.

Amanda-Clearcreek (12-2)* Players To Watch – QB Dalton Smith,

TE/OLB Judd Ellinger, WR/S Josh Mathes, CCory Tedrow, WR/DB Taylor Griebel, WRRoss Sturgeon.* Season Outlook – After finishing as a

state semifinalist last year inDivision V, Amanda-Clearcreekmakes the move up toDivision IV. Dalton, a 1,000-yard passer

and rusher, returns under centerfor the Aces and Ellinger (18 catches, twoTDs), Griebel (18 catches, 108 yards, twoTDs) and Mathes (42 catches, 231 yards,four TDs) will all lead the A-C offense. “I think we’re solid but this is the first time

in my 27 years that we will struggle puttingguys up front. Usually, we have people upfront but no skill people – now we have skillplayers and no players up front,” explained



A-C head coach Ron Hinton. “We have some big holes to fill and we

have a small senior class. Probably what wewon’t have with this year’s group is depth.We are really going to try and developdepth. We have a lot of players that didn’tnecessarily start but played a lot for us.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Ironton (6-5) – Longtime head coach

Bob Lutz (292 career wins at Ironton) takesover the Fighting Tigers once again after tak-ing a season off from coaching.* Martins Ferry (10-2) – The Purple

Riders have made the playoffs four of thelast five years and will be in the mix againthis year in Region 15 behind all-state RBJeremy Murray (5-10, 175, Jr.).* St. Clairsville (7-4) – The Red Devils

are 28-23 in five seasons under BrettMcLean.* Williamsport Westfall (11-1) – Scott

Keller takes over the Mustangs program,which went 42-8 in the regular season andwon two Scioto Valley Conference titles from2002-06.* Waverly (11-1) – The Tigers claimed the

Southern Ohio Conference title last year andreturn 20 seniors, including QB Trevor Walls(6-6, 215, Sr.) – a top college prospect in theclass of 2008

REGION 16

West Milton Milton-Union (11-2)* Players To Watch – LB/RB Tyler Wilson

(5-11, 205, Sr.), OL/LB Matt Lane (5-11, 185,Sr.), RB/LB Todd Daley (6-0, 180, Sr.),OL/DL Grant Fryman (5-6, 235,Sr.), OL/DL Frank Bussy (6-4,260, Sr.), OL/DL Zack Byrkett(6-4, 230, Sr.), DB DeanHarmon (6-0, 170, Sr.), DB/RBJosh DeHart (5-11, 175, Jr.), QBJon Mason (6-4, 190, Jr.), RB/DB TrevorLukenbill (6-0, 180, Sr.), RB/DB BrendonJohnson (5-10, 150, Sr.).* Season Outlook – Milton-Union claimed

a share of the Southwestern BuckeyeLeague title for the first time in over 20 yearslast season and reached the regional finals.The Bulldogs lose 12 seniors from last

year’s squad, including two-time first-teamAll-Ohio QB Mitchell Evans. “There’s no doubt those 12 seniors did a

lot for us and we’re going to miss them,”said head coach Bret Pearce. Defense will be Milton-Union’s strength led

by Wilson, who has tallied 125 tackles eachof the last two years and is 80 shy from theschool record. He is receiving major D-I col-lege interest. Mason will step in for Evansand Pearce likes what he has seen from him

in his first two years in the program.“We are very excited about him. He is a

big kid and has a really strong arm,” he said.Milton-Union also returns an experienced

backfield with Lukenbill, Johnson and Daley.

Plain City Jonathan Alder (13-2)* Players To Watch – OL/DL C.J. Williams

(6-3, 230, Sr.), OL/DL Larry Zornes (6-3,275, Sr.), OL/DL Joe Collins (6-3, 240, Sr.),OL/DL Kyle Hostetler (6-1, 215, Jr.), QBAustin Schlosser (6-1, 190, Sr.),RB/LB Luke Bates (5-9, 190,Sr.), WR/DB Mitch Hanrahan(5-11, 190, Sr.), WR/LB DavidSmith (6-3, 210, Sr.), RB/DLNick Schrader 6-2, 270, Jr.),RB/LB Jason Parker (6-0, 190,Jr.), WR/DB Alek Knowles (6-3, 190, Sr.),WR/DB Wes Bundenthal (6-2, 190, Jr.),RB/LB Logan McGuire (6-2, 200, Jr.), LB/QBTyler Gray (6-4, 190, Jr.).* Season Outlook – Jonathan Alder

enjoyed its most successful season in pro-gram history last year finishing state run-ners-up in its first trip to the state tourna-ment.After allowing just over nine points per

game and boasting five shutouts last sea-son, Alder will have to address the defensiveside of the ball in 2007.“Our big deal is that our starting defense

was all seniors last year. We are going tohave to replace all of those but we’ve pre-pared several people for that role this yearand time will tell how that goes,” explainedhead coach Steve Coate.Offensively, Schlosser is back under cen-

ter for his third season and four of five start-ing offensive linemen are back with two-yearstarters Williams and Zornes blockingupfront as well as Collins and Hostetler. Bates, who had 73 yards rushing and two

TDs in the 26-12 state championship gameloss to Cardinal Mooney, is back to lead theground game.

Kettering Archbishop Alter (14-1)* Players To Watch - OL Evan Johnson

(6-2, 250, Sr.), OL Bobby Joseph (6-4, 220,Sr.), WR Patrick O’Donnell (5-10, 170, Sr.),WR Joey Graham (5-11, 160,Sr.), RB/HB Corey Roark (5-10, 190, Sr.), QB AustinBoucher (6-0, 180, Jr.), DTTim Cableck (6-1, 240, Sr.),MLB Ben Girmann (5-10, 180,Sr.), DE Hank Keighley (6-3, 220,Sr.), DE Max Marshall (6-2, 195, Sr.), TENate Wolfe (6-2, 210, Sr.), OLB Tony Boyle(5-10, 170, Sr.), OL Evan Neff (6-1, 215, Jr.),C Bo Vari (5-10, 270, Sr.).* Season Outlook – Kettering Alter also

DID YOU KNOW...Season Rushing TDs50 -- Maurice Hall, Columbus

Brookhaven (2000) 46 -- Al McKinney, Elyria Catholic

(1984) 45 -- Chuck Moore, Mogadore (1996) 44 -- Jason Bainum, Williamsburg

(2001) 43 -- Tony Franklin, Bedford St. Peter

Chanel (2001-15 games); Blaine Maag, Columbus Grove (2003 - 15 games)

Single-Game Rushing TDs 8 -- Tyler Martin, Mechanicsburg vs.

Ridgeway Ridgemont (10/22/1999);Maurice Hall, Columbus Brookhavenvs. Columbus Briggs (10/27/2000);Tyrell Sutton, Archbishop Hoban vs.Ursuline (10/8/04); Dave Foreman,Ridgewood vs. Indian Valley South(1971) 7 – 11 players tied; most recent Josh

Cover, Hicksville vs. Edgerton(9/19/03)

PlayoffLongevityThere were 17 schools that made

at least their 15th appearance in theOHSAA state football playoffs lastyear. The OHSAA playoffs began in1972.Those schools were: Division I: Canton McKinley-16th;

Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller-25th;Cleveland St. Ignatius-19th; andMassillon Washington-16th. Division II: Columbus Bishop

Watterson-18th. Division III: Columbus St. Francis

DeSales-17th; Mentor Lake Catholic-15th; and Steubenville-19th. Division IV: Cincinnati Wyoming-

15th; Ironton-25th; Orrville-19th; andYoungstown Cardinal Mooney-20th. Division V: Amanda-Clearcreek-

15th; Marion Pleasant-16th; andWarren John F. Kennedy-16th. Division VI: Mogadore-20th; and

Newark Catholic-29th.



had its most successful season in schoolhistory last year reaching the Division IIIstate title game before narrowly falling toSteubenville 34-33 to finish state runner-up.The Knights lose some key talent from

last year but head coach Ed Domsitz likeswhat he has coming back.“We lost a good number of starters from

last year’s team but we are going to haveclose to or more than 90 players on our var-sity team,” he said. Johnson and Joseph will anchor the offen-

sive line in the wishbone offense and bothare getting major college interest. Roark,who rushed for just under 500 yards andhad five TDs in the regular season, will bethe go-to player on the ground attack withthe transfer of Michael Shaw to Trotwood-Madison. Boucher is stepping in at QB forgraduate Steve O’Donnell.Alter’s defense, which had seven shutouts

last season including three in playoffs,should be stout again with Keighley,Marshall, Cableck, Girmann, and Boyle allreturning.

Also Keep An Eye On* Blanchester (12-1) – The Wildcats

reached the regional finals last season butlose all-staters Austin Rankin, JustinCreager and Matt Earley.* Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-2) –

Clinton-Massie has been a mainstay in thepostseason the last several years. TheFalcons will need to replace ATH Drew Frey(Cincinnati) and QB Tyler Sergeant. * Coldwater (11-1) – Perennial Midwest

Athletic Conference power and 2005 D-IVstate champion Coldwater moves fromRegion 14 to Region 16 and is expected tobe a postseason contender again in 2007.* Dayton Oakwood (6-5) – Victories over

Valley View and Bellbrook led Lumberjacksto fourth playoff trip in six years. Standoutsenior running back Chris Hardy returns.* Cincinnati Wyoming (7-4) – Cowboys

have made playoffs 11 of the last 13 years.Lost to Clinton-Massie in first round.

2006 Revisited

Cardinal Mooney makes third straightfinals appearance, wins second title

oungstown Cardinal Mooney claimed its sixthstate title in school history and second inthree years as the Cardinals topped Plain

City Jonathan Alder 26-12 at Massillon’s PaulBrown Stadium Dec. 2.Mooney (14-0) trailed 12-7 at the half but tight-

ened up defensively and controlled the ball offen-sively in the second half to claim the champi-onship.“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 of field position by alack of offense. I think, defensively, we wereplaying solidly all the way around. We missedsome tackles here and there but scheme-wise,we were OK. “Offensively, we had to make some adjust-

ments. We had to go to a few different schemesand a few different sets and formations to takeadvantage of what they were doing. Fortunatelyenough we were able to do that.” Junior QB Dan McCarthy led Mooney with 165

yards rushing on 22 carries and a TD. Junior RBBrandon Beachum added 62 yards and a TD.Junior RB/LB Michael Zordich had 34 yards on10 carries and two TDs.“It was certainly a thrill to be here. I hope our

players appreciate the tremendous atmosphereand the tremendous opportunity to get to thispoint,” said Alder head coach Steve Coate. “We would have liked to execute just a little bit

better. (We had) too many mistakes against avery good team.”Mooney forced four turnovers in the game,

held the edge in time of possession 28:12-19:48and outgained Alder 319-200 in total yards ofoffense.“They have a great combination of great skill

and an aggressive defense,” said Coate. “The combination of the great running backs

and great quarterback makes them a little moredangerous than some of the other teams wehave faced.” “Congratulations to Alder for an outstanding sea-

son,” Fecko said after the game. “They played wellall year and through the playoffs. They just keptplugging along and came up with some great winsplaying really 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 situation to be in whatwe’re in now. We’re excited to be here and it isthrough a lot of hard work and dedication from theseguys around me and everybody else in that lockerroom.”Mooney fell to Coldwater in the 2005 title game

and beat Versailles in the 2004 championship.In the 2004 title game, McCarthy’s older brother

Kyle led Mooney to the championship at QB as well.Kyle is now playing at Notre Dame.

“He has been a great mentor to me and he hastaught me a lot,” said Dan of his older brother. “But Iam so proud of our team right now and it is a perfectending to a perfect season.” Bates finished the game with 73 yards on 19 car-

ries and 2 TDs for Alder. QB Austin Schlosser was8-of-25 passing for 91 yards and 2 INTs.This was the first trip to the state tournament for

Alder and the Pioneers finished 13-2.This is the first undefeated season for Mooney

since 1980 and the most wins for a Mooney team inany single season. The 2006 Division IV state title game tied a

championship game record for 1-yard TD runs withfour.

– Matt Natali

Y


STATE FINALS

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney,Marion Pleasant, Kettering Alter,Amanda-Clearcreek

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney overKettering Alter

Division IV State Championship

26 12

Mooney senior-to-be DanMcCarthy rushed 22 timesfor 165 yards and a TD in the2006 state championship.




REGION 17

Bedford St. Peter Chanel (10-2)* Players To Watch – TB/CB Aaron

Roberson (5-11, 175, Sr.), C/DE Nick Hunter(6-1, 220, Sr.), TE/DE Nick Womack (6-1,210, Sr.), OT/DT Mike McElligott (6-2, 255,Sr.), LB/FB Tom Gittinger (5-11, 195)* Outlook – The Chanel program has been

on a roller coaster ride the past six seasons.The Firebirds captured a state title in 2001

but soon fell upon hard times, including an 0-10 mark in 2004. Last season, however,Chanel appeared to get back ontrack with nine regular seasonwins and a playoff victory.“We were very proud of

what we accomplished, espe-cially for our seniors becausejust two years earlier, we had gone 0-10, andall those players were key components on ateam that went 0-10, and we were able to

here’s plenty of depth this year in Division V. Even though the divi-sion lost state finalist Warren JFK to Division VI as well as semifi-nalist Amanda-Clearcreek and traditional power Marion Pleasant

to Division IV, the crop of teams that make up this year’s field isimpressive.In addition to an already-deep list of annual playoff contenders,this year’s Division V field is joined by 2006 Division VI state champi-on Maria Stein Marion Local; traditional power Youngstown Ursuline;and 2006 Division VI playoff qualifiers Cleveland Cuyahoga Heights,Liberty Center, and Sycamore Mohawk. Each region boasts several quality teams, and while the playoffs aremonths away, the potential postseason matchups that exist are scin-tillating. Region 17 brings the possibility of Youngstown Ursulinegoing up against South Range or Chanel and also boasts severalother big names such as Cuyahoga Heights, Columbiana Crestview,Smithville, Mineral Ridge, and Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas.Region 18 is strong at the top and features some of the top powersof Northwest Ohio football in 2005 state champ Hamler Patrick Henry,Liberty Center, Findlay Liberty-Benton, Sycamore Mohawk, and twoteams that on paper appear to be loading up for a deep playoff runin Sherwood Fairview and Lima Central Catholic.Region 19 features two of Columbus’s finest in Bishop Ready andGahanna Columbus Academy along with Barnesville, a 11-1 squad in2006. And Region 20 is home of four of the Midwest AthleticConference’s most powerful teams in Marion Local, Versailles, Annaand defending champion St. Henry along with regional finalist WestJefferson. With so many top teams along with several outstanding and excit-ing players, Division V appears fairly open and should be fun to watchthis year. Here is a look at some of the teams of interest in thisyear’s Division V field.

T

Marion Local, last season’s Division VIstate champion, moves up to D-V thisyear. The Flyers are loaded in the back-field with three-year returning startersChris Stuckey (QB) and Ben Schaefer(RB, above).

Moving UP




almost completely turn it around within a two-year period,” said head coach Dave Stupka.Chanel has some areas to address on

defense with just four starters returning butreturns seven starters on offense, including1,900-yard rusher Aaron Roberson. The teamis looking forward to the season and takingthe next step. “One of the things that we’re focusing on is,

last year was great and terrific, but it’s donewith,” Stupka said. “We have to look forwardnow to where we’re going in 2007.”

Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3) * Players To Watch – OL Justin Ray (6-6,

300, Sr.), QB Matt Sams (6-2, 195, Sr.), LBNate Harper (6-1, 195, Sr.), WR/FS SeanClary (6-0, 170, Jr.), WR/SS Steven Fultz (6-1, 170, Jr.)* Outlook – Despite not having much luck

reaching the postseason in recent years, theSt. Thomas Aquinas Knights could be set tosurprise some people in 2007. The Knightsjumped out to a 7-0 start to the 2006 seasonbut fell to three tough opponentsto close out the year and missthe playoffs. “The program has been

growing and getting betterevery year,” said head coachTim Tyrell. “We really had a shot to make theplayoffs there at the end.” This year’s team returns plenty of experi-

enced players with six starters back on eachside of the ball, including the entire offensiveline. “It’s a positive outlook,” Tyrell said. “We

have the whole offensive line coming backwhich is a huge plus, anchored by Justin Ray,who is a big 6-6, 300 pound kid who’s gettingrecruited pretty heavily, and a good quarter-back, Matt Sams, who’s a three-year starter.”

