ohio high september 2006

Editor in ChiefLee Schear

Printing/Design

Miami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)Eric Frantz/Nick Falzerano

PhotographyGary Housteau, Nick Falzerano,

Stephanie Porter

ContributorsPaul Boggs, Larry Phillips,

Eric Frantz

Staff WritersDave Biddle, Gary Housteau,Kirk Larrabee, Kyle Lamb

Assistant EditorMatt Natali

Recruiting EditorDuane Long

Managing EditorSteve Helwagen

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Letters to Editor

Welcome to the 14th edition of Ohio Highmagazine!Like you, we are excited that a new school year is upon us and it is time (finally) for high school

football.In the last edition, we announced some changes are in the offing for Ohio Highmagazine.We

began a newworking relationship withMiami Valley SportsMagazine (MVP) where theywill designand print themagazine.We felt the first issuewithMVP, our Football Preview dated July 2006, was astrong first effort andwe look forward to workingwith them in the future.We feel these changeswill allow us to tighten our deadlines and providemuchmore timely cover-

age of high school athletics and recruiting. In years past, we have had to wait several weeks to coverstate football or basketball tournaments. This new arrangement should allow us to have amuchquicker turnaround. The recruiting information should also bemuchmore up-to-date.Our new partnership will also assist us in newsstand distribution of themagazine. That has been

nonexistent over the last year or so.We have also secured a distribution deal withMeijer stores.Wehope to have ourmagazines prominently displayed in their stores by the end of the year.We are back here with our September 2006 issue. This issuemarks the return of Duane Long’s

top 100 list of prospects for the football Class of 2007. Duane introduced the 2007 top 100 in theMayissue. Now, after the completion of the summer combine and camp circuit, he has had a chance toupdate and revise the list. It will be revised one last time for the January 2007 issue, due out inmid-December.Duane spends literally hundreds of hours between updates watching videotape and talking with

coaches and players in an effort to bring you themost accurate and up-to-date information aboutthese players. His updated top 100 for this issue begins on page 19. It is also notable howmanyphotos of those top 100 players we are able to provide. Staff contributorsGary Housteau andNickFalzerano keep busy going all over the state to track down the top teams and players and you seetheir work here aswell.Of course, Duane also keeps an eye on the prospects in the lower classes aswell. In this issue,

he provides updates on the key players in the junior and sophomore classes aswell. Look for thoseroundups beginning on page 43.In terms of football coverage, we also have a profile fromGary onClevelandGlenville’s Jermale

Hines (page 40) and a look at the up-and-coming program at Trotwood-Madison byMatt Natali(page 48).We also have a preview of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USAChallenge (page 14) and aroundup of theOhio North-South Classic and the Big 33 Football Classic as well (page 52). I alsointerview longtimeCleveland St. Ignatius coachChuck Kyle and discuss his program that haswon arecord nine state titles (page 8).The new school year is starting, but we also have some articles looking back at the 2005-06 year.

We present theOhio HighCup to the school that scored themost points by placing teams in the topfour at OHSAAstate championship events. Cincinnati St. Xavier, being an all-boys school, buckedthe odds to win this year’s competition. Check out the final Ohio HighCup standings on pages 6-7.Also, we are proud to present our Ohio HighCoach of theYear award toYoungstownUrsuline’s

SeanDurkin, who led his school’s girls basketball and baseball teams to the state championshipgame in 2005-06. That story is on pages 4-5.And there ismuchmore aswe update the boys basketball recruiting rankings after the summer

AAUand camp season (page 58) and a profile onTrotwood-Madison’s ChrisWright, who hasalready committed to play college basketball at Dayton (page 56).Plus, we have the inspirational story of DaytonColonelWhite’s BobbyMartin and he recent ESPY

award for BestMaleAthleteWithADisability (page 63).One exciting aspect about Ohio High is the fact we are able to “bundle” it with subscriptions to our

popular JJHuddle.comweb site.The best deal on the board is purchasing a one-year premium subscription to the JJHuddle.com

web site for $59.95. That subscription comeswith a free one-year subscription toOhio High.However, for a limited time, we are allowing new subscribers to purchase one-year (six-issue) sub-

scriptions for just themagazine for the old five-issue price of $29.95.All told, that one-year subscription for the package of JJHuddle.comandOhio Highmagazine rep-

resents a savings over the course of a year of over $50 from themonthly JJHuddle.com subscriptioncharge ($6.95 permonth) and a separate charge for Ohio High.Nobody has ever attempted to produce amagazine that contains coverage of Ohio high school

athletics and recruiting.We’re pretty proud of how thismagazine has grown over the past couple ofyears andwe look forward to the year ahead.Going forward, here are general topics that will be covered in each edition of Ohio High:* November (Due outOct. 15) –Our football playoff preview, boys and girls basketball preview,

wrestling preview.* January (Due out Dec. 15) – Fall sports recap including the football playoffs, updating the full

top 100 senior football prospects, update on basketball recruit rankings.* March (Due out Feb. 15) –Basketball andwrestling tournament previews.* May (Due outApril 15) – Football signing day recap, basketball andwrestling tournament

recaps, new top 100 for the seniors-to-be unveiled.* July (Due out June 15) – Football preview issue, spring sports recap.Check JJHuddle.com every day for previews and daily coverage of Ohio high school athletics.For subscription information, check the Internet at www.jjhuddle.comor www.bucknuts.comThanks again for your patronage of Ohio Highmagazine!

SteveHelwagenManagingEditorOhioHigh

Ohio High Magazine is published bi-monthly, six times ayear. Ohio High is an independent source of news and fea-tures relating to Ohio high school sports. Ohio High strivesto report information based on fact, but assumes noresposability for any inaccuracies that may appear withinthe pages. Ohio High is not authorized, sponsored or sanc-tioned by any university, athletic conference or athletic gov-erning body.Subscriptions are available for $29.95 andmay be purchasedonline at jjhuddle.com.Single copy price is $6.95 each.Copyright 2006, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVERPHOTOS:GaryHousteau

c

Youngstown Ursuline’s Sean DurkinOhioHigh2005-06Coachof theYear4

JJHUD

DLE

.COM

Cincinnati St. Xavier wins Cup; Dublin Jerome finishes secondOhio High Cup final standings6

Chuck Kyle presides over St. Ignatius football programCleveland St. Ignatius8

OHIO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTES44

Ohio’s junior class starting to come into its ownDuane Long’s Top Juniors

Licking Valley’s Storm Klein looking for second 1,000-yard seasonDuane Long’s Top Sophomores50

Coach Maurice Douglass instills valuable football, life lessonsTrotwood-Madison Football52

FOOTBALLALL-STAR GAMES ROUND-UP56

NELSONVILLE-YORK’S JAY EDWARDS42

BOYS BASKETBALL ROUND-UP62

Trotwood-Madison senior impressive during summer tourChris Wright60

42

66

40

19

Ohio’s best put to the test in the Herbstreit ChallengeHerbstreit Challenge14

Talent doesn’t end with the Top 100 in class of 2007Duane Long’s Top 100 Seniors19

Two-way standout leads Glenville in 2006Jermale Hines40

46

Colonel White football player wins prestigous ESPYAwardBobby Martin66

Also...

J JHUDDLE .COM4 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

2005-06 Coach of the Year

t is safe to assume itʼs every high school coachʼs dream tohave just one chance to play for a state title at some pointduring his or her career.

Well, Sean Durkin of Youngstown Ursuline had thatchance twice last school year alone, taking both his girlsbasketball and baseball team to the state championship

game. And for that, he is recognized by Ohio High magazineas the 2005-06 Coach of The Year.

“Itʼs a heck of honor,” Durkin said. “It certainly is a credit tomy kids and all that theyʼve accomplished this year but it cer-tainly is nice to be recognized from a magazine of that level.So Iʼm very happy about it.”

Although neither of Durkinʼs teams earned a state title thistime around (his girls lost to Jonathan Alder, 55-49, and hisboys lost to Marion Pleasant, 2-1) it certainly didnʼt lessen theaccomplishment of either team getting there.

“It certainly would have been nice to win them both or evenone of them,” Durkin said. “But any time you get the opportuni-ty to bring kids to Columbus for that kind of a venue, itʼs agreat accomplishment and itʼs something that my kids shouldbe very proud of – and they are.

“Although it does diminish it a little bit that we werenʼt able tocome away with a championship, itʼs still an experience thatthese kids will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Durkin, an Ursuline alumnus who is no stranger to the statetournament as either a player or coach, certainly knows fromthat which he speaks.

“I was a member of the 1988 state baseball championshipteam here at Ursuline and overall in baseball, this past seasonwas our schoolʼs fourth time getting down there,” he said. “Wewon the state championship in 2000 and we were the runner-up in ʻ01 and of course last year as well. And in basketballweʼve been there twice. In 2004, we won the Division III statechampionship and this past season we were the runner-up.”

Winning state championships or even just competing for asmany as Durkin has is almost beyond the realm of comprehen-sion for him.

“Certainly when you start coaching itʼs always a dream topossibly win a state championship. Weʼve been a little spoiledhere at Ursuline and Iʼve been too,” Durkin said. “Iʼm surethere will come a time and Iʼll look back very favorably at it, butas of right now weʼre just going to try to keep plugging alongand keep our programs going in the right direction. But yeah, Iguess there will be a day when I look back at it and Iʼm cer-tainly going to remember it fondly.”

For Durkin, his accomplishments are even more special con-sidering he has achieved them at his alma mater.

“Thereʼs no doubt about it and it certainly makes me feelgood to give back something to a school that I think has givenme so much,” Durkin said. “Iʼm sure what Iʼve done would begreat at other places as well, but it certainly has a place inyour heart when itʼs your alma mater.”

Durkin has been in coaching since he was 20 years of agein the parochial leagues in Youngstown as a boys coach in theseventh and eighth grades. Not long after that he got involvedwith coaching baseball as an assistant at Chaney High Schooland that led to him getting the baseball job at Ursuline. ThenDurkin assumed the double-duty of being an assistant boysbasketball coach at Ursuline before the job as the head coachof the girls basketball team came open.

ITwo state final trips earns Youngstown Ursuline’sSean Durkin Ohio High Coach of the Year honors

STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

Two-Sport Star

Sean Durkin took both the Ursulinegirls basketball and boys baseballteams to state finals in 2006.

PhotobyGaryHousteau

J JHUDDLE .COM 5JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

2005-06 Coach of the Year

“To be honest with you, it took a little prodding to get me tocome over to the girls side, but obviously Iʼm real happy that Idid do it,” said Durkin, 36, who initially went to college at OhioState for a year before he came back home to Youngstown topursue his teaching certificate. “It couldnʼt have worked outany better.”

The wonderful memories over his coaching career havebeen plentiful to say the least and this year certainly added tothat collection.

“There have certainly been a lot of them. Winning both statechampionships certainly are memories that Iʼll forever holddear to my heart,” Durkin said. “But this past baseball seasonwe really went further than we ever thought we were going to.We were very young and itʼs always nice to bring a group ofkids to Columbus who have never had that kind of experienceand that was something that we got to do this year. And thatʼssomething that my coaching staff and I are going to rank prettyhigh.

“And we had a great time with our girls team this year, aswell. Obviously we had Tyra Grant who ended up being Ms.Basketball, but it takes special kids to be able to blend with aplayer of that level too. They allowed her to be herself and tobe our primary scorer and have the ball in her hands most ofthe time. The other kids really accepted their roles and thatʼsthe reason we were able to gel. If they didnʼt accept thoseroles, then we certainly wouldnʼt have gotten to where wewere.”

And speaking of Grant, who averaged just over 30 pointsand almost 11 rebounds a game this past season, not everycoach has the privilege of coaching their stateʼs Ms. Basketballlike Durkin had this past year.

“It was a wonderful four years with Tyra,” said Durkin ofGrant, who will continue her career on the hardwood at PennState University. “To have a kid with that kind of passion on thebasketball floor was just a joy to coach and she certainlybrought our program a lot of success. And she made me a bet-ter coach. Her award was well deserved. She was the bestplayer in the state of Ohio and Iʼm sure that sheʼll be a greatsuccess at the next level.”

But with all of those great memories from both sports andthe state championships aside, thereʼs an intrinsic value tocoaching thatʼs very special to Durkin that doesnʼt show up inthe win-loss columns.

“Itʼs the relationships that youʼre able to forge with the kids,”Durkin said. “I see a lot of the kids that I coached in the pastand I have great relationships with them now. I think that theyremember their time here and look back upon it fondly, at leastI hope that they do. And with some of them Iʼve actuallybecome closer with since theyʼve graduated. So itʼs a great joyto watch the kids go on and have success in their lives andgain those great memories that they do.”

But through it all, Durkin, because of his success in bothsports, has now set the coaching bar so high for himself thatnothing short of getting to the state tournament every year canalmost be deemed a disappointment.

“We kind of look at it like every team is going to be differentand you canʼt look at who you were,” Durkin said. “Every team

is a completely new team and you hope each team evolves inthe way that theyʼre capable of evolving. And thatʼs somethingthat I think has been a big part of our success. We try to tellour kids to look forward, that weʼre not the same team, thatweʼre a completely different team in both sports so we have tofind our own identity and hopefully we will mature at the righttime of the year.”

The baseball team has a real good chance of getting back toColumbus this next school year but it could be a different storyfor the girls hoop team.

“We only had four seniors out of our 18 kids so we have alot of talent coming back,” Durkin said. “But basketball is goingto be a little different. Whenever you lose a player of Tyraʼsability youʼre going to have to kind of refocus a little bit. Youʼrecertainly not going to replace her so youʼre going to have tochange the way that you play as a team. And weʼre reallyexcited about it. Itʼs going to be a fun and the girls are excitedabout it. We just hope that weʼre playing our best ball at tour-nament time.”

That has become the trademark of a Sean Durkin-coachedteam. — OH

Durkin coached Ohio Highgirls basketball player of theyear Tyra Grant last season.

PhotobyGaryHousteau

Other coaches considered forthe 2005-06 Ohio High Coach

of the Year award include Canton McKinley boys basketballcoach Dave Hoover, Cincinnati St. Xavier football coach SteveSpecht, Steubenville football coach Reno Saccoccia, Coldwaterfootball coach John Reed, Hamler Patrick Henry football coachBill Inselmann, Lakewood St. Edward wrestling coach GregUrbas, Warsaw River View girls basketball coach CarolineDaugherty, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame girls basketball coachScott Rogers, North College Hill boys basketball coach JamieMahaffey and Dayton Dunbar boys basketball coach PeterPullen.

Also Considered

In 2003-04, Versailles foot-ball coachAl Hetrick won

the first Ohio High Coach of the Year award. Last year,Lakewood baseball coach Don Thorp won the award.

Previous Winners


2005-06 Ohio High Cup

he limitation of being strictly an all boys school did not stopCincinnati St. Xavier fromwinning the 2005-06Ohio High Cup.For the third consecutive year, Ohio Highmagazine pres-

ents the Ohio High Cup to the school that scores themostpoints in Ohio High SchoolAthleticAssociation-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 championships.Schools that win a state title are awarded five points. Runner-up

teams receive three points, third-place teams get two points and fourth-place teams get one point. In sports where state semifinal teams tie forthird, they each receive 1 point.Versailles captured the first Ohio High Cup in 2003-04. Last year,

Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit claimed the cup.With this issue of Ohio High, we have added in the points for the

spring championships in baseball, softball and boys and girls track.St. Xavier had 10 points after the fall season and added fivemore

with a boys swimming state championship.As a boys-only school withan enrollment of 1,111, St. Xavier – and all single-gender schools – is atsomewhat of a disadvantage in the Ohio High Cup competition.Dublin Jerome finished second with 11 points. Dublin Jerome cap-

tured state championships in girls golf and Division I boys golf.Salem and Strongsville finished tied for third with 10 points. Salem

won boys and girls Division II state championships in cross country.Strongsville made the biggest jump in the spring. Its state title in base-ball helped Strongsville tie Salem for third. Strongsville also won a girlssoccer state title in the fall.UpperArlington, the Division I girls swimming champ, finished fifth at

9 points.

CHAMPION: Cincinnati St. Xavier

T

* Golf – Division II and III boys, Oct. 14-15; Division I boys and girls, Oct. 21-22; Scarlet and Gray courses, Ohio State University, Columbus.* Girls Tennis – Oct. 28-29, Stickney Tennis Center, Ohio State University.* Field Hockey – Nov. 4-5, UpperArlington High School.* Boys and Girls Cross Country – Nov. 5, Scioto Downs, Columbus.* Boys and Girls Soccer – Nov. 8-12, Columbus Crew Stadium.* Girls Volleyball – Nov. 10-12, Nutter Center, Wright State Univ., Fairborn.* Football – Dec. 2-3, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon, and FawcettStadium, Canton.

Despite being an all boysschool, Cincinnati St. Xavierwins third annual Ohio High Cup

Photo by Gary Housteau

Bombers fly highSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

St. Xavier wonstate titles in D-Ifootball and boysswimming. TheBombers werethird in golf.

OHSAA Fall State Championships


2005-06 Ohio High Cup

Here is a complete look at the final Ohio High Cup standings for 2005-06:15 – Cincinnati St. Xavier (boys golf Division I third, boys D-I soccer runner-up,

D-I football champions, boys swimming champions)11 – Dublin Jerome (girls golf champions, boys D-I golf champions, boys D-I

soccer semifinalist)10 – Salem (boys D-II cross country champions, girls D-II cross country cham-

pions), Strongsville (girls D-I soccer champions, D-I baseball champions).9 – Upper Arlington (boys golf D-I runner-up, hockey semifinalist, girls D-I

swimming champions)8 – Bexley (boys golf D-II third, boys D-II soccer champions, girls D-II soccer

semifinalist), Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (girls D-III volleyball champions,boys D-III basketball runner-up), Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (girls D-II volleyballrunner-up, D-II baseball champions), North Canton Hoover (boys D-I cross coun-try runner-up, D-I softball champions).7 – Cincinnati St. Ursula (girls golf runner-up, girls D-I soccer runner-up, girls

D-I gymnastics fourth), Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (girls D-III cross countrythird, girls D-III track champions).6 –Akron Buchtel (D-III football semifinalist), Anna (girls D-III volleyball semifi-

nalist, boys D-II track champions), Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (boys D-II crosscountry runner-up, boys D-II basketball semifinalist, D-II wrestling third),Brecksville-Broadview Heights (boys D-I soccer semifinalist, gymnastics champi-ons), Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (girls D-I volleyball semifinalist, girls D-I bas-ketball champions), Hamler Patrick Henry (D-V football champions, girls D-IV bas-ketball semifinalist), Lakewood St. Edward (D-I football semifinalist, D-I wrestlingchampions), Warsaw River View (girls D-II volleyball semifinalist, girls D-II basket-ball champions)6 – Findlay Liberty-Benton (girls D-III cross country third, boys D-III track run-

ner-up), Mantua Crestwood (girls D-II track champions, girls D-II cross countryfourth), Minster (boys golf D-III fourth, girls D-III cross country champions),Trotwood-Madison (boys D-I basketball runner-up, boys D-I track runner-up),Youngstown Mooney (boys D-III soccer runner-up, D-IV football runner-up),Youngstown Ursuline (girls D-III runner-up, D-III baseball runner-up).5 – Columbus DeSales (D-III football runner-up, boys D-II semifinalist, gymnas-

tics fourth), Berlin Hiland (girls D-IV basketball champions), Bowling Green (girlsD-I cross country champions), Canton McKinley (boys D-I basketball champions),Carroll Bloom-Carroll (D-III softball champions), Cincinnati LaSalle (boys D-I crosscountry champions), Cincinnati North College Hill (boys D-III basketball champi-ons), Cincinnati Roger Bacon (girls D-II volleyball champions), Cincinnati Seton(girls D-I volleyball champions), Cleveland Glenville (boys D-I track champions),Cleveland Collinwood (girls D-I track champions), Cleveland St. Ignatius (boys D-Isoccer champions), Coldwater (D-IV football champions), Columbus EastmoorAcademy (boys D-II track runner-up, girls D-II track third), Columbus Watterson(field hockey champions), Cortland Maplewood (boys D-III cross country champi-ons), Dalton (D-IV softball champions), Dayton Dunbar (boys D-II basketballchampions), Delphos St. John’s (D-VI football champions), Gates Mills Hawken(girls D-II swimming champions), Hamilton Badin (girls D-II soccer champions),Jamestown Greeneview (boys D-III soccer champions), LaGrange Keystone (D-IIsoftball champions), Lima Bath (boys golf D-II champions), Lima Central Catholic(boys golf D-III champions), Marion Pleasant (D-III baseball champions), NewarkCatholic (D-IV baseball champions), Parma Padua Franciscan (hockey champi-ons), Plain City Jonathan Alder (girls D-III basketball champions), Sandusky St.Mary Central Catholic (D-III wrestling champions), Sidney Lehman (girls D-IV vol-leyball champions), South Webster (boys D-IV basketball champions), St. ParisGraham (D-II wrestling champions), Steubenville (D-III football champions),Toledo Central Catholic (D-II football champions), Waynesfield Goshen (boys D-IIItrack champions).4 – Bay Village Bay (boys D-II soccer runner-up, girls D-II soccer semifinalist),

Mason (girls D-I cross country third, girls D-I track tied for second), NewarkCatholic (girls D-IV volleyball runner-up, D-VI football semifinalist), Old Fort (boysD-III cross country runner-up, girls D-IV volleyball semifinalist), Centerville (girlsgolf third, girls D-I swimming third), Kettering Alter (boys D-II cross country fourth,girls D-II cross country second), Middletown (boys D-I cross country third, boys D-I track third).3 – Bedford Chanel (D-III wrestling third, girls D-III track fourth), Bellaire St.

John Central (girls D-III track runner-up), Canfield (D-II football runner-up),Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (D-II baseball runner-up), Cincinnati Hills

Christian Academy (D-V football runner-up), Cincinnati Indian Hill (girls D-II swim-ming runner-up), Cincinnati Moeller (boys D-I golf fourth, D-I wrestling third),Cincinnati Ursuline Academy (girls D-I swimming runner-up), Cincinnati Wyoming(boys golf D-II runner-up), Circleville (D-II softball runner-up), Columbus Grove(boys D-IV basketball runner-up), Columbus St. Charles (boys swimming runner-up), Dayton Carroll (boys D-II soccer semifinalist, D-II football semifinalist),Doylestown Chippewa (girls D-II soccer runner-up), East Canton (girls D-IV bas-ketball runner-up), Elyria (D-I softball runner-up), Gallipolis Gallia Academy (girlsD-II track runner-up), Kettering Fairmont (field hockey runner-up), Lewis CenterOlentangy (D-I baseball runner-up), Massillon Jackson (girls D-I cross countryrunner-up), Massillon Perry (D-I wrestling runner-up), Massillon Washington (D-Ifootball runner-up), Medina (gymnastics runner-up), Mentor Lake Catholic (girls D-II basketball runner-up), North Lewisburg Triad (D-IV softball runner-up),Pemberville Eastwood (D-II wrestling runner-up), Rockford Parkway (girls D-IIIvolleyball runner-up), Solon (girls D-I basketball runner-up), Steubenville CatholicCentral (D-VI football runner-up), Sylvania Northview (hockey runner-up), TippCity Bethel (D-IV baseball runner-up), Toledo St. Ursula Academy (girls D-I volley-ball runner-up), Troy Christian (D-III wrestling runner-up), Warren Champion (D-IIIsoftball runner-up), Windham (boys D-IV basketball semifinalist, D-IV baseballsemifinalist), Wooster Triway (boys D-II runner-up), Zanesville Rosecrans (boysgolf D-III runner-up)2 – Clyde (D-III football semifinalist, D-II wrestling fourth), Euclid (girls D-I track

tied for second), Akron Firestone (boys swimming third), Bluffton (boys D-III trackthird), Chagrin Falls (girls D-II cross country third), Cincinnati Seven Hills UpperSchool (boys golf D-III third), Collins Western Reserve (girls D-III track third),Peninsula Woodridge (boys D-II cross country third), Rocky River Magnificat(gymnastics third), Sandusky Perkins (girls D-II swimming third), Toledo Christian(boys D-III cross country third).1 –Archbold (boys D-III basketball semifinalist), Ashtabula Edgewood (D-II soft-

ball semifinalist), Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (D-VI football semifinalist), Bellaire(D-IV football semifinalist), Bellefontaine (D-II baseball semifinalist), Brookville (D-III softball semifinalist), Canton Central Catholic (D-III baseball semifinalist),Castalia Margaretta (girls D-III basketball semifinalist), Centerburg (D-V footballsemifinalist), Convoy Crestview (D-IV softball semifinalist), Copley (girls D-II bas-ketball semifinalist), Crestline (D-IV softball semifinalist), Cuyahoga Falls ChristianAcademy (boys D-II soccer semifinalist), Dublin Coffman (girls D-I soccer semifi-nalist), Fort Loramie (girls D-IV basketball semifinalist).1 – Genoa Area (D-III softball semifinalist), Green (girls D-I soccer semifinalist),

Hamilton (D-I softball semifinalist), Hilliard Davidson (D-I football semifinalist),Hunting Valley University School (hockey semifinalist), Kalida (D-IV baseball semi-finalist), Kidron Central Christian (boys D-III soccer semifinalist), Lancaster (boysD-I basketball semifinalist), Lockland (boys D-IV basketball semifinalist),Miamisburg (D-I baseball semifinalist), Mogadore Field (boys D-II track tied forthird), Monroe Lemon-Monroe (D-IV football semifinalist), Morrow Little Miami(girls D-II basketball semifinalist), North Lima South Range (D-V football semifinal-ist), Norwalk St. Paul (girls D-IV volleyball semifinalist), Pataskala WatkinsMemorial (D-II baseball semifinalist), Pickerington Central (girls D-I basketballsemifinalist), Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (field hockey semifinalist), SpartaHighland (D-III baseball semifinalist), Sunbury Big Walnut (girls D-II volleyballsemifinalist), Sugarcreek Garaway (girls D-III basketball semifinalist), Tallmadge(D-II football semifinalist), Thomas Worthington (field hockey semifinalist), TippCity Tippecanoe (boys D-II track tied for third), Toledo St. John’s (boys D-I basket-ball semifinalist), Twinsburg (D-I baseball semifinalist), Wadsworth (girls D-I bas-ketball semifinalist), West Chester Lakota West (D-I softball semifinalist),Wheelersburg (boys D-III basketball semifinalist), Williamsport Westfall (girls D-IIIvolleyball semifinalist), Wooster (girls D-I volleyball semifinalist), WorthingtonChristian (boys D-III soccer semifinalist).1 – Arlington (boys D-III track fourth), Beachwood (D-III wrestling fourth),

Burton Berkshire (boys golf D-II fourth), Cincinnati Colerain (girls D-I cross countryfourth), Cincinnati Mariemont (girls D-II swimming fourth), Cleveland JFK (boys D-I track fourth), Clyde (D-II wrestling fourth), Columbus School For Girls (girls D-IItrack fourth), Copley (girls golf fourth), Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (girlsD-III cross country fourth), Haviland Wayne Trace (boys D-III cross countryfourth), Mount Vernon (D-I wrestling fourth), Shaker Heights (girls D-I track fourth),Toledo St. Francis (boys D-I cross country fourth), Westerville North (boys swim-ming fourth).

Ohio High Cup Standings


Cleveland St . Ignat ius

Q&A

Chuck Kyle presides over Cleveland St. Ignatiusprogram, which boasts record nine state titles

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

he year was 1886 and a group of German Jesuit priests relocated down the coast ofLake Erie from Buffalo, N.Y., to Cleveland.They came to Ohio to establish a Catholic school of higher learning. Cleveland St.

Ignatius was born on Lorain Avenue and there – about a mile west of the presentlocation of Jacobs Field – is where it has remained for over a century.Through the years, St. Ignatius was known as a high school football powerhouse. It

competed for various city league championships. But the all-boys school with an enroll-ment of 1,350 became a statewide and national force in the late 1980s after alumChuck Kyle took the helm. It has stood as an independent since 1979.Prior to Kyle’s arrival in 1983, the school had just two unbeaten and untied seasons.

With him in charge, the school can claim five unbeaten and untied seasons to go with anunprecedented nine state playoff championships and three mythical national prep titles.The Wildcats also finished as the state runner-up in 1996.Kyle boasts a remarkable 234-49-1 mark (.826) in 23 seasons as the St. Ignatius head

coach. He is set to begin his 35th year on the staff at his alma mater.

T

During his tenure, St. Ignatiusput together winning streaks of 39straight games (1987-90) and 37(1991-94). The school boasts anamazing string of 18 straight play-off berths.The school has produced awho’s who of talent, includingnames like Joe Pickens, EricGohlstin, Dan O’Leary, JasonBrooks, LeCharles Bentley, MikeRagone, Joe Gonzalez, AnthonyGonzalez, Pat Massey, MikeMassey, John Kerr, Bryan Hoyer,John Ryan, Rob Parris and manyothers who have gone on to col-

lege and/or professional careers.The longest losing streaks havebeen a pair of three-gamedroughts – including one theWildcats endured to cap an unsat-isfying 5-5 season in 2005. Thesidebar on page 13 shows all ofSt. Ignatius’ state championshipgame wins under Kyle. But theschool’s current four-year droughtis its longest since it won its firststate title in 1988.In addition to his duties as thehead football coach, Kyle is also afull-time English teacher and alsoserves as the head track coach.

His track teams have claimed onestate title, eight regional titles and23 district titles.We had a chance recently to sitdown with Coach Kyle and dis-cuss his background as well ashow the St. Ignatius dynasty wasbuilt.

Ohio High: You must take greatpride in what has been built here at youralma mater. Talk about what this hasmeant to you.Chuck Kyle: “I went to school here.

I was the youngest of four boys whowent through here. In a lot of ways, it’s



been a part of my life for a long time. It’sa great place to teach. I teach English. Iam a full-time English teacher.“It’s a great place to coach. The kids

have goals. They have a good workethic. They realize that, in all honesty,you’re going to have two and a half tothree hours of homework. You’re goingto work out hard and, in a way, that typeof work ethic certainly helps out in a lotof ways on the football field and in theoff-season. It’s been very good for meand very good for my family. I thinkwe’ve done some good things here atthe school.”OH: How did you come to end up

back at St. Ignatius on the staff?Kyle: “I played there for a few years

and I went on to John Carroll. I injuredmy shoulder. As a senior at JohnCarroll, I started coaching as an assis-tant here. I graduated the followingspring and there was an English open-ing here, and I’ve been here ever since.”OH: At some places, the football

coach has little or no teaching responsi-bility. Talk about the challenge of teach-ing a full course load and also being ahead coach at a program like this.

Kyle: “There is a double-edgedsword there. I do enjoy teaching, but Iknow that being a full-time Englishteacher there are only small pockets oftime for me to get (football) work done.Football is a 12 month thing and I’malso the track coach. I always feel like Iam in a rush.“But, by being in the class-

room, that does give methe opportunity to seethe kids every day. Isee them in classand in the hall. Thatis a real big plus, Ithink. You are con-stantly involvedwith the kids andalso with theother teachers.They will tell you,‘So and so, hey,he flunked myexam. What’sgoing on?’“That

let’s meget to

the kid and help him get it straightenedout so we don’t have an eligibility issue.That to me has been very good.”OH: Can you talk about the sense of

community at a school like this. I’m surethis is a tradition that is passed downthrough families.

Kyle: “It’s a school that’sbeen in existence since

1886. As a result,there are genera-tions that havegone throughhere likethese kids’grandpasandgreat-

Photo by Steve Helwagen

Under Kyle’s guidanceSt. Ignatius has wonnine state titles andthree mythical nationalchampionships.



grandpas and great-great-grandpas. Besides that, it hasestablished itself as a collegeprep school. Every kid whogoes to school here goes tocollege. It has a reputation ofpreparing kids properly for col-lege. It is so prominent in thearea that we still have waymore applications than wehave spots.”OH: What were the ingredi-

ents for success that helpedyou build this program intosuch a perennial powerhouse?Kyle: “We were blessed

there for a while. We put a lotof work in. In all honesty, mywife would tell you we haveprobably never taken a vaca-tion. We have taken three orfour days to go some place. Iwouldn’t know what a week ora two-week vacation was. I’malso the track coach. I’m herefor Easter. Over Christmasbreak, I’m here getting tapesout and the weight room hasto be open.“I think the kids have bought

into the program. It’s no secretif you go into the successfulprograms in Ohio, if you go inin January, February and March you’llfind the weight room crowded. At theschools that aren’t successful, you won’tfind anybody in there. I think we’veengendered in them the idea that the off-season is extremely important. We arewilling to spend our time with it duringthe winter, the spring and the summer.The weight room is open from noon to 8p.m. at night and a coach will cover it.“When I first became the head coach,

we committed to throwing the footballand we had some success with that.Everybody is throwing it now, but I thinkhistorically can look back and see thefirst state championship we won we hadJoe Pickens, who was an all-state quar-terback, and we’ve had several more all-state guys since then. We felt being col-lege prep kids, they were intelligent andcould handle some sophistication. Andthen the ball bounced right a few times.”OH: Of the nine state titles, do any of

them stand out?Kyle: “The last one in 2001 we were

only 6-4 in the regular season and weonly got in by a few hundredths of apoint. It was some miracle like that.Earlier in the day, Massillon was playingCanton McKinley and I think Massillonhad to win for us to get in and they tookthe lead with 30 seconds to go. Still, thatnight, we had to beat Glen MillsAcademy out of Philadelphia, who hadonly lost one game. But we found a wayto win. That was an interesting onebecause when the playoffs began it wasquestionable how we got in and weended up winning it.”OH: I’m sure the first title in 1988 still

means a lot as well.Kyle: “Anybody who has ever had a

chance to win several, you always thinkback to the first one because I think thatbreaks the ice a little bit for your pro-gram. A lot of times, so many schoolsthink that couldn’t happen to us. But

when it happens one time, theyounger kids go, ‘I want to do that,too,’ so that builds on it.“With the first one, we also had a

goal-line stand at the end to win itand beat Cincinnati Princeton. Ioften think if we didn’t have thatstand, I often wonder if we wouldhave made it back there and whatI’d be doing. I’d probably be sellingshoes or something else.“But we did win it and we came

back the next year and won. USAToday put us as national championsand we just started on a roll.”OH: You don’t have a home stadi-

um here on campus. You play at var-ious sites and have to do a lot oftraveling in general to find games.How big of a challenge is that?Kyle: “Yes, we play at various

fields. But, unfortunately, as theyears have gone by we have endedup playing fewer teams from theCleveland area. People who want tosee us have to travel a lot of milesdown the road. Believe it or not,playing a game in Columbus we’realmost like, ‘Hey, that’s close.’“We’ve played in Philadelphia. We

play in Cincinnati every year. Wewent to South Bend, Ind., last yearto play on a Friday. That was crazy.

That’s hopping after a bus after fivehours and playing a game. Fortunately,we won. That’s been a bit of a distrac-tion. That takes a toll on your focus. Youwant to play 10 games and a lot oftimes, being independent, there is not alot to pick from.”OH: Your school’s rivalry with

Lakewood St. Edward has been calledThe Holy War. In your mind, has thatrivalry been a healthy one for eachschool through the years?Kyle: “I think it’s been good for both

schools. I don’t know if I have the sameapproach they do. I’m not one of thoseguys who say, ‘I can’t wait to get toGame 8.’ I think you prepare for that byplaying the first seven games and focus-ing on those. It’s a game that has alwaysbeen hard fought with good tackling andblocking and interesting plays and ath-letes who have gone on to play in theBig Ten and Notre Dame.

“Our goal is to win the state championship. Ican’t walk out of this room and tell our kids it’snot.”

Kyle on St. Ignatius football

8/25 at Youngstown Boardman9/2 Cleveland JFK9/9 at Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius9/16 Mentor9/23 Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn9/29 at Massillon Washington10/7 Warren Harding10/14 Lakewood St. Edward10/21 at Cincinnati St. Xavier

Note: All home games at Parma’s Byers Field

Cleveland St. Ignatius2006 Schedule



“It’s been a hard ticket to buy.Usually by 9 a.m. the Mondaybefore, it’s always sold out.We’ve tried various venues. Wehaven’t gone to ClevelandBrowns Stadium. But we alwayshave 15,000 or 20,000 people. Alot of these kids went to gradeschool together as well.”OH: Can you talk about admissions at

the school. There is a perception insome circles that the private schools cantake whoever they want.Kyle: “Being a college prep school,

it’s not like we can accept any kid. I thinkwe’re different in that way. The kid has totake a test to get in here. The kid couldbe 6-4 and 220 pounds, but if he doesn’tdo well on that test he’s not coming.That’s fair because the caliber of theclasses is college prep. We get kids fromall over, but there is a stringent admis-sions policy that makes it interestingsometimes.”OH: It is no secret that St. Ignatius

has not won a state title since 2001. Thenext championship – when and if it hap-pens – would be a landmark 10th for theschool. Is there added pressure to endthat drought and win that 10th title?Kyle: “I think we feel if we stay the

course, things will take care of them-selves. Obviously, since we are not in aleague, our goal is to be in the playoffs.Our goal is to win the state champi-onship. I can’t walk out of this room andtell our kids it’s not. Would you say thereis an urgency because of that? Maybe. Idon’t feel that from alumni or the admin-istration here. I hear, ‘Hey, do the bestyou can. We’re enjoying it.’“They’d love to win it, but the ball

bounces strange ways. That’s why theball has points on it. You have to behealthy. I think if there is any urgency itis within ourselves. It’s not created byother people. We want to get back there.We think about how many schools havenever won a state championship andwe’ve won nine. Nobody is trying to begreedy here, but I think every schoolshould say that’s what they’re shootingfor.”OH: Talk about the satisfaction of

molding boys into becoming productiveyoung men in society.

