ohio high winter 2009

n sports you often see and hear about coaches and programsadjusting their schemes and game plans to fit the resources andplayers available. We here at Ohio High Magazine are doing the

same.As Ohio’s premiere prep publication we take

great pride in providing our loyal readers the besthigh school sports coverage available. We stillwill, but our playing surface is changing.Instead of the hardcopy periodical that it has

been thus far, Ohio High will become an onlinepublication in March, following the major trendthese days driven by the economics of publishing.We’re going from a traditional magazine to anEzine. Same great sportswriters; same great con-tent, design and photographs; same great coverage of Ohio highschool sports. The only difference is it’ll be digital.What’s this mean for our subscribers? More bang for their buck.Subscription costs will remain the same, but what you get won’t. In

addition to the four standard Ohio High issues, OH subscribers will alsoreceive a hefty dose of supplemental publications.The goal is to maintain our position as Ohio’s highschool sports leader and increase what we pro-vide our readers. Our ability to deliver magazinesto our subscribers’ desktop and not their doorstepwill also allow us to deliver more timely and up-to-date articles and news. Other benefits include aspecial viewer that makes reading a magazineonline more enjoyable; postal delays will be athing of the past; coverage will be more timelyand relevant; and it won’t cost readers a nickelmore to get all this.We will continue to print one issue a year,

which will be our July issue and tabbed as a col-lector’s item. The issue, which will be larger thanour past offerings, will be a “Year in Review” of the previous schoolyear and will also include the ever-popular and highly-anticipated HighSchool Football Preview. This issue will also be delivered digitally aswell and will be available as a stand-alone single issue.Our tentative digital schedule is as follows:* Winter Sports State Tournament Supplement (early April):

Winter sports state tournament recap and Players of the Yearannounced; Ohio High all-tournament teams for boys basketball, girlsbasketball and wrestling; Boys and Girls basketball recruiting updates.* Ohio High Spring Issue (early May): Release of the top football

prospects for the upcoming season; previews of summer All-Star foot-ball games; sport-specific features; and Ohio High Cup update.

* Spring Sports State Tournament Supplement (mid-June):Spring sports state tournament recap and Players of the Year.* Ohio High Summer Issue (early July, also available in PRINT):

2008-09 Year In Review (all sports); High School Football Preview;Recaps of summer all-star football games (Big 33 and North-Southgames); Ohio High Cup Final Standings.* Ohio High Fall Issue (late Sept): Player, team and program fea-

tures; recruiting updates.* High School Football Playoff Preview Supplement (early

November): Playoff Preview, Mr. Football Candidates, Updated recruitrankings and features, ESPN’s updated recruit rankings.* Winter Sports Preview Supplement (mid-November): High

School Boys and Girls basketball previews, wrestling previews.* Fall Sports State Tournament Supplement (mid-November): Fall

sports state tournament recap and Players of the Year (everything butfootball).* State Football Supplement (mid-December): State football finals

recaps and pictorials, ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio team and Player andCoach of the year announcements; recruiting updates.

* Ohio High Winter Issue (late-January):Features, Ohio High Cup update; RecruitingUpdates.* National Signing Day Supplement (mid-

February): A look at what happened on NationalSigning Day and where Ohio athletes (all sports)are headed; recruiting updates.We understand this change may create a hard-

ship for subscribers who do not have Internetaccess or do not want to view the magazine viathe web. We will offer refunds for any unused por-tion of subscriptions for those customers. Theyneed to simply contact us by calling (937) 853-2217.Before the Winter Sports State Tournament

Supplement issue is released online in late March, each magazine sub-scriber will receive instructions about having username and passwordaccess in order to read the online edition of that magazine. You willreceive this information through online announcements and/or by e-mailnotification.That being said, we’re excited for the switch and we know you will be

too once you see what we’re offering.For those subscribers who have been loyal, we thank you. For those

thinking of becoming subscribers, we invite you to do so. Times arechanging and so are we – for the better.

– Eric Frantz

Eric Frantz

Ohio High Magazine is going DigitalI

... Is Going Digital

JJHUDDLE.COM

Marion Local building a volleyball dynasty?21Neighboring districts make the state soccer finals16

2008 State Basketball Preview

The Huntington Bank/Ohio High annual awards presentedFall Sports Players of the Year6

Boys Overview56

The first standings for the sixth annual Ohio High Cup22

Boys Recruiting Update59Girls Overview62 Girls Recruiting Update65

Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

PrintingMiami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)

miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyStephanie Porter, Gary Housteau,

Nick Falzerano, Greg Beers, Os Figuero, ScottGrau, John Ritter, Suzie Feehan, Ben Barnes,

Joe Maiorana

ContributorsMarty Gitlin, Shayne Combs, BradMorris, Jeff Williams, Frank DiRenna

Staff WritersKirk Larrabee, Jeff Rapp,

Dave Biddle

Assistant EditorMatt Natali

Recruiting EditorsMark Porter, Bill Kurelic

Managing EditorEric Frantz

Order online atwww.jjhuddle.com. One

year ($19.95), two-year ($34.95) and three-year ($49.95) subscriptions available.

Subscriptions

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Harman at [email protected]

Questions, commentsor suggestions can be

sent to [email protected]. We encourageyour feedback.

Letters to Editor

Ohio High Magazine is published bi-monthly, four 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 $19.95 andmay be purchasedonline at jjhuddle.com. Single copy price is $6.95 each.Copyright 2009, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVER PHOTO: Greg Beers

c

Volume 6 Issue 3A look back at the state championships in all fall sports

Fall Sports State Tournaments14

National No. 1s David Taylor and Collin Palmer square offHistory Happens On The Mat47

Who to watch out for en route to and in ColumbusState Wrestling Preview50

Also...

Ohio High School Football2008 State Football Championships23ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio Team30Hoover’s Howard named Football POY34Logan Elm’s Bartholomew earns Football COY honors35Ursuline’s Jamel Turner one of Ohio’s top juniors36The ESPN 15038

Northland and San Diego meet at Flyin to the Hoop54

2009 Football Prospects: Where did they go?412010 Football Prospects: Who is looking good?442011 Football Prospects: Next in line46

Fal l Spor ts Players of the Year

J JHUDDLE .COM6 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

hat one player dominated the girls Division II state tennis tourna-ment is a bit unusual.That she surrendered one measly game until the title match

and just five throughout the event is amazing.That she was a freshman is absurd.

But indeed, that was the scenario played out by Gates Mills GilmourAcademy’s Lauren Davis, who swept through the entire season withoutso much as losing a set. And in Columbus, she won her first two match-es without dropping a game, blitzed her semifinal foe, 6-1, 6-0, then pol-ished off tough Gabby Steele of Cincinnati Country Day, 6-4, 6-0, for thetitle.Gee, you suppose she earned the Ohio High Magazine Player of the

Year award?Certainly, however, Davis was no

underdog. Despite just having turned 15,she is second in the nation in the UnitedStates Tennis Association (USTA) 16-and-under rankings. After she won the2008 National 16-and-under Hard CourtChampionship in San Diego last August,local newspapers were comparing her to

Tracy Austin and legendary Chris Evert.But unlike many past and current professional players who were

whacking forehands at the age of three, Davis didn’t even take up thesport until she was nine-years-old. So how did she rise to the top of theyouth charts in less than five years?Let her explain it.“I’m really athletic, so I caught on quickly,” she explains. “Sports come

easily to me.”Davis has also participated in soccer, basketball and track, but she is

by far most skilled in tennis. And though she occasionally receives a bitof a challenge at the high school level, she finds her strongest competi-tion in tournaments outside the area.In fact, Lancers coach Cyndi Smith believes the United States

Developmental Program, which grooms players for professional careers,might soon be courting Davis. That would force her to move to Florida orCalifornia.“I did get invited last year to California, but I would never consider

moving to California,” she says. “I like it here in Cleveland. But I really do

want to go pro. I mighthave to go to Florida,but for now I’mattached to Cleveland.Maybe in two years I’llgo.”The scary thought

for area high schoolplayers is that Daviscould return to play forthe Lancers and evenimprove her game.She has yet to decideif outside tournamentplay will prove too tax-ing and prevent herfrom competing forGilmour again.Though Davis

stresses that all areasof her game need work– particularly her serv-ing and volleying –Smith is overwhelmedby her talent.

“She’s just at a dif-ferent level,” Smith

says. “The funny thing is that she was always competing in tournamentsand doing very well, but now that she’s in high school, she’s getting a lotmore publicity. The head coach at Ohio State said that Lauren could playfor her team right now.“Lauren plays mainly at the baseline and she has just incredible bal-

ance. That’s her gift. Her body is never out of position and her strokealways looks just beautiful out there on the court. She’s never out of con-trol. She could have been a gymnast.”The talent of Davis, who overwhelms opponents with a wicked topspin

on both her forehand and backhand, motivated Smith to ask Gilmour ath-letic director Tom Bryan to load up the schedule. Area powerhouses suchas Avon Lake, Shaker Heights and Brecksville challenged the Lancers,who performed well enough to reach the semifinals in the state team ten-nis tournament.Gilmour lost in the semis, but beat defending Division II state champi-

on Lexington in the consolation round to place third.Davis punctuated the regular season by blanking Avon Lake first sin-

gles opponent Nikki Chiricosta, who entered the match at 16-0.

t was another great fall season inOhio high school athletics. OhioHigh is proud to partner with

Huntington Banks to present the playerof the year awards in 10 fall sports.The football player of the year award is

revealed on page 34. Here is a look atthe nine other player of the year awardwinners for the fall season.I

Boys & Girls Soccer

Boys & Girls Golf

Boys & Girls C.C.

Volleyball

Tennis

Field Hockey

LaurenDavis

Gates MillsGilmour Academy

Nationally-ranked Davis runsaway with D-II state title

Girls Tennis

T

Gilmour Academy

freshman Lauren Davis

PhotobyNickFalzerano


J JHUDDLE .COM 7JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

ason's Zach Wills is just entering the second half of his sopho-more year, but he is already being mentioned as possibly oneof the greats to ever run cross country and track in Ohio."As long as he stays healthy, he has the potential to be one

of the best in the country," Mason coach Tom Rapp said.Despite already winning a state title in each sport, Wills is reluctant to

discuss individual accolades. It's clear - he'd rather discuss his team-mates.Wills, who won the Division I state cross country championship in

November, is the Ohio High Magazine/Huntington Bank male cross coun-try runner of the year.In many ways, the 16-year-old (turns 17 on Jan. 1) is a typical teen-

ager who enjoys video games, movies and is not afraid to laugh at him-self either. But, as a competitor, he iswise beyond his years."I just take (the attention) as a normal,

everyday person would," said Wills,whose sister Katie is a former Masonsoftball standout now at AshlandUniversity. "I don't act like I am going toboast around about it. It's just an oppor-tunity to show people what I am about. Iam not just a state champion, but agood Christian also."Wills is involved with Athletes in Action

and the Grace Chapel Youth Ministry inMason.On his Web site, zacharywills.com, he

lists a Bible verse from Philippians: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition orvain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."Rapp says it's no surprise Wills is quick to recognize Mason's Division I

state title as the most important accomplishment this past fall."The happiest I've ever seen him was not when he won the state indi-

vidual cross country title, but a few minutes later when it was announcedthat our team had won the state title," Rapp said. "He's obviously a teamplayer."Rapp said Wills doesn't run the significant miles when he trains like his

peers, but he is able to maximize the most when he does compete."Physically, he is an aerobic machine," Rapp said. "Basically, his body

transports oxygen to the muscles and processes it far more efficiently

than most."Mason's first cross

country team title camein a strong performanceat Scioto Downs Nov. 1.The Comets defeatedsecond place HilliardDavidson by a 20-pointmargin as Wills won hisindividual title in15:15.66. Wills said heand the team focusedon place; he won byalmost 14 seconds froma field of 144 competi-tors."This last couple of

weeks has really hithow awesome (thestate meet) was," Willssaid the day afterThanksgiving. "Not verymany people havegone to the state cham-pionship. Winning teamand individual titles ishuge, but it's not onlythe individual title but

the team title was the most important to me."The Comets certainly had plenty of talent returning going into the sea-

son. Mason, which returned six runners, was favored early in the fall afterit finished 10th in the Division I state meet in 2007.That experience helped as the Comets won five invitationals along with

district, regional and state titles. The Greater Miami Conference meet (inwhich Wills did not participate) was the only time Mason didn't win."The (state) championship was obviously a great moment for all of us -

the culmination of literally thousands of miles of running," Rapp said.The running won't stop anytime soon for Wills, who will be one of the

state's top returning distance runners in track once the spring arrives.Although he planned to take a break during the winter, Wills is looking for-ward to the spring.Wills, who won the 3,200-meter title at Ohio State last spring, said he is

considering the possibility of competing in the 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200relay. The carryover effect from the Comets' state cross country title willhelp in track and field."I think it will be really positive," Wills said. "It established some people

to step up and brought a lot of confidence in our runners."Opposing teams have taken notice of the Comets' ability to perform

well in various meets. With two years left in his high school career, Willshas been the catalyst for Mason."Zach is hard charger who is very confident in his ability to win," West

Chester Lakota West coach Craig Myers said. "He makes everyonearound him in a race run better."That ability has certainly helped Wills catch the eye of several colleges.

Wills said he has received letters from the likes of Baylor, Duke and OhioState among others.It's still very early in the recruiting process, but Wills said he would defi-

nitely like a school that fits him academically and athletically.He said he plans to study a field within science, possibly biology or

Pre-Med."Zach is an A student, Rapp said, "with an occasional B thrown in

there."— Ohio High Staff

ZachWillsMason

Mason sophomoreWills Ohio'stop boys cross country runner

Boys Cross Country

M

Mason

sophomore

Zach Wills

Phot

oby

Nick

Falze

rano

Davis would certainly enjoy competing with her teammates again nextyear, but other considerations must be taken into account.“I don’t know what I’m going to do because this season just ended,”

she says. “But it was so much fun. I’ll make the decision if I’m going toplay high school tennis again next summer. I guess it will just depend onhow I’m doing.”But lest one think Davis never gets tired of traveling and competing,

one should think again.“I really don’t enjoy playing tournaments around the holidays,” she

says. “I have a tournament to play this Christmas, but it’s been a longtime since I’ve been able to celebrate a real Christmas. I’m really notlooking forward to playing.”That makes it even. Nobody who feels the need to win looks forward

to playing her either.— Marty Gitlin

wo-time state golf champion as an individual.Runner-up as an individual his freshman year.Two-time state champion as part of the Garaway Pirates.Kent State University signee.Junior golf tour standout in the offseason.

Girls’ basketball film guy?Such are the accomplishments and personality of Garaway senior

Kevin Miller, one of the best golfers the state of Ohio has ever seen whojust so happens to enjoy his duties as the film guy for the highly-success-ful Garaway girls’ basketball team nearly as much as the gold he’s wonon the links.“I like doing that behind-the-scenes kind of thing,” said Miller. “The girls

are the ones people come to see on the court and I can keep to myselfwhile helping them out.”“That’s the thing with Kevin – how many kids who have been as

accomplished in Ohio golf history would carry around a little camcorderand film girls’ basketball,” said Garaway golf coach Ryan Taggart, whohappens to be girls varsity assistant basketball coach as well. “Most kidswho are in Kevin’s shoes would want to be noticed but Kevin wants to bein the background at games.”Miller won his second-straight Division III state championship as an

individual this past Fall, firing a 2-day total of 141 to beat runner-up andfuture Kent State teammate NathanTarter of Mogadore by three strokes.Oh yeah, and his team also won its

second-straight title with a 631, bestingrunner-up Lima Catholic’s 639. He alsoled his team to its second-straight teamtitle and the third for the Pirates in thelast five years as they also took the titlewhen Miller was in the eighth grade in2004.For his accomplishments, Miller has

been named the Huntington Bank/OhioHigh Boys Golfer of the Year.Not that the even-keeled Miller would

acknowledge himself when told of the honor.“It still kind of catches me off guard when I sit back and think about

what I did and how I accomplished it,” said Miller. “But I’d put the teamhigher than the individual thing because of the experience of sharing itwith the team. Sure, you can enjoy the individual medal by yourself buthaving my teammates celebrate our team title was so amazing, especial-ly to do it two years in a row.”Winning two individual state championships put Miller in select compa-

ny as only 11 people have done it, including Jack Nicklaus and BenCurtis. His scholarship to Kent State will actually be the Ben and CandyCurtis Golf Scholarship and he will be just the second freshman toreceive it.“I think that the opportunities there (at Kent) with the tremendous prac-

tice facility, the coaches, the tradition and the academics will give me theopportunity to improve my game and have a solid academic base,” saidMiller.Miller’s 9-hole average for his career was 36.4 with an 18-hole aver-

age of 72.7. He averaged 31 putts per 18 holes while saving par 52 per-cent of the time. He hit 61 percent of his fairways and 70 percent ofgreens in regulation.

This season alone,Miller had an 18-holelow of 66 with an aver-age of 70.4 while hittingan amazing 75.3 of thefairways he played. Inwinning his second titlein as many years, hehit an even-par 72 onthe first day at ThePlayers Club at Foxfirein Lockbourne and a 3-under par 69 on thesecond day.“I play my own game

and I don’t worry aboutwhat other players aredoing,” said Miller. “If Imight make a goodshot or if I don’t hit theball really well, I try totreat every shot thesame. A lot of our fansand my teammateswould probably preferme to show more emo-tion but it’s just the wayI am.”

Taggart said Miller can act any way he wants because of his apprecia-tion for those who have worked hard for him.“He’s never had anything handed to him,” said Taggart. “He’s not a

country club golfer. His parents have worked hard to give him the oppor-tunities he’s had and he appreciates how hard his parents (Roy andViola) have worked for him. Golf isn’t a sport where you can just pick upa ball and go play for free somewhere.“He knows people have made sacrifices to provide him opportunities

and it has allowed him to have a humble perspective that has certainlyassisted him in his success.”Miller has also had success at the junior level and admits to a goal of

someday playing professionally, although he wants to enjoy college first.He won the Junior PGA qualifier at Hawthorne Valley Country Club,

allowing him to compete at the Junior PGAChampionship in Cincinnatithis past summer where he tied for 22nd in the nation. He also qualifiedfor the Optimist in Florida with some of the top junior international golfersin the world.“That definitely gave me a lot of confidence to see that I could compete

with some of the best players and it showed me I could play at that nextlevel,” said Miller.

— Jeffery Williams



Boys Golf

Miller wins back-to-back statetitles as Pirates finish first

T

KevinMillerGaraway

Garaway senior

Kevin Miller

Photo by Ben Barnes

incinnati Oak Hills senior cross country/track standout BrooklyneRidder embraced sacrifice the past four years and reaped anultimate reward for it this winter when she earned a collegescholarship.It goes without saying Ridder was certainly disciplined in her

approach. She used to make sure she was in bed by 9 o’clock each

Girls Cross Country

Ridder runs her way back tothe top of the podium

C



Friday night – she’d regularly miss her school’s football games - in orderto be prepared for cross country meets on Saturday mornings.That preparation helped pave the way for Ridder to win her second

Division I state cross country title this fall. After winning a state title as afreshman, Ridder was state runner-upher sophomore and junior seasons. So itseemed only fitting she would be the firstto cross the finish line in her final meet atScioto Downs.“My biggest accomplishments that

make me the most proud are my twostate titles,” Ridder said. “It obviouslytakes a lot of hard work to achievesomething so big and I’m proud ofmyself for how much I sacrificed for thesport.”Ridder, the Huntington Bank/Ohio

High Magazine Girls Cross CountryRunner of the Year, recently committed to compete at Penn State.Ridder, who also considered Ohio State, Wake Forest and Iowa

among others, said she could envision herself living on the Penn Statecampus next fall. She was impressed by her future teammates, coachesand the facilities.“I had to follow my gut feeling on this decision,” Ridder said, “and in an

all-around sense I felt much more comfortable at this school. The team ismade up of girls whom I feel am very similar too.”Ridder will join former Crestwood standout Bridget Franek with the

Nittany Lions. CincinnatiSt. Ursula coach JeffBranhan said the twoOhio standouts will forma talented duo within thePenn State program.“I have no doubt that

Brooklyne will excel inher new setting at PennState and will make animmediate impact in theBig Ten,” Branhan said.“She is very excitedabout being surroundedby teammates who areas driven as she is andshare common goals.”Ridder said she

would like to major inbiology in college andeventually become adentist. She has alreadygained some experi-ence by shadowingsome dentists.“I’ve wanted to get

into cosmetic dentistrysince I was 13 and it

hasn’t changed since,” said Ridder, who noted her favorite subjects areEnglish and science.Oak Hills athletic director Jan Wilking said Ridder is a model student-

athlete who gives a strong effort in the classroom. Wilking said the schoolis very proud of Ridder’s two state titles.“She has a great passion to be the best,” Wilking said.The drive for excellence is evident in Ridder. She admits it was difficult

to start her high school career with a state title. It would be for anyone so

young to reach the pinnacle. The expectations increased each year, butshe handled them well and kept her focus on the bigger picture.“Even though I was runner-up the following two years, I couldn’t be

upset with myself because my times were improving and I was runningthe best I ever had,” Ridder said. “I ran a 17:38 my junior year which anyother year would be promising for the win. However, I took what I wasdealt and worked as hard as I could. That’s all I really can ask of myself.”It all came full circle this fall as Ridder won for a final time at Scioto

Downs. She soaked in the entire atmosphere of the meet. The statemeet was truly a special and unique place for Ridder, who vividly recallsthe first time she was there.“My freshman year – looking up at the stands and seeing that large of

a crowd was breathtaking,” Ridder said. “I don’t think I realized how big ofa deal the state race was. The feeling still didn’t change throughout all ofhigh school. You can go back year after year and the environment that isat Scioto Downs is absolutely amazing the day of the race.”Ridder put pressure on herself this year because she wanted to end

her career just as it started. She didn’t want anyone to think she had fall-en off as a runner. In the end, that made the second state title that muchmore sweet in November.“When I crossed the finish line that day, it was the first time I ever cried

tears of joy,” Ridder said. “I had (reporters) coming up and I had to tellthem to give me a minute to gather myself because I was so caught upin the moment. I will say that day was the most satisfying, sweetest, raceof my life.”Ridder who has been state runner-up twice in the 3,200 run in track,

said she will be training this winter and is looking forward to the outdoortrack season.“It feels extremely good to be able to say I never finished worse than

second place at a state race for cross country or track,” Ridder said. “Ihope to do just as well this upcoming track season.”

— Ohio High Staff

BrooklyneRidderOak Hills

Oak Hills

senior

Brooklyne

Ridder

Phot

oby

Nick

Falze

rano

was the season to be jolly, but not for Lauren Whyte.As the holidays approached in 2007, the Olmsted Falls junior

wasn’t ready to scream out “Ho, Ho, Ho!” Rather, she felt a bitdowncast about her performance that year on the volleyball court.The sport always meant a great deal to Whyte. But she felt she

had just let herself and her teammatesdown. The Bulldogs had lost in theDivision I district final, marking the firsttime in her high school career they had-n’t qualified for regionals.So she decided to do something

about it.“My junior year was an off-year,” she

explains. “I played Junior Olympic vol-leyball and I focused on becoming moreaccurate with my swing, achieving ahigher vertical and working on mydefense because I’ve never been thegreatest defensive player.”The result was a sensational senior season in which Whyte led the

Bulldogs to a 29-0 record and Division I state championship. And talkabout rising to the occasion – she registered season-highs of 36 kills and22 digs in the title-match victory over Cincinnati Ursuline Academy.

Volleyball

Whyte records memorablesenior season, state title

TLaurenWhyte

Olmsted Falls



And that performance sealed the deal for Ohio High Magazine, whichselected the 6-foot-1 outside hitter as its Ohio Volleyball Player of theYear.“We definitely thought at the beginning of the season that a state

championship was possible,” says Whyte. “On the first day of practice,we put the words ‘State champs’ on the walls of our team room. Thatwas motivation for us.“Also, the year before we had lost to Amherst Steele in the district

finals and they’re ourconference rival. Theircoach made the com-ment that Olmsted Fallsis a team that tends tomake mistakes. Weremembered that quotethe entire year. We diddefinitely make mistakesthat year, but we workedhard to prove him wrongthis year and we beatSteele three times,including in the districtfinal. It was a great pay-back.”Coach Dawn Moses

and everyone else affili-ated with Olmsted Fallsvolleyball was quiteaware that Whyte couldend points in a hurry.But it was the rest of hergame that was lackingas the new seasonapproached. And it wasthe rest of her game thatthe Bulldogs needed for

her to improve if they were going to maximize their potential as a team.In fact, this was a season of volleyball revelation for Whyte, whom

Moses hesitated to use outside the front line in the past. Moses didn’thave faith in her defensively heading into 2008, but she certainly gainedtrust when the volleyballs began to be struck.“Lauren wasn’t playing the whole game,” Moses recalls. “She was

playing only on offense, then she’d come off the court. But this year shecame in committed to playing defense so she could stay on the floor. Thedefensive part of her game this year was huge.“As captain of the team, Lauren brought us a mentality that we were

never going to lose. Lauren is more like ‘We aren’t going to lose’ ratherthan “I don’t want to lose.’”And the Bulldogs didn’t lose all year. In fact, they lost just eight games

and won 12 consecutive 3-0 matches around midseason.Whyte finished the season with a whopping 516 kills. Even more

impressive, however, was that she converted on nearly 50 percent of herkill attempts. Now she can soak in a much-deserved award with the sat-isfaction of knowing she earned it.“It’s definitely awesome to be chosen and to know that I’ve progressed

that much,” she says. “I never thought I’d get something like this, but Ihave to thank my coaches and teammates, because they played a hugerole in it. I can’t thank them enough.”Division I college scouts certainly took notice. The result of Whyte’s

dominance was a scholarship to George Washington University. Whytealso received offers from area schools such as Akron and Kent State, butafter a trip to GW, it was all over but the signing.It’s not that she preferred to attend school further from home. But

George Washington not only offered strong volleyball competition, butstudying in the nation’s capital will prove to be the perfect environment forWhyte to become engrossed in her major – international business.“I really like D.C.,” she says. “My decision was not so much based on

being farther from home as it was just finding the right school.”Moses believes the folks at George Washington will be impressed by

the attributes Whyte will bring to the volleyball program and academicworld.“She’s compassionate, she’s focused, she’s determined and she’s

dedicated,” Moses says. “Those are all qualities Lauren has in abun-dance.”As for the 2008 holiday season, well, it can again be a merry

Christmas for Lauren Whyte.—Marty Gitlin

Olmsted Falls

senior Lauren

Whyte

Photo by Nick Falzerano

et’s put it this way: Ariel Witmer could have played two more holessolo and still won the 2008 Division II girls golf championship.The South Range senior blew away the field by eight strokes.

It’s no wonder she has been named the Huntington Bank/OhioHigh Magazine Player of the Year in her sport.

Witmer shot a 1-under-par 139 duringthe two-day state tournament, which fea-tured a Division II girls event for the firsttime. She remained steady throughout,recording just two bogeys in the firstround and one double-bogey in the sec-ond and even registering successiveeagles on the Par-5 15th hole.“At state I pretty much had it all togeth-

er,” says Witmer, thereby putting in hernomination for Understatement of theYear. “Everything went according toplan.”That couldn’t be said in previous sea-

sons. Witmer didn’t even qualify for the state tournament last season anddidn’t finish higher than seventh as a freshman or sophomore.South Range coach Bob Ferranti recalls receiving speaking to a

stranger quite a while ago. It was Witmer’s dad.“Yeah, her father contacted me several years before Arien got into high

school,” Ferranti recalls. “He said his daughter had a great golf swing, butthen fathers tend to say that. But when she came up, I had her at No. 3for about three months as a freshman before moving her up to No. 1.She’s been playing in that No. 1 group ever since.”And that’s on the boys team. South Range doesn’t have a girls team of

its own, so Witmer competes against the boys and must hit from the boystees during regular season competition.The 17-year-old Witmer admits, however, that the challenge of slam-

ming the ball from farther away becomes beneficial once the tournamentsroll around, particularly on those challenging Par 5 holes.“It’s a big advantage for me because in the tournament we’re required

to hit shorter distances and I’m a long-ball hitter,” she explains.Long-ball, short-ball – it didn’t really matter. Witmer simply dismantled

the competition, which proved delightfully satisfying. She felt the need toemerge victorious in her last opportunity, but the lopsided nature of thattriumph came as a bit of a surprise.“Since I’m a senior, I knew this was the last chance I had to win it, so I

Girls Golf

Witmer beats D-II field byeight strokes

LArielWitmerSouth Range



was going to give it 110percent,” says Witmer,who also plays trom-bone in the schoolband. “I knew the com-petition and I knew thatif I started strong, itwould be the other girlsfalling apart and not me.I played most of thegirls at the tournamentover the summer. Iknew how they playedand how I had to play tobeat them.”Witmer didn’t shout

out her plans or bragfrom the rooftops. It’sjust not her style, butFerranti understood herdesire to go out on top.“Ariel is a quiet girl,

but she’s also veryintense and very excitedabout golf,” he says.“She really enjoys beingout on the golf course.“The thing about Ariel

is that she has just a beautiful swing. Its very remindful of what you seefrom players in the LPGA, where you don’t see any stress and strain inthe swing. And she has learned over her time here to manage the golfcourse. She knows she has to take a bogey once in a while and just to besatisfied with that.”She didn’t take too many bogeys on the Columbus Gray Course, but

then, she didn’t have to.“She was ready to play,” Ferranti says. “On the practice tee, it was liking

watching the pros. She kept hitting it in the same place, then she grabbedanother club and did the same thing. She was focused and in control theentire time.”Witmer will soon enjoy the opportunity to be focused and in control at

the next level. She earned a scholarship to Division I Longwood Universityin Virginia. She was searching for an ideal combination of Division I com-petition and an unimposing campus and she found one.“They have a very good golf team and the campus is really small,” says

Witmer, who is considering a career in biology, but admits those planscould change with time. “That’s what I was looking for. I hate big schoolsand Longwood has only about 5,000 students.”As for being named Player of the Year by Ohio High Magazine?“Boy, that makes me feel good,” she says. “I really wasn’t expecting it.”When you beat the field by eight strokes, you probably should be.

— Marty Gitlin

South Range senior

Ariel Witmer

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here did the Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Cardinals go whenthey needed inspiration?They went straight to Cuba.Don’t be alarmed. We’re not talking the country known for its

Girls Soccer

Cuba adds another honor to acrowded trophy case

W

cigars and aging dictator. We’re talking the midfielder known for scoringgoals.That is, Ashley Cuba, who was brilliant in 2008. In fact, she performed

so well that Ohio High Magazine has named her Ohio Girls Soccer Playerof the Year.The old trophy case is getting crowded. Cuba, who is headed to the

University of Pittsburgh on a soccerscholarship, was selected by AssociatedPress as its Co-Player of the Year andwas also chosen by that organization asits Division II Player of the Year. Cubaeven garnered ESPN National Player ofthe Week honors during the course ofthe season.So what does she have to say about

all this? Did she proudly confirm herbelief that she had earned suchawards?Hardly.“I guess I deserve it,” she said with a

distinct lack of conviction. “I didn’t think I would win it.”If the humble senior had played with such self-doubt, she wouldn’t

have scored absurd totals of 82 goals and 51 assists in regular seasonsalone in her high school career, which during which she earned first-teamAll-Ohio honors in each of the last two years and runner-up Division IIPlayer of the Year in2007.Cuba led Mooney to

its third consecutiveregional final in 2008,which it lost toHathaway Brown, 2-0.Not bad considering shewas playing out of posi-tion. The Cardinalsrequired her to competeas a midfielder asopposed to forward, theposition she plays onother teams, includingthe ClevelandWhitecaps of the Super-Y/Casa team, whichwon state titles in 2007and 2008.And that’s not an

easy transition.“Midfielders have to

be able to see the fieldmore,” she explains.“When you play for-ward, you’re more anattacker than you are adefender. I actually prefer to play midfielder, but I don’t really care eitherway, as long as I get to play.”Well, it’s not like any sane coach would take her out of the lineup.Cuba has been kicking a soccer ball around since the age of four.

That’s when the love affair began that continues to this day. One wouldbe wrong to presume that Cuba has experienced soccer burnout at anypoint since.“It does get very hectic,” she admits. “But I love the game so much, I

don’t think I could ever let it go, not even for a while.”The Cardinals benefited greatly from that mindset. Cuba led them to

AshleyCuba

Cardinal Mooney

Mooney

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Ashley

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the regional finals in each of the last three seasons, but the team simplycouldn’t take the next step into the state tournament.And that is already proving to be Cuba’s lone soccer-related regret as

she prepares to compete at the Division I college level. Her 3.5 gradepoint average and diligent studying has allowed her to move up her highschool graduation date to mid-December, which will give her a greaterchance to think about lost opportunities with the Cardinals and new oneswith the Panthers.“I’m very proud that we were able to make it that far, but we had our

hearts on getting to state this year,” says Cuba, whose younger sistersBrittany and Danielle have begun their soccer careers at Mooney. “It’sreally a shame it couldn’t happen this year, especially since we had 11seniors.“I’ve always been a very competitive player, which is one reason I

chose Pittsburgh. The level of competition there is very high. Once I get tobe the best at any level, I want to work my way back up at a new level ofcompetition. I love the challenge that it provides me.”And her thoughts on the Ohio High Player of the Year Award?Typically humble.“I’m just very grateful to have come as far as I’ve come and I’m grateful

for all the awards I’ve won,” she says. “I definitely couldn’t have done itwithout my teammates and family and coaches.”As for her sisters, she admits they aren’t quite as passionate about the

sport as she is.“They look up to me in certain aspects of the game and they want to be

successful,” she says. “I’ll be there to support them no matter what.”Cuba plans on studying medicine and nutrition at Pittsburgh with the

hope of becoming a nutritionist. And if those she helps in that field becomeas healthy as her point totals on the soccer field, she’s going to be a heckof a success.

