Ohio High January 2007 by Eric Frantz

Editor in Chief Lee Schear Managing Editor Steve Helwagen Recruiting Editor Duane Long Assistant Editors Matt Natali, David Biddle Staff Writers Gary Housteau, Kirk Larrabee, Glenn Forbes

Contributors Eric Frantz Photography Gary Housteau, Nick Falzerano, Stephanie Porter, John Howley, John Ritter, Greg Beers, Terry Gilliam

Printing/Design Miami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP) Eric Frantz

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Ohio High Magazine is published bi-monthly, six times a year. Ohio High is an independent source of news and features relating to Ohio high school sports. Ohio High strives to report information based on fact, but assumes no responsability for any inaccuracies that may appear within the pages. Ohio High is not authorized, sponsored or sanctioned by any university, athletic conference or athletic governing body. Subscriptions are available for $29.95 and may be purchased online at jjhuddle.com. Single copy price is $6.95 each. c Copyright 2006, Ohio High Magazine and MVP Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved. COVER PHOTOS: Gary Housteau and Nick Falzerano

Welcome to the 16th edition of Ohio High magazine! We wrapped up this issue in early December, just after the completion of the OHSAA state football playoffs. With this issue of Ohio High, we look back at the 2006 football season and provide coverage of the state playoffs. What a thrill those playoffs were! Two of the state championship games were decided by a single point. Steubenville claimed its second Division III state championship, while Hilliard Davidson (Division I) and Piqua (D-II) were each first-time champions. Our complete roundup of the state playoffs – featuring a story by Matt Natali and photos from Gary Housteau and Nick Falzerano – begins on page 18. Piqua’s Brandon Saine was named as the ONN/Ohio High player of the year (page 28), while Steubenville coach Reno Saccoccia was named as the coach of the year (page 35). Those two headline our All-Ohio team, which is revealed on page 32. There is plenty more football coverage, though. Recruiting editor Duane Long scores nicely with his top 100 bios on the state’s top senior football prospects. That spread begins on page 36. Long also has a look at the state’s top juniors (page 56) and sophomores (page 60). This issue also recaps the fall sports season with a roundup of the state champions in the various OHSAA fall sports (page 13) as well as players of the year in those sports (page 5). The fall early signing period in November saw a number of the state’s boys and girls basketball prospects sign letters-of-intent. We look at the key boys prospects on page 61 and the girls on page 67. Plus, Dave Biddle has a feature on Columbus DeSales basketball standout Alex Kellogg, the son of former Ohio State All-American Clark Kellogg. Check that out on page 64. One exciting aspect about Ohio High is the fact we are able to “bundle” it with subscriptions to our popular JJHuddle.com web 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 comes with a free one-year subscription to Ohio High. However, for a limited time, we are allowing new subscribers to purchase one-year (six-issue) subscriptions for just the magazine for the old five-issue price of $29.95. All told, that one-year subscription for the package of JJHuddle.com and Ohio High magazine represents a savings over the course of a year of over $50 from the monthly JJHuddle.com subscription charge ($6.95 per month) and a separate charge for Ohio High. Nobody has ever attempted to produce a magazine that contains coverage of Ohio high school athletics and recruiting. We’re pretty proud of how this magazine has grown over the past couple of years and we look forward to the year ahead. Going forward, here are general topics that will be covered in each edition of Ohio High magazine: * March (Due out Feb. 15) – Basketball and wrestling tournament previews. * May (Due out April 15) – Football signing day recap, basketball and wrestling tournament recaps, new top 100 for the seniors-to-be unveiled. * July (Due out June 15) – Football preview issue, spring sports recap. * September (Due out Aug. 15) – Top 100 senior prospect bios updated. * November (Due out Oct. 15) – Basketball preview issue, football playoff preview. Check out JJHuddle.com every day for season previews and daily coverage of Ohio high school athletics. For subscription information on Ohio High, check the Internet at www.jjhuddle.com Thanks again for your patronage of Ohio High magazine! Steve Helwagen Managing Editor Ohio High

Fall Sports Players of the Year

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

Fall Sports State Tournament Recap

Ohio High Cup Standings

Football Playoff Round-Up

Football Player of the Year

All-Ohio Football Team

Duane Long’s Top 100 Seniors

A look back at all 10 fall sports state tournaments

13 Photo by Nick Falzerano

Kettering Alter takes early lead with four state finals appearances Two thrillers highlight the 35th annual state football championships Piqua’s Brandon Saine caps an outstanding career

ONN/Ohio High’s All-Ohio football teams

Photo by Nick Falzerano

The final look at the graduating class of 2007

Duane Long’s Top Juniors

Boys Basketball Recruiting

Alex Kellogg

A look at which underclassmen to watch out for next fall Ohio’s top prospects picking schools during early signing period

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Columbus DeSales senior following in father’s footsteps

18 Photo by Nick Falzerano

67 Girls Basketball Recruiting

Steve Helwagen unveils the state’s top seniors and juniors Also...

27 State Football Photo Page 35 Football Coach of the Year: Steubenville’s Reno Saccoccia 60 Duane Long’s Top Sophomore Football Players

64 Photo by Gary Housteau

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No. 1

Photo by Greg Beers

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Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit senior Michael Nanchoff was named the Ohio High Boys Soccer Player of the Year after leading Walsh to the D-II state title. Nanchoff had nine goals and 30 assists this season and was named first-team AllOhio.

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alsh Jesuit senior outside hitter Katie Dull led the Warriors to the best two volleyball seasons in school history with back-to-back state runner-up finishes thus earning consecutive Ohio High magazine volleyball Player of the Year awards. As a junior in 2005, Dull lead the Walsh to a 24-3 record and the first appearance in school history in the state tournament finishing as runner-up to Cincinnati Roger Bacon in Division II. This season, the Warriors recorded a 27-2 record falling to Kettering Alter in the state title match. “I think throughout the whole season we worked very, very hard and we as a team knew what we wanted from the very beginning of the season,” Dull said. “Everyday we had that goal in mind to get back (to state). “We worked on our fundamentals a lot and we played well together as a team. We had good team chemistry with a great group of girls this year. We had no intrasquad problems or anything. We all got along really well. “We were really focused and we knew we were a good team but we just needed to play like that and work to make sure we could play at the level we’re capable of.” Despite falling in the state final, Dull said she felt the team was more comfortable this season, having gone to the state tournament last season. Katie “Last year when we went down there, we Dull were all very scared,” she said. “The minute we walked into the gym we all felt sick. But Cuyahoga Falls being down there last year really helped us Walsh Jesuit this year because we weren’t as nervous. We played a little calmer in the first round and it was easier for us. The experience really helped.” Following last season’s success, head coach Missy Christ noticed some positive changes in Dull during her senior campaign. “Her all around skills got better,” said Christ. “I thought the biggest thing that changed from last year to this year was her mentality. She matured a lot. I always thought she raised the level of play of everybody else through her play and her intensity is contagious to the rest of the team.” Dull finished the season with 96 aces, 481 kills, 329 digs, 65 blocks and a 93 percent serve reception. In her career at Walsh Jesuit, she holds school records in kills (1,325), blocks (314) and aces (249). She also recorded 705 digs, which ranks second behind Megan Rodriguez. “I think I’ve had a lot of great opportunities and a lot of great coaches and the opportunity to play with a lot of great people has helped a lot,” Dull said. “The experience that I had with the people on the team was just amazing. I couldn’t ask for better people to share it with.” Dull will continue her career at Ohio State. She verbally committed as a high school sophomore and is now an official signee. “I know it’s a really competitive program and the Big Ten is a very competitive conference, so I’m looking forward to hopefully playing great competition and getting better as a player,” she said. “I really want to learn a lot and become the best player I can.” Dull already knows what she wants to study at Ohio State. “I would like to study exercise science and become a physical therapist,” she said. “I’ve done physical therapy for injuries and they really help people come back from injuries, so I think it would be a good field to get into.” Before she graduates from Walsh and heads to Columbus, Dull is participating in Junior Olympic volleyball and plans on competing in tournaments next summer. In her career at Walsh Jesuit, Dull has raised the standard for success and she hopes the younger student athletes will look at the accomplishments of the program over the past two years as motivation to accomplish even more. “Myself, as well as all the other seniors this year, hope we taught the girls not only how to play volleyball but how to act with good sportsmanship on

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Senior Katie Dull earned her second straight Ohio High Player of the Year award after leading Walsh Jesuit to its second staright D-II state final.

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Volleyball

and off the court,” she said. “We also hope they learned about caring for each other as a team and to play as hard as you can in every game.” Christ reflected on the legacy Dull leaves for the program. “The younger girls looked up to her so much and I think she showed them the way that volleyball can be played at a high level,” she said. “They got to see that every single day through watching the dedication and intensity that she brought every single day to the court. That has been passed down to the rest of the girls and they see what it takes to continue that tradition.”

Girls Soccer

enior forward Chrissy Butler from Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown is the 2006 Ohio High Player of the Year in girls soccer. Butler scored 13 goals and had 15 assists as a senior in 2006 and led the Blazers to a Division II district championship. “I am surprised,” Butler said upon learning that she won the award. “It’s a Chrissy huge honor to win an award like this. I played four years and I played hard and Butler did really well, but this is a big surprise to say the least.” Shaker Heights Butler will play college soccer at Hathaway Brown Columbia University and she explained why she chose that particular school. “Well, I love New York City and it’s smack-dab in the middle of New York,” she said. “It’s among the best schools in the country and I worked hard at HB because I wanted to go to a good college. “Also, they are a Division I soccer program and they have a pretty good team. It basically has everything I want in a university. It’s in a big city,

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F a l l S p o r t s P l a y e r s o f t h e Ye a r Submitted Photo

Senior Chrissy Butler scored 13 goals and had 15 assists for Shaler Heights Hathaway Brown.

“I played basketball my freshman year and I had played basketball when I was younger,” she said. “But after my freshman year I decided to just go with soccer from that point on,” she said. Butler revealed some of her goals for her freshman year at Columbia. “I want to help Columbia win the Ivy League championship again and make the NCAA Tournament,” she said. “I just want to have fun. A few personal goals would be winning the top freshman scorer on my team and the rookie of the year in the Ivy League.” Butler is still kicking around ideas in terms of what she wants to major in, but she has a pretty good idea. “I’m not sure, but I’m strongly leaning towards biology and medicine,” she said. “I want to be a doctor.” Butler is the daughter of Jerry and Paula Butler. — Dave Biddle

they have great academic programs, good soccer, it was just a great fit.” Butler is a great student to be accepted to a school like Columbia, but she is also happy that the soccer program is usually a winning team. “Yeah, they have been pretty good lately,” Butler said. “They won the Ivy League championship this year. That makes it even better knowing I’m joining an established team with a history of winning.” Butler described her strengths and weaknesses on the soccer pitch. “One of my strengths is my speed,” she said. “I love to take players on. I don’t care if it’s five-on-one, I use my speed and creativity to get around players. I love going one-on-one and really just attacking and trying to get the defense back on their heels. “Something I still want to work on is my shooting. It’s come a long way – I now have a lot more power when I strike from the outside. But I just want to get stronger in every area.” Butler helped Hathaway Brown to the 2004 Division II state championship – the school’s first state title. Butler scored the winning goal in the Blazers’ 2-1 overtime victory over Cincinnati Indian Hill as the team finished with a 19-2-2 record. The goal came in the 105th minute of the game (off an assist from Courtney Rosen) and despite being one of the youngest players on the team, Butler was the hero. “That was a huge thrill winning it all and scoring the winning goal,” Butler said. “My teammates played great and we were able to accomplish our goal and it’s still a big thrill looking back on it.” Butler also talked about her final two seasons in the Hathaway Brown program, which is an all-girls school. “We got to the regional semifinals this year where we lost to Lake Catholic,” she said. “I thought we did really well this year after losing seven seniors off last year’s team. We lost in district finals last year, so it was nice to win districts my senior year. We wanted to get to state, but I was still happy with our season. I thought my teammates really played well.” Butler was a one-sport athlete for the majority of her high school career.

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Boys Golf

pper Arlington senior Bo Hoag is the 2006 Ohio High Player of the Year in boys golf. Hoag was the Division I state champion this season and also led Upper Arlington to the team championship. At the state tournament in October at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, Hoag fired a 153 (76, 77) and Upper Arlington cruised to the team title with a score of 628. As a junior in 2005, Hoag placed eighth at the state meet with a score of 158 and Upper Arlington was edged for the team championship by Dublin Jerome (634 to 642). “It was definitely a storybook way to end by senior year with us winning the team championship and me winning medalist. You can’t ask for much more than that. It’s great because it’s the goal of every kid to become a high school state champion. And for our team to also win the state title was just awesome. For my senior year to be playing in late October, that’s what it’s all about.” Hoag was a no-brainer choice for the state’s top golfer, regardless of division, but he was still gracious upon learning of the Ohio High award. Bo “It’s a huge honor and I really appreciHoag ate it,” he said. “You don’t expect to win awards and stuff for playing a sport you Upper love, but it’s a great thrill and it’s someArlington thing else that has made this year special for me.” Hoag will attend Ohio State next year on a full-ride “Jack Nicklaus” scholarship. It’s very rare for college golfers to even get half-scholarships, so it goes to show just how valuable of a recruit Hoag was for the Buckeyes. “It’s definitely exciting knowing I’m going to be putting on the Scarlet and Gray and playing for Ohio State,” Hoag said. “There are a lot of really good reasons to stay here in Columbus. It’s right down the road for me and it has everything that I want and I want to stay with the same things that got me where I am today. The facilities Ohio State has are second to none and they’ve had so many great players over the years (such as Nicklaus). It has everything I need to get to the next level. It was definitely the best decision for me.” Joining Hoag at Ohio State will be his Upper Arlington teammate and classmate Tanner Murphy who will be on a partial scholarship. “That’s going to be great,” Hoag said. “Tanner and I were the only two seniors on our team this year and now we’re going to get a chance to play in college together.” Golfweek magazine recently ranked Hoag the top player in Ohio and the second ranked player in the Midwest. He was named to first team allstate in 2006 and was Ohio Capital Conference League Player of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Hoag was the youngest player in the United States to advance to the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at age 15

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F a l l S p o r t s P l a y e r s o f t h e Ye a r in 2004. Overall, he owns five Top 20 finishes in a total of eight AJGA events, with a personal best third place finish at the 2006 Coca-Cola Junior. “Bo is an exceptional young man with a strong desire to compete at Ohio State,” OSU head coach Jim Brown said. “He guided the Golden Bears to the state championship this fall as he captured the individual title at our Scarlet Course. Bo possesses a fine golf swing and owns one of the most accurate wedge games that we have seen. Those traits will carry him a long way in this game.” And a long way for Hoag hopefully means a career on the PGA Tour. That has been a goal since he was 14 and he’s close to actualizing it. “It would be a huge thrill to make a professional career out of this,” Hoag said. “I go out to the Memorial Tournament (in Dublin, Ohio) every year and I’ve met some of the golfers and I’ve had a chance to see some of the behind-the-scenes things that go on. It’s definitely a dream to become a professional golfer and it would be awesome if it happens.” Hoag is the son of Wes and Kim Hoag. — David Biddle

Girls Tennis

ublin Jerome sophomore Kate Turvey is the 2006 Ohio High Player of the Year in girls tennis. Turvey captured the Division I state championship this season and finished with a 29-0 record. In the finals, she defeated Lexi Bolesky of Lexington, 6-1, 6-3. As a freshman in 2005, Turvey advanced to the state quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual state champ Neela Vaez of Toledo Notre Dame. “This is really exciting,” Turvey said upon learning of the Ohio High award. “This is one of the most memorable feelings I could have because it represents my community and school. It’s a great feeling. It was a huge thrill to win the state championship this year and this just adds to it. I definitely wasn’t expecting this.” Turvey began playing tennis at the ripe age of 8 and played in her first competitive tournament when she was 10. “My dad played in high school and I played a lot of sports when I was a little kid,” Turvey said. “I just loved sports and I didn’t have a special interest in tennis until I got a little older. I just kept playing more and really liked it.” Kate Turvey explained her strengths and Turvey some aspects of her game that she still wants to improve in on the court. Dublin “I think my strengths are my consistenJerome cy and my speed,” she said. “I feel like I get around the court pretty well and I’m able to keep the ball in play and even turn defense into offense. “Some things I still want to work on are playing more aggressively, closing out points better and just improving my serve. Sometimes I am content to rally back-and-forth when I have good opportunities to hit it hard and close out the point.” Turvey plays club tennis at Wedgewood Country Club in Columbus where she is coached by Scott Welsh. Her head coach at Dublin Jerome is Anthony Susi. “I’m so fortunate to have a great family that is behind me every step of the way and also great coaches that have really brought me along and find ways to bring out the best in me. I owe a lot of this to all of them.” Turvey has no clue where she might want to go to college in a couple years, but she knows she wants to be a college athlete. And the way it’s going, colleges will be lining up to offer her scholarships. “Yeah, I really have no idea yet where I’m going to go to school,” she said. “But I definitely want to play tennis wherever I go. It’s hard to imagine now because I’m still so young, but it’s going to be great if I get a chance

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Submitted Photo

Dublin Jerome sophomore Kate Turvey was the Division I singles state champion.

to play college tennis and maybe even beyond that.” Turvey reflected on winning the D-I state title this season in somewhat easy fashion. “I was real excited to play in the state finals and win it,” she said. “I had talked about it with my family about how cool it would be to be the state champion. And now I want to do it again. I have a great opportunity and I love my team and my coaches.” How dominant was Turvey at the 2006 state tournament? She won 6-0, 6-1 in the regional semifinals, 4-1 retired in the regional finals and 6-0, 6-0 in the state semifinals. And now she could be on her way to becoming a three-time state champ. “That would be amazing,” she said. “Yes, I’ve thought about it, but I’m trying not to look too far ahead because there are a lot of great girls tennis players in the state and it won’t be easy to repeat or win it three times.” Turvey is the daughter of John and Kathleen Turvey. — David Biddle

Boys Cross Country

he moment came early for Navarre Fairless star Aaron Melhorn. As an eighth grader, Melhorn won the Stark County cross country meet and realized the talent he had. “I started running, and I won that Stark County meet and it just made me hungrier to win something bigger,” Melhorn said. “I knew I had something good.” Four years of dominance and two state championships in cross country make Aaron Melhorn an obvious choice for the Ohio High boys cross country Runner of the Year. The Fairless standout ended his high school

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Photo by John Ritter/jpsportsphotos.com

Navarre Fairless senior Aaron Melhorn (center) won his second D-II state cross country title this season.

cross country career with his second straight individual state championship. “One of my assistants always says ‘wow’ whenever he watches him,” said Fairless cross country coach Keith Arthurs. “That’s the best way to describe him sometimes. But he’s also a mature kid, very humble.” Melhorn believes his work ethic is the biggest reason for his success. “Every time I ran, every workout I did, it was all worth it,” Melhorn said. “I wouldn’t change any of it.” “I just work hard, I think that’s an advantage I have,” Melhorn said. “God gave me a gift, and I was lucky enough to find out what it is and use it for Him.” Melhorn qualified for the state meet all four years in high school and elected to run Aaron a safe regional race at Youngstown Melhorn Boardman’s muddy track, finishing sixth and setting up his repeat state title at Scioto Navarre Downs in Columbus. Melhorn improved his championship time by nearly 20 seconds, Fairless winning the 2006 title in 15:22 over Woodridge’s Scott Hilditch, who finished with a time of 15:46. Adding to his impressive feat, Melhorn set the pace under five minutes, averaging 4:57 per mile. Melhorn captured the 2005 championship in 15:41. “The first (title) was probably the best,” Melhorn said. “I actually cried a little bit. I was so happy. The second one it was just kind of like ‘well, I won another one’. It didn’t really hit me.” “When he sets a goal, he’s going to work hard to achieve it,” Arthurs said. “Winning his second state title wasn’t so much a goal, obviously the first one was, but he had his sights set on the Foot Locker run.” Melhorn participated in the Midwest Foot Locker Cross Country champi-

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onships in November, finishing 11th with a time of 15:22, one spot out of qualifying for nationals. “He told me he thought he ran it a little hard,” Arthurs said. “He ran himself out a little at the beginning with another kid from Illinois. It was a good learning curve for him, he wanted to do well, and in my opinion he certainly did.” The race might have been out of character for Melhorn, who prefers to think of himself as an independent runner. He runs alone in the off-season. “I just ran miles and miles and miles (in the summer),” Melhorn said. “I ran mostly by myself. If you run with someone else they can race against each other (rather than time). So I’m more of an independent runner. “On the competition side, those races make you better. But I try to run my own race. I don’t try to run off of somebody else.” Melhorn was twice named runner of the year in Stark County and joins former Fairless star Joel Marchand as the only Stark County runners to win two state championships in cross country. In each of his last three seasons’, Melhorn owns the best time in Stark County. An accomplished track and field runner, Melhorn won the state title last year in the 3,200 meters in June. He also holds the record for Stark County, running the 3,200 meter event in 9:06.4. “His dedication and work ethic is what really sets him apart,” Arthurs said. “If he fell sick he’d still get his run in. He’d call one of the coaches and ask how he could change his workout so he could do everything he needed while he was sick.” Arthurs said Melhorn wants to run in college but has not decided where. A decision on Ohio University, Malone, Ashland or Ohio State could come during the spring. “I plan on signing when I get a really good offer from a school I really like,” Melhorn said. Advancing his education is important to Melhorn, who wants to work in machinery, physical therapy, or enter the pre-dental program in college. “One day (competitive) running does have to come to an end, but I’ll probably be running until I die,” he said. — Glenn Forbes

Girls Cross Country

eaumont’s Emily Infield has already claimed a career’s worth of accomplishments as a runner but it was her performance this past fall in cross country that earned her Ohio High magazine girls cross country Runner of the Year honors. After finishing third in the state championships as a freshman and second last year a sophomore, Infield raced her way to the front of the pack this season to claim the individual state title in Division II clocking in with a 17:40 performance. Beaumont finished sixth in the state meet. “It has just been really exciting,” said Infield. “It was exciting going down to states all three years and it was fun having the team with me this year and my freshman year. I just worked really hard and won states this year.” Prior to the season, Infield set three goals and accomplished them all. She wanted to win a state title, lead her team to a top 8 finish in the state meet and qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships. In the Foot Locker Midwest Regional race in November, Infield finished No. 3 with a time of 17:43 and she finished No. 20 in the Foot Locker National race with a time of 18:39 in early December. “It was a season in which she was very, very, very consistent,” said Beaumont coach James Emery. “She trained more over the summer running more miles than she normally does. She also progressively improved as the season went on. “All three of her goals she accomplished and it took being mentally keen at the end of the season to accomplish it all.” If the Infield name sounds familiar, Emily’s older sister Maggie was

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Field Hockey

ena Grote of Cincinnati St. Ursula is one of the nation’s fastest rising stars in field hockey and it was her success this season and legacy she leaves the Bulldogs that has earned her Ohio High magazine field hockey Player of the Year honors. Grote led St. Ursula to a 15-2-1 record this a season and the first Southwest Ohio Field Hockey League title for the Bulldogs going 7-0 in league play. She missed some time on the field this season due to injury but in 14 games she scored 11 goals and had 14 assists totaling 25 points, which are all school records. She was named the SWOFHL offensive player of the year and is a two-time All-Ohio selection. In Grote’s four seasons, St. Ursula is a combined 45-14-10. “This is the best season that we ever had this year,” said former head coach Derrick Aspinall. “We gradually improved over the last four years I have been there. We increased our level of competition in order to compete better. “We got knocked out in the regional quarterfinals. I thought we had an opportunity to go to state but it wasn’t meant to be. “Over the past few years we have increased our standards to make the goal to compete at the college level. It is becoming more common now and the girls are increasing the standard to improve more and more and they are being recognized for their ability as well. Certainly, Lena is no exception.” Grote has participated in the U-16 and U-19 Futures program, an

10 J J H U D D L E . C O M

Cleveland Beaumont junior Emily Infield captured her first D-II state cross country title this season.

Photo by Gary Housteau

quite the runner just a few years ago at Beaumont. She set the 4x800 state record, 1,600-meter state record, was a three-time state champion in the 1,600, 800 and 4x800 meter relay and won cross country and track team records in 2000-01 and 2001-02. She is now a junior middle distance runner at Georgetown University. Both Emily and Maggie have running in their blood as their parents are both runners as well. With a family chock full of runners, Emily doesn’t have to look far for support when it comes to lacing up and being successful. Emily “It has been really nice to have a sister Infield who runs and my family is really supportive,” she said. Cleveland Emery added, “She has very wonderful Beaumont and supportive parents. At least one of her parents comes to every race and usually both of them are there.” With a strong foundation and support from her family, Infield has drawn from that to be successful both in cross country and track. But her success hasn’t come without a lot of hard work and dedication. “You can draw up a demonic work out and she will try to accomplish it and work her tail off to actually do it,” Emery said. “That is something most elite runners I have approached all are capable of doing. “The emphasis is on practice. Once they realize a difficult and hard work out actually gets you to accomplish your goal, it can be a lot of fun. She is very consistent in practice and works very hard.” Infield will take some time off before indoor track starts this winter and then she will return to the track in the spring. She is the defending Division I 800-meter state champion and Infield placed second in the 1,600-meter event last spring. “She is probably one of the fastest middle distance runners in the nation as far as foot speed. Most cross country runners don’t have the range to do well in (track events),” Emery said. As a talented runner with a 4.3 GPA, letters from colleges are pouring in but Infield won’t start thinking about college or the recruiting process until this upcoming summer. “I haven’t even really started looking but I will probably look all over in Ohio as well as other states,” she said. — Matt Natali

intense training program associated with Olympic development, and was one of 250 players nationwide selected to the junior Olympic development team. Aspinall has coached some of the best players in the world previously leading the English national team and Grote is one of the best he has ever coached. “She is everything I would want an athLena lete to be,” he said. “Lena amazed me year after year with the level of maturity Grote that she has shown and her level of dedication to the sport is second to none. I Cincinnati have been very fortunate to have coached St. Ursula some fantastic players and I would put Lena up there with those girls. She is on the same level. If she keeps pushing herself, there is no reason she can’t play the highest level. “She has drive and dedication. When you realize that you have a player that has potential, then you push them and channel them in the right direction, their going to go far.” Upon entering high school, Grote was torn between playing soccer and field hockey. Her older sister Kristin was a field hockey player and convinced Lena to play field hockey. Four years later, Grote will be remembered as the best player the St. Ursula field hockey program has ever seen. And according to Aspinall, she has left an indelible mark on the program. With some of the top collegiate field hockey programs vying for Grote’s talent, including Columbia University, she ultimately committed to Indiana. “I wanted to make sure that was the right choice for her and the right

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Submitted Photo

Cincinnati St. Ursula senior Lena Grote helped the Bulldogs finish 45-14-10 the last four years.

fit,” Aspinall said. “I’m excited she is going to a program that is turning around and is still developing. They are looking to achieve big things and she certainly will make a good contribution to that program.” Indiana finished 15-6 this past season. Lena’s older sister Kristin is a student at Indiana. Though she was also recruited by the Hoosiers, she opted not to play collegiate field hockey. With the mark Grote has left on the St. Ursula field hockey team, Aspinall is confident in the continued success of the Bulldog program now that he has moved to Florida to be with his family. “She has pushed the standards really high (at St. Ursula) and everyone knows they have to achieve because of the example she set. I know that for the next three or four years that program will continue to develop players like Lena and have people there who truly want to play field hockey. “Lena is the catalyst behind everything we’ve done the past four years. She has certainly been a driving force behind it.” — Matt Natali

Boys Soccer

ichael Nanchoff, who led Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit to the 2006 Division II state soccer championship, is the Ohio High Player of the Year in boys soccer. Nanchoff, a 5-8, 145-pound senior midfielder, had nine goals and 30 assists this season and was named first-team All-Ohio. He wasn’t anticipating winning state player of the year, but he was thrilled to say the least. “It’s unbelievable,” Nanchoff said. “I just found out and I was stunned. This is definitely not something that I was expecting and it’s a big honor.”

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As a junior in 2005, Nanchoff had 10 goals and 10 assists. He is the all-time school record holder in single-season assists (30) and career assists (53). In the 2006 state title game, Nanchoff led Walsh to a 2-0 win over Kettering Alter with a goal and an assist. “All we talked about this year was winning a state title,” Nanchoff said. “We had to overcome some obstacles this year, but we just pulled it together as a team and knew what we had to accomplish this year. “We had to also overcome losing to Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy last year in the playoffs, then having to beat them twice this year. We also had to beat a good Bay team. And we had a lot of injuries. Nothing, but nothing, was going to stop us this year.” The Warriors finished the season with a 21-2 record and captured the school’s first state title in 16 years. Head coach John Kissner started the program 29 years ago and thinks it was well worth the wait for Walsh’s third state title (1990, 1982). “It’s just as great of a feeling for me as it was in 1990,” Kissner said. “It’s probably even better because it took us so long to get back to the big game. I’m so proud of how they handled themselves throughout the year with all of the injuries we had. “With guys like Michael, I said that this was a special group at the beginning of the season. It was the right mixture of chemistry, and skill-wise. We were very skillful.” Nanchoff will continue his soccer career at the University of Akron on an athletic scholarship. “I committed in early July,” he said. “It’s a good school with a good soccer Michael program and it’s close to home. They Nanchoff have a new coach who is doing good things and I thought it was the right fit for Cuyahoga Falls me.” Walsh Jesuit Nanchoff has played soccer for as long as he can remember. The fact that he became this good was no accident. “Yeah, I’ve been playing a long time,” he said. “I started playing when I was 3 in munchkin soccer league. From there I just moved up through youth leagues, to premier and eventually varsity high school ball. And my club team won the state U-17 championship and I scored the winning goal.” There are strong soccer bloodlines in the Nanchoff family. Michael’s father – George Nanchoff – was a professional soccer player and was a member of the United States National Team. “He also attended Akron and he was a college All-American two years in a row,” Michael said. “He played professionally for the Cleveland Force in an indoor league and also played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL (National American Soccer League). He was also on the U.S. National Team, but didn’t get to play in the Olympics because we boycotted the 1980 Summer Games.” The younger Nanchoff explained his strengths on the pitch. “Definitely my vision on the field,” he said. “I can find strikers and get the attack flowing. I would also say my speed is one of my strengths.” But he is not satisfied with his game. There are several improvements he wants to make before he begins his college career. “I just want to work on everything,” he said. “I’d like to improve my speed even more because there is so much speed on the college level, but I just want to improve on everything.” Nanchoff is a big soccer fan and enjoyed watching the 2006 World Cup which was won by Italy. Although, he would have preferred if France would have prevailed in the finals. “Without a doubt my favorite soccer player in the world is Zinedine Zidane of France,” Nanchoff said. But Nanchoff admits that he doesn’t have quite as good of a chestbutt as Zidane. “No, I don’t think so (laughing),” he said. “But I thought that was good – he couldn’t let that guy talk junk about him and his family.” Nanchoff plans on majoring in business communications. — Dave Biddle

J J H U D D L E . C O M 11

State Fall Sports Round-Up

STORY FROM OHSAA REPORTS

here were plenty of unforgettable individual and team performances this past fall in all 10 OHSAA sanctioned sports. The roundup of the state football playoffs can be found on page 18. Here is a look back at all tremendous performances from another successful sports season (Note: All information is from the Ohio High School Athletic Association website. For more detailed information, please visit www.ohsaa.org).

Girls Soccer

Division I: Top-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (23-0-0) won its fourth state championship when it outlasted No. 7 Dublin Coffman (16-4-2) in the championship match, 2-1. Senior midfielder Rose Augustin broke a 1-all tie with a goal with 21:27 to play to give the Warriors the title. Senior forward Darcy Riley scored Walsh’s first goal to tie the game before halftime. Walsh has won all four of its titles since 2000 and last won a crown in 2004. The Warriors are the first big-school state champion to finish the season without a loss or tie since Clayton Northmont went 24-0 in the initial season of the OHSAA state tournament 1985. Coffman finished second for the second time and was seeking its third state title. With the Walsh Jesuit boys team winning the Division II title, it marked the fourth time in state tournament history that a school won a girls and boys title in the same year (the others were Cincinnati Turpin in 1986; Clayton Northmont in 1988; and Columbus St. Francis DeSales in 1997). Semifinal Results: Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 2, North Royalton 0 (at Cleveland State); Dublin Coffman 3, Cincinnati Sycamore 0 (at Centerville). Division II: Unranked Parma Heights Holy Name (18-3-2) outscored top-ranked and defending champion Hamilton Badin (15-3-4) 5-3 in penalty kicks and captured its first state title in its first trip to the state tournaments, 1-0. Senior midfielder Lynnea Pappas, junior forward Tara O’Toole, sophomore defender Michelle Mooren, freshman midfielder Emily Balodis and junior midfielder Jessica Bound scored goals for the Green Wave and the Rams missed their fourth penalty kick attempt. Badin finished second for the fifth time and was seeking its second state championship. Semifinal Results: Parma Heights Holy Name 2, Akron Archbishop Hoban 0 (at Ravenna); Hamilton Badin 1, Bexley 0, OT (at Clayton Northmont).

30-0

Anna won its first volleyball title by claiming the D-III championship with a three-set win over defending champ Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Junior and Ohio State recruit Kelli Barhorst (left) led the Rockets with 23 kills.

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Boys Soccer

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Division I: Entering the state finals with identical records, Stow-Munroe Falls (21-0-2) outscored Fairfield (20-1-2) 4-3 in penalty kicks and captured its first state championship, 1-0. Both teams reached the state tournament for the first time. Four seniors — forward Tyler Leister, midfielder Tim Scott, defender Mike Grant and forward Nick Yannucci — scored shootout goals for the Bulldogs, while senior goalie John iAntonio stopped the potential tying goal on Fairfield’s fourth shootout attempt. Semifinal Results: Stow-Munroe Falls 1,

J J H U D D L E . C O M 13

State Fall Sports Round-Up

Boys Cross Country

Division I: Top-ranked Cincinnati LaSalle defended its state championship and won its second title overall when it had 78 points. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit was second with 89 points. Senior Jake Nusekabel led the Lancers with an 11th-place finish (fifth in the team scoring), and LaSalle’s other four runners all placed in the top 33 in the team scoring. Chardon senior Emil Heineking was the individual winner in 15:16, and St. John’s Jesuit junior Joe Miller was second in 15:27. Division II: Top-ranked Peninsula Woodridge put on a dominating performance to win its first state championship. The Bulldogs had 43 points to easily defeat runner-up Canal Winchester, which had 152.Woodridge’s point total tied the record for lowest in the division since the OHSAA began a three class/division format in 1966 (Elyria Catholic also had 43 in 1978). Senior Scott Hilditch placed second (first in the team scoring) and junior Brian Himelright third (second in the team scoring) to lead Woodridge. Seniors David Petrak and Joey McCoy also finished in the top 10 in the team scoring. Navarre Fairless senior Aaron Melhorn defended his individual championship when he finished in 15:22. Division III: Either Cortland Maplewood or McDonald had won the previous five small-school titles, but Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas ended that run when it had 114 points to edge top-ranked East

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Photo by Greg Beers

Strongsville 0 (at Cleveland State); Fairfield 2, Kettering Fairmont 1 (at Cedarville University). Division II: Top-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (21-2-0) won its third state championship when it stopped No. 5 Kettering Archbishop Alter (18-3-1) in the finals, 2-0. First-half goals by senior defender Jacob Milli and senior midfielder Michael Nanchoff carried the Warriors. Senior goalie Matt Weigand had seven saves. Alter, which was seeking its fourth state championship, finished as runners-up for the third time. With the Walsh Jesuit girls team winning the Division I title, it marked the fourth time in state tournament history that a school won a boys and girls title in the same year (the others were Cincinnati Turpin in 1986; Clayton Northmont in 1988; and Columbus St. Francis DeSales in 1997). Semifinal Results: Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 3, Bay Village Bay 0 (at Lyndhurst Brush); Kettering Archbishop Alter 1, Bexley 0, ot (at Clayton Northmont). Division III: Top-ranked Worthington Christian (20-1-1) and unranked Wickliffe (18-4-1) battled to a scoreless tie before Worthington Christian outscored the Blue Devils 4-2 in penalty kicks to win its first state championship, 1-0. Making its fifth trip to the state tournament, the Warriors received shootout goals from Eric Stevenson, Brooks Price, Max Weston and Benj Foot and senior goalie Michael Dybdahl stopped two shootout attempts by Wickliffe to secure the win. Wickliffe reached the state tournament for the first time. Semifinal Results: Wickliffe 2, Kidron Central Christian 1, so (at Medina); Worthington Christian 2, Cincinnati Madeira 1 (at Fairborn).