Kyle: “In all honesty, that to me is themajor reason I do this. I enjoy the gameof football and I coach track, too. Yousee them come in as boys and theyleave as men. There is great satisfac-tion. There are guys playing pro footballfrom our program. At the end of lastyear, there were five guys in the NFLand possibly another one or two thisyear.“In track, I coached a kid, (1991 St.

Ignatius graduate) Tim Mack, who in thelast Olympics got a gold medal in thepole vault. What a thrill for me that youhelped put the pole in the kid’s hand andget something going. Those are amazingthings.“There are guys that come in who are

doctors and businessmen. There is oneguy who is a CEO of one of the biggestcompanies in America. He came by andgot an alumnus award. He remembersplaying football here. He went on toBrown University and has been atremendous success.“It is great to see those people suc-

ceed. It is great to think that along theway they learned some things. Sportsteaches a lot of things like perseveranceand the courage to step out there andtake chances. You do that in a footballgame and you do it in life.”OH: Talk about the prospects for the

upcoming season. I see you have ninestarters back (four on offense and fiveon defense).Kyle: “We graduated some guys at

some key positions. We’ll be breaking ina new quarterback, and for us that’s kindof important. We lost some guys withsome size. We have some good, strongkids who are working hard. But we won’tbe the biggest Ignatius team when webreak the huddle.”OH: Who are some of your key return-

ing players for 2006?Kyle: “Well, we have Kevin Koncelik

(6-4, 270) on the offensive line. He is a

good, athletic kid. He is also ahockey player. It’s the first timeI’ve had a hockey player who isalso an offensive lineman.“We also have Ben Jurevicius

(6-0, 180), who is related to (NFLstandout) Joe Jurevicius. He is avery good wide receiver and cor-

nerback. He is a good athlete and a verygood baseball player. He may be able togo on to college in either one of thosesports.“At linebacker, we have Patrick

Hennessey (6-2, 210). He runs well.He’s a 4.7 guy. He’s a basketball guy.We need to fill him out. If we can get himup to 220, that would be good.“At safety, we have Bryan Sylvester (6-

0, 185). He started the whole year for usat safety, which is important in ourdefense. Sometimes they play a line-backer spot and sometimes they play adeep safety. We’re expecting some bigthings for him.”OH: You lose Rudy Kirbus at quarter-

back. Who are you looking at there?Kyle: “We have a senior, Jared

Roberts, and a pair of juniors, Pat Ryanand Matt Rosinski, that we’ll be lookingat.“Certainly, a senior has an advantage

there because he’s been in the programfor four years. He has a nice release. Heis an athletic kid. He doesn’t have theexperience that you usually would have.Ryan and Rosinski are both good ath-letes. Pat is a bit taller at 6-3. Matt isabout 5-9. We just have to see whathappens.”OH: Last year, you played three of the

four Division I state semifinal teams(Lakewood St. Edward, MassillonWashington and state championCincinnati St. Xavier). I see they are allagain on your schedule for 2006.Kyle: “Yes, we will play Canisius out

of Buffalo for the first time. Penn comesto Ohio after we went out there last year.They are the largest public school inIndiana. Mentor will have a good teamand we play them. Then, we also playMassillon and St. Ed and we play St.Xavier down there. We will play WarrenHarding as well.“It’s going to be a big challenge for

us.” — OH

“In track, I coached a kid, (1991 St. Ignatiusgraduate) Tim Mack, who in the last Olympicsgot a gold medal in the pole vault..”

Kyle on coaching track, his other love



Here is a year-by-year look at Cleveland St. Ignatiusʼ ninestate football playoff championship game victories:

* Title No. 1: Dec. 4, 1988, Ohio Stadium, Columbus –St. Ignatius made its first playoff appearance a memorableone. Chuck Kyle, in his sixth year as the head coach at hisalma mater, led the Wildcats to a 10-7win over defending champion CincinnatiPrinceton. The win gave the Wildcats(14-0) their first unbeaten season since1964.

The St. Ignatius defense came upbig, holding a Princeton team that aver-aged 420 yards a game to 254 andstopping Princeton at the 6-yard line astime expired. This was a match-up oftwo quarterbacks who would sign withOhio State as St. Ignatiusʼ Joe Pickensoutdueled Princetonʼs Johnny Mattress.Pickens threw for 151 yards, includingthe game-winning 41-yard touchdownto Mike Buddie in the fourth quarter.

* Title No. 2: Nov. 26, 1989, OhioStadium, Columbus – St. Ignatiusrepeated behind the air exploits ofPickens, who threw for 311 yards andthree touchdowns in a wild 34-28 winover Cincinnati Moeller. St. Ignatius(13-0) rallied from a 21-14 halftimedeficit to win its 29th straight game. Theteams combined for 820 yards totaloffense. Mark Ruddy had a pair of TDcatches for St. Ignatius.

This marquee match-up drew a crowd in excess of 30,000at the Horseshoe. Moeller was denied a shot at would havebeen a then-record eighth title.

* Title No. 3: Dec. 1, 1991, Fawcett Stadium, Canton –St. Ignatius used some trickery to secure its third state title.Tailback Eric Haddad threw an option pass to fullback MikeSako with 7:10 left for the winning touchdown in the Wildcatsʼ24-21 win over Centerville. St. Ignatius (12-2) rallied from a21-9 halftime deficit and secured the win on ReganFitzpatrickʼs interception with 1:30 left.

* Title No. 4: Dec. 5, 1992, Fawcett Stadium, Canton –St. Ignatius rallied again, this time from down 14-10 at half-time to take a 24-14 win over Cincinnati St. Xavier for itsfourth title in five years. Haddad had TD runs of 5 and 4yards, while quarterback Scott Mutryn threw for 229 yards,including a 23-yard TD pass to Dan Ward. A crowd of 13,911attended the game as St. Ignatius capped a 14-0 season.

* Title No. 5: Dec. 11, 1993, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium,

Massillon – St. Ignatius (14-0) extended its winning streak to34 straight games and clinched its second national prepchampionship in five years with a 38-20 win over CincinnatiMoeller. Haddad had 141 yards and a touchdown rushing,while Mutryn threw for three touchdowns (two to DarinKershner) and also rushed for a score.

* Title No. 6: Dec. 3, 1994, PaulBrown Tiger Stadium, Massillon – St.Ignatius (13-1) cruised to its fourthstraight state title with a 20-3 win overa Westerville South team that featuredfuture Ohio State All-American AndyKatzenmoyer. Ramadii Parker had a19-yard TD run and quarterback SeanGrady found Drew Haddad for a 33-yard touchdown. A crowd of 14,849attended the game.

* Title No. 7: Dec. 2, 1995, PaulBrown Tiger Stadium, Massillon – St.Ignatius (14-0) won its seventh overalltitle in eight years and unprecedentedfifth straight championship with a 41-21win over Brunswick. Parker rushed for141 yards and scored three touch-downs. Quarterback Geoff Panteckthrew for a score and also rushed forone. St. Ignatius also blocked a puntfor a touchdown against Brunswick,which made the title game only aftersemifinal winner Cincinnati Colerainwas eliminated for using an ineligibleplayer.

The victory capped an incredible eight-year run where St.Ignatius went an amazing 104-4.

* Title No. 8: Dec. 4, 1999, Fawcett Stadium, Canton –The Wildcats (13-2) snapped a four-year title drought with a24-10 win over Huber Heights Wayne before 14,550 atCanton. Dan Murphy rushed for 98 yards, including an 8-yardtouchdown. Dave Gresky also had a TD run and quarterbackNate Szep found Mike Foran for a 53-yard score.

* Title No. 9: Dec. 1, 2001, Fawcett Stadium, Canton –St. Ignatius won its ninth state championship with a 37-6pounding of Cincinnati St. Xavier before 18,478. The Wildcats(13-1) avenged a wild Week 9 42-41 loss at the hands of St.X. The St. Ignatius defense came up big by holding St. X to127 yards total offense.

Szep completed 18 of 27 passes for 280 yards and threetouchdowns, including a 32-yarder to Anthony Gonzalez.Carter Welo added 126 yards and a touchdown on theground.

-- Compiled by Steve Helwagen

Cleveland St. Ignatius has won a recordnine state football playoff champi-onships since the OHSAA instituted theplayoff format in 1972. Over that 34-year period, 87 different schools havewon 166 state championships. Here is alook at the leaders in state football play-off titles heading into the 2005 season:

Cleveland St. Ignatius 9 titlesCincinnati Moeller 7 titlesNewark Catholic 7 titlesCleveland Benedictine 6 titlesVersailles 6 titlesSt. Henry 5 titlesYoungstown Mooney 5 titlesAkron St. Vincent-St. Mary 4 titlesDelphos St. John’s 4 titles10 schools tied with 3 titles15 schools tied with 2 titles53 schools tied with 1 title

St. Ignatius Tops The List

Helmets courtesy of the Ohio High School Helmet Project


Herbstrei t Chal lenge

he Super Bowl is widely considered thesingle greatest event in professionalsports.

On the prep level, the Kirk HerbstreitOhio vs. USA Challenge is the Super Bowl ofhigh school sports.

In only its second year, the Ohio vs. USAChallenge has evolved from a two-game eventthat included one out-of-state team, into a nine-game showcase featuring the top programs inOhio and the elite high school football programsfrom across the country.

In last yearʼs event at Columbus Crew Stadium,Westerville North nipped rival Westerville South14-10 and 2004 Division I state championCincinnati Colerain defeated Tyler (Texas) Lee27-12.

This year, this extraordinary high school footballevent will be played September 15-16 and thenine games will be split between CincinnatiʼsNippert Stadium and Massillonʼs Paul BrownStadium.

T

Colerain defeated Tyler(Tx.) Lee 27-12 in the

inaugural Ohio vs. USAChallenge last year


STORY BY MATT NATAL I

ScheduleSEPTEMBER 15NIPPERT STADIUM, CINCINNATI6:30 p.m. - Findlay vs. Texas High (Texarkana, Texas)8:30 p.m. - Colerain vs. Cardinal O'Hara (Philadelphia)

SEPTEMBER 16NIPPERT STADIUM, CINCINNATI11:30 a.m. - Cincinnati Moeller vs. Byrnes (S.C.)2:00 p.m. - Cincinnati St. Xavier vs. Lakeland (Florida)6:00 p.m. - Centerville vs. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)8:30 p.m. - Cincinnati Elder vs. De La Salle (Concord, Ca.)

PAUL BROWN STADIUM, MASSILLON2:00 p.m. -Hilliard Davidson vs. St. Joseph's Prep

(Philadelphia, Pa.)5:00 p.m. - Lakewood St. Edward vs. Springdale (Ak.)8:00 p.m. - Massillon vs. Hamilton High (Chandler, Az.)

2006 Ohio vs USA ChallengeGame Schedule

For more info, please visit www.ohiovsusa.com

“This is something that we got alittle taste of last year,” saidHerbstreit, a former All-Americanquarterback at Ohio State. “Wedecided, after learning from the firstyear, that we wanted to move intovenues that we thought werehotbeds for Ohio high school foot-ball. Massillon – there is obviouslythe tradition there with the birth of football – and Cincinnati with allthe great programs down in that area.

“So, the goal is for the entire state to participate as it has morphedinto nine games. Youʼre going to find central Ohio in the mix withHilliard Davidson. Findlay is involved in the event and, obviously, theNortheast teams and down in the Southwest.”

With a who's who of Ohio high school football participating in theChallenge as well as national powers, this is truly a unique andunprecedented event.

“Whatʼs different about this event that might be different from someof the other events you might hear about is it is the national elite –the traditional powers from around the country coming into our back-yard,” Herbstreit said. “I like to think we are very proud of Ohio highschool football and this is going to be a barometer to find out howsome of Ohioʼs best teams stack up against the nationʼs bestteams.”

Programs traveling from across the country to the Buckeye Statefor the Challenge include Texas High (Texarkana), Cardinal OʼHara(Pa.), Byrnes (S.C.), Lakeland (Fl.), Don Bosco Prep (N.J.), De LaSalle (Ca.), St. Josephʼs Prep (Pa.), Springdale (Ak.) and Hamilton(Az.).

Ohio schools participating include Findlay, Colerain, CincinnatiMoeller, Cincinnati St. Xavier, Centerville, Cincinnati Elder, HilliardDavidson, Lakewood St. Edward and Massillon.

“There is no doubt that the (Ohio vs. USA Challenge) is thenationʼs premier high school football event,” said USA Today prepeditor Chris Lawlor. “The assemblage of talent is staggering. Thenationʼs top programs all hope to get an invitation to play in thisevent.”

Coaches from both Ohio and across the country are honored tobe part of such an exceptional event.

“The opportunity to play in this game is an honor and privilege,”said St. Xavier head coach Steve Specht. “Some of the best teamsin the country are being featured and to be considered among theelite is both humbling and exciting. This is a one-of-a-kind opportuni-ty for our kids and our school to represent our city and state of Ohioin a nationwide high school football event.”

De La Salle (Ca.) head coach Bob Ladouceur said, “It is a privi-lege to play in the (Challenge). Ohio is the birthplace of football, so Iknow the fans in Ohio truly appreciate and respect the game. It is atreat for our student-athletes to experience that level of enthusiasm.”

Of course, great teams and great players are synonymous witheach other and there are approximately 100 players set to partici-pate in the Challenge with Division I collegiate interest and offers.

“Weʼve got players in this event thathave committed to Michigan, Florida,Florida State, Miami, Texas, OhioState – you name it,” said Herbstreit.“So, youʼre talking about some of theelite players in the nation and here isthe chance for the Ohio high schoolfootball fan to go out and watchthem.”

The Challenge officially kicked off in late June with a preview partythat included a golf outing followed by the live broadcast of the pre-view show, which aired live on the Ohio News Network. Participatingin the dayʼs events were representatives from each of the 18 schoolsinvolved, including coaches and athletic directors, members of themedia and title sponsors.

In addition to the golf outing and preview show, the participatingcoaches and athletic directors took the field at Great AmericanBallpark with Herbstreit to throw out the first pitch at a CincinnatiReds game.

Between planning the preview party and the Challenge itself, theword “challenge” takes on a whole new meaning for event organiz-ers.

“Just putting the press conference on for two days, we had to gothrough great lengths organizing flights and hotel rooms,” Herbstreitsaid. “Anytime you are bringing people from across the country,everything needs to be first class. Everything has just been flawlessso far and hopefully it will continue to go that way.

“Ken Halloy has been behind the scenes helping out; JoshJohnston was a big part of this behind the scenes helping out withthe match ups. Chip James, Craig Schmidt – without all them, thisevent would not be possible. Between my work with College GameDay and work with ESPN/ABC and locally on the radio with WBNS,I wouldnʼt have time. This is a full time commitment to pull this off.Luckily we have a good crew doing it.”

While there has been a wealth of excitement and fanfare sur-rounding the 2006 Ohio vs. USA Challenge with golf outings, pre-view parties and television shows, it will all boil down to the nationʼsbest high school football come September.

“We here in Ohio feel we play the best high school football in thecountry,” Herbstreit said. “Texas feels they play the best high schoolfootball. Florida thinks they play the best. California thinks they playthe best. Everybody thinks they play the best high school football.Well, September 15th and 16th, weʼre going to start finding out whodoes play the best high school football. So, there are bragging rightson the line. When it is time to go out and play, weʼre going to find outwho plays the best high school football.

“I am connected always with Centerville but I am proud of theentire state of Ohio and the teams in the entire state. And I am reallyproud and thankful for all the teams around the nation that haveagreed to come into our state – into hostile territory – and haveaccepted to play. Hopefully we can reach out and make them feelwelcome and make them feel at home and we can go out and playsome football and have some fun.”—OH

“There is no doubt that the (Ohio vs. USAChallenge) is the nation’s premier high schoolfootball event. The assemblage of talent is

staggering...”USATodayprepeditorChris Lawlor


Herbstre i t Chal lenge


Herbstrei t Chal lenge

TeamsByrnes (South Carolina) has won the last four consecutive South Carolina state

championships going 57-2 over that span. The Rebels have claimed seven state titlesin school history.

De Le Salle (California) holds the national record with 151 consecutive winsspanning a 12-year period (1992-2003). In 28 seasons under head coach BobLadouceur, the Spartans have lost only 19 games.

Cardinal O’Hara (Pennsylvania) head coach Dan Algeo has compiled a 20-4record in two seasons at the helm and was named the 2004 Eastern PennsylvaniaCoach of the Year.

Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey) has won six New Jersey state championships andhas been ranked in the national top 20 each of the last four years. Head coach GregToal was named the 2003 National Coach of the Year.

Hamilton (Arizona) first fielded a football program in 1998 and has compiled aremarkable 91-11 record in the time since, including state championships in 2003 and2004.

Lakeland (Florida) is the defending USA Today national champion and has wonconsecutive state titles. Head coach Bill Castle is entering his 32nd season with theDreadnaughts and has an overall record of 284-72. Over the last 10 seasons,Lakeland is 113-15 and has never had a losing record under Castle.

Springdale (Arkansas) is the defending state champion and has won seven titles inschool history. The Bulldogs finished 2005 ranked No. 4 in the USA Today national poll.

St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania) has won the prestigious Philadelphia CatholicLeague championship five times, including last year. In the last 10 years, the “ThePrep” has only lost 22 games.

Texas High is 68-17 over the last seven year, including an 11-4 state playoff mark.Texarkana is a unique town on the Texas/Arkansas border. The town is split in half bythe state border with each having its own government and school system.

What you need to know


Herbstre i t Chal lenge

PlayersOHIORB Darius Ashley (5-9, 170, Jr.), Cin. St. Xavier;DT Frank Becker (6-3, 275, Sr.), Cin. Moeller; interestfrom Boston College, Cincinnati, Miami (Oh), NotreDame, Ohio State, Purdue;S Eugene Clifford (6-2, 190, Sr.), Cin. Colerain; interestfrom Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Michigan,Michigan State, Ohio State, West Virginia;OL Reggie Comeaux (6-4, 310, Jr.), Massillon;RB James Cravens (6-0, 210, Jr.), Centerville;LB Andrew Dailey (6-3, 215, Sr.), Massillon; committedto Penn State;RB Bo Delande (5-11, 180, Sr.), Hilliard Davidson;TE Kevin Deters (6-3, 220, Sr.), Cin. Moeller; interestfrom Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, Miami(Oh), Northwestern, Ohio;RB Frank Edmonds (5-8, 190, Sr.), Lakewood St.Edward; interest from Akron, Duke, Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State;RB Brian Gamble (5-11, 195, Sr.), Massillon; interestfrom Illinois, Iowa, Miami (Fl.), Ohio State, Penn State,Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin;QB Je’Sean Godfrey (5-8, 180, Sr.), Colerain;TE Kyle Hubbard (6-3, 225, Sr.), Lakewood St. Edward;interest from Florida State, Miami (Fl.), Michigan, OhioState, Texas;RB William Johnson (6-2, 210, Sr.), Centerville;DE Ryan Kuhlman (6-4, 235, Sr.), Findlay;LB Brad McKinley (5-8, 175, Sr.); Hilliard DavidsonS Diauntae Morrow (6-0, 185, Sr.), Lakewood St.Edward; interest from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin;LB Greg O’Dell (6-2, 200, Sr.), Centerville;S Nate Oliver (6-0, 195, Sr.), Lakewood St. Edward;committed to Ohio State.QB/RB/DB Gary Pride (5-8, 170, Sr.), Colerain; commit-ted to Akron.LB Tyler Replogle (6-2, 225, Sr.), Centerville; commit-ted to Indiana.FS Jon Saelinger (6-0, 175, Sr.), Cin. St. Xavier;QB Chris Schneider (6-2, 235, Sr.), Findlay;LB J.B. Strahler (6-2, 215, Sr.), Hilliard Davidson;DE/OLB Andrew Wersel (6-0, 230, Sr.), Cin. Moeller;WR Jesse Wohl (6-1, 165, Sr.), Findlay;

Notable players participatingNATIONALOL Jeff Battipagglia (6-5, 265, Sr.), St. Joseph's Prep;interest from Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse;CB Ahmed Black (5-10, 170, Sr.), Lakeland; committed toFlorida.LB Chad Diel (6-2, 235, Sr.), Byrnes; interest fromClemson, Duke, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest;DE Neil Doogan (6-4, 235, Sr.), St. Joseph's Prep; interestfrom Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse;RB Wayne Drummond (6-0, 200, Sr.), Don Bosco Prep;interest from Boston College, Penn State, Rutgers,Syracuse;DT Ryan Haber (6-2, 270, Sr.), St. Joseph's Prep; interestfrom Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse;TE Jason Hammond (6-4, 225, Sr.), Lakeland; committedto LSU.LB Stanley Hunter (6-0, 205, Sr.), Byrnes; committed toClemson.LB Jamie Jones (6-0, 215, Sr.), Springdale; interest fromAlabama, Arkansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Mississippi,South Carolina, Texas;QB Willy Korn (6-2, 200, Sr.), Byrnes; committed toClemson; 2005 South Carolina Mr. Football winner;QB Ryan Mallet (6-6, 210, Sr.), Texas High ; committed toMichigan.TE Zach Pianalto (6-4, 212, Sr.), Springdale; committed toTexas.OL James Pouncey (6-5, 298, Sr.), Lakeland; committedto Florida.OL LaShawn Pouncey (6-5, 283, Sr.), Lakeland; commit-ted to Florida.WR Chris Rainey (5-9, 156, Sr.), Lakeland; committed toFlorida.QB Matt Simms (6-2, 200, Sr.), Don Bosco Prep; interestfrom Boston College, Louisville, Mississippi, Rutgers; son offormer NFL quarterback Phil Simms.RB Jamar Taylor (5-10, 205, Sr.), Lakeland; committed toAlabama.WR Kerry Taylor (6-1, 180, Sr.), Hamilton; interest fromArizona State, California, USC, Arizona, Oregon State, SanDiego State, Washington State;K Alex Tejada (6-1, 190, Sr.), Springdale; interest fromArkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Nebraska, Vanderbilt;DE Justin Trattou (6-4, 250, Sr.), Don Bosco Prep; com-mitted to Notre Dame.QB Chris Whitney (6-3, 215, Sr.), St. Joseph's Prep; inter-est from Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers,Syracuse, Wisconsin;S Steven Wilks (6-2, 195, Sr.), Lakeland; committed toFlorida.WR Paul Wilson (6-1, 175, Sr.), Lakeland; committed toFlorida.


Top 100 SeniorsSTORY BY DUANE LONG

ollowing the summer camp and com-bine circuit, the top 100 has beenreshuffled from the spring rankings.Players have moved up, others havemoved down and we welcome some

new faces as well.But pay attention to the ʻOthers to Watchʼ

list.This list might typically just get glanced

over but this year it is an extra special list ofplayers.

I recently had an e-mail conversation thatwent on for awhile with my friend andScout.com associate Bob Lichtenfels.Because our coverage areas overlap, wesee a good number of the same players. Hedoes not think Ohioʼs Class of 2007 is asstrong as the Class of 2006.

If this were anyone elseʼs opinion, I wouldhave written it off.

A lot of pride and a little bit of arrogance isinvolved in this job and you have to believein your ability to find and rate talent. Bob andI tend to agree most of the time and Irespect his opinion very much. So, when hesaid this class is not as good as the Class of2006, I wanted to hear what he had to say.

It was one of those conversations that weended up agreeing to disagree.

That conversation took place after thekickoff issue in May. Since then, I have seena class that has done nothing but blossom. Ihave never had turnover like this before.Sometimes the names get shuffled around.Some players move up a little and othersmove up or down a lot. In the end, most ofthe players stay in the top 100.

Not this year.

I stopped counting the new names thatwould appear in the season opening top 100after 15. Whether there is the same level oftalent at the top of the Class of 2007 asthere was with the Class of 2006 is up fordebate.

The depth of this class is another matter.Most of the players that fell out of the top100 would not have in any other year.Players like Marquan Davis fromYoungstown Rayen came out of nowhere.He was not a factor at all last year. At 6-5,238 pounds he was a hurdler on the trackteam and ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dashover the summer.

Longtime readers will know what is goingto be stated next: There is no such thing astoo many big guys that can run.

Look no further than Dayton DunbarʼsAaron Pogue. It appeared as though he wasgoing to give up football to pursue his bas-ketball career. But now he is rethinking hisdecision. Pogue is 6-8, 300 pounds and isathletic enough to be a scholarship caliberathlete in basketball and is very similar toOrlando Pace on the gridiron. If he playsfootball this year, he is going to have animpressive array of schools to choose fromeven though he has played so little football.If you asked me what offensive line prospectin this class has the best chance to make itto the NFL, Aaron Pogue would top the list.Another player that has little football underhis belt is Maple Heights tackle ShawnSailor. He doesnʼt even have a highlight tapebecause he has played so little but he hasimpressed greatly at camp and will havescholarship offers after this season.

Players coming out of the blue like Davis,Pogue and Sailor have made this an unusu-ally deep class and have bumped somereally good football players out of the top100.

Never has the ʻOthers to Watchʼ list beenso important.

Safety remains the premiere position inthe class but other positions are emerging.

The list of defensive tackles is impressivewith Hilliard Darbyʼs Antonio Jeremiah lead-ing the way. He is the epitome of a big kidthat can run.

No player has moved up more thanLisbon David Anderson athlete VincentBrowne. He had one of the more impressiveoffer lists in Ohio -- which included offers asan offensive lineman, defensive tackle,defensive end and he even had an offer asa middle linebacker – before he verbaled toNorthwestern in mid-July. He could grow intoa great offensive tackle, but right now I ampenciling him in at defensive tackle.

Some have Gahanna Lincolnʼs JohnHughes as a tight end, but I think he is goingto make a great defensive tackle.

Hamiltonʼs Charlie Hatcher is a player whois not getting much publicity, but is rackingup a nice offer list.

This is not a bunch of kids that go lookingfor microphones, but they are making a lot ofnoise in recruiting.

One player that has been the biggest sur-prise of the year so far is Daniel “Boom”Herron, the outstanding running back fromWarren Harding. I remember seeing hissophomore tape and thinking he was a nicelooking player, but his junior tape showed

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Top 100 Seniors

why schools want to wait as long as possi-ble to make offers. He was a good back asa sophomore and became an outstandingback as a junior.

In June, Herron earned offers fromMichigan and Ohio State after attendingtheir camps, and was a transcript approvalaway from a Notre Dame offer. But heended his recruiting trail by verbally commit-ting to the Buckeyes in July.

Finally, there is something that needs tobe stated about quarterbacks and recruiting.This is nothing new, but I keep at the subjectbecause I do not see any signs that therecruiting of quarterbacks is going to changeanytime soon.

Initially, I had some reservations about theemphasis on recruiting athletes over footballplayers when I first started in the talent eval-uation business.

I wanted to see players that tested wellunderstanding the importance of those eval-uations. I thought there was too muchemphasis put on the athlete side of theequation.

Now, I have come around.Ideally, a good football prospect is both a

great athlete and a great player. Now, if Ihave to choose one I will choose the athleteto bring him in and coach him up. He willhave the better upside. I am with the pro-gram concerning athletes.

On quarterbacks, I am not.The evidence is clear on recruiting the

better athletes. The template for quarterbackrecruiting is not.

On a national scale, we see the tall kidswith big arms (players I have dubbed pitch-ers) and have their choice of schools. I havementioned in the past that quarterbacks andoffensive lineman are the hardest to project.I have come around to believe that quarter-back recruiting is so tough because the tem-plate is wrong.

We are seeing little evidence that thetypes of players that are top recruiting tar-gets every year are the kind of players thatpan out.

I donʼt want to put any kids names outthere, but the lists of top rated players ateach position in past years are readily avail-able on the internet. Take a look. You willsee at other positions there are players thathave become household names. The quar-terback lists are really lists that you couldcall “whatever happened to …” lists.

The template needs to change. —OH

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

Cincinnati LaSalle

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: I can goon and on about BenMartin, but there is reallyonly one thing thatneeds to be remem-bered about him: This isthe best defensive endprospect I have everseen in Ohio. Martin has the ideal

body for a defensive end-- long and lean withroom to grow. This is a6-5, 225-pound kid thatruns on the Lancers’4x100 relay team. That ispretty mind boggling.His weight is still listed as 225 but he looks like hehas filled out some.Martin had 28 solo tackles, 42 assists, 10 sacks,

15 tackles for loss, three batted down passes andfour caused fumbles in 2005. Those are great num-bers for a 4-3 defensive end, but Martin is playing ina 3-4. He explodes out of his stance and has that first

step that is crucial for a pass rusher. Martin has themotor that I think is essential in a top defensive play-er and has the top end speed that makes his play tothe whistle motor that much more of a weapon.If there is a better defensive end in the country, I

need to see him. I don’t think we have ever seen anOhio defensive end rated the number one defen-sive end in the country, but Martin could be. He is asure national top-100 player.

Ohio State and Notre Dame had already offeredMartin, and Michigan and Florida said offers are onthe way. That is just a start. Every major program inthe country will be after this difference maker but Ithink it is going to come down to Notre Dame andOhio State. It will be a close to call. Martin is a good enough athlete that he has a

basketball offer from Cincinnati and he carries a 3.4GPA.UUppddaattee:: Martin has had a very quiet off-season. His mailman would beg to differ. The mail com-

ing to Martin household is probably giving the mail-man back problems. It would be easier to list theschools that have not offered Martin than it wouldbe to list the ones that have. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida and

Tennessee are just a few I will note because thoseare the ones he has mentioned the most. He hasbeen to Ohio State and Notre Dame on unofficialvisits and plans on taking unofficial visits toMichigan, Tennessee and Florida. But Martin doesnot seem to be in a hurry to make a decision. Hesays he will decide when he feels like he has foundthe right place for him. But there seems to be atone that he would like to get it over with beforethe season starts. A winning program will be very important to him

as well as a chance at early playing time will play apart in his decision. He has roots in Gary, Ind., andhas lived in Ohio but for about 4 or 5 years. Martinhas not denied that he will likely pick between OhioState and Notre Dame. Wherever he decides to go, Martin will have an

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

one of the top three is beyond me.

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

Cincinnati Colerain

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: A cou-ple of years ago I com-pared Hamilton safetyAdam Myers-White toKenny Easley. I remember how

Kenny Easley came intoOhio Stadium for agame with his UCLABruin squad back in thelate 70’s and servednotice that he was on hisway to being one of thecollege games all-timegreats. I wish I had saved

that analogy because that is what I see withClifford. Easley looked like a linebacker instead of a safety

and that is the case with Clifford. He has a long leanbuild and could fill out into a linebacker if that iswhere he is needed. Or, he could stay lean andremain at safety, which is what I think will ultimatelyhappen. Clifford is one of those players that just leap out

from the game film. He has a complete game as heis equally at home in coverage or at the line ofscrimmage.Something that is never discussed is Clifford as a

receiver since Colerain so rarely throws the ball. If Iwere asked who the best wide receiver prospect inOhio this year is, don’t be surprised if I say EugeneClifford. If I were a college coach, I would be salivat-ing at the prospect of getting this special athlete in aposition where he can touch the ball regularly. I would tell any college coach to ask Colerain

head coach Kerry Coombs for a tape of the Ft.Thomas (Ky.) Highlands game from last season. Apunt return he makes in that game is all the evi-dence needed to make a case for Clifford at widereceiver. Michigan and Ohio State were among the col-

leges to extend Clifford an early offer.UUppddaattee:: It seems everyone is intent on Eugene

Clifford not playing the one position he has spent allof his high school career -- safety. He could be a great receiver prospect but it

seems everyone wants big, athletic corners to lineup against the freaks we are seeing at wide receiverthese days.Ohio State and Michigan have both offered

Clifford a scholarship as a cornerback but there hasbeen little information coming about Clifford’s col-lege plans. He has not said when he will make adecision. Colerain players tend to make their verbal com-

mitments before the season but Clifford could bethe one that goes against that tradition. Thenagain, Clifford has played it so close to the vest wereally don’t know. The smart money says Ohio Stateor Florida, though I have no knowledge of a Floridaoffer, so if he decides on an early verbal, the oddsare in favor of landing one of those must have play-ers. Last year, Clifford amassed an eye popping 147

tackles. He boasts a 4.45-second 40 and a 33-inchvertical to go along with the 6-2 and 190-poundframe.

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Top 100 Seniors

3. ***** Brandon Saine 6-1 205 TB

Piqua

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: Afterseeing Brandon Saineon film, I am having ahard time believing Ihad only heard abouthim as a sprinter untillast fall. I did noteven know that heplayed football.Last year, Akron

Garfield’s Chris Wellswas soaking up theentire spotlight buthe was not the onlysuperstar runningback in Ohio. Saine isthe real deal. This kid is a legit 6-1, 200 pounds, is well

put together and he has excellent vision.Saine is fast but make no mistake - this is nospeed back. He is an I-formation tailback thatruns between the tackles as well as he runswide. He makes tacklers miss by running overthem and running away from them. Saine isexplosive and by the time he gets to the lineof scrimmage he is at top speed. As a junior, Saine rushed for over 1,300

yards and scored 21 touchdowns. He alsohad 300 receiving yards in 2005. Being fully qualified academically is the

topper on this package. Ohio State,Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraskaand Northwestern were among the schoolsto offer Saine early in the process.UUppddaattee:: Saine has done nothing but

increase his stock with an amazing track sea-son. It culminated with a 10.38 in the 32ndannual Don Mitchell Roosevelt Memorial trackmeet, posting the third fastest time in thecountry and just missing the Ohio state 100-meter record. It is just a matter of time before Saine

holds that mark. The characteristics that stand out are his

size to speed. He is a big kid and it is rare tosee kids this size running this fast. Saine was rumored to be a heavy Michigan

lean but he denied it and backed it up byissuing an early verbal to Ohio State. The only thing that remains to be seen is

where Saine ends up lining up. It looks likehe will play a Reggie Bush (USC, NewOrleans Saints) role with his speed, handsand open field ability. He could be more dan-gerous than Bush because I have yet to seeBush run between the tackles effectivelywhile Saine is adept at running between thetackles. That will keep defenses playing himhonest. Saine finished out the track season repeat-

ing as the state 100-meter champion with astate record time of 10.5. He won the 400-meter event, but he came up short in thesprinting dream triple falling short in the 200meters.

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

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: I havegone back and forthwith where I thinkTorrence plays as collegefootball player from cor-ner to wide receiver torunning back then backto wide receiver. Torrance went

through a growth spurt,so I thought he wouldbe a running back. Now,the only thing I am sureof is he will be an out-side player. The questionis where?He has the speed and

athleticism that wide receiver is a possibility but lastyear he stepped up and showed a physical side. Hecould play safety but is a good fit for corner at hissize. Everyone is looking for bigger corners to playagainst the huge athletic receivers that seem to dotevery roster these days. Torrence is a player with thefeet and hips to run with these freaky receivers yetbig enough to press them at the line of scrimmage. Some say the new rules have ended the heyday

of the “lockdown” corner. I don’t believe that and asthe position evolves I think we will see the freakyathletes move over to corner. Torrence is one thatcould be of the first. He was a fine two-way player as a junior. He had

99 tackles and a 90-yard interception return for atouchdown on defense and scored 14 touchdownsand rushed for 639 yards on offense.If Ohio State offers, football recruiting is over for

Torrence. The only thing that keeps that from hap-pening is baseball. He may be an even better base-ball prospect. From what I am told, it is not a matterof if he is first round choice in the baseball draft; it isa matter of how high he goes. While Torrenceprefers football, the money on the table could betoo good to turn down. Torrence has solid grades and is a solid citizen.

