Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.
No. 77, Olentangy
Qualification
Five players from Olentangy have been listed on 12 Ohio State rosters. The first Brave to make an Ohio State roster was receiver Tony Fenstermaker in 1988. That was the only time he was listed. 13 years later, defensive end Bryce Culver made the team. He spent three years on the Buckeyes' roster and was coached by Ed Terwiliger at Olentangy.
Ricky Crawford joined Ohio State as a walk-on wide receiver in 2008. As a junior he saw limited action on special teams. He was on the roster for three seasons. At Olentangy, Crawford was first team All-OCC player. The fourth Brave to make an Ohio State roster was defensive lineman Claudius Mbemba. The 6-2, 235 pound lineman was only listed as a member of the team for the 2012 season.
The most decorated Olentangy player is Joshua Perry (2012-15). The talented linebacker was on the team for 51 games and amassed 296 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Perry led the team in tackles during the 2014 season with 124. In 2010, he was the first player for the 2012 class to commit to the Buckeyes. As a Brave, he was a second-team All-Ohioan for Division I.
Perry was selected by Chargers in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. During his brief NFL career, he signed with the Chargers, Colts and Seahawks. Today, you can listen to Perry on Wednesday evenings during the Eleven Warriors Radio Hour.
Back To School
Olentangy is located in Delaware County and is a member of the Ohio Capital Conference (OCC). The team currently competes in Division II, Region 8. The Braves have made the playoffs for five straight seasons (2014-18). Last year they lost at Winton Woods, 42-49, in the first round. In 2014, Olentangy made it to the state semifinal where they lost to La Salle.
Notable
Olentangy holds three state championships. Girls' lacrosse won in 2005, boys' lacrosse in 1998 and girls' cross country in 1982.
Famous Alumni
Some famous names you may know: Rascal Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox and NFL players Kenny Anunike and Zac Kerin.
Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years.
If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player.
| 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 |
| 90 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 |
| 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 |
| 50 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2,756 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
169 days until The Game.
Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.