— Marty Gitlin

att Wiet could be considered the ultimate team player.Whether positioned at midfield or on defense, Wiet proved

to be a key force during his four-year career as a member ofthe Worthington Kilbourne High School boys soccer team.Wiet, who took over the center defensive back position

approximately midway through the season, capped his brilliant careerat Kilbourne by leading the Wolves to their second consecutiveregional title game appearance.Kilbourne saw its state title hopes

end following a hard-fought 1-0 loss toDublin Jerome on Nov. 1.The Wolves finished 18-3 overall.For his efforts, Wiet has been Ohio

High School Magazine’s Player of theYear.Wiet’s other postseason accolades

include being named Player of theYear in the state by the OhioScholastic Soccer CoachesAssociation. He also was namedPlayer of the Year in the CentralDistrict and OCC-Central Division. Wiet is a two-time Player of theYear in the OCC, and two-time all-district and all-state player.“I would easily give up all those awards for my team to win a state

championship,” Wietsaid. “For how muchthey’ve given me,that’s the least I coulddo. In a heartbeat Iwould do it.”“Matt doesn’t adver-

tise for himself,”Kilbourne coach JonSprunger said. “A lot ofhis recognition isthrough hard work andleadership, and whatpeople see. Some peo-ple are showboats,some people talk trash.Matt doesn’t do that.He does his job andplays hard and playsaggressive. I’ve neverseen him play dirty. I’venever seen him getupset.”This season, Wiet

scored two goals andhad eight assists, andproved to be a solidforce as the team’s

final line of defense in front of keeper Paul Hendricks.He began the season as midfielder in the team’s 3-5-2 alignment

before taking over the top defensive role in a 4-4-2 formation.The defense allowed 11 goals and helped the team record 13

shutouts.“It was harder when I was younger because it was hard to accept

the role of being a defender,” Wiet said of switching positions. “Now Irealize how much I love defense. It was hard because the glory goesto the forwards even though the defense is usually the reason whythe forwards can do what they do. It’s a lot more fun now and I’m alot more willing to play any position because I realize more now thanever that it’s for the team.”“Matt has enough playing experience where I would even come to

him and say, ‘here’s who we’re playing this week, this is what they’vegot, what do you think about this formation or that formation’ and hewould give me his ideas and I would say ‘where do you see yourselfin that formation,’” Sprunger said. “A lot of times he would say, I’ll playwherever you need me. It’s not about scoring goals, it’s not about therecognition, it’s just about where does the team need me to play.”Last season, the Wolves also reached the regional final, falling to

eventual state champion Hilliard Davidson 1-0.“Matt has been a starter on the varsity team for four years,”

Sprunger said. “He’s been a leader. He was named captain his juniorand seniors year, but he was really a leader all four years.”Wiet, 18, plans on continuing his education and soccer career at

Indiana University, as he recently made a verbal commitment toattend the major Division I school.Wiet also considered UCLA, Wake Forest, Ohio State and

Cincinnati, and noted that the decision came down to Indiana andWake Forest.Wiet follows Danny O’Rourke, who graduated from Kilbourne in

2001 after leading the Wolves to the 2000 state title and went on toenjoy an illustrious soccer career at Indiana. O’Rourke helped theColumbus Crew win the Major Soccer League title this season.“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid,” Wiet said of

Boys Soccer

Weit taking talents,unselfishness to Indiana

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Indiana. “I looked up to Danny O’Rourke and saw what he did. Iguess I set my goals and went from there.”Wiet began playing the sport at age six as a member of the

Worthington Youth Boosters Program, and then took the sport seri-ously at age 10 when he began playing club soccer.Wiet is currently playing under-18 soccer for the Crew Soccer

Academy. The team traveled to the Lancaster National Soccer Centerin Lancaster, Calif., Dec. 5-8 for the U.S. Soccer DevelopmentAcademy’s winter showcase.Wiet credits former Crew standouts Rob Smith and Billy Thompson,

and Sprunger for his development in the sport. Thompson, whoattended UCLA and was named the collegiate Player of the Year in1990, is a coach for the Crew Soccer Academy.“Coach Sprunger has been my guy for the past four years,” Wiet

said. “He helps me out not just with soccer, he helps me out with life.It wasn’t that he helped me with soccer as much as becoming a per-son and realizing that what I was doing was the right thing and Ineeded to keep doing it.”Wiet also excels in the classroom where he boasts a 4.05 grade

point average.— Frank DiRenna

hen it comes to the top field hockey player in Ohio thisyear, she is the most ‘likely’.Natasha Leickly – that is.The four-year starter for

Columbus Academy led herteam to a state runner-up finish with14 goals and 13 assists, including thelone Academy goal in the state titlegame.She was named to the All-Mid-State

first team, was an All-Ohio honoree,was selected for the Futures Elite byUSA Field Hockey and was recentlynamed a West Region All-Americanwhile playing a variety of positions forthe Lady Vikings this season.Although, a state championship

game appearance seemed bleak asColumbus Academy (17-2-2) hit a midseason slump. But headcoach Anne Horton points the leadership of the seniors and cap-tains, namely Leickly, for the season’s turnaround."We returned some veteran players so the girls had some high

expectations but we blended some younger players in there withthem so I think there was a little bit of a learning curve that the kidshad underestimated," Horton said."So, we had a mid-season challenge of trying to overcome some

of those issues. I guess Natasha and her senior group pulledthrough and I think there were a lot of us that wondered if we couldpull this thing off by season’s end."Natasha’s leadership on and off the field was a major factor in

making that happen. So, as the season unfolded we continued togrow and get stronger."Despite winning a state championship as a sophomore, it was

Leickly’s goal to reach the state championship game her senior year

before she even started high school."I’ve always talked to the girls in my grade on the team since we

were in seventh grade how we wanted to lead the team to the statechampionship our senior year and we were able to do that," shesaid."We had a pretty young team this year and the captains and the

seniors all got together after the slump we had in the middle of theseason and we decided that we needed to push our team to the

next level to get tothat goal. The under-classmen understoodhow much it meant tous and we got there.We just kept improv-ing throughout theentire season."And Leickly was

willing to do anythingto accomplish herteam’s goal, includingplaying some posi-tions she was not nec-essarily familiar with."The one thing I

was able to do withTasha is I was able toplay her in differentpositions on the fieldand she had to playcompletely differentroles that she neverhad to play before,"Horton explained."She did it withoutasking any questionsand did it because itwas best for the team.

"She’s not selfish and is all about doing what she can to make theteam better and in the meantime she’s really pushing herself per-sonally. She’s quite a person."Though she filled in at several positions this season, Leickly is pri-

marily a defender and that is what the University of Louisville recruit-ed her as. She chose the Cardinals over Ohio State, Ohio andCornell."Louisville is a great school. It’s great academically and the

coaches are amazing," Leickly said."I started talking to them last year and I went down there for my

official visit in September. The girls on the team are amazing and(head coach Pam Bustin) is great."A former defender herself, Bustin played for the USA National

Field Hockey Team and is currently an assistant coach for the team."It is just a perfect fit," Leickly said.Horton expects much of the same success once Leickly arrives on

Louisville's campus."She is going to do fantastic. She has worked hard to get her

game to the level where it is right now and, obviously, her abilitieswere noticed by college coaches," said Horton. "Her work ethic, hercommitment and her tenacious attitude is going to help her over-come that learning curve you have to get through as a young playercoming in at the collegiate level."I think she is going to find herself playing very early in her college

career and I wouldn’t expect anything less."— Matt Natali

Field Hockey

WNatashaLeickly

Columbus Academy

Leickly named All-American,leads team to state title game

Columbus Academy

senior Natasha

Leickly

Photo by Joe Maoiriana/www.impactactionphotos.com


Fal l Spor ts State Recap

he Buckeye State witnessedseveral stellar performances –both on individual and teamlevels – again this fall.The following is a look back

at the finals in all 10 OHSAAsanctioned state champi-onships. A roundup of the foot-ball playoff can be found on

page 23.For more information, please visit

www.jjhuddle.com and www.ohsaa.org.

SOCCERNovember 7-8Columbus Crew Stadium

Boys Division ICleveland St. Ignatius senior Denio

Leone’s improbable first-half goal through acluster of defenders stood up as the game-winning goal to give the Wildcats a 1-0 winover Beavercreek in the Division I boys soc-cer championship game in Columbus CrewStadium.In winning its third state championship

(also in 2004 and 2005), top-ranked St.Ignatius (19-1-3) went 18-0-3 in its final 21games of the season and out-scored itsopponents 26-0 during its seven-game post-season run to the title. The shutout Fridaynight was the school-record 19th this seasonfor junior goalkeeper Joe Kalt.Second-ranked Beavercreek finishes the

season 20-2-1. The Beavers were makingtheir second appearance in the state champi-onship game (1990).Leone’s first-half goal came when St.

Ignatius sophomore Ryan Ivansic lofted acorner kick into the penalty area that bouncedaround several Beavercreek defenders and

T

Maria Stein Marion Local

won its second straight

D-IV state volleyball title

with a four-set win over

Jackson Center.



Fal l Spor ts State RecapSTORY BY OHSAA REPORTS

St. Ignatius forward Vaughn Spurrier beforesettling at the feet of Leone. Surrounded bydefenders, Leone somehow managed toblast a shot past them all and into the backof the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.Kalt and the St. Ignatius defense would

make it hold up, limiting the Beavers to fourshots in the second half, none of which wereon goal. Kalt finished the night with one save.St. Ignatius out-shot Beavercreek 14-8

overall, including eight shots on goal, and ledin corner kicks 6-3.Beavercreek junior goalkeeper Ben Dorn

collected seven saves.

Boys Division IIJunior Jon Buscher converted Dayton

Carroll’s final penalty kick to give his Patriots

a 3-2 shootout win over defending statechampion Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga ValleyChristian Academy in the Division II boyssoccer state championship game in soggyColumbus Crew Stadium.In a driving rain, CVCA (19-3-1) kicked first

in the alternating kick shootout format andconnected on three of its five penalty kicks,while Carroll (20-1-2) connected on four,including Buscher’s dramatic game-ender, togive the Patriots their second state title, thefirst coming in 1980.Neither team’s goalkeeper had a save dur-

ing the 80 minute regulation and two 15minute overtime periods as all four shots ongoal found the back of the net. But in theshootout, the keepers – senior Ryan Sheedyfor Carroll and senior backup Ryan Segedi

for CVCA – were thrust into the spotlight.Segedi was inserted into the game for theshootout in place of senior Ryan Cook, whowas in goal for regulation and both over-times.Sheedy and Segedi both saved their oppo-

nents’ third penalty kick attempt, and afterCVCA sent its fifth PK wide right and high,Buscher delivered on his chance to end thegame.CVCA senior Matt Mason scored in the

32nd minute and Carroll junior JeffreyGraham scored in the 38th to tie the game at1-1. Carroll went up 2-1 in the 65th minutewhen senior Connor Morris scored, butCVCA answered 90 seconds later when Mattconnected again.CVCA out-shot Carroll 14-10 and had two

shot hit the post, while two more hit the crossbar. Carroll took five corner kicks comparedto three for CVCA.Carroll senior Ben George, sophomore

Justin Mitchell and Graham all convertedpenalty kicks during the shootout prior toBuscher’s game-winner.

Boys Division IIISenior midfielder Sam Kuehnle’s 30-yard

strike in the 51st minute through an unsus-pecting Worthington Christian defense gaveOttawa Hills a 1-0 win in the boys Division IIIsoccer state championship game in rain-soaked Columbus Crew Stadium. It marksthe first Toledo-area school to win a boys orgirls soccer state championship.Unranked entering the tournament and

never having advanced past the regionalfinals, Ottawa Hills (20-3-0) knocked off thestate’s No. 1-ranked team, Gates MillsHawken, 3-0 in the state semifinal Tuesdayand the state’s No. 2-ranked team,Worthington Christian, Friday to cap off theGolden Bears’ season-ending 14-game win-ning streak.Ottawa Hills, which overcame an 0-2-0

season start, also beat No. 6 Bluffton in thedistrict final and shut out 17 of its 23 oppo-nents.In the 51st minute, Ottawa Hills senior Ben

Bryant took a 35-yard free kick from outsidethe top-left corner of the 18-yard box thatWorthington Christian junior goalkeeper AlexScott punched out of the penalty area. As theWC defense relaxed, Kuehnle rushed up on

the ball as it bounced outside the top-rightcorner of the 18. His line-drive shot hit theback-left corner of the net, stunning Scottand the WC defense.Entering the finals with a 14-game winning

streak, Worthington Christian applied most ofthe pressure during the first half, out-shootingOttawa Hills 9-4 in the first 40 minutes. TheWarriors ended the game with a 14-12 shotadvantage and nearly tied the game with9:15 left when senior midfielder EricStevenson’s shot went off the fingertips ofOttawa Hills senior goalkeeper Kevin Elliottand bounced off the left post.Ottawa Hills’ Elliott ended the game with

five saves. His first big one came with 12minutes left in the first half when Stevensonsent a corner kick into the box that senior

Dayton Carroll beat Cuy. Valley ChristianAcademy 3-2 in a shootout for the D-IIstate title and its first since 1980.

Middletown Fenwick won its first D-II statetitle in girls soccer. The Falcons had neverwon a district title prior to this season.

Akron Hoban entered the D-II state finalwith 18 straight wins and nine straightshutouts, but fell to Fenwick 1-0.

Photo by Greg Beers Photo by Greg BeersPhoto by Eric Frantz


Fal l Spor ts State Recap

Luke Helmuth nearly headed in from just fouryards away.Worthington Christian’s Stevenson posted

a game-high seven shots, including four ongoal. Scott had three saves.

Girls Division IIn a rematch of the 2007 Division I girls

soccer state championship, second-rankedCincinnati St. Ursula Academy prevailedonce again, beating sixth-ranked Strongsville1-0 in Columbus Crew Stadium.St. Ursula, which beat Strongsville 2-0 in

the 2007 finals, finished the season 20-0-3and won its fourth girls soccer state title inschool history to tie Clayton Northmont andCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit for the mostgirls soccer championships in OHSAA histo-ry.The Bulldogs went 20-1-2 last season for a

two-year record of 40-1-5 and two statechampionships. St. Ursula’s first two statetitles came in 1991 and 1993.Strongsville, which was also aiming for its

fourth state title, wraps up its season 21-2-1.St. Ursula junior Elizabeth Burchenal

scored a remarkable unassisted goal in the44th minute with a drive into the 18-yard boxthrough the upper-left corner. She side-stepped two Strongsville defenders andblasted a shot past Mustang senior goal-keeper Nicole Wood from nine yards out.Strongsville out-shot St. Ursula 15-6 and

put seven shots on goal, but Bulldog juniorgoalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe saved all seven.Strongsville took five corner kicks, while St.Ursula had none.

Girls Division IIMiddletown Fenwick senior Alexis Heard

scored with eight minutes left in the gameand Akron Hoban missed a game-tyingpenalty kick with 1:12 remaining as theFalcons won the Division II girls soccer statechampionship 1-0 in Columbus CrewStadium.Third-ranked Fenwick (19-4-0) had never

advanced past the district tournament beforethis season, but went 7-0 in the postseasonand outscored its opponents 16-2 along theway.Second-ranked Hoban (21-2-1) brought an

18-game winning streak into the state cham-pionship game and had shut out its last nineopponents, outscoring them 39-0.Entering the championship game, Hoban

had been shut out only once this season,that coming in its fifth game of the regularseason against Cleveland Villa Angela-St.Joseph, a 0-0 tie.There were not many scoring chances for

either team in the first 60 minutes of thegame, but Fenwick slowly began to gain the

COLUMBUS – Anyone who has ever driven on USRoute 35 just east of Dayton on a weekend knowsthat there’s something going on at the intersectionof Orchard Lane.That’s where the Beavercreek Soccer

Association’s Ankeney Soccer Complex resides.Most days its 20 fields are filled. Friday, Nov. 7,

the place was empty.Beavercreek and Carroll high schools, separated

by a four-mile stretch of road, each played for statesoccer championships that day at Crew Stadium.Carroll won its Division II title game against

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 3-2 in ashootout. Beavercreek dropped its D-I final toCleveland St. Ignatius 1-0.Both teams got their starts in the same system –

some even on the same team. Some live on the…“Same street,” Carroll junior Jon Buschur said.

“(I’ve played with or against) every one of(Beavercreek’s players) and known them my wholelife or at least since I started playing. That’s how itis.”So how many Beavercreek kids play for Carroll?“I don’t know off the top of my head, but quite

a handful,” Carroll head coach Scott Molfentersaid. ‘It’s a good chunk, no doubt.”Few programs in Ohio have had the success

Carroll and Beavercreek have had historically. Thefact that the schools pull kids from the same neigh-borhoods and can produce sustained excellencesays a lot about the fertility of the plot of Greeneand Montgomery counties the duo farms. It alsosays a lot about the feeder programs. And families.And foes.Carroll has always been a solid soccer program,

but its no coincidence the Patriots broke throughfor their first state title since 1980 after joining theGreater Catholic League three years ago.During a 19-year stay in the Mid-Miami League,

Carroll won 19 straight league titles and didn’t losea league game. That’s right. The Patriots were142-0-9 in MML games. Over that span Carroll alsomade four trips to the state semifinals, includingthree straight from 2003-05, and went 0-4.In their first time back with three seasons of

GCL-seasoning, the Patriots are state champs.“The move to the GCL helped us no doubt,”

Molfenter said. “I knew we had a chance and Iknew we’d be competitive. These kids work hard.”Buschur, who scored the game-winning goal

on the fifth and final penalty kick, agreed: “I won’tsay we’re the most skilled team, but we’re the

hardest working team. We’ve worked our (butts)off and it finally paid off.”Beavercreek has been money itself lately.The Beavers were playing in their first state final

since 1990 but haven’t had many down seasonsbetween then and now.Head coach John Guiliano has built a power in

his 20 years at Creek and has a 258-88-63 recordto prove it. The last three years the Beavers havewon the Greater Western Ohio ConferenceCentral Division, which is one of the state’s topleagues.Five of the GWOC’s six members have state his-

tory. Kettering Fairmont made the state tourna-ment in 2006, while former state championCenterville has more wins than any program instate history. Huber Heights Wayne has been tostate three times and Clayton Northmont has twostate titles.Creek failed to produce another championship

for the conference, but it did reinforce Dayton’sstance as one of Ohio’s top – if not the best – soc-cer region.Said Buschur: “Everyone says Columbus,

Cincinnati and Cleveland is where the great teamscome from. I think we just put Dayton on themap.”In particular a seven-mile stretch. —— OOHH

The Final Score by Eric Frantz

Photo by Eric Frantz

Neighbors Beavercreek and DaytonCarroll each reach soccer finals


Fal l Spor ts S tate Recap

majority of possession and in the 72ndminute found the back of the net. Fenwickfreshman defender Selby Smith collected theball on the midfield line and kicked it highand over several Hoban defenders towardHeard, who tapped it to her left, spun awayfrom a defender and sent a left-footed shotinto the right side of the net.Hoban immediately stepped up its pres-

sure in the waning minutes and it resulted inFenwick foul inside the 18-yard box with 1:12left in the game. Hoban junior JulianaLibertin’s penalty kick went wide right, how-ever, and the Fenwick did not allow anotherchance at overtime.Hoban out-shot Fenwick 14-7 and had

more corner kicks, 4-2. There were sevenshots on goal combined, with Hoban having

four and Fenwick three.Fenwick junior goalkeeper Mary Turvy had

four saves, two in each half. Hoban seniorkeeper Francesca Gironda had two saves,both in the first half.

CROSS COUNTRYNovember 1, 2008Scioto Downs

Record-tying showings by the Minster girlsand the Peninsula Woodridge boys highlight-ed the Ohio High School AthleticAssociation’s Annual State Cross CountryTournaments, held at Scioto Downs inColumbus. Other girls champions wereRocky River Magnificat and Cuyahoga ValleyChristian Academy, while Mason and Bellaire

St. John Central were other boys winners.Minster’s seventh championship in Division

III moved the school into a first-place tie withCleveland Heights Beaumont for mostOHSAA girls cross country championshipswith seven. The Wildcats had 65 points andnarrowly defeated Attica Seneca East, whichhad 69. Defending champion Versailles wasthird. Minster, which has won six of thosechampionships in the last 10 years, was ledby senior Lei Bornhorst, who was 22nd over-all with a time of 19:45.47. FreshmanSamantha Hoelscher placed 26th, sopho-more Averie Bornhorst 37th, sophomoreSophia Richard 38th and junior JessicaAlbers 40th.Barnesville senior Stephanie Morgan

defended her individual championship when

she ran a 17:57.13. Seneca East sophomoreBrittany Stockmaster was second.In Division I, Magnificat, the 2007 runner-

up, won its second championship overall andfirst since 1995. Its 68 points easily toppedrunner-up North Canton Hoover, which had121. Defending champion Brecksville-Broadview Heights did not qualify this year.Leading the Blue Streaks was juniorMadeline Chambers, who was fifth overallwith an 18:17.91. Also for Magnificat, juniorsClare and Abby Fischer were 18th and 19th,and sophomore Katherine Stultz 29th.Cincinnati Oak Hills senior Brooklyne

Ridder recaptured the individual champi-onship that she won as a freshman. Runner-up the past two years, Ridder posted a win-ning time of 17:51.36. Cincinnati Glen Este

sophomore Michelle Thomas was second.Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy was

fourth, sixth and second, respectively, in thelast three state tournaments before winningits first title in Division II. The Royals had 51points to easily outdistance second-placeand defending champion KetteringArchbishop Alter, which had 95. Senior KatieGillespie led CVCA by winning the individualchampionship with an 18:00.43. Perry sopho-more Abbie Clifford was second. Other topRoyals were sophomore Joy Talbott (12thoverall), senior Carolyn Case (13th) andsophomore Irene Frangos (20th).Woodridge joined Sandusky Perkins

(1987-89) as the only Division II boysschools to win three straight cross countrychampionships. The Bulldogs had 96 points

to edge Tipp City Tippecanoe, which had 99.Leading Woodridge was senior Joe White,who placed ninth overall with a time of15:57.01. Other top finishers were seniorMichael Rhodes (19th overall) and sopho-more Jimmy Charles (32nd). AllianceMarlington senior Jarrod Eick, last year’s run-ner-up, was the individual champion, runninga 15:38.05, while Cuyahoga Valley ChristianAcademy senior Kyle Sullinger was second.Mason had never finished in the top 10 of

the state tournament prior to last year, butthe Comets took home the big-school boyschampionship with 100 points. HilliardDavidson was second with 120 and defend-ing champion Medina was fifth. SophomoreZach Wills paced Mason by winning the indi-vidual championship with a 15:15.66.

Barnesville senior Stephanie Morgan, aBaylor recruit, defended her D-III crosscountry individual state title.

Mason captured its first D-I boys cross coun-try state title. The Comets had never fin-ished in the Top 10 at state until last year.

Kettering Alter finished runner-up in D-IIfor the fourth time in five years. TheKnights were state champs last season.

Photo by Nick Falzerano Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Nick Falzerano



Twinsburg senior Stuart Edmonds was sec-ond, and defending champion Donny Roys, asenior from Medina, was sixth. The other topComets placer was junior Matt Kahl, whowas 29th overall.Bellaire St. John Central placed seventh,

fifth and fourth, respectively, in the last threestate tournaments before earning its first goldtrophy this year in boys Division III. TheFighting Irish had 104 points, edging runner-up and two-time defending championLouisville St. Thomas Aquinas, which had115. Pacing St. John Central was senior SamFoster, who finished third overall with a15:58.21. Other top showings came from jun-ior Luke Holubeck (26th overall) and juniorMatthew Moscato (31st). Cincinnati Christianjunior Isaiah Bragg was the individual cham-

pion. His 15:54.79 was less than a secondbetter than East Canton senior GabeHenning.The 5,000-meter OHSAA state tourna-

ments were the 80th annual for the boys andthe 31st annual for the girls. Sixteen teamsand individuals that did not qualify with ateam but placed in the top 16 in last week’sfour regional tournaments participated ineach race.

GOLFOctober 10-11 & 17-18, 2008Scarlet & Gray Golf Courses, OSUThe Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club

Girls Division IIn just its second state tournament appear-

ance, Mason built an insurmountable leadand never looked back, taking home its firstDivision I girls golf state title on the OhioState University’s Gray Course. The Comets’630 was 26 strokes better than runner-upCuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit and tied DublinCoffman’s 2000 squad for the lowest teamscore in Ohio girls state tournament history.Three Mason golfers placed in the top 10

overall standings: sophomore Erin Michel(third with a 153), senior Alexis Nelson (sev-enth with a 158), and sophomore EmilyWright (10th with a 160). Columbus Bishop Watterson shot a 656

and placed third after a tiebreaker with WalshJesuit.After placing fourth a year ago as a sopho-

more, Lancaster junior Samantha Swinehart

won medalist honors with a 145 two-daytotal. Swinehart was five strokes better thanPickerington North senior CourtneyYamamoto, who came in second. It markedthe third consecutive year a golfer fromLancaster won medalist honors with AllieWhite winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and2007. Watterson senior Emily Ransone andBowling Green senior Caroline Powers post-ed scores of 153 and 154 respectively toround out the top five.

Girls Division II In its first trip to the state championship,

Poland Seminary shot a final-round 333 towin the first OHSAA Division II girls golf titleby one stroke over Tipp City Tippecanoe atthe Ohio State University Gray course.

Trailing Shaker Heights Hathaway Brownby two strokes after the first round, PolandSeminary got a 74 from Allison Mitzel and a79 from Angela Molaskey to come frombehind for the title. With a two-day total of679, Poland Seminary wins the inaugural Div.II championship as one of nine teams makingtheir first trips to the state championship.North Lima South Range senior Ariel

Witmer took home medalist honors with atwo-day record-low total of 139 that includedan even-par 70 Friday and a one-under par69 Saturday. Her 139 was one-stroke betterthan the previous state record of 140 byHeather Zielinski of Toledo Notre DameAcademy in 1998.Tippecanoe (334 second round, 680 total)

was tied for second with Poland Seminary

after the first round and was paced Saturdayby Catherine Reed’s 73 and Laura Murray’s75.Hathaway Brown shot a 340 Saturday and

finished in third place with a two-day total of684.The only hole-in-one of the championship

came from Kristen Helmsdoerfer, a junior atLewis Center Olentangy Orange, who acedNo. 2, a 166 yard par-3.

Boys Division ICincinnati St. Xavier climbed six teams

and overcame an eight stroke deficit on thetournament’s final day to capture its thirdDivision I boys golf state title and first since1995 at the Ohio State University’s ScarletCourse. The Bombers’ other championship

Woodridge became the second school inhistory to win three straight D-II state titles.The Bulldogs edged Tippecanoe 96-99.

Minster, led by senior Lei Bornhorst(above), captured its record-tying seven-nth D-III girls cross country title.

Chaminade Julienne senior Sam Jandelwon the D-II state title. His older sisterEmma was a state champion in 2005.

Photo by Nick Falzerano Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Nick Falzerano



came in 1957.St. Xavier was led by senior Sean

Keating’s 158, which was good for third over-all, and senior Matt Buse, who fired a 161.The Bombers’ 653 two-day total was twostrokes better than defending championDublin Jerome, who sat atop the leaderboardwith a two-shot lead after day one. ClevelandSt. Ignatius also made a big jump in thestandings to finish third with a 656 after plac-ing eighth on the first day.West Chester Lakota West sophomore

Korey Ward broke a first-day three-way tie inthe medalist race with a 77 on the final dayand a 151 two-day total to place first. AaronSiekmann finished two strokes behind Wardgiving the Dublin Jerome senior his third con-secutive second place finish. David Tepe, a

senior from Liberty Twp. Lakota East, SeanKeating, and John Beringer, a senior fromCincinnati Archbishop Moeller, all carded a158 score tying the three for third place.

Division II BoysTaking home its third-consecutive state

title, Hunting Valley University School fired asecond-round 308 to run away with theOHSAA Boys Div. II golf championship by 20strokes over second-place DaytonChaminade-Julienne on the Ohio StateUniversity Scarlet course.It marks the fifth overall state title for

University School to move into a tie for third-place for most boys state golf championshipswith Columbus Bishop Watterson. The lastschool to win three-straight state golf champi-

onships was Gahanna Columbus Academyfrom 1997-99.Already leading by nine strokes after round

one, three University School golfers shot inthe 70s Saturday, including Mac McLaughlin(74), Scott Smith (76) and Jake Heinen (79).Chaminade-Julienne senior Sam Jandel

earned medalist honors with a two-day totalof 145 (73-72). McLaughlin, last year’smedalist, tied for second among all golferswith a 152 (78-74) with Apple CreekWaynedale sophomore Grant Weaver (152,79-73).

Boys Division IIISugarcreek Garaway shot a 312 on the

second and final day of the OHSAA BoysDivision III State Golf Tournament for a two-

day total of 631 at the Players Club at FoxfireGolf Club in Lockbourne to capture its sec-ond consecutive and third overall state cham-pionship. The Pirates’ other title came in2004 giving the school three state champi-onships in five years.Garaway was led by senior Kevin Miller,

who took home medalist honors with a tour-nament best three-under 69 final round and atwo-day total of 141. Miller also was the medalist a year ago,

making him the 11th boys golfer in Ohio his-tory to win back-to-back individual champi-onships. Jason Kokrak of Warren John F.Kennedy was the last to complete the feat in2001 and 2002.Nathan Tarter, a senior from Mogadore,

shot a two-day total of 144 to come in sec-

ond, while Lima Central Catholic junior OliverHoltsberry came in third with a 151.Sugarcreek Garaway freshman Ryan Troyerhelped his team’s title cause by coming infourth with a 153 two-day total.Lima Central Catholic, who took a two shot

lead into today’s final round, was hurt by adisqualification due to an improper scorecardand finished second in the team standingseight strokes behind Garaway. Gates MillsGilmour Academy finished third with a 644.

GIRLS TENNISOct. 17-18, 2008Stickney Tennis Center

Four lopsided championship matches werewon as the Ohio High School Athletic

Association wrapped up the girls state tennischampionships at the Stickney Tennis Centeron the campus of the Ohio State University.In Division I singles, Mentor junior Kara

Sherwood, who was a quarterfinalist as afreshman and sophomore, topped Perrysburgsenior Julia Metzger 6-2, 6-0 to give Mentorits first girls singles champion. Metzger fin-ished third last year.Sherwood’s run to the state title came after

she dropped her opening set in round one 6-0. She rebounded to win that match 0-6, 6-4,6-2 and would not lose another set.The Division II singles championship saw

Gates Mills Gilmour Academy freshmanLauren Davis overpower Cincinnati SummitCountry Day senior Gabby Steele 6-4, 6-0. Itmarked the first girls singles titles for Gilmour

In its first trip to the state finals, PolandSeminary captured the D-II title with aone-stroke win over Tippecanoe.

West Chester Lakota West junior AshleighWitte and freshman Amanda Lin capturedthe D-I doubles title.

Three-time state qualifier and junior KaraSherwood of Mentor won the school’sfirst tennis state title in D-I singles.

Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.comPhoto by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com



Academy, while Steele finishes her careerwith one state championship, two second-place finishes and a fourth-place finish.West Chester Lakota West junior Ashleigh

Witte and freshman Amanda Lin posted a 6-1, 6-4 win over Upper Arlington sophomoreNicole Flower and senior Stacey Cox to winthe Division I doubles championship. It marked the first doubles title for Lakota

West and denied Upper Arlington a fifth dou-bles championship.Junior Christina Raymond and senior Val

Micek of Gahanna Columbus Academynotched a 6-2, 6-2 win over Chagrin Fallsfreshmen Anna Benson and Emily Mazzolato win the Division II doubles crown. Itmarked the first doubles title for ColumbusAcademy.

FIELD HOCKEYOct. 31-Nov. 1, 2008Upper Arlington High School

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, makingits ninth appearance in the state tournament,won its second field hockey title with a 3-1victory over Gahanna Columbus Academy atUpper Arlington High School. Halle Biggar, who scored a goal in the

semifinals, added two more goals in the sec-ond half of the title game, while RachelKoletsky added a goal and an assist for theBlazers. Koletsky assisted on Biggar’s firstgoal that put Hathaway Brown in front 2-0just three minutes into the second half.After a goal from Academy’s Natasha

Leickly with 25:09 left, Biggar responded withher second goal just 22 seconds later for the3-1 cushion.Hathaway Brown won its other state title in

2002 and concluded its season with a 17-2-1mark, outscoring its opponents 21-2 in thepostseason. Academy finished with a 17-2-2mark and was seeking its ninth state title.

VOLLEYBALLNov. 6-8Wright State Nutter Center

Division IOlmsted Falls won the Division I state vol-

leyball title at Wright State University’s NutterCenter as the Bulldogs defeated theCincinnati Ursuline Academy Lions in fourgames, 39-37, 16-25, 25-21, 25-12.The 39-37 first game score is the highest

in a state tournament championship matchsince Ohio went to the rally scoring format in

2004. The previous high was 28-26, set onthree different occasions. The first game fea-tured 17 ties and six lead changes.It also marked the first time since Toledo

St. Ursula in 2004 that a team from the GirlsGreater Catholic League did not win DivisionI and, with Kettering Alter's loss to ParmaPadua in Division II, is the first time that ateam from the GGCL did not win a state titlesince 1992.Olmsted Falls, which finishes the season

as the only undefeated team in all four divi-sions in Ohio at 29-0, was led by seniorLauren Whyte, who posted a double-doubleof 36 kills and 22 digs. Senior Brittany Snideralso had a double-double of 19 kills and 17digs while sophomore setter Dayna Robertshad 63 assists and 23 digs.The Bulldogs, making their first-ever

appearance in the state title match,advanced to the state semifinals in 1977 and

2000.Ursuline (28-1) was led by junior Jade

Henderson with a double-double of 14 killsand 17 digs while senior Katie Schings had12 kills, senior Holly Gottschall 11 kills andsophomore Christina Beer 10 kills. The Lions,in their ninth all-time apperance in the statefinal four, were attempting to win their fourthstate title (1975, 1993, 2002) and finishedrunner-up for the fourth time (1995, 2001,2003).

Division IIIn a match that featured 37 ties and 19

lead changes, Parma Padua won its firststate volleyball title as the Bruins (26-3)defeated Kettering Alter (20-9) in the DivisionII state volleyball finals at the Nutter Center.