Penn State, Kentucky and Illinois were among hisearly offers.UUppddaattee:: Torrence has quietly confirmed his lofty

rankings with an offer list as impressive as anyoneon the state. He recently added Michigan and Penn State to

his offer list leaving only Northwestern in the BigTen yet to offer. His offer list would be even moreimpressive of he had not made his love of OhioState public so long ago.Torrence has never hidden the fact that he is a

Buckeye at heart and will probably end up at OhioState depending on his potential professional base-ball career following high school. He could make acommitment public as soon as September.He is now considering baseball more than he

was at last report, but he is going to try and playboth sports in college. Torrence got off to a rough start on the baseball

diamond this spring so it will not be known howmuch it has impacted his baseball draft status untilnext spring. It appears as though most schools have settled

on Torrence being a corner in college. He had animpressive year as a safety, but an athlete this sizethat can play cornerback should play cornerback.

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5. ***** Clay Belton6-6 215 QB

Clayton Northmont

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: ClaytonNorthmont southpawClay Belton has reallycome out of nowhere.Northmont had an out-standing senior quarter-back in 2004 (TylerHorner, SouthwestMissouri State), so Beltonflew under the radar. It didn’t take him long

to change that. As a jun-ior, he threw for over2,700 yards and 30touchdowns.Belton has size, stand-

ing in at 6-6, and has a big arm to go with prettygood athleticism. He is a pocket passer but he doesrun the quarterback draw. He handles himself pret-ty well when he needs to break the pocket. I usually see most left-handed quarterbacks as a

bit awkward in their throwing motion but I don’tsee that with Belton. He is smooth and over the topwith his delivery and gets rid of the ball pretty quick-ly for a long-armed kid. Belton has all the throws inhis repertoire as he can throw 25-30 yard ropeswith velocity and accuracy but can show a defttouch when he needs to. Despite his impressive physical tools, I was most

impressed with Belton’s reading and making gooddecisions, especially since last year was his first as astarter. For Belton to come along this quickly tellsme two things: he is well-schooled in LanceSchneider’s Northmont program and the sky is thelimit on his upside. The comparison that comes to mind is current

Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback Byron Leftwich;however Belton is more mobile. Belton will have played against a higher level of

competition in the Greater Western OhioConference, which is something he has over theother top quarterbacks in the state this year. Belton received early offers from Bowling Green,

Duke and Cincinnati.UUppddaattee:: No player in Ohio has stirred as much

conversation as Belton. It seems there is no consensus on him. I have a great deal of respect for those who are

not convinced of Belton’s talent, but I think hastremendous upside. The tools Belton brings coupled with how well

he played against a high level of competition in hisfirst year as a starter impressed me greatly. He was avery good quarterback last year and the tools hebrings to the table are hard to beat. The recruiting process is not about what a player

is – it is about what he is going to be. Belton’s sizeand arm are impressive but what I see is a playerthat handles an offense that is not always easy tohandle. The spread offense takes some time tograsp but he goes through his progressions andmakes good decisions play after play. Belton has as much upside as any player in this

class. He participated in the Ted Ginn, Sr.Foundation bus tour of Midwest camps andreceived more looks there. Kansas State has alsooffered since the spring.

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Top 100 Seniors

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

West Chester Lakota West

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: I willnever forget a state-ment made by LakotaWest head coach LarryCox when I spoke tohim in December. Wewere discussing the bestplayers in the Class of2007 and I mentionedBen Martin. Cox told me he had

one just as good. That was stunning,

but not as stunning asthe film Cox sent methat showed he was notoff base. Thomas is a tremendous football playerand he is a perfect compliment to Ben Martin. ButI see a more physical player in Thomas.Cox plays Solomon Thomas on both the weak

side and the strong side of the formation and I amcertain that Thomas can play on the weak side asa primary pass rusher. He could be an ideal strongside defensive end. While Martin is a little taller and a bit heavier,

Thomas looks better put together of the two. Heplays the run better and seems to be more com-fortable in close quarters. In the pass rush, Thomasshows an uncanny ability to get his hands onpasses. I stopped counting the number of passesbroken up while watching his film. He has thatrelentless nature that is essential to a pass rusher. Thomas has all the tools and has an edge to his

game. Martin is a little more advanced but I think by

the time it counts it will be difficult to pick oneover the other. Thomas has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois and

N.C. State.UUppddaattee:: I had not spoken to Solomon Thomas

when we went to press for the Class of 2007 kick-off issue. I have spoken to so many players in thisclass that are quality people and Solomon Thomasimpressed me as much as any of them. He is awell spoken and articulate young man that doessomething that seems to be rare these days. Thomas currently holds down a job works a job

and I have to go back to former Xenia linemanBen Person to find a player that worked. That work ethic is apparent on the field as well.

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

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

looking at N.C. State quite strongly because of anentrepreneur program that school offers and I amnot surprised. When I spoke to him, he was muchmore interested in talking about off-the-field mat-ters and life beyond football. This is a young man that will be a success on

the football field but could be even more success-ful off the field.

CP

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

Cleveland Glenville

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: Lastsummer I got a callfrom Glenville headcoach Ted Ginn, Sr.and all he could talkabout is this kid thathad transferred toGlenville fromGeorgia. I saw the first

Glenville game of2005 and Hinesmade a mess of thefirst play he was inon. He came up onthe ball carrier, took abad angle then didn’t wrap up and the run-ner continued on down the field. That was the last mistake Hines made in all

the tape I saw of Glenville this year, whichended up being a considerable amount oftape. I am not exaggerating when I say I did not

see him miss a tackle the rest of the season.Hines is a sure tackler in addition to being abig hitter. He reads the game well and doesa good job in pass coverage. Hines has a great frame. I listed him before

as a safety that could grow into a linebacker.Now, I think he is a linebacker that someonecould try at safety. He is that athletic. Hines runs under 4.6 in the 40 and I

believe Ginn, Sr. will get him out on the trackthis winter and again in the spring. I suspecthe will be running close to 4.5 by the timehe hits the combine and camp circuit thissummer. Hines is an outstanding basketball player

and was good enough to get invited to AAUevents while living in Georgia. UUppddaattee:: Hines has quietly gone about rack-

ing up an impressive offer list with Michigan,Wisconsin, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Purdue,Iowa, Illinois and Indiana coming in with pre-season offers. He was also on the Ginn bustour and earned scholarship offers at almostevery stop.What is generally unknown about Hines is

how good of a basketball player he is. Hineswas an AAU traveling team player beforecoming to Ohio from Georgia. Coming off hisjunior year on the hardwood Hines has schol-arship offers for basketball from VirginiaTech, Florida A&M and Middle TennesseeState. However, he has already indicated heis going to play football in college. This just gives an idea of what kind of

tremendous athlete Hines is. Hines played all over the field when he

was in Georgia. But once he settles into oneposition, his development is going to acceler-ate. He says he is going to wait until after the

season to make a decision listing Ohio State,West Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin as hiscurrent favorites. Hines is carrying a 2.9 GPA.

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

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: If Itook a full length pic-ture of Jeremiah andpassed it around toevery Division I collegeor university in thecountry, I am sure hewould get offers juston how he looks onthe hoof. I saw Jeremiah for

the first time when hewas a freshman, andat the time, I couldn’tbelieve his size andframe. He is tall withvery long arms and is a natural wide body. Idon’t think he could lose weight if his lifedepended on it. Jeremiah is such an athletic player that he

plays defensive end. His tape shows hebelongs at that position but head coach PaulJenne is going to play him at defensive tacklethis year to prepare him for college. When I first saw Jeremiah this year, it was

on a tape from another school. I always look atthe other team because I can find other playersand I can sometimes see a player I knowalready and get a different view of him. Jeremiah leaped out at me. The first thing that caught my attention is

just how athletic this huge kid is. He is asexplosive as a kid this big can be.Jeremiah is my No. 1 “big man” in this class.

By big man, I mean defensive tackle/offensivelineman. He is a real load, comes off the ball very well

and shows a good motor. If he does not turn into a great defensive

tackle, I am absolutely sure he will be a greatoffensive lineman. UUppddaattee:: When Antonio Jeremiah first turned

up in Ohio High ranked so highly, I began toreceive a lot of questions about him since hehad flown under the radar up to that point. Soon after his film appeared on the internet,

the questions ended and the offers startedcoming in. Big kids that can run are always in demand.

Most are projecting Antonio as a defensivetackle, and that is not a surprise to me.Anytime there is a player this size that is thismobile, he probably most suited for defense. Jeremiah is getting offers from all over the

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

needs to get a qualifying test score. When thathappens, he could get an offer from Ohio Stateand it highly likely recruiting ends for Jeremiahat that point. There is no such thing as too many big kids

that can run. Jeremiah fills that bill as well asany down lineman in the country. He is also an excellent wrestler.

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Bucknuts .com


Top 100 Seniors

9. ***** David Arnold 6-0 185 S/WR

Copley

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee::When Ifirst saw David Arnold, Ithought he would be asafety at the next levelbecause of his attractionto high speed collisions.But the more I look attape, I think he could beas good or better atreceiver. I recently learned

Arnold had been a run-ning back until DeloneCarter transferred intoCopley as a junior, so lastyear was just his firstever as a receiver. He is an explosive leaper and has great hands

but the only thing that keeps him from being agreat receiver is he seems to have a defensive play-er’s mindset. He takes as much pleasure from layingsomeone out (and he had quite a number of thoseto celebrate) as he does making an interception. Arnold had seven interceptions as a junior,

including one that was as incredible a catch as Ihave ever seen. He fell and did not have time to getback up to make a play on the ball, so he just puthis feet under him and exploded up and back tomake the interception. Arnold, who has been clocked at 4.41 in the 40,

led the team in tackles last season and had over 20receptions for more than 500 yards and threetouchdowns. Cornerback is another possibility for Arnold. He

had played cornerback until his sophomore year,meaning he has just two years as a safety. His nasty, on-the-field demeanor is the polar

opposite of his off-the-field demeanor. This is one ofthe classiest kids it has been my pleasure to speak toin my years of evaluating players. Arnold will play his senior year as a 17-year-old. He is worth a scholarship just to run back kicks.

He is already qualified, carrying a 3.0 GPA.He was born in Ann Arbor and has family ties to

Michigan but was raised in Ohio. Ohio State andNotre Dame are very involved in the recruitingprocess. They both stand as good of a chance atlanding this outstanding young man as Michigandoes. UUppddaattee:: This is one of the most versatile players

in Ohio this year. Arnold could play anywhere inthe defensive backfield or at wide receiver. Arnold is a super athletic kid with good size and

outstanding speed. He is a very good student andsolid citizen. It was a good spring for Arnold as he went out

for track for the first time since eighth grade. Hecame out very early with a 10.7 100-meter in oneof the bigger meets of the early spring in Ohio andmatched that time later in the season. Arnold hasalso run 22.2 in the 200 meters. All the while, Arnold has been racking up football

offers with Eastern Michigan, Akron, Indiana, Illinoisand Syracuse at the top of the list with the likes ofOhio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, North Carolinataking interest.

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10. **** Vincent Browne6-5 240 ATH

Lisbon David Anderson

SSpprriinngg PPrrooffiillee:: I amnot going to forget any-time soon the first time Isaw film of VincentBrowne. I chastisedmyself for not doing myjob. How could I possibly

miss such a prospect?Browne is every bit

the listed 6-5, 240pounds. He is one ofthose players that pass-es the look test.“Specimen” is the wordthat comes to mindwhen discussingBrowne. All I needed to see was three plays and Iknew I had found a big time prospect. He was playing offensive tackle on those three

plays and he put all three defenders on theirbacks. The fact that he needs work on his tech-nique makes his blocking all that more impressive.He is so naturally strong and gets into defendersso quickly they can do little about it, but he doesnot drive through them. He simply knocks themdown. Browne gets moved around from tight end to

offensive tackle at the next level. He plays middlelinebacker on defense and I can’t say I have everseen an offensive tackle/middle linebacker before,but Vincent Browne is pretty unique. He does areally good job there. He is not necessarily out of place at the high

school level at middle linebacker. Browne has a4.75 40 and his football speed looks even better.There are several plays on his tape in which heshows a turn of speed that left me wide-eyed. Hecan really run. I list him as an athlete because I really cannot

decide where he plays. He is very raw, but his size and athleticism is

something that every school in the country is look-ing for. Once Browne hits the camp circuit thissummer, he will be one of the most talked aboutplayers in Ohio.UUppddaattee:: I think if I took a poll of Scout.com

recruiting editors, they would say the hottestprospect in Ohio is Vincent Browne. Browne has been making the rounds at camps

and combines and leaving with offers at almost allof them. He is getting offers every day and somehead coaches are going out of their way to makesure they offer Browne in person. That is a sign ofjust how much they want to make an impressionon this kid. He has a couple of offers as a middle linebacker

but most are saying defensive end to start. It willcome down to his body but I see a kid athleticenough to be a defensive end. However, will hisbody allow him to stay at defensive end is thequestion.It really doesn’t matter to Vincent. He is what

every school wants – a team player that has to bechased out of the weight room and off the prac-tice field.He ran a 4.8 40 at the Ohio State senior com-

bine in June, and impressed the assembled on-lookers in all the drills. Browne had a number of impressive offers

before committing to Northwestern in mid-July.

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Numbers 11-100 and beyond11. **** Daniel Herron5-10 190 TB Warren HardingSpring Profile: I have to admit, I was not as

impressed with Herron as many were when I first sawhim. I saw outstanding running skills and vision and atough back that ran bigger than his size.But I did not see a special ath-

lete. It could have just been thetape I had, but I was wrongabout Herron. Very wrong. This kid is really something.

When I looked at the mostrecent tape from Harding headcoach Thom McDaniels, I saw akid with the best feet in this reallynice running back class, evenquicker than Jordan Mabin. His ability to change direc-tion without slowing down is remarkable. He has suchoutstanding vision and shows the skills of a much moreexperienced runner – particularly patience. I think speed is the most overrated number for a back.

I am much more interested in explosion or burst andHerron has that to spare in addition to having speed.According to McDaniel, Herron has 4.5 speed.Herron is also an excellent pass receiver and runs the

screen pass to deadly effect. He is also a willing andeffective blocker. A top NFL back comes to mind when I think about

Herron - Washington Redskin Pro Bowler Clinton Portis.Neither are big backs and don’t try to run like big backs,but they are strong and will take on tacklers when needbe. Initially, I was wrong about Herron and I could not be

happier to say so now. He received early offers fromBoston College, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State.Update: Daniel “Boom” Herron is living up to his nick-

name as the recruiting process moves along. “Boom” ishow he exploded onto the radar. Herron had offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana,

Boston College, Akron, Cincinnati and Michigan State,but he ended his recruiting by issuing a verbal commit-ment to Ohio State in July. He stopped by Ohio State during the state track meet

where he was a member of Harding’s fourth-place4x100 relay team. That visit with the Buckeye staff con-vinced Herron to come back to Columbus for the secondsenior camp on June 23 and he committed soon there-after. Last season, he had 1,500 rushing yards and 17

touchdowns against the best competition any back willrun up against. I was not as impressed with him this time last year but

Herron’s junior tape was so impressive but he just keepsgetting better and better. Herron holds a 3.3 GPA.

12. ***** Kyle Hubbard 6-4 225 WR/TE Lakewood St. EdwardSpring Profile: Hubbard stepped into the starting

lineup in 2005 for the first time and did he ever make asplash. In the state semifinal,

Hubbard made his statement asa top recruit in this class. He rana skinny post late in the first halfand was absolutely hammeredto the ground by a safety thathad a good run at him. Hecaught the ball and held onto it.I thought this kind of contactwould end his afternoon but itdidn’t. Hubbard got up showing the effect of the play butnever looked to the sidelines. Later on, he made a couple of catches that most kids

with his limited experience would not make. On onecatch, he took a wide pass and showed great athleticismto keep his feet in bounds. On another, he came back tohis quarterback, who was running for his life, got

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in his quarterback’s line of sight, caught the ball andmanaged to keep his feet in bounds. It is these littlethings that show me he has a lot of football sense. Hubbard has only played football for two years. He is

very athletic and has the best hands of the class. If hecan reach it he will catch it. Considering how little he has played, there is no limit

to what he is capable of. He played wide receiver but Ithink he grows into a tight end. There is a great frameon this kid. Hubbard has never run a 40 and he has never been

to a camp but this ranking will be too low if he runs wellthis summer.He is an outstanding basketball player and will be an

easy qualifier. Update: The offers have not come flooding in for

Hubbard but that is no surprise. He is coming off onlyhis first solid year of high school football and mostschools want to wait and get a better idea of where hisbody is going to take him – tight end or wide receiver. Hubbard was very impressive in drills at the Nike

combine in Columbus this summer and ran a 4.7 40.He is a silky-smooth, athletic kid with the best hands inOhio. Hubbard is not one of that new breed of big highschool receivers that are demanding to play widereceiver in college. Hubbard is fine with being a tightend. This is a raw prospect with great nature skills. Hemight need a couple of years in the weight room but theschool that has the patience could find a tight end thatcan really cause problems in the middle of the field.He has offers from Kentucky, Kent, Bowling Green,

Akron, Toledo and Central Michigan. Syracuse, Purdueand Kansas are showing a great deal of interest aswell.

13. **** Chris Givens 6-3 195 S/WR ChillicotheSpring Profile: Chillicothe has quietly gone about

sending as many players to Division I schools as anyprogram in central Ohio in recent years. Givens is the best player to come out of the school in

my years of following recruitingsince the legendary Chuck Jones.This is a kid with the completepackage of size, speed and skillsand I could list him as an athlete. He says he would rather be a

receiver. Considering he hasplayed all over the field onoffense, from quarterback to run-ning back to wide receiver, hecould develop into somethingspecial as a receiver when he set-tles in and starts getting all his reps there. He showsvery quick feet and an explosive turn of speed. Also,Chillicothe has used him on slip screens a good deal. However, I think Givens is already something special

as a safety. He is an outstanding leaper with tremen-dous ball skills. He is a good tackler as well as a goodhitter. Givens really brings it. At this early stage, Chris has offers from Miami

(Ohio) and Cincinnati. Watch out for Miami here. Hisbrother is there and the top notch education to be hadthere is going to be very appealing to Givens. He had over 500 receiving yards and five touch-

downs last year and averaged 19 points and 13rebounds a game in basketball. Update: As expected in the spring update, Givens

ended his recruiting trail in July and committed to Miami(Ohio).It has been an impressive off-season for Givens. He

had a fine year on the hardwood averaging 19 points agame and then went to a camp that was led by one ofthe legends in the world of recruiting, Max Emfinger,and was subsequently added to his national top 100. Givens was not done. He attended the Scout.com Louisville combine and

showed he is nearly impossible to cover. Givens cameaway from the camp with Most Valuable Player honors.In drills, he ran a 4.62-second 40, a 4.25-second shut-tle, a 6.99-second cone drill and showed an impressive

33-inch vertical. He also confirmed his size measuringin at just under 6-3. Givens was drawing interest from Cincinnati, Ohio,

Akron and Kent with Purdue, Michigan State,Northwestern, Stanford and Vanderbilt all showing inter-est before committing to the RedHawks.Despite his impressive showing as a wide receiver, I

think Givens is a better safety. However, he recentlystated he prefers wide receiver.

14. ***** Nate Oliver 6-0 195 S Lakewood St. Edward Spring Profile: Oliver is another of the super athletic

safeties in this class. He does not have the size

Clifford has but he has a gamethat does not take a backseat toanyone. Oliver is a very physical player

and the comparison that comesto mind is former Buckeye MikeDoss, but Oliver is a little betterin coverage than Doss at thesame time in their careers. Withthe spread offenses demandingmore coverage skills for a safety, that bodes well forOliver’s future. Along with the hitting and solid tackling,he is a player with a high football I.Q. and one that is aleader. There is a future captain in Nate Oliver.Oliver really brings it, and like Doss, Oliver is a good

high school running back. When outstanding St.Edward running back Frankie Edmonds went down latein the playoff run, Oliver stepped in and played reallywell. Oliver will be a three-year varsity starter in 2006 and

had 70 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two interceptionsand two caused fumbles last year.Ohio State came in with an early offer and Nate did

not take long to decide giving the Buckeyes their firstverbal for the class of 2007 on signing day in February.Update: When a player commits early there is little

to talk about in regards to recruiting. Most prospects donot go to camps and combines and Oliver should havebeen one of them. In the early spring, he went to a combine and set off

alarms with a 4.85 40-yard time. He is not linebacker-sized and that is not a great linebacker time, so the timehas raised some questions. Oliver says he slipped and there is other speculation

that he did not take the combine that seriously. He hastime to work on the speed and I feel confident that thismature and highly motivated young man realizes that isthe only question about his game.When I was thinking about this revised top 100, I had

the time in my head so I popped his tape back in. Onthe field is where Oliver becomes an early offer playerfrom a school like Ohio State and not in testing. He isone of those rare players that find a way to do some-thing special when something special is needed. It goes back to something I said in the recruiting kick-

off issue – Nate Oliver plays his best in the biggestgames of his career.

15. **** Andrew Dailey 6-3 215 LB/S Massillon WashingtonSpring Profile:Ohio High contributor Bill Greene

saw more of Andrew Dailey lastseason than I did. Here is histake this outstanding prospect:Andrew Dailey is a player that

is going to continue to get betteras each year passes by. He hasa great work ethic and is drivento be a successful player. Dailey played safety as a jun-

ior, earning All-Ohio honors. Hehas great size and has surpris-ing speed for a player his size. Dailey has been handtimed at 4.5 in the 40. He is also a great kick blockerand a decent wideout, although his future is as a defen-sive player. Dailey will probably play linebacker at the

next level and might play there next year for Massillon.I’ve seen him cover wide receivers in space and doreally well. This will be a huge benefit if he does playlinebacker in college. If he does move to linebacker for his senior season,

look for him to be involved in stopping the runninggame as he is a very sure tackler. He should flourish byplaying closer to the line of scrimmage. Dailey is also a great blitzer coming off the edge. He

made the play of the game in the Division I state titlegame stripping St. Xavier’s Darius Ashley of the footballreturning it 80 yards for a score. Dailey also had a hugesack against Lakewood St. Edward that saved the statesemifinal game for Massillon. Overall, Dailey had 81tackles as a junior. He also had an interception to gowith six catches on offense. He is being recruited by most schools in the Big Ten

and the Midwest but favors Notre Dame and Ohio Stateat this time. He has been offered by Akron. Dailey plays in a great program under Tom Stacy

and he does well in the classroom.Dailey is going to get bigger, stronger and faster and

should have a great senior season for Massillon. It’seasy to see why recruiters are excited about Dailey.Update: Dailey did what I expected him to do during

the combine and camp season: He left observers great-ly impressed. Players this size and this athletic are rare. Dailey ran

a 4.7-second 40 at the Scout.com combine in Louisvilleand added a 4.12 pro agility. He has offers from Akron, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue,

Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Nebraskabefore verbally committing to Penn State at the end ofJuly. Most schools were recruiting Dailey as a linebacker

and he said Penn State sees him as a rover back,which is as a combination linebacker-strong safety.

16. **** Carlton (C.J.) Peake 6-2 207 S Trotwood-MadisonSpring Profile: The running back position could be

added to Carlton Peake’s byline. I was not aware untilseeing tape that he played running back. In fact, when I spoke to him,

he never mentioned playingoffense at all but he shouldhave. He is a good high schoolrunning back, but I don’t think hewill be a running back in college. Peake scored 11 rushing

touchdowns as a junior atDayton Meadowdale. He alsoracked up 109 tackles and sixinterceptions at strong safety.Numbers don’t lie and that is a lot of tackles for a safetyand an impressive interception total. On offense, he has a straight ahead style that shows

what kind of defensive player he is.From watching him on film, Peake is more comfort-

able at the line of scrimmage. He is every bit his listed6-2 and has a long, lean body. He could fill out somemore, but probably no more than 225 pounds or so. Everyone is playing bigger safeties now and Peake

has the speed to go with it. He ran a 4.46 at Ohio Statecamp this year and was one of two juniors moved up towork with the seniors – the other being Devon TorrenceIf Peake, who received an early offer from Pittsburgh,

is going to be a linebacker he is in good hands. He hasgone over to Trotwood-Madison to play for formerChicago Bear linebacker Maurice Douglass. West Virginia, North Carolina and Pittsburgh have

offered.Update: Peake has a lot going for him. He recently

ran a 4.61-second electronically timed 40 at 209pounds and ran even better about a month later turningin a 4.57. He ran a 4.06-second shuttle and had a 34-inch vertical. Peake added 16 reps of 185 pounds. Scout.com has Peake rated the No. 1 player in Ohio.

His tape is very impressive and the one thing thatstands out about Peake is how driven he is. After thisimpressive performance at the Louisville Scout.com

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combine, Peake was disappointed when I spoke to him.He seemed reluctant to offer those impressive num-bers. All Peake wanted to really talk about was what he

believes he can be in the future. He thinks he can takeoff some weight and add muscle. He thinks he can be alot faster. One thing that has always stood out to mewith the top players is that never satisfied attitude. It isthe one thing that seems to define who is going to be asuccess at the next level.He was the one defensive back that showed he

could cover camp MVP Chris Givens from Chillicothe. Peake is racking up an impressive offer list with

Wisconsin, North Carolina, Purdue, Indiana, Louisville,Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Bowling Green, Miami(Ohio), Akron, Toledo, West Virginia, Ole Miss andCincinnati all coming in with offers. He reports a 2.65GPA and a 16 on the ACT.An offer from the Ohio State would likely end the

suspense.

17. **** Daryle Ballew 6-3 285 DT Cincinnati WithrowSpring Profile: This is the first time Ballew has been

in Ohio High since he enrolled at Withrow just beforelast season. Players like this in the middle of the line are hard to

come by. Ballew is a load. He is nearly unblockablewithout a double team, and even then he splits the dou-ble team on a regular basis. He uses technique thatisn’t seen in a lot of college players let alone a highschool junior. Ballew uses swim moves and rips anduses his hands very well. The best characteristic about Ballew is he plays to

the whistle whether the play is in his direction or not. Somany kids this size don’t run if the play is away fromthem and they take plays off – but not Ballew. Hemakes plays down the field, and he had one play lastseason in which he chased a quarterback from oneside of the field to the other three times. He does a great job of play recognition as well.Ballew is a natural wide body. He carries his 285

pounds well and is nearly impossible to move with hisgreat feet. Ballew could be a nose tackle or a one gap3-technique. He reminds me most of is PittsburghSteelers nose tackle Casey Hampton.To think this kid is this good with so little experience,

this ranking could be too low when the year end rank-ings come out. Maryland has already offered.Update: Simply look at Ballew’s offer list to see how

highly regarded he is. Ballew has quietly accumulated one of the best offer

lists in Ohio with Cincinnati, Ball State, Connecticut,Buffalo, Indiana, Boston College, Minnesota, Illinois,West Virginia, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Kent State, Ohioand Eastern Kentucky all offering. He is also beingrecruited by Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Colorado andNotre Dame and was in South Bend at the request ofthe Irish coaching staff in June.He has a solid 2.9 GPA but needs to get a test score

posted. That could be the hold up on even better offers.

18. **** Nick Schepis 6-4 270 OT/DT Walsh Jesuit Spring Profile: This is the most complete offensive

lineman in the class of 2007. Schepis is a high school offensive tackle and plays

on both sides of the offensive line. He does not havethe length that I like to see in a college tackle, but hehas the rest of the package.Schepis has superb feet and isas lean as a 270-pound playercan be. He does an excellent job in

pass blocking with those greatfeet and has a very competitivenature. He stays with his blocksto the whistle. One characteristicthat will give him a leg up com-ing into college as a pass block-er is how quickly he comes out of his stance. This kid isout of the blocks and into his pass pro like a college

player. As a run blocker, he gets and stays low getting good

leverage. He has a natural tenacity. This is a player athletic enough to play not only

defensive tackle but defensive end for the Warriors. Hedoes a good job but I don’t think there is a chance heplays on defense in college even though he is a prettygood high school defensive lineman.Something I see lacking in so many high school line-

men is nastiness. College line coaches are not going tohave to worry about that with Schepis. If he had the longer arms, I would project him as a

college tackle. Schepis has such good feet with bettertechnique than most high school kids and is such acompetitor that he will most likely get a shot at tackle.Update: Nick Schepis took the camp and combine

season by storm earning praise for his performance atthe Columbus Nike camp and making the all-combineteam at the Louisville Scout.com combine. This is oneof the stronger players in this year’s class. He has a635-pound squat and did 12 reps of 445-pounds.The one thing that continues to stand out about

Schepis is his competitive nature. He battles and finds itin himself to gear up for more battle when it appears asthough he cannot fight any more. At the Louisville com-bine, there was a nice collection of athletes at the com-bine for him to go up against and he was not beatenonce in one-on-one drills.Schepis ended his recruiting by issuing a verbal

commitment to Boston College in July. He selected theGolden Eagles over Wisconsin, West Virginia,Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Kentucky, BowlingGreen, Wake Forest and Duke.

19. ***** Donnie Evege 5-11 185 CB H. Heights WayneSpring Profile: I have known about Donnie Evege

since he was a freshman. I was talking with formerXenia star offensive lineman Ben Person, now a guardat Ohio State, and he told me about him back then.Person said he was the fastest and quickest kid he hadever seen and he was the mosthighly motivated kid and thehardest worker he had beenaround. That is a big statement from

a high school senior talkingabout a ninth grader. I have learned for myself that

all those things are true. Evege is an exceptionally gift-

ed athlete but one that isextremely motivated to get better. Getting better andbeing the best he can be seems to be at the core ofDonnie Evege. He is the kid you have to tell to taketime off or to get off the field or to get out of the weightroom. He is a kid that is going to run low 4.4’s straight out

of his warm-up and could probably run a 4.3. He hasthe hips and feet to be a great cornerback in college yethas the attitude to be a great safety and takes greatpleasure in making a hit. Evege would like a shot atrunning back and is likely to get the opportunity this fallto show he can be a running back at the next level.Evege is a coach’s dream come true. I spoke to him

right after signing day and he was beaming with pridebecause the day before he had been named to theNational Honor Society. Evege has already received an offer from Ohio State.

I think Notre Dame is the one school that could talk thisspecial young man out of a verbal to the Buckeyes. Healso has offers from Purdue and Miami (Ohio).Update: Evege has had a rather quiet off-season

with the exception of issuing a verbal commitment toOhio State in June. He ran indoor track but decided to pass on the out-

door season to concentrate on hitting the weights.Evege was on everyone’s want list as a cornerback butthis highly motivated young man really wants to be arunning back. He knows that will mean adding weightand getting stronger. Miami (Ohio), Purdue, Indiana and West Virginia had

all offered Evege. Stanford, Virginia and Michigan wereall taking interest as well.

20. ***** Mitchell Evans 6-3 200 QB West Milton Milton-UnionSpring Profile: Mitchell Evans is the most dynamic

of this outstanding set of quarterbacks in Ohio this year.Last year, I overrated the Ohio quarterback class earlyon, but there is no mistakingthis lot. All three should be get-ting national attention. The athletic quarterback is

what everyone is looking fornow and will be in the foresee-able future. Evans is clearly themost athletic of the top quarter-backs in this class. He is asdangerous with his feet as he iswith his arm. If that is what aschool is looking for, Evans would be their No. 1 in thisclass. He plays safety on defense and is so good he could

get offers at that position if he were not such a greatlooking quarterback. As a junior, Evans threw for 1,920yards and 20 touchdowns. He also rushed for fivescores and also had five interceptions on defense. Evans has the highest football I.Q. of the three. He

puts so much pressure on the defense. He can threat-en the line of scrimmage so the linebacker plays himand he can throw over him. He’ll pump fake the safetyto create room to throw the post. Evans is in completecontrol on the field. Both Belton and Chris Smith have stronger arms but

I want to be clear about the fact that this kid has arm tospare. Evans has great mechanics. Level of competition is going to be the question mark

with Evans playing in Division IV. He should answer thatquestion this summer at camps. Four years ago, Notre Dame quarterback Brady

Quinn came out of nowhere to earn offers from OhioState, Michigan and Tennessee as well as Notre Dame. Evans could do the same this year.Update: Evans has offers from Indiana, Bowling

Green, Ohio, Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo.He is getting interest from Wisconsin, Michigan State,Purdue and Miami (Ohio). One of these schools willland a great quarterback. It is unclear what the big programs are looking for out

of this kid. He ran a 4.49-second 40 at camp this pastsummer. Level of competition keeps coming up but the tape

doesn’t lie. This is not a big fish in a small pond – this isMoby Dick in an aquarium. Evans is not just the bestplayer on the field. He is so much better than everyplayer on the field that it is almost unfair. It is understandable there are questions about level

of competition with smaller school players. I raise thequestion myself. But sometimes there are players thatstand out so much that it does not a matter. This is oneof those cases which an elite prospect happens to playin an area where he has little to challenge him. But hehas performed so well as an athlete in camps that it isdifficult to understand why he is not getting offers just asan athlete.

21. **** Zach Furlong 6-6 220 ATH XeniaSpring Profile: Zach Furlong will be one of the most

interesting players to watch this year. He played wide receiver last

year and could make this list asa receiver. Furlong is an out-standing, big athlete that willlikely grow into a tight end. Hewill be a great one, too. That is, if he is not a quarter-

back. Last year, Xenia had the out-

standing and underrated JoshCousins (Air Force) under cen-ter. That kept Furlong at wide receiver but he will be tak-ing the snaps for Xenia this fall.

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Xenia head coach Ed Mignery has been around afew big time prospects in his day. He coached both E.J.and Brandon Underwood, both Ohio State recruits, aswell as his own son, who ended up at Michigan.Mignery believes he has another Ben Roethlisberger onhis hands with Furlong. As athletic as Furlong is, there is no downside. If he

isn’t the next Ben Roethlisberger, then he is odds-on tobe the next Jeremy Shockey. Update: Furlong was always a very intriguing player

to me. He does things that are not expected from a player

this big. That he was a wide receiver and not a tight endis no surprise after seeing his film. Despite his size,Furlong is faster and more athletic than the defensivebacks he faced. He has run a 4.6 40 and could proba-bly run better than that. Blocking as a tight end is different than blocking as a

receiver, but he has shown to be one of the betterblocking receivers in Ohio. But all this talk of moving to tight end could be a

moot point. If he has the year coach Ed Mignery thinkshe will as a quarterback, we could see an entirely differ-ent list of schools for Zack Furlong come January. He has offers from Purdue, Michigan State,

Michigan, Indiana, Boston College, Maryland,Wisconsin, Syracuse, Tennessee, Akron and Toledo toname a few despite not having taken either the ACT orthe SAT. He is on the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 relay teams

and he is a high jumper.

22. **** Kyle Jefferson 6-4 175 WR Cleveland GlenvilleSpring Profile: Kyle Jefferson is the biggest enigma

in the class. He is a thoroughbred. Jefferson is an outstanding

hurdler and sprinter but we are still waiting to see himblossom on the football field. I saw him last year and was not impressed with his

route running and he dropped too many catchable balls. So why do I have him rated this high? When he is at his best, Jefferson is a unique blend of

size and speed. He can run away from corners and goover the top of safeties then outrun either after thecatch. Too often we did not see that out of him last year.With Ray Small and Daven Jones as the startingGlenville receivers in 2005, he needed to make themost of his opportunities. Right now, Jefferson is more

a sprinter and hurdler than he isa football player. He will havethe chance to step up this yearas Small and Jones havemoved on to college. If KyleJefferson puts it all together, hewill be a top-10 player in thisclass and will be mentioned inthe same conversation as TedGinn, Jr., Mario Manningham, Fred Davis and the bestOhio has produced in my time. He has that kind ofpotential. I will go so far as to say if this kid pulls it all together,

Kyle Jefferson could be the best ever in Ohio. Nobodythat I have seen in this state brings the size, athleticismand this kind of speed to the field.Jefferson received early offers from Akron, Indiana

and Wisconsin.Update: Jefferson had an impressive off season on

the track helping Cleveland Glenville win its fourth con-secutive state track championship. He ran the anchorleg on the 4x400 meter relay, which was the differencein a close victory over Trotwood-Madison. He was alsoa member of the 4x200 meter relay team that won astate championship and was second in the individual400-meter dash to Piqua superstar Brandon Saine. Jefferson has offers from Miami (Ohio), Bowling

Green, Akron, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State,Wisconsin and Ball State. With a good senior year,those scholarships are a drop in the bucket.

This is a player that can be a difference maker if heputs it all together. He played a pretty mean safety ondefenseIt looks like Jefferson has added some weight, which

is something he needed to do. It is very simple – KyleJefferson can be as good as he wants to be.

