ohio high may 2007

Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

Printing

Miami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyGary Housteau, Nick Falzerano,

Brian Swartz, Jeff Brehm, KimRyan,Greg Beers, Stephanie Porter, Mike Ullery

ContributorsPaul Boggs, Jeff Wuerth

Staff WritersGary Housteau, Kirk Larrabee,

Glenn Forbes

Assistant EditorsMatt Natali, Dave Biddle

Recruiting EditorDuane Long

Managing EditorEric Frantz

Order online atwww.jjhuddle.com and

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

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Letters to Editor

ix years ago while living in Lancaster I was writing an article about an upstart websitegainingmomentum. This new site allowed people to chat and check scores almostimmediately after high school games. JJHuddle.comwas a new fad and the Internet

was in its infancy.Six years later I findmyself writing for JJHuddle.com and its offspring Ohio HighMagazine.

Both aremembers of the Bucknuts Media Network. The fad not only lasted, it flourished,becoming part of themost complete and informative prep andOhio State University athleticnews network in the state. The Internet nowmoves at high-speed, as does sports information.

I’m excited about becoming a part of Ohio High and JJHuddle.com and I’m excited aboutthe future. The goal is not only to keep doing what we have been, but improving everything –magazines, content, message boards and website – along the way. The process, like any insport, is going to take some time.

Immediate additions includemore news content on our homepage in the form of game sto-ries, features, previews, etc. ComeAugust, we plan to have a Friday Night Football Game of theWeek in each region of the state. That game plan will carry over to basketball. We don’t wantyou to come to JJHuddle.com just to talk about sports, but also to read about them.

As always, we will continue to be the leader in Ohio high school recruiting news, an entitybolstered recently by the addition of ScoutingOhio.com.Awebsite that specializes in recruitingvideos, ScoutingOhio.com is a visionary site in regards to quality and content. You will seemoreof this relationship as we transition in the upcomingmonths.

The addition of ScoutingOhio.com is especially aesthetic for our Premium subscribersbecauseALLvideos are free to them. Trust me, once you see one of these videos, you willwant to see them all – especially the ones on the top players in the state.We have them all.

Expect the JJHuddle.com site itself to receive a facelift before next school year too.The one constant through all this is Ohio HighMagazine, an entity we are very proud of.Just like JJHuddle.com and Bucknuts, Ohio HighMagazine is the leader in its field. The

race isn’t even close.The first extensive statewide publication that covers both Ohio high school athletics and

recruiting, Ohio High is arguably the top prep state-specific sports publication in the country. Itscomplete package is unrivaled.

And the kicker is…this might be the best issue yet.We have inclusive coverage of every winter sport and present a Player of the Year in each.Some events covered include:- Upper Sandusky senior Jon Diebler scores 48 points and Dunbar overcomes that – and

the crowd – to defend its Division II boys basketball state title.- Lakewood St. Edward wins its state record 11th straight D-I state wrestling title and 23rd

overall. The Eagles also sent a record 14 wrestlers (one in every weight class) to Columbus andset an all-Divisions record for most team points with 229.- North College Hill wins third straight boys basketball title without O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker.- Cincinnati Mount Notre Damemakes its fourth straight trip to the D-I girls basketball champi-

onship game and wins third title.- Westerville Central seniorAustin Staab ties a national record (47.10) and sets state and

tournament records in defending his 100 butterfly title.- Beavercreek girls and Coldwater boys beat county rivals to win the inaugural state bowling

tournaments.In addition to winter sports, we focus on football recruiting and unveil Duane Long’s initial

Top 100 for the Class of 2008. Long’s list is always highly anticipated – and debated. This yearshould be no different.

As you can see, we have set a lot of goals for the upcoming season – none of which is todisappoint our fans. The overriding goal is to gainmore.

Eric FrantzManaging Editor

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

All rights reserved.COVERPHOTOS:GaryHousteau

c

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

prospect bios updated.Check out JJHuddle.com every day for season previews and daily coverage of Ohio

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

Upcoming Issues

S

Upper Sandusky’s Jon Diebler earns Ohio High awardBoys Basketball Man of the Year4

JJHUD

DLE.COM

River View’s Kristin Daugherty seperates herself in stellar classGirlsBasketballWomanof theYear6

Cincinnati coaches share inaugural Ohio High honorBasketball Coaches of the Year8

Ohio High Cup standings51

47

52

32

11

Wrestling, Gymnastics, Bowling, Swimming and HockeyWinter Sports Players of the Year11

North College Hill three-peats; Dayton Dunbar repeatsBoys State Basketball Recap18

Mount Notre Damewins third title in four years; River View repeatsGirls State Basketball Recap32

Lakewood St. Edward claims record 11th straight title, 23rd overallState Wrestling Recap40

Toledo St. John’s wins hockey title; inaugural bowling tourney heldWinter Sports Recap

A look at the top recruiting talent in the Class of 2008Duane Long’s Top 10052

47

Photo by Jeff Brehm

Photo by Gary Housteau

Photo by Jeff Brehm

Photo by Nick Falzerano

Football all-star game previews74

Ohio football players migrating to NorthwesternPurple Pride69

WR/DB next in long line of talented TarbloodersClevelandGlenville’s CordaleScott72

Also...

Boys basketball recruiting update26

J JHUDDLE .COM4 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Boys Basketbal l P layer of the Year

Upper Sandusky seniorJon Diebler set the Ohio

high school career scoringrecord this year en route to

leading the Rams to theD-II title game.

Hot Shot


J JHUDDLE .COM 5JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Boys Basketbal l P layer of the YearSTORY BY DAVE B IDDLE

o go along with all of his broken records,Upper Sandusky’s Jon Diebler suffered abroken nose late this season. And he justkept playing with the toughness anddrive that made him one of the best play-

ers in the history of Ohio high school basketball.The 6-6 Diebler finished his prep career with

3,208 points – breaking Jay Burson’s record of2,958 – and is the clear choice as Ohio High’sMan of the Year in boys basketball.The Ohio State signee averaged a state-best

41.2 points per game as a senior in 2006-07and came up just short of a state championshipas Upper Sandusky was edged 87-85 byDayton Dunbar in the Division II title game.So while the season ended on a down note

for Diebler, his excellent play is what fans willremember most about his senior year and hiscareer. But Diebler is more than just a star onthe court. He is a humble young man who has-n’t allowed all of the success to go to his head.And no one knows it better than his father andformer head coach at Upper Sandusky.“His mother has done a fine job of raising

him,” Keith Diebler said, laughing. “We basicallyhave told our boys that the rise to the top mightseem like a long road, but the fall to the bottomis much quicker. We tell all our kids to respectthe game, respect their work ethic, respect theiropponents and to always be humble.“In an age when people are signing balls and

bringing out cell phones during a game, highschool coaches are the last frontier to get kids tounderstand that it’s not about show, it’s aboutthe work. Jon has really done a good job withthat. And to this day, he calls Jay ‘Mr. Burson.’He has too much respect to call him Jay.“And for Jon, the goal has always been win-

ning and getting back to the state tournament.He stayed the course.”Diebler was a marked man all year with

teams throwing all kinds of different defenses athim. It’s fair to say he saw a lot more than justyour basic box-and-one. But he just kept puttingup big night after big night.And despite his hard-nosed play, he managed

to stay injury free for much of the year. But inthe regional finals, Diebler suffered a brokennose towards the end of the game, just in timeto possibly derail his state title hopes.Diebler played through the pain in Upper’s 89-

58 romp over Poland Seminary in the statesemifinals and almost finished with a rarequadruple-double (24 points, 12 rebounds, nineassists and nine steals).In the state finals showdown with Dunbar,

Diebler appeared to re-break his nose justbefore halftime. No foul was called on the play,despite blood pouring from Diebler’s face.He opened the second half with a mask on,

but discarded it a few moments into the thirdquarter. Diebler almost willed his team to victoryby scoring 48 points, but the athletic Dunbarteam was too much in the end.“I don’t know if I’d call it a war,” Diebler said

afterwards. “This was a great game that we justplayed in. Both teams left it out on the floor. Itwas very entertaining.”Diebler and older brother Jake Diebler led

Upper Sandusky to the 2005 Division II statechampionship. The brothers originally decided toplay college basketball together at ValparaisoUniversity in Indiana, but Jon Diebler eventuallyrescinded on his verbal commitment to Valpoand decided to sign with Ohio State instead.“I always dreamed of being a Buckeye and

once I knew I could play there, that’s where Iwanted to go,” Diebler said.Diebler played a very interesting role in high

school as a “point center” for lack of a betterterm. He jumped center, brought the ball up thecourt, usually guarded the biggest player on theopposing team (unless there was an outstand-ing guard that he decided to check instead) andnever met a shot he didn’t like. He literally hasrange beyond the NBA three-point line – andthat fit right into Upper’s NBA-style of play.Many wonder how this will translate to the

major Division I level of college basketball atOSU. There have been many prolific scorersover the years that can’t get it done once theymove to the college level.But those that have followed Diebler through-

out his prep career have no doubt he will be astar in college. It might take a year or two toadjust, but Diebler will likely be a standout forthe Buckeyes.Number one, his three-point shot will only get

better playing for Thad Matta at Ohio State.Matta works hard on shooting with his playersand Diebler will likely become an even betterlong-range shooter under Matta’s tutelage.Also, Diebler is more than just a scorer. Yes,

he often brought the ball up the court in highschool and hoisted the first semi-open shot hecould find, but he’s also a very good passer andhas the ability to take the ball to the basket offthe dribble.In fact, many old-school basketball fans com-

pare Diebler to a young Pete Maravich. Theysee a skinny, lanky player who can handle theball, create his own shot and find his teammateswith an array of no-look passes.Now, that might be taking it too far, but we’ve

heard the comparison several times this seasonwhile speaking with “veteran” basketball fanswho have had the pleasure of watching both thelate Maravich and Diebler. Ohio State fans willhave no problem if Diebler does turn out to bethat good, but right now he’s just focused on

being a solid college player.“I just want to come in and help win games,”

Diebler said. “Scoring wasn’t important to me inhigh school, I just wanted to do what we neededto win. I know it’s going to be an adjustmentgoing from high school to college and I’m justgoing to come in, work hard and do what I needto do to help Ohio State win as much as wecan. I really don’t have any personal goals formy first year, or any year really.”Diebler was asked what areas of his game he

would like to improve before he begins college.“Everything,” he said. “I want to get better at

everything. I want to get stronger, be a moreconsistent shooter, become a better defender,everything.”But keeping his ego in check is something he

won’t have to work on. Forty-one points a gameis an absolutely remarkable statistic in a statethat plays very good basketball, but Dieblermight be the only one not impressed.“The stats don’t matter to me -- the important

thing is that we won this year,” he said. “Myteammates stepped up big and it made my joba lot easier.“If you look at the times I scored a lot of

points, the games have been closer. I’ll take 10points just at long as we win by 31. That is finewith me.”Matta said during the season that he was

pleased to land Diebler and tipped his cap to allthat he accomplished on the high school level.“When you think of all the great basketball

players from the state of Ohio over the years,that’s a huge honor,” Matta said in reference toDiebler’s scoring record.As for Burson -- the former OSU point guard

who held the scoring record for 22 years out ofNew Concord John Glenn (1981-85) -- he seesa lot of himself in Diebler. Just a taller version byabout a half-foot.“He’s a great kid from a great family,” Burson

said. “He’s a basketball kid and that’s what I like.I’m a basketball junkie and that’s what he is.”And if someone was going to break the

record of a former Buckeye, it was fitting it wasdone by a future Buckeye.“Mr. Burson was a great player and he didn’t

have the three-point line and probably wouldhave scored a ton more points if he had one,”Diebler said. “I have the most respect in theworld for that man. He’s a nice person and I’mglad I got to meet him.”As for joining the Buckeyes, Diebler is eager.“They are a great team and very talented and

I’m ready to go,” Diebler said. “I’m really goodfriends with all the recruits in my class (KostaKoufos, Dallas Lauderdale, Eric Wallace andEvan Turner) and I’m excited about it, so it willbe interesting.”— OH

T


Gir ls Basketbal l P layer of the Year

Warsaw River View seniorKristin Daugherty led theLady Bears to back-to-

back Division II state titles.She’s headed to theUniversity of Dayton.

Paw Prints



Gir ls Basketbal l P layer of the YearSTORY BY MATT NATAL I

ew high school athletes have experi-enced the success that River View’sKristin Daugherty has.After leading the Lady Bears to

back-to-back Division II state champi-onships, Daugherty was named Ohio High’sWoman of the Year in girls basketball.She averaged 20.1 points, 7.3 rebounds,

3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game at theguard/forward positions en route tp repeatingas the Division II Ohio player of the year.Daugherty was also first team All-Ohio for thesecond straight year and earned aMcDonald’s All-American nomination.Daugherty is the all-time leader in points

and rebounds at River View averaging 18.9points and 8.8 rebounds in her 100-gamecareer.But Daugherty is quick to thank her team-

mates and the River View community for suc-cess of the team the support she has gotten.“It was a great place to play high school

basketball. We have such a great communityfollowing and having everyone at the gamescheering for us was so special because itwas kind of like a big family,” Daugherty said.“Not a lot of schools have that, so that is oneof the things that made playing at River Viewmore unique and special.“The four years were quite an experience.

We had our great times with the champi-onships and we had our not-so-hot times. Butlooking back, it was all worth it.”One of the more unique experiences

Daugherty went through in her high schoolcareer was playing for both her parents,Caroline and Bill Daugherty.“It was a really unique experience and I

don’t think many kids in the state of Ohio getto experience that at all,” she said. “It wasgood to have them there telling me what Ineeded to do and to also (encourage me). Ithink with your parents being your coaches itmight be a little harder to do that much bet-ter. But I think it made me a better playerbecause they were able to push me so hard.”Head coach Caroline Daugherty shares the

same sentiments now that Kristin’s highschool career has passed.“It’s hard being a coach’s kid because you

always feel like you want to try to succeedand want to please your parents,” CoachDaugherty said. “It’s not easy and your par-ents always seem to be tougher on you thanthe other kids. I was always tougher on

(Kristin) and I always expected so much outof her but I think it made her tougher mental-ly and that was the advantage I felt like I hadwhen my dad coached me.”Caroline Daugherty’s father, Dave Mast,

coached River View to the 1982 state cham-pionship with her on the floor.And through Kristin’s high school career,

Coach Daugherty made a conscious effort toseparate the coach and mother roles.“It was a challenge on the court,” Caroline

said. “I always felt like I needed to make anexample of her and I never wanted to feellike I was showing favoritism to her.“I do think when we went home I was able

to separate mom from coach. I was able notto bring it home. I know what it was like tolive with a coach and it is not always easy.”Daugherty took the reins at River View her

freshman season as the Lady Bears startedfour freshmen and a sophomore. River Viewlost in the first round of the sectionals thatyear, followed by a loss in the regional finalsher sophomore season before winning back-to-back state championships.“(Kristin) is a much more gifted athlete than

I ever was,” said Caroline Daugherty, whoplay college basketball for Ohio University.“The fundamental part of (the game), shehad no trouble with. She has really blos-somed into a coach on the floor. She’ll be agreat coach someday. She knows the gameand is very good at making decisions on thefloor. A lot of times it was like she was read-ing my mind.”With the success the Lady Bears have

experienced with Daugherty and seniors

Ashley Owen, Sami Dickerson and BrittanyBailey on the court, community enthusiasmfor the River View program is at a fever pitch.“In our community, these girls are a big

thing,” said Caroline Daugherty. “People loveto come see them play and they were veryexcited about the tournament run that theyhad. After sitting back and thinking about it, itwas quite an accomplishment for our girls.Everything just kind of fell into place for usand we feel very fortunate to be able torepeat and it was an exciting run.”But just as the excitement for the program

has been elevated over the last couple ofyears, so have the expectations for the bas-ketball team. With Kristin off to play collegeball in the summer, the torch will naturally bepassed to younger sister Kari.“The last few years I have definitely tried to

do all the right things and be a role modelthrough example to give (Kari) an idea ofhow I felt I was supposed to act. I know she’lldo a good job,” Kristin said.Coach Daugherty added, “Kari idolizes

Kristin and she’s devastated that all four ofthe seniors are leaving. I told Kari that it is anew chapter in her life also. Now she has tobe the one that steps up and leads.”Kristin, who scored 15 points in the Ohio

vs. Kentucky all star game in early April, willplay her college ball at the University ofDayton.“I really love the set-up there,” Kristin said.

“They have a beautiful campus and thecoaches and players are really nice. I getalong with them really well. I hope to go inand put some minutes up and help the teamas much as I can.”And it will be the first time in six years

Daugherty will have played for coaches otherthan her parents.“It’ll take a while to get used to,” she

laughed. “I was joking with my parents theother day saying I’m not sure what to call(UD coach Jim) Jabor in college. I don’t thinkI’ve called anyone coach before.”It will also be an adjustment for Caroline

Daugherty, be it welcome change.“She has just been such a pleasure to

coach but in the same breath I am lookingforward to being ‘mom,’ ” she said. “I amlooking forward to being able to go to Daytonand see her play. It is a new chapter in mylife in terms just being able to sit back, relaxand watch her play.” — OH

F

“(Kristin) is a much more giftedathlete than I ever was. Thefundamental part (of the game),she had no trouble with. Shehas really blossomed into acoach on the floor. She’ll bea great coach someday.”

Warsaw River View coachCaroline Daugherty


Basketbal l Coaches of the Year

or the first time, Ohio High presentscoach of the year awards in boys andgirls basketball. This year, those hon-ors go to North College Hill’s Jamie

Mahaffey and Mount Notre Dame’s DanteHarlan.

NCH’s Mahaffey CompletesThree-Peat Without StarsNorth College Hill head basketball coach

Jamie Mahaffey and his Trojans achievedwhat most considered to be the impossiblethis year.Following back-to-back Division III state

championships behind controversial blue chipprospects O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, mostfigured it was somebody else’s turn to winthe state title in 2007 without Mayo (transfer)and Walker (ruled ineligible, then enrolled

early at Kansas State) on the floor.But Mahaffey and the Trojans became a

part of Ohio high school basketball history bythree-peating as state champions in March.NCH joined Dayton Stivers (1928-30) andColumbus Wehrle (1988-90) as the onlyother schools to do so.“You really don’t realize what you (accom-

plished) when it first happens,” Mahaffeysaid. “I think coaches are just relaxed that theseason is over with and it didn’t really hit meuntil a week or so later.”Preseason prognostications appeared to

be accurate early in the season as NCHstarted the season with a dismal 1-4 record.Mahaffey said the turning point of the sea-

son came after that fourth loss againstCincinnati Woodward when he moved juniorDamon Butler back to the point guard posi-

tion. NCH won five straight games after themove and won nine of the remaining 12 regu-lar season games.NCH entered the tournament 10-7 and

unranked in the final AP poll before makingthe run in the tournament to the third straightstate title.“I was focused on our kids and getting

back (to Columbus) and it shows the dedica-tion of our kids to our program,” saidMahaffey. “We never really got any attentionon our program before because we had twofuture pros on our team – the focus was onthem. With two future pros, anyone can win achampionship. But we do have a good, struc-tured program and good kids who work hardand always want to reach the ultimate goal,which is the state title.“And that is all I really work for is the kids

and getting them the attention they deserve,”he said.NCH’s most recent championship was

obviously earned under quite different cir-cumstances than the previous two. AndMahaffey said he prefers how this year’s titlewas won but credits Mayo and Walker forbuilding the foundation of success.

F

North College Hill’s Mahaffey andMount Notre Dame’s Harlan namedOhio High Basketball Coaches of the Year

Cincinnati MountNotre Dame coach

Dante Harlan(above) and North

College Hill’s JamieMahaffey (inset) ledtheir teams to state

titles.

DoubleTime

Photos by Gary Housteau


Basketbal l Coaches of the YearSTORY BY MATT NATAL I

“I liked this year’s situation,” Mahaffey said.“The first two years, everyone expected us towin but with this year no one expected us todo anything,” he said. “I didn’t change theschedule or anything and our kids learnedfrom that. The reason I did that was I wantedthem to be prepared by the time the tourna-ment came. We played tough teams and ourguys were prepared once the time came toaccomplish their goal.“The biggest thing they learned (from Mayo

and Walker) is work ethic and preparation.And they learned how to be champions. O.J.and Bill will be the first ones to show you thatthis is what you have to do to be a championand they will be the first to tell you theycouldn’t have done it without the other guys.And that is what they showed this year –composure. They showed they can win inany situation.”NCH didn’t necessarily have to work any

harder to win the title this year – the Trojansalways worked hard with or without Mayoand Walker, according to Mahaffey. TheTrojans just had to work hard differently.“We worked the same but we had to focus

on playing solid defense and executing onoffense,” he said. “We were a smaller teambut we were quick and we had to learn howto execute at the end to finish games. Weworked just as hard – we just had to changesome aspects of the game.”It seemed NCH was a team destined to do

great things as the tournament progressedand it all culminated in the state semifinalgame. Tied in overtime with Wheelersburg,Butler drained a three-point, one-handedfloater from the right of the key as timeexpired to lift the Trojans to the title game.“The whole measure of the season was

that God had put us on a journey,” Mahaffeysaid. “And when Damon hit that shot, weknew we were going to win the tournament.God put us on this journey and we weren’tgoing to waiver or lose our faith. When he hitthat shot, he let us know he wanted us to fin-ish that journey.“We never lost faith in God and we never

lost faith in each other. Faith and commit-ment – that is what we based our season on.It was a rollercoaster season, but in the end,our goal was to get back to Columbus andwe did that.”So, could NCH make history next year and

become the first Ohio high school to win fourstraight titles?The Trojans lose guard Nate Glover (15.5

ppg), guard Dwayne Parks (6.0 ppg), forwardMichael Green (3.5 ppg) and forward JoshRichardson to graduation this year. But lead-ing scorer Butler (20.2 ppg) will return for hissenior campaign as well as leading rebound-er Alphonso McPherson.

Mahaffey is also excited about sopho-mores-to-be Barry Cobb and Angelo Pruitt.“We’ve got a good group coming back. It

really is just about continuing within the sys-tem and the good thing about it is (success)can be done both ways. When you win withstars and then you win with guys that grewup in the neighborhood together you reallyget the younger guys believing in it,”Mahaffey said.

And his players have shown they believein Mahaffey earning NCH its third straightstate championship against all odds.

Mount Notre Dame RepeatsUnder First-Year Coach HarlanFor Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame head

basketball coach Dante Harlan, the first timewas a charm.In his inaugural season at the helm of the

MND program, the Cougars finished 23-4and repeated as Division I state championsunder the former Cougars assistant coach.The 2007 title marks the third state cham-

pionship for MND in the last four years.“(It is) incredible. Just to be a part of the

tradition and pride that has been built and

being a part of Mount Notre Dame and beinga part of this family is wonderful. I couldn’task for anything better,” said Harlan. “It stillhasn’t really hit me. I look at that trophy andit’s just incredible. It probably won’t hit meuntil all the dust settles and I am sitting athome reminiscing about the season.“We’ve had a great deal of support coming

from the athletic office and (the schooladministration). And the kids that have beena part of this program have all been greatyoung ladies that believe in the same philos-ophy we do, which is working hard and play-ing as hard as you can and hopefully goodthings happen. They’ve bought it that. It’s nosecret what we’ve done. We prepare thesame way every year and we’re going tokeep preparing the same way with hard work,faith, family and one big heart,” he said.Coming into the season, there were some

question marks surrounding the team follow-ing the loss of several key players to gradua-tion that were instrumental in the 2005-06championship and a new head coach callingthe shots.“I know there were expectations on me

from people who wanted to see me succeedand people who wanted to see me fail,” saidHarlan. “Trying to come behind a coach thathas done a lot of great things, the last thingyou want to do is have a let down.“(Former head coach Scott Rogers) gave

me the opportunity to take over for him and Ididn’t want to let him down either. He builtsomething great here and I just want to keepit going.”MND experienced some adversity at the

beginning of the season starting off 6-4,which included back-to-back losses in earlyJanuary. But Harlan points to the win overNotre Dame Prep (Mass.) in the Classic inthe Country event in mid-January as the turn-ing point of the season.“We had a rough go early in the year,”

Harlan said. “We knew we were going to takesome lumps early but we hoped we wouldmature and learn a little bit about ourselvesat that time. We wanted to turn it around andmake it a positive. This team learned somelessons the first part of the season and Ilooked at it as a blessing in disguise.“Notre Dame Prep, that team was phenom-

enal. They had great players at every posi-tion. But we controlled the game and lostlead but came back and won the game. Thatwas the turning point. It was our first time los-ing the lead and coming back to win.”MND defeated Notre Dame Prep 67-62.“We always preach the same thing from

the beginning to the end of the season andthat is that we can go to state and win state. Idon’t think (the girls) really believed it untilthen that they were good enough to get to

Mount Notre Dame made its fourthstraight D-I final and won its thirdtitle under Harlan who stepped infor former coach Scott Rogers(middle), now an assistant.

Phot

oby

Gary

Hous

teau

Basketbal l Coaches of the Year

the final four.”Following the back-to-back losses in

January, MND won 17 straight games on theway to the state title.For the previous state championships in

2004 and 2006 and the state runner-up finishin 2005, Harlan was an assistant coach underRogers. Over the past two seasons, Rogersprimed Harlan to take over the program as heprepared to take a step back from the leadrole. Rogers remained with the program as anassistant.“(Rogers) started talking about it more and

more the last few years,” Harlan said. “Hisoriginal goal was to only coach for five years.He started handing me more responsibilitieslike scheduling and the offense. It was a matu-ration process. It was never a matter of meknowing the X’s and O’s of the game butrather knowing the ins and outs of the game,which he is great at. He sees the game twosteps before it even happens.”Harlan and Rogers first met on the AAU cir-

cuit after Harlan moved from Michigan toCincinnati and began coaching. Through amutual acquaintance, they scheduled a scrim-mage with each other.“We met and we decided to scrimmage,”

Harlan said.“My team was a couple years older than his

team but his team came out and jumped allover my team and I wasn’t very happy. So Itook a timeout and I went over to Scott andsaid, ‘Excuse me, coach. I am going outsidewith my team for a minute.’“I took my team out in the hallway and

closed the door and said a lot of nice, positivethings about them. When I came in after-wards, my girls jumped all over his team.“He came up afterwards and said he

respected that I wasn’t trying to disrespect mykids in front of other kids to make them lookbad. From that point on, we each had anadmiration for the way we handled our teamsand we became friends after that.”Soon thereafter, Rogers was hired as head

coach at MND. When Harlan learned of thehiring, he called Rogers to congratulate him.“(Rogers) told me he needed a freshman

coach and help with varsity,” Harlan said.“I never wanted to coach high school and

never wanted to deal with the politics of any-thing. It was fun for me working with the youngladies that weren’t superstars. Scott convincedme and history speaks for itself after that Iguess.”

The friendship between Harlan and Rogersgrew beyond the court.Harlan describes Rogers as big brother to

him and Rogers is even Godfather to Harlan’sson.“Knowing Coach Rogers has truly been a

blessing for me,” Harlan said. “He is a greatfamily man with great values and great morals.He is one of those people where what you seeis what you get.“When you think of someone being a

Godfather to your child, you think of someonewho has a certain level of values and stan-dards he lives up to day in and day out andthat’s true with him. He has just always beenthere for me.”With the torch passed successfully to Harlan

and Rogers still behind the scenes mentoring,there appears to be no slowing down for theMND program – especially with the talent theCougars have returning for next season.“It has been an honor to be a part of every-

thing this year that we accomplished as ateam,” Harlan said. “But I told our players toenjoy the moment but don’t dwell in themoment. We’re already focusing on whatwe’re going to do next year. Hopefully, Act Twois going to be fun as well.”— OH


Winter Spor ts Players of the YearSTOR IES BY OHIO HIGH STAFF

Wrestling

t was an amazing year for an amazing wrestler.After rolling to an undefeated record and capturing his third straight

state championship, 160-pound senior Colt Sponseller capped off hisfinal year as a high school wrestler by winning the national crown and

OutstandingWrestler award at this year’s NHSCASenior Nationals. For hisdominating performance this year, Sponseller has been named Ohio High’sMan of the Year in wrestling.Sponseller, a champion at 140 in 2005 and 152 in 2006, steamrolled into

the 2007 state championships with a 45-0 record and a heavy favorite statusat the 160-pound class. He didn’t disappoint, opening with a 22-7 technicalfall decision over junior Kyle Raber of Wooster Triway, then following with a24-9 technical fall over junior Greg Rhoads of Hillsboro, a 17-8 win over jun-ior Keith Witt of Oak Harbor, and a 25-12 championship decision over seniorKyle Haddox of Canal Fulton Northwest.The win was a special one for Sponseller, who felt the added pressure of

being a senior consecutive state champion.“I’ve been working the whole year for

this, training my butt off to try to get to thispoint,” Sponseller told theWooster Daily-Record. “This year’s special. This is mysenior year, we had a really good team andI really wanted to finish undefeated.”Sponseller followed up his state champi-

onship performance with a tremendousshowing at the Senior Nationals. His run included a win over four-time statechampion Justin Zeerip of Hesperia (Mich.), who had not lost a match in fouryears for his high school, and a 15-6 finals win over nationally-ranked PaulPaddock of Warsaw (N.Y.). He posted wins over five state champions includ-ing a technical fall and two major decisions.“It feels really good,” Sponseller told the Daily-Record.“But I don’t think it’s hit me yet… But I’m not going to dwell on it, I’ve got to

keep getting better.”That’s because next up for Sponseller is wrestling on a major college

stage as he has accepted a scholarship to Ohio State University. Despite hishigh school success, Sponseller nowmust bring his game up a notch.“Wrestling in college is a different beast,” said West Holmes coach Jeff

Woods. “It’s a lot more physical. Now he’s going to have to sharpen just thelittle things. You get into college and they don’t stop a lot of things; it’s more ofa street brawl in some aspects.”Sponseller himself knows that there are some aspects of his game he will

need to improve.“I definitely want to put on some size,” he said. “I’m kind of undersized for

a 160-pounder right now. I’d like to add a little bit more bulk, adjust my style alittle bit. It’s a whole new level.”His goals, however, remain the same as they were in high school.“My number one goal is to be a national champion and to help the team

to win a national title,” Sponseller said. “I think that’s everybody’s goal.”Sponseller leaves a legacy as the best wrestler in West Holmes history

and one of the best in the history of his region of the state. Sponseller, who isconsidering business and criminology as fields of study, left an impression on

and off the mat that will be tough to match.“He doesn’t have any problems,” Woods said. “He’s a very well mannered

kid. I can’t say enough about his parents; they’ve done a wonderful job withhim. You never have to worry about where he’s at on a Friday night or any-thing like that. He’s pretty much a coach’s dream about worrying aboutwhere he is off the mat.”“Colt’s kind of a different leader than I’ve had in the past,” Woods added.

“He doesn’t shout much; he doesn’t get real boisterous with the team. It’smore of the idea of ‘lead by example’ type of thing. Usually when some-body’s not working or something, he’ll grab him as a workout partner andmake him work, so I guess you could say he leads by example more thananything.”Anything can happen during the leap from high school to college, but big

things are expected for Sponseller. Just as it was no surprise that Sponsellerfinished 2006-07 undefeated with a state and national title, it wouldn’t sur-prise many to see similar success at Ohio State.“I’m pretty sure the stars are the limit,” Woods said. “He’s got the right

mentality, the right work ethic. I don’t even want to set a goal for him, but Ithink he’s been under pressure for the last three years from every newspaperaround and he’s handled everything great and handled schoolwork great. Ithink he’s on the right track to becoming anAll-American and getting up thereto be a national champ.”

I

ColtSponseller

WestHolmes

Bow l i n g Hocke y Gymna s t i c s W r e s t l i n g Sw imm i n g

Sponseller caps prep careerwith third state title

West Holmes senior Colt

Sponseller completed an

undefeated season with a

D-II 160-pound state title.

Photo by Nick Falzaerno


Winter Spor ts Players of the Year



Gymnastics

ue Lenny introduced gymnastics to her daughter Christina as a wayfor the 3-year old to release some energy. Fourteen years later,Christina Lenny has yet to loosen her grip on competitors.A senior at Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Lenny captured the

state all-around individual gymnastics title at the 35thAnnual Girls StateGymnastics Tournament hosted by Hilliard Darby High School. Lenny alsowon three of the four disciplines (vault, balance beam and floor exercise) enroute to helping the Bees to their fourth straight state title and sixth in eightyears.Broadview Heights' senior class finished its career undefeated in dual

meets, invitationals and all state competitions (sectional, district and state).Aweek before winning the state title, Lenny became the first Broadview

Heights gymnast to sweep all four events (parallel bars included) and the all-around at the district level.For her performance, Lenny has been tabbed as Ohio High’s Woman of

the Year in gymnastics.“We’ve had a few state champions here

before, but to win three individual titles andthe all-around is the best performancewe’ve ever had,” BH head coach JoanGanim said. “You don’t see a lot of girls thatare solid in all events, especially at the highschool level.”A four-time state qualifier, Lenny has

never faired worse than fourth at state in the all-around (as a freshman). Shewas third as a sophomore and junior. Winning this season was her goal.“Throughout high school my goal has been to capture the all-around title,”

Lenny said. “I’ve been working towards that and shooting for it all year and itfinally paid off.”Lenny didn’t reach the top of the podium without some slips. Injuries in

gymnastics are common and Lenny experienced her share.She’s fought through a broken ankle and last May had surgery for stress

fractures in her shins. Three-months of rehab ended inAugust and that’swhen the climb to get back into top-flight condition resumed.“I wouldn’t say I was 100 percent when the season began, but I was pretty

close,” Lenny said. “This year has actually been one of my better years withinjuries.”Lenny’s assault on the opposition remained steady throughout the season,

but peaked with her dominating district effort. She expected to win, but fivefirst-place finishes didn’t cross her mind.“It was surprising because there were a lot of other talented girls,” Lenny

said. “I wasn’t really focusing on scores throughout the day, so when every-thing was finished it was exciting. It makes me feel special (to know I was thefirst BH gymnast to win all four events and the all-around at the district). Ihope it inspires others.”While her district performance left big enough shoes to fill, Lenny’s effort at

state added a couple shoe sizes. She said the back-to-back performanceswere probably the best of her career.“I did feel comfortable and in control, but I knew (the individual competition)

was a new day,” Lenny said. “I knew I had the ability to hit all the routines butyou never know what’s going to happen. Usually on day two I mess some-thing up.”Lenny almost completed the sweep again, finishing third in the parallel

bars.Next season Lenny will continue her career at Kent State. She also consid-

ered Ohio State before selecting the Golden Flashes. Lenny doesn’t plan onpursuing international competition.“After college, I’m planning to be done,” Lenny said. “I’m not sure how

much my body will last after that.”Her accomplishments at Broadview Heights might stand forever.

— Eric Frantz

S

ChristinaLenny

Brecksville-Broadview Heights

Lenny wins four individualevents at state meet

Hockey

Hartman tallies 89 pointsduring steller senior season

indlay hockey coach Dan St. Jean expected Jerrod Hartman to havean impressive senior campaign. He didn’t quite bank on Hartman hav-ing the year he did, though. It’s unlikely anyone did.En route to earning Northwest Hockey Conference Red Division

MVP honors, Hartman almost broke the Findlay single-season scoring markof 91 points. He fell just two points shy with an astounding 51 goals and 38assists.For his efforts, Hartman has been tabbed the 2007 Ohio High’s Man of

the Year in ice hockey.“I can’t say it was expected, but we knew he had the ability to generate

goals and assists,” St. Jean said. “But 89 points … not many people can do

F

Christina

Lenny won the

all-around and

three events at

the state

meet.

Photo by Kim Ryan



that around here.”Said Hartman: “I never knew howmany points I had and what I was actu-

ally doing. It wasn’t until they started talking about the record that I knew Iwas close.”Were in not for two cancelled games, the Findlay scoring record would be

Hartman’s.The current record of 91 points was set in 1988 by Ted Kramer, who

played four years at Michigan and was drafted in the seventh round of the1989 NHLDraft by the LosAngeles Kings.St. Jean says Hartman could have a sim-

ilar future.“I have my own beliefs, but other coach-

es believe he has the potential to playNCAADivision I hockey as well,” St. Jean

said. “He’s got tremendous speed, a very good shot and a quick release. Healso has the ability to protect the puck and he’s hard to move off his feet. Thisyear he just went out and got crazy scoring goals and assists.”After scoring 29 goals and dishing out 21 assists last season, Hartman led

the Trojans to a 21-7 record this year. Now he’ll concentrate on playing juniorhockey in either the NorthAmerican Hockey League – for the MahoningValley Phantoms – or in the United States Hockey League – with the OhioJunior Blue Jackets. Both organizations are top-level junior programs and thenext step towards collegiate hockey.Ultimately, Hartman would like to end up at Bowling Green State

University.Throughout his career – which started at age 6 in the Findlay youth pro-

gram – Hartman has had his share of success. Making his way throughdevelopmental leagues, Hartman played for theAAAVictory Honda MidgetMinors out of Plymouth, Michigan and also starred for theAAAAnnArborWolverines. Two years ago, he made the move back to high school.“I just wanted to be closer to my friends and I didn’t like the politics of AAA

hockey,” Hartman said. “These past two years have been the most fun I’vehad playing. This year in particular was a very good season and it was theresult of good coaching and my teammates backing me up.”St. Jean expects Hartman to succeed at his next stop.“He’s spectacular to watch,” St. Jean said. “He’s got that explosion and

flash about him. He’s got all the attributes to play at a higher level.”— Eric Frantz

JerrodHartman

Findlay

Boys Bowling

Kling overcomes health,transfer to win state titlevan Kling needed a change of scenery. He found it – and a statebowling title – at Cincinnati LaSalle.A transfer from Cincinnati St. Xavier, Kling captured the inaugural

individual title at the first annual Boys State Bowling Tournament atTiki Lanes in Lancaster. The 737 series he rode to the title was also aLaSalle school record.As a result, Kling has been named the 2007 Ohio High’s Man of the Year

in bowling.“Having known both he and his older brother for some time, we knew we

were getting something really worthwhile,” LaSalle coach Father PaulGebhardt said. “We were very happy to get him.”Kling was happy to come.Despite making the state tournament as a freshman and sophomore at

St. X, Kling experienced a trying junior year. Diagnosed with sleep apnea hestruggled with academics, athletics and maintaining a social life. Ultimately,he was ruled ineligible.“It was tough,” Kling said. “There were

times I had a terrible time just trying to stayawake and focused at school. It wasn’t bychoice, but I had to cut out bowling for theyear.”Thanks to the help of medical attention

and a changed diet, Kling was able tocombat his health issues. He resurfaced at LaSalle a changed person.“I just had to get out (of St. X),” Kling said. “It was a pretty big change

coming to LaSalle, but going there was the obvious choice. I knew a lot ofthe kids on the bowling team already because we had gone to elementaryschool together and played in leagues and tournaments. It was really a goodmove.”Kling established himself as a state title contender from day one.At the season’s opening event – the State Kick-Off Tournament in

Columbus – Kling placed second with a 719 series. He ended the year witha 209 average.“Evan has a very clean style,” Gebhardt said. “There’s not a lot of flash

and flare to his game. His actions are simple and controlled. He also worksvery hard and has a great work ethic.”Kling’s effort at state helped propel the Lancers to a fifth-place finish. He –

and teammate Mitch Vickers, who tied for sixth – were also the first LaSallebowlers to place in the top 10 at state.Kling said he felt a state championship was within reach after rolling a 266

in his second game.“At that point, I knew I was pretty well off,” Kling said. “The third game I just

E

EvanKling

CincinnatiLaSalle

Jerrod

Hartman

scored 51

goals and

had 38

assists this

season.

Submitted Photo



went for it.”Kling finished 53 pins ahead of the second-place bowler, Youngstown

Boardman’s Steven Sullivan.Next year Kling plans on attending the University of Cincinnati and bowling

for the Bearcats. His brotherAndrew is currently a freshman at Illinois andcompetes for the Illini.“We knew (Evan) was capable of (winning a state title), it was just a matter

of him doing it at the right time,” Gebhardt said. “He did it in a big way.”— Eric Frantz

Boys Swimming

Staab repeats as Ohio High’stop swimmer

n an easy choice, Westerville Central’s Austin Staab repeats as OhioHigh’s Man of the Year in boys swimming.Staab, a senior, defended his state titles in the 100 free and 100 fly at

the 2007 OHSAAswimming state championship meet. In fact, Staabtied the national record in the 100 fly with a 47.10, matching the time of NateDusing of Covington, Ky., in 1997.“I’m happy about it,” Staab said upon learning of the Ohio High award.