Padua was led by junior Kaitlyn Leary, whoposted a double-double of 23 kills and 13digs. Junior Christie Fritsche added 13 killswhile senior Meghan Cugliari recorded 48assists and 13 digs and junior Lauren Goebel19 digs.It was Padua first-ever trip to the state final

four.Alter, which fell short of winning its fourth

state title since 2002, was led by seniorAnnalyse Schmitt and sophomore KellyWesterkamp, both with 11 kills. The Knights, who hadn't lost a state final

four match in four trips (7-0) previously, wonDivision II state titles in 2002, 2003 and2006.

Division IIIAlbany Alexander won its first state volley-

ball title night as the Spartans defeated theGates Mills Gilmour Academy Lancers 25-17,

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown won itssecond state field hockey title, outscoringthe opposition 21-2 in the postseason.

Parma Padua Franciscan captured its firstD-II state title, while denying Alter in itsbid for a fourth since 2002.

Marion Local returned just one starterfrom last year’s D-IV state title team, butdefended its crown anyways.

Photo by Nick Falzerano Photo by Nick FalzeranoPhoto by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com



27-25, 25-15 for the Division III crown atWright State's Nutter Center.Alexander, who lost to Lima Central

Catholic in last year's title match, was makingits third straight appearance in the state finalfour while Gilmour Academy was in the finalfour for the second consecutive year. TheLancers, who defeated LCC Friday toadvance to the championship, dropped afive-game decision to the Spartans in lastyear's Division III semifinals a year to the dayof this year's matchup (November 8).Alexander had just a 36-27 kill advantage,

but Gilmour Academy committed 28 attackerrors compared to just 16 for the Spartansas they held a 12-4 block advantage.Senior Megan McCoy led Alexander (28-1)

with 12 kills while senior Betsy Irwin addednine and senior Whitney Smith eight. SeniorSarah Radekin dished out 32 assists andsenior Lauren Raines had 23 digs.Junior Mary Kramer paced Gilmour

Academy (27-2) with eight kills and seniorMadison Mawby chipped in seven. SeniorKelsey Rodgers had 20 assists along with 10digs while seniors Raysa Sylvester andAlyssa Brigeman each had 14 digs.

Division IVMarion Local defended its Division IV state

volleyball championship as the Flyers defeat-ed the Jackson Center Tigers 23-25, 25-18,25-23, 25-14 at Wright State's Nutter Center.The Flyers, who were No. 2 in the final

coaches poll, avenged a five-game loss tothe No. 1 ranked Tigers September 20 inMaria Stein.It was the second straight title for Marion

Local, who was the state runner-up in 2002and appeared in the state semifinals in 2000.Jackson Center was making its second con-secutive appearance in the state final fourand its first in the title match.The win for Marion Local gives the

Midwest Athletic Conference 11 state crownsin the 34 years of the state tournament (FortRecovery 1990; Marion Local 2007, 2008;Rockford Parkway 1996, 1997; St. Henry1985, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2004). SinceOhio went to four divisions in volleyball in1990, the Division IV state champion hascome from the Northwest District every yearexcept for 2003 and 2005.Sophomore Alyssa Winner led Marion

Local (26-3) with a double-double of 29 killsand 19 digs while junior Leah Rosenbeckhad 10 kills. Winner led all players, regard-less of division, in kills at the state tour-nametn with 57 in two games.Senior Allissa Ware paced Jackson Center

(28-2) with a double-double of 23 kills and 23digs while junior Casey Gates also had adouble-double of 22 kills and 26 digs. — OH

FAIRBORN - None of the folding chairs in the inter-view room at Wright State University’s Nutter Centerhave Amy Steininger’s name on them but oneshould. The Maria Stein Marion Local volleyballcoach is going to be back.Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Nutter Center, Marion

Local defended its Division IV state volleyball titlewith a four-set win (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14)over fellow Western Ohio small school stalwartJackson Center.Marion’s state title last year seemed inevitable.

This year’s championship? Not so much.The Flyers lost nine seniors from last season’s 28-1

team and returned three girls – including onestarter – who saw action in the state tournament.So much for rebuilding.“It’s amazing to think that we won this year with

a different group,” Steininger said. “Really, this is anentirely different group. We have a different style ofplay, we don’t have anyone over 6-foot and we’repretty young. We had four sophomores and a fresh-man starting out there.”Strap it up D-IV. The Flyers are building a dynasty.Long known for sustained success and state titles

in football, boys basketball and girls basketball,Marion Local is now becoming a volleyball Mecca.I know what you’re thinking – just what the

Flyers need, another sport to dominate.And they have.Last year, the Marion Local freshman, reserve and

varsity teams lost a combined one game. This yearthey lost 10.At the junior high level, the eighth-grade went

undefeated and the seventh-grade team had to cut18 of the 33 girls that tried out. Class sizes at MarionLocal range around 70. You do the math.“The girls are excited about volleyball at Marion

Local,” Steininger said. “We have a fifth- and sixth-grade youth league that we started and I told thegirls that you have all these little junior high girlsand elementary girls in the stands watching you.They see you win state two years in a row andthat’s exciting. They want to be a part of it. That’sexciting for a program – to have girls want to be apart of it.”Winning does remarkable things. And Marion

Local has been good for a while. The Flyers havebeen ranked in the Top 10 of the final state coachespoll each of the last 10 years. Last year Marion Localwas No. 1. This year they were No. 2.In 2000 Marion made its first trip to the state tour-

nament. In 2002, the Flyers finished runner-up.Since taking over, Steininger has a six-year record

of 132-27.“It was special winning that state championship

last year with all those seniors and it’s that same feel-ing this year,” Steininger said. “So proud. Once wegot that state title last year it makes you want to getback so bad. It’s not a feeling of ‘We finally did it!’ It’smore of ‘Man, I want to do that again!’ It’s a such agreat feeling.”What makes Marion’s second title even more

amazing is the way it did it. Last year the Flyersrelied on length and a sizeable front line (three girlsover 6-foot) that included Division I recruits MeganBarhorst (Cleveland State) and Abby Niekamp(Florida State).This year the Flyers tallest player is 5-11.“Last year we relied more on our defense and

our blocking,” senior Tara Hartings said. “This yearwe relied more on our offense and attacking.”Leading that attack was sophomore Alyssa

Winner.A 5-9 flame thrower, Winner showed why she

was voted first team All-Ohio by registering a tour-nament-best 57 kills in two games. Winner had 29kills in the final.A third team All-Ohio pick last year, Winner was

the lone returning starter heading into the season.In every one of Marion’s tournament games, Winnerregistered over 20 kills, including 32 in a five-set winover New Bremen in the sectional final.“She is definitely one of the best players in the

state regardless of division,” Steininger said. “Shecan do it all. She’s just as good in the back row asshe is in the front. She picked up her game tonight.She only had five hitting errors. Yesterday she had12 and she was mad at those even though she had28 kills. She’s kind of a perfectionist. She’s huge forus.”The turning point for Marion this season came

following its first meeting with Jackson Center, afive-set loss on its home court. The Flyers lead thegame 2-0 before dropping three straight sets. Sincethen they’ve grown.“Last year we thought we had a good chance of

doing well and going far,” Steininger said. “This yearcoming in we knew we had a young team and westarted off strong, but then there in September welost to Jackson Center and that was our fist loss.“It hurt. I remember the girls crying in the locker

room and I remember telling them that the nexttime we played them it was going to be in the statechampionship game. Back then (state) seemed ionsaway.”A return trip isn’t that tough to envision. —— OOHH

The Final Score by Eric Frantz

Marion Local defends D-IV statevolleyball title, starts dynasty?


Ohio H igh Cup

or the sixth year in a row, Ohio High will present the Ohio HighCup to the school that scores the most points in Ohio HighSchool Athletic Association-sanctioned state championshipevents.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 team championships.Schools that win a state title are awarded five points. Runner-up

teams receive three points, third-place teams get two points andfourth-place teams get one point. In sports where state semifinal

teams tie for third, they eachreceive 1-1/2 points.In this issue, we tabulate the first

set of standings for the 2008-09school year. These standingsinclude points awarded for the fallseason state championships inboys and girls golf, boys and girlscross country, field hockey, boysand girls soccer, volleyball and foot-ball.After the fall season, there is a

tight race at the top of the stand-ings with Cleveland St. Ignatius sit-ting at the top with 12 points afterclaiming state titles in football andboys soccer and a third-place finishin boys golf. Kettering Alter, buoyedby a football title, is second at 11.

Mason, with state titles in boys cross country and girls golf, is third at10.Versailles captured the first Ohio High Cup in 2003-04. In 2004-05,

Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit claimed the cup. In 2005-06, CincinnatiSt. Xavier won the Ohio High Cup competition. In 2006-07, KetteringAlter won the cup. Last year, Lakewood St. Edward took the OhioHigh Cup.

St. IgnatiusTakes Early OhioHigh Cup Lead

F

Wildcats lead sixth annualOhio High Cup standingsafter fall sports season;Kettering Alter and Mason

are close behind

Ohio High Cup StandingsHHeerree iiss aa llooookk aatt tthhee OOhhiioo HHiigghh CCuupp ssttaannddiinnggss ffoorr tthhee ffaallll sseeaassoonn::

12 – Cleveland St. Ignatius (D-I football champions, D-I boys golf third, D-I boys soccer champions),

11 – Kettering Alter (D-IV football champions, D-II volleyball runner-up, D-II girls cross country runner-up),

10 -- Mason (D-I boys cross country champions, D-I girls golf champions).

8-1/2 – Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (D-II girls golf third, field hockey champions, D-II girls soccer semifinal-

ist).

8 -- Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (D-II girls cross country champions, D-II boys soccer runner-up),

6-1/2 – Maria Stein Marion Local (D-V football semifinalist, D-IV girls volleyball champions),

6 -- Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (D-I girls golf fourth, D-I girls soccer champions), Columbus Academy (D-III

football runner-up, field hockey runner-up), Minster (D-III girls cross country champions, D-III boys golf fourth),

Peninsula Woodridge (D-II boys cross country champions, D-II girls cross country fourth), Tipp City Tippecanoe

(D-II boys cross country second, D-II girls golf runner-up).

5 – Albany Alexander (D-III girls volleyball champions), Aurora (D-III football champions), Bellaire St. John

Central (D-III boys cross country champions), Cincinnati St. Xavier (D-I boys golf champions), Dayton Carroll (D-II

boys soccer champions), Delphos St. John’s (D-VI football champions), Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (D-III girls

volleyball runner-up, D-III boys golf third), Hunting Valley University School (D-II boys golf champions),

Middletown Fenwick (D-II girls soccer champions), Olmsted Falls (D-I girls volleyball champions), Parma Padua

Franciscan (D-II girls volleyball champions), Poland Seminary (D-II girls golf champions), Rocky River Magnificat

(D-I girls cross country champions), Sugarcreek Garaway (D-III boys golf champions), Sylvania Southview (D-II

football champions), Toledo Ottawa Hills (D-III boys soccer champions), Youngstown Ursuline (D-V football cham-

pions).

4-1/2 – Akron Hoban (D-II football semifinalist, D-II girls soccer runner-up), Dublin Jerome (D-I boys golf runner-

up, D-I boys soccer semifinalist), Lima Central Catholic (D-III girls volleyball semifinalist, D-III boys golf runner-up),

North Canton Hoover (D-I football semifinalist, D-I girls cross country runner-up),

3-1/2 -- Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (D-II boys cross country fourth, D-I girls golf tied for second), Versailles (D-

III girls volleyball semifinalist, D-III girls cross country third).

3 – Attica Seneca East (D-III girls cross country runner-up), Bascom Hopewell-Beavercreek (D-I boys soccer run-

ner-up), Loudon (D-VI football runner-up), Cincinnati Anderson (D-II football runner-up), Cincinnati Elder (D-I foot-

ball runner-up), Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (D-I girls volleyball semifinalist, field hockey semifinalist), Cincinnati

Ursuline (D-I girls volleyball runner-up), Columbus DeSales (D-II football semifinalist, D-II boys soccer semifinalist),

Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (D-II boys golf runner-up), Findlay Liberty-Benton (D-V football runner-up), Hilliard

Davidson (D-I boys cross country runner-up), Jackson Center (D-III girls volleyball runner-up), Louisville St. Thomas

Aquinas (D-III boys cross country second), Strongsville (D-I girls soccer runner-up), Steubenville (D-IV football run-

ner-up), Worthington Christian (D-III boys soccer runner-up).

2-1/2 – Columbus Watterson (D-I girls golf tied for second), Upper Arlington (D-I girls cross country fourth, D-I

girls soccer semifinalist) .

2 – Defiance (D-II boys cross country third), Granville (D-II boys golf third), McDonald (D-III boys cross country

third), Mentor (D-I boys cross country third), Springboro (D-I girls cross country third), West Milton Milton-Union

(D-II girls cross country third).

1-1/2 – Baltimore Liberty Union (D-V football semifinalist), Bay Village Bay (D-II boys soccer semifinalist),

Brecksville-Broadview Heights (D-I girls volleyball semifinalist), Cincinnati Madeira (D-II girls soccer semifinalist),

Cincinnati Mariemont (D-III boys soccer semifinalist), Columbus Hartley (D-II girls volleyball semifinalist), Gates

Mills Hawken (D-III boys soccer semifinalist), Genoa Area (D-IV football semifinalist), Malvern (D-VI football

semifinalist), Mansfield Madison (D-II girls volleyball semifinalist), New Lexington (D-IV football semifinalist), New

Washington Buckeye Central (D-IV girls volleyball semifinalist), Newark Catholic (D-IV girls volleyball semifinalist),

Newark Licking Valley (D-III football semifinalist), Pickerington Central (D-I football semifinalist), Shaker Heights

(D-I girls soccer semifinalist), Sidney Lehman Catholic (D-VI football semifinalist), Sunbury Big Walnut (D-III foot-

ball semifinalist), Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (D-I boys soccer semifinalist), Worthington Thomas Worthington

(field hockey semifinalist).

1 – Chagrin Falls (D-II boys golf fourth), Cincinnati Moeller (D-I boys golf fourth), Fort Loramie (D-III girls cross

country fourth), Green (D-I boys cross country fourth), Russia (D-III boys cross country fourth), St. Paris Graham

(D-II girls golf fourth).

Previous Winners2003-04Versailles 2004-05Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit2005-06Cincinnati St. Xavier 2006-07Kettering Alter 2007-08Lakewood St. Edward

STORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN


State Footbal l F inalsSTORY BY OH IO H IGH STAFF

Photos by Nick Falzerano and Stephanie Porter

hen the St. Ignatius footballplayers arrived at practice theThursday before the Divisionstate final, 300 former Wildcatsgreeted them.Never mind that it was

Thanksgiving. They had a tradi-tion to uphold.

Some had played on one or more of the school’snine state championship teams from 1988 to 2001.Others hadn’t experienced the thrill. But their merepresence inspired the current edition to greatness.That greatness was achieved at Canton Fawcett

Stadium. The Wildcats clawed their way to a 28-20triumph over persistent Elder to win their firstDivision I crown in seven years.And if the performance of one particular junior is

any indication, an 11th state title for Ignatius coachChuck Kyle could certainly be earned in 2009. Thatplayer is linebacker Scott McVey, who registeredfour-and-a-half of the team’s eight sacks, added aninterception, and spent half the evening in thePanthers’ backfield.McVey was so impressive that Kyle compared

him to Massillon Washington legend ChrisSpielman, who was a standout linebacker at OhioState and three-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.“There have been some great players who have

played on this field over the year, kids likeSpielman, and this is a kid who can be like that,”Kyle exclaimed. “He loves playing the game. Sendhim on a blitz - he loves it. Put him out in coverageand he’ll get an interception for you. He has skill,that’s for sure, but you can also see that he lovesthe game. There are certain players who are justplaymakers and he’s one of them.”So is Wildcats quarterback Andrew Holland, who

placed his team in control from the start by engi-neering a scoring drive on the game’s opening pos-session. He fired a pass over the middle to tightend Brendan Carozzoni, who shed a tackle andraced into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdownthat made it 7-0.The Panthers responded by driving into Ignatius

territory, but an interception by McVey (who else?)killed the march. Hot-Hand Holland continued to fireaway, then stretched the advantage to 14-0 on aperfect arc pass to senior Connor Ryan.The Wildcats were merely revving up. They

made it three touchdowns in three possessions ona 2-yard run by Pat Hinkel, a brilliant safety whodoubles as a goal-line back.The teams traded interceptions in the second

quarter, after which prolific Elder quarterback MarkMiller and receiver Tim O’Conner went to work. Thepair hooked up on a 9-yard scoring strike with threeminutes remaining in the first half to give their teamhope.It would become a trend. Miller continued firing

away the rest of the game and finished withDivision I title game records of 28 completions and401 passing yards. O’Conner contributed 15 recep-tions, which is a championship game record for alldivisions.But the Panthers couldn’t recover until their

defense did. And that defenses yielded anothertouchdown on the Wildcats’ first drive of the secondhalf when Holland dumped a short pass to Ryan,who broke a tackle and raced 51 yards down theright sideline to increase the lead to 28-7.“Our offensive coaches called some great

routes,” said Holland, who completed 12 of 22passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns. “And Ihad great protection. I tried to look at it like a regu-lar season game, but that was hard to do. Thecoaches did a great job putting together a scoutingreport. (Elder) played a 4-2 and dropped theirdefensive backs, so those curl routes in the middleof the field were going to be open all night.”Elder finally found itself defensively from that

point on, but it was a classic case of too little, toolate. A 45-yard bomb from Miller to 210-poundwideout Josh Jones chopped its deficit to 28-13(Ignatius safety Dan Fox blocked the extra point)with 17 seconds left in the third quarter. Milleradded a 2-yard scoring pass to O’Conner with 1:22remaining in the game.The Wildcats, however, clinched it when Tommy

Hunt snagged the ensuing onside kick. ThePanthers were out of timeouts, which allowedIgnatius to run out the clock.And when it was over, Elder coach Doug

Ramsey reflected on McVey’s dominance.“That kid hurt us, man,” he said, shaking his

head. “He’s a good blitzer. We knew coming in thathe would be a tough guy to handle. He beat line-men, he beat backs, he beat tight ends. He’s agreat football player.“He was the guy who we were most concerned

with, but they did a good job of doing differentthings so we couldn’t say, ‘OK, he’s going to behere, so let’s do this.’ They moved him around a lit-tle bit from side to side.”McVey was quite appreciative.“All we were trying to do was pressure the quar-

terback,” he said. “After that, everything fell into place. We just

used our speed around the edge and our defensivelinemen definitely helped me.”On the other hand, the Wildcats could do nothing

to slow down O’Conner. But from the morose lookon his face following the game, it appeared hewould have traded in all 15 of those receptions fora victory.“We worked hard, but we couldn’t get anything

going in the first half,” he said. “We just gave up toomany points defensively.”And because of it, the number of Wildcats who

have experienced a state championship just grewyet again. — Marty Gitlin


State Footbal l F inals

W

Division I State Football Final

St. Ignatius 28, Elder 20; Nov. 29, 2008 @ Fawcett Stadium

Cleveland St. Ignatiusbecomes first Ohio school towin 10 football state titles

“Our offensive coaches called some great routes.And I had great protection. I tried to look at it likea regular season game, but that was hard to do.The coaches did a great job putting together a

scouting report.”

St. Ignatius senior QB Andrew Holland

Since OHSAA implemented the playoffs in 1972, no schoolhad reached double-digit championships - until now

Cleveland St. Ignatius senior quarter-back Andrew Holland completed 12-of-22 passes for 208 yards and three TDs.

Photo by Stephanie Porter

ylvania Southview head coach JimMayzes’ cell phone was ringing off thehook at the press conference followingthe Division II state championshipgame.And it probably won’t stop ringing

anytime soon following a 29-25 winover defending state champion

Cincinnati Anderson on Nov. 28 at Massillon’s PaulBrown Stadium in front of 5,953 fans in a game thatfeatured big plays on offense, timely defense andcritical special teams play.For Southview, it marked the first football state

championship in school history."Wow! What a fantastic battle back and forth,"

Mayzes said after the game.Said Anderson head coach Jeff Giesting: "I just

thought we had some breakdowns tonight that costus the game. But my hat off to them – they had agood game plan and put their guys in position tomake plays and they did."Southview’s second team All-Ohio quarterback

Alex Pidcock set a Division II state title game recordwith 333 yards passing on 23-of-30 attempts withthree touchdowns passes and an interception.He also had 94 yards rushing on 23 carries and a

touchdown on the ground."The offensive line gave Pidcock some time back

there and when they do that (the receivers) runaround and get open," Mayzes said.Wide receiver Shaun Joplin also set a Division II

state title game record with 166 yards and was onthe receiving end of one of those Pidcock touch-down tosses.Southview (15-0) tallied 465 total yards in the

game to Anderson’s 300 and the defense madesome key plays at opportune times."They have been making big plays all year,"

Mayzes said of his defense. "They are a bunch oftough-minded, hard-nosed kids on that defense. Thedefense played really well. To give up as manypoints as we did, we’re disappointed, but they hungin there and played tough until the last play."After both teams opened the game trading punts,

Anderson (12-3) scored on a 31-yard Kyle Slatertouchdown run capping a 6-play, 81-yard drive.Slater’s second TD run gave Anderson a 13-9

lead late in the second quarter.Southview took over with 1:25 left on its own 24

and quickly moved into Anderson territory where itfaced third down and 23 from the Anderson 38 with0:01 left in the half. After Anderson’s final timeout,Pidcock took a shot at the end zone as time expiredon the half. The ball was tipped by Anderson defen-sive back Kevin Cripe and Southview freshmanreceiver Allen Gant was there for the deflection forthe touchdown in the back of the end zone.The Hausfeld point after gave Southview a 16-13

lead at the break."(The touchdown) gave us a little bit of momen-

tum going into the half," Pidcock said. "We had con-fidence throughout the whole entire game that wewere going to get it done and we did."Said Giesting: "You give up a score like we did at

the half and that is hard to overcome when youhave two evenly matched teams. That really hurt us.Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way in thisgame. That’s the way it is."Despite the score, Anderson fought back to take

the lead late.Pidcock connected with Joplin for a 38-yard

touchdown to put the Cougars up 22-16 with justover nine minutes left in the game.Anderson quarterback Daniel Rod was intercept-

ed by Mo May on the next Anderson drive givingSouthview the ball on its own 1-yard line. TheCougars were unable to move the ball and on fourthdown Southview elected to take the safety asPidcock stepped out of the back of the end on thepunt play. Clinging to a 22-18 lead with 4:44 left,Southview kicked and Anderson took over on theCougars 45 after a nice Luis Perez return. Six playslater, Slater sprinted 20 yards to pay dirt puttingAnderson up 25-22 with 2:33 left in the game.Southview started at its own 20 after the touch-

back and moved the ball willingly as Pidcock spreadthe ball around to four different receivers including a16-yard touchdown pass to Paul Murphey whileescaping defenders to give Southview the 29-25lead with 0:32 left in the game."I just dropped back, looked around, didn’t really

see anything at first, started scrambling and sawMurphey across the middle wide open so I tossed itout there for him and he got in the end zone,"Pidcock said. "It was a great read by him to find theopen gap."Anderson was able to take a final shot at the end

zone as time expired but the Rod pass was deflect-ed by Jimmy Hall to seal the win."The last drive, when we scored, I think every kid

on the offense knew we were going to," saidMayzes. "We’ve run the 2-minute drill lots of timesand when we got the ball back with 2:33 left andtwo timeouts, we knew that was going to be plentyof time."Slater finished the game with 180 yards rushing

on 26 attempts and three touchdowns.“Kyle works hard and we have an offensive line

that is very talented and they are physical," Giestingsaid. "Kyle is a physical runner with some burst andour coaches do a great job with getting someschemes and getting him into space."Anderson won its first football state title last year

in Giesting’s first season at the helm."He is in the show two years in a row. What do

you say about that?" Mayzes said about Giesting."The guy is incredible."Southview made one other appearance in the

championship game in 1999 falling to CuyahogaFalls Walsh Jesuit 19-18. — Matt Natali



S

Division II State Football Final

Southview 29, Anderson 25; Nov. 28, 2008 @ Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

Sylvania Southview scoresfirst state championship indramatic, historical fashion

"The last drive, when we scored, I think every kidon the offense knew we were going to. We’ve runthe 2-minute drill lots of times and when we gotthe ball back with 2:33 left and two timeouts, we

knew that was going to be plenty of time."

Southview head coach Jim Mayzes

Cougars roll up 465 yards of offense against defendingchamps, score TD with 32 seconds left for the win

Southview QB Alex Piddcock had a D-II titlegame record 333 yards passing and threeTDs. He also ran for a TD and 94 yards.




or the Aurora football team, it sure iseasy being green.In the Division III state championship

game, Sat., Nov. 29 at Canton's FawcettStadium, the Greenmen won their firststate championship 21-10 overColumbus Eastmoor Academy in front ofapproximately 11,000 fans.

Despite being outgained 297-191 in total offen-sive yards, Aurora (13-2) took advantage of threeEastmoor (13-2) turnovers getting, 14 points fromtakeaways as the Warriors were penalized 11 timesfor 78 yards."It is definitely cliché but you've got to take care

of the football and force those turnovers and wedefinitely did that tonight and have done that thewhole playoff run," Aurora head coach Bob Mihaliksaid.Said Eastmoor head coach Jim Miranda: "We

knew coming into the game that (Aurora) was veryopportunistic and they were able to capitalize onturnovers. Unfortunately, we had quite a few(turnovers) in the first half."Aurora's second team All-Ohio quarterback

Brendan Gallagher was 7-of-15 passing for 120yards, two touchdowns and an interception."The (offensive) line protected me pretty well,"

Gallagher said. "I don't think I was sacked once allday. They gave me some time to deliver the footballand that was a plus for us."Steven Yung and Dee Brizzolara each had three

catches and a touchdown apiece.Aurora got play underway on offense but

Gallagher was picked by defensive back AlexColeman on the fourth play of the game givingEastmoor the ball on the Aurora 42."I just had to erase it from my mind," Gallagher

said of the early interception. "I put it in the back ofmy head because I needed to stay composed beingthe quarterback of the offense."The Warriors got points off the turnover on a 35-

yard Kwesi Sample field goal giving Eastmoor theearly 3-0 lead.The first half remiained a stalemate until Yung

recovered a Touche Hopkins fumble on theEastmoor 49 giving Aurora a short field. On thirddown and 10, Gallagher connected with Yung in theflat and he raced to the end zone for to give theGreenmen a 7-3 lead with 8:39 left in the half.

Then the floodgates opened just before halftimeas Aurora scored twice in the span of 21 seconds totake a commanding 21-3 lead into the break.On the first score, Eric Schultz barreled into the

end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run capping an11-play, 79-yard drive giving the Greenmen a 14-3advantage.Hopkins was flagged for a costly pass interfer-

ence call on third down and 10, keeping that scor-ing drive alive and Aurora took advantage.On Eastmoor's first play from scrimmage on the

following possession, Johnson was intercepted byBrizzolara and returned to the Warriors 26.Gallagher found Brizzolara on the first down for a

26-yard touchdown pass, giving Aurora the 21-3lead and momentum heading into halftime."High school football is so much about momen-

tum and emotion and we got rolling pretty goodthere, our crowd got into it and we felt pretty goodat that point," said Mihalik.But Aurora was far from thinking the game was

over."We watched (Eastmoor) on film and we saw

they were a second half team," Brizzolara said. "Weknew they were going to come out in the secondhalf and play and they did."Eastmoor made an effort in the second half to

make the game close scoring on its first possessionafter an Aurora punt. The Warriors put together a12-play, 93-yard 6:18 scoring drive capped off by aColeman 30-yard touchdown reception fromJohnson on fourth down and long to close in 21-10late in the third quarter."We tried to settle our kids down and told them

were still in the ballgame (at halftime) and we cameback in the second half and did a much better job,"Miranda said."Our game plan was to make them go on long

drives," explained Mihalik. "We wanted to keepeverything in front of us and if they were going toscore we wanted them to go on those long drives.Yeah, they scored but they took almost the wholethird quarter to do it. Time was on our side at thatpoint."Hats off to them. They didn't go into their shell

when it was 21-3 and they battled back like weknew they would."Eastmoor had a couple of opportunities in the

final minutes of the game to put points on the boardbut couldn't convert on a fourth down deep inAurora territory on one series and after and Aurorapunt, Johnson was picked off by Schultz off adeflected pass intended for Hopkins sealing the winfor the Greenmen.Johnson was 10-of-19 passing for 152 yards, the

touchdown and two interceptions. Coleman had all10 catches and the score.Hopkins finished with 72 yards rushing on 12 car-

ries.Eastmoor was making its first state title game

appearance in school history and is only the secondColumbus City League school to reach the finals.Columbus Brookhaven defeated Avon Lake 42-

21 in 2004 to win the Division II state championship."We know that we made history today," Coleman

said. "We know we're only the second team in CityLeague history to go to the state. Even though weare disappointed that we lost, we know what kind ofteam we are and we know that we made history."Nobody can take that from us." — Matt

Natali

F

Division III State Football Final

Aurora 21, Eastmoor 10; Nov. 29, 2008 @ Fawcett Stadium

Aurora capitalizes onEastmoor mistakes to claimschool’s first football title

"Our game plan was to make them go on longdrives. We wanted to keep everything in front of usand if they were going to score we wanted them togo on those long drives. Yeah, they scored but they

took almost the whole third quarter to do it.”

Aurora head coach Bob Mihalik

Greenmen turn three turnovers into 14 points; Eastmoorjust second Columbus City League school to make finals

Aurora senior quarterback BrendanGallagher was 7-of-15 passing for 120yards and two TDs.




lter High School has a reputable trophycase that contains over 10 state champi-onship trophies for boys soccer, boysbasketball, girls basketball, volleyball andgirls cross country.Make room for another.Making its second appearance in the

state football championships, Alterearned its first title on the gridiron Nov. 28 with a 21-6win over previously unbeaten Steubenville in theDivision IV state final at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium.“It means the world,” Alter senior Chris Borland

said. “This isn’t just for the ’08 team, this is for any onewho has ever played Alter football. It’s been too long.”“You think about some of the teams that have been

through Alter – especially recently – and when you’rea little kid they just seem like gods,” senior PhillipSowar added. “To think now that we’ve won a statechampionship and we’re considered the best of all-time is just unreal. I’m at a loss for words.”Said Alter coach Ed Domsitz: “It’s certainly the

biggest win we’ve ever had.”The Knights (13-2) extracted revenge on Big Red

(14-1) for a narrow 34-33 loss in the 2006 D-III statechampionship in Massillon. Alter also improved to 1-3against Steubenville, counting losses in the 1987 D-IIstate semifinals and 1972 regular season.In the 2006 title game Alter fell behind big early and

rallied only to see two missed PATs make the differ-ence. This year the doubt was gone long before thefinal whistle.Alter entered the contest averaging 43 points per

game thanks mostly to a devastating rushing attackled by seniors Austin Boucher (QB), Borland (RB) andJustin Hall (RB) and junior Cody Taulbee (RB).The quartet didn’t disappoint.Boucher, a Toledo recruit, improved to 26-1 as a

starter, completing 7-of-11 passes for 81 yards and aTD. He also rushed 19 times for 111 yards and a TD.Borland, headed to Wisconsin, countered with a

game-high 130 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Borlandalso caught Boucher’s TD pass.Hall added 48 yards on nine carries and Taulbee

chipped in 16 yards on four touches as Alter rolled up305 yards on the ground. The Knights finished with415 yards of offense.Alter operated behind a huge offensive line led by

three-year senior starter Evan Neff at center. Neff, thelone holdover from the 2006 starting line up, is head-

ed to Ball State.“Poise and leadership,” Borland said. “Austin runs

the offense and we never get down. We always knowthat it’s just a matter of time with our line.”“They kept fighting,” Steubenville linebacker and

West Virginia recruit Branko Busick said. “We foughttoo, but they kept swinging.”The Knights took a 7-0 lead when Boucher hit

Borland for an 8-yard TD pass with 4:54 to go in thefirst half. Following a 3-yard Boucher TD run, Borlandscored on a 21-yard run as Alter took command 21-0with 10:47 to play.Steubenville got on the board when standout junior

QB Dwight Macon hit Trey Wiggins for a 33-yard TDpass with 9:43 left, but Big Red never seriously chal-lenged thereafter.Steubenville in fact had trouble generating anything

all game against an Alter defense that held Big Red tosingle digit scoring for the first time in 70 games.Steubenville last failed to reach double-digits in a 47-7loss to Cleveland Benedictine in the 2003 D-III statesemifinals. Big Red ended with 311 total yards, 138 of which

came in the fourth quarter with the outcome decided.Macon, one of the state’s top college prospects in

the Class of 2010, completed 11-of-22 passes for 196yards and a TD and also tossed an interception. Hecarried the ball 14 times for a team-high 68 yards,which were anything but easy. Macon actually ran forabout 400 yards in the game, but most were sidelineto sideline as he tried to elude Alter defenders andmake things happen. More often than not, Alter’sdefense – which featured 10 new starters when theseason began and 11 after Week 2 with the loss oflinebacker Collin Boucher – held tight.With the loss Macon dropped to 26-2 as a starter.“Their defense played better than our offense,”

Macon said. “They came to play more than any otherteam we faced this year. They wanted it.”Steubenville, one of Ohio’s most storied programs

and just one of three with over 700 wins (CantonMcKinley and Massillon Washington), failed in itsattempt to win a fourth state title in its third differentclassification. The Big Red won the D-II state title in1984 and back-to-back D-III titles in 2005 and 2006. Itwas just the fourth loss for Steubenville – against 80wins – since the start of the 2003 season. Big Redowns six straight undefeated regular seasons.“When you’re in a championship game you have to

give a championship effort,” head coach RenoSaccoccia said. “You can give a championship effortand still come up short. All I know is we worked ourtails off for 15 weeks to get here and all great thingshave to come to and end. Our trail ended tonight to agood Alter team.”Alter’s title is the crowning achievement for a pro-

gram on the rise. The Knights own 14 playoff appear-ances and five trips to the state semifinals, but since2001 Alter has poured it on. The Knights are 88-18since 2001 with two finals trips in three years. Theonly thing between Alter and an undefeated seasonthis year was two forfeit losses for playing an ineligiblethird string senior in the season’s first two games.“This whole season has been kind of our redemp-

tion season,” Neff said. “We got a second shot atColdwater and now Steubenville. That one-point losstwo years ago was heart-breaking. Now to come backand beat them by two touchdowns is unbelievable. Itstill hasn’t really sunk in.”Maybe it will when the Knights walk by the trophy

case. — Eric Frantz

A

Division IV State Football Final

Alter 21, Steubenville 6; Nov. 28, 2008 @ Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

Alter adds football title to itstrophy case; Knights netrevenge, championship

“Their defense played better than our offense.They came to play more than any other teamwe faced this year. They wanted it. Don’t getme wrong we wanted it too, but they had that

little umpf at the end...”Steubenville junior QB Dwight Macon

Steubenville falls to Knights in rematch of 2006 D-III state final; Big Red can’t get it going against Alter defense

Alter’s Justin Hall was upended here,but the Knights rushed for 303 yards on48 carries (6.3 yards per carry average).




indlay Liberty-Benton’s defense ownedthe headlines entering Saturday’sDivision V state final. Following 48 min-utes of play, Youngstown Ursuline’sdefense got to tackle the championshiptrophy.Intercepting L-B quarterback Aaron

Craft four times, including three in thefourth quarter, Ursuline used back-to-back inter-ception returns for touchdowns by Dale Petermanand LaVance Turnage in the game’s final five min-utes to win its second state title 21-0 at Massillon’sPaul Brown Tiger Stadium. The Irish, who lost lastyear’s D-V final to Marion Local, also captured theD-IV title in 2000. Both teams entered 14-0.A crowd of 5,997 watched the Irish shut down

and out an L-B offense that was averaging 43points per game. It was the first shutout in a D-Vstate championship game since Newark Catholicbeat Delphos Jefferson 19-0 in 1985.Craft, a junior and one of the state’s top quarter-

backs, had thrown just three interceptions all year.“We have a sign in our locker room that says if

you can’t run you don’t belong on the field,”Ursuline head coach Dan Reardon said. “Theseguys bought into that and they attacked the foot-ball.“Obviously this was a defensive game. They

have an outstanding team and if you would havetold me before the game we were going to shutthem out I would have said you were crazy. Wehang our hat on our defense and we’ve alwaysdone that. I'm extremely proud of what theyaccomplished today.”Said Craft, who accounted for 57 TDs and over

4,000 yards of total offense this year: “We movedthe ball but we couldn’t finish and capitalize. Somestupid mistakes here and there and turnovers andnot making the right reads and things caught up tous. We couldn’t finish. We couldn’t get over thehump.“They did a good job of reading where the ball

was going to go and then flying there.”L-B’s defense, which had given up only 31

points all season heading into the final, played asolid game as well. The Eagles limited Ursuline tojust 37 yards on 22 plays in the first half, whichended with the teams tied 0-0. Minus a three-playdrive that yielded 74 yards and a 60-yard TD run

by Allen Jones to start the second half, the Irishmanaged just 78 yards in 40 plays against theEagles (an average of 1.95 yards per play).L-B, which had a school record 10 shutouts this

season, was allowing just 113.5 yards per gamecoming into the championship.Jones led the Irish with 97 hard-earned yards on

17 carries. Combined, Ursuline’s quarterbacks –Dawalyn Harper and Paul Kempe – were just 2-of-9 for 28 yards and two interceptions. The Irishwere 2-for-11 on third downs and had just eightfirst downs. Ursuline was penalized one time.“I thought it was going to be like a 54-52 barn-

burner,” Reardon said. “There were some things Ithought we could take advantage of heading intothe game against their defense and clearly weweren’t as successful as we thought we weregoing to be.“Neither of us did much on offense either way.”L-B’s offense had more yards than Ursuline

(241-152) but couldn’t crack the end zone. Twicethe Eagles ventured inside Ursuline’s 10-yardlineonly to be denied points. Craft was stopped onfourth and inches from the 4-yardline in the secondquarter and L-B missed a field goal from the 7-yar-dine in the fourth. The Eagles ran 22 more playsthan the Irish and led in time of possession 28:14-19:46.Craft finished the game 18-of-27 for 152 yards.