North Lima South Range (12-1)* Players To Watch – HB Steve Bensinger

(6-0, 185, Sr.), QB Jack Dawson (6-2, 185,Jr.), C/DL Dan Pierce (5-10, 215, Sr.), G/DLMike Hudak (5-10, 210, Sr.),OLB/WB Charlie Lengyel (6-1,218, Sr.), OT Levi Kenney (6-4, 255, Sr.), K/P JC Willison(6-1, 195, Sr.)* Outlook – The South

Range Raiders have become a fix-ture in the postseason. Last year, despitehaving lost the bulk of their state semifinalistsquad from the year before, the Raiders post-ed an unbeaten regular season and advancedall the way to the regional finals. “These kids pulled together as a team and

played together as a team,” head coach DanYeagley said. “They understood that they hadto play 48 minutes of hard-nosed football, and

they did. It was really fun. It was a great year.”The expectations will remain the same for

this season. South Range returns five starterson each side of the ball and a good group ofsenior players. “We’ve got 20 seniors, and they’re going to

learn from what they learned last year,”Yeagley said. “They’re going to learn fromthat, and they’re going to come back strongthis year.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Cleveland Cuyahoga Heights (10-2) –

The Redskins, who were the No. 1 seed inDivision VI, Region 21 last season, move upto Division V and add more quality to analready-loaded region. * Columbiana Crestview (9-3) – The

Rebels are again expected to bring a solidteam and hope to get past conference foeSouth Range, who bested them twice in 2006. * Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (7-3) –

The Lancers boast mammoth offensive line-man and University of Virginia recruit MattMihalik. * Mineral Ridge (6-4) – The Rams jump up

to Division V after spending time in DivisionVI. “Probably the scariest team on our sched-ule is Mineral Ridge,” said South Range headcoach Dan Yeagley. “They return a lot ofstarters from last year’s team and they’re verywell-coached. They’re big and they havesome good running backs.”* Smithville (9-2) – A familiar face in the

postseason, the Smithies had an impressive2006 campaign and will be looking to contin-ue their yearly success.* West Lafayette Ridgewood (10-1) –

Posted an unbeaten regular season beforefalling in the first round of the playoffs. * West Salem Northwestern (10-1) – Like

Ridgewood, Northwestern had a perfectrecord in the regular season before fallingearly in the postseason. * Youngstown Ursuline (5-5) – Always a

team to watch, Ursuline will be attempting tomake it back to the playoffs after falling shortlast season in Division IV. A rugged schedulewill be the main obstacle, as usual.

REGION 18

Findlay Liberty-Benton (12-2)* Players To Watch – QB Aaron Craft (5-

11, 170, So.), WR Joe Waldman (6-4, 20, Sr.),OT Michael Shivers (6-1, 270, Sr.), CBrandon Iott (6-1, 210, Sr.)* Outlook – The reigning Region 18 cham-

pion will be looking to put on an encore per-formance with a new man in the head coachposition as five-year assistant Tim Nicholsmoves up in place of Scott Garlock, who tooka position as the quarterbacks coach at the

University of Findlay. Despite the switch, things appear to be sta-

tus quo for the Eagles. “The thing that really helped

me decide to come here is wegot to keep all of our coaches,”Nichols said. “Our defensivecoordinator’s back and ouroffensive line coach, so there’snothing that we’re going to really do different.” There will be several new starters for the

staff to work with as the Eagles graduated 19seniors and bring back four starters ondefense and five starters on offense, led byquarterback Aaron Craft, who stepped up in amajor way as a freshman, throwing for 23touchdowns.“The big thing is we’re going to have a lot

of kids who finally have their opportunity toplay on Friday nights,” Nichols said. “Kids aregoing to have to step up and we’re going tohave to find some people to keep this thinggoing.”

Hamler Patrick Henry (8-3)* Players To Watch – QB Tom Busch (6-0,

200, Sr.), RB Drew Kuesel (5-11, 185, Sr.)WR Mitch Leonard (5-10, 170, Jr.), MikeGobroggie (5-10, 205, Jr.), OT JesseSpangler (6-1, 210, Sr.)* Outlook – A state champi-

onship is a hard act to follow,but Hamler Patrick Henrycame up with a worthy secondact last season to their 2005crown by winning a fifth straight conferencetitle and advancing to the postseason. “We wanted to advance a little bit further in

the tournament trail, but considering what welost (from the 2005 team), we thought it was asuccessful season,” head coach BillInselmann said. Patrick Henry returns five starters offensive-

ly and four on defense. A solid core returnsbut the Patriots will be looking to work onexperience and depth. “We’re not going to have a lot of depth at a

lot of positions, so the injuries are going to bea big sign of how successful, I think, thingsare going be this year,” Inselmann said.

Lima Central Catholic (11-2)* Players To Watch – RB Todd Ruggley (6-

1, 185, So.), RB Chris O’Brien (5-11, 200,Sr.), C Kasey Tierney (6-5, 255, Sr.), DEJacob Hyland (6-3, 215, Sr.), LB/RB MichaelCorwin (Sr., 5-11, 210, Sr.), OT Drew Snider(6-2, 290, Sr.)* Outlook – After going 15-35 over five

seasons, the Thunderbirds have made a bigrise to prominence with consecutive 11-2campaigns. This year, with 14 starters return-ing and only seven seniors gone from last

STORY BY K IRK LARRABEE



year’s team, things look good on paper forLima Central Catholic to take the next step.“With the success of the past two years,

our numbers are up and our enthusiasm isreal high, so we’re expecting real nice thingsof our football program,” head coach JerryCooper said.The Thunderbirds boast two 1,000-yard

rushers in returning starter Chris O’Brien andLima Bath transfer Todd Ruggley, along with amammoth offensive line that returns five of sixstarters, including two 300-pounders.“Things are lined up; now we just have to

go out and get better and perform,” Coopersaid.

Sherwood Fairview (10-2)* Players To Watch – C/SLB Jon Masser

(5-10, 200, Sr.), Ryan Radcliff (6-2 ½, 190,Sr.) WR/S Ben Wonderly (5-8, 165, Jr.), MLB(Ryan Hartley, 5-8, 165, Jr.), RT BrandonVance (6-2, 250, Sr.)* Outlook – Led by a high-powered offense

that features a Division I prospect at quarter-back in Ryan Radcliff, this year’sFairview team is expected todo big things. It started lastseason with a playoff berthand a defeat of defending statechampion Hamler Patrick Henry,but this year’s team expects to do more. “We’re always talking to our kids about tak-

ing our program to another level, and wewere able to do that,” head coach Bob Olwinsaid. “Now we have to continue to improve sowe can take our program to the ultimatelevel.”The Apaches scored over 40 points on

seven occasions in 2006 and can be expect-ed to put up huge numbers in 2007 behindplayers like Radcliff (4,611 yards, 57 touch-downs) and All-Ohio performer Ben Wonderly(103 catches, 1,500 yards). “We have quite a few things in place,”

Olwin said.

Also Keep An Eye On* Bucyrus Wynford (9-2) – Rising program

that is coming off two consecutive playoffberths and has had 21 wins over the past twoseasons. * Defiance Tinora (8-3) – A playoff qualifier

in 2006, the Rams have been singled out asa team to keep an eye on by opposing coach-es. * Sycamore Mohawk (9-2) – Yearly playoff

contender moves back up to D-V after spend-ing two seasons at Division VI.

REGION 19

Gahanna Columbus Academy (8-4)* Players To Watch – RB Chris Crockett

(5-10, 190, Sr.), QB Hobie Hondros (6-0, 175,Sr.), WR Jake Beatley (6-0, 175, Sr.), OL/DTPeter Downing (6-2, 230, Sr.), OLB AymanBezerbashi (5-9, 170, Sr.), DE Colton Wade(6-3, 215, Sr.)* Outlook – A state champion in 2003, the

Vikings played through two losing seasons in2004 and 2005 before returning to the post-season last year. “I thought our team performed very well last

year,” head coach Mark Barrensaid. “We were probably a team

that for a lot of people, weprobably caught some teamsoff guard, maybe exceededexpectations.”Things look strong at the offensive skill

positions as senior Chris Crockett, who is get-ting looks from major college programs, iscoming off a season of just under 2,000 yardsrushing and 37 touchdowns. Barren says thatAcademy will need to find some players tostep up on the offensive line but that theVikings won’t be sneaking up on anyone thisyear. “We’re going to have to be ready because

teams are going to be looking for Academyand they’ll be ready to play us,” he said.

Also Keep An Eye On* Barnesville (11-1) – The Shamrocks rode

an unbeaten regular season to a No. 1 seedin Region 17 before falling to state runner-upWarren JFK. They make the move to Region19 this season. * Columbus Bishop Ready (7-3) – Quality

team that missed the playoffs after droppingthree games to tough opponents. Opposingcoaches have singled Ready out as a teamthat could make noise this year.

REGION 20

Anna (6-4)* Players To Watch – TE/DE Kreg Elsass

(6-3, 190, Sr.), QB/DB Joel Nasman (6-0,170, Sr.), RB/CB Cory Sniffin (5-8, 175, Sr.),G/DE Eric Niekamp (6-4, 210, Jr.), LB/G AlexHunsucker (6-0, 210, Jr.)* Outlook – Things were a bit different for

the Anna Rockets in 2006. After making theplayoffs every season since their varsity pro-gram’s inception, a spot in the top smallschool conference in the state – the MidwestAthletic Conference – meant that the postsea-son wouldn’t come as easily. After making their way through the rugged

conference schedule for the first time, theRockets fell short of the postseason for thefirst time in their history. “In terms of the overall record we felt like

we should have been a little bit better,” said

DID YOU KNOW...Career Passing TDs178 -- Benjamin Mauk, Kenton

(1999-2002) 126 -- Dusty Aldrich, McComb

(1998-2001) 110 -- Justin Zwick, Orrville (1998-

1999), Massillon Washington (2000-2001)

92 -- Bryan Cupito, Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (1999-2001); Jeff Polley, Bellevue (2000-2002)

81 -- Chris Wallace, Springfield North (1990) and Springfield South (1991-1993)

Season Passing TDs76 – Benjamin Mauk, Kenton

(2002 – 15 games)60 -- Benjamin Mauk, Kenton

(2001 - 15 games) 57 -- Dusty Aldrich, McComb

(2001 - 13 games) 54 -- Ben Roethlisberger, Findlay

(1999) 45 -- Dusty Aldrich, McComb

(2000)

Single-Game Passing TDs9 – Kirk Jesse, Sherwood Fairview vs.

Ayersville (10/14/2005)8 -- Tavares Bolden, Cleveland

Glenville vs. Cleveland Lincoln West(10/11/1996); Ben Roethlisberger,Findlay (1999); Rocky Pentello,Westerville South vs. Groveport-Madison(2000); Zac Dysert, Ada vs. Paulding(9/30/2005); Tyler Horner, ClaytonNorthmont vs. Springfield North (2004)7 -- John Yocum, Beallsville vs.

Waterford (10/17/1986); BrianHoudeshell, Hebron Lakewood vs.Newark Licking Valley (1987); ChrisWallace, Springfield South vs. Centerville(10/1/1993); Chris Wallace, SpringfieldSouth vs. Springfield North (10/8/1993);Bill Brewer, Williamsburg vs. CincinnatiHillcrest (11/3/1994); Dusty Aldrich,McComb vs. Arlington (10/20/2000);Benjamin Mauk, Kenton vs. CastaliaMargaretta (11/17/2001); Mike Berman,Toledo Start vs. Woodward (10/2/04);Perci Garner, Dover vs. GnadenhuttenIndian Valley (10/21/2005)



head coach Bryan Rioch. “But I’m sure every-body understands that the league is a bit differ-ent than anything else because you have tobring your ‘A’ game every week.”With six starters back on each

side of the ball, Anna could findthemselves back in the postsea-son this year. But while Riochfeels the team has perhaps thebest offensive and defensive lines to date,there are other areas where the answers aren’tas clear. “We’ve got a lot of question marks,” Rioch

said. “We graduated almost all of our skill talent– quarterback, two running backs, and a widereceiver, so we’ve got a lot to replace as far asthat goes… I think the talent is there but theexperience is not.”

Maria Stein Marion Local (13-2)* Players To Watch – QB Chris Stuckey (6-

0, 185, Sr.), LB Luke Homan (6-0, 200, Sr.), LBGreg Koesters (6-0, 185, Sr.), RB/DE BenSchaefer (6-0, 200, Sr.)* Outlook – After a 1-2 start, Marion Local

went on a tear last season that continued allthe way through the state championship gameas the Flyers moved through the Division VIplayoffs to capture their third state crown. “Eventually we righted the ship and the kids

came around and started playing the type offootball that we thought we could play all alongand ended up having a great year,” head coachTim Goodwin said.The Flyers move up to Division

V this year and bring back astrong group of skill players ledby three-year starters ChrisStuckey and Ben Schaefer, whowas the MVP of the championshipgame.

Linebackers Luke Homan and GregKoesters are also three-year starters who eachhit the 130-tackle mark last season. The focuswill be replacing players lost from the offensiveand defensive lines. “We were very deep up front on both sides of

the ball last year,” Goodwin said. “Now we’re going to be thin up front.”Marion Local is one of two defending state

football champions in Region 20 along with St.Henry and, along with the Redskins, is one offive Midwest Athletic Conference teams in theregion (Anna, Versailles and Rockford Parkwayare the others). However, Goodwin does not expect to see all

those teams find a spot in the postseason. Last year, the Flyers would not have qualified

for the playoffs in Division V with their computerpoint total. “I’m not sure really how many of us can

make the playoffs,” Goodwin said. “I just don’t think the margin of error is that

DID YOU KNOW... Career Rushing Yards9,426 -- Tyrell Sutton,

Archbishop Hoban (2001-2004) 8,216 -- Jason Bainum,

Williamsburg (1998-2001) 7,761 -- Carlos Snow,

CAPE (1983-1986)

Top Ohio Programs Winning PercentageSchool W-L-T Pct.Cincinnati Moeller 391-87-2 .817Newark Catholic 416-124-4 .768Massillon Washington 774-228-35 .763Cincinnati Wyoming 588-174-48 .756Youngstown Mooney 393-134-10 .741Upper Arlington 565-199-23 .733Hamilton Badin 311-121-7 .716Columbus Watterson 383-151-7 .715Cincinnati Princeton 359-142-11 .712St. Henry 283-114-5 .710Avon Lake 364-146-11 .709Canton McKinley 751-305-42 .703Ironton 603-245-48 .700Arlington 536-225-34 .696Versailles 574-244-27 .695Mentor Lake Catholic 262-113-7 .695Germantown Valley View 286-124-8 .694Cedarville 312-137-7 .692Steubenville 678-295-34 .690Columbus DeSales 362-161-8 .689Huron 404-187-11 .680Cleveland St. Ignatius 589-270-32 .679Mogadore 542-252-20 .678Uniontown Lake 345-165-8 .674Louisville 533-253-20 .674

State Playoff LeadersSchool Yrs. W-L TitlesCleveland St. Ignatius 19 50-10 9Newark Catholic 29 57-22 7Cincinnati Moeller 25 33-18 7Versailles 16 43-10 6Cleveland Benedictine 16 34-10 6St. Henry 13 39-7 6Youngstown Mooney 20 39-14 6Delphos St. John’s 11 30-6 4Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 13 20-9 4Mogadore 20 40-17 3Columbus DeSales 17 38-14 3Germantown Valley View 13 30-10 3Canton McKinley 16 31-13 3Maria Stein Marion Local 9 26-6 3Mentor Lake Catholic 15 25-12 3Marion Pleasant 16 20-13 3Cincinnati Princeton 13 19-10 3St. Marys Memorial 14 19-11 3CAPE 9 16-6 3Elyria Catholic 12 15-9 3

Season Rushing Yards3,439 -- Tony Franklin,

St. Peter Chanel (2001) 3,386 -- Jason Bainum,

Williamsburg (2001) 3,353 -- Jeff Backes,

Upper Arlington ( 2000)

Single-GameRushing Yards532 -- Jason Bainum,

Willaimsburg vs.Clermont Northeastern(9/28/2001) 529 -- Bob Ferguson,

Troy vs. Dayton Kiser(9/14/1956) 505 -- Tyrell Sutton,

Archbishop Hoban vs.Ursuline (10/8/04)

Season Passing Yards6,540 -- Benjamin

Mauk, Kenton (2002) 5,770 -- Benjamin

Mauk, Kenton (2001) 4,296 -- Dusty Aldrich,

McComb (2001)

Single-Game Passing Yards602 – Kirk Jesse, Sher.