23. **** Joey D’Andrea 6-2 245 DE/DT Upper ArlingtonSpring Profile: D’Andrea is one of those players that

the measurable line just doesn’t tell the tale on. He has run a 4.7-second 40, but does not show the

height and the length for a prototypical defensive end.D’Andrea’s tape tells the story. He gets off the ball like a shot, finds the ball quickly

and delivers a blow. D’Andrea is one of those slipperyplayers that are so hard to block. I have watchedstretches of tape, play after play, where the offensivelineman in front of him did not even get a good shot athim. He won’t stay blocked. He played defensive end last

year but was a nose guard theyear before. His quickness wastoo much for the centers andguards in front of him. As a defensive end, he

reminds me of former Georgiastar defensive end DavidPollack. He is such a difficultplayer to block and plays withsuch intensity that he overcomes the lack of ideal size.He would rather play defensive end but would acceptplaying tackle. D’Andrea is hearing from Alabama, Michigan State,

Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota, Purdue, Colorado,Northwestern, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, West Virginia,Georgia Tech, UConn, Akron, Toledo, Miami (Fl.), andMiami (Ohio). He went to Ohio State for junior day andwill camp there. Update: When I ranked D’Andrea this highly as a

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four-star player, many questioned the ranking consid-ering his size. Watch him play -- that is all I can say. D’Andrea

makes so many plays. He can be unblockable and hisgame speed is great. Recently, at the first of two senior camps at Ohio

State, D’Andrea impressed everyone in one-on-onedrills and ran a 4.7 40 at 252 pounds while putting up18 reps of 225 pounds. D’Andrea is reminding me more and more of another

recent player that I thought more highly of than any oneelse – Mike Kudla. Kudla had a good college career atOhio State and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kent State came in with an offer for D’Andrea in

June.

24. **** Diauntae Morrow 6-0 185 S/LB Lakewood St. EdwardSpring Profile: There are quite a number of safeties

that could end up playing linebacker in college in thisclass. Morrow is a high school linebacker that will endup playing safety in college. Morrow has been a cornerback and a safety, but St.

Edward needed a linebacker last year and Morrowstepped up. He is a very physi-cal player and is not out ofplace at the high school level asa linebacker. He is one of the biggest hit-

ters in the state this year and isalso a solid tackler. Morrow hasthe longest arms I can remem-ber seeing on a kid this size,and uses them to good advan-tage. He runs great, plays witha high motor and has outstanding instincts.To say Morrow is nasty is an understatement. He is

absolutely fearless mixing it up against the big guyswhen he is called on to turn plays in from his outsidelinebacker spot. His time as a high school linebacker will serve him

well as a college strong safety.Morrow received early offers from Indiana and

Wisconsin.Update: Diauntae Morrow has quietly gone about

racking up an impressive offer list as well in the off-sea-son. In addition to Indiana and Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois,and Bowling Green have made preseason offers to thisunderrated prospect. Penn State, West Virginia,Michigan, Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) andToledo are all showing a good deal of interest as well. He is playing linebacker in high school because that

is what his team needed from him. Morrow was a cor-ner before he was a linebacker so he has cover skills. Last season, he had 75 tackles with 15 tackles for

loss and eight sacks. With college programs only hav-ing 85 scholarships available, versatile players are veryimportant. This is a kid that can play safety and line-backer and could be an ideal nickel back. He is one ofthe most underrated players in the state of Ohio.

25. *** Skylar Jones 6-1 180 QB MiddletownSpring Profile: Jones is the best athlete playing

quarterback in Ohio. He is an excellent passer, but at the same time, he

will gut a defense with his ability to make plays with hisfeet. Jones is what I call a dynamic quarterback; he willthrow the ball first and run second, always threatening adefense. He is never in a passive position. Jones isconstantly probing and trying to get the defense to com-mit. Last season, Jones was 155 for 299 passing for

2,135 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 760 yardsrushing and nine touchdowns. One interesting aspect of Jones is he is a power

lifter. I can’t remember the last time I saw a power liftingquarterback. He has a 225-pound bench press, 345-pound squat, 220-pound clean and a 360-pound deadlift. Add to that a 4.41 40, plus Jones is the top returning300-meter hurdler in Ohio. He made the state meet inthe 300-meter hurdles and the 4x400 relay in 2005.

Most interestingly, Jones is coming off his first year inthis system. Ron Johnson came to the Middletown pro-gram last summer and he is arguably the most under-rated coach in Ohio. It will beinteresting to see what happenswith another year under thetutelage of Johnson. This is oneI will keep my eye on. Update: The last line of the

spring profile says it all – I keptmy eye on Jones and he pro-duced. At the Columbus Nike camp

he ran a 4.3-second 40, thebest time out of 552 campers.He also chalked up a 37-inch vertical. Jones, in my opinion, is the best athlete in the state

pound-for-pound. Nobody can put together the combi-nation of speed and strength that Jones brings to thegame. Jones now holds offers from Tennessee, West

Virginia, Cincinnati, Maryland, Bowling Green, WakeForest, Kent State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan andMarshall. After his impressive combine showing, OhioState started showing interest as well. He won the state 300-meter hurdles title and was

fourth in the 110-meter event. We are seeing hurdlersshow a propensity to be good corners, which could bewhat is happening with Jones. Instead of looking at himas a size challenged quarterback, schools are lookingat his athleticism. With another year under Middies coach Ron

Johnson, Jones is going to get offers as a quarterback.

26. *** Charlie Hatcher 6-4 245 DE/OL HamiltonSpring Profile: Hatcher is one of the better defen-

sive linemen in Ohio this year. He did not get a lot ofpublicity on a losing team last year, but that is sure tochange with former Chaminade-Julienne head coachJim Place taking over the Big Blue.Hatcher is an active and physical defensive end that

projects as defensive tackle as a college player. Hemight not necessarily have the explosiveness to be adefensive end in college. Hatcher excels at hand fighting and gets off blocks

quickly. He does an excellent job of finding the ball andhas the high motor that is essential to any defensiveplayer. I like smart football players and Hatcher has that high

football I.Q. and great instincts. He has a 4.75 40 and anice body to build on. He could fill out to 280-pounds orso with minimal impact on his speed and athleticism. I would sum up Charlie Hatcher as, simply, a football

player. Update: This is a name to remember. The more I

watch Hatcher the more impressed I am with him. Hehas such great instincts and makes plays effortlessly. Hatcher has already secured offers from Cincinnati,

Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Illinois and Duke. JimPlace is now ready to take the helm at Hamilton, butthat is pretty impressive list offers from Big Ten schoolsconsidering he was without a head coach to facilitatehis recruitment prior to Place’s hiring. So much of thecontact required by the NCAA is to be through the highschool coach. Charlie Hatcher is so good, college pro-grams found a way to make contact with him andextend the offers. Hatcher prefers defensive end right now but he is

going to grow into a tackle.

27. **** Chris Smith 6-1 220 QB South PointSpring Profile: I remember the first time I ever

heard the name Chris Smith. I was talking to my associ-ate from Scout.com, Bob Lichtenfels, about a few play-ers that were seniors at the time. He was looking atsome new film and all of a sudden Bob said, “Whoa,does this kid ever have a hose.” I asked him who hewas talking about and he said the player was a sopho-more from Ohio. I discovered I had my own Chris SmithDVD but had not looked at it yet. After the phone call, I

put the DVD in and I was just as impressed as Bob. It is difficult to get a good read on arm strength on

tape. As a result, coaches like to get quarterbacks intocamp more than players at any other position. Smith isone of those players that doesn’t need to seen in per-son to know how strong his arm is. With Smith, the ball gets to the target in a hurry.

Former St. Xavier star and current Ohio State playerRob Schoenhoft is the only quarterback I have seen inOhio in recent years with the same caliber arm thatSmith possesses, and heshowed that arm at the Akroncombine last spring. Smith is not a pocket passer.

He runs really well, but unlikemost quarterbacks, he runs likea fullback once he breaks thepocket. Most quarterbacks, atleast the ones that run well, lookmore like receivers in the openfield. As a junior, Smith passed for over 1,500 yards and

15 touchdowns, and rushed for nearly 700 yards andsix touchdowns.He could play in either a pro-style offense or a

spread because he possesses both the arm strengthand the running ability. Because of the questions about level of competition,

the camp and combine circuit will be important butSmith is already aware of that chink in his armor andplans on making a number of appearances at campsand combines this summer. He has offers from West Virginia, Marshall and Ohio.

He has a list that had changed over time, but OhioState and Michigan remain constants. USC andOklahoma recently asked for tape. Update: Anyone who has seen Smith’s arm would

be surprised at the number of scholarship offers, or lackthereof, that he has received. Once again, the template – what I call “pitchers” –

has gotten in the way. If the template had been moresuccessful, it would be more understandable, but it hasnot.Smith had offers from Cincinnati, West Virginia,

Marshall, Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio before ver-baling to Marshall in mid-July. Level of competition is a question, and one that I

understand and agree with, but just look at him throwthe ball. There is no play in the playbook that he doesnot have the arm strength to execute. Smith is a guttycompetitor and is as tough as nails. He is not the quick-est kid but always does well when pressed and forcedto run.

28. ***** Brian Gamble 5-11 175 CB/WR Massillon WashingtonSpring Profile: Bill Greene has become an integral

contributor to Ohio High. He was the first person toidentify Brian Gamble as a top prospect in this class. Greene was at Massillon for the first day of practice

in August 2005. Massillon head coach Tom Stacy toldhim he needed to check out a junior named BrianGamble. Greene told Stacy he had never heard ofGamble, but Stacy smiled andsaid, “You will.” Stacy was right. In the state semifinal against

Lakewood St. Edward, Gamblestunned the Eagles by turning ashort pass into a first down onthird-and-30, the play of theyear for Massillon. Gamble alsohad big games in wins overCleveland St. Ignatius andCincinnati Elder. For the year, Gamble had 90 tackles and three inter-

ceptions on defense and carried the ball 248 times for1,512 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense.He was an offensive force running the football for

Massillon, but his future will be in the defensive second-ary. He was a terror at safety for the Tigers but also

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showed great ball skills and coverage ability. He hasthe hip recovery necessary to play cornerback, andStacy agrees. Gamble has great hands and is a dan-gerous kick returner.Right now, Gamble’s favorites are Ohio State and

Miami (Fl.) and he has been offered by Akron. Gambleattended the Miami camp in the summer of 2005. Hewill need to show well in camps to impress the bigschools but he doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses.Brian Gamble is simply a football player that makes

big plays and a lot of them. Simply put, there’s nothinghe can’t do on a football field.He also starts for the Tiger basketball team. Update: Brian Gamble has super talent but suspect

grades. Gamble has an offer from Akron and has been down

to Ohio State and has heard from a who’s who of col-lege football with Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Illinois, PennState, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Illinois to name a few. However, there really isn’t anything any of these pro-

grams can do until Gamble makes some real progressin the classroom. If he gets his grades in order, he jumps right back

into the top 10.

29. ***** Morgan Williams 5-11 190 TB Canton McKinleySpring Profile: Ohio High contributor Bill Greene

first told me about Morgan Williams when Williams wasin the eighth grade. McKinley head coach Brian Crossis likely the only person who hasseen Williams more. Morgan Williams is another

great running back from CantonMcKinley. He led the Bulldogs toan undefeated regular season in2005 rushing for over 2,400yards and scoring 27 touch-downs earning All-Ohio honors. He is a prototypical one-cut

slasher at tailback. Williams hasgreat feet and great vision to find the seam in thedefense. Williams doesn’t have sprinter speed but herarely gets caught from behind. He needs to prove hecan catch the football and be an effective blocker, how-ever. Williams could also project as a fine defensive back

but his future is on the offensive side of the ball. Heplays against the top competition in the state week inand week out and always shows well. Williams neverhas an off night and has great work ethic and determi-nation. He has the frame to fill out to 215 pounds andnot lose any speed.He took over for Ryan Brinson (West Virginia) and

the Bulldog running game never missed a beat. He willprobably find the going tougher in 2006 as his entireoffensive line has graduated.Williams is being recruited by most of the Big Ten

schools as well as most of the top programs in theMidwest but has not visited many schools because ofhis basketball commitment. As a result, he needs tohave a great summer camp season to get offers fromthe top programs.Update: Williams needs to buckle down and get his

grades in order. He still has a shot to make it, but he isa non-qualifier as of right now. It is up to Williams todetermine what his future is going to hold but he stillhas time to turn his grades around.

30. ***** Hosea Simpson 5-9 210 TB Cin. Winton WoodsSpring Profile: Early on, this class showed well at

running back. The cast of characters has changed overtime, except for Hosea Simpson. Brandon Saine’s tape really put him on the top of the

heap. Until he separated himself from the rest of thisclass, a strong argument for Simpson being the best inthe class could have been easily made. As a junior, Simpson tallied 1,675 yards and scored

25 touchdowns.When I first saw tape of Simpson, I only had one

concern. Would he outgrow the position? He was listed

at 225 at the time. He played some as a fullback, andstill does, but he has brought his weight down. I wouldhave played Simpson as a tailback, regardless, but Ithink the weight loss ends the argument. It gave him alittle more speed, not that hisspeed was questionable before,but he is still the same load hewas at 225. This kid is an “assassin” type

back, meaning he is deadly effi-cient. Simpson has no wastedmotion doing exactly what heneeds to do to get down thefield. He is a natural born runnerthat runs with great power.Simpson has more pancakes than most of the top line-men. He has balance and quick feet and uses hisblockers very well. Simpson is an excellent pass receiv-er out of the backfield as well and has superb visionand acceleration. Calling Simpson a power back is selling him short.

This is, without question, the most underrated player inthe class. Simpson is a back that is worth offers fromthe big four in the Midwest: Ohio State, Michigan, NotreDame and Penn State.Update: Simpson is another top-20 talent that needs

to get his grades in order before he is going to see anyoffers. But he does not have to take a backseat to any-one on the football field. Simpson still has time to get his grades turned

around. If he does, this could be a late-in-the-processsteal for someone. He is a fearless, aggressive runner with all the tools

to be a special back.

31. ***** Anthony “Dewey” Elliot6-0 235 LB FairfieldSpring Profile: I usually ask coaches about players

they went against that impressed them. Typically, thereis a moment of hesitation as the coach thinks it over butit only took Middletown head coach Ron Johnson abouta nanosecond to mention“Dewey” Elliot. I had never heard of Elliot

until that moment and don’tknow how this super prospectgot under my radar for thislength of time. Elliot is the realdeal. He is a high school middle

linebacker that could play insideor outside. He has suchinstincts that it is almost as if he is able to hear the playcall in the opponent’s huddle. Elliot is a very physical kidand does not need a clean run at the ball carrier tomake a play. He takes on blockers and gets off of themlike a player with a lot more experience but has thespeed to avoid blockers most of the time. Once Elliotfinds the ball carrier, there is going to be a major colli-sion. He really brings it coming in low and hard. He is agreat tackler as well as a big hitter. So often the big hit-ters are so used to knocking people down that they for-get to wrap. Not Elliot. His speed is the reason hecould play any of the linebacker spots. Since Elliot is so physical and has good size, he may

be best suited to play inside. He seems most comfort-able in the middle and a middle linebacker that can runlike this is a huge advantage. He has a great frame butso many kids of this size outgrow the position. Elliotcould add 15-20 pounds and stay at linebacker. He has an early offer from Oklahoma and favors the

Sooners and Buckeyes but Penn State is in the mix aswell. He has a reported 4.5 40 to go with a 315-pound

bench press and a 500-pound squat.Update: It has been quiet on the recruiting front with

this impressive football player. His offer list is not what isshould be and it is a direct result of his grades. Hefaces an uphill battle but it is one he can win. It is simplyup to him. The only reason he has dropped from the top20 is the grade issue. Recruiting is not just about the best athletes and foot-

ball players. It is about the best athletes and footballplayers that have the grades to get into college. Elliot’scurrent ranking reflects the fact that it is getting late andhe is running out of time to right this ship. Bet the farm the Midwest Big Four – Ohio State,

Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State -- get involved ifElliott gets his grades in order.

32. **** John Hughes 6-4 260 ATH Gahanna Lincoln Spring Profile: If John Hughes is not the most

underrated player in Ohio, then he makes the final cutlist.I was not ready for this type of player. Hughes is right

here in my backyard, so I was aware of him. But afterseeing him on tape, I am surprised the chatter was nota scream.This is an explosive, big athlete. Hughes gets into

opponents quicker than any lineman in Ohio but I maybe off there in calling him a lineman because he maynot be a lineman in the truest sense of the word. Hughes plays tight end in high school. Just when I

was ready to move him inside, I saw a couple of clips ofhim catching the ball. John Hughes has great hands buthe does not have the ideal body for a tight end. He isbuilt more like a guard/center or a defensive tackle. Thatis probably where he ends up in college. Hughes is a devastating run blocker. He has great

feet, he is explosive and strong. So, I just don’t seeusing an explosive, quick and athletic lineman like JohnHughes at guard or center. Also, he does not have thereach and the length you want in an offensive tackle. I see a name jumping up the recruiting charts in

Hughes once he gets to camps. There are never toomany big kids that can run. This big kid can run and heis quick and explosive, too.Update: It is all about grades for Hughes as well. He

has some offers on the table because he is that talent-ed but also because he has a shot at qualifying. Thoseoffers include Akron, Cincinnati, Ball State, Marshall andToledo with Ohio State and Michigan State both show-ing plenty of interest. Surprisingly, his offers have come as a tight end. He

has the skills but he might not have the body of a tightend. He is a great blocker and it is not often you see atight end scoring pancakes, but Hughes does. He has the potential to be a fine defensive tackle or a

guard in college. He plays defensive end in high schooland is a highly effective one. If Hughes gets his grades straightened out, he is

going to have a large number of offers to choose from.The only reason Hughes has dropped down the rank-ings is the uncertainty with his academics.

33. **** Vince Harris 6-2 195 LB Cincinnati LaSalleSpring Profile: When fans talk about Cincinnati

LaSalle right now, the name that immediately comesinto the conversation is Ben Martin. Those that reallyknow what they are talkingabout mention Ben Martin andVince Harris. Harris is a very special play-

er. He can really run, and cou-pled with top drawer instincts,he is a player that alwaysseems to be around the football.His football speed is quiteimpressive. In the LaSalle scheme, Harris

is all over the place. He can be on either side of the ballor in the middle of the field. Most of the time, he is linedup outside Ben Martin. He attacks the line of scrim-mage like a defensive end but is just as good as a safe-ty in coverage and is very comfortable in that assign-ment. Moving back is not easy, but if any player canmake the move, it is Harris. Harris is a very good tackler and he is a playmaker -

plain and simple. He is one of the best linebackers inOhio. Unfortunately, it is going to be very difficult forVince to be a Division I college player his first year outof high school. His academics are not up to par.

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However, someone will stay with him and will findone of the real gems in this class.Update: There is not much to say about the off-sea-

son for Vince Harris. It is all about academics but he isworking to remedy the situation. If he continues on thepath he has taken, he will be one of the most talkedabout players in Ohio come February because nobodythis talented will still be on the board. Harris is one of the great play makers in this out-

standing class.

34. **** George Tabron 6-3 215 LB Canton McKinleySpring Profile: Tabron is Ohio’s top middle line-

backer. There a good crop of outside linebackers in thestate this year, a good number of them at safety, but theMike linebackers are few and far between. Actually, ithas been some time sincethere has been a great Mike inOhio. Tabron reminds me a lot of

current Ohio State middle line-backer Chad Hoobler. LikeHoobler, Tabron is not as big asyou would expect a true middlelinebacker to be, but both havethe long, lean frames. This willallow them to put on the weightnecessary to win battles against big guards and centersand still make tackles. Tabron reads the game well and takes good attack

angles. He is a knock down tackler as opposed to adrag down tackler. Tabron plays with great intensity andhe chases every play to the whistle. He is really good intraffic and that is something vital for a middle linebacker.In tight spaces with large people coming at them, toomany kids fail that crucial test and this can be the differ-ence. He is also a great blitzer. Tabron is comfortable as an inside linebacker in the

3-4. He will fill out to 250 pounds or so in no time. Tabron passes with flying colors. He plays big in the

biggest games. The great ones always rise to the occa-sion. Update: It has been a tough off-season for Tabron

as off the field issues have greatly impacted his recruit-ment. In retrospect, the situation was blown out of pro-portion. But with legal issues hanging over his head,there was not much interest. To my knowledge, he has no offers. With his off-the-

field legal issues, which ended up being dropped afterexcessive media attention, the May contact period wasinterfered with. Just before press time, it was learnedthat Tabron would be attending Canton McKinley for hissenior year.He was getting interest from Purdue, Michigan State,

Minnesota, West Virginia and Bowling Green before allthis happened and interest should pick up again beforeit is all said and done. This is a dynamic, physical and active linebacker that

shows the frame to get bigger.

35. *** Tyler Replogle 6-2 225 LB CentervilleSpring Profile: It only took about three plays for me

to form an opinion of Centerville middle linebacker TylerReplogle. Replogle plays with such reckless abandon I remem-

ber thinking he was going to kill himself before the tapewas over. His game is very sim-ple – run as fast as possibleuntil the whistle blows or untilhe hits something. Running is something

Replogle does very well.Centerville head coach RonUllery gives him a 4.75 40 andthat is an accurate time. Whatis on the stop-watch when arunner passes the line is whatgets written down with Ullery. Replogle’s football speed is better than that, howev-

er. He is going to impress when it is camp time. He has

a 4.07 pro agility, 30-inch vertical, 340-pound benchpress, 470-pound squat and 285-pound clean. He had 140 tackles as a sophomore and 138 as a

junior. Replogle has a great body and Ullery thinks hecould grow into a defensive end by the time he is readyto step on the field as a college player. I will not arguewith that – Ullery knows a little something about talent.He coached a kid named A.J. Hawk and I think I mayhave heard of him before. Replogle has and offer from Indiana with more to

come.Update: Replogle has good size, solid combine

numbers and excellent tape. He is getting a lot of interest from the likes of Ohio

State, Michigan, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, butIndiana is the only school to offer Replogle and heaccepted the offer in early August. Coach Terry Hoeppner has Ohio roots with a strong

stint at Miami (Ohio) and has used that to come intoOhio and land some recruits that Indiana wouldn’t nec-essarily land. Last year, Hoeppner and his staff took themuch underrated Jarrod Smith, an offensive linemanfrom Fairborn, back to Bloomington. This could beanother one of those players that the big programs inthe region pushed to the back burner and the Indianastaff took advantage of the lack of attention.Replogle was the Greater Western Ohio Conference

defensive player of the year last year with 107 tacklesincluding 24 behind the line of scrimmage. It is puzzlingthat he does not have more offers.

36. *** Sidney Glover 5-11 203 DB/RB Warren HardingSpring Profile: There was not much action around

the Harding program last year on the recruiting front,which is highly unusual for this legendary program. Thatis going to change this year. There are at least fourDivision I players in this class from Harding. Glover is a high school quarterback that projects as a

running back or a defensive back in college. If theoption were still a widely used offense, Glover would bea recruited player at quarterback. The skill Glover demonstrates at quarterback is what

shows the type of running backhe could be. He is outstanding.This is a well put together kidwith a burst that is only believedwhen it is seen. He reads thegame well and is at top speedin a blink of an eye. He is quiteelusive in the open field. Glover had some highlight

reel runs on the tape Hardinghead coach Thom McDanielssent. He is a starter on defense at safety and is just asimpressive there if not more so than at quarterback. Heshows the same skill with reading the game and thesame explosiveness when it comes to stopping ball car-riers in their tracks. McDaniels gives him a 4.7 40 and that time can be

taken to the bank. His football speed looks better thanthat, however. For a 4.7-player, he ran away from a lotof tacklers and closed on ball carriers quickly. Running back is a possibility at the next level, but he

could be a dynamite safety.Update: This is a player to keep an eye on this fall. I

find myself coming back to his tape as often as I do thehigher rated prospects in this class. Fans on the message boards ask me why he is not

ranked higher and I have come around to agree withthem. One thing that has hurt Glover is the moving around

from safety to linebacker. McDaniels told Scout.comthat the moving around was not in the best interest ofGlover, and he would find a place for him this fall andkeep him there. Indiana offered and Glover accepted late June. Harding has its most talented team in years this sea-

son, led by running back Dan Herron. The scouts should be thick as thieves. I would wager

a lot of them come back home bringing a recommenda-tion to offer Sidney Glover.

37. *** Frank Becker6-3 275 DT Cincinnati MoellerI did not receive film of Frank Becker until after we

went to print with the last issue. This is a tremendousprospect. I have said many times that you learn more about

leverage in one month ofwrestling practice than you do inone year of football practice.That Becker is a two-time stateplacer in wrestling is no surpriseafter seeing him play football.No lineman in Ohio uses bal-ance better. He stays low, keepshis elbows in tight and hishands inside. Becker consistently gets pen-

etration just by using superior technique and by show-ing a great motor. Becker could be a fine guard but will probably be a

defensive tackle at the next level. He is one of the mostunderrated and under-publicized players in Ohio.

38. *** Kendall Washington 6-4 190 WR/S Louisville St. Thomas AquinasSpring Profile: Is he a receiver? Is he a safety? Is he

a linebacker? In a class full of versatile players, KendallWashington might be the most versatile. During the regular season, he had 30 catches for

585 yards and six touchdowns.Everyone is looking for bigger kids to play safety but

moving back is not as easy as moving down, so itdoesn’t happen as much.He is an excellent tackler and shows good instincts.

He will be a great defensive player because of hisspeed. If he runs well this summer at camps, he will rocket

up the boards of the top schools as a receiver. He haseverything else to be an outstanding receiver. He will be at the Scout.com combine in Louisville. Update: When I first saw Washington, I was not sure

where he would play his college ball. He was an athletic football player looking for a posi-

tion. I thought he was best as a receiver but wasn’t soldon his speed. Washington impressed everyone in attendance at

the Louisville Scout.com combine as a linebacker. In late July, Washington accepted an offer from

Michigan State. He also had offers from Cincinnati,Miami (Ohio) and Kent State with interest from BostonCollege, Syracuse and Illinois. Washington is an academically motivated young

man and has a great frame with 4.6 speed, making hima huge get for Michigan State.

39. **** Ryan Gillum5-11 205 ATH Youngstown LibertyEvery year, there are players that fall through the

cracks. How Gillum flew so far under the radar for solong is beyond me. Gillum plays all over the field for Liberty. He is at line-

backer sometimes and safety at others. He even linesup at corner on occasion and is not out of place at anyof those positions. On offense, Gillum is a good running back. He is

physical runner with outstanding balance and strength.He lines up as a wing and runs counters very effective-ly. There are a number of good blocking receivers thisyear but Gillum pancakes linemen.Gillum is a football player. He makes plays wherever

he lines up. He could grow into a linebacker but will probably

excel at strong safety. In a class full of strongsafety/weak side linebacker types, this one does nothave to take a backseat to any of them. Some of histackles could be used to demonstrate what form tack-ling looks like to young players. At the same time, if I were asked to pick the best hit-

ter in Ohio, Ryan Gillum would surely be on the final list.He really brings it and plays really well in space. Some of his best plays were open field tackles. He may have been overlooked in the spring issue,

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but Syracuse didn’t miss him. Gillum committed tothe Orangemen in the spring.

40. *** Rob Reiland6-3 230 DE/TE Massillon JacksonReiland is a player that would have been in the top

100 in the spring issue if I had received his tape earli-er. If he were a more ideal size,

he would be ranked even high-er. Reiland is a tremendously

skilled player on either side ofthe ball. There is no consensusas to where he will fit bestaccording to college coachesthat have taken interest.Likewise, I cannot decidewhere Reiland should play in college. He has great football instincts doing a great job of

getting off blocks as a defensive end but is just asadept blocking as a tight end and has the hands forthe position. Reiland could fit into either a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense.

He has the size to be a 3-4 outside linebacker but hasgood enough speed to be a 4-3 defensive end. This is a player that will be recruited as an athlete

and will find a position later.

41. *** Eric Thomas6-5 250 OL/TE Cleveland GlenvilleSpring Profile: Everyone wants big kids that can

run and Thomas fits that mold perfectly. Thomas doesn’t catch the

ball a lot in the Benedictinesystem at tight end but showshe is going to be an excellentblocker. This is a well put-together 250-pound kid butlooks more like 220. He moves really well and

doesn’t have a defensive play-er’s mindset. By the time hesteps on a college footballfield, Thomas will be an offen-sive lineman, probably a tackle. He has long arms andshows good fundamentals. Thomas is a great kid and will be easy to coach

and a pleasure to coach.Update: Thomas had 72 tackles and 13 sacks last

year. Those are impressive numbers, but I do not seea defensive player’s mindset in Thomas. All the junior tape I have of him is as an offensive

player. I saw him as a defensive player as a sopho-more and he is listed by some as a defensive end. Hehas all the physical attributes that are found in defen-sive players, and he passes the look test. He clockeda 4.78 40 this summer.But motor is crucial to a defensive player and that

seems to be the big question with Thomas. He seemsto be going through the motions on some plays. If afire can be lit under Thomas, there is an athlete in himthat does not have to take a back seat to anyone inthe class. He may be too nice to play defense, butthen they said the same thing about Orlando Paceand we all know where he is now. Thomas currently has offers from West Virginia,

Michigan State, Indiana, Bowling Green, Cincinnati,Marshall, Ball State and Miami (Ohio). He picked upapproximately half those offers on the Ted Ginn, Sr.bus tour. Thomas has since transferred from Cleveland

Benedictine to Glenville.

42. *** John Wells5-9 175 CB Youngstown Liberty John Wells’ teammate Ryan Gillum needs to be put

up there with the best strong safeties in Ohio. Wells isarguably the best cover corner in this class. Everyone is looking for bigger corners these days,

so players that are Wells’ size are getting overlooked.This kid is a player. He has great, quick feet and the

hips to turn on a dime. He is a “big” little guy in the factthat he is comfortable at the line of scrimmage inpress coverage. It is understandable wanting big corners to go up

against these 21st century freaks at receiver, but thereare some that can overcome it. Wells is one of them. His leaping ability is such that he makes up for

some of those inches in height. Wells goes up timeafter time against taller receivers and gets up therewith them to make plays on the ball. His ball skills areoutstanding and he will come up willing in run support. Wells is a nice little running back but defense is

where he will make his mark. Liberty has quietly goneabout the business of putting players in Big Ten andBig East schools the last few years. Here is another.Wells has already committed to Syracuse with team-mate Ryan Gillum.

43. *** Derrick Sherman 6-0 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowSpring Profile: Derrick Sherman is one of those

players I would hate to play against. He reminds me ofplayers like the Indianapolis Colts wide recieverMarvin Harrison and former Ohio State wide receiverSantonio Holmes. Sherman is not the most impressive physical speci-

men, but he is not small either. He is not the fastestplayer on the field, but there are no questions abouthis speed. All he does is simply make plays. ‘Wily’would be the perfect way to describe his game. A hun-dred receivers could line up in his spot but Shermanwould be the one that finds that one soft spot in a solidzone. He catches everything and makes it look easy with

such great hands. He can contort his body in waysthat nobody else can to make catches and managesto stay on his feet. As a junior, Sherman had 40 catch-es for 498 yards during the regular season.As mentioned, he is not the fastest player but his

yards after the catch are as impressive as any receiv-er in the state. He is that elusive. He is like a backwhen it comes to following his blocking.This is a player with tools, football smarts, and if

there is a more competitive player, I want to see him. Sherman has an offer from Miami (Ohio) but is

undecided on summer camps. If he runs well, Miamiwill be the first of many offers.Update: Last season, Derrick Sherman had 40

catches and scored six touchdowns after a breakoutsophmore year in which he had an 18-yard per catchaverage and eight touchdowns. Tom Landry once said consistency is the mark of a

professional. Sherman had two different quarterbacksthrowing him the ball in the last two years. Timing and familiarity can be huge in the passing

game. Sherman is a no excuses player. He makesplays. At the end of June, Sherman gave his pledge to

Purdue. Maryland, Cincinnati, Ball State, Buffalo,Indiana, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Kentucky allextended offers and he was also being recruited byMichigan State, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Ohio andIowa.

44. **** Ricardo Thompson 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati WithrowSpring Profile: I had forgotten how good Ricardo

Thompson was until I saw his junior film. This is a tremendous linebacker prospect. He is

definitely a linebacker and not another one of the highschool linebackers in Ohio this year that will be tryingto make the tough transition to safety. Thompson has the body to fill out to 230 or better

and looks bigger than his listed 205. This kid hasinstincts that can’t be taught. He reads the game like amuch more experienced player. Thompson makessmall adjustments right before the snap and puts him-self into the perfect position to make the play once theball has snapped. Withrow head coach Doc Gamblesays he has been making the calls and checks for thedefense since he was a freshman.

Thompson is a physical player as well as a versatileone. He gets off blocks quickly and handles traffic well.He is a very solid tackler with good speed. Gamble lines him up all over the field but he seems

comfortable inside or outside. Because of his size, heseems best suited outside as his size keeps him frombeing an inside linebacker. A smart, fast, tough line-backer like Thompson is best suited in the middle ofthe field. He has solid grades and good camp show-ings could see his stock soar.Update: Thompson had an amazing 150 tackles

last year as a junior. This is a very active and aggres-sive player. If not for the questions about his size, hewould have even more offers but I do not share thatconcern. Thompson will fill out into a Division I line-backer in short time. Minnesota, Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati, Buffalo and

Kent State all came in with offers in the preseason. Heis also being recruited by Pittsburgh, Michigan State,Wisconsin, Boston College and Iowa. Indiana indicat-ed it would offer him soon. But with all that interest, Thompson committed to

Minnesota in early August.

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Hoops Over HitsGreenfield McClain’s

Dante Jackson choosesXavier and basketball

over football

On August 10, Greenfield McClainsenior Dante Jackson held a pressconference and committed to XavierUniversity and its men’s basketballprogram. The decision brought to aclose a recruiting process in whichJackson also had viable footballoptions. Jackson was ranked No. 40in the Class of 2007 before choosingthe Musketeers. Here is a samplingof his bio.40. **** Dante Jackson 6-4 195 WR/SGreenfield-McClainSpring Profile: At first,

I just assumed DanteJackson was solely a bas-ketball player. He did notplay as a sophomore, theyear when most prospectsstart to emerge. Last fall, Jackson started talking about play-

ing football in college. I decided to look into itand I was surprised at what I saw. I have never seen Jackson play basketball,

but I have a hard time believing he is a betterbasketball player than he is a football player. Jackson played both receiver and safety as a

junior and was one of the most impressive play-ers I saw. It is safe to assume a basketball play-er is going to shy away from contact but DanteJackson may be the hardest hitter in the state. Update: It is official: Dante Jackson is keep-

ing his options open about what sport to play incollege. It paid immediate dividends with offersfrom Kentucky and Cincinnati for football. In June, Jackson capped his junior year by

winning the Division II state title in the 110-meter high hurdles and was second in the 300hurdles.

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45. ** Dane Sanzenbacher 6-0 180 WR/DB Toledo Central CatholicSpring Profile: Talk about stepping into the spotlight!

There is no better showcase than the first weekend inDecember when the state of Ohio has its state champi-onship weekend.There were some memo-

rable performances, butSanzenbacher put up a strongargument for the playoffs mostvaluable player. In the championship game,

Sanzenbacher set a stateDivision II record with 140receiving yards and tied therecord for receiving touchdownsin a championship game with two, including a 60-yarder. On defense, he intercepted a pass to seal the win for

Central Catholic as Canfield was driving in the weaningmoments. Sanzenbacher is similar to former Youngstown

Cardinal Mooney quarterback Kyle McCarthy, who puton a similar show in the state championship game twoyears ago and earned offers from Ohio State and NotreDame after the game. Sanzenbacher could be a receiver or a safety, but he

will most likely get a look at cornerback first. Ohio State has been showing interest.Update: I was looking forward to seeing what kind of

time Sanzenbacher ran this summer. He ran a 4.6-sec-ond 40 and had a 4.2-second shuttle. I thought hecould possibly run under 4.5. Going into the summer,he had offers from Ball State, Toledo and Kent withPurdue, Michigan State and Ohio U. all showing a lot ofinterest.Sanzenbacher made the rounds with Ted Ginn, Sr.

on his bus tour. Iowa offered Sanzenbacher during thecourse of the tour. That tour ended with a stop at OhioState, where Sanzenbacher performed for one day inthe all position camp and then stayed for the senioradvanced camp. Shortly thereafter, the Buckeyes offered and

Sanzenbacher committed to OSU.