He also rushed a game-high 26 times for 49 yards.“I’ve never faced pressure like that,” Craft said.

“They’ve got some big name guys over there wholived up to the hype. We heard about them allweek and tried to attack them but they came upand made more plays than we did.”Said L-B head coach Tim Nichols: “Against a

team like that you don’t get many opportunities.When we had some they didn’t go our way.” —Eric Frantz

F

Division V State Football Final

Ursuline 21, Liberty-Benton 0; Nov. 29, 2008 @ Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

Ursuline’s “D” shuts downLiberty-Benton’s high-octane“O” in clash of unbeatens

Irish return two interceptions for TDs in final five minutes,record first shutout in D-V state final since 1985

“They have an outstanding team and if you wouldhave told me before the game we were going toshut them out I would have said you were crazy.We hang our hat on our defense and we’ve

always done that.”Ursuline head coach Dan Reardon

Liberty-Benton junior QB Aaron Craft (4) may have accounted for 57 TDs heading intothe D-V final, but he didn’t add to that total. The Irish, led by Ohio State commit JamelTurner (11), intercepted Craft four times. He had thrown three all season prior.




he day after Thanksgiving is commonlyknown as ‘Black Friday’.But for the Delphos St. John’s football

team, the day after Thanksgiving wasBlue and Gold – state championship gold– that is.With a 34-14 win over previously

unbeaten Bascom Hopewell-LoudonNov. 28 at Massillon’s Paul Brown Stadium in theDivision VI state championship game, DSJ hoistedthe title trophy for the fifth time in school history andits first since 2005.DSJ (13-2) utilized a stifling defense to force three

turnovers and hold H-L (14-1) to its lowest point totalof the season. The Blue Jays also scored morepoints on H-L than any other team this season."It was just a matter of staying determined," DSJ

head coach Todd Schulte said. "We made someadjustments on defense in the second half and hada pretty solid option game that we were able to runtoday."DSJ was paced by junior quarterback Wes Ulm,

who tallied 198 yards rushing on 24 carries and atouchdown running the option offense.Sophomore running back Jordan Leininger added

58 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdownsas well as a score through the air. DSJ outgained H-L 389-238 in total yards but 116 of the Chieftainsyards came on two of their first three drives.The Blue Jays also held a 32:11-15:59 advantage

in time of possession."Their kids made big plays," H-L head coach Brian

Colatruglio said. "The quarterback and tailback madesome clutch plays on offense and we just couldn’tget off the field on defense."All-Ohio quarterback Tyler Brown was 14-of-27

passing for 182 yards and a touchdown but threwtwo costly interceptions."We just can’t turn the ball over," said Brown. "I

don’t think I have thrown two picks in one game allyear and you can’t throw picks."Wide receiver Jay Yost reeled in eight Brown

passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.But the DSJ defense was suffocating holding the

H-L spread offense scoreless in three quarters."We made some coverage adjustments and it was

just a matter of letting our kids execute," Schultesaid.DSJ scored on its first possession of the game

setting the tone for the afternoon after H-L openedwith a three-and-out deep in its own territory.The Blue Jays took over with good position at

midfield and wasted no time marching to the endzone in five plays in just over 1:30. Leininger got hisnumber called and took it in from nine yards to givethe Blue Jays an early 7-0 lead.H-L settled in and answered orchestrating a 6-

play, 65-yard scoring drive capped off by a 9-yardAaron Kapelka run to knot the score 7-7.DSJ went four-and-out on its next possession and

H-L, with good field position on its own 49, capital-ized scoring in nine plays on a drive that included afourth down conversion. Brown connected with Yostfor a 12-yard touchdown strike to give H-L a 14-7lead in the final seconds of the first quarter.H-L senior linebacker Justin Hohman picked off

Ulm giving the Chieftains the ball on the DSJ 47 butthe Chieftains offense couldn’t capitalize as DSJstuffed a Brown run on fourth down.With the door open, DSJ put together a 5-play, 58-

yard scoring drive to tie game 14-14 midway throughthe second quarter. Ulm raced 26 yards to the endzone on the scoring play as the game’s momentumtook a sudden shift towards the Blue Jays.The Blue Jays took possession again on the H-L

31 after an errant Yost punt that netted just 11 yards.DSJ scored two plays later with Ulm finding seniorwideout Jay Leininger in the end zone for a 26-yardscoring strike to take a 21-14 lead into halftime."With the shank punt, we would have been con-

tent going in the half 14-14 but to be able to get thatscore knowing we were going to get the ball back,that’s huge," Schulte said.Added Colatruglio: "I thought we controlled the

game in the first half and we were where we neededto be but that was a big swing there in the secondquarter."DSJ opened up the second half with an astronom-

ical 16-play scoring drive that ate 8:55 off the clock.On fourth down and five from the H-L 6, DSJ lookedto Jordan Leininger again and he barreled into theend zone.Matt Brickner blocked the point after attempt and

DSJ held a 27-14 lead late in the third quarter."In my wildest dreams I didn’t think we would get

a (16-play) drive to start the second half and scoreon fourth (down) and five. It was just a heck of adrive," said Schulte. Added Colatruglio: "They took the whole quarter

and scored. Teams have said for a couple of yearsthe best way to stop our offense is to try and run theball and control the ball and score points and theydid that."On the next possession, H-L was marching but

the drive was cut short when a Brown pass intendedfor Yost was picked off by defensive back BradHoffman. DSJ was forced to punt but Brown waspicked off again – this time by A.J. Klausing – givingthe Blue Jays the ball on their own 46.In fitting fashion, DSJ put a bow on the champi-

onship three plays later when Ulm connected withJordan Leininger for a 53-yard touchdown."All week, people were asking me what the keys

to the game were and I told everyone of them that iswas going to be turnovers, special teams and thirddowns," Colatruglio said. "And I think we pretty muchgot handled in all of those areas."If you are going to win against a great team you

are going to need to win in two of those three areasand I think we (didn’t win any)." — Matt Natali

T

Division VI State Football Final

St. John’s 34, Hopewell-Loudon 13; Nov. 29, 2008 @ Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

Delphos St. John’s rolls to fifthstate football title with dominating second half

"It was just a matter of staying determined.We made some adjustments on defense in the second half and had a pretty solid option game that we were able to

run today."

DSJ head coach Todd Schulte

Blue Jays earn the Midwest Athletic Conference’s seventh football title in four years, their first since ‘05

Junior quarterback Wes Ulm accountedfor three TDs (threw for two) andrushed for 198 yards in the win.



ONN/Ohio H igh A l l -Ohio Team

Photo by Nick Fazlerano

Coldwater senior TonyHarlamert returns akickoff 99 yards for aTD against Marion

Local. He had 32 TDsand nine interceptions

this season.

or the fifth year in a row, Ohio High magazine has selected the Ohio News Network/Ohio HighAll-Ohio football team.We have picked a full team on offense and defense and have also selected special award win-

ners for the player of the year and coach of the year. The team was revealed during a broadcaston ONN.There are three repeat first-team performers from the 2007 ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio team.

They are Cleveland Glenville offensive lineman Marcus Hall, Newark Licking Valley running backStorm Klein and Youngstown Mooney defensive tackle John Simon.

The team is selected via nominations made by the staff of Ohio High/JJHuddle.com and Bucknuts.com.The following is a look at the All-Ohio first team and special award winners, followed by the second

team and honorable mention picks (all players seniors unless noted).

Player of the YearErick Howard, North Canton Hoover – Howard (5-10, 210) led the Vikings to a 12-2 mark and their

first trip to the state semifinals in more than 20 years before losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius. Howard fin-ished with 2,387 yards on 404 carries (5.9 average) with 31 touchdowns.

Coach of the YearScott Bartholomew, Circleville Logan Elm – Bartholomew coached previously at Oak Hill and

Williamsport Westfall before taking a year off from coaching. He returned this season at Logan Elm, whichwas 0-10 in 2007. He helped guide the Braves to a 12-1 mark and a berth in the Division III regional finals.

F


ONN/Ohio H igh A l l -Ohio TeamSTORY BY STEVE HELWAGEN

All-Ohio First Team OffenseQQBB:: AAnnddrreeww HHoollllaanndd,, CClleevveellaanndd SStt.. IIggnnaattiiuuss –– Holland (6-2, 200) has complet-

ed 167 of 283 passes for 2,817 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading St. Ignatiusto the Division I state title. He played little in the second half of several St.Ignatius blowout wins, leading an offense scoring 33 points per game againstone of Ohio’s toughest schedules. He threw for 208 yards and three TDs in histeam’s state title game win over Cincinnati Elder.RRBB:: SSttoorrmm KKlleeiinn,, NNeewwaarrkk LLiicckkiinngg VVaalllleeyy –– Klein (6-2, 230) was the driving force

as Licking Valley went 12-2 and reached the Division III state final for the secondconsecutive year. For the year, he had 1,811 yards and 28 touchdowns on 257carries (7.0 average). In his storied four-year career, this Ohio State verbal setCentral District records with 6,368 yards and 99 touchdowns. He also excelled atlinebacker and as a punter.RRBB:: EErriicckk HHoowwaarrdd,, jjuunniioorr,, NNoorrtthh CCaannttoonn HHoooovveerr –– See page 34.WWRR:: CChhrriiss FFiieellddss,, PPaaiinneessvviillllee HHaarrvveeyy –– Fields (6-1, 181) followed up a 57-catch

performance as a junior by catching 61 passes for 810 yards and 12 touch-downs as a senior. He also had a punt return fora score. Fields has committed to Ohio State.WWRR:: JJeerraalldd RRoobbiinnssoonn,, jjuunniioorr,, CCaannttoonn SSoouutthh ––

Robinson (6-2, 175) was a two-way star forCanton South, which went 8-4 and reached thesecond round of the Division III playoffs. Duringthe regular season, Robinson caught 25 passesfor 584 yards and six touchdowns. He alsoplayed safety and made 48 tackles with fourinterceptions and 15 pass break-ups.TTEE:: DDaann FFooxx,, CClleevveellaanndd SStt.. IIggnnaattiiuuss –– Fox (6-4,

220) was a two-way standout at tight end anddefensive back for the Division I state champions.The Notre Dame verbal intercepted a pass andblocked a kick in the team’s D-I state champi-onship game win.OOLL:: MMaarrccuuss HHaallll,, CClleevveellaanndd GGlleennvviillllee –– Hall (6-

6, 305) is considered one of the nation’s topoffensive line prospects. He is mulling scholarshipoffers from Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, LSUand Miami (Fla.). This road grader helped powerGlenville to an 11-1 season and a Division I play-off berth.OOLL:: CCoorreeyy LLiinnsslleeyy,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn BBooaarrddmmaann ––

Linsley (6-3, 270) is considered one of theMidwest’s top offensive line prospects. He dis-plays above average strength in his work as a lineman for Boardman. He hascommitted to Ohio State.OOLL:: AAddaamm BBeellllaammyy,, AAuurroorraa –– Bellamy (6-4, 285) helped lead Aurora to a 13-2

record and the Division III state championship. He was a standout on both theoffensive and defensive lines for Aurora. He has verbaled to Ohio State.OOLL:: JJaacckk MMeewwhhoorrtt,, TToolleeddoo SStt.. JJoohhnn’’ss –– Mewhort (6-6, 295) overcame some

injury issues to have another fine season at St. John’s. He could project as a cen-ter or guard at the college level. He has committed to Ohio State and will play inthe Under Armour All-American Game.OOLL:: AAnnddrreeww NNoorrwweellll,, jjuunniioorr,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii AAnnddeerrssoonn –– Norwell (6-7, 275) helped

lead Anderson to a 12-3 record and a berth in the Division II state championshipgame for the second year in a row. Norwell helped pave the way for 1,000-yardrusher Daniel Rod. Anderson averaged 40 points and 282 rushing yards pergame.AAllll--PPuurrppoossee:: TToonnyy HHaarrllaammeerrtt,, CCoollddwwaatteerr –– Harlamert (6-0, 185) set a state

record with a catch in 40 straight varsity games - and he's a running back. Thisseason Harlamert had 32 TDs and nine interceptions. He also had a couple kick-off returns for TDs, including a 99-yard one against Marion Local. Harlamert hadtwo interceptions against the Flyers as well. He also excels in basketball andbaseball. Go figure.

ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio TeamAll-Ohio First Team DefenseDDLL:: MMeellvviinn FFeelllloowwss,, GGaarrffiieelldd HHeeiigghhttss –– Fellows (6-5, 235) is considered Ohio’s

top prospect in the senior class and will play in the Under Armour All-American

Game in January. As a senior, he had 79 tackles, 10 sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss.

This Ohio State verbal leaves Garfield Heights with a school-record 51 tackles-for-

loss and 24 sacks in his career.

DDLL:: JJoohhnn SSiimmoonn,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy –– Simon (6-3, 280) is considered one of

the Midwest’s top defensive line prospects. He was the anchor on Mooney’s

defensive line and helped lead the Cardinals to a 9-3 season and a berth in the

second round of the Division IV playoffs. He has committed to Ohio State.

DDLL:: JJaammeell TTuurrnneerr,, jjuunniioorr,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn UUrrssuulliinnee –– Turner (6-3, 215) had a

breakthrough sophomore year with 23 sacks in 2007. This year, he led Ursuline

to a 14-1 mark and the Division V state championship. In the title game, he had

10 tackles and 1-1/2 sacks.

DDLL:: PPaatt MMuullddoooonn,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii SStt.. XXaavviieerr –– Muldoon (6-4, 255) had 64 tackles,

30 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks for St. X. Over

three years as a starter, Muldoon amassed 29

sacks and nearly 60 tackles-for-loss. He is consid-

ering scholarship offers from Virginia, Duke,

Wisconsin, Boston College and Cincinnati.

LLBB:: ZZaacchh BBoorreenn,, PPiicckkeerriinnggttoonn CCeennttrraall –– Boren

(6-1, 240) tallied 170 tackles and 14 tackles-for-

loss on the season for Pickerington Central,

which went 13-1 and reached the Division I state

semifinals. Boren also led Pickerington Central in

touchdowns as a running back on offense.

LLBB:: SSccootttt MMccVVeeyy,, CClleevveellaanndd SStt.. IIggnnaattiiuuss ––

McVey (6-1, 215) was one-man wrecking crew at

outside linebacker in St. Ignatius’ Division I state

championship game win over Cincinnati Elder.

He had eight tackles, including 4-1/2 sacks, and

also had an interception. For the year, he had 94

tackles and 35 tackles-for-loss.

LLBB:: JJoorrddaann HHiicckkss,, jjuunniioorr,, WWeesstt CChheesstteerr LLaakkoottaa

WWeesstt –– Hicks (6-2, 210) recorded 70 tackles, four

sacks and two interceptions for the 6-4 Firebirds.

He is being heavily recruited by the nation's top

programs including Ohio State, Florida, Texas

and Stanford.

DDBB:: JJaammiiee WWoooodd,, PPiicckkeerriinnggttoonn CCeennttrraall –– Wood (6-2, 195) had two intercep-

tions and 80 tackles for Pickerington Central. Wood, considered one of the

Midwest’s top safety prospects, has committed to Ohio State.

DDBB:: JJ..TT.. TTuurrnneerr,, MMaassssiilllloonn WWaasshhiinnggttoonn –– Turner (6-2, 180) was a two-way

standout for Massillon at running back and at defensive back. This Michigan ver-

bal rushed for 1,380 yards and 11 touchdowns on 207 carries on offense.

Defensively, he had 29 tackles, three interceptions (two for touchdowns) and a

forced fumble for the Tigers, who went 6-5 and qualified for the D-I playoffs.

DDBB:: CC..JJ.. BBaarrnneetttt,, CCllaayyttoonn NNoorrtthhmmoonntt –– Barnett (6-1, 187) is regarded as one of

the nation’s top prospects at cornerback. This Ohio State verbal excelled in the

secondary as Northmont posted a 10-2 record and reached the second round of

the Division I playoffs. He had one interception on the season.

DDBB:: BBoobbbbyy SSppeennccee,, RRaayyllaanndd BBuucckkeeyyee LLooccaall –– Spence (5-10, 160) tallied a

whopping 11 interceptions for a 7-4 Buckeye Local team that reached the

Division III playoffs.

KK--PP:: TToonnyy MMiilliiaannoo,, jjuunniioorr,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii EEllddeerr –– Miliano (6-1, 170) tallied 73 points

during the regular season for Elder, which went 13-2 and reached the Division I

state title game. He was 49 of 50 on extra points and 8 of 11 on field goals with

a long kick of 47 yards.


ONN/Ohio H igh A l l -Ohio Team

All-Ohio Second Team OffenseQQBB –– Corey Lisowski, DoverRRBB –– Fitzgerald Toussaint, Youngstown Liberty; Bud Golden, Cincinnati

SycamoreWWRR –– Joey Parris, Cleveland St. Ignatius; Darwin Cook, East Cleveland ShawTTEE –– Brian Wozniak, LovelandOOLL –– Sam Longo, Bellbrook; Matt James, junior, Cincinnati St. Xavier; John Prior,

Portsmouth; Austen Bujnoch, Cincinnati Elder; Tyler Anevski, Cincinnati Elder

ONN/Ohio High All-Ohio TeamAll-Ohio Second Team DefenseDDLL –– Ben Pike, Mentor; Jonathan Newsome, Cleveland Glenville; Cornelius

Carradine, Cincinnati Taft; Darryl Baldwin, junior, SolonLLBB –– Josh Kusan, Columbus DeSales; Adam Homan, Coldwater; Branko Busick,

Steubenville; Chris Borland, Kettering AlterDDBB –– Luke Kuechly, Cincinnati St. Xavier; Mike Edwards, Cleveland Glenville;

D.J. Hunter, Middletown; Ricky Steele, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh JesuitKK--PP –– Mario de la Rosa, Coldwater

All-Ohio Honorable MentionQQBB –– Mike Miller, Cincinnati Elder; Neal Seaman, Louisville; Spencer Ware, junior, Cincinnati Princeton; Dwight Macon, junior, Steubenville; Aaron Craft, junior,

Findlay Liberty-Benton; Micah Hyde, Fostoria; Eric Page, Holland Springfield; Austin Boucher, Kettering Alter; Terrence Owens, Cleveland Glenville; Mitchell Faine,junior, Ada; Zach Toerner, Hamilton Badin; Ryan O’Rourke, Avon; Courtney Avery, junior, Lexington; Alex Gillett, Clyde; Alex Pidcock, Sylvania Southview; Tyler Tucci,Malvern; Tyler Brown, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon; Eric Schwietermann, junior, Norwalk St. PaulRRBB –– Chris Snook, Medina Highland; Tyler Williams, sophomore, Cincinnati Colerain; Ben Moody, Cortland Lakeview; John Pettigrew, Cuyahoga Valley Christian

Academy; Seth Millar, Waynesville; Tyler Fortner, Tallmadge; Zac Kreakbaum, Akron Manchester; Mike Hanhauser, PerryWWRR –– Connor Ryan, Cleveland St. Ignatius; Steve Hull, Cincinnati Sycamore; Josh Jones, Cincinnati Elder; Logan McCormick, Clinton-Massie; Tyler Runk, Cincinnati

Anderson; Heath Jackson, Ada; Patrick White, Pickerington Central; Tyrone Williams, junior, East Cleveland ShawTTEE –– Alex Smith, junior, West Chester Lakota West; Blake Annen, Upper Arlington; Ted Bolser, Cincinnati Indian Hill; Javon Cornley, Columbus Northland; Dan

France, North Royalton; Anthony Talbert, Cincinnati Winton WoodsOOLL –– Jake Brandt, Bexley; Jake Feldmeyer, Centerville; Nate Klatt, Canal Fulton Northwest; Pat McShane, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit; Hugh Thornton, Oberlin;

Clinton Shepard, junior, EatonDDLL –– Adam Replogle, Centerville; J.T. Moore, junior, Youngstown Boardman; Derek Bryant, junior, Columbus Brookhaven; Nick Galvin, Cincinnati Moeller; Davon

Coleman, Cleveland Glenville; Davon Custis, Columbus DeSales; Dan Sprague, Worthington Kilbourne; Sean McClellan, Cincinnati Moeller; Cody Pettit, Hamler PatrickHenryLLBB –– Denicos Allen, Hamilton; Will Studlien, Sunbury Big Walnut; Ryan Cheek, Lancaster; Brad Rogers, Toledo Central Catholic; Marcus Vicars, GenoaDDBB –– Chris Woods, Cincinnati Winton Woods; Armand Dehaney, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit; Jordan Barbina, Belmont Union Local; Seth White, Bexley; Ethan

Kagy, Tiffin ColumbianKK--PP –– Skyler Roberts, Findlay; Nate Freese, Strongsville; Nick Gundel, junior, Beavercreek; Drew Basil, junior, Chillicothe


ONN/Ohio H igh A l l -Ohio P layer o f the Year STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

North Canton Hoover’sHoward earns state’stop individual honor

rick Howard almost didn’t playfootball in Ohio in 2008. Nowhe’s the state’s top player.A junior running back/line-

backer at North CantonHoover, Howard is the 2008

ONN/Ohio High Football Player of theYear. He is the first junior to receive theaward.On the field, Howard (5-10, 210) pro-

duced dramatic results. Off the field he’sdone the same.Howard lost his father in an industrial

accident when he was just 8 years old. Heplayed most of this past season withouthis mother.Howard’s sister, who lives in Seattle,

was pregnant over the summer and hismother, Ruth Howard, went out to staywith her daughter before and after thepregnancy. She left in September.Howard thought he might have to move

to the Northwest with his mom and on avisit scouted out what could have beenhis new football team. A poor turnout at aweightlifting session turned him off.Howard pleaded with his mother to

return to Ohio, and thanks to a plane tick-et purchased by his teammates, flewhome. Howard’s mother allowed him to live

with head coach Don Hertler Jr. in herabsence.Howard blossomed this fall.In leading the Vikings to a No.6 ranking

in the final ONN/Ohio High Power Poll, a12-1 record, a regional championship andan appearance in the Division I statesemifinals, Howard was his best on thebig stage.He rushed for 2,387 yards and 31

touchdowns on 404 carries (5.9 average).During the regular season, Howard had2,322 all-purpose yards and 28 total TDs.Defensively, he registered 98 tackles, three sacks and eight tackles for

loss. Howard was the team's third-leading tackler and had two interceptions.On Nov. 25, Howard was also named Ohio’s 22nd annual Mr. Football

award winner. Just the second junior to earn the distinction (Euclid’s RobertSmith won in 1988-89), Howard is the first player from storied Stark Countyto win Mr. Football.He is the third player to win both ONN/Ohio POY and Mr. Football honors.

The others are Tyrell Sutton (Akron Hoban, 2004) and Brandon Saine(Piqua, 2006). — OH

E ErickHowardHoover

ONN/Ohio HighPlayer Of The Year

Winners

22000033Ted Ginn Jr.,

Cleveland Glenville22000044

Tyrell Sutton, Akron Hoban

22000055Ross Homan, Coldwater22000066

Brandon Saine,Piqua22000077

Danny McCarthy, Cardinal Mooney

RB/LB is first junior to win ONN/Ohio HighFootball Player of the Year award

Howard lived withhis head coach thisseason, while hismother was inSeattle.


ONN/Ohio H igh A l l -Ohio Coach of the Year


STORY BY BRAD MORR IS

hen Scott Bartholomewcame home from a Week3 football game during the2007 football season, theformer WilliamsportWestfall head footballcoach had already made adecision.

“After I came home from watching Game 3, mywife looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to coachagain, aren’t you’, and I said ‘Yes’,” Bartholomewsaid.The decision turned out to be a historical one.Bartholomew accepted the head coaching posi-

tion at Circleville Logan Elm last February, a pro-gram that went winless (0-10) in 2007. The Bravesmade a complete turnaround this season, postingthe school’s first-ever undefeated regular-season(10-0). Logan Elm captured the Mid-State LeagueBuckeye Division championship, won (and hosted)the school’s first ever playoff game, advanced tothe Division III regional finals and finished 12-1.The Cinderella turnaround lands Bartholomew

the Huntington Bank/Ohio High Magazine footballcoach of the year honor.Bartholomew (125-64 career record) kept the

decision quiet until after the 2007 season, when helooked at available opportunities.“The opportunity at Logan Elm came up and it

was the best for my family,” Bartholomew said.“We could continue to live in Pickaway County, mygirls could keep going to Westfall and we didn’thave to sell our house.“It was also a chance to rebuild a program and

that was something that I was excited about havingthe chance to do.”Despite the appearance, the cupboard was not

bare. Logan Elm has a history of football success,winning the MSL-Buckeye and making the playoffsin 2000 and 2001, and appearing in the postsea-

son again in2004.“One thing a

lot of peopleoverlook abouteverything atLogan Elm isthey have agood footballprogram,”Bartholomewsaid. “Theywere in a lot ofgames in 2007,and had theopportunity to

win if they made a play here or there. It just didn’thappen.“This season, we had a lot of situations where

we needed a play here or there to win and alwaysseemed to get it. It was a karma thing. Every timewe had an opportunity for something to happen,something good happened and it built our kidsconfidence up and got them to believe we couldwin.”The world “believe” is the key to the winning

equation for the Braves. In the opening game ofthe season, Logan Elm pounced on fourWashington Court House turnovers and built a 20-0 lead. Then came an important Washington CourtHouse drive in the second quarter.

“Court House was going down the field to tryand score before halftime, and we told the kids thatif we got a stop here that we would win the game,”Bartholomew said. “They did and we won thegame. Something like that gets the kids to believein themselves and the message our coaching staffwas preaching.”The following week brought another challenge

as Bartholomew went up against his former school.“I came from Westfall, knew the Westfall kids

and our kids wanted to prove they were better,”Bartholomew said. “They came back twice from 11points down to win the game.”Trailing 21-10 at halftime, the Braves were aided

by a lighting delay that lasted over an hour.Bartholomew is often credited with firing up LoganElm for the comeback.There is only one problem with that – he wasn’t

in the locker room during the crucial time.“The first time we came out, we weren’t ready to

go,” Bartholomew said. “The second time we cameout and there was a different attitude. The kidswere more confident and ready to go. I don’t knowwhat happened, but they got themselves up.“During that second break, I was outside the

locker room on a bench talking to (Westfall headcoach Scott) Keller and catching up with him.”Keller was Bartholomew’s offensive coordinator

at Westfall.Bartholomew is modest about the many awards

he has won for the turnaround of Logan Elm,deflecting praise to different avenues, including hisplayers and coaches.“I had a very special group of young men,”

Bartholomew said. “They had very good workhabits and they stepped up. Those 14 seniors aregoing to have a lot of success in life.“We also have a good coaching staff that has a

lot of chemistry and shares a lot of the same phi-losophy. I’ve worked before with Coach (Todd)Seymour and Coach (Evan) Galluagher at Westfall.Coach (Rod) Smith and Coach (Jason) Shepherd

have a great love for Logan Elm football. I also hadan opportunity a lot of people don’t have. It wasvery special for me to get to coach with my son,Wade. I got to watch and coach him at practiceand during games at Westfall when he played, andthis season, I got to coach with my son.”Bartholomew also credited the past coaching the

players received, and reflected about what a posi-tive attitude can do for a program and communityinstead of a negative one.“When we came here, we saw these kids were

already taught and knew how to play football,” he

said. “The credit for that goes to the past coachingthey received. When a coaching staff comes in, ayear isn’t enough to teach everything. These kidsknew how to play football, all we did was to moldan attitude and make these kids believe they couldbe successful. A coach gets too much of the blamewhen something goes bad and too much of thecredit when things go well. That’s a part of the joband we accept it. We saw what a positive attitudecan do this season, and that’s an important lessonfor the kids, coaches, parents and fans.“In high school sports, sometimes we are quick

to jump on the negative when it is much better tostay positive and have a better position to work outof.” — OH

W

These kids knew how to play football,all we did was to mold an attitude andmake these kids believe they could be

successful.”

Logan Elm head coachScott Bartholomew

ScottBartholomewLogan Elm

Photo by Circleville Herald

Bartholomewcame to LoganElm after one

year away fromthe game.

Ursul ine ’s Jamel Turner


amel Turner is quick at getting to quarter-backs and was quick in making a deci-sion in terms of where he wanted to playcollege football.The defensive end/outside linebacker

from Youngstown (Ohio) Ursuline HighSchool announced on Dec. 16 that he isheaded to Ohio State.The 6-2, 220-pound Turner is only a

junior and became the second memberof OSU’s 2010 recruiting class when hemade his choice. (Defensive end J.T.

Moore of Youngstown Boardman was the first OSU2010 verbal and Cincinnati Anderson offensive line-man Andrew Norwell joined them on Feb. 4.).As a junior in 2008, Turner had 57 total tackles, 18-

1/2 sacks, 26-1/2 tackles-for-loss, eight pass break-ups, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles. Healso had six receptions for 119 yards and a touch-down as a tight end in leading Ursuline to the DivisionV state championship. He established himself as oneof the top recruits in Ohio and in the nation for the2010 class. Turner was also a first-team All-USA pick,according to USA Today. That is a rarity for a junior.As a sophomore in 2007, Turner burst upon the

scene with 78 total tackles, 23 sacks, 31 tackles-for-loss, nine pass break-ups and was named first-teamAll-Ohio (an honor he repeated as a junior). Turner had over a dozen scholarship offers includ-

ing Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin,Illinois, LSU, West Virginia and Stanford before heselected the Buckeyes. He announced his choice at apress conference at his school.“After my sophomore season, I had a chance to

meet a lot of great people associated with a lot ofgreat football schools,” Turner said. “My coacheshelped me make a schedule to visit schools andmake an informed decision and I narrowed it down toWisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, NotreDame and Penn State. I wanted to get my decisionover with early so I could focus on being a student-athlete after this great football season where weaccomplished all our goals. I’m very excited toannounce my decision.”Turner – smiling ear-to-ear – then reached under

the table to pull out an Ohio State helmet.“I’ve talked to (OSU head coach Jim) Tressel and

let him know that I will play for Ohio State Universityonce I graduate from Ursuline,” Turner said. “I’m veryexcited about playing for Coach Tressel and repre-senting Ohio State at the next level.

