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. 18, Cincinnati St. Xavier
Qualification
8 players from St. Xavier have been listed on 28 Ohio State rosters.
OG Bill Lukens (1973-76) played in 40 games during his time in Columbus and was a captain of the 1976 team. He was also honored by being named to the All-Big Ten team, Academic All-American team and Academic All-Big Ten Team in 1976. The Buckeyes won three Big Ten titles and the Orange Bowl with Lukens playing on the line. He was an offensive guard and defensive tackle for St. Xavier.
QB Greg Frey (1986-89) was captain of the 1990 team and was also a recipient of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame scholarship that year. He was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 1989 and 1990.
Frey is probably best known for his two come-from-behind victories against LSU and Minnesota. In 1988, the Buckeyes were down 33-20 with four minutes to play, and Ohio State escaped with a 36-33 win over the No. 9 Tigers.
The Minnesota miracle occurred in 1989. Ohio State was down 31-0 in Minneapolis when Frey orchestrated a stunning win by throwing for 362 yards in the 41-37 victory.
At St. Xavier, Frey was the Ohio Back-of-the-Year and Cincinnati Player of the Year as a senior. He was also named to several prep All-American teams. Frey threw for 2,970 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior and ended his high school career with 47 TDs and 4,702 yards. During his senior year, he completed 28 of 55 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns against Cincinnati Moeller. Frey was also the two-time Cincinnati Player-of-the-Year in baseball.
| No. | POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72, 68 | OT | JOHN CUMMINGS | 1970-72 | Could not find any info. | Could not find any info. |
| 64 | OG | WILLIAM LUKENS | 1973-76 | See above. | See above. |
| 15 | QB | GREG FREY | 1986-89 | See above. | See above. |
| 16, 11 | QB | ROB SCHOENHOFT | 2005-07 | Played in 9 games and completed 18 of 26 passes for 134 yards. | Threw for 1,159 yards, 13 TDs and only 3 INT as a senior. Also played 4 years of basketball and made it the finals as a senior. |
| 53 | LS | PATRICK HOWE | 2007-09 | On the roster for 3 seasons. | Nothing listed. |
| 69 | OL | ERIC KRAMER | 2010-13 | A special teams player in 2012 | 2-year starter in at St. Xavier. |
| 47 | LB | JUSTIN HILLIARD | 2015-18 | A knee injury has limited him to 20 games 38 tackles between 2016 and 2018, Academic All-Big Ten player. | Rated as the No. 1 linebacker and a 5-star recruit, an All-Ohioan and DI Defensive Player of the Year. |
| 84 | TE | BROCK DAVIN | 2017-18 | 2018 and 2017 Academic All-Big Ten. | Caught 17 passes and 2 touchdowns as a senior. |
*Note, St. Xavier's roster count will increase to 30 after Justin Hilliard and Davin Brock complete the 2019 season.
Back To School
St. Xavier is located in Hamilton County and is currently in the Greater Catholic League. The team competes in Division I, Region 4. The Bombers went 5–5 in the regular season last year and qualified for the playoffs. St. X traveled to Colerain and was defeated, 35-9, in the first round.
The football won the 2016 state title by defeating St. Ignatius (27-20) in double overtime. The team also won the title in 2007 and 2005. The Bombers have made the playoffs for ten consecutive years.
The school's nickname used to be "Conquistadors" or "Conquerors". The Cincinnati Enquirer first used the nickname Bombers for the school in 1944. One of the theories for the change was because of the bombs thrown by George Ratterman to Charley Wolf.
Notable
St. Xavier has won 55 OHSAA state titles and 71 overall.
The swimming team has an incredible 39 (2009-2018 <10 consecutive>, 1999-2007 <9>, 1990-95 <6>, 1984, 1970-81 <12>), golf has five (2016, 2015, 2008, 1995, 1957, cross country five (2013, 2012, 2003, 2000, 1998, team tennis four (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006), singles/doubles tennis four (2006, 2002, 1947, 1946), lacrosse four (2018, 2015, 2000, 1997), football (2016, 2007, 2005), water polo (2016, 2015, 1979) with three, volleyball two (2006, 2003), and baseball (2003), basketball (2000) and soccer (1983) with one.
In 2008, Sports Illustrated ranked St. Xavier as the 13th best high school athletic program in the nation.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Alex Albright, Bryson Albright, Rocky Boiman, Steven Daniels, Clint Haslerig, Melvin Johnson, Luke Keuchly, Lemar Marshall, Art Mergenthal, George Ratterman, Pat Ross and Greg Scruggs, MLB players Neal Brady, Chris Sexton, Bill Sweeney and Chris Welsh, Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Joe Hudepohl, Olympic swimmer Charles Keating III, PGA golfer Jim Herman, former NFL Coach Hal Pennington, former NBA coach Charles Wolf, former NC State head coach Tom O'Brien, current Louisville basketball coach Chris Mack, comedian and The State actor Kevin Allison, CNBC news anchor Joe Kernen and a certain Urban Meyer was an intern and coached defensive backs at St. Xavier in 1985.
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.
2,817 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
109 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.