46. *** William Johnson 6-2 210 RB/DB CentervilleSpring Profile: Two years ago, then Chaminade-

Julienne head coach Jim Place told me about WilliamJohnson. He said he was playing him only on defensebecause he already had a pretty good back in JavonRinger, now at Michigan State. Johnson was the heir apparent to Ringer but he dis-

appeared right before his junior year. The rumor millhad him moving to Georgia. Late last season, Johnson

resurfaced at Centerville. Hedid not play until the playoffssince he was not academicallyeligible. But this is nothing forcollege coaches to be worriedabout now, as I understand it. Johnson had an immediate

impact, rushing for over 100yards in each of the Elks’ play-off games. He is a good-sized back that runs with goodpower and leverage. He is very strong and has excel-lent balance and very quick feet. I really like what I sawof him as a running back. Ullery thinks he is going to be a safety in college. He

says Johnson wants to be a receiver and thinks he hasthe hands to do it. Johnson is a very hard worker. He has a 4.6 40, a

4.05 pro agility, 250-pound bench press and a 255-pound clean. With a solid year under his belt, this could be one of

the fastest rising prospects in Ohio next year.Update: It has been a long, hard road for Will

Johnson but he has never complained. He just keptworking. It looked like everything was against him his soph-

more year when he injured a knee in week three with

C-J then was ruled academically ineligible for theremainder of the year after he did put the injury behindhim. Johnson came back his junior year at Centerville

only to find himself ineligible again. He persevered andcame back for the playoffs and played very well. He also played basketball and made the regionals in

the 100-meter event, the 4x200-meter relay and the4x400-meter relay. At one of the recent Nike camps he measured 6-1,

191 pounds and ran a 4.6-second 40. He had a 35-inchvertical, a 4.1 --shuttle and pushed out 17 reps of 185-pounds. The best and most important number is Johnson is

now sporting a 2.8 GPA. He is getting plenty of attention from the likes of

Michigan, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio State,Pittsburgh and all the MAC schools but he is still waitingon his first offer. He needs to post a test score and heneeds to show more on the football field. He has beenaway for awhile and has had a knee injury but thiscould be one of the most sought after players in Ohioafter the season. Most see him as a safety.

47. *** Jordan Mabin 6-0 177 TB/CB Macedonia Nordonia Spring Profile: I first heard about Jordan Mabin as a

freshman when he rushed for over 1,000 yards and hehas continued to put up more and more impressivenumbers as a running back. I have never been a fan of small backs, but like for-

mer Dayton Chaminade-Julienne star Javon Ringer,Mabin runs well between the tackles. He does not havea big back’s game like so many smaller backs that areeffective inside runners. Mabin is that elusive. Heseems to be able to move his body in such a way thattacklers don’t get a good shot athim – a little twist here, a quickstep there, and he makes peo-ple miss. In some systems, Mabin gets

a shot at running back but he isgoing to be a cornerback inmost. That is one of the bestkept secrets in Ohio. JordanMabin is a fine cornerback andhas always been. He wentdown to the U.S. Army juniorcombine in Texas and made the all-combine team as adefensive player. Mabin has run 4.4 before and did so again at the

combine. In fact, some observers said he was the bestdefensive athlete at the combine regardless of age. Mabin was one of the top performers of the

Pittsburgh Scout.com combine. He was clocked at 4.44and 4.47 seconds in his two 40-yard dash attempts. Hewas also timed at 4.16 in the pro shuttle. Those timeswere among the top five out of 200 participants in eachevent.As a junior, Mabin carried the ball 220 times for

1,495 yards (6.8 average) and 22 touchdowns asNordonia posted a 6-4 record. That followed a sopho-more year where Mabin rushed for 1,775 yards andscored 25 touchdowns.He shows superior feet and Donnie Evege may be

the only player in this class with better hips. Size willdetermine where Mabin receives offers from. There willbe a college that simply does not care about size. Simply put, Jordan Mabin is one of the best football

players in Ohio, and one of the fastest. He receivedearly offers from Pittsburgh and Indiana.Update: I remember watching a profile of Jackie

Slater, a former Rams offensive tackle, who was beinginducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later thatday. Slater said, “Don’t let anybody fool you. Football isa big man’s game.” We are seeing proof of that with Mabin. Size does

matter. If it did not matter, we would see all of the BigFour in the Midwest making offers to Mabin. If size istaken out of the equation, this is one of the top 20 foot-ball players in Ohio, and maybe top 10. Mabin has a fine offer list with Pittsburgh, Indiana,

Marshall, Cincinnati, Akron and Kent State. Most of hisoffers have been as a cornerback, despite the fact thatMabin has earned his headlines as a running back. After two great years at Nordonia, Mabin is a guy

who figures to be mentioned prominently for postsea-son awards in Ohio in 2006.

48. ** Chris Rucker 6-1 180 WR/DB Warren HardingSpring Profile: It wouldn’t be difficult to find a more

spectacular player than Chris Rucker, but it would bedifficult find one more consistent. Rucker does so many things

well. He runs good routes, getsopen, catches everythingthrown to him, gets yardageafter the catch, works the mid-dle of the field and he willblock. Long runs don’t happenunless the receivers are block-ing and Harding running backDan Herron had a lot of longruns last year. As a safety, Rucker plays as well against the pass as

any safety in Ohio and has such great ball skills. Hisleaping ability, his superb hands and the uncanny abilityto get his hands on the ball when it is up for grabsstands out the most. Harding head coach ThomMcDaniels reports a 4.5 40. If I were making the call, I would play him at wide

receiver. Update: I liked Rucker when I first saw him and

apparently so do many college coaching staffs as hehas been busy raking in the offers. So far, Kentucky,Kansas, Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green and KentState have offered. He is also hearing from Indiana,Ohio State, Arizona State and Syracuse. The only determination left to be made as whether

he will be a defensive back or a receiver. I like him bet-ter at receiver but most of his offers are as a defensiveback, corner back specifically. Rucker had six interceptions last year to go with 17

catches and five touchdowns as a receiver. He is agreat looking athlete with solid grades and one of thefastest rising prospects in Ohio.

49. *** Steve Matas 6-3 250 DE/DT MentorUsually players go to camps and they are smaller

than listed. Matas was bigger than his listed 6-3, 250-pounds. It has been an active off-season for Matas. He has

been to Ohio State twice, Akron, Cincinnati, BowlingGreen, Miami (Ohio) and even got out to Iowa andMinnesota. He also attended the Ohio State-Illinois foot-ball game and the Ohio State-Michigan basketballgame,Matas has offers from Minnesota, Cincinnati and

Miami (Ohio). The different measurables changes things for Matas.

Being taller and thinner means he has a better chanceto be a 4-3 defensive end. He still could slide down intoa 4-3 tackle, but at 6-5 he is going to be more appealingto more schools, and despite the fact that there aremore 3-4 defenses nowadays, there are many moreteams playing a base 4-3. Matas has a reported 4.7-second 40. He squats 475-

pounds and benches 260-pounds. This is a player thatevery school should be getting out to see. The one word that comes to mind is “relentless”.

50. **** Julian Miller6-4 215 DE/TE Col. Beechcroft It is all about size with Julian Miller. He was listed bet-

ter than 6-4 and about 215 or so but was officiallymeasured at 6-31/2 and about 203 pounds this sum-mer. Those numbers can be thrown out the window just

by looking at his frame. Miller is skinny but the film tellsthe story.He is relentless, quick and he uses his longarms well to tie up blockers then gets rid of them.Mostly, though, he uses an athleticism that few can

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match. Miller has offers on the table from Illinois and

Cincinnati and is hearing from Iowa, Maryland,Kentucky and Indiana. Last year was his first as astarter. There is a lot of upside here.

51. *** Jaa’Rome Williams 5-10 210 TB Elyria It has been a quiet off-season for Williams. He

attended the Elite Skills Campat Cleveland Browns Stadium inMay and performed well there.It would have helped Williamstremendously if he could havemade it to more camps andcombines. This is a much underrated

prospect. We are not seeing alot of players come out of hisarea, so it is not a regular stopon the recruiting trail. Someone is going to get a stealwith this kid.

52. *** Pete Rolf 6-5 220 DE PiquaRolf is looking at offers from Eastern Michigan and

Oregon right now and has a cousin that plays forOregon. That is how the Ducks got in on him early. Rolf’s offer list should be much more impressive

come season’s end. In addition to the offers Rolf is hearing from Iowa,

Penn State, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and MichiganState. He has been to Ohio State, Northwestern andPittsburgh to take a look around. Rolf is athletic enough to play linebacker in high

school but I think someone takes this kid, fills him outand he turns into a great player. Big kids that can runare always in demand. Rolf is originally from Salt Lake City and is of

Polynesian descent.

53. *** Sean Baker6-0 200 S Canfield The big question about Baker has been his speed.

He went a long way toward answering that questionwith a 4.71-second 40 at OhioState. He had a sparkling 4.12-second shuttle time which iseven more interesting consider-ing he is not nearly done grow-ing. He could easily grow into alinebacker and plays the gamelike a linebacker. Baker took another step in

mid-July with a 4.53-second 40at the Akron camp, where heweighed in at a solid 198-pounds. Baker has offers from Vanderbilt and Kent State early

in the recruiting process. When word gets out about thistime, that offer list will grow quickly.

54. *** Bryant Thomas 6-1 185 QB/WR Cincinnati WithrowRight now, the only offer for Thomas is from Eastern

Kentucky as a wide receiver. But he has an impressivelist of schools still looking at him. He is still being recruit-ed by Penn State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Miami(Ohio), Army, Air Force, Connecticut, Indiana, Ohio,Buffalo, Iowa and Western Kentucky. Withrow coach Doc Gamble indicated that he will

likely not be a quarterback, so most of the schools havenot decided yet where he will play. Until a position isdecided, schools will hold off on offers. This is a smartfootball player and a fine athlete. He was a deservedall-league receiver as a sophomore.

55. **** Rob Trigg 6-3 245 DE/DT Chaminade-JulienneTrigg has offers from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Toledo

and Kent State. I am a bit surprised he does not havemore offers considering he was one of the most talkedabout players coming out of the Columbus Nike camp.

That could change in the verynear future. Maryland, MichiganState, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati,Indiana, Toledo, Kent State andOhio have remained in touch. He camped at Ohio State

and Michigan State over thesummer. With several formerteammates at Michigan State,expect him to accept an offerfrom the Spartans should hereceive one. Trigg has never hidden the fact thatMichigan State is his dream school.

56. *** Marlon Parker6-2 216 LB Warren HardingWarren Harding is a legendary program here in

Ohio. It is shaping up to be coach Thom McDaniels’best class in years. In early reports Parker, was given credit for a 4.8-

second 40. His most recent 40is a 4.65. That result hasincreased his stock and his offerlist confirms it. Parker has early offers from

Boston College, Indiana,Cincinnati and Akron. He is get-ting interest from all over thecountry with Georgia Tech,Florida State, Penn State,Pittsburgh, Ohio State,Syracuse and a host of othersstaying in touch. Indiana has been talking to him aboutplaying a hybrid DE/LB position. He has a 485-pound squat and a 245-pound clean.

57. *** Carson Byrd6-0 230 DE Trotwood-MadisonByrd transferred into Trotwood just last year from The

Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton. Trotwood has such a collection of talent there were

others on the DVD coach Maurice Douglass sent methat I wanted to see. His part of the tape started withByrd at offensive tackle, a position he is too small to bea prospect at, so I moved on. Itwas not until he impressedeveryone against a nice collec-tion of offensive line talent at theScout.com Louisville combinethat I went back to look at theDVD again. Ohio has a number of small-

er DE/OLB prospects this year.Byrd is as good as any of them,though he is raw with last yearbeing his first playing football at this level. He is a longarmed kid with a motor that won’t quit and he is natural-ly strong. Byrd had 55 solo tackles, 13 tackles for loss, seven

sacks and three caused fumbles as a junior. He had a4.81 40, 4.48-shuttle and a 31.5-inch vertical atLouisville where he was an All-Combine selection. Byrd has offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Toledo,

Ohio and Eastern Michigan. He has family in Georgiaand really likes Georgia Tech and Yellow Jacket headcoach Chan Gailey has been sending handwritten let-ters.

58. *** B.J. Cunningham 6-1 185 WR Westerville SouthCunningham is a kid whose stock is really rising. He has offers from West Virginia, Cincinnati, Miami

(Ohio), Toledo, Akron and Ball State. He has visitedCincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and Ball State, a school that isreally raising its recruiting profile in Ohio. He alsointends on stopping by Penn State, a school with agood relationship with Westerville South. Several play-ers have gone on to Penn State including former firstround draft choice Ki-Jana Carter. At the Columbus Nike combine, Cunningham put up

some nice numbers to go with his impressive tape. Hehad a 4.62-second 40, a 4.12-second shuttle (which

was second best on the day for all participants) and a31-inch vertical. Cunningham is also hearing from Wisconsin, Iowa,

Maryland, North Carolina and Indiana. This is aprospect to keep an eye on.

59. *** Frankie Edmonds 5-7 190 RB Lakewood St. EdwardDespite the questions about his size, Edmonds is not

going to have to worry about college money. He alreadyhas offers from Akron, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, BowlingGreen, Ball State and Ohio, with Michigan, Iowa, Illinois,Purdue, Indiana, Pittsburgh andWest Virginia all taking interest. They have time. Edmunds is wide open and

in no hurry to make a decision.He opened some eyes with a4.44-second 40 at the Nikecombine in Columbus and had17 reps on the bench press,which was more than a goodnumber of the linemen. He alsohad a 33.3-inch vertical. As a junior, Edmonds had 191 carries for 1,504

yards during the regular season for St. Edward.Edmonds is not a small back – he is a short back.

And apparently a good number of colleges are realizingthat.

60. *** Ben Davis 6-4 263 OL PiquaDavis is getting plenty of attention from recruiters as

he is an athletic player that has played both right tackleand left tackle showing versatility, although, someschools are interested in him at guard. He has an offer from Eastern Michigan and is hear-

ing from West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Oregon. Hecamped at Ohio State, Toledo, Ball State andCincinnati. Davis is in no hurry to make a decision either. I sus-

pect he is going to be a surprise on someone’s commit-ment list at the end of the year. I know of a couple of bignames schools that have said they really like him butare not ready to offer.

61. *** Chris Walder6-5 235 DE/TE Trotwood-MadisonWalder is a player to watch closely this fall. He has

finally made the decision to move over to Trotwood-Madison from Dayton Jefferson after considering themove for some time. Walder is a specimen. He will play tight end for

coach Douglass this year, who has added JeremyBeckham to his staff as offensive coordinator. Beckhamwill put the ball in the air in the new spread offense, soWalder will have plenty of opportunity to show what kindof football player he can be.He is raw and needs to get stronger and needs to

get his academics in order. After watching tape of himlast year at Jefferson, he might be a better defensiveend. He is athletic enough that he dropped into cover-age on occasion. In the end, I think he gets offered as an athlete.

62. *** Tony Jackson6-1 230 LB/RB Galloway WestlandTony Jackson is a player that is a short list of nomi-

nees for the best player you have never heard of. Jackson is a well-put-together linebacker who has

the speed to play outside but is physical enough to playinside but will ultimately end up outside. He has a goodmotor and outstanding academics.He has a 4.5-second 40 and a 4.2-second shuttle

time to go with a 320-pound bench and a 630-poundsquat. Jackson was at Grove City Central Crossing last

season and transfers usually have it tough sincerecruiters have a hard time finding them. But Jacksonhas offers from Bowling Green and Cincinnati and thereis a lot of interest out there. He has outstanding aca-demics, so Stanford is showing a great deal of interest.

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Academics will play a part in Jackson’s decision andhe is very high on Stanford, Boston College, Ohio State,Illinois, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Notre Dame,Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. He had 137 tackles against an impressive Ohio

Capital Conference schedule.

63. *** Mark Wetterer 6-6 300 OT Cincinnati Anderson Wetterer has had a busy off-season taking unofficial

visits to Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan Stateand Penn State. He has writtenoffers from Maryland,Cincinnati, West Virginia,Toledo and Connecticut. OhioState, Clemson, Minnesota,Virginia and Boston Collegeare staying in touch but havenot pulled the trigger on anoffer.Wetterer has said that Ohio

State and Clemson are at thetop of his wish list and likes Boston College a lot.Former teammate Ty Hall is currently an offensive line-man at Boston College, so that could have some bear-ing on his decision. If the Buckeyes were to offer, I don’tsee Wetterer turning the offer down. He will most likely make a decision early in the fall.

64. Kendrick Bruton 6-3 215 DE/TE MiamisburgSurprisingly, Bruton has mentioned that he prefers to

play tight end. I thought he would prefer defensive endor linebacker. He could still end up as a linebacker sincehe is not really the size most schools are looking for in atight end. He has had a busy off-season with trips to Notre

Dame, Cincinnati and Ohio State and attended springgames Miami (Ohio) and Akron. Bruton has offers from Purdue, Akron, Miami (Ohio),

Ohio, Kent, and Eastern Michigan. The Purdue offer isas a linebacker. He will likely make a decision beforethe season starts.

65. *** Jerome Royal6-2 190 WR Cleveland HeightsRoyal is another strong candidate for the best player

you have never heard of. He only caught nine passeslast year as the Cleveland Heights quarterback was outand Chaz Jones was moved in to play quarterback. Itbecame a run-oriented offense at that point.Royal is a raw prospect but he has great tools to

work with. His size was confirmed at the Cleveland EliteSkills Camp. There are always a lot of great prospectsat that relatively unknown combine, so nobody wasexpecting to see Royal run a 4.49-second 40. There was a who’s who of college football represent-

ed at this camp, including Notre Dame and Michiganbut Royal was not much interested in going to one ofthe big name schools and did not think much of therecruiting process. He was offered by the Akron Zipsand accepted. Akron is doing a great job of findingthese diamonds in the rough and convincing them tocome on board.

66. ** Jafe Pitcock6-3 250 DT PiquaThe offers have started to roll in for Pitcock. He has

offers from Miami (Ohio), Akron, Ball State, EasternMichigan and Kent. There is still no consensus on where Pitcock will play

in college. Some of his offersare as a defensive end, whichhe probably prefers, and defen-sive tackle.Pitcock ran a 4.89-second

40 at the first of two senior onlycamps at Ohio State in earlyJune. He would grow into adefensive tackle and his fortytime says defensive tackle. Hehas a nice frame and will add

more weight. The Piqua program has more Division I prospects

than any other program this year, so the scouts will beout in force this fall. As a result, he will add to that offerlist. There is a bit too much emphasis on the fact that

Jafe is not older brother Quinn (Ohio State). Very feware the prospect Quinn was. But younger brother Jafemakes plays, goes hard every down and is a very hardworker. When January rolls around and decisions need to be

made, I think the positives will be on the minds of thosethat make decisions.

67. *** Chaz Jones 6-0 180 S Cleveland GlenvilleThe biggest news for Chaz Jones is the family has

moved and he will be playing his football next season atGlenville. Jones will play quarterback

for the Tarblooders, but look forhim to be recruited as an ath-lete that can play receiver,safety and possible cornerbackand running back. Jones hasshowed what kind of athlete heis with a 4.49-second 40 and a4.19-second shuttle time. He could be one of the

fastest risers at the end of theyear. Jones went on the Ginn Foundation bus tour overthe summer, so schools are aware of him.

68. *** Matt Yarab 6-1 220 LB/FB Youngstown UrsulineKeep an eye out for more interest in Matt Yarab.

Whether it is at strong safety oras a linebacker, he will end upgetting a lot of interest before itis all said and done. The buzzhas been about him as astrong safety because his 4.5-second 40 speed is legit but Isee a linebacker in that body ofhis. Penn State, Iowa, Syracuse

and West Virginia have beeninto Ursuline.

69. *** Perci Garner6-2 190 QB DoverThis has become a familiar refrain: Small school star

equals no offers, and it is especially acute with quarter-backs. His numbers are through the

roof. He led the state of Ohiowith 3,545 yards during the reg-ular season in 2005, completing208 of 313 passes. But thosenumbers are not a good indica-tor with the offense Dover runs. Garner’s talent is apparent in

his arm strength. He is not abad athlete, either.A number of MAC schools, Maryland and Iowa have

been showing interest, but Garner has no offers at thispoint.

70. *** Dusty Snyder 6-2 240 DE PiquaThere is a lot of interest coming in for Dusty Snyder

with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio, Iowa andSyracuse all staying in touch, but Eastern Michigan isthe only school to come through with an offer so far. One issue could be schools trying to determine

where Snyder fits into a defensive scheme. Is he adefensive end or a linebacker? There is some specula-tion at trying him as a middle linebacker but he might bebest suited as a 3-4 standup defensive end. Snyder is a perfect example of the importance of

measurables. As a football player, he doesn’t have totake a back seat to anyone in Ohio.

He camped at Ohio State, Louisville, EasternMichigan and Toledo.

71. *** Jason Williams 6-3 185 QB MiamisburgWilliams has been making the rounds. He visited

Cincinnati, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Miami (Ohio), Ohio Stateand Michigan and OhioUniversity. Ohio State and Michigan are

the biggest camps out there,and with so many coaches fromother schools outside the BigTen, it is a good idea to attendbecause there is nothing like thelevel of exposure the big campsoffer. In 2004, Brian Hartline

(Canton GlenOak, Ohio State) was offered by Floridashortly after the Ohio State camp because a formerFlorida assistant worked the camp.

72. **** Dan Barry 6-3 280 OL Mentor Lake CatholicOne of the real surprises is Dan Barry not receiving

an offer yet. I know I was a bit higher on him thansome, but he was one of the first names out of themouths of observers at thecamps and combines he attend-ed. The contact is there, howev-

er. He has been hearing fromOhio State, Iowa, BostonCollege, Stanford, Wisconsin,West Virginia, Indiana, Purdue,Penn State and Pittsburgh – butno offers. I thought I would atleast see the MAC come in onhim early. He is a relentless worker, moves well and has a nice

body. I would like to know what the holdup is.

73. ** LeBron Daniel6-1 225 DE/OLB Cleveland GlenvilleDaniel was at Warrensville Heights but left after head

coach Delvin Culliver took the job at Painesville Harvey. Daniel has performed well enough at every camp he

has been to that he has earned special merit. He is alinebacker/defensive end that has put up some nicenumbers at combines. At the Columbus Nike combine,he ran 4.74-second 40, had a 4.44-second shuttle andput 26 reps of 185-pounds. Daniel had over 100 tackles and 13 sacks last year. He has offers from Akron, Duke and Miami (Ohio) but

is getting attention from Ohio State, Penn State, NotreDame, Boston College, Purdue, Wisconsin,Northwestern, Colorado, Michigan State and Indiana.That is one impressive list.

74. ** Andy Wersel6-0 229 DE/OLB Cincinnati MoellerThe 3-4 defense is back in vogue. Any college run-

ning it needs to get to Ohio. There are any number ofrush defensive ends/outside linebackers in the state inthe class of 2007. Andy Wersel brings the best

credentials. He led the team with77 tackles and set a record forthe Cincinnati metro area with18 sacks last year. Those num-bers are even more impressiveconsidering the competitionMoeller plays against. Wersel is a high motor kid

that comes off the edge like ashot and is very difficult to block. Wersel’s impressive combine showing should make

his stock rise. At the Columbus Nike combine where heran 4.7-second 40, had a 4.31-shuttle and a vertical bet-ter than 30-inches. Along with a confirmation of hisheight and weight, that makes him a possible linebackerin a 4-3. This is one of the best football players and playmak-GH

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ers in Ohio. Wersel has made the rounds stopping by Miami

(Ohio), Western Michigan and Cincinnati in addition tothe Nike at Ohio State. He has offers from Western Michigan and Ball State.

75. ** Marquan Davis 6-5 238 ATH Youngstown RayenDavis missed a lot of practice time and did not play

last year. He has gotten his priorities in order and hasshown himself to be one of the most impressive big ath-letes in the state of Ohio. He went to a combine, that is where I got the height

and weight, and proceeded to run a 4.76-second 40. Hecould be a defensive end, a tight end or maybe grow intoa defensive tackle. Davis is also a hurdler.Ohio State has already been in to check on him.

76. ** Mike Page6-5 265 DT/OL Trotwood-MadisonPage has transferred from Dayton Meadowdale to

Trotwood-Madison. He played defensive tackle last yearat Meadowdale but new Trotwood offensive coordinatorJeremy Beckham sees a great guard prospect.Considering coach Beckham has put five offensive line-men into the Division I ranks, I think he is a good judge ofoffensive linemen.Page could be a great guard but having a wide body

this mobile could give him a shot at defensive tackle first.Coach Douglass thinks he is a guard in college. This is a very raw prospect. In the right college pro-

gram, he has unlimited potential. Page has a frame thatis going to get college coaches very excited. If he shows well this fall he could have an interesting

January. He showed really well at Ohio State’s camp.

77. ** Shawn Sailor6-7 300 OL Maple HeightsFor a player that has little film available, Sailor is get-

ting plenty of attention. He has played little football thusfar but has the perfect body forthe sport and he tests so wellathletically. There are plenty of other rea-

sons to be at Maple Heights thisyear. Piqua may be the only pro-gram with more prospects thisyear. Despite that, scouts wouldhave been out to see himregardless. If Sailor shows anything his

senior year, he will have a niceselection of schools to choose from. Most high schoollinemen are not ready to play as freshman. Sailor may need a little more time but you bodies like

the one can’t be coached. No position is more specula-tive.

78. ** Patrick McClellan 6-4 190 ATH Cincinnati MoellerMcCellan played mostly corner last year and he is a

good enough athlete to play corner. But he has a greatbody and an aggressive style of play. He is at least asafety and he could grow into a linebacker. McClellan has a great frame and is awfully lean at 190

pounds. He has a style of play more in line with a playerthat plays close to the line of scrimmage. It is apparent inhis body language. When he finds the ball carrier, all hereally wants to do is hit. He had outstanding numbers at the Nike combine in

Columbus with a 4.12-shuttle, a 37.8-inch vertical and a4.72 electronic 40-yard time on a slow track.

79. ** Tyler Sergeant 6-4 200 QB Clinton-MassieLast year, it was Rick Stanzi (Mentor Lake Catholic,

Iowa) who ended up being the quarterback everyonewas talking about at season’s end. Sergeant will be that player this year. Sergeant could

end up with Big Ten offers just like Stanzi. Sergeant is as big as Stanzi if not bigger. He has as

big an arm if not bigger. He has a good motion the col-lege staff will not have to waste time trying to get hismechanics ironed out. He also is mobile enough that he

is used to run quarterback draws and the occasionaloption. Level of competition is always a question for small

school players but especially for quarterbacks andClinton-Massie is in Division IV. Sergeant has received 25-30 letters from the Big Ten,

Conference USA, Big East and Ivy League teams.

80. ** Brian Cramb 6-3 270 OL BoardmanThe biggest mystery in Ohio this year is Cramb. He is

arguably the best run blocker in Ohio along with NickSchepisThis kid just explodes off the ball. He stays low and

keeps his excellent feet moving. Once Cramb locks up adefender, it is over. He is driving defensive linemen intothe secondary and has the athleticism to get out on sec-ond level blocks. Like Nick Schepis, Cramb has some real nasty in his

game. He has the motor of a defensive lineman and hasa nice body on him. Cramb plays left tackle but I see a guard in him at the

next level. How this kid does not have a box full of offersis beyond me. Maybe the college coaches just don’tknow about him yet.

81. ** Derrick Henry 6-1 190 ATH Worthington KilbourneThis is the Hines Ward of Ohio high school football this

year. Henry did not get an opportunity to show much lastyear in the Kilbourne option offense he could be a finereceiver at the next level. It seems as though there are several receivers in Ohio

this year that have shown excellent blocking skills andHenry could be the best of them. He also plays defense and that is why he is listed as

an athlete. But he belongs on offense. Last year, Henry carried the ball as a wingback racking

up 655 rushing yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry andscoring three touchdowns. He caught 10 balls for 237yards and three more scores. Henry has some impressive measurables with a 4.5-

second 40, a 375-pound squat, 235-pound bench, a 235-pound clean and a 35-inch vertical. He is one of thoseplayers that does whatever is asked and does it well.

82. *** Erique Robertson5-11 200 S/LB Maple HeightsSize is important but some players are just too good to

be ignored and Erique Robertson is one of those players. Robertson has offers from

Ball State, Bowling Green andKent State he will add to that listas he is seen more and schoolsdetermine this high school line-backer can play the pass wellenough to move to strong safety. If Robertson were 6-2, he

would have Big Ten offers on thetable as a linebacker and couldget some as a strong safety bythe time it matters.Pound for pound this is one of the best football players

in Ohio.

83. ** Matt Zimmerman 6-4 265 OL Warren HowlandZimmerman has really come along. He has excellent

technique and comes off the ball with a punch. He bendshis knees, gets his helmet into defenders chests and hemoves his feet. In one segment of his game film, he is taking on a

defensive tackle that is at least 400-pounds. On severalplays, he takes this kid 10 yards down the field. He is astechnically sound as any offensive lineman in Ohio andhas the motor of a defensive player. He does not havethe body typical for tackle but what an inside player hewill be. He plays guard in high school.

84. ** Charles Brown 5-10 180 WR Maple HeightsBrown is a much underrated receiver. He makes so

many plays and he shows toughness as he will go overthe middle.

He is not the size that every-one is looking for these days inreceivers. I am not really sur-prised to see that the offers havenot come in yet because of hissize but wait until after the sea-son when what goes onbetween the white lines starts tomatter more than measure-ments. This kid has skills.Brown is football smart and he

has good speed. He ran 4.49-second 40 at theColumbus Nike combine, best amongst receivers. Brown has picked up early offers from Bowling Green

and Ohio University.

85. *** Marcus O’Hara 6-6 295 OT HubbardIf linemen were evaluated on looks alone, O’Hara

would be at the top of the Ohio list hands down. He looksmore like a power forward at 295-pounds rather than anoffensive lineman. O’Hara is raw and needs a lot

of work, but in time, he could bea very good tackle. He is furtheralong than Zack Strief at thesame time in their careers andStrief was recently taken in theNFL draft. He caught some eyesat the June 3 senior camp atOhio State. Some school withthe depth to take a chance couldreap some long term rewards by offering O’Hara.

86. ** Chazz Anderson 6-2 200 QB Pickerington CentralAnderson passed for 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns

his sophomore year, then threw for 1,300 more yardsduring his junior season. He has had an impressive collection of schools in to

take a look at him, including Maryland, Wisconsin,Marshall and West Virginia. Cincinnati and Vanderbilthave been in touch as well. Anderson is going to put schools that want him as a

quarterback at the top of his list, but as in the case withSkylar Jones from Middletown, his combine numbershave any number of schools interested in him as an ath-lete. At the Nike combine in Columbus, Anderson had 28reps of 225-pounds, a 33-inch vertical, 4.1-shuttle and4.63-second 40. He has been to Michigan on severaloccasions and favors the Wolverines.

87. * Mark Wooldridge 5-10 190 TB/DB Cuy. Falls Walsh

JesuitWooldridge is off to a good start. He has offers from

Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Cincinnati, Ball State and BowlingGreen, and Akron.He ran a 4.56-second 40 at

the Scout.com combine inPittsburgh and an amazing4.03-second shuttle, givingsome indication of just howquick this kid is. He showedhow explosive he is later whenhe put up a 38.5-inch verticaland a nine-foot standing broadjump. His 6.97-second three-cone drill was one of the 10best on the day. The times were on field turf, generallyconsidered to be slower, which makes his times all themore impressive. Running behind top offensive lineman Mark Schepis,

Wooldridge could add to an already impressive offer listhis senior year.He also participated in the Ginn Foundation bus tour.

88. *** Tomaz Hilton 6-3 190 WR/S Youngstown RayenHilton is getting plenty of interest but has no offers yet.

Cincinnati, Akron and Louisville are staying in touch aswell as West Virginia, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and KentState. He ran well at the Columbus Nike combine with a4.68-second 40 and a very impressive 4.2-second pro

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shuttle and impressed in one-on-one drills. Hilton is a very raw

prospect. He plays big, useshis body well and is such anathlete. With good collegecoaching, he is a real dia-mond in the rough. I think this is a matter of

schools wanting to see more.

89. *** Mike Madsen 6-5 275 OL Y’town Cardinal MooneyMadsen has been flying low under the radar but the

interest is there. He has offers from Miami (Ohio) andKent State but that is just the beginning from the looksof his contact list. Syracuse, Illinois, Pittsburgh,Northwestern, Duke and Cincinnati are all staying intouch. He took unofficial visits to Miami (Ohio) and KentState. He came away very impressed with his Miami(Ohio) visit and committed mid-July.

90. * Garrett Celek6-5 230 OT Cincinnati LaSalleThere has been an upswing in interest for Garrett

Celek after word got out that he ran a 4.65-second 40. In the spring issue, I men-

tioned Celek is a tight end sizedoffensive tackle. Well, he is nowshowing a tight end 40-yardtimes. He already has someexcellent blocking skills, some-thing so many high school tightends need to work on after theyget to college. He impressed at the

Cincinnati camp as a tight endand earned an offer from the Bearcats. The offer washard to turn down as his brother Brent is a Beracat tightend and Garrett committed in early August.

91. *** Ishmaa’ily Kitchen 6-3 310 OL Y’town Cardinal MooneyThis is not really a complicated matter. Kitchen needs

to get in better shape both physically and academically.He is a powerhouse and hastremendous feet but his weightis getting out of hand and he isnot near qualified. His future isin his hands. He is at least a MAC caliber

prospect and any school out-side of the Midwest Big Fourcould come in with offers ifKitchen gets as serious aboutmatters off the field as he isabout matters on the field.

92. *** Alex Kaufman 6-2 220 LB West Chester Lakota WestKaufman is one of the more underrated prospects in

the state this year. He shows well on tape both at theline of scrimmage and in coverage, something that hasbecome so much more important these days.The measurables mean so much. Kaufman didn’t

disappoint with a nice showing at the Columbus NikeCombine. He had a respectable 4.78-second 40, and a31-2 inch vertical. Most importantly he ran a 4.25-sec-ond shuttle, the all important number for linebackers. Healready has an offer from Minnesota and has been tojunior days at Tennessee and Cincinnati.

93. * Aaron Pogue6-8 300 DE Dayton DunbarPogue is talking the talk about playing football

instead of basketball. Every college coach that hasseen him hopes he walks the walk. Pogue was a part of the Dayton Dunbar Division II

state championship basketball team last winter. He isnot just a big guy in the middle. He can play. I am surehe will get scholarship offers in basketball but this is a

potential NFL player if he gives up that basketballdream and starts concentrating on football. Kids that are this size at this

age that are as mobile asPogue are rare. He is also invery good shape. He has somefat to lose, no question aboutthat, but this he is not a big,sloppy kid. Pogue starts for the basket-

ball team and plays most of thegame. He runs the floor like amuch smaller player. Collegecoaches are looking to basket-ball for big athlete more and more. Pogue would be a national recruit if he chooses foot-

ball. He is a prototypical left tackle with long arms and athick body with great feet.

94. * Justin Powell 6-1 235 DE/OLB BoardmanOhio has a couple of top players this size in the

Class of 2007 – Piqua’s Dusty Snyder for instance. Ifnot for the resurrection of the 3-4 defense, these play-ers would probably not be in the top 100. Neither isideal sized to be a defensiveend in the 4-3, and do not havethe speed to be outside line-backers in a 4-3. But both fit the3-4 as stand-up defensive ends. Powell is a relentless defend-

er. He chases plays from side-line to sideline. He is so good atthe point of attack that he couldget taken at middle linebacker.He is a good technician splittingdouble teams effectively. He does the little things likechecking down to make sure there is no reverse com-ing his way before he pursues. If Powell was 6-4, he would surely be a Big Ten play-

er.

95. ** Dan Dario 6-2 215 LB Akron HobanDario has been very active this summer camping at

Northwestern, Illinois, West Virginia and Indiana withNorthwestern and Indiana the most likely to offer. He is one of the more active and physical players in

the state of Ohio and always finds the ball. Dario isworking with a speed coach right now and an improve-ment there could bring a dramatic change as he is stillhearing from Ohio State, Akron, Syracuse, Wisconsin,Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan and Ohio in addition tothe schools where he camped. This is one good looking football player that is a good

40-yard time away from some major offers.

96. * Brian Peters 6-4 185 S Pickerington CentralPeters has picked up offers from Cincinnati and

Miami (Ohio) and could have one from Iowa. I wouldnot be surprised if that were true. Peters has been flying low under the radar but he is

athletic, has a big frame and is as physical as any play-er in the state. There is some real nasty in his game. He probably grows into linebacker but don’t be sur-

prised to find him grow into a 3-4 standup defensiveend.

97. * Joel Younkins 6-2 220 LB HubbardYounkins is one of the more impressive linebackers

in the state this year. He has good size and is veryphysical. He takes good angles and shows good clos-ing speed to the ball. He is good in traffic and gets offblocks well but is very good at keeping himself cleanwith his good reactions and speed. Younkins put up a4.6-second 40 this spring.Eastern Michigan is the only offer on the table right

now but he has been to camps at West Virginia, Ohio,Pittsburgh and Youngstown State and is hearing from

the Mountaineers, Akron and Bowling Green. A good senior year will earn him offers from some of

those schools.