“Ohio isn’t an easy state to swim in and win state championships and it’s def-initely exciting winning awards like this.”Staab had the top college swimming programs in the country after him, but

he decided in November to sign with Stanford University on a full-ride schol-arship.“I was considering Stanford, Auburn, Arizona, Northwestern and Texas,”

Staab said. “They are all excellent swimming programs and excellent aca-demic institutions, but I just felt that Stanford was at the top of the list bothathletically and academically. When I sat down and really looked at it, I feltStanford offered the best education.“I’m not sure what I’m going to major in, but right now I’m looking at some-

thing in economics.”Staab is one of the most decorated swimmers in OHSAAhistory, but he

knows it’s going to be different when he steps up to the college level.“It’s going to be a whole new level of competition for me,” Staab said. “It’s

going to be much different and you have to just get mentally prepared forthat. Here in Ohio, I’m the number oneswimmer in the state.“At Stanford, I’m going to be like the third

or fourth best on my team. It’s going to bequite an experiences and I’m sure I’m goingto get my butt kicked some, but that’s alsogoing to make me a lot better. I think it’sgoing to be a lot of fun, knowing that there

is going to be a lot of hard work as well.”And hard work is one of the things Staab is known best for.“Two things have helpedAustin become as good as he is,” Westerville

Aquatic Club coach Jim Peterfish said. “One is he expects to win. Perhapsmore importantly, however, is he prepares to win. He’s focused on being thebest and that’s how he trains.”His athletic ability, coupled with his drive to reach the top, turned Staab into

arguably the nation’s top swimming recruit last fall.“There’s no greater pure talent in the whole country thanAustin,” said

Stanford and former Olympic coach Skip Kenney.Unlike most swimmers who pick the sport up very early in life, Staab didn’t

start to swim competitively until he was 13.“I started at the local pool the summer before my eighth grade year,” Staab

said. “I did pretty good and I just kept with it. My sophomore year I started

winning a lot of events and then I knew I might have something going here.Then my junior year I won state in the 100 fly and 100 free and this year wasjust amazing and I kept improving. I think I landed in the sport at the perfecttime.”But 13 isn’t just picking up the sport late, it’s almost unheard of for a swim-

mer to pick the sport up that late and still excel at the high school and colle-giate levels.“Yeah, I was able to hear an Olympic champion speak last summer and

he was talking about how he picked the sport up real late, and he was 9,”Staab said with a laugh. “I know I kind of got lucky starting so late but stillbeing able to do these things, but I didn’t want to question it. I just wanted toroll with it and not question how I got this far even though I started late.”Staab will move to California this summer and will begin taking classes.

But he is going to miss a lot about high school swimming.“I’m going to miss the way the tournaments are set up in high school with

sectionals, districts and then state. You have to do well enough each week tomove up and each week you have to show what you can do.“In college, you just go to nationals if you qualify. There is no building up to

it. You just go to the national meet and I think I am going to miss that buildingup to the state meet.”In addition to tying the national record in the 100 fly this year, Staab also

became the first swimmer in Ohio to repeat as a state champ in the sameevents since 2001. In the 100 free, Staab’s time of 43.93 was just the secondsub-44 second finish in OHSAAhistory.Following his career at Stanford, Staab would like nothing more than to

become a member of the U.S. Olympic team.

I

AustinStaab

WestervilleCentral

Austin Staab tied a national record in the 100-meter

butterfly (47.10 seconds) en route to Ohio and state

tournament records in the event.

Submitted Photo



“In 2008 it’s probably not going to happen because Michael Phelps is theworld-record holder and Ian Crocker is also on the team,” he said. “But in2012, Ian Crocker might retire and there could be an opportunity then. Thatwould be amazing and I’m going to work hard to get there.”

—Dave Biddle

Girls Bowling

Consistency carries Keenanto top of her game

risten Keenan won’t be confused with Michael Jordan or TigerWoods, but according to Centerville bowling coach GregCoulles, the Elk junior shares some similarities with the stand-outs

“She has a very strong will to win and that’s evident,” Coulles said.“If your life depended on it and you needed someone to roll a strikeright then and there she’d be it.”En route to leading the Elks to a third place finish at the inaugural

state bowling tournament in Lancaster, Keenan placed third individu-ally. Throughout the season, she carried a 199 average – the best inthe state.

As a result, Keenan has been named as Ohio High’s Woman of

K

the Year in girls bowling.“Pressure,” Keenan said. “I handle pressure well and I like it. I think

it’s the same in every sport. If your team is relying on you, then youwant to step up.”For the most part, Keenan stepped up and over the competition

this season.Competing in the toughest conference in the state – the Greater

Western Ohio Conference – Keenanfinished fourth at the GWOC meet andwas named first team. She also placedsecond at the sectional and fourth atdistrict. Consistency is another ofKeenan’s strengths.“Bowling is an uphill and downhill

sport and the key is to be uphill at the right time,” Coulles said.“That’s what Kristen was.”“I go out to win,” Keenan said. “Not just for me, but for my team.”Keenan was introduced to bowling by her grandmother who used

to take her to the alley when she bowled.“When I was little I would go there and do my homework,” Keenan

said. “When I was 8, I joined an adult/child league with my dad. At 11,I started bowling in Saturday leagues.”Nowadays, Keenan visits the lanes four times a week and bowls

10-15 games. Her high-game of 279 came a week after the statetournament at a youth event in Fairborn. Her previous high was 269.In middle school Keenan dropped basketball and softball.“I just started bowling more and bowling is a sport that doesn’t end

when the season does,” Keenan said. “It goes year round.”Keenan’s dedication has led to a 29-pin jump in her average since

starting high school. Averaging 170 as a freshman, Keenan nearlyreached 200 this year. That’s a plateau she expects to pass soon.As for the future, Keenan wants to continue bowling in college.

She’s considering Wright State and Morehead State.Keenan also credits the GWOC for preparing her. The conference

yielded four of the top six teams at state, including championBeavercreek and runner-up Fairborn. Fairborn won the title last year.“Once a week it seemed like there was at least one big match,”

Keenan said. “When it comes down to it, I think we as a team and Iperform better against better competition.”In other words, Keenan performs well under pressure.“With most bowlers you cross your fingers and hope they get a

strike,” Coulles said.“When Kristen is up, she delivers.”

— Eric Frantz

KristenKeenan

Centerville

Girls Swimming

Beck wins fifth swimming title,headed for Ohio State

nita Beck left the competition wet this winter. A senior standoutat Cincinnati Anderson, Beck captured her third straight 500freestyle state title and addedher second 200 free champi-

onship at the state swim meet. She wasalso a member of Anderson’s runner-up400 free relay team. A four-year letter-winner and an Ohio State recruit, Beck is the 2007 Ohio High Womanof the Year in girls swimming. She also earned Fort Ancient ValleyConference Buckeye Division Swimmer of the Year honors.— OH

A Anita Beck

Anderson

Kristen Keenan carried a

state-best 199 average

this winter en route to a

third place finish at state.

Photo by Brian Swartz


Boys Basketbal l State TournamentPh

otos

byGa

ryHo

uste

au

Jay Chadwell, Georgetown Josh Benson, Dayton Dunbar Terry Martin, Cincinnati Moeller Damon Butler, Cincinnati North College Hill


Boys Basketbal l State Tournament

he 85th Annual OHSAAState BoysBasketball Tournament took placeMarch 22-24 at Ohio State’s ValueCity Arena and it featured a three-peatstate champion, a repeat champ, afirst-time champ and a team that

claimed its third title in eight years.The following is a look at the 2007 state tour-

nament:

GCL Festival: Moeller UpendsRival St. Xavier For D-I TitleTen points. That’s what separated Cincinnati

St. Xavier from being 3-0 against CincinnatiMoeller this year. Instead, the Bombers went 0-3– the final loss in the Division I state champi-onship March 24.Thanks to a basket by junior reserve Daniel

Wulker and a free throw from senior standoutTroy Tabler, the Crusaders created just enoughcushion to survive St. X 43-40 before a crowd of14,307.Moeller beat the Bombers 50-49 in December

and 56-50 in the regular season finale. Bothteams are members of the prestigious GreaterCatholic League.Two years ago in the state semifinals, St. X

dispatched Moeller, 43-41. Familiarity, it wouldseem, breeds contempt.“We’re so familiar with each other that it was

hard to get anything going,” Moeller head coachCarl Kremer said. “It was a grind-it-out gameand that was my fear. I didn’t want a game in the40s.”Added Tabler: “We know each other so well

and we know what the other is going to run. Ithink tonight it came down to the little things andfew lucky bounces.”The last of which went to Tabler.Despite leading by seven (36-29) entering the

fourth quarter, Moeller watched as St. X scoredfive unanswered points to climb within 36-34.The Crusaders finally posted their first points ofthe period when Quinn McDowell sank two freethrows with 3:34 to go. Then things got interest-ing.St. X standout Walt Gibler was fouled on a

rebound and Moeller was slapped with an ensu-ing technical foul. Gibler calmly sank all fourfreebies to knot the game 38-38. Gibler, whoscored a game-high 21 points, drained two morefree throws with 1:32 remaining to tie the game40-40.“Walt is a big-time player for us,” St. X coach

Scott Martin said. “He’s a great competitor andhe wants the basketball. He’s what makes us goand he gave us an opportunity to win.”On the ensuing possession, Wulker scored for

Moeller to provide a 42-40 edge with 1:14 to go.Then Tabler took over.Held scoreless in the second half after scoring

10 points in the first, Tabler grabbed the reboundof an errant St. X three-pointer with five secondsleft. He was in the right place at the right time.“I was a little nervous when he shot it,” said

Tabler, a Wright State recruit. “After he let it go, Ijust went as fast as I could to get into position.”Tabler was fouled and hit one of two free

throws. St. X grabbed the rebound and hadanother shot to tie it at the end but missed.Hysteria ensued for the Crusaders.“We had opportunities at the end,” Martin said.

“We just weren’t able to capitalize.”Tabler scored a team-high 11 points for

Moeller and added a team-high six rebounds.McDowell added nine points. Gibler was the onlyBomber in double-digits.“Beating your biggest rival is always great,”

Tabler said. “Throw in the fact that it’s for a statetitle and you can’t beat it.”ARarity: The last time two member schools

from the same conference met for the D-I titlewas in 1992 when Lakota West beat LimaSenior 88-86 in overtime. Both were members ofthe Greater Miami Conference.The last time two teams from the same con-

ference met for the title regardless of divisionwas 2004 when St. Henry beat Versailles 61-49for the D-III championship. Both those schoolsare members of the Midwest AthleticConference.GCL: Overall, nine Greater Catholic League

teams have won 16 basketball state titles.Moeller joins Kettering Alter and Cincinnati Elderwith three apiece, while Cincinnati Roger Baconand Dayton Chaminade-Julienne have twoeach. Hamilton Badin, Cincinnati LaSalle andCincinnati Purcell-Marian each have one.State Semifinal ResultsCincinnati Moeller 67, Lakewood St.

Edward 60:Moeller, which won the state cham-pionship in 1999 and another in 2003, had threeplayers score in double digits led by Tabler with21 points. McDowell had 19 points and TerryMartin had 13 for the Crusaders.Tabler hit a three-point shot with about two

minutes left in the game to put Moeller up fourpoints and that proved to be the straw that brokeSt. Edward’s back.St. Edward (25-1) had four players score in

double digits with blue chip junior Delvon Roedropping 14 and Matt Salay, Tom Pritchard andfreshman Pe’Shon Howard each adding 11,respectively.Cincinnati St. Xavier 45, Canton GlenOak

34: Using the threesome of Pete Zestermann (6-8), Gibler (6-7) and Michael Budde (6-6), theBombers out-dueled GlenOak center and OhioState recruit Kosta Koufos (7-2). The trio com-bined for 20 points and 21 rebounds.The Bombers out rebounded GlenOak 36-17

and had more offensive rebounds (20) than theEagles did total. That tally led to a 19-0 edge insecond chance points.Brad Loesing was the only St. X player in

double-figures with 11 points.Koufos was the only GlenOak (23-4) player to

reach double-digits.

Diebler’s 48 Not Enough ToStop Dunbar Repeat In D-IIThose expecting a great game between

Dayton Dunbar and Upper Sandusky in theDivision II state final got more than they bar-gained for.Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 18,288,

Dunbar outlasted Upper Sandusky 87-85 in agame people will be talking about for a longtime.“The people that came and were supposed to

“Beating your biggest rival is alwaysgreat. Throw in the fact that it’s for astate title and you can’t beat it.”

Cincinnati Moeller seniorTroy Tabler

STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & MATT NATAL I

T

“Walt (Gibler) is a big-time player for us.He’s a great competitor and he wantsthe basketball. He’s what makes us goand he gave us an opportunity to win.”

Cincinnati St. Xavier coachScott Martin



Keith Diebler said. “It had to be entertaining.”“I believe you all enjoyed the game a little

more than I did,” Dunbar coach Peter Pullensaid. “It was a great game between two greatteams that played hard and brought everythingthey had. I know it took everything out of us.”Admission should have been triple.Consider:* US senior Jon Diebler – Ohio’s Mr.

Basketball, the state’s all-time leading scorer andan Ohio State recruit – scored 48 points to shat-ter the previous Division II title game record by10. Diebler’s tally was also the third highest instate tournament history. Only Middletown’sJerry Lucas (53 points in 1956) and ClevelandSt. Joseph’s Clark Kellogg (51 in 1979) havescored more.Diebler finished the game 14-of-36 from the

floor and 5-of-21 from three-point range. He alsohit 15-of-19 free throws and had 10 rebounds,seven steals, five assists and three blocks.Joked Pullen: “That was probably just an

average game for him. He’s unbelievable.”Diebler’s two-game tournament total of 72

points was also a D-II record. The previous markof 64 was shared by LeBron James (Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary, 2002) and Mike Phillips (AkronManchester, 1974).* Diebler and teammate Kevin Brodman each

set the D-II state record for three-pointers in agame with five apiece. The Rams set a D-II titlegame record with 13 threes. US shot 42, whileDunbar attempted one.* Dunbar out-rebounded US 63-23 and had

three players (6-9 Aaron Pogue, 6-10 JoshBenson and 6-8 Anthony Oden) with double-digitboards.Said Diebler, “I thought we got out-rebounded

100-10.”* Dunbar, using its size advantage, outscored

US 68-20 in the paint.Said Jon Diebler, “Dunbar played extremely

well and we hung in there with them. I don’t thinkmany people gave us a chance because of ourlack of height, but we were right there fightingwith them.”* Dunbar committed 29 turnovers and won.

The Wolverines had 26 turnovers in their semifi-nal win over Columbus DeSales.Said Pullen, “Upper’s style makes those 29

turnovers easy because it’s a running game andthey’re used to it. Twenty-nine turnovers in afast-paced game like that – which we’re not real-ly used to – I’ll take it. Especially since we won.”* Both teams took 74 shots.Dunbar, making its third straight state appear-

ance, brought home back-to-back titles and itsthird overall, thanks in large to plays down thestretch. During most of the contest, both teamsanswered challenges.The Wolverines opened the game on a 12-0

run and were up 14-1 before US got on track.The Rams closed the quarter down 26-18 and

took their first lead 29-28 on a Diebler free throwwith 5:41 left to go before half. In the secondquarter Diebler scored the Rams final 13 points,but a 9-2 run by Dunbar to close the stanzagave it a 45-39 lead at the break.The second half was back and forth.Dunbar built an 11-point lead two minutes into

the third quarter, but by the end of it the gamewas knotted 66-66.Diebler opened the fourth quarter with back-

to-back 3s as the Rams went up 72-68. On aDiebler dunk with 5:01 to go, US led 78-72.Then Dunbar answered. Pogue, who was lim-

ited to 10 minutes of action due to foul trouble inthe first three quarters, responded with a 6-0 runof his own to tie the game. Ultimately Dunbarclosed on a 15-4 run after falling behind six.A Benson basket with 1:34 to go put the

Wolverines in the lead for good.Diebler closed the scoring on a 3-pointer with

less than a second to go.Brodman added 17 points for US, while soph-

omore Alex Falk added 14. In all, just four play-ers scored for the Rams.Keith Rakestraw and Benson paced Dunbar

with 16 points apiece. Daquan Walker added 15,while Pogue chipped in 10. Senior point guardNorris Cole II had another huge game with eightpoints, seven boards and seven assists.The contest was similar to the team’s 95-90

semifinal match-up in 2005. Only the winner wasdifferent.“We did some things well that hurt them and

one of them was we didn’t quit,” Keith Dieblersaid. “We were like that fly that stays around.(We were) hoping that we could get the gameinto the last two minutes and make somethinghappen.“We were successful, it just went their way.”Said Pullen, “When they throw the ball up

(Dunbar) comes to play.”

Foul Trouble: Dunbar was able to remain incontention in the third quarter despite the limitedplay of Pogue. Called for his third foul with 5:52left in the second quarter, Pogue was whistledfor his fourth less than 90 seconds into the third.Pogue pleaded to return late in the period, butthanks to the play of Benson and Oden, Pullenwas able to keep him out.“Aaron knows how to play without fouling,”

Pullen said. “He probably could have went in thethird and made it, but the last foul he got itseemed like they had to find him to give it to himbecause he didn’t have the ball and I don’t knowwhere he was on the court but he came out withthe foul.“I told him ‘Aaron I’m not going to put you in

(in the third quarter) because they may find youup in the bleachers in the third row and call afoul on you.’”Pogue ended with 10 points and 11 boards in

17 minutes.Family Affair: The Diebler family entered the

contest with some heavy hearts. Keith Diebler’sdad and Jon’s grandfather, William Diebler,passed away on a day before the state tourna-ment began at Riverside Hospital in Columbusafter a bout with cancer. William’s deathoccurred the same day Jon was named Mr.Basketball.“It was a surprise,” said an emotional Keith

Diebler. “Tomorrow, we’ve got the funeral homeand then Monday we have to bury him. It’stough.”During the past few weeks, Jon has given his

grandfather a piece of each net that the Ramscut down en route to the state tournament.After falling to Dunbar, both Diebler’s received

a surprise gift from the Wolverines – a piece ofthe championship net.“Coach Pullen gave us a piece of the net to

put in the casket along with the other ones,”Keith Diebler said. “A lot of this stuff goesbeyond coaching and playing and I’ve got tocompliment Dayton Dunbar.“They didn’t have to do that. That was just a

class move.”Masked Man: Despite suffering a broken

nose in the regional final, Jon Diebler decidedagainst wearing a mask in the state semis. Hetried to play without one against Dunbar too, butthe physical play forced him to adjust.After making contact with Dunbar players two

separate times in the first half, Diebler emergedfrom the locker room at halftime with a mask.Diebler didn’t like the contraption often switchingback and forth between it and gauze shoved inhis nose.“If you ask anyone else who’s had to wear

one, they don’t like it too much,” Diebler said. “Itjust got to the point where (I thought) it’s alreadybroken so if it happens again big-whoop. I mightas well play without it.”Joked Pullen: “I think I like him better with the

“It was a great game between twogreat teams that played hard andbrought everything they had. I know ittook everything out of us.”

Dunbar coachPeter Pullen

“The people that came and weresupposed to perform today did. It hadto be entertaining.”

Upper Sandusky coachKieth Diebler



AlexFalk,UpperSandusky

WaltGibler,CincinnatiSt.Xavier

KostaKoufos,CantonGlenOak

AlexKellogg,ColumbusDeSales

TroyTabler,CincinnatiMoeller

Dunbar’s Aaron

Pogue (center) lifts

the D-II state cham-

pionship trophy with

the help of his team-

mates.



Boys Basketbal l State TournamentPe’ShonHoward,LakewoodSt.Edward

North College Hill

(D-III) became just

the third school in

state history to

win three straight

state titles.

BenUmbel,PolandSeminary

NathanHyde,FindlayLiberty-Benton

AshenWard,ClevelandVilla

Angela-St.Joseph




mask. I didn’t like him too much without themask. It seemed to bother him a little bit.”At the press conference, both Diebler and

Falk had gauze in their nostrils. Some ques-tioned the game’s physicality.“Coach (Pullen) doesn’t teach anything that’s

going to put a player out or anything like that,”Keith Diebler said. “It was hard fought and physi-cal. That’s just the way it ended up.”State Semifinals ResultsDayton Dunbar 56, Columbus DeSales 43:

The Wolverines clamped down on defense inthe fourth quarter to outscore DeSales 15-6 inthe final period.DeSales erased a 10-point third quarter deficit

to pull within two early in the fourth. But a 5:36scoring drought proved to be DeSales’ demise.Leading Dunbar was Cole with 24 points on 9-

of-16 shooting from the floor. University ofDayton recruit Benson added 13 points forDunbar.DeSales (22-4) got 16 points and five

rebounds from senior forward Elijah Allen and 10points and six assists from senior guard DaneJohnson.Upper Sandusky 89, Poland Seminary 58:

Held to just one point in the first quarter, Dieblerexploded for 17 in the second and outscoredPoland (14 points) by himself in the stanza. Hefinished the game with 24 points (17 below hisaverage), 12 rebounds, nine steals and nineassists.As a team, US shot 13-of-32 from 3s and 30-

of-70 from the floor. The Rams also attempted24 foul shots, making 16.Junior Ben Umbel led the Bulldogs (22-3) with

16 points and 12 rebounds, while Lou Coppolafinished with 11 points before fouling out in thefourth quarter.

Hold The Mayo: North CollegeHill Wins Third Straight D-IIITitle Without StarWith a 50-45 win over Findlay Liberty-Benton

in the Division III state championship game,North College Hill became only the third highschool in Ohio history to three-peat as statechampions joining Dayton Stivers (1928-30) andColumbus Wehrle (1988-90).But this is not the same NCH team that won

the previous two state titles.Following the departure of controversial blue

chip prospects O.J. Mayo (transfer) and BillWalker (ineligible, enrolled at Kansas State),most did not even consider NCH as a contenderfor a state championship. NCH dropped four ofits first five games of the regular season andentering the postseason unranked at 10-7.“I think the past two years, people expected

us to win. When you have two future pros onyour team, they expect you to win it,” said NCHhead coach Jamie Mahaffey. “This year’s team –they learned a lot from those two guys. They

learned work ethic, how to win as championsand how to prepare for games and a lot of creditshould be given to these guys who persevered.“And O.J. and Bill are still part of it. They talk

to these guys daily and their first thing was to goprove that they can do it,” he said.Junior point guard Damon Butler, who has

started for NCH since his freshman season,paced the Trojans with 20 points.“Our goal all year, since conditioning, was to

win another state. We knew we had talent andwe knew we were going to come back toColumbus and win state,” Butler said.NCH (16-7) was down 29-24 at halftime and

trailed by as much as nine points before thebreak.But the Trojans came out in the third quarter

and outscored L-B 9-1, which set the record forleast amount of points scored by a team in aquarter in a D-III championship game.“The third quarter has always been our weak-

er quarter all year and to hold that team to onepoint in the third quarter is pretty good,”Mahaffey said.“The first half we didn’t play our game. We

didn’t take care of the ball, we rushed shots andwe were out of sync. In the second half, weregrouped, stayed together as a family and weexecuted,” he said.L-B (26-1), which finished the regular season

ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, was led by seniorforward Nathan Hyde with 26 points.“We had stretches during the ball game where

we played uncharacteristic for ourselves,” said L-B head coach Steve Williman. “Give (NCH)credit because they forced the tempo and forcedus to get out of sync offensively. I thought that,especially in the third quarter, we were out ofsync and we were not playing the way we need-ed to play to have success.”With the game going back-and-forth in the

final quarter, NCH got some key offensiverebounds off missed free throws and convertedthem into points to stretch the lead.The Trojans had a 28-16 advantage over L-B

in rebounding for the game with 13 of NCH’sboards coming on the offensive end.“We got some key offensive rebounds and we

were smart with the ball. We put it back outinstead of forcing a shot. It showed our desire allyear and passion and that is all we’ve been play-ing with. These kids showed that today,”Mahaffey said.NCH senior Nate Glover had nine rebounds

with nine points and junior center AlfonsoMcPherson had 12 points and six boards.“Our biggest thing all year was that failure was

not an option because no one is going to give itto us, we are going to have to earn it,” Mahaffeysaid.“We were out to prove something to our-

selves. It is all about these kids going out andaccomplishing a team goal they had set.”Mayo Backlash: North College Hill wasn’t the

only one taking shots the day of the state cham-pionships.While the Trojans were playing L-B for the D-

III state title, famous former player O.J. Mayo,who just finished his high school career withHuntington (W.Va.), was a topic for debate onESPN’s A.M. GameDay broadcast.“He’s a borderline piece of garbage,” CBS

Sportsline.com columnist Gregg Doyel said onair. “If people want to know why Gregg Doyeldoesn’t like Tim Floyd, it’s because of kids likeO.J. Mayo.”Doyel, speaking from his hotel room in San

Antonio, wasn’t candid about his dislike for Floydor his future player.“Tim Floyd will win at all costs,” Doyel said.

“He’ll do whatever it takes to win.”In addition to saying that Floyd was going to

turn USC into “the University of Cincinnati West,”Doyel said, “Floyd is known for bringing kids inlike this. He gets kids on the fringe.”Doyel is close to the situation, having written a

column in October on Mayo and his “relation-ship” with Rodney Guillory who was labeled an“agent’s representative” in 2000 by the NCAA.Guillory, who wants to become Mayo’s “mar-

keting rep,” has a history with the NCAA. Duringthe 2000-01 season the NCAA suspendedFresno State’s Tito Maddox and USC’s JeffTrepagnier for nearly one-third season afterdetermining that Guillory had purchased airfarefor the players. The NCAA said that was a viola-tion because Guillory was representing a sportsagency.When asked of the situation, Guillory told

Doyel: “I have a relationship with him, but I don’thave anything to do with him being eligible. Aslong as O.J. does the right things, he has noth-ing to worry about.”The saga continues.

“Our biggest thing all year was thatfailure was not an option because noone is going to give it to us, we aregoing to have to earn it.”

North College Hill coachJamie Mahaffey

“Give (NCH) credit because theyforced the tempo and forced us toget out of sync offensively.”

Liberty-Benton coachSteve Williman



State Semifinals ResultsNorth College Hill 69, Wheelersburg 66

(OT): Draining a three-point, one-handed floaterfrom the right of the key as time expired, Butlerlifted the Trojans to their third straight D-III statetitle game with a 69-66 overtime win againstWheelersburg. Butler finished with 26 points,seven rebounds and five assistsNamed one of three D-III state players of the

year, Wheelersburg’s Camden Miller scored 26points and grabbed 17 rebounds. He scored 18points in the second half and overtime asWheelersburg (23-3) battled back from a 14-point halftime deficit (29-15).Findlay Liberty-Benton 63, Cleveland VASJ

56:With four seniors on the floor and one fresh-man phenom, L-B advanced to its first state titlegame since 1995 with a 63-56 win over 2006Division III state runner-up Cleveland VillaAngela-St. Joseph.D-III co-player of the year Hyde led all scorers

with 27 points while sinking 13-of-16 free throwattempts for L-B.Ashen Ward, who shared player of the year

honors with Hyde and Miller, had 12 points forVASJ (18-8).

Georgetown Ends PerfectSeason, Claims Division IVChampionshipIt doesn’t get any better than being perfect.And in Division IV, Georgetown was this sea-

son’s best basketball team finishing a perfect 28-0 with a 75-66 win over Canal Winchester WorldHarvest Prep in the state championship game infront of 12,723 fans at Value City Arena.“I thought our kids saved the best for last,”

said Georgetown head coach Jerry Underwood.“Going through the tournament, we won somebig games. But one of the things we were miss-ing the last few games were our kids scoring alot of points and depending on our defense tofinish. But tonight, the state championshipchanges a lot of things.”Georgetown’s 75 points scored were the most

the G-Men scored the entire postseason tourna-ment.The G-Men had four players score in double

digits with senior Jay Chadwell scoring 26points, senior Isaiah Felder adding 19 and seniorCory Kidwell and freshman Jess Chadwell eachcontributing 11 points, respectively.With three seniors combining for 56 points,

Underwood credits his team’s senior leadershipfor bringing home the championship despite fly-ing under the radar most of the season havingnever been ranked in the AP poll.“I don’t know how bad we were supposed to

get beat but I know we were supposed to getbeat by reading the papers today. But we didn’tand it has a lot to do with (our seniors),” he said.Kidwell added, “This morning we were all

excited about getting up and coming to play. I

guess we were the underdogs in the paper butall year we took that role and we just came inhere today and laid it all on the line.”Georgetown saw a 13-point lead in the sec-

ond quarter dwindle down to six at halftime.Harvest Prep came out strong in the third quar-ter and took the lead early in the half.But Georgetown stuck to its game plan to win

the game late in the fourth quarter.“That’s what we have done all year. Teams

have made runs, teams have made jumps andteams have tried to get the edge,” Underwoodsaid. “But (our players’) demeanor didn’t change.They held their composure and took the brunt inthe run.“We usually like to take the first three minutes

of the third quarter and push it out and finishteams off. But you’re in the state championshipand that is not always going to happen.“We didn’t get over excited, we didn’t lose our

cool, kept calm and that is what we have doneall year,” he said.Despite Harvest Prep’s strong effort early in

the third quarter, the Warriors only had a onepoint scoring edge for the period dropping 19points to Georgetown’s 18.“We just picked up our intensity. I believe in

the first half we were very passive and didn’t putany real pressure on the basketball,” HarvestPrep head coach Mike Thornton said.“We were allowing them what they wanted to

do. The guys came in at halftime and realizedthey had just played one of their worst halves ofbasketball but were only down six. So, if wepicked up the pace and the tempo, things wouldhappen.”Harvest Prep (23-1) also had four players

score in double digits with senior Bo McClurescoring 14 and senior Marquis Mathis adding 13while junior guard Ray Nelson had 11 points andjunior guard Dane Givner scoring 11 points.

“Hats off to Georgetown. They are a greatteam an undefeated for a reason,” Thorntonsaid.“Their kids play well, their coach coaches very

well - it’s just a top notch, first class program. Wegot beat by a better team today but we’ll takethis and learn from it to know exactly what needsto be done for next year.”Having never even won a district champi-

onship, Underwood summed up his G-Men’sperfect season, “It’s a dream come true and wecouldn’t have ended it in a better way,” he said.Buzz-Cut: Georgetown’s players all sported

shaven heads in the state tournament.According to freshman standout Chadwell, thecuts came on the eve of the semifinal gameclose to midnight.“(Thursday night) somebody said we should

do it so we just all went through with it at thehotel,” he said. “I don’t know how it looks but it’sprobably difficult to tell us apart on the floor.”State Semifinals ResultsGeorgetown 41, Berlin Hiland 40:

Georgetown trailed 14-7 after the first quarter butoutscored Hiland 13-2 in the second quarter asthe Hawks failed to score the last 7:21 of theperiod.Hiland (22-5) averaged nearly 80 points per

game this season but Georgetown held theHawks to their lowest scoring output of the sea-son shooting just 26 percent from the floor.Chadwell and Kidwell both had 11 points for

the G-Men and Georgetown’s all-time leadingscorer Felder added 10.Ohio Northern recruit Joel Gause had 24

points for Hiland eclipsing the 1,000-point markfor his career.The state semifinal game marked the return

for Hiland senior Dustin Kaufman after being in acoma following a car accident in February.Kaufman got in the game for eight minutes andhad two rebounds.World Harvest Prep 55, Holgate 52 (2OT):

Regulation wasn’t enough time to decide a win-ner between Holgate (17-9) and Harvest Prep inthe state semifinal.Mathis decided one overtime wasn’t enough

either.Rebounding Givner’s miss with less than

three seconds to go, Mathis drained the tyingshot as time expired to force a second overtime.The Warriors ultimately record a 55-52 win after40 minutes before 13,526 at the Schott.Nelson led Harvest Prep with 15 points, while

Givner added 10.All four of Mathis’s points came in the final 15

seconds of the first OT.Holgate (17-9) was paced by Baker’s 24

points, but missed his offense late as he fouledout with 3:12 to go in the second OT. Jared Claychipped in 10 points, while Logan Brubaker hadnine to go along with six rebounds and sevenassists.— OH

“I don’t know how bad we weresupposed to get beat but I know wewere supposed to get beat by read-ing the papers today.”

Georgetown coachJerry Underwood

“Hats off to Georgetown. They area great team an undefeated for areason.”

World Harvest Prep coachMike Thornton



BoMcClure,WorldHarvestPrep

Georgetown captured its first state

championship in D-IV. Prior to this

season the G-Men had not won a

district title.

CamdenMiller,Wheelersburg

JoeBaker,Holgate

JoelGause,Berlin

Hiland



Boys Basketbal l Recrui t ing

Lakewood St. Edwardjunior Delvon Roe is one of

the state’s best under-classmen. Ranked fifth

nationally in his class, Roehas narrowed his collegechoices to North Carolina

and Michigan State.

High Riser

PhotobyGaryHousteau

Ohio’s top boys prospectsmove up and down afterhigh school campaign

he 2006-07 boys basketball season came to a close withthe state championships held in mid-March at Ohio State’sSchottenstein Center. We have once again enlisted thehelp of Chris Johnson, the Ohio editor for

HoopScoopOnline.com, to assist in ranking the state’s top boysbasketball prospects in all four classes.The senior class was hit a bit before the school year as two-

time defending Division III state champion North College Hill lostguard O.J. Mayo and forward Bill Walker, two of the nation’s top10 senior prospects. Mayo transferred to his original home stateof West Virginia to play at Parkersburg High. Walker wasdeclared ineligible by the OHSAA for exhausting his varsity eligi-bility. He graduated early and enrolled at Kansas State at mid-season.But even without that dynamic duo, the Ohio senior class had

three players sign with powerhouse Ohio State. Dayton andXavier also inked top-five Ohio seniors this year.The Class of 2008, with five possible top-50 national

prospects, is also drawing rave reviews.“There are four potential McDonald’s All-Americans in that

2008 class with B.J. Mullens, Delvon Roe, William Buford andYancy Gates,” Johnson said. “Ohio has never had fourMcDonald’s All-Americans. Right now, those four guys arenational top-25 recruits. That is basically unheard of in Ohio.Kenny Frease, a Xavier recruit, is also a top-50 player nationally.“After that, the junior class kind of drops off. There is

some decent depth, but there is some tremendous talentat the top of the class.”Johnson is not quite as bullish on the current sopho-

more class, which will graduate in 2009.“It is kind of a down year in Ohio with the ’09 class,

especially compared to what we’ve seen in the lastfour or five years,” he said. “Plus, the 2010 class isloaded. There are just not a lot of high-major guysin the 2009 class.”Johnson said some names are already sur-

facing in the current freshman class, which willgraduate in 2010.“Although it is early, the current freshman

class has a chance to be a pretty goodclass,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it is headedby a potential national recruit in (ColumbusNorthland’s) Jared Sullinger.”

T


Boys Basketbal l Recrui t ingSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

The spring and summer basketball circuits havechanged somewhat this year. Once again, the cityofAkron was set to host a majorAAU event withthe King James Shooting Stars Classic in lateApril.The summer camp circuit is changing with the

end of the NikeAll-American Camp in Indianapolisand the ReebokABCDCamp in New Jersey.Instead,Akron will host the LeBron James NikeSkillsAcademy in July and Reebok was likely tohost a camp as well in Philadelphia.Adidas usedto sponsor a camp in Georgia. Instead, that shoecompany will sponsor a majorAAU event inCincinnati in July.The early signing period in November caused a

number of Ohio’s top boys basketball seniors tosign letters-of-intent for their respective colleges.We have updates on where the top players havesigned.Plus, we have updated the rankings in each

class and provide, where available, school lists forthe unsigned seniors and top underclassmen. Forsome of the underclassmen, we have theAAUteam these players are expected to play for thisspring and summer.The players are ranked by class by Johnson.

We also include the most recent national classrankings by ScoutHoops.com (SH) andHoopScoopOnline.com (HS).

Seniors (Class of 2007)* 1. Kosta Koufos, 7-2, power forward,

Canton GlenOak (SH, 10th nationally in seniorclass; HS, ninth) – Koufos wrapped up his highschool career in a big way. He averaged 26 pointsand 15.5 rebounds a game to lead GlenOak to a23-4 mark and a spot in the Division I state finalfour. Koufos was named theAssociated PressDivision I state player of the year and was the run-ner-up to fellow Ohio State signee Jon Diebler ofUpper Sandusky for the Mr. Basketball award.Koufos played in the McDonald’sAll-American

Game in March and was set to play in theAll-American Jordan Brand Classic in lateApril.“Koufos will go down as one of the most talent-

ed players in Stark County history,” Johnson said.“That is saying a lot when you talk about peoplelike Phil Hubbard, NickWeatherspoon and all thepeople at Canton McKinley.”Born in Greece, Koufos shows a deft touch to

three-point range and also handles his choresdefensively inside the paint.He finalized his college choice last May, when

he selected Ohio State over Maryland, Michigan,Louisville and nearbyAkron.Koufos missed the final month of his junior sea-

son with a broken foot. Before the injury, he aver-aged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.2 blockedshots per game as a junior. He was a second-teamAll-Ohio pick in Division I.As a sophomore,Koufos averaged 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per

game.* 2. Jon Diebler, 6-5, wing forward, Upper

Sandusky (SH, 62nd; HS, 96th) –Diebler endedhis career as Ohio’s all-time leading scorer with atotal of 3,208 points in one year at Fostoria and hislast three years at Upper Sandusky.As a senior,he averaged 41.2 points per game as well as over12 rebounds a game.As a result, he earnedOhio’s Mr. Basketball award from theAssociatedPress.He also helped lead Upper Sandusky to the

Division II state title game for the second time in

three years. He had 48 points in his team’s titlegame loss to Dayton Dunbar.“Diebler just had amonster senior season,”

Johnson said. “He broke Jay Burson’s record and,more importantly for him, he almost single-handed-ly led his team to the state title game.”Diebler committed to Valparaiso in January

2005, but decommitted and ended up signing withOhio State over Valpo, Michigan and N.C. Statelast November.He did everything he could as a junior, averag-

ing 34.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.0steals and 3.5 blocked shots per game. He was afirst-teamAll-Ohio pick. He is in position to threatenthe Ohio career scoring mark as a senior.In a Jan. 13, 2006, win over Tiffin Columbian,

Diebler scored 77 points. He was 22 of 42 from thefloor and 27 of 28 at the foul line. He also had 16rebounds in that game.

As a sophomore, he helped lead UpperSandusky (27-0) to the Division II state title, scoring32 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the titlegame win overWooster Triway. Diebler was a sec-ond-teamAll-Ohio pick, averaging 25.9 points andsix rebounds a game.* 3. ChrisWright, 6-7, power forward,

Trotwood-Madison (SH, 50th; HS, 75th) –Wrightearned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I,averaging 19.6 points per game as a senior. Histeam posted a 19-1 regular season with a loss tovaunted Oak Hill (Va.)Academy.Wright wasselected to play in theAll-American Jordan BrandClassic in NewYork City in lateApril.“He had an outstanding senior season,”

Johnson said. “He is one of the most spectacularathletes in Ohio.”As a junior, Wright earned third-teamAll-Ohio

honors, averaging 17.0 points per game and lead-ing Trotwood-Madison to the Division I state finalfour. Wright, who averaged 15 points per game asa sophomore, signed with Dayton.* 4. Dante Jackson, 6-5, wing forward,

Greenfield McClain – Jackson again earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division II after averaging26.2 points per game as a senior.“It was tough to separate Diebler, Wright and

Jackson for the two through four spots,” Johnsonadmitted.“You could make a case they should all be No.