Fairview vs. DefianceAyersville (10/14/2005)567 -- Benjamin Mauk,

Kenton vs. CastaliaMargaretta (11/17/2001) 565 -- Nick Kreinbrink,

Leipsic vs. Arlington(9/20/1996)

Career Passing Yards17,364 -- Benjamin

Mauk, Kenton (1999-02) 10,500 -- Justin Zwick,

Orrville (1998-1999),Mass. Wash. (2000-2001) 10,303 -- Dusty Aldrich,

McComb (1998-2001)



high, and I can’t see any more than twoteams making it in.”

St. Henry (14-1)* Players To Watch – OL/DL Darren

Siefring (6-5, 225, Sr.), WR/DB Cory Puthoff(6-1, 165, Sr.), OG/DL Dave Burkey (6-2,230, Sr.), OL/DL Marc Tobey (6-2, 220, Sr.)* Outlook – St. Henry added to the rich

winning tradition of their football program in2006 by winning their sixth state champi-onship. Only three schools –Cleveland St. Ignatius,Cincinnati Moeller andNewark Catholic – have wonmore titles in the history of theOHSAA playoffs.“With all the returning starters that we had

coming back in 2006, I think it was an expec-tation,” head coach Jeff Starkey said of win-ning the championship. “We don’t talk aboutwinning state championships during the sum-mer or during the spring or during the fall orthe course of the season, but I think in theback of everyone’s mind, that’s the expecta-tion when you return so many starters.”This year’s path might be more difficult for

the Redskins as just one player who was inthe original starting lineup of last year’s teamreturns. “It’s going to be different,” Starkey said.

“There’s no doubt that we’re going to have towin games differently than we did last year,but that’s every year when you turn over yourpersonnel.”At the same time, the expectations remain

high as the team returns plenty of seniors,especially up front. “We’re still going to be a senior-dominated

team in a lot of places,” Starkey said. “So Iexpect those seniors to step up and have thetype of year that our seniors did last year.”

Versailles (5-5)* Players To Watch – FB Ethan Oliver (6-

1, 200, Sr.), RB Shawn Winter (5-10, 175,Sr.), OL Chris Elsas (6-0, 215, Sr.), OT ZacRindler (5-10, 175, Sr.), TE/OL Bryant Ahrens(6-4, 215, Sr.)* Outlook – First-year head coach Jason

Schondelmyer came toVersailles last season withhuge shoes to fill, taking overfor a retired coaching legendin six-time state champion AlHetrick. The Tigers finished 5-5in Schondelmyer’s first season. “Obviously, our results are not what we

hoped for,” Schondelmyer said. “We finished5-5. The big thing in a transition year is learn-ing kids, learning the community and becom-ing more comfortable with that, learning newcoaches, teaching coaches as well as play-

ers.”The Tigers are expecting to be improved

this year across the board. Seven startersreturn on each side of the ball, andSchondelmyer feels the team will boast muchimproved experience, strength and speedfrom last year’s edition.“We have a lot of kids coming back,” he

said. “We played a lot of younger guys lastyear and we have a lot of them coming back.”

West Jefferson (12-1)* Players To Watch – WR Zach Williams

(6-0, 185, Sr.), G/DE Hunter Routte (6-0, 195,Sr.), DT/OT Adam Harding (6-0, 215, Sr.), OTNick Cunningham (5-11, 245, Sr.), DL ShaneBrintlinger (5-10, 195, Sr.)* Outlook – The Rough Riders were one of

Ohio’s top teams last year, finishing with anunbeaten regular season andadvancing to the Region 19finals. “Throughout the past five

years, we had been buildingtowards the type of year we hadlast year,” head coach Shawn Buescher said.“We were fortunate enough to have somebreaks go our way and we ended up 12-1.”Several key players must be replaced on

each side of the ball, but expectations for thisyear’s team remain at a very high level. “Philosophically we’re pretty much going to

be the same football team,” Buescher said.“We’ve just got to continue to build and try toplug new players in… We do lose some keycomponents on both side of the ball.”

Also Keep An Eye On* Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (7-

3) – A state runner-up in 2005, the Eaglescarried high expectations in 2006 but fellupon some tough luck early. Will they beback in 2007?* Lewisburg Tri-County North (9-2) – The

Panthers posted a strong 9-1 record in theregular season but fell as a first-round victimof state champion St. Henry.

2006 Revisited

St. Henry winsfifth overall title

he Midwest Athletic Conference continued itsdominance in the small school divisions as St.Henry claimed the Division V state title with a

28-7 win over previously undefeated Warren JFKat Canton’s Fawcett Stadium Dec. 3.It was the sixth state championship in St. Henry

(14-1) school history and the second in three sea-sons. The championship was also the second forthe MAC in the 2006 state tournament followingMaria Stein Marion Local’s Division VI title win onDec. 2.St. Henry, which won back-to-back titles in 1994

and 1995 as well as titles in 1992 and 1990, wasled by senior RB/LB Andy Puthoff with 209 yardsrushing on 37 carries and 3 TDs. Puthoff credited his successful day to the play-

ers that opened the holes for him.“Our offensive line has been doing a great job all

year,” he said. “They know that as long as they gethats on people and run through arm tackles we’llbe successful. Coach (Jeff Starkey) preached thatall week. In the fourth quarter, we just kept pound-ing and pounding and the offensive line did a goodjob.”Warren JFK (14-1) hadn’t allowed more than 14

points in any game this season, had posted fourshutouts and was allowing only seven points pergame prior to the championship.“We wanted to establish a game plan that was

going to be a physical offensive game plan runningthe football,” said Starkey. “In the first half we reallycreated good field position for our offense. We did-n’t necessarily capitalize on enough of those oppor-tunities, but in the second half, our seniors steppedup and they were not going to be denied in thesecond half.”Warren JFK QB J.J. Townsend, who was named

Division V offensive player of the year, was 13-of-31 passing in the game for 108 yards but the St.Henry defense got good pressure on him and shutdown the running game holding JFK to just 68yards on the ground. Townsend also threw two INTs.Puthoff’s scores came in the first, second and

fourth quarters on 2-yard, 1-yard and 7-yard runs,respectively.

– Matt Natali


STATE FINALS

Bedford St. Peter Chanel, LimaCentral Catholic, Gahanna ColumbusAcademy, Maria Stein Marion Local

Lima Central Catholic over Maria Stein Marion Local

Division V State Championship

7 28T



REGION 21

Norwalk St. Paul (9-5) * Players to Watch – C Justin Brown (6-2,

245, Sr.), G/DT Dan Clements (6-1, 215), OTShawn Hemmenway (5-11, 225), OT ChrisBoughty (6-4, 295, Jr.), TE Wes Stein (6-2,205, Sr.), SE/CB Joe Grazini (5-10, 170, Sr.),WB/CB Mark Masser (6-0, 165,Sr.), SE/OLB Cory Schaffer (6-0, 185, Sr.), WB/OLB DominicBelisanti (6-3, 195, Sr.), DEWes Boose (6-1, 185, Sr.), DTAlex Welfe (5-10, 205, Sr.), DEJacob Rhoad (6-0, 185, Jr.), QB/SS EricSchwieterman (6-0, 185, So.)* Outlook – The Flyers enter season with

potential to reach fourth state title game inschool history and first since 2004. Denied inits last three attempts in Stark County, thismay be St. Paul’s year.

Injuries hampered the Flyers last year andresulted in a 1-3 start. The positive was plentyof young players got experience. Most all ofthem – nine starters on each side of the ball –return.“A 6-4 regular season is not a very good

record for us here considering what we’vedone the past couple years,” head coach JohnLivengood said. “By the fourth game last yearwe had six two-way players out and that reallyput us in a bind experience-wise. When youlose 12 of 22 positions it puts a hurting onyou. We had to play some young guys andthat really gave us some depth and experi-ence. It paid dividends in the postseason.”Offensively, the Flyers return five of six line-

man. Schwieterman steps in at quarterbackafter starting at defensive back last season.On defense, replacing inside linebacker Joe

Stoll, the state’s D-VI defensive player of theyear, is a priority.

ince its inception in 1994, Division VI has been dominated by twoentities: The Midwest Athletic Conference and Region 24. The MAChas claimed nine of the 13 D-VI titles, while the Region 24 winner

has played in the title game every year. Times are changing.With the new realignment, longtime D-VI standout and defendingstate champion Maria Stein Marion Local is now in D-V. Region 24’sother heavyweights – Delphos St. John’s and Dola Hardin Northern –are now in Region 22. What does that mean? The power has shifted.This season, Region 21 takes the reigns as the state’s strongest withtraditional powers Norwalk St. Paul (three-time runner-up), Mogadore(two state titles), Warren JFK (2006 D-V state runner-up), BascomHopewell-Loudon and Columbiana in the mix. Region 22 (Ada, DelphosSt. John’s and Dola Hardin Northern) and Region 23 (Lancaster FisherCatholic, Steubenville Central Catholic, Newark Catholic, Shadyside,Danville and Beallsville) have their own gauntlets.Which leaves Region 24. Is this the year Mechanicsburg orSpringfield Central Catholic breaks through? Or will it be the same oldstory with a new face? MAC members Minster, New Bremen and FortRecovery remain.“The region changes this year are great for us,” Minster coach EricBelcher said. “It should make things a lot easier for us and otherteams in our region if we are able to get to the playoffs.”

S

Shadyside senior-to-be and three-yearstarter Billy Merryman is one of thestate’s top small school QBs. He’ll try tolead Shadyside back to the D-VI titlegame.

Tiger Stripes


STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ Robb Hemmelgarn and Tony Maluso also contributed to this story



DID YOU KNOW...St. Paul owns 10 playoff appearances,

including four straight and seven in eightyears. Surviving Region 21 will be a feat initself.“There is an exceptional amount of playoff

experience in this region,” Livengood said. “It’sgoing to be a battle to get out, but it always isin the playoffs. There are no easy postseasongames.”

Mogadore (11-3) * Players to Watch – RB/LB Cody Destro

(6-3, 225, Sr.), QB Shawn Pierce(6-1, 165, Sr.), OL/DL ZackTrainer (6-4, 310, Sr.), OL/LBSean Holland (6-1, 185, Sr.),RB/DB Ryan Brodie (5-6, 170,Sr.), RB/LB Josh Bailes (5-9,180, Sr.)* Outlook – The Wildcats continue to build

on a tradition that has produced 20 playoffappearances (eight straight) and three statetitles. Mogadore made the state semifinals lastseason and is primed for another deep run.Everything with the Wildcats begins withDestro, a devastating runner with back-to-back1,000-yard seasons. Last year the secondteam All-Ohio selection logged 24 TDs.“Teams will be gunning for him,” head coach

Matt Adorni said. “Obviously he’ll have a targeton his back every week and teams will have tostop him first.”Unlike last year when Adorni said the Cats

would “grind-it out,” Mogadore will have amore “explosive offense.” The return of Pierceand the additions of Brodie and Bailes to thebackfield enhance the options.Defensively seven starters return, led by

Holland.

Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (11-2) * Players to Watch – DB/WR Nathan

Siebenaller (5-10, 145, Sr.), DB/WR LukasSchalk (5-8, 151, Sr.), LB Travis Wise (5-10,158, Sr.), LB/RB Adam Brickner (5-10, 163,Sr.), LB/OL Robbie Oldnaker (5-11, 236, Sr.). * Outlook – After success in Region 22

where they lost to Norwalk St. Paul in theregional final (29-28) last year, the Chieftainsmigrate to Region 21. They bring 35 wins inthree years with them.Unlike last fall when offense carried the

Chieftains (over 40 points per game), defensewill be the squad’s calling card in 2007. Sixstarters return from a unit that allowed just12.6 ppg, including all three linebackers (Wise,Brickner and Oldnaker). Siebenaller andSchalk are also back for their third-year in thesecondary.

“Our back seven is going to be our strengththis year,” head coach Brian Colatruglio said.“We might not be quite as explosive as wehave been on offense, but our defense will

lead us.”Offensively, the Chieftains return just four

starters, including receivers Siebenaller andSchalk and lineman Oldnaker and Reinhart.The biggest hole is the loss of 2,000-yardpasser Andrew Brose. Colatruglio saidHopewell-Loudon will employ a two QB attackand will also rely on Brickner to carry the loadat running back. Variety will be key.“Last year, we were four-wide shotgun most

of the time,” Colatruglio said. “We have theability to go into a lot of personnel groups, alot of different formations. We can get in the Iand run the ball. We can bring in two tightends, and we can still spread it out and throw.”Hopewell-Loudon will also look to defend its

Midland Athletic League title.“Every school in our conference is less then

20 minutes away and every league game ispretty darn important to these kids,”Colatruglio said. “If we go out and win ourleague, everything else will take care of itself.“Success breads success. The younger

guys see where we’ve gone and how closewe’ve been. They understand the work it takesto get there and now they expect to win.”

Columbiana (10-3) * Players to Watch – QB Ryan Williams (5-

11, 186, Sr.), OL/DL Ben Gerlatch (6-1, 255,Sr.), OL/DL Kurt Hutson (6-4, 245), LB JoshHertel (5-10, 184, Sr.)* Outlook – The Clippers are coming off

back-to-back appearances in the regionalfinal, but face this season with some rebuild-ing at hand. A small senior class(eight) and no returningreceivers with varsity experi-ence are concerns. But headcoach Bob Spaite likes histeam’s potential.“We knew this was coming, and

the kids have been prepared for this year,”Spaite said. “The good news is this is thehardest working group we’ve ever had here.I’m really impressed with that. And we have anextremely talented group of freshman andsophomores so hopefully that will fill some ofthe void.” The good news is line play should be a pos-

itive with the return of three-year starterGerlatch and the dependable Hutson.Williams’ return at QB is also reason for opti-mism.“He is extremely intelligent, and he really

understands this offense,” Spaite said. “He’s amore physical runner then anyone we’ve hadsince about 1994. He’s really got fullback liketendencies at the quarterback position. Ryanalso throws the ball as well as any quarter-back I’ve ever had.”Developing other weapons around Williams

will be key.

Career Receiving TDs46 – Marc Krauss, Hamler Patrick

Henry (2003-2005)44 -- Rusty Aldrich, McComb (1998-

2001) 37 -- Bart Fisher, Tiffin Calvert

(1996-1999)

35 -- Mike Flanagan, Sidney (1968-1970); James Taylor, Garfield Heights (1997-1999)

34 -- Matt Skolnicki, Lorain Catholic (1998-2001)

33 -- Chris Younge, Bainbridge Paint

Season Receiving TDs24 -- Lance Moore, Westerville

South (2000) 21 -- Chris Kernich, Fairborn (2004);

Mike Iriti, Findlay (1999); Dan Ifft, Dover (2005)

20 – Justin Jones, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (2005)

18 -- Matt Skolnicki, Lorain Catholic (2001); Drew Anderson, Granville (2003); Rick Coy, Northwood (1977); Ryan Collins, Girard (2004)

Single-Game Receiving TDs6 -- Kevin Bucher, Ada vs. Dola

Hardin Northern (8/30/1996); SteveBarrett, Westlake vs. Lincoln West(9/10/04) 5 -- Paul Burkhardt, Mentor vs.

Maple Heights (10/17/1969); JonEllars, London Madison Plains vs.West Jefferson (10/10/2003); MikeGregovich, Williamsburg vs. CincinnatiHillcrest (11/31/1994); Lance Moore,Westerville South vs. Lancaster(2000); Lance Moore, WestervilleSouth vs. Groveport-Madison (2000);Dan Ifft, Dover vs. GnadenhuttenIndian Valley (10/21/2005)

Most Receptions in a game32 -- Larry Bennett, Mogadore vs.

Hudson (10/16/1942)20 -- Eric Martinez, Paulding vs.