Yellow Springs senior Sam Borchers won the D-III cross country title in 15:50. Canton, which had 115. It was the tightest race in the small-school division since 1988, when Caldwell had to use the sixth runner tie-breaker to defeat East Canton. McDonald placed third with 125 points and defending champion Maplewood was fourth with 140. It was the fourth championship for the Knights, who won their other titles in 1976, 1980 and 1981. Junior Tony Migliozzi led Aquinas with a fifth-place finish, and sophomore Nate Addessi was next at 28th (19th in the team scoring). Yellows Springs senior Samuel Borchers was the individual champion, finishing in 15:50. He finished two seconds ahead of East Canton senior Nicholas Dysle.

Girls Cross Country

Division I: Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy ended top-ranked Bowling Green’s run of three straight state titles when it had 116 points to defeat the Bobcats, who were second with 128. Senior Liz Coorey led the Bulldogs with a 28th-place finish (12th in the team scoring), while the school’s other four runners also placed in the top 50 in the team scoring. The title was the first for the Bulldogs. West Chester Lakota West senior Amanda Burger was the individual winner with a time of 17:46. She edged defending champion Brooklyne Ridder, a sophomore from Cincinnati Oak Hills, who finished in 17:58. Division II: Top-ranked Salem defended its state championship and won its second title overall when it had 70 points to edge Kettering Archbishop Alter, which had 73. Senior Erin Murphy led the Quakers with a 16thplace finish (seventh in the team scoring), and Salem’s other four runners also placed in the top 25 in the team scoring. Alter finished second for the second straight year.

Cleveland Heights Beaumont junior Emily Infeld, third as a freshman and second last year, was the individual titlist when she finished in 17:40. Mantua Crestwood senior Cassandra Schenck was second in 17:52. Division III: Gates Mills Gilmour Academy defeated two-time defending champion and topranked Minster to win its first state championship. Gilmour had 83 points, while Minster had 89. Freshman Rebekka Simko led the Lancers with a 14th-place finish (eighth in the team scoring), and the other four Gilmour runners also placed in the top 22 in the team scoring. Cardington-Lincoln senior Caitlin Thomas was the individual champion with a time of 18:32, edging Anna senior Sarah Schulze, who finished in 18:34.

Boys Golf

Division I: Upper Arlington increased the its lead in all-time state golf titles to 17 and won its first championship since 1999. UA entered the final round with a five-stroke lead over defending champion Dublin Jerome and both teams shot 316 on Saturday, leaving Upper Arlington with a 628 total to 633 for Jerome. Centerville was 18 strokes back in the 12-team tournament. Senior Bo Hoag’s 153 total not only paced Upper Arlington but also gave him medalist honors. He followed up Friday’s 76 with a six-over 77 Saturday. Classmate Tanner Murphy had a 156 to place third in the medalist race, while sophomore Jason Lantz had a 159 and freshman Colin Allen a 160. Sophomore Aaron Siekman had a 155 (second in the medalist race), junior Kurt Harris a 157 and senior Michael Kress a 159 for Jerome, which also won a state title in 2004 but in Division II. Last year’s medalists, Jonathan Bowers of Columbus Bishop Watterson, graduated. Division II: Hunting Valley University School won the championship when it followed up Friday’s 343 first-round with a 333 Saturday for a 676 total to finish nine strokes ahead of runner-up Dayton Oakwood. Defending champion Lima Bath was fifth with a 699. It was the third state championship for the Preppers, who won their other crowns in 1990 and 2003. Senior Zach Glasman had the team’s lowest score with a 162 total, while classmate Brian Tighe added a 165 after shooting a team-best 78 Saturday. Canal Fulton Northwest senior Justin Lower won medalist honors with a 159. He followed up Friday’s 80 with a 79 on Saturday. First-day leader Joe McGeean, a senior from Springfield Northwestern, had an 85 Saturday and finished in a three-way tie for second place with a 162. Also at 162 was University School’s Glassman and defending medalist Jarryd Lentz, a senior from Middletown Bishop Fenwick. Just four golfers broke 80 Friday and four more on Saturday when conditions were sunny but cold and windy. Division III: Johnstown-Monroe won its first state golf championship when it had a 613 total and finished 18 strokes ahead of Gahanna Columbus Academy and Minster. The Johnnies, who entered the final round Saturday with an 11-stroke lead, had a final-round best 303 Saturday. Junior Heath Harvey led Johnstown-Monroe with a 148 total that included a two-over par 72 Saturday. Senior Adam

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State Fall Sports Round-Up Green and freshman Cody Green both added 150s. Defending champion Lima Central Catholic did not qualify for this year’s tournament. Delphos Jefferson junior Dillon Klein, an individual qualifier, won medalist honors when he had back-to-back rounds of 72 for a 144 total. He finished three strokes ahead of Mogadore sophomore Nathan Tartar and four strokes ahead of Johnstown-Monroe’s Harvey. Last year’s medalist, Ottoville’s Nick Miller, graduated. Portsmouth Clay freshman Josh Riddlebarger had a hole-in-one on the 180-yard, par 3 11th hole en route to a final round, three-over 73.

Girls Golf

West Chester Lakota West won its first state title in the 12-team field after never placing higher than fourth at the state tournament on three occasions. The Firebirds followed up Friday’s 318 round with a 317 Saturday to record a 635 total, leaving them 38 strokes ahead of runner-up Copley (673). The victory margin was the second largest in the girls state tournament, topped only by Dublin Coffman’s 51stroke margin of victory in 2000. The 635 was also just five strokes behind Coffman’s state-best 630 set in 2000. Three juniors and a senior led Lakota West. Junior Rachel Nelson had a 151 total after recording a 78 Saturday, classmate Marissa Steen had a 155 after also shooting a 78 in the final round, senior Jenny Linville had a 164 and junior Lauren Ellerman had a 165. Lancaster junior Allie White, an individual qualifier who placed third in 2005, won medalist honors with a 144 total. She followed up a first-round 71 with a three-over 73 Saturday, and her two-round total was four strokes behind the state tournament record of 140 set by Toledo Notre Dame Academy’s Heather Zielinski in 1998. Cincinnati Ursuline Academy senior Kelsey Lindenschmidt’s 149 left her in second place for the second straight year. Lakota West’s Nelson was third. Defending champion Dublin Jerome did not qualify in 2006.

Volleyball

Division I: No. 3 Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (235) captured its fifth state championship when it defeated top-ranked Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (24-5), 25-16, 25-22, 14-25, 25-15. Junior Rachael Adams had 24 kills and junior Abbie Schnicke 20 digs for Mt. Notre Dame. The Cougars, who split a pair of regular season matches with Mercy this year, won their other titles in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Mercy, in the state tournament for the eighth time, finished second for the fourth time and was seeking its fourth state title. Semifinal Results: Cincinnati Mother of Mercy def. Perrysburg, 25-12, 25-12, 25-15; Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame def. Solon, 25-19-25-18, 25-17. Division II: Second-ranked Kettering Archbishop Alter (26-3) stopped top-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (27-2) to win its third state championship, 25-21, 14-25, 28-26, 25-23. The Knights won their other crowns in 2002 and 2003. Senior Sarah Fisher had 24 kills and classmate Emily Borchers 17 digs to lead Alter. Walsh, which received 34 kills and 19 digs from senior Katie Dull,

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Photo by John Ritter (jrsportsphotos.com)

Springfield Northwestern senior Joe McGeean finished in a three-way tie for second in D-II.

finished as state runner-up for the second straight year and was seeking its first state title. Semifinal Results: Kettering Archbishop Alter def. Millersburg West Holmes, 25-18, 25-18, 25-11; Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit def. Sunbury Big Walnut, 25-15, 24-26, 25-23, 25-10. Division III: Top-ranked Anna (30-0) defeated defending champion and 10th-ranked Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (22-6) to win its first state championship, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23. VASJ had defeated Anna in last year’s semifinals in three games and was seeking its third title overall. Junior Kelli Barhorst had 23 kills. Seniors Rachel Billing (11 kills and 17 digs) and Lauren Fogt (15 digs) also excelled. Sidney Lehman Catholic was the last Division III school to win a state championship with an unbeaten record (also 30-0). Semifinal Results: Anna def. Albany Alexander, 18-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-19; Cleveland Villa AngelaSt. Joseph def. Huron, 25-22, 25-10, 25-22 Division IV: No. 8 Norwalk St. Paul (26-3) won its second state championship when it defeated No. 3 New Knoxville (26-3), in the finals, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21. The Lady Flyers’ other title came in 2002. Junior Christine Dow had 18 kills and 17 digs, senior Kate Schafer 14 kills and 12 digs and senior Stacia Fritz 15 digs for the winners. New Knoxville, in the state tournament for the second time, had its best finish ever. Semifinal Results: Norwalk St. Paul def. Frankfort Adena, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 15-9; New Knoxville def. Toledo Christian, 23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 27-25.

Girls Tennis

Division I Singles: Dublin Jerome sophomore Kate Turvy took home the championship when she

defeated Lexington senior Lexi Bolesky, 6-1, 6-3. Turvy defeated Mentor senior Ashley Frey in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-0, and Bolesky was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Canton GlenOak sophomore Jasmine Lee. Lee won the third-place match, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). Division I Doubles: Avon Lake senior Christine Chiricosta and her freshman sister Nikki won the title with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Dayton ChaminadeJulienne senior Christie Pleiman and her sophomore sister Katie. The elder Chiricosta placed fourth in singles in 2004. The Chiricosta sisters defeated Mason junior Ashley McCall and sophomore Emily Pham in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-3, while the Pleiman sisters were 6-4, 6-1 winners over Dublin Jerome juniors Caroline Farrar and Jessica Easdale. Farrar and Easdale won the third-place match, 6-3, 6-2. Defending champions Madison Wright-Piekarski, a senior, and Natalie Skocik, a junior, were defeated in the opening round. Division II Singles: Worthington Christian freshman Christiana Raymond was the champion with a hardfought 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over Richfield Revere junior Stephanie Danesis. Raymond, who became the seventh freshman since 1984 to win the smallschool division singles crown, was a 7-5, 6-4 semifinal winner over Pepper Pike Orange sophomore Sabrina Jetli. Danesis, a state doubles titlist last year, stopped 2005 state runner- up Gabby Steele, a sophomore from Cincinnati Summit Country Day, in the semis, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Jetli defeated Steele in the third-place match, 6-0, 6-3. Division II Doubles: Elyria Catholic seniors Ashley Herrick and Jacqueline Sammon, runnersup in 2005, took home the gold medal with a 6-3, 64 win over Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown junior Morgan Dorsey and her freshman sister Cameron. Herrick and Sammon were 6-4, 6-1 semifinal winners over Columbus School for Girls junior Ashley Staub and sophomore Christina Danosi, while the Dorseys stopped Gahanna Columbus Academy junior Holly Tu and sophomore Valerie Micek in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-2. Staub and Danosi won the third-place match, 7-5, 7-5.

Field Hockey

Gahanna Columbus Academy (18-1-0), already the all-time leader in state field hockey championships, won its sixth state championship in seven years and eighth title overall. The Vikings stopped defending champion Columbus Bishop Watterson in the finals, 4-0, after recording an identical 4-0 win over Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown in the semifinals. Sophomore attacker Layne Averill had two goals and an assist and senior atttacker Jenny Butt had two goals in the championship game. In the semifinals, sophomore attacker Alli Dillon had two goals and an assist, Averill a goal and an assist and freshman attacker Caroline Casey a goal. The Vikings posted shutouts in 17 of their 19 contests this season, including all five tournament matches, and outscored their five tournament foes 24-0. Watterson, which defeated Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame in the semifinals 2-0, finished as runners-up for the third time and was seeking its third state title. — OH

J J H U D D L E . C O M 15

Ohio High Cup Update

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

Photos by Nick Falzerano

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or the fourth year in a row, Ohio High will present the Ohio High Cup to the school that scores the most points in Ohio High School Athletic Association-sanctioned state championship events. This competition is patterned after the Directorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup standings for colleges and universities. In the Ohio High Cup competition, schools accumulate points by finishing in the top four at OHSAA-sanctioned state 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 for third, they each receive 11/2 points. Versailles captured the first Ohio High Cup in 2003-04. In 2004-05, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit claimed the cup. This past year, Cincinnati St. Xavier won the Ohio High Cup competition. In this issue, we tabulate the standings after the fall sports season. That season saw points awarded for finishes in football, boys and girls cross country, field hockey, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer and girls volleyball. Through the fall season, this looks like a two-school race with Kettering Alter holding a narrow one-point lead over Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit. Alter had three state runner-up finishes and a volleyball title to its credit, while Walsh Jesuit won a pair of soccer state titles and finished as the volleyball runner-up to Alter in Division II.

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Ohio High Cup Update

Ohio High Cup Standings Here is a complete look at the first Ohio High Cup standings for 2006-07:

14 -- Kettering Alter (girls Division II cross country runner-up, D-III football runner-up, boys D-II soccer runner-up, D-II volleyball champions). 13 -- Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (boys D-II soccer champions, girls D-I soccer champions, D-II volleyball runner-up). 7 -- Gahanna Columbus Academy (field hockey champions, boys D-III golf third). 6-1/2 -- Norwalk St. Paul (D-VI football semifinalist, D-IV volleyball champions). 6 -- Bexley (boys D-II golf third, boys D-II soccer semifinalist, girls D-II soccer semifinalist), Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (field hockey semifinalist, D-I volleyball champions), Minster (girls D-III cross country runner-up, boys DIII golf runner-up). 5 – Anna (D-III volleyball champions), Cincinnati LaSalle (boys D-I cross country champions), Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (girls D-I cross country champions), Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (girls D-III cross country champions), Hilliard Davidson (D-I football champions), Hunting Valley University School (boys D-II golf champions), Johnstown-Monroe (boys D-III golf champions), Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (boys D-III cross country champions), Maria Stein Marion Local (D-VI football champions), Parma Heights Holy Name (girls D-II champions), Peninsula Woodridge (boys D-II cross country champions), Piqua (D-II football champions), Salem (girls D-II cross country champions), Steubenville (D-III football champions), St. Henry (D-V football champions), Stow Munroe Falls (boys D-I soccer champions), Upper Arlington (boys D-I golf champions), West Chester Lakota West (girls golf champions), Worthington Christian (boys D-III soccer champions), Youngstown Mooney

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(D-IV football champions), 4-1/2 -- Columbus Bishop Watterson (field hockey runner-up, girls golf tied for third), Findlay Liberty Benton (girls D-III cross country third, D-V football semifinalist, boys D-III golf fourth). 3 – Bowling Green (girls D-I cross country runner-up), Canal Winchester (boys D-II cross country runner-up), Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (D-I volleyball runner-up), Cleveland Villa AngelaSt. Joseph (D-III volleyball runner-up), Copley (girls golf runner-up), Dayton

OHSAA Winter Championships * Boys and Girls Swimming – Feb. 22-24, Branin Natatorium, Canton. * Wrestling – March 1-3, Value City Arena, Ohio State University. * Gymnastics – March 2-3, Hilliard Davidson High School. * Ice Hockey – March 10-11, Nationwide Arena, Columbus. * Girls Basketball – March 15-17, Value City Arena, Ohio State University. * Boys Basketball – March 22-24, Value City Arena, Ohio State University. Oakwood (boys D-II golf runner-up), Dublin Coffman (girls D-I soccer runner-up), Dublin Jermore (boys D-I golf runner-up), East Canton (boys D-III cross country runner-up), Fairfield (boys D-I soccer runner-up), Hamilton Badin (girls D-II soccer runner-up), Mentor (D-I football runner-up), New Knoxville (D-IV volleyball runner-up), Pickerington Central (D-II football runner-up), Plain City Jonathan Alder (DIV football runner-up), Shadyside (D-VI football runner-up), Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (boys D-I cross country runnerup), Warren JFK (D-V football runnerup), Wickliffe (boys D-III soccer runnerup). 2 – Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (boys

D-II cross country third), Aurora (D-III Canton GlenOak (girls D-I cross country third), Centerville (boys D-I golf third), Hudson (boys D-I cross country third), McDonald (boys D-III cross country third), Wauseon (girls D-II cross country third), 1-1/2 – Akron Hoban (girls D-II soccer semifinalist), Albany Alexander (DIII volleyball semifinalist), AmandaClearcreek (D-V football semifinalist), Aurora (D-III football semifinalist), Bay Village Bay (boys D-II soccer semifinalist), Bellaire (D-IV football semifinalist), Canton McKinley (D-I football semifinalist), Cincinnati Colerain (D-I football semifinalist), Cincinnati Madeira (boys D-III soccer semifinalist), Cincinnati Sycamore (girls D-I soccer semifinalist), Cincinnati Turpin (D-II football semifinalist), Fairfield (boys D-I soccer semifinalist), Frankfort Adena (D-IV volleyball semifinalist), Huron (D-III volleyball semifinalist), Kettering Fairmont (boys D-I soccer semifinalist), Kidron Central Christian (boys D-III soccer semifinalist), Macedonia Nordonia (D-II football semifinalist), Massillon Perry (girls golf tied for third), Millersburg West Holmes (D-II volleyball semifinalist), Mogadore (D-VI football semifinalist), New Albany (D-III football semifinalist), North Royalton (girls D-I soccer semifinalist), Oak Harbor (D-IV football semifinalist), Perrysburg (D-I volleyball semifinalist), Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (field hockey semifinalist), Solon (D-I volleyball semifinalist), Sunbury Big Walnut (D-II volleyball semifinalist), Toledo Christian (D-IV volleyball semifinalist). 1 – Aurora (boys D-II cross country fourth), Cortland Maplewood (boys DIII cross country fourth), Lakewood St. Edward (boys D-I golf fourth), Medina (boys D-I cross country fourth), Pepper Pike Orange (boys D-II golf fourth), Rocky River (girls D-II cross country fourth), Rocky River Magnificat (girls D-I cross country fourth), Versailles (girls D-III cross country fourth).

J J H U D D L E . C O M 17

Football Playoff Round-Up

STORY BY MATT NATALI

MAC Attack

St. Henry beat Warren JFK, 28-7, in the Division V state championship at Canton Fawcett Stadium. The title was the Redskins sixth, tying them with fellow-MAC member Versailles for the most state titles by a public school. Here, Josh Werling carries the ball for St. Henry.

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Photo by Nick Falzerano

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Football Playoff Round-Up

Pair of thrillers highlights OHSAA state football playoffs

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J J H U D D L E . C O M 19

Football Playoff Round-Up

Helmet images courtesy of Ohio High School Helmet Project

hen the dust settled on the 2006 OHSAA state football championships in Stark County, there was one repeat champion and two new champions among the six divisional championship games played. Two of the six title games were also decided by just one point as Hilliard Davidson nipped Mentor 36-35 in double overtime in Division I and Steubenville stopped Kettering Alter 34-33 in Division III. Davidson won its first state title, while Steubenville claimed its second straight title and ran its winning streak to 30 consecutive games. Piqua was a first time champion in Division II, while Youngstown Mooney (Division IV), St. Henry (D-V) and Maria Stein Marion Local (D-VI) all added to their rich traditions as state champions. Below is a division-by-division look at the 2006 OHSAA state

Division I State Championship

Photo by Gary Housteau

Hilliard Davidson edges Mentor for D-I title in double-overtime thriller Hilliard Davidson claimed its first football state championship in school history with a thrilling 36-35 double-overtime victory over Mentor Dec. 3 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium in front of 12,629 fans. In a game that featured two contrasting styles of offense, Davidson’s option attack prevailed behind senior running back Bo Delande, who collected 236 yards on 47 carries and a Division I state championship game record 5 TDs. The game was knotted at 21 at the end of regulation and Davidson started with the ball in the first overtime. Facing a fourthand-one situation on the drive, Davidson put the ball in Delande’s hands and he converted. On the next play, Delande marched into the end zone and the Colby Catlett point after put Davidson up 28-21. Mentor took over and all-state junior QB Bart Tanski connected with Steve Orkis for a 16-yard TD strike on the second play of

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Davidson senior Bo Delande scored five TDs as the Wildcats won thier first D-I state the series. The Kevin Harper point after tied the game at 28 to send it to double-overtime. Mentor had the ball first in the second overtime and scored in three plays, capped off by a 1-yard Bill Deitman run. The PAT put Mentor up 35-28. Davidson took over and faced a thirdand-two on the possession. Delande converted but on the next play he fumbled. Mentor’s Danny Kelly fell on the ball but it squirted out from underneath him and

Davidson offensive lineman Mike Saul recovered the fumble. On the next play, Delande took it in from three yards to put the Wildcats within one point. Davidson then took a timeout before sending Catlett on the field for the point after. The Wildcats called another timeout and sent the offense on the field to attempt the 2-point conversion to win the game. Fittingly, Davidson called on Delande and he marched into the end zone virtually untouched to seal the state championship win. It was a risky play call that could have lost the game for Davidson but head coach Brian White never second guessed his decision. “There was never a doubt in my mind,” he said. “I told the coaches earlier that we were going for two. I didn’t want to go for it in the first overtime when we had to be on offense first because that would give them a chance if we didn’t make either to just kick or if we did make it, it would give them a chance to go for two and tie us. “I felt like if we would be fortunate enough to score and have the ball second in the second overtime, I had already decided we were going for two. That wasn’t the tough part, the tough part was deciding what play we wanted to run. “We decided to put the ball in our playmaker’s hands and run it on the left side.” Delande, whose 5 TDs tie the record for most by a player in a state championship game in any division, was nearly speechless following the shocking win. “It feels awesome,” he said. “I can’t even explain it right now. It is a kind of like a big dream.” White acknowledged the Delande fumble and Saul recovery in the second overtime that nearly lost the game for Davidson. “When I saw it come out I didn’t think there was any way we were going to get it back,” he said. “And the thought that went through my mind had nothing to do with not winning. The thought that went through my mind was I’d hate to have Bo live with that with all the great things he’s done over the last couple years.” Obviously, Mentor was in just as much shock after the game as Davidson. “We knew they were going to go for two. We thought they were going to go for two (in the first overtime). When you chew up three yards at a time, it wasn’t a real hard decision for them,” said Mentor head coach Steve Trivisonno.

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Football Playoff Round-Up

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between Davidson and Mentor set the state championship game record for most yards regardless of Division. Davidson had 354 total rushing yards between Delande, Clay Trubiano (61), Connor Dietz (45) and Tyler Young (3). Mentor’s Brandon James had 172 receiving yards on 11 catches and a TD, Tyler Schutz reeled in seven catches for 77 yards and a TD, Mike Popelas had 59 yards with four catches and Orkis’ only reception was the 16-yard TD strike. The Cardinals tallied 55 yards rushing, led by Bill Deitman with 31 yards on 10 carries and a TD. The 71 combined points set the Division I scoring record in a title game and was one point shy of the most in any division. It was also the first time a Division I championship went into overtime. It was the first trip to the state championship game for both Davidson (15-0) and Mentor (13-2). State semifinals results: Hilliard Davidson 10, Colerain 6 Mentor 18, Canton McKinley 13

leaning forward and getting two-and-a-half, three yards on us. “He is just a tough guy to tackle and that is why he is Mr. Football.” Pickerington Central (13-2) faced two tough backs in the state tournament but was able to contain Macedonia Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin in the state semifinals in a 73 win. Mabin, a Northwestern recruit, is widely considered the runner-up in this year’s Mr. Football award. “Saine is a powerful runner,” said Pickerington Central senior DB Brian Peters. “It took more than one person to Photo by Nick Falzerano

“We knew what we were getting into and we had what we wanted (defensively). They made a nice pitch and a nice run. We didn’t need a timeout. We already had two and discussed it both times and we were ready.” Tanksi set a Division I championship game record for completions going 24-of31 for 327 yards and 4 TDs in the Mentor spread offense. “We knew two years ago when Bart was a freshman that he was special,” Trivisonno added. “He has that ability to see things and he has a very good arm. He might not be a flying runner, but he is very elusive and he does things well.” But Tanski would obviously trade his record setting performance for a state title. “It is tough because we worked that hard and we came up one point short. It’s a tough loss,” he said. With two contrasting yet potent styles of offenses going head to head, both coaches knew the match up had the potential to be a high scoring affair with how well each team executes when they have the ball. “We knew each team was going to come out and score a lot and whoever had that ball last was going to win and that’s pretty much the way we thought it would end up,” Trivisonno said. “They run (the option) so well and it’s something we don’t see. We have probably never seen this kind of offense. When you see the ‘I’ and you see the ‘I’ often, you get used to playing it a little bit more. “They do it well. They’ll get into fourth down and go for it and when you have the ability to get three (yards) at a time, three times four is 12 and it makes it tough (to defend). But we did what we needed to do and we bent at times but we didn’t break.” “I think their offense is pretty dynamic,” White said of Mentor. “I don’t know if I would say I envisioned anything because I could have never visualized a game as good as that was. I was hoping we would be able to move the ball on offense and I was hoping that our style was going to win out over their style. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit surprised at the way we were able to move the ball,” he added. “They had given up some yards running this year but most of the time it was against a balanced offense. I was expecting it to be a little more difficult for us. I’m not saying that it wasn’t difficult but obviously that is where the offensive line shows though.” The 746 combined yards of offense

Division II State Championship

Saine powers Piqua to D-II championship with 26-7 win over Pickerington Central

Piqua quarterback Justin Hemm came up big during the Indians push to their first state title

Behind 2006 Mr. Football award winner and Ohio High magazine Player of the Year Brandon Saine, Piqua claimed its first state championship with a 26-7 win over Pickerington Central at Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 2. Saine, who will play his college ball at Ohio State, tallied 241 yards rushing on 30 carries and scored 3 TDs. His three scores came on runs of 80, 52 and 29 yards all in the first half. “One of the things we wanted to do is try and get as many shoulder pads on (Saine) as possible,” said Pickerington Central head coach Jay Sharrett. “But he carries about 30-35 pounds of extra muscle mass. Even when I thought we stuck him pretty good at the line of scrimmage he was still

bring him down. He is a player. You have to tip your hat to him. He is a hell of a player. Mabin is a little more shifty, but he’s Mr. Football and that says it all.” Pickerington Central, which was making its first appearance in a championship game, started the game with the ball and marched 61 yards on seven plays to open up the scoring with a 7-yard TD run by J.D. Cecil. That would be the only scoring Pickerington Central would do on the night. In the waning moments of the first quarter, Saine had his first score on the first play of the possession sprinting 80 yards to pay dirt. The Wes Reed point after knotted the score at 7-7.

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Football Playoff Round-Up On fourth-and-five midway through the second quarter, Saine struck again taking a fake punt 52 yards to the end zone. With the failed extra point, Piqua was up 13-7. With 1:32 left in the half, Saine polished off a 6-play, 49-yard scoring drive with a 29-yard march into the end zone. The two-point conversion failed and Piqua went into the half up 19-7. In the first half alone, Saine rushed for 195 yards on 14 carries. “After the first series, I thought our defense adjusted pretty well and did a nice job of being able to get out and make some open field tackles,” said head coach Bill Nees. “Offensively, we moved the ball enough to keep them off the field. I wish we could have moved the ball a little bit more, but I thought we did a nice job of being able to get some key first downs when we needed it.” Piqua added a score with 5:15 left in the game when a pass from Pickerington Central QB Chazz Anderson intended for Jordan Jerrell was tipped and DL Jafe Pitcock picked it off and took it 8 yards for the score. The point after gave Piqua the 26-7 lead and the Division II state title. “It’s everything I could ask for and dream for,” said Saine. “It is everything I have ever wanted since I was a little kid and I am just amazed right now. “I didn’t feel any pressure. I just wanted to come out and play my final game at Piqua High School and play my heart out.” Piqua outgained Pickerington Central 246-112 in total offensive yards. Jarrell had 94 yards on the ground on 20 carries, and Anderson was 5-of-17 passing for 55 yards while adding 35 yards on the ground. Piqua finished state runners-up in 2000 (lost 21-0 to Olmstead Falls). Saine was one TD shy of tying the Division II state championship game record (Javon Ringer, ChaminadeJulienne). Saine’s 226 yards was 25 shy of Ringer’s record (251) as well. His 80-yard TD run tied the Division II championship game record for the longest TD run from scrimmage (Johnny Mundy, Akron Buchtel). State semifinals results: Piqua 22, Cincinnati Turpin 9 Pick. Central 7, Macedonia Nordonia 3

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Division III State Championship

Steubenville defends D-III title with wild 34-33 win over Kettering Alter Photo by Nick Falzerano

Steubenville’s defense rose to the occasion when it mattered most, blocking two PATs. Steubenville defended its Division III state title Dec. 3 with a wild 34-33 win over Kettering Alter at Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium capping off a perfect 15-0 season and extending its winning streak to 30 games. The Big Red was led by two-year starter Zach Collaros at QB with 254 yards passing, completing 10-of-16 attempts, tossing 3 TD strikes and running for two more. The senior signal caller has started every game of the two-year winning streak. “My two years have been great but it is not just me, it is the whole team as far as going 30-0. I couldn’t have done it without them and they couldn’t have done it without me,” Collaros said after the game. The title is Steubenville’s third in school

history (2006, 2005 and 1984). “These kids played with a target on their chest the entire year since Dec. 3 of last year,” said Steubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia. “They took on all-comers that took their best shot and we gave them our best shot and we were fortunate enough to come out on the high scoring end 15 times.” The game was a tale of two halves as Steubenville jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Maurice Bougard caught an 8-yard TD pass from Collaros early in the quarter to open up the scoring. The drive lasted six plays and spanned 70 yards. Two minutes later, Collaros connected with Anthony Gossett on a 20-yard TD strike after only two plays. Following a Steubenville turnover, Alter settled in and narrowed the Steubenville lead to 14-7 following a 3-play, 13-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard TD run by QB Steve O’Donnell. Steubenville went up again two minutes later on a 3-yard Collaros TD run following a 5-play, 69-yard drive to put the Big Red up 21-7. Early in the second quarter, Collaros connected with Steve Davis for a 69-yard TD putting Steubenville up 27-7 with the failed point after. Alter answered after another take away as O’Donnell hit Michael Shaw for a 50yard TD on his only catch of the game. The Paul Sobecki point after failed with a bad snap and Alter trailed 27-13. Steubenville wasn’t done scoring in the first half adding another TD after a 9-play, 74-yard drive ending with a Collaros 1-yard TD run. It appeared as though he fumbled the ball on the carry but the officials ruled that the ball had crossed the plane before he lost the handle. The point after failed and Steubenville went up 34-13. Late in the second quarter, Alter’s Alex Place picked off Collaros on their own 44yard-line and returned it 52 yards to the Steubenville 4. Two plays later, Alter again narrowed the lead on a 3-yard Chris Roark TD and the point after put the Knights within 2 TDs going into the half. “I don’t think we played real well in the first half,” said Alter head coach Ed Domsitz. “We came back in the first half, though. We were in it at the end of the first half because the defense made some big plays and the offense really took advantage of that.”

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Football Playoff Round-Up All things considered, Domsitz felt confident going into the half only down 14 and starting the second half with the ball. “We tried to sell the kids on that and the fact that this is not the way we want to go out,” he said. “The way Steubenville was moving the ball in the first half, they could have scored 60 points. That is not indicative of the type of defense we have played all year. The kids came out in the second half and they were much more like the defense we’ve seen the last 14 weeks.” Alter scored on the first drive of the second half on a 42-yard TD run by Shaw. The drive lasted four plays and spanned 76

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yards. Steubenville was forced to punt on the next possession and the momentum shifted as Alter’s defense came out swinging not allowing Steubenville past midfield at all in the second half. “We came back out in the second half and it was an entirely different story. I think we played some great defense once again. The offense did a nice job and we were able to establish some power inside,” Domsitz said. “I was gratifying to see our kids come back and play the kind of football we felt we could play in this ball game. I would have been disappointed had the

game gone the way the entire first half went.” Alter cut the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard Chris Roark TD run. Trailing by one point, the Sobecki point after was blocked and Alter trailed 34-33 with nine minutes left in the game. “The little things are the greatest things and everyone thought it was automatic and kicks aren’t automatic in high school,” said Saccoccia. Alter threatened late in the game but with two minutes left the Knights ran an endaround pass play that was picked off by Steubenville’s Steve Davis sealing the title

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Football Playoff Round-Up

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regular season in school history this year and it was the first trip to the title game for the Knights. In Alter’s playoff run, The Knights had allowed only seven points in four games before the state championship. State semifinals results: Steubenville 48, Aurora 13

Division IV State Championship

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

Mooney junior Dan McCarthy rushed for 165 yards and a TD in the Cardinals D-III victory.

Photo by Gary Housteau

win for the Big Red. “Our hats off to them,” Saccoccia said. “We won that game without scoring any points in the second half. Once momentum finds your sideline, he is a good friend and once he finds the other sideline, he is hard to get back over to your sideline. “I don’t think anything great comes without adversity and hard work. So, we had some adverse conditions we really had to work through and I think that will make us appreciate this state championship in the long run a lot more.” Both teams combined for 617 yards of total offense (Steubenville 351, Alter 266) and the 10 TDs scored broke the previous record of nine in the Division III title game. Both teams were also perfect in the red zone going a combined 7-7 (Steubenville 44, Alter 3-3). Davis had 147 yard receiving on four catches for Steubenville while Bougard matched that catch total for 81 yards. Gossett had 20 yards receiving on his only catch for the TD in the first quarter. Collaros was perfect in the first quarter completing all six of his attempts for 163 yards. Alter had four players combine for 211 yards rushing between Roark (90), Shaw (57), O’Donnell (45) and Corey Roark (19). “I already felt these kids had tremendous heart, tremendous work ethic and they played so well together as a team all year. They love to play football and that is the way it appeared in the second half,” said Domsitz. “I wasn’t surprised the way we came out in the second half. I thought we could move the ball on Steubenville and I thought we could play some pretty good defense on them. Big plays hurt us early. There is no question.” Prior to the game, Saccoccia was presented with the Ohio High magazine football Coach of the Year award. “When you get a state championship it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the best athletes in the state but you have the best team in the state,” he said. “Alter had a very good team and we have a very good team. And teams are not going to quit. “Every kid that plays for us plays hard, gives all he has to give and the thing that makes this team stand out to me is they played with a target on their chest for 15 weeks. We bought practice jerseys with targets on them because I thought it was going to be that tough.” Alter (14-1) boasted its first undefeated

Kettering Alter 31, New Albany 7 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney claimed its sixth state title in school history and second in three years as the Cardinals topped Plain City Jonathan Alder 26-12 at Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium Dec. 2. Mooney (14-0) trailed 12-7 at the half but tightened up defensively and controlled the ball offensively in the second half to claim the championship.