98. *** Dan Ifft 6-3 175 WR DoverDan Ifft is a textbook example of just how important

the measurables are with recruiting. He is a player thatbrings skills to the table that very few can match. If thiswas just about football skills, Ifft would have so manyoffers he would have to get astorage unit to keep them all. He shows no signs of being

shy of contact and has suchtremendous ball skills andhands. So far, however, he hasnot shown the speed that is soimportant these days, and moreimportantly, to his position. A col-lege program could bring him inand move him to safety if heshows he cannot create space.During the regular season last year, Ifft led Ohio with

92 catches for 1,506 yards (16.4 average).

99. * Zak Crum6-4 285 C Westerville SouthCrum was close to cracking the top 100 in the spring

issue. He does not have the ideal body that the big boys

are looking for but this is one ofthe most effective blockers inOhio. Look up the word tena-cious in the dictionary and therewill be a picture of Crum. He istough, nasty and smart. Crum never stops moving

after the initial engagement. Ifhis man is down, he is lookingfor another. He may not be on every

schools want list now but he isgoing to be on someone’s commitment list comeFebruary.

100. * Scooter Hargate 6-2 204 QB GirardHargate started early in his career when he was at

Youngstown Ursuline and it showed. He needed a lot ofwork. My have times ever changed.

Hargate is now at Girard and heis one of the best quarterbacksin a class with many fine signalcallers. Hargate might be themost accurate passer in Ohiothis year, especially on the longball. He has a nice arm andshows some cool when hefaces pressure. He hangs toughand delivers the ball. Hargatecan make something happenwhen the pocket breaks down, as he is a nice lookingathlete. Grades will not be a problem.

101. **** Terrence White 6-1 180 WR/CB Pickerington CentralTo compete with the big boys, smaller schools offer

players early. White is such a game breaker he hadoffers from Akron, Miami (Ohio) and Central Michiganafter his sophomore year. When players get offers thatearly, it speaks volumes.White appears to be completely over the injury that

took away his entire junior year. He qualified for thestate meet in the long jump, which is a measure of theimportant attribute of explosion, and had some memo-rable plays on the basketball court with his ability to getoff the ground. He is hearing from Ohio State,Michigan, Alabama, Maryland and Cincinnati. Whitecould be one of the hottest commodities in the statewhen he shows his old form this fall.

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Bernie Agnew 6-0 180 WR Columbus AfricentricBilly Alexander 5-10 175 RB New Carlisle TecumsehJoshua Anderson 5-10 175 CB/TB Col. Marion-FranklinRobert Anderson 6-1 200 QB Upper ArlingtonCharles Baab 6-0 185 QB/S AllianceDavid Beck 6-2 235 LB/FB PauldingMatt Beggin 5-11 170 S Lima SeniorClay Beeler 6-1 230 LB HuntingtonPat Bellish 6-3 215 DE/TE CanfieldWendell Blue 6-3 270 OL Cincinnati WithrowZach Boedicker 6-1 190 S/QB Macedonia NordoniaBarrett Brooks 6-4 305 OT Galloway WestlandRobert Brown 6-8 290 OL Cincinnati Winton WoodsChase Burge 6-3 230 LB Lancaster Fairfield UnionBen Burkett 6-3 270 OL Toledo St. JohnʼsLewis Buzzard 6-7 215 TE Col. Franklin HeightsGeorge Carpenter 5-11 195 ATH LancasterBryant Clark 5-11 171 CB Dayton MeadowdaleMatt Clark 6-3 225 LB Cincinnati McNicholasZak Clark 6-4 230 LB/TE Grove CityPhil Collier 5-11 175 CB Piqua A.J. Combest 5-11 175 RB Clayton NorthmontJosh Copeland 6-1 190 S Fairborn Ryan Curry 5-10 195 RB/DB Youngstown UrsulineJake Davis 5-10 190 RB Cincinnati AndersonDeMarco Dawkins 6-0 200 RB LocklandPete DeCapua 6-0 205 LB Richmond HeightsKevin Deters 6-3 220 TE Cincinnati MoellerBrady DeMell 6-3 250 DT MentorJay Edwards 6-3 175 QB/ATH Nelsonville YorkMarcus English 6-2 185 DB Trotwood-MadisonBryson Faggs 5-10 200 TB Marion HardingJoe Flading 6-4 265 OL Cincinnati AndersonWendell Ford 5-11 170 TB TroyTrey Foulkes 6-5 330 OT Columbus EastBryant Fox 6-1 185 S PiquaJoe Gilford 5-7 170 WR Huber Heights WayneMatt Glove 6-3 220 DT/OL CanfieldJustin Grifits 6-3 280 OL SydneyMichael Grubenhoff 6-3 220 ATH Delphos St. JohnʼsDarren Gunn 6-3 255 DT Trotwood-MadisonEric Haislah 5-9 165 CB Cleveland GlenvilleDavid Harsch 5-10 210 LB Warren HardingPatrick Hennessey 6-1 205 LB Cleveland St. IgnatiusJosh Herron 5-10 185 RB Monroe Lemon-MonroeSteven Hight 6-2 245 DE/TE Canton McKinleyFrank Hokavar 6-5 225 DE PerryDon Houser 5-11 165 DB FairbornMarcus Houston 6-4 315 OT Columbus Brookhaven Craig Hoying 6-3 215 LB AnnaShadoe Joiner 6-0 225 LB/TB Whitehall-Yearling

Greg Jones 6-2 210 LB/DE Cincinnati MoellerMaurice Jones 6-0 210 S Youngstown UrsulineTed Jones 6-2 220 DE/TE Akron BuchtelKevin Kawalski 6-4 265 C Macedonia NordoniaKevin Koncelik 6-4 250 OG Cleveland St. IgnatiusJ.P Krill 6-0 205 ATH VermillionZak Kristan 6-3 205 QB Dublin CoffmanJoe Lamb 6-3 175 QB WaynesvilleBrian Lane 6-3 230 LB Cincinnati MoellerBobby LaRosa 5-11 215 S/LB AvonJohn Lee 6-0 180 S Cincinnati WithrowCaleb Lipsey 6-3 285 DT/OL Cincinnati SycamoreDerek Lingenfelter6-2 235 LB/FB Lima ShawneeMike Linger 6-2 210 LB West Chester Lakota WestJeff Lucas 6-3 225 LB Lakewood St. EdwardNick Marino 6-2 230 LB Urbana Vince Martin 6-3 195 WR Springfield SouthEddie Mason 5-10 170 S Cleveland GlenvilleBlake McCroskey 6-5 250 TE/OL Chaminade-JulienneTim Nelloms 6-3 190 WR Col. Marion-FranklinR.J. Peake 5-11 180 CB Akron BuchtelDavid Peary 6-5 250 DT/OL LancasterRocco Pentello 6-1 195 S/QB Westerville SouthDemario Pleasant 5-10 180 TB Cincinnati Northwest Alex Okafor 6-2 180 WR Cincinnati FinneytownJahan Olyaie 6-2 190 WR Cincinnati AndersonCorey Pigg 6-3 308 OG MiddletownEvan Pilsbury 6-5 205 TE/DE Vandalia ButlerErnest Pitts 5-11 185 RB Akron BuchtelAndy Poe 6-2 210 LB Cincinnati ReadingGary Pride 5-9 180 ATH Cincinnati ColerainTarik Raed 6-1 210 LB Lakewood St. EdwardBrandon Ramsey 6-1 175 WR MiddletownMakkenon Rice 5-9 180 TB Toledo WoodwardAndrew Robiskie 6-1 235 C Chagrin FallsAustin Robitzer 6-4 305 OT Lancaster Chris Schneider 6-3 225 QB FindlayNathan Sharp 6-4 280 OT Beloit West BranchSteve Slade 6-0 200 S Youngstown RayenSpencer Smith 6-3 220 LB/TE Cincinnati ColerainJamarro Spikes 5-11 175 TB Ashtabula LakesideJeff Spikes 6-7 315 OL Painesville HarveyJason Stiel 6-3 225 LB ReynoldsburgKendall Stinson 5-8 165 CB NewarkGeno Sturdivant 5-9 190 S/LB Cleveland GlenvilleJason Sutherland 5-11 170 WR Vandalia ButlerNathan Toney 6-5 265 OL West Chester Lakota WestMarcus Vaughn 6-1 224 LB/DE Dayton MeadowdaleMyshan Veasley-Pettis5-9 165 CB/WR Toledo RogersCameron Wade 6-3 260 C/DT Bedford ChanelMike Welker 6-6 300 OG Lancaster Rafit Wheeler 5-11 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowFreddy Williams 6-0 215 LB FairbornPatrick Williams 6-2 215 TB/LB Cincinnati Elder Anthony Wright 5-11 180 QB Maple Heights

Others to watch for...


Jermale H ines STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

nlike in recent years, there isn t̓ the normal blue-chip cast ofplayers returning at Glenville High School with scholarshipoffers to the major college programs already in hand.

But Jermale Hines will lead a relatively young and inexpe-rienced group of many solid football players into battle that,as a team, have been bolstered by the normal arrival of a

few more solid football players from a couple of different schoolsthroughout the Cleveland area.

“Everything is going good. Weʼre just trying to put it all together,”said Hines. “I think our defense looks very good and the offense isstarting to come together. So we should be OK.”

The defense will have to be the strength of the team, at least earlyon, because the entire offensive unit, with the lone exception of widereceiver Kyle Jefferson, was lost to graduation. Both Jefferson andHines, who have each received numerous offers from schools in theBig Ten prior to the season, will be the cornerstones around whichtheir respective units will be built this season.

Hines, in just his second year with the team, is more than ready tolead the Tarblooders into the season. On defense, he will man theWill linebacker position but he may play some at strong safety ondefense as well this season.

“I̓m just trying to lead my team to the promised land and help getus over that hump to week 15,” he said. “I̓ ll play some at quarterbackon offense this year. But my coach says the reason why I won t̓ beplaying quarterback too much is that I̓m a strong part of the defense.But I will be playing quarterback some. I̓ ll probably be playing multiplepositions on offense. You l̓l probably see me play some running backand receiver too.”

Last year, Hines made a name for himself on the defensive side ofthe ball after transferring to Glenville from Berrien High School, whichis located near Valdosta, Georgia, just in time for the start of the sea-son.

“I lived in Cleveland, I was born and raised in Cleveland and Imoved to Georgia when I was 13,” Hines said. “I was there for myseventh and eighth grade years and I went to high school downthere, too, for my ninth and tenth grade years.”

Hines started at quarterback and outside linebacker in his freshmanyear.

“I had 97 tackles and over 1,000 yards rushing at quarterback,” hesaid. “We ran the option.”

He was moved from quarterback to tailback on offense in his soph-omore season.

“I had over 1,000 yards rushing and I played outside linebacker,”Hines said. “I had over 100 tackles that year.”

But his mom intervened during the summer before the start of hisjunior season and sent the family back to Cleveland.

U

Photos by Gary Housteau

Glenville senior JermaleHines saw actionat QB and LB lastseason

Double DutyTwo-way standout Jermale Hines leads Cleveland Glenville in 2006


Jermale H ines

“My mother felt I had a betteropportunity (to get into college)so we came back up toCleveland and she put us inGlenville. And there it was,”Hines said. “I was happy over-all down there but I felt like Iwas one of the better playersaround down there and I justwasn t̓ getting any looks. But I was happyoverall.”

He didn t̓ really know what to expect whenhe came back home Cleveland.

“I really didn t̓ want to move at first becauseI didn t̓ know how it would be, coming into awhole new system and not having that long toget prepared,” Hines said. “I thought I wasn t̓really going to play a lot but when I got uphere and saw how everything was, I was veryhappy.”

Hines knew about Glenville before he wentdown to Georgia.

“I remembered watching guys like PierreWoods and Dareus Hiley and all of them,”Hines said. “That was when they were juststarting to really blow up.”

So he was really excited when he realizedthat he would indeed have a chance to playfor Glenville.

“Yeah I was excited,” he said. “I didn t̓ haveany family down there, so I was excited to getto play in front of my family in Cleveland. I wasexcited to play for Glenville, very excited.”

Hines actually joined the program only acouple of weeks before the start of his juniorseason.

“It was a late decision. It was like two weeksbefore the first game when I got here,” hesaid. “But things worked out very well and Iwas very satisfied.”

And he certainly played like he was excitedto be a Tarblooder last year. Hines recorded97 tackles, eight sacks and had four intercep-tions as Glenville finished the regular seasonunbeaten before losing in week 13 to St.Edward in the Division I regional finals.

“My junior year was great. I was surroundedby a whole bunch of all-star players and it wasgreat,” Hines said. “I feel that I did okay but Ifeel that I can get a whole lot better this year.”

But the way Hines tells it, it̓s just an honorfor him to be able to play for Glenville.

“It feels great playing for Glenville. Everyoneknows who you are everywhere you go. Itfeels very good,” he said. “But playing forGlenville, youʼve got a reputation to uphold.

You have to work hard to be a Tarblooder. Butit feels really good.”

And he couldn t̓ be happier playing for acoach like Ted Ginn, Sr.

“It̓s just a great experience,” Hines said.“He teaches you about life, not only football.Heʼs a great man.”

So as Hines prepares for the start of hissenior season, he finds himself in a prettygood situation right now. Just prior to the startof football camp, Hines already had scholar-ship offers from Michigan, West Virginia,Louisville, Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois,Indiana and Cincinnati among others. But hebelieves an offer from Ohio State is likely tocome at some time in the future.

“My situation is good right now. I just thinkthat I need to have a big senior season tomake it even better,” Hines said. “I̓m all rightnow but I still need that offer from Ohio State.

“I have a good relationship with Ohio State.I talk to all the coaches from time to time,”Hines said. “In the future I think thereʼs a goodchance I̓ ll be getting an offer from OhioState.”

From what heʼs been told, Hines, at 6-2,210 pounds, believes that his future position atthe next level is at the Will linebacker position.

“That̓s what they r̓e all telling me, all of thecoaches recruiting me,” he said. “I like line-backer. I̓m very athletic, fast, quick and I̓mvery physical. And I̓m a smart player. And Iwork hard in the weight room. That̓s where itall starts at.”

Assistant coach Tony Overton thinks thatHines could be one of the best linebackerstheyʼve ever had at Glenville.

“Heʼs like Freddie Lenix (class of 2005;Cincinnati Bearcats) but heʼs bigger,” Overtonsaid. “Heʼs got great size, speed, everything.And heʼs the leader of the defense.”

Hines, who averaged 17 points and 6rebounds on the hardwood at Glenville, real-izes that he has a chance to become the nextgreat gridiron player at Glenville and follow inthe footsteps of guys like Troy Smith, DonteWhitner, Ted Ginn, Jr., Curtis Terry, Jamario

OʼNeal, Rob Rose, Bryant Browningand Ray Small.

“It makes me prepare harderbecause I know that I have some bigshoes to fill. But I know that it has tobe done,” said Hines, who has attend-ed numerous combines and camps,both on his own and as a participant inthe Ted Ginn Foundation Bus Tour,

during this past off-season. “It makes me work 10 times harder.”And Hines is very much aware of the

Glenville pipeline to Ohio State that was creat-ed by the aforementioned players.

But Hines, who was clocked at 4.56 in the40-yard dash, admittedly likes a couple ofschools from the south ast well.

“I̓m still looking at schools in the south,” hesaid. “I like Florida, Florida State andTennessee. I still like schools in the south. Ilike schools from all over right now. I̓ ll figure itall out at the end of the season. I̓m going totake all five of my official visits during the sea-son.”

But for the time being, Hines is really look-ing forward to his senior season. He thinksthat this Glenville team may have the bestoverall collection of talent that has ever beenassembled at the school.

“I really can t̓ wait for the season,” he said. “Ican t̓ sleep at night sometimes, it̓s that excit-ing. Last year was disappointing but at thesame time we accomplished a lot last year.It̓s going to make us all work harder all sea-son and be prepared and stay focused for thewhole season.”

Hines is trying to stay focused in the class-room as well. He has a 2.8 GPA but is hopingto improve his test scores.

“I̓m doing good in the classroom now and Ifeel I did a lot better on my second test,”Hines said. “I tried to stay more focused dur-ing the test this time. It̓s real easy to get unfo-cused taking that test. (The ACT score is)probably the reason why I haven t̓ got an offerfrom Ohio State yet.”

But if all goes well for Hines this season,Glenville will make it to week 15 and win theirschool̓s first-ever state championship and thatelusive offer from Ohio State will materialize.

Ohio State, West Virginia and Michigan arehis top three schools going into the season.

“Weʼve got a lot to play for at Glenville thisyear,” Hines said. “And I̓ve got a lot to play fortoo. We l̓l just have to wait and see what hap-pens.” — OH

“My situation is good right now. I just think that I need to have abig senior season to make it

even better.”

Hines on his recruiting situation GH


Jay Edwards

elsonville-York High School is regarded as a football factory.With a Division IV state championship in 1981 and multiple Tri-

Valley Conference titles and state playoff appearances since, the tra-dition-rich program has produced many standout teams and players.

One of those is Jay Edwards, the latest fine production in Buckeyelore. And, not only is he close to choosing a college to continue his playingcareer, heʼs also close to a level of perfection never experienced atNelsonville-York.

Entering his senior season, Edwards, a six-foot-one inch 205-pound quar-terback, has already been offered by two major programs in Ohio with severalother Division I schools showing interest.

“All I can say is that I will eventually come to a decision,” said Edwards. “I̓mwaiting on some offers and still talking to some schools.”

This fall, in the meantime, he will try to guide the Buckeyes to their fourthstraight Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division championship and fourth consec-utive Division V, Region 19 playoff appearance.

“I love it around here,” said Edwards of playing for the Orange and Brown.“It̓s hard to believe I only have one year left. It̓s finally hitting me that this is it. Iknow the season will go by fast, but I hope it slows down. I̓ve been blessedfrom the first game as a freshman right on through. The coaching staff hasstuck right with me, too.”

In Edwards ̓three previous seasons under center, as well as head coachDave Boston Jr.̓s three years, the Bucks are a perfect 15-for-15 in TVC-OhioDivision tilts. Nelsonville-York has posted three straight 7-4 campaigns andthree consecutive trips to the Division V, Region 19 quarterfinals.

Edwards has started at quarterback since the fourth game of his freshmanseason, one in which the Buckeyes started 1-3. However, they are a remark-able 20-9 with Edwards calling the signals, as he has earned all-TVC-Ohiohonors twice as well as Division V all-Southeast District Special Mention twice.

“Jay is successful and we r̓e successful as a team because of his leader-ship, his maturity and his wanting to be the best he can be each and everyyear,” said Boston. “Jay is undefeated in league play, he came in his freshmanyear and stepped in and showed he was mature enough to handle the quar-terback position. Heʼs a solid quarterback and a solid defensive player as well.Heʼs just a fantastic athlete.”

The athletic Edwards is also a standout in basketball as well as track andfield.

But, it̓s football that Edwards is eyeing at the next level.He explained that he has already received a scholarship offer from Ohio

University, which is only 15 minutes south of Nelsonville in Athens.

N

Photo by Jackson County Times Journal

A three-year starter, Nelsonville-York QB JayEdwards has scholarship offers from OhioUniversity and Youngstown State.

STORY BY PAUL BOGGS


Jay Edwards

Youngstown State has also offered,and he said that Bowling Green is“very interested.” He has also talkedto Marshall of Conference USA andNorthwestern of the Big Ten.

“Eventually, I will come to a deci-sion, but I don t̓ feel any added pres-sure from colleges,” said Edwards.“People tell me I need to make adecision, but I will do what̓s best forme. I go to all these combines with all the college scouts and a lot ofgreat high school players, but I don t̓ let it pressure me. I want to get afull ride and help pay my parents back for taking care of me all of theseyears. Theyʼve done everything humanly possible to help me.”

Which includes Edwards ̓training.“I have a high speed treadmill that I work out on every night,” he said.

“It̓s really done a lot to help improve my speed, strength and agility.”Boston added that his seniorʼs work ethic is arguably his top attribute.“His work ethic is amazing; heʼs one of the hardest workers I̓ve ever

had,” said the coach. “He is tremendous in the weight room and on andoff the field. Heʼs developed his speed over four years, he does thoseextra things which demonstrate that he is a tremendous leader.”

During the past off-season, Edwards has been busy with combines,including the senior camp at Ohio University as well invites fromBowling Green and Youngstown State.

At one - the prestigious Nike training camp in Columbus in May - heplaced second in the overall ratings out of nearly 600 athletes.

The event, like many similar, tested his 40-yard dash time, shuttlespeed, bench press and vertical leap. His best times include a 4.46 inthe 40, a 4.12 in the shuttle, a 32 1/2-inch vertical and a bench press of24 reps at 225 pounds.

“I expected to be in the top 10, so I was very pleased to finish sec-ond,” said Edwards. “I knew I did well. I wouldʼve been really happy justto be in the top 10. The top athletes were there.”

Since the Nike outing, Edwards has shown he is a jack-of-all-tradesfootball player this summer.

In addition to testing at quarterback, Edwards has worked out as arunning back, receiver, defensive back and linebacker at summercamps. His most recent camp was at Akron.

But while Edwards is touted for his running, throwing and adaptabilityas a quarterback, Boston said that he is a likely defensive player in col-lege.

“Heʼs either going to be a safety or a linebacker if he wants to have achance at the next level,” he explained. “Heʼs a strong inside linebacker,but he needs to fine tune his techniques. He really hasn t̓ played muchdefense for us until last year, his junior year. Before that, we only hadhim on defense in passing situations. Being a quarterback is such amental game to begin with, then you have to turn it back over to thedefensive side of the football.”

Edwards admitted that he has a lot of room to grow on defense.“Agility, speed, strength and positionwise, I have to continue to work

on it,” he said. “I̓ve really worked on my speed and strength, it keeps

coming along. I still feel that I haveabove average strength and averagespeed, and the speed of the game incollege is so much faster.”

Last season, he recorded 88 tack-les at linebacker to supplement his753 rushing yards and 1,235 passingyards. He rushed for six touchdownsand threw for 10. As a sophomore, herushed for eight scores and tossed for

six while racking up 297 rushing yards and 746 passing yards on 39-of-84.

Boston expects Edwards to continue to improve as a quarterback,but anticipates a “breakout year defensively.”

“He has a lot of fine tuning to do, but Jay is the type of person thathas never questioned what we r̓e doing. He does anything that we askhim to do and doesn t̓ complain. Heʼs a leader and does whatever ittakes to win.”

Case in point in last seasonʼs playoff game at East Knox.Nelsonville-York, especially in the Boston Jr. era, emphasizes a

smashmouth power-based running attack. However, against EastKnox, Edwards threw for what is believed to be a school record 352yards on 26-of-37 passing. He gained over 400 all-purpose yards in theBuckeyes ̓35-28 loss.

“We really saw what he can do in that game,” said Boston. “He canadapt and get the job done running or throwing. He did what neededdone.”

And that, Boston added, is what makes Edwards a “great leader.”“He looks after the young kids and helps develop them,” said Boston.

“He forgets about himself a lot and works with the younger kids. Thatdevelops winners and a winning program.”

And, Edwards aims to leave Nelsonville-York a winner – in the formof a four-time TVC-Ohio champion and four-time playoff performer.

“The sky is the limit this year,” he said. “We want to go 10-0 everyyear but especially this year. We want to win the league one more timeand host a playoff game and win a first-round game.”

Edwards credits much of his success to his coaches and team-mates, both those who have moved on and those which remain in theprogram.

“Weʼve had a lot of great athletes here, and weʼve had the best line-men in the TVC,” he said. “Theyʼve done a great job of taking care ofme. When I was a freshman and took over at quarterback, they didn t̓dog me and they could have. Instead they picked me up and havebeen there all the way. The coaches have been there all three yearstoo. I feel I can go to them at any time, even as a regular person.”

But perhaps Edwards is no ordinary Jay. Heʼs the latest standoutproduct in the Nelsonville-York football factory.

“We expect a big final year from him,” said Boston. “Jay has a goodhead on his shoulders and he l̓l make the right and best decisions inlife. Heʼs a smart young man too, with a 3.8 grade point average. He l̓lchoose where his confidence lies. Heʼs matured so much since hisfreshman year and he keeps on maturing.”— OH

“We want to go 10-0 every year butespecially this year. We want to win theleague one more time and host a playoff

game and win a first-round game.”N-Y senior QB Jay Edwards


High School Footbal l Notes STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

t its May 11 meeting, the OHSAA Board of Control voted tokeep the state football championships in Stark County through2009 with options to stay there through 2011.

The board made a 7-0 vote to stay with host sites atMassillon and Canton after a recommendation from a nine-

person state football finals subcommittee. Factions in Cincinnati andColumbus also bid to host the finals. The upcoming 2006 season willmark the 17th consecutive year that the Canton/Stark CountyConvention and Visitors Bureau has assisted the OHSAA in hosting thefinals.

“The subcommittee conducted a thorough review of the proposals,and the board is in concert with the recommendation that returning toStark County is the right choice for the state finals for the student-ath-letes, our member schools and their communities,” said Larry Acker,superintendent of the North Central Local Schools in Creston and presi-dent of the Board of Control.

“While we r̓e pleased there is interest from other areas of the state tohost the finals, the board is unanimous in believing that we currentlyhave one of the best setups in the nation for interscholastic state foot-ball championships.”

The subcommittee was comprised of Board of Control members as

well as administrative staff and officers of the Ohio High School FootballCoaches Association. They heard presentations from groups represent-ing Stark County, Cincinnati and Columbus. Site surveys were alsoconducted during the spring.

The Cincinnati group proposed hosting all six games of the finals atPaul Brown Stadium, home of the NFL̓s Cincinnati Bengals. TheColumbus group proposed hosting four games at Columbus CrewStadium and two at Dublin Coffman High School. The games in StarkCounty will continue to be rotated evenly between Fawcett Stadium inCanton and Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

“The groups in Cincinnati and Columbus made great presentations,”said OHSAA commissioner Dan Ross. “They showed they would becapable of hosting the championship contests, and I̓m confident thatthey would have helped create lifetime memories for the participants.

“But the overriding sentiments of the subcommittee members werethat they are pleased with the current set-up, especially when looking atthe facilities, the playing surfaces and the rotation of the finals betweenCanton and Massillon. That tradition and their experience in hosting thefinals were also factors.”

The state championships in six divisions will be held in Stark CountyDec. 1-2.

A



High School Footbal l Notes

Ohio News Network MakingPlans To Cover Ohio Football

Once again this season, Ohio News Network will be a pri-mary place to check in for high school football action on Fridaynights and also throughout the playoffs.

ONN will continue to tape delay high school games onFriday nights beginning with a pregame show at 9:30 p.m.That series is named “The Big Game.” ONN will finalize theschedule for “The Big Game” as the season nears. Look forannouncements on each weekʼs scheduled game onwww.jjhuddle.com

ONN will also continue its popular “High School Sports Site”show with highlights and analysis on games all over the state,including a special emphasis on a game dubbed each week asthe Marquee Matchup. JJ Huddle and Jerry Rudzinski will joinhost Dan DeCrow in breaking down all of the action eachweek.

Plus, ONN will continue to televise selected playoff gamesleading up to complete coverage of all six state championshipgames Dec. 1-2, including pregame and postgame coverage.

ONN is adding one more wrinkle to its high school coveragewith the advent of its “Varsity Ohio” weekly series at 8 p.m.each Wednesday. This show will wrap up the previous weekʼsaction and preview the upcoming weekendʼs key games.

Fox Sports Net Announces TVSchedule For Fall 2006

Fox Sports Net Ohio has announced a schedule of gamesthat will be televised during the upcoming 2006 Ohio highschool football season.

FSN Ohio, which reaches 5 million homes in Ohio, Kentucky,Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York, will televise most of thegames as part of a weekly “Northeast Ohio High SchoolFootball Game Of The Week.” It will also televise four gamesas part of the i-wireless Prep Classic Sept. 9 from Cincinnati.

FSN Ohio is working with Classic Teleproductions and HomeTeam Marketing on this series. Here is a look at the schedule:

* Sat., Aug. 26 – Charity Game doubleheader fromCleveland Browns Stadium with Cleveland Glenville againstMentor (1 p.m.) and Solon tackling Strongsville (5 p.m.).

* Thurs., Aug. 31 – Akron Buchtel at Austintown Fitch, 7:30p.m.

* Thurs., Sept. 7 – Cleveland Glenville at Strongsville, 7:30p.m.

* Sat., Sept. 9 – i-wireless Prep Classic from Paul BrownStadium in Cincinnati with Cincinnati Taft-Cincinnati Withrow(10 a.m.), Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands-Louisville (Ky.) St.Xavier (1 p.m.), Cincinnati Moeller-Massillon Washington (4p.m.), Cincinnati St. Xavier-Lakewood St. Edward (7:30 p.m.).

* Sat., Sept. 16 – Youngstown Cardinal Mooney at WarrenHarding, 7 p.m.

* Thurs., Sept. 21 – Solon at Hudson, 7:30 p.m.* Fri., Sept. 22 – Massillon Washington at Mentor, 7:30 p.m.* Thurs., Sept. 28 – North Royalton at Elyria, 7 p.m.* Thurs., Oct. 5 – Green at Wadsworth, 7:30 p.m.* Sat., Oct. 14 – Lakewood St. Edward vs. Cleveland St.

Ignatius, 7 p.m.* Thurs., Oct. 19 – Macedonia Nordonia at Lyndhurst Brush,

7:30 p.m.* Thurs., Oct. 26 – Garfield Heights at Bedford, 7:30 p.m.* Sat., Nov. 11 – OHSAA regional playoffs, time TBA.Games on FSN Ohio may be preempted in some areas due

to coverage of other sporting events. Check local listings forgames shown in your area.

JJHuddle.com: It Works!In July, Ohio Highʼs web site, jjhuddle.com, helped make the

high school football world a much smaller place by connectinga program in need with a coach seven counties away.

Mount Gileadʼs football program was thrown for a loop inJuly, when Lane Warner resigned the head coaching post.News of Warnerʼs departure was immediate fodder for theJJHuddle.com football message boards, and that is where theman who would become the schoolʼs next coach discoveredthe opening.

“I was just looking on JJHuddle.com and I saw Mount Gileadhad a football opening, so I applied,” said Mike Tucci, aBoardman native who has worked as an assistant at EastLiverpool and Lisbon Beaver, in an interview with the MansfieldNews Journal.

Tucci, 35, applied for the job, got an interview at MountGilead and was hired July 18 to fill the vacancy.

“It's really pretty late to be taking over the program,” Tuccisaid. “But I'm very excited about the opportunity and I'm confi-dent we can have the kids ready to go.”

Mount Gilead endured an 0-10 campaign last fall. Much ofthe staff remains in place, with Tucci absorbing four assistantsfrom Warner's regime. This will be Tucci's first head coachingjob. He attended Boardman High School and is a YoungstownState graduate.

Lakewood St.Edward’s back

Nate Oliver and histeammates willappear on Fox

Sports Net Ohiotwice this season.



Top Juniors STORY BY DUANE LONG

couple of years ago, I made the decision to move away from ranking under-classmen. There were so many players on top of the list simply because theyplayed early.

By the time it mattered, into their senior year, too many of the players hadbeen passed by others that had sat behind top upperclassmen. Or, there were

situations in which certain programs would not allow younger players to play varsity. Inother cases, a good portion of players simply developed later than others.

That is why I moved away from ranking them. The recruiting process is toughenough on young players without picking up a magazine and seeing them slide downthe recruiting rankings. Since then, I have started getting more film and better informa-tion. I feel more confident that I get a good enough look to rank some of these kids. Ido not do a top 100, but I think this group of kids has shown they are not going to dropmore than a few spots over the next couple of years. — OH

A

Photos by Gary Housteau, Nick Falzerano &Steve Helwagen

SH

GH

GH

GH

GH

NF

MMiicchhaaeell ZZoorrddiicchhCardinal Mooney

BBrraannddoonn MMoooorreeTrotwood-Madison

JJoohhnnnnyy AAddaammssAkron Buchtel

ZZeebbrriiee SSaannddeerrssClayton Northmont

BBrraannddoonn BBeeaacchhuummCardinal Mooney

MMiikkee AAddaammssDublin Coffman

The big debate in this class is if Adams or Zebrie Sanders is the No. 1offensive lineman. Adams was impressive at the Ohio State camp in June.

Mike Adams 6-6 290 OL Dublin Coffman1Sanders is one of the top offensive linemen in what looks to be a monsteroffensive line class. Sanders has prototypical offensive line size and has roomto add 50 pounds. He performed well against upperclassmen at camps overthe summer, including the Nike Camp at Ohio State.

Zebrie Sanders 6-6 265 OL Clayton Northmont2Moore has the potential to be the best tight end to come out of Ohio –even better than Louis Irrizarry (Youngstown Ursuline, 2003). Mooreruns 4.61-second 40 and is as athletic as a player 50 pounds lighter. Heis a 4.0 GPA student and picked up his first official offer in July fromGeorgia.

Brandon Moore 6-5 230 TE Trotwood-Madison3

Rowell’s weight could be a concern. If he controls it, he could end up the No. 1 play-er in the class. He has entered the big-time transferring to Glenville fromWarrensville Heights.

Shawntel Rowell 6-4 305 DT Glenville4Beachum is a player that will be recruited by the top 20 programs in the coun-try as both a linebacker and a running back.

(tie) Brandon Beachum 6-2 220 LB/RB Mooney5

The Top 10


Top Juniors

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SSaallvvaaddoorr BBaattttlleessYoungstown Rayen

DDoommoonniiqquuee BBrriittttTrotwood-Madison

DDaann MMccCCaarrtthhyyCardinal Mooney

It is difficult to rank Zordich or Beachum one above the other. (tie) Michael Zordich 6-1 210 LB Mooney5Of all the players in the class, Williams passes the initial look test. He isa high school linebacker. He figures to be a college defensive end.

Nathan Williams 6-4 235 DE/LB Miami Trace7In a class full of linemen, this is the one special skill player. He ran backnine kicks and interceptions for touchdowns last year.

Johnny Adams 5-11 170 CB/WR Akron Buchtel8Current won the best offensive lineman award at the Ohio Statecamp this summer for the second year in a row. First team GreaterWestern Ohio Conference.

Jake Current 6-4 260 OL Troy9Brown is an impressive physical specimen, is highly athletic andplays hard on both sides of the ball.

Justin Brown 6-4 210 DE Youngstown Ursuline10

Salvadore Battles6-0 205 TB/QB Yʼtown RayenRight now, Battles is one of the top two skill

players in this class. He is not ideal quarterbacksize but has a big arm. He is better, though, whenhe tucks it and runs.

Steve Yoak6-2 210 LB Akron HobanYoak is a hard running high school running

back. He prefers running back but really looks thepart of a great inside linebacker. He has wideshoulders and long arms. He rushed for 1,688yards on 332 carries with 21 touchdowns lastyear. He had a couple of sub 4.6 40 times atcamps, including a 4.47 and a 4.3 shuttle.

Domonique Britt6-5 190 QB Trotwood-MadisonBritt runs and throws very well. He is similar to

former Glenville quarterback and Iowa HawkeyeArvell Nelson.

Jamiihr Williams6-1 210 LB Lima SeniorIt is hard to believe this linebacker class could get

any better but Williams stood out at couple of com-bines. He has a great body and is very athletic.

T.J. White 6-3 240 ATH TroyWhite could be a defensive end, tight end or a

linebacker. This is a big kid that can run and thereare never too many of those. A college should gethim in and then worry about his position.

Reggie Comeaux6-4 310 OL Mass. WashingtonComeaux worked his way into the starting line-

up as a sophomore late in the year for the staterunner-up Tigers and is looking like a potentialstar.

DeVoe Torrance 6-2 215 LB Canton SouthIf Torrence gets his grades in order, he is a sure

top-10 player and may even crack the top five.

Dan McCarthy 6-0 180 S Cardinal MooneyMcCarthy is one of the better athletes in the

class. His brother, Kyle, led Mooney to a state titlein 2004 and is now at Notre Dame.

Eric Simmons6-3 275 OG GlenvilleEvery school is going to have to decide if he is

a better defensive tackle or a guard. He will getoffers for both.

Walt Stewart6-5 210 DE Col. Franklin Hgts. Stewart flashed future stardom in his first game

as a sophomore with six solo tackles, five assists,two tackles-for-loss, two sacks and an intercep-tion.

Jeff White5-9 185 RB AllianceWhite averaged five yards a carry last year. Has

an entirely different level of speed and is winninglocal power lifting competitions.

D.J. Woods 6-0 175 WR StrongsvilleWoods came away with most observers saying

he was the best receiver at the Elite Skills camp inCleveland.

Daren Youngberg 6-1 175 S Clayton NorthmontScouts went to Northmont last year to see Kurt

Coleman and came away talking aboutYoungberg.

12 More to Watch Out For(in no particular order)


Top Juniors

QuarterbacksQuarterbacks and lineman come along a little slower than other

positions, so it is no surprise that nobody has stepped forward yet.For example, Clay Belton is a top five player in a monster class of2007 but he did not even start until his junior year.

