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. 26, Pickerington Central
Qualification
6 players from Pickerington Central have been listed on 23* Ohio State rosters.
P AJ Trapasso (2004-08) finished his Ohio State career second in program history with 78 punts downed inside the 20, 4th in career punt attempts (203) and 5th in career punt yards (8,317). He averaged 41.0 yards per punt and the Buckeyes won four Big Ten titles and went 5–0 in The Game with Trapasso on the roster.
At Pickerington Central, Trapasso was a two-time All-Ohioan. He initially was a kicker and then added punting duties for his junior and senior season. Trapasso was also a running back and rushed for 3,754 yards, 50 touchdowns during his high school career. As a junior, he averaged 8.6 yards per carry and was the team's offensive MVP.
OG Justin Boren (2009-10) started his college career in hell, but realized his mistake and became the first player to transfer from That Team to Ohio State since World War II. Boren was a two-time All-Big Ten player for the Buckeyes and earned the Jim Parker Award in 2010. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl during his time in Columbus.
At Pickerington, he earned All-Ohio, All-County and All-Ohio Capital Conference honors, received the Touchdown Club of Columbus All-State award, was a Parade All-American and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a senior.
FB/LB Zach Boren (2009-12) started his Ohio State career as a running back, but became a starting linebacker against Penn State in Week 9 of his senior season. He only started the final 4 games at LB, but Boren finished the year as the 2012 team's 6th leading tackler. As a running back, he had 11 carries for 33 yards and 2 touchdowns during his last season with the team. He finished his Ohio State career as a captain who started 39 games, with 41 wins and a memorable sack in The Game.
As a senior at Pickerington, Zach Boren was Ohio's Defensive Player of the Year. He was also rated as the No. 2 baseball player in Ohio. He considered playing baseball for the Buckeyes, but concentrated solely on football.
OL/C Jacoby Boren (2012-15) started 28 games for the Buckeyes and played in 44 games during his Ohio State career. Was a captain as a senior and earned Academic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten honors twice. The Buckeyes won 50 games, a Big Ten title, a National Championship and went 4–0 in The Game.
Jacoby Boren was an All-Ohioan and helped get the Tigers to the state title game for the first time in program history as a senior.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | P | AJ TRAPASSO | 2004-08 | See above. | See above. |
| 23, 21 | DB | JAMIE WOOD | 2009-12 | Special teams player who played in 26 games and had 20 tackles through his junior seasond. | Captain and helped lead the Tigers to consecutive OCC championships. Selected for the U.S. Army All-American game and was an All-Ohioan. |
| 65 | OL | JUSTIN BOREN | 2009-10 | See above. | See above. |
| 44 | FB/LB | ZACH BOREN | 2009-12 | See above. | See above. |
| 50 | OL/C | JACOBY BOREN | 2012-15 | See above. | See above. |
| 53 | DT | DAVON HAMILTON | 2015-Present | Has played in 27 games and recorded 38 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 1 sack through his junior season. | All-Ohioan who had 67 tackles and 23 TFL as a senior. OCC and Division I Central District Player of the Year. |
*Pickerington Central will have players on 24 rosters after Davon Hamilton finishes the 2019 season.
Back To School
Pickerington Central is located in Fairfield County and is in the Ohio Capital Conference. The team competes in Division I, Region 3. The Tigers went 8–2 in the regular season last year and made the playoffs. They traveled to Hilliard Bradley and won, 14-13, in round one, defeated Northmont, 33-7, in round 2 and defeated Hilliard Davidson, 20-13, to make it to the semifinals. The playoff run ended a game away from a shot at the state championship when Colerain won, 28-14.
The football program won its first, and only, title in 2017. The Tigers defeated Mentor, 56-28, to cap a 14–1 season. The team has made the playoffs for 13-consecutive seasons.
Notable
Pickerington Central has 13 state titles. The girls' basketball team leads the way with 7 (2018, 1999, 1998, 1993, 1992, 1990 and 1985), boys' track has 2 (2019, 2018), and football (2017), boys' basketball (2012), boys' cross country (1997) and girls' softball (1997) each have 1.
The girls' basketball team won the USA Today National Championship in 1999. The marching band has marched has performed in 16 NFL halftime shows, 5 Rose Bowl Parades, 4 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades and for 3 presidents.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Taco Charlton, Brian Peters, NBA player Caris LaVert and Ohio State basketball player Jae'Sean Tate. Not going to point out that two of the names above chose poorly when it came to selecting a college...
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.
2,808 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
118 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.