“We just settled in,” said head coach P.J. Fecko. “Really, in the first half, defensively, we played solid. We just gave up a lot of field position by a lack of offense. I think, defensively, we were playing solidly all the way around. We missed some tackles here and there but scheme-wise, we were OK. “Offensively, we had to make some adjustments. We had to go to a few different schemes and a few different sets and formations to take advantage of what they were doing. Fortunately enough we were able to do that.” Junior QB Dan McCarthy led Mooney with 165 yards rushing on 22 carries and a TD. Junior RB Brandon Beachum added 62 yards and a TD. Junior RB/LB Michael Zordich had 34 yards on 10 carries and 2 TDs. “It was certainly a thrill to be here. I hope our players appreciate the tremendous atmosphere and the tremendous opportunity to get to this point,” said Alder head coach Steve Coate. “We would have liked to execute just a little bit better. (We had) too many mistakes against a very good team.” Mooney forced four turnovers in the game, held the edge in time of possession 28:12-19:48 and outgained Alder 319-200 in total yards of offense. “They have a great combination of great skill and an aggressive defense,” said Coate. “The combination of the great running backs and great quarterback makes them a little more dangerous than some of the other teams we have faced.” Zordich scored the first TD of the game on an 11-yard run capping off a 3-play drive following a 34-yard Beachum interception return deep into Alder territory. Alder answered in the second quarter after a 54-yard punt return buy Chris Pollock gave the Pioneers good field position at the Mooney 23-yard line. RB Luke Bates finished off the 6-play drive with a 1yard TD run. The point after attempt was blocked by Mooney’s Dom Scarnecchia to preserve the 7-6 lead. Later in the quarter, Alder took the lead with a 10-play, 39-yard drive topped off by a 1-yard Bates TD run. The Pioneers elected to go for two but the conversion failed and Alder went into the locker room at the half up 12-7. Mooney started with the ball in second half and marched 66-yards in 10 plays to score the go-ahead TD on a McCarthy 1yard scoring run. McCarthy had 62 yards

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Football Playoff Round-Up This is the first undefeated season for Mooney since 1980 and the most wins for a Mooney team in any single season. The 2006 Division IV state title game tied a championship game record for 1-yard TD runs with four. State semifinals results: Cardinal Mooney 49, Bellaire 7

Division V State Championship

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

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Mooney led 13-12 after the failed 2-point conversion. On the last play of the third quarter, Zordich forced a Bates fumble on the Alder 8-yard line and McCarthy recovered. Zordich took the ball 8 yards to pay dirt on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Mark Babyak point after put the Cardinals up 20-12. Following a Beachum interception deep in Alder territory, Mooney orchestrated a 15-play, 88-yard scoring drive that ate seven minutes off the clock in the final quarter. Fittingly, Beachum had the final score on a 2-yard run. The point after failed, but the 26-12 score was enough for Mooney to claim the 2006 Division IV title. “Congratulations to Alder for an outstanding season,” Fecko said after the game. “They played well all year and through the playoffs. They just kept plugging along and came up with some great wins playing really great football. Unfortunately for them, they fell a little bit short. “But we were in that situation last year and, let me tell you, it’s a better to situation to be in what we’re in now. We’re excited to be here and it is through a lot of hard work and dedication from these guys around me and everybody else in that locker room.” Mooney fell to Coldwater 33-9 last season in the title game. In the 2004 title game, McCarthy’s older brother Kyle led Mooney to the state championship at QB as well. Kyle is now playing at Notre Dame. “He has been a great mentor to me and he has taught me a lot,” said Dan of his older brother. “But I am so proud of our team right now and it is a perfect ending to a perfect season.” Bates finished the game with 73 yards on 19 carries and 2 TDs for Alder. QB Austin Schlosser was 8-of-25 passing for 91 yards and 2 INTs. This was the first trip to the state tournament for Alder and the Pioneers finished 13-2. Weather conditions for the game were poor with periodic heavy rain and strong, gusty winds. With the added chill in the air, the traditional Gatorade bath was bittersweet for Fecko. “It literally took my breath away,” he said. “I was not expecting that. It took me by surprise and with that wind whipping through it made those ceremonies out there a little chilly.”

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St. Henry senior Andy Puthoff motored for 209 yards and three TDs in the D-V title game. Jonathan Alder 24. Oak Harbor 7 The Midwest Athletic Conference continued its dominance in the small school divisions as St. Henry claimed the Division V state title with a 28-7 win over previously undefeated Warren JFK at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium Dec. 3. It was the sixth state championship in St. Henry (14-1) school history and the second in three seasons. It is also the second state

title for the MAC in this year’s state tournament following Maria Stein Marion Local’s Division VI title win Friday, Dec. 2. St. Henry, which won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 as well as titles in 1992 and 1990, was led by senior RB/LB Andy Puthoff with 209 yards rushing on 37 carries and 3 TDs. Puthoff credited his successful day to the players that opened the holes for him. “Our offensive line has been doing a great job all year,” he said. “They know that as long as they get hats on people and run through arm tackles we’ll be successful. Coach (Jeff Starkey) preached that all week. In the fourth quarter, we just kept pounding and pounding and the offensive line did a good job.” Warren JFK (14-1) hadn’t allowed more than 14 points in any game this season, had posted four shutouts and was allowing only seven points per game prior to the championship. “We wanted to establish a game plan that was going to be a physical offensive game plan running the football,” said Starkey. “In the first half we really created good field position for our offense. We didn’t necessarily capitalize on enough of those opportunities, but in the second half, our seniors stepped up and they were not going to be denied in the second half.” Warren JFK QB J.J. Townsend, who was named Division V offensive player of the year, was 13-of-31 passing in the game for 108 yards but the St. Henry defense got good pressure on him and shut down the running game holding JFK to just 68 yards on the ground. Townsend also threw 2 INTs. “Every sportscaster or T.V. guy will say, ‘What does it take to win football games?’ My answer to that is you have to be able to control the lines of scrimmage on both sides and today, unfortunately for us, we didn’t do that on either side of the ball. They beat us up pretty good as is evidenced by the fact we lost 28-7,” said JFK head coach Tony Napolet. Puthoff’s scores came in the first, second and fourth quarters on 2-yard, 1-yard and 7-yard runs, respectively. St. Henry QB Doug Griesdorn connected with Zach Thobe on a 31-yard TD strike halfway through the third quarter. JFK’s only score came in the closing moments of the third quarter on a 12-yard Jared Province run. JFK last won a state title in 1991 and this is the third runner-up finish for the Eagles.

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

Division VI State Championship

After both teams traded possessions, Marion Local took over on its own 42-yard line and ran a play action pass that resulted in a 58-yard scoring strike to Dan Moeller on the first play of the possession. The point after put Marion Local up 14-0 Photo by Nick Falzerano

Maria Stein Marion Local blanks Shadyside 17-0 for D-VI title Maria Stein Marion Local took advantage of a strong third quarter to shut out Shadyside 17-0 and claim the 2006 Division VI state championship at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium Dec. 2. This season’s title marks the third in Marion Local school history and the first since 2001. The Flyers finished state runners-up in 2003. “It was a hard-fought game,” said Marion Local head coach Tim Goodwin. “I thought the first quarter we had a couple chances there to take advantage of field position but we didn’t. That was a little bit disappointing. “Shadyside played great defense. I was a little bit surprised that we couldn’t establish a better running game to be honest. That is a credit to their kids and their coaching staff. They did a pretty good job at guessing out there.” Marion Local played near mistake-free football with only three penalties for 15 yards and no turnovers for the third consecutive week. “With the type of defense we are capable of playing, if we don’t turn the ball over, the other team is going to have a hard time sustaining much against us,” Goodwin said. The Flyers scored 14 points in the third quarter after a scoreless first half which netted a total of 93 offensive yards between both teams. Junior RB Luke Homan scored at the 5:43 mark in the third on a 2-yard run capping off a 13-play, 65-yard drive that chewed up 6:17 off the clock.

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Junior Ben Schaefer filled in for the ailing Marc Otte and rushed for a 100 yards in the D-VI final. late in the third. “That really took the wind out of their sails there,” said Goodwin. A 23-yard Dan Fortkamp field goal midway through the fourth quarter to put Marion Local up 17-0 was the final dagger. “We dug ourselves a hole in the first half there,” said Shadyside head coach Ty Fleming. “But the kids were able to persevere and keep them out of the end zone. We felt coming out in the third quarter that we wanted to go into the wind so that we could have the wind in the fourth quarter at our backs but it didn’t make much of a difference. “Marion Local came out and controlled the line of scrimmage there in the third quarter. They took the ball right down the field and their (defense) stepped up and took us out. Tim (Goodwin) called a good play-action pass and they went up 14. We just couldn’t move the ball to keep our defense off the field.” Marion Local RB Ben Schaefer led all stat-getters with 100 yards rushing on 22 carries. Schaefer stepped into the role as a back up this week after starter Marc Otte

injured his knee in the state semifinals against Norwalk St. Paul. Otte had three carries for six yards early in the game. “That was a good job by Ben stepping in with only a week’s notice,” said Otte. “He did a great job.” Schaefer had not practiced on offense in four weeks according to Goodwin. Homan finished the game with 34 yards on nine carries and the score. QB Chris Stucks was only 2-of-6 passing but had 61 yards that included the long TD pass to Moeller. Shadyside fielded nine players that played both ways and it was apparent both physical and mental fatigue was taking its toll in the third quarter. Marion Local held Shadyside’s leading rusher Taylor Jovicic to only 36 yards on 14 carries. QB Billy Merryman was 7-of-20 passing for 38 yards. In the previous four playoff games, Shadyside outscored its opponents 189-25 before getting shutout by Marion Local. The Flyers outgained Shadyside 225-52 in total offense. Shadyside has been a state semifinalist three times (1989, 2001, 2006) but has yet to win a title. Marion Local started the season 1-2 falling to Midwest Athletic Conference foes Coldwater and St. Henry before winning 12 consecutive games. “In the MAC, you can’t take a week off, just like the playoffs, because every team is capable of beating you,” said Homan. This game marked the third shutout in the OHSAA Division VI state championship history (2000: Marion Local 54, Mogadore 0; 2005: Delphos St. John’s 28, Steubenville Central Catholic 0) and the 24th in all six divisions. Since its inception in 1994, the Division VI state title has been claimed by a MAC team 9-of-13 years. This year’s state tournament marks the second consecutive year two MAC teams have won state championships in the same year. Last year, Coldwater claimed the title in Division IV and Delphos St. John’s won the Division VI crown. In the 18 year history of the conference, there have been 17 football state championships won. State semifinals results: Marion Local 47, Norwalk St. Paul 6 Shadyside 45, Mogadore 7

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Football Playoff Round-Up

Photos by Nick Falzerano and Gary Housteau

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F o o t b a l l P l a y e r o f t h e Ye a r

STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

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

ith 195 yards and three touchdowns of 80, 52 and 29 yards already in the rushing column by halftime of the Division II state championship game, Brandon Saine of the Piqua High School Indians showed everyone in attendance that night why he was chosen as the Ohio High magazine Player of the Year for the 2006 season. For the game, Saine rushed for 226 yards to go with his three TDs in Piqua’s 26-7 victory over Pickerington Central. It’s was his school’s first-ever state championship. “It’s everything I could ever ask for and dream for,” said Saine when he was asked to describe his emotions after winning the title. “It’s everything I ever wanted since I was a little kid. I’m just amazed right now.” On the season, the Ohio State football commit amazed many people as he unofficially rushed for 2,242 yards and reached the end zone 35 times with 31 of those scores coming via the ground. At 6-1, 218 pounds, Saine is not only fast but he’s also very physical when he’s running with the football. This past spring, Saine claimed the Ohio High magazine boys track athlete of the year award after winning the 100 and 400-meter dash events at the state meet. It marked the second consecutive year he’s accomplished that feat. Earlier in the year, he set the state record in the 100 meters at 10.38 seconds. And for all of his accomplishments on the gridiron in his senior campaign, in addition to winning the top award from Ohio High, Saine was also named as the winner of Ohio’s Mr. Football award by The Associated Press the week before the championship contest. “It’s just a great way to cap off my year,” said Saine shortly after his team won the state title game. “But it’s a team sport and to get awards individually means a lot for the team too because I couldn’t have done it without them.” Saine, admittedly, never imagined that winning the state title and being recognized as the state’s top player could actually become a reality for him and his team at the beginning of their season. “It’s still unreal. It’s crazy,” said Saine with a huge smile on his face. “We thought about winning the state title. We had a picture of Massillon in the locker room and everything, but I never really thought about winning Mr. Football, though. That’s just crazy.” And after winning the Mr. Football award, Saine said that he didn’t feel any added pressure at all to perform to a certain level in the state championship game. “I didn’t feel any pressure,” he said. “I just wanted to come out and play my final game at Piqua High School and just play my heart out and not let outside things affect me.” With or without the state’s Mr. Football award, Saine had already lived up to the many lofty expectations of people and fans around the state. According to Piqua head coach Bill Nees, some people, when they watch him play, almost expect Saine to not be tackled, period.

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JJ Hu ddle’ s O h io Hi gh

F o o t b a l l P l a y e r o f t h e Ye a r

Mr. Football

Photo by Gary Housteau

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Piqua senior Brandon Saine showed the speed thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s led to two straight 100-meter state titles en route to rushing for 195 yards and three TDs by halftime of the D-II state title game. He ended with 226 yards.

JJ H u d d l e â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s O h i o H i g h

J J H U D D L E . C O M 29

F o o t b a l l P l a y e r o f t h e Ye a r spend all summer together and you “I think when you’re in a state “I think one of the biggest things he’s going work out. It’s like a second family.” championship game, obviously, we The state title game started out were playing against a fine football to leave is going to be a legacy, from this slow for Piqua as Central drove for team and those guys were a great point on, every time somebody plays running a touchdown on its first drive and defense,” the coach said. “They held Piqua in check in its first poshad been smothering people in the back for us, they’re going to be expected to session. But Saine broke loose films we had watched so I thought be the kind of person he is and be unselfish.” down the right sideline for an 80it was fantastic that he was able to yard touchdown run late in the first get out and make some runs.” quarter to tie the game at 7-7. As an individual athlete, it’s safe Piqua football coach Bill Nees “He has some games where he to say that Saine has more than a does it early and real often and few great runs and insane accomthen he sits down in the fourth plishments on his resume to this quarter,” Nees said. “Then he has point in his young career. and to Coach Nees in particular. games where he does it in little chunks. “I can’t believe that I’ve done all this. “I think he means a lot to our program. I This is crazy,” said Saine who was even think he’s given our program a high degree But guys don’t want to fall asleep on him the school’s Prom King last spring. “I don’t of visibility,” Nees said. “We’ve been visible because that’s when he is dangerous, like tonight. If you look at what they had done, know how I did it.” but I think he’s added on to that obviously they had a great defense. They had been But he’s yet to accomplish that elusive and it puts us in the limelight a little bit hat-trick in track at the state meet. He’ll get more. I think one of the biggest things he’s smothering people.” Midway through the second quarter, another crack at in the spring during the going to leave is going to be a legacy, from Saine followed up the long touchdown run state meet in Columbus. this point on, every time somebody plays with an equally dazzling 52-yard scoring “It definitely would be nice to win all running back for us, they’re going to be run on a fake punt. He took the snap as an three this year in track,” said Saine referexpected to be the kind of person he is upback, went around left end and used ring to the 100, 200 and 400-meter events. and be unselfish. That’s the kind of legacy some amazing moves to duke Central “I want to try again this year. I’m definitely that I think he leaves for us. defenders on his way to the end zone. going to try again.” “He’s just an overall well-rounded foot“The fake punt was just there,” he said. But for now he’s going to take some time ball player. He’s at practice from the begin“I was just playing my heart out.” off and enjoy the fruits of his football labor ning to the end, he’s in the weight room Nees talked about how Saine has develbefore he gets back into the general swing and everything, and none of this ‘I need to oped from early in his career. of things. take a day off because I’m tired type of “If you look at him from his sophomore “Right now I just want to celebrate and stuff.’ He comes out to practice and runs year to his senior year, he has evolved,” he get a little bit of rest and then go from scout team against our defense. That’s said. there,” Saine said. one of the reasons why our defense pur“Everybody wants to take a guy like him And now that he’s won a state champion sues so well, because we chase him every and find what’s wrong with him. Because as a member of the Piqua football Indians Wednesday, and he’s right in there with he’s a fast guy, people say, ‘Oh, he’s a to go along with him being the two-time everybody else.” track guy. He doesn’t like to get hit.’ But he defending state champion in track in the And at this time he’s very much looking has evolved. He’s a guy who nobody can 100 and 400 meters, which of those two forward to his future with his new team, question his ability.” major accomplishments mean more to being a member of the Ohio State So what exactly is it that excites Saine him? Buckeyes. the most about playing at the next level? “Definitely football,” he said. “It’s my “I can’t wait to watch them become “Just the atmosphere and actually playfavorite sport and you get to share it with national champions and then play for the all of these other people and that’s what defending national champions,” Saine said. ing college football,” said Saine, who is makes it so much better.” “It’s exciting. I can’t wait and see where I fit slated to play in one of the new high school All-American games in January. And his future on the gridiron couldn’t be in.” “You watch it on TV but I know that can’t any brighter. He’s clearly a pretty good After watching his performance in the compare.” football player that just happens to be pret- state championship game, Saine is obviAnd why will Saine succeed at the next ty good in track as well. ously a running back by trade but some level? “I’ve matured a lot,” said Saine referring rumors have him being possibly moved “Because he has a burning desire to do to the sport of football. “I’ve watched film outside to a slot receiver when he gets to everything correctly. It doesn’t matter what on me from before and you could tell I was Ohio State. Saine, however, has said that it is,” Nees said. just out there running full speed and every- that particular conversation, up to now, “He’s going to succeed because he, I thing. And now I cut better, read my blocks with the Ohio State staff has not come up don’t think, has missed an off-season of better and everything. I’ve become a better very much at all. weight room (workouts) in three years. football player.” “Not yet really, they just wanted me to He’s going to succeed because he just has Saine’s method for success in running focus on this year mostly,” said Saine who a great work ethic and that takes you a the football seems to be pretty simple. himself hasn’t thought about it much anylong way.” “I just try to look for holes and if there is way. “I just want to play.” That work ethic has already helped him a guy there I try to make him miss and I His football apprenticeship at the high win a state title in both track and football just run my hardest,” Saine said. “I know school level is now over and complete. and it’s obviously helped him to be named that I’m fast so I try to use that to my Piqua won four games in Saine’s sophothe state’s best football player by Ohio advantage and outrun people. It just more year, six games in his junior season High as well the state of Ohio for this seacomes naturally I guess. You don’t want to and 13 games in his senior year. son. Who knows where it will take him on get hit. I mean you want to hit them and Saine said going out in his senior year the next level. not get hit. But it just comes naturally.” with a title means everything. The sky seems to be his only limit! — And Saine has naturally meant so much “We have been playing together for so OH to the Piqua football program in general long, we are all friends,” he said. “You

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J J H U D D L E . C O M 31

A l l - O h i o F o o t b a l l Te a m

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

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

or the third year in a row, Ohio High magazine has selected the Ohio News Network/Ohio High All-Ohio football team. We have picked a full team on offense and defense and have also selected special award winners for the player of the year and coach of the year. The team was revealed during a pregame broadcast before the Division I state championship game Dec. 2 on ONN. We have three repeat All-Ohio team members from last year with Cincinnati LaSalle’s Ben Martin, Cincinnati Colerain’s Eugene Clifford and Canton South’s Devon Torrence. There is also a brother act on this year’s team as Torrence is joined by his younger brother, Canton South junior DeVoe Torrence. Below is a look at the special award winners, followed by this year’s full team (all players listed are seniors unless noted):

Player Of The Year

The ONN/Ohio High player of the year award this year goes to Piqua running back Brandon Saine. The 6-1, 219-pound Saine led his team to a 13-2 record and the Division II state championship. Saine had 226 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 26-7 state title game win over Pickerington Central. Including that championship game, Saine had 2,242 yards and 35 TDs (31 rushing) on the season. He is rated as the No. 3 prospect in the state by Ohio High and No. 92 overall nationally by Scout.com. Saine is also the reigning 100- and 400-meter state track champion in Division I. He was also the Ohio High track athlete of the year. He has committed to Ohio State. (For more on Saine, see story on page 28.)

Coach Of The Year

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The ONN/Ohio High coach of the year award goes to Steubenville’s Reno Saccoccia. With a win in the Division III state championship game, Saccoccia has led the Big Red to 30 straight victories and back-to-back state championships. Steubenville became the 23rd repeat champion in OHSAA playoff history. Saccoccia has posted a stellar 243-44 record (.846) in 24 years as head coach coming into the state title game. Other coaches considered include Youngstown Mooney’s P.J. Fecko, Hilliard Davidson’s Brian White, Fremont Ross’ Derek Kidwell, Pickerington Central’s Jay Sharrett, West Jefferson’s Shawn Buescher, Cincinnati Colerain’s Kerry Coombs, Bellaire’s John Magistro, Oak Harbor’s Gary Quisno, Warren JFK’s Tony Napolet, East Cleveland Shaw’s Rodney Brown and Mentor’s Steve Trivisonno.

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A l l - O h i o F o o t b a l l Te a m

All-Ohio Team Offense

QB – Perci Garner, Dover: Garner (6-2, 200) threw for 4,415 yards and 40 TDs against 12 INTs for an 11-2 team. He also rushed for 592 yards and 19 TDs. RB – Brandon Saine, Piqua: See previous page. RB – Morgan Williams, Canton McKinley: Williams (6-0, 190) led his team to a 12-2 mark and a berth in the Division I state final four. He ended the year with 2,456 yards and 34 TDs. He had over 5,000 yards in his career. RB -- Jordan Mabin, Macedonia Nordonia: Mabin (5-10, 185) helped his team post a 12-2 mark as they reached the Division II state final four. Mabin ended the year with Mike Adams 2,354 yards and 30 TDs. He ended his career sixth in state annals with 6,689 yards rushing and ninth with 92 TDs. Northwestern verbal. WR – Chris Givens, Chillicothe: Givens (6-3, 190) tallied 57 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 TDs. He also had 317 yards rushing. Miami (Ohio) verbal. WR – Dan Ifft, Dover: Ifft (6-3, 180) hooked up with Garner for some huge numbers -- 114 catches for 1,822 yards (16.0 average) and 19 TDs. In his career, Ifft had 264 catches for 4,172 yards and scored 45 TDs. Ball State verbal. OL – Ben Burkett, Toledo St. Johnʼs: Burkett (6-4, 264) helped his St. Johnʼs squad post an 8-2 record. OL – Nick Schepis, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit: Schepis (6-3, 273) helped his team average 31.6 points per game. He led the way for 1,000-yard rusher Mark Woolridge. Boston College verbal. OL – Mark Wetterer, Cincinnati Anderson: Wetterer (6-5, 300) blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher. Michigan State verbal. OL – Zebrie Sanders, junior, Clayton Northmont: Sanders (6-6, 265) helped lead Northmont to an 8-3 mark and a spot in the Division I playoffs. He protect-

JJ H u d d l e ’ s O h i o H i g h

ed QB Clay Belton, who threw for close to 2,000 yards. Sanders is projected as a top-10 junior in Ohio. OL – Mike Adams, junior, Dublin Coffman: Adams (6-8, 305) is a prototype left tackle considered stateʼs No. 1 junior prospect. He already has a number of offers (including Ohio State). He helped lead his team to the regional finals and a 9-4 record. All-Purpose -- Dane Sanzenbacher, Toledo Central Catholic: Sanzenbacher (6-0, 180) helped the defending Division II state champs go 9-2 and reach the playoffs. He also played some at QB and DB as needed. At receiver, he had 61 catches for 1,279 yards and scored 11 TDs. Ohio State verbal.

Honorable Mention All-Ohio

Here is a position-by-position look at other players considered for the ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio Team: QB – Mitchell Evans, West Milton Milton-Union; Clay Belton, Clayton Northmont; Skylar Jones, Middletown; Jeremy Fudge, Eaton; Chris Smith, South Point; Kasey Wendal, Galloway Westland; Chazz Anderson, Pickerington Central; Zach Collaros, Steubenville; Domonick Britt, junior, Trotwood-Madison; Charles Babb, Alliance; Ryan Ottney, Fremont Ross; Ryan Radcliff, Sherwood Fairview; Bart Tanski, junior, Mentor; Anthony Wright, Maple Heights; David Rogers, Kent Roosevelt; Nick Rocchio, Bellaire; Justin Hemm, Piqua; Tyler Sparks, Olmsted Falls. RB – Boom Herron, Warren Harding; Isaiah Pead, Columbus Eastmoor Academy; Steven Ford, Cambridge; Mark Wooldridge, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit; Darius Ashley, junior, Cincinnati St. Xavier. WR – Kyle Hubbard, Lakewood St. Edward; Evan Elliott, Greensburg Green; Brandon James, junior, Mentor; Trey Masciarelli, Bellaire. TE – Nic DiLillo, junior, Madison; Brandon Moore, junior, Trotwood-Madison; Kyle Rudolph, junior, Cincinnati Elder; John Hughes, Gahanna Lincoln. OL – Zak Crum, Westerville South; Kevin Koncelik, Cleveland St. Ignatius; Wes Schroder, Cincinnati St. Xavier; Barrett Brooks, Galloway Westland.

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A l l - O h i o F o o t b a l l Te a m

All-Ohio Team Defense

DL – Antonio Jeremiah, Hilliard Darby: Jeremiah (6-5, 275) is one of the stateʼs top 10 prospects. He has verbaled to Michigan State. DL – Ishmaaiʼly Kitchen, Youngstown Mooney: Kitchen (6-3, 320) is a dominant defensive lineman for Mooneyʼs 15-0 juggernaut in Division IV. DL – Solomon Thomas, West Chester Lakota West: Thomas (6-4, 215) is the stateʼs No. 5 overall prospect. He battled some nagging injuries, but had 34 tackles, 8 TFLs, 3 passes broken up. Ohio State verbal. DL – Steve Matas, Mentor: Matas (6-5, 265) is a dominant DL along with teammate Brady DeMell for a 13-1 team that will play for the Division I state title. Illinois verbal. LB – Ben Martin, Cincinnati Nathan Williams LaSalle: Martin (6-5, 235) moved from defensive end to linebacker to help his team. The experiment worked as he had 112 tackles, seven sacks, 14 TFLs and three fumbles caused. He is the stateʼs No. 1 overall prospect and No. 38 overall nationally. He will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He is considering Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee. LB – DeVoe Torrence, junior, Canton South: Torrence (6-2, 215) was a great two-way player. His team went 8-4 and reached the second round of the Division III playoffs. He is ranked as stateʼs No. 2 junior prospect and is already receiving offers. He may be the best player from Stark County since Mike Doss. At running back, he had 981 yards rushing, 645 yards receiving and scored 17 TDs. On defense, he had 127 tackles, 1 INT, three fumbles recovered and six sacks. LB – Nathan Williams, junior, Washington C.H. Miami Trace: Williams (6-4, 235) is rated as stateʼs No. 5 junior prospect and is already receiving offers. He had 149 tackles (67 solos), 23 TFLs, five sacks. LB – Jermale Hines, Cleveland Glenville: Hines (6-2, 205) was a great two-way player for a team that went 10-2 and reached the second round of the Division I playoffs. On offense, he had 800 yards rushing and 16 TDs and also had 904 yards passing. Defensively, he had 55 tackles and 4 INTs.

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DB – Devon Torrence, Canton South: Torrence (6-2, 195) split time between RB, WR and safety. He is the stateʼs No. 4 senior prospect and No. 81 overall nationally by Scout.com. He projects as a corner at the college level. He had 48 catches for 890 yards and 10 TDs. Defensively, he had 49 tackles and 4 INTs. Ohio State verbal. DB – Brian Gamble, Massillon Washington: Gamble (60, 194) was a two-way standout at RB and safety. His team was 7-5 and reached the second round of the Division I playoffs. He had 215 carries for 975 yards and 9 TDs to go with 22 catches with four TDs. On defense, he had 46 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 INTs (one for a TD). Illinois verbal. DB – Eugene Clifford, Cincinnati Colerain: Clifford (6-2, 190) played some at WR but is a star at safety. He had 100 tackles, seven INTs for a team that went 13-1 and reached the state final four. He is rated as stateʼs No. 2 senior prospect and No. 50 overall nationally by Scout.com. Will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Ohio State verbal. DB – Dan McCarthy, junior, Youngstown Mooney: McCarthy (6-1, 194) is the driving force behind Mooneyʼs 140 Division IV state title contender. He played at QB and safety, over 1,000 yards rushing on offense and a ton of big plays on defense. Kicker – Steve Schott, junior, Massillon Washington. Schott (6-1, 136) hit 10 of 14 on field goals with a long of 47 yards to help his team defeat rival Canton McKinley. He was 40 of 41 on PAT kicks. He is already receiving some college interest.

Honorable Mention All-Ohio

DL – Daryle Ballew, Cincinnati Withrow; Nate Cadogan, sophomore, Portsmouth; Kevin Koger, junior, Toledo Whitmer; Sam Fikaris, Mayfield; Curtis Meyers, Hamilton. LB – Vince Harris, Cincinnati LaSalle; Brandon Beachum, junior, Youngstown Mooney; Storm Klein, sophomore, Newark Licking Valley; Ridge Riebold, Powell Olentangy Liberty; Michael Zordich, junior, Youngstown Mooney; Bruce Davis, Cleveland Glenville; Andrew Dailey, Massillon Washington; Joey DʼAndrea, Upper Arlington; George Tabron, Canton McKinley; Tyler Replogle, Centerville. DB – Nate Oliver, Lakewood St. Edward; David Arnold, Copley; C.J. Peake, Trotwood-Madison; Sean Baker, Canfield; Donnie Evege, Huber Heights Wayne; Sidney Glover, Warren Harding. K-P – Ben Buchanan, Westerville Central.

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Saccoccia’s Winning Way

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

F o o t b a l l C o a c h o f t h e Ye a r

Steubenville mentor named ONN/Ohio High coach of the year

ome coaches can get on a real us appreciate this whole thing just a little defense. But, I try to do little things.” roll and then there is bit more,” Saccoccia said as his team Saccoccia has posted a stellar 243-44 Steubenville’s Reno Saccoccia. wrapped up its second straight 15-0 sea- record (.846) in 24 years as head coach. Saccoccia (pronounced son. But he gave credit to everybody involved Sack-cotch) wrapped up his “We beat what we did last year and in this year’s success. 24th season as a head coach by helping there’s one reason why we beat it. “I’d like to congratulate the players, guide the Big Red to a second consecuThese kids played with a target on their first, and their parents, for the whole tive Division III state football champibacks since Dec. 3 of last year. We took year,” said Saccoccia. “I’d like to thank onship. Over the last two seasons, everybody’s best shot, gave them ours, coach (Anthony) Pierro, coach (Rick) Steubenville has posted 30 straight vicand came out on top. That’s why we are Camilletti and coach (Mike) Haney for tories. the tradition, that’s why we are the their defensive game plan. We had a Accordingly, Saccoccia was recogchampions and that’s way we are the perfect game plan and our kids executnized during the state championship Big Red.” ed. I’d like to thank coach (Bob) weekend as the Ohio News The title was the third for both Radakovich, coach (Joe) Saccoccia and Network/Ohio High coach of the year. Steubenville and Saccoccia, who was coach (Gus) DiMarzio for a great offen“To have a successful football proalso at the helm when the Big Red sive plan. The kids executed it. gram, it takes more than just great playclaimed their first state playoff champi“I’d like to thank coach (Bob) ers,” Saccoccia said. “I feel I have an onship in 1984. Lamantia, coach (Ted) Gorman, coach excellent coaching staff. “We have five “I don’t do whole lot of work during a (Mike) Blackburn. They did a great job guys who have been here over 20 years. game, I really don’t,” Saccoccia said. “I with our special teams. And our younger “Our players love the game of football. don’t call any offense, I don’t call any coaches, our freshmen coaches and our Some kids wait their entire lives junior high coaches, they did a Photo by Gary Housteau to play for Big Red. But there heck of a job scouting and runare probably two key factors to ning our scout team.” our success. Number one is our One of the trademarks of parents. Our parents don’t butt Steubenville football over the in one bit. They know their kids years has been immense fan are in with us to play. They know support. Once again, thousands they are here for the betterment of Big Red-clad fans made the of Big Red football. trek from Jefferson County to “We also have a great adminMassillon for the state title game. istration. They not only talk “A lot of the credit goes to our about winning, they do what community and the support they can do within the monetary we’ve had,” Saccoccia said. guidelines, to help us win. Our “They’d support us no matter athletic program is second only what our record is and that to our academic program.” means a lot to us.” Perhaps the toughest game in that two-year stretch was the Other coaches considered last one. Steubenville held a 34include Youngstown Mooney’s 13 lead against Kettering Alter in P.J. Fecko, Hilliard Davidson’s the Division III state champiBrian White, Fremont Ross’ onship game. But Alter whittled Derek Kidwell, Pickerington that lead all the way down to 34Central’s Jay Sharrett, West 33 and had the ball before the Jefferson’s Shawn Buescher, Big Red were able to stave off Cincinnati Colerain’s Kerry the comeback and pull out a Coombs, Bellaire’s John Steubenville coach Reno Saccoccia thrilling win at Massillon’s Paul Magistro, Oak Harbor’s Gary celebrates the Rig Red’s second Brown Tiger Stadium. Quisno, Warren JFK’s Tony straight D-III state title with quarter“Nothing great comes without Napolet, East Cleveland Shaw’s back Zach Collaros. adversity and hard work and I Rodney Brown and Mentor’s think that second half just made Steve Trivisonno. — OH

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J J H U D D L E . C O M 35

Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

n the last issue I mentioned a conversation with my associate Bob Lichtenfels about the strength of this class. He is one of the hardest working guys that I have come in contact with in this business and Bob sees a lot of Ohio players. His is an opinion I respect very much. The list of people that can make me take another look at a player is a short one. It can fit on a post-it note. In the last issue I said he and I were going to have to agree to disagree about this class. I thought it was as good as the class of 2006. I thought it had high end talent at the top as well as depth. I am going to have to hand it to him. Bob was right on this one. While there is not a lot of movement in the top 100, the star system that we use to give an idea of national ratings for each player has very much changed. This process is not about what players are now. It is about what they will be in the future. Every step of the way, from the time they appear on my radar, often as freshmen, I am looking for players to get better. Not just every football season but in between seasons. There are camps and combines and doing well there matters. These days, high school coaches are not just gym teachers. They are former top athletes themselves who have come back into coaching and know it is now a year-round process preparing for the challenges of the next level. They have their players working as hard in the off-season as they are during the season. They have them working on getting stronger, and faster and more explosive. I speak to coaches about how players

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STORY BY DUANE LONG

are doing in those kinds of drills and workouts. It is always about taking another step up. It looked like we really had a nice class coming along after some good spring and summer combines and camps. Yet, I always look forward to the players like Cardinal Mooneyʼs Kyle McCarthy who emerged late in the season and earned offers from Ohio State and Notre Dame two seasons ago. This year that has not happened. I have seen some players step up, like Warren Harding safety Sidney Glover, who has been the talk of recruiting circles after looking like the better player in a head-tohead match-up against Lakewood St. Edward and Ohio State recruit Nate Oliver. But overall, there are not a lot of players that took their game to another level in this class. That is what defines a class – progress – players getting better through every stage of development. Another factor that really took its toll on this class was grades. In the early stages it looked like this was going to be a class in which grades were not going to be as much of a factor as it usually is. That was only half correct. There were not a lot of players with grade problems but some really elite talents have had their careers at least put on hold because of academics. Three five-star players and one that is at least a four-star player are looking at not qualifying. Having players of that caliber not qualifying has a major impact on a class. On the other side of this, players that were already on another level preformed like players that had achieved elite status.