2. Jackson led his team to a 20-0 regular season.They lost a heartbreaker to Chillicothe in doubleovertime in their district final.”Following his senior year, Jackson had 27 points

in the Ohio-Kentucky all-star game. Hemade athree-point shot with four seconds left in overtimeto lead Ohio to a 105-104 win.As a junior, Jackson earned first-teamAll-Ohio

honors as he averaged 28.7 points per game.As asophomore, Jackson averaged 25 points, 11.7rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He had 39points in his team’s regional semifinal loss that sea-son.Jackson, also a state champion in track, had

offers fromMichigan, Kansas State, Xavier andDayton before verbaling to Xavier last summer.* 5. Dallas Lauderdale, 6-9, center, Solon (SH,

80th; HS, 76th) – Lauderdale ended the suspenselast June, when he verbaled to Ohio State overLouisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame andSyracuse.As a senior, Lauderdale averaged 16 points and

10 rebounds a game. He averaged 21.0 pointsand earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division Ias a junior. He averaged 17.5 points, 13 reboundsand 4.8 blocks per game as a sophomore.* 6. William Thomas, 6-5, point guard, East

Cleveland Shaw – Thomas could go the prepschool route. He was also hearing from Kent State,Cleveland State, Ohio U., Rutgers andWest

PhotobyGaryHousteau

Kosta Koufos, Canton GlenOak



andmissed the rest of the year,” Johnson said.* 7. Aaron Pogue, 6-8, center, Dayton Dunbar

– Pogue helped lead Dayton Dunbar to a secondconsecutive Division II state title. He averaged 14.5points per game as a senior after averaging 15.0points as a junior.“Pogue’s destination more than likely is the jun-

ior college ranks,” Johnson said. “I think he wouldhave some good offers if his academic situationwas better.”* 8. ChrisWyse, 6-4, shooting guard, Toledo

Scott –Wyse averaged a robust 26.7 points pergame and earned second-teamAll-Ohio honors inDivision I as a senior.“Wyse will probably attend a prep school next

year,” Johnson said.* 9. NickWinbush, 6-6, wing forward, Shaker

Heights –Winbush has signed with Miami (Ohio).He averaged 19.8 points per game and earnedthird-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I.* 10. Ronnie Steward, 5-10, point guard,

Columbus Eastmoor – Steward signed withAkron. He averaged 20.3 points per game andearned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division II.* 11. James Davis, 6-3, shooting guard,

Columbus LindenMcKinley –Davis signed withToledo.* 12. Joe Jakubowski, 6-2, point guard,

Toledo St. John’s – As a senior, Jakubowskiaveraged 12 points per game.As a junior, he aver-aged 10.4 points per game in leading St. John’s tothe Division I state final four. He signed with Rice.* 13. Brett McKnight, 6-5, power forward,

Lancaster – Signed withAkron. McKnight aver-aged 26.6 points per game and earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I.* 14. Mike Porrini, 6-1, point guard, Massillon

Washington – Signed withWestern Carolina.Porrini averaged 19.9 points per game and earnedthird-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I.* 15. Alex Kellogg, 6-7, power forward,

Columbus DeSales – Kellogg is the son of formerOSU and NBAstar (and current CBS commenta-tor) Clark Kellogg. He averaged 18.5 points pergame and earned second-teamAll-Ohio honors inDivision II as DeSales reached the state final fourfor the second straight year.As a junior, Kellogg averaged 15.8 points per

game in helping lead DeSales to the Division IIstate final four as a junior. He lists Butler, Oaklandand a number of MAC schools, including Miami(Ohio).* 16. CamdenMiller, 6-8, wing forward,

Wheelersburg –He averaged 19.0 points pergame as a senior and 18.0 points per game as ajunior. He was a first-teamAll-Ohio pick in DivisionIII as a senior. He helped leadWheelersburg to theDivision III state final four as a junior. He signedwithWestern Carolina, led by former Ohio U.coach Billy Hunter.

* 17. Troy Tabler, 6-4, shooting guard,Cincinnati Moeller – Tabler is the son of formerCleveland Indians player Pat Tabler. He averaged14 points per game as a senior, earning second-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I. Tabler was oneof the heroes of Moeller’s Division I state champi-onship team this year. He averaged 13.8 ppg as ajunior. He signed withWright State.* 18. D’Aundray Brown, 6-2, shooting guard,

Youngstown Ursuline – Brown signed withCleveland State. He averaged 22.3 points pergame and earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in

Division III as a senior.* 19 BobbyAustin, 6-3, guard, Cincinnati

LaSalle –Austin, who averaged 16.5 points and5.4 rebounds a game as a senior, is consideringseveral MAC schools.* 20. Daitwaun Eppinger, 6-6, power forward,

Garfield Heights – Eppinger averaged 19.1 pointsper game and earned second-teamAll-Ohio hon-ors in Division I as a senior.* Also Notable: Joe Latas, 6-11, center, Bedford

Chanel (Cleveland State signee); BillyAllen, 6-5,guard, Hamilton (Albany signee); Christian Siakam,6-6, power forward, Cincinnati Harmony; ChrisWyse, 6-4, shooting guard, Toledo Scott; GregPreer, 6-4, shooting guard,Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary; Norris Cole, 6-0, point guard, Dayton Dunbar(Walsh signee); ElijahAllen, 6-4, wing forward,Columbus DeSales; Terry Martin, 6-6, power for-ward, Cincinnati Moeller; AntoineWilhite, 6-7,

power forward, Lockland; JasonWehri, 6-8, powerforward, Ottoville (Findlay signee); KelseyWilliams,6-6, power forward, Sandusky; JulianWilkison, 6-0, point guard, Cincinnati Anderson (Rollinssignee); Nate Hyde, 6-2, shooting guard, FindlayLiberty Benton (Findlay signee); Brian Scott, 5-6,point guard, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (Tiffinsignee); Robert Goldsberry, 6-0, point guard, TippCity Tippecanoe (Canisius signee); CoryThomasson, 6-6, power forward, Newark (Ashlandsignee).

Juniors (Class of 2008)* 1. B.J. Mullens, 7-0, center, Canal

Winchester (SH, seventh nationally in juniorclass; HS, 25th) –Mullens vaults from fourth tofirst in the 2008 class rankings after a huge juniorseason. He averaged 26.4 points, 14.1 reboundsand 4.4 blocked shots a game. His scoring aver-age was second only to Diebler’s among allDivision II players. But, remarkably, he did notmake the eight-manAll-Ohio first team. He wasinstead a second-team pick.“In my opinion, Mullens is the best center in the

country in the ’08 class,” Johnson said. “He hasshown vast improvement under the tutelage of(CWHS coach) Kent Riggs. He has tremendousoffensive skills. He has the total package.“With continued improvement, he could be a

surefire NBA lottery pick.”Mullens played his first two varsity seasons at

Canal Winchester World Harvest Prep beforetransferring to nearby Canal Winchester. He aver-aged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.0 blockedshots per game as a sophomore. He was alreadyoffered and committed to Ohio State in September2004 -- before he averaged 11.3 points per gamein his varsity debut season as a freshman.Mullens will playAAU ball for the Ohio

Basketball Club.* 2. Delvon Roe, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward (SH, fifth nationally injunior class; HS, fourth) –As a junior, Roe aver-aged 22.0 points and eight rebounds a game inearning Division IAll-Ohio honors. He helped guidethe Eagles to a 25-1 mark and a berth in the statefinal four. Roe had 14 points in his team’s statesemifinal loss to Cincinnati Moeller.As of press time, Roe was set to decide

between North Carolina andMichigan State.“He is a great athlete,” Johnson said. “He is a

tremendous defender. Hemay be the best defend-er in the state. He handles the ball well for a 6-8guy. The only question is whether he wants to be athree at the next level if he will work on his outsideshooting.”Roe averaged 19.3 points per game as a soph-

omore, earning first-team all-district honors inDivision I.He averaged 17 points as a freshman and

PhotobySteve

Helwagen

B.J. Mullens, Canal Winchester



Roe will play for the King of the Court AAUteam.* 3. William Buford, 6-5, wing forward,

Toledo Libbey (SH, 12th; HS, 21st) – Buford ver-baled to Ohio State in the fall, picking theBuckeyes over Michigan,Arizona, Louisville andMichigan State. He then had an amazing junioryear, averaging 28.4 points and 10 rebounds agame for Libbey.“Observers in Toledo rank Buford as one of the

great all-timers up there with Dennis Hopson,Jimmy Jackson and Kelvin Ransey,” Johnsonsaid. “With Buford leading the way next year,Libbey should be one of the favorites in Division Ialong with Lakewood St. Edward.”As a sophomore, Buford averaged 22.7 points

per game and was a first-team all-district pick inDivision I. Buford showed well at theABCDCampand then helped the D-One Greyhounds team winthe 16-and-underAAU national title. He will playagain this spring with the D-One squad.* 4. Yancy Gates, 6-8, power forward,

Cincinnati Withrow (SH, 28th; HS, 14th) –Gates averaged 19.4 points and eight rebounds agame in earning second-teamAll-Ohio honors inDivision I as a junior.“Gates ledWithrow to the regional final, where

they lost a tight game to Cincinnati St. Xavier,”Johnson said. “He has a great build as a 240-pound kid. He is a prototypical power forward,although he has a tendency to float outside attimes.”Gates transferred toWithrow after averaging

20.3 points per game as a sophomore atCincinnati Hughes. That was up from 13.9 pointsand 9.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Gatesverbaled to Cincinnati onApril 16, choosing theBearcats over Florida, Georgetown, Indiana,Xavier, Michigan, Ohio State andWest Virginia.Gates will playAAU ball for the Ohio Basketball

Club.* 5. Kenny Frease, 7-0, center, Massillon

Perry (SH, 32nd; HS, 79th) – Frease averaged15 points and 11 rebounds in an injury-plaguedjunior year. Still, he was a third-teamAll-Ohio pickin Division I.“He had an up-and-down year with a broken

wrist and then he took a blow to the eye,” Johnsonsaid. “He broke two bones over his eye andmissed three weeks.”Frease verbaled to Xavier after receiving over-

tures from the likes of Kentucky, Notre Dame andMichigan. He averaged 18.6 points per game andearned third-teamAll-Ohio honors in Division I asa sophomore. He will playAAU ball for King of theCourt.* 6. Chris Johnson, 6-5, wing forward,

Columbus Brookhaven – Johnson averaged24.4 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks pergame as a junior at Brookhaven. He was a sec-

ond-teamAll-Ohio pick in Division I.“He is the most underrated player in the state in

my opinion,” said HoopScoop’s Chris Johnson,who is no relation to Brookhaven’s Chris Johnson.“He stayed under the radar with the emergence ofColumbus Northland as a new power.”Johnson will playAAU ball withAll-Ohio Red.* 7. Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati Elder –Rudolph averaged 17.3 pointsand 10.5 rebounds per game in earning SpecialMentionAll-Ohio honors in Division I. He repeatedas the GCLSouth player of the year.

In March, Rudolph issued a verbal commitmentto play college football as a tight end at NotreDame.“He will probably play ball next year at Elder, but

he will not play anyAAU ball this spring or sum-mer,” Johnson said.As a junior, Rudolph averaged 15.5 points and

7.9 rebounds.* 8. Josh Benson, 6-9, power forward,

Dayton Dunbar – Benson has already verbaledto hometown Dayton. He averaged 10.1 points pergame in leading Dunbar to a 24-4 mark and a sec-ond straight Division I state title. Benson had 16points and 10 rebounds in Dunbar’s 87-85 titlegame win over Upper Sandusky. He will playAAUball with Dayton Metro.* 9. DevonMoore, 6-3, point guard,

Columbus Northland (HS, 81st) –Moore aver-aged 16.5 points per game as a junior. Moore,

who will playAAU ball with Ohio Basketball Club,is looking at various Big Ten and MAC schools.* 10. Walt Gibler, 6-6, power forward,

Cincinnati St. Xavier –Gibler averaged 15.6points and 7.3 rebounds per game as St. X went21-6 and advanced to the Division I state titlegame. He had 21 points in St. X’s title game lossto rival Cincinnati Moeller. Gibler averaged 14.9points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore.Gibler, who will playAAU ball for the D-One

Greyhounds, is hearing fromMiami (Ohio), NotreDame and Bowling Green.* 11. Tom Pritchard, 6-8, power forward,

Lakewood St. Edward – Pritchard averaged 13.0points per game in helping the Eagles advance tothe Division I state final four. He will playAAU ballfor King of the Court.* 12. Damian Eargle, 6-8, power forward,

Warren Harding –Anumber of MAC schools aswell as Xavier are in on Eargle. He will playAAUball for King of the Court.* 13. Anthony Hitchens, 5-9, point guard,

Chillicothe –Hitchens averaged 18.5 points pergame and earned second-teamAll-Ohio honors inDivision II as a junior. He averaged 17.4 ppg as asophomore. He is getting looks fromWesternKentucky as well as a host of MAC schools. Hewill play for the Queen City Prophets.* 14. Robert Wilson, 6-5, wing forward,

Garfield Heights –Wilson transferred in fromCleveland Rhodes. He will play for King of theCourt.* 15. Courtney Davis, 6-3, shooting guard,

Cincinnati Taft –Davis transferred in from NorthCollege Hill. He will playAAU ball for the D-OneGreyhounds.* Also Notable:Rayshawn Goins, 6-5, wing for-

ward, Cleveland Rhodes;Anthony Oden, 6-8, cen-ter/power forward, Dayton Dunbar; Lee Tabb, 6-8,power forward, Toledo Rogers; Troy Long, 5-11,shooting guard, Cincinnati Woodward;AndrewSpradlin, 6-4, shooting guard, Wheelersburg;Damon Butler, 5-10, point guard, North CollegeHill; Johnie Davis, 6-1, shooting guard, CantonTimken;Anthony McBride, 6-0, point guard,Cincinnati Withrow; Chris Crockett, 5-9, pointguard, ColumbusAcademy;AshenWard, 6-3,shooting guard, Cleveland VillaAngela-St. Joseph;Zac Taylor, 6-8, power forward, Oregon Clay;Brandon Baker, 6-6, wing forward, CincinnatiMilford; Chris Grimes, 6-5, power forward,Cincinnati Woodward; GregAvery, 6-3, shootingguard, Newark; Julius Wells, 6-5, wing forward,Toledo Libbey;Alex Sullivan, 5-9, point guard,Painesville Riverside; Scott Thomas, 6-6, wing for-ward, Delaware Buckeye Valley; Kyle Smith, 6-10,center, Norwalk; Chris Henderson, 6-7, power for-ward, Warren Harding; Travis Kelce, 6-5, wing for-ward, Cleveland Heights; LoganAronholt, 6-4,wing forward, Zanesville; Robbie Taylor, 5-10, point

PhotobyGaryHousteau

Tom Pritchard, Lakewood St. Edward



SSoopphhoommoorreess ((CCllaassss ooff 22000099))* 1. Danny McElroy, 6-7, power forward,

Cincinnati LaSalle (HS, 46th nationally insophomore class) – McElroy ended the sus-pense early and committed to new Cincinnaticoach Mick Cronin in mid-October. As a sopho-more, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 reboundsper game. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.7rebounds as a freshman. He will play AAU ball forthe Queen City Prophets.* 2. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shooting guard,

Warren JFK (HS, 63rd) – Jackson is a two-sportstar in football and basketball. He earned SpecialMention All-Ohio honors in Division III after aver-aging 20.2 points per game as a sophomore.Jackson will play AAU ball with King of the Court.“He is the most gifted athlete in the sophomore

class,” Johnson said. “There is not much separat-ing him from McElroy. Right now, Jackson is theonly guy from Ohio that Ohio State is showinginterest in. He is also an outstanding football play-er and will have to make a decision in that regardat some point.”* 3. Reggie Keely, 6-6, power forward,

Bedford – Keely left Solon at midseason andtransferred to nearby Bedford. He ended up earn-ing second-team all-district honors after averaging16.3 points per game. He will play AAU ball forthe D-One Greyhounds.“He transferred at midseason,” Johnson said.

“He gives Bedford one of the top young teams inOhio.”* 4. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power forward,

Loveland – Capobianco averaged 19.5 pointsand 11.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore atLoveland. He will play AAU ball with Indiana Elite.* 5. Mario Hines, 6-8, power forward,

Garfield Heights (HS, 80th) – Hines plays AAUball for the Ohio Basketball Club.* 6. Bill Edwards, 6-5, forward, Middletown

(HS, 56th) – Edwards averaged 13.0 points pergame as a sophomore. Edwards, who plays AAUball for the Nike Ohio Force, averaged 11.4 pointsand 6.4 rebounds per game as a freshman. * 7. Randal Holt, 5-11, point guard, Bedford

– Holt was a second-team all-district pick afteraveraging 20.4 points per game as a sophomore.* 8. Carl Jones, 5-7, point guard, Garfield

Heights – Jones was a third-team all-district pickafter averaging 18.7 points per game as a sopho-more.* 9. Darren Goodson, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Aiken* 10. Garrick Sherman, 6-9, center, Kenton* Also Notable:Orlando Williams, 6-2, point

guard, Cincinnati Princeton; Shawn Joplin, 6-1,combo guard, Sylvania Southview; Drew McGee,6-8, power forward, North Ridgeville; ChrisFreeman, 6-8, center, Trotwood-Madison;Stephon Johnson, 6-5, power forward, Cincinnati

Princeton; Mike Taylor, 6-2, shooting guard,Toledo St. John’s; Jared Porrini, 6-3, shootingguard, Massillon Washington; Aaron Robinson, 6-1, point guard, Trotwood-Madison; Zack Brown,6-3, shooting guard, Mason; Ryan Siggins, 6-4,shooting guard, Kettering Alter; Brian Wozniak, 6-5, wing forward, Cincinnati Loveland; RobertJohnson, 6-4, wing forward, Bedford; Dane Kopp,6-8, center, Newark; Tiondre Johnson, 6-5, wingforward, Peninsula Woodridge; Matt Kavanaugh,6-9, center, Centerville; Allen Roberts, 6-2, shoot-ing guard, Middletown; Luke Kraus, 5-11, point

guard, Findlay; Cortez Howell, 5-11, point guard,Cincinnati Aiken; Jack Smith, 6-4, wing forward,Cincinnati Hughes.

FFrreesshhmmeenn ((CCllaassss ooff 22001100))* 1. Jared Sullinger, 6-7, power forward,

Columbus Northland (HS, 17th nationally infreshman class) – Sullinger plays for his father,coach Satch Sullinger, at Northland. He is alsothe younger brother of J.J. Sullinger, who was aco-captain on Ohio State’s 2006 Big Ten champi-onship team.Jared Sullinger is making quite a name for him-

self in his own right. In his first season of varsitycompetition, Sullinger earned Honorable MentionAll-Ohio honors in Division I. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in

leading Northland to a 24-1 mark and its first dis-trict title since 1985.

“Jared Sullinger is the next great player fromOhio,” Johnson said. “He probably ranks amongthe top 20 freshmen in the country nationally rightnow. If he grows any more, look out.”Sullinger is already receiving letters from the

likes of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Kentucky andhe was a fixture at OSU home games this pastseason.“If and when Ohio State offers, they are proba-

bly the one to beat,” Johnson said.Sullinger will play AAU ball for All-Ohio Red’s

15-and-under team.* 2. Pe’shon Howard, 6-2, point guard,

Lakewood St. Edward (HS, 60th) – Howardwas a key reserve on St. Ed’s Division I state finalfour team. Howard had 11 points in his team’sstate semifinal loss to Cincinnati Moeller. He willplay AAU ball for King of the Court.“Howard should be the starting point guard at

St. Ed’s next year,” Johnson said. “With Roe andPritchard coming back, they are probably set upas the team to beat next year.”* 3. Allen Payne, 6-5, wing forward,

Cincinnati Winton Woods – Payne averaged11.0 points per game as a freshman at WintonWoods.“Payne is already drawing comparisons to for-

mer Cincinnati area star Damon Flint,” Johnsonsaid.* 4. Jordan Hicks, 6-3, shooting guard, West

Chester Lakota West* 5. Juwan Staten, 5-9, point guard, Dayton

Colonel White (HS, 79th)* 6. Nick Kellogg, 6-3, wing forward,

Columbus DeSales (HS, 43rd) – Kellogg, theyounger son of Clark Kellogg, averaged 10.0points per game for DeSales’ state final fourteam.* 7. Cameron Wright, 6-3, shooting guard,

Cleveland Benedictine* 8. Kenny Knight, 6-5, wing forward,

Cincinnati Northwest* 9. Adrian Payne, 6-7, center, Dayton

Jefferson* 10. Storm Sanders, 5-10, point guard,

Canton GlenOak* Also Notable: Cody Smith, 5-11, point guard,

Lima Shawnee; Kevin Gray, 5-10, point guard,Reynoldsburg; Courtney Avery, 5-11, point guard,Lexington; Aaron Craft, 5-11, shooting guard,Findlay Liberty Benton; J.D. Weatherspoon, 6-5,wing forward, Columbus Northland; Ralph Hill, 6-4, wing forward, Westerville North; Greg Gainey,6-4, wing forward, Trotwood-Madison; LiamWalsh, 6-6, power forward, West Geauga;Ricardo Johnson, 6-3, shooting guard, CincinnatiTaft. — OH

For more updates on Ohio’s top prospects andthose nationally, check out Chris Johnson’s workat hoopscooponline.com


Nick Kellogg, Columbus DeSales


Gir ls Basketbal l S tate TournamentPh

otos

by G

ary H

ouste

au

Jantel Lavender, Cleveland Central Catholic Kendall Hackney, Cin. Mount Notre Dame Kristin Daugherty, Warsaw River View Shi’niece Cox, Columbus Africentric


Gir ls Basketbal l S tate TournamentSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & MATT NATAL I

he 32nd Annual OHSAA State GirlsBasketball Tournament took placeMarch 15-17 at Ohio State’s ValueCity Arena. It featured two repeat statechampions and two first-time statechampions who were making their

state tournament debuts. The following is a look at the 2007 state tour-

nament:

Mount Notre Dame ClaimsThird D-I Title In Four YearsDeath, taxes and Mount Notre Dame basket-

ball.For the third time in four years, Cincinnati

Mount Notre Dame claimed the Division I girlsbasketball state championship with a resounding63-43 win over Stow Munroe-Falls before acrowd of 3,576.MND shot the lights out and clamped down

on Stow’s offense to pull out the win under first-year head coach Dante Harlan.“Mentally, the girls were just focused,” Harlan

said. “They were not going to let anything standin the way of them no matter what team it is.They wouldn’t let anyone stop them from win-ning the title. They set a goal for themselves andthey wanted to prove something to everyoneand prove something to themselves after thekids we lost last year. “They knew they were in for a dogfight and

they came out mentally ready to fight for 32 min-utes for what they felt was their’s,” he said.The Cougars (23-4) were led by sophomore

forward Kendall Hackney with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 14 rebounds. Sophomore for-ward Tia McBride had 19 points and ninerebounds while sophomore guard Gabby Smithadded nine points and four rebounds.As a team, MND shot 48 percent from the

floor on 24-of-50 shooting.In the final minute of the game, Smith and

sophomore guard Ashley Fowler came off thecourt and met Harlan with an embrace.“I told them to appreciate and remember the

experiences they’ve had the first two years ofhigh school and being able to say they werestate champions both years,” said Harlan. “I toldthem to understand that next year is not prom-ised to them because you could never make itback here again so understand it, appreciate itand don’t take it for granted. “I want them to know it is not just going to

happen because they have two more years and

I want them to keep the same focus and deter-mination and fire to get back here next year,” hesaid.Stow (24-4) got 17 points and seven

rebounds from senior Bowling Green recruitLiana Jennings, who battled an injured backafter a physical semifinal game with PickeringtonNorth.The Lady Bulldogs also got 13 points from

junior guard Emilee Ritchie and 10 points fromsenior guard Cate Cianchetti.“Mount Notre Dame did a really good job

shooting the ball today and I thought they did areally good job defensively in the first half,” saidStow head coach Bob Podges.“I thought we’d shoot the ball better tonight

and we didn’t shoot the ball well at all tonight.We shot the ball really well throughout the tour-nament.”Stow shot 27.5 percent on 14-of-51 shooting.“They have a really good program, they do a

great job over there and that is obvious with theirrecord the last four years,” he said. Jennings had 19 points and 11 rebounds in

the state semifinal game.“We told (our players) Stow was going to

come ready to play. Liana Jennings – God blessthat young lady - she is tremendous,” Harlansaid. MND led 28-12 at halftime.“(The girls) knew even at halftime that the

game wasn’t over. They knew (Jennings) was

going to keep fighting. So, it’s just awesome,”said Harlan.For the previous six seasons, Harlan was an

assistant coach for MND under now assistantScott Rogers. Previous to this season, Rogersrelinquished his duties to Harlan and took a seaton the bench.In the final seconds of the game, Harlan and

Rogers shared a hug and a few tears.“I just wanted to make sure we upheld the

standards and excellence that (Rogers) set forthfrom day one and I wanted to make sure Ibrought the same intensity and passion that hebrought,” said Harlan. “He just told me that he is proud of me. He

said that he knew it was tough because he’sbeen there. He said he was proud of me and itdoesn’t get any better than that. “I never wanted to let him down. I just wanted

to make sure I didn’t and try to duplicate whathe’s done. He is like a big brother to me and tohear your big brother tell you that is worth it.”And for as proud Rogers is of Harlan, the new

Cougars head coach is just as proud of histeam. “It is kind of like we told the girls. We are so

proud of them. All year long they put up with meand we had some ups and downs but we hungin there together,” he said.With the torch now passed, Rogers is pleased

to see the program he established in goodhands. “I know he was so concerned about not letting

me down and, truly, the tradition of a program isbuilt on everybody involved and not anyonespecifically,” Rogers said. “You always have adream and that’s what we did. He stepped in,and I know he felt the pressure, but I knew hewould do extremely well. “And the girls – they responded. I adjusted,

Dante adjusted and the kids adjusted and toDante’s credit, he zeroed in on a couple ofthings and the kids really just started to execute,”he said. Senior Salute: In her fourth trip to the state

tournament with MND, the coaching staff hon-ored senior guard Melissa Hersey by starting herin the championship game. Hersey had twopoints, one rebound and six assists in 23 min-utes of play. She will play college basketball for Ohio

Dominican.State Semifinals Results:Mount Notre Dame 56, Findlay 41: In a tight,

“Mentally, the girls were just focused.They were not going to let anythingstand in the way of them no matterwhat team it is. They wouldn’t let any-one stop them from winning the title.”

Mount Notre Dame Coach Dante Harlan

T

“They have a really good program, theydo a great job over there and that is obvi-ous with their record the last four years.”

Stow-Munroe Falls CoachBob Podges


Gir ls Basketbal l S tate TournamentCarlee Roethlisberger, Findlay

Warsaw River View

became the 11th school

to repeat as girls basket-

ball champions when they

won the Division II title.

Tia McBride, Cin. Mount Notre Dame

Megan Askew, Pickerington North

Mylan Woods, Hathaway Brown

Ashar Harris

, Columbus Afric

entric

Liana Jennings, Stow-Munroe Falls



Gir ls Basketbal l S tate Tournament

three quarters, MND put the defensive pressureon Findlay in the fourth quarter outscoring theLady Trojans 19-3 in the final period. MND wasled by McBride with 19 points and ninerebounds and Smith with 11 points and ninerebounds. Findlay’s (21-5) marquee player, senior for-

ward Carlee Roethlisberger, finished with 13points and six rebounds but was held to onlyone point in the fourth quarter.Stow 50, Pickerington North 43: In the third

quarter, Stow built a 13-point edge before North(22-4) mounted a charge. The Panthers – com-ing off emotional wins over Pickerington Centraland No. 1 ranked Dublin Scioto in the regional’s– climbed to within four (40-36). Consecutive baskets by Jennings pushed the

lead back to eight and after a bucket by North’sMegan Askew, Ritchie drove the nail home withanother 3-pointer from the top of the key. Thebasket put Stow up 47-38 with 2:32 left.

Warsaw River View WinsSecond Straight D-II Title It is even sweeter the second time around.With a convincing 45-26 win over Shaker

Heights Hathaway Brown in the Division II statetitle game, Warsaw River View claimed its sec-ond straight state championship and fourth inschool history. River View relied on offense in the state semi-

final game to advance but it was the Lady Beardefense that dominated Hathaway Brown hold-ing the Blazers to the fewest points scored in aD-II championship game in OHSAA tournamenthistory.The score was tied 3-3 midway through the

first quarter but River View went on a 9-0 run,sparked by a Sami Dickerson 3-pointer, and theLady Bears went into the locker room at the halfup 21-8.River View (26-1) forced 16 Hathaway Brown

turnovers and scored 16 points off those take-aways.“I watched the kids warm up before the game

and Hathaway (Brown) looked very loose andwith kids like that we wanted to jump on themright away and not let them feel they were goingto be in the ball game,” said River View headcoach Caroline Daugherty.“I just thought the kids came out ready to play

today. We missed some early shots that wedon’t normally miss so I think we could havewidened the gap a little bit in the first half. Butour defense stepped up and was the differencein the ball game,” she said.Kristin Daugherty got off to somewhat of a

slow start to the game but settled in to lead allscorers with 19 points and nine rebounds to fin-ish up her career for the Lady Bears in her 100thgame started.“I think any player whose team did (well) the

year before feels pressure to get back to where

we were last year,” she said. “It was fun and youcan’t replace how much hard work and dedica-tion we put into this team and the whole pro-gram and I am really excited to get another(championship).”Her sophomore sister Kari, who was a critical

component of River View’s state championshiplast season as a freshman, had 16 points andseven rebounds.“(Kari) is an awesome player,” Kristin said.

“We play one-on-one in the summer all the timeand I think that just makes us that much better.She’s definitely going to be a great player whenshe is an upperclassman.” Coach Daugherty added, “I think Kari was real

relaxed in the first half and I think calmed hersister’s nerves a little bit. But in the fourth quar-ter, Kristin stepped up for us when it really mat-tered. The seniors really stepped up for us.Hathaway Brown (22-5), which was unranked

in the final AP poll, was led by freshman MylanWoods with nine points and six rebounds whilejunior forward Angela Groves had seven pointsand four rebounds.Senior guard Julie Lozon had five points and

one board for the Blazers.“I think there was an intimidation factor going

into the game since we knew they had three(championships) and had been in this situationbefore. But we were ready for it. We just didn’tcapitalize,” she said.Hathaway Brown was a dismal 27 percent

from the field on 10-of-37 shooting. “I thought we came out and were pretty

focused,” said Hathaway Brown head coachPaul Barlow. “I thought defensively we played pretty well in

the first half; we just didn’t knock down anyshots. Our shooting percentage from the gamewasn’t nearly what it needed to be. We missedsome easy shots early on and we got some

easy looks at the basket and just didn’t converton them.“They played very good defense. We needed

to get more shots up and that is a credit to theirdefense,” he said.Coming into the tournament, River View was

ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll finishing the reg-ular season 19-1 with its lone loss comingagainst Columbus Africentric in the Classic in theCountry tournament in mid-January.“To be honest with you, it kind of ticked us off

a little bit,” coach Daugherty said. “I thought we deserved the number one rank-

ing but in the same breath, no number one teamin Division II has ever won (a state champi-onship).”This year marks the 25th anniversary of the

1982 River View state championship, of whichcoach Daugherty was a member. Her father,Dave Mast, coached that team and Daugherty isthankful for having the opportunity for her andher husband Bill to have coached their daugh-ters to two state championships. “I thought it was a pretty neat thing for my

daughters to experience as well,” she said. “Ourwhole family lives basketball. It is been a part ofmy entire life. I try to separate it with the girls butit is hard. I’ve tried my darndest to keep them asjust my daughters and I think of the whole teamas my kids. I am so close with these girls and Ithink we have a little different relationship thanmost coaches and players have.”Kristin said, “It’s really special. I don’t think any

other kids in Ohio get to experience this. Just tobe able to have (my parents) be there throughthe whole experience. It just makes it that muchmore special.”Four for Four: Thanks to its second straight

championship, River View moved into fourthplace overall for most state titles in history. TheBears, with four titles (1977, 1982 and 2006-07),trail only Pickerington, Delphos St. John’s andSouth Euclid Regina.River View also became the 11th school in

history to defend its title. The last school to do sowas Berlin Hiland last year in D-IV. In D-ICincinnati Mount Notre Dame also repeated,becoming the 12th team to do so.Disabled List: River View freshman guard

Cortnie Kelso, who saw limited time in the statesemifinal game, was hospitalized the morning ofthe championship game complaining of stomachpains. Kelso underwent emergency surgery forappendicitis at Columbus Children’s MedicalCenter and recovered fine. River View assistant coach Beth Porteus

accepted Kelso’s individual medal.Said coach Daugherty, “She’ll get a ring just

like everyone else.”Expectations: Before the season began, not

many in the state would have expectedHathaway Brown to be in the district final, letalone the state championship. Next year is a dif-

“I think any player whose teamdid (well) the year before feelspressure to get back to where wewere last year.”

Warsaw River View seniorKristin Daugherty

“I think there was an intimidation factorgoing into the game since we knew theyhad three (championships) and had beenin this situation before.”

Hathaway Brown seniorJulie Lozon


Gir ls Basketbal l S tate TournamentJeanne Bockey, D

elphos St. John’s

Courtney Schimmoeller, O

ttoville

Hayley Kruse, New Knoxville

Justine Raterman, Versailles

Cleveland Central

Catholic, led by Ms.

Basketball Jantel

Lavender (with trophy),

captured the school’s

first state title in D-III.




“Obviously at the beginning of the year if youwould have polled people few would haveexpected us to get to the regionals and no onewould have thought we could make the stateexcept for maybe the people in our gym,” H-Bhead coach Paul Barlow said. “We’re excitedabout what we bring back.”The Blazers return five of their top six players

including four starters and their top two scorers:junior Angela Groves and freshman MylanWoods. Both were second team All-Ohio.H-B also brings back sophomores Kirsten

Holmes and Lauren Ryan and freshman AlexisDobbs. In all, the Blazers graduate two seniors.“For us to come here is huge. We made histo-

ry today,” Woods said. “No one would have everthought we’d be here and now people know wecan do it.“We’ll be back.”State Semifinal ResultsRiver View 57, Columbus Eastmoor

Academy 43: Kristin Daugherty exploded for 30points and eight rebounds to lead the LadyBears past Eastmoor Academy 57-41. KariDaugherty scored 12 points and had sevenboards. Eastmoor’s (19-5) Ayana Dunning, who is

considered by many the top center prospect inthe nation’s class of 2008, had 15 points andeight rebounds while being double and triple-teamed by River View. Hathaway Brown 47, Sandusky Perkins 39:

Combining for 25 of their team’s 28 second halfpoints, Woods and fellow freshman AlexisDobbs led H-B to the Division II state title gamewith a 47-39 win over Sandusky Perkins (21-4).Woods, a starter, ended the game with a team-high 15 points and five rebounds. Dobbs, com-ing off the bench, scored all 14 of her points inthe second half. She also added six boards andfour assists. Led by Cierra Bravard, a 6-4 junior who

earned D-II state co-player of the year honors,Perkins trailed just 19-18 at the half and trailedby one (34-33) with 4:15 to go. Bravard enteredthe game averaging 23.5 points. She ended with19 points and eight rebounds.

Lavender Powers CCC ToDivision III ChampionshipAfter receiving Ohio’s Ms. Basketball award

earlier in the week, Cleveland Central Catholic’sJantel Lavender added a state championship onMarch 17.Leading CCC to its first title in school history in

any sport, Lavender scored 23 points, grabbednine rebounds, blocked six shots and hit fourfree throws in the final 16 seconds as theIronmen staved off Delphos St. John’s, 51-45, inthe Division III state final before a crowd of4,624.Lavender’s high school career ended where

her college one starts. Lavender will be a

Buckeye next season.“As well as they played defensively on (Jantel)

today, nobody can stop her,” CCC head coachBrian Arth said. “She’s incredible. She’s our go-to.”“You know Cleveland and Cincinnati and other

cities make up Ohio and I feel like my team-mates are the cities that make me,” Lavendersaid. “I feel like we deserve everything we’vegotten.”Delphos St. John’s, making its 10th state tour-

nament appearance, failed in its bid to tiePickerington for the most state titles in history(six). Instead the Blue Jays moved to 5-1 instate finals. “We had our chances,” DSJ head coach Dan

Grothouse said. “We executed to the pointwhere we got some good looks, the ball just did-n’t fall down.”Lavender had no problem getting the ball to

fall.The 6-4 post scored the first five points of the

game and hit her first four shots as CCC built a13-9 lead with 1:58 to go in the first quarter. DSJresponded with an 11-2 run and held theIronmen scoreless the first four minutes of thesecond quarter to edge ahead 20-17. The BlueJays led 24-21 at half.In the third quarter CCC outscored DSJ 17-9

and out rebounded them 13-5 to swing momen-tum. Senior Candyce Flynn also discovered hershot.Draining a 3-pointer from the right baseline

with her team down two, Flynn’s score put CCCahead for good, 32-30. She also added two freethrows and a shot at the buzzer as the Ironmenled 38-33 after three quarters.Flynn ended the game with 11 points and five

assists.“Candyce is our second option,” Arth said.

“We give her the green light whenever she’s

feeling it.”Said Grothouse, “That (3-pointer) was a big

shot.”Another Flynn bucket with 3:36 to play gave

CCC its largest lead, 44-37, and led to a DSJtimeout. The Blue Jays scored five straight afterstoppage to pull within 44-42 with 2:18 left, butgot no closer. DSJ had several opportunities inthe closing seconds to make plays and failed.CCC went 7-for-8 at the free throw line in thefinal 49 seconds.“We had several turnovers and opportunities

and we just couldn’t get the basket to go down,”Grothouse said. “These guys played their hearts out and that’s

what makes it so emotional and tough. We didhave opportunities there that in the past we’veconverted.”The Ironmen converted their first trip to

Columbus into gold.“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Lavender said. “This

was our goal at the beginning of the year andsince we were freshman.”Said Flynn, “I’m in awe.”Deee-Fense: Lavender, who averaged 21

points this season and scored 37 in two statetournament games, doesn’t mind playing a littledefense either.In her two state games and a regional final

win over South Euclid Regina, Lavender regis-tered 18 blocks.Overcoming Adversity: Not only did CCC

overcome Versailles and Delphos St. John’s towin its first title, the Ironmen also squashedsome adversity along the way.Led by first-year coach Arth, who came from

Perry High in Lake County, CCC overhauled itsroster this season – and not by choice.When former coach Melvin Burke left for

Lutheran East, five players followed. Anotherwent elsewhere and three seniors graduated.“We’ve had a lot of pressure all year,” Arth

said. “This was basically a new team but people

expected us to do things. We had two startersback (Jantel Lavender and Candyce Flynn) andadded a lot of players from the junior varsity.Last year they were a totally different team.”The return of Lavender and Flynn, the team’s

second leading scorer, were key.So was believing in each other.“We expected things from each other,” Arth

said. “As a coach, I expected them to get (tostate) and I told them to believe in me and I’ll getyou there.”Expect CCC to have another face-lift next

year. The Ironmen graduate seven seniors.State Semifinals ResultsCCC 51, Versailles 39: Lavender’s first points

of the second half didn’t come until 4:29remained in the game. They did however comeat the right time. Putting CCC ahead for good36-34 leading the Ironmen to a 51-39 win over

“Cleveland and Cincinnati andother cities make up Ohio and I feellike my teammates are the cities thatmake me. I feel like we deserveeverything we’ve gotten.”

Clev. Central Catholic seniorJantel Lavender

“We executed to the point wherewe got some good looks, the balljust didn’t fall down.”

Delphos St. John’s CoachDan Grothouse



Versailles in the D-III state semifinal. Lavenderhad 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Justine Raterman led Versailles (23-4) with 13

points, seven rebounds and three blocks.Delphos St. John’s 55, Albany Alexander

24: Thanks to the stout defense and extraordi-nary rebounding by DSJ, Alexander (24-3)scored the fewest points a team has ever scoredin the D-III state semifinals falling to 55-24. The Lady Blue Jays out-rebounded Alexander

45-19, which was the difference in the game. Junior guard Brittany Pohlman paced DSJ

with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and eightrebounds. Bockey added 11 points and had sixrebounds. Alexander got 10 points and five rebounds

from senior forward Amy Smith while none ofher teammates scored more than five points.

