WON'T BE AT THE #OhioState VS #Michigan ..WILL BE BUSY LEADING MY TEAM TO THEIR 2nd CHAMPIONSHIP

— David Dawson (@D3_FutureLegend) November 18, 2012

• Sam Mustipher, Dorian O'Daniel, Kirk Garner, Marcel Ngachie, and Kendall Fuller all named First Team All-WCAC. 

Scout$--Barker checks out Irish '14 KY QB Drew Barker

• Drew says ND's tradition was obvious and he enjoyed the trip.

Scout$--Booth Has Great Badger Experience '14 IN WR Dominique Booth

• Dominique loved his Wisconsin visit and says he will push his decision back until spring or summer.

Rivals$--Ponte Vedra LB growing into leader role '14 FL LB Dillon Bates

• Dillon says he prides himself in never taking a rep off and continuosly striving to be better. He does not have any favorites but plans to narrow his focus soon.

Scout$--Two Big Offers For Kizer  '14 OH QB DeShone Kizer

• Penn State and Michigan State have offered.

Rivals$--Trout has productive visit '14 OH OL Kyle Trout

• Kyle enjoyed a brief visit to WVU and is supposed to hear more about an offer on Monday.

Rivals$--Atmosphere separates UW '14 IL LB Clifton Garrett

• Clifton says UW had the best gameday atmosphere he has experienced. He plans to be at The Game next week.

Elliot sparks John Burroughs past Monett in semifinals (joplinglobe)

MONETT, Mo. — The Ezekiel Elliott Show was delayed by Monett’s defense, but ultimately the Ohio State-bound running back led John Burroughs to another appearance in the Show-Me Bowl.

The Bombers scored three touchdowns in a five-minute span of the fourth quarter and defeated Monett 28-6 in a MSHSAA Class 3 semfinal Saturday at Burl Fowler Stadium.

John Burroughs (14-0) will face Maryville in the championship game next Friday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Elliott rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries while the Bombers’ defense kept Monett scoreless until the final minute.

“It all starts with the line,” said Elliott, a 6-foot, 205-pound senior. “They’ve been doing their job and making it easy for me.”

The Bombers mixed in short passes and competed 13 of 17 attempts for 88 yards. Meanwhile, the defense limited Monett to 134 yards rushing on 51 carries. Cubs quarterback Kyle Woods completed 5 of 15 passes for 59 yards.

It all added up to the third consecutive trip to the Show-Me Bowl for No. 1-ranked John Burroughs, which was runner-up in each of the past two seasons.

“Our motto all season has been ‘unfinished business,’ ” Elliott said. “We’re ready. We’ve been twice. We’re back to where we want to be.”

John Burroughs, leading 7-0, loosened Monett’s defense in the fourth quarter with three pass completions in a six-play, 58-yard drive capped by a 22-yard run by Elliott with 8 minutes, 17 seconds remaining.

After Bombers defensive lineman Sam Held recovered a fumbled Monett snap at the Cubs’ 20-yard line, two more pass completions led to a 9-yard touchdown run by Elliott and a 21-0 Bombers lead with 6:44 to go.

“Their defense made it tough for us,” said Monett head coach Chad Depee. “They grabbed the field position in the fourth quarter, and you can only give a team like that so many opportunities.”

cont...

Trinity WR Quick has fractured rib, status ‘day to day’ (courier journal)

Trinity High School football coach Bob Beatty said Saturday morning that star wide receiver James Quick has a fractured rib but would not speculate on his status for the rest of the season.

“I think the best way to put that going forward is that he’s day to day,” Beatty said.

Quick was injured during the first quarter of Friday’s 15-14 victory over St. Xavier in the Class 6-A quarterfinals at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. He did not return to the game and was taken to a local hospital for “precautionary reasons,” Trinity athletic director Dennis Lampley said.

Quick, a top candidate for Kentucky’s Mr. Football award, has 82 catches for 1,333 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He has a state-record 277 receptions for his career.