The top player in the class, Ben Martin, was moved to linebacker this season. Cincinnati LaSalle head coach Tom Grippa wanted to get his best player in the middle of the field but injuries played a part in the decision. Moving back off the line is harder than moving down to the line. Martin took some time to adjust to the move but eventually got to where he liked it. Piquaʼs Brandon Saine was unstoppable this year. He hurt every team he played against one way or another. In the first game of the season against Grove City, he was bottled up in the first half of the game but kept his team in the game with kick returns until he sprung loose in the second half and accounted for 350 yards of total offense. Cincinnati Colerainʼs Eugene Clifford was so good this year that I briefly considered making him number one in the class. I think he is the player likely to have the earliest impact at the next level. Position matters in these ratings, and as great an impact as Eugene Clifford might have, a defensive end is going to have an ever greater impact. One player I have to mention here is Macedonia Nordoniaʼs Jordan Mabin. Never has there been a better example of why size is important. I watched a Nordonia playoff game and the word marvelous came to mind watching Mabin run. He has skills that are right up there with Saine and he may even be more skilled. He can sidestep players without losing speed and he can make tacklers miss in spaces a phone booth couldnʼt fit in. That none of the regions Big Four – Ohio State,

JJ Hu ddle’ s O h io Hi gh

made an offer is the final piece of evidence in the discussion about the importance of size. Ohio has become a battle ground in the recruiting wars. Well, it always has been, but the war has broadened. It used to be that Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State fought over the top players with Michigan State coming in to pick up what was left. Those days are over. Kirk Ferentz from Iowa, Ron Zook from Illinois and Terry Hoeppner from Indiana have decided to come in and compete for the top players. Wisconsin has entered the fray but in a more subtle way. Ohio is one of the five most important recruiting states in the country. Ohio State has won multiple national titles with a roster dominated by Ohio players. Ohio is the jewel of recruiting in the Big Ten region. It used to be the hunting grounds for the most elite schools. These new coaches are much more aggressive. They are not conceding anything. Iowa has been here for a few years and they have established a beachhead. Glenville is putting out more talent than any program in the state of Ohio under Ted Ginn, Sr. Ohio State is the preferred destination but when that doesnʼt work out they are headed to Iowa. That is great recruiting by that staff. Illinois has been just as aggressive but it has not produced outstanding results. Cincinnati Withrow defensive lineman Daryle Ballew is an underrated player and he accepted an offer from Illinois without waiting for Ohio State to offer. That is important. Maybe he was an Ohio State player, maybe not. But the fact that he did not wait says something about how this school is recruiting. Zookʼs staff also landed another much underrated player in Mentorʼs Steve Matas. Indiana got verbal commitments out of Milton-Unionʼs Mitchell Evans and Centervilleʼs Tyler Replogle. The better the hunting grounds, the better the food source. The better the food source, the better the nutrition. The better the nutrition, the stronger you get. These programs that have not been getting players out of the richest talent pools in the region, are now dipping into that pool. This could be the beginnings of a very different Big Ten. The following is our look at the top 101

JJ H u dd l e ’ s O h i o H i g h

Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

Ben Martin 1. *****

Eugene Clifford 2. *****

6-5 225 DE Cincinnati LaSalle

6-2 190 S Cincinnati Colerain

Preseason Update: Martin has had a very quiet off-season. His mailman would beg to differ. The mail coming to Martin household is probably giving the mailman back problems. It would be easier to list the schools that have not offered Martin than it would be to list the ones that have. MN Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida and Tennessee are just a few I will note because those are the ones he has mentioned the most. He has been to Ohio State and Notre Dame on unofficial visits and plans on taking unofficial visits to Michigan, Tennessee and Florida. But Martin does not seem to be in a hurry to make a decision. He says he will decide when he feels like he has found the right place for him. But there seems to be a tone that he would like to get it over with before the season starts. A winning program will be very important to him as well as a chance at early playing time will play a part in his decision. He has roots in Gary, Ind., and has lived in Ohio but for about 4 or 5 years. Martin has not denied that he will likely pick between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Wherever he decides to go, Martin will have an impact early. He is a Scout.com top-100 national player and top-10 defensive end. It must be a good year. How he could not be one of the top three is beyond me. Senior Update: Martin was moved from defensive end to linebacker by LaSalle head coach Tom Grippa. He played in the middle giving him the opportunity to run freely. He lined up at different spots so offenses had to look for him. It was not an easy transition but Martin gave it his all and by season’s end he was playing pretty well there but he will be a defensive end in college. This experiment could have long term benefits in the fact that any defensive coordinator would like to have some zone blitz in his package, but lineman uncomfortable in space is a problem. After 10 games of playing linebacker, Martin is not going to have any reservations about dropping into coverage. He had 112 tackles, seven sacks, 14 TFLs and three fumbles caused. Martin is a special talent. I only hope I see another defensive end in Ohio that I can compare to him. With the body, the athleticism, the work ethic and the motor Martin has, not making to the NFL would be the real surprise. His recruitment is not over. It still looks like an Ohio State versus Notre Dame battle. It could go either way but with a gun to my head I say Ohio State. Florida and Tennessee were also in the running. He has been invited to the U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl and is a national top 100 player (No.38 nationally by Scout.com).

Preseason Update: It seems everyone is intent on Eugene Clifford not playing the one position he has spent all of his high school career -- safety. He could be a great receiver prospect but it seems everyone wants big, athletic corners to line up against the freaks we are seeing at wide receiver these days. MN Ohio State and Michigan have both offered Clifford a scholarship as a cornerback but there has been little information coming about Clifford’s college plans. He has not said when he will make a decision. Colerain players tend to make their verbal commitments before the season but Clifford could be the one that goes against that tradition. Then again, Clifford has played it so close to the vest we really don’t know. The smart money says Ohio State or Florida, though I have no knowledge of a Florida offer, so if he decides on an early verbal, the odds are in favor of landing one of those must have players. Last year, Clifford amassed an eye popping 147 tackles. He boasts a 4.45-second 40 and a 33-inch vertical. Senior Update: Eugene Clifford decided to end the suspense and make an expected verbal to Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes in October and I am sure a celebration broke out in Columbus. Clifford is a special athlete. There is little question he is the best safety from this state since Mike Doss and he makes a strong argument that he is the best Ohio has ever produced. He has size that Doss never had and his speed advantage is unquestioned. What really impresses me about Clifford is how physical he is. In the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge against Cardinal O’Hara, Clifford missed a couple of tackles because he overran the ball carrier. He was closing that hard. In that game on offense, he also took an end around, found no hole then dropped his head and took what he could get. He could have easily run out of bounds. Too often these gifted athletes need to learn to be hard nosed. Clifford already has that. When I spoke to Clifford right before his verbal to the Buckeyes, he told me he will be tried at cornerback first. He said Michigan offered him as a cornerback. I would give him a shot at wide receiver first. In that same game against Cardinal O’Hara, he made a play on a pass that few players could make. He went up and took a ball away from a defensive player that had a better shot at the ball, and he made it look easy. Anyone else that could have made the play would have had the crowd roaring because it would have been a spectacular catch. This uniquely gifted athlete made it look routine. He had 100 tackles, seven INTs for a team that went 13-1 and reached the state final four. He is rated as the No. 50 overall nationally by Scout.com. Will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Any other year, he is the state’s top player.

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

Brandon Saine 3. *****

Devon Torrence 4. *****

Solomon Thomas 5. *****

6-1 219 TB Piqua

6-2 195 ATH Canton South

6-4 215 DE West Chester Lakota West

Preseason Update: Saine has done nothing but increase his stock with an amazing track season. It culminated with a 10.38 in the 32nd annual Don Mitchell Roosevelt Memorial track meet, which was the third fastest time in the country and set an Ohio state 100-meter record. The characteristics that GH stand out are his size to speed. He is a big kid and it is rare to see kids this size running this fast. Saine was rumored to be a heavy Michigan lean but he denied it and backed it up by issuing an early verbal to Ohio State. The only thing that remains to be seen is where Saine ends up lining up. It looks like he will play a Reggie Bush (USC, New Orleans Saints) role with his speed, hands and open field ability. He could be more dangerous than Bush because I have yet to see Bush run between the tackles effectively while Saine is adept at running between the tackles. That will keep defenses playing him honest. Saine finished out the track season repeating as the state 100-meter champion with a state record time of 10.5. He also won the 400-meter event. Senior Update: Like with Eugene Clifford, any other year Brandon Saine would be a clear No. 1 player in the class, and he played like it this year. In his first game of the year he found himself right here in the media spotlight in Columbus as Piqua made a trip to play Grove City. After the game, a friend’s son commented that they were ready for the speed but were surprised at the power. He said that bringing him down was difficult and added that he did not recall Saine being brought down by a single tackler all night. Saine did not have the great game on the ground but showed his triple threat ability with kick returns that night and ended up racking up 350 yards in total offense. All the speculation is that Saine will move to wide receiver in college. I think he could make the move as his excellent hands are the third element in the triple threat he brings to the field, but I see a running back. All year he has shown himself to be not just a speed back. Grove City was just the first game where he showed he is perfectly capable of carrying the ball between the tackles. He brings a speed/power combination that is rare. I am sure we will see him catching a lot of balls at Ohio State, where he verbally committed right before the season started, but I think those catches will come from swing passes to him coming out of the backfield. Saine has definitely lived up to expectations. Saine led his team to a 13-2 record and the Division II state championship. Saine had 226 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 26-7 state title game win over Pickerington Central. Including that championship game, Saine had 2,242 yards and 35 TDs (31 rushing) on the season. He is rated as the

Preseason Update: Torrence has quietly confirmed his lofty rankings with an offer list as impressive as anyone on the state. He recently added Michigan and Penn State to his offer list leaving only Northwestern in the Big Ten yet to offer. His offer list would be even more impressive GH of he had not made his love of Ohio State public so long ago. Torrence has never hidden the fact that he is a Buckeye at heart and will probably end up at Ohio State depending on his potential professional baseball career following high school. He could make a commitment public as soon as September. He is now considering baseball more than he was at last report, but he is going to try and play both sports in college. Torrence got off to a rough start on the baseball diamond this spring so it will not be known how much it has impacted his baseball draft status until next spring. It appears as though most schools have settled on Torrence being a corner in college. He had an impressive year as a safety, but an athlete this size that can play cornerback should play cornerback. Senior Update: Torrence may be the greatest all around athlete to play in Stark County. His stats suffered with a new offensive philosophy at South, but his play certainly did not. He moved to WR after gaining nearly 2,000 yards and scoring 28 TDs in two years as a TB. He had 48 catches for 890 yards and 10 TDs. Defensively, he had 49 tackles and 4 INTs. He is the nation’s No. 80 prospect, according to Scout.com. Torrence was also was asked to do a lot defensively and he came through once again. He alternated between covering the entire middle of the field as safety and blanketing an opposing WR at CB. Ohio State has told him he’ll start out as a CB, but I’m certain he could be a game-breaking WR, too. Torrence is a very unselfish player as he never pouted about his reduced role offensively, but led the Wildcats to their first playoff appearance since 1987. He’s also one of the top baseball prospects in the state and has a chance at being drafted by professional baseball in the June 2007 draft. Torrence workaholic who will fit right in with the family atmosphere Jim Tressel has instilled at Ohio State. He is also a tremendous person and is extremely well liked by both students and faculty at Canton South. He achieved his lifelong dream by earning and accepting a scholarship to Ohio State.

Preseason Update: I had not spoken to Solomon Thomas when we went to press for the Class of 2007 kickoff issue. I have spoken to so many players in this class that are quality people and Solomon Thomas impressed me as much as any of them. He is a well spoken and articulate CP young man that does something 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 lineman Ben Person to find a player that worked. That work ethic is apparent on the field as well. He is relentless and never seems to stop running. Many have brought up his size and what position he projects in college. Am I projecting him as a stand-up defensive end? No. He is going to fill out into a 4-3 defensive end. Thomas is wide open in his college choice. He is looking at N.C. State quite strongly because of an entrepreneur program that school offers and I am not surprised. When I spoke to him, he was much more interested in talking about off-thefield matters and life beyond football. This is a young man that will be a success on the football field but could be even more successful off the field. Senior Update: I know several people whose opinions I respect that would argue Thomas had a better season than Martin. A nagging injury cost him a couple of games but he was outstanding when he was in the lineup. One of my associates saw him play live. He said he was holding the point of attack against double and even triple teams and would pursue from sideline to sideline. Thomas looks bigger than he was last year. I am not talking about adding some weight. He just looks larger – more imposing. He was solid against the run, exactly what you want in an inside defensive end. Unlike most high school defensive ends who want to play on the open side, Thomas expects to play on the strong side as a college player. As a senior, he had 34 tackles, 8 TFLs, 3 passes broken up. He has made some statements about his recruitment that left everyone wondering what he was going to do. That was until he camped at Ohio State and left saying the Buckeyes were his clear leader. He also took a visit to Louisville in December. Thomas ended the recruiting process by committing to Ohio State in December. He is the perfect complement to Ben Martin.

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

Jermale Hines 6. *****

Brian Gamble 7. *****

Antonio Jeremiah 8. *****

6-2 210 LB/S Cleveland Glenville

6-0 194 CB/WR Massillon Washington

6-5 275 DT/OL Hilliard Davidson

Preseason Update: Hines has quietly gone about racking up an impressive offer list with Michigan, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana coming in with preseason offers. He was also on the Ginn bus tour and earned scholarship offers at almost every stop. GH What is generally unknown about Hines is how good of a basketball player he is. Hines was an AAU traveling team player before coming to Ohio from Georgia. Coming off his junior year on the hardwood Hines has scholarship offers for basketball from Virginia Tech, Florida A&M and Middle Tennessee State. However, he has already indicated he is 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 one position, his development is going to accelerate. He says he is going to wait until after the season to make a decision listing Ohio State, West Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin as his current favorites. Hines is carrying a 2.9 GPA. Senior Update: Ted Ginn, Sr.’s Glenville Tarblooders did not have their usual collection of speed burners and playmakers this year but Hines had a fine year. He is right there with former Buckeye and current Buffalo Bill Donte Whitner as the most impressive defensive players to ever come out of the storied Glenville program. I saw Glenville twice this year and Hines was just as impressive as ever. He has such great instincts finding the ball carrier and getting there in a hurry. He is a very solid tackler. I saw him miss the first tackle of his Glenville career last season and I am still waiting on him to miss another. Ginn regularly puts his best athlete at QB and this season was no exception as Hines added the role of quarterback to his résumé this year. He had a solid season despite not being very familiar with the position but he will be a defensive player in college. Hines was a great two-way player for a team that went 10-2 and reached the second round of the Division I playoffs. On offense, he had 800 yards rushing and 16 TDs and also had 904 yards passing. Defensively, he had 55 tackles and 4 INTs. I thought he would surely grow into a linebacker, and he still could, but right now he is not much bigger than he was last year. It is really a small matter. This is a big time defensive player at either linebacker or safety. His offer list is evidence of that. Hines has scholarship offers from Michigan, Iowa, West Virginia, Louisville, Purdue and Wisconsin. Ohio

Preseason Updat e: 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 college football with Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Illinois, GH Penn State, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Illinois to name a few. However, there really isn’t anything any of these programs can do until Gamble makes some real progress in the classroom. If he gets his grades in order, he jumps right back into the top 10. Senior Update: Usually at this time of year I am dropping players with grade issues down this top 100, not moving them up. I am not going to make a habit of moving academic question marks up but Gamble is a rare player. The consensus is he is not a college back, and my attitude on smaller backs is well documented, but I think Gamble could possibly be a back. I have seen him break tackles and run over tacklers. He has everything else you would want in a back. He has vision, quick feet and an explosive burst. He does this against a level of competition second to none. I would give him a shot as a back but he could just as easily be a wide receiver, a corner or a safety. He does not have ideal size for a safety but there is plenty of tape documenting how physical he can be. We saw last year versus Lakewood St. Edward and Ohio State verbal Nate Oliver what kind of receiver he is. In the state playoffs, Gamble and his pass catching was the difference in a Massillon win. There is nothing Gamble cannot do on the football field. His team was 7-5 and reached the second round of the Division I playoffs. He had 215 carries for 975 yards and 9 TDs to go with 22 catches with four TDs. On defense, he had 46 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 INTs (one for a TD). He does have some scholarship offers. Akron, Ball State and Eastern Michigan have decided to offer him but he ended his recruiting trail in early December making a pledge to Illinois. He is just a marvelous football player.

Preseason Update: When Antonio Jeremiah first turned up in Ohio High ranked so highly, I began to receive a lot of questions about him since he had flown under the radar up to that point. Soon after his film appeared on the internet, the questions GH ended and the offers started coming in. Big kids that can run are always in demand. Most are projecting Antonio as a defensive tackle, and that is not a surprise to me. Anytime there is a player this size that is this mobile, he probably most suited for defense. Jeremiah is getting offers from all over the country, including the SEC. It is rare for schools from down south come north to add big players. Usually, it is the other way around. He is a well-grounded kid but Jeremiah needs to get a qualifying test score. When that happens, he could get an offer from Ohio State and it highly likely recruiting ends for Jeremiah at that point. There is no such thing as too many big kids that can run. Jeremiah fills that bill as well as any down lineman in the country. Jeremiah is also an excellent wrestler. Senior Update: I saw a piece of tape of Antonio Jeremiah from early in the 2006 football season. Whoever edited the tape knew the impact that the first glimpse of Jeremiah would have. It stopped me in my tracks to look at the body on this kid. He looks like an NFL player right now. He is in the 275-pound range and there is a V-shape to him and has long well defined arms. The tape goes on to show just how athletic he is. Once he is off the blocks and after finding the ball, there is not a defensive tackle in the country that can run like this. He ran a 4.88 shuttle at Ohio State this year and a 5.0-40. After watching him run down a back or quarterback, those numbers are not surprising. Jeremiah is still very raw, though. His best football is in front of him. He still needs to get stronger and he needs to work on his technique. He is explosive off the ball, so once he learns one basic move he is going to be so hard to deal with. How long Antonio Jeremiah plays football is up to him. He needs to get his test score. He has offers from Georgia, Boston College, Maryland, Illinois, Syracuse, Minnesota, West Virginia, Louisville, Nebraska and Michigan State. He ended his recruiting trail in early December by committing to Michigan State.

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J J H U D D L E . C O M 39

Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

Nate Oliver 9. *****

10.

**** Dane Sanzenbacher

6-0 195 S Lakewood St. Edward

6-0 180 WR/DB Toledo Central Catholic

Preseason Update: When a player commits early there is little to talk about in regards to recruiting. Most prospects do not go to camps and combines and Oliver should have been one of them. In the early spring, he went to a combine and set off alarms GH with a 4.85 40-yard time. He is not linebacker-sized and that is not a great linebacker time, so the time has raised some questions. Oliver says he slipped and there is other speculation that he did not take the combine that seriously. He has time to work on the speed and I feel confident that this mature and highly motivated young man realizes that is the 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. On the field is where Oliver becomes an early offer player from a school like Ohio State and not in testing. He is one of those rare players that find a way to do something special when something special is needed. It goes back to something I said in the recruiting kickoff issue – Nate Oliver plays his best in the biggest games of his career. Senior Update: Nate Oliver is back where he belongs, listed amongst the top ten players in the state of Ohio. Why is that? Because he is back on the football field. After a bad 40 time at a combine, a combine he did not take too seriously, his stock dropped after clocking in a 4.85. That is not even a very good defensive end time. That arena is not where Nate Oliver made his name. That arena is not where he earned an offer from Ohio State. He earned that offer by being a very special player on the football field. Oliver has that uncanny ability to find a way to come up with plays when his team needs it. He is consistent and consistently the best player on the field. This is especially apparent in big games. Some measure a great player by how he performs in the biggest games he plays in. In a showcase game for Lakewood St. Edward in the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, Oliver took a punt 46 yards for a touchdown, came back later to take an interception 26 yards for a touchdown, then took another punt 55 yards down to the 4-yard line to set up another touchdown as the Eagles pulled away from the Springdale Bulldogs in a 49-3 win. He ended up winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the Challenge. That is what Nate Oliver does.

Preseason Update: I was looking forward to seeing what kind of time Sanzenbacher ran this summer. He ran a 4.6-second 40 and had a 4.2-second shuttle. I thought he could possibly run under 4.5. Going into the summer, he had offers from Ball State, Toledo and Kent with Purdue, Michigan GH State and Ohio U. all showing a lot of interest. Sanzenbacher made the rounds with Ted Ginn Sr. on his bus tour. Iowa offered Sanzenbacher during the course of the tour. That tour ended with a stop at Ohio State, where Sanzenbacher performed for one day in the all position camp and then stayed for the senior advanced camp. Shortly thereafter, the Buckeyes offered and Sanzenbacher committed to OSU. Senior Update: I had not seen much of Sanzenbacher before I put together the Ohio High top 100 back in March of 2005. Other than the state championship game last year I had not really seen him at all. What I did see what his relatively unimpressive 40 time (4.64) this summer, important for any receiver but one that is essential for a receiver that is not a physical specimen with good size. His time is not bad for a receiver 63 or better and over 200 pounds. Coming off his camp showing he received offers from Ohio State and Iowa, accepting the offer from the Buckeyes. I was left scratching my head. I saw two games this season and I have seen the light. Put me in the fully converted camp. I saw one game late in the season then the Piqua playoff game. He helped the defending Division II state champs go 9-2 and reach the playoffs. He also played some at QB and DB as needed. At receiver, he had 61 catches for 1,279 yards and scored 11 TDs. I talk about the athlete process missing the boat sometimes. I believe in it but there are always some that need to be seen and not timed. Sanzenbacher is one of those. Like former Warren Harding product Mario Manningham, Sanzenbacher may run a low 4.6 on a track but he also runs a low 4.6 on the football field. A lot of players run faster on a track than they do on a football field. Manningham and Sanzenbacher don’t slow down once they pad up. I have heard track people talk about “turnover rate” is sprinting. Nobody’s feet touch the ground more than Sanzenbacher’s. He runs great patterns and after the catch he is so hard to corral. More often than not it seems defenders just run him out of bounds. If not for size I would think he was a candidate to play defense. He is always around the ball and, he throws around with reckless abandon with the weight he has. Sanzenabcher is just a great football player.

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Numbers 11-101 and beyond

11. **** Daniel Herron 5-10 190 TB Warren Harding Preseason Update: Daniel “Boom” Herron is living up to his nickname as the recruiting process moves along. “Boom” is how he exploded onto the radar. Herron had offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Boston College, Akron, Cincinnati and Michigan State, but he ended his recruiting by issuing a verbal commitment to Ohio State in July. He stopped by Ohio State during the state track meet where he was a member of Harding’s fourth-place 4x100 relay team. That visit with the Buckeye staff convinced Herron to come back to Columbus for the second senior GH camp on June 23 and he committed soon thereafter. Last season, he had 1,500 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns against the best competition any back will run up against. I was not as impressed with him this time last year but Herron’s junior tape was so impressive but he just keeps getting better and better. Herron holds a 3.3 GPA. Senior Update: It seems on the Bucknuts message board I get asked at least once a week if a player is being recruited and if not, why not, because the player in question has run or passed for a huge number of yards. Along those same lines I am getting questions about Daniel Herron because he is not running for as many yards this year. I give both questioners the same answer: numbers are really not that important. They tell you more about the strength of a player’s surrounding cast and the quality of his opposition. Herron has not run for as many yards this year because he is surrounded by other D-I college talent so former head coach Thom McDaniels had plenty of options. Herron is a better back this year than he was last year. This is a player that does the little things that help separate him from bigger and sometimes faster backs in the state this year. He ended up with over 1,000 yards on the year. He has patience and so many high school backs have no concept of patience. He picks his way in the hole, sliding, twisting, using his exceptional feet to avoid tacklers in the tightest confines and then uses his exceptional acceleration to break into the open. He has outstanding balance. Most importantly, he breaks tackles. That is the thing that makes or breaks backs Herron’s size. He is as good as I have seen in this state as a pass receiver coming out of the backfield, and is a will and effective blocker. This is a great get for the Buckeyes. 12. **** Kyle Hubbard 6-4 215 WR/TE Lakewood St. Edward Preseason Update: The offers have not come flooding in for Hubbard but that is no surprise. He is coming off only his first solid year of high school football and most schools want to wait and get a better idea of where his body 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 in Ohio. Hubbard is not one of that new breed of big high school receivers that are demanding to play wide receiver in college. Hubbard is fine with being a tight GH end. This is a raw prospect with great nature skills. He might need a couple of years in the weight room but the school that has the patience could find a tight end that can really cause problems in the middle of the field. He has offers from Kentucky, Kent, Bowling Green,

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up Akron, Toledo and Central Michigan. Syracuse, Purdue and Kansas are showing a great deal of interest as well. Senior Update: This is a player that continues to evolve. There is so much upside to Kyle Hubbard and top schools have taken notice. He has grown up a little bit and what I mean by that is physically. He might be a little taller but what is obvious is the change in his body. We are seeing a leaner Kyle Hubbard which has more schools looking at him as a big wide receiver who could grow into a tight end instead of a player they are just waiting to grow into a tight end. He is still the same player on the ball, though. His basketball background has served him well as a receiver. He plays the big receiver game naturally. He blocks off defensive backs with that big body and he catches the ball with his hands instead of his body. He goes over the top of defenders to make catches with his long arms. His hands are the thing that separates Hubbard from other receivers in this class. He is used to strange bounces off the rim so badly thrown balls are nothing to get that excited about. Kyle Hubbard has such good hands when he recently dropped a couple of balls it was something of note. In a playoff game versus Warren Harding, he showed a big receiver play as he took a drag route and nearly scored with it. It was not a tight end’s play – it was a wide receivers play. With so little football under his belt, Hubbard has such a tremendous upside. He has not been in the weightroom until recently. Pittsburgh got a verbal from Hubbard right before Thanksgiving.

13. **** Chris Givens 6-3 195 S/WR Chillicothe Preseason 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 16 points a game and then went to a camp that was led by one of the 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 came away from the camp with Most Valuable Player honors. In drills, he ran a 4.62-second 40, a 4.25-second shuttle, a 6.99-second cone drill and showed an impressive 33-inch vertical. He GH also confirmed his size measuring in 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 interest before committing to the RedHawks. Despite his impressive showing as a wide receiver, I think Givens is a better safety. However, he recently stated he prefers wide receiver. Senior Update: I don’t think I have ever seen such a quiet 1,000-yard receiving season as I saw this year with Chris Givens. Quiet seems to be the order of the day with Givens. He quietly went about the recruiting process with his outstanding family being the kind of support system that I wish all these athletes had. He did not get too caught up in the hype. He made is decision on academics and the need to be close to that support system that has been such an important part of his success. I am sure that if Chris had made the choice to wait, some real heavyweights would have come calling but that was not important to him. He had the kind of year that left him in the running for the coveted Ohio High Player of the Year award. In addition to over 1,000 yards receiving Givens averaged over 19 yards a catch. Living right here in Columbus, I saw him be the difference in several Chillicothe wins. He tallied 57 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 TDs. He also had 317 yards rushing. I have not seen any film of him on the defensive side of the ball but I thought he was a better defensive prospect

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coming into his senior year. If he is as good on defense as he is on offense, he is a sure first-year contributor at Miami (Ohio). Givens is a difference maker on the football field but if he never makes a catch or a tackle as a college player I expect to see him make a difference off the football field. Most high schools give an award for the most likely to succeed and I don’t need to see the Chillicothe High School yearbook to know that Chris Givens will be the recipient for the class of 2007.

14. **** David Arnold 6-0 185 S/WR Copley Preseason Update: This is one of the most versatile players in Ohio this year. Arnold could play anywhere in the defensive backfield or at wide receiver. Arnold is a super athletic kid with good size and outstanding speed. He is a very good student and solid citizen. It was a good spring for Arnold as he went out for track for the first time since eighth grade. He came out very early with a 10.7 100-meter in one of the bigger meets of the early spring in Ohio and matched that time later in the season. Arnold has also run 22.2 in the 200 meters. All the while, Arnold has been racking up football offers with GH Eastern Michigan, Akron, Indiana, Illinois and Syracuse at the top of the list with the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, North Carolina taking interest. Senior Update: It was a very frustrating year for Arnold. A crop of new starters left Copley playing a tough schedule with a bunch of inexperienced players. He was needed in the backfield so he made another position change for the good of the team. I think this is going to be a player we hear announcers talk about as to how he got out of Ohio here in a few years once he settles in and gets some reps under his belt at one position. He did not play a lot of defense this year as his team needed him to concentrate on offense. I am not sure yet where he ends up but I am confident he will be a success. He could be a fine safety but I think he has what it takes to be a good corner. If I had the choice, I would say play him at wide receiver. He has played there so little but was so impressive last year when Delone Carter was a top running back and Arnold could be moved out to receiver. He is one of the best pure athletes in the state this year. This is a high character kid that will do whatever is necessary to help his team win. Early in the football season, Arnold visited Northwestern and gave a verbal pledge but he has reconsidered and will be taking other visits. Indiana is a program that impressed him the first time around. Syracuse and Illinois are also in the running.

15. **** Vincent Browne 6-5 240 ATH Lisbon David Anderson Preseason Update: I think if I took a poll of Scout.com recruiting editors, they would say the hottest prospect in Ohio is Vincent Browne. Browne has been making the rounds at camps and combines and leaving with offers at almost all of them. He is getting offers every day and some head coaches are going out of their way to make sure they offer Browne in person. That is a sign of just how much they want to make an impression on this kid. He has a couple of offers as a middle linebacker but most are saying defensive end to start. It will come down to his body but I see a kid athletic enough to be a defensive end. However, will his body allow him to stay at defensive end is the question. It really doesn’t matter to GH Vincent. He is what every school wants – a team player that has to be chased out of the weightroom and off the practice field.

He ran a 4.8 40 at the Ohio State senior combine 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. Senior Update: After two games this year, I had Vincent Browne on the short list of players I would consider for Player of the Year honors. He was a man among boys, dominating the competition on both sides of the ball. For a lineman to be in the running for Player of Year gives some idea what kind of year he was having. This is one of those big kids that can run and there are never too many of those. In the third game of the year, he suffered a devastating knee injury. He has had surgery and is well into his rehabilitation. If anyone can put this injury behind him it is Vincent Browne. He is one of the hardest working and most determined kids I have come in contact with. Right before the season Browne committed to Northwestern so he is not going to have to worry about a scholarship. 16. ***** Morgan Williams 6-0 190 TB Canton McKinley Preseason Update: Williams needs to buckle down and get his grades in order. He still has a shot to make it, but he is a non-qualifier as of right now. It is up to Williams to determine what his future is going to hold but he still has time to turn his grades around. Senior Update: I am still scratching my head about what to do with Morgan Williams. I was ready to push him to the bottom like I usually do with players that are not likely to qualify. Ohio High is about the best college prospects and if a player is not going to qualify he is not a prospect. After watching him shred the Toledo Whitmer defense for over 250 yards rushing and 5 TDs in the playoffs, I made some GH inquiries. I was assured someone will take a chance on him. He is that good. Williams is a slasher with enough power to break tackles and has a nasty stiff arm. He is one of the best backs I have seen in Ohio in recent years. I am sure he would have offers from Ohio State the other three ‘Big Four’ schools if he were sure to qualify. Williams may be the greatest running back in Canton McKinley history. He led his team to a 12-2 mark and a berth in the Division I state final four. He ended the year with 2,456 yards and 34 TDs. He had over 5,000 yards in his career. Williams plays best in big games. Many people thought he might struggle this year with a new line in front of him but he still gained yards at an alarming rate. He is not the fastest kid but had a lot of TD runs over 40 yards. He is a patient runner who waits for an opening and hits it hard. He’s a prototype one cut slasher. He is also a fine basketball player and was a key contributor on back-to-back state championship teams. Morgan only weighs 190 pounds but breaks tackles and is a physical runner. If Williams gets his academics in order, the scholarship offers will come in droves.

17. **** Daryle Ballew 6-3 285 DT Cincinnati Withrow Preseason 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, Ohio and Eastern Kentucky all offering. He is also being recruited by Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Colorado and Notre Dame and was in South Bend at the request of the 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. Senior Update: I am surprised this big kid did not get more schools trying to get him to change is mind after his

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up early verbal to Illinois. He has the size you want in a nose tackle but has the quickness and athleticism to be a 3-technique tackle. He is working hard in the weightroom and is a leader. I recently spoke to Withrow coach Doc Gamble about Ballew. “Daryle had a great year,” Gamble said. “He had times when he was unblockable. He is a very strong kid and a bright one, too. He called the defense and that is something we usually have linebackers or safeties do. He stepped up and started doing it himself, calling all the line shifts up front.” Ballew plays hard and to the whistle on every snap and does not take plays off. That is something that I always look for in big kids. It is often the difference between those that make an impact on the college level and those that don’t. Illinois coach Ron Zook has put together a great recruiting staff and is doing a great job in Ohio. This will not be the last talented kid that will wear the Fightin’ Illini orange and blue.