Defense Propels Columbus Africentric To D-IV Title Win Over New KnoxvilleNew Knoxville hangs its hat on playing tough

defense. In the Division IV state championship,the Lady Rangers met another team with similarheadgear.Columbus Africentric slapped a historic defen-

sive effort on the Lady Rangers en route to a 44-27 win in the Division IV state championshipbefore a crowd of 3,734.New Knoxville’s 27 points set a record for the

lowest output by a team in a D-IV final and theteams’ combined tally of 71 set a divisionalrecord for fewest total points in a title game. Theprevious record of 72 was set by FrankfortAdena and Rocky River Lutheran West in 1976– the first year of the OHSAA girls tournament.“Playing a team like (Africentric) you have to

come to play and you have to put the ball in thehole,” New Knoxville coach Tim Hegemier said.“We shot 27.3 percent. That’s not good enough.”Said Africentric coach Will McKinney: “The

game plan was to come in and apply pressureand keep pressure.”Although the No. 1 ranked Nubians entered

averaging 75.8 points per game – the highestscoring average of any team in the state tourna-ment – little was made of their defense until thetitle game. On the season, Africentric held opponents to

37.6 points per game, which translates into anaverage winning margin of 38.2.Defensively the Lady Rangers held their own.

Offense was a different story.Hitting just 3-of-17 first half shots (17.6 per-

cent) and committing eight turnovers, NewKnoxville trailed 17-7 at halftime. The LadyRangers lone bucket of the second quarter wasa 3-pointer by Casey Horstman with 33 secondsleft.“I really think the (2-3) zone worked,”

Hegemier said. “If I can hold Columbus

Africentric to 17 points in the first half with zone,than it did its job. We just had to score onoffense and seven points is not enough.”Unlike the state semifinal win over Ottoville,

the Nubians kept the pressure on in the secondhalf.“Today we knew we had to keep our foot on

them and just keep on going,” Africentric sopho-more Ashar Harris said. “There was no stop-ping.”In the third quarter Africentric outscored New

Knoxville 15-5 to build a 32-12 edge. Headinginto the fourth quarter the Lady Rangers were 4-of-23 and had 16 turnovers. New Knoxvilleoutscored the Nubians 15-12 in the final eightminutes but the damage was done.“Their pressure defense gave us a little bit of

trouble,” Hegemier said. “We were starting a lotof our offensive sets at mid-court and that’s notwhat you want to see. You want to start at thetop of the key.”For the game, New Knoxville hit 9-of-33 shots

(27.3 percent) and committed 20 turnovers.Haley Kruse led the Lady Rangers with 11points, while Brooke Niemeyer added eight.Harris scored 11 points and grabbed seven

rebounds to lead Africentric which shot 44.2-per-cent (19-of-43) and had 17 turnovers. Shi’nieceCox and Tyesha Moss added eight pointsapiece.With the win, Africentric becomes the fourth

Columbus City League school to win a state titleand the first since Brookhaven did it in 1996. Injust four short years (the school was opened in2003) the Nubians have state hardware.“It’s exciting and it’s something to be proud of,”

McKinney said. “Going through the teams wehad to go through, we know we definitely earnedit. “We played Berlin Hiland, Toledo Waite,

Mentor, Mifflin, River View and not to mentionEastmoor twice. When you play against that cal-iber of teams throughout the year, it’s satisfyingto actually get to this point and win everything.”Said Hegemier, “We can play a lot better than

we did today. I just think we got wrapped up inthe moment and never got rolling.”Small Ball: Columbus Africentric became the

first Central Ohio school to win a state title in thestate’s small school division since NewarkCatholic in 1984. The Nubians are no stranger to making histo-

ry, though. In just its fourth year of existence,Africentric has already achieved some loftymarks. Last year the Nubians became the firstCCL school from the South Division to win thecity league in 13 years.Two Timers: State tournament participants

Mount Notre Dame, New Knoxville and AlbanyAlexander all made the state volleyball tourna-ment in November as well. Ironically all threerepeated the results.Mount Notre Dame captured the D-I title,

while New Knoxville finished second in D-IV.Alexander lost in the semifinals.“I know making two state finals is a great

accomplishment,” said New Knoxville’s teary-eyed Nicole Wright. “I know there are some girlsout there who never have this opportunity. I’mglad I got to do it my senior year.”State Semifinals ResultsColumbus Africentric 42, Ottoville 39: After

trailing Africentric by as much as 16, Ottovilleclawed its way back to tie the Lady Nubians latein the fourth quarter only to fall 42-39 on aChynna Bozeman three-pointer in the final sec-onds. Trailing 30-18 at halftime, Ottoville (21-5)

outscored Africentric 13-4 in the third quarter topull within three points and held Africentric toonly 12 second half points.Trailing 36-39 with nine seconds left in the

game and following an injury timeout, Ottovillein-bounded the ball to sophomore TriciaHonigford and she drained a 3-pointer from thecorner to tie the game. Africentric marched down the court and

Bozeman hit a 3-pointer with 1.6 secondsremaining to put the Lady Nubians ahead forgood. New Knoxville 31, Bedford Chanel 30:

Kruse is by no means an intimidating figure.Listed a generous 5-4 on the roster, she playeda lot larger in the D-IV state semifinals. Hitting the game-winning shot with 22 sec-

onds left, Kruse helped lift New Knoxville into itsfirst girls basketball state final with a 31-30 winover Bedford St. Peter. New Knoxville didn’t have any players in dou-

ble-figures and was led by Niemeyer’s sevenpoints. Nicole Wright, Niemeyer and MeredithFledderjohann each added six. — OH

“Today we knew we had to keepour foot on them and just keep ongoing,. There was no stopping.”

Columbus Africentric sophomoreAshar Harris

“Playing a team like (Africentric) youhave to come to play and you haveto put the ball in the hole. We shot27.3 percent. That’s not good enough.”

New Knoxville CoachTim Hegemier


State Wrest l ing Tournament

eavyweight wrestlers don’t often get the limelight. At the70th annual state wrestling meet, Cincinnati Moeller bigmanFrank Becker basked in it.Surviving the Division I heavyweight field, which respect-

ed wrestling guru Brian Brakeman said was the meet’s bestsince 1975, Becker captured not only the top spot on the

podium but also the admiration of many in attendance at Ohio State’sValue City Arena on March 3.“I’ve never been asked to pose for so many pictures in my life,”

Becker said. “What a feeling.”Becker won hearts and his match by capitalizing on what the state

wrestling meet is all about – endurance, patience and seizing oppor-tunity.For Becker that opportunity

came in overtime.Wrestling defending state

champion and undefeatedBrendan Barlow of WestervilleCentral in the finals, Beckerscored the decisive points on atakedown with 34 seconds leftin the extra period. The scorecame seconds after Barlowlooked like he was going to winwith a takedown of his own.One fan from the stands told

Becker the victory was “one ofthe greatest comebacks I’veever seen.”For Becker, his return trip to

Columbus defined the notion ofredemption. Listed as one of the wrestlers

who could win a state title atheavyweight, Becker was notthe favorite.Also in the field were Barlow,

Reynoldsburg’s Andy Hartshorn(2006 runner-up), HilliardDarby’s Antonio Jeremiah (stateplacer) and Lakewood St.Edward’s Ben Kuhar (2005 run-ner-up).Becker, who finished seventh

last year after dropping bouts toJeremiah and Hartshorn, almostdidn’t make it out of the quarter-

finals.Down 8-0 to Jeremiah in the third period, Becker miraculously

pulled out the win with a pin. In the semis, Becker beat Hartshorn 3-2.“I came in here treating each match like it was the last of my

career,” Becker said. “All season long, my coach has given me magic numbers and (after

districts) it was four (wins needed for a state title). Once we got herethough we made each magic number one. That made me think,because here you have to win one at a time.”The match ironically was the last of Becker’s career. He’ll pursue

football next year at the University of Cincinnati where he’ll see actionalong the offensive or defensive lines.

“At first I went in and tried totake a shot (on Barlow) but myfeet slipped and it wasn’t thereso I backed off,” Becker said.“Then he took a shot. I figured ifI was patient it would pay offand once I felt his hand go offmy leg it was ‘Oh baby, here itcomes!’ ”Becker’s victory was a fitting

end for a state wrestling meetfilled with heroics, history andheartbreak.Other big stories at the state

wrestling meet included:

St. Edward Wins 23rd Title, Record 11th Straight In D-ILakewood St. Edward has

come to Columbus before andleft with an ample haul of hard-ware. This season, the Eaglesbrought home a couple carloadsof history, too.Capping arguably the best

season in the storied program’slengthy and legendary past, St.Ed broke its own state record ofconsecutive titles with its 11thDivision I championship in arow. The previous record of 10was set by St. Ed from 1978-1987. Only one other programin state history (Maple Heights)

H

Impromptu win by Cincinnati Moeller’s Becker amongtop stories at 70th annual state wrestling meet

Photo by Greg Beers

Cincinnati Moeller’s Frank Becker celebrates hiswin in the Division I 275-pound final.



Photos by Greg Beers

STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ



has at least 10 titles combined.The Eagles, who have 23 titles overall, also qualified a state-record

14 wrestlers to Columbus and had four individual champions (CollinPalmer, 130; Sean Nemec 169, Brian Roddy 171; and ChrisHoneycutt 189).St. Ed’s team total of 229 points was also a new divisional and

overall state record. The Eagles tied the previous mark of 210 (set bythem last season) before the finals began.In addition, head coach Greg Urbas surpassed his mentor and for-

mer St. Ed coach Howard Ferguson with a state-best 12 total titles.Ferguson, who arrived at St. Ed in 1976, won 11.

Graham Wins Seventh Straight Division II Title; Ninth OverallGraham shattered its own previous divisional record of 191.5 points

set in 2003 with 208 en route to its seventh straight Division II title.The Falcons had 193 points before finals. Graham’s nine overall statetitles also breaks a third place-tie with Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuitfor the most in state history. Graham trails only St. Ed and MapleHeights.Individually, the Falcons qualified a program best seven wrestlers to

finals and watched three come away with wins. Sophomore DavidTaylor won his second state title at 103, while seniors Coby Boyd(145) and Cordell Longstreath (119) claimed their first. Graham had11 state placers.

Troy Christian Outlasts Marion Pleasant In D-IIIThe season-long battle

between Troy Christian andMarion Pleasant finally came toa head. Troy Christian, on thestrength of three state titlistsand two runners-up, edgedPleasant 154-151.5 for theDivision III team title. The statechampionship is TC’s first. TheEagles trailed 143.5-141 head-ing into finals.TC and Pleasant were 1-2 in

every D-III state poll this yearand the Eagles earned the spotin the final rankings. Head-to-head, TC beat Pleasant at theBrecksville Invitational, and lostto the Spartans in the state dualfinals.Those capturing state titles

for the Eagles were junior BenSergent (112), senior CaseyThome (135) and sophomoreZach Toal (140).

Three-PeatsThere were multiple wrestlers

who captured their third statetitles. In D-I, Austintown-Fitchjunior Tony Jameson won forthe third time with an 8-4 victoryover Brunswick junior RichieSpicel. Spicel was the 2005state champion at 130 andentered the mach 44-0.Solon senior Kevin Hardy

claimed his third state title with a 9-4 win over junior Jesse Dong ofWesterville North at 145.Ohio State-bound Colt Sponseller of West Holmes improved to 49-

0 and won the D-II 160 title with a 25-12 decision over Canal FultonNorthwest senior Kyle Haddox. Sponseller previously claimed titles in2005 (140) and 2006 (152).

Not So FastCameron Wade of Bedford St. Peter Chanel was trying to become

the third heavyweight in state history to win three titles. Sullivan BlackRiver senior Jesse Campbell was trying to beat Wade for the thirdtime in his career. Campbell won out.Handing Wade his first loss of the season, Campbell won the duo’s

D-III heavyweight match 2-1 in overtime. Wade was called for stallingin the extra period. Campbell’s last win over Wade was in the district final last year.

Since then Wade had gone 2-0 against Campbell, including a victoryin last year’s state final and this year’s district.

Déjà vu All Over AgainSt. Edward senior Sean Nemec and Wadsworth senior Derek

Foore made state history by becoming the first duo to face each otherthree times in a state final.Unfortunately for Foore, the match went the same way the other

two did – a victory for Nemec. Nemec won the D-I 160 bout 5-3. Theduo’s other meetings were at 135 in 2005 (Nemec won 12-2) and 145last season (3-0). Nemec also finished second as a freshman at 130.

Surprising ResultWhenever someone with the

last name Jordan loses at thestate meet it’s big news. Thefeat doesn’t happen very often,but Saturday it did. Going for his third straight title

in D-II, Graham junior BenJordan was upset by Bellevuesenior Jeffrey Pelton. Pelton,who has two second place fin-ishes to his credit, beat Jordan2-1 in the 135 final.Jordan is the son of Jim

Jordan – a four-time championand Ohio Congressman.Jordan’s uncle is Graham coachJeff Jordan – also a four-timewinner.

Fab FroshMonroeville freshman Logan

Stieber definitely lived up to hisbilling as the country’s No. 2ranked 103-pounder. Stieberwon all four of his D-III statebouts in convincing fashion tobecome the school’s first statechamp. After winning his first three

matches via pins (0:39, 0:22 and1:45), Stieber recorded a techfall (20-5) against MassillonTuslaw’s Justin Hall in the final.He finished the season 43-1.


Bellevue senior Jeffrey Pelton reacts after beatingGraham’s Ben Jordan for the D-II 135-pound final.



Photos by Nick Falzerano



Falk FallsBluffton senior Josh Falk lost to only one wrestler this year.

Unfortunately it was the opponent Falk faced in the 140 final – TroyChristian sophomore Zach Toal. Toal, who finished sixth last year,won the championship with a 4-2 overtime win. Toal held a 2-1 leadbefore being called for stalling with two seconds left in the match.He then won on a reversal.In their earlier meetings Toal won both by one-point. Falk wraps

up an outstanding career with a championship (135 in 2005), tworunners-up and a fifth place.

Long Time ComingApplecreek Waynedale junior David Stiltner beat Cincinnati

Maderia junior Kevin Cloran 3-1 in overtime to win the D-III 145 title.It was Waynedale’s first state champ since 1983.

Brothers GrimTuslaw brothers Justin Hall (103) and Jase Hall (119) both wres-

tled in state finals Saturday, but nether brought home a title. JustinHall, a freshman, lost to Monroeville’s talented freshman LoganStieber, while Jase Hull, a senior, lost to Sandusky St. Mary CentralCatholic senior Pat Harrington.

Speaking of WhichHarrington tied the state single-season record for wins when he

registered No. 63 against Hall. Harrington, who is now a two-timestate champ, finished the year 63-0. Harrington’s teammate TroyOpfer was looking for his 64thwin but fell, 3-1, to TroyChristian’s Ben Sergent in theD-III 112 final. As a result,Opfer finishes the season 63-1and tied for Harrington atop therecord book.

Opening SuspenseThe D-I 103 final between

nationally-ranked St. Ed fresh-man Jamie Clark and MassillonPerry sophomore Sam Whitewent four extra periods. Whitewas finally able to secure thewin with an escape. The matchwas tied 2-2 after regulation.

Third time not the charmLakota West junior Ryan

Fields failed in his attempt tocapture an elusive state title.Instead he had to settle for run-ner-up for the third straightseason. Fields was defeated in the D-

I 119 final by Wadsworth fresh-man Brad Squire who cappedan unbeaten season (34-0).Fields was second last year at112 and second at 103 in 2005.

Back on TopMiami Valley School (Dayton)

junior Daniel Kolodzik and Casstown Miami East junior RyanGambill returned to the top of the podium after a year absence.Kolodzik, who is the only wrestler at MVS, captured the D-III 125

title with a win over Troy Christian’s Zac Hancock. Kolodzik won the103 championship as a freshman and finished fourth at 119 lastyear.Gambill took the D-III 130 title with a win over Marion Pleasant

freshman Josh Demas. Gambill became his school’s first statechampion when he won the 112 title in 2005. Last year he finishedseventh at 119.

Moving UpBumping up a weight class didn’t stop Genoa Area senior Nick

Purdue from winning another state title. Purdue, who won at 171 ayear ago, captured the D-III 189 title with a win over Attica SenecaEast senior Alex Hughes. Purdue was third as a sophomore at 160.

Buckeye BoundOhio State recruit John Weakley of Cuyahoga Valley Christian

Academy defended his D-II 189 title by outdueling Sandusky Perkinsjunior Matt Fisher 14-5. Weakley overcame a bout of mono early inthe season to accumulate a 38-1 record and his second straight title.

Got ItPemberville Eastwood junior Eric Cubberly won the D-II 152 title

with a 7-3 win over Wintersville Indian Creek senior James Myers.Cubberly, who was third last year and eighth in 2005, improved to

51-1. The loss was Myers firstof the season. Myers was run-ner-up last year at 140.

UnbeatensIt wasn’t a good day to be

undefeated heading into thefinals. Of the 12 wrestlers withunblemished records, six lost.In addition to Harrington,

Squire and Sponseller, St. Edsenior Chris Honeycutt alsocompleted an undefeated runwith a pin (1:29) of Liberty Twp.Lakota East senior DanielCanfield in the D-I 189 final.Honeycutt finished 39-0.In D-II, Ravenna senior Matt

Reedy beat Graham’s JoeNewland in the 140 final toimprove to 51-0. Galion’s MattClum beat Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary senior Jamey Srock in the215 title bout to finish 45-0.

Numbers GameThe attendance at the finals

was 15,685. The three-day, fivesession total was 69,746.

Mark It DownThe 2008 state wrestling

meet will be held Feb. 28-March 1 at Value City Arena. —OH

Photo by Greg Beers

Lakewood St. Edward senior Brian Roddy celebratesafter beating defending champion Dustin Kilgore ofBerea in the D-I 171-pound final. Kilgore beat Roddyto win the title last year.



Photos by Nick Falzerano


Winter Spor ts Recap

ere are roundups of several of the state championships contestedin the winter season by the OHSAA.

Parma Padua Franciscan Claims Hockey TitleDefending state hockey champion Parma Padua Franciscan was

able to fend off one challenger bent on earning respect for its dis-trict, but not two. The Bruins (28-10-1), from the traditional hockey power-

house Northeast District, held off a late rally by CentralDistrict representative Upper Arlington to win thestate semifinal 3-2. But in the state champi-onship game Sun., Mar. 11 at NationwideArena in Columbus, it was Padua that fellbehind early and then saw its comebackbid fall short in a 6-4 loss to Toledo St.John’s Jesuit. The victory by the Titans (29-7-3)

marks the first time in the 30-yearhistory of the state hockey tour-nament that a team from theToledo area has brought homethe crown. That was a fact notlost on either squad. “It’s kind of a relief,” SJ

senior captain Andrew Heldtsaid. “People have beenstopping me all week at therink, saying ‘Bring this oneback for Toledo.’ “It’s nice the state trophy

is coming back to St.John’s. We don’t exactlyget a lot of respect therebut I think we will now, fora while.” “I’ve never looked upon

the hockey in Toledo asbeing a weak sister,” saidBruins coach Doug Hauser,whose club split with SJ dur-ing the regular season. “I’vealways highly respected thehockey teams that have comeout of Toledo and we know wehave to play well to beat them.” For all but a few minutes of

Sunday’s title match, the Titans lookedlike the better team. St. John’s, whichhad fallen behind Huntington ValleyUniversity School 3-2 in the first period oftheir semifinal contest before going on to win 5-3, wasted little time finding the back of the Bruins’net against Padua freshman goalie Evan Phenney. First to score for the Titans was junior Cameron

Hauenstein, who ended a personal scoring slump in a big way.He flipped the puck past the 5-6 Phenney from the right side on a powerplay 4:55 into the first period. And just 34 seconds later, SJ sophomoreRaymond Morris scored from the same side on an assist by senior ShaneHetrick. “We knew what we needed to do early to set the tone of the game and I

think the goals early kind of shook their goalie up a little bit and kind of putthem on their heels,” Titans coach Mike Hayes said. “Our JV team hadplayed against Phenney, and our JV coaches gave us some pretty good

information on him.” But the Bruins also showed they could score in a hurry. Only 23 sec-

onds after his team fell behind 2-0, Padua senior Chris Coyle got an assistfrom Evan Phenney’s older brother, Justin, and slapped the puck homefrom directly in front of the goal. Both teams would score one more time in the stanza. Hauenstein wentfirst, snaring a deflected shot by Dan Johnson and stuffing it past

Phenney. Then Zack Stryffeler answered for the Bruins on apower play with just under a minute remaining that

made it 3-2. The Titans dominated the middle period, scor-ing on two of their five shots against Phenneyand allowing only four Padua shots ongoal. The first point came just 28 sec-onds in, when Heldt flipped in a wristshot from the left side. Then Johnsonscored on an assist from Tad Huberat the 5:02 mark.

“We tried some different thingsand it didn’t seem that anythingat any one time really clickedfor us,” Hauser said. “Wewere trying different line com-binations to see if we couldbust loose and pretty muchall the different things wetried either backfired on usor couldn’t ignite us.” Hauser pulled Phenney,

who finished with 11 saveson 16 attempts, and juniorAnonio Bucca fared a littlebetter, allowing only onegoal while tallying 12saves. And it didn’t hurtthat the Padua offense, fac-ing a 6-2 deficit afterHauenstein notched his thirdgoal early in the final stanza,finally came to life. “As a Padua hockey player,

you’re taught from day one toalways sell yourself out, alwayskeep going on the ice,” seniorChris Seidenwand said. “It doesn’tmatter how many goals you’re down

by; it’s how you finish the game.” Stryffeller started the Bruins’ rally with

a powerful shot at the 2:31 mark, just 18seconds after Hauenstein’s score. And

when a scuffle in front of the SJ goal left theTitans shorthanded, Padua’s Mike Stokar made

the most of a pretty pass from Joe Sposit to pull histeam to within 6-4 with 8:20 to go.

“You’re never feeling great when you’re two goals down but Ifelt a little bit of a momentum change, and I thought for a two- or three-minute span that if we could get that next one we’d be right back in it,”Hauser said. “All year, we’ve been a dangerous team when we’re behind.We always like to weather the storm. “But I’ve got to give St. John’s credit. A lot of teams will start playing real

defensive (in that situation), but they regrouped very well.” Marzec, who finished with 27 saves, did not allow any more of the

Bruins’ 15 shots in the period to get through, even after Bucca was pulled

HSTORY BY OH IO H IGH STAFF

Photo by Jeff Brehm

Toledo St. John’s captured the first

high school hockey title in

Toledo-area history.



in the waning moments, and soon the ice was littered with SJ sticks andhelmets as the Titans celebrated a state championship. The Bruins finished with a 31-29 edge in shots on goal. Both teams

scored on two of their seven power plays and both tallied seven penal-ties for 14 minutes. “All credit goes out to St. John’s. They played a great

game,” Hauser said. “They knew our team pretty well,and I think they had a game plan in mind and theyimplemented it pretty well.” “We are familiar with them,” Hayes said.

“Because we played them twice this year andbecause when I got back to the room last night,the coaches sat down and broke the film downfrom those two games. “We saw some things that we thought we

needed to be aware of and we saw somethings we thought maybe we could take advan-tage of. We felt that if it was our forwards againsttheir defensemen down low, we would win a lot ofthose battles. “Our forwards got a step on them quite a bit in their

end and winning the battles down low. That’s how wewere getting the pucks in the net.”

— Jeff Brehm

Beavercreek Claims First OHSAA Girls Bowling TitleIt was billed as the inaugural Ohio High School Athletic Association girls

state bowling tournament Mar. 2 at Tiki Lanes in Lancaster. What it turnedout to be was a demonstration of the bowling prowess of the GreaterWestern Ohio Conference.First Fairborn senior Amber Fulton won the individual title, edging

Beavercreek sophomore Emily Figer 675-658. Then, four GWOC teams— the Fairborn, Beavercreek, Centerville and Troy — joined CincinnatiMcAuley as five squads from the Southwest District among the eight toadvanced to the team championship round.Three GWOC clubs reached the semifinals where Centerville fell to

Beavercreek and Fairborn, down 2-1 early to Westerville South, rallied toadvance to the title match against its old rival. That contest also took fivestanzas before the Beavers (11-2) got revenge on the only team to handthem a regular-season defeat in the previous two seasons, beatingFairborn (11-2) 206-175 in the deciding round.Fulton, Figer and the coaches smiled when asked about the friendly

rivalry between the adjoining school districts. “The schools are only about five miles from each other,” Beavercreek

coach Dave Hartsock explained, noting they won two of the three GWOCdivision titles (the other went to Troy).“And they’ve all bowled together and come up together all the way,”

added Fairborn coach Jack Gregory. “It’s a strong bowling district. And theparents really support the kids,” Hartsock said.“My team definitely wanted to go against Fairborn for the title,” Figer

said, noting her team’s losses to the Hawks in the last two years. But itlooked at one point as though the Beavers might regret getting their wish.Down 2-0 in the best-of-five final, Fairborn rallied with to take the third

game 205-200 and then tossed five strikes in the fourth stanza to force afifth.That’s when Beavercreek got hot again. With her team down 77-76 in

the fourth frame, Figer got the winning rally started with a strike. JuniorAnna Bowling followed with another, sophomore Elizabeth Bowling pickedup a difficult spare and then senior Micki Sumner and sophomore KathrynCox both cleared all the pins again to give the Beavers a decisive lead.Centerville wound up in third place and Westerville South was fourth, fol-

lowed in order by McAuley, Troy, Fremont Ross and Garrettsville Garfield.

Four girls scored more than 600 in finishing among the top nine in theindividual standings. Centerville’s Kristen Keenan was third with 647, fol-lowed by Alicia Simpson of Troy, 639; Kayla Barker of McDonald, 613;

Danielle Conley of Westerville South, 605; Brandi Fulton of Fairbornand Casey Reese of Massillon Washington – who tied for sev-

enth at 604 – and Sara Loney of Niles McKinley, 601. — Jeff Brehm

Coldwater Outduels Rival St. Henry For Bowling CrownDon’t expect to see any high school football

or basketball coaches calling up their localrivals and suggesting they should have theirteams start practicing together. But after thefirst-ever OHSAA state boys bowling tourna-ment at Tiki Lanes in Lancaster, some bowlingcoaches might want consider it.That’s because neighboring schools and

friendly rivals took home the runner-up and cham-pionship trophies in both the boys and girls competi-

tion.The Beavercreek and Fairborn girls, two Greater

Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) schools just a few milesapart, dueled in a five-game finals won by the Beavers.

In the boys championship Mar. 3, longtime Mercer County and MidwestAthletic Conference foes Coldwater and St. Henry, who often practice side-by-side at Dayton’s Pla-More Lanes, battled for four games before theColdwater came out on top 201-151, 231-225, 170-200, 222-202.“When we compete, the team that gets off to a fast start usually wins,

and that’s what happened today,” Coldwater junior Tyler James said. “Westarted out 2-0, came out and really got on them as hard as we could.“The game we lost was when we didn’t get started real quick. They saw

it and took advantage.”“We knew it would be a close all the way through,” Cavaliers senior

Jared Brockman said. “We all knew it was going to be tough, that it wasanyone’s match.”It was exactly the showdown both teams had hoped it would be. St. Henry went 11-1 in the regular season, their only loss at the hands of

13-0 Coldwater. They went on to finish second in the sectional and districttournaments to — you guessed it — the Cavaliers.“We wanted this one bad,” said St. Henry junior Eric Stout. “We bowl

together almost every day. We push each other to get better and we knoweach other pretty well and we kid around in practice all the time.”“Sometimes too much,” teased Redskins coach Jim Stout. “They like to

joke around sometimes. They have a good time together.” “But we never beat them by a large margin,” Coldwater coach Rick

Hartings added. “It always comes down to one or two games or a coupleof spares.Championship day was no different, as members of both teams could

often be found chatting and cheering for each other until the championshipmatch, when things got serious - until the end, when almost everyoneexchanged hugs. Coldwater had had an easier path to the finals. The Cavaliers, seeded

fourth of their eight teams to advance to the championship round, openedwith a 225-172, 227-169, 193-190 win over Youngstown Liberty and thendefeated Austintown-Fitch 201-180, 143-188, 247-195, 167-155. No. 3 seed St. Henry had a tougher time, starting with a first-game loss

to sixth-seeded Hamilton before rallying to win 212-252, 234-166, 174-170,215-192. The Redskins got off to a better start against No. 2 KetteringFairmont on the way to a 224-194, 213-170, 179-215, 230-203 victory anda berth in the finals against the old rivals.“They beat us by 15 in the sectional and by 45 last week,” St. Henry

coach Jim Stout said. “I guess this proves they’re just a little bit better than

Photos by Jeff Brehm

MAC rivals Coldwater and St.

Henry finished 1-2 in the

boys bowling tourney.



us this year.“We bowled some of our best games today after we got down 2-0.

Coldwater never gave us a break, never gave us an opening. They keptmaking their spares and striking right with us.”“(The Redskins) are an awesome team,” Hartings said.

“They’ve got two state titles. I reminded our guys aboutthat and then reminded that we’ve won some titles,too.”Unlike the girls competition, in which both indi-

vidual winners led their teams to the finals bothof the top boys were done by mid-afternoon. Runner-up Steve Sullivan, a senior from

Youngstown Boardman, rolled a 685 in thethree games of the morning qualifier but it was-n’t enough to boost the Spartans into thechampionship field. Cincinnati LaSalle senior Evan Kling got to

bowl a little longer. His morning score of 737helped the Lancers look down the top seed in thequarterfinals but they were upset by No. 8 seedFitch 234-223, 210-200, 173-149 in their openingbest-of-five games showdown.Both clearly were more disappointed in their teams’ fates

than excited about their individual honors.“I and the other two seniors have been working hard to keep everybody

together and get us this far,” Sullivan said. “We’ve all held each othertogether through the tough times and had a 17-0 season in which we fin-ished second in four tournaments and won one ... and then we came hereand tried so hard ... and we just hit the wall.”Kling got his start in the sport when his parents signed him up for a

league. “My first experience with Evan was when he was in the sixth or seventh

grade, when he came to a training camp we had,” recalled his coach, PaulGebhardt. “He and his older brother were pretty bent on becoming highschool bowlers even then.”“Normally, anything over a 200 average works for me,” said Kling, who

tossed scores of 254, 266 and 217. “But after that first game, I got excitedabout how it was going.“I had a good second game, too. I started out with eight in a row, then I

got kind of nervous and pulled it. But after I finished that game, I thought,‘Well, I’ve got two pretty good games here. I might as well try for a thirdand see where that gets me.”

— Jeff Brehm

Brecksville-Broadview Heights Vaults To Gymnastics TitleThe 35th annual girls state gymnastics championship, held Mar. 2-3 at

Hilliard Darby High School, saw Brecksville-Broadview Heights win itsfourth consecutive championship, its sixth in eight years and its seventhoverall when it had 146.575 points. The Bees won its other titles in 1994, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Brecksville-Broadview Heights senior Christina Lenny won the all around

title with 37.775 points. She also was the individual champion in the vault,balance beam and floor exercise. Rocky River Magnificat was runner-up with 140.575 points with junior

Kayla Kmiecik defended her title in the uneven parallel bars.TEAM SCORES: 1. Brecksville-Broadview Heights 146.575; 2. Rocky

River Magnificat 140.575 ; 3. Columbus St. Francis DeSales 140.375; 4.Grove City 137.500; 5. Chardon 136.350; 6. Olmsted Falls 132.475; 7.Napoleon 132.400; 8. Wadsworth 132.150; 9. Liberty Center Lakota East132.125; 10. Miamisburg 131.525; 11. Perrysburg 131.150; 12. DublinCoffman 129.825Individual Champions: All Around – Christina Lenny (Sr., Brecksville-

Broadview Heights) 37.775; Vault – Christina Lenny (Sr., Brecksville-Broadview Heights) 9.700; Uneven Parallel Bars – Kayla Kmiecik (Jr.,Rocky River Magnificat) 9.375; Balance Beam – Christina Lenny (Sr.,

Brecksville-Broadview Heights) 9.400; Floor Exercise – ChristinaLenny (Sr., Brecksville-Broadview Heights) 9.525

— Staff Reports

Powerhouses Win Again At State Swim MeetThe 31st annual OHSAA girls state swimming

and diving tournaments and 80th annual boysstate swimming and diving tournaments tookplace Feb. 22-24 C.T. Branin Natatorium inCanton.Girls Division I: Upper Arlington won its

third consecutive state championship and fourthin five years when it had 330 points. CincinnatiUrsuline Academy was runner-up for the fifthstraight year with 202.5 points. UA was led by sophomore Darcy Fishback, who

defended her championship the 100 butterfly and wason the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Golden Bears junior Jenna Hillier defended her championshipin the 50 freestyle (she swam for Dublin Jerome in 2006) and was on

the winning 200 medley relay, and junior Abby Johnston, who set a staterecord in the district tournament, regained the one-meter diving champi-onship she won as a freshman.The other highlight was the performance of Cincinnati Anderson senior

Anita Beck, who won her third straight 500 freestyle and second consecu-tive 200 freestyle.Girls Division II: Gates Mills Hawken won its eighth straight Division II

championship, captured its 11th state title in 12 years and raised its all-timelead in girls state swimming & diving championships to 17 when it had 358points. For the sixth straight year, Cincinnati Indian Hill was the runner-upwith 145. Hawken was led by junior Brittany Strumbel, who defended herchampionship in the 200 freestyle, won the 500 freestyle and swam on thewinning 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The 200 freestyle relay team set atournament record (1:37.63). The Hawk’s other championship came in the200 medlay relay.Other highlights of the tournament saw Indian Hill senior Amanda Smith

set state and tournament records in winning the 100 butterfly (55.65);Indian Hill junior Margaret Fish win the 200 individual medley and the 100backstroke; Milford Center Fairbanks freshman Margo Geer, who set astate record in the 50 freestyle at the districttournament, set a tournament record in winning the 50 freestyle (23.60)

and also capture the 100 freestyle, and Millbury Lake senior BrittanyTenEyck defend her championship in one-meter diving.Boys Division I: Cincinnati St. Xavier won its 16th state championship

since 1990, ninth in a row and increased its lead in all-time state swimming& diving championships to 29 when it had 250 points. Columbus St. Charles was runner-up for the second straight year with

177 points. It was also the 14th state championship for Head Coach JimBrower, giving him the all-time lead in Ohio state championships for a headcoach in any sport. Leading the Bombers were senior David Mosko andjunior Jim Barbiere. Mosko defended his championship in the 500 freestylewith a state and tournament record (4:20.56) and won the 200 freestyle,Barbiere defended his title in the 100 backstroke and both were on thewinning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.Another standout of the tournament was Westerville Central senior

Austin Staab. He defended his championship in the 100 butterfly, where hetied a national record (47.10) and set Ohio state and tournament records,and also took his second straight 100 freestyle crown.

— Staff Reports

Beavercreek, one of three

GWOC teams in the semis,

won the girls state

bowling title.


Ohio H igh Cup

or the fourth year in a row, Ohio High will present the OhioHigh Cup to the school that scores the most points in OhioHigh School Athletic Association-sanctioned state champi-onship events.This competition is patterned after the Directors’ Cup stand-

ings 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-upteams receive three points,third-place teams get twopoints and fourth-placeteams get one point. Insports where state semi-final teams tie for third,they each receive 1-1/2points.Versailles captured the

first Ohio High Cup in2003-04. In 2004-05,Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuitclaimed the cup. This past year,Cincinnati St. Xavier won the OhioHigh Cup competition.In this issue, we tabulate the standings after the winter sports sea-

son. That season saw points awarded for finishes in boys and girlsbasketball, boys and girls swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, hockeyand boys and girls bowling.Through the winter season, Kettering Alter holds a narrow half-point

lead over Upper Arlington. Alter has 14 points to UA’s 13-1/2.Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit is third at 13.Upper Arlington was the biggest mover during the winter season,

amassing 8-1/2 points over the winter with a Division I girls swimmingchampionship and top-four finishes in boys swimming and hockey.Also making a big move in the winter was Cincinnati Mount Notre

Dame, which vaulted from six points to 11 (and fourth place overall)with five points for the Division II girls state basketball title.We will return with the final tabulations in the July issue following

the conclusion of the spring sports season. — OH

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

Upper Arlingtoncloses gap onKettering Alter

F

Golden Bears use strong winter finishes to climb into

title contention

Ohio High Cup Standings

1144 ---- KKeetttteerriinngg AAlltteerr (girls Division II cross country runner-up, D-IIIfootball runner-up, boys D-II soccer runner-up, D-II volleyball champi-ons) .1133--11//22 ---- UUppppeerr AArr ll iinnggttoonn (boys D-I golf champions, girls D-I swimmingchampions, boys swimming third, hockey semifinalist) .1133 ---- CCuuyyaahhooggaa FFaall llss WWaallsshh JJeessuuiitt (boys D-II soccer champions, girlsD-I soccer champions, D-II volleyball runner-up).1111 ---- CCiinncciinnnnaattii MMoouunntt NNoottrree DDaammee (field hockey semifinalist, D-I vol-leyball champions, girls D-I basketball champions)88 ---- CCiinncciinnnnaattii MMooeelllleerr (boys D-I basketball champions, D-I wrestlingrunner-up), CCiinncciinnnnaattii SStt.. XXaavviieerr (boys swimming champions, boys D-Ibasketball runner-up), SSttooww MMuunnrrooee FFaallllss (boys D-I soccer champions,girls D-I basketball runner-up), SStt.. HHeennrryy (D-V football champions,boys bowling runner-up), TToolleeddoo SStt .. JJoohhnn’’ss JJeessuuiitt (boys D-I cross coun-try runner-up, hockey champions) .77--11//22 ---- FFiinnddllaayy LLiibbeerrttyy BBeennttoonn (girls D-III cross country third, D-Vfootball semifinalist, boys D-III golf fourth, boys D-III basketball run-ner-up), HHuunnttiinngg VVaalllleeyy UUnniivveerrss iittyy SScchhooooll (boys D-II golf champions,boys swimming fourth, hockey semifinalist) , LLaakkeewwoooodd SStt.. EEddwwaarrdd(boys D-I golf fourth, boys D-I basketball semifinalist, D-I wrestlingchampions) .77 ---- GGaahhaannnnaa CCoolluummbbuuss AAccaaddeemmyy (field hockey champions, boys D-IIIgolf third).66--11//22 ---- NNoorrwwaallkk SStt .. PPaauull (D-VI football semifinalist, D-IV volleyballchampions) .66 ---- BBeexxlleeyy (boys D-II golf third, boys D-II soccer semifinalist, girls D-IIsoccer semifinalist) , MMiinnsstteerr (girls D-III cross country runner-up, boysD-III golf runner-up), NNeeww KKnnooxxvvii ll llee (D-IV volleyball runner-up, girls D-IV basketball runner-up).

55 ---- Anna (D-III volleyball champions), Beavercreek (girls bowling champions), Brecksville-

Broadview Heights (gymnastics champions), Cincinnati LaSalle (boys D-I cross country

champions), Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (girls D-I cross country champions), Centerville

(boys D-I golf third, girls D-I swimming fourth, girls bowling third), Cincinnati North College

Hill (boys D-III basketball champions), Cleveland Central Catholic (girls D-III basketball

champions), Coldwater (boys bowling champions), Columbus Africentric (girls D-IV basket-

ball champions), Dayton Dunbar (boys D-II basketball champions), Gates Mills Gilmour

Academy (girls D-III cross country champions), Gates Mills Hawken (girls D-I swimming

champions), Georgetown (boys D-IV basketball champions), Hilliard Davidson (D-I football

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 champi-

ons), St. Paris Graham (D-II wrestling champions), Steubenville (D-III football champions),

Troy Christian (D-III wrestling champions), Warsaw River View (girls D-II basketball champi-

ons), West Chester Lakota West (girls golf champions), Worthington Christian (boys D-III

soccer champions), Youngstown Mooney (D-IV football champions),

AA ll ss oo ii nn tthhee mm iixx .. .. ..

TThhee LLeeaaddeerr ss .. .. ..

Most of the elite recruits are great players andgreat athletes. Those are the players that receiveall the early offers and the attention from everymajor school in the college football pantheon. The other question I receive from those who do

not understand why the local star is not in OhioHigh or he is not getting the recruiters beatingdown the door is based on statistics. Statistics could not matter less.