“I spoke to Coach Tressel about a week before Icommitted. He was very excited. He said he was veryhappy to have me and he was excited.”Turner explained why he picked the Buckeyes over

his impressive list of offers and why he made his deci-sion so early.“I’ve been around a lot of places and I feel most

comfortable at Ohio State,” Turner said. “When I wasthere, the atmosphere was like … it was just calling

me. I knew Ohio State is where I wanted to go. Goingto games there is electrifying, and I like just every-thing about the facilities and the campus and the rela-tionship with the coaches. I knew it was the place forme.“I don’t think it would be fair to other colleges if I

had my mind made up and misled them and theykept recruiting me. This way they can spend their timegoing after other recruits and that’s another reason Imade my decision early. But the biggest reason was Icould just focus on other things besides recruiting.”Turner is also a standout basketball player and

track athlete, but has known for quite some time thatfootball is his future. He has been an Ohio State fanfor several years and he is anxious to play for theBuckeyes.“It’s an honor to me,” Turner said. “It’s my home

school being from Ohio. I’ll be in front of my familyand friends. It’s an honor that I’m allowed to go there.It’s very exciting. Being from Ohio, there was a lot ofpressure to go to Ohio State, but that didn’t factor intomy decision. It was just that I’ll still be able to play infront of my family and I’ll still have people from high

school that I can call or come and talk to like mycoaches.“And all of the tradition at Ohio State can’t be beat.

It’s just a great place for football and everything elsethat you want to do.”Turner is primarily a rush end in high school, but

most project him as an outside linebacker in college.However, since he’s already 220 pounds as a junior,there is a chance he will put on enough weight to bea defensive end in college. By comparison, OSU jun-ior starting defensive end Thaddeus Gibson was just205 when he arrived in Columbus and is now 250pounds.“I’ll play wherever they need me,” Turner said. “I’m

just going to come in and work hard. Most likely I’llplay outside linebacker. I’ll drop into coverage some-times and rush the passer other times.”Turner is known best for his athletic ability, his

deceptive power and his ability to make plays in thebackfield. However, he talked about other attributeswhen asked to describe himself as a player.“A lot of excitement and a lot of emotion,” he said.

“I love to play the game and throw my body around. Ibring leadership and I lead by example.”Ursuline head coach Dan Reardon was like a

proud father when Turner announced he would beplaying for Ohio State.“It’s been a joy for me to watch Jamel mature over

the last several years, and he’s been a very produc-tive football player,” Reardon said. “He’s been a veryproductive basketball player, track, you name it. He’sgood at anything he does. “That being said, I think he knows as well as any-

body that he has a lot of improvement ahead of him.Coach Tressel and his staff are getting a very goodplayer here who has a lot of upside because oncethey really get him in the weight room and developseven more than he has so far, the sky is the limit forhim.”Some might argue that Ohio State could use

Turner for the 2009 season. However, Reardon andTurner got big smiles on their faces when they weretold that at least high school athletes can’t “go col-lege” early. (Well, at least not early enough to misstheir senior football season.)“I’m glad we have him for another year, absolutely,”

Reardon said with a laugh. “We’re going to see if wecan get him another birth certificate and maybe keephim another two or three more years. I don’t know ifthat will happen. He’s been very productive as youknow with some of his stats. As a junior, I think teams

J“I’ve been around a lot of places andI feel most comfortable at Ohio State. When I was there, the

atmosphere was like … it was justcalling me. I knew Ohio State iswhere I wanted to go.”

Ursuline juniorJamel Turner

Ursul ine ’s Jamel Turner


STORY BY DAVE B IDDLE

were really focused on him. And he still produced –not as much as he did as a sophomore – but if youlook at what he did for us as a team … we hadguys across the board that were freed up or weresingle blocked because teams were focusing onJamel.”Reardon actually coached under Tressel as a

graduate assistant at Youngstown State, somethingthat certainly didn’t hurt the relationship betweenTurner and OSU.“Yeah, I was able to work for Coach Tressel for

three years at YSU and with that I was able to seefirsthand how he runs a program and we try andmodel a lot of things after what he did and stilldoes,” Reardon said. “So, I think Jamel will seesome similarities. It’s a different scope, obviously,but he’s certainly going to a great place.“I’m thrilled for him. The thing I always tell kids is

to make sure you’re comfortable with the coachingstaff and as he mentioned he’s very comfortablewith Coach Tressel and his staff. I’m not going tohide the fact that I’ve been a lifelong Buckeye fan,but I don’t think that played anything to do with hisdecision. I’m thrilled for him.”Turner was pleased that Ohio State started

recruiting him early. He still remembers getting thefirst letter from OSU and when it finally felt realisticthat he could one day play for the Buckeyes.“I’ve been getting letters from them since my

sophomore year,” Turner said. “My coaches told meI would have to narrow it down to so many schoolsand then I would have to think about it. I took a lotof time and thought about it, and my visits to OhioState and other schools helped me figure out whichone I wanted to go to, and Ohio State was theleader. So, I pretty much had my mind made up fora long time.”Due to the limitations placed on college head

coaches during the recruiting process, Turner saysit’s difficult to really get to know them. However, hethinks he has a pretty good feel for Tressel.“We have a relationship,” Turner said. “Of course

it’s going to get better, but pretty much everybodysays he’s a great man. I believe that about him andI’m looking forward to playing for him and getting toknow him even better. Playing for him is one of thereasons I picked Ohio State.”In the 2008 D-V state title game on Nov. 29 in

Massillon, Ursuline emerged with a 21-0 victoryover Findlay Liberty-Benton and Turner finishedwith 10 tackles, 1-1/2 sacks and a pass broken up.Moments after the final gun, Turner put an OhioState sweatshirt over his high school jersey. Hismind was already made up.“Yeah, pretty much,” Turner said. “I had faith and

confidence that we were going to win the statechampionship and the night before the game, oneof my friends said, ‘If that’s where you want to go,you should do it like that and give people a littlepreview.’ So, I took it into consideration.”Turner, who has been clocked as low as 4.61

seconds in the 40-yard dash, admits it was veryhard to stay quiet and not let the cat out of the bagtoo early. “Yeah,” Turner said. “A lot of people were coming

up to me and asking, ‘Did you commit yet? Did youcommit yet?’ My coaches just told me to bepatient.”Now, it is Ohio State’s coaches that have to be

patient. The fall of 2010 seems like a long timeaway, but Turner is well worth the wait. — OH

Turner has helpedYoungstown Ursuline totwo straight appearancesin the Division V statefinal.

Photo by Gary Housteau



ESPN Nat ional Top 150 Recrui ts

Rank Name Pos. Ht. Wt. State Grade Verbal1 Matt Barkley QB 6-3 222 CA 93 USC 2 Manti Te'o OLB 6-2 230 HI 93 Notre Dame3 Russell Shepard ATH 6-1 183 TX 92 LSU 4 Dre Kirkpatrick CB 6-2 180 AL 92 Alabama5 Jacobbi McDaniel DT 6-0 267 FL 91 Florida State 6 Trent Richardson RB 5-11 219 FL 91 Alabama 7 Craig Loston S 6-2 193 TX 90 LSU8 Bryce Brown RB 6-0 215 KS 88 Unsigned9 Jelani Jenkins OLB 6-1 210 MD 87 Florida10 Rueben Randle WR 6-3 195 LA 86 LSU11 Garrett Gilbert QB 6-4 195 TX 86 Texas 12 D.J. Fluker OT 6-7 325 AL 86 Alabama 13 Aaron Murray QB 6-1 198 FL 86 Georgia14 Devon Kennard DE 6-3 257 AZ 86 USC15 Greg Reid CB 5-9 175 GA 85 Florida State16 Vontaze Burfict ILB 6-2 244 CA 85 USC 17 Andre Debose WR 6-0 180 FL 85 Florida18 Stephon Gilmore S 6-1 190 SC 85 South Carolina19 Devonte Holloman S 6-2 213 SC 84 South Carolina 20 Nico Johnson ILB 6-2 220 AL 84 Alabama 21 Ray Ray Armstrong ATH 6-4 215 FL 84 Miami (Fla.)22 Jaamal Berry RB 5-11 185 FL 84 Ohio State 23 Gary Brown DT 6-3 275 FL 84 Florida24 Marlon Brown WR 6-5 205 TN 84 Georgia25 Darius Winston CB 6-0 180 AR 84 Arkansas 26 Sam Montgomery DE 6-4 220 SC 84 LSU27 Mason Walters OC 6-7 285 TX 83 Texas28 Frankie Telfort OLB 5-11 197 FL 83 USC 29 Paden Kelley OT 6-6 280 TX 83 Texas 30 Branden Smith CB 5-11 170 GA 83 Georgia31 Tyler Stockton DT 6-1 290 NJ 83 Notre Dame 32 Dorian Bell OLB 6-0 220 PA 83 Ohio State 33 Eric Fields OLB 6-1 210 GA 83 Unsigned34 Xavier Su'a Filo OG 6-4 285 UT 83 UCLA35 Christine Michael RB 5-11 202 TX 83 Texas A&M36 A.J. McCarron QB 6-4 190 AL 83 Alabama37 Morrell Presley TE 6-4 215 CA 83 UCLA 38 Darren Myles Jr. S 6-1 175 GA 83 Tennessee39 Joshua Downs DT 6-2 267 LA 83 LSU40 Shaquelle Evans WR 6-1 203 CA 83 Notre Dame41 John Martinez OG 6-2 264 UT 83 USC42 Damario Jeffrey S 6-3 210 SC 83 South Carolina43 Kevin Graf OT 6-6 302 CA 83 USC 44 Demonte McAllister DE 6-3 260 FL 83 Florida State 45 Randall Carroll WR 5-11 175 CA 83 UCLA 46 Austin Long OT 6-5 270 TN 83 Georgia 47 Craig Roh DE 6-4 225 AZ 83 Michigan48 Morgan Moses OT 6-7 347 VA 83 Virginia 49 David Wilson RB 5-11 190 VA 82 Virginia Tech50 Xavier Nixon OT 6-6 263 NC 83 Florida51 Prince Kent CB 6-2 193 GA 83 Miami (Fla.) 52 Jarvis Giles RB 5-11 180 FL 83 South Carolina 53 Corey Adams DT 6-3 277 AZ 83 Arizona State54 Jamarkus McFarland DT 6-3 280 TX 83 Oklahoma55 Jheranie Boyd WR 6-2 184 NC 83 North Carolina56 Chris Davenport DT 6-4 318 LA 83 LSU 57 Chris Burnette OG 6-2 300 GA 82 Georgia 58 Tajh Boyd QB 6-1 208 VA 82 Clemson59 Jarvis Jones OLB 6-3 220 GA 82 USC60 Nick Alajajian OG 6-4 280 FL 82 Florida 61 Darrell Givens CB 6-1 170 MD 82 Penn State 62 Brandon McGee ATH 5-11 186 FL 82 Miami (Fla.) 63 Montrell Conner RB 6-2 210 LA 82 Mississippi State64 Ryne Giddins DE 6-4 225 FL 82 South Florida65 Kendall Kelly WR 6-3 210 AL 82 Alabama66 Waushaun Ealey RB 5-11 205 GA 82 Georgia 67 Je'Ron Stokes WR 6-1 178 PA 82 Michigan 68 Chris Watt OG 6-3 280 IL 82 Notre Dame 69 David Barrent OT 6-8 290 IA 82 Michigan State 70 Byron Moore Jr. ATH 6-1 188 CA 82 USC 71 Gerald Demps S 5-11 190 GA 82 Florida State 72 Chris Whaley RB 6-3 220 TX 82 Texas 73 Bryce McNeal WR 6-2 170 MN 82 Clemson74 Eric Shrive OT 6-7 285 PA 82 Penn State75 Steve Williams CB 5-10 165 TX 82 Oklahoma

hen the dust settled on national signing day, ESPN.comdeclared LSU as the mythical recruiting national champi-on for 2009.LSU’s No. 1-ranked class included 10 members of

ESPN.com’s national top-150 list. Coach Les Myles’class included three players ranked in the national top10, including Texas athlete prospect Russell Shepard(No. 3), Texas safety Craig Loston (No. 7) and Louisianawide receiver Rueben Randle (No. 10).

Alabama was next with nine national top-150 prospects. TheCrimson Tide lured three of the nation’s top 12 prospects in Alabamacornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (No. 4), Florida running back TrentRichardson (No. 6) and Alabamaoffensive tackle D.J. Fluker (No. 12).Texas was rated third with nine top-

150 prospects, including in-state quar-terback Garrett Gilbert (No. 11).USC’s class was ranked fourth,

keyed by nine top-150 prospects.USC nabbed the nation’s top prospectin California quarterback Matt Barkley.Finishing at No. 5 was Florida,

which had eight top-150 prospectsamong its 16 signees. The Gatorssnagged a pair of outstanding widereceivers in Maryland’s Jelani Jenkins(No. 9) and Florida’s Andre Debose(No. 17). Jenkins picked Florida overPenn State on signing day. Rounding out the rest of the ESPN.com top 10 were Georgia (eight

top-150 signees), Miami (Fla.) (six top-150), Florida State (five top-150), Ohio State (seven top-150) and Michigan (seven top-150).OSU’s seven national top-150 prospects included Florida running

back Jaamal Berry (No. 22), Pennsylvania linebacker Dorian Bell (No.33), Ohio defensive back C.J. Barnett (No. 88), Ohio defensive backJamie Wood (No. 99), Ohio defensive end Melvin Fellows (No. 124),Ohio offensive lineman Jack Mewhort (No. 126) and Florida widereceiver Duron Carter (No. 131). Schools in this region that also faredwell included Notre Dame at No. 14 and Penn State at No. 16.Within Ohio, five players were deemed as national top-150 picks.

That includes Barnett from Clayton Northmont, Wood fromPickerington Central, Fellows from Garfield Heights, Mewhort fromToledo St. John’s and Michigan-bound safety Isaiah Bell (No. 94)from Youngstown Liberty.The list over these pages shows where ESPN.com’s national top

150 prospects signed on national signing day Feb. 4. — OH

LSU brings in ESPN’stop class; Ohio State

rated ninth

WTop 10 Classes1. LSU2. Alabama3. Texas4. USC5. Florida6. Georgia7. Miami (FL)8. Florida State9. Ohio State10. Michigan

ESPN Nat ional Top 150 Recrui ts



76 Darius Jones ATH 5-11 175 TX 82 Baylor 77 Thomas Ashcraft OG 6-5 290 TX 82 Texas 78 Marcus Davis CB 6-1 185 TX 82 Texas 79 Jamal Reid ATH 6-0 175 FL 82 Miami (Fla.) 80 Gabe Lynn S 6-0 185 OK 82 Oklahoma 81 Quinton Washington OG 6-3 315 SC 82 Michigan82 Janzen Jackson CB 6-0 174 LA 82 Tennessee83 Ronnell Lewis OLB 6-2 225 OK 82 Oklahoma84 Chris Payne S 5-10 190 SC 82 South Car. 85 Tom Wort OLB 6-1 210 TX 82 Oklahoma 86 Donte Moss DE 6-4 225 NC 81 N. Carolina 87 Terry Hawthorne WR 6-0 168 IL 82 Illinois 88 C.J. Barnett CB 6-1 175 OH 82 Ohio State 89 Donavan Tate ATH 6-2 195 GA 82 N. Carolina90 Zaccheus Mason TE 6-5 240 TN 82 Mississippi91 T.J. McDonald S 6-2 182 CA 81 USC 92 Bryn Renner QB 6-3 190 VA 81 N. Carolina93 Barrett Matthews TE 6-2 225 TX 81 Texas 94 Isaiah Bell S 6-1 209 OH 81 Michigan 95 Richard Brehaut QB 6-2 206 CA 81 UCLA96 Rolando Jefferson WR 6-2 190 CA 81 Unsigned97 Eugene Smith QB 6-3 171 FL 81 West Virginia98 Craig Drummond DE 6-5 260 IL 82 None 99 Jamie Wood S 6-2 185 OH 81 Ohio State 100 Justin Chaisson DE 6-5 252 NV 81 Oklahoma101 Denard Robinson ATH 6-0 179 FL 81 Michigan 102 Alshon Jeffrey WR 6-3 214 SC 81 South Car.103 Logan Thomas ATH 6-6 233 VA 81 Virginia Tech104 Michael Ford RB 5-10 200 LA 81 LSU 105 Kevin Brent S 6-0 200 TX 81 Oklahoma106 Stavion Lowe OG 6-6 294 TX 81 LSU 107 Sheldon Richardson DT 6-4 280 MO 81 Missouri108 Jon Bostic OLB 6-1 218 FL 81 Florida 109 Zach Martin OT 6-5 260 IN 81 Notre Dame 110 Tana Patrick OLB 6-3 215 AL 81 Alabama 111 NuʼKeese Richardson WR 5-1 160 FL 81 Tennessee112 Edwin Baker RB 5-10 205 MI 81 Mich. State 113 Pat Patterson WR 6-3 218 MS 81 Mississippi114 Patrick Hall ATH 6-1 185 CA 81 USC 115 Kraig Appleton WR 6-3 190 IL 81 Wisconsin116 Keenan Davis WR 6-3 195 IA 81 Iowa 117 Jamal Patterson WR 6-2 194 GA 81 Stanford 118 Lamar Miller RB 5-11 205 FL 81 Miami (Fla.)119 Chad Bumphis ATH 5-10 180 MS 81 Miss. State 120 Malliciah Goodman DE 6-4 258 SC 81 Clemson121 Tariq Allen ILB 6-2 231 TX 81 Texas 122 Cierre Wood ATH 6-0 192 CA 81 Notre Dame123 Zach Mettenberger QB 6-5 229 GA 81 Georgia 124 Melvin Fellows DE 6-4 245 OH 81 Ohio State125 Tom Savage QB 6-4 217 PA 81 Rutgers126 Jack Mewhort OC 6-6 285 OH 81 Ohio State 127 David Oku RB 5-9 178 OK 81 Unsigned128 Moses Alipate QB 6-5 225 MN 81 Minnesota 129 Mike Gillislee RB 6-0 190 FL 81 Florida 130 Dexter Moody OLB 6-2 215 GA 81 Georgia 131 Duron Carter WR 6-3 183 FL 81 Ohio State132 Drayton Calhoun ATH 6-0 175 GA 81 LSU 133 Kevin Minter OLB 6-0 231 GA 81 LSU 134 Antwan Lowery DT 6-4 330 FL 81 Rutgers135 E.J. Banks ATH 6-0 185 PA 81 Notre Dame 136 Cliff Harris CB 6-0 165 CA 81 Oregon 137 Josh Nunes QB 6-3 208 CA 81 Stanford138 Dexter Pratt RB 6-2 225 TX 81 Okla. State139 D.J. Adams RB 5-10 210 GA 81 Maryland 140 J.K. Jay OT 6-7 280 SC 81 Clemson 141 Jordan Reed QB 6-3 230 CT 81 Florida 142 Petey Smith ILB 6-0 240 FL 81 Alabama143 Eddie Lacy RB 5-11 200 LA 81 Alabama144 Tate Forcier QB 6-1 183 CA 81 Michigan 145 Dyron Dye DE 6-4 215 FL 81 Miami (Fla.) 146 Morgan Newton QB 6-4 215 IN 81 Kentucky 147 Jerod Askew OLB 6-0 214 VA 80 Tennessee148 Taylor Lewan OT 6-6 270 AZ 80 Michigan149 Alex Okafor DE 6-4 216 TX 80 Texas 150 Willie Downs DE 6-4 225 TX 80 Florida State

Phot

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Garfield Heights senior Melvin Fellows isranked the No. 124 prospect by ESPN.

Red = Ohio State Recruit; Blue = Ohio Senior


Ohio 2009 Footbal l Recrui ts

t was another strong year for football tal-ent in Ohio in 2009.This is a year that will be remem-

bered by early commitments as well asfor Ohio State’s dominance – yet again– at the top of the class.

Ohio State, for instance, had close to 90 percentof its class in place by September. The only latecommitment from Ohio for the Buckeyes camefrom Cleveland Glenville offensive lineman MarcusHall, rated as the state’s No. 3 prospect. He madehis announcement on Feb. 2, two days beforenational signing day. He picked OSU over Miami(Fla.), Tennessee and Michigan. Otherwise, much of the suspense for the key

Ohio prospects was over by the end of the footballseason.Hall’s verbal put the finishing touches on an

Ohio State class that included the state’s top sixprospects, eight of the top 10 and 12 of the top 21.In all, the Buckeyes got 14 of their 2009 signeesfrom their home state. OSU ended up with thenation’s ninth-best recruiting class, according toESPN.com.Besides Hall, OSU’s other top-10 Ohio signees

included Garfield Heights defensive end MelvinFellows (No. 1), Newark Licking Valley linebackerStorm Klein (No. 2), Youngstown Mooney defen-sive tackle John Simon (No. 4), ClevelandGlenville defensive end Jonathan Newsome (No.5), Painesville Harvey wide receiver Chris Fields(No. 6), Clayton Northmont defensive back C.J.Barnett (No. 8) and Pickerington Central defensiveback Jamie Wood (No. 9).Fellows played through knee problems to enjoy

a fine senior season at Garfield Heights.Over his last two seasons of varsity football,

Klein was known mostly for his exploits at runningback. He ended his career as the central Ohio all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. Buthe figures to play linebacker at the college level.Klein, Simon, Barnett and Wood have all

enrolled or will enroll at OSU in time to participatein spring football.Cincinnati, coming off the school’s first 11-win

season and its first-ever BCS bowl berth at theOrange Bowl, signed 14 Ohio players among its28-man class. Two of UC’s key names came fromhometown high school Winton Woods as defensiveback Chris Williams (No. 40) and linebacker MaalikBomar (No. 48) signed with the Bearcats.Michigan State, led by former OSU assistant

coach Mark Dantonio, did a bang-up job in Ohio.The Spartans picked up seven Ohio players onsigning day. That group was led by Hamiltondefensive back Denicos Allen (No. 17), NorthRoyalton lineman Dan France (No. 32),Pickerington Central defensive back Patrick White(No. 35) and Shaker Heights offensive linemanHenry Conway (No. 54).Indiana signed five Ohio prospects, most

notable among them was Centerville defensivetackle Tyler Replogle (No. 18).Illinois had four Ohio signees. That group includ-

ed Oberlin Meridian offensive lineman HughThornton (No. 20) and Cincinnati Sycamore run-ning back Bud Golden (No. 24).Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin all had

three Ohio signees. Michigan grabbed MassillonWashington defensive back Justin Turner (No. 7),Youngstown Liberty safety Isaiah Bell (No. 32) andYoungstown Liberty running back FitzgeraldToussaint (No. 49).Northwestern’s haul included Columbus

DeSales defensive end Davon Custis (No. 19) andSunbury Big Walnut linebacker Will Studlien (No.26).Wisconsin had a pair of top-50 Ohio prospects

in Cincinnati St. Xavier defensive end Pat Muldoon(No. 29) and Loveland tight end Brian Wozniak(No. 30).Two of the state’s top 15 prospects remained

unsigned following signing day. Cincinnati Taftdefensive Cornelius Carradine (No. 10) still wasworking through academic issues, whileMiddletown defensive back D.J. Hunter (No. 12)had off-the-field concerns.Other notable top-30 signees included:

Cleveland South quarterback Devontae Payne(No. 11), Eastern Michigan; Portsmouth offensivelineman John Prior (No. 14), Florida State;Cleveland St. Ignatius linebacker Dan Fox (No.22), Notre Dame; Trotwood-Madison offensive line-man Chris Freeman (No. 23), Missouri; DresdenTri-Valley offensive guard Ryan Spiker (No. 25),West Virginia; Bexley lineman Jake Brandt (No.27), Akron; Dublin Scioto defensive back BradleyMcDougald (No. 28), Kansas.McDougald originally committed to Ohio State.

But after serving a three-game suspension for off-the-field issues, his offer was pulled and he endedup signing with Kansas instead.The graphic with this story looks at where the

state’s top 100 prospects ended up. — OH

IA look at where Ohio’s top 2009 football prospects signed


Northmont’s C.J. Barnett signs with OhioState at the GWOC Signing Day Ceremony.




Rank Name Ht. Wt. Pos. School/Verbal1. Melvin Fellows 6-4 255 DE Garfield Heights/Ohio State2. Storm Klein 6-3 225 LB Newark Licking Valley/Ohio State 3. Marcus Hall 6-6 300 OL Cleveland Glenville/Ohio State 4. John Simon 6-3 277 DT Youngstown Mooney/Ohio State5. Jonathan Newsome 6-4 230 DE/LB Cleveland Glenville/Ohio State6. Chris Fields 6-0 180 WR Painesville Harvey/Ohio State7. Justin Turner 6-3 190 ATH Massillon Washington/Michigan8. C.J. Barnett 6-1 175 CB Clayton Northmont/Ohio State9. Jamie Wood 6-1 190 DB Pickerington Central/Ohio State10. Cornelius Carradine 6-4 230 DE Cincinnati Taft/Unsigned11. Devontae Payne 6-6 220 QB Cleveland South/Eastern Michigan12. D.J. Hunter 5-11 190 DB Middletown/Unsigned13. Adam Bellamy 6-4 280 DT/OT Aurora/Ohio State14. John Prior 6-6 ½ 280 OL Portsmouth/Florida State15. Corey Linsley 6-4 275 OG Youngstown Boardman/Ohio State16. Sam Longo 6-5 260 OL/DT Bellbrook/Ohio State17. Denicos Allen 6-0 205 ATH Hamilton/Michigan State 18. Tyler Replogle 6-3 265 DT Centerville/Indiana 19. Davon Custis 6-5 220 DE Columbus DeSales/Northwestern20. Hugh Thornton 6-5 285 OL Oberlin Meridian/Illinois21. Jack Mewhort 6-6 285 C Toledo St. Johnʼs/Ohio State22. Dan Fox 6-4 215 LB/DE Cleveland St Ignatius/Notre Dame23. Chris Freeman 6-8 325 OL Trotwood-Madison/Missouri24. Bud Golden 6-0 190 ATH Cincinnati Sycamore/Illinois25. Ryan Spiker 6-3 290 OG Dresden Tri-Valley/West Virginia26. Will Studlien 6-2 220 LB Big Walnut/Northwestern27. Jake Brandt 6-6 260 DT/OL Bexley/Akron28. Bradley McDougald 6-1 190 ATH Dublin Scioto/Kansas29. Pat Muldoon 6-4 240 DE Cincinnati St. Xavier/Wisconsin 30. Brian Wozniak 6-4 225 TE Loveland/Wisconsin 31. Dan France 6-6 260 ATH North Royalton/Michigan State 32. Isaiah Bell 6-2 200 S Youngstown Liberty/Michigan33. Darrell Mason 6-1 210 ATH Youngstown Ursuline/Unsigned34. Chris Snook 6-2 220 LB Medina Highland/West Virginia 35. Patrick White 6-0 175 CB/WR Pickerington Central/Michigan State36. Mike Edwards 6-0 185 CB Cleveland Glenville/Tennessee37. Branko Busick 6-1 220 LB Steubenville/West Virginia38. Aaron Mershman 6-3 200 QB Bowling Green/Ball State39. Adam Homan 6-3 233 FB Coldwater/Ohio State40. Chris Williams 5-11 175 DB/WR Cincinnati Winton Woods/Cincinnati41. Terrence Davis 6-4 205 WR Fremont Ross/Unsigned42. Nate Cadogan 6-6 265 DE/OL Portsmouth/Penn State43. Bryan Underwood 5-10 175 WR Cleveland Heights/N.C. State44. Luke Kuechly 6-3 215 LB Cincinnati St. Xavier/Boston College45. Javon Cornley 6-5 215 DE Columbus Northland/Indiana46. Jeffvon Gill 6-0 190 ATH Euclid/Buffalo47. Jairus Campbell 6-5 240 DE/OLB Pickerington North/Bowling Green 48. Maalik Bomar 6-2 185 LB Cincinnati Winton Woods/Cincinnati49. Fitzgerald Toussaint 5-10 180 RB Youngstown Liberty/Michigan50. Eric Finklea 6-1 185 RB Cincinnati Woodward/Miami (Ohio)51. Patrick Nicely 6-4 210 QB Willoughby South/Akron52. Zach Boren 6-1 230 LB/FB Pickerington Central/Ohio State.53. Dannell Smith 6-4 290 OT Newark/Unsigned54. Henry Conway 6-7 320 OL Shaker Heights/Michigan State55. Jeff Walker 6-4 200 WR Akron Coventry/Kent State56. Rickey Steele 5-11 175 CB Cincinnati LaSalle/Toledo57. Erique Geiger 5-9 200 SS Huber Heights Wayne/Bowling Green58. Jowan Peterson 6-2 180 S Cincinnati Withrow/Unsigned59. Jeff Duckworth 6-0 200 WR Cincinnati Princeton/Wisconsin60. Cody Pettit 6-4 230 DL/OL Hamler Patrick Henry/Central Michigan61. Alex Bayer 6-3 225 TE Pickerington North/Bowling Green62. Nate Klatt 6-4 270 C Canal Fulton Northwest/Michigan State63. Austin Moore 6-0 210 LB Springfield/Miami (Ohio)64. Steve Hull 6-1 190 S Cincinnati Sycamore/Illinois

Where Ohio’s top 2009 football prospects signed

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Storm Klein

John Simon

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Jamie Wood

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Marcus Hall

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Justin Turner

BK

Cory Linsley

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Sam Longo

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Patrick White

Will Studlien

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Sub

Dan Fox

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Chris Snook

Isaiah Bell

Dan France Chris Freeman



65. Perez Ashford 5-11 175 WR Shaker Heights/Northern Illinois66. Travis Freeman 6-1 190 LB/S Cleveland Glenville/Ball State67. Sean McClellan 6-4 241 DE Cincinnati Moeller/Cincinnati68. Brad Rogers 5-10 220 RB Toledo Central Catholic/Iowa69. Aunre Davis 6-0 180 ATH Warren Harding/Bowling Green70. Brian Slack 6-5 225 TE Akron Hoban/Miami (Ohio)71. John Taylor 6-5 260 ATH North Olmsted/Ohio U.72. Jake Feldmeyer 6-2 260 OL Centerville/Illinois73. T.J. Fatinikun 6-2 225 OLB/DE Perrysburg/Bowling Green74. Terrence Owens 6-2 160 QB Cleveland Glenville/Toledo75. Ricky Harris 6-3 320 OL Westerville South/Cincinnati76. Brian Winters 6-3 280 DT Hudson/Kent State77. Tyler Scott 6-3 230 LB Warren Howland/Northwestern78. Dan Molls 6-1½ 215 LB Padua Franciscan/Ohio U.79. Mark Mays 5-8 170 CB Clayton Northmont/Bowling Green80. Dale Peterman 5-11 175 CB/WR Youngstown Ursuline/Syracuse81. RonCarlos Hilton 5-11 185 SS Youngstown East/Unsigned82. Brian Smith 6-7 280 OL Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit/Northwestern83. Dwayne Woods 6-0 200 LB Cincinnati Princeton/Bowling Green84. Adam Schneid 6-4 265 OL Avon Lake/Central Michigan85. Brandon Rice 5-9 180 RB Columbus Walnut Ridge/Unsigned86. Ryan Cheek 6-1 225 LB Lancaster/N.C. State87. Patrick Tucker 6-4 200 ATH Cincinnati Princeton/Unsigned88. Zakee Bashir 6-2 210 OLB/DE Columbus Walnut Ridge/Marshall89. Xavier Fugate 6-4 210 ATH Trenton Edgewood/Unsigned90. Mark Hilty 6-4 235 DT Olentangy Liberty/Cincinnati91. Anthony Talbert 6-5 220 TE/DE Cincinnati Winton Woods/N.C. State92. Blake Fraley 6-3 205 LB Hilliard Darby/Akron93. Randy Greenwood 5-11 175 ATH Mentor Lake Catholic/Akron94. Danny Gress 6-0 205 LB Clayton Northmont/Kent State95. Zac Costlow 6-3 235 DE/DT Steubenville Central Catholic/Pennsylvania96. Ryan OʼRourke 6-2 190 QB Avon/Unsigned97. Lamar Passmore 6-3 190 WR Cincinnati Sycamore/Unsigned98. Zach Murray 6-2 230 LB Avon Lake/Wofford99. Kevan Westenbarger 6-4 190 QB McComb/Unsigned100. Jeremy Johnson 6-4 310 OL Springfield/Buffalo101. Trae Tiller 6-2 235 DE/DT Canal Winchester Harvest Prep/Unsigned102. Tommie McBride 6-1 205 LB Cincinnati Taft/Unsigned103. Tyler Arend 6-5 290 OL Paulding/Kent State

SPGH

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Tyler Scott

Aunrae Davis

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Ricky Harris

Perez Ashford

SP

Dale Peterman

SP

RonCarlos Hilton

SP

Randy Greenwood

Jeffvon Gill



he state of Ohio is always loadedwith outstanding high school foot-ball talent and the Buckeye StateClass of 2010 is certainly noexception. Once again this year,some of the top junior prospects inthe Midwest reside in Ohio andthere is some outstanding depth oftalent behind those top prospects.

It is a very tight call at the top of this list. A casecould be made for any of the top four prospects tobe the No. 1 pick.At this point, though, our choice for the No. 1

prospect in the 2010 class is West Chester LakotaWest linebacker Jordan Hicks. The next threeprospects would be Cincinnati St. Xavier offensivelineman Matt James, Cincinnati Anderson offensivelineman Andrew Norwell and Youngstown Ursulinedefensive end Jamel Turner.Norwell and Turner have each made early ver-

bal commitments to Ohio State. YoungstownBoardman defensive end J.T. Moore, who checksin at No. 8, is also verbaled for the Buckeyes.Here is a look at the early Ohio High top 25

football prospects for 2010, followed by more play-ers to keep in mind.