Columbus Grove (10/20/2000)



Hertel will lead the defense.“Hertel is possessed right now. He’s going

to be a really good linebacker,” Spaite said. Columbiana’s program is primed to take

the next step.“I hope we’re to the point where we expect

to win, and we expect to make the playoffs,”Spaite said. “No one is talking about a 10-game season, the kids are talking in terms ofan 11-, 12-, 13-, hopefully even a 15-gameseason. We’ve made the playoffs three outof the last four years and these kids don’twant to mess that up, but they also know wehaven’t gotten the monkey off our back andgotten to the final four. The kids are hungry tobreak that streak.”

Also Keep An Eye On:* Warren JFK (14-1) – The Eagles drop

down a division after making the D-V statetitle game last year (lost to St. Henry). SeniorJared Province (WR/OLB) returns. JFK ownsstring of four straight playoff appearances.* Monroeville (8-3) – The Eagles are aim-

ing for their sixth straight playoff berth. * McDonald (7-4) – The Blue Devils are

coming off the school’s first trip to playoffssince 2000. They will be looking to rekindletradition that has led to two state finals (1994,1989) and nine postseason trips. Senior QBMatt Krumpak (HM All-Ohio) is back. * Berlin Center Western Reserve (9-3) –

The Devils made the postseason for secondtime in history last year. Two of their threelosses last season were to Columbiana.Senior Bill Jawhari (P) returns after earningAll-Ohio honors. Key is replacing QB and dis-trict POY Brandon Moherman.* Thompson Ledgemont (8-3) – The

Redskins are coming off back-to-back trips tothe playoffs. Senior running back AndyHumar (5-10, 190) returns after earning sec-ond-team All-Ohio honors.

REGION 22

Ada (7-4)* Players to Watch – QB Zac Dysert (6-4,

190, sr.), WR Kyle Baker (6-2, 180, jr.), WRHeath Jackson (6-1, 170, so.), WR NateVermillion (6-1, 170, sr.), MLB JustinStransky (6-2, 200, jr.), OLB Ron Gryzbowski(6-0, 185, sr.), DE Nick Numbers(6-4, 235, sr.)* Outlook – Ada wrapped a

successful season last yearby making the school’s secondtrip to the playoffs. TheBulldogs are poised to take a big-ger bite out of the postseason this year.Led by Dysert – arguably the state’s top

QB prospect – and a returning receiving corethat accounted for 27 TDs, Ada is a legiti-

mate challenger in not only Region 22 but fora state title. Dysert, who threw for 3,832yards and 31 TDs last year en route to earn-ing state player of the year honors, is beingcourted by many Division I schools, includingPurdue and Michigan State. Jackson wasfirst-team All-Ohio after catching 123 passesfor 1,475 yards and seven TDs.The Bulldogs must replace four of five line-

men, but second-year head coach Micah Fellis confident the Dogs can do that.“We lose the majority of our line, but we

feel like we can develop some solid playersthere,” Fell said. “Linemen in our system aren’t asked to do

much, just pass block for the most part.”Defensively, Ada will look to shore up a

unit that surrendered 24 points per game.The return of the top-two tacklers from a yearago (Stransky and Gryzbowski) bodes well. “We have the offensive player of the year

back (in D-VI) and we’ve talked about win-ning the league and making it back to theplayoffs,” Fell said. “The ultimate goal foreveryone is to play 15 games.”

Delphos St. John’s (6-4)* Players to Watch – RB/LB Tony Reindel

(6-1, 225, Sr.), TE/LB Tyler Kroeger (6-2,220, Sr.), CB Trent Kroeger (5-11, 170, Sr.),S Marcus Krendl (5-11, 155, Sr.)* Outlook – The Blue Jays have missed

the playoffs two of the last threeyears, but in 2006 St. John’swon its fourth state title.Reindel and Tyler Kroegerstar on both sides of the balland will be counted upon –along with the rest of the senior class – tocarry the load while newcomers mature. TheBlue Jays’ MAC schedule is littered with dan-ger, but if DSJ makes the postseason it couldreach the mountain top.“We are expecting a lot of leadership from

the returning seniors on the roster,” headcoach Todd Shulte said. “We have somegood kids in all of our classes, but we arevery young and inexperienced at this point.We have a lot to replace from last year and alot of our expectations will rest in how fastour newcomers mature.“It is never easy from week to week in the

league we play in. We have an extremelydifficult schedule year in and year out, soonce again we will have to endure a fast startand hopefully we mature in a hurry.”

Dola Hardin Northern (10-2) * Players to Watch – RB Nathan Bame (5-

10, 170, Sr.), DB/RB T.J. Ratliff (6-0, 175,Sr.), C/P Kyle Albert (6-1, 215), DT/G JadenHeacock (5-10, 220, Sr.), TE Brock Crist (6-1,210, Sr.), FB/LB Troy Summa (6-0, 180, Jr.),

LB/G Chase Motter (5-10, 175, Sr.)* Outlook – The Polar Bears have been

one of the state’s elite D-VI teams for thepast 14 years. Over that span,they’ve been to the playoffs 12times, have won at least ninegames 13 times and havewon at least 10 games for sixstraight years. Head coach PeteBrunow enters his 24th season witha 210-51 record. Under Brunow’s control,Hardin Northern has never had a losing sea-son. This year should be no different.The Polar Bears return all-everything run-

ning back Bame who was first team All-Ohiolast season after rushing for 1,733 yards and29 TDs. The Blanchard Valley Conferenceplayer of the year, Bame is part of one of theschool’s largest senior classes (15).“We’ll hopefully field about 40 kids, which

we’ve only done once before,” Brunow said.Ratliff is a four-year starter, while Albert is

in line to earn his third letter. Returningstarters include Heacock, Crist and Motter.Summa, a move-in from Upper Scioto Valley,will add some skill.Hardin Northern is the ninth smallest

school playing football in the state, but itscast a much larger shadow. In 2002, thePolar Bears were state runner-up and in2004 they captured the state title. This year’ssenior class were freshmen during that titlerun.“I think we should be able to compete in

every game we play,” Brunow said. “We havean opportunity to be a pretty good team thisyear.”

Also Keep An Eye On: * Defiance Ayersville (11-2) – The Pilots

drop down to D-VI after a lengthy postseasonrun in D-V last season. Ayersville beatBucyrus Wynford and Sherwood Fairviewbefore falling to Findlay Liberty-Benton in theregional final. * Columbus Grove (7-5) – The

Bulldogs have been in the post-season seven of the last eightyears and won it all in 2003.Started 1-4 last season beforewinning six straight en route toregional semifinals. * McComb (9-3) – There were six trips to

playoffs in last eight years for Panthers. Lastyear lost to only Hardin Northern, Liberty-Benton and Norwalk St. Paul.* Toledo Christian (8-2) – The Eagles are

looking for their first playoff berth in schoolhistory. They were close last year, finishingninth in Region 22.* Lafayette Allen East (9-3) – The

Mustangs drop down a division after going tothe D-V postseason last year. Standout run-



ning back Blaine Schmitt (5-7, 170) returnsafter tallying 1,970 yards and 17 TDs in nineregular season games.

REGION 23

Beallsville (11-1) * Players to Watch – QB/CB Kevin Stoney

(5-11, 165, Sr.), OL/DE Andrew Ashland (5-11,160, sr.), WB/DB Jimmy Reisz (5-8, 150, sr.),DB/TB Craig Neiswanger (5-9, 150, sr.)* Outlook – The Blue Devils finished with

the school’s third undefeated regular seasonlast year before bowing out in the regionalsemifinals to Shadyside. A regional finalist in 1994, Beallsville will

look to earn its sixth postseason berth andthird in a row.

Head coach Dave Caldwell enters his 25thseason with 160 wins and 17 league titles.The Blue Devils have holes to fill on the line

and in the backfield, but Stoney will offer expe-rience and savvy. Ashland earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors last year after registering aPioneer Valley Football Conference record 25sacks. He spearheads a defense that will playa large part in Beallsville’s success. The BlueDevils lose five starters from a unit thatallowed just 5.6 points per game in the regularseason.“It’s hard to predict the future at a small

school like this, but if we keep healthy weshould have a chance to compete for the con-ference championship and another trip to theplayoffs,” Caldwell said.

Lancaster Fisher Catholic (10-2)* Players to Watch – HB/OLB Patrick Duffy

(5-11, 190, Sr.), DE/TE Luke Roesch (6-6,215, Jr.), WB/S Mike Wellner (5-7, 150, Sr.),OL/DL Eddie Budde (6-2, 265, Sr.), CB/SEChris Davis (6-0, 160, Sr.)* Outlook – The Irish have

been to the playoffs four yearsin a row and look to make itfive under first-year coachMike McCann. McCann,Fisher’s defensive coordinator thelast four years, takes over for Mike Burkhardtwho left for Carroll Bloom-Carroll, a team theIrish play in Week 2. Also gone is first-teamAll-Ohio back Peter Tobin and lineman AndrewMaynard.“It sounds basic and trivial, but our lack of

mistakes is going to be crucial,” McCann said.“We have a lack of game experience, soMonday through Thursday is where we’regoing to win games. We have a solid corecoming back though.”Duffy will carry the load in the Wing-T, while

Roesch and Budde will be counted upon topower both lines. Expect Davis to get hisshare of touches.

Shadyside (11-3) * Players to Watch – QB Billy Merryman

(5-10, 145), WR Nathaniel Haney (5-11, 165),LB Dustin Sadlowski (5-11, 190, Sr.),C Jeff Campbell (5-10, 250, Sr.),LB Ross Palicka (5-10, 170,Sr.)* Outlook – The Tigers

made their first D-VI state titlegame last season before bowingout to Marion Local (17-0). Although gradua-tion took its toll, including standout RB/LBTaylor Jovicic, Shadyside returns plenty ofpunch for another deep playoff run.Merryman is one of the state’s best small

school signal callers and returns for his thirdyear under center. Haney is a reliable – anddangerous – target. Sadlowski makes a differ-ence on both sides of the ball.

Also Keep An Eye On:* Danville (11-2) – The Blue Devils, a

regional finalist last season, are looking fortheir eighth playoff appearance in10 years. One factor for theDevils will be replacing threekey lineman, all of whom wereAll-Ohio (two first team, onesecond) last year. Senior RB B.T.Staats (5-11, 210) and junior Gatlin Ridgeway(6-0, 185) return after earning first-team Mid-Buckeye Conference honors. Staats rushedfor 832 yards and eight TDs a year ago, whileRidgeway (who was HM All-Ohio) tallied 768and five, respectively. Defensively, Danvilleallowed 9.8 points per game last year andpitched four shutouts.* Newark Catholic (5-6) – As Fisher

Catholic coach Mike McCann put it: “NewarkCatholic is Newark Catholic. Whether they are10-0 or 5-5 they are someone you have torespect. You always have to contend withthem.” The Green Wave has made 29 playoffappearances (10 straight) and boasts sevenstate titles. * Glouster Trimble (7-3) – After a two-year

stint in D-V, the Tomcats are happy to be backin state’s smallest division. Trimble finished 7-3 last year and 9-1 in 2005 but missed thepostseason both times. Since 2001, theTomcats are 50-12 overall with two D-VI play-off berths (2003, 2004) and four 9-1 regularseasons. Twice Trimble finished ninth in itsrespective region.* Steubenville Catholic Central (5-5) – A

year removed from the D-VI state title game,SCC failed to make the postseason. TheCrusaders, a newcomer to Region 23, arelooking to get back to the playoffs. * South Gallia (8-3) – The Rebels are com-

ing off back-to-back playoff appearances,which are only two in school history. They arestill looking for their first playoff win.

REGION 24

Sidney Lehman Catholic (6-5) * Players to Watch – RB Dan Jacob, QB

Spencer Peltier (6-0, 160, Sr.), RB MaxCartwright (6-0, 160, Jr.), RB Zac Schmitz (5-10, 160, Jr.), OL Treg Sherman (6-2, 175, Jr.),OL Nick Pulfer (6-0, 190, Jr.), OLB CorbinPeltier (6-0, 165, Jr.), OLB Robbie Baker (5-11, 170, Jr.), DE Colton Hemm (6-0, 160, Jr.),DB Dayon Pearson (6-0, 185, Sr.).* Outlook – The Cavaliers started 0-3 last

season before reeling off six straight wins andearning a playoff berth. Other than the loss offour offensive starters, Lehmanreturns the majority of its talent.The Cavs were state semifinal-ists in 2001 and should chal-lenge for that plateau again.Returning for the Cavaliers’

Wing-T offense, which averaged over 25points per game, is all-everything fullbackJacob. Last year, Jacob led the team in rush-ing with close to 1,700 yards. He piled up ateam-best 330 yards receiving, as well asscoring 25 TDs. “Offensively we lose three interior linemen

and a tight end, but I feel we have solid indi-viduals stepping up to fill those spots,” headcoach Dick Roll said. “We return almost all of our skill positions,

so it will be very important for us to get off to astrong start this year and carry it over throughthe rest of the season.”Defensively, the Cavs allowed 115 points

the first three weeks before surrendering just119 in Weeks 4-11. Cartwright, Baker andCorbin Peltier spearhead the unit.“We are approaching this season knowing

we need to take things one game at a time,”Roll said. “Whether we are favorites or theunderdogs, or if it is a playoff or regular sea-son game, we need to come in with the sameapproach.“However, I am excited for the players we

have coming back.”Roll starts his second season at Lehman

after spending 21 at Plymouth.

Minster (4-6) * Players to Watch – QB Aaron Heitbrink

(5-11, 180, Sr.), TE/DE Alan Heitbrink (6-1,200, Sr.), TE/LB Andrew Baumer (5-11, 210,Sr.), WR/DB Keith Nerderman (6-1, 150, Sr.),WR/DB/KR (5-11, 165, Jr.), OL Jake Philpot(6-1, 215, Jr.)* Outlook – It’s hard to gauge how good the

Wildcats are because they play in the MAC,where a four-win season could translate intoan eight-win campaign in another league.Consider, Minster’s six losses last seasonwere to: Versailles, Coldwater, St. Henry,Marion Local, Delphos St. John’s and Anna.



Minster hasn’t been to the playoffs since2001, but that could end should it beat a cou-ple of those heavyweights. Only eight seniorsreturn, but second-year coach Eric Belcher isexcited about the potential. The last two D-VIstate champions have come from the MACand Region 24. With those schools – DSJ andMarion Local – out of the region now, it couldbe Minster’s turn to assume that role.

“If we continue to work hard, show enthusi-asm and get a few things to go our way, wecan take that next step in the playoffs,”Belcher said. “The outlook for this season rests in the

hands of our players from the seniors to thefreshmen. They have the opportunity to havea very good team.”

Fort Loramie (6-4) * Players to Watch – QB Jay Schulze (Jr.),

RB Jim Brandewie (6-0, 170, Sr.), RB MitchWesterhide (6-0, 160, Sr.), RB Derek Barhorst(5-11, 190, Sr.), DL Tregg Barga(6-4, 190, Sr.), DL NathanBrandewie (6-2, 215, Jr.)* Outlook – Fort Loramie

enters its third varsity seasonwith the hopes of earning itsfirst playoff berth. The Redskinswere on the verge last year, finishing ninth inRegion 24. A revamped schedule awaits. TheRedskins face D-VI powers Minster, Ada andLehman Catholic. They also have gamesagainst D-II teams Dayton Belmont andCanton Timken. Loramie’s backfield is sea-soned.

“We are very excited for our returners onoffense,” head coach Jon McCumber said.“We have to replace a few graduated linemen,but we feel we have solid replacements inthose spots.”On defense, McCumber is equally excited.

Last year, the Redskins yielded nearly 17points a game. Nine starters are back. “We lost two starting lineman to graduation,

but Derek Barhorst and Jim Brandewie aretwo of our leaders who will be back for anoth-er season,” McCumber said. “They are look-ing to set the tone on defense and we areexpecting big things from them as well aseveryone else on that side of the ball.” The Redskins began last year with a 23-6

loss at home to Minster, but they quicklyreeled off six straight wins before droppinggames to Sidney Lehman and Bishop Hartley.Loramie ended the campaign with a 35-6 vic-tory at Ridgemont and McCumber hopes themomentum carries over. “Opening the season with Minster is always

a lot of fun because of how close in proximitythe teams are,” McCumber said. “They play an outstanding schedule in the

MAC and to start with them is always a good

measuring stick for us. It is always a hard-hit-ting game, which is a great way to kick thingsoff.”