I point out two examples: Former Ohio Statewide receiver Roy Hall caught a grand total of ninepasses as a junior before he ever stepped on afootball field as a senior and he had offers fromOhio State, Michigan and Florida State. On the other side of this is Jason Bainum from

Williamsburg, who held the career rushing recordfor the state of Ohio with 8,216 rushing yards upuntil a few years ago. To my knowledge, he never received a Division

I-A scholarship offer. I bring all this up for the first time after all these

years because I have heard this question more thispast year than I have any other year.

Speaking of development, the Class of 2008 isshowing like none before it. I have never had as hard of a time trying to

squeeze so many players into a top 100. Justwhen I thought I had the class down, a new filmwould show up and I would be back to shufflingagain. I thought this was going to be a very narrow

class in the fact that the talent was so focused ona few positions. At first, it was offensive line andlinebacker, then the tight ends started to emergeand now we are seeing a fine receiver class and Ithink the best quarterback class in years. One thing I have been willing to overlook in the

past when it comes to quarterbacks is height. I likea quarterback’s height as much as anyone, but Ijust don’t see it as essential – or lets say my ideaof tall enough is different than many of those mak-ing decisions about whether to offer a quarterback. That question is not there this year. Salvador Battles from the newly opened

Youngstown East is the only quarterback that is notthe required 6-3 – and Battles may be a runningback or defensive back at the next level anyway. Dominique Britt of Trotwood-Madison was a

super athlete playing quarterback but has becomea quarterback who happens to be a great athlete. Quarterbacks from some off the beaten path

places have showed up on the recruiting radar aswell. I am really impressed with Ada’s Zac Dysert. He

has size, a fine arm and is a good athlete. But there is no one elite player at the quarter-

back position this year.I am more impressed with how the receivers

have developed than at any other position and sev-eral of the top players had never even played foot-ball before. For instance, DeVier Posey of Cincinnati LaSalle

is a unique athlete. Last year was his first playingfootball and it is hard to find fault in his game. OhioState extended an offer Posey’s way and heaccepted in March. Middletown’s Phillip Barnettfalls into this mold as well. Considering how theseplayers performed last year with no football experi-ence, the upside to these players is tremendous. The tight ends continue to be a strength in the

Class of 2008 as well. One tight end in particular that cannot be

ignored is Columbus St. Francis DeSales’ JustinThompson. He lacks the ideal size but is otherwise


Duane Long ’s Top 100 Footbal l Recrui ts for 2008

Class of 2008 deep and talented; OL,LB, TE, WR and QB strongest positions

have been asked a myriad of ques-tions over the years about recruit-ing.

What do I look for in a player ata certain position? Why are thebroad jump and the vertical jump

important to a football recruit? And soon.

But overwhelmingly the No. 1 question Ihave been asked is: Why is this great highschool player not in the Ohio High top 100and why isn’t he getting any scholarshipoffers?

The answer is very simple. Recruiting is about projection and

development – it is about what theseplayers are going to be in three years. Theall-state and all-league teams, which getthrown at me by everyone who has thisquestion, reflect the type of footballplayers they are right now. The collegecoaches that make decisions about whichplayers receive scholarships and which donot are concerned about the players thatwill develop into great college players andnot the ones that are great high schoolplayers.

And that means athletes.

I

Phot

o by

Gar

y Hou

steau

Mike Adams, Dublin Coffman

Every year there are sev-eral names that end up at thetop of this list that could havebeen No. 1. Last year it wasBen Martin, but I also consid-ered Eugene Clifford. Neverhave I had a tougher time, orthought about it longer, than Idid this year with Adams andDeVoe Torrence.

We talk about playersbeing the best player on thefield. DeVoe Torrence wasthat in every game despite the presence of his olderbrother Devon, an Ohio State recruit. Devon took it toanother level. Torrence was the best player on the field atevery position he played. He was always the best line-backer but also played running back and wide receiver.He even played a little quarterback.

I don’t see Torrence as a wide receiver in college butthere is a lot to like about him as a running back. Herushed for nearly 1,000 yards despite splitting time

The word franchise getstossed around a lot when itcomes to athletes. All it takesis one glimpse of Mike Adamsto see he is one player thatfits the tag. My associateSteve Helwagen saw a tapeof Adams and said, “Welooked at about five plays.That was all it took. We sawhe was the real deal.” WhenSteve throws in his two cents,that speaks volumes.

About five plays are all you need to see of Adams. Hehas a body that is perfect for a left tackle. He is a mas-sive kid but you are not going to find a better conditionedbig athlete. He has a V-shaped body at better than 300pounds. He has the long arms and is long bodied, some-thing that stands out to me with the great left tackles Ihave seen. He is already an advanced pass blocker. Hesits down and moves his feet, none of this reaching stuffthat so many young offensive lineman do. He gets out ofhis stance and finds his man quickly.

So much of what he does are things I do not expectout of a player this young. I was already convinced thathe was the number one prospect in this class when I sawthe Coffman playoff game versus Gahanna Lincoln. G-Lcame into the game with an outstanding senior defensivelineman in John Hughes, a Michigan State commitment.Adams stoned him. Hughes is an explosive and deter-mined player. Adams dominated the match-up to such adegree that Hughes stopped trying to rush the passer. Idon’t know if it was his decision or the coaching staffs toquit on the futile attempt to rush the passer and try toknock down passes at the line of scrimmage but it sentthe message home loud and clear. Getting by MikeAdams was futile.

Adams helped Coffman post a 9-4 record and advanceto a Division I regional final as a junior.

This is a national top-100 player and a top-10 nationallineman. He is the best offensive lineman in Ohio sinceOrlando Pace. Adams gave the Buckeyes a verbal inMarch.


Duane Long ’s Top 100 Footbal l Recrui ts for 2008STORY BY DUANE LONG

as athletic and as fast as any of the more well-known tight ends. I will go so far as to say if he is6-4 or better I might put him at the top of the tightend class. DeVoe Torrence of Massillon Washington gives

the state an elite running back again this year. Heis very intriguing as a back even after playing somany positions. The offensive line is the ‘Cadillac’ position in the

class. Mike Adams of Dublin Coffman is the bestoffensive lineman I have seen in Ohio sinceOrlando Pace. By the time his senior year is over,Adams may be better. I know that may be sacrile-gious to say, but he is that good. Any other year Clayton Northmont’s Zebrie

Sanders would be the talk of Ohio but the pres-ence of Adams keeps that from happening. Sowould Youngstown Ursuline’s Harold Coates. Hehas the potential to be a real special talent.This is an offensive class, and outside of the

linebackers the Class of 2008, it is not a deep oneby position. Shawntel “Shaq” Rowell from Cleveland

Glenville is one that stands out. For the longesttime he was the No. 1 player in the class, but helet his weight knock him off that lofty position. Hehas since begun to lose weight but he still needsto work on it even though he is close to his oldform. At 300 pounds, Rowell belongs in the con-versation about the best defensive tackles to haveplayed in Ohio. The other elite defensive player is Youngstown

Cardinal Mooney safety Dan McCarthy. Hereminds me so much of former Buckeye SteveBellisari. He plays the same positions – safety andquarterback – and is even left-handed. The differ-ence between McCarthy and Bellasari is thisMcCarthy is ready to play safety. There are some other defensive backs that I

really like, as well. A hard-nosed group of versatilesafeties have been a pleasant surprise as well asa couple of underrated, hard-nosed cornerbacks inLamonte Lattimore of Cincinnati Winton Woodsand Hamilton’s Kenny Veal. Kickers usually do not make the top 100 but this

year the state has produced two players that areso good they are worthy of early offers inWesterville Central’s Ben Buchanan and MassillonWashington’s Steve Schott. When most schools tryto get kickers to walk-on, it speaks volumes aboutwhat kind of talent these young men bring to thetable when they earn early offers. Buchanan com-mitted to Ohio State in early March.One of the more intriguing prospects has a

name that college sports fans are already familiarwith: Oden. Dayton Dunbar’s Anthony Oden is thebrother of Ohio State center Greg Oden. He is get-ting recruited for both football and basketball and ifhe gets his academics in order he will be heavilyrecruited as a defensive tackle or offensive tackle.He has expressed an interest in playing bothsports in college.With the first top 100 for the class of 2008, there

are always players that emerge once the seasongets underway. The way this class has explodedso far, I have never been more excited about whatthe next high school football season is going tobring.Here we go with the bios of the top 114

prospects in Ohio’s Class of 2008, followed by alist of more players to watch.

Mike Adams6-8, 305, OL;

Dublin Coffman

between running back, wide receiver and quarterback.Despite splitting positions, DeVoe Torrence is the bestback in Ohio. There is no question he is the best line-backer. He had over 130 tackles and six sacks as a junior,leading Canton South to an 8-4 mark and a Division IIIplayoff berth. He has been clocked at 4.5 second in the40-yard dash. He stands 8-10 yards off the ball and stillmakes plays in the backfield. He has such instincts andhas that motor that is so important to defensive players.He plays the middle in high school but is too good a foot-ball player to be a middle linebacker in college. I wouldput him on the weak side and let him make plays.

Torrence got it over with making a surprise verbal toOhio State in March.

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DeVoe Torrence 6-2, 215, LB/RB;

Massillon Washington2

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All Ted Ginn, Sr. needs todo to promote Scott is get thefirst half of the Glenville-Warren Harding game out tocolleges. Scott dominated thecontest. He had a touchdowncatch, two interceptions (onefor a TD) and had a hit thatforced the receiver to dropthe ball. A quarter-and-a-halfis closer to the time frame ittook for Scott to do this. He isan impact player on bothsides of the ball. The two interceptions show a player thatdid not simply use his athleticism. He read the play andbroke on the ball both times. On the first he was in a bet-ter position to make the play. On the second it was pureScott. He reads the deep out and gets there before thereceiver.

Scott first came on the radar as a receiver. Right now Iwould recruit him as a safety. He has great hands and thesize advantage as a receiver but has run a 4.46-second40-yard dash and has the frame of a player that is goingto get a lot bigger. I say safety but I list him as an athlete.That is because what I really think when I see Scott is thesize, the athleticism and the aggressiveness.

A few years ago Ohio State had a player with a verysimilar build name Tim Cheatwood. He came in as areceiver, moved to safety then to linebacker. By the timehe earned playing time he was a defensive end. JavonKearse had an almost identical body and came out of highschool as a receiver. Gaines Adams is going to be the firstor second defensive end taken in the 2007 draft. He wasthis size and came to college as a receiver. I think Scott ishighly likely to follow the same path. I see him as a safetyand possibly a linebacker, but I am not going to be sur-prised to see him wind up as a defensive end.

Cordale Scott 6-3, 197, ATH;

Cleveland Glenville3

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One question I get askedall the time by fans is whycollege coaching staffs arealways asking for more tape.Many think it is a stalling tac-tic and in some cases thatmay be true but for the mostpart it is about wanting to getas good an assessment on aplayer as possible. Case inpoint is Ohio State’s AnthonyGonzalez. I had him rateddown my list a bit.

Kyle Rudolph 6-7, 220, TE;

Cincinnati Elder4

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I remember the first play Iever saw of Moore. He was run-ning a wheel route up the side-lines. The quarterback threw theball. I thought there was no waya player the size of Moore had ashot at the catch. He went upover the linebacker covering himand made the play on the ball atits highest point. It was not luck. Itwas not really a great catch butfor the fact that this was a sopho-more tight end making it, and hemade it look simple. I only needed to see a few more plays byMoore to see that this was a special talent. I only hoped to see abetter tight end prospect than former Youngstown Ursuline tightend Louis Irizarry. I have now seen that player. Moore is biggerbut just as athletic. In fact, he is so athletic that he played widereceiver this past season under new Trotwood offensive coordi-nator Jeremy Beckham. I have spoken to people that think thatwas a waste. I could not disagree more. Brandon Moore is goingto have to learn more about running pass routes to be effectiveas a college player. He is not your basic inline blocking tight endwho will catch a pass on occasion. This is the kind of talent thatyou can build a passing attack around. He is going to be askedto run routes that most tight ends will never be asked to run.Moore can be one of those players that only spends three yearsin the college ranks before going on to the NFL.

He is also a very good track athlete, throwing the shot over50 feet and the discus over 140 feet. The wrapper on the pack-age is a 4.28 GPA in honors classes and a 22 ACT.

Brandon Moore 6-6, 230, TE;

Trotwood-Madison5

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Ted Ginn Sr. told me I had him too low. AnotherClevelander whose opinion I respect told me the same thing. Ihad seen two games and he did not really leap out at me asan elite player. Now he is looking at an NFL career. The samething almost happened with Kyle Rudolph. What I saw fromhim early on had me scratching my head about the top twentyprograms that offered him so early. Late in my evaluationprocess I saw more of Rudolph and could not have beenmore impressed. He has a complete game. He makes theclassic tight end plays with the short stuff over the middle, thebutton hooks and quick outs but he also can go down the fieldlike a big receiver. He creates the classic miss matches thateveryone is looking for in a tight end. He is too fast and athlet-ic for a linebacker to cover and is just too big for a safety. Hehas great hands and I can see why he is such a good basket-ball player. He is an explosive leaper. What completes hisgame is the blocking. I think the top tight ends in this class areall excellent athletes and receivers but Rudolph is such agreat blocker. As a junior, Rudolph caught 32 passes for 400yards and seven touchdowns.

Rudolph recently gave Notre Dame a verbal. He also hadoffers from Ohio State, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Virginia andBoston College.

I had not seen McCarthysince his sophomore yearwhen I was told about offersfrom Ohio State and NotreDame about midseason.Surprised was a better wordthan shocked. Not that hewas offered but that he wasoffered this early by two ofthe Midwest’s Big Four. I thinkabout dominating players

Dan McCarthy 6-1, 190, S;

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney6

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when I think about early offers. I saw McCarthy for thefirst time as a junior a few weeks later. I can see whythese powers came in with offers. He went from a possi-ble Big Four player to a bonafide national level player. Hewas really something. He is bigger and can he evermove. He reads the game well and attacks with abandon.He runs like a back and hits like a linebacker.

McCarthy helped lead Mooney to a 14-0 record andthe Division IV state championship. In the state title gamewin, McCarthy rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown onoffense and recovered a fumble on defense.

As a junior, he rushed for 1,921 yards and 21 touch-downs, while also throwing for 780 yards and eight touch-downs. McCarthy doubles as the free safety and aver-aged eight tackles per game to go with two interceptions.

Fans like to get a comparison out of me with a playerthey are more familiar with. I could not come up with aname until I saw him on offense. He is a left handed quar-terback on offense. Watching him play there is what gaveme a name. He bears a great resemblance to formerBuckeye quarterback Steve Bellisari, who would havebeen an NFL safety if he had been able to make themove.

Unlike Bellisari, McCarthy sees himself as a safety atthe next level. Because his brother is at Notre Dame andhis Catholic school background everyone assumes he willaccept the Notre Dame offer but there is a lot of buzz thatthis McCarthy may choose to make his own mark andthat Ohio State is the school to beat. Wherever he choos-es to go, that school will be getting one of the nations topsafety prospects.

This is the best player inOhio that nobody knowsabout. I know that Williamswas an invitee to Ohio Stategames as a sophomore. I hadnot seen him until right beforehis junior year. The first thingthat jumped out at me wasthe fact that he was alwayslisted as a defensive end, buthe plays middle linebacker inhigh school. The next thingthat occurred to me was whyanyone would move this dominating middle linebacker todefensive end. He may grow into a defensive end but Ican’t believe anyone would move him before giving him ashot first at showing he can be at middle linebacker.

He reminds me of a combination of recent top Ohiolinebackers, Matt Wilhelm and Ross Homan, bothBuckeyes. He reminds me of Wilhelm because he is a bigkid that everyone thinks is a foregone conclusion he willplay defensive end. He reminds me of Homan in the factthat he plays small school football but he is one of the rareones that rises so far above his level of competition thatyou have to discount it. He is not a big fish in a smallpond. He is Moby Dick in a goldfish bowl. Like Homan heneeds to be taken off the field to make the game fair.

He has had two straight 100-plus-tackle seasons. As asophomore, he had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. As ajunior, Williams had 149 tackles (67 solos), 23 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. I don’t know if I have ever seen aMike linebacker with double digit sacks. He rushed forover 1,000 yards as a fullback as a sophomore and aver-aged better than 10 yards a carry this past year. It isdefense where he really stands out. He has run 4.67 inthe 40 at 235-240. He reads the game so well. When hefinds the runner he brings it. No drag down tackles here.Williams is a knock down tackler.

Fans might not know much about him but collegecoaches do. Ohio State and Notre Dame are both in hotpursuit with the Buckeyes holding the edge. This is an ath-lete that should be on someone’s national top-100 list.

Nathan Williams 6-4, 235, DE/LB; WCH Miami Trace

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Posey quietly went aboutbeing one of the most athleticand dynamic players in thestate last year. He is as ath-letic as any player in thestate. He returns kickoffs.Only the best of the best atthis size are elusive enoughto return kicks. He has theability to change direction andstop and start like a muchsmaller player. He is specialafter the catch. He runs like aback once he has the ball in his hands, which is some-thing LaSalle head coach Tom Grippa tried to do everyway he could. Grippa used him on reverses and lined himup at quarterback.

Something that really impressed me about Posey washow he works the middle of the field. He is utterly fearless.Time and time again he ran slants and posts knowingwhat awaited him and I never saw any hesitation. Thebest plays I saw from him were those where he ended upin the middle of the field then made great open field runsafter the catch.

Posey has an impressive frame. Just looking at himyou would guess 200 pounds. That he is this good afterhis first year of football speaks volumes about his upside.Posey had 1,371 all-purpose yards (750 receiving) as ajunior. He caught 33 passes and scored nine TDs. Thoseare good numbers when you consider that La Salle lost itsstarting quarterback for the year before the season start-ed.

Ohio State, Virginia, Michigan State, California, Indiana,Northwestern, Cincinnati, and Ohio have offered. He tooka visit to Ohio State in the middle of March and committedto the Buckeyes soon after.

DeVier Posey 6-3, 180, WR;

Cincinnati LaSalle8

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Watch the 2006 Division IVstate championship game tounderstand what all the fussis about with Beachum. Youwant impact players? Playersthat make things happenwhenever they are on thefield? That is Beachum. Heplays both ways. On offense,he rushed for 61 yards andscored a touchdown. He hada forced fumble, a fumblerecovery, a sack and an inter-ception on defense. It seemed like every time there was abig play No. 3 was involved. He had 12 offers at lastcount.

Most of the offers are as a linebacker but some are asan athlete because he is that good a running back. He is abig back who shows good instincts and has excellentvision. What makes him a possible running back is he hasa good burst and quick feet. That is what usually kills thechances for a back this size to stay there.

Size will say a lot about where he ends up in college. Ithink he is a bit better as a linebacker. He reads very well,runs well and strikes hard.

He is a solid tackler. I think he is getting excellentcoaching under P.J. Fecko. When I watch Mooney the onething that stands out is how well organized and sharp theteam is.

Beachum is already a full qualifier.

Brandon Beachum 6-1, 220, LB/RB;

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney9

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11. ***** Shawntel Rowell (6-4, 330, DT; Cleveland Glenville)The word that came out of out of Texas at the national

junior combine, which is held the same weekend as thenational all-star game, is this isgoing to be a great year for offen-sive linemen nationally. And a goodnumber of them were at the com-bine.

Shawntel Rowell was there aswell and was a nightmare for anyOL he came up against. Whatmakes it more impressive is Rowelldid not play much defense forGlenville this past year, if any. Helet his weight get out of hand(reportedly 370 at one point), and Ted Ginn Sr. is notgoing to have someone that big on his defense. The factis that even when he was closer to 400 pounds than 300he was still the most athletic big man out there every timehe stepped on the football field. I think this all comes downto his weight.

If he is in shape (320 or less), Rowell is a defensivetackle, a five-star national player and top five in this instateclass. With his weight up, he is a three star player.

Most of Rowell’s experience has been on the offensiveside of the ball, but his future is up to him. From the lookof things he has taken his conditioning seriously. He hasno offers right now but that will surely change as wordgets around that the football version of “Shaq” is back.

12. ***** Zebrie Sanders (6-6, 265, OL; Clayton Northmont)Any other year, Sanders would be the first name out of

anyone’s mouth who follows recruiting in Ohio when askedabout the best offensive lineman in the state. Adams hasbeen soaking up all that talk, but Sanders is at least an all-region lineman and should be a name on the nationalscene. With schools like USC andFlorida showing interest thatnational exposure could come tofruition.

Sanders has the body you lookfor in a tackle. He is long and leanwith the wingspan of a jumbo jet.The Clayton Northmont system isgoing to give any offensive linemana leg-up going into collegebecause the ball is in the air somuch. Sanders does a good job ofpass blocking, getting out of his stance and getting into hispass pro quickly. He also has great feet, moves like aplayer 80 pounds lighter and has a great body to addweight.

Sanders will be in the 310-320 pound range by the timehe is finished growing and needs to work on his intensity.Linemen, in particular offensive lineman, come along slow-er than skill position players. Sanders has a tremendousupside and is a high character kid. He is benching 300pounds which is a bit of a surprise. These long arms kidshave a tough time in the weight room. That tells me he isworking hard in there.

The list of interested schools is a long one. In additionto USC and Florida, Miami (Fla.), Florida, Notre Dame,Michigan, Wisconsin and Louisville have been in contact.He has been to Ohio State twice.

13. ***** Jake Stoneburner(6-5, 215, TE/WR; Dublin Coffman)The only problem with Stoneburner is where to play

him. He reminds me a lot of a player from the class of2006, Lakewood St. Edward’s Kyle Hubbard. Both playersare tremendously athletic kids for their size. They bothhave great hands and are strongleapers. They both catch the ballwith their hands. The downside isalso the same. Where do you proj-ect that at?

Schools were all over the placewith Hubbard. Some thought bigwide receiver. Most thought tightend. Stoneburner made the deci-sion easier because he ran a 4.5340 at the national junior combine. Iwould imagine he will be brought inand given a look first as a wide receiver with no worryabout whether he grows into a tight end. He has shownthe ability to get down the field and make catches. What Ireally like about him is his ability to make something hap-pen after the catch. He isn’t just looking to get as muchyardage as he can until he gets tackled. He is looking totake it to the house. He is used to deadly effect on widereceiver screens because he is so elusive.

At the same time, Stoneburner uses his size to greateffect. He seems to understand that he is bigger than thedefensive backs out there. He breaks a lot of tackles, hassuperb ball skills and attacks the ball at its highest point.

As a junior, Stoneburner hauled in 63 passes for 948yards and eight touchdowns. As a sophomore, he caught31 passes for 538 yards and five touchdowns.

Stoneburner committed to Ohio State in March. He alsohad offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Iowa,Clemson, West Virginia, Maryland and Nebraska.

14. ***** Justin Staples (6-3, 220, LB; Lakewood St. Edward)I had more people telling me about Staples than any

player on the loaded Lakewood St. Edward roster. Once Igot film it did not take long to find him. He lived up to allthe hype I had thrown at me. There is no fudging on thesize. He is legitimately 6-3. If I were building a high schoollinebacker prospect he would look like Staples. He is longand lean. He could end up being big enough to be a mid-dle linebacker and maybe even move back to defensive

end (where he played as a sophomore).Right now I see a very athletic

outside linebacker who brings plen-ty of speed. He needs to work onhis reads but that is not a concern.

He was playing linebacker for thefirst time as a junior so he’s raw butthe physical tools are something toget excited about. I saw him early inthe year and then again late. Thereis no question he became a betterplayer.

Staples is strong enough to playat the line of scrimmage but athletic enough to be used incoverage, and not just against tight ends and backs – thecoaching staff has enough confidence to let him playagainst wide receivers as well. Considering the level ofcompetition St. Edward played against that is a real testa-ment to what kind of talent Staples is.

He says Ohio State and Michigan are his top twoschools. He has been to Ohio State for the Minnesotagame. He also lists Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginiaand Georgia Tech.

15. **** Nic DiLillo (6-5, 220, TE; Mansfield Madison)I recently watched DiLillo’s junior tape and I was

impressed with him as a receiver. He catches anything hecan reach. He has a long lean body, perfect for packing onthe right kind of weight, and he isalready bigger than last year. Notjust heavier but he looks taller. I seehim blossoming as an athlete.

He is the one of the four tightends we are talking about that ismost football ready to play. He isright at home working the middle ofthe field like a classic tight end andhe runs the routes that you need atight end to run.

DiLillo plays physical and seemsto relish that part of the game. He knows what to do withthe ball after the catch and gets north and south quickly.As a junior, he had 46 catches for 580 yards and fourtouchdowns.

DiLillo ended the suspense in early April, verbaling toClemson over offers from Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

16. **** Isaiah Pead (5-11, 175, ATH; Eastmoor Academy)If they kept a statistic for most ankles broken by an

offensive player Pead would certainly be a threat to breakthe season and career records.

The very first play on his film hemakes nine defensive players miss.Yes, I said nine. He is a humanhighlight film with pretty good size.He has a good frame and can addweight. Even if he doesn’t, heshows the hands and athleticism tomove out to wide receiver.

Pead plays safety on defenseand I think with work, he has thefeet and hips to play corner. In theend if I were making the decision Iwould leave him at running back. He is so elusive.

He reminds me of former Chaminade-Julienne and cur-rent Michigan State star Javon Ringer in the fact that intight spaces he still manages to create space to avoidtacklers. And like Ringer, once cornered that does notmean the play is over. He spins and uses a stiff arm toavoid being tackled and breaks a lot of tackles. In 10 regu-lar season games, Pead ran for 1,696 yards and 19 TDson 158 carries (10.7 yards-per-carry). He scored 26 TDsoverall in the regular season.

Pead was the Ohio D-IV Co-Player of the Year. He hasa 4.4 40-yard dash time and made the state finals in the200- and 400-meters as a both a freshman and a sopho-more. Pead has a strong argument for being the top skillplayer in the class.



Williams is just now start-ing to be a name that fans arefamiliar with. In Ohio therecruiting trail is what isknown as the “3-C highway”,Cleveland to Columbus toCincinnati. Williams was atLima. That is off the beatenpath. A standout on the com-bine circuit, his tapes did notappear until after his sopho-more year.

Williams is just as impres-sive on the football field as he is in drills. As a sophomorehe registered double-digit sacks as a stand-up defensiveend and then moved to a true linebacker spot as a junior.He was on his way to a 150-tackle year when a high anklesprain took about half his junior year away. He went to thenational junior combine after the injury healed and pickedup where he left off.

Williams is outstanding at the line of scrimmage, butsize might dictate that he stay at linebacker. He has all thetools to make the transition. Williams has shown that hehas the crucial ability to find the ball and the burst to dosomething about it once he finds it. He has the top endspeed to get to the ball carrier anywhere on the field andthe motor to stay in every play until the whistle blows.

Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, Michigan State,Iowa and West Virginia are all showing early interest.Williams went to two Michigan games last fall and hasOhio State, Michigan and Florida State at the top of hislist. He is already fully qualified. I think he is a strong sidelinebacker but he could easily grow into a middle line-backer.

Jamhir Williams 6-2½, 230, LB;

Trotwood-Madison10

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17. **** Johnny Adams (5-11, 170, CB/WR; Akron Buchtel)In the open field, Adams is something to see. A fan asked

me once about recruiting just for special teams. I said thatdoesn’t happen. But when you see a kick returner of the cal-iber of Adams you rethink that. Heput up some amazing numbers andcould make a highlight reel just ofkick returns (both kickoffs andpunts).

Most see Adams as a college cor-nerback. If a cornerback touches theball 20 times in a season, he is likelygoing to be an All-American. As awide receiver, Ted Ginn Jr. couldtouch the ball that many times in twogames. I say the same thing aboutAdams. You have to want him to touch the ball as much aspossible. I don’t know if Adams has Ginn’s pure speed butthere is no doubt he is right there with him in elusiveness.

The kid is a big play machine. He only had 11 receptionslast year but scored four times. He had six interceptions(taking two back for TDs) and added three return TDs (twoon punts and one kickoff return).

An offer from Ohio State would likely end his recruitment.

18. **** Kevin Koger (6-4, 235, ATH; Toledo Whitmer)The northwest of the state has always been highly

regarded as a basketball region but the way things aregoing these days I am going to have to cultivate more con-tacts in the area.

Dane Sanzenbacher earned an offer from Ohio State lastyear and Koger is the next in line to receive offers from twoof the Big Four as Michigan came in with an offer rightbefore Ohio State.

I first glimpsed at Koger in a film from Massillon. He is avery athletic big kid. He moves well and is a tenaciousblocker. He needs work on his technique but he has thetools to be a fine blocker. Whether that is at tight end or onthe offensive line remains to be seen. That he could end upon the defensive line is not out of the realm of possibilities.Whitmer head coach Joe Palka is seeing him every day inpractice and thinks tight end. There is never such a thing astoo many big athletes. As a junior, Koger had 21 catches for358 yards during the regular season.

Koger competes in the long jump, where he has a 22-foot jump to his credit, and runs the 200-meter and 400-meter sprint relays.

Coach Palka thinks he is can carry 265 pounds easy. Ithink he can get even bigger and in the end he will be anoffensive lineman. I love his frame, his feet and his tenacity.Ohio State and Michigan were the schools he wanted offersfrom so it is likely he will choose from one of those schools.Koger’s father is originally from Detroit.

19. **** Taylor Hill (6-2, 215, DE/LB; Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)For the last couple of years there has been an endless

supply of names coming out of Cardinal Mooney. It is no dif-ferent this year. The upside is players get to be part ofsomething special – a state championship-caliber program.The downside is it is crowded in thespotlight. Sometimes players getpushed out. Taylor Hill is a primeexample.

This is a big time football player.He makes plays all over the field,runs great and has the motor that isso important to defensive players.He is explosive. I have seen Hillpunch linemen in front of him andsend them reeling and he also hasthe ability to run down plays frombehind, which he seems to make look routine. Hill has longarms and a good frame. I think he would be best as a 3-4outside linebacker/defensive end or at linebacker in a 4-3.He has the instincts, the speed and the motor to make thetransition.

Hill plays smart football. One of the best plays I saw outof him was staying on the quarterback until he forced a pitchthen having the speed to get over to the back and make atackle for loss. In the end, the one thing stands out aboutHill the most is his uncanny ability to avoid blockers. I don’trecall a play where he did not have a blocker in front of him.He runs through or around every single obstacle. Many ofmy associates went to see Mooney and came away talkingabout Hill. If he were just a little bigger, where he wouldsurely be a defensive end, I would have him in the top ten.

20. **** Michael Zordich (6-1, 210, LB; Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)I was watching a Cardinal Mooney tape of star safety

Dan McCarthy who was making a great run around the leftside. A defender was trying to angle him to the sidelines andall of a sudden he got bent in half by a block. Before I couldfind the remote and rewind to seewho made the block there cameanother. When I got the remote andreviewed both plays I saw it was thesame blocker – Michael Zordich.

Zordich plays fullback in additionto linebacker and is a throwback tothe days when fullbacks were morethan another offensive lineman in thebackfield. He runs the belly playsand can catch the ball out of thebackfield. He knows what to do withit after he catches it. Brian Leonard is getting a lot of pressthis year coming out of Rutgers and could end up beingchosen on the first day of the NFL draft. Zordich could bethe same kind of player.

I will never understand why the fullback position has mor-phed into the waste that it is these days. That is whyZordich will be a linebacker. He is too talented to be wastedlike that. He is a good middle linebacker with top notchinstincts, and he runs well enough to take advantage ofthose good instincts.

Zordich was a one-man wrecking crew in his team’sDivision IV state championship game win over Plain CityJonathan Alder. He had two touchdown runs on offense andhad 10 tackles and two fumbles forced on defense.

Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State are all showinginterest. His father played at Penn State and later in theNFL.

21. **** Dominique Britt (6-5, 190, QB; Trotwood-Madison)Last year at this time I was looking at film of Britt and

thinking what a great athlete. Now I am looking at him andsaying what a great quarterback he is becoming. There wasnever any question in my mind that Britt would be a D-I foot-ball player. The first time I saw him Ithought he would come in as anathlete, maybe get a shot at playingquarterback but eventually take allthat athletic ability to wide receiver.He has come along so much that Ithink his odds of being a quarter-back in college are improving. Hecredits the improvement in his quar-terback skills to offensive coordina-tor Jeremy Beckham who doubledas the quarterback coach.

Britt completed 165-of-301 passes for 2,889 yards and21 TDs. He added 1,039 rushing yards on 139 carries. Hehas really good arm strength and on one play he is runningto his left and lays a ball out 50 yards throwing against hisbody. He has an odd motion but that is a work in progress.He is coming along.

Britt was invited up to practice at Ohio State with team-mate Brandon Moore and really enjoyed himself. He couldstill end up moving to wide receiver but I am calling him aquarterback. He is a pass first play maker that could devel-op into one of the countries most sought after quarterbacks.If he takes another step up in his quarterback skills from hisjunior year to his senior year like he did from his sophomoreyear to his junior year, he will have his pick of schools. He

will surely hit Kent State and Ohio State for camps. Otherswill be added based on interest.

22. **** Elliott Mealer (6-6, 280, OL; Wauseon)This is a really outstanding year for offensive linemen. In

any other year, this high school tight end would be the num-ber one offensive lineman in Ohio. He has tight end handsbut has an offensive lineman’s body. On one play down nearthe goal line he does a quick out. The ball is thrown awayfrom him but he manages to stretch out and make thecatch, keep his feet and get into the end zone. It was agreat play but I don’t think anyonesees him doing any more of thatbeyond the high school level.

Mealer is a great blocker.Wauseon head coach Mark Emansuses him a lot as a lead blocker andruns behind him when he pulls himlike a guard from the backside of theformation. Whether it is pulling orinline blocking he is devastating.Pancakes are the order of the day.He has outstanding feet and is leanfor a 280-pound player. He will likely be over 300 pounds bythe time he leaves high school. He has as good a frame asAdams and Sanders. Mealer is likely to need to work on hispass blocking since Wauseon does not throw the ball muchand he was not kept in to block when they did. I see a tack-le. He has the wingspan you want in a tackle and great feet.He plays end on defense and is a three-year starter on thebasketball team. He will camp at Ohio State and Michigan.Most of the Big Ten is paying attention as is Boston Collegeand Notre Dame. I think he leaves the camp season as oneof the hottest prospects in Ohio.

23. **** Will Fleming (6-4, 205, ATH; Akron Hoban)Talk about an introduction. On Fleming’s tape, the very

first play is a pass. The quarterback throws the ball withenough air under it to get it over the defender, who is actual-ly in good position. The receiver leaps to make a greatcatch. He is coming down with theball and there is a flash of gold.Suddenly the receiver is horizontal inthe air. The tape goes on to showplay after play of Fleming coming upfrom his safety position and makinghit after hit. He is like a heat seekingmissile. He is a good enough receiv-er to be a scholarship level player atthat position but where he reallystands out is on defense. He showshis 4.6 40-yard dash speed on thetape by running down a ball carrier that has broken throughthe line of scrimmage. The angle is negligible. He just runshim down.

With his body I think he is likely to move at least to line-backer, and like Stewart, he could add enough weigh to thatlong lean body to eventually find himself at defensive end.He has the speed and ball skills to stay at safety but I justdon’t think his body is going to allow that. The way he playsthe game I think he would be happier closer to the line ofscrimmage where there is more hitting. Fleming really bringsit. This kid is not going to stay the best kept secret in Ohiofor long.

24. **** Salvador Battles (5-11, 205, ATH; Youngstown East)The first time I saw Salvador Battles, it only took me a

few plays to see that he was a great athlete playing quarter-back. Battles had a strong arm and it allowed his staff tomaximize the talent on the field with underrated runningback Gary Thornton. Battles always had a big arm, arguablythe strongest in the class, but he was not an accurate pass-er and seemed to want to run first. He has matured as apasser to the extent that I think he gets tried first as a quar-terback. He is staying in there and showing patience waiting



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on receivers to come open, is showing touch on his pass-es and is showing a comfort level with the position. He isstill a work in progress but one thatwith some patience could earn longterm benefits.

Everyone is looking for quarter-backs who can make plays withtheir feet and there is no questionBattles can do that. If he is not a fitat quarterback, he is certainly a fitat running back. He has a greatbody for a back, powerfully built butnot so much that he has lost hisspeed and agility. He is explosive tothe hole and runs with the power of a much bigger back.He has vision and good speed. He is a back that can takeit outside as well as he takes it between the tackles.

There is an argument that he is the top back in theclass.

25 (tie). **** Kenny Stafford (6-3, 175, WR; Columbus DeSales)I have had ties before but never a three way tie. I just

cannot decide between these three outstanding receivers.Each brings something different enough that it comesdown to picking what you like. Bakari Bussey is big, strongand very athletic. Roy Roundtree, though they all havehands, has the best hands and is so difficult to corral afterthe catch. Stafford is big and thefastest of the lot.

You were not going to see theball in the air a lot under formerDeSales head coach Bob Jacoby,but what weapons he had a receiv-er with Stafford and tight end JustinThompson. Thompson is likely thefastest tight end in an outstandingclass. Stafford is likely the fastestreceiver in this impressive class ofreceivers. On one play he is down-field throwing a block for one of the DeSales backs thathas legitimate 4.4 speed. Stafford actually pulls ahead ofhim at one point. He shows hands, making catches onbadly thrown balls and diving to make other catches.Bussey is a fine blocker. Stafford is even better. Long runsare the result of receivers blocking. No team had morelong runs than DeSales. I am always happy to seereceivers who block, but what stands out about Stafford iswhen he catches a ball in stride and explodes by everyplayer on the field. I don’t have a 40-yard dash time onhim but his football speed is special.

Stafford has some outstanding genetics. He is thenephew of former Buckeye great Cris Carter.

25 (tie). **** Bakari Bussey (6-3, 190, WR; West Chest Lakota West)Everyone is looking for big receivers. Here is a proto-

type. Bussey is big and he plays the big receivers game.He knows he is the biggest guy on the field away from theline of scrimmage and he is physical with defensive backs.Get him one on one and throw the ball up. He has theleaping ability to go up and make a play, the hands andthe strength to take the ball fromany defender and the balance tokeep his feet and make a play afterthe catch. He works the middle ofthe field like a big receiver needsto. Lakota West head coach LarryCox has found an effective way touse him running quick outs.

He knows Bussey is going tomake the catch, turn and thenmake cornerbacks try to tackle him.It is a chore. On the first play on hisvideo he catches an out, stiff arms the corner and takes itto the house. On another he drops his shoulder on thecorner and gains an extra five yards. I did not see a playwhere he was stopped in his tracks.

Coach Cox says he has the biggest hands he has ever

seen. Body-wise Bussey reminds me of former BuckeyeDavid Boston and current Buckeye Brian Robiskie. Bengalfans will remember his father Dexter Bussey.

Bussey caught 21 balls for 358 yards (17 yards-per-catch) and four TDs. He has been hearing from schools asfar away as Oklahoma State. If he runs well this summerhe will have his pick of schools.

25 (tie). **** Roy Roundtree (6-2, 170, WR; Trotwood-Madison)Roundtree is a long lean receiver with all the attributes

to be a Big Ten player. He shows outstanding hands, useshis hands to catch the ball (not his body), shows excellentconcentration and adjusts to the ball extremely well. Hedoes a great job of checking his stride so he can runthrough catches for more yardage. Trotwood head coachMaurice Douglas calls him “TG3”, meaning he is the nextTed Ginn, but who Roundtree reminds me of is CincinnatiBengal receiver Chad Johnson in body and style. He playsmore of a big receivers game with the ability to go overthe top of defenders. Ginn uses speed to create separa-tion. Like Johnson, Roundtree is more of a north-southrunner after the catch. He is not looking to make any side-line to sideline runs like Ginn where he gives up 10 yardsbefore gaining 50.

Roundtree, who had 43 catches for 726 yards andseven TDs in the regular season, is just a brutally effectivereceiver who is a threat to take it to the house on everytouch. Get the ball and get up field as quickly as possible.He is surprisingly strong. He breaks tackles and uses astiff arm. In general he is not as easy to get off his feet asyou would think a receiver his size would be. He is mostlya split end but he lines up in the slot and shows no hesita-tion about running over the middle. This will be his secondyear under Trotwood offensive coordinator JeremyBeckham. It should be interesting to watch him take it toanother level. If he runs well at camps and combines thisspring and over the summer, Roundtree will have an argu-ment to be the No. 1 receiver in the class.