* 1. Jordan Hicks, linebacker, West ChesterLakota West – Hicks (6-2, 210) recorded 70 tack-les, four sacks and two interceptions for the 6-4Firebirds. He has offers from a host of schoolsfrom across the country. He lists Texas as an earlyfavorite. However, he did attend several Ohio Stategames this past year. Those two have offered ashave Kentucky, Notre Dame, Alabama, Stanford,Illinois, Florida, West Virginia, Michigan State andCincinnati.* 2. Matt James, offensive lineman,

Cincinnati St. Xavier – James (6-8, 280) is atremendous tackle prospect. He had early offersfrom Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, Cincinnatiand others. * 3. Andrew Norwell, offensive lineman,

Cincinnati Anderson – Norwell (6-6, 270) helpedAnderson post a 12-3 record and reach theDivision II state championship game for the sec-ond year in a row. He had a number of early offers

– including Cincinnati, Indiana and Duke – beforeverbaling to Ohio State on Feb. 4.* 4. Jamel Turner, defensive end,

Youngstown Ursuline – Turner (6-3, 220, 4.6)selected Ohio State in mid-December over schol-arship offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State,Wisconsin, Illinois, West Virginia and others.Turner registered over 40 sacks during his sopho-more and junior seasons, helping Ursuline claimthe Division V state title this past fall.

* 5. Darryl Baldwin, defensive end, Solon –Baldwin (6-6, 240) is an outstanding talent whohas the potential to develop into an impact defend-er at the next level. His scholarship offer listincludes West Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State,Illinois and Stanford. * 6. Scott McVey, linebacker, Cleveland St.

Ignatius – McVey (6-1, 220) McVey was one-manwrecking crew at outside linebacker in St. Ignatius’Division I state championship game win overCincinnati Elder. He had eight tackles, including 4-1/2 sacks, and also had an interception. For theyear, he had 94 tackles and 35 tackles-for-loss.* 7. Christian Bryant, athlete, Cleveland

Glenville – Bryant (5-11, 174, 4.53) may be thenext top defensive back recruit out of Glenville. Hewas impressive at the U.S. Army All-Americancombine down in San Antonio.Bryant reportedly has been offered by

Tennessee and Stanford and is also looking atCincinnati, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State,Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. * 8. J.T. Moore, defensive end, Youngstown

Boardman – Moore (6-4, 230, 4.75) was the first2010 player to commit to Ohio State. He verbaledto the Buckeyes in mid-September.* 9. Andrew Donnal, offensive lineman,

Whitehouse Anthony Wayne – Donnal (6-7, 265,4.9) is a rangy offensive line prospect. He alreadyhad offers from the likes of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,Maryland, Michigan State and Stanford. He wasalso looking at Ohio State and Wisconsin.

* 10. Spencer Ware, quarterback/athleteprospect, Cincinnati Princeton – Ware (5-11,210, 4.48) threw for 2,200 yards and rushed foralmost 1,000 during his sophomore season. Warealso threw for just under 2,000 yards during hisjunior season. Ware does not have prototype size,which has many schools recruiting him as an “ath-lete’ including Ohio State. The Buckeyes haveoffered a scholarship as have Cincinnati,Wisconsin and Duke. * 11. Erick Howard, running back, North

Canton Hoover – Howard (5-10, 210, 4.5) led theVikings to a 12-2 mark and their first trip to thestate semifinals in more than 20 years before los-ing to Cleveland St. Ignatius. Howard finished with2,387 yards on 404 carries (5.9 average) with 31touchdowns. He was the the Mr. Football awardwinner, according to The Associated Press.Howard had academic issues in his first two

years of high school, but seems to be workinghard to improve his academic profile. Once thatissue gets squared away, he could see a numberof scholarship offers. Right now, he lists OhioState, Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State andNorth Carolina as his top schools.* 12. Alex Smith, tight end, West Chester

Lakota West – Smith (6-5, 230, 4.87) had 25catches for 375 yards and caught four touchdownpasses as a junior. He already has offers fromCincinnati, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky to namea few.* 13. Derrick Bryant, defensive end,

Columbus Brookhaven – Bryant (6-4, 230, 4.55)transferred from Gahanna Lincoln to nearbyBrookhaven before his junior year. Bryant recorded85 tackles and 12 sacks as a junior. He alreadyhas offers from the likes of Illinois and Michigan.He is also interested in Michigan State, NotreDame and Ohio State, among others.* 14. Tyrone Williams, wide receiver, East

Cleveland Shaw – Williams (6-5, 200) had 11catches for 372 yards (33.8 average) and eighttouchdowns over four games as a junior beforegoing down with a knee injury. He lists Ohio State,USC, West Virginia, Illinois, Michigan and MichiganState as his top schools.* 15. Jayrone Elliott, outside linebacker,

Cleveland Glenville – Elliott (6-3, 205, 4.65) tal-lied close to 50 tackles, 15 sacks and one inter-ception as a junior for the Tarblooders. Elliott isinterested in Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois,Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.)and a few others.* 16. Jerald Robinson, wide receiver, Canton

South – Robinson (6-2, 180, 4.55) had over 500receiving yards during his sophomore season. Hecaught 48 passes for close to 600 yards through10 regular season games his junior season.Robinson has committed to the University ofMichigan.* 17. Latwan Anderson, safety, Lakewood St.

Edward – Anderson (5-11, 185, 4.4) played safety,wide receiver and returned punts and kickoffs dur-ing his junior season. He intercepted four passes.He reportedly has early offers from Michigan,Michigan State, Cincinnati and Virginia. He is alsointerested in Ohio State.* 18. Justin Favors, tight end, Trotwood-

Madison – Favors (6-2, 227, 4.8) is a transferfrom Dayton Meadowdale. His stock has beenquickly on the rise this off-season.

TCheck JJHuddle.com daily for

breaking recruiting information


Ohio 2010 Footbal l Recrui tsSTORY BY B I L L KUREL IC

* 19. Deron Brown, athlete prospect, AkronNorth – Brown (6-3, 185) has played defensiveend at North, but could in a number of directions atthe college level.* 20. Dwight Macon, quarterback,

Steubenville – Macon (6-0, 190, 4.5) has alreadystarted two seasons for the storied Steubenvilleprogram. He rushed for 1,290 yards and 12 touch-downs and also threw for 1,666 yards and 14touchdowns as a sophomore. This past year, herushed for 837 yards and 12 touchdowns and alsothrew for 2,424 yards and 28 touchdowns againstfour interceptions. The Big Red reached theDivision IV state title game. His list of school pref-erences includes most of the Big Ten, includingOSU.* 21. Josh Davis, defensive tackle, Plain City

Jonathan Alder – Davis (6-6, 270, 5.5) moved toOhio from Indiana prior to his junior year. He hasattended junior day events at Notre Dame andIndiana and also lists Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State andothers.* 22. Antonio Kinnard, linebacker,

Youngstown Liberty – Kinnard (6-4, 210) displaysgood speed and gets upfield quickly to make plays.He also played fullback on defense.

* 23. Anthony Schrock, wide receiver,Wadsworth – Schrock (6-3, 175, 4.52) caught 32passes for 738 yards and seven touchdowns dur-ing his junior season. Akron has offered. He is alsolooking at OSU and Pittsburgh.* 24. Taylor Miller, offensive lineman,

Trenton Edgewood – Miller (6-5, 300, 5.2) was avarsity starter at nose tackle his freshman season.He started at offensive left guard his sophomoreseason. He has offers from Western Michigan,Ohio U. and Akron. He also lists Ohio State,Cincinnati, Illinois and Purdue.* 25. Zac Rosenbauer, linebacker, Lima

Shawnee – Rosenbauer (6-2, 235, 4.6) was astarter at inside linebacker his sophomore seasonwhen he made 117 tackles including 16 for loss.He broke his right collar bone during the first scrim-mage before his junior season, then broke it againon the first play of game six, and with the excep-tion of that one play, missed his entire junior sea-son. Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan,Northwestern and Cincinnati are among theschools Rosenbauer has visited.

More Players To WatchHere are some more Ohio prospects who were

considered for top-25 spots: Derek Roback, QB,Waverly; Mitchell Faine, QB, Ada; Alex Zordich,QB, Youngstown Mooney; Clint Shepherd, OL,Eaton; Skyler Schofner, OL, Johnstown Monroe;Courtney Avery, CB, Lexington; Brynt Ausperk, OL,Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary; Leveon Bell, RB,Groveport Madison. Brad Ferguson, OL/DL, Beloit West Branch;

Davion Rogers, LB, Warren Harding; Mike Dorsey,ATH, Warren Harding; Braylon Heard, ATH,Youngstown Mooney; Matt Rotheram, OL, NorthOlmstead; Josh Russ, WR/OLB, Elyria Catholic;Kurtis Drummond, WR/DB, Hubbard.Eric Franklin, OL, Youngstown Mooney;

Dominique Brown, QB, Cincinnati Winton Woods;Dan Schneider, TE, Avon Lake; Jon Ballard, QB,Austintown Fitch; Dominic Flewellyn, OL, MapleHeights; Kyle Widder, TE, New Philadelphia;Braylon Heard, RB, Youngstown Mooney; TysonGulley, RB, Akron Garfield; Antonio Banks, RB,Middletown; Nick Galvin, LB, Cincinnati Moeller;Jewone Snow, LB, Canton McKinley; AaronEdwards, DB, Austintown Fitch; Ray Vinopal, DB,Youngstown Mooney; Cameron Ontko, DB,Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit; Tony Miliano, K,Cincinnati Elder. — OH

Anderson junior offensive lineman Andrew Norwell(middle) has committed to Ohio State.




ational signing day 2009 has justpassed and the ink is barely dryon recruiting for the many Ohioprospects who signed nationalletters of intent. However,recruiters are already makingtheir pitch to the top class of2010 prospects in the state ofOhio.

Recruiters are also working ahead on 2011. Itis still very, very early when talking aboutprospects that are currently just sophomores inhigh school, but over a dozen talented Ohioprospects already stand out.Heading the list is quarterback Braxton Miller

from Huber Heights Wayne. The 6-2 and 185-pound Miller, who is the cousin of former OhioState wide receiver Dee Miller, is a super talentwho already has a scholarship offer on the tablefrom Ohio State.Braxton Miller has been Wayne’s starting quar-

terback since his freshman year when he passedfor over 1,000 yards and rushed for over 500.Miller broke his right leg and missed much of hissophomore season, but will be 100 percenthealthy and ready for a big junior season. Hereportedly already has verbal offers fromCincinnati and Ohio State, among possible others.Defensive end and outside linebacker Steve

Miller from Canton McKinley made 116 tacklesincluding six sacks during his sophomore season.The 6-4 and 205-pound Miller is an outstandingathlete who also plays basketball. The Ohio State coaching staff invited Miller to

the OSU-Michigan game marking the second timeMiller has been a guest of the Bucks at one oftheir home games.The Ohio State coaching staff is also very inter-

ested in linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield.Jim Tressel, Doc Tressel, Luke Fickell and TaverJohnson have all already stopped at Springfield tocheck on the talented DePriest. DePriest attendedthe Buckeyes Jan. 25 junior day and toured theWoody Hayes Athletic Center and watched theOhio State-Michigan State basketball game.No Ohio class of top prospects would be com-

plete without at least one Cleveland Glenvilleprospect in it and for 2011 the Tarblooder at thetop of the list is wide receiver and return manShane Wynn. Wynn is just 5-8 and 155 pounds,

but he is very fast. Wynn runs the 40-yard dash in4.43 seconds. He caught 56 passes during hissophomore season and scored 12 times on kickoffand punt returns. Wynn is drawing comparisonsto former Glenville greats Ted Ginn Jr., and RaySmall.Defensive lineman Chris Rock helped lead

Columbus DeSales into the state playoffs duringhis sophomore season. The 6-5 and 240-poundRock is an outstanding prospect who could playdefensive tackle or end in college.On the other side of the ball, two offensive line-

men who are already drawing attention fromrecruiters are Chase Hounshell from Mentor LakeCatholic and Aundrey Walker. Walker is anothertalented prospect at Glenville.In addition to Walker and Wynn, Glenville also

boasts at least three other sophomores recruitersare very interested in. Quarterback/athleteCardale Jones, running back Robert Walton andlinebacker Aundre Sturdivant join Walker andWynn among the top 2011 prospects in theBuckeye state.At this early point, the top sophomore tight end

prospect in the state of Ohio is Ray Hamilton.Hamilton stands 6-4 and 215-pounds, and is anequally adept blocker and receiving threat.There have been some very good prospects at

Trotwood-Madison the past few years so whencoach Maurice Douglas says wide receiver A.J.Jordan could be his best, that is saying something.The 6-1 and 170-pound Jordan caught 30 passesfor almost 500 yards during his sophomore sea-son. He is drawing interest from Ohio State andothers.Defensive end Kenny Hayes from Whitmer and

quarterback/athlete Cheatham Norrils from St.John’s are two Toledo area prospects who areamong the top sophomores in the state of Ohio. The 6-5 and 215-pound Hayes and the 5-10

and 170-pound Norrils are drawing plenty of atten-tion from recruiters. Norrils landed an early foot-ball scholarship offer from Toledo and has basket-ball offers, too. Defensive back Doran Grant from Akron St.

Vincent-St. Mary is one of the top sophomores innortheast Ohio. The 5-11 and 175-pound Grant isalso one of the top hurdlers in the state of Ohio.His father was a football starter for the MichiganState Spartans. — OH

N

STORY BY B I L L KUREL IC

Wayne’sBraxtonMiller

David Taylor versus Col l in Palmer


Palmer (left) and Taylor squared off in Ohio’s firstmeeting ever between three-time defending state

champions.

Photo by Greg BeersSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ



For years, Taylor and Palmer have been on thesame course. They finally collided.“David Taylor has a lot of guts,” Graham head

coach Jeff Jordan said. “He moved up to wrestle alegend in Collin Palmer. It was a great match. Andit gave the crowd and wrestling (community) whatthey wanted to see.”Both wrestlers won three junior high state titles

and for the last three years have manhandled thecompetition. In March at the state championships,Taylor should become the 17th four-time title win-ner in Ohio history minutes before Palmerbecomes the 18th.To put it bluntly, Taylor is a machine. And a fine-

tuned one that runs smooth, strong and stealth.He’s a hybrid. One of the most decorated wrestlersever at Graham with three state titles, five Junior &Cadet National Championships, two Super 32Challenge titles and a Beast of the East crown,Taylor became the only four-time winner in the his-tory of the nationally renowned Walsh Ironmanevent earlier this year.In three years at state, Taylor has been taken

the full six minutes once – in the final his freshmanyear, which he won with a major decision (10-2).Of his 12 career state meet bouts, three were wonvia pin. In the other nine (eight by technical falland one by major decision) he outscored his oppo-nents 147-16.At the Top Gun Tournament in Alliance, Taylor

never was pushed the distance en route to multipletitles. In fact, since the start of his sophomore sea-son only four opponents have gone six minuteswith Taylor. Palmer made it five. Incredible.Taylor, who used to drive an hour and a half just

to find suitable competition when he lived inWyoming, visits the U.S. Olympic Training Centerin Colorado Springs, Co. once a month in the off-season. He’s headed to Iowa State.Palmer is a legend in his own right.Only one wrestler in Ohio history – Graham

graduate C.P. Schlatter – has gone undefeatedagainst Ohio competition. Palmer was vying tobecome the second.The loss was Palmer’s fourth in his high school

career with the other three all coming at theIronman to out-of-state nationally-ranked wrestlers.Palmer’s closest match to an Ohio competitor

here have been several wrestling greats walk the halls ofSt. Paris Graham High School. David Taylor is arguably thebest. Count Lakewood St. Edward's Collin Palmer amongthe believers.In one of the most memorable matches in the history of

Ohio High School wrestling – and the first between twothree-time state champions – Taylor beat Palmer 8-5 at 140 pounds onJan. 24 in a match up of elite wrestlers at Graham. Taylor usually wres-tles at 135. Both are No. 1 in the country at their respective weightclasses.This match – witnessed before a standing room only crowd – was

memorable, historical and any number of other adjectives.IItt wwaass aallssoo aarrgguuaabbllyy tthhee bbiiggggeesstt eevveerr bbeettwweeeenn ttwwoo OOhhiioo kkiiddss..

T“David Taylor has a lot of guts. Hemoved up to wrestle a legend inCollin Palmer. It was a great match.And it gave the crowd andwrestling (community) what they

wanted to see.”Graham wrestling coach

Jeff Jordan

David Taylor got his bell rung. And it wasn’tfrom an opponent.“When I got that turn it was so loud it was

echoing in my headgear,” Taylor said. “It wascrazy. You always dream of that match – not becheesy – but that match in Vision Quest whenthose guys wrestle and everyone goes crazy.That’s the image you think of in your head. Andthat’s what it was.”Vision Quest is a famous wrestling movie that

was released in 1985.On. Jan. 24, Taylor and his foe – Collin Palmer

– filmed their own script.A senior at St. Paris Graham, Taylor bumped

up a weight class and outlasted Palmer, a seniorfrom Lakewood St. Edward, 8-5 at 140 poundsin Ohio’s only meeting ever between three-timestate champions. Taylor usually wrestles 135.Both competitors are ranked No. 1 in the coun-try at their respective weights.A vocal and energized crowd packed Graham

High School’s gymnasium to watch the event,which many since have called “the greatestwrestling match ever.” How popular was it? Athread on JJHuddle about it generated over22,000 views.Although Taylor won the match, wrestling

also won.“I wanted to go up and wrestle Palmer,

because nobody does that,” Taylor said. “Ithought it would be good for our program andlook at all the people here. I bet there are peoplehere that have never been to a wrestling match.That is awesome.”Said Palmer: “It was a good crowd but it

would have been better if we were at our place.It definitely brought in a lot of people and it’sgood for the sport.”A standing room only crowd watched Taylor

rally from a 4-3 deficit after two periods to stakethe win. After the match Taylor entered thebleachers to hug his parents and then went tothe Graham student section to celebrate withclass and schoolmates. They serenaded him withchants of “Da-vid Tay-lor.” Coach Jeff Jordan andTaylor’s teammates mobbed him as well.“I dreamed about having a match like this in

our gym,” Taylor said. “Not to brag about ourteam, but as good as we are, we don’t get thatkind of crowd – ever. It was everything I everdreamed of.”Hollywood would have been proud. — Eric

Frantz

Taylor-PalmerMeeting GoodFor Wrestling

“Ever since I was little my first coach told me you wrestle the whole match no matter what happens. I wrestled the whole match. This is an awesome

feeling.”Graham seniorDavid Taylor

“Once I got on the bottom (in the third period) I could just feelmyself getting tired. I should havekept going and fighting through it,but that’s just something I have to

work on.”St. Edward seniorCollin Palmer



coming in was a 5-2 decision over Maple Heights’Tim Peskar his freshman year.Until this season, weight has been the only thing

separating the two giants.Taylor wrestled 103 as a freshman and sopho-

more and 112 last year. He’s “ballooned” to 135.Palmer wrestled 112 as a freshman, 125 as a

sophomore and 135 as a junior.The sudden proximity made Taylor start thinking

of such a meeting in the summer. Seven days priorhe pulled the trigger.“I didn’t want to bring it up to Coach Jordan (earli-

er in the season) or anything because I didn’t want itto be a distraction,” Taylor said. “But after Top Gun,when this was the next thing we had coming up, Itold coach I had something I wanted to talk to himabout.”Said Jordan: “We’re freezing on the bus coming

home from Alliance and David just comes up andsits in my seat and says ‘Coach I need to talk toyou.’ He said he wanted to move up to 140 to wres-tle Palmer. I went ‘Wow.’ That was the last thing Iwas thinking.”After discussing the opportunity with Graham’s

regular 140 Matt Stephens, who gave his blessing,the wheels were set in motion.“We decided Sunday at noon because I wanted

to make sure that everyone knew and I wanted tobe fair to Collin and didn’t want to surprise him,”Jordan said. “We made the decision and calledsome people in Cleveland to make sure they got theword out.”It didn’t take long for the fire to spread and

Graham’s packed gym was evidence of the appealand importance of the event.Palmer exploded out of the gate and held a 2-1

lead after one. In the second period both wrestlersscored two points.Taylor entered the final frame down 4-3. He came

away with the win.“I knew I needed to take him down and turn him,”

Taylor said. “I got a take down and a turn. I wasn’texpecting to get taken down myself, butwhew…Ever since I was little my first coach told meyou wrestle the whole match no matter what hap-pens. I wrestled the whole match. This is an awe-some feeling.”Said Palmer: “Once I got on the bottom (in the

third period) I could just feel myself getting tired. Ishould have kept going and fighting through it, butthat’s just something I have to work on.”Taylor expected his conditioning to play a part.“He’s real strong but he kind of gets tired in some

of his matches and I knew that something to mybenefit was conditioning,” Taylor said. “It came downto that at the end. I am 100-percent convinced thatthere is not a better wrestling room in this countrythan at Graham. There’s not one day when you goin that room and don’t get taken down. No matterwhat, you’re never going to be the king of the room.”Taylor has been in – and won – big matches

before. His sophomore year he handedMonroeville’s Logan Stieber the only loss of his highschool career in the 103 finals of the Ironman. Likethe Palmer match, Taylor fell behind quickly butposted a 7-3 win.Stieber, the nation’s No. 1 junior at 125 pounds,

is a two-time state champion who committed toOhio State two weeks before Palmer this summer.Now the two future Buckeyes have something

else in common as well. — OH

Palmer explodedfor a 4-3 leadafter two periods,but Taylor foughtback to get thewin 8-5.

Photos by Greg Beers


Wrest l ing Postseason Preview

t seems like history is made everyyear in some way at the OHSAAWrestling Championships, andfans of history will not want tomiss this year’s edition. Ohio hasnever seen a wrestler win sevenstate titles but this year will likelysee it happen twice as LakewoodSt. Edward’s Collin Palmer and St.Paris Graham’s David Taylor areheavy favorites to win their fourthstraight high school title after threejunior high titles.

There’s also a chance that a historic streakcould come to an end as many feel that LakewoodSt. Edward will have a battle on their hands fortheir 13th straight team title. Meanwhile, St. ParisGraham will bring such a loaded squad toColumbus that some feel they have a shot atbreaking the team record for overall points as wellas the all-time record for individual champions on asingle team. Here is a look at some of what to expect from

this year’s tournament.

Division INot quite as loaded as they have been in years

past, Lakewood St. Edward could be in for a fightthis year in the team standings. The Eagles will begoing for their 13th straight state championshipand their 25th overall. But Massillon Perry andWadsworth will both be fielding deep, competitiveteams that could put up plenty of points. On an individual level, the main attraction could

be St. Edward senior Collin Palmer. Palmer andbrother Lance, also a four-time winner, wouldbecome only the third pair of brothers in state his-tory to each have four state championships. Here is a glance at the top of each weight class

in this year’s Division I field. * 103: The favorite here could be Lorain

Southview junior Uland Ralston, who gained athird-place finish at 103 in 2008. Among the com-petition will be two talented freshmen, John Dillonof Boardman and George DiCamillo of ClevelandSt. Ignatius. * 112: The top of the 112-pound class will be

very competitive as a handful of 2008 place-win-

ners from 103 will be trying to reach the top,including second-place finisher Kory Mines ofMaple Heights (could end up at 103) and fourth-place finisher Garrett Manley of HollandSpringfield. Also at the top of the list will be fresh-man Kagan Squire of Wadsworth, junior Gus Sakoof Lakewood St. Edward and junior JeromeRobinson of St. Ignatius. * 119: St. Edward junior Jamie Clark is expected

to reign supreme at 119 after winning at 112 in2008. Clark is ranked as one of the nation’s topwrestlers at his weight class. Also watch for fifth-place winner Dan McNulty (soph.) of Mayfield. * 125: The favorite here is Massillon Perry sen-

ior Sam White, who finished second to Jamie Clarkat 112 last season while beating him at 103 in2007. We will not be seeing an encore out of Whiteand Clark this year, which means that both will beexpected to win their second title. Senior CallenVanderhoff of Marion Harding and junior JakeMcCombs of Marysville will be in the mix here aswell after each posting an eighth-place finish in2008 at different weight classes. * 130: Two wrestlers who finished second in

2008 will be looking to reach the top this year at130. Juniors Shawn Fayette of Miamisburg andNick Lawrence of Westlake are among thefavorites after finishing as the runner-up at 125 and119 respectively. Also watch for seniors AustinSanders of Grove City Central Crossing and DaltonMcHenry of Elyria. * 135: St. Edward will be hoping to score points

in this class with junior Anthony Salupo, who couldreach the top after finishing fifth at 125 last year.Uniontown Lake senior Scott Mattingly, who tookthird at 125 in 2008, will be in the thick of things aswell unless he winds up at 130. * 140: This weight class will be the Collin Palmer

show as he is the type of wrestler that others avoidwhen picking a weight class. Palmer is the over-whelming favorite to win at 140, while seniorTommy Sasfy of Reynoldsburg could be next inline after a sixth-place finish at 135 last year. * 145: There’s plenty of talent to be found at

145. Massillon Perry will be hoping to score bigpoints here with senior Seth Horner, who won at130 last year. Horner will be pushed hard by theone he bested in last year’s finals, junior Brad

2009 State Wrestling Tournament Preview

IMiamisburg junior Shawn Fayette (left)and Graham freshman Felipe Martinezare both favorites to walk away withtitles at 130 pounds in Divisions I and II,respectively


Perry senior Seth Horner (back) andWadsworth junior Brad Squire could geta rematch in the finals of Division I.Instead of meeting at 130 pounds,though, the duo could clash at 145




Squire of Wadsworth, along with junior DavidHabat of St. Ignatius, who finished third at 140.Also watch for Cincinnati Moeller junior PierceHarger here. * 152: This crowded weight class features last

year’s runner-up at 145 in New Carlisle Tecumsehsenior T.J. Rigel along with two third-place finish-ers in juniors Josh Demas (145) of WestervilleNorth and Nick Sulzer (130) of St. Edward. Thefavorite, however, could be former St. Edwardwrestler Andrew Gasber, now a senior at Madison.Gasber was declared ineligible last season by theOHSAA after making a transfer.* 160: Is this the year for three-time state place-

winner Kyle Lang? The Brecksville-BroadviewHeights senior will be aiming to finish first after fin-ishing fourth as a freshman, third as a sophomore,and second as a junior. Junior Caleb Marsh ofMarysville and senior Darren Rhodes of Nordoniawill be among those competing with Lang here. * 171: The favorite here is senior Nick Heflin of

Massillon Perry, who finished second at 152 as ajunior. Heflin winning here would be a big part ofPerry’s bid for a team crown. Among the competi-tion will be senior Kyle Dilley of Lancaster and sen-ior Ethan Taylor of Cuyahoga Falls. * 189: The 189-pound class returns three of the

top four placers from 2008, and each of them willbe in the mix this time around. Senior Greg Isley ofSylvania Southview, who finished second last year,will be joined by third-place finisher Andrew Tumlin(sr.) of Harrison and fourth-place finisher CodyLamberg (jr.) of Akron Kenmore.* 215: There might not be much suspense here

as Cincinnati Elder senior Orlando Scales is thereturning champion and a solid favorite. Scalesposted an unbeaten record in 2008 and is rated asone of the best in the nation at 215 this year. Hismain competition could come from Huber HeightsWayne senior Cody Smith, who finished third in2008. * 285: There should be plenty of experienced

competition at the heavyweight class. Three of thetop four finishers return from last year in second-place winner Delonne Baker of Sandusky, third-place winner Jordan Beverly of West Carrollton,and fourth-place finisher Ben Buzzelli ofWadsworth. Also in the mix will be Beavercreeksenior Adam Walls, a transfer from St. ParisGraham who finished second at Division II in 2008.Brecksville senior Jeremy Johnson and ParmaHeights Valley Forge senior James Meder are twoothers who could find their way to the top of thepodium.

Division IIThe only two questions surrounding the race for

the Division II crown seem to be how many St.Paris Graham wrestlers will win and how manyoverall points will they score? Graham brings anextremely powerful lineup to this year’s tourna-ment, one that could win over half the weightclasses in Division II. Leading the way of course is David Taylor, the

135-pound senior who is thought by some to bethe nation’s top wrestler regardless of weight class.Taylor proved it in January by jumping up to the140-pound class and defeating Collin Palmer 8-5

STORY BY OH IO H IGH STAFF

St. Edward juniorJamie Clark is goingfor his second statetitle and first at 119in Division I.

Photos by Greg Beers



in an already legendary battle of three-time statechampions. The Iowa State-bound Taylor isexpected to cruise to an undefeated season andhis fourth state championship. With Taylor leading the way, Graham should

dominate the lower weight classes and the tourna-ment in general. Here is a look at who to watch ineach class. * 103: Graham sophomore Nick Brascetta

placed third as a freshman at 103 and could be theone to win the title this year. Two seniors – JohnGould of Lexington and Cody McGee of Minerva –will also put up a fight. * 112: This class could see a major battle

between a freshman standout – Graham’s IsaacJordan – and a defending champion in Aurora jun-ior Ty Mitch. Mitch placed first at 103 as a sopho-more. Jordan is the brother of three-time statechampion Ben Jordan and the son of former four-time Ohio champ and two-time NCAA champ JimJordan. Also in the mix will be three-time placerNate Westfall of Perry.* 119: This weight class will be interesting at the

top as a handful of competitors with plenty of expe-rience will be battling to reach the top of the podi-um. Sophomore Johnni DiJulius of Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit and junior Codey Neff of WashingtonC.H. Miami Trace finished as the runner-up at 103and 112 respectively last season, while seniorJames Ingraham of Hunting Valley UniversitySchool, who finished third at 112, and senior andtwo-time placer Alex Minnard of Lancaster FairfieldUnion will be right in the thick of things. * 125: This class is expected to belong to

Graham senior Zach Neibert, a three-time placerand 2008 state champion at 119. His main compe-tition could come from three-time place winnerJacob Garringer of Miami Trace and freshmanNate Skonieczny of Walsh Jesuit. * 130: 130 features 2008 119-pound runner-up

Cody Garabrandt (jr.) of Uhrichsville Claymont, butwatch for another Graham freshman, FelipeMartinez, to make noise here. Also keep an eye onsenior Jacob Vaughan of Columbus DeSales. * 135: Most wrestlers have understandably tried

to avoid this weight class due to the presence ofDavid Taylor, who will most likely cap his career asan all-time Ohio great with his fourth title. SeniorManuel Cintron of Alliance, a fifth-place finisher in2008, is among the brave souls who could run intoTaylor on the mat in this year’s tournament. * 140: This could be a solid competition for the

top spot as 2008 130-pound champion HarrisonHightower (jr.) of University School, 125-poundrunner-up Kyle Leek (sr.) of Warren Howland, 140-pound fourth place finisher Matt Stephens (soph.)of Graham, and 140 fifth-place finisher Dylan Ice ofLisbon Beaver will be among the names to watchhere. Stephens is the projected favorite. * 145: With Matt Stephens gunning for the top of

140, 145 could be where Graham senior BrianStephens reaches the top. Stephens had a disap-pointing tournament last year as he fell short ofplacing but seems to be the popular pick this sea-son. Also watch for senior Corey Dulaney ofWhitehall, junior Adam Fondale of New Lexington,and sophomore Konner Witt of Oak Harbor. * 152: Another outstanding Graham freshman,

Monroeville sophomore ChrisPhillips is going for his sec-

ond state title in Division III.

Photos by Nick Falzerano



Huston Evans, can be found in this weight class,but he will face stiff competition from two-timeplace winner Brad Wukie of University School and145-pound third place finisher JonathanMcGookey of Sandusky Perkins.* 160: This weight class seems to be up for

grabs, with the top contenders being senior AdamWalters of West Geauga, sophomore Kyle Ryan ofGraham, junior Riley Kilroy of Parma Padua, andsenior Darren Tate of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. * 171: The favorite here is likely Graham senior

James Mannier, who finished third at 160 in 2008,but he could be pushed by two-time place winnerZach Garabrandt (sr.) of Uhricsville Claymont. * 189: This could be a battle between senior

Nick Mills of University School and junior MaxThomusseit of Graham. Both captured third-placefinishes in 2008 – Mills at 171 and Thomusseit at189. * 215: There should be plenty of competition at

215 as three out of the top four finishers from lastyear’s group return for another shot this year: sec-ond-place winner Tyler Houska (sr.) of MedinaHighland, third-place winner and West Virginiafootball recruit Branko Busick (sr.) of Steubenville,and fourth-place winner Logan Erb (soph.) ofWapakoneta. Joining them will be senior LoganWhite of Graham and senior Dave Pickerel ofToledo Central Catholic. * 285: The heavyweight class appears up for

grabs as the majority of qualifiers from 2008 wereseniors. The lone underclassman place-winner,Adam Walls, moved from St. Paris Graham toDivision I Beavercreek. Only seniors Alex Jacksonof Bellefontaine Benjamin Logan, Ray Spence ofAmanda-Clearcreek and Ricky Williams of Genevareturn from last year’s group of qualifiers, andeach one could be a candidate to make a run at atitle.

Division IIIWith St. Edward and Graham working on

extending their amazing streaks of championshipsat the higher divisions, Troy Christian will be work-ing to stretch theirs to three straight at Division III.The Eagles have the lineup to do just that, withtwo returning champions and six returning quali-fiers. Right on Troy Christian’s heels will be

Monroeville, who returns four state champions,each of whom is expected to win again this year.Others to watch include Bedford St. Peter Chaneland Marion Pleasant. * 103: The 103-pound class will be wide open

after the majority of last year’s qualifiers havemoved up in weight. Among the competitors areSandusky St. Mary’s junior David Harrington,Beachwood junior Alex Dronzek, Chanel sopho-more Cody Tschantz, and Bloomdale Elmwoodsophomore Nick Goebel. * 112: This should be a very competitive weight

class with plenty of experienced wrestlers.Leading the way are senior Spencer Pierce ofRichwood North Union and junior Tyler Reed ofWaterford, who finished second and third respec-tively at the 103-pound class last year. SeniorsTim Majoy of Milan Edison and Johnny Tolson ofDelta were place-winners in 2008 as well.