Also Keep An Eye On:* Springfield Catholic Central (10-2) –

Head coach Steve DeWitt starts his 30th sea-son in Springfield with one of the state’s topsmall-school players. SeniorBrian Wagner earned All-Ohiohonors last year after register-ing 116 tackles (14 for loss) atLB. As the featured back, healso rushed for 1,492 yards and17 TDs. SCC has been to the playoffs fourstraight times and has gone 1-1 each trip. * Covington (10-1) – Head coach David

Miller inherits a program that’s been to theplayoffs seven times in eight years. Buccslose standout QB Gene Studebaker, but asMiller says, “At a place like Covington theyexpect you to be good every year. I know theygraduate a good senior class this year, whichis possibly one of the best classes in schoolhistory, so replacing them will be a challenge,but the underclassmen here expect to begood as well. The cupboard is not bare by anymeans.” * Mechanicsburg (11-2) – The Indians con-

quered one hurdle last year in beat-ing Dola Hardin Northern in theregional semifinals. Then theytripped over another, losing toMarion Local in the first region-al final in school history. First-year head coach Chris Kosiorek(former defensive coordinator at Twinsburg)inherits a program that’s made the playoffsseven times in the last eight years.* Triad (7-4) – The Cardinals have emerged

as a player in the tough Ohio HeritageConference. Last season, Triad made the sec-ond playoff appearance in school history,falling to Champaign County rivalMechanicsburg in the first round.* Waynesfield-Goshen (7-3) – The Tigers

(22-9 the last three years) finished 10th in theregion last year after making their secondplayoff appearance in 2005.

2006 Revisited

Marion Localblanks Shadyside

aria Stein Marion Local took advantage of astrong third quarter to shut out Shadyside 17-0 and claim the 2006 Division VI state cham-

pionship at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium Dec. 2.This season’s title marks the third in Marion

Local school history and the first since 2001. TheFlyers finished state runners-up in 2003.Marion Local played near mistake-free football

with only three penalties for 15 yards and noturnovers for the third consecutive week. “With the type of defense we are capable of

playing, if we don’t turn the ball over, the otherteam is going to have a hard time sustaining muchagainst us,” Marion Local head coach TimGoodwin said. The Flyers scored 14 points in the third quarter

after a scoreless first half which netted a total of 93offensive yards between both teams. Junior RB Luke Homan scored at the 5:43 mark

in the third on a 2-yard run capping off a 13-play,65-yard drive that chewed up 6:17 off the clock.After both teams traded possessions, Marion

Local took over on its own 42-yard line and ran aplay action pass that resulted in a 58-yard scoringstrike to Dan Moeller on the first play of the pos-session. The point after put Marion Local up 14-0late in the third.A 23-yard Dan Fortkamp field goal midway

through the fourth quarter to put Marion Local up17-0 was the final dagger.Marion Local RB Ben Schaefer led all stat-get-

ters with 100 yards rushing on 22 carries.Schaefer stepped into the role as a back up thisweek after starter Marc Otte injured his knee in thestate semifinals against Norwalk St. Paul. Otte hadthree 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. “He did a greatjob.”Schaefer had not practiced on offense in four

weeks according to Goodwin.In the previous four playoff games, Shadyside

outscored its opponents 189-25 before gettingshutout by Marion Local. The Flyers outgained Shadyside 225-52 in total

offense.

– Matt Natali


STATE FINALS

Ada, Norwalk St. Paul, Lehman Catholic, Shadyside

Norwalk St. Paul over Lehman Catholic

Division VI State Championship

0 17

M


High School Footbal l S tats & Key Games

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS

Scoring (Min. 150 points)Name, Class, School TD PAT-1 PAT-2 FGs Pts.Chris Crockett, Jr., Gahanna Cols. Academy 33 0 1 0 200Anthony King, So., Defiance Ayersville 29 0 2 0 178Storm Klein, So., Newark Licking Valley 27 0 0 0 162Derrick Vicars, Jr., Delta 27 0 0 0 162Nathan Bame, Jr., Dola Hardin Northern 27 0 0 0 162Zak Kreakbaum, So., Akron Manchester 27 0 0 0 162Aaron Roberson, Jr., Bedford Chanel 25 0 0 0 150Rushing Yards (Min. 1,500 Yards)Name, Class, School Att. Yds.Dru Jones, Jr., Wadsworth 290 1,972Blaine Schmitt, Jr., Lafayette Allen East 292 1,970Luther Nicholas, Jr., Columbus Independence 304 1,918Aaron Roberson, Jr., Bedford Chanel 249 1,818Chris Crockett, Gahana Cols. Academy 163 1,682Justin Frye, Jr., Logan 231 1,626Derrick Vicars, Jr., Delta 229 1,594Kyle Stadlemyer, So., Girard 202 1,572John Pettigrew, So., Cuy. Valley Christian Academy 129 1,558Nathan Bame, Jr., Dola Hardin Northern 185 1,536Zak Kreakbaum, So., Akron Manchester 235 1,527Devin Schie, So., Sugarcreek Garaway 180 1,504

Passing Yards (Min. 1,800 Yards)Name, Class, School Comp. Att. Yds.Ryan Radcliff, Jr., Sherwood Fairview 275 468 3,808Zac Dysert, Jr., Ada 271 410 3,550Ryan Hughes, Jr., Carroll Bloom-Carroll 217 318 2,706Dailyn Campbell, Jr., Kenton 155 305 2,608Steve McNeely, Jr., Beloit West Branch 168 276 2,207Tyler Osterman, Jr., Monroe Lemon-Monroe 142 223 2,127Gene Goering, Jr., Archbold 178 316 2,119Caleb Knights, So., Chillicothe 137 190 2,097Tyler Hall, Jr., Caledonia River Valley 184 301 2,012Kyle Snyder, Fr., Barberton 117 240 2,001Riley Linder, Jr., Haviland Wayne Trace 122 227 2,001Kevin Westenbarger, So., McComb 159 285 1895Bo Cordell, So., Cincinnati Indian Hill 156 250 1,871Receptions (Min. 52 Receptions)Name, Class, School Rec. Yds.Heath Jackson, Fr., Ada 116 1,402Ben Wonderly, So., Sherwood Fairview 88 1,392Alan Alderman, So., Granville 76 927Matt Rinehart, Jr., Dover 71 1,314Jon Meadows, Jr., Carroll Bloom-Carroll 69 867Kyle Baker, So., Ada 65 1,069Jimmy Davidson, Jr., Findlay 64 742Chase Munoz, Jr., Fostoria 62 946Zach Keesbury, Jr., Sherwood Fairview 57 651Josh Kloepfer, Jr., Vanlue 53 762Jeff Walker, So., Akron Coventry 52 867Tim DeCant, Jr., Millbury Lake 52 806

Here is a look at some of the returning statistical leaders in Ohio highschool football for the 2007 season. These 2006 statistics are strictlyfrom the regular season and were compiled by the OHSAA. (Class desig-nation is for 2006 season)

2007 KEY GAMESMark Your CalendarWe pinpoint some of the topgames during the 2007 Ohiohigh school football season

You know it is football season when you come tothe end of the summer and you can see the lightsblazing and the bands blaring from the nearby highschool stadium.

High school football is a way of life across all 88counties of the Buckeye state. Wherever high schoolfootball is played in this state it serves each week as atown gathering of sorts, a meeting place where oldfriends get together and enjoy the finest in inter-scholastic competition.

The rivalries across this state speak for them-selves: Massillon-McKinley, St. Ignatius-St. Edward,Elder-St. Xavier, Troy-Piqua, Watterson-DeSales,Versailles-St. Henry, Delphos St. John’s-Marion Localand so on. They each have their own unique historyand, when they roll around, thousands flock to see thelatest renewal.

Once again this year, our friends at Ohio NewsNetwork plan to provide coverage of games through-out the season. We invite you to check out their cover-age – as well as their popular Friday night statewidehighlights show – this season.

It is with all of these great match-ups in mind thatwe want to take this chance to share some of thestate’s top games scheduled for the 2007 Ohio highschool football season. Mark your calendar for the biggames in your area (and maybe some that aren’t inyour area, too). Here goes:* Week 1 (all games Aug. 24 unless noted) –

There are a number of big events planned for theopening weekend, including the 10th annualCrosstown Showdown Aug. 22-25 in the Cincinnatiarea. This has been expanded to a four-day event thisyear.

It begins on Wed., Aug. 22, with a doubleheader atCincinnati Princeton as Loveland meets CincinnatiRoger Bacon and Princeton hosts Cincinnati WesternHills. Princeton’s Viking Stadium will host another dou-bleheader Aug. 23 as Glen Este meets CincinnatiTurpin and Edgewood faces Kings Mills Kings.

The scene shifts to Miami’s Yager Stadium inOxford Aug. 24 as Mason meets Cincinnati Moeller at6 p.m. and Cincinnati Colerain tackles Huber HeightsWayne at 8:15 p.m. New Colerain head coach TomBolden will debut in that game.

Finally, Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium will host fourgames on Aug. 25: Cincinnati Anderson-Springboro,noon; Covington (Ky.) Catholic-Cincinnati LaSalle,2:45 p.m.; Cincinnati St. Xavier-Winton Woods, 5:30p.m.; Cincinnati Elder-West Chester Lakota West,8:15 p.m.

On Aug. 23, Clayton Northmont meets DaytonChaminade-Julienne, while Steubenville hostsWintersville Indian Creek.

On Aug. 24, new Lakewood St. Edward coachScott Niedzwicki will make his debut as the Eaglesvisit Strongsville. Also, Middletown visits MassillonWashington, Kettering Alter visits Kettering Fairmont,Columbus Watterson hosts Willoughby South,Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit hosts Akron Buchtel

In a high powered match-up, defending Division IVstate champion Youngstown Mooney hosts Division Istate runner-up Mentor. Also, Coldwater hosts Kenton,Dublin Coffman hosts Troy, Hilliard Davidson visitsHilliard Darby, Newark Licking Valley hosts Zanesville

On Aug. 25, Cleveland St. Ignatius hostsYoungstown Boardman at Parma’s Byers Field at 7

High School Footbal l S tats & Key Games


p.m. Canton McKinley hostsDetroit Pershing, while ClevelandGlenville travels to IndianapolisWarren Central and St. Henryhosts Marion Pleasant.* Week 2 (all games Aug. 31

unless noted) – The big event inthe second weekend of the sea-son is the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs.USA Challenge. As Ohio Highwent to press, organizers hadfinalized an 11-game schedule forthe third year of this special event.Here is the schedule

Sept. 1 at Cincinnati’s NippertStadium: Cincinnati La Salle-Indianapolis Cathedral, 11:30a.m.; Cincinnati Colerain-Hoover,Ala., 2:15 p.m.; CincinnatiMoeller-Mission Viejo (Calif.), 5p.m.; Cincinnati Elder-Charlotte(N.C.) Independence, 8:15 p.m.

Sept. 1 at Canton’s FawcettStadium: Grove City-Buford, Ga.,11:30 a.m.; Cleveland Glenville-Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 2:15p.m.; Youngstown Mooney-Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway, 5p.m.; Canton McKinley-Tulsa(Okla.) Union, 7:45 p.m.

Sept. 2 at Nippert: CincinnatiSt. Xavier-Hyattsville (Md.)DeMatha, 12:05 p.m.; ClaytonNorthmont-Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 3 p.m.; Fort Thomas(Ky.) Highlands-Trotwood-Madison, 6 p.m. (It was believedthat the St. X-DeMatha game could be televised nationallyby one of the ESPN networks.)

In other games, on Aug. 30, Lakewood St. Edward trav-els to Euclid.

In a Division II state championship game rematch,Pickerington Central will host defending state championPiqua Aug. 31. Piqua won the state title game over Central26-7 last December.

Also on Aug. 31, Massillon Washington hosts Solon,Cleveland Benedictine hosts Mentor Lake Catholic,Pickerington North hosts Columbus Watterson, AkronBuchtel travels to Steubenville, Coldwater hosts Maria SteinMarion Local, Lima Senior hosts Dublin Coffman, HilliardDavidson travels to Columbus Brookhaven, Newark LickingValley visits North Canton Hoover, Mentor hostsStrongsville, Columbus DeSales hosts Toledo St. John’s,St. Henry hosts Delphos St. John’s and Westerville Centralhosts Westerville South.

On Sept. 1, Cincinnati St. Xavier travels to IndianapolisCathedral.* Week 3 (all games Sept. 7 unless noted) –

Cincinnati LaSalle visits Lexington (Ky.) Clay, ColumbusWatterson hosts Westerville South, Akron Hoban hostsYoungstown Mooney, Dublin Coffman hosts WestervilleCentral, Clayton Northmont hosts Centerville and ToledoWhitmer visits Fostoria.

In a match-up of defending state champions, Division Vchampion St. Henry travels to Division VI state championMaria Stein Marion Local (St. Henry won 31-0 last year).

On Sept. 8, Lakewood St. Edward hosts Washington(D.C.) Woodson at Lakewood Stadium. Cleveland St.Ignatius hosts Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius at Parma’s ByersField. Also, Akron Buchtel visits Warren Harding, CincinnatiMoeller hosts Bloomfield Hill (Mich.) Brother Rice andCincinnati St. Xavier hosts Cleveland Glenville.* Week 4 (all games Sept. 14 unless noted) – On

Sept. 13, Mason hosts Cincinnati Colerain.On Sept. 14, Cincinnati Elder at Cincinnati LaSalle,

Cleveland St. Ignatius at Mentor, Cleveland Benedictine atFremont Ross, Columbus Watterson at Cincinnati GlenEste, Canton McKinley at North Canton Hoover, Plain CityJonathan Alder at Washington C.H. Miami Trace, NewAlbany at Columbus DeSales, Lousiville (Ky.) Trinity at

Cincinnati St. Xavier and Buffalo (N.Y.) St. Joseph’s atSteubenville.

On Sept. 15, Mansfield Senior at Lakewood St. Edward(at Lakewood Stadium), Youngstown Ursuline at MassillonWashington, Warren Harding at Youngstown Mooney(Mooney won 28-13 last year), Dublin Coffman at MentorLake Catholic and Cincinnati Moeller at Findlay.* Week 5 (all games Sept. 21 unless noted) –

Cincinnati Anderson at Cincinnati LaSalle, Mentor atMassillon Washington, Canton GlenOak at CantonMcKinley, Mentor Lake Catholic at Youngstown Mooney(MLC gave Mooney its toughest game, a 21-16 decision, inMooney’s 14-0 season last year), St. Henry at Coldwater(Coldwater dealt St. Henry its only loss, 14-7, last year),Middletown at Cincinnati Colerain, Dublin Scioto at DublinCoffman, Lima Senior at Warren Harding, Huber HeightsWayne at Clayton Northmont (Wayne won 24-0 last year),Lancaster at Pickerington Central, Columbus DeSales atGrove City, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard at Cincinnati St.Xavier, Toledo St. Francis at Toledo Whitmer.

On Sept. 22, Cincinnati Elder at Lakewood St. Edward(at Lakewood Stadium), Cleveland St. Ignatius at Buffalo(N.Y.) St. Francis and Columbus Watterson at ClevelandBenedictine.* Week 6 (all games Sept. 28 unless noted) –

Cincinnati Moeller vs. Cincinnati LaSalle (at UC’s NippertStadium), Cincinnati Elder at Cincinnati St. Xavier (St. Xwon 30-15 at The Pit last year), Columbus Watterson atSteubenville, Canton McKinley at Youngstown Austintown-Fitch, Dublin Coffman at Grove City, Hilliard Davidson atUpper Arlington, Mentor at Euclid and Piqua at Trotwood-Madison.

On Sept. 29, Lakewood St. Edward at ClevelandBenedictine (at Bedford), Massillon Washington atCleveland St. Ignatius (at Parma’s Byers Field; St. Ignatiuswon 30-16 last year and has won nine of the last 10 meet-ings) and Youngstown Mooney at Athol Springs (N.Y.) St.Francis.* Week 7 (all games Oct. 5 unless noted) – Cincinnati

LaSalle at Cincinnati St. Xavier (St. X won 14-7 last year),Cincinnati Moeller at Cincinnati Elder, Akron Buchtel atMassillon Washington, Columbus Watterson at ColumbusDeSales (Watterson extended its win streak over rivalDeSales to nine straight with a 40-34 win last year), WestChester Lakota West at Cincinnati Colerain, Upper

Arlington at Dublin Coffman, NewarkLicking Valley at Granville, Baltimore(Md.) Mount St. Joseph’s atSteubenville, Pickerington North atWesterville Central and ToledoWhitmer at Toledo St. John’s.