28. *** Justin Thompson (6-2½, 225, TE; Columbus DeSales)If this kid was 6-5, we would be talking about who was

the best tight end in Ohio – Rudolph or Thompson. I knowthat is a big statement but all you need to do is see thetape. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage and showsgreat hand-eye coordination (catching balls thrown all overthe place). Thompson has the ability to dig passes out ofthe ground and reach behind to make catches. DeSaleswas a run first team under former coach Bob Jacoby so agood arm was not high on the list of attributes for aDeSales quarterback.

When Thompson gets the ball is when the fun starts.Thompson is like a good open field wide receiver after thecatch. He is cutting and looking for blocks, not just runninguntil he gets tackled like most tight ends. He is elusiveenough and fast enough that DeSales used him on tightend around plays. They split him out as a wide receiver attimes. Where he did so much damage was little quickpasses over the line of scrimmage. On several he split thesafeties and outran them for scores. He is a load to bringdown. Thompson caught 21 balls for 500 yards and nineTDs. He has a 4.6 40-yard dash time and I have nodoubts about that number. He was running away frommuch smaller players regularly on his highlight tape.

Thompson carries a 3.2 GPA.

29. *** Joe Pachuta (6-7, 285, OL; New Concord John Glenn)Ohio is just chock full of outstanding athletes in the

small school ranks. Joe Pachuta is one of the best. He is all of his listed 6-7 and carries his 285 pounds

very well. He is built a lot like current Ohio State left tackleAlex Boone as a high school player.

Pachuta moves very well and John Glenn head coachJohn Kelley has him getting into the second level to makeblocks and he handles it well. Overall, he is very raw butplayers this size that are this athletic are rare. He needs to

be as big as he is to carry that nasty streak. He has the attitude of a defensive lineman. On one

play last year he is riding his man so far they end up outof bounds where someone on the opposing sidelinesgrabs Pachuta to make sure he does not finish the blockout of bounds. I love that kind of nasty and tenacity. Hefinishes every block and does a great job in pass protec-tion with his outstanding reach and the fact that he just willnot quit.

Once he learns technique he is going to be a hard manto beat. He plays tackle and guard for Kelley but mostly attackle. I think he could be a left tackle but that nasty hebrings to the table would better serve him at right tackle. Ithink he could be a camp star.

30. *** Darius Reeves (5-11, 185, CB; Gahanna Lincoln)One of the most gifted athletes in the Class of 2008.

Reeves is a tremendously skilled runner. I would sayIsaiah Pead is the only runner in this class with skills tomatch Reeves. Both have the same problem. Are theygoing to be big enough to be backs at the next level?Reeves can stop and cut on a dime then get back to topspeed before anyone knows which direction he went. Onsome runs Reeves looks like he is running obstacle cours-es, which is a credit to his vision and elusiveness.

Reeves has explosive speed. That is one thing that willmake him a good corner where recovery speed is crucial.Reeves does play corner in high school and is quite agood one. Something that really stands out about him as acorner is his tenacity. He stays with it, digging and scratch-ing when others would have given up. He is a good leaperand with solid size, listed at 6-1 but looking more like 5-11,he can match-up with big receivers. Another plus for him ishe is a willing and solid tackler.

Reeves has excellent genes – his father was a safetyfor Michigan under Bo Schembechler. As good as he is asa cornerback if he were a little bigger I am sure the schoolsrecruiting him, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia,LSU, Boston College and all the MAC schools would belooking at him as a running back. As a junior, he had 1,700yards and 16 TDs.

Like Pead, I would look at him as a receiver. Reeves issuch a tremendously gifted athlete with the ball in hishands I would want him on offense.

31. *** Zac Dysert (6-4, 190, QB; Ada)Ada is not the acronym for something. It is a place here

in Ohio. Recruiters will need to find it. Every year there areplayers that I see in the top 100 that I peg as players thatcould move the most by signing day of their senior year.Dysert tops that list. About the only question I can see withDysert is the level of competition. He has all the tools. Heis 6-4 which seems to be the minimum requirement formost of the big schools, and he may be closer to 6-5. Hehas a really good arm. I saw him make every throw thatyou would want – he can throw the long ball and the deepout with velocity. I was very impressed with his coolness.

We talk about a quarterback being a field general. Thiskid looks the part. There is a Peyton Manning-qualityabout him. He is mechanically very sound, setting his feetand delivering the ball over the top. His numbers last yearwere spectacular. He completed 293-of-448 passes for a65-percent completion percentage, 3,835 yards and 31TDs. Dysert also ran for eight TDs.

He is a good enough athlete that he also plays defense.One thing he is going to have to work on is avoiding colli-sions. No coach is going to happy about his quarterbacktaking on tacklers like Dysert does when he runs. If he getsto camps and combines I think Dysert will be one of themost talked about recruits in Ohio next summer.

32. *** D.J. Woods (6-0, 175, WR; Strongsville)I first heard about Woods last year from Strongsville

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junior year at the time. He mentioned that he had a receiverthat he thought was going to be special. He just wanted to lethim grow into the role. Last summerWoods took that step with a breakoutperformance at the Cleveland com-bine. There were any number of topreceivers at that combine but Woodswas the one everyone came awaytalking about.

He impressed everyone presentwith his combination of speed, handsand route running. You don’t see thatvery often. You will see a receiver withtwo of those attributes sometimes butyou don’t often find a player with all three. He is an explosiveleaper. He is right around 6-0 and well put together. I havequite a bit of film of him and I have yet to see him shy awayfrom contact.

Woods is also an excellent kick returner, both punts andkickoffs. On the season he averaged 28.6 yards on his puntreturns and took three back for scores. He returned two kick-offs for TDs. At receiver, Woods had 35 catches (25.4 yardsper catch) and eight TDs. Defensively, he had 48 tackles play-ing cornerback. He has recently returned from a combine inFlorida where he ran a set of three 40-yard dashes. He got offto a bad start with a 4.43. It was a bad start when you considerhe followed up with a 4.35, then finished with a 4.37. Woodshas been a guest of Notre Dame and has been to Michigan.

33. *** Michael Shaw (5-11, 185, ATH; Trotwood-Madison)Shaw rose to the occasion in the Division III state champi-

onship game, when he almost led Kettering Alter to an upsetwin over the mighty Big Red of Steubenville. On one play hetook a swing pass and outran the entire defense. He hadanother run on a pitch out that left himlooking like he was hemmed in but heweaved his way into the end zone,breaking a couple of tackles along theway. Shaw was an impact player thenentire game.

This is a kid with an entirely differ-ent level of speed. He can run withBrandon Saine. He ran the 100-meters in 10.6 seconds at a trackmeet last year and will be the fastestfootball player in Ohio next season.He has some skills as a running back and is well put togetherdespite not having ideal running back size, but his success hasmore to do with him being the best athlete on the field than itdoes with having top drawer runner skills. I think he would bebetter off outside or at corner to take better advantage of thatextra gear he has. He does not play defense but he does notshy away from contact. I think he has the feet and hips tomake the transition.

Shaw has made the decision to transfer to TrotwoodMadison. I am sure no matter where he lines up offensivecoordinator Jeremy Beckham will find a way to get him the ball.He is a game changer.

34. *** Justin Brown(6-4, 230, DE; Youngstown Ursuline)Early on, Brown was looking like he was going to be one of

the better defensive ends in Ohio. He is still playing as a defen-sive end but he has a game better suited to play defensivetackle. I think he has the frame to addthe weight to be a defensive tackleand seems more at home in thetrenches than he does as an edgerusher.

When I first saw his junior yeartape, it was apparent he was at hisbest at the point of attack. He is anexcellent and tenacious blocker as atight end, but I don’t think he getsrecruited as a tight end. His receivingskills are not what schools are lookingfor, but I could see him recruited as an offensive lineman. Hemoves really well. He is as adept at moving people as an

offensive player as he is at not being moved as a defensiveplayer.

He will fill out to 280 pounds or so by the time he is ready tostep on the football field. We are seeing more defensive coordi-nators using the 3-4 and other schemes that ask for threedown linemen. That may be where Brown fits in best.

35. *** Jordan Bright (6-6, 225, DE; Cincinnati Wyoming)Nobody is higher on my list of players to keep an eye on

than Bright. The first word that comes to my mind when I thinkabout Bright is rangy. He looks taller than his listed 6-6, has thewingspan of a small airplane and can run. I don’t have a 40-yard dash time but his game speed is excellent. He uses thoselong arms well, getting his hands up and knocking down pass-es regularly. I think we are not hearing so much about himbecause everyone will want to get him in camp and see howhe is going to handle a move down. He plays a stand updefensive end in a five-man front. I don't know how he is goingto make the transition to playing with his hand in the dirt. Hisframe says he is going to add some weight.

Bright uses his hands very well to keep blockers off hisbody. He bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason Taylor inbuild and game. If he has a good summer this is my pick forthe fastest rising prospect in Ohio for next year.

36. *** Evan Klepac (6-4, 245, DE; Youngstown Boardman)Klepac is not only one of the most impressive defensive

ends I have seen this year, but he is one of the most impres-sive players I have seen in this class. Klepac is big. I try to getfans to understand that weight is not a good indicator of size.This kid has a big frame and long arms. I do not have anyweight room totals on him, but there are several plays wherehe blows up blockers and pulls down runners with one hand.He plays the weak side in high school but I see a strong sidedefensive end in Klepac. He is an excellent pass rusher but heexcels versus the run, too. You want a defensive end this sizeand one that is this strong to be lined up on the strong sidewhere most teams run. He is so strong at the point of attackand has such a great body I could see someone taking Klepacand moving him to defensive tackle. Last season Klepacmissed half the season with an undisclosed injury. That is theonly reason I can see why he is just now appearing on myradar screen. If he goes to camp and shows he has put theinjury behind him, this could be one of the fastest risingprospects in the state come this summer.

37. *** Bruce Parker (6-3, 230, DE/OLB; Sandusky)Parker is the best edge player in the class of 2008. There are other players in the class that are going to have

better measurables but none of them play the position better.When I say edge player, I mean as a pass rusher and as a rundefender. So many players at this age are headed to the quar-terback on every play. Parker takes care of his run responsibili-ties too. He is going to check down and not let runners getwide of him. He is a savvy player. He rushes inside as well asoutside and uses a rip move, something so few high schoolplayers capable of. He is a thinking man’s football player.

Parker has the motor that I want to see in a defensive play-er and has the ability to chase plays all over the field and playsto the whistle. He is so quick off the snap that he beats manytackles before they get into their pass pro and he has outstand-ing closing speed. That leads me to believe that he could get alook as a linebacker. In my opinion his best position would beas a stand-up defensive end in a 4-3. He is an ideal fit for thatposition. Parker had 13 sacks and 65 tackles last season.

38. *** Phillip Barnett(6-2, 180, WR; Middletown)I regularly mention that I think a player is going to be some-

one to watch. If I was to make a separate list for them thename at the top of this year’s list would be Barnett. He hasbeen a basketball player all through his high school career andcame out for football for the first time as junior. He is so raw,but being such a tremendous athlete, he is getting attention

from the mid-majors on the hardwood as a point guard. Barnett’s athleticism and hands were put on display the first

play that I saw from him. He makes a leaping twisting catch ofa pass thrown a little too high. The next play I see Middletown’sunderrated senior quarterback from last year, Skyler Jones,gun one right at Barnett’s face. There was a bit too much onthe ball and Barnett had little time to react but he made thecatch look easy. He has a reported 4.56 40-yard dash time. Ithink once he decides to concentrate on football he will get thatdown. It is a good time but I think he has a great time in him. Ihave seen it many times when a basketball player gives up thesport to concentrate on football. He has not decided what he isgoing to do yet. He has been to Ohio State for the Indianagame and has tremendous upside.

39. *** Jake Current (6-3, 270, OL; Troy)It is easy for an offensive lineman to get overlooked in this

class and that is the only reason Current is not a name that isbeing passed around a lot. This is a two-time winner of thebest lineman award at the Ohio State camp. Keep in mind thatthis is a junior we are talking about so one of the awards heearned as a sophomore. When you add in the number of play-ers that attend those camps it makes it all the more impressive.

Current is a high school tackle that projects as a guard incollege. I think he has the potential to be one of the betteroffensive linemen in the Midwest. He just needs a little morepublicity. He is equally adept at going straight ahead and atpulling and he can really run. He is technically sounder thanany lineman in Ohio, staying low and firing out when goingstraight ahead and getting good leverage on his blocks. Wherehe really stands out is when he pulls. He has the ability to getout in front of a back like no lineman in Ohio. He is not askedto pass block a lot but handles it well when Troy throws theball. He has such great feet and athleticism.

He has been to Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and Duke. Ifthere is a Big Ten school that is not recruiting him, I am notaware of it. Boston College and Georgia Tech are both show-ing early interest. He will camp at Ohio State again and atMichigan.

40. *** Tito Toles (6-0, 180, SS/RB; Youngstown East)A well done tape gets your attention right off the bat. The

first few plays should have me wanting to watch the entirething. I can’t remember a tape from anyone this year where thefirst play caught my attention more. Toles is lined up on theweak side of the formation right at theline of scrimmage like a defensive end.At the snap he is off like a shot andblows up the back that comes to pickhim up, then grabs the quarterbackwith one hand and reaches around tostrip him with the other. The next playhe reads the quarterbacks eyes andsteps in front of a pass for an intercep-tion.

On offense, he has a go ‘til you hitsomething reckless running style, but Idon’t see him as an offensive player. He has a defensive play-er’s mind-set. I don’t have a 40-yard dash time on Toles but hisfootball speed is excellent. This is one of the best tacklers inOhio and a hard hitter. The word that comes to mind when Iwatch Toles play football is dynamic. An expression we seeused a lot these days is, he brings it. Toles is the epitome ofthat expression.

41. *** Steve Yoak (6-2, 210, LB; Akron Hoban)This is a name that is not yet familiar to Ohio high school

football recruiting fans but he will be. Yoak was coming off afine camp season last summer where he ran a 4.47-second40-yard time at Akron and impressed someone whose opinionI have a lot of respect for at the Ohio State camp. He ranunder 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash at another camp.Everything was set for him to have a breakout season, butthen Yoak broke his leg in the second game of the year. Hehad a great first game with 173 total yards, 126 rushing and



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46 receiving. He is playing running back in high school butprojects as a linebacker at the nextlevel. He has a body to add 30 morepounds with no impact on his speedand athleticism.

Yoak is hearing from Akron,Boston College, Cincinnati, Colorado,Duke, Florida State, Iowa, Michigan,Minnesota, Northwestern and NotreDame. He has a shuttle run of 4.3seconds. He had 1,688 yards and 21TDs on 332 carries as a sophomore.

He looks to have the injury behindhim. I think he could be one of the camp stars and will onlyneed to show in a couple of games next year that he reallyhas completely healed, then the offers will start coming in andhe will move up this list.

42. *** Jerel Worthy (6-3, 285, DT; Huber Heights Wayne)One of those players I saw late in the process who shook

up my list is Worthy. He is a real force in the middle of the line and does a good

job of playing with his pads low and balanced. Moving Worthyis a real chore. He takes on blockersvery well and gets off of them consis-tently. He has the build of a nosetackle but has the game of a three-technique tackle. Worthy is tough atthe point of attack and could play thenose but I think he is at his bestattacking. He comes off the ball like ashot and shows good speed oncethrough the line of scrimmage. Onone sack, Worthy was on the quarter-back so fast that even though thepasser had made it into his drop he could do nothing butmake sure he did not fumble the ball. Worthy impressed melater with his football smarts diagnosing a screen pass earlyenough to make the tackle in the backfield. Most high schoollineman are not going to recognize that play until the ball isgone.

Worthy has a serious motor and if he were a little bigger hewould be another twenty spots higher on this list.

43. *** Walt Stewart (6-5, 210, DE; Ashville Teays Valley)I remember seeing the first couple of plays Stewart made

on the tape I received from Teays Valley coach Steve Evansand Stewart flashed through the screen from out of nowhere. Iwanted to know where he came from. As I was hitting therewind button, it occurred to me that Evans has him playingsafety.

Yes, this kid is that athletic that at 6-5 and in the 205-210pound range he can play safety. He was a camp star last yearat Ohio State. He plays safety now and will be at least a line-backer, but I think he grows into a defensive end. He has thebody to end up in the 255-pound range once he is eating likean athlete should and lifting in a college program. Both hissacks on the year are on the tape. The lineman in front of himdid not have a chance. Neither did the quarterback. He has a4.7 40-yard dash and with that body he will carry that speedas he moves down. I spoke to both Coach Evans and his for-mer coach at Franklin Heights Eric Gillespie. Both spoke ofStewart in glowing terms as far as work ethic and attitude. Thecurrent coach you can expect that from but the former coachsaying the same thing resonates with me.

This is not an immediate impact player. He will need timeto add strength and size and find his way to his college posi-tion. Stewart has a 4.47-second shuttle time and registered 81tackles last season. He’s one of the players that has thebiggest upside in the Class of 2008.

44. *** T.J. White (6-3, 240, ATH; Troy)White is one of the better football players in Ohio and is as

good a blocker at tight end as you will ever see. He has greatfeet and uses leverage well. If he were a little bigger he would

be right up there with the other tight ends in this class but athis size I have to rate him as an offensive lineman, despite thefact that he shows good hands whenthe ball is thrown his way.

Where I think he is at his best isas a defensive tackle. He is going toget a good deal bigger and I suspecthe will be able to carry 280 pounds orso with little impact on his impressiveathleticism and 4.82 40-yard dash.He shows the ability to get off blocksand to find the ball. He shows themotor that is such a key to top defen-sive players and is able to chaseplays down the line. He’s also strong enough to make playsthat come right at him. I am sure he will see offers as a tightend but I think he will see a more impressive collection ofoffers as a defensive tackle. With his blocking ability, I am suresomeone will offer as an offensive lineman.

45. *** Tim Kamczyc (6-5, 190, QB; Strongsville)As is often the case where you see a good receiver you

see a good quarterback, and vice versa. I was watching outstanding receiver D.J. Woods when one

play caught my eye. It was a ball that was in the air for 65yards. I went back to my notes andsure enough Strongsville head coachRuss Jacques had mentioned hisquarterback to me.

Kamczyc can make all the throws.He can get it downfield (several otherthrows of 50 yards or better) and hecan throw the deep out with velocity.He also throws really well on the run,going both left and right. One throwthat kept me rewinding the tape was askinny post. It was a 40-yard frozenrope thrown so accurately that the defensive back was forcedto interfere to keep from giving up a touchdown.

Kamczyc is nifty in the pocket and shows really good pock-et presence. One thing I absolutely loved about him is helooks like your classic pocket passer but he is a threat to run.He is agile in avoiding the rush and once it breaks down hecan hurt a defense with his feet. The great thing about it is hemakes good decisions on when to run and when to hang inthere and take a shot to deliver the ball. Kamczyc is going tobe better prepared coming out of Strongsville’s diversifiedattack. One play he is operating out of the I-formation. Thenext he is a five-wide.

Level of competition is not a question. Iowa has hit Ohiohard in recent years, snatching up quarterbacks and is show-ing a lot of interest in this underrated signal caller.

46. *** Bill Dugan (6-5, 280, G; Poland Seminary)Dugan plays both guard and tackle for Poland and I think

he will be a college guard. He has fine feet and experience attackle will give him a better feel for pass protection than mosthigh school guards. Poland is a little off the beaten path forrecruiters but that should change this year. Dugan has a greatlooking body and could add another20-30 pounds with no impact on hisathleticism. I was very muchimpressed with his technique. Sooften at the high school level the D-Icaliber linemen just use their superiorsize and athleticism to push aroundtheir opponents. Dugan gets his hipsdown, and his face into his man anddrives. He runs very well and couldbe an ideal pick for a team that likesto pull their guards a lot. He is athleticenough to get into the second level and make blocks. Hedoes not have the publicity of some of the other linemen inthis class but he does not have to take a backseat to any ofthem. His level of competition should not be a question. In thatpart of the state, there are no Fridays off.

His team did not throw the ball much but he looks solid in

pass protection. The only reason I can think that Dugan is notseeing offers come his way is that recruiters did not knowabout him. I just found out about him recently myself.

47. *** Gary Thornton (5-9, 200, RB; Youngstown East)Long time readers know I am not a fan of small backs. Lets

be clear from the start –Thornton is not a small back. Thorntonis a short back with thick legs and a thick lower body. Hemight be the strongest football player in the state pound forpound, with a 350 pound bench press and squat in excess of500. He has the quickest feet of anyback in the state and his ability tochange direction is remarkable.

I sometimes give players nick-names. I am going to call Thornton“Freeze Frame.” As I watch his tapethere are so many moments where heleaves defenders frozen as they try tochange direction with him. He is sucha natural runner. – explosive to thehole and fearless. He is as good, if notbetter, between the tackles as he isgoing wide. Getting him off his feet with that low center ofgravity and his strength is a chore.

Thornton is such a tough kid that he is getting some atten-tion from schools as a linebacker. We are seeing BrianWestbrook with the Philadelphia Eagles and Maurice Jones-Drew with the Jacksonville Jaguars have some success at thehighest level. Thornton is the same kind of back.

In addition, this is one of the classiest and most likableyoung men I have come in contact over the years. He will bethe first one in the weightroom and the film room, and the lastto leave. Whether he is a starter or never leaves the bench,you can bet Thornton will be the first to congratulate a team-mate for a good play and the first to console someone thatmade a bad one.

48. *** James Howard (6-0, 170, WR; Warren JFK)All the fuss at JFK is about super sophomore Desmar

Jackson. The accolades are deserved. Jackson is a specialathlete but Howard is not getting the attention he deserves.This is an outstanding receiver in hisown right. He is not a big receiver butnobody is going to call him small. Ithink that height is legitimate. Howardis a slot receiver in the JFK offenseand really knows how to play the posi-tion. He shows great hands, knowswhat to do with the ball after the catchand is elusive, but what I love aboutHoward is he is always makingyardage. He is not going to giveground.

Howard is a smart football player. He always seems to dothe smart thing. He is more comfortable working the under-neath routes but he shows no hesitation in going over the mid-dle. There is a Marvin Harrison-quality to his game. WithJackson on the other side of the field there is not going to be ashortage of coaches in the stands at JFK games so Howardwill have the opportunity to show his skills this fall. If he runswell this summer they will not be there just to see Jackson.

49. *** Nate Gaynard(6-1, 220, LB; Niles McKinley)If you follow high school football in Ohio you may have

heard of Gaynard. What may surprise you is that I have himlisted as a linebacker even though he has been a recordbreaking back for Niles McKinley.

If fullback was still a skill position, Gaynard would be amuch sought after player at that position. He has not been aregular defensive player but has been a dominant offensiveplayer so that is where all the talk is about him. He is a goodenough runner that he would likely get offers as a back but hehas a real shot at being a Big Ten player as a linebacker. Helooks so much like current Ohio State linebacker Ross Homanthat it is uncanny. He even has the same build. Homan was a



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good high school back but he was not as good as Gaynard,and Gaynard has played against a higher level of competition.If he goes to camps as a linebacker I think he could be one ofthe surprises of summer. He has good size, is very physical,and I think he will surprise with his speed.

50. *** B.J. Machen (6-1, 210, LB; Hilliard Darby)Machen is one of the best kept secrets in Ohio for the Class

of 2008. Most of the top prospects in this linebackers class arebest on the outside, but Machen is one that is an inside player.He is physical, handles traffic really well and does a great jobof getting off blocks without slowing down. Don’t let the weightfool you. He is a big 6-1 and has a great frame. I just don’t seehim as a safety. I think he is going to be a college-sized line-backer by the time he is ready to step on a football field at thenext level. He shows outstanding speed, so if he does not fillout he could step back into the secondary. I just don’t see it.This is a sideline to sideline defender with a serious motor.Machen is a tough minded kid. He had a bad shoulder butnever took a series off. He is doing cleans with 245 pounds forfive reps. He has the work ethic, is a team leader and has thegrades.

51. *** Demicus Brown (6-5, 315, OL; Hamilton)I was a little surprised to see the film of Brown and see him

lined up on defense at his size. That was before the ball wassnapped. Brown comes off the ball doing his best Dan ‘BigDaddy’ Wilkinson impression. Hamilton head coach Jim Placetold me he could run but I was more than a little surprised tosee him run like this. Big kids that can move like this one are ahigh value target in recruiting. He was a very disruptive forceas a defensive tackle. He also plays right tackle and that iswhere he is likely to end up playing his college ball. But if anycollege coach saw this film, they have to be very intrigued bythe prospect of at least giving him a look on defense. From theway he plays, Brown would probably be very excited about thepossibility of playing on defense. He is athletic enough to playbasketball for the Big Blue, one of the legendary programs inOhio. Place says he is a hard worker with a great attitude. Heneeds to work on his grades but he should be a qualifier. Placesaid, “He has unlimited potential,” and I would agree.

Brown is one I will be watching closely as we get into thecombine and camp part of the evaluation process.

52. *** Troy Gilmer (6-1, 200, ATH; Huber Heights Wayne)I love big backs and Gilmer is one of the better ones in the

state of Ohio in this class. He has not received as much public-ity as some of the others in this class mainly because did notplay running back exclusively last year. Gilmer played some atquarterback and had some reps at receiver as well. Thatshows what kind of athlete Gilmer is.He rushed for 390 yards on 66 carriesand caught 15 balls for 241 yards andtotaled nine touchdowns. Gilmercamped at Ohio State last year andhas a reported 4.5 40. If he runs thatkind of time again at camps this year,he is going to start seeing the offerscome in. At 6-1, 200 pounds with a4.5 40, it puts him in the category ofathlete. He could be used at any num-ber of positions with numbers like that.Gilmer’s receiving numbers show he could be a wide receiverand those measurables are ideal for a safety. His film showshe could be a big time back, as well, if he concentrated onbeing a back since he is a powerful, determined runner yetshows some elusiveness for a big kid – enough that he wasused on punt returns. When this kid gets to do just one thinghe could be a great player.

53. *** Juandez Brown (6-3, 190, QB; Cincinnati Withrow)Withrow head coach Doc Gamble set this tape up perfectly.

In the first few plays it is plain as day that Brown may have the

best arm of any of the quarterbacks in this class. Brown canreally cut it loose. He can make all the throws that define anext level arm. Brown throws the deep out with velocity and heis very accurate throwing balls where a coach wants to see theball thrown. Brown throws out to outside not allowing thedefender to make a break on the ball. On come back routes,he throws low only giving his receiver a shot at the ball.

Brown is a fine athlete but is a throw-first quarterback. Evenwhen he has opportunities to run he shows patience, waitingon a receiver to come open and delivering the ball.

When Brown does run, he is very effective. He had sometime under center last year, enough to put together a nicevideo package on him, but he was only a part time starter lastyear. He handled himself very well for a part time starter withhis decision making. Brown has some good receivers to throwto next year, so I am very much looking forward to next sea-son.

Brown’s best is in front of him. He is one player I suspectwill make a big leap up the rankings by seasons end. Thiscould be one of the breakout stars in Ohio.

54. *** Lamonte Lattimore (5-11, 190, CB; Cincinnati Winton Woods)Winton Woods head coach Tory Everhart calls Lattimore

one of the best he has ever had. Lattimore plays the slot onoffense but he does a little of everything and does it all well. Heruns the ball, catches the ball and blocks.

On defense, Lattimore is a corner and this is where he willplay his college ball. He is fearless in run support and a greatopen field tackler. He is as good a tackler as any defensiveback in Ohio.

He also shows great leaping ability going up with biggerreceivers and making plays on the ball. The one thing thatstands out more than anything with Lattimore is speed. CoachEverhart put a number of plays on his film where he runs downball carriers from behind with no angle. Bottom line is Lattimoreis a tough, physical kid with football smarts and speed.

55. *** Jake Stoller (6-4, 250, DT; Hunting Valley University School)This is a small academic school in Cleveland that is putting

out good football prospects on a regular basis. For the third straight year, University School has put a play-

er in the Ohio High top 100. This is a kid with great size. Stolleris a big, wide body that is athletic enough to be a high schooldefensive end. He will most likely move down to tackle to playhis college ball. He runs so well chasing plays all over the field.There is probably not another lineman in Ohio making moretackles down the field than Jake Stoller. There is no such thingas too many big kids that can run. University School’s level ofcompetition is going to be the only question mark so it will beimportant for him to get to camps this summer. Coming fromthis school, academics will not be a problem. Previous playersfrom University School put a strong emphasis on academicswhen choosing a school.

56. *** Kenny Veal (5-11, 175, CB; Hamilton)Veal is one of the toughest kids in this class. Pound for

pound, he is right up there with Lamonte Lattimore fromWinton Woods. There is one play in particular from his tape inwhich takes on the blocker, beats him, hits the quarterbackwho pitched the ball, then got up and made a tackle for loss onthe runner. He really gets after it. Veal is a cornerback that hasa linebacker’s game. Everyone wants tough run defendersthese days on a cornerback and Veal is as tough as nails andan excellent tackler. On offense last year, he had 706 yards on121 carries but he will be a defensive player in college. He hasa defensive players mind-set. If he runs well this summer hisstock will soar.

57. *** Trey Fairchild (6-0, 185, WR; Dublin Coffman)Fairchild is one of the names to watch going into the com-

bine and camp circuit.He has both explosive speed and top end speed. After

recording a 4.36 40 at the Rivals elite combine in Ft.

Lauderdale, people were left wondering who the 6-0, 185pound speedster was. He also addedan impressive 9-1 broad jump and anoutstanding 36-inch vertical. Fairchildcarries those numbers over to the foot-ball field. He looks like he is runningwhile everyone else on the field iswalking.

He is late to the radar because heplayed his natural receiver position forthe first time last season. Fairchild wasat was a quarterback and still playsthere occasionally. In his first seasonlast year at slot receiver, Fairchild reeled in 45 catches for 725yards and three touchdowns. He also had 229 yards on 21carries and three touchdowns on the ground. On specialteams, Fairchild took a pair of kicks back for touchdowns.

Fairchild is outstanding after the catch but he does not justcount on his speed. He can cut on a dime and does not godown easily. He is tough, competitive and has great feet. Iwould not be surprised to see him get a shot at cornerback butI would want this kind of explosiveness on offense. Fairchildhas early offers from Syracuse, Duke and Ball State.

58. *** Chip Robinson (6-7, 340, OL; Middletown)The one characteristic that stands out about Robinson is

just how big he is. In football, bigger players at a young ageare not uncommon anymore and Robinson is one that is so bigit gets your attention. At one time, Robinson was even biggerbut is working hard on getting his weight down even more. Idon’t know if he will ever get below about 320, though. He ismoving so much better now that he has lost some weight buthe is never going to raise any eyebrows with his 40 time – but Ihave come to the point where I don’t put much stock in 40times with offensive linemen. Robinson comes off the ball bet-ter than most kids this size, and he packs a punch. His firstthree steps are impressive. Middletown head coach RonJohnson was a former college coach. That shows in the play ofhis twin towers at offensive tackle. Robinson and fellow D-Iprospect and teammate at the other tackle, Blaec Walker, areshowing better technique than most high school offensive line-men. Robinson is a high school tackle but before he can moveinside to guard he has to have good footwork, and he has thereach. Last season, Robinson went one-on-one with OhioState recruit Solomon Thomas a good percentage of the nightand not only held his own but he won the battle.

Robinson already has an offer from Illinois and good campshowings could see his stock soar.

59. *** Josh Newman (6-2, 215, LB; Clayton Northmont)Some high school linebackers can really put up amazing

tackle numbers. What separates Josh Newman from the packis he makes the tackles at the line of scrimmage in addition tohaving a great frame and a 4.64 40. Newman looks like he canadd another 20-25 pounds with little impact on his speed andagility. He is so smooth he looks like he is not even trying hard.He reads the game so well that I don’t know if he is doing thatmuch film study or he is that instinctive; but Newman seems tobe moving toward the hole before the snap a good deal of thetime. It is probably a good deal of both. When an opposinglineman does get to Newman, he sheds the block quickly anddoes so without losing speed. Newman is good in pass cover-age, so he can be a three down linebacker. He has a 4.47shuttle, 8-10 broad jump and 3.0 GPA. This kid is one of thebest kept secrets in Ohio. This is one to keep an eye on.

60. *** Blaec Walker (6-4, 290, OL; Middletown)Walker plays tackle on the left side of the massive

Middletown offensive line. He has an offer from Illinois like hisline mate Chip Robinson. Walker has the wingspan of a 747airplane yet is very good in small spaces. He has also learnedto use his weight and leverage well. Despite the left tacklereach, I think his college position will be guard. Walker is alsoan excellent student. Middletown head coach Ron Johnsoncalls him, “the complete student-athlete package.”



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He needs to dedicate himself in the weight room and get hisintensity level up. Long-limbed kids always have a tough timein the weight room when they are young and most collegecoaches could not care less about strength as they know theycan make any player stronger.

Walker is a raw prospect with a lot of upside. A program likeIllinois that is looking to rebuild its talent base is making a wisedecision in coming in early on a raw prospect like Walker.

He is also wrestler, which always helps lineman. There is nosport where leverage is more important than wrestling, espe-cially with heavyweights. Walker will learn more about leveragein one month of wrestling practice than he would a year of foot-ball practice.

61. *** Adam Bice (6-5½, 255, OL/DT; Dresden Tri-Valley)College recruiters need to find Tri-Valley on the map. Adam

Bice is one of the more athletic big athletes that can be foundin Ohio in 2008. He is a defensive end on defense and showsa lot of the things looked for in a defensive end – tenacity, theability to keep blockers off his body, relentlessness in pursuit,the wingspan to go with his listed 6-5½, but I think he outgrowsthe position. He shows the toughness to be a defensive tackleand the frame to get a lot bigger.

He plays center on offense and plays it well but I see aplayer with all the tools to move outside to tackle. Outside ofthe great frame the one thing that stands out to me is therelentlessness. He chases plays from sideline to sideline aswell as down the field on defense and he stays with blocksuntil his man is down or until the whistle blows. Level of com-petition is going to be a question so he has to get to camps.

62. *** Mike Spooner (6-1, 220, LB; Lakewood St. Edward)Spooner had a breakout season last year. If not for the mis-

fortune of another player, we may not have seen him until thisyear. Senior captain Ken Lamedolabroke his foot before the season start-ed and that thrust Spooner into thestarting lineup sooner than expected.And he was ready for it.

His teammate at inside linebackerwas Jeff Lucas, a D-I recruit in hisown right, but Spooner was the betterplayer. In fact, a long time St. Edwatcher whose opinion I respect,thinks Spooner was the best defenderon an outstanding defense thatboasted the likes of Ohio State recruit Nate Oliver, Iowa signeeDiauntae Morrow and top ten 2008 prospect Justin Staples.

Early last season, I had the opportunity to see St. Edwardand Spooner definitely got my attention. He is a tough insidelinebacker with top drawer instincts and football smarts. He ispretty athletic and plays faster than he will run on any track.

I am looking forward to seeing his shuttle time. That will tellus a lot about where this outstanding linebacker ends up.

63. *** Phillip Manley (6-4, 305, OL; Hamilton)Hamilton coach Jim Place said, “(Manley) has dominated

games inside.” And never have truer words been spoken. Thiskid is a real powerhouse.

We use the expression ‘road grader’ and Manley is the epit-ome of the expression. He locks defenders up, keeps his feetmoving and moves them. Manley is athletic enough that heplayed right tackle at times and he moves well enough to be areally good pulling guard. His time at tackle has made Manleya better pass blocker since he is a wide body that is not carry-ing extra weight. He is also very young for his class.

Manley is solid in the classroom and Place could not bemore impressed with his work ethic in the weightroom and inthe classroom. This is a raw kid and a young one with animpressive upside.

64. *** D.J. Brown (6-1, 175, DB; Fremont Ross)Brown is like a heat seeking missile coming up from his

safety spot. Unlike last year’s class when a rock couldn’t bethrown without hitting a top defensive back, this is not such astrong class.

But Woods is one that stands out. He runs very well andhits like a linebacker. He is so sound in his tackling with low,hard tackles and wraps up – just like a coach wants to see.

Woods looks bigger than his listed 6-1, 175 pounds. He hasa long lean body with very long arms but probably won’t fill outinto a linebacker. In fact, he could possibly play corner in azone scheme that looks for physical corners.

The northwest part of the state has not been a traditionalrecruiting ground but players like D.J. Brown are going tochange that.

65. *** Isaac Washington (6-2, 240, LB/DE; Trotwood-Madison)There are some things I always look for in a middle line-

backer. I want a big body because a lot of large bodies aregoing to be thrown at him. He has to have no help like a 3-4inside linebacker – with no help beside him he can’t miss. Hehas to have that knack for finding the ball carrier and he needsto take on blockers to get to the ball carrier. I want to see aplayer that has the ability to get off blocks. And finally, he has tobe a sure tackler. A big hitter is nice but sure tackler is a must.

I see all those things in Isaac Washington. Washington is avery smart and sound football player. He blitzes great and hisspeed is extra on a blitz. If a blitzer times it right, he is going toget there anyway. I see so many players going for the big hitsup high in the chest, and too often missing. Washington getsdown into the runners legs making sure the play is over.

He could be a possible defensive end. Washington is a bigkid and could outgrow linebacker but he could probably standto take off about 10 pounds by the time the camp and combineseason arrives.

College coaches looking at Washington as a middle line-backer will help him get more offers. Washington is just a goodfootball player.

66. *** Jarod Emerson (6-6, 275, OL; Youngstown Cardinal Mooney)On a team full of stars, sometimes players get overlooked –

especially linemen. Emerson played on the same line withKent State recruit Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and Miami (Ohio) recruitMike Madsen last year, not to mention the array of stars at theskill positions.

Emerson is a guard that could geta look at tackle. He has a long bodyand pretty long arms, both of whichare important in a tackle. He has greatfeet and comes off the ball well. Hecan get a little high sometimes but heconsistently wins one-on-one battles.

Emerson has tenacity to spare. Heplays to the whistle, and once he winsa battle, he is on to the next target. Heis in great shape and there is no ques-tion he will carry 300 pounds relatively easy.

Emerson is flying under the radar right now but everyschool in the country is going to be in to Mooney with its galaxyof Big Four stars, so it is just a matter of time before thatchanges. College coaches also like his toughness after break-ing his hand two days before the state championship gameand still playing the entire game.

He also excels in the classroom carrying a 3.75 GPA.

67. *** Douglas Rippy (6-2, 215, OLB/DE; Columbus Linden-McKinley)This is the best year for Columbus City League talent in a

few years and Douglas Rippy is one of the reasons why. Heplayed linebacker and defensive end last year, where he brokethe school record with 148 tackle and had nine sacks to go 22tackles for loss. On offense Rippy played tight end, runningback and wide receiver. He is getting a lot of interest fromsome major schools. Boston College has been showing agood deal of interest for some time while Ohio State recentlycame in and invited Rippy to spring practices. Other Big Tenteams have also been in contact including Michigan State,Illinois and Indiana. Duke has also been in contact.

Some are recruiting him as an athlete but most will be look-ing at him as a defensive end or a linebacker.

He is carrying a 3.2 GPA, but has not taken the test. I sus-pect that interest will turn into offers once Rippy has a testscore he can send to their respective admissions offices.

68. *** Darius Ashley (5-9, 190, TB; Cincinnati St. Xavier)Every year there seems to be a back in Ohio that has

everything but size. Tyrell Sutton was that player a couple ofyears ago, last year it was Jordan Mabin and this year it isDarius Ashley.

Ashley has quick feet and is explosive. He also has out-standing vision finding the holes and hitting them quickly.Ashley is pretty tough between the tackles and does not godown as easy as so many backs hissize. He can carry potential tacklers.

Ashley also shows that he can beeffective catching the ball out of thebackfield. In the right offense he canbe a highly effective back. He is work-ing on getting his 40 time under 4.4but he has exceptional football speed.

As a sophomore, Ashley rushed for1,634 yards on 254 carries and 26touchdowns in the perfect 15-0, statechampionship season. He also had 14catches for 192 yards and 2 TDs. Last year in his junior cam-paign, Ashley had 1,450 yards rushing on 273 carries with 17TDs in a 10-2 Bomber effort.