18. **** Vince Harris 6-2 195 LB Cincinnati LaSalle Preseason Update: There is not much to say about the off-season for Vince Harris. It is all about academics but he is working to remedy the situation. If he continues on the path he has taken, he will be one of the most talked about players in Ohio come February because nobody this talented will still be on the board. Harris is one of the great play makers in this outstanding class. Senior Update: It looked like Harris was sure to end up going the prep school route or the junior college route to college. I am not sure if schools decided to take a shot at him just in case he made it or if he has got his GH grades in order enough that it isn’t a problem. What I am sure of is Rich Rodriguez and the West Virginia Mountaineers landed a major talent in Harris when he gave them a verbal in mid-October. With no questions about his grades I feel certain the Big Four in the Midwest – Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State – would have gotten involved. This is the SS/OLB that everyone is looking for in these days of eight men in the box. He is a very instinctive and tough player who is going to thrive at the line of scrimmage but has the tools to be a good defender against the pass. He played the first half of the year at running back on offense before moving back to defense. He played the position, called the spur or bandit in the West Virginia 3-3-5 scheme. He had offers from Illinois, Cincinnati, Western Michigan, Akron and Ohio U. to pick from in addition to West Virginia.

19. **** Carlton (C.J.) Peake 6-2½ 207 S Trotwood-Madison Preseason Update: Peake has a lot going for him. He recently ran a 4.61-second electronically timed 40 at 209 pounds and ran even better about a month later turning in 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 that stands out about Peake is how driven he is. After this impressive performance at the Louisville Scout.com combine, Peake was disappointed when I spoke to him. He seemed reluctant to offer those NF impressive numbers. All Peake wanted to really talk about was what he believes he can be in the future. He thinks he can take off some weight and add muscle. He thinks he can be a

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lot faster. One thing that has always stood out to me with the top players is that never satisfied attitude. It is the one thing that seems to define who is going to be a success 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 and Cincinnati all coming in with offers. He reports a 2.65 GPA and a 16 on the ACT. An offer from the Ohio State would likely end the suspense. Senior Update: Peake did not have the senior year that he wanted to have. His tackle total was 33 and he had but 1 INT after racking up over 100 tackles and six interceptions as a junior. On offense, he had 500 yards rushing. The jump in level of competition was nothing but a good thing after his transfer from Dayton Meadowdale to Trotwood-Madison. It is apparent that nothing has changed the minds of recruiters as he has continued to be pursued by some of the top programs in the country. Peake has taken a visit to Wisconsin and was impressed with what he saw. West Virginia has really come on strong and could be the team to beat now that Ohio State has decided not to make an offer. He was adamant about playing safety and I think that has had a highly negative impact on his recruitment. He would likely have received even more top offers if he had been open to playing linebacker. With his body, there is a strong likelihood he will grow into a linebacker. His offer list is an impressive one with Tennessee, Michigan State and West Virginia but Peake gave a verbal commitment to Wisconsin in early December.

20. **** Mitchell Evans 6-3 200 QB West Milton Milton-Union Preseason 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 will land 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 past summer. Level of competition keeps coming up but the tape doesn’t lie. This is not a big fish in a small pond – this is Moby Dick in an aquarium. Evans is not just the best player on the field. He is so much better than every player on the field that it is almost unfair. NF It is understandable there are questions about level of competition with smaller school players. I raise the question myself. But sometimes there are players that stand out so much that it does not a matter. This is one of those cases which an elite prospect happens to play in an area where he has little to challenge him. But he has performed so well as an athlete in camps that it is difficult to understand why he is not getting offers just as an athlete. Senior Update: There is no question that smaller school kids get downgraded because of level of competition. No position suffers from this bias more than quarterbacks. If I never believed that before I am absolutely convinced now. Evans is one of those Moby Dick in a fish bowl smaller school players. He needs to be taken off the field just to level the playing field. Evans pretty much does what he pleases out there. It looks a lot like practice for him. Arm strength is not an issue. He has a D-I arm with a quick release and is accurate both on short passes and long balls. He is an offensive player in the truest sense of the word yet is always threatening the defense. Evans is an exceptional athlete. Once he pulls it down and takes off he is like a back in the open field. It is a matter of opposing defenses picking their poison.

In the regular season, Evans had 1,325 yards and 11 TDs as a senior. If not for his skills as a quarterback, he could be a safety. In fact, I assumed he would have as many offers as a safety as he does as a quarterback. Indiana came in late with an offer and he accepted it.

21. **** Andrew Dailey 6-3 215 LB/S Massillon Washington Preseason Update: Dailey did what I expected him to do during the combine and camp season: He left observers greatly impressed. Players this size and this athletic are rare. Dailey ran a 4.7-second 40 at the Scout.com combine in Louisville and added a 4.12 pro agility. He has offers from Akron, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh Penn State and Nebraska Most schools are recruiting Dailey as a linebacker and he said Penn State sees him as a rover back, which is as a combination linebacker-strong safety. Penn State seems to be his GH early favorite. He went to Notre Dame and Florida in June. I think this is another Ohio player that will see an increase in interest after the season when schools get a look at him as a linebacker this fall. Senior Update: Dailey is the ‘Quiet Assassin.’ He is not flashy at all. He’s just a tough, smart football player who rarely makes a mistake. When Nebraska, Florida and most of the Big Ten offered scholarships, it’s easy to see that I’m not the only one who appreciates Dailey’s talents. He moved to LB for his senior season and his play improved as he moved closer to the line of scrimmage. He has verbally committed to Penn State and should flourish in that program. His years at safety will help him in coverage at LB. Dailey has great speed for his size. He’ll get bigger and will be an asset to Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions. He also played receiver also as a senior, as Massillon needed his speed on the field. As a senior, Dailey had 24 catches for 312 yards and three TDs on offense and 23 tackles, 5-1/2 tackles-for-loss and one interception. Dailey comes from a great family and has the reputation as a hard worker. I’m convinced he’ll have a great career at Penn State. 22. **** Kyle Jefferson 6-4 175 WR Cleveland Glenville Preseason Update: Jefferson had an impressive off season on the track helping Cleveland Glenville win its fourth consecutive state track championship. He ran the anchor leg on the 4x400 meter relay, which was the difference in a close victory over Trotwood-Madison. He was also a member of the 4x200 meter relay team that won a state championship and was second in the individual 400-meter dash to Piqua superstar Brandon Saine. Jefferson has offers from Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Akron, Indiana, Minnesota, GH 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 he puts it all together. He played a pretty mean safety on defense It looks like Jefferson has added some weight, which is something he needed to do. It is very simple – Kyle Jefferson can be as good as he wants to be. Senior Update: We are still waiting on Jefferson to come into his own. He remains one of the most physically gifted receivers we have seen in Ohio – just look at the measurables. Very few players can bring the kind

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up and speed to the game that Jefferson brings. This year, Glenville did not have the quarterback situation that they had last year. Arvelle Nelson was at the helm last year and he was a gifted quarterback that ended up getting offered by coach Kirk Ferentz and the fine Iowa Hawkeye program, which he accepted. Jermale Hines was at the controls this year and he is an even higher rated prospect than Nelson, but at linebacker not quarterback. The offer list is still highly impressive with Boston College, Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana and Minnesota all coming in on Jefferson. Recruiting is about what a player will be, not about what he is now. These programs are all banking on the flashes of real brilliance we see out of plays that he makes regularly. This is a big receiver that also happens to be a sprint champion. What is very interesting about Jefferson is he is never talked about as defensive player but this year, having seen Glenville several times, I have seen better plays out of him as a defensive player. He went to Ohio State for several games during the season.

23. **** Nick Schepis 6-4 270 OT/DT Walsh Jesuit Preseason Update: Nick Schepis took the camp and combine season by storm earning praise for his performance at the Columbus Nike camp and making the allcombine team at the Louisville Scout.com combine. This is one of the stronger players in this year’s class. He has a 635pound 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 it in himself to gear up for more battle when it appears as though he cannot fight any GH more. At the Louisville combine, there was a nice collection of athletes at the combine for him to go up against and he was not beaten once in oneon-one drills. Schepis ended his recruiting by issuing a verbal commitment to Boston College in July. He selected the Golden Eagles over Wisconsin, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Kentucky, Bowling Green, Wake Forest and Duke. Senior Update: Schepis got hit with the double whammy for an offensive lineman. The college coaches came to the conclusion that, one, he is not going to get much bigger, and two, he is a guard. I have mentioned before that I would only rarely recruit a guard. You can take a tackle and move him down to guard but rarely does a natural guard have what it takes to play tackle. Some schools are not going to care – a tackle is a tackle and a guard is a guard. Others just recruit linemen and let them find their place. For those schools, Nick Shepis was a target recruit. I love how he comes off the ball and gets after it. He has good mobility and such tenacity. It cannot be dismissed that he was in attendance at the Louisville Scout combine, which had an outstanding crop of defensive linemen, and he was not beaten once. He is athletic enough to play defensive tackle in high school but I don’t think heh will end up on that side of the ball in college. He helped pave the way for Mark Wooldridge to enjoy a 1,000-yard season. He is a hard worker in the weightroom and in the classroom. This is a nice get for the Boston College program. They have been in the Catholic schools in Cincinnati for some time and now they have landed a player from the key northeast Ohio recruiting hotbeds. 24. **** Diauntae Morrow 6-0 185 S/LB Lakewood St. Edward Preseason Update: Diauntae Morrow has quietly gone about racking up an impressive offer list as well in the off-season. In addition to Indiana and Wisconsin, Iowa,

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Illinois, and Bowling Green have made preseason offers to this underrated prospect. Penn State, West Virginia, Michigan, Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo 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 corner before he was a linebacker so he has cover skills. Last season, he had 75 tackGH les with 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks. With college programs only having 85 scholarships available, versatile players are very important. This is a kid that can play safety and linebacker and could be an ideal nickel back. He is one of the most underrated players in the state of Ohio. Senior Update: Morrow moved back to safety this year and did a really nice job. His solid play allowed teammate Nate Oliver the freedom to be a playmaker. I think Morrow is actually better off in the same role as Oliver, a strong safety that is at his best close to the line of scrimmage. He played as a linebacker last year and played so well that there was early speculation that he might stay. He was playing against as strong as schedule as any player, regularly going up against high caliber linemen that outweighed him by 100 pounds, but he was fearless. He has the body of a defensive back but the mindset of a linebacker so he will end up as a strong safety. Morrow has very long arms that will serve him well and I think we have not seen the best of Diauntae Morrow. He was a corner as a sophomore then a linebacker last year and now a safety. I think that has an impact on a player’s development. He got better as the year went on and once he settles into one spot I think we will see just what kind of player he can be. He is looking hardest at four schools, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia and Iowa. He is likely to add a fifth visit but had not decided on a school yet. I don’t foresee a commitment anytime soon.

25. *** Skylar Jones 6-1 180 QB Middletown Preseason Update: The last line of the spring profile says it all – I kept my eye on Jones and he produced. At the Columbus Nike camp he ran a 4.3-second 40, the best time out of 552 campers. He also chalked up a 37-inch vertical. Jones, in my opinion, is the best athlete in the state pound for pound. Nobody can put together the combination of speed and strength that Jones brings to the game. Jones now holds offers from Tennessee, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Maryland, Bowling Green, Wake Forest, Kent State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan and GH Marshall. After his impressive combine showing, Ohio State started showing interest as well. He won the state 300-meter hurdles title and was fourth in the 110-meter event. We are seeing hurdlers show a propensity to be good corners, which could be what is happening with Jones. Instead of looking at him as a size challenged quarterback, schools are looking at his athleticism. With another year under Middies coach Ron Johnson, Jones is going to get offers as a quarterback. Senior Update: If we held a decathlon, Jones would get my bet to win it. This is the best athlete pound-for-pound in this class. Jones was the fastest player at the Nike camp last year and will defend his 300 meter hurdles title this spring. In the July 2006 issue, I said that Skylar Jones would get offers as a quarterback and that did happen. He never said so before, but his verbal to Wake Forest shows that he wanted to play quarterback. There were offers from more well known schools as an

athlete, including Tennessee, West Virginia and Maryland, to name just a few. But Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe, who has Ohio roots after making a name for himself by turning around the Ohio University program before leaving for Wake Forest, is going to give Jones a shot at quarterback. Wake Forest current starting quarterback is from Ohio, former Kenton quarterback Ben Mauk, who holds every major career passing record in Ohio. I think Jones made the right decision. The only question about him is his height. He is a dynamic dual threat quarterback. He has the arm and the savvy to be a success at any level of football. If he were just three inches taller those schools that offered him as an athlete, as well as others, would have offered him as a quarterback.

26. *** Charlie Hatcher 6-4 245 DE/OL Hamilton Preseason Update: This is a name to remember. The more I watch Hatcher the more impressed I am with him. He has such great instincts and makes plays effortlessly. Hatcher has already secured offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Illinois and Duke. Jim Place is now ready to take the helm at Hamilton, but that is pretty impressive list offers from Big Ten schools considering he was without a head coach to facilitate his recruitment prior to Place’s hiring. So much of the contact required by the NCAA is to be through the high school coach. Charlie Hatcher is so good, college programs found a way to make contact with him and extend the offers. Hatcher prefers defensive end right now but he is going to grow into a tackle. Senior Update: Hatcher quietly had another fine year. Other players are flashier but none are more effective. I think Hatcher ends up moving inside to tackle or moving over to offense but he would rather be a defensive end. This is a kid with great character to go with his impeccable grades. He will accept the move and the coach will not hear a word about it. He is going to get a lot bigger. First-year Hamilton head coach Jim Place recognized Hatcher as a tackle and moved him down inside this season. While he did not have the gaudy numbers of his junior year, that experience is going to be invaluable for when he gets to college. He will have some familiarity with the position. He has a nice list of schools to choose from including Minnesota, Maryland, Cincinnati, Duke and Miami (Ohio), but issued a verbal commitment to the Blue Devils in early December. 27. *** Clay Belton 6-6 215 QB Clayton Northmont Preseason Update: No player in Ohio has stirred as much conversation as Belton. It seems there is no consensus on him. I have a great deal of respect for those who are not convinced of Belton’s talent, but I think has tremendous upside. The tools Belton brings coupled with how well he played against a high level of competition in his first year as a starter impressed me greatly. He was a very good quarterback last year and the tools he brings to the table are hard to beat. NF The recruiting process is not about what a player is – it is about what he is going to be. Belton’s size and arm are impressive but what I see is a player that handles an offense that is not always easy to handle. The spread offense takes some time to grasp but he goes through his progressions and makes good decisions play after play. Belton has as much upside as any player in this class. He participated in the Ted Ginn Sr. Foundation bus tour of Midwest camps and received more looks there. Kansas State has also offered since the spring. Senior Update: It has been a tough year for Clay Belton. He had an injury, which took three games out of his

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up football player. I see so much in him that makes me think he is going to be an outstanding college quarterback. He has all the tools. We have templates for players at every position and a lot of good high school players get passed on for athletes that fit the template for their position. Nobody I have seen since Justin Zwick fits the quarterback template like Clay Belton does. As a senior, Belton completed 123 of 231 passes for 1,581 yards with 14 TDs and nine INTs in the regular season. He needs some work on his mechanics to keep him from over striding because of his height. I think these very tall kids need more time to get their coordination down. I still think this is a kid with as much upside as any player in the class. Belton ended his recruiting trail in early December verbally committing to Miami (Ohio).

28. *** Chris Smith 6-1 220 QB South Point Preseason Update: Anyone who has seen Smith’s arm would be surprised at the number of scholarship offers, or lack thereof, that he has received. Once again, the template – what I call “pitchers” – has gotten in the way. If the template had been more successful, it would be more understandable, but it has not. Smith had offers from Cincinnati, West Virginia, Marshall, Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio before verbally committing to Marshall in mid-July. Level of competition is a question, and one that I understand and agree with, but just GH look at him throw the ball. There is no play in the playbook that he does not have the arm strength to execute. Smith is a gutty competitor and is as tough as nails. He is not the quickest kid but always does well when pressed and forced to run. Senior Update: Level of competition rears it large, ugly head again and Smith is not the ideal size. In the past, we have seen shorter quarterbacks get looked at by the big schools in the past. Not too long ago Rex Grossman was the consensus number one quarterback in the country despite being right about 6-0. The thing that was so important for Grossman was the arm strength. I thought maybe we would see the same thing with Smith. He has the best arm I have seen in Ohio since Troy Smith, and we know that name. In the end, though, Smith plays against a level of competition that sent recruiters looking elsewhere. In that part of Ohio, Marshall is like the home school. It is a highly respected program. The Thundering Herd has a history with quarterbacks sending Chad Pennington to the New York Jets and Byron Leftwich to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Neither of those quarterbacks was nearly as highly rated as Smith which bodes well for his future and the Marshall program. Chris Smith is a tough kid with a real difference maker attached to his right shoulder. There is not a place on the field that he can’t put the ball. He should thrive in the Marshall program. West Virginia also offered. 29. *** Sidney Glover 5-11 203 DB/RB Warren Harding Preseason 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 the higher 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 with them. One thing that has hurt Glover is the moving around from safety to linebacker. McDaniels told GH Scout.com that the moving around was not in the best interest of Glover, and he would find a place for him this fall

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and keep him there. Indiana has offered while Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are showing interest. As I look at his tape, I can’t help but think that offer list grows after his Senior Year. Harding has its most talented team in years this season, 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 recommendation to offer Sidney Glover. Senior Update: I thought this would be a player to watch this fall because he is such a talent. Former Harding coach Thom McDaniels said he was going to leave him in one spot to let him get comfortable and learn one position. Glover did not wait around for his star to rise. He go it over with in early summer making a pledge to Indiana, but retracted his verbal in December and committed to West Virginia. Glover is a poor man’s Mike Doss. In this “Year of the Safety” in Ohio, this is one that is simply not getting his due. Just by looking at his film, it will be hard put to find another safety that hits like Glover. In a playoff game versus Lakewood St. Edward and Buckeye verbal Nate Oliver, Glover was the better player. He was such a good option quarterback that he looks like he could be an outstanding running back if that is what coach Hoeppner needs.

30. *** Donnie Evege 5-11 185 CB Huber Heights Wayne Preseason Update: Evege has had a rather quiet offseason with the exception of issuing a verbal commitment to Ohio State in June. He ran indoor track but decided to pass on the outdoor season to concentrate on hitting the weights. Evege was on everyone’s want list as a cornerback but this highly motivated young man really wants to be a running back. He knows that will mean adding weight and getting stronger. Miami (Ohio), Purdue, Indiana and West Virginia had NF all offered Evege. Stanford, Virginia and Michigan were all taking interest as well. Senior Update: I can’t remember the last time I heard more speculation about a player than I have Donnie Evege. I think that comes from the time he spent at running back. He is a good high school running back but evaluating him as a runner is not going to give any indication of what kind of corner he can be. This is a kid that could get on the field early in his career. He has such great instincts. He can cover and can he ever hit! The one thing you see from his film as a runner is he gives some hint as to what he is going to be as a corner in college is how hard he runs in a straight line. That same toughness and fearlessness serves him well as a corner. I liked his ball skills I loved seeing him come as hard as a linebacker in run support. He has a better body than a lot of corners that are currently starters at the college level. Last but certainly not least is the speed. This kid can run. He is a tough minded, highly motivated, hard working kid that will be a success. The school system had some problems with a teacher strike that had a big impact on the football team early in the season. It looked like there was a possibility Wayne would not play football at all this year. That type of situation is going to have an impact.

31. *** William Johnson 6-2 210 RB/DB Centerville Preseason Update: It has been a long, hard road for Will Johnson but he has never complained. He just kept working. It looked like everything was against him his sophmore year when he injured a knee in week three with C-J then was ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the year after he did put the injury behind him. Johnson came back his junior year at Centerville only to find himself ineligible again. He persevered and came

back for the playoffs and played very well. He also played basketball and made the regionals in the 100-meter event, the 4x200-meter relay and the 4x400-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-inch vertical, 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, GH West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and all the MAC schools but he is still waiting on his first offer. He needs to post a test score and he needs to show more on the football field. He has been away for awhile and has had a knee injury but this could be one of the most sought after players in Ohio after the season. Most see him as a safety. Senior Update: I did not see Will Johnson until late in the year but I was as impressed as ever. Johnson is a kid with excellent size that can really run. He is very athletic and such a hard worker. He ran into so many setbacks that most would have called it quits. He was ruled ineligible twice, once at Chaminade-Julienne and once at Centerville. He did not hang his head but accepted it and continued to work. He came out to the Nike combine and ran a 4.6 40, a 4.1 shuttle and had a 35-inch vertical. Johnson had an ankle injury this year that kept him off the field for a few games and other injuries forced him to play other positions but he got on the field as a cornerback towards the end of the season. For a kid of his size to play corner speaks volumes about what kind of athlete he is. From what I saw I don’t think he is out of place at corner though he will likely step on the field at the University of Cincinnati as a safety. I love him as a running back. He chose the Bearcats over Marshall and Eastern Michigan.

32. *** Greg Jones 6-2 210 LB Cincinnati Moeller Senior Update: This is a kid that was always a great looking athlete but really found his game as a senior. Jones started it off with a fine camp showing putting up a 4.6 40-yard dash to go with a 4.25 shuttle and an outstanding 35-inch vertical. Explosion is so important and that last number is the one that really got everyone’s attention. He followed the combine showing with an outstanding game in the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge Ohio vs. USA Challenge. He was everywhere in that game. The series puts together some of the best teams in the country with some of the best football players and Jones was one of the best. He had a fine senior year period. Jones is likely a weak side linebacker in college. He is at his best in space and rushing the passer. He is a real problem coming off the edge. He times his blitzes perfectly and has the speed to leave tackles still in their stance, but at the same time he is powerful at the point of attack. He had offers to Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami of Ohio, Air Force and Western Michigan, but issued a verbal commitment to Minnesota in early December.

33. *** Ryan Gillum 5-11 205 ATH Youngstown Liberty Preseason Update: Every year, there are players that fall through the cracks. How Gillum flew so far under the radar for so long is beyond me. Gillum plays all over the field for Liberty. He is at linebacker sometimes and safety at others. He even lines up at corner on occasion and is not out of place at any of 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 effectively. There are a number of good blocking receivers this year but Gillum

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up pancakes linemen. Gillum is a football player. He makes plays wherever he lines up. He could grow into a linebacker but will probably excel at strong safety. In a class full of strong safety/weak side linebacker types, this one does not have to take a backseat to any of them. Some of his tackles could be used to demonstrate what form tackling looks like to young players. At the same time, if I were asked to pick the best hitter 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, but Syracuse didn’t miss him. Gillum committed to the Orangemen in the spring. Senior Update: When I think of Youngstown the first thing that comes to mind is steel mills and factories full of people as tough as the material they work with. That is what you get with Ryan Gillum. Safety has been the premier position in Ohio in the class of 2007. If Gillum had waited to give his verbal he would have been talked about with Eugene Clifford and Nate Oliver. It is unfortunate but also true that players who commit early get forgotten with the rankings. There are some real hitters coming up from the secondary this year but Gillum does not have to take a backseat to any of them. He is the one player I can make a highlight tape of just of big hits. From his tackles, to his blocks, to his runs as a back, Gillum brings it on every play. He is a fine running back, and he has the quickness and size more appropriate for cornerback but like former top Ohio high school defensive backs Donte Whitner and Kurt Coleman, he is just to aggressive and too physical to play the position. He is more linebacker than defensive back.

34. *** George Tabron 6-3 215 LB Canton McKinley Preseason Update: It has been a tough off-season for Tabron as off the field issues have greatly impacted his recruitment. In retrospect, the situation was blown out of proportion. 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 after excessive media attention, the May contact period was interfered with. Just before press time, it was learned that Tabron would be attending Canton McKinley for his Senior SP Year. He was getting interest from Purdue, Michigan State, Minnesota, West Virginia and Bowling Green before all this happened and interest should pick up again before it is all said and done. This is a dynamic, physical and active linebacker that shows the frame to get bigger. Senior Update: I saw the first playoff game for Canton McKinley this year and how Tabron this is not a Big Ten player is beyond me. He is tough, has great instincts, shows excellent closing speed and has a body that can fill out some more. I can only assume the off-season fight he got into has played a role. I have avoided bringing it up but it seems to need addressed. It was a fight. That is it. Tabron is a player who was born to be a middle linebacker. He transferred to Canton McKinley after starring at Canton Central Catholic. McKinley coach Brian Cross said, ‘George Tabron has made a big difference for us. I don’t know where we’d be without him.’ Tabron also starred at fullback, leading the way for Morgan Williams. He is a very physical player who punishes running backs. George has scholarship offers from the MAC and is drawing interest from some Big Ten and Big East schools. Tabron was the best player on the field in the game at Massillon, outshining more celebrated players. He is a very intense player who will be a fine college player.

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35. *** Tyler Replogle 6-2 225 LB Centerville Preseason Update: Right now, the only offer I am aware of for Replogle is Indiana. That is really baffling to me. He 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, but nobody else has come through with an offer. The only camp I am aware of for Tyler is Indiana. Coach Terry Hoeppner has Ohio roots with a strong stint at Miami (Ohio) and has used that to come into Ohio and land some recruits that Indiana wouldn’t necessarily land. Last year, Hoeppner and his staff took the much underrated Jarrod Smith, an offensive NF lineman from Fairborn, back to Bloomington. This could be another one of those players that the big programs in the region pushed to the back burner and the Indiana staff took advantage of the lack of attention. Replogle was the Greater Western Ohio Conference defensive player of the year last year with 107 tackles including 24 behind the line of scrimmage. It is puzzling that he does not have more offers. Senior Update: Replogle is one of the candidates for best player you have never heard of. He is a kid with size that can really run and plays the game like every play is going to be his last. He has had 100 tackles every year he has been a starter for the Elks. He is playing in the Greater Western Ohio Conference, one of the best in the Midwest, and he is the best player in the conference. With an early verbal, players fall off the radar. I am sure other schools would have come in on Replogle had he waited. This is another coup for Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner. He is using his Ohio background to great effect, already having relationships with these Ohio coaches from his days at Miami (Ohio). Replogle has a great body. He is right about 225 and will play basketball this winter so he will stay lean through the winter months. He will put on weight the right way and I project him as a middle linebacker at the next level. He will fill out to about 240. This is one heckuva football player.

36. *** Erique Robertson 5-11 210 S/LB Maple Heights Preseason Update: Size 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 and Kent State he will add to that list as he is seen more and schools determine this high school linebacker can play the pass well enough to move to strong safety. GH If Robertson were 6-2, he would have Big Ten offers on the table as a linebacker and could get some as a strong safety by the time it matters. Pound for pound this is one of the best football players in Ohio. Senior Update: If Erique Robertson was two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier he would be in the conversation about who is the best linebacker in Ohio in the class of 2007 along with Jermale Hines and Dewey Elliott. He is an old fashioned tough guy with instincts second to none and a nonstop motor. He is best inside and that might be why he does not have offers from any Big Ten schools. The position he will play in college is up in the air. Whether he is ever going to be big enough to play his best position or whether he can be a linebacker at all is the question. Will he be able to cover well enough to play as a strong safety if he never gets big enough to play at

linebacker? Talent is not a question. Speed is not a question. Robertson is a real powerhouse and a weightroom warrior. He has a 350 pound bench, a 500 pound squat and he repped 225 pounds 20 times. Robertson is the defending wrestling state champion at 189 pounds. Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ball State and Ohio University all made offers, but Robertson issued a verbal commitment to Illinois in early December. He is pretty impressive running back, too.

37. *** Frank Becker 6-3 275 DT Cincinnati Moeller Preseason Update: I did not receive film of Frank Becker until after we went to print with the last issue. This is a tremendous prospect. I have said many times that you learn more about leverage in one month of wrestling practice than you do in one year of football practice. That Becker is a two-time state placer in wrestling is no surprise after seeing him play football. No lineman in Ohio uses balance better. He stays low, keeps his elbows in tight and his hands inside. Becker consistently gets penetration just by using superior technique and by showing a great motor. Becker could be a fine guard but will probably be a defensive GH tackle at the next level. He is one of the most underrated and under-publicized players in Ohio. Senior Update: Antonio Jeremiah is getting all the attention when it comes to tackles in the state of Ohio, and the hype is deserved, but Cincinnati Moeller tackle Frank Becker would steal his thunder if he were bigger. He is an outstanding player. Becker is so hard to block and a real rock at the point of attack. He is a relentless pursuer. If I had to pick one player in Ohio that I was most dumbfounded as to why he has so few offers, it would be Becker. Cincinnati is the only sure offer, with Western Michigan unconfirmed. His level of competition is as tough as any player in the state of Ohio and he has performed. Game in and game out, this is one of the consistently outstanding players in the state. If I was advising Frank Becker I would tell him to wait. He does not have the measurables that a number of other players in the state do but late in the process his play is going to bring some bigger schools into the mix. Youngstown Mooney’s Kyle McCarthy was a player outside the top 100 two years ago but ended up with offers from Ohio State and Notre Dame after the Mooney state championship run. 38. *** Kendall Washington 6-4 190 WR/S St. Thomas Aquinas Preseason Update: When I first saw Washington, I was not sure where he would play his college ball. He was an athletic and a football player looking for a position. I thought he was best as a receiver but wasn’t sold on 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 Boston College, Syracuse and Illinois. Washington is an academically motivated young man and has a great frame with 4.6 speed, making him a huge get for Michigan State. Senior Update: Washington played in relative obscurity at St. Thomas Aquinas but the college recruiters certainly knew about him. He starred at wide receiver for Aquinas, catching 12 TD passes. He also dominated from his linebacker spot. Washington committed to Michigan State and I believe they see him as an outside linebacker. He has the frame to gain 20-30 pounds and keep his speed.

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up who also stars at basketball for the Knights.

39. *** Pete Rolf 6-5 220 DE Piqua Preseason Update: Rolf is originally from Salt Lake City and is of Polynesian descent. He is looking at offers from Eastern Michigan and Oregon right now and has a cousin that plays for Oregon. 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 Michigan State. He has been to Ohio State, Northwestern and Pittsburgh to take a look around. GH Rolf is athletic enough to play linebacker in high school but I think someone takes this kid, fills him out and he turns into a great player. Big kids that can run are always in demand. Senior Update: Last year I saw Pete Rolf lined up mostly as a linebacker. This year he played a good deal as a standup defensive end. That was definitely in his best interest and that is where he will play in college. With his teammate Brandon Saine being a focal point for Ohio high school football fans this year, Rolf got a chance to show what he can do and I was very impressed. He seems to have a good feel for playing the position. He uses his long arms really well, keeping blockers off him and he does a good job of keeping his feet. He finds the ball quickly and can he ever run once he finds a target. He is equally adept at playing the run and the pass. If not for the presence of Ben Martin and Solomon Thomas in this class, it is a safe bet there would be more talk about Pete Rolf. He has a body to fill out to 250-255 pounds and any coach that might be reading this should get in touch with coach Piqua head coach Bill Nees and get a copy of the Toledo Central Catholic game. He showed what kind of player he can be in that game. Rolf is one of the real underrated gems in Ohio this year.

40. *** Joey D’Andrea 6-2 245 DE/DT Upper Arlington Preseason Update: When I ranked D’Andrea this highly as a four-star player, many questioned the ranking considering his size. Watch him play -- that is all I can say. D’Andrea makes so many plays. He can be unblockable and his game speed is great. Recently, at the first of two senior camps at Ohio State, D’Andrea impressed everyone in one-on-one drills and ran a 4.7 GH 40 at 252 pounds while putting up 18 reps of 225 pounds. D’Andrea is reminding me more and more of another recent player that I thought more highly of than any one else – Mike Kudla. Kudla had a good college career at Ohio State and is on his way to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Kent State came in with an offer for D’Andrea in June. Senior Update: Every year there are players that I like and nobody else seems to. Every year there are players everyone else is raving about that I just don’t see what the fuss is about. That is the nature of this business. Recruiting would be a completely different animal if someone figured out a way to be right all the time. I am usually a firm believer in the combines. Get the great athlete and coach him up but there are always exceptions. D’Andrea is one of them. Most see Joey D’Andrea as a tweener. He is not going to be quick enough for linebacker and is short for defensive end. But I see a playmaker. Wherever he has lined up, I see him making plays and being around the football. He is likely going to add weight

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and slide down to defensive tackle. That is not a problem for Joey. The fact is he has played there before and I think it could be his best position. He was so much quicker than anyone in front of him. He has always been great at getting off blocks. Just take a look at what he does in pads, not what he does in shorts. Penn State is one school that has stayed on him. I think they could steal one here.

41. *** Jordan Mabin 5-10 185 TB/CB Macedonia Nordonia Preseason Update: I remember watching a profile of Jackie Slater, a former Rams offensive tackle, who was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later that day. Slater said, “Don’t let anybody fool you. Football is a 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 Big Four in the Midwest making offers to Mabin. If size is taken out of the equation, this is one of the top 20 football players in Ohio, and maybe top 10. Mabin has a fine offer list with Pittsburgh, Indiana, Marshall, Cincinnati, Akron and Kent State. Most of his offers have been as a cornerback, despite the fact that Mabin has earned his headlines as a running back. GH After two great years at Nordonia, Mabin is a guy who figures to be mentioned prominently for postseason awards in Ohio in 2006. Senior Update: I know I sound like a broken record but the facts are the facts. This is as skilled a player as there is in Ohio for the class of 2007. He is as gifted as any of the players committed to the Big Four this year. Take the size element out of the equation and you have to throw Mabin into the conversation with Brandon Saine and Dan Herron, already committed to Ohio State. Mabin makes tacklers miss and does so while not breaking stride. He is very much like Michigan State running back Javon Ringer, who happened to be just big enough to get some of the bigger programs involved. But the facts are the facts and size does play a part in this. Mabin surprised everyone here in Ohio by picking Northwestern. He has a cousin that is currently at Pittsburgh and that program did a great job in recruiting him. I don’t know if he ends up as a cornerback or a running back in college but if it comes down to which is his best position I would say he is a running back. He helped his team post a 12-2 mark as they reached the Division II state final four. Mabin ended the year with 2,354 yards and 30 TDs. He ended his career sixth in state annals with 6,689 yards rushing and ninth with 92 TDs. It has been a pleasure to watch Jordan Mabin the last few years. He has been a class act throughout the recruiting process. I imagine this has been difficult watching players he knows he is as good as receive offers that he would have liked to see come his way. 42. *** Eric Thomas 6-5 250 OL/TE Cleveland Glenville Preseason Update: Thomas had 72 tackles and 13 sacks last year. Those are impressive numbers, but I do not see a 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 sophomore and he is listed by some as a defensive end. He has all the physical attributes that are found in defensive players, and he passes the look test. He clocked a 4.7840 this summer. GH But motor is crucial to a defensive player and that seems to be the big question with Thomas. He seems to be going through the motions on some plays. If a fire can be

lit under Thomas, there is an athlete in him that does not have to take a back seat to anyone in the class. He may be too nice to play defense, but then they said the same thing about Orlando Pace and 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 up approximately half those offers on the Ted Ginn Sr. bus tour. Senior Update: Thomas’ offer list speaks for itself. That is a collection of schools that most any player would be proud of. He has been to Ohio State for several games and covets an offer from the Buckeyes. I would have said I don’t see that happening. I think the Buckeyes may be in on a few too many more highly rated players at the same positions Thomas plays but if things go sour I could see the Buckeyes come back on him if he does not commit any time soon. Since he has not set up any visits I think there is a chance that could happen. Wisconsin, West Virginia, Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami of Ohio and Ball State have all extended offers. Iowa is also showing interest but no offer yet. I recently saw some tape of Thomas playing with the fire that I always wanted to see out of him. He definitely passes the look test and his independently timed sub 4.8 40 puts him in the ballpark but I never saw the motor. Thomas lists his top three as Ohio State, Iowa and West Virginia.