On Oct. 6, Cleveland St. Ignatius atWarren Harding (Harding won 17-7last year), Youngstown Mooney atCleveland Benedictine and Mentor atShaker Heights.* Week 8 (all games Oct. 12

unless noted) – Cleveland St.Ignatius at Cincinnati LaSalle,Covington (Ky.) Catholic at CincinnatiElder, Warren Harding at MassillonWashington (Harding won 21-16 lastyear), Cincinnati McNicholas atKettering Alter, Cuyahoga Falls WalshJesuit at Cleveland Benedictine,Columbus Watterson at IndianpolisRoncalli, Youngstown Mooney atAkron St. Vincent-St. Mary, CincinnatiColerain at Liberty Twp. Lakota East,Dublin Coffman at Hilliard Davidson(Davidson downed Coffman 13-7 inWeek 8 last year and then won again28-20 in the regional finals), MapleHeights at Mentor, Cincinnati Moellerat Indianapolis Cathedral, Steubenvilleat Wheeling Park, Centerville at HuberHeights Wayne (Centerville won 20-13last year) and Toledo Whitmer at

Toledo Rogers.On Oct. 13, Lakewood St. Edward tackles Cincinnati St.

Xavier at 2 p.m. at Columbus DeSales. Also, YoungstownBoardman at Canton McKinley. * Week 9 (all games Oct. 19 unless noted) –

Columbus DeSales at Cincinnati LaSalle, YoungstownUrsuline at Youngstown Mooney, Newark Catholic atNewark Licking Valley, Trotwood-Madison at ClaytonNorthmont, Pickerington Central at Westerville South,Versailles at St. Henry, Steubenville at Canton CentralCatholic and Toledo Central Catholic at Toledo Whitmer.

Also Oct. 19: Troy hosts Piqua. Last year, Piqua took a42-7 win to move ahead 59-57-6 in one of Ohio’s longestrunning series.

On Oct. 20, Cleveland Benedictine at Cincinnati Elder,Lakewood St. Edward at Cincinnati St. Xavier (at UC’sNippert Stadium) and Cincinnati St. Xavier at Cleveland St.Ignatius at 1:30 p.m. at Parma’s Byers Field.* Week 10 (all games Oct. 26 unless noted) –

Kettering Alter at Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, ColumbusDeSales at Cleveland Benedictine, Youngstown Mooney atColumbus Watterson, Warren Harding at Erie (Pa.)Cathedral Prep, Grove City at Hilliard Davidson, NewarkLicking Valley at Gahanna Columbus Academy, ClevelandHeights at Mentor, Cincinnati St. Xavier at CincinnatiMoeller (St. X won 21-0 last year) and Clayton Northmontat Piqua.

On Oct. 27, Cleveland St. Ignatius renews its rivalry withLakewood St. Edward at Lakewood. St. Ed won 21-13 lastyear to trim CSI’s edge to 22-21 all-time edge in The HolyWar.

Also on Oct. 27, Canton McKinley will host MassillonWashington at 2 p.m. in the 116th rendition of this storiedrivalry. Massillon won this game 10-7 last year. Massillonholds the all-time series lead at 61-49-5.

Also on Oct. 27, Coldwater visits Delphos St. John’s.

* Postseason -- The OHSAA playoffs will begin over theweekend of Nov. 2-3 with regional quarterfinals at the highschool home sites of the top four seeds in each region. Theplayoffs will continue at neutral sites up through the statechampionships, set for Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Canton’s FawcettStadium and Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

– Steve Helwagen

Piqua and

Pickerington Central

meet in a rematch of

last year’s D-II state

final on August 31.


Duane Long ’s Updated Seniors

am having one of those springs that someone who does what Ido, someone that loves to do what I do, is always hoping to have.I am having sleepless nights over this class.Don’t worry. It is a good thing. I am looking at 14 players that

belong in the top 10. I am looking at 19 players that deserve atleast top-15 rankings. It is frustrating but it is a good frustrating.So many players have continued to improve their stock with good

showings in what I call the “athlete season.” The game is now yearround. We have football season, where the players show what they cando on the field. Then we have the athlete season which includes bas-ketball and wrestling for the big kids. Then we have track season andthe combines start.Being a great athlete is so important these days. Most college coach-

es feel like if they are given a superior athlete they can make him afootball player in time. The best of the best, the top 250-300 players inthe country, are both great players and great athletes.Then it is a choice of taking the good football player or the good ath-

lete. Most college coaches are going to take the great athlete becausehe has the better upside. That is why this part of the calendar is soimportant. It is not over. The updated top 34 list (see table) is based onnew film, track performance and the news coming out the combines sofar. We will still have more combines and then the camps at colleges.Those performances, and late tape coming in, will likely show anothershake-up in the rankings in the September issue (due out Aug. 25).One thing that is standing out this year is the emergence of north-

west Ohio as a football recruiting hotbed. It hasbeen gradual. This year it exploded. Weare used to seeing basketball talentcome out of that part of the state butwe look to the northeast to south-west corridor, what we call the 3Chighway, for football talent.This year I have three

players from northwestOhio in my top 20.That is not just myopinion. Waseon’s Elliott

Mealer is verbally com-mitted to Michigan.Toledo Whitmer has twotop-20 players. Runningback Anthony Allen is nowmy No. 2 back and has aMichigan offer among others.Tight end/defensive end KevinKoger has offers from both OhioState and Michigan.That part of the state is showing

more quality coaches like Whitmer,under the leadership of headcoach Joe Palka, who are trans-forming that part of the state intoan area that can no longer beoverlooked by those of us on

the hunt for football talent.Some other players have seen their stock go up with good athlete

season performances. Cleveland Glenville tackle Shawntel Rowell wasthe No. 1 player in this class for two years. His stock fell as his waist-line grew. His re-emergence as an elite player started in January at thenational all-star junior combine.This is an offensive line class for the ages. A good number were in

attendance at the combine. Rowell went against all comers and nonegot the best of him. Just as important is Rowell taking his weight prob-lem seriously. It is not just a matter of Rowell losing the excess weight.It is showing the college coaches that he is going to work hard and bededicated to being a better player. Hard work is often the difference inwho is successful and who is not at the next level.Strongsville receiver/cornerback D.J. Woods has been on a tear

recently and has at least three of the Midwest Big Four trying to con-vince him to come to their camps. It looks like Ohio State, Michigan andPenn State have all convinced him to come and show his stuff. Someschools are considering him for cornerback. His name seems to pop upas a standout wherever he shows up. He is leaving an impression inboth running drills and football drills.The one player whose tape impressed me greatly of the late comers

was Koger. I was working off of film of the Massillon playoff game whenI first ranked him. He was an impressive looking athlete with a greatbody and great feet. Now I see the football skills in the tape CoachPalka sent me. He is a really good looking tight end prospect. He

shows hands and I was already impressed with his athleti-cism for a big guy. Ohio State and Michiganhave offered as a tight end but he impressedme most as a defensive end prospect. Atthe time that I saw the Massillon game, I

was not even aware that he playeddefense. He is a better tight endright now but in time I see astrong side defensive end. Hereminds me of Buckeyerecruit Solomon Thomas. Overall, the talent level

of this class continues tobe very impressive. It hasboth superstars and goodsolid depth. At the top endit is not really complicated.You have four Ohio Stateverbals in Mike Adams,DeVoe Torrence, NathanWilliams and DeVierPosey.You have a Notre

Dame verbal in KyleRudolph, also offered byOhio State. You haveCordale Scott, DanMcCarthy and Koger alloffered by Ohio State,Notre Dame and Michigan.

Mike Adams,Dub. Coffman

Devoe Torrence,Massillon

I

J JHUDDLE .COM JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Photos by Gary Housteau

64

Duane Long ’s Updated Seniors


STORY BY DUANE LONG

Rowell will likely join them by January. Brandon Moore was offeredby just about everyone but Ohio State before verbaling to Michigan.The depth is proven by the fact that players like Hilliard Darby line-backer B.J. Machen, the No. 50 player in the early top 100, has offersfrom Georgia Tech, Illinois and most of the mighty MAC.By position, it is still an offensive lineman’s class. Mike Adams is

still the standard but the offer lists for Zebrie Sanders and ElliottMealer include just about every top-20 program except Ohio State.Another lineman must be mentioned here. Ursuline’s Harold Coateswill be right up there with the top three in the state once he gets hisgrades in order. He has impressed everyone with his athleticism andfire at combines so far.This class does not have the depth of the 2006 class but at the top

end I think it is better. If I have the option of Adams, Sanders, Mealerand Coates or the 2006 class of Connor Smith, Aaron Brown, JustinBoren and Joe Thomas, I take the 2008 class.The tight end class may be the most impressive position of all.

Rudolph to Notre Dame with an Ohio State offer to boot. I will notbother to note all the offers to Moore. It is a who’s who of collegefootball powers. Koger is looking at Ohio State and Michigan offers. Madison’s Nic

Dilillo is committed to Clemson, but Ohio State has been in to checkon him. If you throw Jake Stoneburner in with the tight ends, he is anOhio State verbal with offers from Michigan and Notre Dame, too. Herecently ran a 4.49-second 40-yard time, lowering his already impres-sive best from 4.53. Maybe he is not a tight end after all. He seemsbent on putting an end to that discussion.The receivers are the group I am most proud of. I recently started

doing a position by position look at players nationally. Posey endedup No. 8 on my list in one of the best years ever for receivers. I havealready touched on D.J. Woods emergence. The trio of KennyStafford, Bakari Bussey and Roy Roundtree will have offer lists asimpressive as anyones when this is all over. Roundtree reallyimpressed observers at a recent combine.The linebacker class was looking like the benchmark for future

classes but it seems to be coming apart. Brandon Beachum has themost impressive offer list of the linebackers so far, but recently he isgetting hard looks as a running back. Jamiihr Williams is lookinggreat but the grapevine is saying defensive end might fit him better.The same with Justin Staples. He was a defensive end as a sopho-more, played as a linebacker last year, but may see his future atdefensive end. There is a great looking body with that kid. He couldgo either way. I still would see him as a linebacker until he outgrowsthe position. I don’t think we will know for a couple of years. His bestfootball is still in front of him.You will notice I left DeVoe Torrence until last. You also may have

noticed I have a tie for the No. 1 spot in the class. Torrence went to acombine in Pittsburgh and lit the place up, going against the bestlinebackers in the region. He will be a running back in college. That iswhere he was recruited at and it is where he wants to play. Talk aboutupside. He was not a full-time running back last year but gets anOhio State offer as a running back. That is impressive. As far as schools are concerned we are seeing Iowa and Illinois

continue to make inroads. Outside the Big Ten, Oklahoma headcoach Bob Stoops is using his Ohio roots to forge a beach head inOhio. Oklahoma has always depended on Texas to fill its roster. Thatis becoming harder with the high profile of Texas and the ability ofhead coach Mack Brown to secure the best in the state, and he isdoing it very early. Making inroads in another big football state is inthe best long-term interest of the Oklahoma program. The bottom line with this class is it is likely to set a record for play-

ers getting scholarships from Big Ten schools. The state of highschool football in Ohio could not be better. — OH

Ohio’s Top 2008 Football ProspectsThis is the updated list of Ohioʼs top football prospects for 2008, as prepared byOhio High recruiting editor Duane Long. This list will be updated with all-newbios of the top 100 in the September edition of Ohio High.

Rk Player Ht. Wt. Pos. School/Verbal1. (tie) Mike Adams 6-8 305 OL Dublin Coffman/Ohio State

DeVoe Torrance 6-2 215 RB Massillon/Ohio State3. Cordale Scott 6-4 200 ATH Cleveland Glenville4. Kyle Rudolph 6-7 220 TE Cincinnati Elder/Notre Dame5. Nathan Williams 6-4 235 DE/LB WCH Miami Trace/Ohio State 6. DeVier Posey 6-3 180 WR Cin. LaSalle/Ohio State7. Dan McCarthy 6-1 190 S Youngstown Mooney8. Brandon Moore 6-6 230 TE Trotwood-Madison/Michigan9. Kevin Koger 6-4 235 DE/TE Toledo Whitmer 10. Shawntel Rowell 6-4 320 DT Cleveland Glenville11. Zebrie Sanders 6-6 265 OL Clayton Northmont12. Jake Stoneburner 6-5 215 TE/WR Dublin Coffman/Ohio State 13. Elliott Mealer 6-6 280 OL Waseon/Michigan14. Michael Shaw 5-11 185 ATH Trotwood Madison15. Jamiihr Williams 6-2 1/2 230 LB Trotwood-Madison16. Nic DiLillo 6-5 220 TE Madison/Clemson17. Anthony Allen 6-1 185 RB Toledo Whitmer18. Brandon Beachum 6-1 220 LB/RB Youngstown Mooney 19. Isaiah Pead 5-11 175 Ath Cols. Eastmoor Academy20. Johnny Adams 5-11 170 CB/WR Akron Buchtel21. Taylor Hill 6-2 215 DE/LB Youngstown Mooney22. Michael Zordich 6-1 210 LB Yʼtown Mooney/Penn State23. (tie) Kenny Stafford 6-3 175 WR Columbus DeSales

Bakari Bussey 6-3 190 WR West Chester Lakota WestRoy Roundtree 6-2 170 WR Trotwood-Madison/Purdue

26. Dominique Britt 6-5 190 QB Trot.-Madison/Cincinnati27. D.J. Woods 6-0 175 WR Strongsville28. Justin Staples 6-3 220 LB Lakewood St. Edward 29. Salvador Battles 5-11 205 Ath Youngstown Rayen30. Joe Pachuta 6-7 285 OL New Concord John Glenn31. Zac Dysert 6-4 190 QB Ada32. Darius Reeves 5-11 185 CB Gahanna Lincoln33. Will Fleming 6-4 205 Ath Akron Hoban34. Justin Thompson 6-2 1/2 225 TE Columbus DeSales

Kevin KogerTol. Whitmer

Cordale ScottGlenville

Kyle RudolphCin. Elder

Brandon MooreTrotwood-Madison

Dan McCarthyY’town Mooney

DeVier PoseyCin. LaSalle

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Nathan Wi l l iams

eff Conroy has coached the sport offootball for 27 years.Yet, even Conroy, the head coach

at Washington C.H. Miami Trace, isamazed at the dominance of line-

backer Nathan Williams.“In 27 years of coaching, I’ve never had a

player that has all the physical tools that hehas and can dominate like he does on thedefensive side,” Conroy said. “His size, hisspeed, his instincts as a football player …that combination puts him in an elite statuson the field.”And soon, after his upcoming senior sea-

son, Williams will be a member of one of theelite college football programs in the country:the Ohio State Buckeyes.On April 24, Williams verbally committed to

being a Buckeye by accepting a scholarshipoffer from Ohio State. He is scheduled tosign a national letter-of-intent in February.“This is what I wanted,” said Williams of

continuing his career at Ohio State. “I couldnot be happier.”In addition, Conroy is happy for Williams

that he decided to stay in-state and play forthe Scarlet and Gray. Miami Trace, located inrural Fayette County, is about 35 miles south-west of Columbus.Among the major offers Williams received

were from Oklahoma, California, Kentucky,West Virginia, Georgia, Wisconsin andMichigan State.“He had a lot of offers and he was excited

about getting those offers, but he was waitingon that offer from OSU,” Conroy said. “Heknew that once that offer from Ohio Statecame, he was going to accept it. It took himabout a second to say yes. He looks at it asa tremendous honor. He’s looking forward toplaying at OSU and like a lot of other kidsthat have committed, he feels part of thatfamily already.”Williams, at 6-4 and weighing 235 pounds,

is a two-time first-team All-Ohio Division IIlinebacker, having twice captured SoutheastDistrict Defensive Player of the Year honorsfrom the Associated Press. He is ranked asOhio’s fifth-best prospect in updated 2008prospect rankings compiled by Ohio Highrecruiting editor Duane Long.“He’s definitely an impact player,” said

Conroy. “He has tremendous size, but whatsets him apart is the speed that he brings tothe game. As a sophomore, at 240 pounds,

he was legitimately running in the low 4.6s(40-yard dash times). He’s that rare athletethat has that kind of speed for his size. It onlyadds to his great athletic ability, talent andwork ethic.”Conroy admitted that Williams “may have

surprised a lot of people as a sophomore, buteven then, teams were game-planning tostop him.”Still, Williams finished his sophomore sea-

son with 108 total tackles, including 16 forloss and half as many sacks.His statistics soon caught the eye of Ohio