Like Sutton and Mabin before him, if he is three inches tallerand 20 pounds heavier he is at least a four-star player.

Ashley already boasts scholarship offers from Cincinnati,Virginia and several of the Mid-American Conference pro-grams. Cornerback or receiver could be his ticket to more andbetter offers. This is one of the most skilled players in Ohio.

69. ***Joshua Smith (6-2, 170, ATH; Cincinnati Withrow)This defensive back class has really come around. Maybe it

was the distraction of last year’s class, but at first blush, I didnot think that this would be a good class. So many of the play-ers that made early impressions – few that they were – arenow not at the top of the class.

Joshua Smith is one of those that just came to my notice.This is one fine football player. The versatility of the safeties isa feature that seems to be unique about this class and Smith isno exception. He shows the instincts, the ball skills and therange to be a free safety and he is some kind of hitter. He is avery physical kid making sacks and plays behind the line ofscrimmage like a linebacker. Speaking of linebacker – thatcould be in Smith’s future. He is such a long lean kid that hecould add a good deal of weight and make someone a fineweak side linebacker.

70. *** Ben Buchanan (6-0, 197, K; Westerville Central)I don’t know if I have ever had a kicker in my top 100. But

Buchanan is a unique kicker. He has a leg that has to be seento believe. He has a 54-yard field goal to credit, which is thelongest field goal for a junior off grass in Ohio high school his-tory. The kick would have been good from 60 at least.

Buchanan has kicked 60 yards in camps and has success-fully kicked 65 yards in practice. Hewas the best punter at that elite camprun by Dan Stultz, the former OhioState kicker, which brought in kickersfrom all over the Midwest. Buchanan’sgoal is to be a complete kicker. He fullyexpects to be the place kicker as wellas the punter for Ohio State as hemade his commitment to the Buckeyesin early March. His offer list was asimpressive as any player in the state.That is especially impressive whenconsidering how many kickers are initially walk-ons. This kid isjust a fine athlete. He is also a starting receiver for WestervilleCentral and a talented baseball player.



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71. *** Jason Albertini (6-3, 200, QB; Vandalia Butler)Albertini is one of the early quarterbacks to step up in this

class. He has filled out, looks taller and is obviously stronger.Albertini is a technically sound quarterback with a picture per-fect motion. He might want to work on getting rid of it quickerbut that is just nit picking.

He also shows great feet getting his feet under him andthrowing over the top. Albertini also shows coolness underpressure and seems supremely confident back there. Hemoves well enough not only to get himself out of trouble but tomake plays with his feet.

Albertini shows good arm strength with the ability to throwthe deep out and he has great touch on his long ball.

He throws great on the run and his junior year performanceis all the more impressive because he is in a pro-style offense.He was 99-of-215 passing for 1,264 yards with seven touch-downs, eight interceptions and three touchdowns on theground. The spread offenses are all the rage in Ohio Highschool football.

This is a player I will be watching when the camp circuitstarts up.

72. *** Brandon Williams (5-10, 175, CB; Lakewood St. Edward)A few years ago, Williams would have been 20 spots high-

er on this list. But with the big, freaky athletes we are seeingcoming into the college ranks these days at wide receiver,most schools are looking for big freaky players to cover them.

Williams has exceptional speedand the feet and hips to changedirection quickly – a crucial skill for acornerback. He has good instinctsand will come up and play the rundespite his stature. He is an excellentreturner, both kickoff and punts. He isan explosive and electric player.

Lakewood St. Edward has had arun of super athletes recently butWilliams cracked the starting lineupas a sophomore regardless.

He intercepted four passes last year and also played widereceiver. I think he would be smart to ask to workout at widereceiver in camps over the summer. Someone might get theidea to move him over and give him a shot at receiver downthe road.

He is hearing from the Big Ten with Ohio State andMichigan at the top of the list. Virginia, Syracuse and most ofthe MAC schools are also in the mix.

73. *** Jamil Sims (6-4, 255, DT; Marion Harding)Sims is a really good high school end that could be a great

college tackle. His ability to play end at his size speaks vol-umes about what kind of athlete he is.

He reports a 5.2 40 time, but he plays faster than that. Andfor a guy his size with a 4.89 shuttle is pretty impressive.

Sims does a great job of getting off blocks. He actuallyplays defensive end quite well having the wingspan of adefensive end. But he is just too big for the position. He has agreat body for a defensive tackle and could carry 300 poundseasily.

The most important thing for the big boys is the motor andSims has that. For so many, playing hard every down is whatseparates the good linemen from the great ones.

Sims has been flying under the radar until now but gettingto camps could make him one of the players that everybodytalks about this summer.

74. *** Dawawn Whitner (6-2, 245, DT; Cleveland Glenville)The theme for this year seems to be “if he were only a little

bigger.” No player in the class exemplifies that theme morethan Dawawn Whitner.

Whitner comes off the snap like he is shot out of a cannon.He has the motor that makes or breaks all great linemen,going full bore until the whistle shedding blockers with ease.

He has that same nasty disposition that helped make his

older brother, former Buckeye Donte Whitner, become a firstround draft choice. Donte was soaggressive that his natural corner-back skills took a backseat andforced him to safety.

There is so much to like aboutWhitner’s game but the one thing thatstands out is the speed. A 4.75 40has been reported and it would notsurprise me if that time is accuratebased on what he does on the field.His closing speed is something tosee. Glenville head coach Ted Ginn,Sr. uses him in a zone blitz, dropping him back like a spy.There are plays where he runs quarterbacks down from thatposition.

If Whitner had size, he would be a sure top-40 player inthis class.

75. *** Nate Wilburn-Ogletree (6-2, 180, WR; Clayton Northmont)Wilburn-Ogletree caught 44 balls for 708 yards and seven

touchdowns in eight games last year as the primary target forNorthmont’s outstanding senior quar-terback and Miami (Ohio) recruit ClayBelton. Wilburn-Ogletree was thereceiver Belton looked for to get himout of jams and to make the big playsfor Northmont.

He is a sure-handed receiver anda big target. I like to see a receiverthat will not hesitate to go over themiddle, especially the big receiverswhere the other big people are.Wilburn-Ogletree does not hesitate.

He is hearing from Michigan, Wisconsin, Eastern Michiganand Connecticut and went to junior day at Cincinnati and likedwhat they had to say. He might decide to camp this summerbut I would not be surprised to see him take up the Bearcatson an offer if one should come before then.

Wilburn-Ogletree has a 4.53 40 and a 4.33 shuttle to gowith a 33-inch vertical and an 8-10 vertical.

76. *** Luther Nicholas (6-0, 200, RB; Columbus Independence)It does this old Columbus City League grad’s heart good to

see a nice group of talent coming out in this year’s class. Nicholas is seeing the spotlight on Isaiah Pead from

Eastmoor but he does not need to take a back seat to any-one.

He rushed for 1,918 yards on 304 carries scored 14 touch-downs last year. Some are going to question the level of com-petition in the Columbus City League but Nicholas ran for bet-ter than 100 yards on the Hilliard Davidson defense whichstuffed everyone on its way to their first state championshiplast year. He also had a100 yard rushing effort against anoth-er Ohio Capital Conference defense in Upper Arlington.

Nicholas has a 4.5 40 and if he shows that time at campthis summer he will really boost his stock as his measurablesline will get the attention of college coaches.

With his measurables line, he could play running back,wide receiver, safety or even grow into a linebacker. That kindof versatility is something highly valued in this era of limitedscholarships.

77. *** Travis Kelce (6-5, 230, QB/ATH; Cleveland Heights)New Cleveland Heights coach Jeff Rotsky could not be

more excited about the upside for Travis Kelce. He thinks hewill be the most heavily recruited quarterback in Ohio comeseason’s end.

Kelce is a physical specimen and a great athlete. Rotskythinks he will end up at about 245 pounds and at that size all itdoes is expand his possibilities. He is a quarterback now butat 6-5, 245 pounds coupled with his athleticism schools willstart thinking about tight end should he not pan out as a quar-terback

He is being recruited as a basketball player, too, and has

not decided which sport he will play in college. The list ofschools looking at him for basketball includes Florida,Wisconsin and just about all the MAC schools. Kelce hasbeen down to Ohio State for a couple of games as a guest ofthe Buckeyes.

North Carolina, Syracuse, Pitt and Indiana are showinginterest in football. Kelce just moved into the starting lineup forthe first time as a junior so he is very raw but has all the toolsthat every major school looks for in a quarterback prospect.Rotsky has done some impressive work preparing athletes forthe next level and this is one player I will be tracking closely. Ifhe develops like Rotsky thinks he will, Kelce will completelyshake up this top 100.

78. *** David Fleming (5-11, 200, DB; Centerville)Fleming is one of the best athletes in Ohio. He was forced

into service as a quarterback for Centerville head coach RonUllery and showed what kind of ath-lete and competitor he is.

Fleming broke his hand last yearbut only missed one game while play-ing five others with a soft cast. I wasimpressed with his command of theoffense. For someone that is not anatural quarterback, he sure carriedhimself like one.

He had 606 yards rushing andeight touchdowns in nine games. Headded 567 yard passing completing23-of-45 attempts with eight more touchdowns and only threeinterceptions. The TD-INT ratio shows this is a heady guy.

Fleming is a hard-nosed, smart football player with athleti-cism, good speed (4.55 40) and has good size.

79. *** Marvin Stewart (6-1, 205, QB/ATH; Columbus Beechcroft)When I first looked at Marvin Stewart’s film, I saw an ath-

lete. I always watch films several times and I really took mytime and watched him the second time. I was far moreimpressed with him as a quarterback the second time around.

On the front end of the tape, he is making a lot of athleticplays with the ball and doing whatever he can to get the ball tosomeone. But on the back side of the tape when he sat downon his throws and delivered the ball, he showed me that hecould be an athletic quarterback.

Stewart has some bad habits that he needs to break liketossing the ball instead of throwing it as well as throwing offhis back foot when he really wants to get rid of it in a hurry.But he has a good up when he sets up and throws it.

I am very partial to athletic quarterbacks and Stewart is oneof the best athletes at quarterback in the state this year. Hecan definitely pull it down and hurt a defense but his passingskills are what will keep him at quarterback. As a junior,Stewart completed 79 of 150 passes for 1,259 yards in theregular season.

Stewart is not a player that will come in and play rightaway, but in time he could be an excellent quarterback and heis athletic enough to move elsewhere if he is not.

80. *** Matt Mihalik(6-7, 270, OT; Gates Mills Gilmour Academy)This is likely a player that not many are aware of. Mihalik is

coming out of a small, elite academic school in Cleveland andhe committed very early in his junior year when Virginia madehim an offer. He has heard from the likes of Ohio State andWest Virginia since but has not wavered in his commitment.

He is a highly athletic kid and has the feet and frameeveryone is looking for in a tackle prospect.

Mihalik is a three-sport kid also playing basketball andbaseball. There is a lot of controversy about whether that is ahelp or a hindrance in the development of an athlete. He isgoing to need a lot of work in the weight room as he is anawfully lean kid. And the level of competition is going to bequestioned despite the fact that Gilmour played and beatsome larger schools last year. But in time and with hard workthis could be one of the real steals in the class of 2008. Greatjob by Al Groh and the Virginia staff.



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81. ** Brad Bednar (6-5, 230, OL; Mentor)This is a player I expect to see getting a lot of attention

once he starts hitting the combines in spring and the campsthis summer. Bednar has quietlyplayed at a high level against qualitycompetition. His weight is down nowbut he is going to fill out nicely. Iexpect a 280-pound player in thenext couple of years.

Bednar moves very well and hasbetter technique than most highschool players. Since he is playingagainst good defensive ends and islighter than most at his position, Ithink has played a role in his moreadvanced technique. The fact that in practice every day hewas going against scholarship level players has helped himgreatly as well.

I suspect that by his second year of college he is going tobe in the mix wherever he ends up playing his college ball.Bednar is one of the real sleepers in the class of 2008.

82. ** Brandon Williams (6-1, 185, WR; Cincinnati Withrow)What a turnaround with this program under head coach

Doc Gamble. Every year now, we are seeing top 100 playersout of Withrow with receivers coming out in abundance. Thisyear, the program’s top receiver is Brandon Williams. Hecould be the best of them.

Williams has good size – every bit the 6-1 he is listed at –and has a solid build. I think he can add 10-15 pounds withno impact on his speed and athleticism. He has great handsand, more importantly, the competitiveness to make thosehands all the more valuable because he will not give up on apass.

I have seen Williams go into the dirt to pull badly thrownballs, go up and sacrifice his body to make a play on a highball and tiptoe the sidelines. If he runs well this summer, thisranking is way too low for Williams.

83. ** Antoine Rucker (6-0, 170, CB/WR; Warren G. Harding)Antoine Rucker is lightning in a

bottle. He comes off the line like ashot out of a cannon. He is quick inand out of his cuts. Once he makes acatch, he gets to another gear quick-er than anyone on the field. Ruckershows a fearlessness in going overthe middle and going up to make aplay on the ball in the air. He is a realexplosive leaper.

He shows good instincts as a cor-nerback and has great feet and hips.I like what I see of him as an offensive player but he is talland long-armed to go with those good feet and great hips, soI think the odds are good Rucker ends up on defense in col-lege. He is a very aggressive player on the ball on either sideof the line.

84. ** Nate Shuler (6-1, 208, ATH; New Middletown Springfield)I get asked all the time which player is the fastest, which is

the biggest and which is the strongest.The one question I getasked the most, though, is who the hardest hitter is. For theclass of 2008, Nate Shuler would get my vote.

I don’t know if I can come up with 10 great hits for anyonein the class but for Shuler I would have to pick 10. He bringsit like nobody else.

Shuler is also a very good high school quarterback but heis going to make his mark as a defensive player. Exactlywhich position on defense has yet to be determined. Hecould be a strong safety or he could grow into an outsidelinebacker at the next level.

Shuler really needs to get to camps since there is still avery real bias towards these small school players. SpringfieldLocal is a Division V school.

85. ** Andrew Strauss (6-1, 190, S; West Chester Lakota West)While this is not a deep defensive back class, especially

compared to last year’s benchmark class, there are a fewvery versatile safety prospects. Andrew Strauss is one ofthem.

He is best playing as a free safety but shows the tough-ness to play up in the box and has the size. He looks everybit of 6-1 and is a lean 190 pounds.

Lakota West head coach Larry Cox thinks he could growinto a speed linebacker with a 4.62 40 time. And he plays atthat speed. He runs down backs and receivers and he getsback to make plays on balls. He is a sure tackler and a verysmart football player.

In boxing the term “busy” is used in reference to a fighterthat is very active. I would use the term with Strauss, whoalways seems to be around the ball. He has excellent ballskills and is good leaper.

Strauss has a very impressive 4.06 shuttle time.

86. ** Dominique Chandler (6-2, 210, ATH; Columbus Franklin Heights)Talk about a diamond in the rough. No player epitomizes

that expression more than Dominique Chandler. Chandler is just now really starting to play sports. He has

been a good running back and last year was his first year ondefense. As a running back he is a slasher with good size.He prefers running back, and I think he could possibly be asafety but I think he is going to be a linebacker at the nextlevel by the time he is ready to step on the football field. Hereally started to come on as the year went along last year.

He runs a 4.5 40 and ran 50.5 in the 400-meter event inhis first year running track last year. He has a 280-poundbench press and a 400-pound squat.

Chandler is the kind of player that is going to go to campsand combines and raise a lot of eyebrows with his speed tosize ratio and earn some offers. He is so raw and has hisbest football in front of him.

He has been an all-around athlete. He was a wrestler as asophomore but played basketball as a freshman and as ajunior. Once he starts to focus on one sport, we will see thebest come out of him.

87. ** Eric Stoyanoff (5-11, 195, RB; Strongsville)Weight loss has had a great impact on this runner’s future.

Stoyanoff was in the 210-pound range and not as explosiveas he had been as a sophomore where he ran for over 1,700yards. By the end of the season, hewas back down to 195 and running inthe 4.5 40 range. When he was downat 195, he still ran with the power ofback that was in the 220 range.

There was never any questionabout his running skills. He has goodvision and is a decisive runner. He isgoing to find the hole quickly and notmess around back there. A backneeds to do learn that and most don’tuntil college. Stoyanoff reads playsdown field and sees where the daylight is after the initial hole.He is a very tough physical runner.

In two varsity seasons, Stoyanoff has collected over 3,200yards on over 400 carries without putting the ball on theground once. Of those 3,200 yards, 1,500 have come afterthe initial hit. He has also scored 24 TDs.

I could see Stoyanoff becoming a fullback in time. He isalready a very good blocker.

He is hearing from a who’s who of college football rightnow including Ohio State, Notre Dame and Iowa with mailcoming from Miami (Fla.), North Carolina and BostonCollege.

88. ** Andrew Phalen (6-5, 270, OL; West Chester Lakota West)There were two things that immediately got my attention

when I first saw Phalen. This is a really big kid that played atabout 250 last year, is up to about 270 now and still looks like

he needs a sandwich. The other characteristic is he has that nasty streak that I

like to see in an offensive lineman. Phalen is going to hit any-one who is in reach. Standing around the pile with AndrewPhalen around is just asking to get hit.

He played both tackle spots and some at right guard butprojects as a guard in college. Phalen is raw but he has agreat frame and the right mindset.

A lot of schools have taken notice. He was a bowl practiceinvitee to Ohio State and he attended junior days at Michiganand Cincinnati and was invited to Tennessee, Illinois and Pitt.

89. ** Eric Magnacca (5-10, 172, WR; Massillon Perry)It boils down to one thing with Eric Magnacca: speed. This

kid has another level of speed with a 4.3 40 that is explosivespeed. He does not need to get cranked up hitting top speedin a couple of steps.

Because of his size the thinking is he will be a cornerbackat the next level but his coach, John Miller, thinks he will bean offensive player. I do too. He is a high school running backbut he shows really good hands catching balls out of thebackfield and could make a good college receiver.

Magnacca (5-10, 187, 4.3 40) tallied 1,332s yard on 197carries (6.6 ypc) and had 15 TDs for the Panthers while aver-aging 10 yards per catch out of the backfield and 24.5 yardper return on kickoffs.

Those are the numbers that are going to be most impor-tant to his college options.

Magnacca is getting mail from Ohio State, Florida State,Penn State, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Akron and Ball State. Heattended several junior days and was an invitee to the OhioState-Michigan and Florida State-Florida games last season.

90. ** Doug Reynolds (6-2, 190, S/QB; Colerain)I first noticed Doug Reynolds in the Kirk Herbstreit

Challenge last season and was notused to a Colerain quarterback beingthis effective as a passer. Though hedid not throw a lot, he showed a goodarm and was effective when he threwthe ball.

Reynolds is such a fine athlete thathe is going to be a safety at the nextlevel. He has excellent size for a safe-ty. But there are some that disagreewith me and they think he has what ittakes to be a quarterback in college.

With a summer to prepare in camps and combines, andanother football season to hone his skills, he could very wellend up as a college quarterback.

91. ** Marc Stevens (6-6, 295, OL; Lexington)Buckeye legend Woody Hayes was a firm believer in big

players. He said he could do a lot of things to make them bet-ter but he could not make them bigger. Hayes would haveloved Marc Stevens.

It seems we are seeing more big kids that are not carryingexcess weight every year and Stevens is one of those kids.There is not going to be any dieting in the future of this 300-pound kid. I see a raw prospect that will only get better as hegets in the weightroom. He plays hard all the time and heworks hard.

Stevens plays both guard and tackle at the high schoollevel but I see a guard in college. He has an offer from Akronand was a bowl game practice invitee to Ohio State. He wasin attendance for the Ohio State-Bowling Green game by invi-tation while has shown some interest as well. Georgia Tech,West Virginia, Louisville and Vanderbilt are asking about himand has been down to Louisville for a game and to Vanderbiltfor a junior day.

92. ** Chris Crockett (5-10, 185, RB; Columbus Academy)Crockett is one of the best all-around athletes in the state



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of Ohio. He has started on the football field since hisfreshman season and last year as a junior he racked upover 2900 yards rushing averaging an eye popping 10yards a carry with 37 touchdowns.

Crockett had 60 tackles and three interceptions as adefensive back. On the hardwood, he averaged over 20points a game in basketball and had a 44 point effort in agame late in the season.

While he prefers basketball, Crockett is getting moreattention for football with Notre Dame, Penn State andIowa showing solid early interest. If he runs well thisspring and summer, the interest level is going to pick upeven more.

This is a back with great vision and very quick feet. Ifhe were a little bigger Crockett would be another twentyspots higher in this ranking. If he plays football in collegehis size might dictate a move to cornerback.

93. ** Nathan Cope (5-11, 185, S/RB; Warren Howland)Cope is a good high school running back with quick

feet and an explosive reckless, physical style of running.But I think he will end up being afine safety at the college level. Hehas some impressive measurableswith a 4.56 40 at the Penn Statecamp last May. He had a 4.21 shut-tle at that same camp, and added a33-inch vertical.

On the season, Cope had 93carries for 536 yards. He showedhe can be effective catching theball out of the backfield with 10catches last year scoring six times.

On defense, he had ten passes defended and rackedup three interceptions. Cope showed good coverage skillsand was aggressive at coming up and playing the run andhe is an excellent tackler.

I think when he is focused on playing just one positionhe will become that much better a player.

94. ** Tyler Amendola (5-11, 185, RB; Youngstown Boardman)If only he was a little bigger. If Amendola were just a lit-

tle bigger, we would see the top schools in the regioncoming after him. He is not small necessarily, but he doesnot have the size most are lookingfor in a back.

Amendola has one of the moreimpressive films I have seen thisyear. Some of his runs look like heis doing a slalom course in skiing.Amendola can change direction atspeed and explodes into holes withreckless abandon. He is like aboxer in his ability to avoid contactin small spaces.

His football speed cannot bequestioned. This is a very athletickid and he would do himself a service by camping thissummer wherever he can and getting in the defensivebackfield group or with the receivers.

Football is first and foremost about speed and this kidcan really run.

95. ** Jeremy Ebert (6-0, 170, ATH; Hilliard Darby)I like this Ohio quarterback class. There are several

underrated players that could help themselves with goodsummers throwing the ball.

There are also a number of high school quarterbacksthat will set themselves up with good summers showing asathletes and Jeremy Ebert is one of them.

He could end up being a good defensive back but I likehim as an offensive player. He is very elusive with the ballin his hands and can get to top speed in just a couple ofsteps. There are several throws on his film where he putsthe ball 60 yards down the field. He passed for more than

1100 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushed for betterthan 1000 yards and seven more touchdowns. HillardDarby head coach Paul Jenne reports a 4.4 40.

At least one major conference school sees him as aquarterback. He was invited to a couple of Ohio Stategames. Northwestern, Indiana and Miami (Ohio) are alsoshowing interest.

96. ** Justin Hemm (6-0, 180, ATH; Piqua)I had a number of opportunities to watch Piqua last

year. It was a star-studded lineup. RB Brandon Saine andWR Phil Collier gave defenses fits. And while everyonewas keying on them Hemm wasleft with room to run and he tookadvantage of it.

He was the starting quarterbackbut I am not sure if he has the armto be a college quarterback.However, he has the athleticism tobe a college player either at widereceiver or in the defensive back-field.

With an athletic quarterback,moving to defensive back naturallycomes to mind. But this kid is wicked quick and highly elu-sive and I would want him to have the ball in his hands asmuch as possible.

If Hemm goes to camps and drills as a receiver ordefensive back I think he will be the next player comingout of the Piqua program that will be having a press con-ference on national signing day.

97. ** Duran Robinson (6-2, 195, SS/LB; Fremont Ross)Robinson is a high school linebacker but the jury is still

out on whether he will be a linebacker or a safety at thenext level.

We are seeing the evolution of the strong safety posi-tion as more college and pro teams want a safety that isbig enough to play at the line of scrimmage but has goodenough cover skills.

Robinson shows he is a route jumper/route squeezerby stepping in and making interceptions and knockingdown passes. He just seems so comfortable in zone. Heruns great, is highly athletic and is a great blitzer.

Robinson is a running back on offense but will be adefensive player in college. He is another reason for col-lege recruiters to get up to northwest Ohio a bit more.

98. ** Craig Brooks (6-2, 215, DE/LB; Girard)“Relentless” is the one word that best describes Craig

Brooks. Brooks has a motor that just won’t quit. I wonderhow many tackles he has made in his career simplybecause he would not give up on a play.

He plays defensive end in high school he has more of alinebacker size. However, he is a big 6-2, 215 pounds andI thought he would be bigger just looking at him out thereon the field.

Brooks has long arms, does a really good job of gettingoff blocks and has an uncanny ability to beat doubleteams. How well he runs this summer is going to say a lotabout who is going to come in on him. If he shows line-backer speed there will be a completely different offer listfor Craig Brooks.

99. ** Jordan Graham (6-1, 250, DL/OL; Canfield)Graham is an explosive, athletic, disruptive force that

the the major college programs will not come in onbecause he lacks size.

He is an excellent offensive lineman that comes off theball with a punch always knocking back his assigned tar-get. He has more pancake blocks pound-for-pound thananyone.

Now that I have built him up as an offensive lineman I

will say that I think he is a defensiveplayer at the next level. He is off theball with such quickness that he isoften by the offensive linemenbefore they know the ball issnapped. He is very disruptive but itis not simply a matter of disruptingthe play – Graham can run. He reg-ularly runs down backs once he isin the backfield.

A couple of inches taller and Ithink Graham would be getting Big Ten offers.

100. ** Keith Herring (5-11, 200, TB; Massillon Washington)The past couple of seasons, Herring has had so much

talent around him. Last year, he had top ten athlete andIllinois recruit Brian Gamble in front of him to share carrieswith and top ten junior to be Justin Turner behind him. Hejust never got enough carries and to really step into thespotlight.

Herring rushed for 546 yards and seven touchdownsdespite the crowded backfield, however. He has the bestspeed of the talented trio of backs at Massillon last yearwith a sub 4.4 40.

He is a well put together kid. He is effective betweenthe tackles and in space and he is a brutally efficient run-ner. There is no wasted movement as he gets in the holeand out of the hole. Once he sees daylight, he has thespeed to take it the distance.

I suspect Herring’s speed and solid size are going toboost his stock this summer at camp but having thechance at more carries next fall is what is going to fill hismailbox with offers.

101. ** Andrew Radakovich (6-5, 275, OL; Steubenville)Steubenville quarterback Zack Collaros was one of the

most effective football players in Ohio high school footballhistory. No skill player is going tohave the career he had withoutsome help up front like he had fromRadakovich.

Radakovich shows really goodfeet and good form along with sometenacity but what is not on there isthe size.

“Upside” is one of the words youalways hear when recruiting is thesubject and there is plenty of upsidehere. In the Steubenville system, hewill have had excellent coaching and he has some experi-ence as a pass blocker.

He is likely going to need to show that new body aftergrowing some in the offseason and what he can do withon the field next season before the offers start coming in.But come next January, Radakovich is a name that I thinkeveryone will be hearing and he will be much higher onthis list.

102. ** Steve Schott (6-1, 165, K; Massillon Washington)I have never had a top-100 kicker – not that I can

remember at least – but this year I have two. Both havebeen so good it is hard to ignore.

Steve Schott is 23-of-34 on fieldgoals in his first three years and heis 133-of-140 on PATs accountingfor 202 total points – 44 from thestate record with a year to go.

Last year, he was 3-for-3 on fieldgoals over 40 yards with his longestin a game being 47 yards. Hislongest in practice is 60 yards and Iknow that is practice, but kickersjust don’t often get opportunities totry kicks from that distance. It shows he has the leg to getit there.

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Schott has been contacted by over 50 Division I collegesso far including UCLA, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame,Texas, Florida, Virginia, Boston College, LSU, Iowa, Illinois,Northwestern, Duke, Wisconsin, Hawaii and WashingtonState.

Schott has a 4.8 40 and when the kicker is the last line ofdefense, it is nice to have someone back there that at leasthas a shot ay making the tackle.

103. ** Marquis Powell (6-5, 185, WR; Hamilton)This is one of the real diamonds in the rough for the class

of 2008. Last season was Powell’s first as a football playerand he only played the first six weeks as a result of an injury,so he does not have a years worth of development under hisbelt.

Powell showed hands and a feel for the game. So manybasketball player first kids that come over to play football showgood hands and he is one of them. He naturally catches theball with his hands not his body.

Hamilton head coach Jim Place says he is back, commit-ted to football and running very well. He is an outstandingblocker and plays physical in general. He takes on defendersafter the catch and never seems to go down on first contact.

Powell has a very tight end style of game. In fact, I think helikely makes his mark as a tight end in the future. He has theframe to grow into one.

104. ** Joe Madsen (6-4, 270, OL; Chardon)What a powerhouse Madsen is. He has impressive weight-

room numbers with a 365-pound bench press, a 405-poundparallel squat and a 275-pound power clean but I really didnot need to see those numbers to come to that conclusion.

Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Russell said basketballwas a contact sport, while football was a collision sport. JoeMadsen brings that point home.

Madsen is like a human bowling pin knocking defensiveplayers all over the field. I saw him score two pancake blockson one play. On another, he shows the nasty streak I want tosee in a lineman knocking defenders down that get right backup. He is quick enough to get into the second level to makeblocks.

He does not look the part but has a 4.9 40. Madsen is alsoa very disruptive at defensive tackle. He has a non-stop motorcollecting five sacks and 16 tackles for loss. Chardon headcoach Bob Francis drops him back in zone coverage. This isnot a body-beautiful athlete but he is one good looking footballplayer. Madsen is likely a guard at the next level.

105. ** Matt Greiser (6-5, 305, OL; Columbus Watterson)Greiser is a big-framed kid that is just now coming into his

own. He stepped into the starting lineup for the first time as ajunior. I have seen him up close and the size is legitimate. Heis a high school tackle but I think he projects as a guard at thenext level.

The camp and combine circuit could be a revelation forhim. If Greiser does well there, I am sure that there are goingto be plenty of eyes on him early next season.

Since Greiser is just now getting into the starting lineupsays he is still raw but he played well enough to catch my eye.

Michigan and Michigan State have taken notice and hehas been to games at Michigan and attended Ohio Statecamp last summer. Someone that has a good situation on theoffensive line could do themselves a favor taking a latebloomer like Greiser and letting him mature a bit.

106. ** Nick Scott (6-5, 265, OL; Bedford)Feet and frame are the bedrock things that when evaluat-

ing offensive linemen. Ideally, a player will have a big frame toadd weight on and they need to be agile. Every college coachin America knows they can make anybody bigger andstronger but they want a frame to hang the weight on and thefeet to carry it well.

Nick Scott gets high marks in both categories.

He looks like an athlete with his V-shaped body at 265pounds and recently ran a 4.8 shuttle. He is a late bloomerjust breaking into the starting lineup as a junior.

Scott is athletic enough to get spot duty as a defensiveend. He impressed at his first combine this year at theNational High School All-Star Combine in Cleveland. He wasan invitee to two Ohio State games last year and is a cousinof former Buckeye defensive end Jay Richardson.

107. ** Sean McCarthy (6-3, 265, OL; Toledo St. Francis DeSales)McCarthy is one of the more effective offensive linemen in

Ohio, and one of the most versatile. He played all over theoffensive line for DeSales but mostly played right tackle. I thinkhe will be a guard at the next level.

McCarthy has good feet and once he locks a defender upthat defender is out of the play. He shows good athleticism aslong time head coach Dick Cromwell has no qualms aboutsending him out to make second level blocks.

He was in attendance at two Ohio State games by invita-tion of the Buckeye staff, including the Michigan game. Hewas not a camp attendee at any of the big camps last yeardue to other commitments but will camp this year.

Size is going to be a factor. McCarthy needs to add weight.He has the frame and it is always my thinking that it is betterto have a player that needs to add weight than it is one whoneeds to lose weight.

108. ** Zach Brown (6-2, 285, OG; Canal Winchester)I think everyone is taking a wait-and-see attitude with Zach

Brown. It all depends on how well Zack Brown comes backfrom a season-ending knee injury.

Brown was showing well at camps and combines beforethe injury and he is a tough, physical kid that is going to getlooks at defensive tackle as well as guard. I think he is a littlebetter on defense right now but his size may push him to theoffensive side of the ball.

The injury may force him to prove he has fully recoveredwith a few solid games next season before he sees the offerscome rolling in. He is still hearing from a who’s who of collegefootball, though, with Notre Dame, Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin,Duke, Florida State, Boston College, Connecticut and Akronleading the way.

109. **** Harold Coates (6-3, 315, OL; Youngstown Ursuline)Talk about coming out of nowhere. I had never heard the

name Harold Coates until January. He was nowhere on theradar. Linemen come along slowly and Harold Coates is theproof.

He is playing left tackle in high school and has the feet toplay tackle but his height seems to dictate a move to guard.He has the wingspan of a much taller player.

No lineman in Ohio comes off the ball quite like Coates. Hereally brings it. His punch is something to see as he takes hisman out of the play right away in most instances simply byblowing them back off the snap.Coates has good technique and real-ly stays with it.

He plays the game with the kind ofnasty that is often the differencebetween a really good lineman and areally great one.

He is just now coming into hisown, so his upside is exciting. He hashis weight under control and this is a290 pound kid that is supposed toweigh 290 pounds.

Ursuline is loaded with talent so this under the radar playerwill not stay under the radar for long. The position Coatesends up in college is going to depend on the needs of theschools he chooses.

It is not often that I find myself not being able to project alineman as an inside player or a tackle but Coates has toolsthat make him a potential player anywhere along the offensiveline.

Grades are going to be the issue here. With his academics

in order, Coates is a top 20 player and he would have a who’swho of college football powerhouses on his offer list.

110. *** Chaz King (6-1, 205, LB; Cincinnati Winton Woods)If you are a coach reading this, write the name down. If you

are a fan and go to high school games, write the name down. I have been talking about this linebacker class for some

time and the names for long-time subscribers are now etchedin your memory. This is another one to add to that list. ChazKing is the best linebacker nobody has been talking about.

He hits like a player 50 pounds heavier. He can run and hehas a nose for the ball that is second to none.

King does not have to take a back seat to any linebacker inthis class and is a lot like Dewey Elliott of Hamilton from lastyear. He is athletic enough to be an outside linebacker andphysical enough to play inside but I think he end up in theinside player. He is one of those kids that will add plenty ofweight in time. It is up to King whether he is a college playeror not. He needs to get his nose in the books and is still has ashot at making it. King is 50 or 60 spots higher if he were asure qualifier.

111. **** Anthony Oden (6-8, 280, ATH; Dayton Dunbar)The Ohio High top 100 is about the best college prospects

not the best high school players. They are not one in thesame. Most great college prospects are great high schoolplayers but in recruiting, the focus ofthis list, is about what players aregoing to be and not what they arenow. Part of being a great collegeprospect is about grades so we doconsider that element. That is whyAnthony Oden is at this spot in the top100. If he had his academics in order,he would be a top-30 player at thevery least. Oden is an exceptionallybig athlete. At 6-8, 280 pounds he isso athletic that he plays tight end onoffense. He looks like former Steelers tight end Eric Green. Heis that big and that athletic. What position he plays in collegewill be determined later. I know one high school coach thatthinks he could be a defensive end but I think he will be adefensive tackle or move over and be an offensive tackle.Anthony is the younger brother of Ohio State superstar bas-ketball center Greg Oden.

112. **** Darren Youngberg (6-2, 190, S; Clayton Northmont)I remember Northmont head coach Lance Schneider telling

me right after Kurt Coleman committed to Ohio State that hehad another that would be the samekind of athlete. After seeing Coleman’svideo, I wrote that off as a coach thatjust loves his kids. Coleman is the realdeal and now that I have seenYoungberg, it is obvious that coachwas not just being the biggest fan ofall his kids.

Youngberg is special. Mooney’sDan McCarthy is the only defensiveback in the class that is better thanYoungberg. They are both about thesame size and offer versatility because they are both comfort-able at the line of scrimmage yet have top drawer cover skillsso they can play either strong safety or free safety. Youngberghas such range. On one play last year, he was up close to theline of scrimmage facing a tight formation with only one widereceiver. The offense used play-action to draw everyone upthat much more. Youngberg saw it and had the speed to getback and knock the ball down. When the ball is in the air heattacks it like it is being thrown to him. Youngberg is probablygoing to have to go the prep school route but this is one of thebest athletes in the state of Ohio. I have to have him in the top100.

If he were sure to play college football next year he wouldbe in the top 25. — OH

NF

GH

GH


Duane Long ’s Others to Watch

QuarterbacksColton Catani 6-2/180 Liberty Twp. Lakota EastZach Domicone 6-1/185 BeavercreekRyan Hughes 6-2/200 Carroll Bloom-CarrollMarc Kanetsky 6-0/180 HubbardMatt Krumpak 6-1/190 McDonaldJordan Miller 6-3/215 New PhiladelphiaMickey Mohner 6-3/190 Painesville Harvey Dave Nehlan 6-1/185 BrookfieldRuss Oltorik 6-1/185 Cincinnati Moeller Shane Porter 6-1/190 Portsmouth Ryan Radcliff 6-1.5/200 Sherwood FairviewCody Reardon 6-2/200 New Richmond Patrick Ryan 6-2/170 Cleveland St. IgnatiusBart Tanski 6-2/200 Mentor

Running BacksSir Abernathy 5-9/180 Cincinnati WithrowJames Cravens 6-0/220 CentervilleStephen Curtis 5-9/180 Huber Heights WayneLarry Dawson 6-1/190 Akron NorthDominic Goodwin 5-8/180 Lakewood St. EdwardAnthony Hitchens 5-10/170 ChillicotheChevis Jackson 6-0/200 Cincinnati FinneytownDrew Jones 5-10/180 WadsworthWilliam Lowe 5-10/165 Cleveland GlenvilleIshmael Pope 5-10/205 Cincinnati WithrowTravis Smith 5-10/190 East Cleveland ShawLes Tabor 5-10/220 Niles McKinley Damon Taylor 5-10/170 Fairfield Sam Valiquette 5-10/210 Youngstown StruthersJeff White 5-9/185 AllianceDorian West 5-9/205 Cincinnati PrincetonParis Wicks 5-9/175 Akron Ellet

Wide ReceiversJordan Bell 5-11/180 Barberton Brandon Boyd 6-4/200 Springfield South Kendal Coleman 6-0/185 HillsboroAndy Cruse 6-4/205 Cincinnati TurpinJeff Davis 6-1/175 Springfield NorthSteve Davis 5-10/175 SteubenvilleTorrieal Gibson 5-9/140 Cleveland GlenvilleCorey Gilbert 6-1/180 SanduskyJosh McCloud 6-0/170 West Carrollton Isaiah Mincy 6-1/160 Cincinnati WithrowAnthony Mullen 6-2/180 Niles McKinleyNick Olthaus 6-1/170 Cincinnati ElderMatt Rinehart 5-11/160 DoverTeddy Robb 6-1/175 Canal Fulton NʼthwestAnthony Steplight 5-10/170 Garfield HeightsClay Swigert 6-0/170 LouisvilleMatt Wakulchik 6-1/175 North Canton HooverTyler Walker 6-1/175 HamiltonRay West 5-7/170 Springfield South

Offensive LinemenIsaac Anderson 6-4/290 Upper SanduskyJay Campbell 6-5/280 New AlbanyNate Carman 6-4/275 WellsvilleVince Carter 6-3/270 Clayton NorthmontReggie Comeaux 6-4/310 Massillon WashingtonDavid Dick 6-3/280 Chaminade-JulienneTim German 6-6/280 Newark Licking ValleyTim Goodman 6-6/290 Copley Kurt Hanenkrath 6-7/265 AyersvilleChad Hounshell 6-4/290 Mentor Lake Catholic

Maurice Harris 6-5/270 Youngstown EastKevin Kroger 6-4/230 Toledo WhitmerAaron Van Kullken 6-7/285 Cincinnati Turpin

Tight EndChristian Hanna 6-3/237 Shaker HeightsJosh Lott 6-2/240 Warren HowlandTom Klempin 6-7/190 Pickerington CentralKyle Corbin 6-2/190 Tippecanoe

Defensive LinemenChandler Burden 6-5/250 Cincinnati LaSalle John Hiles 6-3/255 Columbus DeSales Jake Hochendoner 6-2/230 Poland Seminary Corey Holt 6-3/265 Trotwood-MadisonZack Leimberger 6-2/215 W. Chester Lakota WestAaron Lowe 6-0/285 Clayton Northmont Chad Maynard 6-3/290 LancasterDan McClendon 6-3/280 Col. Walnut Ridge Matt Rose 6-2/230 Canton GlenOakMatt Snovak 6-2/250 Youngstown BoardmanJosh Spillman 6-1/240 Franklin Heights Blake Steward 6-0/250 Cincinnati WithrowSteven Thomas 6-2/230 East Cleveland ShawSteve Yoder 6-5/255 Massillon Washington

LinebackersDaʼJouir Cornnielies 5-11/218 MiddletownFred Craig 6-1/205 Cincinnati St. XavierKevin Dahl 6-0/220 North Canton HooverAlex Gideon 6-2/220 HudsonSteven Greer 6-2/210 SolonSteve Hangehold 6-2/205 Cincinnati Elder Miles Harp 5-10/215 W. Chester Lakota WestDustin Harrison 6-0/230 Huber Heights Wayne Luke Kelly 6-4/220 Cincinnati TurpinJ.J. Laseak 6-2/210 MentorMike Latessa 6-1/190 Cincinnati SycamoreGrant Lewis 6-1/200 Westerville NorthEmmett Lydon 6-2/225 Cleveland St. IgnatiusDamien Macintosh 6-3/205 HamiltonMike Niam 6-2/220 HudsonRay Parry 6-1/225 MaumeeEric Polen 6-3/210 Youngstown BoardmanNick Schneider 6-3/220 Cincinnati St. XavierJared Suvak 6-1/230 Sunbury Big Walnut Dean Walker 6-1/190 Cincinnati LaSalleTrevante Wallace 6-2/220 Columbus BrookhavenTyler Wilson 5-10/215 W. Milton Milton-UnionKirk Wetherell 6-2/195 Marietta

CornerbacksPatrick Bourne 6-0/190 HamiltonD.J. Brown 5-11/177 W. Chester Lakota West Mark Carrocce 5-11/180 CanfieldDarrian Cordell 5-11/175 BeechcroftCole Hanlin 5-8/170 CopleyBerchard Hines 5-10/175 Cleveland GlenvilleBrandon Mingo 5-8/150 Canton McKinleyRavelle Sadler 5-10/175 Cincinnati ColerainRyan Smoot 5-8/176 Columbus AfricentricIsaiah Thompson 5-10/165 Col. Bishop HartleyCameron West 5-11/175 Dresden Tri-ValleyMike Willey 6-0/170 Miamisburg

SafetiesJimmy Ferguson 6-2/195 BarbertonMatt Foor 5-10/200 W. Chester Lakota WestSteve Gardiner 6-1/205 Dublin Coffman Dominique Sams 6-2/210 Trotwood-Madison

AthletesRyan Clark 5-11/185 Columbus DeSalesPat Fening 5-11/180 CanfieldT.J. Viscuso 5-11/170 Uniontown Lake

SpecialistsDanny Milligan 5-11/180 Cincinnati St. Xavier

Others To WatchGabe Patten 6-4/240 W. Chester Lakota WestEric Sluszka 6-4/290 Westerville NorthGrady Spidell 6-4/305 Akron North



Centerville’s James Cravens (top)and Cincinnati Moeller’s Russ Oltorikare two offensive players who aregarnering attention for thier skills.