Jason Albertini 6-2 190 QB Vandalia ButlerAlbertini is showing poise and accuracy at this early stage.

Juandez Brown 6-3 180 QB Cincinnati WithrowDaylin Campbell 6-2 195 QB Kenton

Campbell completed 167 of 323 passes for 2,921 yards in 2005.Colton Cattani 6-2 180 QB Liberty Twp. Lakota E.Kyle Corbin 6-2 190 QB Lehman CatholicZach Domicone 6-1 185 QB BeavercreekRyan Hughes 6-2 200 QB Carroll Bloom-Carroll

Hughes completed 239 of 388 passes for 2,788 yards in 2005.Marc Kanetsky 6-0 175 QB Hubbard

Kanetsky is lightning quick with a rifle arm and a quick release. Hebears an uncanny resemblance to Doug Flutie as a player. Russ Oltorik 6-1 185 QB Cincinnati MoellerShane Porter 6-1 175 QB Portsmouth

Porter had 1,600 yards passing and 500 yards rushing last season.Patrick Ryan 6-2 170 QB Cleveland St. Ignatius

Running BacksThis is a running back class that is a bit short on size but there is

still time for these players to fill out. Keith Herring reminds us of aMorgan Williams-type player and is having to wait his turn behind agreat upperclassman in Brian Gamble. Crockett is an elusive andathletic talent. Battles is definitely head of the class.

Sir Abernathy 5-9 180 TB Cincinnati WithrowAbernathy rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman.

Darius Ashley 5-9 170 TB Cincinnati St. XavierAshley started as a sophomore and doing so in a program like St. Xavier

speaks volumes. He runs a lot bigger than his size. He had 1,653 yardsand 26 TDs on 253 carries for St. Xʼs 15-0 state championship team.Dominique Chandler 6-2 210 TB/LB Franklin Hts.

Chandler rushed for 700 yards last year and six touchdowns in his firstyear as a starter in a new offense. He has a 280-pound bench and 400-pound squat and could be a linebacker in time.Chris Crockett 5-9 180 TB Columbus AcademyLarry Dawson 6-1 190 TB/DB Akron North Dominic Goodwin 5-8 180 RB Lakewood St. Edward

If Frankie Edmonds wasnʼt so good, Goodwin would be the householdname.Keith Herring 5-11 185 TB Massillon Washington

The only negative about Herring is he happens to be in the same back-field as top-20 senior Brian Gamble. He averaged 7 yards a carry lastyear when given the opportunity.Anthony Hitchens 5-10 170 RB Chillicothe Chevis Jackson 6-0 200 RB Cincinnati Finneytown Drew Jones 5-10 180 TB WadsworthFred Newet TB Lyndhurst Brush Kendell Owens 5-7 165 TB Cincinnati LaSalleIsmael Pope 5-9 180 TB Cincinnati WithrowBruce Parker 6-1 200 TB SanduskyTravis Smith 5-10 190 RB East Cleveland Shaw Eric Stoyanoff 5-10 195 RB Strongsville

Stoyanoff is a punishing runner with a take-no-prisoners style. Herushed for over 1,700 yards last year, averaging 171 per game, against ahigh level of competition.

Les Tabor 5-10 220 FB/LB Niles McKinleyDamon Taylor 5-10 170 TB FairfieldDwaine Thomas 5-11 185 RB Warren HowlandDorian West 5-9 205 TB/LB Cincinnati Princeton Paris Wicks 5-9 175 RB Akron Ellet

Wide Receivers No player has clearly stepped up as a dominant player but there

are plenty of candidates. There is size and speed and the progressof this group should be interesting. It could turn out to be a verygood class. Teddy Robb and Eric Magnacca are the top kids rightnow.

Jordan Bell 5-11 180 WR BarbertonBakari Bussey 6-0 175 WR Lakota West

Bussey is the he son of former Bengal defensive back Dexter Bussey.He could end up being a defensive back like his dad.Kendal Coleman 6-0 185 WR HillsboroJeff Davis 6-1 175 WR/QB Springfield North Will Fleming 6-4 190 WR Akron HobanTorrieal Gibson 5-9 140 WR/CB Cleveland GlenvilleEric Magnacca 5-10 172 WR Massillon Perry

Magnacca could be the fastest football player in the class. Corey Manns 6-1 185 WR Kenton

Had 53 catches for 1,114 yards as a sophomore.Isaiah Mincy 6-0 160 WR Cincinnati WithrowJoe Parris 6-1 160 WR Cleveland St. IgnatiusDeveir Posey 6-3 175 WR Cincinnati LaSalleTeddy Robb 6-1 175 WR Canal Fulton Northwest

Robb is the go-to receiver in a top flight program. He has track speed,great hands and is tough enough to go over the middle. He Performedwell at Ohio State and Akron's camps. Robb has a great future. Roy Roundtree 6-2 160 WR/S Dayton BelmontAntuwan Rucker 5-10 160 WR/CB Warren HardingKordell Scott 6-3 175 ATH Cleveland GlenvilleBrandin Solomon 5-11 170 WR Cincinnati WithrowClay Swigert 6-0 170 WR/DB Louisville

Swigert played some varsity as a freshman and was a starter as asophomore. He is playmaker on offense and very steady on defense. Heis a smart player for someone so young.Anthony Steplight WR Garfield HeightsJake Stoneburner 6-4 190 WR Dublin Coffman

Stoneburner is a great hurdler and we are seeing hurdlers show well onthe football field recently.Matt Wakulchik 6-1 175 WR/DB North Canton Hoover

Wakulchik is a nice looking athlete for Hoover coach Donny Hertler. Hehas good hands and great awareness at DB. He savedthe GlenOak gamelast year by intercepting Mike Hartline in the end zone. Wakulchik is asmart, tough football player and has 4.6-second speed in the 40. He wonthe best wide receiver award at Ohio State camp last summer.Tyler Walker 5-10 145 WR/DB HamiltonRay West 5-7 170 WR Springfield South Kendall Woodard 6-2 190 WR Dayton Dunbar

Tight EndsChristian Hanna and T.J. White are looking like Division I colle-

giate talents. Whether they will be tight ends are not remains to beseen. Both are also outstanding defensive linemen.

Christian Hanna 6-2 240 TE/DE Cleveland BenedictineTom Klempin 6-7 190 TE Pickerington CentralKyle Rudolph 6-6 210 TE Cincinnati Elder


Top Juniors

Offensive LinemenCould we see a repeat of the Class of 2006? It is too early to tell

but this class is showing very well already. Offensive linemen areusually the last to surface. That so many kids are showing this wellearly bodes well for the class.

Isaac Anderson 6-4 290 OG Upper SanduskyAnderson is a real powerhouse. He was a best offensive lineman award

winner at the Ohio State camp.Zach Brown 6-2 285 OG Canal Winchester

Brown showed well at the U.S. Army All-American junior combine. Vince Carter 6-4 270 OL Clayton NorthmontTim German 6-6 OL Newark Licking ValleyMatt Mihalik 6-7 270 OT/DE Gilmour AcademyGabe Patten 6-4 240 OL West Chester Lakota W.Andrew Phalen 6-4 240 OL West Chester Lakota W.Chip Robinson 6-6 345 OT Middletown

Robinson is a huge kid that should have trouble putting one foot in frontof the other at this early stage considering his size. Coach Johnson wantsto get his weight down and that should help his development. Eric Sluszka 6-4 290 OT Westerville North Grady Spidell 6-4 305 OL Akron North Blaec Walker 6-4 310 OG Middletown

Defensive Linemen This is a very promising crop of lineman. Rowell is already a spe-

cial athlete at tackle, but defensive end is where this class is showingpotential for a deep and talented class. There are a handful of longtall athletic kids that are showing well at this early stage. All the tightends could be included here, especially White and Hanna.

Chandler Burden 6-5 250 DE Cincinnati LaSalleNic DiLillo 6-5 220 DE/TE Madison

DiLillo is athletic enough to play as a wide receiver and saw some timethere last year but will play defensive end this year. He is very raw. DiLilloattended Akron, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Michigan and Pittsburgh campsat their request. He ended up chatting with Michigan coach Lloyd Carrafter the Michigan camp.Dan Fox 6-1 205 DE/TE Cleveland St. IgnatiusJohn Hiles 6-3 255 DE Columbus DeSalesZack Leimberger 6-2 215 DE West Chester Lakota W.Chad Maynard 6-3 290 DT LancasterDan McClendon 6-3 280 DT Columbus Walnut RidgeMatt Rose 6-2 215 DE/DE Canton GlenOak

Matt is the son of GlenOak head coach Jack Rose.Blake Steward 6-0 250 DT Cincinnati WithrowSteven Thomas 6-2 230 DL/OL East Cleveland ShawMaurice Watts 6-3 235 DT MiddletownDawawn Whitner 6-2 235 DT Cleveland Glenville

Dawawn has the same hard-nosed attitude as his older brother, Donte(Ohio State, Buffalo Bills), but in a bigger package.

LinebackersWith so many linemen showing so well early, this linebacker

class is getting overlooked. It is looking better than the Class of2006 at this early point. Thaddeus Gibson, Ross Homan and TylerMoeller didnʼt even show this well this early like Zordich, Dahl,Torrence, Beachum, Craig and Williams are.

Fred Craig 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati St. XavierOthers have better measurables but this Craig finds the ball and makes

plays like no other.Dominque Chandler 6-2 215 LB/RB Columbus Franklin Hts.Kevin Dahl 6-1 205 LB North Canton Hoover

Dahl is a prototypical middle linebacker. He started as a freshman in aprogram that almost never starts freshmen on the varsity. He can run tothe ball and is sure tackler. Dahl should fill out to 225 pounds. He also ranthe ball well as a tailback.Steve Hangehold 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati ElderTaylor Hill 6-2 215 LB Yt̓own Cardinal Mooney

Hill is a disruptive high school defensive end. He will be fast enough tomove to linebacker in college.Mike Latessa 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati SycamoreGrant Lewis 6-1 200 LB Westerville NorthKevin Moore 6-1 210 LB Clayton Northmont

Moore started at fullback last year. He will be moved to linebacker totake advantage of his athleticism. Ray Parry 6-1 225 FB/FB MaumeeDurand Robinson 6-2 215 LB Fremont Ross

Robinson started all 10 games as a sophomore and earned All-GreaterBuckeye Conference honors.Josh Spillman 6-1 220 LB Franklin Heights

Spillman is a powerful kid with a 300-pound bench and a 400-poundsquat as a sophomore. Mike Spooner 6-2 212 LB Lakewood St. Edward

Spooner is the next great one out of the outstanding St. Edward program.Matt Vick 6-0 180 LB Massillon Perry

Matt Vick played varsity for the Panthers. He is probably a linebacker,but he could surprise at quarterback. He is a great athlete. has greatquickness and is as tough as nails.Dean Walker 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati LaSalleTrevante Wallace 6-2 220 LB Columbus BrookhavenIsaac Washington 6-2 240 LB Trotwood-Madison

Washington ran a 4.7-second 40 at the Ohio State camp last year. Hebenches 350-pounds and is a true Mike.Kirk Wetherell 6-2 195 LB Marietta

Defensive BacksThe defensive backs position is another good looking position for

the Class of 2008.

D.J. Brown 5-11 175 CB West Chester Lakota W.Brown is a super athletic kid that quietly goes about being the best

cover corner in the Class of 2008.Jimmy Ferguson 6-2 195 S/TB BarbertonBerchard Hines 5-10 175 CB Cleveland GlenvilleBrandon Mingo 5-8 150 CB Canton McKinleyAndrew Strauss 6-1 190 S West Chester Lakota W.Isaiah Thompson 5-10 165 CB Col. Bishop HartleyMatt Trissell 5-9 160 CB Massillon Perry

Trissell starred on the freshman team. He is likely a corner at the nextlevel.Willie Seawright 5-10 160 CB Lakewood St. Edward

Seawright could be a wide receiver, too.Joshua Smith 6-3 170 S Cincinnati WithrowRyan Smoot 5-8 176 DB Africentric

SpecialistsSteve Schott 5-11 150 K Massillon Washington

Schott has started since he was a sophomore. He puts kickoffs insidethe 10-yard line and will get better as he gets coaching and gets stronger.

— OH


Top Sophomores

t is rare that freshmen see much action with their varsity teamsin Ohio high school football. That is why we are still working tounearth some of the key prospects in what will be this yearʼssophomore class, the Class of 2009.

Obviously, over the months to come, we will see a number ofsophomores take that step toward becoming solid varsity players andalso college prospects down the line.

Below are some of the names we have already accumulated for the2009 class.

C.J. Barnett 5-11 165 CB Clayton NorthmontBen Birch 6-4 250 DT Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryMike Clark 6-0 180 QB Akron HobanRhys Edwards 6-2 189 TE Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryDelion Freeman 5-9 190 RB Alliance

Freeman has a chance to be really special. He has a body of asenior. Freeman plays linebacker but his future is as a tailback. Heplayed fullback last year but will get more carries this year. He catch-es the ball well, blocks like a warrior and works hard in the weightroom. Freeman ran an 11.5 100-meter as an eighth grader. He wasthe best freshman last year seen in Stark county since DevonTorrence. Chris Freeman 6-7 270 OL Trotwood-MadisonVictor Graham 5-10 155 CB Franklin Heights

Grahm showed well at the Louisville Scout combine.Marcus Hall 6-5 270 OL Cleveland GlenvilleStorm Klein 6-3 200 RB Newark Licking Valley

Klein rushed for over 1,000 yards in his freshman year but may bea better linebacker. He clocked a 4.25-shuttle at Ohio State camp.Roman Lawson 6-0 215 LB Shaker HeightsDavid Lee 5-10 170 WR Akron St. Vincent-St. MaryPat McShane 6-5 260 OT Walsh JesuitPatrick Nicely 6-3 195 QB Willoughby South

Nicely was a three-sport starter as a freshman.Kevin Ringer 5-11 220 FB Clayton NorthmontT. J. Rush 6-4 255 OL Levitsburg LeBraeHarvey Tuck 5-11 250 FB Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary

I


Newark Licking Valleysophomore Storm Klein

BY DUANE LONG

Trotwood-Madison Footbal l


xpectations are higher than ever this year for the Trotwood-Madison football program, both on the gridiron and off.

With a wealth of talented players riddling the roster, a newoffense and defense and a brand new football stadium,

postseason hopes are as high as the enthusiasm surrounding thesouthwest Ohio town.

“My expectations are very high, not only from ourselves, butfrom people around us,” said senior wide receiver/defensive backMarcus English (6-2, 190). “Weʼve been putting in a lot of workand weʼre just going to take it one game at a time. Weʼve got toget past one opponent, then the next opponent and the nextopponent to get where we want to be. So, the expectations arevery high.”

English is just one of several talented players on the Rams ros-ter this season that is fueling Trotwoodʼs optimism.

Senior safety C.J. Peake (6-2, 210, 4.47-forty) headlines thatroster.

A transfer from Dayton Meadowdale, Peakeʼs offer list featuressome of the top programs on the college football landscape andincludes West Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Iowa,Boston College and Tennessee to name a handful.

“For me being a senior, I have never been to the playoffs but Ihave been to the games and the games seem exciting. So, that isone of my goals is to make it to the playoffs,” Peake said. “If we

make it to the playoffs, I intend on going to state.” Junior tight end/wide receiver Brandon Moore (6-5, 230) is an

up-and-coming star in the Trotwood-Madison football programhaving received his first official scholarship offer from theUniversity of Georgia mid-July.

“It surprised me a lot,” Moore said. “I went down there on anunofficial visit. I had a track meet in North Carolina, so I just wentthere to visit because I have been talking to coach (David)Johnson.”

Johnson is the tight ends coach for Georgia.“He showed me around the campus, the locker room and intro-

duced me to some of the players. Then, at the end of the tour, wewent to (head coach Mark) Richtʼs office and they said they weregoing to offer me a scholarship.

“I didnʼt really expect it to happen that early. I thought theywould offer me but I didnʼt expect it to happen this early. It caughtme by surprise. I was real happy about it.”

Last season, Moore had 13 catches for 195 yards and threetouchdowns with a couple of two-point conversions.

Mooreʼs numbers are sure to skyrocket this season as hemoves out to wide receiver with the addition of offensive coordina-tor Jeremy Beckham to the staff and the spread offense hebrings. Beckham arrives at Trotwood-Madison by way of FranklinHeights, Springfield South, Clayton Northmont and Cincinnati

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Trotwood-Madison head football coach and NFL alumnus Maurice Douglass.



LaSalle.Other notable players highlight-

ing the roster this year includequarterback Domonique Britt (6-5,190, Jr.), linebacker/defensive endCarson Byrd (6-3, 245, Sr.), defen-sive lineman Darren Gunn (6-3,285, Sr.), defensive end/tight endChris Walder (6-5, 235, Sr.) andlineman Mike Page (6-6, 290, Sr.).

Trotwood-Madison has certainlyfielded some talented players inthe past but head coach MauriceDouglass, a Trotwood-Madisongraduate, says there is a differentelement about this yearʼs team.

“In the past, we have had sometalented teams and talented play-ers but they werenʼt cohesive,” heexplained. “But this yearʼs groupis probably the best Iʼve hadsince I have been here as far ascohesiveness and working forone another and playing for eachother. Even in the summer whileworking out, theyʼre challengingeach other to get better every dayand on every play.”

Douglass attributes that cohe-siveness and new-found attitudeto the time his players spend witheach other away from football.

“Weʼve been lifting sinceDecember and guys have justgotten to know each other. Therearenʼt any big ʻIʼsʼ and small ʻYouʼsʼ with this group. Last year,we had a bunch of good seniors and everyone thought wewere going to go on to do these great things and they kind ofbelieved it. But they didnʼt live up to it.”

The Rams finished 5-5 last season. Douglass also credits the closeness of this team to the suc-

cess the Trotwood-Madison basketball team experienced lastyear as Division I state runner-up.

“This yearʼs team has taken more of a team attitude. Theywatched the basketball team go out and be really successful.Coach (Ike) Thornton got Chris Wright, the star of the team, tobuild all the other guys up so they could have more of a teamatmosphere. That is the same type of approach weʼre trying totake with it with the kids. We want all the (Division I) kids andbig-time kids to pull all the other ones along.”

Douglass is entering his sixth year as head coach and ishoping for his best season since the 2002 campaign when

Trotwood-Madison finished 8-3. “The first year I started, I got

the job around July 20th of thatyear, so I was already in the hole.My first year, our strongest line-man could only (bench) press205-pounds. So, right from thebeginning we were in the hole.We had a lot of work to do.

“We knew if we could get thekids to come out and participatein the weight program, we couldget things going in the right direc-tion.”

With that in mind, Douglassmailed letters to every boy in theschool district from eighth gradethrough high school inviting themto the workouts.

“The first day in the weightroom we had 69 kids show up.They told me that the best draw-ing in the weight room prior tothat was 12 kids. With those kids,we got them believing in theweight program and we tried towork on their grades.”

In his first season as headcoach, Douglass and the Ramswent 2-8.

“The following year, we hadanother group come in, whichreminds me a lot of this group.We ended up going 8-2 that yearand made the playoffs and that

was the first time we had been to the playoffs since I was asenior here. So, it had been a mighty long time.

“At that point, the kids really started believing and that wasattributed to the fact that we try to develop them for life.”

While his overall record is just under .500, Douglassʼ suc-cess as head coach is not necessarily reflected in wins andlosses, but rather, the difference he has made in the programand for the kids that have gone through it.

“(The players) going through the program know that I amgoing to be with them the rest of their life, regardless ofwhether they play a lot or donʼt. If there is anything I can do foryou I will try to do that.

“Another way I try to help you is getting you through school.If that means a kid has to go through junior college, I will tryand get him into junior college. If you have they ability and thegrades to get into an Ohio State, then weʼll try and get theexposure from that end.”

“The first day in the weight room we had69 kids show up. They told me that thebest drawing in the weight room prior tothat was 12 kids.”

Maurice Douglass on his first year

8/25 Dayton Meadowdale9/1 at Trenton Edgewood9/8 at Hamilton9/15 at West Carrollton9/22 Beavercreek9/29 at Piqua*10/6 Sidney*10/13 at Troy*10/20 Clayton Northmont*10/27 at Vandalia Butler*

* Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division games

Trotwood-Madison2006 Schedule



Douglass experienced first hand the struggles a student-athlete experi-ences and admits that he underachieved in the high school classroom. Inturn, he stresses he importance of excelling academically as well as ath-letically.

“Our number one thing here is we preach going to school. When theycome to school, we ask all the football players to sit in the first two rowsof the class,” Douglass explained. “Therefore, all the teachers will knowwho they are and they will know what our expectations are for them as aplayer – that you are supposed to be in class and you are supposed todo the right things. When you are sitting if the front row, there arenʼt awhole lot of things for you to do but sit in the front row and be attentive.”

In addition to his efforts to ensure his players succeed in the class-room, Douglass gives his players maximum exposure to college footballprograms, regardless of competition level, to give every player the oppor-tunity to extend their academic and athletic career to the collegiate level.

“If the players are building up their GPAʼs, that will get them into posi-tion to get some scholarship opportunities because we are trying to getthem out and get them as much exposure as possible,” he said. “I donʼtcare how good you are – if they havenʼt seen you or heard of you, youʼrenot going to get a scholarship.”

In his second year of coaching at Trotwood-Madison, Douglass tooksix players on a tour of eight schools in the Midwest and came homewith 14 scholarship offers. One of those players, Jovanni Chappel, was afreshman at the time and earned an offer from Illinois on the trip.Chappel will be suiting up for the Purdue Boilermakers this fall and is justone of 56 players Douglass has put into college in the last five years.

“I would love to win a state title every year, but if I can get 10 to 15kids into school each year and it means we go 6-4 or 7-3, I can deal withthat,” he said. “If we won the state title every year and only put one kid inschool, I couldnʼt handle that. These kids can make it out of here, nomatter what their academic circumstance is – all they have to do is getsomebody to believe in them.”

Douglassʼ head coach believed in him when he was at Trotwood-Madison and it translated into a college scholarship, which led to alengthy career in the National Football League with the Chicago Bearsand New York Giants.

“With my experience when I was in high school, I wasnʼt the greateststudent, but my coach (John Butler) believed in me,” Douglass said. “Anda school out in Kansas – Coffeyville Community College – was taking arunning back from here and my coach told them that the only way theywere going to get him is if they took me. So, they ended up taking me.

“Nine times out of 10, my number one thing for you is to let you knowweʼre here for you. And because coach Butler was there for me, I got theopportunity to play in the NFL for 12 years. It was all because of one per-son saying, ʻIʼm going to stick my neck out for this kid.ʼ So, I try and letthe kids get the same feeling from me as their coach.”

With roster full of talent, new offensive and defensive systems in placeand the support of an entire community behind them, talk of a deep play-off run and even a state championship is buzzing around Trotwood.Douglassʼ goal for the Trotwood-Madison program is to raise the DivisionII state title trophy in December, but he has a bigger goal for these kidscoming up through the program.

“We might not get the ʻWʼsʼ that we desire, but I am happy that the kidshave the opportunity to go places and get an opportunity to be success-ful in life, and that is all you can ask,” he said. “That is what it is allabout.” — OH



Photo by Nick Falzerano

Trotwood players:(left to right)

Brandon Moore,Marcus English,C.J. Peake andDomonique Britt


Al l -Star Games Round-Up STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

hioʼs participation in a pair ofsummer all-star games hasbecome somewhat of a politicalfootball.

Because more and more topfootball prospects are enrolling at theircollege of choice in late June each year,the Hershey, Pa.-based Big 33 FootballClassic moved its game from July to thethird Saturday in June. But that game,which has pitted the top players inPennsylvania against Ohioʼs best since1993, moved into direct conflict with

Ohioʼs own North-South Classic.The Ohio High School Football

Coaches Association, which sponsorsthe North-South game and also sends ateam for the Big 33, dealt with the con-flict this past June. The association hadits coaching staffs effectively choosestarters for the North-South game beforeplayers were then assigned to the Big33 team.

Pennsylvania officials derided thatprocess, noting that Ohio was sendingits “third team” to play in the Big 33

OOhio coachesstill wrestlingwith Big 33,North-Southconundrum

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Former YoungstownCardinal MooneyQB Derrell Johnsonwas named OhioMVP of Big 33game.


Al l -Star Games Round-Up

game. Accordingly, thePennsylvania team reeled off40 straight points to take a 61-42 win over the Ohio team inthe 2006 Big 33 game, heldJune 17.

As this issue of Ohio Highwent to press, the next Big 33game was set for June 16,2007 – the same day the Ohio coacheshave tentatively set the North-Southgame. The Big 33 and the Pennsylvaniacoaches association have agreed toinvite Ohio back for one more year,although there are rumblings that Ohiomay change the selection process nextyear.

Big 33 executive director MickeyMinnich told the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News the vote to retain Ohio “was closeto unanimous.”

Minnich told the newspaper that OHS-FCA president Steve Channell gave Big33 officials assusrances that the Ohiofaction would try and work with the Big33 better in 2007.

“He pretty much said, 'Look, give methe opportunity to work with our associa-tion and our selection process,' and hewould almost guarantee the best 34players from Ohio would come down toPennsylvania next year,” Minnich said.“We have confidence in him. He's alsoworking to get the North-South gamechanged.”

There has even been speculation thatthe OHSFCA could still change the dateof the North-South game. One reporthad the association moving the gamefrom June to the weekend of OhioStateʼs spring football game in April.

Channell told the Patriot-News that theOHSFCA is looking forward to participat-ing in the 2007 Big 33 game.

“We're looking forward to celebratingthe 50th anniversary of the game withPennsylvania next year,” Channell said.“We're looking to make things better. Wecontinue to evaluate our association andhow things are being done, and we'relooking to make improvements in allareas.”

The Big 33 flirted with asking Marylandto field a team for 2007. But he is gladOhio is sticking with the game.

“What's a better matchup thanPennsylvania-Ohio?” Minnich told thePatriot-News. “The present series is tied7-7. Everything's positive.”

Below are recaps from the North-South and Big 33 games.

North Rides Defense to WinThrough three quarters, the 61st annu-

al Grange Insurance Ohio North-SouthClassic was a defensive struggle.

But a hail of big plays in the fourthquarter helped the North side win goingaway. The North took a 34-13 win in theall-star game before 5,910 at ColumbusCrew Stadium.

“Our defensive front was great allweek,” said North coach Vic Whiting ofCanal Fulton Northwest. “They were thestrongest part of our team. We couldhardly move the ball in practice becausethey were all over us. That pressuremade a difference in this game, too.

“In the second half, they took over. Wewere able to control the football a littlebit more for them and it made a big dif-ference.”

The North was led by game MVPRicky Stanzi, an Iowa-bound quarter-back from Mentor Lake Catholic. He was8 of 12 passing for 178 yards and threetouchdowns.

“The field position helped us out a lot,”Stanzi said. “The last time I played agame was in the fall. Just to get back onthe field was nice. Itʼs an honor to evenbe in this game and to win on top of itmade it even better.

“Iʼm just going to go out to Iowa anddo what I have to do to help the team.”

The North offensive MVP waswide receiver Marc Krauss fromHamler Patrick Henry. He had fourcatches for 59 yards and twotouchdowns.

“Both touchdown passes werebeautiful,” Krauss said. “I couldnʼthave asked for anything better. Ijust had to make the catch. Playing

on a stage like this with all of these greatplayers, it was kind of cool.

“We really wanted to come in here andmake a statement and represent north-ern Ohio.”

The North defensive MVP was OhioState-bound defensive end Robert Roseof Cleveland Glenville. He was creditedwith two tackles-for-loss, one sack and anumber of quarterback pressuresthroughout the game.

“This was just practice,” Rose said. “Ithink it was preparing me for the nextlevel. I didnʼt have a great night like Ishould have. But with all of the schemesand them keeping the tight end in (toblock), I thought I did good for that.”

The South offensive MVP wasReynoldsburg wide receiver ArmandRobinson, who had eight catches for 111yards and one touchdown. The defen-sive MVP was Boston College-bounddefensive end Alex Albright of CincinnatiSt. Xavier. He had eight tackles, threetackles-for-loss and two sacks.

Nate Davis of Bellaire went the dis-tance at quarterback for the South asbackup Alex Earley of Huber HeightsWayne was injured. Davis, headed toBall State, was 21 of 47 passing for 221yards with two touchdowns and oneinterception.

“It was kind of hard for us,” Davis said.“The defenses in this game are wellahead because they donʼt have to pre-pare for anything. On offense, you haveto fix protections. Thatʼs what hurt us themost.”

Each team struggled offensively in thefirst quarter. The North side broke thescoreless tie when the South failed toexecute a shotgun snap to quarterbackDavis. The ball skitted back toward the

““What's a better matchup thanPennsylvania-Ohio?

The present series is tied 7-7. Everything's positive.”

Big 33 executive director Mickey Minnich



goal line and North defensive tackle SkylarConstant of Bedford recovered it in the endzone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with47 seconds left in the first quarter.

On the play, Rose moved inside to tackleover center Matt Evans of DaytonChaminade-Julienne. Davis had no chanceto field the high snap.

“I didnʼt say anything there,” Rose said.“They were just moving me around fromend to tackle. I guess it kind of scared hima little bit.”

The North widened its lead to 14-0 asStanzi threw a flare pass to Alex Knipp ofAmherst Steele. Knipp got loose down theright sideline and was gone for a 72-yardtouchdown and a 14-0 lead with 2:05 left inthe first half.

The South rallied with a 10-play, 76-yardtouchdown march. Davis completed 6 of 9pass attempts on the drive. The Northhelped as well as they had a pass interfer-ence penalty negate an interception andalso had a late hit penalty after a pass byDavis. Davis capped it with his 5-yardtouchdown lob Josh Chichester, a receiverfrom West Chester Lakota West. The PATkick was no good, but the South hadtrimmed the gap to 14-6 with 32.2 secondsleft in the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Northexpanded its lead with a two-play, 49-yardscoring drive. The drive was capped byStanziʼs 16-yard touchdown pass to Kraussthat made it 20-6 with 10:32 left in thegame.

The South answered with a five-play, 71-yard scoring march. Davis capped it with a29-yard pass to Robinson, cutting the leadto 20-13 with 8:21 left.

But North wide receiver Daven Jones ofCleveland Glenville ripped off a 53-yard runon a reverse, setting up Stanziʼs 22-yardtouchdown pass to Krauss that put theNorth up 27-13 with 6:07 left.

“All week in practice, Marc showed hecould catch the ball,” Stanzi said. “He rangreat routes and got open.”

Finally, after a South fumble, the Northtacked on the gameʼs last score as RudyKirbus, a quarterback from Cleveland St.Ignatius, hit Canton McKinleyʼs Joe Morganwith a 32-yard touchdown pass for a 34-13

lead with 5:10 left.The North now leads the all-time series

36-22-3.

Pennsylvania Run Key in Big 33After a slow start, Pennsylvania explodes

in the second half to rally past Ohio stars ina classic showdown. The 61-42 final markthe most points scored by a winning teamand the most total points ever scored in thegame.

Pennsylvania rode a dominant secondhalf performance to the win, breaking athree-game losing streak in the series.

“We went up strong in the first half andthen we started the second half and wehad four or five turnovers and it killed us,”Ohio coach Paul Farrah said.

Pennsylvania coach Mark Schmidtsummed it up more succinctly.

“In the beginning, we decided to stay in

the locker room, and in the second half wedecided to play a little football.”

As the game began, all eyes were onquarterback Pat Devlin, the Pennsylvaniaoffensive player of the year, the state's all-time passing yards leader and a PennState signee. After two series, Lions fansprobably wanted to cover their eyes as twopoorly thrown Devlin passes resulted inOhio interceptions.

The first came on Devlin's first pass ofthe night and was returned 25 yards byKyle Endicott to set Ohio up at thePennsylvania 22.

It took just one play for Ohio to capitalizeas Syracuse-bound running back DeloneCarter raced around the right side andburst through the secondary into the endzone to give Ohio a 7-0 lead.

Devlin was intercepted again onPennsylvania's second offensive series,

Former MentorLake Catholic QBRicky Stanzi wasvoted teamoffensive MVPafter leading theNorth to victory.

Photo by Steve Helwagen



this time on a long pass downfield intend-ed for tight end Nate Byham that wascaught over the shoulder by Ohio's BradBrookbank.

Looking for an offensive spark, Schmidtremoved Devlin in favor of Michigan State-bound Connor Dixon, but he was promptlygreeted with two consecutive sacks byThaddeus Gibson, one of the most highlytouted prospects in this year's game and afuture Ohio State player. Gibson capital-ized on a poor shotgun snap on the nextplay, pouncing on a fumble to give Ohiothe ball back at the Pennsylvania 15-yardline.

Three running plays produced sevenyards, and Ohio was forced to settle for a25-yard field goal by David Brewer toextend its lead to 10-0 with just over fourminutes left in the first quarter.

Pennsylvania needed a big play to getback in the game, and Devlin provided iton the next series, hitting future Pittsburghplayer Aaron Berry in stride for an 81-yardtouchdown pass to cut the Ohio lead to 10-7 with 8:38 remaining in the first half.

Unfazed, Ohio went to work on offense,mixing the running of Carter with a shortpassing game to move the ball across mid-field. Then, Mike Scherpenberg withstooda fierce pass rush to deliver a 39-yardtouchdown pass to Iowa recruit DerellJohnson, who played both quarterbackand wide receiver in the game, giving Ohioa 10-point lead once more with six minutesto play in the half.

Dixon worked the next series under cen-ter for Pennsylvania and kept the offensemoving. First he found Anthony Parker-Boyd for an 18-yard gain to the Ohio 38.Then he hit Williams, who will play his col-lege football at Michigan State, on a slantfor a touchdown to make it a 17-14 gamewith 3:51 left in the first half.

The offensive fireworks continued on theensuing series as Johnson took a quarter-back keeper 43 yards to the Pennsylvania38. Then he found Louisville-bound TroyPascley on a jump ball down the left side-line on fourth-and-nine to give Ohio a first-and-goal from the 8. Consecutive penaltiesmoved the ball back to the 18, and Ohioeventually had to settle for a 35-yard field

goal by Brewer to take a 20-14 lead intothe locker room.

Ohio caught a lucky break on the firstseries of the second half when Johnsonwas stripped of the football by ElijahFields, but the ball bounced off theHershey Park Stadium field turf into thearms of an Ohio player. That good fortunewas quickly followed by an electrifying 42-yard touchdown run by Johnson and atwo-point conversion pass to give Ohio a28-14 lead.

Instead of becoming discouraged,Pennsylvania struck twice within 20 sec-onds to get right back into the game. First,it answered Ohio's long touchdown run bya quarterback run of its own as Dixonfound daylight around the right side andraced 56 yards to the end zone to cut theOhio lead to 28-21 with 6:50 remaining inthe third quarter.

Then, the Pennsylvania defense forceda turnover as Pittsburgh products Fieldsand Greg Webster combined to force andrecover a fumble at the Ohio 25. On thenext play, Devlin pump faked and droppeda perfect pass into the arms of Williams inthe end zone to bring Pennsylvania withina point. Collin Wagner missed the extrapoint, leaving his team behind 28-27.

The tidal wave of momentum forPennsylvania continued on the followingseries as Fields collected his secondturnover of the quarter, interceptingScherpenberg and setting Pennsylvania upat the Ohio 32-yard line. Then, Schmidtturned to trickery to give his team their firstlead.

Running back Da'Rel Scott, a Marylandrecruit, ran to his right, then stopped andfired a strike down the sideline to Williamsfor another Pennsylvania touchdown. Thetwo-point conversion attempt failed, butPennsylvania moved in front 33-28 with4:21 left in the third quarter.

Two delay of game penalties and a per-sonal foul on the next series forced Ohiointo a third-and-26 that Pennsylvaniaturned into a third consecutive turnover asClem Johnson intercepted Johnson nearmidfield. The offense quickly moved intoscoring position, thanks in part to a 15-yardpenalty against Gibson for taking his hel-

met off on the field of play. Devlin continued to atone for his poor

early play by scrambling for a 13-yardtouchdown to give Pennsylvania a 40-28advantage as the third quarter came to aclose. The Keystone Staters exploded for26 third quarter points and appeared tohave the game in hand, but Ohio wasn'tgoing down without a fight.

Christen Haywood ripped off a 39-yardrun to begin the fourth quarter, and Carterfollowed with a 16-yard scamper up theright sideline to put the ball at thePennsylvania 19. Ohio could only musterfour yards on the next three plays, howev-er, and then Brewer missed a 32-yard fieldgoal attempt to give the ball, and momen-tum, back to Pennsylvania.