43. *** Disi Alexander 6-1 210 LB Canton McKinley Senior Update: I saw Alexander in a Canton McKinley playoff game and he was the best defensive player on the field. He came on as a junior for the Bulldogs and was unstoppable as a senior outside linebacker. Coach Brian Cross gave ‘Disi’ a lot of freedom to roam and make plays, and that’s just what he did. He will probably have to go the JUCO route but don’t be surprised to see him resurface at a major D-1 college some day. He has great speed and agility to make him a special player. He is a playmaker in every sense of the word. If he was qualified academically, he would be a Big Ten recruit.

44. *** Derrick Sherman 6-0 170 WR Cincinnati Withrow Preseason Update: Last season, Derrick Sherman had 40 catches and scored six touchdowns after a breakout sophmore year in which he had an 18-yard per catch average and eight touchdowns. Tom Landry once said consistency is the mark of a professional. Sherman had two different quarterbacks throwing 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 makes plays. At the end of June, Sherman gave his pledge to Purdue. Maryland, Cincinnati, Ball State, Buffalo, Indiana, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Kentucky all extended offers and he was also being recruited by Michigan State, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa. Senior Update: Receivers that are Sherman’s size are always going to be held accountable for one thing: speed. He is not a burner, at least not in shorts on a track, but his playing speed is impressive. He seems to have no trouble creating separation with defenders and then creating havoc in the secondary after the catch. Head coach Doc Gamble said he had one bad game in his four years at Withrow, and that was a game he played while wearing a soft cast. It was the same injury that forced Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm out of the lineup for weeks this season. He came back the next week after a week of practicing with the cast and caught every ball thrown his way. Sherman made his commitment to Purdue before the season started and never wavered. One thing that I see with Coach Gamble’s players is he is getting them into the right situations. He is an ideal receiver for the Purdue offense, quick more than fast, great hands and highly elusive after the catch. Call him ‘wily’ or call him ‘crafty’ but the one word that really

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up 45. *** Ricardo Thompson 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati Withrow Preseason Update: Thompson had an amazing 150 tackles last year as a junior. This is a very active and aggressive player. If not for the questions about his size, he would have even more offers but I do not share that concern. Thompson will fill out into a Division I linebacker in short time. He is wide open on his college choice even though Minnesota, Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati, Buffalo and Kent State all came in with offers in the preseason. He is also being recruited by Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Boston College and Iowa. Indiana indicated it would offer him soon. Thompson has not indicated when he will make his decision, but I think he wants to get it over with but the longer he waits, the better the offers he will have in front of him. He most likely did himself a disservice deciding not to go to any combines and camps. It has become such an important part of the recruiting process. Senior Update: Thompson is one of those players that I think could end up being one of the top players in this class when we review recruiting classes four years from now. I was impressed with his junior tape and head coach Doc Gamble thought he was good as a sophomore and a junior. But in his senior year, he returned to the form of his freshman year where he really made a name for himself. Thompson is now up to 220 pounds after getting in the weightroom in the off-season instead of playing basketball like he had in previous years. Playing more than one sport has a great impact on a football player’s ability to add strength and size as other sports, with the exception of wrestling, want their athletes to stay away from weights Gamble thinks Thompson will project as a middle linebacker as he has shown the ability to add weight. He thinks he could get into the 235 range. I liked him better inside but thought his size would push him outside. He is pledged to Minnesota but may take some other visits.

46. *** B.J. Cunningham 6-1 185 WR Westerville South Preseason Update: Cunningham is a kid whose stock is really rising. He has offers from West Virginia, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Akron and Ball State. He has visited Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and Ball State, a school that is really raising its recruiting profile in Ohio. He also intends on stopping by Penn State, a school with a good relationship with Westerville South. Several players have gone on to Penn State including former first round draft choice Ki-Jana Carter. At the Columbus Nike combine, Cunningham put up some nice numbers to go with his impressive tape. He had a 4.62-second 40, a 4.12-second shuttle (which was second best on the day for all participants) and a 31-inch vertical. Cunningham is also hearing from Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina and Indiana. This is a prospect to keep an eye on. Senior Update: If someone asked me to pick the one player in this year’s top 100 that nobody is talking that will be a major success, I would say Cunningham. Cunningham has good size at about 6-2, 195 pounds. He ran 4.62 independently and a reported 4.55 at school and he plays big. I had the opportunity to see Westerville South several times this year. He was underrated quarterback Rocco Pentello’s primary receiver this season and showed very well but he also showed he is an outstanding defensive back but he is a scholarship player as a safety. One of the things I have noticed about coach Rocky Pentello’s teams is they are always very physical and this year’s team is no exception. Cunningham will come up and lay the wood. He covers well and he is just a smart football player. Cunningham has offers from Miami (Ohio), Toledo,

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Akron, Cincinnati, Marshall and Ohio University. Cunningham ended his recruiting trail in early December by committing to Michigan State.

47. *** Chazz Anderson 6-2 200 QB Pickerington Central Preseason Update: Anderson passed for 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns his sophomore year, then threw for 1,300 more yards during 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 Vanderbilt have 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 with Skylar Jones from Middletown, his combine numbers have any number of schools interested in him as an athlete. At the Nike combine in Columbus, Anderson had 28 reps of 225pounds, a 33-inch vertical, 4.1shuttle and 4.63-second 40. He has been to Michigan on several occasions and favors the GH Wolverines. Senior Update: Anderson did not have the year statistically that he had in previous years but that had to do with his surrounding cast. His best year was his sophomore year when he passed for better than 2,000 yards with a fully healthy Terrence White and some other veteran upper classmen to help a sophomore out. Without White, who tore up a knee before his and Anderson’s junior year, his numbers were not as impressive. This year with White struggling to return to his former form, Anderson was 110-of-181 passing for 1,562 yards during his team’s 9-1 regular season. The number that stands out is Pickerington Central’s 13-2 record and march to the Division II state title game. That can be chalked up to the maturity and leadership of Anderson. He led his team back to the playoffs and to the state championship game. This is one of the best athletes in Ohio. His size is legitimate but h is such a raw quarterback. He never played the position until high school. He has a lot of upside. Purdue, Indiana, Miami (Ohio), and Toledo saw enough to offer him but Chazz picked the Cincinnati Bearcats early in the football season. If not a quarterback, he is athlete enough to play receiver or anywhere in the defensive backfield. 48. *** Charles Brown 5-10 180 WR Maple Heights Preseason Update: Brown is a much underrated receiver. He makes so many plays and he shows toughness as he will go over the middle. He is not the size that everyone is looking for these days in receivers. I am not really surprised to see that the offers have not come in yet because of his size but wait until after the season when what goes on between the white lines starts to matter more than measurements. This kid has skills. GH Brown is football smart and he has good speed. He ran 4.49-second 40 at the Columbus Nike combine, best amongst receivers. Brown has picked up early offers from Bowling Green and Ohio University. Senior Update: This year, more than any I can remember, I am baffled by the lack of offers to some players. If I could pick one and only one player it would be Brown. This kid reminds me very much of another former Jeff Rotsky player, Bam Childress, who played for Rotsky at Bedford St. Peter Chanel before moving on the play for the Buckeyes. Brown is about as elusive as Childress was. He is worth a scholarship just to return punts. He runs really good patterns, something that can be such an important

thing when these smaller receivers move on to the next level and run into players that are as fast or faster. He also has superior hands and has an independently timed 4.49. Brown has such a great football I.Q., doing the little things like setting up a defender even before the ball is in the air so he can spin away from him to the other side. He is a strong kid for his size and speaking of size he is bigger than Childress – that is what leaves me baffled. Brown has verbally committed to Bowling Green..

49. *** Chris Rucker 6-1 180 WR/DB Warren Harding Preseason Update: I liked Rucker when I first saw him and apparently so do many college coaching staffs as he has been busy raking in the offers. So far, Kentucky, Kansas, Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green and Kent State 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 better at receiver but most of his offers are as a defensive back, corner back specifically. Rucker had six intercepGH tions last year to go with 17 catches and five touchdowns as a receiver. He is a great looking athlete with solid grades and one of the fastest rising prospects in Ohio. Senior Update: A real puzzle this year is Warren Harding – one of Ohio’s legendary programs – having players fly under the radar, especially with one player being recruited by Ohio State and Michigan in Buckeye verbal Boom Herron. But that is what we have with Chris Rucker in addition Sidney Glover. Rucker is having the kind of season that has earned him offers from Kansas, Akron, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Toledo and Kentucky. He is one of the best two-way athletes in the class of 2007. Going into the playoffs he had over 500 yards in receptions and 7 TDs with 3 INTs on defense and better than thirty tackles. He has never stated a preference as far as position but I think he will end up wherever he can get on the field earliest. It seemed over the summer most of the programs recruiting him were looking at him for defense. Michigan State offered and he accepted in early December. I liked him better on offense and it seems his current list of schools is thinking more along those lines as nobody has really said where they are going to play him. Once he settles in and can concentrate on one position, I think Rucker will be an impact player in college. 50. *** Phil Collier 5-11 175 CB/WR Piqua Senior Update: Phil Collier is making his first appearance the Ohio High top 100. I had the pleasure of the watching Piqua more than any other team this year. I saw Brandon Saine be what I expected him to be. I saw Pete Rolf step up his game another level. I saw a really good underclassmen athlete in junior Justin Hemm, who plays quarterback for the Indians. But the best player on the field in every game was Phil Collier. He is a tough corner with the hips and feet to play at the next level and he is a good tackler. This year I saw him become a dangerous receiver. While teams stacked the line to try and get as many bodies on Brandon Saine as they could, Collier was making himself a dagger in their heart using his speed and football smarts to get behind defenses and make big plays. This is a sure D-I football player whether at cor-

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up 51. **** Julian Miller 6-4 215 DE/TE Columbus Beechcroft Senior Update: It seemed like Julian Miller’s recruitment slowed when he came into the combine circuit shorter and lighter than he was listed coming into that key part of the year. He had an impressive junior year with 6 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He has that long body and the reach everyone wants in a defensive end despite the fact he is not as tall as anticipated. He is very raw but I love his motor and he showed an uncanny ability to get off the blocks that he doesn’t just run around. West Virginia, Illinois, and Cincinnati all seemed to see the same things in Miller and all offered before his senior year. Everything fit with what Miller was looking for at West Virginia so he gave head coach Rich Rodriguez a verbal right before the season started. I have seen West Virginia play a number of times this year. Miller is a perfect fit for the Mountaineer defense. I assume Beechcroft head coach Tom Dunlap helped Miller make this decision. It is a good fit for the Miller family. Julian has a good deal of his father’s family no far from Morgantown.

52. *** LeBron Daniel 6-1 225 DE/OLB Cleveland Glenville Senior Update: If not for the coaching change at Warrensville Heights, we could have seen Daniel up this list more and have more offers. There was just no tape out there of his 13 sack 103 tackle junior year. If coach Delvin Culliver had still been there, he would have gotten tape out. There was no coach in place when the recruiting season started for Daniel. That had everything to do with the transfer to Glenville. I saw Glenville play a number of times this year and this kid really showed well. He has a great frame on him. Early on, the question was about whether he was going to fit better as a linebacker or defensive end. Now, I think it more likely he will be a defensive end but linebacker is still not out of the question. He looks more comfortable with his hand in the dirt. Daniel has some impressive weightroom numbers so I think he is going to get bigger. He has the kind of build that adding weight is not going to impact his athleticism and agility. Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Cincinnati and Indiana have all come in with offers. He has been a staple at Buckeye games and favors the Buckeyes but no offer is on the table yet. This is a highly motivated kid with a good motor.

53. *** Zak Crum 6-4 285 C Westerville South Senior Update: This is one player that did not disappoint this year. Crum was an even better player than last year. He is a true tough guy and so strong at the point of attack. He fires out, stays low and drives until his man is in the dirt or until the whistle blows. Nine times out of ten his man was looking forward to the whistle. One of the things I have seen over the years that the great lineGH men have in common is a real ‘nasty’ in their game. Crum has that in abundance. I looked into his recruitment and was shocked to find out he has no offers. I was recently told his lack of offers has everything to do with grades. Penn State is one school that noticed him. He was also receiving interest from Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa, Boston College, Duke, Toledo and Akron at one time. Nothing is going to happen until we find out about more about how his senior year is coming in the classroom. His future is in his hands.

54. *** Sean Baker 6-0 200 S Canfield Senior Update: One of the big puzzles in this class for me is lack of offers for Baker. He is an outstanding football player.

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I assume schools wanted to see more out of him athletically. He ran a 4.53 40 in July and that is an independent time run at the Akron camp. He already had put up an outstanding 4.12 shuttle earlier at Ohio State. He has added offers from Eastern Michigan and Ball State to his early offers from Vanderbilt and Kent State but I thought there would be more. The word that comes to mind GH whenever I see Sean Baker film is violence. Whether it is coming up and making tackles from his safety spot or hitting the hole as a runner, in no time you know that the next play on the film is going to include a violent collision. He showed me what kind of football player he was last year in the Division II state championship game moving to running back, he had no practice leading up to the game and rushed for well over 100 yards and was player of the game. His dad is a big guy and so is his brother so he is probably not done growing yet. Someone can come in here and steal a fine football player in Sean Baker.

55. *** Danny Noble 6-5 220 DE/TE Elyria Senior Update: Noble is making his first appearance the Ohio High top 100. I had someone call me after an Elyria scrimmage to tell me about this kid. Others called once the season started. After going to see Jaa’Rome Williams they came away talking about this kid. Noble is a raw prospect that stepped up and started to find his way around the football field this year. He has skills at tight end but only Toledo is recruiting him to play there. Akron, Minnesota, Kent and Miami (Ohio) are all offering as a defensive end. Boston College is also talking about an offer. A Boston College offer will be hard for him to turn down. He is not nearly done filling out. Noble is going to be 250 or so in no time. He is a very athletic big man. There is no such thing as too many big kids that can run.

56. *** Rob Trigg 6-3 245 DE Day. Chaminade-Julienne Senior Update: It was a tough year for the Chaminade-Julienne program as there was a coaching change but that did not keep the offers from coming in for defensive end Rob Trigg. This is a very athletic big kid. He can run like a player 20 pounds lighter. There was a lot of talk about him as possibly a linebacker after his impressive showing at the Columbus Nike camp but I think he will surely be NF a defensive end. He had offers from Miami (Ohio), Kent State and Toledo but gave his verbal commitment to Cincinnati in mid-October. There was a report of an offer by the Pitt Panthers but nothing ever came in the mail to Trigg. He will bring speed off the edge for the Bearcat defense but he will have the size to stand up to the run. Great job for the Bearcats singling out a fine athlete that was not getting the attention he deserved.

57. *** Marlon Parker 6-2 216 LB Warren Harding Senior Update: One of the big surprises of the year was Marlon Parker making a verbal to Toledo. He had offers from programs including Boston College, Indiana and Akron but chose the Rockets. That is a great job by the coaching staff of the Toledo program. There were never any doubts about Marlon Parker as a football player. His reported 40 time of GH 4.8 was not what the recruiting

coordinators wanted to see, but this summer Parker ran a 4.65 and interest really picked up. His senior was a success from a team standpoint but a frustrating one from a personal viewpoint. Parker was moved around a bit and never found his comfort zone. That did not dissuade any of the schools that offered him, though. He did not wait long to make his pledge to Toledo, pulling the trigger in September.

58. *** Carson Byrd 6-0 230 DE Trotwood-Madison Senior Update: This is one that you throw out the measurables and put in the in the tape. Carson Byrd is a playmaker. His combine numbers are not bad - 4.8 40, 4.48 shuttle and an outstanding 31.5 inch vertical, which is an excellent measure of explosion which is so important to a pass rusher. But Byrd stands out the most on the field. He brings speed, motor and attitude to any defense. He could be a perfect 34 outside linebacker. Of the group of players in Ohio that fit the 3-4 defense, this is the most exploGH sive and the best pass rusher. Akron and Eastern Michigan are out in front and Byrd seems to like Akron, but a number of his teammates are headed to Eastern Michigan and going as a team appeals to him. Kent and Buffalo have also offered. Tennessee, Louisville and Miami (Ohio) are making noise like they might come in with offers.

59. *** B.J. Reed 6-7 270 TE/OL Wapakoneta Senior Update: Reed is making his first appearance the Ohio High top 100. I was watching a highlight film from our friends at ONN and when I saw this kid that I could not believe I had not heard about before. Reed is a highly athletic big kid. I called his coach and found out he has been a three-sport kid that has not done the camp circuit and really saw football as his third best sport until this year. He is getting some looks from some D-II schools as a basketball player and is a good power hitter in baseball. But he really blossomed this year in football, winning the league’s Lineman of the Year award. Reed is playing in the northwest part of the state, which does not get the recruiting coverage it needs. But with talents like Dane Sanzenbacher and now B.J. Reed, I think we see more recruiters getting up that way. This kid reminds me a great deal of Buckeye tight end Jacob Ballard. He has the size that makes me think he is going to grow into a tackle but he is so athletic and has such great hands he might not move to tackle right away. I received a tape from Wapkoneta head coach Kevin Fell and found a kid that has such good hands he might just stay at tight end. Reed is just a very impressive player.

60. *** Frankie Edmonds 5-6 190 RB Lakewood St. Edward Senior Update: The size factor has played a big role in Frankie Edmonds recruiting like it has with Jordan Mabin. College coaches rattle off all the things that are right about them then you hear that magic word ‘but’ and you know what is going to be said. The question about smaller backs running between the tackles is a legitimate one. Edmonds is great fun to watch. He is lightning quick and runs like someone is chasing him. He changes direction on a dime leaving defenders grasping GH at air. He is a perpetual motion machine. He is surprisingly strong for his size. As a senior, Edmonds had 1,159 yards and 14 TDs during the regular season. A lot of big time programs were taking a look early but none came through with an offer. Akron, Bowling Green,

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up Miami (Ohio) and Ohio have all offered, but Ball State came through with an offer of its own and Edmonds accepted it.

61. *** Dave Rogers 6-4 230 QB Kent Roosevelt Senior Update: Rogers is making his first appearance the Ohio High top 100. I knew nothing about Rogers until late October. I received a tape soon after and could not have been more surprised that he was flying that low under the radar. Rogers is a big kid, he looks taller than his listed 6-4. He has a fine arm, and while he is not a great runner, he moves around pretty well and is nifty in the pocket. He has nice feet and makes those little adjustments that keep plays alive. We talk about having a feel for pressure and this kid has it. He has pocket presence keeping his eyes downfield and standing in there to deliver the ball knowing full well the pass rusher in his face is going to take his head off. He reminds me a great deal of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He is a big kid with a good arm and is very accurate. Rogers was 140-of-217 for 2,272 yards and 20 TDs with only 6 INTs in the regular season. The MAC and several Big Ten programs are starting to pay attention so he could have a January like Ben Rothlisberger did when he was at Findlay where some of the top programs in the region come calling.

62. *** Chris Walder 6-5 235 DE/TE Trotwood-Madison Senior Update: No sooner than we went to press for the September issue, I learned Walder had made the decision to go back to Dayton Jefferson. I recently talked to Coach Douglass and it turns out he changed his mind again and came back to Trotwood-Madison. This has severely hampered his development but this is one of the most physically gifted players in the state of Ohio for the class of 2007. Walder played tight end, allowing super junior prospect Brandon Moore to move out to wide receiver. Walder played well, especially considering how little football he has played over the past few years and it shows what kind of athlete he is. He could be a tight end but I think he looks more comfortable at defensive end on the tape I saw of him as a junior at Jefferson. He seems to be surer of himself there. He has ideal size for either position but I would always put a player that is physically capable of playing the position at defensive end. Defenses are more complex than they used to be but they are still easier to learn than most offenses. With his lack of experience, the less he has to learn the sooner he gets on the field. Grades are going to be a factor. This is a player that will likely end up going the prep route but coaches should remember the name.

63. *** Tony Jackson 6-1 210 LB/RB Galloway Westland Senior Update: A couple of factors worked against Tony Jackson this year. One was the transfer. His transfer came late, and except for the most elite prospects in the country that college coaches are already in touch with by mail and from camps, the player gets lost. The other factor is this is a kid who has many questions about size. Not that he is too small, but just how much does he weigh? He has been listed as high as 230 and as low as 210. On film he is an impressive athlete. He shows good closing speed and instincts. He is a very aggressive player whether at linebacker or at running back and it is difficult to determine which he is better. I would take a long, hard look at him in those practices that freshmen get before the returning players check-in. He looks like he is an impressive runner and the size question is not a part of the equation. He is a pretty ideal sized running back. Cincinnati and Bowling Green have tracked him down and made offers.

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64. *** Mark Wetterer 6-6 300 OT Cincinnati Anderson Senior Update: Wetterer is a huge kid. That is the one thing that strikes me when I see him. I always think about former Michigan star Jumbo Elliott when I see Wetterer. He looks taller than his listed 6-6 and looks heavier than his listed 300 pounds. He may be heavier than that but the point I am making is he is not carrying any excess weight on that frame. Wetterer moves pretty well and he might be a right tackle but I would say he ends up moving inside to guard. He has played tackle throughout high school and he is well-schooled. That is something veteran head coach Vince Suriano makes sure all his players have a solid base underneath them. Ohio State had him in for a few games but in October Wetterer decided to pledge Michigan State. Shortly thereafter, Michigan State fired head coach John L. Smith. Since then Wetter has has switched his decision. He committed to Louisville in December.

65. *** Kendrick Bruton 6-3 215 DE/TE Miamisburg Senior Update: Former Miamisburg coach Tim Lewis came to the realization that Bruton was not a lineman and moved him to safety for this season. Late in the year, he started to feel at home and played well. Any number of schools came back at Bruton after his summer verbal to Miami (Ohio). He saw himself as an offensive player and Miami offered him as a receiver while everyone else looked at him as a defensive player. He will play on the offensive side of the ball for Miami but where will depend on how big he gets. He could be a big wide receiver or he could grow into a tight end. With a young team, Bruton did not have big numbers this year but he is a fine athlete. I still think he ends up playing defense by the time he is ready to take the field as a college player.

66. *** Jerome Royal 6-2 190 WR Cleveland Heights Senior Update: ‘Snakebitten’ is the word that comes to mind when I think about Jerome Royal. He lost his starting quarterback early in his junior year which changed the offense into a run first one with Chazz Jones as the quarterback. He ended up catching a total of 12 balls, which he took for a remarkable 350 yards and an even more remarkable 5 TDs. That is over 29 yards a catch and almost a touchdown for every two catches ratio. Then, Jones transferred, so Royal had to get used to another quarterback this year. In between his junior and senior year he went to the Cleveland elite camp and really impressed everyone with his size and speed as well as his route running. An Akron assistant was on hand and made an offer. Royal was just not enamored with the big schools despite having a verbal offer from Syracuse at the time, as well as Ohio and Eastern Michigan, and accepted the Akron offer soon after. He has never really wavered in his decision. This is a coup for the Akron program. Getting these kinds of athletes speaks volumes about the program J.D. Brookhart is running. 67. *** Mark Wooldridge 5-10 190 TB/DB Walsh Jesuit Senior Update: This is a kid who may be seeing big offers before too long. Wooldridge does not have ideal size but his speed and acceleration is something to see. He may not be able to run with Brandon Saine over 100 yards and he might not be able to run with him over 40 yards, but over 10 yards I would at least put him in the race. This is a fine back class in Ohio. None of them hit the hole with the speed of Wooldridge but he may not be a running back in GH college. He has played as a defensive back even though he has not played there this year. His size is less of a problem on defense.

A number of MAC schools have offered but West Virginia has brought him in, and Big Ten schools Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana are giving him a look, as is Southeastern Conference power Florida. He would love to follow his uncle John Wooldridge, a former Buckeye running back, to Ohio State. He has been brought in by the Buckeyes but no offer yet. Speed is always at the top of everyone’s want list. A 4.03 shuttle shows his quickness and a 9-0 broad jump show what kind of explosion he brings to the table. He has just completed his third consecutive 1,000 yard season. As a senior, Woolridge rushed for 1,460 yards and 16 TDs during the regular season.

68. *** Jaa’Rome Williams 5-10 210 TB Elyria Senior Update: Williams did not match his rushing numbers from last year because he shared the ball with another back, but he put up 950 yards rushing and had 77 tackles on defense. The results of his ACT test in December will say a lot about what happens with his recruitment. Toledo is really high on him and West Virginia, Bowling GH Green and Eastern Michigan are awaiting the outcome of his test. I suspect they are not the only ones. This is a tough, physical downhill runner that is at his best between the tackles. He is a hard hitting strong safety and could play there but where he really stands out is as a runner. He reminds me in build and style of Emmitt Smith. With his grades in order I think there would have been a bit more fuss over him from colleges. 69. ** Derrick Henry 6-1 190 ATH Worthington Kilbourne Senior Update: Derrick Henry is making his first appearance in the top 100. Speaking of athletes, this is one of the best in the state of Ohio. Henry has been running under the radar but he surfaced after a summer in which he put up some impressive numbers at combines and had a few strong camp performances. He had a 34inch vertical and ran 4.53 40 adding a 4.25 shuttle. What really turned some heads was his performance as a defensive back against another top Ohio Capital Conference player B.J. Cunningham from Westerville South. He held this underrated and outstanding receiver to zero catches. He has offers from Bowling Green and Ball State but some of the region’s top programs have taken notice. He has been to West Virginia at least twice and has Minnesota, Illinois and Cincinnati thinking about coming in with offers. He has played so many different positions playing all over the secondary this year and played some linebacker too.

70. ** Brian Peters 6-4 185 S Pickerington Central Senior Update: I have given players nicknames in the past. I can’t let the year pass without giving one to a player this year. I am going to call Brian Peters “Big Train”. He is a really big kid and it does not take a tape measure to see that height is legit. He is a very well put together kid and he hits like a train. This is a year of great safeties in Ohio and any other year this is name getting more play in recruiting circles. Whether he stays at safety is going to be the big question. Everyone is looking to add bigger safeties so they can play closer to the line of scrimmage and not be overmatched. As I said earlier, he is a big kid. He has a big frame and I don’t know how he can avoid growing into a linebacker or even a 3-4 standup defensive end before his college career is over. He has long arms, which is something I think is such an advantage for a pass rusher. He has a 4.61 40 and a 4.12 shuttle independently timed. Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, Ohio University, Ball State and Air Force have come in with offers but Northwestern

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up and West Virginia have been showing interest.

71. ** Dusty Snyder 6-2 240 DE Piqua Senior Update: I am usually a firm believer in the athlete first philosophy, but this year Ohio has several players that need to the tape measure, stop watch and the tape or DVD in and watch them on the field. Dusty Snyder is one of those players. He makes a lot of plays and disrupts just as many plays as he makes. He could fit into a lot of roles. He could be a stand-up defensive end or even a middle linebacker but we are seeing more of these less than ideal height 4-3 defensive ends make an impact. Sizewise Snyder is very similar to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, maybe the best pass rusher in the NFL, and even more like Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil, another undersized defensive end that is playing at the NFL level. At last check, Eastern Michigan was the only school to come in with an offer. I have never seen Snyder have a bad game.

72. ** Jason Williams 6-3 185 QB Miamisburg Senior Update: Williams really made the rounds this year to camps and combines. Miamisburg head coach Tim Lewis said he found very receptive coaching staffs all around the Mid American Conference but it always seemed like they liked someone else just a little better, except Eastern Michigan. This is a fine prospect with good skills, a good arm and good mechanics. He was working with a young team and ended up not having the senior year expected NF of him. The fact that he ran for nearly half as many yards as he threw for despite having a talent like Miami (Ohio) commit Kendrick Bruton to throw to, speaks volumes about the youth around him. During the regular season, Williams completed 94 of 193 passes for 1,415 yards and five TDs. Eastern Michigan is doing a great job in Ohio. They landed their quarterback of the future here.

73. ** Rob Reiland 6-3 230 DE/TE Massillon Jackson Senior Update: Reiland plays in a good program for head coach Phil Mauro. He will be a good player for Miami (Ohio). I believe he’ll play tight end for the RedHawks but I wouldn’t rule out him growing into a defensive end. He seems more comfortable as an offensive player. He caught the ball in limited opportunities on a predominantly running team. GH Reiland is great in the classroom and a real leader for the Polar Bears. He is a hard working kid who always represented Jackson in a positive manner.

74. ** Ben Davis 6-4 263 OL Piqua Senior Update: After I was so high on him this past winter, I have been getting the same reaction across the board about Davis. He is a fine high school lineman and had a big part in Brandon Saine’s success. Davis moves well and is technically more sound than a good number of high school players. He has great feet and tenacity and has everything but the size colleges are looking for in an offensive lineman. He is only in the 255 range and they don’t think he can get much bigger without overloading his frame. I saw again in the playoffs and I have to disagree. I think he is big enough. Eastern Michigan has offered. We are seeing as many offensive linemen come out of the mighty MAC as we are quarterbacks. I think this could be another.

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75. ** Andy Wersel 6-0 229 DE/OLB Cincinnati Moeller Senior Update: There is a collection of players in Ohio this year like Andy Wersel, Joey D’Andrea from Upper Arlington, Dusty Snyder and Jafe Pitcock from Piqua, Justin Powell from Youngstown Boardman and Carson Byrd from TrotwoodMadison and all of them would likely not be on this list if not for so many teams going back to 34 defenses. They are not really big enough to play as 4-3 defenGH sive ends but not fast enough to play as outside linebackers in a 4-3. All of them fit the role of the standup DE/OLB in a 3-4 defense. Wersel may be the one that fits the role the best. He has speed with a combine timed 4.7 40. This is an active high motor player that seems to have that thing that we cannot define – a nose for the football. He had another dominating year coming up with better than 20 sacks and tackles for loss. When you look at the measurables (6-0, 229, 4.7) and the instincts you can’t teach, middle linebacker is a possibility. I would give him a look there. Wersel has committed to Western Michigan. Kent State and Ball State also offered. 76. ** Jafe Pitcock 6-3 250 DT Piqua Senior Update: I was fortunate to see Piqua several times this year. It was one of the most talented teams I have seen – just loaded with D-I talent. Ohio is chock full of good football players that lack ideal size. Pitcock is one of the best. He plays on the opposite side of another that fits that description in Dusty Snyder. They are the best tandem of defensive ends I have seen this year. Pitcock is a little bigger framed than Snyder. I think he could be a standup GH 3-4 defensive end but is probably better suited to add weight and slide down inside to tackle. Pitcock had an interception return for a touchdown in the Division II state title game. He plays with the same intensity as his All-American brother, Quinn, an Ohio State Buckeye senior tackle who is likely to be an NFL first round draft choice. Jafe has been up to a couple of Ohio State games but there is no offer forthcoming. He does have offers from Akron, Miami (Ohio), Kent State, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.

77. ** Mike Page 6-5 272 DT/OL Trotwood-Madison Senior Year: Mike Page settled in and had a really outstanding year. He was voted all-league, he got his weight down and, most importantly, got his grades together. This is something that coach Douglass is doing a great job with. He has turned the Trotwood-Madison program around and got the task of getting players eligible. Page has benefited greatly from this. He was always a big kid that could move well. I would at least try him as a defensive tackle in those days that freshman have the undivided attention of the coaches before the returning players come back. For a player with so little experience, he has pretty good technique. He stays low and fires out naturally. He will likely play at guard but there can never be too many good defensive tackles. Getting his grades in order is going to put him in position where he will be a name heard a lot in January. He will visit any number of MAC schools, with Eastern Michigan in good shape since several of his teammates are there. But Pitt is already showing interest and I suspect they will not be the first of the bigger name conference schools to come take a look after word gets out that Page is going to be a qualifier.

78. ** Shawn Sailor 6-7 300 OL Maple Heights Senior Update: Anybody that evaluates talent is going to see Shawn Sailor and ask for tape. He is specimen in the truest sense of the word. He has the longest arms and I would love to get a number on his wingspan. He is right around 300 pounds and is in great shape. He had so little weightroom work in his background but Maple Heights brought in Jeff Rotsky two years ago and he is weightroom fanatic. That is just a part of football as far as he is concerned. GH Sailor has good feet for such a raw kid. One of the key words that we use in this business is upside. Shawn Sailor’s potential is on another level. I would go so far as to say I might choose Sailor as the player with the most upside in the class. I would not have any problem saying he is the offensive lineman with the most upside. He has played so little football, last year really being his first, but had so many good moments this year. I think he could possibly be a left tackle – that is where he plays right now – but I suspect he gets looked at on the right side first. Buffalo and Southern have offered. Any number of schools are thinking about it. 79. ** Sean Fobbs 6-1 215 LB/S Miamisburg Senior Update: Fobbs is making his first appearance the top 100. He is another great tweener in Ohio this year. Fobbs is a safety in Miamisburg’s shifting 4-3/5-2 defense. He ends up playing a lot of the time at the line of scrimmage, but he does show very good ball skills, so he could play safety. But I think he is best close to the line of scrimmage. He has a body that will likely make a move to linebacker inevitable. There was quite a bit of interest in Fobbs over the summer as he visited West Virginia and was at Michigan State three different times. In the end, neither of those schools offered. I can only assume it was the question of what position he fits in. I can’t believe that either school decided he was not worth an offer. Kentucky, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Ohio University all did come in with offers but Fobbs chose the Akron Zips. This is a great get for J.D. Brookhart.

80. ** Frank Hokavar 6-5 225 DE Perry Senior Update: I have been asked questions by so many Ohio high school football fans that I have lost count with Hokavar. It has been some years that I have had a policy that I need to see every player that appears in the magazine. There was a time when a handful of respected contacts could convince me to add a player. The policy has proven to be one I have rarely come to regret. This is one of those rare instances. I finally got some tape on him and I now see why they were asking me about him. This is a big, agile and very physical player. He is the epitome of the expression ‘the shortest distance between two points is a straight line’. He plays tight end on offense but I don’t see him playing offense in college. He has a defensive player’s mentality. That is, if he goes to college. I know of no offers. If I had tape of him earlier, I am sure he would have something on the table. This kid plays the game like it is supposed to be played. No question in my mind he is a D-I talent. 81. ** Rocco Pentello 6-0 200 ATH Westerville South Senior Update: I got to see three Westerville South games this year. I had Rocco Pentello in the top 100 in the first issue of the year back in March and I should have left him in. I did not get camp numbers in time to keep him in. But he really opened some eyes at the Ohio State Senior Camp and ran a 4.45 40 and had a 33-inch vertical at the Columbus Nike combine.