* 119: The first of Monroeville’s likely statechampions can be found at 119 with sophomoreHunter Stieber being expected to make it two-for-two in the state championship category. Others towatch here include junior Mike Kovach of Chaneland senior Travis Harbert of Garrettsville Garfield. * 125: Hunter Stieber’s brother Logan, an elite

wrestler with a lofty national ranking, is expectedto win his third state title in three years here, bar-ring a stunning upset. Stieber has been sidelinedfor much of the season with a fractured left hand,but when healthy, there isn’t much competition forhim in Division III. Others to keep an eye oninclude junior Patrick Lopez of Hamler PatrickHenry and senior Eli Donahue of MassillonTuslaw. * 130: Monroeville is expected to pick up yet

another title at 130 from sophomore Cam Tessari,

who won at 112 as a freshman. Tessari is a strongfavorite over the field. Also keep an eye on juniorBrandon Sommers of Cuyahoga Valley ChristianAcademy and sophomore Johnny Carpenter ofMaderia. * 135: Troy Christian senior Jordan Thome has

a second, fourth, and sixth place finish on his listof career accomplishments, and he will be hopingthis year to go on top. Thome is the favorite here;also watch for senior Tyler Powers of CVCA andjunior Payton Oney of South Central. * 140: Troy Christian is expected to get more

points at this class as senior Zac Hancock, whowon at 130 last year, will be a strong favorite.Others to watch include senior Josh Pfister ofSullivan Black River and senior Cody Coomes ofMarion Pleasant. * 145: The 145-pound class will be a competi-

tive class that could play out a number of ways.Among the names to watch here include seniorRobbie Chilson of Bellaire, senior Alex Betts ofBloomdale Elmwood, sophomore Andrew DeHartof Covington, junior Kurtis Jefferis of Barnesville,and senior Chris Burns of Troy Christian. * 152: Another wide open weight class, 152 will

be a contest that several wrestlers could win.Among them will be senior Ethan Price ofMechanicsburg, senior Michael Cawley of NorwalkSt. Paul, senior Ron Pajestka of CuyahogaHeights, junior Kyle Gladieux of Oregon CardinalStritch, and sophomore Cody Walters of Chanel. * 160: Senior Zach Toal of Troy Christian will be

the favorite here. Toal will be trying to win his thirdstate championship after winning at 145 in 2008and 140 in 2007. He will have some stiff competi-tion though, among them being sophomore AlexUtley of CVCA, who finished third at 160 last year,and senior Kyle Kwiat of Tiffin Calvert, who fin-ished fifth. * 171: Barring a major, major upset, the 171-

pound class will belong to Monroeville sophomoreChris Phillips. One of the very best wrestlers inthe nation, Phillips has only lost one match in hishigh school career and will likely not have anywrestlers that can match him in this weight class. * 189: This will be an interesting, competitive

weight class. Senior Colton Bowers of MarionPleasant finished fifth at 189 in 2008, and alsowatch for Clinton-Massie junior Corby Running,West Salem Northwestern sophomore KurtisSchafer, and CVCA senior Greg Hojnacki, amongothers. * 215: The favorite at 215 is senior Stuart Miller

of Delphos Jefferson, who finished second at 189in 2008. Watch also for senior Scott Barnes ofSpencerville and senior Schuyler Bondy ofWoodsfield Monroe Central. * 285: The heavyweight class boasts a former

state champion, albeit one from outside of Ohio.Oberlin’s Hugh Thornton, who is a University ofIllinois football recruit, won a state championshipin the state of Idaho last season before moving tothe Buckeye State. Among those he will be bat-tling include senior Josh Morosko of MassillonTuslaw and junior Tyler Obringer of Spencerville,who finished fifth and sixth in 2008. Also keep aneye on seniors Nick Hamilton of South Centraland Mike Treon of Versailles. — OH

Tiffin Calvert senior Kyle Kwait (top) andIndian Lake’s Kevin Christman are bothexpected to place at 160 pounds inDivisions III and II, respectively. Kwait isconsidered a title threat.


Troy Christian senior Zach Toal is lookingfor his third state title. Toal is thefavorite at 160 pounds in Division III.He’ll also look to lead the Eagles to theirthird straight team title.



Nor thland versus San Diego

Northland’s JaredSullinger (34) got the bet-ter of San Diego’s JeremyTyler (behind) in a meet-ing of top 10 nationally-

ranked juniors.


Nor thland versus San Diego


STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

On the Thursday before, Northland was original-ly pulled from the event due to a then-believedColumbus City School District rule, which said noathletic teams could compete on a weekend ifclasses were canceled Friday. They were. The rul-ing was overturned early that Friday morning.Friday night, less than 24 hours before tip-off,

San Diego High placed its head coach Kenny Royand two assistants on administrative leave justbefore a game with Serra (CA). Roy is accused ofrecruiting violations concerning three-high profileplayers who moved into the district prior to thisseason. All three players were ruled ineligible bythe California Interscholastic Federation's SanDiego Section before the season began. The threeplayers and their families have fought the ruling inSan Diego Superior Court. A decision is expectedsoon.As of 9:30 p.m. Friday night, San Diego was not

coming to Kettering and had not purchased planetickets.FTTH president Eric Horstman said he received

the news and immediately started trying to get theteam here. By 1:00 a.m. Horstman, on his personalcredit card, had secured plane tickets on Orbitzand the game was back on.San Diego brought two coaches and seven play-

ers.“We had a tough time getting here,” Tyler said.

“We left last night at like three in the morning todrive the two hours to LA to get on a plane at sixright after a game. We were extremely tired andworn out. We had jetlag and some of us didn’t eator sleep. We came out here with seven guys andplayed on heart.”Said Sullinger: “I was real disappointed that we

were going to let them come all the way out hereand not have a game. Unfortunately our superin-tendent said the game was off and then we wentthrough the policy and found out what should hap-pen if this happened and it happened.”The meeting was important for many reasons,

one of which was showcasing the talents ofSullinger and Tyler.Not often do players the caliber of these two get

to match games, but here they did. And ESPN wason hand.The cable sports giant sent a three-man crew to

document the game and they recorded a memo-rable clash – eventually.Sullinger was sent to the bench early with two

questionable fouls in the game’s first two minutesand 30 seconds. Both were drawn by Tyler.

Sullinger didn’t resurface until the second half. Histeam, though, led 22-17 at the break.To begin the third quarter Northland continued to

increase its advantage by steadily feeding andfinding Sullinger. Sullinger scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. He also sentTyler to the bench with his fifth foul late in thefourth quarter. Sullinger added nine rebounds in 18minutes of action.

"I didn’t show them all of it," said Sullinger whenasked if the thought he gave a solid Ohio Statecontingent a solid performance. "I only played liketwo minutes in the first half so I could have done alot more than that."Tyler grabbed a game-high 11 boards to go with

his 22 points. He also had two blocks and a stealin 28 minutes.Both bigs were happy to have had the opportu-

nity to finally meet and compete.“We were talking off and on,” Sullinger said. “He

said he was going to kill me and I said I was goingto kill him and we were talking trash. And you knowwhat we won.“The challenge was playing against a shot block-

er. I hardly ever get to play against a shot blockerin my conference games. I got to play against himand adjust my game to his and he had to adjust hisgame to mine…I can’t say anything bad about hisgame”Added Tyler: “In San Diego there aren’t many

kids that can match up with me so I was lookingforward to the meeting and some competition.Sullinger’s a very good player and he’s going tohave a great future. He’s my friend. I’m going tocall him later tonight and tell him good game.” —OH

he game that almost wasn’t finally was. Despite circumstances which nearly cost both teams the chance to com-

pete – and did cost San Diego’s head coach his job – Columbus Northlandoutshined San Diego (CA) 56-39 on Saturday, Jan. 17 at a sold out TrentArena in Kettering as part of the Flyin to the Hoop boys basketball invitation-al.

Northland forward Jared Sullinger led all scorers with 23 points, while San Diegopost Jeremy Tyler countered with 22. Sullinger (6-9), an Ohio State recruit, is the No.1 ranked junior in the country by ESPNU, while Tyler (6-11), a Louisville commit, isranked No. 7.The highly anticipated match up of big men almost didn’t happen – numerous

times.

T

“The challenge was playingagainst a shot blocker. Ihardly ever get to playagainst a shot blocker inmy conference games. I gotto play against him andadjust my game to his andhe had to adjust his gameto mine…I can’t say any-thing bad about his game”

Columbus Northland juniorJared Sullinger

“In San Diego there aren’tmany kids that can matchup with me so I was look-ing forward to the meetingand some competition.Sullinger’s a very goodplayer and he’s going tohave a great future.”

San Diego juniorJeremy Tyler

Sullinger is headed toOhio State, while

Tyler has committedto Louisville.


Boys Basketbal l S tate Tournament Preview


eople who support public schools in the ever-present argument“public versus private” might want to check out the 87th annual BoysBasketball State Tournament which will be held March 26-28 at TheOhio State University’s Schottenstein Center. The last five yearspublic schools have dominated their private brethren by winning 18of 20 state championships. Last year, for the third time in five years,public schools took home all four trophies. Can they keep it up?Here is a look at the boys basketball field as the tournament

approaches:

Division INewark shocked most Ohio high school basketball fans last season by winning

its fourth state title and its first in 45 years. The Wildcats returned three starters from last season’s team, including center

Dane Kopp, guard Cody Dennison and guard Rahlin Watson. Newark played wellin the regular season in the reconfigured Ohio Capital Conference.The biggest obstacle for Newark to get out of the region will be Columbus

Northland. Forward and Ohio State recruit Jared Sullinger paces the Vikings as thetop junior player in the country, according to ESPN.com. Junior wing J.D.Weatherspoon is a Xavier verbal and forward Javon Cornley is an Indiana footballrecruit. Coming into the season, Northland boasted back-to-back undefeated regu-lar seasons but lost to Canton Timken 67-61 in overtime in late January snapping a58game regular season winning streak. Sullinger is the early favorite for the prestigious Mr. Basketball award and

Northland is the frontrunner to raise the Division I state title trophy in Columbus.The Vikings had good regular season wins over Dayton Dunbar and San Diego(Calif.) High School in the Flyin’ to the Hoop tournament.In northeast Ohio, Warren G. Harding was only two points shy of making the trip

to Columbus last season before losing to Lakewood St. Edward 77-75 in overtime.The Raiders bounced back this season and are the favorites in the WarrensvilleHeights District and the Cleveland Region. But Harding will have to face the tourna-ment without senior guard Sheldon Brogdon, who suffered a season-ending knee

injury as the tournamentapproached. Senior guard DesmarJackson and junior point guardFred Williams will have to pick uptheir respective games with theloss of Brogdon.Harding’s marquee regular sea-

son wins included a 70-60 victoryover Canton Timken in the PizzaOven Classic and a win overCleveland St. Ignatius. The win over Timken ended a

27-regular season game winningstreak for the Trojans but they arestill in the hunt for another districttitle and hope to take the next stepto Columbus after losing in theCanton Regional final last year. Leading the charge for the

Trojans this season is senior JaredPorrini, who is a transfer fromNorth Canton Hoover. Porrini had23 points in the win over Northlandand has been complemented wellby his younger brother Cory andseniors Chazz Moore andCameron Howard. Staying in the northeast part of

the state, Cleveland Glenville hasquietly cruised through the regular

season and could be the favorite in the Euclid District. The Tarblooders had a big73-67 win over St. Edward in early January. Bedford senior transfer Randal Holtnetted his 1,000th point of his career and the Kent State recruit is averaging 20

2009 Boys Basketball State Tournament Preview

P TThhuurrss..,, MMaarrcchh 2266 -- SSeemmiiffiinnaallss

10:45 a.m. - Division IV Game

2:00 p.m. - Division IV Game

5:15 p.m. - Division III Game


FFrriiddaayy,, MMaarrcchh 2277 -- SSeemmiiffiinnaallss

10:45 a.m. - Division II Game

2:00 p.m. - Division II Game

5:15 p.m. - Division I Game


SSaattuurrddaayy,, MMaarrcchh 2288 -- FFiinnaallss

10:45 a.m. - Division IV

2:00 p.m. - Division III

5:15 p.m. - Division II

8:30 p.m. - Division I

State Schedule

New Knoxville is looking tobecome the second MAC

school to win back-to-backboys basketball state titles.



Boys Basketbal l S tate Tournament PreviewSTORY BY OHIO H IGH STAFF

points per game. Cincinnati has been represented each of the last two seasons in the big-school

state championship game and there is no shortage of talented teams in the QueenCity that could make a case for Columbus. Middletown and Cincinnati Princeton dominated the Greater Miami Conference

as both teams were mainstays in the top 10 teams in the state and are on a colli-sion course for the regional final. The Middies are led by senior forward Bill Edwards, who was fourth in the con-

ference in scoring and led the GMC in assists and rebounds. He eclipsed the1,000-point mark for his career in early February. Senior guard Allen Roberts isadding 15.2 points per game for Middletown.Of course, Middletown claims the most state titles in the state regardless of

Division with seven, but the Middies haven’t won a championship since they hadthe legendary Jerry Lucas in 1957.Princeton senior guard Orlando Williams is third in the conference in scoring with

18.3 points per game, but the marquee player for the Vikings is junior and OhioState recruit Jordan Sibert. He averages 14.3 points per game and is third in theconference in steals with 2.7. Sibert is rated as the No. 41 player in the country forhis class according to ESPN.com.Princeton is the emotional favorite following the sudden death of longtime head

coach Bill Brewer last season. Current head coach Josh Andrews has his Vikingsteam in good position to make a run at Columbus. Cincinnati Moeller claimed the Division I state championship in 2007 and the

Crusaders will challenge Middletown and Princeton for the regional title. Moellerdropped a game in late December at a tournament in California and stumbledagainst Greater Catholic League for Cincinnati LaSalle in late January were theonly two blemishes on the schedule heading into the tournament. The Crusaders are led by senior guard Tony Harris (14.3 ppg), senior guard

Brian Vonderhaar (8.6) and sophomore guards Charlie Byers (7.9) and Alex Barlow(7.1). Moeller has won three basketball state championships (most recent 2007).From the Dayton area, Greater Western Ohio Conference foes Centerville and

Trotwood-Madison are the headliners. The Elks and Rams are on a collision coursefor the Dayton 3 District Final to advance to the regional tournament. Senior center and Dayton-recruit Matt Kavanaugh (6-foot-10) is fourth in scoring

(16.6) and rebounding (8.8) in the GWOC for Centerville, while Trotwood seniorguard Aaron Robinson is third in the conference in scoring (17.6 points). Others teams to keep an eye on are Lima Senior, Barberton, Canton GlenOak,

Cincinnati LaSalle, Dublin Scioto, Upper Arlington, Cincinnati Aiken, ClevelandHeights, Garfield Heights, Huber Heights Wayne and Sylvania Southview. Final Four FavoritesCanton Timken, Warren G. Harding, Columbus Northland, Cincinnati MoellerState Champion FavoriteColumbus Northland

– Matt Natali

Division IIChillicothe won its first basketball state title last season with a memorable 70-69

overtime win over Toledo Libbey. The Cavaliers have had to face this season without guard Anthony Hitchens,

who is now at Akron, and center Ray Chambers. Senior Seth Dawes has filled innicely for Chambers and senior Gregg Van Volkinburg has been solid in the paint.Senior guard Caleb Knights is good for double-digit points on any given night andthe Cavaliers are going to need that consistency to get through the district. To escape the Zanesville Region and make a return trip to Columbus, Chillicothe

is going to have to deal with Dover and Circleville Logan Elm. Both teams wereranked in the state’s top 10 in the regular season. Dover notched quality regular season wins over Cambridge, Louisville St.

Thomas Aquinas and Akron Hoban and is paced by captains Cory Lisowski, KyleSattler and Carson Gessner. Cory Dechiara has been a good role player for theTornadoes as well. Logan Elm has been led by captains Adam Blake and Tim Congrove, who was

an All-Ohio third-team selection last season. Chad Holbrook was a returning letter-man and has played well as the Braves had good regular season wins over CanalWinchester Harvest Prep and Chillicothe. St. Paris Graham is on pace to complete its second straight undefeated regular

season and is the early favorite in the Cincinnati Region. All-Ohio second teamerJosh Schuler has led the Falcons this season and has Columbus on his mind afterthe Falcons fell to Toledo Libbey in the state semifinals last season. Ethan Ward,Austin Jones and Ben Rosenberger were all starters last season as well and thatexperience will be invaluable in the tournament. The Falcons had a quality win in the regular season over Chaminade Julienne.

Graham is on a collision course in the Dayton 1 District with Cincinnati Indian Hilland that is the most likely match-up to advance in the region.Indian Hill ran away in the Cincinnati Hills League with good wins over Cincinnati

Taft, Xenia and Cincinnati Anderson in the regular season. Sam Hendricks led theleague in scoring with 14.7 points per game and Indiana football recruit Ted Bolserwas the CHL leader in blocks with 2.4 per contest. The Dayton 2 District in the Cincinnati Region is arguably the toughest in D-II.

With Thurgood Marshall, Kettering Alter and St. Bernard Roger Bacon all in themix, the district champion will be battle tested heading into the regional tournament. Marshall junior point guard and Dayton recruit Juwan Staten was an All-Ohio

third-team selection last season. He is rated as the No. 13 point guard in the coun-try in his class, according to ESPN.com, and is one of the top 60 players in thenation. Marshall dropped some games in the regular season against a toughschedule but is still one of the top teams in the state and dangerous. Alter cruised in the Greater Catholic League North Division after a slow 2-3 start

to the season. The Knights had a quality win over Cincinnati Elder in early Januaryand knocked off league rival C-J twice. Senior guard Ryan Siggins led the toughGCL in points (18.6) and rebounds (9.6) per game. Senior guard Jamarre Whitewas fourth in the league in rebounding with 6.8 per game off the bench. Bacon picked up good wins over Cincinnati St. Xavier, Purcell Marian and

Hamilton Badin in the regular season pacing the GCL Central Division. Freshmanphenom Adolphus Washington led the league in field goal percentage (62.0) andsophomore sensation Jared Bryant was second (61.8).In the Dayton 3 District, Wilmington and Dayton Dunbar are on course to meet in

the district semifinal. Both teams were ranked in the top ten in the state in the regu-lar season. Wilmington blew through the Fort Ancient Valley Conference CardinalDivision with regular season wins over Clinton-Massie, Cincinnati Walnut Hills,Elder and Centerville. Junior guard Jordan Berlin had 15.5 points per game in lead-ing the Hurricane and junior forward Malcolm Heard pulled down 6.2 rebounds pergame while adding eight points per contest. Three-time state champion Dunbar faced a tough regular season schedule and

fared well, making the Wolverines dangerous come tournament time. Columbus DeSales has been a regular visitor to the final four in recent years

making the state tournament two of the last three seasons. The Stallions are one ofthe top teams in the state once again with seniors Nick Kellogg, Ike Ariguzo, NickGoff and Zak Gabarcik and junior Adam Griffin as the floor generals. DeSales hadregular season wins over Toledo Whitmer, Garfield Heights, Columbus Wattersonand two wins over 2008 Division IV state runner-up Worthington Christian. Cleveland Benedictine, with junior wing and Ohio State recruit Cameron Wright,

recorded a win over DeSales in mid-January. In addition, Junior point guard DerekJackson has played well in quality wins over Youngstown Mooney, Chagrin FallsKenston, Walsh Jesuit, Akron Hoban and Hunting Valley University School. The Bennies fell to Akron St. Vincent St. Mary 75-65 in late January and the

Fighting Irish are the early favorite in the Canton District of the Canton Region.SVSM had wins over Garfield Heights, Akron Hoban, Lakewood St. Edward andWarren G. Harding. Senior Daylen Harrison has led SVSM in the paint in addition to sophomore

Ricky Johnson on the perimeter. Johnson started 28 games as a freshman, whichis the most starts in the SVSM program by a freshman since LeBron James. In the Youngstown District in the Canton Region, Poland Seminary could be the

early favorite coming off last season’s state semifinal finish. The Bulldogs werewithout Ben Umbel but junior guard Niko Fatimus, junior guard Ben Brocker andjunior forward Ben Donlow have played well in the second season in an entirelynew offensive scheme. Poland had a three-game slide in January but recoverednicely heading into postseason play. Final Four FavoritesAkron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Columbus DeSales, Dover, St. Paris GrahamState Champion FavoriteAkron SVSM

– Matt Natali

Division IIIIt can be debated who is going to win the Division III state title, but there’s no

debating the division’s toughest district. That belongs to Elida, where last year’sstate champion – Ottawa-Glandorf – came out of. It could happen again.Along with the Titans, potential state titlists Findlay Liberty-Benton and St. Henry

also reside among the district’s 13 teams. L-B is led by Tennessee-recruit Aaron Craft, who also excels as one of the

state’s top quarterbacks. The Eagles were D-V state finalists in football in the fall. St. Henry, a town that knows something about football and basketball state titles,

counters with Spencer Niekamp (13.4 points), Victor Fortkamp (11.2 points) and


Boys Basketbal l S tate Tournament Preview

Jordan Post (10.5 points). Niekamp and Fortkamp each average over six reboundsa game. Last year the Redskins beat L-B, then No. 1 in the state, in the districtsemifinals. O-G beat St. Henry in the district final. Whoever wins will be the favorite for the Bowling Green Regional title. Others

that could challenge are Colonel Crawford, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academyand Ottawa Hills.Cleveland Villa Angela St. Joseph has owned the Canton Regional of late, win-

ning three straight regional titles. Don’t expect a fourth. The Vikings, who lost all fivestarters from last year’s team, were just 5-9 through 14 games. Cleveland CentralCatholic and Kirtland expect to be the beneficiaries of VASJ’s youth. Others whofigure to factor into the regional tournament include Wayne County Athletic Leaguerivals West Salem Northwestern and Smithville. The Smithies were undefeatedthrough 16 games and ranked No. 1 in the state. The Huskies are led by Lucas(20.1 points) and Brennan McKean (15.6 points).

The Athens District, which will produce an Athens Regional finalist, appears tobe anyone’s for the taking with Seaman North Adams, Chesapeake, WilliamsportWestfall, Piketon and Ironton among the ones to watch.Out of the bottom regional bracket, Grandview Heights, London Madison Plains,

Beverly Fort Frye and Sugarcreek Garaway are contenders.The Wilmington Regional will include three district winners from Dayton and one

from Columbus. Don’t be surprised to see Columbus Academy or Hartley comingsouth on Interstate 71. As for the Dayton representatives, Anna is the team to beat.The Rockets were state semifinalists last year and return six of their top eight play-ers. Anna has only dropped four games in two years, including two against NewKnoxville and one to O-G in last year’s state semifinals.Other teams to watch from the Dayton District are Middletown Madison, Miami

East, Dayton Christian, Hamilton Badin and Maderia.Final Four FavoritesFindlay Liberty-Benton, Anna, Fort Frye, SmithvilleState Champion FavoriteAnna

– Eric Frantz

Division IVLast year New Knoxville completed the state’s only undefeated season en route

to winning its first boys basketball state title. Don’t be surprised if the Rangers do it

again. Actually, be surprised if they don’t.Although New Knoxville hasn’t coasted through the season like it did last year,

when it won its games by an average of 27 points, it has shown the ability to con-tinue a pair of impressive win streaks. As of early February, the Rangers had won43 straight games and 59 straight regular season games. Heading into the finalstages of the regular season the Rangers were four wins shy of their third straightundefeated regular season. New Knoxville, which is looking to match St. Henry (1990-91) as the only teams

in Midwest Athletic Conference history to win back-to-back boys basketball statetitles, again possesses multiple options.Senior wing Caleb Allen leads four Rangers in double-digit scoring with 15.1

points per game. Senior post Brad Piehl, a 6-8 Robert Morris-recruit, nearly aver-ages a double-double (14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds). Senior Austin Arnett andsophomore Ryan Vanderhorst each average 12 points. Vanderhorst averages 5.8

assists. The Rangers own quality wins over Anna (55-49), Delphos St. John’s (55-51) and Fort Recovery(73-64). New Knoxville’s biggest challenge en route to anoth-

er regional final appears to be a potential meeting witheither Sidney Lehman Catholic or Cincinnati SevenHills in the Kettering Regional semifinals. Dayton Jefferson and 6-9 junior post Adreian Payne,

which could be waiting in the regional final, looks to bethe biggest hurdle – literally – between the Rangersand a return to Columbus. South CharlestonSoutheastern is also on the other side of the bracket.The other three regional sites – Canton, Bowling

Green and Athens – aren’t as cut and dried.At Canton, several good teams will be gone before

the regional tournament starts. A potential district finalbetween two of the region’s best teams – Bedford St.Peter Chanel and Cleveland Heights Lutheran East –looms, as does a potential district semifinal meetingbetween Berlin Hiland and Malvern. The survivors of those two games would meet in a

regional semifinal. McDonald could be a sleeper coming out of the

Struthers District.The Bowling Green regional might be the most wide

open in the division. Toledo Christian is the favorite inthe Findlay District, while Pettisville earns that distinc-tion in the Napoleon District.The other side of the regional shapes up with

Plymouth (Willard District) and Delphos St. John’s(Elida District) the favorites to meet in the other semifi-nal.DSJ gets the nod as the favorite to reach

Columbus. Also a MAC member, the Blue Jaysresume includes wins over bigger schools Wapakoneta, Elida, Van Wert, LimaShawnee and St. Marys. DSJ also handed St. Henry its only loss through 16games and almost took down New Knoxville.Two-time state 100-meter champion Cameron Hermiller leads the Blue Jays in

scoring with 14.8 point per game. Scott Recker chips in 13.2 points, while NateWebb, a 3-point threat, averages 10.5. Brandon Hemker leads the team in assists(4.3 per game), while Hermiller is second (3.4). Recker is the team’s leadingrebounder (6.1 per game).Worthington Christian, which lost to New Knoxville in last year’s state final,

appears on a collision course with Lancaster Fisher Catholic in the Columbus 2District. Should this match happen, it will feature two of the division’s best bigmen.Worthington Christian senior post Brian Hecker (24.2 points) is the reigning D-IVplayer of the year, while FC’s Luke Roesch casts a 6-7 presence of his own (19points, 10 rebounds). Through 16 games, WC had only lost to DeSales (twice),Trotwood-Madison and Hartley.Newark Catholic is the favorite in the Columbus 1 District.Out of Athens, Oak Hill is generating a lot of talk. The Oaks were regional final-

ists last year.Final Four FavoritesNew Knoxville, Delphos St. John’s, Berlin Hiland, Oak HillState Champion FavoriteNew Knoxville

– Eric Frantz

Graham’s JoshSchuler (far left),Northland’s J.D.Weatherspoon(middle) andCenterville’s MattKavanaugh are allplayers to keepan eye on comethe postseason.Watch out fortheir teams aswell.

High Hopes



Boys Basketbal l Recrui t ing

he 2008-09 boys basketball regular season already is windingdown but an exciting March lies ahead, as do the very brightfutures of the top players in Ohio.The postseason should be rife with excitement and palpitatinggames and, as usual, many of the elite players in the state willcome to center stage.What makes this season different from many in the past and cer-

tainly the next few down the line is that the senior class simply lacks pizzazzcompared to the hoops standard. In fact, analysts such as our resident expert,Chris Johnson, the Ohio editor of HoopScoopOnline.com, are labeling the2009 class as weak in terms of star power and depth when weighing it againstthe ones directly preceding and following it.The 2010 class, for example, is loaded with high-caliber talent and some of

the best prospects on a national scale. Many of the top players from thatgroup already have dealt with significant attention from college coaches andare now promised to particular schools.Still, several of the seniors are in line to play major and mid-major college

basketball and will have a chance to showcase their skills at the next level.Three in-state Ohio college coaches – longtime Miami boss Charlie Coles,Kent State’s Geno Ford and first-year Ohio University head coach John Groce– have to be smiling after landing signatures from multiple top-15 Ohio play-ers.The following list contains pertinent recruiting and signing information for

key in-state players and our updated rankings for each class, including themost recent national class rankings by ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. (ES) andHoopScoopOnline.com (HS) where applicable:

Seniors (Class of 2009)1. Garrick Sherman, 6-10, center, Kenton

(ES 99th, HS 129th) – Sherman had a breakoutjunior season in which he averaged 23.6 pointsper game and committed to Michigan State coachTom Izzo, choosing the Spartans over other BigTen schools such as Purdue, Iowa and PennState. He signed with MSU in November andthen proceeded to pick up where he left off, mak-ing the physical post man a legitimate “Mr.Basketball” candidate and perhaps the topDivision II player in the state.Sherman was second-team all-state last year

and appears to be a lock for first-team honors inhis final season.2. Jon Smith, 6-7, power forward, Grove

City (HS 186th) – The fastest rising and poten-tially best senior in the state when all is assessedat season’s end, Smith is versatile, consistentand leading his team to contention in the heftyOhio Capital Conference.“Smith has the most upside of any player in

this class,” Johnson said.He signed with St. Louis University and was

averaging 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds pergame through Feb. 10.3. Carl “Tay” Jones, 5-10, point guard,

Garfield Heights (HS 153rd) – A prolific scorerfor one of the state’s most dynamic teams, Jones

doesn’t mind being in the glare of the spotlight. In fact, he thrives on it. He hasa chance to surpass last season’s scoring average of 25.7 ppg. After drawingattention from major programs such as Michigan, Penn State and Dayton,Jones signed with St. Joe’s in the fall. His improved play enabled him to moveup 10 spots on this list from No. 13. Scoring 24.1 ppg and adding 4.2 assistsper game.4. Robert Capobianco, 6-7, power forward, Loveland (ES 100th, HS

178th) – An inside force who averaged 19.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg last season, heis also highly skilled and shows excellent shooting range.Indiana scooped up Capobianco before others could get deeply involved

and he signed with coach Tom Crean’s Hoosiers in November.5. Matt Kavanaugh, 6-10, center, Centerville (HS 193rd) – Big center

keeps inching up this list as he followed up second-team All-Ohio honors as ajunior with an outstanding summer on the AAU circuit. Averaged 20.3 ppg lastyear. Won’t go far next season – he’s signed with the University of Dayton.Was averaging 18.3 ppg and 9.0 rpg through the end of January.6. Bill Edwards, 6-7, wing forward, Middletown (HS 218th) – The son of

the former Wright State superstar with the same name, Edwards is receivingovertures from WSU, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Dayton and several MACschools. Penn State also is now interested. He averaged 17.5 ppg last seasonand received All-Southwest District acclaim. With Edwards leading the charge,the Middies won 14 of their first 15 games.7. Drew McGhee, 6-9, center, North Ridgeville (HS 168th) – A Miami

(Ohio) signee who is looking like a nice get for the RedHawks. Very skilled bigman who has range out to 18 feet

8. Desmar Jackson, 6-4, shooting guard,Warren Harding (HS 279th) – Outstanding ath-lete who can take over games at times. Averaged14.1 ppg last season but tried to be more of a dis-tributor at Harding after transferring in from nearbyWarren JFK.Second team all-district last season. Jackson

looks to be leaning on pursuing a scholarship inbasketball over football but he is yet to sign with aschool.9. Reggie Keely, 6-7, power forward,

Cleveland Heights (HS 240th) – Having an out-standing season for one of the most powerfulteams in northeast Ohio. A consistent performerwith skills that should translate to the next level.Signed a letter-of-intent with Ohio University.Averaging 22.8 ppg through 13 games this sea-son.10. Orlando Williams, 6-3, point guard,

Cincinnati Princeton – Plays in one of the mosttalented backcourts in the state next to junior off-guard Jordan Sibert. With Williams running thepoint, Princeton was 14-1 and ranked second inthe Division I state poll on Feb. 10. Averaged 13.3ppg as a junior. Signed with Miami (Ohio).11. Danny McElroy, 6-7, power forward,

Cincinnati LaSalle (HS 233rd) – McElroy’s prepcareer has had its share of peaks and valleys. Hisstock has dipped recently and he’s also changedhis mind about his future school. After committingto the University of Cincinnati, he ended up sign-ing in the fall with Bowling Green.

STORY BY OHIO H IGH STAFF

T

Garfield Heights senior point guard Carl“Tay” Jones is headed to St. Joe’s.




12. Marquis Horne, 6-7, power forward,Cincinnati Princeton (HS 256th) – Anotherfuture Bobcat who has signed with Ohio U., Hornealso considered offers from Kent State, BowlingGreen and Tennessee State and also gave con-sideration to LSU. Athletic forward who can finishplays with power or touch.13. Randal Holt, 5-11, point guard, Cleveland

Glenville – Second-team all-district pick afteraveraging 20.4 ppg as a sophomore and was justunder 21 ppg again as a junior, both season atBedford. Holt transferred to Glenville, helping thatteam become one of the best in the state. In fact,the Tarblooders shot out to a 13-0 record.Holt originally committed to Cleveland State but

after receiving offers from most of the top teamsin the MAC he opted to sign an LOI with KentState.“It’s close to home, I like the coaching staff and

I’m going to be my degree,” he told The(Cleveland) Plain Dealer.14. Allen Roberts, 6-2, shooting guard,

Middletown – Continues to improve and hasmeshed well this season with Edwards. Capableof getting hot from the outside in a moment’snotice. Roberts is signed with Miami (Ohio).15. Robert Johnson, 6-6, wing forward,

Bedford (HS 252nd) – Dominant three-man whorecently was named The Plain Dealer player ofthe week after racking up 65 points, 23 reboundsand 10 assists in two games, including a win overpreviously undefeated Lyndhurst Brush. Wasaveraging 21.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg at last check.Signed and sealed for the Kent State Golden Flashes.16. Luke Kraus, 6-0, point guard, Findlay – Kraus has been compared to

former Willard star Nick Dials. Crafty and able to score even against more ath-letic defenders. Averaged 21.3 ppg as a junior and earned third-team All-Ohiohonors. He signed with Bowling Green.17. Andre Paulk, 6-3, shooting guard, Kent Roosevelt – Not as well

know as just about every other senior in the top20 but is putting together a very solid senior sea-son. Still unsigned. Averaging 23.5 ppg and 4.4assists a game.18. Darren Goodson, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Aiken – Dropped 10 spots but stillamong the better wings in the state. Plays for abalanced team that showcases Chane Behananinside. Still a promising prospect with good sizeand a nose for the ball. 19. C.J. McCollum, 6-2, shooting guard,

Canton Glen Oak – Signed with Lehigh. Rackedup 25.1 ppg last season and currently is leadingthe Akron area with 29.0 ppg and also is pullingdown 8.3 rpg.“He’s one of the best shooters in the state and

has probably seen his stock increase more thanany other player in the state from the end of lastseason until now,” Johnson said. “He is anabsolute steal for Lehigh.”20. Mario Hines, 6-8, power forward, Garfield

Heights – Outstanding athlete who has returnedto form after missing last season due to personalreasons. Provides the inside muscle for one ofOhio’s elite teams. Signed in the fall withIndiana/Purdue-Fort Wayne. Averaging 11.8 ppgand 10.1 rpg.Other Division I Signees – Phillip Beans, 6-8,

center, Toledo Ottawa Hills (Holy Cross); SheldonBrogdon, 5-11, shooting guard, Warren Harding(Youngstown State, verbal); Zach Brown, 6-1,point guard, Mason (Lipscomb); Darian Cartharn,

6-0, point guard, Canal Winchester (Wright State);Jamel Harris, 6-8, power forward, Euclid (EasternMichigan); Lamar McKnight, 6-6, power forward,Bedford Chanel (Youngstown State); EthanMichael, 6-5, wing forward, Toledo Christian (AirForce); Brad Piehl, 6-7, power forward, NewKnoxville (Robert Morris); Devin Russell, 6-8,power forward, Toledo Start (Toledo); JoshSchuler, 6-3, shooting guard, St. Paris Graham(North Dakota); Anthony Wells, 6-1, point guard,Shaker Heights (Cleveland State); Sir ChristianWilliams, 6-2, shooting guard, Cleveland Heights(Rider).Best of the Rest – Jared Porrini, 6-4, shooting

guard, Canton Timken; Cortez Howell, 5-11, pointguard, Cincinnati Lockland; D.J. Cunningham, 6-9, center, Waterford; Dane Kopp, 6-9, center,Newark; Aaron Robinson, 6-2, point guard,Trotwood-Madison (signed with Findlay); JustinJamison, 6-9, center, Strongsville; DaylenHarrison, 6-6, power forward, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary; Ryan Siggins, 6-5, wing forward,Kettering Alter; Tony Harris, 5-10, point guard,Cincinnati Moeller; Erik Stenger, 6-6, power for-ward, Cincinnati St. Xavier; Will Felder, 6-5, wingforward, Cleveland Lutheran East; AndrewPavloff, 6-8, power forward, Cuyahoga FallsWalsh Jesuit.