Nor thwestern Recrui ts

ining top football talent in thestate of Ohio isn’t easy to do ifyou’re a school other than OhioState. But there are someschools who manage to do a

pretty good at getting some of the state’s topplayers that the Buckeyes don’t seem to havean interest in. Northwestern seems to be oneof them.Recent gridiron standouts from Ohio like

Jeff Backes, Barry Cofield, Adam Kadela andTyrell Sutton are a few of the players thathave matriculated to Northwestern after beingsnubbed, for whatever reason, by their home-state university. Both Backes and Sutton, in2000 and 2004, respectively, were Mr.Football award winners in Ohio in their senioryear.And back in February on national signing

day, the Wildcats inked three more top-ratedprospects from Ohio that the Buckeyes obvi-ously couldn’t find any room for in their 15-member recruiting class. David Arnold fromCopley, Jordan Mabin from MacedoniaNordonia and Vincent Brown from LisbonDavid Anderson all picked Northwestern to bethe place for each of them to continue their

respective football careers. All three of theseyoung men couldn’t be more excited abouttheir future with the Wildcat program.Arnold took official visits to Syracuse,

Indiana and Northwestern and camped atMichigan and Ohio State before he eventuallycommitted to Northwestern."I had other Big Ten offers from Indiana and

Illinois and, basically, I had my mind set onplaying in the Big Ten," said Arnold who’sfather, David Arnold, was an All-Big Tendefensive back at the University of Michigan."I finally decided that Northwestern was theplace I wanted to be after I took a visit there.It’s 10 minutes from downtown Chicago.Evanston is a beautiful campus. There’s smallclasses. And that degree is amazing. So all ofthat pretty much had me won over and, again,it’s Big Ten football. So I figured that was mybest option."The tragic passing of head coach Randy

Walker was never a factor in the recruitmentof Arnold to Northwestern."Actually, I didn’t even get recruited by him.

I never got a chance to speak with him oranything," Arnold said. "Coach Fitz (PatFitzgerald) recruited me and everything

worked out because we have a great incom-ing freshman class. Me, Jordan, Mike Boldenand Cameron Joplin from Ann Arbor, that’swhere I’m from Ann Arbor, we’re all prettygood friends and it’s just going to get betteronce we get on campus and start workingtogether. Bolden is a cornerback out ofEvanston, right where Northwestern is, andhis dad went to Michigan along with my dadso it’s kind of funny how things work out."Tyrell Sutton from nearby Archbishop

Hoban in Akron was never really a factor inArnold’s recruitment, either."I didn’t actually talk to him until I took a

visit there and he wasn’t really a big part ofmy recruitment," Arnold said. "But it’s a greatopportunity to get to play with him being that Iplayed with Delone (Carter from Copley),that’s two Mr. Football’s both from the samearea (both actually played at Hoban on thesame team at one time), so that’s pretty coolto me, too."It’s just a good fit overall for Arnold at

Northwestern."It was always my dream to play Division I

football so I’m just really excited about thatreally, basically achieving that goal," he said.

M

STORY BY GARY HOUSTEAUPhoto by Gary Housteau

Northwestern recruit Jordan Mabin (left) poses with current Northwestern running back TyrellSutton during Sutton’s senior season two years ago.



"So I’m just looking forward to moving onand growing as a person and as a footballplayer and Northwestern gives me that oppor-tunity. It wasn’t an easy decision but I believeit’s the best decision and that’s why I picked it."The education part of getting a football

scholarship there is certainly bonus for Arnold."I just got a $200,000 scholarship to one of

the best schools in the country by being ableto play football and that’s very important," hesaid. "I want to get a minor in business and Iwant to try to avoid as many math classes aspossible. But I’m not really sure what I want tomajor in yet. Preferably, something in thesports area but I’m not really sure about amajor right now."After his track career at Copley comes to

end, Arnold will shift his complete focus tofootball."I need to get in the weight room to get in

top physical condition to play against theseguys and learn more about the coverages,"he said. "At Copley, we only, basically, ranCover-3 and I just had to worry about a deep3rd, so I just need to learn more about thegame." Northwestern recruited Arnold to play free

safety for the Wildcats."Wherever they need me the quickest is

where I’m going to play," Arnold said. "I don’thave a problem with safety but I like receivertoo and I wouldn’t mind playing on the offen-sive side of the ball. But wherever they needme and wherever I fit in is okay with me."At 6-1 and 190 pounds, Arnold, who also

stars on the track team at Copley, has playedwide receiver and last year at running backon offense, in addition to playing in the defen-sive backfield for the Indians."I believe I’m a good DB, just flying to the

ball, getting interceptions and making tack-les," he said. "But I also believe I have greathands and I can catch the ball and I can goup and jump and get the ball if I need to. Andmy speed is pretty good too. So I wouldn’tmind playing receiver also. Either way is finewith me. I’ve always played way."Arnold will play in the North-South game

this summer before he goes to Northwestern."The North-South game is on June 16 and

I’ll be in Columbus from June 10-16 for that,"he said. "I’ll probably get in summer schooland if I’m in summer school I’ll be leavingright after the North-South game. I believeclasses start on June 18."If things go well for Arnold at Northwestern

he’ll be back in Columbus during the 2007season. He has the Ohio State game alreadycircled on his calendar."I’m already looking at that," said Arnold

with a chuckle. "Sept. 22 is against OSU, aweek after my birthday. I’ll be 18. I’m a young-ster."

He holds no grudges against Ohio State orMichigan, for that matter, for not being pur-sued by either school."It would have been nice but I’m not both-

ered by it," Arnold said. "I believe I made agreat decision, especially on the academicside, you can’t go wrong with that. So that’sthe number on priority, to get that degree andget a good job. So I don’t have any regrets oranything like that. I’m happy."Mabin is happy about his decision to go to

Northwestern also. And by getting a playerwith Mabin’s abilities, the feeling has to bemutual from the Wildcats point of view.Arguably one of the most dynamic three-

way talents to ever be produced from theBuckeye state, Mabin had 6,700 career rush-ing yards, including 2,354 yards and 28 rush-ing touchdowns in his senior year alone, and81 career rushing TDs. His complete list ofcareer numbers is extremely impressive tosay the least. In addition to rushing for more than 1,000

yards in each of his four seasons at Nordonia,Mabin scored 92 career touchdowns with fiveof those coming on receptions and three eachfrom kickoff and punt returns. His 11 careerinterceptions on defense was a school record.The list goes on and on.And despite all of the gaudy statistics he

produced throughout his career on the offen-sive side of the ball, Mabin was recruited toNorthwestern to play cornerback on thedefensive side of the ball."It was my decision for most of the schools

that were recruiting me," said Mabin, who hadsurgery in late March on his shoulder that heinjured in week two. He partially tore his rota-tor cuff and played the balance of the seasonwith it.

"I know, with my body type and the wearand tear and everything like that, I thought Iwould be more suitable for the defensive sideof the ball. That’s not saying that, if that does-n’t work out I definitely would be willing, ifthey needed to put me at running back orsomewhere on offense, to jump in there ifthey needed a spot filled. But I thoughtdefense would fit me a little better at the col-lege level."He certainly thinks he’s going to miss play-

ing on offense."I think I will miss it since I’ve been doing it

for so long," said Mabin, who never missedplaying in a game, even with the shoulderinjury, during his four years with the Knights."Hopefully I can play some special teams so Ican get the ball in my hands that way. Thatwould be great, too. But, like I said, if they arewilling and if they need me I would definitelyjump in there and wouldn’t blink an eye. But Iwanted to play defensive back."Like Mabin, Sutton, who was very durable

in high school also, was a very prolific runningback and finished his prep career as thestate’s all-time rushing leader. Mabin is nowsixth on the all-time list in Ohio. "I remember when I was a sophomore I

was in a photo shoot with him and he wasjust a great guy then. That was the first timethat I actually met him," Mabin said. "So it’s just great knowing that he went to

Northwestern and he’s from around here aswell."But unfortunately both players were consid-

ered to be too small to get an offer from someof the "big-time" programs."A lot of other schools overlooked him, too,"

said Mabin who’s listed at 5-11 and 175pounds on Northwestern University’s officialathletic website. "And knowing that he’s hadsuccess and has prospered at Northwestern,that definitely gives me a lot of encourage-ment and makes me want to strive to do bet-ter. And hopefully I’ll have the same resultsthat he got."And like Arnold, Mabin holds no grudges

against some of the schools that passed onhim."I know those schools were looking for

someone that fit their prototype and I guessthat wasn’t me," said Mabin who also has acouple of big game dates highlighted on hiscalendar. "They were just doing what they had to do

and I don’t hold any grudges. But I know thatwill just give me a little extra motivation whenwe play them."Northwestern was the right choice for

Mabin in the end. He picked the Wildcats overPittsburgh. "Someone once told me when you find the

college you’re going to pick, you’ll know it.

Photo by Gary HousteauCopley senior

David Arnold isheading to

Northwestern toplay free safety.



"And I visited a lot of schools through thewhole process and before I visitedNorthwestern I didn’t feel like I belonged toany school. So when my dad said, ‘Hey, let’sgo visit Northwestern,’ I didn’t really knowmuch about them at the time and it was fivehours away but I said alright. And the firsttime I got there I just fell in love with theplace."According to Mabin, there were so many

positives about Northwestern."With Coach Fitz and the young coaching

staff, you could just tell they’re headed in theright direction," he said. "And of course it’s inthe Big Ten so that’s another plus. I just knewonce I got there and when I came back on myofficial visit I had so much fun so I knew itwas home. My home away from home."Mabin never met Coach Walker, either. "I never got to talk to him. The week we

were going to go up to Northwestern is theweek he passed away," Mabin said. "I thinkmy dad talked to him once or twice but Inever got to talk to him. It was just a sad time,I know, for the whole Northwestern communi-ty."His goals under Coach Fitzgerald are fairly

simple once he gets to Northwestern afterplaying in the Big 33 Football Classic in thesummer."I know I just have to go there and com-

pete," said Mabin, who will most likely get hisfirst shot at earning playing time forNorthwestern at cornerback and returningkicks and punts. "I’m not going to expect themto give me anything. I don’t want to think thatI’m going to come in and get a starting jobright away because that’s definitely not whatit’s going to be like. I definitely know it’s goingto be a lot of hard work and I’m up for thathard work. I’m ready and I’m willing to put inthe work because I’ve been working hard forfour years."Browne has been working hard just to get

back to the level he was physically before hesuffered a season-ending injury to his rightinjury in week three of the regular season.Coming from a Division V program that wasnot exactly known for churning out Division Iprospects Browne’s recruiting stock rose asfast and as steady as anyone’s in Ohio a yearago.And once Akron offered Browne and he

attended a few camps and combines, all ofthe big boys began to take notice of him.Eventually Browne decided to end the recruit-ing process so he could concentrate on hissenior year and he verbally committed toNorthwestern. Browne was on top of theworld. Until he sustained the injury, that is."It was horrible. It was tough," Browne said.

"So many things ran through my head. Whydid this happen to me? Am I going to be able

to play again? I was thinking aboutNorthwestern. I was thinking about a lot ofthings."But his focus immediately turned to rehabili-

tation."I went to a great surgeon. A world-renown

surgeon, luckily, out of Pittsburgh UPMC andthe rehab went well," Browne said. "Thingsare fine now. My knee is normal now, it reallyis. I’m just truly blessed and I’m really lucky toget back everything I had."With a healthy Browne in the lineup at the

Mike linebacker position, Lisbon won their firsttwo games and were on their way to winningtheir third game when Browne was injured."I got hurt in the first quarter, I was running

down on a kickoff and I blew my knee out. Soafter that I was done for the season," Brownesaid. "I tore my ACL and I tore my LCL and Itore my hamstring as well. It was not good."His early verbal commitment to

Northwestern was like a godsend. "How lucky I was. I can’t even describe it,"

said Browne, who committed to Northwesternin July. "I feel extremely blessed to have com-mitted then and have the coaching staff standby me through the whole thing. Everythingwas great."Just as Browne was starting to really reel in

some big offers last summer, he pulled thetrigger and committed the Wildcat program."I went there on a visit and I really liked the

campus," Browne said. "The coaches hadgreat attitudes and they didn’t sugarcoat any-thing. They were completely up front with methe entire recruiting process. And I liked theidea of getting such a great education andplaying Big Ten football as well. That’s why Ichose Northwestern."Browne unfortunately never got to meet

Coach Walker either."He’s actually the one who signed my

scholarship offer," Browne said, "but sadly Inever actually met Coach Walker."At 6-5 and 240 pounds, Browne will likely

play either defensive end or outside line-backer during his career with the Wildcats."They recruited me as a defensive athlete,"

Browne said. "With them tinkering around withthe 3-4 I can play the Buck linebacker whichis sort of a defensive end/outside linebackerhybrid or I can play a true defensive end. It alldepends on how I move and how big I getand things like that."He’s looking forward to making the very

most of his opportunities once he gets there."I cannot wait. I’m ecstatic," Browne said. "I

haven’t played football in so long it’s killingme. I can’t even wait to get out there and playfootball again. I can’t stand it. I’m just aboutecstatic about the upcoming season."The knee injury is clearly behind him now."I’m more concerned about jumping in there

and earning playing time. My knee won’t evenbe a factor by then," Browne said. "Right nowI’m able to do everything I was once able todo. I’m almost back to where my old strengthlevels were. Right now I’m just working ongetting my strength back and getting ready toplay."He's obviously very anxious to become a

Wildcat."I think about it every day and I can’t wait to

go," Browne said. "I’m ready to go now."Mabin feels the same way."I can’t wait to get to Northwestern now. I’m

not nervous and I’m just definitely excited andI’m feeling comfortable about the whole expe-rience," Mabin said. "I just can’t wait to getstarted."Arnold is expecting good things to happen

for him and his new teammates fromNortheast Ohio at Northwestern in the future."I believe we’re only going to get better,"

Arnold said. "Finishing off the season last year with that

win against Illinois, I was happy about that.Our goal is to get to the Rose Bowl or get to abowl game period. We have a little saying‘2054’ and that’s how many miles it is toPasadena from Evanston."Two other Ohioans, Ben Burkett, an offen-

sive tackle from Toledo St. John’s, and BrianPeters, a safety from Pickerington Central --the team that knocked Mabin’s Knights out inthe state semifinals with a 7-3 victory -- will tryto assist their fellow members ofNorthwestern’s 2007 recruiting class in help-ing to get the Wildcats back to Pasadena atsome point during their careers in Evanston."It’s great to be a Wildcat," Browne said.

"I’m sure it’ll be fun getting to know all of theguys." — OH

Photo by Stephanie Porter

Vincent Brownecommitted toNorthwestern inJuly and isworking torecover from aknee injury.


Cordale Scot t

t Glenville High School, just down the corner from E. 113th St.and St. Clair Ave. in Cleveland, earning a football scholarshipoffer to Ohio State means everything.Just ask Cordale Scott, a stellar two-way Tarblooder from the

Class of 2008 who, himself, was offered a scholarship to becomea Buckeye near the end of February."It means that you’re one of the key guys coming out of Glenville and

you’re one of the best players at Glenville," said Scott, who was a standoutat both wide receiver and safety last season. "You know Ohio State wantsthe best players from Glenville. So when they pick you that’s a big thing." This all started when Troy Smith earned the first Ohio State scholarship in

2002. Since then offers to "O-State" have been doled out to Donte Whitnerand Dareus Hiley (2003); Ted Ginn Jr. and Curtis Terry (2004); JamarioO’Neal and Freddie Lenix (2005); Robert Rose, Ray Small and BryantBrowning (2006); and, most recently, Jermale Hines (2007). Although Scott feels fortunate to be the next in line from Glenville to

receive a scholarship offer, he doesn’t consider himself to be lucky in anyway. "I don’t think it has anything to do with luck," Scott said. "I think it has

more to do with hard work and paying attention from when those guys werehere. Watching guys like Robert Rose and Ray Small and coming up as alittle kid watching Ted (Ginn Jr.) and just seeing what they all went throughwhen they were here. So I just did the same things they did and that’s whyI’m where I’m at."Having big-time talent certainly helps but Scott, more than anything else,

feels very blessed and elated just to be where he’s at right now."I’m just very happy because all of the hard work that I’ve done is paying

off," he said. "It’s just an honor knowing that I can continue to follow in all oftheir (previous players) footsteps and in a couple more years, around thistime, maybe I can be getting ready for the NFL draft like Ted. There’s just alot of things that run through your head when you get an offer from OhioState."So what exactly is the correlation between a Glenville player getting an

offer from Ohio State and actually committing?"I feel obligated to be a Buckeye because, with the pipeline and every-

thing, everybody wants you to go to Ohio State and you want to go to OhioState, but you still have to look at the other schools and see what they haveto offer," Scott said. "So it’s more about comparing things now and takingthings one day at a time while you ask God to guide you through every-thing."Scott’s slow approach gives rise to the notion that Glenville players tend

to wait to commit so that some of the other talented players at their school

get a look from some of the other schools that are doing the recruiting."Yeah, it helps to put other kids like Donnie Fletcher and William Lowe out

on the map because other schools want me,” Scott said. “Other schools canbe looking at them, too, while they’re looking at me. Since you’ve had suc-cess, you want your brother to have success. You want him to get as manyoffers as you get. I wish everybody that went to Glenville could get an offerfrom Ohio State, but that can’t happen."So Scott is obviously in no hurry to commit to Ohio State or any other uni-

versity for that matter."I just have to stay focused on what’s directly ahead of me for now," he

said. "I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I still have one more high schoolyear of football and I want to stay focused on that. I don’t want to rush intoanything. I want to be ready when I do commit to whatever school that Idecide to go to. If it is Ohio State, then I want to be ready to go there. I wantto know what I’m getting myself into so I can prepare myself for any obsta-cles that could come my way."But Scott, rated as the state’s No. 3 overall prospect by Ohio High, cer-

tainly can feel very secure about his future going into his senior season."It definitely feels good but I try not to think about it too much," Scott said.

"I’m still a junior in high school, but after the football season I’ll dwell on itmore and more. Right now, however, I just try to stay focused more on myteam, with me being a captain, and I don’t try to think about all of the offersthat I have, as much."In all likelihood, Scott won’t even consider making any kind of an official

commitment until after his senior season. He’s taken a few official visits."I have a very good relationship with Ohio State and they know how I feel


ACordale Scottalso excels forGlenville’s track

team, running the200 and 400.


Cordale Scot tSTORY BY GARY HOUSTEAU

about them," he said. "I have a good relationship with(receivers coach Darrell) Hazell, I call him every week so wekeep in contact. I’m learning more about them like they’relearning more about me."Even a few of the other recruits that Scott ran into while

he was at Ohio State’s pro day on March 10 couldn’t con-vince him to commit to Ohio State now."Of course, they tried," Scott said. "They don’t try to sway

you too hard but they just say that Ohio State is whereyou’re supposed to be."It seemed like "everybody" got in the act with regards to

recruiting when he Scott was at Ohio State on pro day."Even Ray (Small) and Rob (Rose) told me (about com-

mitting) a lot," Scott said. "And Coach Ginn tells me everyday."It was exciting in general for Scott to be a part of the

whole pro day experience at Ohio State."It was great. All of the coaches welcomed me with open

arms," Scott said. "I really enjoyed myself, meeting with all ofthe coaches and meeting other recruits such as MikeAdams and some of the other guys."In addition to Scott and Adams, many of Ohio State’s tar-

get recruits, like Mike Brewster and Andrew Sweat, were atthe WHAC that day, adding to the excitement of it all."You don’t come across that every day, seeing athletes

like yourself, top-notch athletes, so it was exciting," Scottsaid. "But now it seems like I see athletes like that every dayin track. I just saw Mike Adams at a track meet yesterday(March 31)."Scott actually arrived at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center

later in the morning than the other recruits so he missed outon watching the team workout that was held before the proday workout got underway."I talked with Coach Hazell for a little bit, I talked to Coach

Tressel, I talked to Coach Haynes and I talked to CoachJohnson," Scott said. "I had a host that showed me aroundand then I talked to some of the other recruits that werethere. The rest of the day I spent with Ray and Rob."Coach Hazell sort of broke down the 2008 recruiting class

for Scott when he met with him."He told me who the receivers were that they liked," Scott

said. "He said they liked DeVier Posey, me and JakeStoneburner. And he said there was this guy in Texas thatthey liked." Scott rode down to the pro day event that day from

Cleveland with Ted Ginn Sr. and Ted Ginn Jr.When it was all said and done at the end of the day,

Scott, who’s been to Ohio State many times, didn’t experi-ence anything new, good or bad, that would change the waythat he’s already thinking about OSU."It just gave Ohio State a big boost among the other

schools on my list," Scott said. "But I’m still weighing myoptions on several other schools."Wisconsin, Iowa, Marshall, Florida and even USC are a

few of the other schools that Scott still has interest in. And whatever school that he ends up at, Scott, although

he claims to have no real preference, will likely end up play-ing on the offensive side of the ball."I’m a football player and I just want to get on the field,"

Scott said. "I’ll play anywhere from safety to receiver, what-ever position gets me on the field quicker."That being said, Scott, admittedly hopes that he’ll be mak-

ing plays at the next level as a wide receiver.

"Wide receiver is my first love," said Scott, who wasrecently measured at 6-3 and 197 pounds and wasclocked at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash during acombine at the Cleveland Browns facility in Berea. "Ifeel that with my size and my speed, I can bring moreto my team as a playmaker on the field as a receiver." In reality, Scott, who plays aggressively at safety,

thinks that he can play on either side of the ball. "I just like playing football so it really doesn’t

matter," he said. "Receiver is just my first love.My uncle, Arthur Scott, played receiver whenhe was in high school and that’s who I lookup to, so that’s why I want to play receiver.And at safety, if you’re thirsty for the ball it’seasy to react to the ball when the ball is inthe air. It’s just like receiver but it’s ondefense."And he likes to play physical when he’s

playing on both sides of the ball."As far as the contact part of playing on

defense is concerned, coming fromGlenville if you can’t hit then you ain’tgoing to be on the field," Scott said."And as a receiver I like delivering theblows to the cornerback. I’m a big,physical guy. I like to play aggres-sive. I like to be physical."He’ll have one last chance to

showcase his overall skills thissummer when he, once again,goes for a ride on the GinnFoundation bus tour. Beforehe does that, Scott will tryto help his school’s trackteam win their fifth-con-secutive state title."I’m anchoring the

4x200 relay nowand it’s going well,"said Scott, whorecently ran a 22.1-second split during theindoor track season. "I’m getting a lot of experi-ence in track. This year for the outdoor seasonI’ll run the 4x200, the open 200, 4x400 and theopen 400."Eventually, Scott will have to announce

where he intends to hone his skills on thecollege level. Ohio State fans would like toknow that answer sooner rather than later."Be patient. Just be patient," said Scott,

who has already been to Ohio Stadium onmultiple occasions to watch theBuckeyes play. "Ohio State is a greatplace. I just love the fans, the atmos-phere and how I feel when I’mdown there. I feel like I’m athome when I’m there." It reminds him of Glenville."I just feel comfortable

there," Scott said. "It’s like abigger Glenville. I feel very com-fortable there." — OH

Cordale Scottis consideringOhio State,Wisconsin,Iowa, Floridaand USC.


Al l -Star Game Round-Up

For the second year in a row, Ohio’s top two high school football all-star games will be conducted simultaneously.The scheduling conflict first came about last year, when the Big 33

Football Classic moved its game up one month from July to the thirdSaturday in June. But that is when the Ohio North-South Classic hasalways conducted its game.The Big 33, based in Hershey, Pa., moved its game up a month so it

could continue to feature signees who are headed to top Division Ischools. In recent years, many of those signees have opted to enroll attheir college choice for summer school. Once signees enroll in thosesummer sessions, which usually begin in late June, they become ineligi-ble for all-star game competition.As a result, Ohio’s top players – who used to be able to play in both

games – are “drafted” by coaches onto one of the three all-star teams.The North and South squads will go head to head in the North-SouthClassic at Columbus Crew Stadium, while the Ohio all-stars will play aPennsylvania squad at Hersheypark Stadium. This marks the 15thstraight year Ohio will participate in the Big 33.A year ago, this experiment with a “watered down” Ohio team ended

up with a 61-42 Pennsylvania win in the Big 33 game. Organizers of theBig 33 game threatened a year ago to end their association with Ohio ifthe state’s coaching association failed to agree to send its top players toHershey each year. Big 33 organizers even discussed switching thePennsylvania opponent to a Maryland all-star team before receivingassurances that Ohio would send a representative team.And, yet, when the teams for this year’s all-star games were selected,

just three of the state’s top 20 prospects according to Ohio High wereselected for the Ohio Big 33 team. Seven top-20 prospects will be on theNorth side in the North-South game, while four top-20 players will be onthe South team. (Six top-20 players will not play in either game.)It remains unclear what the future will hold for the format of these two

all-star games.The Ohio North-South Classic has never drawn 10,000 people in the

six years since it moved from Stark County to Columbus Crew Stadium.Last year’s game drew 5,910.The Big 33 Football Classic typically draws between 15,000 and

20,000 fans and is regionally televised between the two states. Lastyear’s game drew a crowd of 14,043 to Hersheypark Stadium. Moreover,the Big 33 and its sponsors have raised over $400,000 for scholarshipsfor Ohio students.

Choosing SidesHere are details on both of these all-star games:* The Ohio North-South Classic – It will be contested 7 p.m. June 16

at Columbus Crew Stadium. The game, sponsored by GrangeInsurance, has been contested there every year since 2001.Columbiana head coach Bob Spaite will coach the North team. Some

of his key players include Copley defensive back David Arnold(Northwestern signee), Cleveland Glenville offensive lineman LeBronDaniel (Iowa), Warren Harding running back Daniel “Boom” Herron (OhioState), Cleveland Glenville linebacker Jermale Hines (Ohio State),Lakewood St. Edward defensive back Nate Oliver (Ohio State), ToledoCentral Catholic wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher (Ohio State), CantonSouth defensive back Devon Torrence (Ohio State) and Cuyahoga Falls

Walsh Jesuit offensive lineman Nick Schepis (Boston College).Wapakoneta’s Kevin Fell will coach the South squad. Notable players

include Chillicothe wide receiver Chris Givens (Miami, Ohio), HilliardDarby defensive lineman Antonio Jeremiah (Michigan State), CincinnatiMoeller linebacker Greg Jones (Michigan State), Westerville South defen-sive back Rocco Pentello (Ohio State), Piqua running back BrandonSaine (Ohio State), South Point quarterback Chris Smith (Marshall).Last year, the North squad prevailed 34-13 to widen its lead in the all-

time series to 36-22-3.Television details for this year’s North-South Classic had not been

resolved. Fox Sports Net televised the game on a tape-delayed basis lastyear and would have to do the same this year with Cincinnati Reds livecoverage slated for June 16.* Big 33 Football Classic – The Big 33 game, in its 50th year, is set

for 7 p.m., June 17, at Hersheypark Stadium. It is sponsored by PNCBank.Dover head coach Dan Ifft will coach the Ohio team. He will bring with

him his standout pitch-and-catch tandem of quarterback Perci Garnerand wide receiver Dan Ifft (Ball State signee).Other key members of the Ohio team include Cincinnati Colerain

defensive back Eugene Clifford (Ohio State), Steubenville quarterbackZach Collaros (Cincinnati), Westerville South wide receiver B.J.Cunningham (Michigan State), Massillon Washington safety AndrewDailey (Penn State), Massillon Washington running back Brian Gamble(Illinois), Macedonia Nordonia defensive back Jordan Mabin(Northwestern), Cleveland Glenville wide receiver Kyle Jefferson(Wisconsin), Cleveland Glenville defensive back Otis Merrill (Wisconsin)and Cincinnati Anderson offensive lineman Mark Wetterer (Louisville).The Pennsylvania all-stars won last year’s game 61-42 to tie the series

at 7-7 since it resumed in 1993. This year’s game will be televised nationally by the NFL Network and

regionally by the Comcast Network. Last year’s game was televised inOhio by the Ohio News Network. As of press time, it was unclear whetherONN will carry the game this year. — OH

Phot

o by

Ste

ve H

elwag

enOhio State recruits Nate Oliver (left) and Daniel “Boom”Herron will play in the North-South game.


Al l -Star Game Round-UpSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

June 16, 20077 p.m.

Columbus Crew StadiumColumbus, Ohio

June 16, 20077 p.m.

Hersheypark StadiumHershey, Pennsylvania

Head coach: Bob Spaite(Columbiana). Assistant coaches: Chris Dales(Ayersville), Derek Kidwell(Fremont Ross), Matt Jordan(Riverside), Ron Kuceyeski(Alliance), Chris Solis (Shelby).Players (colleges in parenthe-ses): David Arnold, DB, Copley(Northwestern); Charles Baab, QB,Alliance (Colgate); Sean Baker,WR, Canfield, (Ball State); MichaelBusch, K, Findlay Liberty-Benton;Nate Bowers, OL, SherwoodFairview; Ben Burkett, OL, ToledoSt. John's (Northwestern); LeBronDaniel, OL, Cleveland Glenville(Iowa); Dan Dario, LB, AkronHoban; Ryan Dugan, DB, Mentor;Chris Ferdinando, DL, PainesvilleRiverside; Sam Fikaris, DT,Mayfield; Austin Fritz, DE,Ayersville; Jordan Frank, DE, AvonLake; Brandon James, WR,Mentor; Maurice Jones, DB,

Youngstown Ursuline. Paul Hershey, WR, Fremont Ross;Dan Herron, RB, Warren G.Harding (Ohio State); JermaleHines, LB, Cleveland Glenville(Ohio State); Dan Noble, TE,Elyria; Marcus O'Hara, OL,Hubbard (Ohio); Nate Oliver, RB,Lakewood St. Edward (Ohio State);Justin Powell, DE, YoungstownBoardman; Ryan Ottney, QB,Fremont Ross; David Rach, LB,North Lima South Range; DaneSanzenbacher, WR, Toledo CentralCatholic (Ohio State); NathanSharp, OL, Beloit West Branch;William Sheeler, DB, CantonMcKinley; Nick Schepis, OL,Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit(Boston College); Devon Torrence,DB, Canton South (Ohio State);B.J. Taylor, OL, Shelby; EricThomas, DT, Cleveland Glenville(Indiana); Alan Vanderlink, DB,Mantua Crestwood (Kent State);Jaa'Rome Williams, LB, Elyria;Morgan Williams, RB, CantonMcKinley (Toledo).

North

Head coach: Kevin Fell(Wapakoneta). Assistant coaches: ShawnBuescher (West Jefferson), LarryCox (West Chester Lakota West),Chad Granstaff (Danville), HeathHinton (Wellston), Brett McLean(St. Clairsville).Players (colleges in parenthe-ses): Steve Bray, OL, CincinnatiTurpin; Barrett Brooks, OL,Galloway Westland; KendrickBruton, TE, Miamisburg (Miami,Ohio); Aaron Bates, K/P, NewConcord John Glenn (MichiganState); Phil Collier, DB, Piqua;Josh Copeland, DB, Fairborn(Buffalo); Ben Davis, OL, Piqua;Calvin Dixon, DL, CincinnatiColerain; Chris Givens, WR,Chillicothe (Miami, Ohio); CharlieHatcher, DL, Hamilton (Duke);Antonio Jeremiah, DL, HilliardDarby (Michigan State); GregJones, LB, Cincinnati Moeller(Michigan State); Skylar Jones,

QB, Middletown (Wake Forest);Jordan Jarrell, RB, PickeringtonCentral; Alex Kaufman, LB, WestChester Lakota West (Miami,Ohio); Sam Kershaw, LB, WestJefferson; Travis Lester, OL,Circleville.Trey Masciarelli, WR, Bellaire;Tamawi McGhee, WR, Steubenville(Toledo); John Nicolozakes, OL,Cambridge; Rocco Pentello, DB,Westerville South (Ohio State);Brian Peters, DB, PickeringtonCentral (Northwestern); AndyPuthoff, FB, St. Henry (Ball State);Tyler Replogle, LB, Centerville(Indiana); Ryan Randolph, WR,Olentangy; B.J. Reed, TE,Wapakoneta (Ashland); BrandonSaine, RB, Piqua (Ohio State);Chris Smith, QB, South Point(Marshall); Taylor Smith, DL,Danville; Tyler Smith, OL, Danville;Kendall Stinson, DB, Newark; WesShroder, OL, Cincinnati St. Xavier;Solomon Thomas, DE, WestChester Lakota West (Ohio State);Kasey Wendal, DB, GallowayWestland.

South

Head coach: Dan Ifft (Dover).Assistant coaches: Brian White(Hilliard Davidson), Steve Specht(Cincinnati St. Xavier), Ron Lewis(Rocky River), Bob Mihalik (Aurora),Justin Buttermore (Tri-Valley).Players (colleges in parentheses):Disi Alexander, WR/LB, CantonMcKinley (Toledo); Frank Becker, DL,Cincinnati Moeller (Cincinnati); EugeneClifford, S, Cincinnati Colerain (OhioState); Zach Collaros, QB/DB,Steubenville (Cincinnati); Zak Crum,OL, Westerville South (Toledo); B.J.Cunningham, WR, Westerville South(Michigan State); Andrew Dailey, S/LB,Massillon Washington (Penn State);Bruce Davis, LB, Cleveland Glenville(Iowa); Brady DeMell, OL/DL, Mentor;Frank Edmonds, RB, Lakewood St.Edward (Ball State); Debo Elias,FB/DL, Lakewood St. Edward; BrianGamble, RB/DB, MassillonWashington (Illinois); Perci Garner, QB,Dover (Mount Union); Dan Ifft, WR,

Dover (Ball State); Kyle Jefferson, WR,Cleveland Glenville (Wisconsin).Kevin Koncelik, OL, Cleveland St.Ignatius (Miami, Ohio); Kevin Kowalski,OL/DL, Macedonia Nordonia (Toledo);Caleb Lipsey, OL/DL, CincinnatiSycamore; Chris Littleton, OL,Harrison; Jordan Mabin, RB/DB,Macedonia Nordonia (Northwestern);Matt Merletti, RB, Cleveland St.Ignatius (North Carolina); Otis Merrill,DB, Cleveland Glenville (Wisconsin);Julian Miller, TE/LB, ColumbusBeechcroft (West Virginia); DiauntaeMorrow, DB, Lakewood St. Edward(Iowa); C.J. Peake, DB, Trotwood-Madison (Louisville); Chris Rucker,WR/DB, Warren Harding (MichiganState); Jon Saelinger, DB, CincinnatiSt. Xavier (Penn); Jeremy Shrieves,OL, Huber Heights Wayne (EasternMichigan); Nick Spadafore, K/P,Gahanna Lincoln; J.B. Strahler, TE/LB,Hilliard Davidson; George Tabron, LB,Canton McKinley (Ball State); MarkWetterer, OL, Cincinnati Anderson(Louisville); Anthony Wright, ATH,Maple Heights (Air Force).

Ohio

Head coach: Tom Loughram(South Park). Assistant coaches: GeorgeSmith (McKeesport Area), PatrickMonroe (Duquesne), Bob Wolfrum(Wyomissing), Danny Algeo(Cardinal OʼHara), Tim Moncman(Liberty).Players (colleges in parenthe-ses): Dan Persa, QB, Liberty(Northwestern); Chris Whitney,QB, St. Josephʼs Prep; HenryHynoski, RB, Southern Columbia(Pittsburgh); Max Suter, RB,Greensburg Central Catholic(Syracuse); Tim Cortazzo, WR,Penn Trafford; Derek Moye, WR,Rochester (Penn State); MarcusPayton, WR, Ridley; Josh Smith,WR, Wilson; Drew Astorino, DB,General McLane; Dom DeCicco,DB, Thomas Jefferson(Pittsburgh); Dom Joseph, DB,Roman Catholic; Kamryn Keys,DB, McKeesport; Rontez Miles,DB, Woodland Hills; Daryl

Robinson, DB, Northeast Catholic(Temple); Jeff Battipaglia, OL, St.Josephʼs Prep; Gary Bardzak, OL,Pottsville (Connecticut); JohnFieger, OL, Upper Perkiomen(Pittsburgh).Gino Gradkowski, OL, SetonLasalle (West Virginia); ChrisJacobson, OL, Keystone Oaks(Pittsburgh); Wayne Jones, OL,Bishop McCort; SteveWisniewski, OL, Pittsburgh CentralCatholic (Penn State); AndrewDevlin, DL, Mt. Lebanon; LarryGooden, DL, McKeesport; RobGronkowski, DL, Woodland Hills(Arizona); Corey Medina, DL,Kennett; Dane Conwell, LB, UpperSt. Clair; Devan Johnson, LB,Woodland Hills; Charles Marck,LB, Pennsbury (Connecticut);Travis Wolff, LB, Shaler; ChrisDrager, TE, Thomas Jefferson(Virginia Tech); Nathan Stupar, TE,State College (Penn State); ToneyClemons, ATH, Kensington Valley(Michigan); Lamont Smith, ATH,Pittsburgh Central Catholic; TomKondash, K/P, State College.

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