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up This year he was nearly unstoppable on the football field. If football I.Q. was able to be measured, he would surely rate genius. He makes things happen as a quarterback and has enough arm. If I did such things as naming District Players of the Year, I would name Pentello the Central District Player of the Year. Pentello broke his ankle late in the year and the impact to the Westerville South team was devastating. Westerville South went into the game 6-0 but they lost the game he got injured in and lost four of their last six games, including a first round playoff GH loss. That shows how important he was to the Wildcats success. In seven games this year, Pentello was 78 of 120 passing for 1,120 yards. He also had over 1,000 yards rushing and was also his team’s leading tackler at the time of his injury, chalking up 46 tackles (39 solos) from his strong safety spot. Pentello threw for over 2,000 yards as a sophomore in 2004, when Westerville South went 10-2 and advanced to the second round of the Division I playoffs. As a junior, he completed 106 of 170 passes for 1,700 yards. He was getting some attention from college recruiters with Akron, Ball State, Cincinnati, Marshall, Toledo and Air Force all putting offers on the table. Ohio State came in with an offer in December and Pentello committed.

82. ** Jeff Spikes 6-7 320 OT Painesville Harvey Senior Update: Remember the name Jeff Spikes. This is a kid that has not played a lot of football. He was a varsity starter as a freshman but hurt his foot halfway through his sophomore year before a knee injury knocked him out for the remainder of the year. He then had a stress fracture in his foot which took his junior year of football and basketball away. He was concentrating on basketball until head coach Delvin Culliver came to Harvey and got him thinking about the opportunities that a player with his size and athleticism would have in football. He camped at Ohio State and opened some eyes. He would accept a Buckeye offer as soon as it was made. Until then, he is looking at Pittsburgh, Akron, Bowling Green, Illinois, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. He has taken visits to all schools that have offered as well as Pitt and Bowling Green. He will likely hold that last one open until he gets some idea of what Ohio State wants to do. The upside with this kid is unlimited. He is a diamond in the rough in the truest sense.

83. ** Gary Pride 5-8 170 ATH Cincinnati Colerain Senior Update: Gary Pride is making his first appearance in the top 100. There are some really fast players in this class. Brandon Saine is in a class of his own. After that there are a number of players to consider. Mark Wooldridge is lightning fast. Donnie Evege has a sub 4.4 40. But outside of Saine, Pride would get my vote for the fastest football player in Ohio. Over ten yards, he might be faster than Saine. He changes direction and does not lose speed and has an explosive first step. That is often the difference why one small player gets offers and others do not. Getting to top speed quickly is more important than top end speed. First a ball carrier has to get past someone before the top end speed really matters. Pride was going to be the Colerain quarterback but they found an underclassman in Doug Reynolds that could add some variety to their attack with his passing and he is an awfully good runner. That gave Colerain head coach Kerry Coombs the opportunity to use Pride as a ball carrier and a receiver.

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He camped at Akron and did not take long to accept an offer from the Zips. Where he ends up position-wise is still up in the air. The staff there will find some way to get his speed on the field. I am leaning towards wide receiver but I would bet he is going to share some carries whether lining up as a back or running end-arounds.

84. ** Kevin Koncelik 6-4 250 OG Cleveland St. Ignatius Senior Update: This is Koncelik’s first appearance in the top 100. I did not get a good look at him until very late in the year. I had a number of associates whose opinions I respect telling me I needed to see him. This is a good, solid football player. We think about quarterbacks and championships with Chuck Kyle but no coach does a better job of schooling linemen than he does. Just look at the roster of linemen he has produced. They are all over college football and there are several in the NFL including All-Pro LeCharles Bentley. Koncelik is so technically sound for a high school senior. He bends at the knees not at the waist. He plays really smart football and comes off the ball with some pop. He will be a fine guard at Miami (Ohio). He chose the RedHawks over Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Ohio University. He was getting some interest from bigger schools like Boston College but did not want to wait around and made his decision before the season started.

85. ** Ben Burkett 6-3 260 OL Toledo St. Johns Senior Update: This is Burkett’s first appearance in the top 100. I have had more people ask me why Ben Burkett was not in my top 100 before than any player in Ohio this year. I am used to hearing that and 99 times out of 100 it is someone who is a relative or friend of a player or a fan of a school and their best player. This time it was someone, actually several people that I have respect for as far as their opinion of football talent. Burkett is a fine football player. He is strong at the point of attack and tenacious. He has a high football I.Q. and is a technically sound player. I think his size is why more of the Big Ten schools have not come calling but Northwestern has come in with an offer. Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Kent State, Toledo, Ohio and Miami (Ohio) have come in with offers. He is definitely an inside player. He played both center and guard this year after spending most of his high school career at tackle.

86. ** John Wells 5-9 175 CB Youngstown Liberty Senior Update: The report of a verbal to Syracuse appears to not be true. Maybe it was just a mix-up because Wells looks and plays like a smaller version of his teammate Ryan Gillum, who is committed to the Orangemen. Wells is just as tough as Gillum. He plays his cornerback position like a linebacker. He is utterly fearless, and very physical. Wells is one of the best corners on the ball in the state of Ohio. He possesses tremendous leaping ability. On clip after clip of his tape he goes up against taller players and makes a play on the ball. His size is probably the reason he does not have a more impressive offer list. With his speed, great feet, leaping ability and tenacity he does not have to take a backseat to any cornerback in Ohio.

87. ** Mike Madsen 6-5 275 OL Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Senior Update: Madsen is one of the better offensive linemen in Ohio. Cardinal Mooney has put together an impressive group of skill players but it is linemen like him that make it happen.

He has a great frame and has kept himself in really good shape. That is killing a lot of linemen these days. They think they need to be bigger. They eat badly and lift weights. They add some muscle but mostly they add unnecessary weight. Madsen has not done that. He has really good feet and plays to the whistle. He had an impressive list of schools contacting him early in the process. That list included the likes of Syracuse, Illinois, Pitt and Northwestern but Mike did not want to wait around. He gave Miami (Ohio) a big win early in the recruiting process by making his pledge in late June.

88. ** Josh Herron 5-10 185 ATH Monroe Lemon-Monroe Senior Update: Herron is making his first appearance in the top 100. He would certainly have been in the top 100 all year if I had known about him before. He is one of the more electric players in the class of 2007. Herron has excellent hands and is as elusive after the catch as any player in Ohio. He has a reported 4.5 40. After seeing him on tape I am sure that number is accurate but his quickness is what stands out to me. He can stop and change direction on a dime. He is one of those players that is worth an offer simply to run back kicks. I keep hearing talk of him being a corner, the last bastion of the small player, but with all the spread offenses, I think there is still a place for smaller receivers like Herron. He has offers from Cincinnati, Indiana and Miami (Ohio). He has been an invitee to West Virginia but no offer on the table yet. I wish I had found him earlier. I think he would have even more options if I had a chance to get his name out there earlier. 89. ** Terrence White 6-1 180 WR/CB Pickerington Central Senior Update: It never really came together for White this year. When players can come back and when they should come back are two completely different things. With modern science, players can come back from major knee injuries in as little as six months. I have yet to see one at any level be effective in that short period of time. It has been about a year for White but this is something I pay attention to, players returning from knee injuries and 18 months is about the average time for returning to form. White has offers from Miami (Ohio), Akron and Central Michigan. He would love to get an offer from the Cincinnati Bearcats to play alongside his best friend Chazz Anderson but that offer has not come as of yet. This is a player that is at least a four star and possibly a five star player if he ever puts the injury behind him so someone could score a major coup. 90. ** Ishmaa’ily Kitchen 6-3 310 OL Cardinal Mooney Senior Update: Kitchen is a dominating player at the point of attack. He blows people off the line of scrimmage. He has quick feet and could not be more nimble but he is a real powerhouse. None of that really matters. He knew what he needed to do off the field and has not taken care of business. There are questions about his GH grades but just as important is the weight. He is in the 315-320 range which is just too big for a player in the 6-2 or 6-3 range. If he had gotten his weight down to about 280 I think someone takes a chance on him even with his grade problems. We all know about the skill players at Cardinal Mooney. Without a talent like Kitchen in front of them they would not be putting up the numbers and

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up despite being way too heavy speaks volumes about what kind of talent Kitchen is. 91. * Garrett Celek 6-5 230 OT Cincinnati LaSalle Senior Update: This was not a real contest as far as recruiting is concerned. Garrett’s brother is already a Cincinnati Bearcat, and quite a good one. However, Celek decided to follow Mark Dantonio to Michigan State after the former UC coach took the Spartans head coaching job.. There are a couple of GH things that stand out about Celek. He is built long and lean but he has a big frame. I think he can get into the 280 range. He is a very athletic, big kid and such a battler. I saw him taking on larger players on a regular basis and winning most of the time but the thing that stood out was he was never going to quit. So often blocking is about tenacity and Celek has grit to spare.

92. * J’Keem Waters 6-0 240 FB Canton South Senior Update: Waters had a great senior season after being academically ineligible as a junior. He could very well be the best blocking full back in Stark County since Jamar Martin. He rushed for nearly 600 yards as a senior and played well at defensive end when called upon to do so. Waters matured greatly as a senior and was honored by being named captain of the team. He is doing well in the classroom but will probably have to go the JUCO route for college. Waters is a very unselfish player who has the talent to be a D-I recruit. He played at 240 pounds and was a battering ram for Canton South.

93. * Alex Kaufman 6-2 220 LB West Chester Lakota West Senior Update: Kaufman is an underrated player. Whenever I see him on tape, I notice how smart he is as a football player and the little things he does to help his team be better. He is a thinking man’s football player. Kaufman is adept at pass coverage, something most high school linebackers need to learn before they make an impact on the college level. He has some nice combine numbers with a sub 4.8 40, a 4.25-shuttle and a 31.2-inch vertical. He goes about his business quietly and effectively and has done the same thing with recruiting. He does not have as many offers as other players but the top of his list would be one that a lot of other players would be happy to trade for. He has offers from Minnesota, North Carolina State and Northwestern. He has not set up any visits yet to my knowledge. 94. * Fred Hale 6-3 230 DE/LB Mentor Senior Update: Hale is appearing for the first time in the top 100. I saw Mentor a couple of times this year. Steve Matas is a great looking player but the other kid that really stood out to me was Fred Hale. He is such a raw prospect but he has a tremendous body. He could play as a 3-4 outside linebacker or add weight and be a 4-3 defensive end. I think he could play the middle. I saw the first game of the year against Glenville and the body stood out to me. I saw Mentor later in the year and his play stood out to me. He is really now just starting to come into his own. I really like his upside. He runs great and plays hard. Hale has an offer

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from Florida Atlantic and a number of MAC schools are considering offering him.

95. * Charles Babb 5-10 180 ATH Alliance Senior Update: Babb rewrote the Stark County record books for quarterback production finishing as the all-time leader in yardage and TD passes for a career. Threw for over 1,900 yards and threw 29 TD passes, with only 5 interceptions. That is quite an accomplishment in a tradition-rich area. He led the Aviators back to the playoffs after missing out last year as a junior. He is also a fine defensive back. Babb is a very effective as a runner when escaping the pocket and can make plays on the run. A four-year starter at quarterback, Charles also excels in the classroom. He will be a college player and is still waiting on offers. He also plays basketball and runs track.

96. * Bryant Thomas 6-1 185 QB/WR Cincinnati Withrow Senior Update: Nothing has changed for Thomas. He continues to get looks and he continues to hear that he is on the list of any number of schools. Thomas had another strong year on the field but the offer list remains just Eastern Kentucky. He has decent size and enough speed for wide receiver. He is such a smart player and has performed well no matter what his role has been. It seems the problem goes back to deciding what position he will play. Go back to the sophomore tape and see how much a problem he was for defenses as a receiver. That should speak volumes about what position he plays. This is just another player that will make me remember this class as the year of the tweener. A lot of good football players that just weren’t big enough for one position, or fast enough for another. 97. * Patrick McClellan 6-4 190 ATH Cincinnati Moeller Senior Update: It was a tough senior year for Patrick McClellan. He needed a big year and injuries had a major impact. I am a believer in the athlete’s first philosophy of recruiting. That means that, ideally, a prospect is a great athlete and great player, too. Next in line is the great athlete. Coaches believe in taking the great athlete then coaching him into a great player. If a coach believes that, he needs to get himself out to Moeller High School and offer a scholarship to McClellan. McClellan is one of the best athletes in this class. He is a 6-4 kid that is athletic enough to be a high school corner. I love the way he attacks ball carriers. I think he could be a fine safety or even grow into a linebacker. He has that kind of frame. He has an independent electronically timed 4.72 40, a 4.12 shuttle and a 37.8-inch vertical. Not many players can match those numbers. Nobody played a tougher level of competition than Moeller. McClellan is a much underrated athlete in my opinion. In time he could be a fine player. 98. * Ryan Travis 6-3 205 RB/LB Massillon Tuslaw Senior Update: Travis is making his first appearance in the top 100. Travis is the most underrated football player in Stark County. He did it all for Division IV Tuslaw in leading the team to the playoffs and to the first league title in school history. Travis rushed for 1,280 yards and scored 26 TDs. He is getting attention from Ashland, Youngstown State and Mount Union. He might be a step slow but is a smart, tough and intense football player. He never leaves the field and is probably the greatest player in Tuslaw history. He could be a linebacker at the next level, but is a clock-burning running back that runs over people and

gets stronger as the game progresses. 99. * Clay Beeler 6-1 230 LB Chillicothe Senior Update: Beeler is making his first appearance in the top 100. I took another look at Beeler this season after he transferred to Chillicothe to improve his level of competition. That was a big issue with him previously. It was very difficult to evaluate him based on his opposition. Any school looking for an inside linebacker should do what I did and take another look. He is a better player, period. He looks bigger, but leaner and faster. He was always a very physical and very smart player. Beeler showed a different motor in the new film I have of him. He was chasing plays down the field. On one play, he chases a wide receiver down after he catches a slant. That was an impressive turn of speed but he made a great play, stripping the receiver of the ball instead of just tackling him. He is a very good run stopper, stepping into the hole and taking on blockers at the point of attack, and often making the tackle. Beeler is definitely a much improved player that deserves a second look. He had an impressive 158 tackles and 15 tackles for loss as a senior. He is not the kind of player that leaps out at you but every team needs players like Beeler.

100. *** Dan Ifft 6-3 180 WR Dover Senior Update: Ifft is a textbook example of just how important the measurables are with recruiting. He is a player that brings skills to the table that very few can match. If this was just about football skills, Ifft would have so many offers he would have to get a storage unit to keep them all. He shows no signs of being shy of contact and has such tremendous ball skills and hands. So far, however, he has not shown the speed that is so important these days, and more importantly, to his position. A college program could bring him in and move him to safety if he shows he cannot create space. Ifft hooked up with Perci Garner for some huge numbers -- 114 catches for 1,822 yards (16.0 average) and 19 GH TDs. In his career, Ifft had 264 catches for 4,172 yards and scored 45 TDs. As a junior, Ifft led Ohio with 92 catches for 1,506 yards (16.4 average) during the regular season. He has verbaled to Ball State. 101. ***** Anthony “Dewey” Elliot 6-0 235 LB Fairfield Senior Update: I do not know what kind of year Elliott had. Getting information has been very difficult, and with his grade situation, there was really no good reason to put in a great deal of effort to get an update. It is one of those cases that makes me shake my head. Elliott is one of the most physically impressive players in this class. I have been asked where I would play him. He is such a physical player and has the body so you think he would be better inside but he has the speed and the range to be an GH outside player so I would want to play him out there where he has the chance to make the big plays. He is such a great player that despite little chance of being a qualifier I am leaving him in the top 101. If qualified, he is a top-10 player. He is one of those players like Antwan Hight (Canton McKinley) that will one day be part of a story I will do about the best players I have ever seen.

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Top 100 Seniors Round-Up

Others to watch

Bernie Agnew 6-0 Billy Alexander 5-10 Joshua Anderson 5-10 Robert Anderson 6-1 David Beck 6-2 Matt Beggin 5-11 Pat Bellish 6-3 Wendell Blue 6-3 Zach Boedicker 6-1 Barrett Brooks 6-4 Robert Brown 6-8 Chase Burge 6-3 Lewis Buzzard 6-7 George Carpenter 5-11 Bryant Clark 5-11 Matt Clark 6-3 Zak Clark 6-4 Zach Collaros 6-1 A.J. Combest 5-11 Josh Copeland 6-1 Brian Cramb 6-3 Ryan Curry 5-10 Dan Dario 6-2 Jake Davis 5-10 Marquan Davis 6-5 DeMarco Dawkins 6-0 Pete DeCapua 6-0 Kevin Deters 6-3 Brady DeMell 6-3 Jay Edwards 6-3 Marcus English 6-2 Bryson Faggs 5-10 Joe Flading 6-4 Wendell Ford 5-11 Trey Foulkes 6-5 Bryant Fox 6-1 Zach Furlong 6-6 Joe Gilford 5-7 Matt Glove 6-3 Justin Grifits 6-3 Michael Grubenhoff 6-3 Darren Gunn 6-3 Eric Haislah 5-9 Scooter Hargate 6-2 David Harsch 5-10 Patrick Hennessey 6-1 Tomaz Hilton 6-3 Don Houser 5-11 Marcus Houston 6-4 Craig Hoying 6-3

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WR Columbus Africentric RB New Carlisle Tecumseh CB/TB Col. Marion-Franklin QB Upper Arlington LB/FB Paulding S Lima Senior DE/TE Canfield OL Cincinnati Withrow S/QB Macedonia Nordonia OT Galloway Westland OL Cincinnati Winton Woods LB Lancaster Fairfield Union TE Co. Franklin Heights ATH Lancaster CB Dayton Meadowdale LB Cincinnati McNicholas LB/TE Grove City QB/DB Steubenville RB Clayton Northmont S Fairborn OL Youngstown Boardman RB/DB Youngstown Ursuline LB Akron Hoban RB Cincinnati Anderson ATH Youngstown Rayen RB Lockland LB Richmond Heights TE Cincinnati Moeller DT Mentor QB/ATH Nelsonville York DB Trotwood-Madison TB Marion Harding OL Cincinnati Anderson TB Troy OT Columbus East S Piqua ATH Xenia WR Huber Heights Wayne DT/OL Canfield OL Sydney ATH Delphos St. John DT Trotwood-Madison CB Cleveland Glenville QB Girard LB Warren Harding LB Cleveland St. Ignatius WR/S Youngstown Rayen DB Fairborn OT Columbus Brookhaven LB Anna

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Shadoe Joiner Maurice Jones Ted Jones Kevin Kawalski J.P. Krill Zak Kristan Joe Lamb Brian Lane Bobby LaRosa John Lee Caleb Lipsey

6-0 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-0 6-3 Derek Lingenfelter 6-2 Mike Linger 6-2 Jeff Lucas 6-3 Nick Marino 6-2 Vince Martin 6-3 Eddie Mason 5-10 Blake McCroskey 6-5 Tim Nelloms 6-3 R.J. Peake 5-11 David Peary 6-5 Justin Powell 6-1 Demario Pleasant 5-10 Alex Okafor 6-2 Jahan Olyaie 6-2 Corey Pigg 6-3 Evan Pilsbury 6-5 Ernest Pitts 5-11 Andy Poe 6-2 Tarik Raed 6-1 Brandon Ramsey 6-1 Makkenon Rice 5-9 Andrew Robiskie 6-1 Austin Robitzer 6-4 Chris Schneider 6-3 Nathan Sharp 6-4 Steve Slade 6-0 Spencer Smith 6-3 Jamarro Spikes 5-11 Jason Stiel 6-3 Kendall Stinson 5-8 Geno Sturdivant 5-9 Jason Sutherland 5-11 Nathan Toney 6-5½ Marcus Vaughn 6-1 Myshan Veasley-Pettis 5-9 Cameron Wade 6-3 Mike Welker 6-6 Rafit Wheeler 5-11 Freddy Williams 6-0 Patrick Williams 6-2 Anthony Wright 5-11 Joel Younkins 6-2 Matt Zimmerman 6-4

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LB/TB Whitehall-Yearling S Youngstown Ursuline DE/TE Akron Buchtel C Macedonia Nordonia ATH Vermillion QB Dublin Coffman QB Waynesville LB Cincinnati Moeller S/LB Avon S Cincinnati Withrow DT/OL Cincinnati Sycamore LB/FB Lima Shawnee LB W. Chester Lakota West LB Lakewood St. Edward LB Urbana WR Springfield South S Cleveland Glenville TE/OL Chaminade-Julienne WR Col. Marion-Franklin CB Akron Buchtel DT/OL Lancaster DE/OLB Youngstown Boardman TB Cincinnati Northwest WR Cincinnati Finneytown WR Cincinnati Anderson OG Middletown TE/DE Vandalia Butler RB Akron Buchtel LB Cincinnati Reading LB Lakewood St. Edward WR Middletown TB Toledo Woodward C Chagrin Falls OT Lancaster QB Findlay OT Beloit West Branch S Youngstown Rayen LB/TE Cincinnati Colerain TB Ashtabula Lakeside LB Reynoldsburg CB Newark S/LB Cleveland Glenville WR Vandalia Butler OL W. Chester Lakota West LB/DE Dayton Meadowdale CB/WR Toledo Rogers C/DT Bedford Chanel OG Lancaster WR Cincinnati Withrow LB Fairborn TB/LB Cincinnati Elder QB Maple Heights LB Hubbard OL Warren Howland

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Top Juniors Round-Up

have gotten a better look at this class than any other since I have been evaluating players so I fell confident about ranking them this early. Dublin Coffman offensive tackle Mike Adams is one of those rare talents. So is Canton South running back/linebacker DeVoe Torrence. I am tempted to put them as co- number ones but I will refrain for the time being. I see Torrence as a linebacker but there is some good tape out there of him as a running back that if he were getting 20 carries a game he might get as many offers as a back as he will as a linebacker. Youngstown Mooney QB/DB Dan McCarthy is coming off a dominating junior year, one that brought him offers from Ohio State and Notre Dame. Watch out for Washington C.H. Miami Trace linebacker Nathan Williams. He is a small school kid with major talent. This is a linebacker class that will not soon be forgotten. I like the offensive linemen, too. This class is not as deep as it was in 2006 but certainly the top drawer talent is comparable. I am looking forward to seeing some of the tape of the defensive lineman and I like what I am hearing from coaches about their receivers. We will have our first detailed Class of 2008 top 100 list and bios in the May issue (due out in April). In the meantime, here is a look at the top juniors emerging in Ohio:

1. Mike Adams 6-8 305 OL Dublin Coffman I will borrow a phrase from Steve Helwagen who made the comment, “It only took five plays to realize he was the real deal.” Adams helped lead Coffman to a 9-4 record and a berth in the Division I regional finals. Adams had offers from Ohio State and many others.

2. DeVoe Torrance 6-2 215 LB Canton South In the last issue, I said all he needed was to get his grades in order and he would be top five. He could be the best player from Stark County since Mike Doss. His team went 8-4 and reached the second round of the Division III playoffs. At running back, he had 981 yards

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STORY BY DUANE LONG

rushing, 645 yards receiving and scored 17 TDs. On defense, he had 127 tackles, 1 INT, three fumbles recovered and six sacks.

3. Brandon Moore 6-6 230 TE Trotwood-Madison He has the most impressive list of offers for any player in the junior class.

4. Dan McCarthy 6-0 180 S Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Early season form brought an offer from the Buckeyes. Absolutely dominated games as the year went on, helping Mooney go 14-0 and win the Division IV state title. He had over 1,500 yards rushing this season. 5. Nathan Williams 6-4 235 DE/LB Washington CH Miami Trace All the talk was about Williams being a high school defensive end but I would start him off right where he is right now in high school, middle linebacker. He had 149 tackles (67 solos), 23 TFLs and five sacks as a junior.

6. Zebrie Sanders 6-6 265 OL Clayton Northmont The only bad thing about Sanders is he came along the same year as Mike Adams. He helped Northmont go 8-3 and reach the Division I playoffs. 7. Brandon Beachum 6-1 220 LB/RB Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Injuries have had a big impact on his junior year but he holds numerous offers, including Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Nebraska, Iowa State, Miami (Ohio) and others.

8. Michael Zordich 6-1 220 LB Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Zordich showed this year he is a great player. Some have looked at him as a strong safety, but he seems to be growing into the linebacker spot. He had 10 tackles and two fumbles forced in Mooneyʼs D-IV state championship game win. 9. Johnny Adams 5-11 170 CB/WR Akron Buchtel In a class full of linemen, this is the one special skill player. He ran back nine kicks and interceptions for touchdowns as a sophomore.

10. Jamiihr Williams 6-1 210 LB Lima Senior Williams played as a rush linebacker until this year when he played more as a 4-3 outside linebacker.

11. Justin Staples 6-4 220 LB Lakewood St. Edward He could completely shakeup the linebacker rankings by the time it really matters. 12. Steve Yoak 6-2 210 LB Akron Hoban This is one to watch. Others are getting the headlines but this is a hard nosed player with the kind of speed every school in the country covets.

13. Nic DiLillo 6-5 220 TE Madison DiLillo is athletic enough to play as a wide receiver and saw some time there last year. He had 46 catches as a junior. He is very raw. DiLillo attended Akron, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Michigan and Pittsburgh camps at their request. He ended up chatting with Michigan coach Lloyd Carr after the Michigan camp.

The Next Dozen or so (in no particular order):

Kyle Rudolph 6-6 210 TE Cincinnati Elder Great looking big athlete. Earned an early offer from the Buckeyes. Notre Dame is also heavily involved. Jake Current 6-4 260 OL Troy Won best offensive lineman award at the Ohio State camp this summer for the second year in a row.

Tanereus Collins 5-11 195 RB Centerville At this early stage Collins is looking like he will be the most heavily recruited back in the class. He tallied 17 TDs as a junior in 2006.

Salvador Battles 6-0 205 TB/QB Youngstown Rayen Right now, Battles is one of the top two skill players in this class. He is not ideal quarterback size but has a big arm. He is better when he tucks it and runs. Dominique Britt 6-5 190 QB Trotwood-Madison Britt runs and throws very well. He is similar to former Glenville quarterback and Iowa Hawkeye commit Arvelle Nelson. Britt completed 151 of 282 passes for 2,572 yards with 21 TDs and 13 INTs during the regular season in 2006. Shawntel Rowell 6-4 350 DT/OL Cleveland Glenville That he even makes this list at his current weight speaks volumes about what kind of talent he is.

DeVier Posey 6-3 180 WR Cincinnati LaSalle Big play receiver, smooth, athletic and good size.

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Top Juniors Round-Up Eric Simmons 6-3 275 OG Cleveland Glenville Every school is going to have to decide if he is a better defensive tackle or a guard. He will get offers for both.

Walt Stewart 6-5 210 DE Columbus Franklin Heights 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 interception.

Justin Brown 6-4 210 DE Youngstown Ursuline Brown is an impressive physical specimen, is highly athletic and plays hard on both sides of the ball. Taylor Hill 6-2 215 LB Yʼtown Cardinal Mooney Everyone went to see Beachum and Zordich. A lot came away talking about this kid.

Jeff White 5-9 185 RB Alliance White carried 88 times for 529 yards (6.0 average) and 4 TDs in 2006. Has an entirely different level of speed and is winning local power lifting competitions.

T.J. White 6-3 240 ATH Troy White could be a defensive end, tight end or a linebacker. This is a big kid that can run and there are never too many of them. A college should get him in and then worry about his position D.J. Woods 6-0 175 WR Strongsville Woods came away with most observers saying he was the best receiver at the Elite Skills camp in Cleveland. Daren Youngberg 6-1 175 S Clayton Northmont Scouts went to Northmont last year to see Kurt Coleman and came away talking about Youngberg.

Here are more prospects in Ohio’s Class of 2008: Quarterbacks

Quarterbacks 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 of 2007 but he did not even start until his junior year. Jason Albertini 6-2 190 QB Vandalia Butler Albertini is showing poise and accuracy at this early stage. He threw for 1,264 yards and 8 TDs in 2006. Juandez Brown 6-3 180 QB Cincinnati Withrow Daylin Campbell6-2 195 QB Kenton Campbell completed 167 of 323 passes for 2,921 yards in 2005. Colton Cattani 6-2 180 QB Liberty Twp. Lakota East Kyle Corbin 6-2 190 QB Lehman Catholic Zach Domicone 6-1 185 QB Beavercreek Justin Hemm 6-0 175 QB/Ath Piqua Likely not a quarterback at the next level but he has to play somewhere.

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Talent Pool

Linebacker Brandon Beachum is one of multiple juniors at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney who figure to end up with numerous D-I offers. Others include Dan McCarthy, Michael Zordich and Taylor Hill.

Photo by Gary Housteau

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Top Juniors Round-Up Ryan Hughes 6-2 200 QB Carroll Bloom-Carroll Hughes completed 239 of 388 passes for 2,788 yards in 2005. Followed that up by completing 217 of 378 passes for 2,706 yards in 2006. Marc Kanetsky 6-0 175 QB Hubbard Kanetsky is lightning quick with a rifle arm and a quick release. He bears an uncanny resem blance to Doug Flutie as a player. Russ Oltorik 6-1 185 QB Cincinnati Moeller Shane Porter 6-1 175 QB Portsmouth Tough kid that can run and throw. Patrick Ryan 6-2 170 QB Cleveland St. Ignatius

Running B acks

This 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 a Morgan Williams-type player and is having to wait his turn behind a great upperclassman in Brian Gamble. Crockett is an elusive and athletic talent. Battles is definitely head of the class.

Sir Abernathy 5-9 180 TB Cincinnati Withrow Abernathy rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman. Darius Ashley 5-9 170 TB Cincinnati St. Xavier Ashley started as a sophomore and doing so in a program like St. Xavier speaks volumes. He runs a lot bigger than his size. He had 1,653 yards and 26 TDs on 253 carries for St. Xʼs 15-0 state championship team. He ended up with roughly 1,200 yards in 2006. Dominique Chandler 6-2 210 TB/LB Franklin Heights Chandler rushed for 700 yards last year and six touchdowns in his first year as a starter in a new offense. He has a 280-pound bench and 400pound squat and could be a linebacker in time. Chris Crockett 5-9 180 TB Columbus Academy Crockett rushed for 1,682 yards and scored 33 TDs during the regular season in 2006. Larry 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 household name. Keith Herring 5-11 185 TB Massillon Washington The only negative about Herring is he happens t o be in the same backfield as top-20 senior Brian Gamble. He averaged 7 yards a carry last year when given the opportunity. Anthony Hitchens 5-10 170 RB Chillicothe Chevis Jackson 6-0 200 RB Cincinnati Finneytown Drew Jones 5-10 180 TB Wadsworth Jones had 1,972 yards and 17 TDs during the regular season in 2006. Fred Newet TB Lyndhurst Brush Kendell Owens 5-7 165 TB Cincinnati LaSalle Ismael Pope 5-9 180 TB Cincinnati Withrow Bruce Parker 6-1 200 TB Sandusky Michael Shaw 5-11 185 RB Kettering Alter Could be a receiver with his size and 10.6 speed. Travis Smith 5-10 190 RB East Cleveland Shaw

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Eric Stoyanoff 5-10 195 RB Strongsville Stoyanoff is a punishing runner with a take-noprisoners style. He rushed for over 1,700 yards last year, averaging 171 per game, against a high level of competition. Gary Thornton 5-9 190 RB Youngstown Rayen Powerful runner with quick feet and a great work ethic. Les Tabor 5-10 220 FB/LB Niles McKinley Damon Taylor 5-10 170 TB Fairfield Dwaine Thomas 5-11 185 RB Warren Howland Dorian West 5-9 205 TB/LB Cincinnati Princeton Paris Wicks 5-9 175 RB Akron Ellet

W ide Recei v ers

No player has clearly stepped up as a dominant player but there are plenty of candidates. There is size and speed and the progress of this group should be interesting. It could turn out to be a very good class. Teddy Robb and Eric Magnacca are the top kids right now. Jordan Bell 5-11 180 WR Barberton Bakari Bussey 6-0 175 WR Lakota West Bussey is the he son of former Bengal defen sive back Dexter Bussey. He could end up being a defensive back like his dad. Two opposing coaches singled him out as the best player on the field. Phllip Barnett 6-1 175 WR Middletown Kendal Coleman 6-0 185 WR Hillsboro Jeff Davis 6-1 175 WR/QB Springfield North Trey Fairchild 5-10 175 WR Dublin Coffman A great time this summer will change every thing for him. Makes a lot of big plays. He had 36 catches for 651 yards (18.1 average) during the regular season in 2006. Will Fleming 6-4 190 WR Akron Hoban Fleming repped at quarterback in 2006, throwing for nearly 1,000 yards. Torrieal Gibson 5-9 140 WR/CB Cleveland Glenville Eric 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 sopho more. Isaiah Mincy 6-0 160 WR Cincinnati Withrow Kenny Stafford 6-2 180 WR Columbus DeSales Nephew of former Buckeye Cris Carter. Marquis Powell 6-5 185 WR Cincinnati LaSalle Big kid that can run. First year of football. Hurt in week 6. Josh Richardson 6-4 180 WR Dublin Scioto School record holder in the high jump. Brother of Buckeye DE Jay Richardson. Teddy Robb 6-1 175 WR Canal Fulton Northwest Robb is the go-to receiver in a top flight pro

gram. He has track speed, great hands and is tough enough to go over the middle. He per formed well at Ohio State and Akron's camps. Robb has a great future. He had 45 catches for 653 yards and 6 TDs in 2006. Roy Roundtree 6-2 160 WR/S Trotwood-Madison Has coach Maurice Douglas so excited he is calling him TG3 for Ted Ginn the third. He had 43 catches for 726 yards (16.9 average) and 7 TDs in 2006. Antuwan Rucker 5-10 160 WR/CB Warren Harding Cordale Scott 6-3 175 ATH Cleveland Glenville If he runs well this off-season, his stock will go through the roof. Brandin Solomon 5-11 170 WR Cincinnati Withrow Clay Swigert 6-0 170 WR/DB Louisville Swigert played some varsity as a freshman and was a starter as a sophomore. He is playmaker on offense and very steady on defense. He is a smart player for someone so young. Anthony Steplight WR Garfield Heights Steplight had 44 catches for 652 yards and 4 TDs. Matt Wakulchik 6-1 175 WR/DB North Canton Hoover Wakulchik is a nice looking athlete for Hoover coach Donny Hertler. He has good hands and great awareness at DB. He saved the GlenOak game last year by intercepting Mike Hartline in the end zone. Wakulchik is a smart, tough foot ball player and has 4.6-second speed in the 40. He won the best wide receiver award at Ohio State camp last summer. He had 31 catches for 421 yards and 7 TDs in 2006. Tyler Walker 5-10 145 WR/DB Hamilton Ray West 5-7 170 WR Springfield South Kendall Woodard 6-2 190 WR Dayton Dunbar

Tight Ends

What a year for tight ends. Two in the top 20 and any of these others could join them. DiLillo averaged 4 catches a game. Stoneburner is as athletic as most of the wide receivers.

Christian Hanna 6-3 237 TE/DE Cleveland Benedictine Invited down to several Ohio State games. Great blocker. Tom Klempin 6-7 190 TE Pickerington Central Jake Stoneburner 6-5 215 TE/WR Dublin Coffman Stoneburner is a great hurdler and we are see ing hurdlers show well on the football field recently. Very athletic and good hands. He had 43 catches for 615 yards in the regular season in 2006.

