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. 74, Western Reserve
Qualification
Four players from Western Reserve have been listed on 12 Ohio State rosters. The first Raider to make a Buckeye roster was Fred Pisanelli (1971-72). At 208 pounds, he was considered, "unusually light" for a tackle. Pisanelli was captain of Western Reserve's football and track teams and earned All-Ohio honors in football.
Van DeCree is the most decorated player from Western Reserve. He was a two-time All-American and All-Big Ten player at Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the 1973 and 1974 Rose Bowls with DeCree. The talented defensive end was considered one of the finest players at his position and a hard hitter. He played for Woody Hayes for the 1972 through '74 seasons.
In 1990, DeCree was inducted into the Ohio State Football Hall of Fame and was named to the Ohio State All-Century Team in 1999. The Buckeyes went 29-4, won two Rose Bowls and three Big Ten titles with DeCree on the team.
DeCree was captain of his high school team and earned All-American and All-Ohio honors at Western Reserve. He played one season in the World Football League which folded in 1975.
Aaron Brown (1974-77) was considered to be the quickest middle guard in Ohio State history. The man his teammates called "Chunky" was a team captain in 1977. He also earned All-Big ten honors twice (1976, 1977) and was an All-American in 1977. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten title every year Brown was on the team and went 39-8-1 during that run.
In high school, Brown earned All-Ohio honors. The Saints selected Brown in the 10th round of the 1978 NFL Draft.
Timothy Brown (1977-79) did not have the same career as his older brother, Aaron. Tim Brown played offensive tackle and was the heaviest player on the 1979 team. He had surgery near the end of his junior season to repair a ligament tear in his knee. Brown did not earn a varsity in football at Western Reserve until his senior season.
Back To School
Western Reserve was located in Trumbull County, but the school was closed in 1990. There is currently a committee that is wanting to build a memorial to the school that operated from 1967-90.
Notable
The state of Ohio currently has two schools with the name Western Reserve. The schools are is located in Berlin Center, Ohio and Collins, Ohio.
Famous Alumni
Some famous names you may know: See Ohio State players above.
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 |
2,759 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
166 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.