Juniors (Class of 2010)1. Jared Sullinger, 6-8, power forward,

Columbus Northland (ES 1st, HS 3rd) – BigSully simply is the most reliable and consistent big man in the state and possi-bly the country. His soft hands are magnets for all entry passes and he useshis powerful, wide body to wall off defenders and score in the post. Shows anarray of moves and a nice touch. Also adept at getting to the free-throw lineand hitting a high percentage from there.Sullinger is already committed to Ohio State and currently headlines a five-

man class that could be the best in the country. He has lost just twice at theprep level. Even with the setback to CantonTimken this season, Northland was at 15-1 overalland ranked atop the state’s Division I poll throughFeb. 10. he was among the area’s leading scor-ers at 19.9 ppg and also was pulling down 13.9rpg while shooting a hefty 65.7 percent from thefield.2. Adreian Payne, 6-9, center, Dayton

Jefferson (ES 28th, HS 25th) – A long-armedshot blocker with a developing game, Payne hasnot always looked motivated this season whileplaying for D-IV Jefferson but he still manages totake ownership of the paint.Dayton, Xavier, Cincinnati, West Virginia and

Ohio State are all still jockeying for position forthe uncommitted center. Was named second-team All-Ohio last season after averaging 15.4ppg. Right around 14 points, 12 rebounds andfour blocks per game this season.3. Jordan Sibert, 6-4, wing forward,

Cincinnati Princeton (ES 42nd, HS 42nd) –Sibert has blossomed to the point where he shotup from the 10 hole to third on this list and is nowconsidered a top-60 prospect nationally by virtual-ly every reputable service. An Ohio State commit-ment, he teamed up with Sullinger, Payne andseveral others over the summer for the dominat-ing All-Ohio Red AAU squad. Confident playerwho can drive the ball and is not afraid to take bigshots. Averaging right around 14 ppg for a loadedteam.4. Juwan Staten, 5-10, point guard, Dayton

Bedford senior forward Robert Johnson isheaded to Kent State University.


Cleveland Heights senior forward ReggieKeely has signed with Ohio University.




Thurgood Marshall (ES 55th, HS 64th) – Superquick and able to blast all the way to the bucket forpoints, Staten scored 23.8 ppg last season and isback at it as a junior. He signed with nearby Daytonin the fall and is considered the best PG in Ohioand also may be the most talented player at theDivision II level. Also played in the All-Ohio Redprogram. Had Thurgood Marshall off to a 13-4 startand was popping for 20.4 ppg.5. Cameron Wright, 6-5, shooting guard,

Cleveland Benedictine (HS 124th) – Explosiveand versatile performer who has come a long waywith his jump shot. Also committed to Ohio State.Has been right around 18 ppg all season much likelast year. Willing defender and passer who hasBenedictine fans thinking about a deep postseasonrun.6. J.D. “Air Spoon” Weatherspoon, 6-6, wing

forward, Columbus Northland (HS 116th) – High-flying, energetic wing who lights up the gym whenhe is finishing off one of his two-handed dunks.Shooting an area-best 69.0 percent from the field.Has been a more reliable rebounder and defenderthis season. Xavier commitment who might be themost exciting player to watch in the state.7. Aaron Craft, 6-2, point guard, Findlay

Liberty-Benton (HS 133rd) – Plays the game at afrenetic pace and also has the toughness andsavvy to run the point and play through contact andchanging defenses. Outstanding outside shooterbut just as happy to set up teammates. Also thequarterback on the football team but is committedto playing hoops at Tennessee for Bruce Pearl. Yetanother All-Ohio Red standout.8. Geron Johnson, 6-3, shooting guard, Dayton Dunbar (HS 154th) – The

Wolverines always seem to have athleticism and scoring and Johnson fits rightinto the program tradition. Was ineligible last season but has come on this yearand could begin fielding offers soon. He was averaging 17.0 ppg through thefirst eight games of the season.9. Allen Payne, 6-6, wing forward, Cincinnati Winton Woods (HS 163rd) –

Wiry performer who rebounded nicely last season from a knee injury and is nowmoving up the charts. Playing well on a regular basis against top competition inthe Cincy area. Virginia may be among Payne’s suitors.10. Nick Kellogg, 6-2, point guard, Columbus DeSales (HS 180th) – Son

of former Ohio State star Clark Kellogg who averaged 10.0 ppg as a frosh andthen shot up to 22.1 ppg last season. Kellogg’s production was down a bit thisseason but he had the Stallions off to a 13-3 start and a No. 8 ranking in thestate in Division II. Wise and feisty with the ball in his hands.11. Griffin McKenzie, 6-9 power forward, Cincinnati Moeller (HS 204th) –

One of the state’s storied programs has another strong team recently madestronger by the return to the court from McKenzie. He resumed practice in earlyJanuary but had not played all year until recently due to a back injury. HelpedMoeller to a win over rival Cincinnati St. Xavier with 13 points. So far mostlyMAC schools are recruiting him.12. Derek Jackson, 6-0, point guard, Cleveland Benedictine (HS 226th) –

A lead guard who also gets out on the wings and hurts teams with his drivesand jumpers. His strong bond with Wright is evident on the court and gives theBengals one of the top backcourts in the state. Recently committed to CentralMichigan.13. Anton Hutchins, 6-3, shooting guard, Lima Senior (HS 241st) –

Athletic scoring wing who brings it every night. Looks natural on the move andcan dish it to others.14. Ralph Hill, 6-6, wing forward, Westerville North (HS 265th) – Having a

breakout season for the Warriors. Among the central Ohio area leader with 18.9ppg through the first 16 contests of the season. Several MAC schools andDayton are on his early list of potential colleges.15. Kenny Knight, 6-7, power forward, Cincinnati Aiken (276th) – Talented

performer but has been in and out of the lineup due to off-the-court difficulties.

Sophomores (Class of 2011)1. Chane Behanan, 6-6, power forward, Cincinnati Aiken (ES 23rd) – A

big-time recruiting commodity who has alreadyselected the University of Cincinnati as his futureschool, Behanan has been at the head of the classalmost from the moment he splashed onto thescene at Aiken last season. He struggled to stay on the floor because of foul

trouble in a highly anticipated January showdownwith Sullinger but since then has been back to hisdominant self. Sometimes strays out of the paintand looks to do damage facing up now.Behanan averaged 20.2 points and eight

rebounds per game as a frosh and he’s continuingthat pace this season. Simply the best player in thisclass.2. James “Zach” Price, 6-9, center, Lakewood

St. Edward – Left-handed big man is coming intohis own this season. Already an excellent shotblocker with advanced post skills for a player hisage. Several major programs are charting and OhioState already has made a scholarship offer.3. Markus Crider, 6-5, wing forward, Huber

Heights Wayne – Exciting athlete who is beginningto draw interest from major programs. Attended the Ohio State-Michigan State game in

Columbus on Jan. 25 and could become a Big Ten-caliber recruit.4. Paul Honigford, 6-8, power forward,

Sugarcreek Garaway – Led Garaway all the wayto the state title game in Division III last spring andmay be headed back. Able to score facing the bas-ket and an improving rebounder.5. Anton Grady, 6-7, power forward,

Cleveland Central Catholic – Blessed with goodsize and frame to possibly get bigger. Athletic four man that should get morenotice soon.6. Stevie Taylor, 5-8, point guard, Gahanna Lincoln – Started off hot by

scoring right around 17 ppg but is also a true lead guard who likes to run playsand dole out assists. Butler, Akron, Ohio U. and Ohio State are among the moreinterested schools already.7. Jakarr Sampson, 6-7, power forward, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary –

Long, athletic PF who played at Solon last year. One of several talented youngplayers for the Irish.8. Kirby Wright, 6-8, power forward, Middletown – Newcomer via transfer

who plays on one of best D-I teams in the state. Already well known on the AAUcircuit.9. Trey Burke, 5-10, point guard, Columbus Northland – Stepped in for the

departed Devon Moore and is already one of the area’s top assist men at morethan seven per game. Runs the show for the state’s premier team.10. Trey Lewis, 6-0, guard, Garfield Heights – A dangerous outside shooter

on one of the state’s top teams. Averaging 16.1 ppg and 6.1 assists per game.Coach Sonny Johnson said he already has received offers for Lewis from OhioU., Kent State, Akron, Miami (Ohio), Cleveland State and St. Joe’s.11. Aaron Thomas, 6-4, wing forward, Cincinnati Aiken12. Travis Trice, 6-0, point guard, Huber Heights Wayne13. Jehvon Clarke, 6-0, point guard, Canton Timken14. Traevon Jackson, 6-2, combo guard, Westerville South15. Ricky Johnson, 5-9, point guard, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary

Freshmen (Class of 2012)Knowing the importance that is placed upon identifying top players young and

younger for the sake of recruiting, Ohio High has decided to play along and sin-gle out some elite freshmen in the state. Johnson has come up with this magnifi-cent seven to watch (listed by height):Malik London, 6-8, center, Chillicothe; Jermaine Davis, 6-8, center, Garfield

Heights; Elijah Macon, 6-7, power forward, Columbus Marion Franklin; AdolphusWashington, 6-5, power forward, Cincinnati Roger Bacon; Lorenzo Cugini, 6-5,wing forward, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary; Kyle Molock, 6-1, point guard, DublinCoffman; Cameron Wilson, 6-0, point guard Dublin Jerome.

For more updates on Ohio’s top prospects and those nationally, checkout Chris Johnson’s work at hoopscooponline.com

Wayne sophomore wing Marcus Crider isbeing courted by Dayton, Xavier and others.



Gir ls Basketbal l S tate Tournament Preview

hey say you have to have your heart broken before you canbecome a champion.Come March and the 34th annual OHSAA state girls basket-

ball tournament, Ohio will become Heartbreak Hotel. Never before in my previous 10 years associated with Ohio

high school girls basketball has the road to Columbus been socrowded. While there are favorites in all four divisions and ineach of the 16 regional tournaments, there are no “clear-cut,

sure-fire, lead-pipe-lock” favorites to win those regional championships or towin any of the four state championships. The state final four games will be contested over three days (March 19-21)

at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. Here is a look at the girls basketballlandscape as the tournament quickly approaches:

Division ICould this be the seventh straight season the Division I state champion has

come from southwest Ohio? North Canton Hoover from northeast Ohio was the last team from a region

other than southwest Ohio to win a D-I state title back in 2002. Beginning in2003, Beavercreek, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne and Mount Notre Dame haveall collected championships. If MND gets out of the Southwest (Fairborn) Region, the Cougars will be

the favorite in Columbus. The senior trio of guard Ashley Fowler (Ohio U.), for-ward Kendall Hackney (USC) and wing Gabby Smith (Vanderbilt) have theopportunity this year to become only the second team in OHSAA girls basket-ball history to win four straight state championships and the first in Division I. Even with Lakota West opting for the second straight year to go in the

Harrison 5 bracket (through the Central Region), MND faces more thanorange barrel obstacles on its sixth straight trip up I-71. Winton Woods, although untested this season, has one of the state’s best

backcourt combinations in Dayeesha Hollins (Michigan) and Jasmine Shawand may be the biggest obstacle in the road for MND. Beavercreek with Stanford bound Michaela Ruef, Kettering Fairmont with 6-

2 junior Cassie Sant and theJessica Alexander-led Xeniaclubs out of the Dayton area areall potential candidates to knockoff MND come tournament time. Let us not forget arguably the

best player in Ohio is at traditionrich Dayton Chaminade-Julienne,junior Samarie Walker(Connecticut verbal). Walker withher longtime running mate, sen-ior Shene Fleming (St. FrancisPa.), can beat any team in Ohioon any given day or night. But as former Houston

Rockets coach RudyTomjanovich once stated, “Neverunderestimate the heart of cham-pion,” and the Cougars of MNDare the favorite to come out ofthe Southwest (Fairborn) Regiononce again. In the Central (Westerville)

Region, the shoe is on the otherfoot this year.Lakota West was the favorite

a year ago but Dublin Coffmanhas set itself ahead in theCentral Region. Lakota West, ledby Alexis Rogers (Duke), Tessa

Elkins (Murray State) and Brittany Harriel (SE Missouri State) lost to MND andCoffman in the regular season. Hence, Coffman with it’s inside-out combina-tion of Sam MacKay (Dayton) and Becca Bornhorst (Butler) are the favorites

2009 Girls Basketball State Tournament Preview

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10:45 a.m. - Division IV

2:00 p.m. - Division III

5:15 p.m. - Division II

8:30 p.m. - Division I

State Schedule

Alter and juniorAshley Christie

are out to defendtheir Division II

state title.




this year to give central Ohio only its third team in the final four in six years(the OHSAA changed the Division I tournament format in 2004 allowing oneSouthwest Ohio team to come thru the Central Region). In the Central Region there will be “something old” with Emilee Harmon

(Ohio State) and Company at Pickerington Central, “something new” with theMathews twins, Anasa and Makeda at Delaware Hayes and the sophomoretrio of Shicole Watts, Chelsea McKnight and Aryealle Beavers at Grove Cityand the Vikings from Northland, “something borrowed” with head coach MartyBrice trying to re-use Tri-Valley’s Division II magic from their 2005 run and“something blue” with head coach Dave Butcher at Pickerington North longingfor the glory days. But in the end they will all be bridesmaids because it is a two-horse race in

the Central Region with Coffman edging Lakota West by a nose.There is a shift in power in that animal kingdom in northeast Ohio known as

the Canton Regional. Last year, as stated in my tournament preview, Twinsburg was a year away.

Well, that year away is here and the Tigers are the favorites to come out ofthe Canton Region and should be for the foreseeable future. When the No. 1national scouting service (Collegiate Girls Basketball Report) has one of yourplayers – Malina Howard – rated as the No. 1 freshman in America, youshould be the favorite in your region.When you play the top two teams in Ohio regardless of division to the wire

as Twinsburg (one-point loss to MND in Classic in the Country and an over-time loss to South Euclid Regina at the Holiday Cage Classic), you should bethe favorite to win your region. When you have an outside game as Twinsburgdoes to go along with the No. 1 freshman post player in America you shouldbe the favorite in your region. Two teams have a legit shot this year to take a bite out of the Twinsburg’s

Tigers tail. One is Shaker Heights, led by Illinois recruit Karisma Penn, andthe other is Canton McKinley and their “Pup” phenom Ameryst Alston. Bothcould get close enough to chomp down. No offense to the traditional rulers in northeast Ohio -- Wadsworth,

Boardman and North Canton Hoover – but they may have a four-year ride inthe backseat of the safari wagon. Nor any disrespect intended towards AkronKenmore, Mayfield and Warren Howland but their window of opportunity tobecome Queen may have shut last year and may stay shut for four more

years as the Twinsburg Tigers begin their reign as Queens of the Jungle innortheast Ohio. Like Twinsburg, in last year’s tournament preview I stated “mark my word

here and now, next year Toledo Start will be the clear cut favorite out of the(Northwest/Norwalk region).” Start is the only team in Northwest Ohio that canstart five legit nationally ranked NCAA Division I prospects in YolandaRichardson (Toledo), Tiffani Blackman (junior), Azia Bishop (soph.), MaleekaKynard (soph.) and Jaimie Jackson (freshman). The Northwest Division I region is a college coach’s dream. It is loaded with

heavily recruited players, including Marion Harding junior Shawnta Dyer andsophomore Brenae Harris, Westlake sophomore Kalpana Beach, SylvaniaNorthview sophomore Katelyn McCoy and Toledo Central Catholic’s seniorBrianna Jones (Illinois) just to name a few. As good as all these players are,there are just not enough supporting weapons to slow the Spartans from Start

rampage towards Columbus. Only the best playerin northwest Ohio, Toledo Waite junior NatashaHoward, can put her team on her back and chal-lenge these talented Spartans from Start. Final Four FavoritesMount Notre Dame, Dublin Coffman, Twinsburg,

Toledo StartState Champion FavoriteMount Notre Dame

Division IILike Division I, the Division II state champi-

onship is open to any of the four regional tourna-ment winners. In three of the four regions, it is thesame cast of characters that are favored to makean encore appearance in Columbus. However, theroad to Columbus this year is full of potholes forthese favorites and any one of these three return-ing favorites could be calling AAA from the side ofthe road.Despite dropping several games in the regular

season, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown is stillthe favorite to make its third consecutive appear-ance at the Final Four coming out of the Northeast(Barberton) Region. The Blazers have navigatedtheir way through, arguably, the toughest and mostchallenging schedule in the state. The MylanWoods (Northwestern), Alexis Dobbs and EricaAlmady-led club are one of five teams in the statethat can start five NCAA Division I prospects. Geneva has had a good regular season but is

untested. The same is true for the ShavonRobinson-led Canton South Wildcats. There is notenough support for the Amy Scullion-led Salem

Quakers nor enough contributors for the Jillian Halfhill (Bowling Green) ledCanfield Cardinals for either to challenge HB. The bitter rivalry between LakeCatholic and Hathaway Brown provides the Blazers with their most formidablefoe but in the end HB will be back in Columbus for the third straight year. Cananyone say Buffalo Bills?In the Northwest (Ontario) Region, Lima Bath with Mauk twins and Central

Michigan recruits, Rachel and Steph, their Mauk cousin, Emily, Nicki Hopkins(Buffalo) and Alyssa Brandon are the favorites to have their second straightappearance at the final four. Greg Mauk, father to Emily and uncle to Racheland Steph, is in his 11th season as Wildkittens head coach.To hold their family affair in Columbus again, the path presents some obsta-

cles but not like last year when Sandusky Perkins was in the way. This year,the Wildkittens have to keep from losing their scalp to a quality Redskins tribefrom Wapakoneta in the district and then weather the highly heralded TiffinColumbian Tornadoes in the regional semifinals. In the regional finals, Mauk’s club will have to get by one of two teams that

have both beat the Northeast Regional favorite, HB, on their respective homecourts: the youthful Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit Warriors led by freshmantalent Rachel Theriot or the experienced Archbishop Hoban Knights led byveteran Rachel Tecca (Akron). So, Mauk’s Wildkittens to get back toColumbus for a second straight year all they have to do is save their scalp,weather a storm, dodge a spear and duck from a swinging sword.The Southwest (Vandalia) Region is the most crowded and most competi-

STORY BY TOM JENK INS (OGBR )

Lima Bath’sStefanie Mauk (farleft), HathawayBrown’s AlexisDobbs (middle)and South EuclidRegina’s Tay’LerMingo all havethoughts of lead-ing their teamsback to the statetournament andleaving with atitle.

High Hopes

Photo by Nick Falzerano Photo by Nick Falzerano Photo by Gary Housteau



tive field of any of the four Division II regional tournaments this season.Kettering Alter, last year’s state champion, is the favorite to return as theSouthwest Ohio representative. Alter, led by last year’s Division II MostOutstanding Player junior Ashley Christie, returns five of its top eight playersthis year all with quality minutes in their state championship run. Crawling in the ring at this year’s Vandalia Regional will be the winner of

the undercard match between the youthful Kenton Ridge Cougars and theScott Rogers-coached Indian Hill Braves in the Mason 2 District Final. Tippecanoe, Alter’s most notable opponent in this year’s Southwest Ohio

Division II Region, will face the Kenton Ridge/Indian Hill winner in the regionalsemifinals, while Alter gets a sparring match against one of the outsiders fromColumbus – Mifflin, DeSales or Eastmoor. For Kenton Ridge, Indian Hill andTippecanoe, this is the year of opportunity as Dayton Chaminade-Julienne fig-ures to move down a division next year.Look for Warsaw River View to make its third trip to Columbus in four years

by coming out of the Zanesville Regional. Head coach Caroline Daughertyand senior daughter Kari (Dayton) could drive those back roads blindfoldedwith Kari having been the Most Outstanding Player in the Division II StateChampionships her freshman year and both having two previous state cham-pionships in the last three years to use as their roadmap. The Sherman Tanks from Chillicothe Unioto have had a respectable regular

season but their firepower hasn’t tested. If Unioto gets by Jamie Stutzman’stalented Washington C.H. Miami Trace team in the Athens District, the Tankscould blow a hole in the Daugherty’s road map in the regional semifinals.On the other side of this Eastern Region, New Albany will be the biggest

roadblock for the Black Bears of River View. The Robertson twins, Haley andHannah and New Albany will have to first get by the much underrated WestHomes Knights. Of the four Division II regionals, Zanesville is the most wide-open and will provide a new face and a new name from last year’s quartet inthe final four. Final Four FavoritesHathaway Brown, Lima Bath, Kettering Alter, Warsaw River ViewState Champion FavoriteLima Bath

Division IIIJust like Larry Bird used to say in the NBA three-point shooting contest,

“Everyone else is competing for second place.” As stated in last year’s state tournament preview, “It is Regina and the

field.” Wrong, but also stated was “only Justine Raterman (Dayton) andVersailles out of the Vandalia Region have a shot in one game on one dayagainst Regina.” Right. Versailles defeated Regina and won the Division IIIstate championship a year ago. While there is a multitude of teams in Division III having great years, there

is no Justine Raterman and Versailles out there this year. South Euclid Regina is the best team in the state this year regardless of

division. Only five teams in the state can start five Division I college prospectsand Regina does start five Division I college prospects. MND, Toledo Start,Lakota West and Hathaway Brown are the others that can.No one has an answer to all-world point guard Tay’ler Mingo; no one has

an answer to the inside-out game of Old Dominion-bound Jackie Cook; noone has an answer to the versatility of Toledo signee Riley McCormick; noone has an answer to the competitive fire of Evansville recruit Amber Boyd,and no one has an answer to the dominant inside presence of super sopho-more Therany Dunnigan and juniors Pa’Sonna Hope or Surya Gaffney.In Regina’s Region (Cuyahoga Falls), Pymatuning Valley…no answer;

Youngstown Ursuline…no answer; Smithville…no answer; Orrville…noanswer;…West Salem Northwestern…no answer.In the Lexington Region, Mt. Blanchard Riverdale…no answer; Findlay

Liberty-Benton…no answer; Milbury Lake…no answer; Genoa Area…noanswer.In the Lancaster Region, Sugarcreek Garaway…no answer; Oak Hill…no

answer.The Vandalia Region is where it gets interesting. In the seeding draw,

Marion Pleasant is the top-ranked Division III team as of press time and is inthe best position “to compete for second place” going into the Powell 2 Districtand be the state runner-up because they will not meet Regina until the statechampionship game. But still…no answer.Final Four FavoritesSouth Euclid Regina, Findlay Liberty-Benton, Cincinnati Oak Hills, Marion

Pleasant

State Champion FavoriteSouth Euclid Regina

Division IVOver the last four years, Division IV has been Berlin Hiland and Columbus

Africentric – mostly Berlin Hiland (3-of-4) – winning Division IV state champi-onships. Although I don’t think he was thinking about the Ohio Division IV state

championship, Sam Cooke once sang, “A change is gonna come.” TheDivision IV district and regional battles are the most open and will be the mostexciting of any division in the state this year.In the Northeast Ohio Region (Massillon), the regional final game will fea-

ture the size and athleticism of Cleveland Lutheran East (Latisha Walker andAmber Bogard) against the best four-guard combination in the state in BerlinHiland’s Hilary Weaver, Noelle Yoder and Mast girls, Karli and Mykeila. Lastyear in the state championship game against Africentric, Hiland head coachDave Schlabach, the 2008 National Federation Coach of the Year, painted aVan Gogh masterpiece.This year he will have to get his brush out again to get by coach Melvin

Burke’s high flying Lutheran East Falcons. The Elida Regional is up for grabs. In the Elida Regional (northwest Ohio)

we have Van Buren and Fostoria St. Wendelin in the Findlay District…nofavorite here, Mansfield St. Peter’s and Bucyrus Wynford in the LexingtonDistrict…no favorite here, Stryker and Pettisville in the Archbold District –probably a favorite here – and New Riegel in the Tontogany District...maybethe favorite.The Archbold District winner should be the favorite to come out of the Elida

Regional and I am going to go with New Riegel in the Tontogany District torepresent northwest Ohio at the Division IV final four. The Central Region (Pickerington) should return the same four finalists from

a year ago: South Webster out of the Athens 2 District, Harvest Prep out ofthe Westerville 2 District, Waterford out of the Athens 1 District and Africentricout of the Westerville 1 District. The winner of the regional semifinal betweenthe Waterford and Africentric will be the central Ohio representative at thisyear’s Division Final Four. This is the third try for Waterford to get over its mental block and get by

Africentric. If the Sina King-led Wildcats are ever going to get by head coachWill McKinney’s trio of Raven Ferguson, Ashar Harris (Morehead State) andShardai Fountain (Marshall), this will be the year. On the flip side, this couldbe the last hurrah for Africentric in its five-year run at Columbus and as one ofthe two dominant forces in Ohio’s Division IV. The winner that comes out of the Van Wert District will be the winner of the

Vandalia Regional – period – no ifs, ands or buts…sorry Fort Loramie, sorrySeven Hills, sorry Troy Christian.The Van Wert District will be the most competitive of any of the 64 district

championships in the state of Ohio. Will it be Minster? The Wildcats are prob-ably a year away. Will it be Fort Recovery? Not enough ammo; Will it beDelphos St. John’s? Not enough to go with Zefiryn Bryan; Will it be NewBremen? Maybe; Will it be Convoy Crestview? Maybe the Associated press gets this one right and we do see its No. 1

Convoy Crestview and No. 2 Berlin Hiland in the Division state championshipgame.Final Four FavoritesBerlin Hiland, New Riegel, Waterford, Convoy CrestviewState Champion FavoriteBerlin Hiland — OH

OOhhiioo GGiirrllss BBaasskkeettbbaallll RReeppoorrtt started 11 years ago and for the last eightyears has been voted the No. 1 single-state scouting service inAmerica by NCAA Division I womens’ basketball head coaches.Currently there are 202 colleges across America that subscribe to OhioGirls Basketball Report and rely on the information provided by TomJenkins in evaluating players from Ohio. Tom has over 40 years ofplaying, coaching and evaluating experience associated with thegame of basketball. He is devoted solely to the promotion of thegame of Ohio girls basketball through his publication, Ohio GirlsBasketball Report and the promotion of the players of the gamethrough his services.


Gir ls Basketbal l Recrui t ing

lthough it may not be the bumper crop of talent Ohio is used to,the state’s girls basketball Class of 2009 has churned out itsshare of college prospects.“The 2009 class turned out better than I thought it would a year

or two ago,” said Tom Jenkins, executive director of the Ohio GirlsBasketball Report. “Ithought we might only

see 45 or 50 Division I signees. It is alittle thinner than normal. Ohio usuallysigns 65 to 80 Division I signees. Sofar this year, we’ve seen 63 signees.”An example of the lack of depth in

the 2009 class may be the fact onlyone Ohio player is ranked in thenational top 50 by ESPN-affiliatedHoopGurlz.com. That player isBeavercreek forward Mikaela Ruef.The Stanford-bound Ruef is rated asthe nation’s 16th-best prospect over-all.That same site lists six Ohio

prospects among its national top 60list for the 2010 class. That group isled by a pair of players in the top five,including Dayton Chaminade-Julienne6-1 small forward Samarie Walker(No. 2 overall) and Toledo Waite 6-3small forward Natasha Howard (No.5). Walker has already verbaled toConnecticut.Jenkins predicts big things out of Ohio’s next two classes coming in 2010-

11.“The two best years in Ohio were 2003 with 103 Division I signees and

2004 with 87,” Jenkins said. “The 2010 and 2011 classes will be the bestback-to-back classes since what we saw with 2003-04.”Seniors in the Class of 2009 were able to sign letters-of-intent during the

early signing period in November.Below is a look at the state’s top seniors, juniors and sophomores as rated

by Ohio Girls Basketball Report.

Top 10 SeniorsHere are the top 10 seniors, listed alphabetically (national rankings from

HoopGurlz.com listed in parentheses):Kari Daugherty, 6-2, small forward, Warsaw River View, Dayton signeeKendall Hackney (55th overall nationally), 6-2, small forward, Cincinnati Mt.

Notre Dame, USC signeeEmilee Harmon (63), 6-2, power forward, Pickerington Central, Ohio State

signeeDayeesha Hollins, 5-7, point guard, Cincinnati Winton Woods, Michigan

signeeKarisma Penn, 6-1, power forward, Shaker Heights, Illinois signeeAlexis Rogers (82), 6-1, forward, West Chester Lakota West, Duke signeeMikaela Ruef (16), 6-3, forward, Beavercreek, Stanford signeeBrianna Sanders, 5-11, shooting guard, Cincinnati Princeton, Ohio State

signee

Gabby Smith, 5-10, shooting guard, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame,Vanderbilt signeeAsia Taylor, 6-1, power forward, Columbus Whetstone, Louisville signee

The Next 10 SeniorsHere are players ranked 11th to 20th, listed alphabetically:Jackie Cook, 5-10, small forward, South Euclid Regina, Old Dominion

signee Andola Dortch, 5-6, point guard, Akron Kenmore, Toledo signeeTessa Elkins, 5-7, point guard, West Chester Lakota West, Murray State

signee Shene Fleming, 6-0, power forward, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, St.

Francis (Pa.) signeeAshley Fowler, 5-6, point guard, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, Ohio U.

signeeAshar Harris, 6-0, power forward, Columbus Africentric, Morehead State

signee Breanna Jones, 6-3, center, Toledo Central Catholic, Illinois signeeSamantha McKay, 5-9, shooting guard, Dublin Coffman, Dayton signeeYolanda Richardson, 6-3, center, Toledo Start, Toledo signeeJessie Tamerlano, 5-11, small forward, North Royalton, Bowling Green

signee

More Division I SigneesHere are more Ohio seniors who have signed with Ohio Division I schools:Katie Bubna, Bedford Chanel, Akron; Riley McCormick, South Euclid

Regina, Toledo; Allison Papenfuss, Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, BowlingGreen; Yolonda Richardson, Toledo Start, Toledo; Kaitlin Rohrs, LibertyCenter, Youngstown State; Taylor Ruper, Garfield Heights Trinity, Akron;Rachel Tecca, Akron Hoban, Akron; Melissa Thompson, Solon, YoungstownState.

Top 10 JuniorsHere is a look at the state’s top 10 junior prospects for 2010, listed alpha-

betically (national rankings from HoopGurlz.com listed in parentheses):Shawnta` Dyer (16), 6-2, forward, Marion HardingNatasha Howard (5), 6-3, small forward, Toledo WaiteTay'ler Mingo (46), 5-7, point guard, South Euclid ReginaDarryce Moore, 6-2, center, Youngstown Boardman, verbaled to Ohio StateCassie Sant (55), 6-2, power forward, Kettering FairmontAmy Scullion (33), 6-0, small forward, Salem, could play Division I volleyball

or basketballLatisha Walker, 6-2, power forward, Cleveland Lutheran EastSamarie Walker (2), 6-1, small forward, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, ver-

baled to ConnecticutAshley Wanninger, 5-10, shooting guard, Cincinnati ColerainMylan Woods, 5-10, shooting guard, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, ver-

baled to Northwestern

More Junior VerbalsHere are more Ohio juniors who have made verbals to Division I schools:Phylesha Bullard, Cincinnati Walnut Hills, Syracuse; Jillian Halfhill, Canfield,

Bowling Green; Jamonica Orton, Dayton Stebbins, Mississippi; HaleyRobertson, New Albany, Miami (Ohio); Hannah Robertson, New Albany, Miami(Ohio);

Top 10 SophomoresHere is a look at the state’s top 10 sophomore prospects for 2011, listed

alphabeticallyKalpana Beach, 6-1, forward, WestlakeAzia Bishop, 6-3, power forward/center, Toledo StartTherany Dunnigan, 6-2, power forward/center, South Euclid ReginaRaven Ferguson, 5-10, small forward, Columbus AfricentricBrenae Harris, 5-9, guard, Marion HardingSarah Hunter, 5-4, point guard, MasonMaleeka Kynard, 5-6, point guard, Toledo StartAllyson Malott, 6-2, small forward, Middletown MadisonKathyrn Reynolds, 5-7, guard, Cincinnati Mt.Notre DameDominque Singletary, 5-7, guard, Hamilton, verbaled to Xavier


A

Beavercreek senior post MikelaRuef is headed to Stanford.


ohio high winter 2009

Documents

ohio high magazine

ohio high spring issue

ohio high summer issue

ohio high fall issue

ohio high cup update

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standard ohio high issues

ohios highschool sports