Trinity (11-1), No. 1 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, will host No. 5 Scott County (12-1) on Friday in a Class 6-A semifinal. It’s a rematch of last year’s state final, which the Shamrocks won 62-21.

Some big-time college programs are in the hunt for Drew Barker.

The junior quarterback from Hebron (Ky.) Conner was recently contacted by Georgia, visited Notre Dame this weekend and will visit Ohio State on Nov. 24. The Fighting Irish did a good job of establishing themselves this weekend while Barker was in South Bend.

"The most unique thing that I haven't felt anywhere else was that you could actually feel the tradition," Barker said of the visit. "It was pretty awesome."

cont...

If Tim Beckman is going to turn Illinois around, it will take the state’s top prospects staying in state and playing for the Illini. The first-year Illini coach is not shy about letting top 2014 Illinois prospects know that either.

When Watch List offensive tackle Jamarco Jones from Chicago De La Salle walked in Beckman’s office Saturday, he saw his picture on the wall.

“They had a picture with some prospects on a poster. It was cool to see. I was pretty excited,” Jones said. “It shows how important we are as recruits and what they think we can do or the program.”

cont...

It was a busy week for 2014 prospect Nile Sykes (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest), who made two visits to Midwest programs.

The more recent of the two trips came Saturday to Wisconsin, which he was seeing for a second time.

“It was good. The whole game was exciting,” Sykes said.

cont...

Belle Vernon (Pa.) Area offensive lineman Dorian Johnson committed to Pittsburgh on Sunday, and that verbal pledge is solid.

Johnson committed to Pitt over Ohio State, but the No. 2 tackle nationally and No. 22 player in the ESPN 150 had two visits planned to Ohio State over the next three weekends.

He says those visits have been canceled.

cont...

Camp Randall Stadium was rocking Saturday when Wisconsin took undefeated Ohio State to the limit in a 21-14 overtime loss.

With an offer from the Badgers, Dominique Booth (Indianapolis/Pike) certainly took notice as the ESPN Watch List wide receiver was there on an unofficial visit.

“I like the campus and I love the atmosphere,” Booth said. “It’s probably the best around. I get along well with the coaches.

cont...

One team’s loss is another’s gain.

When Cleveland St. Ignatius lost a Division I, Region 1 final in triple overtime to Mentor on Saturday, Ohio State might have reaped the benefits. The Cardinals eschewed an extra point in favor of a two-point conversion and knocked out the defending state champion Wildcats in a 57-56 thriller.

Watch List offensive tackle Jimmy Byrne took the defeat hard, but now will be able to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State on Saturday to see The Game against Michigan.

cont...

Combo forward Keita Bates-Diop (Bloomington, Ill./University High) has committed to Ohio State over offers from Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State. Bates-Diop is rated the No. 27 prospect in the ESPN 60 and becomes Thad Matta’s first pledge in the 2014 class.

Bates-Diop saw his recruiting skyrocket after a great spring and all throughout the July evaluation period. He also enjoyed a tremendous outing this fall at the Under Armour Grind Session. Bates-Diop took a number of unofficial visits in recent months, so he had some great comparisons before coming to a final decision with the Buckeyes.

This is important for Ohio State because Matta has continued to have a strong presence in the fertile recruiting ground of Illinois. Former Buckeye and current 76er Evan Turner and current players Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Sam Thompson are also natives of Illinois.

cont...

Ohio State went into enemy territory and nabbed a power forward who add a lot flexibility to the Buckeyes' roster in two years.

What Keita Bates-Diop (Bloomington, Ill./University) will bring to the Buckeyes shows up beyond the stat sheets as he can spread the floor and cause mismatches virtually everywhere.

The 6-foot-7 high school junior, who committed to Ohio State on Sunday, is ranked No. 27 in the ESPN 60. With touch around the rim, he uses his height in the low post to rise above defenders and is a marksman as a passer.

cont...