Dixon put the game out of reach on theensuing series by hitting Scott for a 67-yard touchdown to give Pennsylvania acommanding 47-28 advantage with 7:45left in regulation. Scott tacked on a five-yard rushing touchdown late to make it 54-28, but Carter tried to make it interestingagain by racing 78 yards for a touchdownwith 4:08 remaining to cut thePennsylvania lead to 54-34.

Due to a Big 33 rule that allows a teamthat is down by more than nine points inthe fourth quarter to get the ball back aftera score, Ohio had another chance to getcloser. But the extra possession resulted ina Pennsylvania defensive touchdown asFields intercepted another Johnson passand took it 58 yards to pay dirt.

Ohio's Drew Kuhn capped the scoringwith a 31-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run.

Williams was named the PennsylvaniaMVP for catching three passes for 95yards and three touchdowns. He alsoreturned two kickoffs for a total of 45 yards.

Johnson was voted the Ohio MVP. Herushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on15 carries and threw for 118 yards, onetouchdown and three interceptions.

Dixon led Pennsylvania in rushing with44 yards and a touchdown and passingwith 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Devlin threw for 119 yards and twotouchdowns and added a rushing touch-down. — OH


Chris Wright STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

he Wright name is a big deal in andaround the city of Dayton.

After all, this is where the Wrightbrothers – Orville and Wilbur, theacknowledged “Fathers of Powered

Flight” – called home. One of the areaʼslargest employers, the Wright-Patterson AirForce Base, is named partially in their honor.

But there may be another guy named Wrightwho could help Dayton reach some prettygood heights.

Trotwood-Madison basketball standout ChrisWright is regarded as one of the nationʼs topplayers in the Class of 2007. It was nearly oneyear ago, though, when the 6-7 Wright decid-ed he would put his own high flying style towork for the college in his hometown as hecommitted to the University of Dayton.

“I am from Dayton and when Iʼm at Dayton,it feels like I am at home,” Wright said duringan appearance at the Nike All-American Campin Indianapolis in July. “Thatʼs a home awayfrom home, even though it is just up the street.There is so much family around there for me.

“I did the pros and cons of each school andDayton had all pros. I want to study sportsmanagement there.”

Wright is ranked as the nationʼs No. 53prospect overall and the No. 11 small forwardby ScoutHoops.com. He also checks in as theNo. 7 prospect in the state of Ohio, accordingto Ohio High magazine consultant ChrisJohnson.

“He is an incredible athlete,” Johnson said.“He could compete with (North College Hillʼs)Bill Walker as the best dunker – not only in thestate of Ohio, but in the country.”

Recruiters have known about Wright for sev-eral years. He averaged 15 points per gameas a sophomore at Trotwood-Madison. Hiswork on the AAU circuit helped him get recog-nized and he was one a select group of under-classmen invited to the Nike Camp last year

T


Trotwood-Madison seniorChris Wright helped theRams to their first D-I statebasketball tournament lastseason.


Chris Wright

before his junior season.He then went out and averaged 17 points per game as a junior

in helping Trotwood-Madison posted a 22-6 and advance all theway to the Division I state championship game before falling toCanton McKinley.

“You always want to win a championship,” Wright said. “Thatʼswhat you shoot for. But I was happy with playing on a state runner-up team. Thatʼs our schoolʼs first time to make it to the state finalfour. I was just happy to be a part of that.”

Wright believes that the Rams can mount another challenge thiscoming year. Classmates Armond Darby, a 6-2 forward, and PatricHill, a 6-0 guard, return in the starting lineup.

“Weʼve just been working hard the whole off-season and gettingready,” Wright said. “Itʼs possible to win it. Once you get a taste ofbeing there, you want it again. We just want to get back. A littleluck has to be involved also. You just have to play hard and hope itgoes your way.”

Wright was busy this summer on the camp and AAU circuit. Heattended the NBA Players Association Camp in Virginia, the NikeSkills Academy in Oregon and the Nike Camp in Indianapolis.

Wright, who is appropriately nicknamed “Flyght” (Wright tweakedthe spelling himself), said he took note of some of the top namesticketed for these national-caliber camps and knew he had to rampup his game.

“Going to the camps, I was listening to the names that weregoing to be there and I was just thinking that I belonged there and Itook it as a blessing,” he said. “I told myself that I have to belonghere and that drove me to work harder. I think it was just some-thing inside of me, I donʼt know where it came from. It was a driveto work harder than anybody there.

“When you go to a camp like that and are around those type ofplayers and do a good job, when you come back to where youʼrefrom you come back with so much confidence because you camefrom a setting like that. You have so much confidence because ofthe work you just put in with some of the best players in thenation.”

Wright said he does not concern himself with what scouts orrecruiting experts think about his game.

“Iʼm not into the rankings,” he said. “People were asking what Iwas ranked and I didnʼt even know. Something was clicking in mymind. I wasnʼt angry personally but it was something that justmade me go harder.”

After getting a taste of the national scene before his junior year,Wright came back this past summer with an idea of what he want-ed to do.

“Coming into this year, I just wanted to have confidence in myjump shot,” Wright said. “I know looking back at last yearʼs NikeCamp, it was still the same amount of competition. It was fun to beback there again. Last year, I didnʼt know what to expect. Thisyear, I just wanted to go in and have fun. This is my last go-aroundand whatever happens happens.”

Wright talked about areas he has improved.“My perimeter skills and my defense have gotten better, I think,”

he said. “I have gotten a lot stronger and I think I am playing a lotharder. I try to play hard every time I step on the floor. Iʼve beenworking on my jump shot a lot. I know I can knock it down, but ifitʼs not falling I can go back to what Iʼm used to.

“Iʼm not satisfied yet. Iʼm just going to keep working at it.”Wright still has one more year to go at Trotwood-Madison. But

he is also excited about joining the program at Dayton, which hasbecome an Atlantic 10 contender under coach Brian Gregory.

“Brian Gregory is so down to earth,” Wright said. “He is going tokeep it real with you from the start. The first conversation we had,he told me I had a lot of things to work on. A lot of coaches will tryto blow your head up and sell you some dreams. But he was asreal as I met.

“He told me he wants to build a championship program. Thatʼswhat heʼs trying to do. He is getting the high quality players that heneeds to get it done.”

Wright has also become acquainted with his fellow UD verbalcommitment, forward Devin Searcy of Romulus, Mich.

“He's goofy, and I'm goofy,” Wright said. “We just laughed aboutany little thing. We've clicked ever since then. Weʼve been friendssince last summer. We never thought weʼd be playing at the sameschool. We talked on the phone and we didnʼt talk about recruitingat first. He didnʼt say Dayton was recruiting him. I was trying to gethim to commit when I found out they were recruiting him and hadoffered him. He came down for his visit and committed.”

Wright said he had a host of schools vying for his services.Some of them included Michigan State, Michigan, Xavier, Illinois,Texas, Florida, St Johnʼs and Georgia. But he opted to stay homeand take flight – the way he does best – for the Flyers.

“I'm not going anywhere (else),” he said. “Dayton is where I live.It's my home. And that's where I'm going to stay.” — OH

“You always want towin a championship.That̓s what you shootfor. But I was happywith playing on a staterunner-up team.”

Wright on last season



High School Basketbal l STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

t was a turbulent summer for the NorthCollege Hill basketball program and, evenas school begins, some questions remainunanswered for the two-time defendingDivision III state champions.For starters, the OHSAA declared high

flying forward Bill Walker ineligible for 2006-07.Although Walker planned to appeal, the OHSAAruled that he had, in fact, played a varsity sea-son as a freshman at Rose Hill (Ky.) Academy in2002-03. That meant he had exhausted hiseight semesters of varsity eligibility.Meanwhile, NCH guard O.J. Mayo, the

nation’s top-ranked prospect, came out of a tur-bulent spring where he was held out of theteam’s state semifinal game and also suspend-ed for 10 days of school. Then, while appearingat the ABCD Camp in New Jersey in July,rumors were rampant that Mayo planned tocommit to USC over Florida and Kansas State.But the camp ended and Mayo never did

make that expected public announcement.Mayo and Walker then took their D-One

Greyhounds AAU team to a national champi-onship at the AAU nationals, held in late July inFlorida.As Ohio High went to press, the players main-

tained they would return to North College Hill.However, there were also rumors that they maytry and attend a prep school where they couldplay together for one more season.Walker was considered a junior during the

2005-06 season, but documentation from hisprevious school proved that he should havebeen considered a senior. The confusion began with the 2002-03 school

year when Walker attended Rose Hill ChristianAcademy in Ashland, Ky. Walker enrolled at theschool as a ninth-grader. However, when hetransferred to North College Hill in early 2003,he and his family stated that he was an eighthgrader. Therefore, Walker competed at NCH in 2003-

04 as a freshman, 2004-05 as a sophomoreand this past year as a junior. OHSAA commissioner Dan Ross discussed

the situation via a media teleconference. “It’s been a long process and it seems that

every time we get to the point where we felt likewe were finished reviewing this issue, anotherpiece of information from another school district

would pop up and new questions would arise,”Ross said.“I think the questions arise primarily from the

year proceeding the 2003-04 school year. Fromthe documentation that we have received fromRose Hill Christian School in Ashland, Ky., Billwas enrolled there as a ninth-grade studentfrom October 2002, through January 2003.”Ross said the OHSAA took no joy in ruling

Walker ineligible.“This is not a situation that anyone enjoys,” he

said. “We certainly feel for Bill, his family, theplayers on his team, his coaches, the schooland the fans. We would like to thank NorthCollege Hill officials who have worked diligentlythrough this process.” The OHSAA Board of Control was poised to

possibly hear an appeal in the Walker case bymid-August.

I


North College Hill seniors BillWalker and OJ Mayo led theTrojans to their second striaightD-III state title this year. Walkerhas since been ruled ineligablefor the 2006-07 season.

Walker declared ineligible; top prospectsshine at summer events


High School Basketbal l

* 1. O.J. Mayo, 6-4, shooting guard,North College Hill (SH, first nationally insenior class; HS, first nationally) – Mayorepeated as Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and OhioHigh’s Man of the Year in boys basketball inleading NCH to a second straight Division IIIstate championship. He averaged 28.8points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 5 steals

in earning state player of the year honors inDivision III. With over 2,000 career pointsalready, Mayo could threaten the state’scareer scoring record.As a sophomore, he helped NCH post a

27-1 record and the Division III state champi-onship. He averaged 27.9 points, 7.8rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.0 steals pergame during the regular season. He alsoshot 43 percent on three-point attempts.In addition to the AAU nationals, Mayo

helped D-One win the King James ShootingStars event in Akron. ScoutHoops.com ratedhim as the No. 4 player at the ABCD Camp.“They played in fewer events this summer

than in past years,” Johnson said. “Peoplebelieve that O.J. may have committed toUSC at one point, but he never publicly saidit. He claims the final three of Kansas State,USC and Florida. That’s all you have to goon.”* 2. Bill Walker, 6-5, wing forward, North

College Hill (SH, eighth; HS, third) –Walker remains in the Ohio High rankings,despite the ruling of his ineligibility. He couldstill prevail on appeal or transfer to an Ohioprep school that would allow him to play.This past year, Walker joined Mayo as a

state player of the year in Division III afteraveraging 22.4 points per game. In 2004-05,he averaged 20.1 points and 11.3 reboundsper game and shot 59 percent from the flooras Mayo’s running mate. “Billy has publicly stated he plans to attend

North College Hill,” Johnson said. “But a lotof observers feel he will eventually attend aprep school where he can play.”Johnson said Walker is gradually improving

his perimeter game. He was judged the topoverall performer at the ABCD Camp.“He is slowly showing an increased

perimeter game,” Johnson said. “He still hassome ways to go. He is still a human high-light film. Back around the basket, he playstaller than he is.”* 3. Kosta Koufos, 7-1, power forward,

Canton GlenOak (SH, 13th; HS, 30th) –Born in Greece, Koufos has grown threeinches to reach 7-1. He also finalized his col-lege choice in May, when he selected OhioState over Maryland, Michigan, Louisville andnearby Akron.The verbal took some of the sting out of

what has been a hard spring for Koufos, whomissed the final month of the high schoolseason with a broken foot. Before the injury,he averaged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and4.2 blocked shots per game as a junior. Hewas a second-team All-Ohio pick in Division I.Koufos got back into shape and was

ranked as the fifth-best performer at the NikeAll-American Camp.“Early in the spring, he looked tentative,”

Johnson said. “But he has gotten in bettershape and improved every time out since hisdebut. He made a great case to be a mem-ber of the McDonald’s All-American Game

(next April in Louisville).”As a sophomore, Koufos averaged 16.5

points and 8.0 rebounds per game.* 4. Alex Tyus, 6-7, wing forward,

Cincinnati Harmony Community (SH, 45th;HS, 18th) – Tyus moved in from Hazelwood(Mo.) Central last year. He verbaled toFlorida in July, picking the Gators overCincinnati, Missouri, Baylor, Indiana andPurdue.“He was the leading scorer on the team

and they played some good prep schoolcompetition from all over the country,”Johnson said. “With D-One, he took over thechampionship game at the King James afterBill Walker went down with a leg injury.“After that, he injured his hand in a car

accident in June and that took him out of theAAU circuit. He came out like gangbusters atABCD. Florida came back in on him and hecommitted immediately to them.”Tyus was the eighth-best performer at the

ABCD Camp.* 5. Jon Diebler, 6-5, wing forward,

Upper Sandusky (SH, 59th; HS, 97th) –Diebler committed to Valparaiso in January2005, but decommitted and picked OhioState over Valpo, Michigan and N.C. Statelast September.He was one of the few returnees from

Upper Sandusky’s 2005 Division II statechampionship team. He did everything hecould as a junior, averaging 34.8 points, 10.7rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.5blocked shots per game. He was a first-teamAll-Ohio pick. Like Mayo, he is also in posi-tion to threaten the Ohio career scoring markas a senior.In a Jan. 13 win over Tiffin Columbian,

Diebler scored 77 points. He was 22 of 42from the floor and 27 of 28 at the foul line.He also had 16 rebounds in that game.Diebler attended the Nike Camp and

played AAU ball for All-Ohio.“He struggled some on the AAU circuit,”

Johnson said. “The All-Ohio team was not astalented as it was before. But he bouncedback at the NBA Players Association Campand the Nike Camp.”As a sophomore, he helped lead Upper

Sandusky (27-0) to the Division II state title,scoring 32 points and grabbing 14 reboundsin the title game win over Wooster Triway.Diebler was a second-team All-Ohio pick,averaging 25.9 points and six rebounds agame.* 6. Chris Wright, 6-7, power forward,

Trotwood-Madison (SH, 53rd; HS, 99th) –Wright earned third-team All-Ohio honors,averaging 17.0 points per game and leadingTrotwood-Madison to the Division I state finalfour. Wright, who averaged 15 points pergame as a sophomore, verbaled to Dayton inNovember.“He returned to the Nike Camp for the sec-

ond year and he didn’t miss a beat,” Johnsonsaid. “Before that, he attended the Nike Skills

When asked if he planned to attend NCH andgraduate from there, Walker told reporters at theABCD Camp, “I’m there. Guaranteed.”“I’m still a student there and my plan is still to

go there as a student. I really don’t feel like it’simportant for me to play high school basketball.That’s not going to make or break me. I’m seri-ous about not playing next year – for right now.But you never know. Things can change.” Mayo made an unofficial visit to USC over the

summer and seemed comfortable with playingfor the Trojans and coach Tim Floyd.“I’m getting close to making my decision,”

Mayo said at the ABCD Camp. “I’m down to mytop three schools and I really want to get meand my mother on the same page. We don’t livewith each other so it’s kind of hard for us to real-ly communicate. I’m going to go home and workout with my little brother and talk to her about it.“I didn’t get a chance to go to L.A. until the

tenth grade and I feel in love with the city. Iknow UCLA in the past has been a basketballpowerhouse. Coach Floyd is a great coach andhes dealt with NBA players and he understandswhat it takes to get there. I think it’s a good lookfor me.”With the various summer camps and the

major AAU events complete, we will update ourrankings of the state’s top basketball prospects. We will focus on the top prospects in the

classes of 2007-10, featuring comments fromHoopScoopOnline.com Ohio recruiting editorChris Johnson.Looking at the 2008 class, Johnson said it is

a continuing battle for the top spot in that group.“I think it’s going to be a great battle to see in

2008 who is the top guy,” Johnson said. “Youhave four or five guys there who are just soclose. You hate to rate one guy first and oneguy fourth or fifth. The difference is so minis-cule. It could theoretically change day to day orevent to event.”The players are ranked by class by Johnson

and HSO.com. We also include the most recentnational rankings by ScoutHoops.com (SH) andHoopScoopOnline.com (HS).

Seniors-To-Be (Class of 2007)



Academy in Portland, Ore., as one of the 20most talented young players. He did a nice jobthere as well. “It looks like the Flyers got asteal.”* 7. Dallas Lauderdale, 6-9, center, Solon

(SH, 96th; HS, 61st) – Lauderdale ended thesuspense on June 1, when he verbaled toOhio State over Louisville, North Carolina,Notre Dame and Syracuse.He averaged 21.0 points and earned first-

team All-Ohio honors in Division I as a junior.He averaged 17.5 points, 13 and 4.8 blocksas a sophomore. Lauderdale was a pleasant surprise at the

ABCD Camp.“Lauderdale had a decent showing at the

NBA Players camp and was much moreimpressive at the ABCD Camp,” Johnson said.“He was one of the leading rebounders andleading shot blockers at the camp.”* 8. William Thomas, 6-5, point guard,

East Cleveland Shaw – Thomas is consider-ing Michigan, Cleveland State, Kent State,Bowling Green and Toledo.“He had a dazzling performance at the

Hoosier Shootout,” Johnson said.* 9. Dante Jackson, 6-4, wing forward,

Greenfield McClain – Jackson again earnedfirst-team All-Ohio honors in Division II afteraveraging 28.7 points per game. As a sopho-more, Jackson averaged 25 points, 11.7rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He had39 points in his team’s regional semifinal loss.Jackson spent the spring concentrating on

track, playing in limited AAU events with sev-eral teams. He has offers from Michigan,Kansas State, Xavier and Dayton. He wasalso hoping for interest from Kentucky. “Jackson did not attend any of the shoe

camps, but he showed everybody he can playat the Kentucky Hoopfest,” Johnson said. “Itlooks like a Xavier-Dayton battle.”Jackson reached the state track meet in the

110- and 300-meter hurdles events.On Aug. 10 Jackson committed to Xavier.* 10. Keenan Ellis, 6-11, center, North

College Hill (SH, 94th) – Ellis was suspendedfrom the NCH team midseason, but remainedin school there. There was talk he would per-haps transfer back to a school in his nativeIndiana for his senior year.“At the Nike Camp, he seemed to be matur-

ing,” Johnson said. “It was unclear where hewas headed. He probably won’t be back atNorth College Hill. He could stay in Cincinnatiand go to another school, go back to Indianaor go to a prep school.”As a sophomore, Ellis transferred from

Indianapolis Cathedral. He became eligible inJanuary and ended up averaging 16.7 points,8.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game for thestate champs. Ellis likes Kentucky, Cincinnati,Louisville and Indiana.* 11. Aaron Pogue, 6-8, center, Dayton

Dunbar – Pogue joined Daequan Cook in

leading Dunbar to the state final four. He aver-aged 15.0 points per game as a junior.“He seems to be more motivated,” Johnson

said. “He is in better condition. Some people still

think football might be his best sport. Heseems to know this is his last shot. He maystill need to do some work academically.”* 12. Ronnie Steward, 5-10, point guard,

Columbus Eastmoor – Johnson on Steward:“He proved any doubters wrong this springwith a breakout performance at the SpieceAAU event in Fort Wayne, Ind. He got a last-minute invite to the Nike Camp and playedwell enough there to potentially get an offerfrom Stanford.”Other schools after Steward included Akron,

Clemson, Holy Cross, Western Carolina, PennState, Xavier and Bowling Green.* 13. Lonnie Hayes, 5-11, combo guard,

Cincinnati Hughes – Hayes transferred fromCincinnati Princeton and averaged 19.4 pointsas a first-year varsity player as a junior.“He is another guy who was able to improve

his stock some,” Johnson said. “He had a last-minute invite to Nike. He led his team to thesemifinals of the Triple S Harley Davidson JamFest in Morgantown, W.Va.”* 14. James Davis, 6-3, shooting guard,

Columbus Linden McKinley – Johnson onDavis: “He is an athletic combo guard whostarted for the Panthers as a sophomore. Heplayed for them in the state final four.”Davis lists Penn State, Minnesota, Dayton,

Kent State, Ball State, Xavier and Akron.* 15. Nick Winbush, 6-6, wing forward,

Shaker Heights* 16. Hakim McCullar, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Withrow – McCullar averaged11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds as a junior atWithrow.“He is a bouncy power forward with long

arms,” Johnson said. “He plays like a 6-8 or 6-9 player. He will probably be a steal for someMAC school.”* 17. Troy Tabler, 6-4, shooting guard,

Cincinnati Moeller – Tabler is the son of for-mer Cleveland Indians player Pat Tabler. Heaveraged 13.8 ppg as a junior.* 18. Joe Latas, 6-11, center, Bedford

Chanel – Latas has verbaled to ClevelandState.* 19. Camden Miller, 6-8, wing forward,

Wheelersburg – A growth spurt has helpedMiller become a prospect. He averaged 18.0 points per game and

earned first-team all-district honors as a junior.He helped lead Wheelersburg to the DivisionIII state final four.“Miller has grown nearly five inches in the

past year and a half,” Johnson said. “He istantalizing college coaches with his perimeterability. He led Wheelersburg to the state finalfour this past year.”

* 20. Billy Allen, 6-5, guard, Hamilton –Averaged 17.4 ppg as a junior.* 21. Brett McKnight, 6-5, power forward,

Lancaster* 22. Alex Kellogg, 6-7, power forward,

Columbus DeSales – Kellogg is the son offormer OSU and NBA star (and current CBScommentator) Clark Kellogg. He averaged15.8 points per game in helping lead DeSalesto the Division II state final four as a junior.* 23. Joe Jakubowski, 6-2, point guard,

Toledo St. John’s – Jakubowski averaged10.4 points per game in leading St. John’s tothe Division I state final four.* 24. Reggie Revels, 6-4, shooting guard,

Cincinnati Taft* Others To Watch – Christian Siakam, 6-6,

power forward, Cincinnati Hughes (Siakam stillhas not played due to eligibility issues); ElijahAllen, 6-5, wing forward, Columbus DeSales(averaged 16.4 ppg as a junior); DaitwanEppinger, 6-5, wing forward, Garfield Heights;Phillip Pearson, 6-1, point guard, ToledoLibbey; J.J. Grycko, 6-9, center, CincinnatiMoeller; Lancaster; Terry Martin, 6-5, powerforward, Cincinnati Moeller; Mike Porrini, 6-1,point guard, Massillon Washington; BobbyAustin, 6-2, shooting guard, CincinnatiLaSalle; Nick Gross, 6-0, point guard, AkronManchester; Greg Preer, 6-4, shooting guard,Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (has grown twoinches since averaging eight points a game inSVSM’s run to the Division II state final four).

* 1. William Buford, 6-5, wing forward,Toledo Libbey (SH, 15th nationally in juniorclass) – As a sophomore, Buford averaged22.7 points per game and was a first-team all-district pick in Division I. Buford showed well atthe ABCD Camp and then helped the D-OneGreyhounds team win the 16-and-under AAUnational title.“He is one of the most polished players

around right now,” Johnson said.His top schools include Ohio State,

Michigan, Arizona, Louisville and MichiganState, all of which have apparently offered.* 3. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (SH, 14th; HS, 17th)– Roe averaged 19.3 points per game as asophomore, earning first-team all-district hon-ors in Division I. He averaged 17 points as afreshman and earned Special Mention All-Ohiohonors. Roe plays alongside Koufos for the King

James Shooting Stars. He tallied 39 points ina game at Spiece when Koufos was out. Hewas then judged the No. 3 overall player at theNike Camp by ScoutHoops.com. And, hedropped a 34-point game in the AAU nationalsin Orlando.

Juniors-To-Be (Class of 2008)


“Of these top Ohio juniors, Delvon is proba-bly the one who made the biggest leap from anational standpoint,” Johnson said. “He had agreat showing at the NBA Camp as well as theNike Camp.”North Carolina and Connecticut each report-

edly offered Roe after Nike. In late July, Roelisted this top 10: Ohio State, Michigan,Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia Tech,Miami, Florida, Kansas, and North Carolina.He said he would cut it to seven in a fewweeks.* 3. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power forward,

Cincinnati Hughes (SH, 17th; HS, fourth) –Gates averaged 20.3 points per game as asophomore, up from 13.9 points and 9.1rebounds per game as a freshman. He listsOhio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, Illinois, Floridaand Michigan.Gates plays for the Cleveland Basketball

Club AAU team. He attended the NBA PlayersAssociation Camp as well as the adidasSuperstar Camp.“He was one of the top inside players at the

NBA Camp,” Johnson said.* 4. B.J. Mullens, 7-0, center, Canal

Winchester (HS, sixth) – Mullens played hisfirst two varsity seasons at Canal WinchesterWorld Harvest Prep before transferring tonearby Canal Winchester.He averaged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds

and 6.0 blocked shots per game. He wasalready offered and committed to Ohio Statebefore he averaged 11.3 points per game inhis varsity debut season as a freshman. “Mullens showed a lot of flashes of ability at

the Ohio State team camp in June,” Johnsonsaid. “There, he went up against KostaKoufos, Dallas Lauderdale and Aaron Pogue.He displayed as much talent there as any ofthem. He just needs to get into tip top shape.If he can do that, he has a chance to go farbecause he has all of the tools.”* 5. Kenny Frease, 6-11, center, Massillon

Perry (SH, 22nd; HS, 50th) – Frease wasimpressive at a Nike underclassman event,earning an invitation to the Nike Camp.“In a normal year, Frease would probably be

the top post player in Ohio,” Johnson said. “Hepicked a bad year to be a member of thisclass – particularly a class with this muchsize.”Xavier has offered and Ohio State has also

been involved.* 6. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing forward,

Cleveland Rhodes – Johnson on Wilson: “Heis a high flying wing who has surpassed hismore highly touted high school teammate,Rayshawn Goins.”* 7. Devon Moore, 6-3, point guard,

Columbus Northland (HS, 81st) – Johnsonon Moore: “He has had a solid spring for theCBC team. He plays more off the ball for hisAAU team. He plays more point guard forNorthland.”* 8. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Elder – Rudolph earned leagueplayer of the year honors after averaging 15.5points and 7.9 rebounds.“Despite his strength and power, Rudolph

can also step out and hit the three,” Johnsonsaid.* 9. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power forward,

Warren Harding – Johnson on Eargle: “He isa very active, thin, young post player.” * 10. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, point guard,

Chillicothe – Hitchens averaged 17.4 ppg asa sophomore.* 11. Josh Benson, 6-8, power forward,

Dayton Dunbar* 12. Rayshawn Goins, 6-5, wing forward,

Cleveland Rhodes (HS, 65th) – Johnson onGoins: “He has great basketball skills and IQ,but he needs to improve on his conditioning toreach his full potential.”* 13. Walt Gibler, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati St. Xavier – Gibler averaged 14.9points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore.“He is similar in style to Rudolph, but not as

powerful,” Johnson said. “But he is probably aslightly better ballhandler.”* 14. Troy Long, 6-0, shooting guard,

Cincinnati Woodward* 15. Chris Johnson, 6-4, wing forward,

Columbus Brookhaven* Others To Watch -- Anthony McBride, 6-0,

point guard, Cincinnati Withrow (HS, 100th);Andrew Parrish, 6-7, power forward, ClaytonNorthmont; Chris Hudkins, 6-7, forward, AkronSt. Vincent-St. Mary; Johnie Davis, 6-0, pointguard Canton McKinley; Chris Crockett, 5-9,point guard, Columbus Academy; TeAllenPrice, 6-8, power forward, CincinnatiWoodward; Alex Sullivan, 5-9, point guard,Painesville Riverside; Kyle Caiola, 5-10, pointguard, Parma Normandy; Damon Butler, 5-9,point guard, North College Hill; Scott Stucky,6-2, shooting guard, Dublin Coffman; CourtneyDavis, 6-3, shooting guard, North College Hill;Brandon Baker, 6-6, wing forward, CincinnatiMilford; Chris Grimes, 6-5, power forward,Cincinnati Woodward; Julius Wells, 6-5, wingforward, Toledo Libbey; Klein Davis-Harper, 6-7, power forward, Cleveland Villa Angela-St.Joseph; Anthony Oden, 6-8, center, DaytonDunbar (brother of Ohio State signee GregOden, transferring in from IndianapolisLawrence North).

* 1. Danny McElroy, 6-7, center,Cincinnati LaSalle – Johnson on Macalroy:“He has a great build for a freshman. To startfrom game one at LaSalle in the GCL, thatreally says something.” McElroy averaged 8.0points and 4.7 rebounds as a freshman. Heattended the adidas Superstar Camp.* 2. Bill Edwards, 6-4, forward,

Middletown – Edwards was an honorablemention all-district pick in Division I as a fresh-

man, when he averaged 11.4 points and 6.4rebounds per game. He attended the Adidas150 Camp in California and was listed as oneof the top players there.“He promises to be the next strong player

from tradition-rich Middletown,” Johnson said.“He is the son of former Wright State star BillEdwards, who is currently playing in Europe.”* 3. Desmar Jackson, 6-3, shooting

guard, Warren JFK – Johnson on Jackson:“He is a great athlete. He can handle it andshoot it. He plays defense. He does every-thing well. He has a chance to be one of thebest prospects ever out of JFK.” Jackson was the only Ohio player in the

Class of 2009 invited to the Nike HoopsJamboree underclassman event.* 4. Mike Taylor, 6-1, shooting guard,

Toledo St. John’s * 5. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power for-

ward, Loveland * 6. Orlando Williams, 6-1, point guard,

Cincinnati Woodward* 7. Garrick Sherman, 6-8, center, Kenton

– Sherman suffered a foot injury and missedmost of the summer.* 8. Jeremy Duncan, 6-5, wing forward,

Cincinnati Moeller – Duncan is the brother offormer Moeller standout and Xavier mainstayJosh Duncan.* 9. Darren Goodson, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Withrow* 10. Sean Joplin, 6-1, combo guard,

Sylvania Southview – Joplin is the son ofToledo coach Stan Joplin.* Others To Watch -- Stephon Johnson, 6-

5, power forward, Cincinnati Woodward; ZachBrown, 6-2, shooting guard, Mason; BrianWozniak, 6-5, wing forward, Loveland; ReggieKeely, 6-6, power forward, Solon.; BrandonHam, 5-11, point guard, Toledo CentralCatholic; Drew McGee, 6-8, power forward,North Ridgeville; Javon Cornley, 6-4, powerforward, Columbus Northland; Dane Kopp, 6-8, center, Newark; Robert Johnson, 6-4, wingforward, Bedford; Bryce Barnes, 5-11, pointguard, Grove City Central Crossing; RyanSiggins, 6-4, wing forward, Kettering Alter.

Here are six names to watch in the Classof 2010: Nick Kellogg, 6-3, wing forward,Columbus DeSales; Kenny Knight, 6-5, wingforward, Cincinnati Northwest; P’shon Howard,6-2, point guard, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary;Cody Smith, 5-11, point guard, Lima Shawnee;Jared Sullinger, 6-4, wing forward, ColumbusNorthland; Kevin Gray, 5-10, point guard,Groveport Madison.

For more updates on Ohio’s topprospects and those nationally, check outChris Johnson’s work at hoopscoopon-line.com


Sophomores-To-Be (Class of 2009)

Freshmen-To-Be (Class of 2010)


Bobby Mar t in

year ago, most people had neverheard of Bobby Martin. Today, peo-ple as far away as South Koreaknow all about the recent ColonelWhite graduate.

Following a whirlwind year in which Martinbecame an international marvel for hiscourage on the gridiron as a legless footballplayer, all the attention and accolades culmi-nated on one special night in Hollywoodwhen he earned an ESPY award for the BestMale Athlete with a Disability. The award fromESPN was determined by fan voting.

“The ESPY is a great deal for me,” saidMartin, who was born with his condition.“(ESPN) had heard about me and put me upfor a nomination. They started with 2,500people and then rounded it down to three.Then I got a letter in the mail from them tellingme to tell people to vote for me because Ihad been nominated in the final three to getan ESPY. They said they were going to flyme out for the show and they would be look-ing forward to meeting me. It was a bigshocker.”

Other nominees for the award includedArizona high school wrestler Anthony Robles,a two-time state champion who was bornwith one leg, and Paralympic skier SteveCook, who lost the bottom half of his right legin a farming accident.

While in California, Martin met some of theworldʼs top athletes, celebrities and several ofhis favorite football players.

“I met Serena Williams,” he said with asmile and a chuckle, “Reggie Bush, me andVince Young had a good time, Terrell Owens,(rapper and actor) Ludacris – basically I hada good connection with everybody out there.(Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback) Ike Taylorwas great, too. T.J. Houshmandzadeh – meand him had a good time and he said hewanted to get me out to watch him a few

times, so he gave me his number and toldme to call him. Vince Young wants to get medown there to Tennessee, too.

“I asked him what it was like being an NFLstar with people running up to him and howmany autographs he signs a day. We had agood time,” he said.

Martin first got involved in football last sum-mer with some encouragement from coachand friend Kerry Ivy.

“I wasn t̓ going to play because I was nerv-ous I was going to get hurt,” he said. “But Ihad (coach) Ivy on my back hassling me andsaying, ʻCome on, man. Come on to practice.I want you to play this year. I want you toplay.̓ So, that kind of got me into it. I came topractice and then he got me in practice and Ijust started liking it from there.

“Me playing football, I thought it was goingto be a big challenge until we had the firstgame of the season. When they finally decid-ed to put me in, I got in and I did what I hadto do and I got the tackle. I got my first tackle

in a game and it was a warming sensation.Then, every time I got in I tried to make aplay, make a big play.”

Prior to high school, Martin wrestled andhis experience as a wrestler helped him onthe football field after ultimately deciding toplay.

“When I wrestle, if I don t̓ want to get toophysical, I̓ ll beat them with points. So, I̓ ll takethem down, let them back up and take themdown again. In football, I use the same tech-nique. When I see the person I want to tack-le, I get my eyes locked on them and I amgoing to take that person and kind of spearhim and see if I can cause him to fumble orsomething.”

Martin, who stands 3ʼ1”, first exploded ontothe national scene last year after beingbenched at halftime against Cincinnati MountHealthy for not being properly equipped.Officials in the game claimed that playerswere required to wear thigh pads, knee padsand shoes. After reviewing the circum-stances, the Ohio High School AthleticAssociation ruled that the decision was wrongand Martin was permitted to play in all ofColonel Whiteʼs games.

“When we went down to Cincinnati andthey told me I couldn t̓ play because I didn t̓have shoes, that really helped me out and gotthe whole world interested in me,” Martinsaid. “It is a great experience being nationallyknown and the world knowing your story.”

The world has definitely gotten to knowBobby Martin in the months that have fol-lowed, first making appearances on localnews stations then appearing on nationalbroadcasts and television shows. Peoplefrom as far away as South Korea have visitedOhio to interview Martin.

“I love the Best Damn Sports Show inter-view I did. It was great,” he said. “I didn t̓know it was going to be that great but I knew

APhoto by Nick Falzerano


Bobby Mar t in

after I saw it I could act and there wasnʼt ascript or anything. I just went off the top ofmy head.”

In addition to recognition by numerouslocal and statewide press, Martin has alsobeen featured in national publications USAToday and Sports Illustrated.

“I enjoyed being in Sports Illustrated,” hesaid. “A lot of kids have that picture of meup on their wall and it is an inspiration to lit-tle kids. They say I am their role modeland that makes me feel real good that Ihave little kids wanting me to be their rolemodel.”

Martin has not only been an inspirationto children worldwide, but everyone whofaces any type of adversity. His story hasalso inspired Dayton Public Schools to cre-ate an annual award in his namesakegiven for courage and determination inhigh school sports.

“Basically, I just tell everyone to nevergive up,” he said. “Keep your head in thegame or with whatever youʼre doing – justnever give up. Donʼt ever let anyone tellyou that you canʼt do something. If they tellyou that you canʼt do something that isyour motivation to prove them wrong.

“This stuff I have been going through thispast year is a blessing. Itʼs a true blessing.If anybody could have gone through whatIʼve gone through, I am sure they wouldhave probably enjoyed it but I just have totake life and enjoy it day-by-day. Make itcount. Make everyday count.”

Martin is a freshman this fall at OhioState.

“I want to keep my grades up and proba-bly major in computer science or I want toown my own business,” he said. “I havenʼtdecided yet, but when I do decide, Iʼll besure to follow my dream.” — OH

Standard Mail, US Postage Paid, Permit #7Bellbrook, OH 45305

ohio high september 2006

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