State, which, according to Conroy, “becamevery interested between his sophomore andjunior year.”“He had a great camp there between soph-

omore and junior and really showed his ath-leticism,” said Williams’ coach.The Panthers went 9-2 in 2005, falling in

the first round of the Division II playoffs.In Williams’ junior season, playing on a

younger Panther squad, he improved hisdefensive numbers with 149 total tackles.Nearly half of those tackles were solo (67),as he assisted on 54 others and made 23 forloss. He also had five sacks.“His total number of tackles behind the line

of scrimmage, sacks and forced passes (13in 2005 and 12 in 2006) show how disruptivehe can be to an offense,” Conroy said.Speaking of offense, Williams did carry the

ball last season, rushing for 688 yards and14 touchdowns on 110 carries.Still, it’s on the defensive side which

Williams has made — and will continue to

make — his mark.Williams attended the Ohio State spring

game on April 21, but members of the OSUcoaching staff told him that they neededmore evaluation time.Three days later, however, OSU defensive

coordinator Jim Heacock visited Williams atschool.“Coach Heacock was at school and check-

ing on things,” said Williams in an April 24interview after his acceptance of the scholar-ship. “He looked at my grades and every-thing.”Later that evening, Williams was talking on

the telephone to Ohio State head coach JimTressel.“We talked for a little bit and then he asked

me if I wanted to be a Buckeye,” saidWilliams in the same interview. “I said I did.He made the offer and I committed on thespot.”Williams said he could play either line-

backer or possibly defensive end in college.However, he still has one season of highschool football to focus upon.And that focus, Conroy said, will be easier

with his college choice already made.“I think at times last year he pressed a little

and tried to do too much. But he doesn’thave to prove anything to Ohio State or any-one else. He can go relax and play football,”said the coach.This season, Conroy is counting on

Williams to be more of a “vocal leader outthere and raise the team up another level.”A third straight first-team all-Ohio honor

could land Williams as the state’s top defen-sive player in Division III. The Panthers havedropped a division as a result of the OhioHigh School Athletic Association’s new enroll-ment figures for fall sports (2007-08 and2008-09 academic years).“I expect him to have another great sea-

son, but I think you’ll see a more relaxedplayer out of Nathan” said Conroy. “Weexpect him to fill that leadership role, andmake the other kids around him better. Weplayed a lot of sophomores last year, andthey’re better players now. With a year ofexperience out of them, Nathan will have bet-ter football players around him.”But still expect Williams to continue to

dominate -- and amaze.“I definitely feel he is one of the top defen-

sive players in the state,” said Conroy. — OH

STORY BY PAUL BOGGS

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Junior Update

s we took a look this spring, we saw some players in Ohio’sClass of 2009 starting to emerge.These players will embark on their junior campaign in the

fall after many of them made waves for their varsity teams assophomores during the 2006 season.This is a class with a good prospect just about everywhere. In fact,

every position group but quarterback seems to have someone whosename comes to mind when I am asked about a position. Even at quarter-back there are a few names I am looking into. Receiver is looking like thebell cow position so far.Newark Licking Valley running back/linebacker Storm Klein was a man

among boys last fall, averaging about 10 yards a carry. I could not believeWesterville South offensive lineman Ricky Harris was only a sophomore.He is a very athletic kid for his size.Some people say Omar Provitt was the best receiver they have ever

seen in Ohio. His son Desmar Jackson at Warren G. Harding may be bet-ter. Defensive back Dominic Goodwin is really turning some heads atLakewood St. Edward. Getting attention at his age at such a talent ladenschool speaks volumes about him.Youngstown Cardinal Mooney’s John Simon is looking like the next

great defensive tackle from Ohio. Overall, it is looking like a great class.Here is an early top 20 list, followed by more names to watch.

1. Darrell Mason (6-1, 210, Ath, Youngstown Ursuline)I don’t know if he is going to be a great back, safety or linebacker. The

only thing I am sure of at this point is he is going to be great.

2. Julius Ferrell (6-1, 230, LB/DE, Youngstown Liberty)Ferrell could be the most physical kid in the class - maybe the most

physical in the state regardless of class. He will make a strong argumentfor No. 1 when it really matters.

3. John Simon (6-2, 250, DT, Youngstown Mooney)Simon is a real load in the middle of the line. He is tough, strong, explo-

sive and runs well, too. He helped Mooney post 14-0 season, win DivisionIV state title last year.

4. Will Studlien (6-2, 220, LB, Sunbury Big Walnut)The 2008 class was good for linebackers in Ohio. The top two in this

class look like they will be better.

5. Justin Turner (6-3, 190, Ath, Massillon Washington)Turner forced his way into a crowded backfield with two D-I runners in

front of him last year and had 467 yards and four TDs as a sophomore.

6. Chris Fields (6-0, 170, WR/CB, Painesville Harvey)Fields is a game breaker on offense that may be an even better corner-

back. He ran a 4.35 twice at an Akron camp as a freshman.

7. Storm Klein (6-3, 225, RB, Newark Licking Valley)Klein rushed for better than 1,000 yards as a freshman and as a sopho-

more. He clocked a 4.25-shuttle at Ohio State camp.

8. Ricky Harris (6-4, 280, OL, Westerville South)Harris has a chance to be at the top of this list. He is a big kid that really

moves well.

Youngstown Ursuline

junior-to-be

Darrell Mason

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Class of 2010 Top 20


Junior UpdateSTORY BY DUANE LONG

9. Mike Marrow (6-2, 230, LB/DE, New Albany)Marrow already has two Division I college offers.

He ran a 4.7 forty as an eighth grader. His dadplayed in the NFL.

10. Dante Marsch (6-0, 190, RB, Warren Howland)Marsch is a tremendously skilled runner.

11. Nate Cadogan (6-6, 235, DE, Portsmouth)Cadogen is the brother of Penn State offensive

lineman Gerald Cadogan and Portsmouth headcoach Curt Clifford thinks he could be just as special.

12. Sylvestry Gibbs (6-0, 170, RB, Austintown-Fitch)Gibbs has a great looking body and is explosive

with good vision.

13. C.J. Barnett (6-1, 175, CB, Clayton Northmont)Barnett continues in the line of outstanding defen-

sive backs coming out of the Northmont program.

14. Pat McShane (6-5, 285, OT, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit)McShane is athletic enough to play DE in high school but projects as an

OL in college.

15. Jack Dawson (6-2, 200, QB, North Lima South Range)Dawson has a good arm and is a great athlete. He will need to camp to

make a name for himself – as small school quarterbacks usually do.

16. Denicos Allen (6-0, 185, Ath, Hamilton)Allen clocked a 10.9 in the 100-meter as a freshman. He was all-league

as a freshman in football and has a 3.4 GPA. He is a great character kid.

17. Fitzgerald Toussiant (5-10, 175, RB, Youngstown Liberty)Toussiant Had 1,100 yards and 14 TDs as a sophomore. He ran a 10.7

in the 100 meters as a freshman. Size will determine how highly he isrecruited and reminds me a lot of Maurice Hall.

18. Adam Homan (6-3, 233, Ath, Coldwater)Homan is the younger of Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan. He looks

to get bigger than Ross and projects as a lineman.

19. Ricardo Duncan (6-2, 190, WR, Lima Senior)If Duncan times as well as he looks on film, he will be in the top 10 by

the time it matters.

20. Stephen Houston (5-11, 170, CB, West Chester Lakota West)I can’t remember the last time I heard head coach Larry Cox as excited

about a player’s potential at such a young age. Houston is only 15 yearsold right now and Cox calls him the best he has seen at this age.

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Dan Banna (5-11, 215, Ath, Canfield)Banna is simply a great football player but size will dictate at what level

he plays his college ball. He is the younger brother of former Canfield LBKyle now at Youngstown State.

Zack Burks (6-3, 175, Ath, Springfield South)Burks is a good looking receiver prospect with hands and good athleti-

cism. He will likely play QB this fall.

Cornelius Carradine (6-5, 215, DE, CincinnatiTaft)Carradine runs a 4.65 forty and is looking to run the

hurdles this year. Head coach Mike Martin reports 25sacks as a sophomore and said he should have had35.

Tyler Dummermuth (6-2, 190, WR, NewPhiladelphia)Dummermuth won a best receiver award at Ohio

State camp last year.

Chris Freeman (6-8, 285, OL, Trotwood-Madison)It seems Freeman has given up football but I am

leaving him on here in case he comes to his sensesand realizes he has a tackle’s body not a power for-ward’s. Last I heard he was at least listening.

Dan Fox (6-1, 205, DE/TE, Cleveland St.Ignatius)Fox is a high motor player with good edge speed. If

he fills out, he is going to be an even better prospect.

Dominique Goodwin (5-9, 180, RB/CB, Lakewood St. Edward)Goodwin could possibly the fastest player in the class.

Jacob Green (6-3, 225, LB, Cincinnati Wyoming)Green is looking like one of the more natural middle linebackers I have

seen at this early stage.

Desmar Jackson (6-3, 185, WR, Warren G. Harding)Jackson has the genes. The son of Omar Provitt could be better than

his father, who some consider is the best receiver to ever come out ofOhio. Jackson may be an even better basketball player and at this pointmay be leaning that way. He is top five in the class if he chooses foot-ball.

Jeremy Johnson (6-4, 300, OL, Springfield South)Johnson has a big body and is a hard worker in the weight room and in

the classroom.

Mark Mays (5-10, 170, CB, Clayton Northmont)Mays boasts a 4.37 forty, 31-inch vertical, 9-0 broad jump and 4.16

shuttle, which are numbers that can’t be ignored.

Joey Parris (6-1, 175, WR, Cleveland St. Ignatius)If he keeps growing, Parris will be a carbon copy of older brother Rob

(now playing at Notre Dame – only with better speed.

Dominic Rich (5-11, 185, DB, Canfield)Rich is a great looking athlete and is as tough as nails. He is an explo-

sive leaper and is good tackler.

Josh Richardson (6-4, 180, WR, Dublin Scioto)Richardson holds the school record holder in the high jump and is the

younger brother of Buckeye DE Jay Richardson.

Kevin Ringer (5-9, 205, RB, Clayton Northmont)Ringer is the nephew of former All-American and Michigan State RB

Javon Ringer. He was a starter as a sophomore for the T-Bolts. — OH

Youngstown Liberty’s

Fitzgerald Toussiant

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Sophomore Update

t is very early and infor-mation on the Class of2010 has come in slow-ly, but I think at this

early stage we have a fewthings to get excited about.Taylor Miller is a two-way

lineman from TrentonEdgewood that has alreadygotten the attention of OhioState. He was in attendanceat spring practice.Sophomores-to-be at springpractice are rare birds.The entire Cleveland area

is excited about Benedictineathlete Justin Jamison. It isnot a matter of how good hewill be. It is a matter of whichsport he will play in college. Iam betting on football rightnow for this three-sport star.We have not heard much

from Cleveland St. Ignatiusin recent years but the Classof 2010 is just loaded withtalent. Canton McKinley line-backer/defensive endJewone Snow is one of thoseplayers that does not need tobe pointed out as a topprospect. He leaps out atyou. He looks like a senior now.Here are a few of the sophomores-to-be that are gaining some

early attention:Taylor Miller 6-5 285 OL Trenton EdgewoodAlready an invitee to Ohio State games. Coach Steve Chanell has

quietly been building one of the better programs in Ohio. Here are theresults.Desmond McCown 6-2 220 DT/DE Springfield SouthI could not believe this kid was only a freshman when I saw his

tape. He is a defensive end now but will grown into a DT. Hard workerin the classroom as well as the weight room.Justin Jamison 6-6 ½ 195 ATH Cleveland BendictineRemember you saw the name here first. He is a three-sport star in

the making. DeAndre Harris 5-11 175 CB Youngstown UrsulineOne local coach could not say enough good things about this kid.

Jewone Snow 6-2 220 LB/DE Canton McKinleyHe has the bloodlines of a champion. He is related to both Percy

Snow and Eric Snow. Korey Ringer 5-10 170 RB Clayton NorthmontAlready drawing comparisons to his uncle Javon. Kevin Johnson 5-8 155 RB Cleveland St. IgnatiusThe fastest kid at Ignatius right now. He ran an electronically timed

10.9 as an eighth grader at a national meet. Someone that saw bothearly on says he is better than Ray Small at a similar stage of devel-opment. Mark Meyers 6-2 160 QB Cleveland St. IgnatiusBig arm, needs to work on consistency. St. Ignatius has three quar-

terbacks that could start anywhere else in the state. Nobody developsquarterbacks better than Chuck Kyle.Brandon Braxton 6-1 175 Ath Cleveland St. IgnatiusDad played in the NFL, versatile kid.Scott McVey 5-11 180 LB/SS Cleveland St. Ignatius Makes plays all over the field and sheds blocks very well. Size will

tell the tale in where he ends up.Kory Gillespie 5-9 175 Ath Cleveland St. IgnatiusSpeed to burn.Brandon Carrozini 6-2 182 WR/TE Cleveland St. IgnatiusMissed most of the season with a broken wrist but the talent is

there. Plays tight end right now.Patrick Nicely 6-3 200 QB Willoughby SouthStarter as a freshman at quarterback and a varsity baseball pitcher. Cameron Hilling 6-0 210 LB Peninsula Woodridge Dad played for Indiana

ALSO IN THE MIX...Brian Foster 6-2 200 LB Akron SVSM Brian Ausperk 6-7 280 OL Akron SVSMJessie Smatana 6-1 185 QB Cuy. Falls Walsh JesuitCameron Ontko 5-11 190 RB Cuy. Falls Walsh JesuitCurtis Watson 6-3 205 LB BellevueDavid Vaughan 6-4 220 OL Sheffield Brookside

I

STORY BY DUANE LONG

Benedictine

sophomore

Justin Jamison

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Al l -Star Footbal l Game Roundup

or the second year in a row, Ohio’s top two high school foot-ball all-star games were played simultaneously as the OhioNorth-South Classic and the Big 33 Football Classic wenthead to head June 16.The scheduling conflict first came about in 2006 as the

Big 33 -- played in Hershey, Pa., and traditionally a Julygame – moved up its date one month. The move was madeso that college-bound players who planned to enroll at their

colleges in mid-June could still be eligible to play in the game.But that moved the Big 33, which pits an Ohio team against a

Pennsylvania team, in direct conflict with the North-South game.As of press time, it was unclear what direction these two games

may take for 2008. But it was evident that a number of the top play-ers in both Ohio and Pennsylvania skipped the games due to variousreasons.In Ohio, none of the state’s

top four prospects from 2007(Cincinnati LaSalle’s BenMartin, Cincinnati Colerain’sEugene Clifford, Piqua’sBrandon Saine and CantonSouth’s Devon Torrence)played in either game.“I think (the Big 33) is solid,

but there are those variablesnow that we have to dealwith,” Big 33 executive directorMickey Minnich told thePittsburgh Post Gazette.“We’re hearing that the NCAAmight want to eliminate thesesummer all-star games. Thatcould be right around the cor-ner.“Supposedly, the NCAA is

going to want these gamesplayed in December andJanuary.”Meanwhile, the Ohio High

School Football CoachesAssociation selected threeteams – two for its North-South game and one for theBig 33 game – for both 2006and 2007. Without all of its topavailable players, Ohio lost toPennsylvania for the secondyear in a row in the Big 33.The Keystone state all-starstook a 28-10 win.The lack of star power on

the Ohio team has led someto believe the Big 33 will lookelsewhere for an opponent for its Pennsylvania all-stars.“Ohio is doing the best they can,” Minnich said. “They have their sponsors for the North-South game they have to

take care of. I know they’re trying to maybe move their North-Southgame to maybe (coincide with) the spring game at Ohio State (inApril).”It could be several months before both games set their course for

2008.Following we have recaps from both the Ohio North-South Classic

and the Big 33 Football Classic.

FPhoto by Gary Housteau

Grange Insurance MVPChris Givens(Chillicothe)

South Offensive MVPChris Smith (South Point)

South Defensive MVPJosh Copeland(Fairborn)

North Offensive MVPDan Noble (Elyria)

North Defensive MVPNate Oliver

(Lakewood St. Edward)

Moeller linebacker and Michigan State recruit Greg

Jones stuffs Aliiance quarterback and Colgate recruit

Charles Babb during the annual North-South game.