Of f ens i ve Linem en

Could 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 are usually the last to surface. That so many kids are showing this well early bodes well for the class. Isaac Anderson 6-4 290 OG Upper Sandusky Anderson 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

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Top Juniors Round-Up

Defensive Linemen

This is a very promising crop of lineman. Rowell is already a special athlete at tackle, but defensive end is where this class is showing potential for a deep and talented class. There are a handful of long tall athletic kids that are showing well at this early stage. All the tight ends could be included here, especially White and Hanna. Chandler Burden 6-5 250 DE Cincinnati LaSalle John Hiles 6-3 255 DE Columbus DeSales Zack Leimberger 6-2 215 DE West Chester Lakota West Chad Maynard 6-3 290 DT Lancaster Dan McClendon 6-3 280 DT Columbus Walnut Ridge Matt 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 Withrow Steven Thomas 6-2 230 DL/OL East Cleveland Shaw Maurice Watts 6-3 235 DT Middletown Dawawn 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.

Linebackers

With so many linemen showing so well early, this linebacker class is getting overlooked. It is looking better than the Class of 2006 at this early point. Thaddeus Gibson, Ross Homan and Tyler

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Centerville junior David Flemming plays quarterback but his future is at defensive back.

bench and a 400-pound squat as a sophomore. Jewone Snow 6-2 205 LB Canton McKinley Mike Spooner 6-2 212 LB Lakewood St. Edward Spooner is the next great one out of the out standing St. Edward program. Matt Vick 6-0 180 LB Massillon Perry Vick played varsity for the Panthers. He is prob ably a linebacker, but he could surprise at quar terback. He is a great athlete. has great quick ness and is as tough as nails. Dean Walker 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati LaSalle Trevante Wallace 6-2 220 LB Columbus Brookhaven Isaac Washington 6-2 240 LB Trotwood-Madison Washington ran a 4.7-second 40 at the Ohio State camp last year. He benches 350-pounds and is a true Mike. Kirk Wetherell 6-2 195 LB Marietta

Defens iv e Backs

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Brown showed well at the U.S. Army AllAmerican junior combine. Demicus Brown 6-5 315 OT Hamilton Could play some defense this fall. Brad Bednar 6-4 ½ 230 OL Mentor Reggie Comeaux 6-4 310 OL Massillon Washington Comeaux worked his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore late in the year for the state runner-up Tigers and is looking like a potential star. Vince Carter 6-4 270 OL Clayton Northmont Jared Emerson 6-5 275 OL Youngstown Mooney Tim German 6-6 280 OL Newark Licking Valley Matt Greiser 6-5 305 OL Columbus Watterson Phillip Manley 6-4 305 OG Hamilton Only 16 years old. Matt Mihalik 6-7 270 OT/DE Gilmour Academy Gabe Patten 6-4 240 OL West Chester Lakota West Andrew Phalen 6-4 240 OL West Chester Lakota West Chip Robinson 6-6 345 OT Middletown Robinson is a huge kid that should have trouble putting one foot in front of the other at this early stage considering his size. Coach Johnson wants to get his weight down and that should help his development. Eric Sluszka 6-4 290 OT Westerville North Grady Spidell 6-4 305 OL Akron North Blaec Walker 6-4 310 OG Middletown

Moeller didnʼt even show this well this early like Zordich, Torrence, Beachum, Nathan Williams, Jahmihr Williams and Steve Yoak are.

Fred Craig 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati St. Xavier Others have better measurables but this Craig finds the ball and makes plays like no other. Dominque Chandler 6-2 215 LB/RB Columbus Franklin Heights Kevin Dahl 6-1 205 LB North Canton Hoover Early invitee to the Army All-American junior combine. Steve Hangehold 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati Elder Chaz King 6-2 205 LB Cincinnati Winton Woods J.J. Lasic 6-2 200 LB Mentor Mike Latessa 6-1 190 LB Cincinnati Sycamore Grant Lewis 6-1 200 LB Westerville North Emmitt Lydon 6-2 225 LB Cleveland St. Ignatius Damien Macintosh 6-3 205 LB Hamilton Kevin Moore 6-1 210 LB Clayton Northmont Moore started at fullback last year. He will be moved to linebacker to take advantage of his athleticism. Anthony Tolbert 6-5 220 TE Cincinnati Winton Woods Ray Parry 6-1 225 FB/FB Maumee Durand Robinson 6-2 215 LB Fremont Ross Robinson started all 10 games as a sophomore and earned All-Greater Buckeye Conference honors. Josh Spillman 6-1 220 LB Franklin Heights Spillman is a powerful kid with a 300-pound

The defensive backs position is another good looking position for the Class of 2008.

D.J. Brown 5-11 175 CB West Chester Lakota West Brown is a super athletic kid that quietly goes about being the best cover corner in the Class of 2008. Jeremy Ebert 6-0 170 DB Hilliard Darby Also a standout quarterback. Jimmy Ferguson 6-0 195 S/TB Barberton David Fleming 5-11 200 DB Centerville Great athlete. Plays quarterback only because they need him there. A sure D-I talent. Berchard Hines 5-10 175 CB Cleveland Glenville Lamonte Lattimore 5-11 170 CB Cincinnati Winton Woods Brandon Mingo 5-8 150 CB Canton McKinley Andrew Strauss 6-1 190 S West Chester Lakota West Isaiah Thompson 5-10 165 CB Columbus Bishop Hartley Joshua Smith 6-3 170 S Cincinnati Withrow Ryan Smoot 5-8 176 DB Africentric Tough, smart and highly motivated kid that will be a success no matter what he does. Kenny Veal 5-11 175 CB Hamilton Rushed for 750 yards in 5 games but projects as a corner. Mike Willey 6-0 170 CB Miamisburg Always moved to the side where the opponents best receiver was lined up. Brandon Williams 5-9 180 CB Lakewood St. Edward Clocked at 10.8 in the 100 as a sophomore. If he were bigger, he would be at least top 20

Speci ali s ts

Ben Buchanan 5-11 170 K-P He could be the best kicker out of Ohio since Mike Nugent. Punted for a 41-yard average in 2006. Steve Schott 5-11 150 K Massillon Washington Schott has started since he was a sophomore. He puts kickoffs inside the 10-yard line and will get better as he gets coaching and gets stronger. — OH

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Top Sophomores Round-Up Photo by Nick Falzerano

Northmont sophomore Kevin Ringer is the brother of Michigan State sophomore Javon Ringer.

The Class of 2009 Prospects starting to emerge in sophomore class

e saw some players in this class starting to emerge. This is a class with a good prospect just about everywhere. Every position but quarterback seems to have someone whose name comes to mind when I am asked about a position. Even at quarterback, there are a few names I am looking into. Receiver is looking like the bell cow position so far. Newark Licking Valleyʼs Storm Klein was a man amongst boys this year averaging about 10 yards a carry. I could not believe Westerville Southʼs Ricky Harris was only a sophomore. He is a very athletic kid for his size. Some people say Omar Provitt was the best receiver they have ever seen in Ohio. His son, Desmar Jackson at Warren JFK, may be better. Dominic Goodwin is really turning some heads at Lakewood St. Edward. Getting attention at his age at such a talent laden school speaks volumes about him. Here is a look at some of the key prospects in Ohioʼs Class of 2009.

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STORY BY DUANE LONG Chris Fields 6-0 170 WR/CB Painesville Harvey A game breaker on offense that may be an even better cornerback. 4.35 twice at Akron camp as a freshman. Can dunk a basketball. Storm Klein 6-3 225 RB Newark Licking Valley Rushed for better than 1,000 yards as a freshman. He clocked a 4.25-shuttle at Ohio State camp. He had 1,752 yards and 27 TDs during the regular season in 2006. Could also get looks at LB. Joey Parris 6-1 175 WR Cleveland St. Ignatius If he keeps growing, will be a carbon copy of older brother Rob but with better speed. Ricky Harris 6-4 280 OL Westerville South He has a chance to be at the top of this list. Big kid that really moves well. Desmar Jackson 6-3 185 WR Warren JFK He has the genes. This son of Omar Provitt could be better than his father. Willie Seawright 5-10 160 CB Lakewood St. Edward Seawright could be a wide receiver, too. Adam Homan 6-1 233 LB/FB Coldwater The brother of Buckeye linebacker Ross Homan. Chris Freeman 6-7 270 OL Trotwood-Madison It seems Freeman has given up football, but I am leaving him on here in case he comes to his senses and realizes he has a tackleʼs body not a power forwardʼs. Tyler Dummermuth 6-2 190 WR New Philadelphia Won a best receiver award at Ohio State camp. Mike McKinney 6-0 210 LB Canton South Playmaker and impact player. Nate Cadogan 6-6 235 DE Portsmouth The brother of Penn State offensive lineman Gerald Cadogan. Coach Clifford thinks he can be special. John Simon 6-2 250 DT/OL Youngstown Mooney A real load in the middle of the line. Tough, strong and explosive. T. J. Rush 6-4 255 OL Levitsburg LeBrae Denicos Allen 6-0 185 Ath Hamilton Clocked at 10.9 in the 100 as a freshman. Holds a 3.4 GPA. Andrew Holland 6-1 190 QB Cleveland St. Ignatius Micah Hyde QB Fostoria Marcus Hall 6-5 270 OL Cleveland Glenville Julias Ferrell 6-2 210 LB Youngstown Liberty Dominic Goodwin 5-9 180 RB/CB Lakewood St. Edward Possibly the fastest player in the class. Maalik Bomar 6-2 185 DE/OLB Cincinnati Winton Woods Pat McShane 6-5 260 OT Walsh Jesuit Ben Birch 6-4 250 DT Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Justin Jamison 6-6 ½ 195 QB Cleveland Bendictine Remember you saw the name here first. Chris Williams 5-11 175 DB Cincinnati Winton Woods Fitzgerald Edwards 5-10 175 RB Youngstown Liberty Clocked at 10.7 in the 100 meters as a freshman. Size will determine how highly he is recruited. Durrell White 6-6 370 OL Dayton Dunbar Victor Graham 5-10 155 CB Franklin Heights Graham showed well at the Louisville Scout combine. Connor Ryan 6-0 165 WR Cleveland St. Ignatius C.J. Barnett 5-11 165 CB Clayton Northmont Harvey Tuck 5-11 250 FB Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Kevin Ringer 5-11 220 FB Clayton Northmont Patrick Nicely 6-3 195 QB Willoughby South Nicely was a three-sport starter as a freshman. Melvin Fellows 6-4 220 DE Garfield Heights Rhys Edwards 6-2 189 TE Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Roman Lawson 6-0 215 LB Shaker Heights David Lee 5-10 170 WR Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Mike Clark 6-0 180 QB Akron Hoban Dan Fox 6-1 205 DE/TE Cleveland St. Ignatius High motor player with good edge speed. If he fills out he is going to be a good one. Delion Freeman 5-9 190 RB Alliance Freeman has a chance to be really special. He has a body of a senior. Freeman plays linebacker but his future is as a tailback. He played fullback last year but will get more carries this year. He catches the ball well, blocks like a warrior and works hard in the weight room. Freeman ran an 11.5 100-meter as an eighth grader. He was the best freshman last year seen in Stark County since Devon Torrence. Rob McEvoy 6-1 225 LB Cleveland St. Ignatius Nick Yako K Cleveland St. Ignatius

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Boys Basketball Recruits

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

Sign of the Times Ohio’s top boys prospects pick schools in early signing period

he early signing period in November caused a number of Ohioʼs top boys basketball prospects to sign letters-of-intent for their respective colleges. In this issue of Ohio High, we provide the latest update on where the stateʼs top seniors have signed. Plus, we have updated the rankings in each class and provide, where available, school lists for the unsigned seniors and top underclassmen. The players are ranked by class by Chris Johnson, the Ohio editor for HoopScoopOnline.com. We also include the most recent national rankings by ScoutHoops.com (SH) and HoopScoopOnline.com (HS).

Seniors-To-Be (Class of 2007)

Power Ball

Dunbar senior Aaron Pogue has his college choices narrowed down to USC, Florida and Pittsburgh and will be big factor in whether the Wolverines repeat as D-II state champs or not.

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Photo by Nick Falzerano

* 1. Kosta Koufos, 7-1, power forward, Canton GlenOak (SH, 10th nationally in senior class; HS, 30th) – Born in Greece, Koufos has grown three inches to reach 7-1. He also finalized his college choice in May, when he selected Ohio State over Maryland, Michigan, Louisville and nearby Akron. Koufos missed the final month of the high school season with a broken foot. Before the injury, he averaged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game as a junior. He was a second-team All-Ohio pick in Division I. As a sophomore, Koufos averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. * 2. Alex Tyus, 6-7, wing forward, Cincinnati Harmony Community (SH, 61th; HS, 18th) – Tyus moved in from Hazelwood (Mo.) Central last year. He verbaled to Florida in July, picking the Gators over Cincinnati, Missouri, Baylor, Indiana and Purdue. * 3. Chris Wright, 6-7, power forward, Trotwood-Madison (SH, 50th; HS, 99th) – Wright earned third-team All-Ohio honors, averaging 17.0 points per game and leading Trotwood-Madison to

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Boys Basketball Recruits

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Upper Sandusky senior Jon Diebler has committed to Ohio State.

Photo by Terry Gilliam

the Division I state final four. Wright, who averaged 15 points per game as a sophomore, signed with Dayton. * 4. Jon Diebler, 6-5, wing forward, Upper Sandusky (SH, 62nd; HS, 97th) – Diebler committed to Valparaiso in January 2005, but decommitted and ended up signing with Ohio State over Valpo, Michigan and N.C. State last September. He was one of the few returnees from Upper Sanduskyʼs 2005 Division II state championship team. He did everything he could as a junior, averaging 34.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.5 blocked shots per game. He was a first-team All-Ohio pick. He is in position to threaten the Ohio career scoring mark as a senior. In a Jan. 13 win over Tiffin Columbian, Diebler scored 77 points. He was 22 of 42 from the floor and 27 of 28 at the foul line. He also had 16 rebounds in that game. As a sophomore, he helped lead Upper Sandusky (27-0) to the Division II state title, scoring 32 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the title game win over Wooster Triway. Diebler was a second-team All-Ohio pick, averaging 25.9 points and six rebounds a game. * 5. Dallas Lauderdale, 6-9, center, Solon (SH, 80th; HS, 61st) – Lauderdale ended the suspense on June 1, when he verbaled to Ohio 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 blocks rebounds per game as a sophomore. * 6. William Thomas, 6-5, point guard, East Cleveland Shaw – Thomas was considering Kent State, Cleveland State, Seton Hall, Ohio U., Robert Morris, Illinois, Oklahoma and Fordham. * 7. Dante Jackson, 6-4, wing forward, Greenfield McClain – Jackson again earned first-team All-Ohio honors in Division II after averaging 28.7 points per game. As a sophomore, Jackson averaged 25 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He had 39 points in his teamʼs regional semifinal loss. Jackson, also a state champion in track, had offers from Michigan, Kansas State Xavier and Dayton before verbaling to Xavier over the summer. * 8. Aaron Pogue, 6-8, center, Dayton Dunbar – Pogue joined OSU

signee Daequan Cook in leading Dunbar to the Division II state title. He averaged 15.0 points per game as a junior. If he improves academically, a number of schools could come calling. He lists USC, Pittsburgh and Florida as his favorites. * 9. Nick Winbush,6-6, wing forward, Shaker Heights – Winbush has signed with Miami (Ohio). * 10. Ronnie Steward, 5-10, point guard, Columbus Eastmoor – Steward signed with Akron. * 11. James Davis, 6-3, shooting guard, Columbus Linden McKinley – Davis signed with Toledo. * 12. Alex Kellogg, 6-7, power forward, Columbus DeSales – Kellogg is the son of former OSU and NBA star (and current CBS commentator) Clark Kellogg. He averaged 15.8 points per game in helping lead DeSales to the Division II state final four as a junior. He lists Butler, Oakland and a number of MAC schools, including Miami (Ohio). * 13. Joe Jakubowski, 6-2, point guard, Toledo St. Johnʼs – Jakubowski averaged 10.4 points per game in leading St. Johnʼs to the Division I state final four. He signed with Rice. * 14. Troy Tabler, 6-4, shooting guard, Cincinnati Moeller – Tabler is the son of former Cleveland Indians

player Pat Tabler. He averaged 13.8 ppg as a junior. He signed with Wright State. * 15. Camden Miller, 6-8, wing forward, Wheelersburg – A growth spurt has helped Miller 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 Division III state final four. He signed with Western Carolina, led by former Ohio U. coach Billy Hunter. * 16. Joe Latas, 6-11, center, Bedford Chanel – Latas has signed to Cleveland State. * 17. Brett McKnight, 6-5, power forward, Lancaster – Signed with Akron. * 18. Billy Allen, 6-5, guard, Hamilton – Averaged 17.4 ppg as a junior. Verbaled to Albany over the summer. * 19. Mike Porrini, 6-1, point guard, Massillon Washington – Signed with Western Carolina. * 20. Daitwaun Eppinger, 6-5, power forward, Garfield Heights * Also Notable: Christian Siakam, 66, power forward, Cincinnati Harmony; Chris Wyse, 6-4, shooting guard, Toledo Scott; DʼAundre Brown, 6-2, shooting guard, Youngstown Ursuline (Cleveland State signee); Reggie Revels, 6-4, shooting guard, Cincinnati Taft; Greg Preer, 6-4, shooting guard, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary; Norris Cole, 6-0, point guard, Dayton Dunbar; Elijah Allen, 6-4, wing forward, Columbus DeSales; Terry Martin, 6-6, power forward, Cincinnati Moeller; Antoine Wilhite, 6-7, power forward, Lockland.

Juniors-To-Be (Class of 2008)

* 1. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward, Lakewood St. Edward (SH, fifth nationally in junior class; HS, 17th) – Roe averaged 19.3 points per game as a sophomore, earning first-team all-district honors in Division I. He averaged 17 points as a freshman and earned Special Mention All-Ohio honors. Roe is considering, among others, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas, Ohio State and North Carolina. * 2. William Buford, 6-5, wing forward, Toledo Libbey (SH, 11th nationally in junior class) – As a sophomore, Buford averaged 22.7 points per game and was a first-team all-district pick in Division I. Buford showed well at the ABCD Camp and then helped the DOne Greyhounds team win the 16-andunder AAU national title. Buford verbaled to Ohio State in the fall, picking the Buckeyes over

JJ Hu ddle’ s O h io Hi gh

Michigan, Arizona, Louisville and Michigan State. * 3. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power forward, Cincinnati Withrow (SH, 12th; HS, fourth) – Gates transferred to Withrow after averaging 20.3 points per game as a sophomore at Cincinnati Hughes. That was up from 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. He lists Ohio State, Xavier and Georgetown over the likes of LSU, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Michigan. * 4. B.J. Mullens, 7-0, center, Canal Winchester (SH, 13th; HS, sixth) – Mullens played his first two varsity seasons at Canal Winchester World Harvest Prep before transferring to nearby Canal Winchester. He averaged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots per game. He was already offered and committed to Ohio State before he averaged 11.3 points per game in his varsity debut season as a freshman. * 5. Kenny Frease, 7-0, center, Massillon Perry (SH, 25th; HS, 50th) – Frease was looking at a number of schools, including Xavier, Notre Dame and Michigan. Averaged 18.6 points per game and earned third-team All-Ohio honors in Division I as a sophomore. * 6. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing forward, Garfield Heights – Wilson has transferred in from Cleveland Rhodes. * 7. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power forward, Warren Harding – A number of MAC schools as well as Xavier are in on Eargle. * 8. Devon Moore, 6-3, point guard, Columbus Northland (HS, 81st) * 9. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power forward, Cincinnati Elder – Rudolph earned league player of the year honors after averaging 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds. He is also a standout football tight end and was gaining looks there, including overtures from Ohio State and Notre Dame. * 10. Josh Benson, 6-9, power forward, Dayton Dunbar – Benson has already verbaled to hometown Dayton. * 11. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, point guard, Chillicothe – Hitchens averaged 17.4 ppg as a sophomore. He is getting looks from Western Kentucky as well as a host of MAC schools. * 12. Rayshawn Goins, 6-5, wing forward, Cleveland Rhodes (HS, 65th) * 13. Chris Johnson, 6-5, wing forward, Columbus Brookhaven * 14. Walt Gibler, 6-6, power forward, Cincinnati St. Xavier – Gibler averaged 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds

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TrotwoodMadison senior Chris Wright is headed to the University of Dayton.

Photo by John Howley

Boys Basketball Recruits

as a sophomore. * 15. Courtney Davis, 6-3, shooting guard, North College Hill – With Mayo and Walker gone, Davis will get every chance to show what he can do. * Also Notable: Tom Pritchard, 6-8, power forward, Lakewood St. Edward; Anthony Oden, 6-8, center/power forward, Dayton Dunbar; Lee Tabb, 6-8, power forward, Toledo Rogers; Troy Long, 5-11, shooting guard, Cincinnati Woodward; Andrew Spradlin, 6-4, shooting guard, Wheelersburg; Damon Butler, 5-10, point guard, North College Hill; Johnie Davis, 6-1, shooting guard, Canton McKinley; Anthony McBride, 6-0, point guard, Cincinnati Withrow; Chris Crockett, 5-9, point guard, Columbus Academy; Ashen Ward, 6-3, shooting guard, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph; Zac Taylor, 6-8, power forward, Oregon Clay; Brandon Baker, 6-6, wing forward, Cincinnati Milford; Chris Grimes, 6-5, power forward, Cincinnati Woodward; Terrence Pearson, 6-0, point guard, Columbus Mifflin.

Sophomores-To-Be (Class of 2009)

* 1. Danny McElroy, 6-7, center, Cincinnati LaSalle – McElroy averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds as a freshman. Ended the suspense early and committed to Cincinnati in mid-October.

* 2. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shooting guard, Warren JFK * 3. Bill Edwards, 6-5, forward, Middletown – Edwards was an honorable mention all-district pick in Division I as a freshman, when he averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. * 4. Mario Hines, 6-8, power forward, Garfield Heights * 5. Reggie Keely, 6-6, power forward, Solon * 6. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power forward, Loveland * 7. Orlando Williams, 6-2, point guard, Cincinnati Princeton – Transfers in from Cincinnati Woodward. * 8. Shawn Joplin, 6-1, combo guard, Sylvania Southview – Joplin is the son of Toledo coach Stan Joplin. * 9. Drew McGee, 6-8, power forward, North Ridgeville * 10. Chris Freeman, 6-8, center, Trotwood-Madison * Also Notable: Stephon Johnson, 65, power forward, Cincinnati Princeton; Mike Taylor, 6-2, shooting guard, Toledo St. Johnʼs; Jared Porrini, 6-3, shooting guard, Massillon Washington; Aaron Robinson, 6-1, point guard, TrotwoodMadison; Zack Brown, 6-3, shooting guard, Mason; Ryan Siggins, 6-4, shooting guard, Kettering Alter; Carl Jones, 57, point guard, Garfield Heights; Brian Wozniak, 6-5, wing forward, Cincinnati Loveland; Robert Johnson, 6-4, wing forward, Bedford; Dane Kopp, 6-8, center, Newark; Garrick Sherman, 6-8, center, Kenton.

Freshmen-To-Be (Class of 2010)

Here is an early top 10 to watch (listed in order) in the Class of 2010: Jared Sullinger, 6-7, power forward, Columbus Northland; Kenny Knight, 6-5, wing forward, Cincinnati Northwest; Nick Kellogg, 6-3, wing forward, Columbus DeSales; Peʼshon Howard, 62, point guard, Lakewood St. Edward; Cameron Wright, 6-2, shooting guard, Cleveland Benedictine; Storm Sanders, 6-0, combo guard, Canton GlenOak; Juwan Staten, 5-7, point guard, Dayton Colonel White; Cody Smith, 5-11, point guard, Lima Shawnee; Kevin Gray, 5-10, point guard, Reynoldsburg; Courtney Avery, 5-10, point guard, Mansfield Senior. — OH

For more updates on Ohioʼs top prospects and those nationally, check out Chris Johnsonʼs work at hoopscooponline.com

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Alex Kellogg

STORY BY DAVID BIDDLE

Stat Sheet Stuffer

Son of former Ohio State star and current college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg, DeSales senior Alex Kellogg averaged 15.8 points last season en route to helping DeSales reach the D-II state semifinals.

Photo by Gary Housteau

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JJ H u dd leâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s O h io High

Alex Kellogg

DeSales’ Alex Kellogg looking for big things as a senior

“I’m about 6-7, so I need to work on my post game which I have been doing. I think I run the floor well and can get some easy transition buckets. I need to really focus on rebounding both offensively and defensively, which I’m getting better at. And probably just playing all four quarters non stop and working on my conditioning-level also.” DeSales head coach Blair Albright can’t say enough good things about his star forward. “Alex has almost limitless upside when you look at his potenis father might refer to him as a “stat sheet stuffer.” tial for development throughout this coming season and into Columbus DeSales forward Alex Kellogg is ranked his collegiate career,” Albright said. as the No. 18 basketball prospect in the state in the “It is important to remember that Alex only turned 17 early senior class according to Ohio High. this school year which makes The 6-7 Kellogg – son him young for his grade. As his of national college basketball body continues to grow and analyst Clark Kellogg – averaged mature he has the ability to make 15.8 points per game last year great strides. and led DeSales to a surprise “What’s more, as Alex’s underrun to the Division II state semifistanding of the game has grown. nals. So to has his ability to put him“We exceeded a lot of expectaself into situations where he can tions last year,” Kellogg said. more consistently dominate a “Nobody really had us on the game.” radar. At the beginning of the Kellogg is bigger than a lot of season we struggled a little bit, players he faces at the prep but we came together as a team level, but he is also very athletic and we had some good senior for a post player. leadership and we surprised This is why some scouting some people by getting to the analysts believe he can be a state final four. During the end, small forward or power forward we started to play to our ability on the next level. level.” “At 6-7, almost 6-8, Alex posAnd now that his senior camPhoto by Gary Housteau sesses the ability to handle and paign is underway, Kellogg is pass on the perimeter to go putting the onus on himself to DeSales senior Alex Kellogg has scholarship offers from Ohio University, Butler, Wright State, Miami (Oh.) along with an exceptional first have a huge year and lead and Akron. step that gets him by defenders DeSales to an even better seafor easy baskets,” Albright said. son. “Alex is an excellent back-to-the“I played a lot of basketball “It is important to remember that Alex basket scorer because of his over the summer,” said Kellogg, only turned 17 early this school year great footwork and excellent who is rated as Ohio’s 12th-best which makes him young for his grade. strength. He rebounds well at senior prospect by Ohio High. “I both ends of the floor, and will went to a couple camps. I went As his body continues to grow and become better with that this seato a lot of AAU tournaments and I mature he has the ability to make son because of much improved really worked hard on my shot great strides.” strength and cardio vascular and my perimeter game off the stamina. The most intriguing part dribble. I also really focused on Blair Albright, DeSales Head Coach of his game, however, is his abilirebounding and defense.

JJ H u d d l e ’ s O h i o H i g h

J J H U D D L E . C O M 65

Alex Kellogg ty to use his tremendous athleticism for highlight-reel type finishes on the transition break. As Alex continues to develop better consistency on his mid-range and perimeter jump shot, he could become a nearly impossible player to contain with any consistency.” Kellogg has five scholarship offers – Butler, Miami (Ohio), Wright State, Akron and Ohio U. “Butler and Miami of Ohio are probably my top choices right now,” Kellogg said. “I just met Wright State’s new coach (Brad Brownell) and he seems like a good guy and I know they have good facilities there.” Clark Kellogg was a star forward at Ohio State and Alex would like to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, it seems unlikely the Buckeyes will offer him a scholarship. “Well, I heard they have a scholarship left for ’07, but I’m not really sure,” Alex said. The younger Kellogg talked about growing up in the shadow of his famous father. “It’s been good. I’m used to it now,” he said. “He always tells me I have a target on my back and everybody is going to be watching just because of my last name. He just tells me to go out and do my best and the most important thing is to have fun. He teaches me stuff and shows me things and I workout with him a little bit too.

“When I started playing basketball, it wasn’t until fifth or sixth grade until I first played organized basketball and he never really pushed me to play basketball. When I first started, he said just do it if it’s fun and keep doing it if you like it. I played soccer before that and I really liked soccer, but then I just focused in on basketball and it hasn’t changed much since. And when I started getting serious about it, that’s when he came in and started showing me things.” Kellogg enjoys watching his father do his thing on national TV and especially for CBS when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. “Yeah, I watch him a little bit when I can,” Alex said. “When he’s doing college basketball I try and check him out.” Kellogg was asked when it first occurred to him that he would be a Division I college recruit one day. “Probably right after my sophomore season when I started to get letters from different schools and that really made me start thinking about it,” he said. “And when college coaches come watch me play and practice and that’s when it started hitting me.” When Kellogg isn’t playing basketball, he enjoys listening to rappers Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Fabolous, as well as playing the NBA Live ’07 video game. “I just like to hang out with my friends and play video games here and there,” Kellogg said. “I like to be on the computer, listen to music and just kind of hang out.” — OH

Girls Basketball Recruits

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

JJ Hu d d l e ’ s O h i o H i g h

Macie Blinn, Greenville Sarah Schulze, Anna

Tenisha Benson, 5-9, G, Akron Hoban – Benson, who signed with Ohio U., averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game last year. Deseree Byrd, 5-9, G, Cincinnati Taft, 18.0 ppg Kristin Daugherty, 6-0, F, Warsaw River View – Daughterty, who signed with Dayton, was selected as a Division II state player of the year after averaging 18.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. She averaged 17.9 ppg as a sophomore. She is ranked 98th nationally by girlshoops.scout.com. Ebony Gainey, 6-0, G, Dayton Meadowdale – Gainey, who signed with Dayton, averaged, 15.4 points per game last year. Stephanie Gibson, 5-6, G, North Canton Hoover – Gibson, who signed with Kent, averaged 14 ppg and five assists per game last year. Melissa Goodall, 6-2, C-F, Lexington – Goodall, who signed with Toledo, averaged 14.4 ppg and 8.8 rpg last year. Amber Heistan, 6-0, G, Lima Shawnee – Heistan, who signed with Toledo, averaged 12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 4.6 apg last year. Bianca Hooten, 5-10, F, Canton McKinley – Hooten, who signed with Bowling Green, averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Liana Jennings, 5-8, G, Stow – Jennings, who signed with Bowling Green, averaged 18.8 points and five assists per game. Special Jennings, 5-6, G, Cleveland East Tech – Jennings, who signed with Xavier, averaged 16.1 ppg as a junior after averaging 17.8 ppg as a sophomore. She is ranked 99th nationally by girlshoops.scout.com. Haley Kapferer, 6-3, C, Jefferson Area – Kapferer averaged 22.2 ppg as a junior after averaging 21.1 ppg as a sophomore. She will play volleyball at Youngstown State. Jantel Lavender, 6-4, C, Cleveland Central Catholic – Lavender averaged 20.7 ppg as a junior after averaging 22.0 ppg as a sophomore. She is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect by girlshoops.scout.com. She signed with Ohio State over Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee. Samantha Leach, 5-9, G, Washington C.H.

Ebony Gainey, Dayton Meadowdale

Top Seniors (Class of 2007)

Justine Raterman, Versailles

Here is a look at some of the top girls basketball prospects in Ohio. A number of the state’s top seniors took advantage of the fall early signing period to sign letters-of-intent to their college choices. The players in each class are listed alphabetically. (Scoring averages for 200506, college choices and other data listed where available.)

State’s top girls basketball prospects sign letters-of-intent

Photos by MVP (miamivalleysports.com)

Miami Trace – 14.7 ppg Whitney Lindsay, 5-5, G, Mansfield St. Peter’s – Lindsay averaged 17.1 ppg as a junior after averaging 13.7 ppg as a sophomore. Tiffany Mauk, 5-10, G, Marion Pleasant – 20.8 ppg Lydia McCully, 5-9, G, Bedford Chanel – 15.5 ppg Crystal Murdaugh, 6-0, F, Dublin Scioto – Murdaugh, who has signed with Bowling Green, averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as a junior. She is ranked 98th nationally by girlshoops.scout.com. Kara Murphy, 5-9, G, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary – Murphy, who signed with Akron, averaged 22 points and seven rebounds per game last year. Lauren Prochaska, 5-11, F, Plain City Jonathan Alder -- Prochaska averaged 24.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.3 steals per game in leading the Pioneers to a 26-2 mark and the Division III state title. She was a Division III state player of the year. She averaged 24.3 ppg as a sophomore. She has signed with Bowling Green. Liz Repella, 5-11, F, Steubenville – Repella, who signed with West Virginia, was tabbed as a Division II state player of the year after averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.0 blocked shots per game as a junior. She averaged 22.0 ppg as a sophomore.

She is ranked 69th nationally by girlshoops.scout.com. Carlee Roethlisberger, 6-0, F, Findlay – Roethlisberger earned D- I first-team All-Ohio honors averaging 19.1 ppg. She averaged 18.5 ppg as a sophomore. Signed with Oklahoma. Kyla Rollins, 6-1, F, Cleveland East Tech – Rollins, who signed with Ohio U., averaged 14 points, 17 rebounds and four assists a game last year. Cassie Schrock, 5-8, G, Wadsworth – 19.2 ppg Sara Schulze, 6-1, F, Anna – Schulze, who signed with Ohio State, averaged 23.0 ppg last year. Ellie Shields, 6-3, C, Warren Howland – Shields, who signed with Kent, averaged 18.2 ppg and 10.0 rpg last year. Jen Uhl, 6-1, F, Wadsworth – Uhl, who signed with Bowling Green, averaged 15.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg per game last year. Shareese Ulis, 5-7, G, Toledo Waite – 19.1 ppg Melanie Williams, 5-9, G, Willoughby Andrews School for Girls – Williams averaged 25.8 ppg after averaging 25.3 ppg as a sophomore. Kelly Zuercher, 6-1, C, Apple Creek Waynedale – Zuercher, who signed with Bowling Green, averaged 16.1 ppg and 7.6 rpg last year.

Top Juniors (Class of 2008)

Macie Blinn, 6-0, F, Greenville – 18.4 ppg Cierra Bravard, 6-2, F, Sandusky Perkins – 22.2 ppg Ayanna Dunning, 6-3, C, Columbus Eastmoor Academy – Dunning, who averaged 19.0 ppg as a sophomore, is rated as the nation’s No. 3 junior prospect by girlshoops.scout.com. Amber Gray, 6-1, F, West Chester Lakota West – Gray, who averaged 20.7 ppg as a sophomore, is rated as the nation’s No. 15 junior by girlshoops.scout.com. Angela Groves, 6-1, F, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown – 15.4 ppg Tyeasha Moss, 5-8, G, Columbus Africentric – 17.9 ppg Brittany Orban, 5-11, F, North Canton Hoover – 22.7 ppg Justine Raterman, 6-1, F, Versailles – 17.8 ppg Shay Selby, 5-8, G, South Euclid Regina – Selby averaged 22.1 ppg after averaging 15.4 ppg as a freshman. Selby, rated the nation’s No. 11 junior by girlshoops.scout.com, has committed to Duke over the likes of Connecticut, Michigan State, Ohio State and Tennessee. Courtney Schiffauer, 6-0, F, Youngstown

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