South Never Gives NorthA Chance In 50-7 RoutThe South all-stars jumped on the North for a 30-0 first-quarter

lead and cruised to an easy 50-7 win in the Ohio North-SouthClassic before 5,070 at Columbus Crew Stadium.Chillicothe’s Chris Givens, headed to Miami (Ohio), had touch-

down grabs of 29 and 27 yards in the first quarter for the South.Givens, named the game MVP, ended up with six catches for 123yards.“On the North side, you had some great athletes like Nate Oliver

and LeBron Daniel going to some big-time schools,” Givens said.“But all week, the South team was very loose. We were into eachother and got along with each other very well. I guess that was theoutcome of the game.”“My goal was just to go out there and help my team win. I don’t

get into, ‘Hey, he’s a big-time guy.’ We’re all big-time guys or wewouldn’t be here.”The South feasted on five North turnovers -- including three inter-

ception returns for touchdowns – in posting the most lopsided win inthe history of the series. The North ended up minus-4 in totaloffense net yards, including minus-95 in rushing.“It was our defense,” said South coach Kevin Fell of Wapakoneta.

“Chris Givens made those big plays early. Then we had three defen-sive touchdowns. Our offense went against that defense all week inpractice and we didn’t gain a yard. It’s frustrating, I am sure, whenyou’re trying to run an offense and you can’t do anything.”Centerville’s Tyler Replogle, an Indiana signee, had a 13-yard

interception return to give the South a 7-0 lead with 10:39 left in thefirst quarter.West Chester Lakota West’s Alex Kaufman, a Miami (Ohio)

signee, then sacked North quarterback Charles Babb of Alliance inthe end zone for a safety and a 9-0 lead with 8:17 left in the firstquarter.Middletown’s Skylar Jones, a Wake Forest recruit, then converted

a fourth-and-9 predicament with a flanker screen to Givens. Givenswent down the left sideline to complete a 29-yard touchdown to putthe South up 16-0 with 4:04 left in the first quarter. Jones ended up5 of 6 passing for 60 yards and a TD.Things went from bad from worse for the North as the South capi-

talized on a North fumble. That miscue led to South Point’s ChrisSmith tossing a 27-yard TD pass to Givens for a 23-0 lead with 52seconds left in the first quarter. Smith, who ended up 5 of 6 passingfor 111 yards and two touchdowns, will play college football atMarshall.Two plays later, Cincinnati Moeller’s Greg Jones, a Michigan

State signee, stepped in front of a pass from Fremont Ross’ RyanOttney. Jones returned the interception 17 yards for another Southtouchdown and a 30-0 lead with five seconds left in the first quarter.The North finally broke through midway through the third quarter

as Babb threw deep down the middle to Elyria’s Dan Noble. TheToledo-bound Noble caught the ball in traffic and carried defenderswith him into the end zone for the 47-yard touchdown that cut thelead to 30-7 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.But, just as the North found some momentum, the South came up

big again. Ottney was flushed and tried to fling the ball away. ButFairborn’s Josh Copeland notched his second interception.Copeland, a Buffalo signee, returned this one 26 yards for a touch-down and a 37-7 lead with 3:26 left in the third quarter.The South poured it on with two more touchdowns in the fourth

quarter. Smith hit Hilliard Davidson’s Bo Delande with a 27-yardtouchdown pass with 4:28 left. Delande plans to walk on at OhioState.“That was exciting to score a touchdown in a game like this,”

Delande said.Pickerington Central’s Jordan Jarell, headed to Central Michigan,

capped the scoring with a 70-yard TD run with 1:46 left.“It was definitely exciting,” said Ohio State-bound defensive back

Rocco Pentello of Westerville South. “Our front seven, they werejust dominant. All week we saw them in practice. We knew theywere going to come out and do that, but I didn’t know it would belike that.”The Ohio North-South Classic, sponsored by Grange Insurance,

was in its 62nd year. It is the nation’s longest continuously runninghigh school football all-star game. This eclipsed the North’s 32-0 winin 1982 as the most lopsided game in the history of the rivalry.Despite the defeat, the North maintains a 36-23-3 lead in the all-

time series. — OH


Al l -Star Footbal l Game Roundup

Pennsylvania CruisesTo 28-10 Win In Big 33 Game

ethlehem Liberty quarterback Dan Persa ran for two touch-downs and threw for another in leading the Pennsylvaniaall-stars to a 28-10 win over the Ohio squad in the Big 33Football Classic before 15,033 at Hersheypark Stadium.

Persa, a Northwestern recruit, was named as the game’s MVP.Pennsylvania took an 11-9 lead in the all-time Big 33 seriesagainst Ohio, including an 8-7 mark since the series was resumedin 1993.“I don’t think I can put it in words,” Persa said. “This was a sto-

rybook ending to my career. It helps that this game was on nation-al television (on the NFL Network). I have some steam built upgoing into college.”Ohio opened the scoring at the Big 33 as Lincoln’s Nate

Spadafore kicked a 34-yard field goal. Spadafore later misfired ona 45-yard attempt.Persa then led Pennsylvania on a six-play, 51-yard touchdown

drive which he capped with a 25-yard touchdown run to put hisside up 7-3.Ohio moved back in front when Dover’s Perci Garner hit

Wisconsin-bound wide receiver Kyle Jefferson of ClevelandGlenville with a 57-yard touchdown pass for a 10-7 lead. On theplay, Jefferson outleaped a defender at the Pennsylvania 35-yardline to catch the pass. He then outsprinted everybody to the endzone.“I’m just a receiver,” Jefferson said. “My job is to catch and get

away.”Jefferson finished with two catches for 92 yards. Teammate B.J.

Cunningham of Westerville South was named the Ohio MVP afterlogging four catches for 120 yards.Pennsylvania regained the lead for good late in the half. Persa

led his team down the field in the two-minute drill and capped itwith his 11-yard touchdown run for a 14-10 lead.Pennsylvania then capitalized on a muffed punt deep in Ohio

territory. Persa hit Penn State-bound Derek Moye for a 12-yardtouchdown and a 21-10 lead. Fullback Henry Hynoski, aPittsburgh recruit from Southern Columbia, capped the scoringwith his 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter. — OH

B

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN


Boys Basketbal l Update

or some high schoolers, summertime isthe time to kick back and relax. Maybethey have a summer job to earn someextra spending money.But Ohio’s top high school basketball

prospects are letting no moss grow under theirfeet.Most of the top prospects spend weekends

playing AAU basketball in tournaments all overthe country. But some of the top players alsoattend camps and even travel internationally toplay in special events. The frequent flyer milessome of these players have accumulated havebeen something to see.We have once again enlisted the help of Chris

Johnson, the Ohio editor forHoopScoopOnline.com, to assist in ranking thestate’s top boys basketball prospects. In thisissue, we will focus only on two classes. We willlook at the top 15 seniors-to-be in the 2008 classas well as the top 10 juniors-to-be in the 2009class. (We published a much more extensive listin the May edition and will do so again in anupcoming edition.)This roundup was written in mid-June, just

prior to LeBron James Nike Skills Academy setfor the University of Akron in early July. In termsof the Class of 2008, all of the state’s top nineplayers have now issued commitments. DaytonDunbar’s Josh Benson, moving up two spots toNo. 6 in these rankings, is the fastest riser.The big development in the Class of 2009 is

guard Desmar Jackson transferring from WarrenJFK to Division I power Warren Harding.Jackson also moves up one spot to No. 1 inthese new class rankings. For some of these players, we have the AAU

team these players are expected to play for thisspring and summer.The players are ranked by class by Johnson.

We also include the most recent national classrankings by ScoutHoops.com (SH) andHoopScoopOnline.com (HS).

Seniors-To-Be (Class of 2008)* 1. B.J. Mullens, 7-0, center, Canal

Winchester (SH, seventh nationally in juniorclass; HS, 25th) –Mullens averaged 26.4points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots agame as a junior. His scoring average was sec-ond only to Diebler’s among all Division II play-ers. He transferred to Canal Winchester afterplaying his first two varsity seasons at nearby

World Harvest Prep.He has been busy this summer playing in adi-

das Nation events. He also attended the NBAPlayers Association top 100 camp in June. Hehas also split time between two AAU programs --the Ohio Basketball Club and King of the Court. * 2. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (SH, fifth nationally injunior class; HS, fourth) – As a junior, Roeaveraged 22.0 points and eight rebounds agame in earning Division I All-Ohio honors. Hehelped guide the Eagles to a 25-1 mark and aberth in the state final four. Roe had 14 points inhis team’s state semifinal loss to CincinnatiMoeller. Roe ended the suspense in April, whenhe picked Michigan State over North Carolinaand a host of other schools.Roe plays for the King of the Court AAU team.* 3. William Buford, 6-5, wing forward,

Toledo Libbey (SH, 12th; HS, 21st) – Bufordverbaled to Ohio State in the fall, picking theBuckeyes over Michigan, Arizona, Louisville andMichigan State. He then had an amazing junioryear, averaging 28.4 points and 10 rebounds agame for Libbey.Buford has been one of the nation’s busiest

players. He is playing again with the D-OneGreyhounds AAU squad. He also traveled toItaly to play in a Reebok international event andalso attended the NBAPA top 100 camp.* 4. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power forward,

Cincinnati Withrow (SH, 28th; HS, 14th) –Gates averaged 19.4 points and eight reboundsa game in earning second-team All-Ohio honorsin Division I as a junior. He verbaled to Cincinnatiin April, picking the Bearcats over Georgetown,Indiana, Xavier, Michigan and others. Gatesplays AAU ball for the Ohio Basketball Club.* 5. Kenny Frease, 7-0, center, Massillon

Perry (SH, 32nd; HS, 79th) – Frease averaged15 points and 11 rebounds in an injury-plaguedjunior year. Still, he was a third-team All-Ohiopick in Division I.Frease verbaled to Xavier after receiving over-

tures from the likes of Kentucky, Notre Dameand Michigan. He joined Buford in Italy for theReebok international event. He plays AAU ballfor King of the Court.* 6. Josh Benson, 6-9, power forward,

Dayton Dunbar – Benson has already verbaledto hometown Dayton. He averaged 10.1 pointsper game in leading Dunbar to a 24-4 mark anda second straight Division I state title. Benson

had 16 points and 10 rebounds in Dunbar’s 87-85 title game win over Upper Sandusky. Heplays AAU ball with Dayton Metro.* 7. Chris Johnson, 6-5, wing forward,

Columbus Brookhaven – Johnson averaged24.4 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks pergame as a junior at Brookhaven. He was a sec-ond-team All-Ohio pick in Division I. Johnson,who plays AAU ball with All-Ohio Red, verbaledto Dayton.* 8. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing forward,

Garfield Heights –Wilson transferred in fromCleveland Rhodes. Plays for King of the Court.* 9. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Elder – Rudolph averaged 17.3points and 10.5 rebounds per game in earningSpecial Mention All-Ohio honors in Division I. Herepeated as the GCL South player of the year. InMarch, Rudolph issued a verbal commitment toplay football as a tight end at Notre Dame.* 10. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power forward,

Warren Harding –A number of MAC schools aswell as Xavier are in on Eargle. He plays AAUball for King of the Court.* 11. Devon Moore, 6-3, point guard,

Columbus Northland (HS, 81st) –Moore aver-aged 16.5 points per game as a junior. Moore,who plays AAU ball with Ohio Basketball Club, islooking at various Big Ten and MAC schools.* 12. Tom Pritchard, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward – Pritchard averaged13.0 points per game in helping the Eaglesadvance to the Division I state final four. Heplays AAU ball for King of the Court.* 13. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, point guard,

Chillicothe – Hitchens averaged 18.5 points pergame and earned second-team All-Ohio honorsin Division II as a junior. He averaged 17.4 ppgas a sophomore. He is getting looks fromWestern Kentucky as well as a host of MACschools. He plays for the Queen City Prophets.* 14. Walt Gibler, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati St. Xavier – Gibler averaged 15.6points and 7.3 rebounds per game as St. X went21-6 and advanced to the Division I state titlegame. He had 21 points in St. X’s title game lossto rival Cincinnati Moeller. Gibler averaged 14.9points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore.Gibler, who plays AAU ball for the D-One

Greyhounds, is hearing from Miami (Ohio), NotreDame and Bowling Green.* 15. Greg Avery, 6-4, shooting guard,

Newark

F


Boys Basketbal l Update

Juniors-To-Be (Class of 2009)* 1. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shooting guard,

Warren Harding (HS, 63rd) – Jackson was atwo-sport star in football and basketball atWarren JFK, but he may just pick one sport atmuch larger Warren Harding. He earned SpecialMention All-Ohio honors in Division III after aver-aging 20.2 points per game as a sophomore.Jackson plays AAU ball with King of the Court.Jackson attended the Nike Hoops Jamboree – atop underclassman event – in June.* 2. Danny McElroy, 6-7, power forward,

Cincinnati LaSalle (HS, 46th nationally insophomore class) – McElroy ended the sus-pense early and committed to new Cincinnaticoach Mick Cronin in mid-October. As a sopho-more, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.1rebounds per game. He averaged 8.0 pointsand 4.7 rebounds as a freshman. He plays AAUball for the Queen City Prophets.* 3. Reggie Keely, 6-6, power forward,

Bedford – Keely left Solon at midseason andtransferred to nearby Bedford. He ended upearning second-team all-district honors afteraveraging 16.3 points per game. He plays AAUball for the D-One Greyhounds.* 4. Bill Edwards, 6-5, forward, Middletown

(HS, 56th) – Edwards averaged 13.0 points pergame as a sophomore. Edwards, who playsAAU ball for the Nike Ohio Force, averaged 11.4points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a fresh-man. Edwards joined Jackson at the NikeHoops Jamboreee event.* 5. Mario Hines, 6-8, power forward,

Garfield Heights (HS, 80th) – Hines plays AAUball for the Ohio Basketball Club.* 6. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power for-

ward, Loveland – Capobianco averaged 19.5points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a sopho-more at Loveland. He plays AAU ball withIndiana Elite.* 7. Randal Holt, 5-11, point guard, Bedford

– Holt was a second-team all-district pick afteraveraging 20.4 points as a sophomore.* 8. Carl Jones, 5-7, point guard, Garfield

Heights – Jones was a third-team all-districtpick after averaging 18.7 points as a sopho-more.* 9. Matt Kavanaugh, 6-9, center,

Centerville* 10. Darren Goodson, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Aiken* One To Watch – According to Chris

Johnson, 6-7 forward Marquis Horne has report-edly enrolled at Cincinnati Princeton. Horne is amove-in from Marietta, Ga. “Horne is a big-time player,” Johnson said.

“He is very athletic. He figures to be a top-10player – if not a top-five player – in this classonce he establishes himself in Ohio.” — OH

For more updates on Ohio’s top prospectsand those nationally, check out Chris Johnson’s

Dunbar senior-to-be Josh Benson

blossomed during the Wolverines run to

their second straight D-II state title.



Ohio H igh Winter Spor ts Awards

Wrestling

Bowling

Swimming

Basketball

Hockey

Boys Basketball Upper Sandusky senior Jon Diebler andthe 2006-07 U.S. basketball team Wrestling West Holmes senior Colt Sponseller flanked by head

coach Jeff Woods (left) and assistant coach Greg Woods.

Swimming Westerville Central senior Austin Staab with his fatherand coach Ron Staab. Ice Hockey Findlay senior Jerrod Hartman flanked by his father

Matt Hartman (left) and coach Dan St. Jean.

Photo by Eric Frantz



Photo by Steve Helwagen


Ohio H igh Winter Spor ts Awards

Cincinnati LaSalle senior Evan Kling.Boys Bowling River View senior

Kristin Daughertywith her mother and coach Caroline Daugherty.Girls Basketball

Centerville junior Kristen Keenan.Girls Bowling

Cin. Mount Notre Dame coach Dante Harlan.Girls Basketball Coach

North College Hill coach Jamie Mahaffey.Boys Basketball Coach

Cincinnati Anderson senior Anita Beck.Girls Swimming

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Prsrt Std., US Postage Paid, Permit #375Dayton, OH

Ohio High July 2007

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Transcript of Ohio High July 2007